You know, it's PAST time for a Yahoo! Messenger Slumber Party.  After several inquiries, I finally recovered enough brain cells to schedule one.  Six sexy ladies have said they'll be there:  Teresa M, Vickie, Monica, Raggedy, Hula, and moi.  Hopefully Deni will be able to attend as well (still praying for you and Boo, Deni!)  So far, two brave and sexay men have committed to try to commit to attending:  Big Orange Michael and Trée. *wink, wink*

Date:  Saturday, August 4, 2007

Time: 8pm Eastern, 7pm Central, 6pm Mountain, and 5pm Pacific.  

Who else wants to play??   If you want to join in and you're on my messenger list, be online and I'll add you to the conference.  If you don't know if you're on my messenger list, leave me a comment and ask me to check.  If you know you're not on my list, leave me a comment with your ID and I will add you - or send me a request to karen697785 on Yahoo! Messenger.

If you have a headset - great but we usually end up typing as well as talking with the headsets because Yahoo! Messenger Voice feature is a little flaky.

I don't know about you all, but I am SO ready for this slumber party... it's time for this Nice One to show her naughty side.  You know... more than usual.   

I had a busy but nice weekend; on Friday, I increased on everything at physical therapy (GO ME!). I'm now up to 3 miles (12 minutes) on the bike, 7 minutes on the Total Gym, doubled my leg/hip exercises, then spent an hour in the pool and tried new exercises in there. The rest of Friday, I don't recall exactly what I did, but I do know I did something. I remember that evening, I designed the invitations for my parent's anniversary party. I printed them out Saturday and yesterday, I cut them. I have two lists made for assignments and things I need to do this week (get addresses, etc.) I'm beginning to see why my siblings let me be the planner; they're still punishing me for being the youngest ;-).

My doctor appointments went well - the Remicade helps my RA so much now that I'm past the "fluish" feeling, it does an excellent job easing my joint pain. I got some relieving news at the foot doctor; the pain I've had in my right foot (the one I broke last Dec) is not from the break but it's from neuromas, just like I have on my left foot. They're basically growths on the nerves and I feel as if I'm walking on big marbles and pain shoots up through my second and third toes. Two options: surgery to remove the nerves or alcohol shots to kill the nerves - of course, I chose the shots.

Monica felt bad for me when I told her about the shots so I sent her a photo of my bruised feet in jest. She was going to show them to her daughter, the Force of Nature, to show that it's OK to get shots. I will spare you all the photo unless you're curious in a sick way *snortle*, I will email it to you. I will say that I didn't bruise as badly as I usually do so it's not all that exciting to see.

It wouldn't be a weekend if I didn't go outside and take photos, now would it? I was happy to see the first bloom of Ashley's Peace rose:


Then there were many blooms on Ashley's purple rose (that Dawn gave me):


I've also made a new little friend; he belongs to one of my neighbors (don't be getting any ideas!) and every time I am in the backyard taking photos, he comes to find me. He's such a sweetie and I've had fun petting him.


Now, to the nuts...while out taking photos of my poppies, I noticed some furry little buds and took a couple of shots. When I offloaded the photos to my computer and examined them on my computer, I'll be darned if they didn't look like nuts *snortle* and not the crunchy type.


Am I wrong? ;-) I even shot them in RAW. Oh gee whiz, I crack myself up.

I hope you all had a great weekend!

I'm feeling somewhat gee whizzed out, perhaps because there hasn't been much gee whiz activity in my life lately (I'll let you decide what that means).  I took my Geology final Monday and I won't know my score until Sunday or perhaps not until next Wednesday when grades are released.  My teacher hasn't even graded my last field trip report yet.  However, he told me that my report on Ogden Canyon and the earthquake evidence was the best and most complete report he's graded.  That's a pretty big gee whiz, even if I do say so myself!

Tuesday I woke up with a migraine and felt like poo.  This is usually the result of so much stress and it always hits me after the happiness is over.  

Not much exciting yesterday; I worked and went to physical therapy.  Oh wait - the temp didn't get over 89F, then last night we had thunderstorms, which I LOVE.  We've had some off and on all week but nothing but sprinkles (at least where I am!), but last night it actually rained for a few minutes.  I love the smell of the rainstorm.  Ahhhh.  I went outside after the storm to take photos of the raindrops on the flowers.  Gee whiz, I love to do that.

Today, I have my Remicade treatment then I finally made an appointment with my foot doc, which I've put off for months.  The neuromas aren't totally gone so I need more alcohol injections and then the foot I broke last December still isn't liking me so I'll go see what's going on with that but I hope it's only Rheumatoid Arthritis.  Gee whiz, it's pretty sad when I wish that, huh?  If it's not, I will probably have to have surgery.

What is gee whizzable about your week?? 

It is amazing what one act of random kindness can change our lives. For the past ten years, a gentleman at work picks a hibiscus bloom from his blooming bush and then brings a bloom to each person in the office. That time of year has come again and I am just as thrilled with the blooms this year than I have been in the past. Each time I look at the bloom during the day, I pause, admire the beauty and individual characteristics, and smile because he goes out of his way to do a kind act - with no other reason than to share some beauty.



As I was writing this post, I remember the main message of the movie, Evan the Almighty, which is, "One act of random kindness will change the world, one act at a time."

I just read my email from Monica about our dear friend, Deni's daughter, Boo.  They've found a lump in Boo and will not know the results of the biopsy for two weeks.  Boo is 17 and is a sweetheart just as her mother is. 

Please keep them in your thoughts and/or prayers.  Thank you. 

**************

Update/Correction:  I had my facts confused - there was no biopsy done because they're going to check in two weeks to see if the lump is still there.  God willing - it won't be.  I'm sorry Deni and everyone for my misinformation. 

1.  My inner stress monkey has been around quite a bit this week but it hasn't defeated me yet.  I'm NERVOUS about my Geology final on Monday and freaking out a bit about all the work I need to do to study and be prepared.  I am my own worst enemy when it comes to stressing out but I'm doing my best to avoid a melt down.  I wouldn't look very good all gooey, although in the heat, it would not be difficult to really melt.  Gee whiz, *ommmm*,  *ommmmm*

2. Tuesday morning, I opened my office blinds to admire the lovely thunderstorm clouds we had and much to my surprise, I see some feathers stuck to the window and upon closer scrutiny, I notice there are marks of where a bird flew into my window!  Being the sick twisted photo-happy person I am, I shot this photo with my cell phone camera.  I then called the receptionist and asked her if we could get the window washers to come clean it.  I told her there was no blood but there were tell-tell signs that the poop was scared out of the bird.  *snortle*  Click the photo to embiggen if you're curious.  The receptionist also told me to close the blinds and to not to take a photo of it (she knows me well) but I told her it was too late on the photo part because I did that before I called her.  Gee whiz, it's kinda like looking at a car accident as you're driving by, you cannot help but look for that rolling head on the freeway. 

3.  Last Friday while enjoying my aquatic physical therapy, I was chatting with one of the ladies, D, in the pool about photography.  Earlier in the month, she invited me to join the photography club in Salt Lake and I am pretty sure I'll join.  Anyway... D, asked me what my favorite setting on my camera is and it's the "P," setting, what it does escapes me at the moment, but I've found that I get better photos than with the "auto."  The she asked me if I shot in raw. 

Gee whiz, how was I supposed to respond to a question like that?!  I'm a perv but not that much of a perv!  

I replied, "No, I shoot with my clothes on," being completely clueless about what she was asking and what RAW is.  She looked at my as if I lost my mind then she busted out laughing.  I'm no stranger to people laughing at me so I joined in.  Then she explained that RAW is a setting for taking photos that gives the photographer more freedom with editing the photo.  All righy then - learn something new every day!  I also learned I need Photoshop and to learn A LOT about photography! 

4.  I  went on a field trip on Tuesday to the largest man-made outside mine in the world.  Bingham Canyon Copper Mine is 2.5 miles around and almost 3/4 a mile deep.  What looked like Tonka Trucks (tm) were trucks with six-12.5 foot tires and two stories off the ground (about 32 feet).  Gee whiz, it was amazing.  I won't bore you with more gee whiz facts but if you want to see my paper, let me know LOL  Here is a document I found online with all the specifics.  Again, click on the photos to embiggen. 

 

 

 

5.  Tuesday night, my two brothers J Dee and Bob came over to give Mom and Dad Bob's old dryer because theirs is going out.  The dryer has been in storage for a year (since he married Kori) and he was happy to give it to my parents.  They took the bad dryer out and brought the other in without any problems but when Bob showed Mom how to operate it, he opened the door to the dryer and there was a load of whites in there.  At that point, Bob started laughing because he has looked for his favorite white shirt and several pair of socks and underwear since he moved.  Gee whiz, isn't that hilarious?!!  He's not going to live that one down.  

6. Last night I finished my Geology field trip report and uploaded it.  YAY.  Then in class, I turned in my Study of Family term paper (WOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO), my short paper on a movie we watched last week, This Boy's Life.   I gave my teacher - the coolest guy ever - and he said, "Is this everything?  You've turned in all your assignments?"  YES, and YES.   Then he told me that I am done with class!  W00T W00T W00T W00T W00T W00T W00T!  No classes next week!!  The only thing left to do (besides jump up and down) my Geology final (refer to gee whiz #1)  Gee whiz, can I callapse into a big heap now?

7.  When I got home from class last night, Mom told me about what an ordeal she had.  My parent's main car, the Buick, isn't running right so they took it over to a good friend of theirs who does all the maintenence on it but after taking 24 hours to "look at it," they told Mom that it may be a leaky manifold so it's not something they want to get into.  Mom then called my sis Susie because she has a friend (for 25+ years) who used to be a mechanic but now manages two or three M*das shops and he has always helped Susie out and he also fixed my old Cavelier Z-24 a couple of times. 

Well, the mechanic (details are fuzzy about exactly who it was right now) told my mom that it is a bad battery.  It's only giving out 200 volts (or whatever it is) instead of 600.  It is a two-month old battery; J Dee bought it at C*stco's and installed it then.  So, they told Mom that was the problem with the idle running too fast.  Right.  The bastard put in a used Interst*te battery and gave her that voltage reading - not the new C*tsco battery.   She told the mechanic that she would have my brother exchange the battery so she didn't buy one.  She didn't know it was the wrong batter until J Dee came over to get the battery to exchange it and they saw the wrong battery.  Needless to say, we're all pissed.  Susie is going to call her friend tomorrow to see what happened and whose head we are going to have on a platter.  I told Mom that she should not only get her money back for their "work" but charge them $110 per hour for all the time she spent on this today - and everyone who was invovled.  Gee whiz, I'd like to kick someone's butt right now. 

Gee whiz... I think I'm gee whized out for this week.  I also may be taking a week or so off from writing but I might still post some photos - don't hold me to that though, I'm not sure how much time I'll have between studying, my final, working, and trying to catch up on my sleep... I've almost forgetten what it is. 

Have a fabulous weekend! 

I took a two-hour break from my complete brain-frazzling weekend on Saturday morning. I heard about a car show downtown Ogden and I couldn't resist going. The biggest lust of my heart is a vintage Chevy Camaro. If I ever buy a classic car, it will be a Camaro.

1971 Chevy Camaro


1968 Chevy Camaro - pure lust! I was drooling over this sweet thing, even more than the white/black Camaro.



The second lust of my heart would be a Chevelle. They're worth quite a bit since there aren't as many as left as the Camaro. She's gorgeous!
1968 Chevelle SS



I was surprised that there was only one Corvette in the show. 1968 Corvette - delicious!



This one caught my eye because of the purple but it was also gorgeous. It even has purple wires in the engine. 1931 Ford Model-A


I fell in lust with this one too - 1938 Chevy Coupe. I spoke with the owner - a woman - which impressed me. She bought the car three years ago and has done quite a bit of work on it.


There are more photos on my Flickr, if you're interested, go HERE.

I went on an outing/"field trip" for Geology up Ogden Canyon looking for signs of earthquakes, faults, and thrusts. It was nice to do that, especially because I love Ogden Canyon. Other than these two things, I did homework; 250 pages of the Study of Family textbook, 100 pages of a book (for a book report), and 130 pages of the Geology textbook. I am DONE reading for the term, except for the reading I have to do for finals. I wrote the report for my "field trip" and wrote notes for my book report. Can I just say - I am SICK of school?! Two more weeks of this term.

Next weekend will be stressful because I have my Geology final on July 23 and it's not open book, it's proctored. I'm nervous already - damn test anxiety!

Dad had a rough weekend due to dizziness and confusion but he's doing a little better each day. We're sure it's from the pain pills and anesthetic. Mom came downstairs on Thursday night to tell me, "Your dad just peed a STREAM!!" Which is a good thing but I couldn't help but crack up!

Then, Friday when I got home from my field trip and physical therapy, I arrived just in time to catch Dad as he was falling down. He went out to get the mail and got dizzy on his way back to the garage just as I was getting out of my car. I haven't moved that quick in a while! As I helped him into the house, he had a little "word mix up" when he asked me, "Have you seen my wound?" I snickered and said, "Noooooo, I haven't!" I started laughing because the look on his face told me that was not the word he wanted to say. Then he started laughing - poor guy! He was still embarrassed and told Mom what he said. We all had a good laugh over that.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

I received a phone call from my dear friend, Hula today.  When my phone rang, I saw her name on the caller ID, which is good because I wouldn't have recognized her voice.  She told me she was in the hospital and has been for the last two days (she was released this afternoon) with pneumonia. 

When I spoke to her earlier this week (see the post below), she sounded awful because she had a cold.  We giggled about her sounding "sexy" with her deep voice.  Who knew less than 24 hours later, she'd end up in the hospital with pneumonia?!  Life can change in the blink of an eye.  

 I'm grateful she is doing well enough to be released and hope she continues to be on the mend.  She told me today that it's a good thing I didn't come to Denver because she would have felt awful if she was in the hospital while I was there.  My first thought was, I'm sorry I'm not there to help take care of her. 

It's crazy how things in life work out for reasons unknown; perhaps if I would have been there, she may have been too stubborn to go to the hospital. 

Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.  

 This photo is for you - it reminds me of the wallpaper in your very special room that you allow me to sleep in when I'm there. I'm sending you lots of love, hugs, and prayers, Hula!  Love you to bits!

 

As I went through all the wonderful gee whizes in my life, my giggles (to myself) faded as the events of this week - and past few weeks flooded my mind. How blessed I am to have close friends and family in my life. I cannot imagine my life without anyone.

On June 27, a small miracle came into my family via my nephew Tyler and his wife Sara. I finally was able to see him on Tuesday and fell in love with Caleb instantly. He slept all the time I held him except for some cute little squeaks and stretches.

I visited with Tyler and Sara, which I haven't really been able to do for ages. Sara has not been in our family long so I caught her up on a few things. Sara is such a sweet lady and I thank Him for sending her to Tyler. Tyler lost his mom, my late sister-in-law Lisa, eight years ago and that changed an already brooding boy to the point I thought I lost him forever. He grew up and married Sara and for the first time, I'm seeing a whole new Tyler - especially as I saw him with his son.

We spoke about Lisa and I told him that every time I am around him and his three sisters, I feel Lisa's presence, which I was afraid to tell him before. He smiled and said, "She was definitely there when Caleb was born." I got chills. I left there feeling loved by him for the first time in years and more so than ever.

My dad had surgery yesterday (brace yourselves - especially men!) to remove scar tissue from his urethra (from having a catheter in for four+ months last year. He's also had an infection that took the doc a week to finally sort out what type of infection it was. Dad has been so miserable and now to add the pain of the surgery today. He's entertaining on morphine but he behaved for the most part - no streaking down the hall or anything. He was in quite a bit of pain when we got him home but it has subsided since the pain meds got in his system. He's such a trooper - not letting this get him down and we're hopeful he'll stop getting infections and having trouble. I'm so blessed to have incredible parents and siblings as well as nieces, nephews, aunts, and uncles.

Then there's my friends, near and far. I was feeling sorry for myself because due to school and life being so nuts, I am not able to go to Denver as I planned this coming weekend for Hula's kids' birthday party. She called me Monday morning to tell me that she broke the news to Hula Boy (who just turned 5) that I wasn't coming and he responded, "But we can't have a party without Karen!" My heart swelled and I felt bad and good at the same time. Hula Girl is disappointed too but when I spoke to her on Tuesday (her 10th birthday), she said, "Just because you're not coming doesn't mean I can't send you something." She's an amazing artist and such a sweetheart! I guess we will have to celebrate double next July when I'm going - and nothing short of a disaster will stop me. I also miss Hula's magical air conditioned toilet and the cheap thrills it gives me.

My friends Vickie, Monica, Dawn, and Annie rarely let a day go by without checking on me. My friends that visit me here, whether comments are left or not - it means so much that you all visit me despite me not being able to visit you all. I feel so disconnected at times and I want time to hear about what's going on in your lives and wanting to be there for those who need support - or a laugh. I've decided I need a 24-hour day for all I need and want to do plus a 10-hour night so I can sleep.

Gee whiz... I am so blessed and thankful. Love to all!

Although I dread the heat of summer, the beauty and color that the heat brings amazes me. I took most of these photos yesterday while out in the backyard. Taking photos is an activity that draws all stress away from my mind and puts the energy towards discovering the beauty of the world. Now if only I could do that today instead of going to work. Life is tough, isn't it? ;-)

I went to physical therapy Friday morning and was able to ride 8.5 minutes (2 miles) on the bike, do 10 minutes on the Total Gym, and then 45 minutes in the pool. My knees are still making me pay for it but overall, it felt good. I went home and spent the afternoon finishing my Antelope Island field trip report (I started it Thursday night), polished a paper on a parenting presentation for my Family class, and then read three chapters of Geology. Saturday I spent the majority of the day (about 9 hours) pounding out a draft of my Family term paper on Teenage Pregnancy and how important sex education is in the prevention of that and STDs. Three more weeks of this term then 94 days until my actual last day of class.

It's like going on a trip when I was young where it seemed like forever that I was in the car. I kept asking my parents, "Are we there yet?" and their response, "Just a little further."

Have a wonderful day!

1.  Tuesday there was a team building meeting at work that was a lot of fun.  We played a game called Blunders, in which we each shared some blunders we've each had at work.  The guy who facilitated the meeting put a bit of a spin on it - his idea was to share our blunders with one another to understand one another and blend our experiences.  There was a contest of who had the best blunders.  Guess who won?  ME!  Not so much about the silliness of my blunders that made me win but my willingness to share something about myself which gave the others a greater understanding of me and it spurred a lot of sharing of such weaknesses.  It was a great meeting and I left there feeling closer to all the team (minus one who is an ass ohhhh.... did I just say that?!) 

My prize... a blender!  I was so excited and could hardly wait to get home to make me a smoothie.  Here is my banana, fresh peach, and strawberry protein powder smoothie.  It was heaven.  Gee whiz, I'm a dork to get excited over winning a blender! 

2.  How I spent my 4th of July:

I went on a Geology field trip to Antelope Island (Great Salt Lake) to find surficial stuff (interaction of rock, air, and water in response to gravity at or near the Earth's surface).  I'm usually Miss Prepared for any given situation when I go somewhere (just as Hula - she's seen my luggage!).  Yesterday, I was anything but prepared for the essentials.  I gathered up both cameras and camera bags, maps, papers about Antelope Island, and a 52 oz mug of ice water.  Did I think about the billions of nasty bugs out there?  No.  Mosquitoes?  No.  Bees??  NO repellent whatsoever.  Rotten things would not leave me alone!  I could not believe my eyes when I saw a dude on a motorcycle without a helmet.  My windshield looked like a mass bug suicide and here he is out there with no protection.  Me thinks he liked the taste of the nasty bugs. 

I did not think about the sun and how sensitive I am to it.  No sun block = sunburned Karen and spending so much time out in the sun, gives her a slight case of heat exhaustion. I also forgot about the awful smell of the lake.  You see, two rivers feed into the Great Salt Lake: the Bear and Weber Rivers but there is no outlet.  The only way the water escapes is through evaporation, therefore, there is a lot of algae and nasty smells.  There is one thing that lives in the Great Salt Lake and that is brine shrimp.  If you notice the dark lines in the water near the shore - those are brine shrimp and algae. 

As I went driving along, I stopped and took photos of the beautiful views with reflections in the water.   I was having a lovely time swatting bugs, juggling two cameras, and most importantly, not locking my keys in my car (at least I did something right!). 

 

 

 

 As I stopped off the side of the road to take some photos of the shoreline, I took some photos of the seagulls and other birds.  Did it occur to me that the birds would not sit still for their photos?  Nope.  All I can say is I'm glad none pooped on me as they were flying away!

 

I stopped at the Army Ranger & Air Force Memorial and braved the bugs because the flags were gorgeous and there was such a feeling of peace there.  This memorial is for 12 soldiers died in a helicopter crash in 1992.  One flag flew for each soldier.  

 

As I was making my way back to my car, I noticed a buffalo/bison in the distance.  I shot a photo really quick then headed back to my car before it saw me.  I got in my car and felt safe again... then I realized, this was not a real buffalo/bison; it was a statue. 

I visited the Visitor's Center and gathered some facts and went on my way.  My next stop was Bridger Bay.  However, on the way to the bay, I see this sign which helped reinforce what a dork I am.  Gee whiz, do they mean ME stay on the road or the buffalo/bison?   

I decided to be adventurous and walk out to the water.  There was not any nasty smells in this area so what the heck.  The walk did not look that far and I thought it would only take five minutes there and back. After I got about half-way down the actual sandy beach, it occurred to me that I must stop thinking.  It had to have been at least a half a mile to the water because the water level isn't high.  

Should I mention the part about taking photos (for my report) of my bare feet and my Croked feet to show my teacher what was walkable and what was Crokable?  I'm a dork.  There was a distinct difference between the soft lake bed and the jagged lake bed.  Let me assure you!      
 

  I finally made it to the water and the salt was cool, however, there's not nearly the salt there used to be from all the salt mining and usage.  It's a shame since it's a natural wonder out there.  The stories of being able to float in the water since there was so much salt are now just stories. 

I decided to start back to my car and by the time I reached half way, my body was rebelling and I was hating life.  My car is that speck in the center of the skyline.  You can probably imagine what was going through my mind at that point!

About this point, I was still alive and baking in the sun.  A bee decided he was in love with me because he stuck with me all the rest of the way.  Did I mention how much bees freak me out?  I was so mad at this bee that it fueled my desire to get to my car.  By the time I hit that hill, I had to stop and rest about every ten seconds, then the bee would get on my nerves and I kept going.  I'm surprised I didn't get stung.  I did get some bug bites though.

The next stop was Buffalo Point that over looked White Rock Bay.   Needless to say, I did not attempt to walk to the water this time.  In fact, I took most of the rest of the photos from my car.  Gee whiz, I was one tired field tripper. 

I was supposed to work on my report yesterday but by the time I got home, showered, got in my PJs, uploaded my photos, I was in no mood to write my report since I had a nice pain pill cocktail along with a gallon of water for dinner.    

The field trip was fun, even with my blunders.  Life is no fun if we can't laugh at ourselves and to me, I am an endless source of entertainment.   Gee whiz, the fun just doesn't end which is a good thing.

Happy Independence Day!  Since our nation became the United States of America on July 4, 1776, our soldiers and citizens fought to keep our country independent and free.  Each American made and makes America what it is today, despite all that is wrong, the fire of hope for the future, courage, love, and pride fills in hearts.

I am grateful for all those who suffered, labored, and gave their lives for our country; I humbly salute them all whether they earned medals or not, they still sacrificed and deserve recognition. This is a photo of medals of a coworker who served in Vietnam and retired a Lt. Colonel from the Army - he entrusted them to me (for a project I am working on), which is an honor.

I am also grateful to all those who are serving now, both overseas and here in America. This is a statue that sits in front of the Hill Air Force Base, Utah. This statue is a reminder of how important letters are - either from family, friends, or strangers.


A fellow blogger, Carlo, from His-Phoenix, wrote a chilling post - his chilling reality as a soldier. Please keep Carlo - and all soldiers - in your thoughts and prayers.

Since it's Monday, we all need some smiles.

Since it is Andrea's birthday, I have a surprise for her. One of her birthday wishes was for The Pickle *snortle* (it's her favorite radio station) to play Yummy, Yummy, Yummy by Ohio Express. Just in case they don't, here's this version. Even if they do play it, this is a hoot. Happy birthday, Andrea!!



Saturday evening, I took a break from all my homework because I could hear my niece E, squealing outside. I took my new camera along and snapped away while she was playing in a small swimming pool. Have I mentioned how much I love my new camera?!! SLR's rock!



I managed to get my Geology mid-term done in about 8 hours on Friday then Saturday I read five chapters (between Geology and Study of Family). Then I read through my research docs and books then wrote the intro of my term paper, which isn't all I wanted to get done but it's all I could do. I'm also reading another book for extra credit (I'm a glutton for punishment!) and am making notes for a book report (two pages for 100 points!). I managed to watch the Texas Rangers vs. Boston Red Sox games Saturday night and Sunday afternoon; I do have my priorities ;-) Yesterday was a ME ME ME day. I slept in until 10:30 (which I rarely do!) and was a complete bum all day (by my standards... I did do a couple of constructive things).

Have a wonderful day and I hope everyone had a great weekend!!

P.S. Ohhhhhhhhhh it's a short week for the 4th of July!