The Adventures of KTO

Wild Home!

2011-09-22T21:09:00.001-04:00

Proud supporter!

Get on the Train!

2011-03-19T08:52:00.000-04:00

I would like to introduce Intention Yarns: Focus. It is so pretty and soft and squishy. I plan on making a shawl with it for a family member. i was thinking about making the Indian Summer Shawl or Muhltnomah. There was another shawl I was looking at, but can't remember what pattern it was. I just want to make sure it doesn't pool.

I'm very excited to use this yarn and see how the colors develop.

http://www.intentionyarns.com/reveal">Intention Yarns Reveal

http://www.thefiberofmybeing.net/">The Fiber of My Being

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-05T09:25:00.003-05:00

So the Holidays have kicked in here! Here is our Turkey day spread!

Here is the tree pre decoration!!

Here it is so you can see the decorations, and the kitty.

And here it is in all its glory!

Happy start to the holiday season!

Trina's Wedding weekend!

2010-11-22T15:30:00.003-05:00

My best friend from allll the way back to 7th grade, got married this weekend. Trina and Tim's wedding was awesome. We were a little chilly during the ceremony, but once we hit the reception it was all good. Had a great home cooked meal(or so it tasted) and then prepared to dance the night away. Dresses were awesome and trina and all involved looked fabulous. Here is a picture of the blanket I made for Trina and Tim:

here is a picture of Trina and I:

And here is a picture of the girls:
Katie, Sharon, Trina, Sara and Emily

And here is a photo of my mom, grandma and I!!!

Fibery Goodness

2010-06-06T14:21:00.003-04:00

Yea, I stole my title from a great podcaster, Meghan from Stitch-It, she has a fantastic podcast and you should check it out. She is also the inspiration/instigator for my container garden and my Artisan bread obsession.

I went to my first fiber event yesterday the 5th of June. I went with a knitter friend and we had a blast. I bought yarn for a shawl project and some fiber and a spindle from a horrible enabler, Highland Handmades. They offered me a slight deal to encourage me to try the spinning thing. We'll see about that. It is hard and I'm trying to get my legs(or hands) under me and I figure out the process. Here is what I saw!!

He is a pretty pretty beast!!

Very cute!

Yarn for my Mystery KAL - Lizbeth Shawl by She-Knits

My fiber, 100%BFL(in Vikings colors) and my Cherry Spindle
from Highland Handmades

My first attempts at spinning encouraged by Tina and other trouble makers

Oh How Things Have Evolved.

2010-06-04T19:08:00.004-04:00

Well, My Honey is doing great in training and is almost graduated from his second phase and ready to start the actual work(not that hours of PT and endless studying isn't work). I have been busy with my work and am so glad that summer has arrived in Maine. Winter is very brutal up here and the short days are killer.

I have started gardening and here is some evidence!
There are many more pots that are growing but I don't have that much patience to show them all.

Here is Jeremy and I at his graduation... Aren't we just fantastic together?? I sure think so! I can't wait for him to get back to Maine... still have some time left down south, but he will be here before I know it :)

I will spend time down there this summer and some in Maine. I have a good schedule now for summer, so i will be really enjoying the travel and the time with Jeremy. Woo Hoo!!

Big Changes

2010-02-18T11:01:00.002-05:00

So life has changed quickly around Owls Head. Jeremy left for training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) on Super Bowl Sunday. I miss him like crazy. I miss the little things: cuddling, chatting, cooking, cleaning, running errands, etc. Never thought in my life I would want to be with someone so much. I went down to visit him over Valentine's Weekend and it was so hard to leave. Only 8 more days until I get to see him again.

He is doing so well down there. He is doing well in his classroom work and is liking what he is learning. He is working hard in PT and getting stronger every day. He feels like he is on the biggest loser with 2 Jillian's there kicking his ass. He is be even more smokin' hot then he was before! is that possible!?!?!? :)

I am one tough cookie, but am missing him so much. i keep myself busy with long days at work(like I have a choice), visiting him every other weekend and filling the other weekends with trips to see friends and family.

I have had numerous offers from friends in the Boston area for a place to stay so that I can maximize my time with Jeremy when I do get to go to him. that really makes my life easier. What great people I have surrounding me!! I couldn't get anymore lucky!!

Keep working hard, Jeremy!! I will see you soon. I miss you so terribly!! :) I love you!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

2010-01-03T16:15:00.002-05:00

So i started a post last week with all of our christmas pictures, but I am gonna flake out and just share the facebook link:

Holidays 2009

We had a fantastic holiday season, capped with a visit from my mom, a nice low key new year's of games, rum and a quick nap before midnight(for me). We are starting our new year off right with a great vacation to the Caribbean... San Juan, St. Croix and Vieques is on the ticket!! I can't wait and we are going to have a fabulous time, I know it!

I am so lucky and blessed with my life right now. I have a wonderful man who I am sooo blessed to have be a part of my life... and 2010 is starting off right. I can't wait to see where our adventures take us... it's gonna be an exciting and dynamic year, that's for sure!!!

O Christmas Tree!!!

2009-12-14T07:47:00.004-05:00

So in the middle of a blizzard last Wednesday, we ventured out to cut down our Christmas tree.

To start with the roads were awful... but we jumped in jeremy's Expedition and off we went. About 3 miles down the road, we almost hit a moose... yep, a moose... we came about 4 feet from smacking his rear end!! But we missed him... we just could not stop on the slippery roads!!

We stopped at one tree farm that was closed, another that was a self serve with all little trees and no big trees and finally we got to Grants Tree Farm.

We grabbed a saw and out we went! Right off the bat we find an awesome tree, but we decide to keep on looking. So for about a half hour we tromp around in the snowy, windy, blizzard and we came right back to the same tree. Jeremy and I took turns cutting it down.

Then we threw it in the truck and headed to Walmart to finish buying a few decorations!

Snowy, wet but loving it!!!

We dried off the tree and proceeded to decorate!! Now we have a beautiful tree, and a very festive home!!! We have more decorations now, I'll have to post more pictures soon!

My new Venture!!

2009-12-13T09:41:00.003-05:00

I have a new adventure in life... I am a Partylite Consultant!! I will be presenting shows to people and accepting online orders(those ship right to your home!!) Please go take a look and see why I'm so excited!!!

Katie O's Partylite Website!

Trip to MN...

2009-12-09T16:16:00.004-05:00

Here are a few pictures from Jeremy and I's trip to MN. We had a blast. We traveled Non-rev and the flights were great! We even got business class on Air Tran on the trip home. So cool! We were totally exhausted from all the running around and lack of sleep, but it was a great trip.

Poor Jeremy. He had to meet so many people and that was just my mom's half of the family. He met: Dad, Pat(brother), Pete(brother), Sara(sister), Mom, Grandparents(3 sets), 4 aunts and uncles, 4 cousins, and 2 second cousins... whew!!!

Jeremy, I and Mom's dog, Lily in front of my Mom's tree

Mom, Jeremy and I

Awesome light display. The helicopter's blades spin!!!

We landed in Boston, having missed the first snowfall!!

Back in RKD with snow everywhere!!!

Meet the boyfriend weekend!!

2009-12-05T09:14:00.001-05:00

We are currently in MN, meeting the family. Jeremy has met about half of the family and the rest today. He will have met most of my mothers family by tonight... He is a good sport, and charming everyone in path!!! Pictures to come!!

Starting my Own Business!!

2009-11-29T15:39:00.002-05:00

So today it begins!! I am starting my own Partylite business. High quality candles, holders, wall sconces, etc. I had my kick off party today. Thanks to Maggie, Cokie, and Sonya for attending my party. And thanks to Mom, A. Kathi, Darlene and Kim for the outside orders. You can still take advantage of the cyber weekend sale until Monday night! You can help me continue my good start by placing an order. Orders will be here in time for Christmas for sure. I am accepting orders until Wednesday night for this show. After that, you can order directly from my website... i will post it here when I have it all set up and ready to accept orders. Here's how to order until Wednesday and help me out even more!!

www.partylite.biz/butlerjada

1. Click on "Shop"

2. Click "Look up host"

3. Enter, "Katie Ol"

4. Click on Katie O. and then shop away!!

All orders credit to my party and my new business! Thanks for the support.

I LOVE MY TWINS!!!!

2009-10-07T12:00:00.003-04:00

They cause me a slight ulser, but I love them... BRING ON THE YANKS!!! Burnin' down the BRONX!!!!

Oh yea, and I'll be at the game on Sunday!!! That's right... I'm going home for game #3 and then flying back to Maine on Monday Morning!! :) SWEEETTT!!!!

My day!

2009-10-05T10:45:00.001-04:00

So today is the first day of the winter schedule for me. 0530 am to
0730 pm! Long days, 3 round trips and you all know I don't like
getting up early. It went ok and I'm feeling good so far.

On the needles:
I am working on my first pair of socks! I took on dpn's and toe up
socks!! It is going fine now that the toe is established!!! I am also
finishing a baby blanket. Also going to cast on some mittens and baby
sweaters... Its getting cold and I really am feeling the knitting
bug!!!

Getting ready to move in a week or so.... Just down the road to a
little chalet on the rockland harbor. Its a bit set back from the
water, but still a great view!!! Very excited!! Woot!!!!

I am going to try and update the blog more often!! I am excited for
the packers Vikings game tonight and the twins and tigers game
tomorrow night!!!! Woooohhhhooooo!!!!!

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For once you have tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your
eyes turned skyward; For there you have been and there you long to
return. ~Da Vinci

WAAAaaayyyyy too long

2009-10-03T09:52:00.004-04:00

How does there get to be such huge gaps in my posting? i think facebook takes over a bit with the updating.

Summer Summary:

I am dating a phenominal man, Jeremy. Here is our first camping trip.

We had a great time camping and have hiked all over Mid Coast Maine. I have had one of the best summers ever. He is truely a phenominal person and enhances my life in so many ways...

I have just recently got my knitting mojo back. It was a great summer and i spent so much time outside, i didn't have time to knit!! But it's getting chilly and I am knitting more and more. Starting to learn about socks and if I want to knit socks... I like it so far! :) We'll see. I'm gonna hit up the Knit Picks 40% off book sale... Got a great surprise in my paycheck and I'm gonna treat myself. it's been a hard summer financially, so I'm gonna get a little treat!! I'll try to update more often!!!

San francisco!!!

2009-06-14T15:59:00.001-04:00

So I made the trip to San Fran yesterday to visit my cousin, Scott! I
got into SFO and took the train to Embarcadero area and he met me. We
got some great food at Elephant and Castle, along with a couple great
local brews. We headed back to his house and crashed about 11 pm(2am
my time on the east coast)

So of course I wake up about 630am local(930 eastern which is my
normal wake up time). I have a beatiful view of the bay bridge and
downtown san fran from his porch. Awesome!!! I will link to the
photos later!

At the moment, I am sitting on Pier 39, eating chowdah out of a
sourdough bowl and people watching. Might head to golden gate park
later. But I do know tomorrow I will be going to Alcatraz!!!! Oh
yea!!!!! Will post more soon!!

--
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http://kto13.blogspot.com/
jetgirl1313 on ravelry
Visit my Etsy Shop: http://tinyurl.com/2br2ej
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For once you have tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your
eyes turned skyward; For there you have been and there you long to
return. ~Da Vinci

Maine it is!!!!

2009-06-03T12:09:00.005-04:00

Well, I have arrived in Maine. Actually, I'm in Phoenix at the moment, but my car and stuff is in Rockland, ME. Here is a link of the journey from my last night in San Juan to my arrival in Maine... Long road trip, ugh, but it's over now.

SJU to RKD

And here are some pictures from my first couple days in Rockland.

Rockland Days

I also have a place to live... I will be sharing a home with a very nice lady named Betsy. She has a cat and a dog and a very homey little place for me to put my head. I think it will work out well.

Wow! Too long!!!

2009-05-14T21:05:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone!! It has been over 2 months!! YIKES!! I have been slacking!! But here is my latest update.

I have 3 weeks left in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Then I will be moving to...................(drum roll)

Rockland, Maine!!!

it was my first choice with Cape Air and I was lucky enough to get it. I have never been to maine, but i have done a bunch research and that one appealed to me the most... Stay tuned for more updates as the days get shorter in San Juan!!

What a day!!

2009-03-04T04:01:00.002-05:00

So Friday at work it started a bit confusing and frustrating and I'm not sure why. Everything was bugging me and set the tone for the day. I did one trip to Tortola, and then went to Vieques...

Well I got to Vieques and the ramp agent said, "I have 1 revenue passenger and 7 non-rev's". Meaning a bunch of fellow co-workers had spent the day there. Well, I was in NO mood to deal with all of them. So I put some tunes on my headset and jammed out for a few minutes. Then they all walk out, they are yelling at me, "hey Katie" "Que Paso"(what's up?) "KATIE O" and they were all in a super good mood... I'm sure the drinking on the beach all day didn't hurt any!!!

So They pile in and off we go. We are cracking up all the way to San Juan. They totally made my day. As we were coming in to land, they all put their hands in the air like they were on a roller coaster and were hootin' and hollerin'. Then I had a great landing and they started chanting, "katie katie katie" and saying, Let's go again, lets go again... " Well it turned my day from frustrating to awesome. So I headed off for my last round trip and it was a gorgeous night. What a beautiful day!!! Here is a picture of the whole crew!!!

Trip to PHX

2009-02-25T17:44:00.003-05:00

So I went to PHX for a few days to see my friends. I needed a little recharging while I am struggling with some things in my life. The first few pictures are from my visit with Daren and Jeanne and their 3 gorgeous kids; Sydnee, Dillen and Ethen. I have known this family for 7 years and watched these dolls grow up. Daren and Jeanne are 2 of the best friends of have...

From PHX visit February 2009

Here is a picture of Dillen, I and Ethen reading a bedtime story.

From PHX visit February 2009

Dillen, Daren, Sydnee, Katie, Jeanne, Ethen, one big happy family

From PHX visit February 2009

Sydnee, Katie, Ethen and Dillen taking a silly picture!

From Pics of me by Kris Commerford

A picture that Kris took of me near her house. ]

From Pics of me by Kris Commerford

Here's more of me!

From Pics of me by Kris Commerford

Me at the horsetrack... it was my first time and it was super fun!!!

Fly West

2009-02-13T10:49:00.002-05:00

My heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the Pilots, Flight attendants and passengers aboard flight 3407 that was lost last night in Buffalo, New York. It hits close to home for me and my friends and family. It makes my family sad and nervous. They worry about me. I appreciate that, but I hate for it to put burden on them. God be with them all and lift them up. Give the families strength and peace.

if you have a few seconds, throw a prayer or good thought out to those in mourning today. They will appreciate the thought!

Adventures in taking a taxi home...

2009-02-11T01:01:00.002-05:00

So tonight I am heading home after a challenging day of flying in the rain... it really wasn't too bad, but it's been raining down here for 3 days straight and I'm ready to see some sun!!!! But anyway back to my story.

I grab a cab on the way home and it's only about a 5 minute ride and it's raining pretty hard. We are just coming down the ramp to leave the airport and the engine shuts off. Hmmmm.... weird. Well, the cabbie mutters something in spanish, that will not be repeated here in english(yea, i know the bad words!!! ha ha ha). He apologizes and makes a phone call. I simply smile and say it's ok. I know it sucks when your car breaks down, especially bad if its the vehicle by which you make a living, I can only imagine what he was feeling. So I wait for a few minutes while he makes some calls. Then he jumps out and flags down another taxi to take me home. I thank him and wish him "Bueno Suerte" (sorry if it's spelled wrong) But it means "good luck". The 2nd cabbie dropped me off at home and I ran to my apartment in the rain... sorry its not much more exciting, but I wanted to share that with you all...

And it's still raining! Here's to sunny skies tomorrow!

The sister has arrived!

2009-01-23T15:34:00.001-05:00

So my sister came in yesterday and it has been fun so far. I was done with work, got to meet her at the gate and took her to see my apartment. She hadn't got much sleep, so we ate something and she took a short nap. Some friends of mine from puerto rico and work invited to hang out at their house, so we did that until the weee hours of the morning. But we had a blast.

It was a good first day to her vacation. I'll update again later today with some more stories and pictures!!! I love my sis and love having her here. (Plus she isn't missing the cold of MN much right now either!!!)
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Progress

2009-01-22T23:40:00.000-05:00

So I have been walking the beach almost daily... maybe one day off a week from that, but doing pilates on those other days. I have lost 2 pounds... that's just under a pound a week, but that is good steady progress and it's the healthy way to do it. Slow progress is good progress and I am happy with that. I have been drinking less alcohol and more water. I have been eating pretty good most of the time, but I slip up every once and a while. I'm human, it happens. So I will keep updating as I go along. Life changes don't happen over night.... it's a marathon not a sprint... and I'm doing pretty good!!

New Year's Goals

2009-01-08T12:17:00.001-05:00

I hate new year's resolutions... it seems to doom you before you even start. So I am setting goals... baby steps to start. I want to be a more confident, happier, healthier me. So I am walking the beach at least 3 times a week, pilates 2x a week, drinking at least 70 ounces of water a day and eating healthier. I know that sounds like a lot, it does even to me now, but it's really not. i already drink a lot of water, and I track what I eat to see where i am overdoing it. This current round of exercise is new, but it's going well. I have done something every day so far. Even if it's a short walk because of time constraints. So I set little goals if I am tight on time and just try to stay active.

So here is my declaration to all of my blog readers. I will blog about my progress. It has already been positive, so I am bound to make this my lifestyle and but it will take time. I will fall off the path, but I will get back on as soon as I can. I will stay positive. I will depend on my family and friends for support. I will blog about it and hold myself accountable for all my successes. I will not focus on the negative and on defeat. We are never defeated, only side tracked... and I will get back on the horse after a side track. So I will check in again soon... I walked on the beach and did pilates yesterday... and I did pilates this morning with a friend who is a pilates instructor... awesome!

Happy 2009!!!

2009-01-07T20:32:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone and welcome to 2009! I got to ring in the new year with my mom. Yes, for those who know me, you know that my mom came down to Puerto Rico on Christmas Day and stayed until New Years day. It was her longest and best vacation ever, according to her. She slept in, walked on the beach every day, lost some weight(yes, on vacation), got to see El Morro and got to travel outside of the country(not just Canada). Now she has the travel bug and wants to keep expanding her travels. She has traveled all over the US and is ready to tackle the big bad world. Here are a few pics from her trip:

Mom and I on the beach on New Year's

Fireworks from the Old San Juan Hotel at Midnight

Mom and I at El Morro

Mom and I in the El Morro gift shop balcony

We had a great time and she is already planning on coming back again in a month or so. Not so bad when your daughter works for the airline and you fly for almost nothing(even if it is standby!) My mom rocks and I miss her already!!

But the good news is that my sister will be here at the end of the month for a week and we will have a rockin' time too. I will hopefully post before then, but i will definitely update after that too!!

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-25T08:14:00.004-05:00

Wow! Has it been a month since I posted!?!?!? YIKES!! I have all these pictures and stories and I keep thinking, "I gotta blog"... and I forget or too long goes by and I don't think it's important anymore... but I guess we'll see. I will try harder to blog about my stuff. But

Merry Christmas
from Puerto Rico!!

It's a little hard to tell its Christmas down here... just some Christmas lights around and people saying happy holidays... or Feliz Navidad! 2 of the roommates are working and the other is off, so we might hit the beach... the beach on Christmas... that I like.

But there is a small(very very small) part of me that misses a snowy Christmas. As much I don't like the cold, snow on Christmas is a very magical thing.

On another note, my mom is trying to travel standby to see me... and it's proving to be challenging. We knew it was going to be, but not this much. So send out some happy travel thoughts for my mom in Minneapolis... it'd be good to see her. Merry Christmas everyone!!

Happy Turkey Day!!

2008-11-27T10:09:00.002-05:00

so I have lots of pictures and stories to share, but the internet is disgustingly slow here, so it might have to wait until I get to work.... but I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, wherever you are and whoever you might be with.

To all my Family: I miss you dearly on the holidays... you are such a huge part of my life. Many hugs and much love!!!

See the fam...

2008-11-18T12:45:00.003-05:00

So, I'll post pictures as soon as i get them on my computer, but I'm home in MN for a few days visiting the family. It was 87 on Sunday in Puerto Rico, and it was 26 and snowing when i arrived in MSP yesterday... can you say DAMN!!!! Yea, i was freezing. All I have for a jacket is a hoodie and that doesn't do much to cut the winter frigidness.

I have seen my sister, who picked me up. We always have such a good time together and we are the best confidante's... telling each other things that no one else in this world knows... and we don't judge! We have our differences, but the disagreement never lasts more then a few minutes. It was so good to get some alone time with her and really get some stuff out in the open.

Then I saw my brother, Pat(the one that was in Australia), and my mom. Mom and I went up to my grandparents and had some dinner and then to Missy's(sister's old roommate) to see her son Jackson and give him his birthday present!! He is so cute... wait until you see my video!! He's so darn cute!!

Today, I'm gonna have some lunch with my grandparents(again) and see my dad and brothers. Tomorrow is my sister and hopefully some cousins!! I wish i had about 10 days to really visit everyone!! I'll post some pics soon... :)

Welcome to da islands, mon!!

2008-11-10T13:06:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone! Life in the islands is hot and humid, but it's better then snow and ice. I have been working like a fiend and its hot and sweaty. Yes, it's a bit graphic, but true... 89 and humid... I like 110 and dry(aka... Arizona! ha ha) So hear are some pictures from the first week... don't worry, there will be more!

St Croix of the USVI, where I used to live

This is me with St. Croix in the background, flying mechanics to fix a plane

Christiansted Harbour on the north shore of St. Croix

El Yunque, the rainforest on Puerto Rico

Here is a waterspout forming NE of Puerto Rico They look cool, but can be dangerous to fly into. Luckily, they are easy to see and avoid!!

Wow, Madness.

2008-11-05T07:49:00.002-05:00

So to sum up and lead into the madness:

July 21st: Terminated from USA Jet with 30 other pilots.

August 24th: Back on the Cape to retrain with Cape Air

October 25th: Back to Detroit to pack

October 26th: Decided to crash pad out my apartment(to friends at USA Jet) so my stuff stayed safe, cheaper then putting it into storage and rent went down with a new lease(not signed yet)

October 30th, 10 am: Crash pad friends all got laid off from USA Jet. Panic sets in. 36 hours to pack and move a 2 bedroom apartment!! YIKES!!

That where madness became insanity. 2 people, packing like crazy, no help cuz they all lost their jobs. find a moving truck, find a storage unit, help!! Was supposed to leave for San Juan on Saturday! Nope! Left on Monday... everything was finished by 5 pm on Saturday, cleaned, garbage thrown away, storage unit packed to the gills and out of Detroit I went! jeez... it was awful. I hurt in places I didn't know I had muscles. My hands and feet are still swollen... pulling my luggage through the airport was like needles in my palm.

But now I am here... I'm in San Juan and it is surreal. I already did this. I already lived in the caribbean and it was miserable. Expensive, humid, I don't speak spanish(yet) and no car... I'm now a bus rat. And that's ok, just gonna take some getting used to. Plus the bus doesn't really run on a schedule... just whenever it happens to come by! argh! But I'm excited about beaches, snorkeling, fruity concoctions to be drank while on the beach, and learning spanish! Plus I love the rampies and people down here that I got to work with this summer up north, so that will be great.

Sorry, that was complete ramble... feel free to ask questions if it doesn't make sense because that is entirely possible!!

Wendy - I'm so sorry i didn't get to come visit. My intention was on Friday or Saturday and well, the last minute move kinda f'ed that up. I will be back in the area and we will have some dinner together! :)

Check out this contest!!

2008-10-30T20:57:00.001-04:00

Here is a Halloween contest, so you'll have to move quickly to enter... and tell her I sent ya!!!

Halloween Contest

Happy Halloween!!!

Been a while!!!

2008-10-30T09:29:00.004-04:00

Well, life has been insane and I don't have the time to post it all here, but here is my latest finished object... MY CLAPOTIS!!!! It is made from Schaefer Yarn Anne, a gorgeous yarn that turned out beautiful. Here are some pics. I liked the pattern but the middle seemed to go on forever. But I love the pattern and the yarn and want to make another one.

I'm getting ready to start work in San Juan, Puerto Rico and the prep is getting stressful... I'll try to start posting more again... now that I'll have interesting stuff to post!

Contest(not on my blog)

2008-10-13T15:28:00.001-04:00

Check it out!! Free nutrition bars!! :) It's my friend Jyl's Blog:

Kardea Nutrition Bars

Today is my Blogiversary!

2008-08-02T19:51:00.002-04:00

I was so excited. I had planned to do a contest for my blogiversary... and then I was unemployed, and not by choice. I still may do one this month, maybe give away a set of my stitch markers. What should the contest be? Anyone have any ideas for me? I'll listen to any and all ideas... if I pick yours, you'll get a couple extra entries!!

I got a lovely surprise package from JavaNut. She is my cyber friend from Cali that I know through the She-Knits podcast. It's like one of the best out there... in my opinion!! She sent me a bunch of recycled Sari Silk(gonna make a bag I think), 1/2 skein of Malabrigo, and some lace yarn. She also sent some cotton, chocolate and tea!! I felt so loved that day. I really needed that pick me up. Maybe someday i can return the favor to her. She deserves it so much!

Here is what I made with the Malabrigo, at the suggestion of Java:

It is a gorgeous teal color and if I do move up to northern NY, then they will come in handy this fall. it was my first project using Malabrigo, Magic Loop and cables... I loved the yarn, the magic loop and the cables were a bit annoying(it gets so tight!)... and I will NOT be diving into socks anytime soon. Too much. But people sure do make great socks! :)

Well, put down your ideas for a contest and we'll see how it goes. Maybe I'll do one anyway... the markers are small enough that it's not too expensive to ship! :)

Long time gone....

2008-07-24T10:40:00.003-04:00

Well, lets see if we can sum up the last month. I got back from Australia and spent a lot of time enjoying the summer in Detroit area. Spent 4th of July in Kansas City for work.

That weekend one of my company planes crashed in Saltillo, mexico. The Captain died and the First Officer is still recovering. It was really hard to see my company plane crashed and basically burned to nothing... makes you really think about your job and what you do. His services were on the 18th of July. Our company sent down a DC-9 full of employee's, with all the pilots in full uniform. It is the 2nd person in a month that I've lost to a plane crash... been a little rough mentally.

Well, I was flying quite a bit, easy trips mostly to Kansas City. Gets a little boring, but at least we know what we are doing.

The came Monday.... One picture is all it takes:

Yep, let me join the ranks of the unemployed. Calling today and filing for unemployment was so dehumanizing. I don't wanna file unemployment. I wanna be sitting on call, bitching about my pager!!! But no, I sit here bitching about unemployment and the fact that I have no job in a nasty job market. I just want my job back. I was part of a "reduction of workforce". fuck that. They completely eliminated my airplane. "too expensive to operate" Bull. The damn board of directors is greedy and eliminating 40 people saved them that much each year so they have more in their pocket. If they just cut the upper management's pay by 5% it prolly would have had the same effect... except I'd still have a job. It probably means I'll be moving. not to many jobs in Detroit or any of Michigan for that matter. Hopefully try to get out west. Guess we'll see... send some happy thoughts my way... they should help.

2008 needs to be over. Its been a rough year. Ready to start over again...

Link to all of my Australia trip photo's here:

2008-06-20T21:05:00.001-04:00

Here is a link to all my photo's on Photobucket.com... hope you enjoy!! I'm going to sticky this to the top for a while... so scroll down for each new day's posts of my trip. Thanks!

Australia Trip Photo's

JR! JR! JR! JR!

2008-06-15T23:08:00.002-04:00

OH YEA BABY!!! I'll share my pics tomorrow.. I'm exhausted and just a bit pink from being in the sun.... GO JR GO>>> GO JR GO!!!!!

W5, D1 & W5, D2

2008-06-09T22:55:00.003-04:00

So I ran W5, D1 the day I left for Australia. Then I didn't run while I was there... I really did mean to, but I was having too much fun. We did lots of hiking and tons and tons of walking, so I was very active just not running and training.

So I was prepared to have to go back and redo week 4... so I went to the gym and prepared... I started running and when I got to the stopping point for Week 4, I was feeling really good, so I kept running. I did Week 5, Day 1 again after 2 weeks of no training. I was pumped!!!

So W5, D2 is an 8 minute run, 5 minute walk and another 8 minute run. I don't think I have run for 8 minutes straight in my whole life. Well, I did it. I ran my first 8 minutes and it was hard. But then I walked my 5 minutes and was ready for round 2... well, I have made it a habit of trying to run as long as possible on my last run of each day... it might be 30 seconds, it might be over a minute... depends on the day... I ran for 11 MINUTES!!!! 11!!!! Oh my gosh!! i was so pumped... So tomorrow is W5, D3... it's a 20 minute run... I'm nervous, but I am going to give it my best... whew... here we go!!! 20 minutes... here I come!!!

Australia: Last Day, June 1st

2008-06-05T04:15:00.001-04:00

Today was my last day in Sydney and Australia. I got up early and started the walk up to the Opera house. It was about a 40 minute walk. What a great way to start my day.
Beautiful! I got up to the Opera House and took my tour. It was so surreal to be there... I was in awe the whole time. There are 4 stages. I saw the one where Andrea Bochelli and Luciano Pavarotti performed. I saw the tiny one where awesocomedians perform. I saw the opera hall... ahme... they have copy rights on the inside of the theater's, so we could only take pics of the outer areas. Here is a slide show of that:

Here are some other photos from that day... my last on in the Land of Oz....

My last view of Syney Harbour

My ride home

Australia: May 31st

2008-06-04T23:41:00.001-04:00

So I left Lismore today and headed for a day in Sydney.
i got into the airport and then headed to find my hostel. I took the train up into the city and started walking. It is called Nomad's Maze, for good reason... the halls are so messed up... you gotta keep track of where you are, or you might get lost! Pat said he got lost when he stayed there. It is really crazy.

I got in mid morning and dropped my stuff off at the room. One roommate was sleeping and the other was gone. So I grabbed my stuff and headed off to walk the city. I stopped at the desk and asked for a map and the best way to get around. i was about 2 miles from Circular Quay and there was tons to see in between, so I walked. It was amazing.

There will be lots of pictures today and tomorrow... Might just put a link to flickr or photobucket... I went camera crazy.

First I went to the Sydney Tower. I do believe it is the tallest building in Sydney. I paid the money to go up, which was kind of spendy, but well worth it. The views were absolutely amazing. I was so in awe of being there... it was so surreal. I didn't really have a great view of the opera house, but had a great view of the harbour and the bridge... so awesome.

Then I worked my way up Pitt Street toward the Circular Quay, which is the major harbour. I had grabbed a bunch of flyers before I left the Hostel. I knew I wanted to do a harbour tour, the opera house, maybe climb the pylon and go up the tower. So I had the Tower done - Check! So there was a harbour tour in 35 minutes, so I hustled up to the harbour. I went to Captain Cook's Harbour tour and bought a ticket... then I got a picture with Captain cook himself... So I wandered over to where to boat launches and got onboard. I took a few pics as we left the harbour and sure enough, the battery died on my camera! ARGH!!!! Talk about shitty timing. I was so irritated. I had planned on doing the Opera House also that day, but didn't want to go without my camera. So i sat back and enjoyed the rest of the tour. I decided to walk to the Opera House and see when the first tour was in the morning. My flight wasn't until 145p, so I had a little time. I bought a ticket for the 9 am Sunday tour. So I started back toward the hostel. I just took my time and stopped and looked at stuff when I wanted to. I found an awesome sushi place that has sushi on a conveyor belt that winds around the restaurant. Each plate is a different color and there is a key to what each one costs in front of you. So when something goes by that you want, you just grab it and eat it. of course my camera was dead, so I didn't get a picture. But it was super cool. Then I wandered back to the room. It was still early in the day, relatively. I sat in my room for about an hour and read a book and drank a beer. I met my one roommate Amy, who is from Toronto and has been traveling since January.

Then I met the other roommate, Emma. She is a doctor of Chinese medicine and an acupuncturist. She was in Sydney for a conference on using acupuncture as a way to treat drug addicts. So I picked her brain. I find it so intriguing. So we spent the entire night hanging out, chatting and bs-ing. Then I got up my courage and asked her if she would do some acupuncture on me, so I could try it... I've always found it interesting, but never had the courage to do it. So she looked at my tongue and took my pulses... yes, plural. We have 27 different pulses, taken at different points on your arms depending on what part of your body is in need of help. She told me all about chi and how the body works and what kind of things chinese medicine and acupuncture can help. She said my spleen is struggling. The spleen is in the master behind blood production in the body and the distribution of the blood to the muscles. When it struggles, it makes it hard for the body to process food for the nutrients you get. That is due to stress and instability. Hello! You all know what I do for work!! That makes a lot of sense. She also told me that I look healthy overall, but she would say that I exercise a lot, eat pretty good and see no results on the scale!!!! She also said that I probably eat a lot of cold items: apples, carrots, cucumbers, and salads... yep, yep, yep and YEP!! She had no way of knowing that. NO WAY!! She started telling me so many things about my health... even my doctor at home isn't that good. Crazy. So she had me lay down and put in 6 needles. One in my left leg in the front(where the spleen line is), one near the big toe on the top of each foot(kinda tinglely, but not painful), one on each hand between the thumb and pointer finger... now that one was crazy. When she put it in and found it's proper place, it felt like electricity flowing through my pointer finger into my arm... never any pain, just odd feelings. Same feeling on the right side. Then she put one right between my eyebrows! That is the 'third eye' and is for calming and relaxation.

I laid there for about 15 minutes and breathed... she spoke the whole time very quietly. She said that since my spleen was deficient, I might get some sensations and to ask if any concerned me. Well after about 3-4 minutes, my legs started twitching. She said that happens, because when you start treating the spleen, it increases blood flow where needed and will cause some slight twitching... i thought it felt amazing. Then she took them out. She had explained all about chi and the ying and yang of the balance of the body. I had known about some of that, but she really helped me understand it. I was ying deficient... typical for women. I am going to look into finding one around here... I think it will be well worth it. It was an amazing experience... I slept like a baby!!

Australia: May 30th

2008-06-03T09:37:00.001-04:00

We all started rolling out of bed at about 10 am the next morning. We were all a bit tired but no worse for the wear really. Pat didn't get up til about 1 pm, so I hung out with Abby, Alex, Jackson, Arlo and Romiero. We made brekky(breakfast) and sat around. Pat had a bunch of errands and stuff to get done before he left for Cairns on Saturday and I also was leaving for Sydney on Saturday. I went down, checked my email, and generally just putzed around. We went and got some KFC for dinner and I bought some treats to bring back. I brought back 3 packs of Tim Tams(unbelievable cookies) and some Mi Goreng(like Raman noodles but better). We watched a few movies and some South Park.

I also started on the packing... I had lots of souveniers: 2 masks(one for pat and one for me), lots of postcards, shot glasses, a lighter for a friend, etc. So add that to all my other crap and I was packing tight. We didn't go to bed until like 1 or 2 am, of course. Pat and I are both night owls.

Australia: May 29th

2008-06-02T00:48:00.006-04:00

Today we left Surfer's Paradise. We went to Byron bay, which is very cool. Wish we would have had one more day to play around... except it was still raining. Stupid rain. We drove down to Byron and went up to the light house... gives a beautiful view of Byron Bay. Plus it is the head of the trail that takes you to the Easternmost point of Australia... I have been to the Eastern most point of the USA, down on St. Croix, so now I have 2 countries taken care of!!! Sweet!!! I will finally start adding some pictures now that I have access to the computer and can really start to add a ton...

Here is a slideshow of the Lighthouse and Eastern Point:

We wandered around Byron for just a few minutes, cuz we had to get the rental car back.So w e stopped and got the most amazing Kebab ever... it had Lamb and Tziki(greek yogurt, mint, cucumber and garlic) sauce. Oh so yummy... I should open a Kebab shop here... I think it would be a hit. They are pretty healthy, I think, but they are super yummy. We bought a few souveniers and headed back to Lismore. Jackson picked us up at the rental car place and went back to the college.

Well, Thursday night is the big party night on campus, just like every college in America too. So the Unibar(University sponsored bar, which my college didn't have), has a huge dance floor with bands and huge area to sit and talk under a big cover(which was good cuz it was raining still). Well, we started pregaming(drinking before going to the bar so it's not as expensive) at 7 pm... I don't start drinking that early, I haven't since college!!! But I did as it was my only night to really REALLY do it up with my brother. We started by playing Jenga... which I didn't know you could make into a drinking game, but leave it to college students!! You write different things on the Jenga blocks(give 2, take 2, boys drink, girls drink, skull or slam your drink, etc) Then we wandered around campus and popped in on a bunch of Pat's friends. Some(about 20) were playing flip cup(just another drinking game).

Then we went to the Unibar about 10p. I hung out with Abby and Alex mostly, but wandered around a lot and chatted with bunches of people. Abby is from UMass - Amherst and Alex is her friend out visiting. They are both super cool. There were 3 good bands, lots of people to talk to, beers to drink and lots of conversation. I really had a great time. The hill that goes up to the dorms is a bitch... ridiculous really. Unlike any hills I have climbed before except for hills in AZ that I climbed... A picture doesn't do any justice to the evil this hill is.

So at the end of the night, 2 of Pats other friends had gotten a cab and wanted to split... so we split from the Unibar and took the cab home... about 10 bucks between the 4 of us. Not bad at all. We made some snacks, watched some South Park and went to sleep. Oh, what a great day!! So much fun.

Australia: Wednesday, May 28th

2008-05-31T09:32:00.007-04:00

So, the next morning as we were waking up, the nasty biatch of a roommate woke up. She slammed her cupboard door, she slammed the bathroom door, she slammed the cupboards again and then slammed the door on the way out... which I thought was funny cuz both Pat and myself were already awake!! So if she was trying to piss us off, cuz we had some light in the room while we got our stuff out last night, it didn't work... and it prolly just made her more angry. LOL!! So pathetic, she was.

So we woke up and did not want to deal with her again, since she was soooo rude. So we went to the reception desk and spoke to Jodi about what happened. She said that she shouldn't have acted like that and if she didn't want roommates she should have a private room. And she said we shouldn't have to put with that. So she switched our room and we went to take our stuff upstairs. We met Joss and Michelle, our new roommates. *damn* just realized I forgot to take a picture of the 4 of us and a pic of our room... stupid! Shoot. They are both from the UK. Very fun, we hung out, chatted and ended up having dinner together later that night. Joss actually reminded me of an ex boyfriend... wow! I just kept staring because it was such a close resemblance!!

We were only going to spend Wednesday and Thursday and of course it rained... argh. I was going to take a surfing lesson with Pat, but due to it being sooo cold, we decided not too, plus the surf wasn't very good either. So went to the beach, picking up a Kebab on the way... They are burrito/gyro type foods... very good. I've had 3 since I've been here.

So yummy. So we chilled on the beach, got some souvenirs, and wandered back toward the hostel. We spent about an hour playing in the arcade... it was so fun. They had a open wheel racing game where the chairs actually shook and turned and sung around while you raced.... it was awesome!! Pat did some skate boarding game Pat and I also played a crazy version of pool... I will have to get the pictures ready cuz there is so much to share... Pictures coming soon!!! Ok, they are here!

We went back upstairs and spent some more time chatting with the roommates. They are so cool and have been traveling for months... I will rant about that in another post. I promise that too. We showered and went to get a couple of drinks... Joss and Michelle said they were gonna lay low for the night, so we said good night and went on... well, 10 minutes later, here comes Joss and Michelle, for a drink and some dinner. They are so great. We have all exchanged info and maybe someday I will make it to the UK to visit.

It rained most of the end of the day... from about 4 pm on... About 1230am, Joss said he was hungry, so Pat, Joss and I wandered out to get some food. Well, the choices were limited: Macca's (McDonald's), or a kebab... but it wasn't a good one.. prolly my least favorite one I've had. But it was food. We went and watched a bit of cricket on tv and then decided to go to sleep. It had been a long, fun, relaxing day in a beach town!

Australia: Tuesday, May 27th

2008-05-29T20:07:00.002-04:00

So pictures will have to wait, cuz I am freezing and don't have the patience right now. We left for Surfer's Paradise today. It's about an hour and a half from where Pat goes to Uni(college). The scenery was beautiful. I was driving which was an experience. Everyone drives on the left, which didn't bother me because I lived in the Caribbean and they drove on the left there... but what threw me off is driving from the right seat!!! It was awesome!! I will post a picture a bit later. We got to overlook Byron Bay and kept on truckin'. We got up there in the evening, checked into the Hostel(my first time in one of those), and caught a bus down to the casino. We got in a bit late, so the beach was out of the picture for the night.

The casino reminded me a bit of Vegas, so that was awesome. Spent a few hours playing pokies(slot machines) and some Jupiter 21... sort of like black jack, but with some special rules!! It was really fun. I ended up breaking even and Pat lost a bit, but nothing too bad. he had won a bunch earlier in the week, so he was doing ok.

We left there and went to catch the bus. The bus wasn't going to be by for 30 minutes, so we decided to walk. It was about 5k(3 miles) and took about 45 minutes. We stopped at a Petty station(gas station) and got some water and a meat pie... A meat pie is kind of like a pot pie, but with a nice crispy crust and pretty much just meat and maybe some cheese inside... one of the things Pat said I had to eat before I left... it was yummy.

Once we got back to the hostel, our roommate was already asleep, so we turned the tv on(NO sound) so we could see what we were doing. We found our pj's and set up our beds and started watching the cricket match that was on the tv(still no sound and we weren't talking). About 10 minutes later, she got out of bed, stomped over to the tv, slammed the power button, huffed and puffed, spun on her heel and climbed back into bed!!! tossed around a bit, still huffing and puffing... never said a word, just acted like a complete biatch!! I was so shocked. Pat said that isn't normal and don't let that influence my opinion of Hostels... well, we were tired, so we just went to bed... More info tomorrow!! And hopefully pictures!

Trip To Australia – May 25th and 26th

2008-05-26T19:04:00.003-04:00

So we woke up at 10 am Sunday to go watch the Twins, Red Sox and Celtics play their Saturday night game(15 hour time change). So weird to get up the next morning to watch the night before’s game. Ha ha… but it was fun. About 10 of us were down at the Rec Center watching. The internet only works down there, so I am writing my blog as the days go, so they are ready to go on the blog when I get to check my email. Pat and I went up to the Worker’s Club to hang for a few hours. We drank a couple beers, played some Pokies(slot machines) and played some Keno. I came out about even and I think Pat came out ahead a bit. So that was fun.

Jackson came and picked us up and a bunch of people were going out to eat at the Chinese Buffet in town. It was strange because it was one little buffet of like 8 tubs… and then dessert… nothing like in the states where there are tons of choices, but it was surprisingly good! Not very greasy at all. They didn’t really have the greasy stuff, they had the broccoli beef and chicken and veggies and stuff. Then we came back watched some movies and I feel asleep! Lol! I went to bed and I guess the rest watched another movie and then went to bed.

26th - So today we woke up and watched some Nascar… I know, crazy!! But I got to see just the last few laps, which are the good ones anyway. Then we showered, Pat went to class and I went to Open Mic day at the UniBar. Unibar is the University sponsored bar… wish I woulda had one of those in college!! So I hung out with Pat’s mates and drank a few beers until about 530… Then we came back here and made some dinner. Steak, chips(fries), and mashed potatoes… Yum! Tomorrow we are renting a car and going up to Byron Bay(eastern most point of Australia) and Surfer’s Paradise… I’m so excited… Here are some pics from the Open Mic:

Trip to Australia, Day 1, Part 2 - I’m in Sydney, now what?

2008-05-26T18:52:00.002-04:00

So it’s 7 am by the time I get through customs… now what? My flight doesn’t leave until noon… hmmm… so I pay $5 to take the airport shuttle to the domestic terminal. I wandered around there a bit and looked at all the shops. I found my gate, which was very close to the centre of the terminal. There was a sushi place in the food court that didn’t open until 9 am, so I had to burn some time. So I found an internet café and bought an hour and 20 min worth of internet time… checked email, sent email, cruised around a bit. It did burn some time, so that was really good. Then I went and wandered through the shops again and got some sushi. It was surprising. I got 4 rolls for $11. Not bad, but the tuna rolls were horrible!! I mean, they didn’t kill me, but it was tuna, from a can and missed with stuff!! They had Salmon!! Why not Tuna!?!? Odd… the salmon rolls are awesome and so were the Californian rolls. Oh well, now I know for next time! So I ate those, I was starving!

I sat around and played games on my phone for a bit… finally my flight was ready. So I wandered down to the gate and boarded a bus to take out to the plane. It was a Saab 340. I have been on those a million times. It was about 80 min up to Ballina, which is about a 40 min drive to Lismore. It was a very pretty flight right along the coast the whole way. I took tons of pics, which will be in the slideshow at the end of this blog. I landed and went to find Pat. He was stuck behind a moving truck going super slow and wasn’t sure where to find the airport… about 15 minutes later, he showed up! I hugged the crap outta him. It was so good to see him and his hair is getting so long! LOL! But we got in the car, We drove up to the beach in town and wandered around for a bit. The beach was so nice and smooth… no shells, just super smooth rocks and fine sand. Then we headed back to Lismore and his college. We went to the square and bought some groceries… we bought Tim Tams!! Someone in one of the groups was talking about them that they got in an exchange and if you read this, let me know… I will bring some back for you. They are so good. Tim Tams are cookies that are only sold in Australia and man are they delicious!! We also bought Crumpets… also super yummy.

Then we went back to the college and brought all the stuff upstairs. All the flatmates were at a pub crawl, so we just hung out for a few hours. They all got back and I met all the neighbors, friends, roommates, etc. They were all getting some food and heading out for a Saturday night. I was exhausted, so I bailed… I know, I know, pretty sad. But about an hour later, I started feeling really bad. So it was a good thing I stayed in. I needed to catch up on sleep anyway. I got up for a few hours when they got back from the pub and hung out.

First Day Slideshow

Trip to Australia: Day 1 - Can I get there??

2008-05-25T21:36:00.001-04:00

So the day started off hectic. I managed to get in my Week 5, Day 1!! But I got the airport a little later then I planned and ran to my gate. I barely made the flight to Phoenix that would connect me to Los Angeles. It was a long 4 hour flight. I got to Phoenix and there were people everywhere. Of all places I thought would have delays for weather, Phoenix was on the bottom of my list. But there were tons of delays. I missed flights to LA. I was stressing… ok, I always stress when I have to make connections, but I have never done the international jump seat thing, so I was even more stressed then usual. Finally I got on the last flight that would, barely, get me there in time to catch my flight to Sydney. I got to LA at 835pm… flight leaves at 1026 pm from a different terminal. There was another plane at our gate, so we waited…. And waited…. And waited… didn’t get to the gate until 905pm. I ran to catch the shuttle to Terminal 7 and United. I got there about 915pm. This whole time, Pat is calling from Australia wanting to know if I made the flight… poor guy had to keep calling me back until I knew…

So I run up to pay my fee’s and taxes and such, as I have been told to do on International flights. The woman said I had to go to customer service at the other end… so I run… I get there and realize the other woman still had my credit card!!! Ran back… got my card… ran back again. Whew! Guess I didn’t need to do my running earlier in the day! Haha… Anyway, the second woman just told me I needed to go to the gate and they would handle me there. So I take off for gate 77. I run up the escalator to the security checkpoint. I am in uniform, so I get to skip to the front which is awesome! So I blaze through there and head for my gate. I check in with the nice woman and she checks my visa, which my friend, SC, was nice enough to tell me about. And she tells me it will be a few minutes before she knows. Ok… now I wait. Hurry, wait, hurry, wait! Story of my life, ha ha… Finally Pat calls again(there were a few more calls from him in there too) and as we are talking she pages my name… and gives me a seat!!!!!!!!! Awesome!!! Whew! I told Pat I was on my way! He found me a super cheap flight up to see him, so I didn’t have to take the train,(which I ended up missing anyway because of customs) and he booked that for me… alright, now the trip is on.

So I get on the airplane, and chat with all the flight attendants. I haven’t been on a 747 since I was 16 and going to Spain. So I tell them my seat and they said it was a Business class seat. What!?!?!? REALLY!?!?! Wow!! But I went to check in with the captains(there are 2 full crews for a 14 hour, 44 min flight.) They were all very nice, made sure I had a good seat and told me I could change into street clothes for the flight. Now that is AWESOME!! Sweet! So I said goodbye and went back downstairs. I grabbed some clothes and changed in the bathroom… no small feat on an airplane! I felt like a magician! I settled into my seat, met my seat mate, Jose. He was moving to Sydney for work and was super excited like me! I got some water, and a snack and away we went!!

They give you a menu of your choices for food, pillow, blanket, a headset and a bag of goodies(eye cover, lotion, mints, toothbrush and paste, earplugs, and socks to stay warm). We chatted and had dinner and then it was time for some sleep. The seats laid waaaay back and I got comfy. I slept for about 5 hours… I would wake up and my glass of water would be full, so I’d drink it. Mom told me one of the reasons people get so jet lagged is because they are dehydrated, so I drank up. I would go back to sleep, and when I woke up, there would be more water. So I drank it again… this went on for the whole flight… they were awesome!! I woke up, had a snack from the snack cart and then slept again. I spent most of the flight sleeping. I knew it would be early in the morning when I got there, so I figured I better sleep while I can! I arrived in Sydney at 610 am and had to clear customs and immigration. Then it was time to change terminals and find my flight to Ballina/Byron Bay… more in the next post…

My greeting after customs!! HOORAY!!!

Work i'm exhausted... W4 D5

2008-05-14T00:33:00.003-04:00

Wow, work has so really beat me down the last few days. Working a lot of nights and getting yanked around as far as schedule goes. last night we got paged out at Midnight to go to Tulsa. Got to Tulsa and the freight was late... SHOCKING!! So we went and grabbed food at McDonald's, ick, but it was food. Taxied the plane over to get fuel... taxied back and then was told the trip was canceled... that was at 530am... then they made us sit at the airport for a few hours waiting for a trip. luckily Tulsair had a sleep room, which was pretty dark, so I was able to catch a few hours of sleep. Finally they said we could go to the hotel. A bunch of places were sold out, so this is where we are staying... NICE. Double Tree

I wish we got to stay in places like this more often. Bed is awesome, slept really well. Gym is super cool. Each machine has it's own tv on it! I thought that was awesome! I think I am ready to move onto week 5 of my running program... today was much better... still hard, but much better. Anyway, I'm going to sign off... time to get some much needed sleep. Hugs to all...

Week 4, Day 3

2008-05-08T22:49:00.003-04:00

Yea, so I did day 3 and day 2 this week. Both were extremely hard. Both were frustrating. Day 1 was better then both put together. So I will repeat Week 4. Maybe not all 3 days, but at least a couple to catch up my breathing. My legs have finally caught up and I'm not have all kinds of pain in my leg like I did at the beginning... now I need my lungs and heart to keep up. My heart rate has come down quite a bit. It used to race at like 180 bpm when i was done doing my running segments... now it is down to 165 or so, so that is a great improvement, but it needs to come down more... the heart needs some more time to catch up I guess. that is ok. I have been pushing it really hard lately. 6 days a week at the gym. ARGH!

The frustration was that the scale hasn't moved. My clothes have fit better, but the scale is stuck. I bought clothes a size smaller... just waiting to fit. They are close... but the next size up is hanging off my butt. My booty has shrunk... it was getting a bit "bootylicious" which I did not like at all!!! I know I'm building muscle while losing fat, hence the steadfast weight. Well, today i got on the scale... it is down about a pound from 2 weeks ago... at least it is moving in the right direction. I'll take it. I'll keep watching food and I'll keep exercising... i sleep better, am gaining flexibility, and my back feels much better. So i'll keep at it... and keep blogging about it here. Tomorrow will be a rest day or a light walk day or maybe hitting some golf balls day. not too much stress on the legs... they need rest.

Week 4, Day 1

2008-05-06T20:00:00.000-04:00

So Sunday was Week 4, Day 1 of my Couch to 5k Adventure. It went much better then I expected. Here is the running schedule:

Run 3 min,
walk 90 seconds,
run 5 min,
walk 2:30 min,
run 5 min.

And I only had to walk twice for 2 seconds each time... So I thought that was pretty cool. Tuesday will be Day 2... I'll blog about that soon...

Oh, and I think my sister will be joining me on this adventure, as well as a few women on Ravelry!! GO team exercise!!!

Great Weekend in photos

2008-05-06T12:33:00.002-04:00

So I got to meet Dana, from Loves Many cloths this past weekend. She was in Canton, MI for the World Bowling Championships. It's only like 10 min from my house! SO I went and watched them on Friday and Saturday. Saturday we went to Joann's, Michaels(they have never been to a michael's!!), JC Penny's and then hung out at the hotel. Dana pulled a muscle in her leg on Saturday. So we didn't do too much walking. Dana, I hope you leg is feeling better.

Here is Dana and the Team. Dana is the 3rd from the right. I think the names are as follows, left to right: christina, Dawn, Dana, Roxy, and Julie

Here is a picture of Dana and I!! GO TEAM!!!!

Here is a picture of Dana in action in the team event... GOOooo DANA!!!

Dana in action during the individual bowling event... Pretty in Pink

So it was a great weekend and it was great to meet all those wonderful women.

W3, D3

2008-05-01T19:44:00.002-04:00

Ok, so it was Day 3 of me learning to run a 5k!!! It was a rough day. It started out great... my first set was awesome... and then I had a hard time with my right leg during the last 3 min run. It was better then other days, but still very hard. I am moving on to Week 4 and hope it goes well... So I have 2 blog friends having contests...

1. A. Kathy is having her month long contest. All you have to do it read and comment on her blog, easy and very amusing!! Mention that I, Katie, sent ya!!

2. Cass is having a contest also... just answer her 5 questions, or one, it's really up to you and you are entered!!! Plus she is pretty damn funny!!!

Enjoy the contests... They are always fun!!!

W3, D2!!!

2008-04-29T23:33:00.003-04:00

So today I did Week 3, Day 2 of my couch to 5k adventure. On D1, I had to stop and walk for 10 seconds in the 2nd set of 3 min runs. Well, today I ran all the intervals... no walking, except when allowed for me!! I hope i can keep it up for next week and the 5 weeks after that.

Day 2 of recurrent training is done today and only 3 left... the next 3 are gonna be really boring... ick... only once a year, only once a year... I just keep telling myself that.

Below is a picture of Christiansted Harbour on the US Virgin Island of St. Croix. I am feeling sentimental... i was lucky enough to live here a few years ago... I miss it... Isn't it gorgeous!?!?

Yarn Thing! and Work=Boring

2008-04-28T22:39:00.002-04:00

Today, work was boring... classroom work always is for me. I would rather be flying then sitting in a square room, listening to people yap all day.... Thank god i don't work in an office... ARGH! But anyway, I have the rest of this week to put up with that! Oh well, at least its just once a year or so.

The Yarn Thing is awesome!!! She has a hilarious podcast, which I highly recommend, and she is having a contest... go check her out! If you make it through more then 3 minutes without laughing out loud, then something is wrong with you!! She is a riot!!! Enjoy!! She is giving away all kinds of goodies!!!

Have a great Tuesday tomorrow.

Pics and Week 3, Day 1 Couch 2 5k

2008-04-27T19:56:00.001-04:00

So I did Week 3, Day 1 today of my Couch to 5k training... it went pretty well!! YEA!! It was run for 90 seconds, walk for 90 seconds, run for 3 minutes, walk for 3 minutes and then do that whole thing again. I only had to stop once in the 2nd run and it was only for 10 seconds. So I was pretty jazzed!!! I'm off today and have ground school all of this week. So I should be in town, which is good and bad. I don't mind the travel too much, even though i complain alot... thanks for listening to that btw!! Below are some pics from my trip last week to Nogales, AZ. It was so pretty!!! :) I miss AZ... boo hoo! Hope you enjoy the pics... and have a great week!

Sad stuff...

2008-04-24T19:38:00.000-04:00

So last week I went home to be with my mom while she put down our family dog.

This is Magic. She was a great dog. Mom said she can never have another dog, because you can't beat the best. She was there for us during all of our family trials... which there were many, severe and major and heartbreaking. She always knew when we needed to cuddle and pet her... she loved cheering us up!!

Whenever mom said she was going for a walk, Magic would jump up and down and bark and spin in circles... it was so funny!!!

Magic was very sick... she was 15 years old!!! She was always in pain and didn't eat of walk around much anymore... it was hard to let her go, but to see no pain in her eyes anymore was a relief. She is now waiting at the Rainbow Bridge for us to join her!! We love and miss you MAGIC!!! MUAH!!!

Crazy week!! Couch to 5k week 2!!

2008-04-20T12:40:00.004-04:00

So for 3 days last week, all I did was sleep, eat and fly... not kidding... everytime we got were legal to fly there was a trip for us again... so we work, get to our destination, get dinner/breakfast/lunch, go sleep and do it all over again... I'm not complaining, but man does your whole schedule and everything get messed up.

We flew our last trip, on our way back to YIP(my home airport), leaving at 1 am and getting in at 1 pm... long day... then I slept for 17 hours, with a few wake-ups here and there. Man did I need that bad!!! I'm better now...

So yesterday, I did Week 2, Day 1 of my Couch to 5k adventure... definitely harder then week one, but that's the whole point right!? I am feeling better, my legs feel stronger, my breathing is getting better when I run and my back feels better...

My insurance only covers 24 visits to the chiropractor each year, so every 2 weeks, I was aching to go to the chiro.. well, now that I've been exercising very consistently for 3 weeks my back is much better and I'm on week 3 and I don't feel like I need to go yet. So i guess that is good progress... now if the scale will move and the clothes would fit better, I would be a little happier... I'm trying to recover from my biggest weight yo yo of my life, as most of you know... and I want to make it a permanent change(I know that sounds so cliche) but i really do. I hope you all a happy Sunday...

Check out this contest!

2008-04-20T12:38:00.002-04:00

Only until 6 pm tonight... check it out!! Welcome summertime the right way!!!

Ice cream contest

Leave a comment and win ice cream!!!

YUM!!!

(I just bought some from Schwan's yesterday... this way i could make my own! *grin*)

C25k Week 1 Complete!!!!

2008-04-17T01:21:00.003-04:00

So today I finished Day 3 of Week 1 of the Couch to 5k. It was a lot easier then the first 2. Start on Friday with Week 2. More and more running as the weeks go on. I ate ok today and feel good... now if the scale will just start reflecting my efforts.

Went to ate at the Texas Roadhouse tonight. Small steak, salad and steamed veggies... was really good. Here is a picture I took at the restaurant. Totally cracked me up!! bwahhhahahahahaha

Oh yea, I'm not in Texas anymore... Now I'm in Kansas... Wichita to be exact. El Paso, to Nogales, AZ to Wichita, KS. It's been super windy here, but mild temperature wise. Just found out I have a trip in the morning... Back to Texas. Dallas and El Paso. I have some awesome pics from Southern Arizona and stuff, but they'll have to wait until tomorrow... it will be an early morning. G'nite!!

Couch to 5k

2008-04-14T20:15:00.002-04:00

So, I have decided to get into shape... learn to like exercise... yea, easier said then done. I ran a 5k about 5 years ago and liked the challenge. There is a program called Couch to 5k. starts out with intervals... building up your endurance to run a 5k over 8 or 9 weeks. Well, I'm going to blog my journey.

Today was Week 1, Day 2. You walk for 5 min to warm up. Run for 60 seconds, walk for 90, over and over again... then walk 5 to cool down. It wasn't too bad. It was gorgeous down here in El Paso, so i ran outside... I love the desert!! LOVE THE DESERT!!!! So each day I'm going to blog about my journey. You do the same workout 3 times in a week. They slowly get harder, with longer running intervals and less walking intervals... I hope I can do it!! i hope it can also help me lose the weight I gained again... so depressing... but I'm being proactive about it and hope to see results... I know it's working, cuz my legs hurt!! Oh with the journey!!

Have I mentioned I love the desert?? I DO DO DO DO love the desert!

A day in El Paso...

2008-04-14T20:07:00.004-04:00

So I got sent out on a trip last night to Louisville, KY and then non stop to El Paso, TX. We picked up a windshield for an Airbus for UPS in Louisville, to fix the one in El Paso. I got some great pics of the planes on the ramp!!

Big loves... we love big planes... I still feel like a kid in a candy store... we looked like small beans on this ramp!!

Here is our little plane next to 2 HUGE fuel trucks!!! Oh lord!! How embarassing!! Oh well!! I love thinking about working at UPS someday... Oh to dream...

We got in about 4 am Eastern time. I woke up and was putzing around on the internet when I hear this huge squeal and horns and tires screaming... and then the CRASH!!!!

Right out in front of my room on the road!! Turns out someone rearended another car, really bad. The car that hit the other car had 2 kids in it... No one went anywhere in an ambulance, so I think they were ok... all were buckled!! Here is a pic of the mess!!

Oh yea, it's 80 degree's here today... oh yea... I'll stay here for awhile... it's ok!! I'm happy with sun and heat!!! Will post again later on a different topic!!

Just had to share...

2008-04-13T16:07:00.008-04:00

"

I saw this cartoon and just had to share!!!

Happy Sunday!!

T-storms and Kansas City

2008-04-10T19:12:00.009-04:00

So I went on a trip the other day and ended in Kansas City, Missouri. We went from Detroit area to Tupolo, Mississippi then on to Kansas City. I managed to smash my hand into the Falcon and break my pinky finger... Didn't feel good.

Note to self: Don't smash hand into inanimate objects... The fingers don't appreciate it!!

Once we got to Kansas City, we stayed at the Chase Suite Hotel. Check out these pictures... this place was awesome and affordable(even though I wasn't paying).

So here is the living area. Fireplace with log, leather chair, flat screen on the wall and couch.

This is the "office" area. Desk, table with 3 chairs, there is a 1/2 bath around the corner, but look what comes out of the wall!!

A queen sized bed!! How cool is that!! I could throw a huge party with lots of fruity concoctions and lots of people could have a place to sleep... alas, I don't know anyone in KC.

Here is the full kitchen... with all accessories!!

Then!!! The upstairs is the full bathroom and a loft with a King size bed and tv. It was awesome!! If it was an apartment, I would rent it!! lol... too fun!!

Although the problem was of course, I get a trip back to D-town the next morning.. boo hiss on the trip.

But I did score this awesome video on the way from Laredo, TX to D-town... found out later, this was also major tornadic activity in the North Texas/Arkansas area. Hope everyone down there is ok. Awesome to look at, not good for those on the ground... mind you this level of activity went on for well over and hour and a half until we couldn't see it anymore.

Whew, last one #1

2008-04-05T15:47:00.003-04:00

So here is an additional video of Kelanie from my visit...

So Anne and Greg probably don't appreciate the fact that I was teaching Kelanie about body slamming... but it was so much fun. While I was there, we had another huge snow storm! What is up with the late season snow!?!?! We are done!! No one wants more snow!!! Go away!!!

I went over to my dad's house that night and spent time with Dad, Brother(not the one overseas, obviously) and Grandma and Grandpa. We watched the Twin's Season opener, in which they won!!! YEA!!! I am hoping to go to the Twin's/Tiger's game that is in Detroit on the 14th... here's to hoping I don't have to work!!

Tuesday, I went and met my oldest friend... by oldest I mean, the friend I've had the longest, not aged the oldest! We have been friends since we have been 13! Lots of years and lots of stuff that we have gone through together. We had lunch and spent a good part of the afternoon talking and catching up. Then I went shopping!! I bought some Twins paraphernalia so i can represent well at the game, 2 t-shirts and an SCSU visor. Went to Old Navy and got 5 shirts for about 35 bucks... gotta love clearances!! Then I went down to Becker to meet aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and spend the evening with them. It was really nice to see them all. Then I went back and spent the rest of the night with my mom... we didn't do much but we don't have to to enjoy each others company.

I spent the next morning packing a box to send... to MYSELF!! I now have in my possession, an XBOX 360, borrowed from my wonderful brother overseas. I have halo, halo 2, guitar hero and ROCK BAND!! Oh yea, I've been rockin out this week!! It's awesome!! I didn't bring the drums cuz they were really big. So I packed my box, along with some clothes and a lamp for my living room and went to Pierz to send it off. I met my grandparents that fly for lunch. Yea, we won't be going to Pierz for lunch anymore... i don't like that place. I was very anxious and uneasy the whole time. I don't like the town or any of the people in it really. But it was nice to see my g-parents and have lunch and chit chat. Then I sent my box(which got here in like 2 days) and went back to my mom's. I finished packing and my mom came home from work to take me to the airport. I flew out of St. Cloud, cuz it is soooo much easier. So I had to take out of my luggage: the guitar(for the video game that was poking out of my luggage), the xbox and my computer... they must have thought I was crazy! :) Oh well... I have it here!! I got home without incident and am now battling a nasty virus coming on. Rob had Laryngitis when I left and I am having all the same symptoms... so I am drinking lots of fluids, taking echinecea and hoping to kill the most of it... And I'm number one on the work board... sick and ready to work... that is my life... oh well!! I get to travel and have a great family and friend circle... I'll try not to complain too much! Have a great weekend!!

Trip to MN #2

2008-04-05T14:04:00.008-04:00

So to continue the crazy weeklong journey I had..

Special note: Kathy and Gary were very concerned they had scared me off... well, let me tell you! You have not met my family!! Now they can scare people! Lots of them, they are very loud, loving and like to joke around... wanna talk about overwhelming people!!! They can do it. I did not blog after I was there because I was so busy in MN. I was only home for a couple of days and there is so much family to see, I was running around constantly. And I still managed to not see some family. Kathy and Gary: Please be assured that you have NOT scared me off... you better come up with something good to scare me away!! ha ha. They were wonderful hosts and i did have a great time. I wish Kathy wouldn't have starved me so much(hee hee, just kidding Kathy) She kept worrying that she was starving me... She made me PB and J!!! YUM!!! lol!! I also like to tease! *grin* The only thing that could have made it better is if my team would have won! Maybe next year!! Here are a few pics of Adam I didn't post on the other one...

Isn't he too cute!?!?!?!

So off to MN I go. Small jet, long flight... I slept! My cousin, H, picked me up and we went back to her house. My sister got off work a little while later and came down to meet us. My sister, S, just got a new job in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolis, on the north side, as an Assistant Store Manager with Walgreen's!! She is loving her job and kicking ass doing it!! I'm so proud(without sounding cheesy!). After my sister arrived, we went out to a little bar in the area... here is our self portrait!

S, H, and myself!

The next morning, S and I met my mom at S's apartment and went up north to where the rest of the family lives. I spent part of the afternoon with mom and then she had to go to school to get ready for the week. I went and visited my A. Kathi and U. Randy. I made my Aunt this and of course, forgot to take a picture!! i have a request in right now to have her send me a picture... I was so mad!!! But it was good to see them. I watched a little bit of another college hockey game and then went back to my mom's. On Monday, I went up and visited my Aunt Anne and my newest cousin, Lydia and big sister, Kelanie. Here are some pics and video's! Sorry, I can't figure out how to edit video, so there is stuff I wish I could cut out(the boring stuff)

Lydia(wearing Wendy's gift), with Mom Myself, Lydia and Kelanie

Here are a couple of video's of Kelanie... she wore me out... all she wanted to do was, "Let's run, Katie, let's run!" Wow... I don't know how Anne keeps up with her all day! I was beat!

I will put some more video's on the next blog... don't want to have too much in one... She is so cute!! Until the next post!

Trip to Albany, NY #3

2008-04-04T16:29:00.007-04:00

I have had a crazy week!! I am going to do numerous blogs to catch up on everything!! This was a great visit. I had 2 reasons to go out to Albany. 1) My alma mater was playing some NCAA championship hockey there, GO St. Cloud State University!! 2) Our favorite Aunt Kathy lives there!!! So I flew out to Albany that morning from Detroit, which had gotten (hopefully it's last) a snowstorm the night before. I was almost an hour delayed out of Detroit due to deice and the line for deice. Due to the that, I missed the first flight to Albany by about 5 minutes! Oh shoot! I called Aunt Kathy and let her know the plan. Oh, the joys of flying Standby! I got on the flight to Albany about 2 hours later and arrived, safe and sound in Albany. I called Kathy to let her know I was there and she was on her way.

A few minutes later, I saw them drive by and waved them down. I met Kathy, her son and the infamous, ADAM!!! How smart and cute is he! We went to her house and hung out for awhile. Her husband works at the arena where I was going to watch the game, so I just rode with him to the arena. I feel like Cass would be proud me!! I stopped and bought 6 mini's or my favorite alcoholic drink to sneak into the game. Since it is a NCAA sanctioned event, alcohol can not be sold. Boo hiss to them. I bought myself a large diet Pepsi, mixed in the first 3 and enjoyed the first game.

Here is the national anthem... the whole crew ready to go.

Here they are on a TV time out... playing their hearts out...Here is our intermission entertainment... 2 people sumo wrestling on ice... Doesn't get much better then that!!

And here is the conclusion:
Yea, we lost... we have a horrible record in the national tourny... but here's to next year and getting the monkey off our back!!

Then I bought another Diet Pepsi and put in my other 3 treats... yea, I was feeling good. But I had a DD to take me back to Kathy's and it was really fun!! I think Cass would be proud of my sneaky ways of being able to get booze into a hockey game. Oh yea!!

Adam woke me up at the crack of dawn with a crowing rooster book... yea, wasn't ready for that!! Kathy and family were nice enough to let me stay with them... YEA for them!!!

On Saturday, Kathy, Adam, Kathy's sister(D), and D's daughter and I all went out! We went to AC Moore(shocking!) and then out to lunch. After that we went to D's house for a bit and played with those little beads that you make shapes with and then iron together... there was a small catastophe... see A. Kathy's blog. (Towards the end) I have mine around here.. I made a turtle... I just didn't take a picture of it! Thanks, H, for letting me play beads with you!! Then they took me to the airport and I made my way to MN to see family...

MY FIRST ETSY SALE!!

2008-03-27T17:01:00.006-04:00

So I had my first etsy sale last night!!! Wendy has had a few of her things sell, but this is my first... This is what I sent out to Colorado!

I was so excited... I was jumping around!! I ran around and got it packaged up last night and put it in the mail box last night. They are safely on their way to Colorado, to their new owner!! I hope she loves them. She said she might be interested in ordering more, so I am on a stitch marker making mad rush!! YEA!!!

I am also hoping to get out to Albany, New York tomorrow to see my St. Cloud State Huskies play in the National Hockey Tournament. GO HUSKIES!!! I will be meeting our beloved Aunt Kathy.

I really hope it works out and the flights are good so I can get there... I am so excited!! YEA!!

Kansas City Here I come...

2008-03-25T00:43:00.010-04:00

Ok, so I already went there... last week in fact. But here are the pics. Nothing dramatic happened which is always a good thing in Aviation. We went to Kansas City from Detroit. Dropped off 5100 pounds of metal sheeting, stamped out for Ford. Then we had to deliver 2 parts(all of 25 pounds) to Teterboro, New Jersey for Sprint so they could fix their cell phone tower. Here are some of my fave pics...

Here is the ramp at Teterboro... there is, I don't even know how many, millions of dollars worth of airplane in this photo... and that is about 1/5 of the planes on the ramp. Don't tell me there isn't money in NYC and surrounding areas.

Here is a multi Million dollar airplane... Gulfstream 5, or as we lovingly call it... a G-5. My first officer replied, "I would give my left nut to fly that airplane for the rest of my life." That is the love we have for these planes... they are phenomenal.

Here is a Citation 10. Another plane that I especially would love to fly. Ahhh.... smell the money of the people flying that thing!!!

And here is one of the helicoptor's in Trump's Fleet. Not his though. His is huge and all pimped out... this is just a baby!!

Last but not least, a view from my office on the way home... AAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh

Here's a flickr link to see the rest of the pictures:(I hope the link works)

http://s78.photobucket.com/albums/j83/flygirl_1313/March252008/

The family just gets bigger....

2008-03-16T14:46:00.010-04:00

So I am the oldest of the the grandchildren on both sides of my HUGE family!! My dad's youngest brother(Greg) and his wife(Anne) just added the youngest yesterday(Lydia, I am pretty sure)!!! Mom and baby are doing well. I just mailed the blanket I made for her today... so it will go out priority mail tomorrow and get them quickly I hope. It's a 29 year spread between the oldest and youngest! So crazy!! Here are the goodies that were in the box.(oh, and a little shirt with an airplane on it... I know, I know!)

Little green hat and matching booties for Lydia.

Little hat for Big Sister Kelanie!!

And here is the blanket for Lydia. Nice soft yellow in a pinwheel pattern... I love it!!
Oh and here is a picture of the Proud big sister from February.

Here is the newest addition:

Lydia Claire
March 15, 2008
4:07 pm
7 lbs, 1 oz
19" long

Here are both of them together!!!
Kelanie and Lydia

New stuff and brother update

2008-03-14T22:40:00.005-04:00

Quick update on the brother. He called this morning to wish me a belated birthday. He felt bad... I wasn't worried. He's had a bit of a crazy week to say the least. I wasn't worried about a late phone call. I was excited that he called!! He is feeling great!! YEA!! Big sis is very happy!! He is still having fun and taking recovery very seriously. He is eating a lot of spaghetti in a can, shakes, smoothies, and ice cream!! He just sounds so good. One of the best things is that he has quit smoking!! Doctor told him it would take 2 to 3 times longer to heal if he didn't quit.

Well, Mr. Involved wants to be playing cricket and watching rugby... so he has quit, which he says has also helped him feel so much better. He is headed for the beach on Saturday(which is right now, since he is 14 hours ahead in the world!) He's so funny. When he is talking to the Aussie's, he gets the cutest accent... oh, the girl's are gonna love that, if he comes back to the states. He has spoke about trying to figure out a way to get a work visa and stay over there. He absolutely loves everything about Australia, despite the bad things that happened last week. He's a trooper. I wouldn't expect any less from him!! I'm such a proud big sister!!

Well, I found out that we are allowed to paint this one wall in the apartments I'm living in. So, now it is blue... I love it!! I think Wilbur(the fish) likes it too!!! So, much better then boring white!!

Oh and I made this for a little family member that will soon be a big sister!! Mommy is due on Easter and I think the big sister would like a little present when the new arrival gets all the attention. I think it is super cute!! And I crocheted it!! Yea for me!

Wow, what a crazy few days...

2008-03-12T02:51:00.005-04:00

Well, lets start things off happily. Here is a blogiversary contest... go over and tell her I sent you!!

http://mariknits.blogspot.com/

Last Friday was a very stressful day for me. A lot of you may already know this, but here goes. (I got this news at 230am too) My brother Pat, is studying over in Australia for 5 months. Well, he decided to go home early from the club on Friday night and took the typical shortcut. Although, usually there is a group of them that all walk together. Well, being 6'4" tall and weighing 190 pounds... he prolly thought he would be ok(plus he had been out clubbing). Well, he wasn't...

5 guys jumped him in the shortcut through the neighborhood. They broke his jaw in 2 places, 2 black eyes, sore ribs, brusied and banged up. They took the money from his wallet($150) and 4 of them started to take off. Well, the 5th one had a bit of a problem with my brother... when the 5th guy jumped out and hit Pat first, Pat laid him out flat on the ground with one punch. Well that guy was super mad and gave pat a couple of extra kicks and that is what shattered the jaw. Well, he eventually found a taxi after a few minutes (about 20 or so, he thinks) and they took him to his dorm where all his friends were at this point. They got him to the hospital and he got some pain killers. They couldn't do much else for him at that point except wait for the swelling to go down and take a catscan and x-rays on Monday.

Well, this whole situation was very hard for me. He is 15 hours ahead of me in the world. I can't jump on a flight and get to him quickly. I feel like I am closest with Pat. There are 4 kids in our family and we are all close, but I feel closer to Pat. We used to speak almost everyday before he went overseas. So I have been missing him horribly since he left. I took care of the younger 3 after my parents divorced and unfortunately, to my young siblings dismay, I sometimes regress back to feeling responsible for them or like I need to give them advice when they really don't need it. I have tried very hard not to do that to them anymore, but sometimes it slips. That was one of those nights. I just wanted to give him a hug, I wanted to be there..... pause for wiping of tears.... The thought of those 5 scum sucking sacks of chicken shit beating on one person just pisses me off to my deepest depths. What a bunch of sonnofabitchs?!?!? Sorry for the language, but who the HELL do you think you are!?!? What a bunch of gutless bastards. Ok, I feel better.

Well, My mom filled me in at 230am... I didn't fall asleep and quit crying until about 430am and thank god... Pat called me at 630am!!!! ARGH!!! I was so happy to hear his voice. He actually sounded pretty good for the situation. He told me that besides having family with him, he wouldn't rather be with any other group of people in his life. The friends that he has made over there are the best, loyal ones he has ever had in his life. he said when he got back to his apartment there were about 40 people waiting for him. He is one of those people that sucks people into him. He has a personality that will charm anyone! He doesn't even realize it either... but this made him see how much people gravitate to him. He told me that his phone holds 200 numbers and his is full. He just meets people and they fall in love with him and his amazing personality. He said that almost every person in his phone either called or stopped by to say hi!! He was pretty excited about that. He said anytime he wanted anything about 5 people would jump up and fight each other to get him whatever he wanted! He said he felt like a king!!

So he went to the doctor on Monday to get catscans and x-rays. Well, they weren't sure if he would have surgery in Lismore or in Brisbane(a bigger city) until they got the results from the tests. Well, they did it in Lismore on Tuesday. Pat called mom after surgery(it went GRRREEAAAT!!) and said he felt so much better he couldn't believe it. The jaw was displaced about 2/3 of an inch!! So once they went in and put in titanium plates, rods and screws he felt better. They also had to remove a shattered wisdom tooth and a cracked one on the other side. He said within hours his swelling was down about 75% and the pain was manageable. YEA!!

pause for more tears...

It may not sound so bad to some, but when you cannot get to someone who is so important to you in any kind of timely or financial matter, it is hard. I'm so thankful to God that he has good friends and a great U.S. supervisor over there to watch over him and help him. Christine(the U.S. supervisor of the kids) went to Pat's appointment on Wednesday morning to discuss how he will function over the next 6 weeks while his jaw is wired shut. Pudding and yogurt and shakes only last so long. He will need someway to get nutrition during that 6 weeks and Christine was gonna get the info so we knew what was up. Haven't heard at this point but will probably hear tomorrow. whew... Thanks to those that read that madness... sorry to bore you but I needed to type it out. It made me feel better. So thankfully, he is doing well, surrounded by great people, and is staying in paradise. Someone asked me if pat was going to come home. What?! That is not Pat's(or my style) We roll with it and keep on truckin!! Why leave paradise now? Might as well recover on the beach!!! hee hee. I hope you all have a good day. I have some surprises to post for tomorrow, but you'll have to wait... I must say goodnight! Oh Pics!!

Here is Pat and Peter. Pat is on the left(the one in Australia) and Pete is on the right. This is 3 years old, but they look similar.

This one is really old, but this is the four of us at Thanksgiving about 5 years ago. Pat, Me, Peter and Sara sitting in front... Good looking group huh??? My wonderful Fam... Mom is taking the picture!! :)

Defeat the Winter Doldrums Prize Package

2008-03-01T22:50:00.002-05:00

So I got my prize package today from the wonderful women that ran our Defeat the Doldrums swap.

I got 2 balls of Sugar n Cream in the Strawberry colorway. I also got a journal to keep track of my projects and stuff. I also got a skein of Cotton Ease in Berry! I'm so excited!! I can't wait to get my stitch markers, which are coming straight from the maker! Thank you thank you thank you!

Defeat the Winter Doldrums Swap Package!

2008-03-01T05:20:00.007-05:00

So I came home at 8 am this morning to a wonderful surprise waiting for me!! I have been participating in the Swap for about 5 weeks now and learning a lot about a lot of people. I have been posting the weekly topics and chatting it up. My partner got her package after a particularly bad day in Washington, and her response to me made my head swell and glad I did the swap. Thanks for the head swelling email!! We are planning a duo post here sometime... you'll have to watch for that. Check out her blog:

http://knottykittyknits.blogspot.com

She is a super cool woman, so go pay her a visit! Here is what I sent her:

Onto the goodies that I got!!!

My wonderful partner sent me a load of great stuff! There are obviously 2 great dishcloths, which i think I will be using for face cloths, because they are so soft and wonderful!! There are 2 delicious bath bombs that you drop into the tubs that fizz and smell yummy and I just might have to indulge tomorrow!! She also sent me mento's... Did I blog about these? I might have put them in my questionnaire for this swap... THEY ARE MY FAVORITE!!!! I love them... and I ate them already. She also sent me the awesomest little chocolate things. They are little skinny squares of chocolate, which is perfect for me. Just a little bit is perfect for me! I grab a little square and yummy chocolately goodness!!

I also got a great bar of soap called Brazilian Mango Grapefruit. Oh, it is soooo yummy!! The smell is just awesome! I'd love to put a scratch and sniff logo here, but technology isn't quite that good yet! There was also a pineapple lip balm... i use it all the time... wonder where she got it... I might be in love with it!! I got a thing of hot chocolate, which is great to beat the "duldrums" of winter and make it feel nice and cozy if only for a few minutes!

Oh and then there is the yarn... She sent me 3 skeins of yummy goodness... have I said yummy enough times in this post? It was oh so fun to open this up... I was like a kid in a candy store. The blue and pinkish skein is Dream in Color Baby yarn... I'm going to find a wonderful lace shawl pattern and knit it up for myself!! I'll be sure to share that with you. The 2 smaller skeins are Hempathy... made from cotton, hemp and nylon I think... she said it makes great face cloths, so I'll be doing that very, very soon!! Thanks so much to my wonderful partner, who is also in Washington! Small world! Check out her blog:

http://florafaunafurandfiber.blogspot.com

Thanks for everything!! I love it all.

Memphis, Freight and Blizzards, OH MY

2008-03-01T05:02:00.006-05:00

So as previously posted, I was in Memphis. On Wednesday night, I went to Marlowe's with my first officer. The cool thing is they pick you up in a pink Caddy! Check it out!!!

They have some pretty good BBQ, which is super good in Memphis. I'm sorry but the north just doesn't do bbq, like the south does!! I love doing down south, they cook some mean bbq!!

Well, on Thursday night, I put on my pj's, shut off the lights and was just getting ready to go to sleep... *do, do, do, do ,do* (that is my pager going off) I get up at 1250am and call work. Trip to Kansas City, up to Pontiac, MI and then back to Willow Run. So off we go. The bad part is that the reason we got stuck in Memphis for 4 days to begin with is a Blizzard in Detroit area. Guess what?? One was moving in... AGAIN!!! So we moved as quickly and as safely as possible. I flew my second trip as Captain, which was really cool. :) I flew the first leg to Kansas City and picked up 3 boxes(all of 120 pounds worth) of wiring harness'. The first officer flew the next leg into Pontiac. We got there as the snow started to fall, that was at about 630 am.

We threw the freight into the waiting truck(after i went and pounded on his window, twice, to wake him up, he must have been sleepy) I wasn't screwing around. I wanted out of there before the blizzard hit!! So we head for Willow Run... at 3000 feet and it's only about a 15 minute flight. The weather dropped quickly. It went from pretty good to pretty shitty really quickly!!! I was flying and the first officer was getting weather and talking to approach, etc. We got in and the weather was blowing!! There were drifts on the runway, so the braking action was fair. Yes, fair is how we rate braking action: Good, Fair, Poor and Nil... Nil is NOT good!!! We don't even try that stuff. So here is what the tower looked like from my airplane when we got on the ground...
We landed at about 745am. Talk about a long night! By the time i finished paperwork and headed home and went to bed it was about 930am... talk about screwing up your sleep schedule!

Yea, it sure wasn't cool!! Well, it was cold, but not great. Although, it is a super adrenaline rush to fly into an airport in crappy weather, coming off your first trip and getting it on the ground safely and efficiently!!! We love our jobs cuz we like the rush! That is a reason we are pilots. My mom hates to hear my stories sometime. Maybe I'll do a series of my favorite stories from flying sometime. Some scary(even for me) and some just plain old fun.

Last Doldrums topic...

2008-02-26T18:33:00.003-05:00

For this week, go through those who've commented on last week's topic - find someone who had an idea on their day that sounded appealing to you, as well, and tell us why, or what appealed to you, and link to their blog! If you can't find someone who has a day you think you'd enjoy, find one that you thought was interesting, odd, or funny in some way, and talk about it!

I guess the closest one was Alaina:

http://idratherbknitting.blogspot.com/

She is from MN(which is where I grew up) and she spoke about being on or near the lake or on the gulf of mexico with family. I have oceans, but like the gulf, cuz it's warm with small waves. I love the lake and wish i had a boat to play on the lake with. The only thing I would do if money was no object is go see my bro in australia... he is studying there for 6 months and he said it's amazing... knowing that now, I would go there... :)

I'm anxioiusly waiting for my package... I sent my partners out on Monday all the way to Washington, so hopefully she'll like it!

I left Michigan last night in the blizzard to fly to Memphis to fix another airplane(we had a mechanic with us). It was my first flight as a captain! and it went great!! We are still in Memphis cuz the weather was too bad to go back last night and we are waiting for a trip. I go off on Thursday and my First Officer is already on days off... not sure what they will do with us!! YEA!!! 2.2 hours of Pilot in Command Jet time!!(very valuable in the pilot world!!) YEA!!!!

Ah the Sunshine to come... and lots of other stuff

2008-02-19T18:21:00.006-05:00

Well, I was supposed to go see Wendy on Sunday and spend the day up there for Brooke's birthday, but between the crappy freezing rain, Brooke being sick and me not feeling super well, I decided not to travel the distance up to Attica. But I am leaving in the morning to go to Phoenix. Ah, Phoenix, my heart is always there. Even though it has changed so much down there, I still love it.

I moved down there and made some of the best, life long friends ever. A lot of them don't live there anymore... this business does that to us. It brings us together, we study, we hang out, we relax, we have a party once and a while, we depend on each other for a lot. Friendship, family, love and support... and then we start moving on to chase our careers. It moves us all over the country. PA, WI, NY, IL, MI, AZ, CA, MN, SD, TX, etc. We are scattered all over the country. But our love of flying and chasing the endless carrot that is aviation keeps us connected. I still talk to so many and miss them all dearly. Even though Phx is changed, it is still the place that makes me happy and realxed.

I got down here today and it was warm... I love it. It's middle of February and it's 65 degree's and perfect. No heat on in the car, no warming it up... I actually had the AC on for a few minutes today in the car! Duh?! Roll down the window. ha ha, goofy me. I went out to dinner with Kris and Jen and then to meet a couple more friends for a beer. It started storming, so I missed out on the total lunar eclipse... in AZ!! The land where it hardly ever is cloudy!! HA ha ha. I love Thunderstorms. I don't like flying in them but I love them in general. Rain, Lightening, Thunder, AWESOME!!! Nothing like a good winter Thunderstorm. Better then Thunder Snow!! That sucks, because that means it's cold if there is snow!!

I also found out tonight that I won a contest! I am in a swap and we have weekly assignments to post to our blog! Well, I won! I think it is stitch markers, but I'm not sure... I guess I'll know when I get my surprise bonus package!! WEEHHEEE!! Thanks ladies!!

http://www.dishclothexchange.blogspot.com/

To finish off my night, I am feeling better. My ear was clogged up bad today after the flight, so I took some meds and that has helped. But I'm feeling ok and just as I was getting ready to go to bed, my phone rings with a weird number. My brother, Pat, has been in Australia for a few weeks and I've been missing him like crazy. Well, yep you guessed it! It was him!! He is loving it over there. He starts class on Monday, did his registration today and the campus was throwing a huge on campus party tonight, so he had all kinds of friends at his apartment type dormitory. He was telling me about how not to talk! It's a soft drink, not soda or pop. It's a sausage, not a hot dog, etc! It was oh too funny!! He has some great 'mates'(not friends) already and has spent his last few days chillin on the beach and learning to surf!! I'm so jealous. I really hope I can find a way to get over to him. It would be great.

With that, I am severely sleep deprived and need to crash, cuz the cold meds are kicking in and I'm fading fast. Hope you are all well and warm where you are...

Doldrums Topic #5

2008-02-17T14:32:00.003-05:00

If money were no object, and the day was just perfect - not to hot, not too cold, sun shining, slight breeze - how would you spend a perfect day out that had been given to you in the middle of a cold and blustery winter?

I would be fishing and out on the lake. I love the lake on a perfect day. Start off by fishing in the early morning hours and then move to some water sports(ie. skiing, wakeboarding, knee boarding and tubing) and then finish it off with a nice bbq in the evening... argh... can't wait for winter to be over... this sucks. I wanna move back to PHX where its nice 9 months of the year. hmpf...

But onto happier things. I love contests. I might have to have one sometime. I'm not sure to have it be about or what to give away, although I am making stitch markers and stuff now. If anyone has any ideas let me know. But here is a contest ending soon...

http://www.cassknits.com

check this out... it is a blog that lists all the contests going on right now.

http://wiknit.blogspot.com/

Car Trouble

2008-02-11T19:37:00.000-05:00

So when is rains, you get wet. The CV Joint on my car was going bad. So Rob went to take it in to get fixed and it broke on the way. Luckily he got into a parking lot and a friend was following him. So AAA was called and the car was towed. The axle actually broke, I guess, and the car will be ready to go tomorrow for $170. Luckily, I have an emergency fund(just like Suze Orman and Dave Ramsey say to) to pull from. It sucks to have to use it, but that is what it is there for, I guess.

I'm still in El Paso. Making some progress on shawls for some family members, and made a crocheted, YES! I said crocheted Kitchen sponge. This is my second attempt and it was better then the first. My mom crochets and is very good at it and so are some of my friends... but I have not quite figured out crocheting, so I'm practicing. Gives me something to do when I'm stuck on the road for 5 or 6 days at a time. Oh well, back to the boredom.

Weekly Topic #4

2008-02-09T23:48:00.000-05:00

So here I sit, still in El Paso, TX. At least the sun shines every day and it has been in the upper 60's/low 70's. It has helped me come out of my duldrum's... I hate the cloudy weather and no sun. That is why I loved Arizona. Sun every day of the year. It was awesome. I love that place. This leads me to my weekly topic:

"Defeat the Winter Doldrums!" For some of us, we get the doldrums and others don't. For the ones who get doldrums, what helps you get rid of them? For the ones who don't get the doldrums, what helps you keep them away?

I didn't think I would get them again, but this is my first winter in a place that gets a real winter in a long time. I don't like it. I like sun. Not for tanning, just for my mood. I never realized how much the sun, or lack there of, affects my mood. I have been in Texas for 3 days and my mood is much better all ready. Sunny every day!! NO CLOUDS!!! See previous posts for a picture of El Paso when I first got here.

My sister suggested a tanning bed(I think it was her). Again, not for the tan, but for the feeling of sun and to help boost mood. I might have to try it. but being down here has helped the mood a ton... hopefully I can carry that when I go back to Michigan. I know I am lucky and get the opportunity to travel for work. Sometimes we go to cool places(San Diego) and not so cool places(Harlingen, TX), but El Paso isn't too bad. The hotel is good to us, food and stores within walking distance and it's SUNNY!!!!

So today we decide we are gonna get a ride to Barnes and Nobel. Sweet! I have an awesome gift cert. and I wanna spend some. So 2 hours and 2 books later, we are ready to leave(we=work people in el paso also). They decide we are gonna walk back... 4+ miles later and almost an hour and a half later, we are back! whew!! It was gorgeous out, so it wasn't too bad, but wow, they were walking at a good clip! Then tonight we got a ride to get dinner and they decide we are gonna walk back again!! prolly about a mile this time. Much harder then the tread mill.. maybe I'll have to start huffing it outside!! But I can't slack on the treadmill... keeps my speed up, cuz i don't wanna look like a baby and walk slow!! Ha ha... we'll see what tomorrow brings!

Blizzards, Work and Sun

2008-02-07T12:58:00.000-05:00

So yesterday was interesting. I got paged out on a trip and left for Toronto, Canada. Got to Toronto, picked up 700 pounds of freight. Went and took off and just beat the snow(lots of snow in the greater Michigan area). Just as we took off, Approach control called and said we had to return to get more freight. Oh Darn!! I knew there was lots of snow coming, so I wanted to get out of there before it got too bad. so we got on the ground and found out a little while later that it was delayed at the factory. So it had started to snow, so this is what the plane looked like a few hours later.

Here's another one:

Once we got the freight, now the big delay began. We had to line up to get de-iced before we took off to get all the ice off the plane and to get some protection from the snow while we waited to take off. That took awhile. You can't taxi very fast because it is super slippery and It was almost like driving into a car wash... huge board that has your tail number on it and tells you to pull ahead, when to slow down and when to stop. Then the "iceman" tells you to set your brakes, shut off your taxi light, etc. Then they roll up in huge trucks like this:

They are huge and the guy up in the lift is driving the whole truck from up there!!! It's so cool!!! so it takes about 10 minutes to actually get that part done. Then another smaller truck comes up and does the gear and the back edge of the flaps. Then you wait while they move out of the way. The "iceman" tells you what kind of de-ice they used, how long it's good for, etc. Then you have to wait in line to get out of the deice pit. Here's what we looked like after:

We got a bit delayed back into Detroit cuz of more bad weather, but we cleared customs and left for Tulsa, OK. Got fuel and continued to El Paso, TX. And this is what I got to wake up to... Hope you have a great day!!

Forgot to answer my question!!!

2008-02-05T23:28:00.001-05:00

Ok so here are my pics of my needles and of my cotton stash... Some of it might be yours if you are my secret buddy... but you never know if its you!! maybe leave a comment on the one(s) you like and you might get it in the mail come Swap time!!!

My needles are all Knit Picks Options now. I am a convert... I have a hard time using other ones now... I'm spoiled.

And here is a bit of the cotton stash... there are a few layers underneath too, but they are stacked up so I can see them all at a glance.

That's what I have on hand and in my hand while knitting. I better get to bed. good night!

Topic #3 and other stuff

2008-02-05T11:05:00.001-05:00

Topic of The Week #3

Well, this is a easy topic of the week. I am interested to see what my pal has, so I can see what to get them. Just another way to get to know our swap partner!! So, 2 pics: 1 of dishcloth yarn stash and 1 of your notions you use for making dishcloths.

I will post some pics later... I need to get some pics up of my trip back to MN and from my trip on Sunday to deliver Super Bowl Champion hats to NY... long night, but kinda fun since I'm a huge football fan. I'll go get to work on those pics...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ok so here is what 5.774 NY Giant Championship hats look like in a Falcon 20 jet at 4 am, the same night as the Super Bowl:

Here are some photo's from my quick trip home to see Patrick(the tallest) before he leaves for Australia for 6 months. The first ones are them tickling me under my chin(I know weird place to be ticklish) and the other are us being a little crazy!!!

last one is of my little cousin... its a video and at the very beginning you can hear her saying "Oldakowski"... and she isn't even 2!!!! That's a hard last name!!! I remember having to spell that sucker in Kindergarten!!

I hope everyone has a great day!!!

Defeat the Winter Doldrums Topic #2

2008-01-26T16:43:00.000-05:00

Well, here is my next weekly topic from my "Defeat the Winter Doldrums" swap that goes in February. Please speak up and tell me your sad sad stories of people who didn't appreciate your hard work!

There are many people who ADORE receiving hand-knit or crochet items; but there are just as many who have no appreciation whatever of how much love, work, and time goes into a hand-made item. Share a story of a hand-made gift you gave to someone and how it worked out - good, bad, or ugly!

I have spent hours and hours working on baby gifts and send them out to the new owners, only to have no mention of my gift or a 'thanks'. Do you understand how much time it takes? Planning, buying the supplies, debating on colors, patterns, etc. along with all the actual hours of work that goes in!! I guess not. I know a little bit of knitting is self serving... we all love to hear how pretty our stuff is...even if it's for charity, we all like to be praised! I guess I just want some recognition that I worked hard. I agonize over my gifts... the right color, pattern, yarn etc. Sometimes I wonder if I should just not care and then my feelings won't be so hurt... but I know I can't do that, that isn't my nature! argh!

One woman (sorry if you read these, not trying to steal your thunder) told a story of making dozens of dishcloths and taking them to family at a picnic(I think) and people just grabbed them like they had nothing at home to wash dishes with. She said as she left, one person was using the brand new dishcloth to check the oil on their car and wipe oil off the dipstick and off their hands!! Appalling!! Anyway, I haven't had anything quite that bad(that I know of). What are your stories??

Doldrums swap Question...

2008-01-19T19:11:00.000-05:00

This is the topic of the week on my Doldrums Exchange Swap!!! Please comment...

Weekly Topic: Dishrag. Dishcloth. Face cloth. I've seen folks get all fired up in forums when someone refers to their knit or crochet creation as a dishrag, as that's somehow offensive to them! When you're working on yours, what do you call them? Also, is there a difference between a dishrag and a dishcloth? How bout a facecloth? Are they all really the same thing?

I call them dishcloths, unless they are for a face or spa set... then it's a face cloth... ultimately they are all the same darn thing!! If I make them for babies I use Cottontots... Seems softer! That's all I have to say about that... oh and it is DAMN cold in Michigan!!! Stay warm, safe and healthy!!

Video's from home...

2008-01-09T22:51:00.000-05:00

So I'm gonna try to post some video's... not sure how they will work out. The first is of my 2nd cousin, Devin, takin' a digger onto the floor... but he never cried... we all laughed at him!!

This is one of him blowing raspberries on the window of the waiting room... He was a great distraction while we waited for my mom to get out of surgery(who is doing fabulously, I spoke with her again tonight!! Thanks again for the prayers everyone)

And the last is a little flashback to my college career and what I spent many hours watching... good old SCSU HOCKEY!!! OH YEA!!! Dad scored tickets and Dad, Kim, Pete and I went to the game. We were down 2-0 with about 14 minutes left in the 3rd and came back to score 3 goals to beat UND Fighting Sioux 3-2. My voice was hoarse, but it was so fun to see it again!!

Thats all I have... which is plenty for one night. I had a trip tonight that cancelled 100 miles from the airport and we had to come back. So now we sit, "hot Crew", just waiting for a trip to go out. Have a good night!!

Katie O

in the winter dumps? Heres a swap!

2008-01-09T16:42:00.000-05:00

In the winter dumps? I'm gonna do the following swap to shake the icky winterness:

http://dishclothexchange.blogspot.com/

1. Do you knit, crochet, or do both?
Knit primarily, trying to learn crochet

2. What types of needles do you enjoy using for making dishcloths?
size 7 knitpick interchangables

3. What types of cotton do you enjoy using for making dishcloths? Is there any that you've been wanting to try?

peaches n cream, sugar n cream, cotton tots

4. What color(s) are your kitchen and bath decorated in (if any)?

no scheme in kitchen, bathrooms are burgundy and the other is yellow(lots of ducks)

5. What are your favorite colors for yarns? Least favorite?

Am learning to love wool! never used it before just a week ago. Love cotton. Prolly my least sought after right now is acrylic. I have so much acrylic i don't need more!

6. Do you like Winter, or do you count the days until it ends?

I wanna move back to Arizona... so yea, i'm ready for it to go away.

7. What's your favorite way to brighten your day when you're down in the dumps?

knit and go to tanning bed(not good for me, but once a week helps me deal with the cloudiness of michigan)

8. What is your favorite treat to indulge in when your down in the dumps?

I love sushi... brightens my day(but it's expensive!!) My favorite thing to have it I can afford it!

9. Do you drink coffee? Tea? Cocoa?

coffee mostly and I love cocoa!!

10. If you could take a vacation starting tomorrow and go anywhere for one week and money were no object, where would you go and what would you do?

New Zealand... do it all!!!

11. Do you have any allergies or aversions your pal should be aware of?

NOPE!

Pray please....

2008-01-03T10:47:00.000-05:00

Today is my mom's surgery on her neck... I finished my mom's prayer shawl and gave it to her... she cried and I cried and I know she will protected. I prayed for everyone while I made that bad boy... the doctors, nurses, anestesiologist(can't spell that one), people driving past her on the road, the person who has graciously donated the bones and their family that is grieving over the loss of that person(they are putting bones from a cadaver in her neck), for her recovery, etc. I think I got everyone. But I also put out many prayers for anything or anyone I might have missed. Please say a little shout out for her... She'll need it... Love, Katie

Happy New Year!!

2008-01-02T10:08:00.000-05:00

2007 was an interesting year and I'm ready to move onto 2008. I am starting the year off with some drama... My mom had cancer the end of last year and kicked it's ASS and is in remission. I know the battle with Cancer is life long, but she's doing great with that. She is now battling a ruptured disk in her back. Tomorrow she needs spinal fusion surgury to fuse the c5 and c6 veretbrates together. She is in so much pain, it is very hard for me to see. She is such a tough cookie!!! But she will be out of work and recovering for almost 10 weeks. The stressor is that she only has 5 weeks of sick pay through work. I am very worried(as previously posted). But the Lord has a way of figuring things out somehow. I'm not as dedicated to him as some of you, but he has always been there for me... even if my faith is shaken. Now I need him to be with my mom during surgery and recovery... She is strong, but He will make her stronger. Please say a little prayer tomorrow at 1 pm Central time, to give the doctor's the strength to do the surgery well... Thanks!!

My friend started a new contest this month!!! Here is the website:

http://gimpykatk.blogspot.com

She is doing weekly prizes this time and has riddles, photos, cartoons, polls, and all kinds of fun stuff... go over and visit and tell her I sent ya!!! It really is fun to read her blog and see everyone's posts. I got my gift from when I won a part of her contest... it was AWESOME!!! Got a plastic scrubbie that she crocheted a flower around... it is so cool. I still have to take a picture and put it on here... but it is awesome!! THanks, AK!!!

Crappy Update

2007-12-20T20:02:00.000-05:00

Well I spoke to my mom today. She has surgery tomorrow for her cancer situation and it should be an in and out procedure. She has good people going with her, so I feel good that she'll have good people with her while she is there.

Now the bad news... She has to have spinal fusion surgery on 3 herniated disks in her upper back on January 3rd. She will be out of work for 6 weeks in a huge brace and then a few more out with a different kind of brace. The biggest problem is the fact that she doesn't have enough sick time to take all those weeks off. She only has 20 some days... I don't know what she'll do. I wish i could help... I don't have the means to help her... I don't know what I can do. She can't be without a paycheck for 5 weeks... I don't think she can go without one for one week. I can't be without work for a few days and I'm already in trouble. We are not a rich family. We work hard for our money and our careers. Always have. Just once I wish we could catch a break. Especially mom. She has worked so hard and sacrificed so much for all of us, she deserves better then that. She deserves some happiness and some relaxation and not this crap. Don't you think cancer is enough to deal with?!?! Dammit... come on. give her a break, she finally deserves a break... come on.

Life... its a Mother F&$*#@r....

2007-12-13T13:05:00.000-05:00

Well life has been a bit insane since I last wrote. In the span of a 2 days, I moved again, found out my mom had cancer and got a huge promotion at work.

On the Mother front, Her doctor found the cancer after a routine pap smear. Which is odd, because she had a hysterectomy last year and was told she didn't really need to go get a pap... Well, the lord works in mysterious ways. They caught it early. So the wait begun to get an appointment with the oncologist. So on the 11th, she went down to the cancer doctor in the Minneapolis. My Aunt Kathi went with her. The doctor sat down and explained that it wasn't even full blown cancer! It was stage 2 of pre-cancer!!!!!!!! YEA!!! If you can get good cancer news, this is it. She has to do one 45 minute laser procedure and then get checked every six months for the rest of her life, but this is good news!!! YEA!! The power of prayer and positive thinking works again!!!

She has also been having severe pain in her shoulder and no one can figure it out... acupuncture, chiropractor, physical therapy, almost anything you can think of. Well she was in the ER about a week ago. The pain was just too much to take. So they got her an emergency appointment at a good orthopedic doctor's. They did an MRI last week and found that she has 3 herniated disks in her upper back. So they have finally found what the cause is of the pain. She wasn't even able to sleep, write, pick up a pencil... it was bad... so they are going to try physical therapy to see if they can move the muscles enough to fix the disk... if not, they will have to do surgery... but at least they know what is wrong and what the next step is... plus, I'd rather have this result. If we wanted one to have a bed result, the one with the shoulder was the one to be. A herniated disk won't kill ya!!! YEA!! Just a little surgery.... Ok, so its not just a little surgery, we can handle that. So my family is doing well... yea....

Now to my promotion... I got an email saying that they wanted to talk to me about starting class... So i called in the morning and spoke to the guy i needed to. He said that one of the other guys had to leave class because of a medical condition. So with no preparation and no notice, I started class the next day. It was crazy intense... studying 10 to 12 or more hours per day. Trying to get my brain to take it all in. I had planned on going home for thanksgiving, but after the news and the no notice, I couldn't risk not being ready for my oral, which was the Monday after Thanksgiving. So I went in and took my oral exam that monday.... passed with flying colors. YEA!!

On Tuesday we left for Dallas to go to the Simulator. It was a really intense week, more studying, more practice, but the result was great! The FAA examiner came down and gave me my flight test in the Simulator. Then on Tuesday, back cold ass detroit we came... I finished up some stuff in the actual airplane with the examiner again and was officially a captain. It's almost unbeleiveable. I am a Captain!! Of a JET!!! After all this time!! OH! Finally all my hard work and dedication is finally showing!! Plus I got a pay raise, so bills will be easier to pay now. Life has been a madhouse lately... but I hope things are gonna start to settle down... Thanks for reading my little novel!! Have a great day

Pay It Forward

2007-12-13T12:56:00.000-05:00

So I have decided to participate in the PAY IT FORWARD exchange. I got it from http://gimpykatk.blogspot.com/ blog.

The guidelines:

"I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF (Pay it Forward) exchange. I don't know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise!

The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

"Want to participate? Be one of the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post and make the same promise on your own blog. Just make sure that you leave a link to who you are so that i can link to you later and get a mailing address!!"

Not So Random Acts of Kindness. And 365 days to do it in!!! I like this idea a lot!

I've been TAGGED!!

2007-11-13T00:33:00.000-05:00

I've been Tagged (my first)

38 things about me that you may or may not want to know.

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? My cousin... We were making fun of you know who!!

2. What were you doing at 0800? Packing my stuff to move out

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Talking to my dad

4. What happened to you in 2006? Lived in the Caribbean, got engaged(not anymore!), moved to Massachusetts

5. What was the last thing you said out loud? What an idiot

6. How many beverages did you have today? diet Rootbeer, 3 bottles water, 1/2 bottle coke zero

7. What color is your hairbrush? Blue

8. What was the last thing you paid for? Fish tank so I can take my fishy with me

9. Where were you last night? Running around my apartment trying to get it packed up

10. What color is your front door? wood

11. Where do you keep your change? In a 3 gallon water jug

12. What’s the weather like today? froggy (foggy) and chilly

13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? Sticky toffee pudding

14. What excites you? Getting a job in PHX

15. Do you want to cut your hair? Yep and get it colored!!! Treat to myself for dumping the dead weight
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16. Are you over the age of 25? Yep!

17. Do you talk a lot? if you have to ask, you haven't met me... yea i talk a lot!!!

18. Do you watch the O.C.? Yea *blushes* but it's not on anymore
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19. Do you know anyone named Steven? Yes

20. Do you make up your own words?Yes

21. Are you a jealous person? I can be if the situation deems it necessary

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter "A"? Ang

23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. Kris

24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? Dad

25. What does the last text message you received say? Hang tough

26. Do you chew on your straw? No.

27. Do you have curly hair? It can go either way

28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? To bed

29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? Rob

30. What was the last thing you ate? Cookie dough and ice cream... yea not a good day

31. Will you get married in the future? Don't know if i ever want to
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32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? Clerks II

33. Is there anyone you like right now? All my wonderful friends

34. When was the last time you did the dishes? today

35. Are you currently depressed? Slightly
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36. Did you cry today? Yes, a lot!

37. Why did you answer and post this? It is my first Tag and I'll do it for Wendy!!

38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey: Kadezmom, Knottykitty, Ramblings and Musings by Alice, ellenn_3, purlygirly

Moving... ARGH!

2007-10-26T15:29:00.000-04:00

I hate moving. I hate packing... argh!!! but it happens and the new apt is much nicer and in a better complex with better advantages. Plus more room. I will save on rent and the fact I won't need my storage facility. So that's good.

I have been faithfully reading my friends blog and playing in her daily contest to win a 'surprise' box of knitting goodies!

http://gimpykatk.blogspot.com/

I have also found a new blog contest, that is very inspirational and very nice to read. makes you thankful for things:

http://tabithasheart.blogspot.com

Not much else today. We are moving this weekend and that will suck... cuz moving does suck. Then on Monday I'm going to go meet a friend I know from one of my yahoo groups that lives in Michigan not far from me. It will get me out of Detroit and to a day of relaxing with her and her family and playing with her kids!! YEA!! I'm such a kid myself, we'll have lots of fun!!! :) Have a great weekend!

Torturous Day at Work

2007-10-12T18:49:00.000-04:00

So Wednesday and Thursday were crazy for work! I flew from Detroit, MI to Muskegon, MI(picked up freight) to Shreveport, LA(to clear customs) then to Saltillo, Mexico. Flying into Saltillo is awesome. Lots of mountains and the approach is a 12 mile arc with step down every few miles... so fun!! Anyway, unloaded our 100 lbs of freight. yep I flew all night from MI to Mexico for 100 lbs of freight!! Brake pads... guess they were really important!! So we got to bed around 330am in Laredo, TX. Good old Mariott... my home away from Detroit! Right at the time we got legal, we got another trip.

We were supposed to go from Laredo, TX to El Paso, TX to San Diego, CA to Amarillo, TX to Telladega, AL to Shreveport. So, still tired from the night before and having only got about 5 hours sleep(had to get up for free breakfast!!) we head for the airport. We fly to El Paso then onto San Diego. Well, we get to San Diego about 330p local time. Freight is late... SHOCKING!! So I play on Ravelry for awhile, talk on the phone, waste more time. Pretty soon it's 7 pm and they freight is at least 2 hours away yet!! ARGH!!! So now I need to sleep, cuz this is shaping up to be a 14 hour day!! Not cool! So my Captain and I crash in the tv room and try to sleep. Not working real well... kinda sucks. Company keeps calling us and asking us questions. Will we be able to get there? Are we tired? OF COURSE WE"RE TIRED!!! DUH!?!? dumb questions.

So at 950pm local time, the truck gets there... well that's great. Lets get this party over with and get to bed... not so much. We can't take off after 10pm in San Diego because of noise restrictions.... so we sat at the airport... all night... for nothing. Thank god in a lot of ways though... Got to go to bed. I did get some great pictures though...

Approach to San Diego over the cityAmerican Airlines on Approach with San Diego Skyline in the back
Southwest Airlines on AppoachJust the sky line of San DiegoThe nighttime skyline in San Diego

I hope everyone is having a good day... This afternoon they flew us from San Diego to El Paso, TX. Well here we sit in El Paso, waiting for some flying... argh... so here I post to try and burn some time! This isn't my plane today, but it's from one of the other times I flew into El Paso. 90 degree's and sunny!! :) Gotta love it!

My swap exchange!

2007-10-11T12:54:00.000-04:00

I completely forgot to post my wonderful gifts I got from my partners. Here's the first one:

What an awesome gift!! A dishcloth, point protectors for my needles, a small magnetic picture frame and matching post it notes!!

Here is the other one... 2 dishcloths, a book thong(like a bookmarker, but cooler) and some beautiful stitch markers.

Thank you to my partners, Joye and Debbie!!

Ah a trip home...

2007-10-06T15:31:00.000-04:00

Just got back from 6 days back home to Mn to visit family and friends... how nice. Got to see lots of family and friends, relax, shoot some darts with my sister, brothers and dad... had a great lunch with my mom(I took her lunch at work), had breakfast with Grandparents, and spent an evening with my Aunt and Uncle. That amongst a lot of other running around and stuff. I also saw a homeopathic doctor which was interesting and I hope she can help me be more healthy. My overall health is good, just need a couple of boosts for vitamins, minerals and take care of a couple little things!! YEA! Now if I could just lose a few more pounds, I would reach my goal!!! It's taking forever with a few set backs. Oh well.. didn't go on overnight... it won't come off overnight!

Now I'm back in boring Detroit. But today is lots of Nascar Truck racing and Football to watch, thank goodness. Tomorrow will be more of the same. I've been bored so knitting has been keeping me busy until I fall asleep, because I get so bored. I'm the next one up for a trip at work and I'll get to fly with one of my good friends(Susan) so that should be fun, if I can get a trip someday!! I have some pics of stuff to share, but it will have to wait, cuz I left the camera in the car. Got some nice stuff from an exchange, which I'll share when i post pictures. I also just finished my first Grannie Square. I'm not a crocheter, so I'm very excited about that!! YEA!! It will go in the trash, cuz it's not good enough to use for anything, but it took me about an hour to do... had to frog it a couple of times. I'm pretty excited though... just another thing to burn time doing... it's all about filling my boredom around here... Maybe I can strike it rich!! ha ha... have a great afternoon. It's super hot in Michigan today... almost 86!!! Can't complain when its the beginning of October!!! :)

Oh another day in Michigan

2007-09-27T12:39:00.001-04:00

So I was super busy with work for like 3 weeks. I had some boredom on the road at the hotel but at least I was moving. Then work died down. There were lots of guys in training and I kept getting pushed down the list and wasn't flying... I haven't flown for about 2 weeks... THAT SUCKS!! I still have to be close to the airport in case some calls in sick or something weird, so I've been super bored. I've been knitting, exercising, watching crap t.v., etc. But my eating has been on pretty good track. That is one thing that is easier when you are at home all the time. I just wish I wasn't broke. Tonight is payday though, so that will help things a ton. I have made a prayer shawl for my cousin who has been diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer. She is doing extremely well, but a prayer shawl is always nice. She is in her early 20's with a brand new baby... so prayers are always a good thing.
I'm going home to MN this weekend for doctor's appointments and other activites... I'm sure I'll be busy as usual... but I've been so bored, I'm just dying for something to do. I'm gonna spend some time with my sister who I love to death. She's just the coolest.

During the GM strike here in Detroit area, we would go drive around and honk at the picketers... I didn't necessarily support or not support the strike, but it sure did burn some time!! Anyway, enough babbling for now... have a great weekend.

Boring Sunday....

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

So thank god that football started today!! I'm am sitting in Brownsville, Texas... very bored at the Hawthorn Inn. No work yet today... but I have numerous football games to watch, fantasy football scores to keep up with and players to yell at!! What an afternoon!! I am knitting amongst all of this and doing a some exercise in between. Gotta stay active!! Push ups, sit ups, pilates, the plank, butt crunches... hee hee... whatever will help!! Anyway, back to some crazy exciting football.... thank goodness for football season... MY FAVORITE!!