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I don't know if you've noticed, but you've been unable to comment on the last few blog entries, thanks to my web host migrating their accounts to a new platform, which totally screwed up my blog. When I called tech support -- and I must admit here they actually did try to help -- they ended the conversation with the never-before-uttered phrase "We don't support Movable Type, only Wordpress". Ugh! Oh well, I've been wanting to change this blog over to Wordpress for a while now, anyway, so I guess the time really has come. I will be attempting that monumental task this week sometime. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
Meanwhile, back to my life in the real world, my family and I have been traveling, taking a couple of trips over the last two weeks. It's been so much fun! Our first trip was to Estes Park here in Colorado, which is one of our most favorite places to go. This time, however, I would have to say it was the best one ever -- except for the fact that our daughter came down with the flu the first night we were there. The next day she was feeling better, so we managed to still salvage a good time! I took a bunch of pictures and have posted them to my flickr, so please go and enjoy! I've added a little of the history of Estes in there for you, too. ;) Oh, and just wait until you see the pictures of those beautiful Elk that walked through our "back yard"!
Our other trip was to Lake McConaughy in Nebraska (in my opinion, the only thing that redeems Nebraska -- sorry Nebraskans. GO BUFFS!). We LOVE this lake! To begin with, it's huge and has a sand bottom so there's no muddy mess like a lot of lakes/reservoirs, and the beaches are beautiful white sand! The closest thing to the ocean near us, that's for sure. LOL I don't have the pictures downloaded from my camera yet, but when I do I'll post the link. We took our daughter's best friend with us, who had never been there, along with two of our dogs -- the tiniest, Riley, and the biggest, Cheyenne. Now, Cheyenne is a Lab through-and-through and adores the water, so she had a FABULOUS time. Riley, on the other hand, is terrified of water, so I thought bringing him was a mistake, but Hubs insisted. Well, much to my surprise, he really enjoyed the beach and playing ball with us. What he didn't like, of course, was ALL THAT WATER! He got on Callie's back while she was on the tube and she took him for a little ride, but he hated it. LOL Later I got in the water which, by the way, is still very cold, and started making those kind of noises you make when you dip yourself into cold water, you know? lol Anyway, Riley heard me and thought I was in trouble, so he mustered up all his courage and jumped down the little "cliff" alongside the water and was all set to come rescue me. He jumped onto Callie's back once again and she began paddling toward me. The whole time he was staring at me with this "I'm coming! I'm coming!" look in his little eyes. It was SO CUTE! I couldn't believe he would face his worst fear to save little old me. He is absolutely my hero! All seven pounds of him! :)
I best get a move on and see about all this changing over to Wordpress thing. It makes me shudder to think of importing all of what's here, but a gal has to do what a gal has to do for the love of her blog. ;) Oh, and by the way --
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all of you fathers out there! :)
Well, we all know Mother's Day is Sunday, right? As much as I enjoy my children fawning all over me, I also become sad because my mother is no longer living. I used to love to fawn all over her, too. :)
But there are other holidays and events coming up in the immediate future, as well. Graduation and Father's Day! And of course all of the other gift-giving holidays throughout the year. Call me a sap, but I really love giving Personalized Gifts to my friends and family. There's just something about a personalized gift which tells the recipient that you really put some thought into their gift.
At PersonalizationMall.com you can find all kinds of gifts which can be personalized. And guess what? Personalization is FREE! You don't find that very often. All the stores around here charge per letter! They also ship your order quickly -- usually within 1 to 2 days.
They have this beautiful pocket watch which I would really love to give to my oldest son. He's always loved pocket watches so much, and a lot of the Engineers on the railroad have them. I hate to wait for Christmas, and his birthday has already passed. Maybe I'll just have to give it to him for being such a good son. :) The price is great, too!
Next time you need to buy a gift, remember PersonalizationMall.com!
Personalized Gifts, PersonalizationMall.com
When my daughter and I were visiting with my friend and her husband over the weekend, we discussed how far technology has come in such a short time. The conversation came after my first game of bowling with their Wii. Who would have thought, eh?
Well, my mind has been boggled once again. I think a lot of us already realize that IBackup is a leading Online Storage and backup, but guess what they offer now?
Now you can actually access and share data from your iPhone and other handheld devices! They provide you the flexibility of accessing data stored on your IBackup account with handheld devices such as iPhone, Blackberry, PocketPC and Treo. How great is that? Couple that with the fact that you can get a variety of plans starting with 10 gigs of storage for only $9.95 a month and, well, you can see for yourself what a fantastic deal that is!
Who woulda' thought. :)
On Saturday when my daughter and I were walking through the malls, she was constantly commenting on how cute the guys were who had piercings in their face. LOL She just absolutely loves that. I can't see it personally, but I'm old. LOL I've often wondered, though, where the people who DO have piercings buy their jewelry.
Now I know. Anyone in need of body jewelry can find what they need at Acha Co., Ltd., a wholesale body jewelry manufacturer. And wow, you can get stainless steel, titanium, tungsten, sterling silver and silver! That's pretty cool. People can even get theme jewelry there. That sounds interesting! So if you or someone you know is looking for some great body jewelry, send them there! They'll find what they need at some standout prices!
I love ceiling fans! I always have. I only have two of them in my house right now, but hopefully there will be two more in the next few months as we finish remodeling the room upstairs. I also totally love Outdoor Ceiling Fans! I've always dreamed of having a space outside that completely flows with the rest of the house with a beautiful ceiling fan, completely setting the mood of the room.
There are so many gorgeous Ceiling fans to choose from at CeilingFanWarehouse.com. The outdoor ceiling fans are unbelievable! Did you know they even make outdoor ceiling fans that are U.L. Listed for wet locations? I didn't! They're called, quite appropriately, Wet Ceiling Fans. How cool is that?
While browsing through their web site, I particularly loved checking out the Minka Ceiling Fan. So many styles, and a lot of them with free shipping! I also loved the Tropical Ceiling Fans. They made me think about the bar in "Casablanca". Veeery nice. :) The Hugger style fans are really nice, too, for those rooms that don't have high ceilings. I think there's a ceiling fan to fit everyone's taste and needs there. You should definitely check them out!
Outdoor Ceiling Fans, Ceiling Fans
A new puppy and a new car -- how could it get any better? lol Seriously, though, I promised you guys a picture of my daughter's new puppy, Hemi, and I also said I'd post a pic of my new car, so here they are! :)
Here she is just a couple of weeks ago at the park with my daughter. Isn't she adorable? I especially love the way her ears curve over at the top. lol So cute! She's definitely a baby, full of vim and vigor and mischief! But we love her very much. She makes the cutest sounds ever!
This is our new Toyota 4Runner SR5. It's funny that the pic came out showing it as blue, because it's actually dark gray with just a hint of blue. I guess that blue really comes through, though, huh! In any case, we love it! :) My daughter and I are going on our first road trip with it tomorrow. We can hardly wait! :)
I hope you guys have a great Saturday yourselves! :)
New Puppies, Toyota 4Runner SR5
Do you remember back in November when I posted about Megan Bomgaars, the girl with Downs Syndrome who is a cheerleader at an Evergreen, Colorado, high school? Just to refresh your memory a bit, even though Megan sometimes has a hard time keeping up with the routines, her teammates wouldn't even consider the notion of not including her when they went to tournament. So at the Jeffco Spirit Invitational at Columbine High School last November, Megan was front and center. Midway through the Evergreen routine, when other cheerleaders lifted Megan to the top of their formation, the crowd exploded with loud applause. It must have been SO awesome! Yep, she and her teammates and coach made school and state history. I was so proud that they were representing Colorado in such a brilliant way!
Well guess what? Now they are going to be honored in the nation's capital!!
Megan and Coach Tammy Dufford will receive the "National High School Spirit of Sport Award" from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
According to the NFHS, the award is given to those who "exemplify the ideals of the spirit of sport that represents the core mission of education-based athletics." Isn't that awesome?!
Oh, and by the way, the team thrived in competitions last fall, taking third place at the Jeffco Spirit Invitational and winning the Small Varsity Division at a regional competition. The Evergreen Cheer Squad also received a statewide award for good sportsmanship from the Colorado High School Athletics Association (CHSAA).
A written release from the National Federation of State High School Associations praised the team for their example. "This is an exceptional story and one that embodies all that is good and right about high school sports," the statement read.
I'm so proud of them all and couldn't be more happy for Megan!
Evergreen High School Cheer Team, Megan Bomgaars
I think I've mentioned this before, but I adored John Lennon and still do to this day. I love his music and have watched all of the documentaries about him that I could find. That's why when I found out about the Limited Edition English Laundry John Lennon Shirts I was completely stoked.
This design, along with the Give Peace A Chance design, each only had 350 shirts made worldwide. They are very Limited Edition, licensed, hand sewn shirts from famous shirt maker English Laundry, paying tribute to John Lennon. Of course you already knew that English Laundry is the "wickedly arrogant line of elegant yet street savvy mens shirts designed by the incredibly charming Christopher Wicks of Manchester, England", right? Seriously, people, the line totally is arrogant and unbelievably cool! Go check out all their designs!
Limited Edition John Lennon Shirts, English Laundry
I think I need a new computer. This one is 4 years old, and even though that doesn't sound like a lot of years, you know how quickly 'puters become obsolete. At the very least I need to upgrade my RAM and processor. Did you know that you could save hundred of dollars by doing it yourself? Yep, I said do it yourself. You can buy Computer Kits at Easy As My PC and actually build your own! The kits include everything you need. They include plain English instructions with lots of illustrations. You can also get upgrade kits to increase your RAM or replace your CPU. All you need is a screwdriver!
Sounds interesting to me! I think it would be way cool to do it myself and then brag about it to my family and friends. LOL Plus I'm all for saving hundreds of dollars, that's for sure! But then, aren't we all? :)
Easy As My PC Kits, Building Your Own Computer, easyasmypc.com
Do you like to take drives? I love it. I find it to be so relaxing. We (Hubs, daughter, daughter's best friend and I) took a loooong drive this afternoon. It was SO nice. It always amazes me that even though this is a small town, I always find something new when we take those long drives. It's so much fun. :) Not to mention that I am a total looky-loo and LOVE looking at other people's houses. LOL I think that goes back to my childhood. My mom used to love to take long drives with us kids and look at houses. I learned to love it from her. :) I also love to go out into the country. The hills and plains are so beautiful! It's inevitable that while I'm enjoying the landscape my mind wanders back to the pioneer days, imagining the wagon trains traveling through. Yes, they actually did travel through here. You can even take a wagon train tour in the summer and travel along the very same trails they did. Cool, huh!
So, do you? Like to take drives? If so, what do you like looking at most?
I was watching Oprah the other day when Nate, her interior designer, was on. At one point in the show he and Oprah were sitting in a gorgeous "outdoor living room". That's all the rage now, you know -- outdoor space made to seamlessly integrate with the rest of the home. It was SO beautiful! They were talking about teak furniture. Now, I've never been lucky enough to own any myself -- but someday I will. ;)
Here's a little FYI knowledge for you: Teakwood or Golden Teak is the king of hardwoods and it's one of the world's most valuable timbers, recognized for its durability and stability. Teak is more durable than any other hardwood and has unparalleled rich beauty. Teak can withstand all types of weather. Due to the oil and rubber found naturally in the wood, teak has a greater ability to withstand the elements than any other wood. For this reason it has been the preferred choice for boats, and in fact, has been used on aircraft carrier decks! This is because of its ability to resist splintering, warping and rotting. If left un-oiled, teak will turn a soft gray when allowed to remain outdoors. This process takes approximately one year, and is actually a desired effect.
So, after learning all of that, I went looking and found some beautiful teak tables online. The Adirondack Chairs and Loungers and Steamers are completely gorgeous! I can envision a couple of those loungers out on my deck right now, not to mention that 4-foot glider they have! Yep, one of these days .... ;)
Teak, Teak Wood, Teak Furniture
Have you ever wanted to buy silver or gold? My husband has. He has a friend who invests in a lot of things, and he got Hubs interested in silver and gold.
I have to admit that I never paid it much attention when he would talk about it. But I should have. It's actually quite interesting, not to mention profitable! So, why would you want to buy silver and gold? Well, did you know that since the beginning of 2002, US dollars held in 3-month US Treasury Bills have yielded less than 3% per year? Considering that the inflation rate over this same period of time has averaged more than 3% annually, the cash accumulated had less buying power in January 2007 than it did five years earlier. Now, over this same period of time, the gold price in US dollars increased by 130% - an average gain of 26% per year, and the silver price in US dollars increased by 183% - an average gain of 36% per year. Those are a couple of very good reasons, don't you think?
Still not convinced? How about this: assume you had placed $10,000 into 3-month U.S. Treasury Bills at the beginning of 2002. At the end of five years, the buying power of your money would have decreased by -$116.19, or -1.2%, when taking inflation into account. If instead you had used $5,000 to buy silver and gold ($2,500 each) and put the other $5,000 into 3-month U.S. Treasury Bills, your buying power would have increased by $5,977.28, a gain of 59.8%. That's a pretty darn good rate of return, right?
I am absolutely telling my husband about what I have learned at GoldMoney. They tell you everything you need to know -- how it works, how to get started, how to buy -- even how to use it as currency. That's some pretty valuable information -- in more ways than one!
I don't know what it's like where you live, but here in my small town most of the cops are, shall we say, overly self-impressed. Most of them are little men with big badges who get their jollies by having authority over others. Oh sure, there are a few good ones, but most of them are .... annoying (except, of course, my son's high school buddy who just joined the force a few months ago. *wink*).
A lot of them drive around town breaking laws as simple as using their blinker when they change lanes or turn the corner, but will have the nerve to stop us for the same thing and hand us a fifty dollar ticket! My son even pointed that out to a cop once when he noticed he hadn't signaled, and oh boy, he did NOT like that at all. LOL There's no use in trying to fight the ticket in court, either, because the small town judges believe the cops every.single.time.
Some people are luckier than others, though. Some people can go to TicketBust.com, who offers traffic ticket fighting services, and they'll go to bat for them to Beat a Speeding Ticket in California! In fact, they're so confident they can get a ticket dismissed or reduced that they offer a MONEY BACK GUARANTEE! That's amazing, don't you think? But don't worry, as stated on their site:
Ticket Busters (TicketBust.com) does not sell or endorse services that promote the evading of traffic tickets. Our "Beat Traffic Tickets" service is only available in California and adheres to the laws of the State of California. Our filing service will not help you evade a ticket.
That's awesome. I wish Colorado had a Ticket Busters. Hmmm, maybe every state should have one! Yeah, now that would be very cool. :)
Ticket Busters, TicketBust.com
My daughter is in love with meeting new people. Whether it be in person or on the 'net, she literally glows when she meets new great people. I think she came out of the womb that way! When she was 4 or 5 years old, my hair salon owner and hair stylists named her their honorary greeter, because the whole time I would be having my hair done she was out in the front saying hello to everyone and engaging them in conversation. lol
That's why I know she's going to totally love it when I tell her there is a great new social community online called 3GB Community. Yep, it's brand spankin' new and looks very cool! You can use 3GB to meet up with old friends, make new friends, blog, chat with other members, and listen to the latest mp3!
Plus, as of April 17th they now have a fun service called SHOUTcast where you can become either a dj or a listener. Doesn't that sound cool? You can also upload all of your favorite pictures to share with your friends. I think It all sounds like great fun and a super way to meet new people. If you agree, go join 3gb community 3gb.biz. It's easy! :)
I love my dogs with all my heart, but sometimes they can make me, shall I say, frustrated? LOL At no other time are they more exasperating than when we are outside and they are in. They want out so badly that they seem to think if they destroy my window blinds they'll be able to climb through the window out to us! Right now I have three windows which need new blinds because of their "excitement" -- two in the living room and one in my daughter's room.
I've been thinking about completely replacing the living room blinds with Vertical Blinds. I think they are so pretty! But I gotta say that I totally love these Wood Blinds, too. Maybe I'll get vertical blinds for my front room and the wood blinds for my daughter's room. The fact that you get an automatic 25% percent off makes it even easier to say YES, I'll get both! How fun!
Did you guys know that Celine Dion is about finished with her giant, famous show in Las Vegas? Yeah, and guess who's going to be performing next at Caesars Palace? Cher! That's right boys and girls, Cher will be replacing Celine at the Palace! I am so excited! I love Cher, but I think Hubs loves her even more! LOL
Do you remember watching her on the Sonny and Cher Show? I totally loved that show! My mom would watch it every week, so of course my sisters and I did, too. I thought she was so funny! And I loved listening to her sing. I even remember when their daughter, Chastity, was born. After she got a little older, they'd bring her out on stage at the end of the show and hold her while they sang their famous closing song, "I've Got You Babe". She was such a little cutie!
After she and Sonny divorced, she sure carved out a great solo career for herself, didn't she! I thought "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" was the coolest song ever back then. I can even remember her marriage to Gregg Allman (wow, I'm really dating myself here LOL). I have no idea of whatever became of their son, Elijah. I haven't heard anything about him in ages and ages. And oh wow, her performance in the movie "Mask" was amazing! I've seen that movie at least ten or twelve times and it makes me cry every time. She was truly phenomenal.
I'll never forget watching Cher speak at Sonny's funeral after he died in that horrible skiing accident. You could tell they had enjoyed a very close and loving relationship and friendship after their divorce. It was so sad.
So anyway, she'll begin performing at Caesars next month! And guess what? She'll be 62 years old on May 20th! Man oh man, I can only dream of being that energetic and ambitious at her age! LOL All I can say is more power to her! She's a remarkable woman and I can hardly wait to buy my Cher tickets at Caesar's Palace Las Vegas and go see her perform!
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