I skydived! or skydove!(?)...er, I jumped out of a freaking airplane!!

This was one of the biggies on the list, and it was a goodie! Number 7 got checked off on July 10th down in Eloy, AZ. All the sibs jumped plus Dougie and some of Jenny's fam. It was a gangsta-gangsta, nervous, charged, intense, screaming, breathtaking, sweaty, funny affair (in that order :). I'd say more, but the pictures do a better job...

first things first, we signed our lives away.


getting suited up


you wouldn't know it by this picture, but she was prolly the most nervous of everyone


in the plane


oh crap!


OH CRAP!


OH CRAP-SH!$D@*!J&D$&^FG!!!!!!




there was a lot of screaming


but moments of delight as well.
(ps. check out that gnarly leg action)




we survived!

PS. Thanks again Chaz and Jenny for the DVD treat! I was going to post it here, but couldn't figure out how to rip it. I guess that's better anyway, so as not to embarrass myself further. :]

PVC pipe + forearm forklift = chair!

Good and bad news is that I'm really far behind on my blog posts. It's good news because I've accomplished a lot of goals lately! Bad news because I haven't made time to write about them. A big reason why I haven't is because Brian and I were in serious go-mode to finish the condo renovation project. For the last two weeks in July every free minute was devoted to git-er-done. The condo project wasn't on my list, but a major goal accomplished nonetheless. Here are a couple before and after pics:

So, now that that is behind us, I have a lot more free time to write about goals like number 78, glue the PVC chair together. This is a project that was 95% completed last fall. I had cut all the pipes (it brought me back to my OM days) and sewn the forearm forklifts (which Brian donated that were leftover from a move).

It was usable, but if I moved when I was sitting, the pipes could come undone. Not the most comforting feeling. Hence, the need for glue. Well, today was the day...

it sat around so long that it was eventually broken down and thrown in the extra room

the dogs were putting together their own sticks

ta-da!

Brian caught me through the window trying it out.
If I look pissed, it's because my icecream isn't melting fast enough. :]

Rain Is a Good Thing

Just got back from a rockin AZ vaycay! We started the trip in Pinetop to get out of the Phoenix heat, and while we were at the cabin we shot this vid on Lexi's new camera. Love you, family! Thanks for playing along!



#85: Check!

geoTEXAS

It's a 2 for 1 post kind of night tonight, folks, aren't you lucky. So, last Saturday was cache-in-a-new-state day! (#16). I was in Dallas for a work conference, so this was the perfect opportunity to scratch Texas off of the list. As we were heading out of town back to Memphis, I made my boss, Christophe, do a cache with me that was around the corner from our hotel. It was his first one, so that made this double exciting. It was a pretty easy "park and grab" (or as us geeks like to say, PNG), but gratifying nonetheless.

Here's the "badge" I received for my efforts. I must say, I am honored.

The Frenchman getting a pen to sign the log


Could it be here?


Or maybe here?


You know I'm not telling. I ain't no muggle.

the pancake house

Yesterday, Brian and I had a lazy morning and went for brunch at The Pancake House. It's one of those dive breakfast places that's dingy and sticky, but you don't really notice because the character of the decor/people as well as the tantalizing smells steal your attention.

It's been on my places to eat list for awhile now (#100). It first caught my eye because it is right next door to my favorite place in town to get salsa, Taqueria la Guadalupana. Every time I'd stop to pick up una salsa grande after work, I would see people still coming and going from The P. House. I figured if the place was still busy even around dinner time, you knew it had to be good.

Fortunately, Brian and I like all the same foods (except mushrooms...gross), so we trade plates halfway through our meals all the time. This brunch was no exception, so I started with the western omelet (no cheese of course), crispy hashbrowns, and fluffy biscuits, and then finished with Brian's buttery pancakes. All of the above was delish, but I have to say, they really should change their name to The Biscuit House. Those biscuits were the bomb dizzle.

it's the first day of summer...

...which means that winter is a long ways off! Hence, nicole = happy girl. However, that also means that #50 on my list, donating spring clothes, is past due. I did the easy part, which was to pluck the clothes from the corners of my closet and drawers and put them in a pile (some from high school, yipe!-for you, tor.) The part that I can never seem to get around to doing though, is taking them to Goodwill. Now that I'm posting this and it's fresh on my mind, I don't think it should be long though now. Hooray for more closet space!

new title bar!

...that's all.