Time for another update!

OK! I am not even going to make excuses for not updating my blog. I am just going to get busy and then go to bed!

It has been very busy since I last updated this page. Mimi has participated in two craft shows, the latest was at Freedom High School in Woodbridge, VA. It was an awful show! The weather was great, but the attendance inside was very poor. The event organizer did a rotten job getting the word out. Mimi did better than most vendors at the show, but her "friend factor" was the only thing that put her over the top! She does not have any additional shows for a while.

I am still traveling some for work. I was in New Orleans last week for a CPE. Was not really looking forward to it, but ended up having a pretty good time. The weather was great, the food was great, and the meeting was not TOO boring!

Mimi got a new job last week. It is still with Northrup Grumman on an IRS contract, but this will be her first Project Manager job. She is very excited. The contract officially starts June 1st.

We had a gorgeous day here today! A front blew in last night and blew out the humid air. It was about 75 with low humidity today. We took advantage of the weather and took care of some outdoor chores, such as washing the cars, giving the kitty boxes a good cleaning, etc. It is amazing how much more fun work is when the weather outside is nice. We also got gas for the grill and cooked steaks tonight. Yum!

I don't think I have mentioned anything in my blog about the upcoming changes in my own job. Everything is a little up in the air at the moment. There is a re-organization going on that will likely impact my current position. While I am not worried about having a job, it is likely that there will be a change. Too bad since I am really enjoying this position. I got to hand pick my current staff and I have a great bunch of employees. I am hoping that things go the way I want, but you never know what will happen.

I am continuing my work with the Tallahassee Are Community web site. We are fighting an uphill battle to stop uranium mining near our property in Colorado. I have learned a great deal about the dangers of uranium mining and the impact on our environment. With the money involved, it is highly unlikely we will be able to stop them, but we are going to do our best!

Well, that is all for now. Until next time.....

Spring is here!

Wow! It has been a LONG time since I posted last. OK, what has been going on?

We did Mimi's craft show - it went well.

I traveled some more for work. Went to Denver for work. On the Denver trip, I took a few days at the end and went to our place in Colorado. Also got to spend some time with Dad and Nancy. While I was there, I bought a new computer, so my weather station is up and sending data to the Autumn Creek web site. I was also supposed to go to Cincinnati, but got a bad bout of the flu, so did not end up going.

Mimi found out she had kidney stones. She went to hospital and had it taken care of last Friday. They blasted her with electric shock to break up the stones. She has spent the last couple of days recuperating.

We replaced out Altima with an XTerra this weekend. I know - buying an SUV with $4 a gallon gas prices on the horizon. It will make it a lot easier to get Mimi's stuff to the craft shows, though! She has a couple coming up this month and in May. I was proud of myself. I resisted buying the loaded SUV for 35K!

I am doing a new web site for a local group in Colorado fighting uranium mining in the Tallahassee area. It is a lot more active than the Autumn Creek site, so it keeps me hopping! If you would like to see it, click here.

It is cold and rainy today, but I will post a picture of the new SUV later.

Get those taxes in!

I am getting worse at this!

OK! I know I vowed to keep this blog more current, but I do have an excuse! Since the last time I updated this page, I have been to:

• Austin, TX
• Fresno, CA
• Ogden, UT
• Dallas, TX
• Kansas City, MO

As you can see, my travel schedule for work has kept me hopping! It has been a while since I have had to travel so much for work, and I seem to find it more of a chore than I have in the past. One good thing - I did get to spend an evening with my nephew, Jason, in Salt Lake City. It appears there is some additional trips on the horizon, but it looks like I will be home for a couple of weeks.

No real exciting news from here. I have been working on a new web site for the Autumn Creek Ranch Property Owners Association and Mimi has been preparing for the spring craft shows. I will post her anticipated show date/times here soon. Other than that, all I do is wash clothes, pack for the next business trip, and catch a plane!

Stay warm! Spring is coming...........

The Winter Blues

I am not starting the New Year right! It has been some time since I updated my blog, so I need to get busy! It appears that 2008 is going to be the year that I travel a lot. My blog is going to sound like a travel log! I spent January 14-18 in New Orleans. It was the first time I have been back there in about 20 years. I stayed in the French Quarter in the Chateau Sonesta. Decent place, but a little too close to Bourbon Street for me! I was in an outside room and had the loud bar music well into the night. The days were filled with BORING meetings, but did get out each night to hear some music, eat some great food, etc.

I finally got a little stretch at home the last couple of weeks. The weather has not been too bad here, but just cold and dreary enough to let you know it is winter. Nothing compared to the temperature at our place in Colorado, though!

Mimi has been working on building her inventory up for her 2008 craft shows. She is planning to do several shows this year. She is working on some new items, so stay tuned!

We saw two movies since I last updated the blog - Michael Clayton and Mad Money. Michael Clayton was so boring I fell asleep, but Mad Money was pretty good.

Other than that - nothing but work (it is filing season, you know!). Till next time.

Happy New Year

I know it has been a while since my last post, but I really do have a good excuse! It has been a busy post-Christmas season. So --- just a few minutes to catch everyone up.

Mimi & I went out to Colorado December 29 - January 6th. We had a good visit with several of our friends and neighbors at Autumn Creek. We learned a few new things and spent some time renewing our spirit! I have listed a few of these experiences in no particular order.

1. When the water/anti-freeze in the drain traps evaporates (or maybe I did not put enough liquid in the traps when we closed down the house in July), you end up with fairly unpleasant smells in the house. Luckily, it did not last for long! Hard to air out the house in the winter, though!
2. We learned a LOT about the New World Order. It is a conspiracy theory that I do not choose to embrace or believe, but it certainly made for interesting conversation.
3. We discovered that we are not very talented at keeping a constant temperature in the house using a wood stove! When we arrived, the house was a chilly 50 degrees. During the week, we got it as warm as 86! Who says it cannot feel like the middle of summer during the dead of winter in Colorado?!?
4. We discussed the Taylor Ranch Uranium Project with several of our neighbors. If you have not heard, an Australia mining company is drilling for uranium on Waugh mountain (very close to our place). For more information, you can read about it in the Autumn Creek Forum.
5. We marveled at the beauty of nature. We saw plenty of wildlife during our outings and enjoyed the beautiful snow covered peaks.
6. Lastly, we thoroughly enjoyed spending some time together - reading a book, snuggling by the fire, cooking dinner, talking a walk, etc.

On January 4th, we headed up to Ft. Collins to spend a couple of days with Dad and Nancy. We had a good visit. We went on the First Friday Art Walk, went to a movie (that was a bust!), and just spent some time catching up.

Back home on January 6th. I washed clothes and then headed out on business! I spent Monday and Tuesday in Austin, TX. On Wednesday, I went to Fresno, CA and stayed until Friday.

This weekend was a whirlwind of activity. We spent most of the weekend catching up on laundry, taking down the Christmas decorations, etc. We did manage to squeeze in a movie on Saturday - Charlie Wilson's War . Not the best movie I have ever seen, but it was interesting...

Well, I have rambled long enough! Till next time........

The Christmas Shopping is Done!

As usual, I saved my Christmas shopping for Mimi until the last moment! As of 2:30p on December 23rd, I am officially done!

I know - I am weird, but I actually enjoy hitting the stores at the last minute and picking out Mimi's Christmas gifts. I usually have a rough idea of what I am going to get her, so it is does not take that long. Good thing since I normally despise shopping! However, during the last minutes before Christmas, I do enjoy the energy level in the stores, the kids are all jumping around, and I like the people watching. I was a little surprised about how laid back it was this year. The malls were busy, but not crowded. I did not have to do "combat parking" - I actually parked very close. The sales were not as good as I expected - have the stores figured out that the people shopping at the last minute are desperate? However, I found everything I was looking for. How good is that?

Well, I am going to put my feet up and see if I can find a football game.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.......

The Christmas Party

Our annual Christmas party is a major event for Mimi. It is not unusual for her to start planning several months in advance. She spends countless hours baking and decorating cookies, planning a full buffet, and decking out the house. Many of our friends are scattered around the metro area from Warrensburg, VA to Annapolis, MD to Martinsburg, WV. This is our opportunity to see friends we only get to see once or twice a year.

This year, Mimi got a special treat. Her mother, May, arrived on Tuesday to help Mimi get ready for the party. It was perfect timing! Mimi was in class all week and was not getting home until after six. Mimi had done a lot of prep work (i.e., making cookie dough, etc.), so her mother took care of baking during the day and Mimi continued her efforts after work.

Friday and Saturday were the typical frantic days. Mimi took off work and went into high gear. With the help of mother and friends (and some help from me!), everything was finished and we were ready for the party on Saturday night!

We had a little bit of a scare with the weather. Possible ice and sleet was predicted to roll in about dusk. I had visions of eating leftovers for a month! Luckily, the Weather Service was wrong and we had a great turnout. I think there was somewhere between 45 - 60 people that made it this year. For a brief moment, I thought we might run out of food! OK, it was only a brief moment. It was probably the closest we came in a quite a few years!

Everyone appeared to have good time. Old friends, some new friends, co-workers, and neighbors made there way here and gave Mimi her "party fix" for another year. As much as we enjoy it, I am glad we do not do it more often. I was beat the next day.........

It is easy to get caught up in the trappings of the season, but there are certainly some nice benefits. Spending time with our family and friends is certainly at the top of this list!