September 26, 2008

• Busy Month

  Next month is beginning to look like it will be rather busy with non work things.  We are having a "coffee" for Brad Roach, candidate for Pima County District Attorney on the 8th, our family is going to be here on the weekend of the 4th and the 20th we are hosting 6 international visitors for dinner.  Sounds like a blast to me.  That along with work and Rotary should pretty much keep us busy. (…)

August 28, 2008

• So Cute - Ground Squirrel

  Sometimes it is just good to take a break from work and walk outside, there may be something that is so cute waiting to say "HI".  The ground squirrel is around quite often but I have never had the camera with me when it's there.  Today it waited for me to get it so I could share.  The minute I tried to get closer he took off, but thank goodness zoom works so I got him anyway. (…)

August 26, 2008

• Back to Iowa

  I will be taking a quick trip back to Iowa next month to do a presentation on IB.  It was nice to get the email request and I look forward to seeing everyone in the group. (…)

August 22, 2008

• Living in Arizona

  The move to Arizona was one that we had been discussing for some time; now that we are here we can admit that it was a good move.  There are things that keep us busy all the time, mostly work related but some just for sheer joy. (…)

August 8, 2008

• Texas

  I have been working on www.txbeautiful.com today to get some content loaded.  It is a large state with lots to put in and I haven't left Austin yet!  That city has always been one of my favorites, not that I have spent much time there, just been to the capital grounds and toured them and was facinated by the way the put the administrative buildings underground, with sky lights, to make sure the Capitol is what people see, what stands out. (…)

August 7, 2008

• Greyhound Park in Tucson

  Since there aren't any horse tracks around here we decided to go to the dog track last night.  Actually, it was rather fun.  When we first pulled up all we could think was that it was in pretty worn out shape, then walking inside we got the giggles (at least I did) because it reminded me of Puerto Rico, the smells, the design, the 3rd world environment, worn out but still functional.  Interesting. 
  We commented on how some people we know would have a heart attack going into this type of environment and then thinking about his parents we knew they would be just as comfortable as we were.  Think that comes from some of the traveling we have done because I can guarantee you that 15 years ago I would have been taken back, now, it really seemed kind of normal. (…)

August 4, 2008

• The Neighborhood

  One of the things that is interesting about moving to a new neighborhood is getting to know your neighbors.  Tonight we were visiting with one that was telling us about his former company, which he sold when Clinton (the guy Clinton) came into office.  His company was health care related and the things that the Ms. (…)

July 30, 2008

• My thoughts :)

  I received this from a friend today and just HAD to share it…

July 29, 2008

• Rotary in Tucson

  What a delightful experience I had while visiting the "new" Rotary in the Vail area.  The club was split off from Pantano a year and a half ago and is in the growth mode.  The members are educators, insurance people, an escort officer for international visitors (not how he described it but that's essentially what he is) who works primarily with people from Eastern Europe (Russia) and others that I'm not sure of their occupations.  I will go back next week, it seems to be a great bunch of people. (…)

July 19, 2008

• Arizona

  We have arrived in Arizona following a rather uneventful trip other than when we were caught in a major storm in New Mexico which started with rain so hard I had to pull off the road and wait for the worst of it to pass.  The Prof couldn't stop because there was no one ahead of him that he could see and he didn't want to have someone run into the back of him because they couldn't see him.  It was nasty, then we encountered hail and then a dirt storm that also brought the visibility to zero.  Fortunately it didn't last very long and no major problems, but it was scary anyway! (…)

July 12, 2008

• Packing, Again

  We are packing up again, this time it is the DM stuff to take to the office so it can be loaded on the truck on Monday morning about 8 am.  We hope that the cubes are sold, but if not, they still aren't going with us, I'll get them sold before we leave on Thursday. (…)

July 9, 2008

• Movers

  The movers were at the house yesterday and loaded all that was left and will take it to the warehouse in DM until they load the stuff here and head for the new house.  It was both a great thing to get done and watching them load the boxes and desks and stuff at a speed that would make me pass out from exhaustion.  Then of course, it was sad. 
  The house has been the center for lots of joy, challenges, excitement, our marriage, new businesses and family.  I just wish that someone that will love it as much as we did will buy it and be as happy there as we were.  It's got great history and good vibes (at least for us.)
  The house had been closed up so it smelled like an old house, I hate that smell.  The basement was damp (no water, just damp from all the rain the southeast has gotten.)  So, opening it all up was a good thing, then the ceiling fans were engaged and it helped a lot. (…)

July 5, 2008

• 4th in Des Moines

  It was beautiful today.  We went to the track this evening where John met us.  The  horses were running for the second to last night of Thoughbred racing, then it’s on to the quarters along with the Thoughbred.  We may get to one more day of races before we leave but if we don’t tonight was fine.  The last race was truly spectacular.  The race was 1 mile 70 with a field of 11 (I think) and the beginning had them pretty much bunched up except for two horses that were way behind.  At the final turn the two from the back took off like they had jet engines and came in 1st and 2nd.  That race was worth $46 to the winner of a $2 bet.  Since I didn’t bet it was not a big deal to me but the race was sure fun. (…)

July 3, 2008

• Pops Concert on Capital Hill

  What a delightful evening, the Prof's parents were here for dinner and then we all went to the capital for the concert on the hill.  It's such a neat way to spend the 3rd.  The symphony playing patriotic songs, a Broadway actor singing some of the songs from his run and then Simon Estes singing songs such as "Old Man River" and "You'll Never Walk Alone." Just a great way to spend the night, with over 125,000 other people!  It was mobbed, but everyone was so courteous that it wasn't an issue. 
  We had to park a long way from the center; in fact we parked at the old Friends Church which was taken over by Mercy Hospital some time ago.  What a beautiful building and now it’s just there with windows covered over with plywood and not a Friends Church left in Des Moines.  Bummer. (…)

June 23, 2008

• Monday - A Good Day

  If every Monday could be like this one it would certainly be ok with me.  We received the final payment from our large account and I got a phone call from the guy we built a website for telling me that he put the payment in the mail today.  Sweet. (…)

June 22, 2008

• Congratulations to Shawn Johnson from Des Moines

  What a thrill it must be for the family of Shawn Johnson, the 16 year old that has just won the Olympic trials to go to China.  She is a very poised, pretty young lady, a tribute to herself, her family and her coach.  The news has been covering her since we moved to DM so when I saw that trials were on TV today we watched (well, I did).  She, and the other girls, were superb. (…)

June 21, 2008

• Sale Over, We're Back in DM

  Whew, the sale is over, the stuff is gone and we had a delightful dinner with friends after the sale.  It's probably the last time we will ever go to "the Little Pink House" for dinner, but it was a delightful way to end a long and stressful day.  Janet and Ernest are so fun to be with, she is, without a doubt, the most pleasant person I have ever met.  She always make me chuckle, even when it doesn't seem possible and Ernest, with his white beard and shorts and suspenders just cracks me up!  Janet kindly informed Martha that she has known me longer than anyone else in MP, which is true.  I met her when I first went down to look for housing and stopped at the bank to ask if they knew of anyplace.  She made me smile then and has never quit. (…)

June 18, 2008

• Sale Day Tomorrow

  The sale is tomorrow, I think we are really close to ready.  Still have some meat in the freezer that we have to take with us to DM but the rest is all at Martha and Ingrids' so we are in good shape there.  I bought a rolling cooler tonight which I decided we would use enough to justify having it and it will make the meat move a whole bunch easier.  I have to go to Burlington in the morning and take the TV boxes back to MediaCom and pick up some dry ice to pack the meat in, if there is any there.  If not it will just have to be packed in ice and go that way to DM. (…)

June 13, 2008

• Grand News

  I'm going to be a Grandma again to another beautiful, wanted, loved baby.  Life doesn't get much better than that!! (…)

June 12, 2008

• Interesting Day

  Some days just don't go the way they start out, I went to work thinking that it would be a normal day and then I got an email from someone I talked to a couple of months ago and they said they had gotten funding to do the $1,600 ad for 2009 so send the contract and they would get it ready to go.  Now, I don't know if their year (it's a CVB) starts early or if this is going to wait until January, but, either way it's fine and fun to get. (…)