Redwoods!

This morning was our time to set off from San Francisco and head toward the Pacific Northwest. We got a mid-morning start after checking out of our hotel and renting a prius for our trip. We squeezed and managed to fit our luggage into the prius and took off. After going across a fog shrouded Golden Gate, we took a detour to go into Muir woods to see the redwoods. Turned out to be a wasted detour as it was so completely swamped with visitors that we could not even park. So in and out and back on 101 north. After a couple more stops (coffee and ipod adapter), we began to put on a few miles. Lots of starts and stops, bathroom breaks and unscheduled walks through towering redwood forests further up the coasts.

And about the redwoods, let me say that they are unreal. They almost seem surreal or alien, from another place or time. Not only are they individually huge, they grow 300 feet tall and appear to be very large in diameter right to the tops of the tree. Instead of becoming slender until they branch out at top, the redwoods mostly seem to have a very large trunk diameter to the top and sometimes appear broken or dead in the very top. Also, you might think that trees big enough to drive a car through would be widely spaced, lots of room between them. Not so. In the best groves where the biggest redwoods grow, the trees are side by side or at most only a few feet apart. It fees like walking down a street filled with tall skyscrapers! Very magnificent, very enchanted. Amazing.

The first place we stopped to see the really big redwoods was at Leggett, Ca. They have a world famous, drive through redwood called the "Chandelier Tree". From what I can tell, this is the best of the drive through redwoods around. It was carved out in the 1930's and folks have driven through it ever since. It really is a magnificent tree, and the experience was worth the $5 it took for the ticket!

More Pictures from our trip!

Day 5 of Traveling

Thursday, July 30, 2009
Last night Walker requested to be woken up early so he could swim “early in the morning”. Although his joy of swimming is strong, there was no waking him at 0800. He continued to snooze. Once up and dressed, suitcases packed and ready to go, then he decides to swim. A promise of swimming tonight in the next hotel was enough to suffice him. The Continental breakfast produced nice hot waffles with Bosenberry syrup. Most importantly, the coffee was good – hot, not bitter, not too strong, half-n-half – very good.! My 0730 walk this morning brought no exciting scenary – just the businesses and mall stores in the area. The sun was bright and warm and thankfully a nice breeze. The remainder of the day brought 300+ miles and a lot of it was in the middle of nowhere. Lots of desert mountains and cattle ranches. An interesting stop was in the small town or spot, I should say, called Kimberly. The store was part of someone’s home and the clerk served dual purpose of postmaster and cashier. This was the only store for miles and the only building in the “town”. The boys enjoyed the buffalo, elk, and deer that were mounted on the walls. The lunch/snack was limited to corn chips and bean dip. Ymm! Hunter has never had a “chili pie”, so some evening at home I’ll have to introduce him to this delightfully fattening dish – corn chips (preferably plain) topped with chili and then cheese. I like a few jalapenos on mine, but some prefer Texas Pete or even Picante sauce.. Sounds gross to some, but on a cold night, it hits the spot!
Our adventure today was a hike up to see the fossil hills. The scenary and the 97 degree weather at the peak of the day reminded me of Texas. Tim enjoyed and probably appreciated the “green” areas noted on the side of the mountains. We of course did not see nor find any fossils, but we gained a better understanding of what occurs. We then visited an interactive museum and saw Paleontologist working.
The rest of afternoon was seeing the countryside – however, the drive was slow due to all the curves and winds in the road. At times it seemed car queeziness was inevitable. Reading and writing were impossible, so thankfully Walker had much to say about nothing, but kept us occupied and filled the hours.

Coffee please.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Had it not been for my phone ringing at 530am – (8:30 am in NC – Moore Regional hospital time), I probably would have not stirred until late in the morning. Nonetheless, my morning walk began at about 725am. Nothing exciting on this one mile walk other than the catfood and small water container that was randomly placed by the side of the road in an empty field – at least I assumed it was cat food. The weather was in the 80’s and not breezy, but not blistering hot, not yet anyway.
The continental breakfast the hotel offered was a delightful treat and much different than the muffins and bagels and donuts that my children had scoured for the last week for breakfast. Walker and Hunter chose Fruit Loops. I was happy they were at least drinking milk☺ Yesterday I had commented that my morning walk, a good cup of hot coffee with half-n-half, a nice huge cup of Sweet Iced Tea, a Big Hunk and a kiss under the mistletoe at the Geo-Cache site, just about made my day perfect. Today’s start was not so glorious. I enjoyed my walk, but the coffee was not hot enough to start my day. When we left the hotel, we ventured to a downtown Portland, Oregon Internet coffee shop called Stumptown Coffee. Tim needed internet access and I was in need of java! According to many, Oregon and Washington are known for its love of coffee. I was anxiously waiting for the wonderful flavor to touch my lips and taste buds. I had even psyched myself up to deal with whatever type of cup it came in. The line in the coffee shop was 10-15 people deep, so wow, it must be sensational. Not. I asked for a small cup for me, a medium for Tim and an Italian Ice for Hunter, I requested the house brew, preferably light. I wanted to sound like I knew what I was ordering, much like you see in the movies when they order all that mocha latte stuff. I was given the two cups – thankfully not styro foam- of the appropriate size and sent to the direction of a black coffee Thermos pump thing. There was only one to chose from and the name of the coffee was Kenya Timoliio. That was it. It shattered my hopeful heart, but I was still holding out for that great experience, but oh my! Yuk! It was bitter! My faithful dose of calcium in Half-n-half didn’t help it either. Tim thought his was okay and Hunter sucked down his Italian Ice, so I guess his won the prize for the best. As we drive away from the city, it is now going on 1100, so coffee time is gone. I have missed my morning fix! I shall hold out for something else to jump start my day!

A day in Oregon

Monday, July 27, 2009
Sunday night was our night out of San Fran and spent in Crescent City, CA. Pretty uneventful. This was our ending destination after 300 + miles of driving. I slept sound and hard. The boys enjoyed the security of a floor under their feet and the glorious sound of a television.
Our hotel – Curly Redwood Lodge – was built from one huge Redwood tree, cut down in 1952. The Hotel being completed in 1957. Tim described it much like the hotel in the movie CARS – drive in, sort of feel. The rooms were sparce, ancient type of thermostat, 1960’s furniture, no coffee pot, no blow dryer and no ironing board – thus none of the more modern elements, a far cry from the Marriott in San Fran. However, the redwood walls and pillars under the carports was wonderful. The lady at the front desk was very nice and jolly. Our room was $90/night – the most expensive suite there because it had two bedrooms and could sleep up to six. At 930pm at night, we really didn’t care. A regular room would have been $59 – pretty decent price. This was the last room at this hotel and probably the only left in this city as we discovered after several phone calls and attempts to find a place to lay our weary heads.
My morning walk was a quick walk close to the peer and harbor. Lots of fishing boats. Then it was a bright purple thrift shop, then on the main highway, bypassing several full hotels to the corner convenience store. The coffee was fresh and hot, so my day would start right. A mile later I returned to our room. Tim also ventured out to enjoy the fresh air of 55 degrees. Showered, dressed, packed and off we went. 1030 am was a little later than we planned, but the time was perfect for our drive.
A quick stop for a photo opportunity found Tim and the boys admiring the carving of a Mermaid close to the harbor. She looked angry that we were staring, but Tim has a thing for Mermaids. I do not share his interest in MerMen!
More Redwood forest, beautiful rivers winding deep below the road we traveled kept us intrigued and entertained. WE stopped and picked wild BlackBerries on the side of the road. There was a stop here and there and some unique little spots along the way. A geo-cache in the middle of the field in the hollow spot of a tree was the next stop. At 12:45, we had only traveled 75 miles. Not making great time, but enjoying all that the day has to show!
As we pulled up to get gas, we were surprised to find that gas had to be served by the attendant. The process did not seem timely or efficient, but we abided by the rules nonetheless. Some interesting treats along the way was an 8x10 sheet of jerky. Ymm! Later, at a bathroom stop I found a Big Hunk. Not a studly man (I have one of my own) Its a candy bar. Tim nor the boys had ever had one. Chewey white nugget with peanuts. Surely not good for your teeth, but a sweet blast from my childhood trips to the grocery store in Knippa.
The Oregon scenery was not nearly as beautiful as that of the California coastline and Redwoods, but it was nice. Reminded me of West Texas near Alpine with the rolling hills and trees, yet dryness of the scorching summer sun. We pulled over to a Rest Area to stretch our legs and off the boys and I went to sight see. A nice river was a few feet away and a quick dip of our toes helped the 101 degree weather seem bearable. Walker “accidentally” slipped and off into the water he went. He, of course, would have loved to swim, but thankfully a small little water snake appeared and that was enough to keep us hurrying on our way. A picnic in the park was our dinner and then to the LaQuinta for our nights rest. The boys went swimming for a bit and then settled down to cartoons and a warm, comfortable bed. I finished up some homework that was overdue and was fast asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow at midnight.
330 miles was our final number of miles traveled this last Monday in July of 2009. Tomorrow brings a promise of more unseen landscape and adventures

Touring Northern California

This morning was our time to set off from San Francisco and head toward the Pacific Northwest. We got a mid-morning start after checking out of our hotel and renting a prius for our trip. We squeezed and managed to fit our luggage into the prius and took off. After going across a fog shrouded Golden Gate, we took a detour to go into Muir woods to see the redwoods. Turned out to be a wasted detour as it was so completely swamped with visitors that we could not even park. So in and out and back on 101 north. After a couple more stops (coffee and ipod adapter), we began to put on a few miles. Lots of starts and stops, bathroom breaks and unscheduled walks through towering redwood forests further up the coasts.

And about the redwoods, let me say that they are unreal. They almost seem surreal or alien, from another place or time. Not only are they individually huge, they grow 300 feet tall and appear to be very large in diameter right to the tops of the tree. Instead of becoming slender until they branch out at top, the redwoods mostly seem to have a very large trunk diameter to the top and sometimes appear broken or dead in the very top. Also, you might think that trees big enough to drive a car through would be widely spaced, lots of room between them. Not so. In the best groves where the biggest redwoods grow, the trees are side by side or at most only a few feet apart. It fees like walking down a street filled with tall skyscrapers! Very magnificent, very enchanted. Amazing.

The first place we stopped to see the really big redwoods was at Leggett, Ca. They have a world famous, drive through redwood called the "Chandelier Tree". From what I can tell, this is the best of the drive through redwoods around. It was carved out in the 1930's and folks have driven through it ever since. It really is a magnificent tree, and the experience was worth the $5 it took for the ticket!

Here are a few more pictures from our trip.

Good bye San Fransisco!

Sunday, July 26th
Up early, packing for four after a week’s stay was challenging. We have rented a Toyota Prius – a Hybrid car. Tim, in his infinite wisdom, has determined that for the increase price for renting this car, it will pay for itself with the gas we will save. It is a smaller car, so one of the many bags we brought for a two week trip will have to stay behind. Business attire and dirty clothes are the easy choice to leave behind. The Marriott has graciously agreed to store this bag until we return on Friday.
To summarize our week long stay in the city of San Fransisco –
Hunter has seen some different cultures – homeless people, schizophrenic people on the public transportation system, China Town, Fisherman’s warf, Haight Ashubury – the place that was famous for hippies in the 60’s, the subways, the street cars that came to SF from other states when they stopped using them, the trolley car, the inside of a catholic cathedral,and the many steps to the top of Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill.
Walker’s highlight was the train (subway), the many parks and playgrounds we stopped at along the way, the Carousel at Golden Gate Park that was free for him, the heated pool and, most importantly, the elevator!
Tim reports his highlight in SF was the Mission district, along with all the others sites they visited.
The city was most beautiful at night with the lights of all the high rise buildings. We enjoyed many ‘hole in the wall” joints for eating – Chinese in China Town, Mexican food somewhere on a desolate street, Thai Food, Burgers, Pizza, great Eggplant Parmesan at an Italian restaurant, some hot fries and Root Beer at a local brewery, lots of Bagel places and good, fresh, cheap donuts and of course, my favorite – room service.
For as much is it fun to see different parts of the United States, the city is for visiting only. It is crowded, loud and so busy! There are tons of people. There was not peace and quiet. Even at the park it was busy! So, I’m glad we have come and been a part of the chaos, but I’m glad I live on a farm in the country.

Thursday, Day 3 in San Fran

Thursday -
Today is the first day of the Health Leadership Summit. This is part of the reason I am here this week. Our opening speaker was Robert Reich. A great public speaker. He has set the stage for what we are dealing with in healthcare as well as Healthcare Reform issues. This conference is different than any I have attended before. This is not just about nursing, nor just about leadership. It has a focus on the bigger global picture of healthcare. Although not my biggest priority, it has helped me appreciate the more complicated issues at hand.
Our 2nd speaker must have had too much caffeine. This was Tom Peters. although a dynamic speaker, he was much too aggressive for me. He also tended to jump from one issue to another and at the end, I"m not sure what his message was, other than working hard to eliminate errors is important. Duh!!
My day did not start until the afternoon, so this gave the boys some time to just chill out in the room and allowed Tim some time to venture out solo. He enjoyed the Revolutionary Cafe for a mid-morning breakfast. He then traveled to the Mission area, Valencia street. He treated us to lunch when he brought back some Foccia bread, Hummus dip with cucumbers and a pizza from Lucca's Italian restaurant. (The pizza was not hot - intended for city folks to take home and heat - no microwave for us :( Nonetheless we enjoyed the picnic in the hotel room.
We joined later to travel to Fisherman's Warf = quite commercialized. Our dinner destination was a burger joint called "In and Out". A cheap, good, standing room only place where you could get a hamburger and fry and drink - nothing else on the menu. The best part was the price. We all ate for less than $15. The highlight of the evening was riding the trolley car. We now can appreciate the Rice'a'Roni commercial! As we waited for our ride, a street person played his horn for tips while his pet Rabbit hopped here and there. Walker decided he wanted an orange rabbit as a pet and he would call him "Pet".
Another full day for all of us!

Day 2 - sightseeing in SF

Wednesday -
This is day 2 of my AONE fellowship. The morning was filled with information on lobbying and polilitics in Washington D.C and how it affects nursing. After lunch, we had a great speaker who challenged us to publish articles. Fun afternoon!
For the boys - they went to an Oakland A's game. Hunter is very into baseball these days. A professional game vs a simple farm team like the Grasshoppers in Greensboro, seemed much more exciting. Tickets for the noon game were only $10. 16 to 1 was the final score with the A's winning and gaining a greater respect from Hunter! :0 Hot dogs were only a $1, so they enjoyed the try experience of a baseball game! Walker ran out of steam and napped for a couple of hours - in the cool wind, I might add - but a great day for them!
Our evenings as a family had a focus destination of places to eat. Tonights adventure started out to be across the road from the Marriott. The kids played in the park, bowling was considered until we saw the price, Mo's hamburger joint had been recommended, but we declined. So off we went in blind search of something good to eat. Our steps found us back in ChinaTown eating in another hole in the wall place. I enjoyed my dish, but Hunter's was not as good as he anticipated.
A purchase of a very nice wooden Samurai sword for $8.99 and a smaller plastic one for Walker seemed to make the many steps worth the trip.
REturning to the room at 8;30pm again found me exhausted. My 0530 am wake up, my early enjoyable walks in the busy streets of San Fransisco prior to class seem to limit my wakefulness to 16-18 hours a day. The boys, however, seem to get re-energerized with the SF air. Tim seem to be enjoying seeing all he can see. He is quite the adventurous, curious type. We are missing Brittney! She too, would be soaking all the different cultures and sightings in this big city.
Thank goodness he has mastered reading a map and the public transport system of the city.

Day one sightseeing in SF!

Tuesday -
We have the privilege of being on this trip due to my participation in the AONE fellowship. My days this week will be filled with meetings and listening to presentations and speakers. The boys, however, will be free to roam the city!
Today, was a great day for me- connecting and networking with fellow nurse managers and leaders. Getting education on being a better coach and mentor was this mornings fun. The afternoon was filled with interesting information on how the boards of nursing function within the scope of nursing overall. Great insight.
The first day sightseeing for the boys required a quick stop at Goodwill. It seems as though we missed the Internet reference to the awful weather in downtown San Fransisco. It is in the 50's and 60's - windy and damp! Not sure the shorts and short- sleeve shirts I packed are sufficient. I did pack a couple of pants for the boys and a light jacket for the plane ride, but I was prepared for this weather. Burr! And I hate the cold! :(
Hunter was quite amazed at Chinatown! He had never seen so many Asia people. quite an experience. And then there was all the walking. The Streets of San Fransisco has a much appreciated meaning now - not just cops in a TV show chasing bad guys! Walker was a trooper though. He kept up with his big brother and dad every step of the way.
We joined that afternoon at the hotel pool and hot tub! We then dressed and rode the "train" as Walker put it. It is the subway - the Bart. An interesting journey to a Mexican Food - hole in the wall- joint. Typical of a Tim place to eat. It was unique and interesting. The food was good - just tacos and burritos were offered. Walker about fell asleep at the table, but rallied again as we returned to the Hotel. AS usual, I'm the first to slumber. It was 845pm - still a little light outside, but my internal clock said otherwise. We all had a good day!

A day of travel

Whew! My body says it is midnight, but the clock on the bedside table says 9pm. Three hours difference from the East coast to the west is something to think about. The boys seem to still be feeling the excitement of today and Tim has not slept but one hour - he worked this weekend, Sat and Sun night, getting home this am at 0800. And then our big day!
Up at 5am, each kids room cleaned, clothes put away, then clothes packed, a few toys packed, items to pass the time on the plane and in the hotel room. Tim is up, clothes packed, the fumbling for all the techno gadgets - Garmin, GPS for his Geo-caching, I-Touch, I-pods, portable DVD, laptops, Game Boys, Nintendo DS, plugs for everything, batteries, cameras and so on! We really are a techno dependant family! (I did throw in a magazine or two, a coloring book and a book for Hunter - just in case, of course.) At exactly 11:45am, I looked at my empty suitcase and decided I better throw in a few items for me. You would think that we would be better organized since we have known about this trip for months. Na! What is the fun in no pressure or deadlines? Nonetheless, we were locking our door at 12:20pm and away we went.
The Charlotte airport leaves something to be desired. Not my favorite. Going through the security check was an adventure. Everyones' shoes, Tim's belt, hat, wallet, pocket items, three computers, the DVD player, a 3 year old, an 11 year old curious fellow and then the bag check. It seems as though a Power Ranger toy was suspicous of a gun. Oh well. I'm glad they are looking for things! Timing was great. To the Bathroom, to the gate, early boarding, and then 10 questions about are we flying in the sky yet? Fortunately, a three hour nap allowed us to entertain Walker for only 2.5 hours. :) We arrived safely to SF. A $42 cab ride for all four us and four pieces of luggage and 8 smaller carry on items, the Marriott was a welcome destination. We ordered room service pizza and salad and the day was complete! San Fransisco --here come the Martins!

Vacation time!!

Preparing for a family vacation is quite a job! Work is always busy - getting everything organized and followed up on. You'd think that that would help the return to work go smoother, but unfortunately for me, the work will be placed on my desk, waiting for my return. Ahh! And then there is the planning the trip, the weather, the clothing, what all we will need for each section of the journey. And then there is the preparing for everything to be covered at home - the farm, the dogs, the fish, the plants and the list goes on. Makes you wonder if going on a vacation is really worth it. THe definition of a vacation is a leave of absence for rest or recreation. Hmm? Preparing for the vacation is definetely enough work to make you want to relax. Nonetheless, the weekend was spent cleaning and washing and getting the house organized, just to start the packing process. I'm tired! REady for a vacation. :)

Summer VBS

After a busy, yet not feeling so productive day at work, we settled in for a nice end of the week presentation at Vacation Bible School. The theme was Boomerang Express with a hint of Australia throughout the week. Nancy (sis-in-law) did a great job, as always, with the decorations, arts and crafts and the helping with organization of the week. The men of the church were drenched with sweat as they helped cook hot dogs and hamburgers after the closing ceremony. Everyone enjoyed the gathering and fellowship. The nice thing about summer VBS is that it draws out the children and people in the community. The children played and laughed. The adults enjoyed the summer evening while catching up on each others happenings. Great fun tonight!

Thursday, April 16th

Today started with a long, beautiful walk along the Riverwalk! So relaxing and invigorating.
Great speaker sessions at the conference and have been getting lots of goodies at the exhibit hall.
My afternoon was found driving home to see my dad and mom and Danielle. My dad looks great! Seems stronger and quite spry! Sally seems to be adjusting to retirement life and enjoying it! Danielle looked great. The Texas air seems to be good for her. She's working two job - McDonald's part -time and at the theater. Homecook Carne Guisada was great. Returned to my room after 11pm, so I was quickly to bed! Its been a good day.!

Another day in paradise - called Texas!

This is day two of my Texas trip - however, day one of the AONE conference. Up early at 0530 (I actually got to sleep an hour later than usual - NC it would be 0630). Got a little work done on the computer, a smidgen of homework and nothing on my project other than thoughts. I headed to the workout room here at the Hotel. (By the way - the Marriott Riverwalk is wonderful. Nice facility, great location! Nice view from the 18th Floor!) My goal was to climb on the treadmill and refresh my brain and muscles about excercise. My how things have changed. Remember my earlier blog about not being very technologically advanced - well, the latest and greatest treadmill was out of my league. It had lots of buttons with arrows and dots - but no words. There was a touch screen that once I figured out how to get the thing started I struggled with the turtle pace of 0.5 mph to it quickly jumped to 5 mph (sprint mode). I quickly figured out what that button meant. There was a port for an iPod. one for headphones. and one for something else, probably a Blackberry (who wants to work when they are excercising? That is work enough! And then, the most impressive thing was the TV screen. No longer would you have to stare out into the world and allow your mind to wonder, relax, contemplate the day and find a way to obtain world peace. No! That's not the philosophy these days. I guess the idea would be to find something to occupy the time so you don't feel the muscles ache and the sweat pour. Great concept - I think? So, as I fiddled with the arrows and buttons, mainly for curiousity, I found all kinds of channels for the TV. Then I accidentally pulled a string (not a stop button, but a real piece of string) and went into a dead stop. There was no curly button for undo like on the computer. So, I finally get started again. Once more trying to get out of the snail pace, the very touchy, sensitive touch screen created a "curse" button when it about threw my off, yet again. Nevertheless, my 6 minutes on this fancy new contraption made me realize that fresh Texas air and the beautiful scenery better suited my safety and walking desire. It is now daylight, so off I go! Two miles later, it was back to the room and another gadget to play with.
The iPod. I still have lots to learn, but getting there.
The opening session for this conference was great. Myself and the other 30 nurse managers selected for this years Fellowship were recognized. The speaker gave a great talk - mostly from his book, I suspect - The Spider and The STarfish - guess I'll have to buy it. Not sure when I would read it, but sounds interesting. Another hour long session after his and then back to the room. We then all met again for the President of AONE's welcome reception. We enjoyed being together (Its called Networking if your in the business world, Fellowship if your in church, Hanging out if your a teenager, Partying if your in college, but for old folks like me, when it gets 10pm, its called visiting and goodnight.) We shared a few laughs, danced a few songs and had fun. I was fast asleep by 11pm! Another great day!

Day One - Texas trip

April 14th - My first day of my Texas trip. Up at 0500, busy packing, cleaning and getting the boys ready for their adventure. Saying bye to all three of my boys as the deposited me at the airport was bittersweet. A week away seems forever. Seeing Danielle, my family and breathing the Texas air will just have to be good medicine. Flight went well, without interruption and chaos. "I can see miles and miles of Texas" - yee ha! The weather is sunny and in the 80's. I had a little burger at Whataburger - a favorite hamburger chain of Tim's when we visit. I then stopped at an HEB Plus.
Wow! It is the Texas food store chains version of Wal-mart. Imagine....loud, very loud Hispanic music playing as you enter this huge store with groceries and all kinds of stuff. There were people everywhere. Welcome to the city! Whew! I survived this adventure and joined Jerry and Leesa at her house. A peaceful ranch style home out in the county. Beautiful. I finally got to meet Blake and Bailey! They are so precious. We then enjoyed some Mexican food - Tim would have loved the simple, family owned Restaurant out in the middle of nowhere.
Great food! Even better was the company! Day one- fun and happiness abounds.

An addiction to coffee

Everyone has a vice. Well, mine is probably not a vice, so much as an addiction. Two things - coffee and work. (My family could list more, but these are my perennial top two.) I enjoy work and I tend to work too much, but that's a whole other blog. I've often thought I need to research the twelve steps so that I could deal with these afflictions, but not there yet. :) LOL
Coffee! Awwww! The blissful smell the first thing in the morning. With all of the coffee shops and different kinds of coffee that exist, it can only reflect that I share my addiction with millions of others in the world.
As a kid, I began drinking plain old Folger's but really, I just enjoyed a little coffee with my sugar and Coffee Mate. When I got older, it became a true cup of coffee with a little sugar and Coffee Mate. (Generic powdered cream just would not do!) The next milestone in my addiction came at a camping trip. No sugar was available and I needed my first cup of coffee - thus the graduation to "perculator" coffee with coffee mate. This also stimulated the curiosity of the cup in which I drank it out of. More to come on that.
My next step toward my addiction I must share with my husband. He has quirky hobbies from time to time. You may have read about them before - different types of chickens, teas, wines, fish, clays for his pottery, magazines etc. Each subject being researched and different things tried and tested until another interesting subject came along. I always enjoy his process. Anyway, trying different brands of coffee was one of his fads. Even to the detail of should it be finley ground or course. So, I went from regular, cheap Folgers or Maxwell house, to more expensive brands. We invested in a coffee bean grinder and even had a Espresso/Cappuccino machine for a while. (I'm happy to say that Espresso never fit my taste buds.) I'm not much on gadgets so the bean grinder is just adding 5 minutes to the delay of my first cup.
Today, I make my morning cup a routine and pleasurable. The first cup is always the best - one that I sit and enjoy and do nothing for 10 minutes. Ahh! I do try to get some nutritious benefit from it - I have added half-n-half to my addiction. I'm sure my husband can attest that a cup of coffee must be hot, must be fresh and MUST have half-n-half to really be wonderful! I will forgo a cup of coffee at a restaurant or fast-food when we travel if half-n-half is not on the menu - that is unless it is my first cup - then all bets are off. Styrofoam cups are even allowed in those moments.
In addition to these essential needs, the cup in which it is sipped from must be considered.
I don't like the heavy mugs, but china is too fancy and the coffee gets cold too quickly. The rim of the cup must be just right so that as my lips feel the first sip, they fit just right so that I don't get burned, yet can guide the glorious liquid to my taste buds and enjoy the heat as it warms my soul. Mmmm! If the coffee gets warm or even cool, it will not be consumed. Down the hatch for antoher one to be prepared. I have special cups that I enjoy in particular. At work, I usually carry a "Don't Mess with Texas" coffee cup as I make rounds. There is probably not a person that knows me that does not associate that cup with me.
In spite of the pitifulness that some may think of my addiction, I do have some rules. My body can tell when the 10:30 am hour is approaching. A cup after that time just is not the same. A late night cup of decaf is sometimes a treat when there is a chill in the air, but normally the morning hours of 0500 - 1030 are the highlight of this pleasurable experience.
I have seen many pictures over the last few years and there I am with my cup in my hand! My hair is usually a mess and my make-up is not on, but by golly! I have my coffee. Christmas mornings would not be the same if I couldn't enjoy my cup of java during all the fun and chaos!

A beautiful Sunday afternoon!

It's a beautiful day in March! The weather is quite different than a week ago. Last weekend we had 6 inches of rain, followed by 2-3 inches of snow and very cold weather. Today it is currently 72 degrees. Tim and the boys are planting long-leaf pines. The other two "boys" (Riley and Pell) our two Brittany Spaniels, are galloping in the field, barking and the birds in the trees who seem to chipper at them "Ha! Ha! You can't catch me!"
Walker has been a big help by driving his battery operated John Deer Tractor. He has picked up pine cones and dumped them in the "forest". He has shown mom how independent he is with gathering the eggs - from the arc and the hen house. You can tell he has done this more than once - from the details of placing the broom in front of the door so the wind won't shut it and lock him in (Dad has done that more than once), to the latching of "hooks" on the ends of the arc. He even knows to gently place the eggs in the bucket. Today also brings a graduating moment for Walker. We allowed him to go from 1st speed to 2nd speed on his tractor. Wow! His excited smile showed he thought he was a big boy like his brother. So, off he cruises with mom close behind, wearing his new sunglasses and enjoying a day on the farm.

Badin Rd Drive-IN Theatre

In our busy lives, the relationship of husband and wife is often not a priority with work and kids,the to "do list" and the chaos of living life. Tim has tried to encourage a date night every other Friday - we did great for about 3 events and then reality interfered. Oh well! We still enjoy sitting on the couch together and just hanging out - the dogs wrestling, Walker riding his Big Wheels and Hunter on his video game. Oh yea - the phone ringing, the cat meowing at the door, the dryer humming, the oven buzzer, the TV wide open - its quite enchanting evening!
Saturday brought a trip to Wal-mart together! Its the simply things in a relationship that matter. :) Then, Tim was placed on-call at work, much to his dismay. Me? I'm trying to come up with a hundred ways to avoid homework. (It's a dreadfully boring - theory and research.) So, the lightbulb goes off and I have a brillaint idea. We head to the drive-in on Badin Rd in Albermarle, NC. We've been about three times and always enjoy it.
As a kid, one of my fun memories was loading up in my dad's old International jeep. We would have hot dogs wrapped in cheese and a flour tortilla. Often times we would even have polish kielbasa sausage wrapped in the flour tortillas. There was always a cooler full of ice cold drinks. I hope maybe my dad and mom can enjoy that feeling again on one of their trips here.

And then as I grew older, the back row at the drive -in was a place for the teenagers to hang out. It was always fun to "hide" someone or one(s) to see if we could get a good deal: 5 for the price of 3. :)

Smokey and the Bandit, Grease and Urban Cowboy were some of the movies I remember.

Two movies - $5. popcorn and drinks - $10. Date night with my husband - $priceless.
For our Wal-mart trip there was Visa!

Spring Soccer Season begins

Hunter made a goal!! This is a big deal since his position is on the defensive end as a sweeper.
(I sound like I know a lot, but not hardly!) Yea for Hunter! Walker cheered, "Go Hunter! Go Brother!" This was our first game since our the first one scheduled was cancelled due to the weather. His team didn't win, but they played well and seemed to have fun!
The afternoon was celebrated with a nap for dad, a trip to the cousins for Hunter and Walker and mom watching Sponge Bob! and washing clothes. The weather is beautiful, but such a tease!

Mr Gadget to Mrs. NON-Gadget

My husband will attest that I am not into gadgets or the bells and whistles that come on gadgets. A new fad of something starts and I'm usually the last to know. I had to upgrade my numeric pager to an alpha numeric one. What I thought was vibrate was instead Jingle Bells in the middle of a meeting. My husband got me a Mac as I started my graduate degree back in October. It's wonderful and would be even more wonderful if I knew how to use it! :) My husband got me a new flip phone some time back. All I wanted was the flip part of the phone. It has lots of capabilities, but I just need to be able to dial and talk. I think I have four numbers listed in my contacts and it takes pictures at the most bizarre times. Oh well! An Ipod? An Itouch? Couldn't really tell you much about those. And then there is our Garmen. The latest fad for travelers. So many had great things to say, so my husband, with his generous kind heart, had Santa help him continue his quest to get me more "gadget friendly". Hmm! She has a pleasant voice, but she has got to be a blonde! More often than not, turn here, recalcute, turn here, drive 5 miles just to turn around? Giving "her" the benefit of the doubt, I allow her to get me home on Sunday from Wilmington. Talking to Walker, yelling at the dogs, radio blarring, I follow the instructions provided like the dutiful, seatbelted driver that I am. "She" sends me down I40 to Fayetteville, then home! What was she thinking? So, I pull out my trusty old-timer Garmen - the map- and decide MY way is better! Well, several off roads later, a detour on Highway 41 west, a two lane road behind a slow poke, and 3 and 1/2 hours later- we arrive. I did allow "her" to continue to talk to me throughout the trip, but only so I could count the many times I knew where I was going better than she did! What a gadget! I decided that I just don't think like a gadget! I believe in the KISS principle - Keep it Simple! I hope my husband doesn't give up on me. Perhaps there is a gadget that I will fall in love with....or maybe not!