Sunday, September 28, 2008

Race for the Cure, and a party on the farm!

This will be my last post before I leave for vacation on Tuesday! I can't wait! I'll be gone until Sunday! Yipeee!!



SUSAN G. KOMEN RACE FOR THE CURE!








I was proud to take part in the Race for the Cure today! All proceeds benefited breast cancer research. My friends and I did not make a team (because we were too lazy and missed the deadline), so we opted to participate as individuals. Some of us went on the 5K run, and others on the 5K walk. (I did the walk) There were hundreds of thousands of people there! It was really a sight to see. Lots of people had dressed up for the event....donning pink wigs, and glasses, and pink feather boas!! It was fun!! Next year we are going to get our behinds in gear, make a team, and dress up! All the teams had signs so that their crew could find them. I saw this sign, and went bolting over....too bad they were looking for another Vicky LOL









The race/walk started at 9:25 am, and it took us a bit to get going since thre were so many people. So there we stood, at the summerfest grounds, right under the Miller Oasis sign. They probobaly could have made a boat load of money if they would have been selling beer LOL! A few people were commenting about that. The race winded through the grounds, and out into the open streets of Milwaukee. There were cheerleaders everywhere along the walk....cheering us on!!



It was pretty chilly down by the lakefront, but as we got moving....it soon became ALOT warmer! The one thing I noticed on the walk was that Milwaukee is truly a beautiful city. It has a lot of buildings that are very old, and very quaint. It has some of the most gorgeous scenery....if you only stop to take a look around..
So come....and take a walk with me:






After we finished, we enjoyed the grand celebration that was being put on by the foundation, and local radio stations. There was a band, a march of survivors, samples from different restaurants, free stuff (who doesn't like free stuff), coffee, brats and burgers, cosmetics, games, and fun with friends!!!

We were all pretty tired, but pose for some photos before calling it a day!






TIME TO PARTY ON THE FARM!!!
After the race, we had a work party at one of the technician's houses. She lives on a dairy farm, and she has this party every year! We had a blast this year! A big cookout, fun with bubbles, loads of kids and dogs, pumpkin picking, and a broken swing!
That's right....a broken swing....My friend Donna has an adorable kid. His name is Colton. She was pushing him on a hammock, and I couldn't resist myself. I jumped on with him, and all was going well.....until Donna decided to get on...then BOOM...crashed to the ground onto a pile of rocks! The kid NEVER even blinked, but Donna and were in massive amounts of pain as everyone busted out laughing. I have a huge bruise on my bottom :( But how could you not resist sitting next to my little buddy???


The people were not the only ones who had a great time. There were about 8 dogs there, and they were playing so hard that I think their owners will be having one heck of a restfull evening. This naughty puppy thought it would be a good idea to grab a cornstalk to play with! His mommy thought otherwise...


Then Mr. Tonka....the naughty puppy...got a reprive with this ADORABLE picture!

The kids had a blast as well. I don't know what to say about them really...other than they are the cutest little kids, and very good with animals. There was one little girl who went round to each dog, and introduced herself. It was very touching. Then Ellie, a little girl I know, showed me her newly found catepillar...we named him Rufus!! The kids all enjoyed my display o' bubbles !! I had them screaming and laughing for a good hour before my back started to hurt from endless requests for more bubbles! I can't give away my bubble making secrets....but here's a little looksy:

After food and games it was time for pumpkin picking! I got a good one this year! The kids were having so much fun that they kept snatching all the good ones up!! LOL


And what Wisconsin Farm party is complete without a visit to the dairy barn???

Saturday, September 20, 2008

It's "potty" I mean "party" time at the Kurth!

What a great time at the Kurth last night! I managed to get out of work at a decent hour last night, and headed up to join my friends in Columbus. I must have been driving faster than the speed of light.....as it only t ook 20 minutes to get from my work to the outskirts of Columbus!!

Now, if you are dependent on a cell phone, you will understand my frustration! About a year ago, I got drunk at a Def Leppard concert, and lost the back of my phone over the railing. (I know, I know) Ever since then it has been down hill for that poor phone. My calls get dropped, my service stinks, and it keeps going in and out of roam ALL THE TIME! I know I should break down and get a new phone, and every Saturday I say I am gonna do it, but I don't. Anyways....so I am on the phone with our good friend Robbi, after missing her call the first time, and my cell phone drops the call. We then play a little "phone tag" back and forth, until finally reconnecting with each other. The whole time we are playing phone tag, I am getting closer and closer to Columbus. If you've ever taken the drive out to Columbus from my area, you will know that there are NO gas stations for miles and miles. Well I had to pee, and I mean PEE! Robbi suggested that I turn around, and head back to her house for a little R&R, and a bathroom break! I was over the moon!!

It didn't take me long to find Robbi's house, and as I pulled the "Queen Mobile" into the driveway...here comes her Yellow Lab...Liberty!! Liberty, in all her sweetness, came bouncing over the grass to investigate the strange visitor! ( I am pretty strange) Liberty let me know right away, by her happy barking, that she was excited to see me! A couple doggy kisses later, I made my way over to Robbi! She then introduced me to "Mr. Houdini" himself, Chewey. I think he was just as excited to meet me, as I was to meet him! I was shown the way to the bathroom, and not a moment too late!! Then Robbi took me on a tour of her lovely home, complete with a great patio they had just built.
I then truly realized what Robbi had been talking about all this time, when it comes to her canine family! When we entered the kitchen, we found that Chewey had indeed pulled off a "Houdini"!!! He had opened the cabinet in the kitchen, and pulled out the garbage! What a sneaky little boy!!! We were only outside for a few minutes, and he had managed to swindle his way into that cabinet!
Here's Chewey...the resident "Houdini"


Here's little Liberty...the sweetest barker ever! (And she has a very happy tail)



Just a little side note to all you Robbi fans out there: (Sorry about this in advance Robbi hee hee)...... Robbi has a picture of her in a coconut bra, and grass skirt in her basement!!!! I wish I would have a taken a picture of it! Hmmmm......I see some blackmailing oppurtunities in the future! The funny thing is.....she STILL has that coconut bra!!! LMAO!!!!

After several changes of outfits on Robbi's part (hee hee), it was potty time! Now with the cable man out of town, "potty" time, kinda sounded like "party" time when the announcement was made to the dogs! But this doggy"potty" was no people"party"!! LOL!!









With a final fair well to the dogs....we were off to the Kurth! So we are in the "Queen Mobile", and the cableman FINALLY calls Robbi back after 8 hours. Robbi thought that he must have dropped his phone in the water on his fishing trip, and even though she tried to get her words out...she kept on saying them wrong.

What she meant to say is " I thought you dropped your phone in the water!"

What she kept on saying was "I thought you dropped your water in the phone!"

HOWEVER!!!! She caught herself each time ....and this is what she was able to get out...before correcting her mistake!

"I thought you dropped your wah"...."I mean your phone in the water"

NOW.....from my end I heard something different....so I said..."Just tell him to drop his wad, and get it over with!!" OMG!! It was pretty funny!!

It didn't take long to get there from Robbi's house, and we arrived to find several of our blogger friends, plus Rod and Dj's dog Blake, out on the back porch of the Kurth! There was quite an array of food there, from pizza, Robbi's bread and spinach dip, and Shake's English Raspberry Trifle!!! That trifle was just to die for!! Now remember Shakes, I want to see some Chocolate Ameretto, Expresso Trifle next time!! ( Also...a little alcohol goes a long way LOL)




Shake's settles in to take a bite of Trifle!







I wanted to try some of Rod's new beer. It is called "Lazy Man's Porter", but as he says..."But it tastes like beer!" It was really yummy! It had a chocolaty smokey aftertaste, and went down smooth as silk! I have to say, it did pack quite a punch! It's not your most "typsical" beer...is it Rod?? LOL! After a glass and a half, I was definatley feeling the effects as I recounted the following story to my friends:

Remember my mencacing Squirrel that was throwing acorns at me? Well, I called this tree guy to have a quote on how much it would cost to have the tree taken down. (Not because of the pesky little squirrel that is stalking me, and hiding in my garage, and trying to sabotauge my every move, and almost killing me with a flying acorn...not to mention the now larger ammo of walnuts) The tree has been dropping things into the gutter, and clogs them up causing flooding in our basement. Well I said to the guy, "Can you please come and give me a quote on cutting down my acorn tree". He never said a word. When he came, he quoted me $1000 dollars, and never said a word.

I went to work yesterday, and told all the girls about my acorn tree, and I was met with hysterical laughter.

"What's so funny?", I alsked them.

"You know there is no such thing as an acorn tree, don't you?" They replied, still giggling through their words.

"Of course there is! Where else do you think they come from?" I reamed back at them.

"Ummm.....I don't know....how about an OAK TREE!!"

I was mortified. Not only had I embarrased myself with the tree guy, who is probably still laughing at me as we speak, but it has now become a big joke at work as well. We have little message boards at work, and there is a nice little message on mine that reads, "What does an acorn tree look like?" To which I wrote back..."YOUR MAMA!!" It is pretty funny, I guess.

Well, it turns out that I am not the only one who didn't know that acorns do not come from acorn trees. But then again, quite a few people last night did know that most important fact. So I pose this question, after more hysterical laughter, ....:"Why don't they call them Oakorns then?" The world may never know!

Then, with the Lazy Mans Porter, taking a hold of me.....I decided to tell everyone why I thought said squirrel was a girl!

"It has boobs!!!!!"

"Aren't those its nuts?" Replies Shakes, looking at the photograph in my camera.

Well...needless to say....that started some even louder laughing. Poor Shakes! Sorry hun! (We know what you meant though)

The smokers, aka Robbi and myself, slipped off the deck, and out into the parking lot. ( You know what we were doing..again....I know, I know) We had some great conversations with Michelle, and Mary. Then I tried to call Judge, but alas no answer. I was hoping that she would be there last night, but things came up and she was unable to go.

Now last night, I think we all had some great laughs, and learned some VERY interesting facts about our friend Shakes. For her sake, I won't go into them LOL!!! Let me just leave you with this...."I wonder which bed I would take if I was locked in a furniture store?" I'll leave the rest up to your imaginations :)

Next up....have you ever tried to take pictures of yourself and another person? Well last night, I must have taken about 10 photos of me and Robbi. We had a couple good ones, and one VERY VERY bad one....that lighted the flame for another hysterical fit of laughter. Sadly, I accidentally erased it last night, and it is lost forever. Let me tell you this....it was straight up Halloweenish!! My double chin exposed, bad lighting, and really big eyes on both of us!! We looked like two zombies in need of a good stiff brain!! After I realized that we were not going to get a good picture that close, Dj offered to take one for us...so here we are in all our Kurth glory!!

Sorry Robbi...no teeth from me!!



I did manage to pull off this most spectacular, super sexy, and flattering picture of me! (Yeah right!) This is right when the Lazy Man's Porter started settling in!



As the crowd dwindled down, it was just me, Robbi, Dj, Rod, and Shakes left. Another group that was partying on the deck had also decided to leave for the night. What I am about to tell you had us all in stiches!! I thought I was going to need surgery!


This woman who was leaving, had clearly enjoyed the beverages at the Kurth that night! Robbi, Shakes, Dj, Rod, and I were sitting at a picnic table. As she passed us, she stumbled into poor Shakes, and we all knew what was about to happen. Blake was laying on the floor next to Rod. Robbi, and I had our backs to the woman. Dj, Shakes, and Rod were facing right towards her. Then the woman starts in.

"What kind of dog is that?" She muttered, clearly intoxicated.

"It's a Corgi"

"A Corgeee?"

"No, a Corgi!" Rod laughed.

"A corky?" she stuttered.

"A CORGI!" Rod said back.

At this point, both Shakes and Dj were trying to hide the hysterical laughs that were started to trickle over to me and Robbi. The sight of seeing someone laugh so hard does things to me. I quickly covered my mouth with my sleeve, and tried my best to cover up my laughter. Dj, Shakes, Robbi and myself were trying so hard not to let her see us laughing!!!

Poor Rod was left with the task of talking to the drunk woman, as it was clearly evident that none of us girls could do it. Then I hear Robbi talking under her breath....

"I'm gonna lose it....I'm gonna lose it!!!"

The woman continued on drunken ramblings....

"Yeah...I had a Lab..or something...I took him to....what's that place called?...Ummm...the institution school.....you know...."

I hear the laughing getting harder and harder.....it was almost totally unbearable. The whole time I am facing Dj, and Shakes, and seeing their giggling. Plus Robbi, over to my left..."I'm gonna lose it...I'm gonna lose it!!!"

The woman continues talking to Rod, and trying to pet Blake....

"I had to get rid of my Lab....well the insurance company said I had to.....he was eating children!"

"I JUST LOST IT!!!!!!!" Robbi blurts out, and with that....I look over and see tears of laughter running down her face! Dj buried her head, Shakes was grinning from ear to ear, and I did my best to control myself. Then...my laughter led to a snort. You know what I am talking about. The sleeve was no longer working for me, and as I turned to face Robbi....tears came streaming down my face as well. I couldn't take it anymore as the woman continued. After I heard Rod make a comment about "missing children" to the woman, the laughter got even worse. I could no longer hear what the woman was saying due to the fits of laughter around me, and sides were about to split wide open!!

All I could think about was Rod, trying to maintain his composure in front of this woman, and how he could all see us giggling out of the corner of his eye!! OMG!!! Her friend finally came back to get the woman, and with that...we all sighed with relief. We were just thankful that the drunk woman seemed oblivious to our laughing.

Just when we thought it was all over, two more women came out onto the deck. Not as intoxicated, but still as funny. The laughter started all over again, when poor old Blake was compared to a "Hodag!" Rod defended his dogs honor, and the one of the women said something snippy that I couldn't hear (due to the brain blockage I was having from laughing so hard), and they left.

Robbi seems to have an undiscovered talent. She is able to take pictures of large groups of people, and include herself at the same time!!! WOW!! We were all very impressed!! This picture was taken PRE hysterical moments of laughter!

Shakes, Dj, me, Rod, and Robbi!



After we finally composed ourselves, we called it a night!



I might put up a few more pics next week. I only wish I had Robbi and my scary attempt at taking our own photos!! but just for good measure....here's one of Robbi!! :)

Thursday, September 18, 2008

The art of food!

A friend emailed me a bunch of photos of wierd things people do with their food. I think it's rather cool!

I picked this specific picture to cheer up our good friend, Sir Jack! Hope it makes you smile!



I gotta get outta here!!!!!

And just a bonus for your day.....we all need a little laughter.....

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Cat in a Box..and one Crazy Squirrel!

My cat Louise does a lot of strange things. She likes to sleep under the covers, stalk the dogs, and sit in the water dish when it is empty. This morning I found her sleeping in an old shoe box. Funny thing is....it was in the garbage can...or at least it was. I have no idea how she got it out of there, but here she is....enjoying her victory.


And if that wasn't strange enough....I had an encounter with a very unusual squirrel this morning.


There I was...just minding my own buisness. The rain was slightly trickling down from the leaves above. I hear a noise...I look up..see nothing. I turn, go round the side of the garage. I drop the garbage bag, I had hauled out of the house, into the trash bin. I hear the noise again. I spin around to see what is making this noise. It is a strange sort of squeaky noise....like right out of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. You know the part I am talking about. If you don't...here is a clip to refresh your memory.











Anyway, back to my story. I kept hearing this squeaky sound. Then, as if out of no where...BAM! I got hit in the head with something. At first I thought a bird pooped on me, but I saw this object bounce across the ground. I looked up...saw nothing. I raced across the grass, and investigated the foreign object. To my surprise...it was an acorn. I looked up again, saw nothing. So what did I do next? Well, I sat down in my tree swing. I felt a bit foolish sitting there in the rain watching the cars go by. However, I was not about to leave until I had found my attacker.


A few minutes went by, then BAM! Another acorn hit the tree swing...barely missing me. I looked up, but again I saw nothing. Just a few branches moving in the wind. Well now I was mad. I stood up, and watched the tree above swaying back and forth. Then....I saw him! Or should I say her!! What a sneaky little squirrel. I snuck up to the base of the tree, and peered up into the branches. She took aim....fire again!!! Missed me! I picked up the acorn, and threw it back at the squirrel. (I know, I know) It NEVER moved! It was daring me to chuck another one. But I did something that it did not expect....I let the dogs out! It freaked...and ran up the tree.


After that, it dissapeared....but only for a moment. I put the dogs back in the house, and went to pick up the acorns from the battle. I put them into a pile at the base of the tree. I am, afterall, and animal lover. I didn't want it to starve. I walked out onto the sidewalk, and there she was. She was sitting up in the tree, peering down at me. I could only imagine that she was saying...."This is not over.....not over by a long shot!" I half expected her to "Pull a Focker" on me. The good old "I'm watching you" motion that was shared in that movie.

Well you know what Squirrel...I'm watching you too! Here is the infamous squirrel. I think it is a girl. I wonder why?

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Jupiter visible tonight!! Time for Fall!! Kittens!!

It's those chilly morning's that I long for after the heat of summer. I love this time of year. There are many things that spark the start of fall for me. Whether it be the stars, the colours, or just a good latte....I can feel it in the air! Fall is starting its arrival.
Every year, the leaves on the trees in my yard are always the last ones to drop. However, something is happening this year that I did not expect. They have already started turning, and the leaves are dropping like crazy. This is very strange. We have lived in this house for 7 years, and have always had the unwanted privledge of cleaning up everyone else's leaves in November. They always blow down to our house, and since our trees are the last ones to go, we never rake them up till after Halloween. Looks like we will be doing some early clean up this year. I don't know what's going on. Call it global warming, call it mother nature....what ever it is....it is a bit out of sorts. Can this really be happening so early?

Fall really starts for me in an unconventional way. I am VERY partial to pumpkin. It does not matter how it is prepared. It could be pumpkin pie, pumpkin juice, pumpkin patte.....doesn't matter. I love it!!! Every year about this time, Starbucks (my weakness) brings in my favourite drink of all time. It is the famous Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. It is to die for!! I had been waiting almost a year to have a cup of this!

I work in a area where there is a Starbucks just down the street. The people who work at this specific Starbucks are simply wonderful. I am sad yet happy to say that they know me very well! I am there every morning. They know me by name, and by my car. I think it is hillarious....my hubby thinks I go there too much. Hmmmm.....I think he might be on to something....but I will never admit that to him! There are a few girls in the morning who are a joy to talk to. They even let me take their photograph the other day for the blog! Sweet gals...and they make one mean cup of Pumpkin Spice Latte!!!


There are many other things that make me think of Fall, but the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte has to top the list!!

One of the other things that tops the list, is the beautiful stars that you can see this time of year. Last night we were honored with a visit from Jupiter. That's right....the planet Jupiter! It was literally following the moon last night, and what a sight to see. We had perfectly clear skies, and were able to watch the show. My camera failed me though, and I was not able to capture Jupiter on film. This was as close as I was able to get. Jupiter shines upper right of the Moon. Although they look close together, Jupiter is 1,750 times farther away, and is 40 times larger! Jupiter's arrival has been going on for the last few days, but last night and tonight looks like the best time to get out there and see it for yourself!! Just look to the right of the moon!



STAR WATCHING TONIGHT!!!!

Jupiter's Red Spot transits around 8:47 p.m. EDT.

Watch Jupiter's moon Europa slowly reappear from eclipse out of Jupiter's shadow around 11:20 p.m. EDT. It'll be barely east of the planet. (For a listing of all events among Jupiter's moons this month, visible worldwide!!!

Jupiter, Mars, and Venus will be visible tonight right after sunset if you have a telescope. Go here for more information on what you will be able to see over the next few days. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance

It really is an amazing September for star watching!! Get out there, and see what the sky holds for you! You will be able to see Jupiter again tonight with the naked eye, although a telescope will make the large red spot on Jupiter more visible.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

KITTEN UPDATES!!!

I have had a lot of requests about the 2 kittens that are being treated at our clinic right now. They are both doing well, and one of them has found a home with one of our technicians. His new name is Lincoln, but I call him Captain. I like to be different. You may remember that his legs were both broken. Sad to say, that they are still broken after several weeks of treatment, but one of the legs seems to be on the mend. Here he is in all his feline glory!!




The other kitten, which is now named Abby, is still without a home. She is just the sweetest thing ever!! Her wounds are also healing nicely, and in about 2 weeks she should be able to be without her bandages. She is in foster care at the local humane society, and makes the trip to our clinic 3 times a week for bandage changes, and a progress check. I would adopt her myself if I wasn't already at maximum capacity. Again, I have to be different, so I have dubbed her "Peg". She's a snuggler for sure, and I will get some ore photos of her this week to show you all.