Shultz Family News

Tea for 3

2012-01-30T20:35:00.001-08:00

We have officially entered tea party phase and Daddy is one of her favorite guests. Tonight, I put Marshall to bed and came out of his room to find Brenna and Stephen on their way to have a tea party before bath time. You gotta love a daddy who will sit and sip pretend tea from tiny blue cups. :)

Hey, what's taking so long in there?

2012-01-26T16:51:00.001-08:00

The entire roll.

Brenna Calls Mia

2012-01-25T11:47:00.001-08:00

Brenna's pretend cellphone conversations have become more complex lately. What used to just be "hi {giggle}, bye" has turned into calls with a purpose. At 2 1/2, she is now scheduling her own playdates.

These videos show a "conversation" between Brenna and her friend Mia. She wants to play with Mia after she takes her nap. The cell phone is not real - she's not really talking to anyone.

It's a Joke

2012-01-19T19:45:00.000-08:00

Brenna has learned a joke... sort of. It took me a couple days at first to figure out what she was trying to ask me. It all became clear when she informed me it was a joke.

Brenna: Why 6, 7?
Me: I don't know. Why?
Brenna: 6, 7, 8, 9. It's a joke! (hysterical laughing)

I think I like her version more than the usual "why is 6 afraid of 7?" :)

Yay! It's a school day!

2012-01-19T07:49:00.001-08:00

Attention Everybody!

2012-01-19T07:24:00.001-08:00

Brenna has taken to announcing our presence. I'm not sure where this came from. When we leave the house, she stands in the driveway while I put Marshall in the car and proclaims loudly, "Attention everybody! This is Marshall buddy and Mama!"

I'm waiting for the day when someone is walking by when she does this. :)

Mama's Little Helper

2012-01-18T11:52:00.001-08:00

We've hit the phase where I can't work in the kitchen without Marshall "helping".

Fighting Naps

2012-01-18T11:47:00.001-08:00

This is a picture of Marshall trying not to take a nap. He fell asleep sitting up with his head against the crib. I have a picture of brenna doing the same thing at about this age.

Found the picture of Brenna:

Playing with Food

2012-01-16T20:17:00.001-08:00

This morning started with screaming, tantrums, and general crabbiness (not just the kids). I never would have guessed the memory we would make shortly thereafter. Once everyone had calmed down (and I had my cup of coffee), I took both kids up to the game room to play. I was hoping a change in location would equal a change in mood. Brenna went to her play kitchen and prepared a big bowl of wooden vegetables for our "lunch" then sat down next to me on the floor. Marshall crawled over by us and instead of Brenna flipping out over him touching her stuff, she gave him a spoon. I watched as together they mixed the bowl of veggies. No screaming. No pushing. Just calm playing. Then, without being prompted, Marshall scooped his spoon though the bowl, moved it to my mouth, and fed me a delicious bite of pretend lunch. :) The three of us sat there and fed each other one of the best lunches I can remember.

Foo Finishing

2012-01-16T20:02:00.001-08:00

From the moment Brenna found her voice as an infant, she has always been a chatterbox. I remember having long, incoherent conversations with her as a toddler - her speech completely animated, but not containing a drop of English. Now at 2 1/2 years old, her grasp of the English language is impressive, but also contains a few unique Brenna words and phrases. My favorite of these is "foo finishing". This was a phrase that she began using in her early speech development and we continue to hear daily. Our best guess is that it translates to "not through finishing." Here's an example:

Me: Brenna, are you done eating?
Brenna: No. I foo finishing.

This term confuses most people as they think she is saying that she is done. She will correct them - "NO! I foo finishing!!!!"

Marshall is now starting to jabber. I'm excited for this phase and to see if he too will be so creative with his language.

Time flies by

2012-01-12T09:25:00.000-08:00

It's been about a year and a half since I last posted a family update. Wow, time has flown by. In that time, Stephen has earned his pilot's license, Brenna has grown into a full-fledged 2-year-old, and we welcomed a new baby boy named Marshall into our family on Feb. 12, 2011. Life is crazier than ever.

Marshall will be 11 months old tomorrow and I'm not sure where all the time has gone. Watching him every day reminds me of this time with Brenna and I find myself remembering some of those baby days and wishing I would have recorded them. So... here I am back on the blog with the intent to keep better track of our family life and preserve as many memories as I can.

Wish me luck.

Almost flying

2011-01-03T07:39:00.000-08:00

Well, as it turns out, a LOT of dust has to be blown off. I've been taking flight lessons all year, though my instructor only teaches on the weekend because of his day job, which is handy with my day job. It's been 9 months since I started, but only flying on the weekends and only then when we're in town doesn't leave much time.

I'm probably a month away from taking my checkride, but for those interested, I thought I'd post a little update on the last few flights I took. Here's a view of the following three flights courtesy of my handy-dandy GPS that I throw up on the dash when I'm flying to log everything.

Flight 1 (red): This was my long cross-country flight to KLFK (Lufkin, TX) on . At least the first half of it before my GPS battery died...

Flight 2 (turquoise): This was my flight from this past Saturday (January 1, 2011) where we practiced stalls, steep turns, and slow flight.

Flight 3 (blue): And finally this was my flight just yesterday (Sunday, January 2, 2011) where I put the eye-blockers on and flew completely on instruments. My instructor told me where to go, got me good and lost, took the foggles off and then said "ok, take me back home". I'm writing this post so you know what happened.

Click on the picture below for the details.

Mid-Summer Update

2010-07-26T16:53:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone?!?! Somehow I blinked and Brenna has gone from crawling to almost walking and is over a year old! Brenna's birthday was more of a birthday week. Grandma Judy flew in from Minnesota and Brenna finally got to meet her uncle Tom who flew in from Georgia for the occasion. Birthday week festivities included a trip to the Houston zoo, a weekend at Stephen's parent's ranch, and lots of time to play. I spent way too much time trying to perfect a monkey-themed cake, but the final product was worth it.

We've been spending a lot of time at the pool this summer. Brenna LOVES to swim. She's fearless and doesn't mind dunking her head under water - definitely a fish like her mama. Looks like I finally got my swimming buddy. :)

Stephen has been spending a lot of time in the air. Besides his traveling for work, he has been working on his pilot's license. He flies almost every weekend that we are home and is really enjoying it.

In between chasing Brenna, changing diapers, meals, and naps, I've been trying to keep up with projects around here. My to-do list just keeps getting longer and not much gets done. I've just learned to accept that this is how things will be for the foreseeable future... and that's a big step for me. :) So, I can now check off "update blog" on the to-do list, but I better add it right back on or the next update won't come until after Christmas!

Finally Mobile

2010-03-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

The end of my calm days is here. Brenna learned how to crawl!

Taking to the Air - Again

2010-03-24T18:04:00.000-07:00

OK, I finally did it. When I turned 40 last year I realized that it had been just over 18 years since I had been in an airplane. (Well, ok, since I had been in an airplane by myself. As of this moment I have 460,920 lifetime flight miles with Continental Airlines, so I've definitely been in an airplane since.) So I started studying. A lot has changed in the aviation industry in 18 years, but I also wanted to know everything I could possibly know before I stepped back into a little Cessna again, so I've been studying A LOT. (But still, how could that take a year?? See entries with "Brenna" below, and then go to VMware.com and you'll get the idea.) Well, today is my birthday again and so I walked into the flight school that I spent way too much time researching and choosing from many and signed up. My "first" flight is on Friday. How much dust has to be blown off of over 39 hours of flight time and 14 of pilot-in-command time from almost 20 years ago? Stay tuned...

Why I Get Nothing Done

2010-02-09T19:12:00.000-08:00

Brenna went to bed early tonight so I decided to avoid my usual routine of plopping my butt on the couch and actually get something done right away. I only had one real goal for tonight - to get the kitchen cleaned up and dishes done. This is how my night went...

Fill up sink with soap and hot water to hand wash bottles and pans.
While the sink is filling, open up dishwasher to put dishes away.
Notice that there is a cantaloupe on the counter that needs to get cut up and put in the refrigerator. Stop putting away dishes and cut up cantaloupe.
Cantaloupe done and in fridge - go back to putting dishes away, but on the way back to the dishwasher remember that diapers need to be washed.
Load diapers into washer then return to the kitchen and notice baby food jars that need to go out to the garage (I'm saving up baby food jars for someone that wants them to make tea light holders for their wedding.)
Baby food jar bag in the garage is full. Start a new bag and find cardboard to use between the layers of jars.
Look in recycling for cardboard - none there. Remember that the china in the dining room needs to be repacked into sturdy boxes.
Off to dining room to repack china in order to use the cardboard from the old boxes for the baby jars.
One of the boxes for the china doesn't have handles. Dig through studio to find a way to engineer handles for the box.
Create handles from packing tape and ribbon then add bright colored labels to the boxes that say CHINA... just because for some reason I think they need them. (No, writing on the boxes in a big black marker just would not do.)
Finally get back to doing dishes... but since nearly 2 hours have passed, the dishwater is now cold. Drain water and start over.

So... here I sit trying to understand my craziness and with a bigger mess than I started with. Not only are the dishes not done, but there is now packing material spread all over the dining room, 3 boxes that need to be carried to the attic, and a half-washed load of diapers in the wash since I forgot to turn them back on for the 2nd cycle.

Tomorrow night I think I'll go back to the old routine of plopping my butt on the couch with a glass of wine. :)

What's for Dinner: BBQ Chicken Pizza

2010-01-29T18:33:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to cook meals lately that all three of us can eat. Tonight's meal is one of my favorites. Not only am I able to make Brenna's meal out of it, but it's also chock full of vegetables that are well hidden so Stephen will eat them. :)

The recipe is really simple, and I cheat even further by using a ready-made, roasted turkey breast from the deli instead of cooking up chicken. For those of you that haven't been around me while I'm cooking, be forewarned that I don't measure anything. To help, I've included a few photos.

Ingredients:

Onion

Carrots

Garlic

Zucchini, cut in small cubes

Chicken (or Turkey Breast)

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Goat Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

Boboli Pizza Crust

Barbeque Sauce

Chop the onion and carrots and saute them in olive oil with the garlic until the carrots are tender. Add the zucchini and cook until slightly tender (I don't like it mushy). Remove from heat. Chop up the chicken or turkey and add to mixture.

Set aside about 1/2 cup of the chicken and vegetable mixture to use for baby's meal. Spread barbeque sauce on top of Boboli crust then cover with remaining chicken and vegetable mixture. Cover with mozzarella cheese then sprinkle with shredded parmesan and crumbled goat cheese. Bake in oven at 450 degrees until cheese is browned and crust is crispy.

While pizza is baking, puree the 1/2 cup of chicken vegetable mixture with 1 jar of carrot baby food and a bit of water. This will make enough for two meals. Remove 1/2 cup of puree and put in the refrigerator or freezer. Add multi-grain barley cereal (or rice cereal) to remaining puree to thicken.

This Bites

2010-01-18T14:29:00.000-08:00

Today I felt a little, sharp nub protruding through Brenna's bottom gum, confirming that all of the fussiness this past week has been from teething. Her nights are getting better with less frequent yelling, but daytime has been a challenge. Naps have been pretty much non-existent the past two days. The only way I have been able to get her to sleep today is to play a Baby Einstein DVD to distract her while I rock her. So much for those good sleeping routines we worked so hard to establish. I'm hoping and praying that she will easily fall back into her normal nap routine after these first teeth finish coming in... whenever that may be.

Magoo is Hillarious!

2009-12-09T17:02:00.000-08:00

Brenna thinks that Magoo is the funniest thing in the world. The only other thing even close to as funny is Mom flinging her arms in the air and mimicking Brenna in her jumperoo... but you won't be seeing a video of that!

And sometimes it's just enough to say "Magoo"...

Brenna's First Real Meal

2009-11-11T16:43:00.001-08:00

Standing in front of the baby food section at the grocery store, I found myself frustrated by the lack of variety available in those little jars. I just couldn't feed her green beans and sweet potatoes anymore, and the thought of canned meat was enough to make me gag. So, I stopped by the kitchen store to purchase an immersion blender and headed home to make chicken and dumplings... for all of us.

I wilted chopped onions in a bit of olive oil then added celery, carrots, garlic, chicken and low-sodium chicken broth. After this simmered for an hour or so I removed some to blend for Brenna's dinner before adding the dumplings. The immersion blender worked even better than I had anticipated - everything was completely pureed, even the chicken.

We sat down for dinner and the moment of truth. Brenna's reaction was less than favorable (see video below), but after a little doctoring with apples and thinning with formula, she decided it was tolerable. Making food for her was surprisingly simple and I felt good that she was able to eat the same thing we were, just in a bit of a different form. Now the options are endless!

After looking at the video again, maybe I shouldn't tell her that she's having leftovers for lunch tomorrow. :)

Chicken and Dumplings - mine on the left and Brenna's on the right.

Mommy's Tough Little Girl

2009-11-09T09:09:00.000-08:00

Brenna had her six month doctor appointment today which meant more shots. The last round of vaccinations at four months sent her in to a bought of unconsolable crying. I was prepared for the same today, but apparently now that Brenna is a whole half year old she's developed mommy's pain tolerance and "I'm tough" attitude. She got two shots today and didn't cry at all until after the second one. She gave us three screams, a couple sighs, and a then a smile. The nurse was amazed. Stephen and I decided to press our luck and went out for a nice breakfast afterwards. We were at the restaurant for nearly an hour during which Brenna sat calmly in her car seat, took a little nap, and chatted with the waitress. We've been home for a few hours now and still no crabbiness - she's playing in her Jumperoo and smiling at me as I sit here typing this. What a good baby I have! :) And no... I did not sell my soul to the devil for her.

Based on numbers, the past two months have been a crazy growth spurt for Brenna. At four months she weighed 11lb 11oz and was in the 10th percentile. Today she was almost 15lb 10oz and at 50-75%. She's now 26 1/2 inches long, but her head measurement took the prize today coming in at the 95th percentile (17 1/2 inches). That's one big noggin! Good thing all the hats I've been making are stretchy. :)

Halloween

2009-10-31T20:44:00.000-07:00

Brenna was a lady bug for her first Halloween. I dug out my old bee costume and joined in the fun.

4 months

2009-09-08T14:08:00.000-07:00

Brenna had her 4 month checkup today and everything is going great! She's now 24 inches long, weighs 11 lbs. 11 oz., and has hit all of her milestones. Our next big step is starting solid foods. We are going to start her on rice cereal now and work our way up to nummy, green vegetables. She also had her second round of vaccinations today. She was still screaming when we left the doctor's office, but was happy and chatty by the time we got to her play group meeting a few minutes later.

Brenna made sure that she was the center of attention for at least a bit by showing off her vocal skills. She had stories to tell everyone, especially when a couple of the other babies started talking back. By the time we left, the vaccinations were starting to affect her and she was sleepy. She has spent the rest of the day fussing and sleeping - the same reaction she had with her first round of vaccines. So, here I sit with a sleepy baby on my lap, but I can't complain. I'm going to soak up the cuddles as long as I can!

Woodlands Grapes

2009-09-02T19:28:00.000-07:00

The Woodlands has a great system of walking/biking paths. I have walked the paths near my house more times than I can count over the past five years, but I had never noticed how many grapevines lined these paths. As I drove home from errands Monday morning I noticed vines at every turn. How could I have missed this before? Am I really that unobservant, or maybe there are just more of them this year than other years.

Prime picking time for muscadine grapes ended about a week ago, but I put a bag in the stroller on Monday just incase we found any left on the vines when we went for our walk. I stayed on the trails closest to our house - not more than a few blocks away - and returned home with ten pounds of grapes! Most of these grapes came from a couple vine patches that were saturated with fruit. The grapes were huge and in clusters. Usually muscadine grapes only grow one or two to a cluster. The clusters I were finding had as many as eight grapes.

I did get a few odd looks as I was digging through the brush, stretching to reach the good grapes. A confused onlooker even stopped her car to try to see what was causing the yaupons to shake so violently. (I was on the other side of the trail out of sight.) A couple walkers did stop to ask what I was picking and mentioned that they had seen others picking the grapes too. I gave a brief description of what they were, what they are used for, and had them taste them. I enjoyed chatting with the walkers, but I'm hoping I haven't created competition for next year at the prime grape picking locations I found.

Counting in Months

2009-08-13T19:38:00.000-07:00

I am always amazed at how fast time seems to fly by and having Brenna in our life has further emphasized that. I can't believe she is 3 months old already! It seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital, but at the same time that feels like a lifetime ago. I remember the day after she was born - I was holding her, still in the hospital. I looked up at the clock at 8:06 pm, gave her a kiss, and wished her a happy 1 day birthday. Then we counted her age in days, soon followed by weeks and now in months. And, it feels that in another blink of an eye we will be counting in years. Our lives have changed so much so quickly... but I wouldn't trade a minute of it for the world. For now, I will enjoy every moment we have and try not to blink.

Father's Day

2009-06-22T17:19:00.000-07:00

We spent a beautiful Father's Day in Galveston this year. After a scrumptious lunch at Gaidos (our family's favorite seafood restaurant), we headed to the beach to let the boys swim for a bit. The weather was hot, but tolerable with the breeze. We all huddled under umbrellas to block the sun while Tyler and Greerson tried to dig holes large enough to bury themselves.

Brenna's Oooo Face

2009-06-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

Since the day she was born, Brenna has made many expressions that have made us smile and laugh, but her oooo face is our favorite. She will sit with this expression on her face for minutes at a time while Dad and I laugh. Of course, the diaper change afterward isn't quite as funny.

Over 400 in One Month

2009-06-10T17:51:00.000-07:00

Brenna is just over a month old and I've gone a bit camera crazy. At last count, I have 413 photos of Brenna in her iPhoto album. I'm sure this comes as no surprise to most of you. :) She is changing so quickly that I feel like I need to capture everything. I'm afraid of her growing up so fast, but when she does something new I'm reminded of all the fun that there is to come as she grows. Most recently, she has found her voice and seems to jabber constantly. She's also been more alert and recognizes both me and Stephen. It's becoming apparent that she is going to be a daddy's girl. She loves her daddy and thinks he is the most interesting thing in the world! She loves her mom too, but for different reasons. Right now I'm just the woman with the boobs and naps... and oh how we love those naps! When she is fussy and tired (or I'm fussy and tired) I lay her down on my chest and cuddle. We both wake up in much better moods.

Below are just a few of my favorite photos from Brenna's first month.

Spring 2009 FFPS

2009-05-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

Today was Tyler's last soccer game for the spring season. He has played in the local FFPS league since 6th grade and really enjoys it. When he began playing, everyone on his team was the same age. There are fewer kids that continue to play as they reach jr. high and high school, so for the past couple seasons he has played on teams with kids ranging from 12 to 17 years old. He seems to enjoy the age differences, especially when he scores more goals than the older kids.

This soccer season fell right in the middle of my pregnancy and Brenna's birth so I wasn't able to get to as many games as I would have liked to. Tyler still had a very good fan base this season though. Stephen went to all of the games and often had other family members with him because of visitors during my pre-labor hospital trips and Brenna's birth. Brenna even made it out to the last game to cheer on her big brother.

Where is Everyone??

2009-05-30T18:04:00.000-07:00

(Hey Melissa, this post is for you!) It's been a while since we've been out here, but we've been BUSY! Shanda is changing a diaper right now, so I'll give a quick update. Brenna is beginning to get into a bit of a routine, although that routine still includes a 3AM feeding. Tyler had his last soccer game of the season today and everyone came out to see it, including Brenna for her first soccer game outing. We all went to the after-party at Double Dave's for some pizza. I'm sure Shanda will be out here soon as we have lots of new pictures to post. Until then, we hope you're all getting more sleep than Shanda!

Baby Shultz is Here!

2009-05-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

Brenna Marie Shultz was born May 6th at 8:06 pm. She is absolutely perfect! Mom, dad and baby are all doing great. Her first photos are posted below.

Labor and Delivery - Round 2

2009-05-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

The baby seems to have her own plans. My mom flew back home yesterday morning without getting the chance to meet her granddaughter. We joked all week that I would go into labor the day she went home. Well, at 9:30 last night we decided to make a trip to the hospital. My contractions had started around 4:00 and by 8:00 they were 2 to 3 minutes apart and getting stronger. After hearing this news, my mom declared that she will be having a talk with this child later. :)

At the hospital, they examined me then had me walk for an hour to see if my labor would progress. After the hour, my contractions remained the same and I hadn't dilated any further than when I arrived (still at 3cm). I was discharged and sent home just as Stephen's parents arrived at the hospital. I was able to fall asleep at home and my contractions subsided during the night.

I'm still having contractions off and on today, but nothing at regular intervals like last night. I doubt we will make the trip to the hospital again unless I'm having painful, active contractions. Good thing the hospital is only a few minutes away.

37 Week Update

2009-04-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

At my doctor appointment today she ok'd me to stop taking the Procardia if I wanted to, but then told me she would be out of town all weekend. We've decided to continue taking the medication until Monday in hopes that she will be able to deliver the baby. So, I'm anticipating a calm weekend followed by a long walk and jumping jacks on Monday. I'm sick of feeling sick and ready for the baby to be here.

So, That's What Contractions Feel Like

2009-04-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

Stephen traveled to Washington DC Sunday night for work. Before he left, I had a stern talk with the baby to explain that she is NOT allowed to make her appearance while Dad is out of town. It became obvious on Monday that she is rebelling already.

Tyler had an appointment Monday afternoon and while I was in the waiting room I felt what I assumed must be contractions. I only noticed them about every 10 minutes and there wasn't any pain, so I didn't make much of it. This continued throughout Tyler's appointment and by the time we left I had decided to go home, grab my hospital bags, and stop by labor and delivery just to get checked out. My only worry was that the infrequent contractions I was feeling would lead to more while Stephen was out of town.

Tyler and I got to the hospital around 6:30. The nurse examined me and told me that my contractions were actually 2 to 3 minutes apart and I was dilated 3 cm. What?!?! I tried to stay calm while she went to talk to the doctor and I called Stephen, his parents, and my mom.

I was 36 weeks and 3 days. At this point the doctor would have normally admitted me and I would have had a baby Monday night. Since Stephen was out of town, they tried to buy us some time. They tried to stop the contractions with fluids, but after 2 hours nothing had changed. They decided to admit me for observation and gave me a large dose of morphine. The thought was to knock me out and hope the relaxation at least stretched the labor out to the next morning. Stephen would be there at 9am. My mom was also flying in around the same time. The nurse was very doubtful that either of them would get to the hospital before the baby was born. Tyler and Stephen's mom bunkered down in the hospital room with me for the night and waited.

The morphine worked. I woke up a few times during the night, but fell back asleep very easily. At 7am I breathed a sigh of relief - only two hours until Stephen got there and no baby yet. I saw my doc around 8:30 and the contractions had slowed quite a bit by then. She gave me some meds to stop the contractions and told the nurses to remove my IV at 11:00. She would be back at lunch and if the contractions had stopped she would send me home.

So, it's now Thursday and here I sit at home. I am taking Procardia every morning to keep labor from progressing. My OB would like me to carry the baby until at least Monday. I have an appointment with her tomorrow so I guess we'll see what she says then. After all of the excitement earlier this week, I think everyone is ready for the baby to be here. My mom is in town now until next Thursday. Stephen figures I'll go into labor as soon as she leaves. ;)

35 Week Checkup

2009-04-14T11:01:00.000-07:00

My doctor appointment today (35w4d) was filled with interesting news and reassurances. I've had a bit more difficulty controlling my gestational diabetes lately and was worried about problems that may cause with the baby. The doc looked at my log book and said that I was still doing fine. My blood sugar spikes after indulgent meals (ex: pancakes) weren't of too much concern to her as long as I was exercising right away when I got a high reading to bring it back down. She'll continue to monitor me closely and check my log each week but she feels that what I am doing to manage the gestational diabetes is working fine and she is treating my pregnancy as "normal." (yay!!!)

She had the results from the ultrasound last Tuesday and the report stated that the baby is at the 73rd percentile for size, weighing 6.0 pounds. So, figuring that she gains a half pound each week, today she should weigh 6.5 pounds and at full term she would be between 8 and 9 pounds. But, it doesn't look like I will be carrying this baby to full term. She checked my cervix and I am dilated 1cm. Based on that and the pains/symptoms I have been having she said that I will not make it to 40 weeks. She did give Stephen the ok to travel to Washington DC next week though, so there is nothing urgent at this point. She'll check me again next week and also do another ultrasound.

I didn't gain any weight in the last two weeks, but I know the baby has. I'm mentally prepping myself for an 8lb baby and holding my doc to her words that, because of the cramping, movement, and contractions that I've been having the past couple weeks, I will have a fairly easy labor.

For months, my mom has been telling me that she thinks I'll have the baby on May 6th. Now that we know she'll be early, we'll have to see how close mom's guess is. Any other guesses for date and size/weight?

Beautiful April Day

2009-04-08T12:43:00.000-07:00

The weather today is perfect! Close to 80 with a slight breeze and low allergy levels. I even have the windows open in the house!!! Since it is so nice out, Magoo and I were thinking about doing some yard work. He changed his mind and stole my favorite patio chair. What a life! :)

Growth Spurt

2009-04-07T16:03:00.000-07:00

It's amazing what a difference two weeks can make at this point. I'm now 34 weeks, 4 days. Two weeks ago I could move around freely and make it up the stairs without needing a break. Oh, the good 'ol days. Now, I can no longer see my feet and if something is dropped on the floor I contemplate how badly I really need it. Two weeks ago the baby floated around and gave me little kicks. Now, she has lodged her head in my pelvis and sticks her butt in my ribs and pushes. Ouch.

We had an ultrasound today to check her position (she was breech at 32 weeks) and check her size. She has turned head down, but she is measuring a bit big. I won't know how big until next Tuesday at my OB appointment. Since I have gestational diabetes, my OB wants to watch the baby's size to make sure I don't end up trying to give birth to a toddler. During the ultrasound we also saw all four chambers of her heart beating away, lots of hair on her head floating in the amniotic fluid, and movement of her diaphragm as she was practicing breathing. Very cool. She squirmed for us a few times - she didn't like the tech poking at her head. We were sent home with a couple more pictures of her that I have posted below.

30 Down, 10 to Go

2009-03-09T14:49:00.000-07:00

First, let me apologize for the lack of posts. Time seems to be slipping by too quickly for me to keep up. I've been busy nesting, sleeping, and just generally being pregnant. I'm amazed how quickly the past 10 weeks have gone, which scares me to think about the next 10. So much to do!

The nursery is nearly complete and I should have pictures to post soon. Stephen has been busy sorting through all of the piles I have designated as his "stuff to take care of." Last week we hauled 5 bags of clothes, a lamp, and 3 computers off to Goodwill. A big accomplishment for us, but we still have at least twice that left to sort through! My studio is slowly being taken over by the "stuff for ebay" pile. I'm going to need to dig up some ambition to get all of that photographed and posted. It's a lot of work, but the toys I posted last month sold with enough of a profit to convince me to try again.

I was diagnosed last week with gestational diabetes so I will be spending this week learning how to eat. I seem to be managing ok, but am quickly learning which foods I can not eat. So far, the biggest no-no is breakfast cereal... and oh how I miss it! My appetite has been nonexistent during this entire pregnancy and there are very few foods that even sound good to me. The one food that always sounded good was cereal. :( Between my appetite problems and now the addition of gestational diabetes, poor Stephen and Tyler haven't had a good, home-cooked meal from me in months. Hopefully all of this will change back again after the baby is born. I think tonight is another fast food night for the boys and I'll be foraging in the refrigerator for low-carb foods. Yipee.

Smile for the Camera...

2009-01-02T14:42:00.000-08:00

...or at least hold still!

We went in for our "big ultrasound" today. She was squirmy, but cooperative. We got a better look at her little alien face this time (she kept turning and showing us her butt at the 11 week genetic screening). This is most likely the last time we will get to see our little one before she is born. I can't wait to tickle those cute little feet!

I am 21 weeks along today - just past the halfway point. The time has flown by and I'm sure the next few months will as well. My goal for this week is to finish the nursery bedding. I found a GREAT quilt at a craft show but now have to make a skirt and bumper to coordinate. I'm sure this will jump start my crafty side and I'll be in full force decorating mood soon.

Here's the photos from the ultrasound today:

2008 Reflections

2008-12-17T18:37:00.000-08:00

It has been an eventful year for us. Tyler is now in 8th grade - he's growing up so fast! Stephen is still working for VMware and enjoys his job. Shanda got cut from Taylor Corp. in another restructure and is currently unemployed. She graduated this summer from Concordia St. Paul with a degree in Marketing Management and had begun to look for a job then found out she's pregnant! The job search has been put on hold. :) We are expecting a baby girl in May 2009. Everyone is VERY excited!

Wishing y'all a wonderful Christmas and happy New Year!

Crying Goo

2008-10-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

Magoo went to the doctor today to have his teeth cleaned and ears checked. We noticed some "selective hearing" so thought it would be best to have him checked again. He's home now with sparkly white teeth and a big bottle of ear drops. The doc wants him to do long term anti-inflammatory steroid ear drops to see if it will make the swelling in his ear canals go down and open them up. He said that his ear canals are so tiny that he could barely see his ear drum. So, this means I get to fight Goo every night for the next 3 months and try to shove drops in his ears.

After being back home with him for about an hour I was quickly reminded of the other fun we will have tonight with him. Magoo cries the entire night after he has had anesthesia. Ugh.

Return to Normal

2008-09-22T09:13:00.001-07:00

Life is starting to return to normal around here. Tyler went back to school today. I think he was ready to go back - he was up on time and in a good mood when he left. The tree has been removed from our backyard, but now we are left with the rootball sticking out of the ground. It will be a while before we are able to remove that. The fence should be fixed this week and then I can start looking for a new tree to plant by the fence and get all of the bushes trimmed and cleaned up.

The trees leaning on houses have been replaced by blue tarps. There are still quite a few trees near the streets that need to be cleaned up and all of the neighborhoods have yards filled with debris waiting to be picked up. I'm sure this will all be taken care of soon. It's amazing how much has been accomplished in just this past week!

The local TV stations are still showing "After Ike" coverage all day. All areas of Houston have been affected, but everyone is making progress. People will begin returning to Galveston this week to cleanup and rebuild.

Home Sweet Home

2008-09-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

We are back in The Woodlands. It doesn't look much different around here today than it did on Sunday. People are starting to get their trees removed and we are waiting our turn - hopefully within the next few days. They are working on the tree across the street right now. The yard is already full of debris and they only have 1/4 of the tree down so far. The whole neighborhood is going to be piled with chopped up pine trees by the end of the week.

We found out quickly after we got back that our neighborhood is one of the lucky few that have power. Less than 10% of the power has been restored and it is spotty. A restaurant on one end of Market Street has power, but the HEB at the other is still running on generators. Grocery shopping was an odd experience. The usually bright and open store was dimly lit and structured to keep shoppers moving in the same direction. I was impressed though, the shelves were surprisingly well stocked, they had a ton of people working, and they were doing a great job getting people in and out.

Gas is still tough to come by. Without power, the gas pumps do not work. The few stations that are open have cars lined up for blocks waiting for gas. One of our cars has a full tank and the other is a little over half full so I'm hoping that we can hold off for a couple days and maybe the lines won't be so bad.

The local channels are still covering Ike all day. Some of the pictures coming out of Galveston are unbelievable... completely wiped out in areas. You can only watch the media coverage for so long though before it starts to drive you nuts. The press conferences are the worst. The reporters are trying to find some dirt for a juicy story to put blame and anger on someone. There are the usual critiques of the government and FEMA, but they'll attack whoever happens to be speaking at the press conference.

So, for now we are home... with power. We had random power outages after Rita, so I wouldn't be surprised if that happens again, but so far so good!

Let There Be Light!

2008-09-16T14:22:00.000-07:00

Just got a text message from a neighbor saying that we have power! Now, we need to decide when to go back. We just returned from Bryan and the boys rented video games while we were there. They want to stay so they can play their games, but I have to be in The Woodlands tomorrow for an appointment anyway. Guess we'll get it figured out tonight.

Ike Hit The Woodlands... Hard

2008-09-14T16:54:00.000-07:00

We got up early this morning and drove to The Woodlands to check on our house. We haven't been able to get in touch with anyone so we weren't sure what to expect. Driving into town we saw a bunch of uprooted trees and down power lines. The first sign of property damage we saw was a SUV in our neighborhood that had been crunched by a fallen pine tree. Everything appeared fine at our house until we opened the front door and saw the view out our dining room door. The near 100 foot pine tree had uprooted and fallen toward our neighbor's house. We are so lucky that the wind was not blowing the other way, but unfortunately our neighbors did suffer damage from it. As the tree fell, it split another tree in our yard in half, plowed through our fence, and pierced the neighbor's roof before finally snapping in half and creating a bridge from our yard to their pool.

After talking with various neighbors, we quickly learned that this was some of the more minor damage in our neighborhood. Two of the houses across the street had trees fall on the back of their house, a house down the street was sliced by a tree in their yard, another tall tree fell and took out my friend's fence before landing in her pool... the list goes on. I would guess that about 1 out of every 3 houses in the neighborhood suffered some sort of significant damage. The people with roof damage were hurt even further by the HUGE thunderstorms that passed through last night. Two of our neighbors have water damaged walls and another had multiple rooms that flooded due to the large hole in their roof.

Since The Woodlands area is still completely out of power, we have decided to stay at the ranch for a few more days. Woody brought his commercial-size generator with us incase we needed it and ended up leaving it with the neighbors to use. They were extremely grateful to have a power source. Besides the food from my freezer, we also brought another child back to the ranch with us. Tyler's friend from the neighborhood jumped on the invitation - he is grateful to have video games.

We feel very lucky that we didn't have any damage to our house and feel for those who do. It is not going to be a quick recovery. The latest reports we are hearing is up to three weeks before power is completely restored. As of now, schools in our area are closed Monday and Tuesday. I'm sure the return on Wednesday will be dependent on if power has been restored or not.

I'm still a bit in shock from what I saw today. Nobody got hurt and the damage done is fixable, but being in the middle of the situation is a feeling I am not able to describe. Right now I feel like I should be back at home with the rest of the neighbors, but I also know there really isn't much I can do there until power is restored. So, for now I sit here at my in-law's beautiful, comfy ranch home feeling a bit displaced.

view from my dining room / tree in our backyard

tree split by falling tree / assessing the damage with the neighbors

our tree through the neighbor's roof / neighbor's pool

house across the street / tree sliced through roof few houses from us

Click here to view these photos and a few more on my shutterfly page

Ike - The Woodlands

2008-09-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

I've been surfing the internet trying to find info on damage in The Woodlands. Looks like there are quite a few trees down - some of which landed on houses. Click here to read the initial report from the fire department. I've also found quite a few bloggers reporting trees down on or around their houses. Wish I could get ahold of one of our neighbors, but nearly 100% of the power in The Woodlands is out which renders cordless home phones useless. I need to put "get neighbor's cell phone numbers" on my to do list.

Uneventful Afternoon with Ike

2008-09-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

It seems that most of the storm has passed the ranch. It's still raining and a bit windy, but nothing more than a heavy rain storm. We are all amazed that we still have power and I now have hope that we will be watching movies in the theatre tonight! We will leave here tomorrow morning and head back to The Woodlands to see how our house stood up to the storm. The reports I'm hearing so far say that pretty much the entire Houston area is without power and it may be up to two weeks before it is fully restored. Bleh. Houston without air conditioning is not a comfortable situation. If there are major power problems and school is cancelled, we may come back to the ranch for a few days. Right now though, everything is still pretty much up in the air.

Waiting out Ike

2008-09-13T07:07:00.000-07:00

We're out at the ranch watching the news. The wind is blowing and it's raining fairly hard here, but we know it will get worse before it gets better. Right now we're on the edge of it. The eye won't pass through here but the winds should pick up and we're expecting to lose power. We all got showers in this morning and Mimi washed clothes last night since we don't know when we will see power again after it goes out. I taught Grandma Hodges how to play train dominoes last night so that we have a candlelight activity for later today. We played a few rounds last night and she's kicking everyone's butt!!!

From watching weather reports, it looks like the eye of the storm went over pretty close to our house. I really wonder what things look like there and what I will be going home to tomorrow.

Hello Ike!

2008-09-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

It looks like we will be impacted by the next hurricane in the gulf. We are on the north side of Houston and far enough away from the coast, but it is still predicted that we will feel hurricane force winds. All of the schools in the area have closed for tomorrow, so we will be heading out to the ranch this evening. I'm not expecting much damage in our area, but I am fairly certain we will lose power - and no air conditioning in Houston is NOT a fun time.

This afternoon will be spent packing up snacks and drinks for the road since I'm sure the trip will take us longer than usual due to evacuation traffic. We also need to haul everything from the backyard to the garage to keep it from blowing through the neighborhood. Stephen and Tyler will re-arrange furniture when Tyler gets home from school - moving my beloved breakfast table to the center of the house and away from windows and rain. Other than that, we just need to grab MaGoo, update the ipod with lots of Prairie Home Companion, and hit the road.

I'll keep y'all updated on Ike's visit!

Backyard Pineapple

2008-09-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

A couple summers ago, I planted the top from a store-bought pineapple. This summer it produced a baby pineapple and I noticed yesterday that it had finally turned yellow. Stephen said "it's probably not any good." Won't he be surprised tonight! I cut it open and it is really nummy!

I crossed the finish line

2008-08-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

I just finished writing my very last paper for school. All assignments are done and submitted. All class meetings are over. Now what?

I walked at the graduation ceremony in May which helped motivate me through the last few classes I had, but now I'm left with the feeling of crossing the finish line after everyone else has gone home. I don't think the finality has set in yet. Perhaps it will next week when I find myself chatting with my mom and NOT asking her to edit a paper or be my human thesaurus.

Thanks Mom! It wouldn't have been nearly as much fun without you. :)

Don't Mess with the Teacher

2008-08-14T09:49:00.001-07:00

Woody got a new "hog-killin' gun" and Stephen's cousin Melanie jumped at the chance to try it out. Posting this photo on the blackboard the first day of school should keep all of her students in line!

More photos can be seen in the 4th of July album on my shutterfly page - including some great pics of the kids!

view Shanda's photos

Grandma Pat's 90th Birthday

2008-08-12T18:46:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday Stephen's family had a surprise 90th birthday party for his grandmother (Dad's side). Glynda and Woody's house was full once again with about 60 people this time! Grandma Pat seemed to really enjoy the party. She visited with family and friends that she hadn't seen in a very long time and reminisced over some old photos that we had displayed on the TV screen for her to see. As the day began to wind down, the family gathered around Pat to share stories. Somewhere in the conversation she thought she heard someone say they saw a mouse. Daryl had been video taping portions of the conversation and the video below is the hilarity that ensued. You can view the entire photo album of snapshots from the party on my shutterfly page.

Hawaii Photos 2008

2008-08-09T08:10:00.001-07:00

I finally got all of the photos from our Hawaii trip uploaded to my shutterfly account... in no particular order. Enjoy!

view Hawaii photos

She Who Swims With Turtles

2008-07-18T19:34:00.000-07:00

I just picked up my underwater photos from Walgreens and am pleasantly surprised that a few of them turned out. Photos from my last turtle encounter turned out blurry due to my panic in avoiding being eaten. This year's swim was much more peaceful and the photos I have show the true, graceful beauty of these creatures.

Sun and Sand in Kauai

2008-07-14T10:57:00.000-07:00

Aloha!

Today I awoke with the realization that in less than 48 hours we will begin our travels back to real life. Kauai has been wonderful - gorgeous weather, beautiful scenery, and soft sandy beaches... until you hit the water. We have a few battle wounds to show from snorkeling, but nothing more than burns and scrapes. The injuries were definately worth the experience. We have seen a ton of fish right off the beach and I was fortunate to swim with a couple sea turtles yesterday! I had a quick flashback to our trip to the big island in 2005 when one bit me, but these proved to be friendly.

Besides snorkeling, we have visited Wailua Falls, Opaekaa Falls, Spouting Horn (blowhole), and the Kilauea Lighthouse. At the lighthouse we spotted a monk seal on a nearby island and were visited by a couple nenes when we left. Today we are headed out for bannana macademia pancakes followed by some time at the beach and shopping. We've made reservations for a luau tomorrow that looks awesome! You can see a video preview of it here.

The boys have been enjoying the resort. We are just a short walk across the property to the beach. The beach there is too dangerous for swimming, but the boys are happy to just play in the surf and sand. Each morning we are awoke by crowing roosters (not one of my favorite highlights) and ducks waiting on the patio for breakfast. An especially friendly cat has found us and we've adopted him as our vacation. Grandpa Woody was thrilled. In fact, the cat got his name from Grandpa Woody... the first night we were here the cat snuck inside when Woody opened the back door. Stephen and I were out getting groceries, but the boys informed us of the fiasco when we got back - "The cat snuck in and ran in the bedroom and Grandpa Woody was cursing! He was mad!!!" For this, the cat was named "Sneak."

We leave Kauai early Wednessday morning (afternoon for most of you) and will be spending the day in Oahu before the 8 hour plane ride back home. Below are a few photos for now. I'll have an album to post later.

Why did the Nene cross the road?

Missing Tomatoes

2008-06-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

The tomato plants have continued to grow and are now too tall for me to reach - I will need a ladder to pick them. Of course, based on what they have produced, that may not be an issue. I've gotten a few good-sized cucumbers, but only a couple cherry tomatoes. It seems that all of their effort is going into height. The plants are flowering, but most of the flowers are falling off without producing fruit. Any ideas?

Giganto Tomato Plants

2008-06-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

Last year my excitement at finally having a salsa garden died a quick death. Even with fertilizing and regular watering, the plants didn't grow much larger than the initial planting, then quickly turned yellow and shriveled. My luck has changed this year! I added a couple bags of good 'ol cow compost to the bed before planting and now I have tomato plants as tall as I am! Stephen and I joke that we will be picking tomatoes from the staircase windows shown in the photo below.

Besides the standard salsa ingredients - tomatoes, peppers, and onions - I also planted a couple cucumber plants. They too are growing like weeds and I'm hoping to have a few fresh cucumbers ready to eat next week. Stephen waters the garden for me every night and I'm certain that these are the healthiest plants I've ever had - including the gardens I had in Mankato. I've become obsessed with my success and even have nightmares about waking up to dead plants!

Keep your fingers crossed that my green thumb last through harvest.

Air Travel: Checked Baggage Policies

2008-05-21T17:59:00.000-07:00

I just checked in for my flight back to Houston from Minnesota and discovered that Continental has changed their checked baggage policy to only allow for ONE bag checked at no cost. Checking a second bag will now cost you $25! I'm already paying increased fares because of gas prices and now they want to charge for baggage? This new policy is going to result in everyone (including me) trying to bring their second piece of luggage as a carry-on, increasing the time it takes to go through security and the hassle of gate-checked bags. Anyone want to make predictions on how long they keep this policy?

View new Continental checked baggage policy

So, I'm a bit odd...

2008-05-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

I still have to finish my business plan for my undergrad degree and I'm already thinking about grad school. (Don't worry fam, I'm not planning to jump into anything soon.) I have an absolute fascination with why people act the way they do. I suppose this is what attracted me to marketing and advertising. With my job I get to develop marketing pieces and monitor consumer reaction - my own sort of experiments I guess. Anyway, this fascination has created a desire to do graduate work in social psychology.

I found a story on cracked.com today that recaps experiments I saw a while ago in a documentary. The author puts his own spin on the interpretation and has used a bit of creative license in his writing, but you get the basic idea and its a fairly entertaining read. The article covers the exact types of experiments and research that I would like to do - though some of it would not be possible today and would be considered unethical.

The Miligram Experiment is one of the most fascinating. I saw video of this experiment in the documentary and you get a much better understanding by watching it than reading about it. I hadn't heard of the puppy version and don't approve of it for multiple reasons.

Click here to read the story.

Graduation and the Size of Things

2008-04-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

After $1,027 in books, 54 formal papers, and 1,350 hours in front of my computer, it looks like I might actually graduate!

My cap and gown arrived in the mail today, which I immediately tried on. Graduation is only a few weeks away, but if I gain 300 pounds before then my gown will still fit. Why in the world do they make those things so big?

The highlight of my little dress rehearsal was finding that my honors medallion was included. Unlike my gown, the medallion is a little, tiny thing. For how hard I worked, I think that I should get to wear something resembling Flavor Flav!

Seeing myself in my cap and gown made me realize how close I really am to being done... and I can't wait! I miss having time to read, cook, garden, and even clean. (Yes, Mom, I did say clean.) Freedom is so close I can almost taste it!

More Texas Hockey

2008-04-18T21:15:00.000-07:00

Neighborhood street hockey has become a daily after school activity. Tyler is really enjoying it. He will even pull himself away from the video games and computer to play!

Hockey Season in Texas

2008-04-15T17:36:00.000-07:00

As I sit here counting the hours until the Wild playoff game, Tyler is outside playing hockey... Texas style. This is the time of year when the neighborhood is full of kids playing outside - the three weeks between too cold and too hot. I live for these weeks when...

Tyler spends his afternoons outside playing and building friendships...

Magoo spends afternoons sunning himself between chasing squirrels...

Stephen finds some time to spend outside - even if he's working...

And I get to take out the camera and record it all :)

on a side note... finding a hockey stick in Texas is not an easy task!

Air Travel: Big Tall Guy in the Center Seat

2008-03-23T23:50:00.000-07:00

I have a bad habit of forgetting holidays when booking travel. Tonight I found myself battling my way through airport security among families of infrequent fliers. I knew that my flight from Houston to Minneapolis would be completely full because of the Easter holiday, but my outlook became even more grim when I realized I would be spending the next 3 hours scrunched against the airplane window with a big, tall guy in the center seat. Halfway through the flight I found out that I was sitting next to Sidney Rice; a player for the MN Vikings.

Now... I'm sure a few of the guys reading this immediately recognize this player, but I had no clue. This man could have been the MVP from the Superbowl and I wouldn't have known any different. The woman sitting on the other side of him was just as clueless. It must have been a bit of an ego bust to him, but he took it in stride. The in-flight conversation was typical of any other... are you married? do you have kids? where are you from? When he found out that I was from Mankato, the grin on his face clearly told of training camp memories.

I've never really followed NFL football and I don't have any plans to start, but the next time I'm stuck watching a Viking's game with a die-hard fan I'll at least have a anecdotal tale to share about the time that one of the players was stuck sitting next to me on a cramped flight from Houston.

Oh... and for the rest of you that have no clue who I'm referring to... view Sydnie Rice on the Vikings' Web site

Da Boyz

2008-03-09T17:37:00.001-07:00

All 3 of my favorite boys... all in one spot. :)

Giddyup - Rodeo 2008

2008-03-04T17:24:00.001-08:00

Stephen and I spent the afternoon yesterday at the Rodeo. What a fun time... and a great opportunity to try out my new camera. :) We didn't wait around for any chickens to hatch this year, but we were getting close to seeing piglets born! I also watched a sheep be a mom to her new babies. She would pat them with her hoof to make them stand up and then push them with her nose to make them walk.

As for the rodeo itself, you could definitely tell it was opening night. There were a few technical glitches, but the animals made for the most excitement of the event. Two longhorns are saddled and ridden out in the arena before each show. One of them decided that he wasn't having too much fun and kept bucking until his rider flew off. It took a while to get everything calmed down, but the show went on. The other animal related event was during the bucking broncs. One of the horses fell shortly after the gate opened and pinned the rider under him.

The entertainer for the night was Tim McGraw. He rocked! The show went by too fast - I wish he would have sang more. No surprise appearance by Faith though... she is performing tonight.

Christmas Song Quiz - Link

2007-12-19T10:48:00.000-08:00

Click here to view the song list.

The Halls Have Been Decked... kinda

2007-12-11T21:48:00.000-08:00

Working full-time and doubling up on classes has proven to be a little much to tackle during the holidays. As many of you know, I am usually knee deep in creating handmade gifts and creative Christmas messages by now and the Christmas tree would have been set up right before Thanksgiving.

Well, I finally found a few hours of time a few weeks ago to put up the tree. At this rate, the house should be in full Christmas spirit by Easter.

I do love my tree this year. I found a slim 9 foot tree that would fit in the front room without having to rearrange and remove the furniture. I added a few more berry and twig things this year, but the big change is the spanish moss. I collected a bunch of spanish moss during one of our hiking adventures at the ranch and used it as garland for the tree. I love it! - plus, it helps fill in all of the bare spots in the cheap tree.

Now... I wonder how I'm going to get all of that moss off the tree...

(click photos to view larger)

Poster Child for Pet Insurance

2007-11-16T10:36:00.000-08:00

I think Mr. Magoo should be the poster child for pet insurance.

$1,200 knee surgery... $250 candy bar... and now this...

I've always known that Magoo has "selective" hearing. Over the past month or so it has seemed to get worse. He stopped waking up when we walked in the house, he started barking at nothing, he wouldn't come inside when you called him unless he saw you standing there, etc.

So... I took him to the vet on Wed. just to have them look at him. I figured it was just old age and there wasn't anything you could do about it. The vet confirmed that thought but when she tried to look in his ears he freaked out and wouldn't let her. He's never done that before with an ear check. They took him in back and tried again, saw some gunk, and tried to swab it. Then he REALLY flipped. She said that it looked like there was something in his ear but it could just be dirt and gave me the option of having them sedate him to take a closer look. I gave my o.k. and now I'm glad I did.

After they got in there she saw a chunk which she thought was just debris or a piece of glass. When she removed it, it turned out to be necrotic tissue with pus below it to his ear drums. BOTH ears were like that! She was able to fully flush the left ear, but the right ear had tissue that wouldn't come out. I've had to tackle him for the past two days to put drops in his ears and then took him back this morning for a follow up appointment. They ended up having to sedate him again and to try to flush the right ear again and see how his ears are healing.

The vet said that his eardrums are damaged, but hopefully they will heal. We are seeing a minor improvement in his hearing already. He met me at the back door yesterday when I came home - he can hear the garage door again. :)

As for what caused it, the vet suspects that he had ear infections when he was younger that never quite cleared up, causing a blockage that built up in his ear canal and eventually led to the necrosis. In her opinion, this has probably been years in the making.

If Magoo's hearing does considerable improve, I may take a few other people to the vet and see if it helps. ;)

Gone Country

2007-11-08T20:22:00.000-08:00

Stephen, Tyler and I spent this past weekend with Stephen's parents at their ranch. What a wonderful weekend! We didn't leave until after dark on Sunday and Stephen had to drag Tyler and I out of there - we didn't want to go home! Tyler had fun just being a country boy, and I felt like a kid again. :)

Tyler has shown an interest in bow hunting, so Grandpa Woody got him a bow and gave him lessons. We found yet another use for the "Texas Grape Pickin' Machine" when Tyler wanted to try out the new bow and it was already dark.

The rest of the night was spent laying in the backyard looking at the stars. There are so many more stars in the country! Tyler, Mimi, Magoo and I had to cuddle together to keep warm, but the chilly air was worth it. We even saw a few shooting stars! We were all surprised at the interest Tyler showed and how long the stars kept his interest. He even made us go outside again on Saturday night. We'll be back laying in the grass in a couple weeks to watch the meteor shower. It should be amazing!

Sunday morning after breakfast Tyler was back out practicing with his bow and arrow. Both Stephen and I tried it as well and ended up with matching bruises on our arm where we snapped ourself with the string when releasing the arrow. During all of the fun, Goo was in his favorite element - bathing in the sun.

In the afternoon we all put on our hiking clothes and headed deep into the woods. Tyler and I climbed mud covered cliffs, crawled across downed trees, caught a baby frog in the creek, and hunted for the perfect walking sticks. (Yes, that is me in a John Deer hat.)

And, if I had any doubt left in my mind after all of the weekend adventures, I knew Tyler was a true country boy when his first experience driving a vehicle was driving Grandpa Woody's tractor out into the woods!

Weekend in the Hill Country

2007-10-29T16:23:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, Stephen and I managed to sneak off for a long overdue few days alone... without an internet connection. :) We decided to head for the hills to a bed and breakfast in Canyon Lake called Biscuit Hill. This place was WONDERFUL! There are six rooms in the main house and the owners live in a house next door. The only time we saw them was for the amazing breakfast each morning. The first morning was an egg bake, mixed fruit, baked spiced peaches with a cake bottom, and biscuits. The highlight of the second morning was the apple dumplings. I brought a cookbook filled with her recipes home with me.

Besides the view, comfortable rooms, and amazing food, another thing that made this place special was the interaction with the deer. They had a container of corn for the deer right off the deck. As they heard you fill a bucket they came running. We sat only a few feet from them and watched them eat! (click here to see video)

Besides relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather, we spent a few hours in Wimberly visiting Bella Vista Ranch - the first, and one of the few commercial olive orchards in Texas. It is a small, family run business run by an old, retired computer guru. You would have never guessed his background from the looks of him, but he was one of the most intelligent and entertaining people I have ever listened to. From his ranch, we brought back fresh, cold-pressed olive oil, wine, and handmade soaps - all produced, bottled, and packaged on the farm.

Biscuit Hill Bed & Breakfast

Bella Vista Ranch
<-- olive press

Yes, we're still alive...

2007-09-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

Since it's currently 20 minutes past midnight, and Shanda's still working, I thought I would just post to let all of you know that we're still alive. Shanda's holding down her full-time job and -- just so she doesn't get bored -- is now taking TWO college classes over the next few weeks. She's currently in Biblical Christianity and starting Macroeconomics. It's gonna be a fun September.

Tyler is now one month into 7th grade and hopefully is getting the hang of it. I'm not sure *I* could manage the schedule they have him on: football practice at 6:30AM, different classes on "red" and "green" days, a new school to navigate...well, you get the idea.

Me? Travel for VMware has slowed down quite a bit now so I'll be doing a lot from home.

More pictures on their way as soon as we have the time. Which may be a while!

School Pictures Gone Bad

2007-04-18T19:32:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when your 12-year-old son forgets to tell you that today is picture day.

By the way, his shirt says "MAYBE I WANNA LOOK LIKE THIS"
...how appropriate.

Grow, garden grow!

2007-04-09T16:15:00.000-07:00

After three years on my "to do" list, I finally have my salsa garden!

$250 Candybar

2007-04-06T19:44:00.000-07:00

Magoo has been known to dig through the trash for a chicken bone or scrap of meat. We've returned home to find pizza crusts laying in the hall. Once, he even covered the kitchen floor in trash trying to dig out some meaty scrap (see photo). But, he has never touched any candy or snack food left on the livingroom table... before today.

When Stephen and I left the house for lunch, there were two giganto, Easter-sized candy bars sitting on the living room table - one dark chocolate and one milk chocolate. Now, if Magoo was feeling the need to go on a chocolate binge, it would have been in his best interest to opt for the milk chocolate. (Chocolate is poisonous to dogs, and the "darker" the chocolate the more toxic it is.) Magoo is a smart dog and understands many words like "treat," "wanna go?" and "squirell," but "chocolate is bad for dogs" was probably beyond his comprehension. Fortunately, somewhere along the way, this knowledge had been engrained in my head and I knew to take him to the vet immediately.

At the vet's office, I was informed that the amount of chocolate that Magoo ate was lethal. One technician took him into the procedure room while another explained what they would need to do - basically, induce a whole lot of vomitting and then coat his stomach with active charcoal to absorb any remaining toxins. I sat in the waiting room and tried to remain calm, which is not an easy thing to do after hearing the words "lethal amount." A few minutes later, the vetrinarian came out to introduce herself and tell me that Magoo had puked up piles of chocolate. This was very good news. I later found out that the bad news was that he puked all over one of the vet techs.

When I was finally able to see Magoo, he was all hopped up on morphine and looked quite pathetic. He laid in my lap whimpering while the vet explained the medicine and special food I would need to give him for the next few days. We were nearly ready to leave when Magoo suddenly jumped from my lap and barfed all over the floor. You know that embarrased feeling you get when your kid is picking his nose in public? Well, this was worse. Magoo had already puked on the vet tech and now he left a pile at her feet.

After a short rest period to make sure he wouldn't puke in the car, we were finally allowed to go home. Unfotunately, there was one last stop to make on the way out. When I got to the receptionist's desk I learned that my $2 candy bar just cost me another $248. That was definately the most expensive candy bar of my life.

And the lesson in this story - when you buy a chocolate bar, eat the whole thing right away. Saving part of it for later may nearly kill your dog.

Rocky Mountain Sunset

2007-03-24T08:03:00.000-07:00

Christmas 2006

2006-12-26T20:13:00.000-08:00

Tyler with his cool, new video chair.

Carmel by the Sea

2006-12-23T22:00:00.000-08:00

After realizing that the sun begins to set around 5pm here I made Stephen get up early today. We were up and out of the hotel room by 8am. If you know us well you know that is quite the accomplishment. :) Our first stop was a little cafe in the center of Carmel. They had Starbucks coffee (my main reason for going) and GREAT cranberry scones. After a quick breakfast and a quick review of our gameplan for the day we headed out for our first stop, Point Lobos State Park.

Point Lobos State Park is located just a few miles south of Carmel. We stopped to see the Sea Lions hanging out just off shore but the real highlight was the increadible views of the ocean crashing against the rock cliffs. We hiked through the rock cliffs for a bit before continuing south on highway 1 toward Point Sur.

The views from highway 1 were incredible. We drove far enough south to see Big Sur but didn't continue south onto the island. On the drive back north to Carmel we stopped to take a photo of Bixby Bridge - one of the world's highest single-span concrete arch bridges and probably the most photographed landmark on the coastal highway.

Upon returning to Carmel our next stop was the Carmel Mission. The mission was established in 1771. The founding priest, Father Junipero Serra, is burried at the mission and the room where he died has been restored to it's original condition. Eventhough my religious beliefs may not be in sync with the Catholic church I have a true interest in the history of the church and it's architecture. This visit was definately the cultural highlight of the trip.

The remainder of our day was spent wandering around Carmel. The one thing to note about Carmel is that EVERYONE brings their dogs with them when they visit. The boutique shops in town will not allow you to bring a cup of coffe in the shop with you but your dog is more than welcome. Even the restraunts in town have pet menus so that your dog may dine with you.

While it was sunny and somewhat warm we walked down to the beach (which was definately easier than the uphill walk back). From Carmel beach you could see the Pebble Beach and the golf course.

On the long uphill trek back to the center of town we passed a handfull of houses for sale. Stephen and I played "name that price" and were consistantly floored by the realestate prices in Carmel. A small, somewhat rundown, beach house with less than 2,000 sq. feet of living space would easily list for well over $1,000,000!

As much as we loved Carmel we both agreed it was way out of our price range.

Alcatraz

2006-12-22T21:18:00.000-08:00

Stephen had to fly to the bay area in California for work this week so I decided to tag along with him. After spending a couple days in a hotel room while he worked I was excited to get out and about today.

We were in San Francisco over the 4th of July and saw most of the touristy stuff then. The one thing I wanted to do in July that I wasn't able to was to go out to Alcatraz. So, that was the first item on our agenda today. The tour was really interesting and the boat ride over wasn't nearly as cold as we had anticipated. After visiting Alcatraz we made the necessary stop at Boudin bakery to pick up a few loaves of sourdough bread to bring back home with us and a couple of the best sandwiches you can find. I had bay shrimp salad on a sourdough roll. Mmmmm...

The remainder of the afternoon was spent driving down California Highway 1 - the pacific coast highway. It's a gorgeous drive but unfortunately we ran out of sunlight. I think we may drive back up to San Francisco that way on Sunday when we return to the airport. Hopefully I'll be able to get some better photos then.

We are staying the next two nights in Carmel-by-the-Sea. It's a small town on the coast just south of Montery. The town is filled with art galleries and boutique shops. I plan to see them all tomorrow! :) In the meantime, enjoy a few photos from today...

View Alcatraz Photos

Christmas Song Quiz

2006-12-19T14:15:00.000-08:00

SONG TITLES

Quadruped with crimson proboscis
5 p.m. to 6 a.m. without noise
Miniscule hamlet in the far east
Adorn the vestibule
Exuberance directed to the planet
Listen, aerial spirits harmonizing
Monarchial trio
Yonder in the haystack
Assemble, everyone who believes
Hallowed post meridian
Fantasies of a colorless December 25th
Tin tintinnabulums
A dozen 24-hour Yule periods
Befell during the transparent bewitching hour
Homo sapien of crystallized vapor
I merely desire a pair of incisors
I spied my maternal parent osculating a fat man in red
Perambulating through a December solstice fantasy
Aloft on the acme of the abode
It's fixin' to appear extremely similar to December 25th.
Boppin' while circling the tannenbaum

LYRICS

Slumber in ethereal quiet.
Hey there! The announcing celestial beings carol
Greetings of ease and happiness.
On commencement of Yuletide my honey bestowed upon me.
Decorate the passage with branches of evergreen sprigs
Once upon a misty night prior to Christ's birthday.
Ooh, celestial body of marvel, celestial body of strength.
With a vegetable stem smoker and clothes fastening snout.
Come on, come on, come on, get moving.
Scared darkness, the asterisks are brilliantly shimmering
Small children with their optical aids entirely illuminated.
Loyal buddies that are important to ourselves collect closely to ourselves again.
Approach, y'all devoted happy and victorious...
Urban walkways, congested walkways, trimmed in a festive manner...
Ah! The atmospheric condition beyond is terrific...
Percussion instruments jingle, are you harking...
Remarked the evening breeze to the tiny sheep...
Wishing your dates be gleeful and intelligent...
Ourselves bid yourselves a joyous Noel and a cheerful neoteric 365 days...

ANSWERS
SONG TITLES

Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer
Silent Night
O' Little Town of Bethlehem
Deck the Halls
Joy to the World
Hark the Herald Angels Sing
We Three Kings
Away in a Manger
Come All Ye Faithful
Holy Night
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
Silver Bells
The Twelve Days of Christmas
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Frosty the Snowman
All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
Walking Through a Winter Wonderland
Up on the rooftop
It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

LYRICS

Sleep in heavenly peace (Silent Night)
Hark! The herald angels sing (Hark the Herald)
Tidings of comfort and joy (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen)
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me (The Twelve Days of Christmas)
Deck the halls with boughs of holly (Deck the Halls)
The one foggy Christmas Eve (Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer)
Ooh star of wonder, star of might (Star of Wonder)
With a corncob pipe and a button nose (Frosty the Snowman)
Giddyup giddyup giddyup, let’s go (Let it Snow)
Oh holy night, the stars are brightly shining (Oh Holy Night)
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow (The Christmas Song)
Faithful friends who are dear to us, gather near to us once more (Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas)
Oh come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant (Oh Come All Ye Faithful)
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style (Silver Bells)
Oh, the weather outside is frightful (Let it Snow)
Sleigh bells ring, are you listening (Walking in a Winter Wonderland)
Said the night wind to the little lamb (Do You Hear What I Hear)
May your days be merry and bright (White Christmas)
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year (We wish you a Merry Christmas)

First Day of School

2006-08-16T21:02:00.000-07:00

Today was Tyler's first day of 6th grade. So far we're off to a good start! :)

Texas Grape Pickin' Machine

2006-08-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

The muscadine grapes were ready to pick this weekend so we headed out to the ranch and fired up the fancy Texas grape pickin' machine.

A Beautiful Minnesota Weekend

2006-08-07T15:48:00.000-07:00

Stephen, Tyler and I spent a long weekend in Minnesota hanging out with Grandma Judy. Since Tyler has only been to Minnesota in the winter he was in for a surprise. The weather was GORGEOUS - perfect for spending time outside in the garden, resting in the hammock or visiting the local wildlife at Sibley Park and Spring Lake Park.

Friday we ventured up to Bloomington to go to the largest indoor water park in the United States where I failed to embarrass Tyler with my surfing abilities (video). Guess I'm just a natural. :)

Another hour car drive Saturday took us to Walnut Grove where we ate at Nellie's cafe and toured the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum and location of the Ingalls dugout site on Plum Creek. As interesting as the Little House on the Prarie history lesson was, it just couldn't compete with the in-car entertainment. Tyler figured out how to spell words on a calculator. I never knew an 11-year old boy with a calculator could be so funny! His favorite was 5318008.

I drove "the boys" back to the airport last night to catch their plane back to Houston. I'm in Minnesota for another few days to catch up on work and meetings while I'm in the office. It's nice to see everyone again and spend some time with my family, but I think Texas has captured my heart as my home.

View Minnesota Photo Album

Galveston

2006-07-30T23:11:00.000-07:00

Today was a fun day in Galveston. We ate DELICIOUS seafood at Gaidos (http://www.gaidosrestaurant.com) and spent an impromptu afternoon at the beach. We hadn't anticipated a beach outing but after a quick stop at Academy to pick up swim clothes and towels we were ready to go! Unfortunately, the water wasn't as refreshing as it looks. With a series of days approaching 100 degrees the mid-summer surf felt like warm bath water. This didn't seem to deter Tyler and Greerson from having an afternoon of sandy fun!

View Galveston Photo Album

Old Entries

2006-07-29T20:19:00.000-07:00

Someday I'll be completely organized and have all of my entries in one place, but until then please visit http://www.freewebs.com/stephenandshanda to view the following entries:

Tyler's 10th Birthday
Rodeo 2005
Let's Go Fly a Kite
Horse Trail Ride
Big Sam
Hawaii
Wedding
Fredericksburg
Galveston 2005
Father's Day 2005
France

Galveston

2005-06-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

Hotel Galvez

The Hotel Galvez was known as the "Queen of the Gulf" on the day she opened in 1911. For nearly a century, this charming hotel has been the choice of guests as demanding and diverse as Teddy Roosevelt, Howard Hughes, Frank Sinatra and the Shultz family.

A Day at the Beach

Tyler spent most of the day digging a hole while Greerson dug a canal from the hole to the ocean to fill it up. The rest of us lounged in the sun and watched the physics lesson in progress.

Moody Gardens - Aquarium

View Moody Gardens website

Moody Gardens - Rainforest

View Moody Gardens website

1877 Elissa

As one of only three pre-20th-century tall ships in the United States that has been restored to full sailing capacity, Elissa has already been declared a National Historic Landmark and one of America's Treasures by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Built in Scotland in 1877, Elissa was a rusting hulk when she was rescued from a Greek scrap yard by the Galveston Historical Foundation in 1974. The foundation purchased the ship in 1975 and restored her over the course of eight years and at a cost of nearly $7 million, bringing a vital link to Galveston's maritime past back to life.

Fredericksburg

2005-05-15T07:39:00.000-07:00

Fredericksburg, located in the very heart of the beautiful Texas Hill Country, is a blend of German heritage and Texan hospitality. This historic town, settled by Germans in 1846, is roughly 70 miles west of Austin, the state capital, and approximately 65 miles northwest of San Antonio, home to the legendary Alamo.

Fredericksburg's historic buildings have been converted into boutiques, art galleries and antique emporiums. The town is also home to the National Museum of the Pacific War. Near Fredericksburg you'll also find a large wildflower farm and many of Texas' wineries.

Visit Fredricksburg's website

Belle Notte

This home was built in 1906 by the William Rauch family and is located only 1/2 block off Main Street and all of the shops. It has been converted into two beautiful bed and breakfast suites. We stayed in the Toscana suite.

National Museum of the Pacific War

The National Museum of the Pacific War is the only institution in the continental United States dedicated exclusively to telling the story of the Pacific Theater battles of World War II. Located on a nine-acre site, the Center includes the George Bush Gallery, Admiral Nimitz Museum, Plaza of Presidents, Veterans' Walk of Honor, Japanese Garden of Peace, Pacific Combat Zone, and the Center for Pacific War Studies.

A second trip to Fredericksburg is needed to fully experience this museum. You could easily spend an entire day there. We gave up after a few hours and didn't even see half of it!

Visit Nimitz Museum website

Wildseed Farms

Wildseed Farms is the nation's largest working wildflower seed farm.

Visit Wildseed Farms website

Luckenbach, Texas

Let's go to Luckenbach Texas with Waylon and Willie and the boys

This successful life we're livin' got us fueding

like the Hatfield and McCoys

Between Hank Williams pain songs, Newberry's train songs

and blue eyes cryin' in the rain out in Luckenbach Texas

ain't nobody feelin' no pain

Side-effect of trip to Luckenbach... that song stuck in our heads since then!!!

Wedding Memories

2005-04-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

The true joys in life make great stories... and this is definately one of my favorites!

Nothing seemed to go right for weeks leading up to the wedding but the "icing on the cake" was Thursday night when I picked Erin and Connie up from the airport. The flight they booked had them landing at Hobby (the old airport all the way across Houston) instead of IAH. I had never been to that airport before and was running a bit late. Erin called after their plane landed and told me not to rush - that Connie had gotten sick on the plane and now the paramedics were checking her out to see if she was alright. I arrived at the airport a few minutes later and found Erin and an airline rep waiting in baggage claim... without Connie. The airline rep told me that the paramedics took connie to Southwest Memorial Hospital and gave me directions to get there.

On the way to the hospital Erin told me that Connie had been puking for nearly the whole flight (still hasn't gotten past the morning sickness) and was dehydrated and felt like she was going to pass out. They let Connie decide if she wanted them to take her to the hospital or not and she decided to go just to make sure everything was o.k. with the baby. I then realized that Stephen and my house full of guests were probably expecting me home soon. I no more than dialed the number on my cell phone when I looked in my mirror to see flashing lights. I couldn't believe it - I was being pulled over by a Trooper! I hadn't been speeding, my registration was up to date, what in the world did I do?!? He asked me to step out of my car and I handed Erin the phone to explain to my mother what was going on.

The state trooper walked me back to the rear of my truck and explained that as of September 2004 it is illegal to cover any part of the word "TEXAS" on your licence plate. The plate frame that was put on the truck when Stephen purchased it in 2002 was covering the top 1/4" of the word. I looked at him and used all of my willpower to hold back from saying "You've got to be kidding me! You pulled me over for that?!?!" I walked back to the driver's side of the truck to retrieve my driver's license for him and briefly explained to Erin what was going on.

After returning to the rear of the truck and handing the trooper my license he explained that he wasn't going to give me a ticket, just a written warning. Then, noticing that I was from The Woodlands while writing out the citation, he made the fatal mistake - he asked me where I was headed. Erin watched from the truck as my arms waved and hands gestured and I ranted about my day...

"I was just at the airport to pick up a friend only to find out that my other friend was taken from the airport to the emergency room so now I'm on my way to a hospital that I have no idea where it is at and I haven't gotten a hold of anyone at home to tell them what is going on and I'm getting married on Saturday so you pulling me over was just the icing on the cake!"
Fortunately, he just handed me the written warning, smiled and let me go on my way.

BUT... the fun was not to end there. We finally made it to the hospital and I told the emergency room receptionist that my friend was just brought there from the airport. She said, "oh yes, she's in room 12" and rattled off directions on how to find that room. After following the lefts and rights we found room 12 and I approached without hesitation. Afterall, it was Connie - I didn't care if she was sleeping, puking or naked, I just wanted to see if she was alright. I reached for the curtain and walked through only to find a nurse tending to a half-naked, fat, hairy old guy. Either that definately wasn't Connie or she had a worse flight experience than I had imagined. I apologized and quickly backed out of the room.

A different nurse directed us to room 6. I paused this time before opening the curtain and said "Connie?". We were in luck - Connie this time, just as I had remembered her, skinny and not so hairy. Relieved to see that she was o.k. I sat down and we all had a good laugh.

Oh, and as a special bonus, the doctor gave her a couple fancy puke bags before we left incase she needed them during the car ride. Those puke bags quickly became my "something blue" for the wedding.

View more wedding photos

Hawaii 2005

2005-04-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

Things we learned in Hawaii:

Walking on a black sand beach is a suitable substitute for a cheap pedicure.
Sea turtles are not always friendly
Warming up next to a steam vent will make you smell like rotten eggs.
"Do not drive rental car on this road" is merely a suggestion.

Kona Airport
The Kona airport is the most unusual airport I have ever seen. The entire airport is nothing but a series of huts - one for the gift shop, one for baggage claim, one for ticketing, etc. There are no gates or skyways - you walk directly from the plane down steps to the ground.

Initial Impressions
The first thing you notice when you leave the airport is the sparse landscape - nothing but lava rock as far as the eye can see. The monotony is quickly broken by a series of coral graffiti. Visitors and locals have gathered white coral stones from the beach and composed messages to leave their mark in the miles of black lava.

The Fairmont Orchid
With the exception of a room assignment hassle, a very nice home away from home.

Volcano National Park
(http://www.nps.gov/havo/home.htm)
We made two trips to Volcano National Park and unfortunately encountered overcast and rainy weather each day. The views and massive area of Kilauea are much more awe-inspiring than the photos portray.

Kilauea Summit - Halema'uma'u Overlook and steam vents

Pu'uloa Petroglyph Field (http://www.nps.gov/havo/history/archeology/puuloa.htm)

Snorkeling Trip
A chartered boat took us on a morning snorkeling trip to Kealakekua Bay near the Captain Cook monument. The scenery was gorgeous and the water was crystal clear. We saw hundreds of fish and even a family of dolphins with a very playful young one.

Akaka Falls
After days of looking at lava, the tropical side of the island was a very welcome sight.

South Point
The southern-most point of the United States.

Helicopter Tour
After going through the safety briefing and seating assignments, we found out that our volcano helicopter tour had been canceled due to the weather. Though disappointed, Stephen still had fun flaunting his stylish, yellow fanny-pack flotation device.

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach
After stopping to collect a few shells and some sand to add to my Hawaii collection, we found the first sea turtles of our trip at the black sand beach. The black sand in these photos looks much softer than it actually is. Walking barefoot on this beach was about as enjoyable as jogging barefoot on a gravel road.

Sea Turtles
My quest to find sea turtles on this trip was best fulfilled right at our resort. The turtles spent hours resting on the rocky shore and swam into the bay to feed on the reef. The day we left we decided to snorkel in the bay just off shore from the resort in hopes of seeing a turtle in the distance. Or, if we were lucky, having one swim close enough to touch it. This innocent snorkeling adventure turned into a close encounter of the turtle-kind.

After just a few minutes in the bay, I looked up to see Stephen frantically pointing behind me. I turned just in time to find a sea turtle swimming onto my back. Now, keep in mind, this is no small turtle. The shell on this turtle was about three feet long and its flipper feet are much stronger than one would think! I tried to swim away from the turtle, but no matter which way I turned he continued to swim up on top of me. I finally decided to just stop moving in hopes that the turtle would swim by. No such luck. I must have looked pretty tasty to that turtle because as soon as I stopped moving he promptly bit down on my arm. The turtle then swam away.

After getting past the initial shock of "a turtle just bit me" I went back to snorkeling. I assumed that was the last I would see of that evil turtle. I was wrong. As soon as I put my head back in the water I looked over to see the same turtle swimming full-force straight at me! After a quick game of cat and mouse, the turtle finally gave up and swam off to eat something more inline with his diet. We watch a few other turtles feed on the coral for about another hour. I managed to stay away from the head end of the turtles and avoided any further confrontations. Guess this just goes to prove that you should be careful of what you wish for. I wanted to swim with the turtles and I definitely got that chance... and more!

The Sunset
There are no sunsets quite as beautiful as those I've seen in Hawaii.