Just Rollin' Along

Well, the Texas weather has hit full force. We were out shooting on Sunday and Andrew really got himself burned. He forgets he's not in Michigan, and the Texas sun really got him. Poor guy is actually purple. Ouch. He'll not make that mistake again any time soon.

Cora had her track meet yesterday. She was in the Running Long Jump. It was a pretty big meet, with about 10 schools participating. She had a really good time. It was fun to watch her enjoy herself. They didn't really teach her proper long jump technique, but none of the kids really did it correctly. Didn't matter though; they all had a great time.

We all went to a local soccer field last week and kicked the ball around a little. Sarah was totally in her element. There were a few young boys there also playing, and they began playing with Andrew and Sarah. They were really good to include Sarah and help her by giving her pointers about playing. They were really great players, so she took their advice to heart. I can't wait to get her into a league this fall.

This is Lisa. We've known her family for a few years, since Lisa began shooting. Andrew is her coach, and we miss them terribly. We saw them a couple weekends ago in College Station for the Texas Shootout, and her mom asked me to shoot her senior portraits. So, we walked around College Station and got a few. Isn't she gorgeous??




Anyhoo...off to go eat lunch with Cora. I'm making it up to her since I'm not able to go on her field trip with her tomorrow...stupid job...

Have a great week!

Untitled

Nope. No snappy title for today. Not feeling that hot and am just lazing on the couch today before I have to go to work tonight. Luckily it's only 4 hours or so, but do you realize how many folks shop at Target at night? Yeah, I'm grateful people so shopping, or I'd not have a job. Since this is America, I can good-naturedly grumble a tad, right? You betcha.

Cora got her hair cut last night. She was getting tired of being so hot on her neck all the time, so she had it chopped. Very short and cute.




This morning we curled it and she went to school excited because she looked like Alice from Twilight. Sigh. Such a little diva girl. I curled Sarah's hair a bit, too and she went to school happy also.

Our first Easter in TX went well. It was beautiful and hot outside. The girls and I took a trip downtown to HemisFair Park and also mozied on down to the Alamo. We were lucky to be in one of the rooms of the Alamo when the tourguide began telling the story of the battle. Very cool. The girls also found a sprinkler to run through to cool off. Yes, it was that warm outside.

I've been shooting fairly well lately. Made some pretty big changes in my form so have been working on that. Texas Shootout is next weekend. Should be a good time.

Check It Out!

Simple Sweet is out at Sweet Shoppe Designs. It's a wonderful new E-zine!

Ahhh...

I love Spring. Ok, I admit it. Texas never really has a winter. I love Spring anyway. The weather gets even warmer and the days are getting longer. I really love Daylight Savings Time. We've been shooting outside for the past few weeks. I forgot how hard it is to shoot in the wind. I think we've got my arrows tuned correctly. Now I just have to figure out my form. Andrew and I are shooting in the Texas Shootout in a few weeks up in College Station. I'm going not to win, but to have a great time shooting outside and getting some great tournament experience. I definitely need more of that.

Andrew is in Paris, TX taking a Community Coach Course, which will basically make him a Level 3 Archery Coach. He says he's learning a ton of really awesome stuff, and he can't wait to get home and make me his guinea pig. Nice. I'm excited to learn some new stuff though. Should be fun.

Our tournament in Louisville was a great time. We got to see a lot of friends from Michigan. Cora shot wonderfully and took the National Title. I had a hard time, however. Completely my fault; I just let my concentration wane for a few seconds. That's all it takes. Learned my lesson, though, and have been working on a lot of things for next year. Some craziness happened to Cora though. There was a girl on her bale who was at her first tournament. On the second practice end, the girl pulled out an arrow and hit Cora in the head with the nock of the arrow. Yeah, it hurt, but Cora let it go. A few ends later, the same girl pulls out another arrow and slashes Cora across the face with the nock. Archery is usually a VERY safe sport, but if someone doesn't know the etiquette, things can get dangerous. Cora was writing on the scorecards and never even saw it coming. It's just one of those things, but I'm sure the girl learned really fast the proper way to pull arrows.


Cora recovered really well, and shot a personal best. We were really proud of how she handled herself. Her maturity and composure is amazing.

She's also going to audition for the school talent show. She's going to sing "This Is Me" by Demi Lavato, and she's going to sing A Capella. Very cool.

Welp, I'm off to get ready for work. Have a great weekend!

Tomorrow

We leave for Louisville tomorrow afternoon. It's a 16 hour or so drive, so we plan on pushing straight through. Hopefully we'll get there early enough to rest a bit before Practice With The Pros Friday night. At the very least we want to go to the venue and see all our Michigan friends! We are SO excited that we get to see everyone. I anticipate lots of shrieks and hugs.

Cora got her bow yesterday! FINALLY! Thanks Craig! It's a tad heavy for her, but once she shoots it for a bit she'll be fine. We'll go up to the club today and get her ready for 10 yards.

Not much else going on around here. Just wanted to post a quick update.

Later!

Whirlwind Couple Of Weeks

It's been busy around here the past couple weeks. On February 21-22, Cora shot in the TFAA State Championships in Temple, TX. She not only won her division, she broke the record by 118 poins. Yeah.

February 27-29 we were in College Station, TX for NAA Indoor Nationals. For indoor, the tournament is split up into regions and there are about 13 locations to shoot at. This gives everyone in the county the opportunity to shoot without having to drive too terribly far. After all the locations have shot, the scores are compiled and the master results are produced.

Andrew shot at 6 PM Friday night. His injured shoulder did NOT let him shoot well. The really bad thing was that he didn't have time to rest before he had to shoot his second day at 8 AM Sat morning. Overall he didn't do as well as he wanted. I'm really proud of him for shooting, and more importantly, for finishing. Many people shoot badly the first day and just don't show up the second day. I think that's really pitiful.

Anyhoo...Cora's turn was at 1 PM Saturday. We were SOOOOO proud of her. All we've ever told her was that if she focuses, tries, and shoots her form we're pleased as punch. She did that this weekend. Because she actually shot her form, she got tired pretty fast. See, we've been trying to get her to shoot a more efficient and stronger form for about two months. This was to ensure she was using it consistently and she wouldn't get tired. She has been fighting us on it. FINALLY, the week before the tournament, she starts using her form and shoots a crazy great personal best at league Thursday night. By Saturday, she was tired. So, her score doesn't reflect how well she performed under pressure. She was focused and did her thing. We were VERY proud. She found out firsthand why we wanted her to begin training earlier. She did NOT like gWe don't care if she ever wins anything.etting beat by girls she usually destroys. She has been really resolved to practicing and getting it right.

It was my turn to shoot on Saturday night. I'll admit it. I was nervous. It was difficult to calm down and be relaxed. The first half of my game wasn't that great. The second half was much better because I was relaxed. Still not as good as I've been shooting. I shot again on Sunday at 9 AM. Sunday wasn't as good. Overall, not a terrible outing, and it was MUCH better than last year's debacle. For the most part, I was happy. Luckily, this past week I've found a huge problem with my shot. For some reason, I wasn't getting into a solid anchor point on my face. Once I fixed that, my groups tightend up considerably. I know that was a problem at the tournament. Sigh. At least now it's fixed.

Now we're off to Louisville, KY on March 13-16 for NFAA Indoor Nationals. Yeah, different organization than last weekend's Nationals. We were going for just Cora to shoot, but I've been doing so well that Andrew convinced me to register as well. This is Cora's third year competing at this tournament and she's taken second place the past two years. This year it's hers. She's excited to shoot.
Another bonus of going to this tournament is that we'll get to see a lot of our friends from Michigan. Many people from Flint Bowmen are also coming to shoot, so it'll be a Flint Bowmen reunion! We're all really excited to see everyone.

Phew! As you can see, we've been busy. After this weekend, we're all getting our bows set up for the outdoor season. First outdoor tournament is the Doinker Texas Shootout in College Station. I'll be there.

Blah

I feel blah today. I'm sleepy, hormonal and just plain tired. Got the girls off to school this morning and am sitting here drinking coffee. We have to shoot tonight, so I think I'll just veg out here for a while. I might go out later and get tournament snacks for Andrew and the girls for their trip this weekend. Cora's shooting the TFAA Indoor State Championships in Temple, TX. It'll be a good practice for Nationals next weekend. I don't get to go since I have to work. Nice.

I want to get Sarah something fun to do while she's at the tournament. Poor kid has to endure two weekends in a row of boring tournaments. She has to amuse herself while we're all shooting. I might buy her High School Musical 3 and a few cool coloring books. She's such a trooper. She deserves some fun stuff to play with.

Speaking of archery: I shot a personal best yesterday. It's been a while since I've done that. Seems like I'm finally in a groove. Hopefully I can keep it up through Nationals. Practice arrows are totally different than tournament arrows, so as long as I keep my brain out of the way and let my body do what it's been trained to do, I'll be fine. I'm excited.

I love this photo. Sarah took it a few weeks ago. I'm a bit out of focus, but she did a great job.

I need more photos of me with my girls. I think maybe we'll have a session soon.

I was telling Andrew last night how utterly gorgeous our girls are. It's amazing how easily people fall in love with them. Not only are they beautiful, but they have wonderful personalities. It's fun to watch them interact with people. Most of the time people forget they're only 9 and 7. A lady at the club said the other day that talking to Cora was like talking to a little adult.

We bought Cora a new riser. It's a new 21 inch riser from Hoyt, and we're hoping it gets here soon. We ordered it two months ago, but since it's a pretty uncommon length (they're usually 23 or 25) it's taken them a bit to make it. We're told it got mailed to the distributor and our dealer should have it soon. Where's our riser, Craig??? :)

Cora's will be black. We still have to get limbs for it, but those won't take long to get in. She's outgrowing her old bow and needs a new one to keep up with her. Poor kid needs a new quiver, too, but that's another story. I can't express how incredibly proud I am of Cora. For her to be so composed and mature while she's training for a long-term goal (Olympics) is amazing. She has road bumps, fights us tooth and nail about practicing. At the end of the day, she decides to make the effort and put the work in. When/if she decides she's done for good, we'll support her. I think she loves the thrill of competition and the satisfaction of mastering something. I want to be like her when I grow up.

Friday

Yeah, it's Friday. I have the day off, and am just sitting here watching the Today Show and surfing the net. Andrew's in bed sick, and I'm not sure when/if he'll get up. Poor guy. He's been sick a lot since we've been in Texas. He's committed to shooting the National Archery tournament in a couple weeks, and I think maybe the stress of that might be getting to him. I hope he has fun, but I think he's going to be more frustrated than anything. Since he injured his shoulder a couple years ago, he's had a really hard time keeping it strong and it's affecting his shooting. He hates that he can't be as consistent as he used to be. I like that he decided to shoot such a competitive shoot, but I hope he can keep the right perspective. I'm really proud of him for giving it a "shot". Heh...

The weather in Texas has been wonderful. I love the fact that it stays warm here. That's the only thing I hated about Michigan; the 5 long months of winter. I always looked forward to the spring/summer, but it never lasted long enough.

I miss my dad. As we prepare for our tournament, I wish every day that he was here to see us. He'd be tickled pink to watch Cora do so well. I know he's watching, though, and I know he's proud of us all. He would be our biggest groupie and would follow us to all the different shoots. I have a photo of him on my quiver, and I have a few of his favorite songs on my iPod. These things make me feel like he's close and helping me succeed. Let's kick ass, dad.

Work is going ok. Things are slow, and the hours are hard to come by. But at least I have a job, and for the most part, I'm able to find enough hours a week to make it work. Someone always calls in, and someone always needs extra help in their department. I've had a lot of fun working at Starbucks. I love making drinks and talking to the people who come in. We've been told that our drinks taste better than the drinks in a company-operated store. I know why, too. We don't resteam our milk like I've seen other baristas do in other stores. There's a definite difference in taste when milk is resteamed. Yuck. At our store, we use fresh milk for every drink. Yeah, we're hoity-toity at OUR Starbucks. *Giggle*

I was just thinking today about how blessed we are. Everyone's going through some tough times, and who knows when things will improve. I count my blessings every day. My girls are healthy and happy. We're able to spend time together, even if it's mostly at the archery club. The little things are definitely being counted right now. We're lucky.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Wow...

I SO need to blog more. Seems like I'm hardly on the computer anymore. Nationals are coming up in 2 1/2 weeks, so we've all been training for that. We're also going to Louisville, KY for NFAA Nationals in mid-March. Cora's the only one shooting that one, but we're all going to visit all our friends from Michigan who will also be there. It'll be a nice reunion!

Not much else going on here. Still working. Still hating it. Guess that's par for the course, eh? Tough times around here, so I'm lucky to have a job.

Anyhoo, we're all doing well. Can't ask for much more than that.

We Will Rampage!!!!

Ok, maybe not. We did go to the Rampage game Friday night, but by the end of the first period, Sarah was feeling horrible. She sat on my lap and put her head on my shoulder for the entire intermission. By the middle of the second period, she was throwing up. Needless to say, we left the game early. They ended up winning 2-1 in OT. GO RAMPAGE! We'll definitely plan on going again. Sarah was sick for the weekend and Monday, but is feeling better now. She's coughing a little, but getting better.

I'm sick now. Nasty cough, nasty head congestion, feel like crap. Did I get to stay home from work? Nope. I worked Monday and Tuesday, all day, feeling like crap. I totally lost my voice yesterday, but I got through it. Got to do something different at work besides Starbucks, so that was cool. Everyone was freaked out because I didn't have a black shirt on (uniform for Starbucks). I had a red shirt like other Target employees wore. I was SO asleep by 9 last night. Watched American Idol. I always watch the preliminaries, then get bored when the competition starts.

Ok, I think I'll go lay on the couch and sleep. Later!

Friday, Baby!

It's a wonderfully sunny and warm day here in San Antonio, TX. Man, I love it here. Everyone is freezing their scooby-doobies off in Michigan, and I'm here working on my tan. Nice.

I just got us tickets for a minor league Hockey game tonight. The San Antonio Rampage play the Milwaukee Admirals tonight. The girls and Andrew went to a game a few weeks ago and had a blast, so I thought we'd all go this time. Should be pretty fun. I've never been to a hockey game, so it'll be a new experience.

We had a wonderful and family-filled Christmas. Andrew's mother and sister flew in from Michigan and we all converged in Fort Worth and filled my sister-in-law's house to capacity, especially after her brother and his family go there. Fourteen people jammed into their house. No problem, though. We all had a blast hanging out. We spent a couple days there, then came home with Andrew's mom and sister. They stayed here for a few days. We took them to the Riverwalk and the Alamo. It was the first time we'd seen the Alamo as well. I didn't realize it was right in town. For some reason I thought it was a bit more secluded. We ate lunch at Schilo's Delicatessen. EXCELLENT food! My mother-in-law saw fit to order a plate of cow tongue. Nice. Anyhoo, if you're ever in town, be sure to stop there for a bite.



Andrew, his sister Lara, Sarah, and his mom waiting to cross the street.



The Riverwalk

Yesterday, Sarah and I played hooky and went to the park. This kid is so fun to hang out with. We happened upon a half-decayed deer carcass. "SWEET!!!", she yelled.







Just sent off our entry fees for Indoor Nationals next month. While Cora was practicing today, she shot a personal best, only two points away from her next rank of Master Archer. She was quite excited. I'm excited to see how she does this year. She's grown so much, physically and emotionally. A HUGE confidence booster happened last night when leagues started at the bow shop last night. She's the only kid shooting, and she asked Staten Holmes to be her partner. He was like, "Well, of COURSE I'll be your partner". She shot really well all night and had a blast. For those of you who don't know, Staten just made the US World Team and will be competing in Poland in March, representing the United States. Congrats to Staten!

Ok, enough of my rambling. Gotta go pretend to clean the living room.

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Best Christmas Present...

a mother can have. Look at those faces...



Merry Christmas, everyone!

I found a great little shop!

An Etsy Shop, that is! Check it out!

Craft Tea Lady Creations

She's got some really cute hats! I might have to get one for each of my girls!

Ummm...

Well, I didn't realize it's almost been a month since my last blog post. It seems harder and harder to get online and update. Busy time at work, and of course the management finds it necessary to cut hours. At Christmas? The busiest time of year? Someone please explain that to me. I was alone today from 7:30 AM until 2 PM. I can handle it, but I shouldn't have to. And of course, it was the busiest Monday we've had yet. Nice.

Anyway, I'm home and I smell like coffee. Usually that's not a bad thing, but when you're around it all day, the smell can get to be a bit much.

Not sure what our Christmas dinner will be? I was thinking of going a bit to the wild side and having pizza and finger foods. We can just hang out and watch movies all day. It's been fun Christmas shopping for the girls this year. I found a really cool gift for Andrew yesterday, and it was half off~ I totally got it. Can't say what it is because he might read this! *Giggle*

Anyway, I'll end this with a photo of the girls Thanksgiving weekend in Fort Worth. They got to see Santa with their cousin Isabel. It was her first visit with the guy in red.

Countdown to Turkey Day~

Wow...I can't believe that Thanksgiving is a little over a week away. The girls have all of next week off of school, and I don't have to work until the evening during the week. I get out of work at 11 PM on Wednesday night, am off Thursday and then go to work at 5 AM on Black Friday. Should be a fun and busy day. No so much looking forward to the 4 AM wake up that day, but hey, I work at Starbucks! I'll be surrounded by LOTS of great coffee to keep me awake.

I just bought Andrew this for an early Christmas present:




Sigh. I may never get him off the computer ever now. I must admit, WOW is fun to play, but Andrew can spend HOURS on there. I'm surprised his leg muscles haven't atrophied. Nerd.

Anyhoo...

Last night I was invited to attend the grand opening of another site of Dickey's Barbecue Pit.

Really good food! They just opened a store right by Target, so the owner comes in and gets his coffee every morning. We got to go in last night and sample the food while the staff practiced running the register and getting the store ready. Thanks for inviting me, Greg!

Welp, I'm off to enjoy my evening.

Night!

Monday, Monday...

I got a last-minute day off today. Schedule changed at work slightly because one of the ladies quit in another department, and Starbucks has been helping ease the void a bit.

It's finally chilly in Texas. Ok...not crazy chilly, but in the 40s when we wake up and it gets to about 75 in the afternoon. Lovin' it.

Been scrappin' a bit this week. It's been so long since I've felt inspired, and it was great to get a couple pages done that I love.

This page uses elements from "Winter Wishes" by Nikki Beaudreau and Kitty Chen. Available at Oscraps and Shabby Pickle Designs.

This is with "Sweet Orchard", an SSD/Scrap Orchard Collab. Available at Sweet Shoppe Designs.

What's Up?

So, I'm a terrible blogger. We've been busy here with shooting and working. Both girls got their report cards on Halloween and did very well. Sarah got all A's and Cora got all A's except one B in math. She missed the A by two points. We're very proud of how they've adjusted to moving to a new state. Their treat was a trip to Pizza Hut.

As for me, I'm LOVING the fact that it's November and it's still in the 80's. I forgot how much I missed that about living in the South. I can't believe Thanksgiving will come and go without snow on the ground. Poor Andrew won't know what to do when he's in his shorts and sandals while eating Turkey.

Work is going good. I get almost 40 hours a week, so that helps a lot. I love working at Target/Starbucks! For the most part it's a great company to work for, apart from the usual drama that's bound to occur. It's about to get really busy when Christmas season begins.

Other than that, life is going really good. We've elected a new president. It was really exciting to watch our country elect someone who is young enough and inexperienced enough to actually do a good job. We'll see! I'll definitely be praying for President-Elect Obama, hoping he can turn our country around. I'm excited for our country!

Also, I want to send out a HUGE THANK YOU to anyone who is currently serving or has previously served our country in our military. You ROCK for your dedication to this wonderful nation! THANKS!!!!!

Woah!

Have I really gone almost a month without posting? Dude. It's still nice and warm here in San Antonio. My poor Michigan family is trudging through highs in the 50s, while we're still swimming almost every night here. *Giggle*

The girls are doing wonderfully in school. Apparently Cora has been a tad boy-crazy and had to be separated from a certain group of them during class. Sigh. Luckily Sarah hasn't quite gotten to that stage yet, but I have a feeling it's coming.

Yesterday Cora and I went to a really cool park near our house that has wonderful nature trails and an awesome walking track. Cora freaked out when she saw this sign:

Poor little sheltered yankee!

It's Been Crazy

So, I got a job as soon as we got settled here in San Antonio. It's nothing major, but it will help with money. I'm working in Starbucks in Target. I'm an employee of Target, but work in the licensed store of Starbucks. I still get the training that Starbucks employees get. My Target store is a new store that isn't opened yet, so we've been training and also helping out in the store trying to get everything stocked and ready to go. I'm having a really good time learning everything. We've made lots of coffee, drank lots of coffee, and had fun getting to know my fellow workers. It feels good to make money.

It's still hot here. I'm lovin' it! Andrew is missing Fall, though. He keeps expecting to see the leaves change, but not happenin'.

The girls are adjusting well to SA. They love school and have made many friends. I knew it wouldn't take long for them to be ok with moving.

Page Turner Tuesday!

Ahhhh...

Finally got internet access set up at our new place yesterday. It's been an adventure, getting settled in. The girls started school on Monday. When I picked them up from school they couldn't stop jabbering about how much fun they had and how many friends they made. I was so relieved to hear them being happy about it. I figured it wouldn't take them long to adjust.

San Antonio is wonderful. I've only seen a small part of it so far, but I really love how I live close to everything. We were hoping to go exploring downtown this weekend, but Hurricane Ike might make that impossible. They're expecting San Antonio to get a lot of wind and rain so we might be stuck inside playing XBox. :)

I'm going job hunting today. I figure since the girls are in school, I can get a job to contribute a little to the family. I'm excited to find a part time job around here. There seems to be a lot to choose from.

We've already gotten our library cards and have been checking out the many branches of the San Antonio library.

Welp, I'd better get moving this morning.

Texas Is Hot

Yes. I'm sure that is huge news to everyone, but Texas is indeed warmer than Michigan. Go figure.

I'm really enjoying being here though. We're still staying at Andrew's brother's house. They've been really gracious with us and haven't changed the locks on us yet. We move into our apartment on the 5th, so we'll be out of their hair soon enough. Andrew has finished packing up the house and should be on the road later today. Please pray that his truck makes it with the trailer behind it! Our move to Texas is almost complete. It will be SO much nicer when our house in Michigan sells, as two house payments won't be easy. We'll survive though.

I bought the girls' school supplies the other day. I figured that once we get to San Antonio on Friday we'd be busy moving in, and I might not have time to get their supplies. It's always fun buying new stuff for school. Of course, the girls weren't as excited as I was.

I got my hair colored and cut Monday. I went red. Not as red as I wanted, but it's definitely red. The cut is so light. I had so much hair on my head, and needed it lighter for Texas. It was fun changing my look.

One of my close friend's daughters made the Jr. World Archery Team. She gets to travel to Antalya, Turkey in October to competel. Unfortunately, this trip is mostly 100% self-funded, so she'll have to shell out the money herself. Her sister is an alternate, so both girls could potentially be going. Here's an article done about them.

Jessica and Danielle Gibbs

We're all so proud of them. Cora and Sarah are going to have a lemonade stand set up this weekend to try to raise a little bit of money for them. They are wonderful girls and I really hope they're able to get there. They deserve it, since they work so hard. GO GIBBS GIRLS!!!!!

Yee Haw!

I'm a Texan. We crossed the state line around 5 PM Saturday afternoon. It was a LONG drive from Grand Blanc to Fort Worth, but we finally made it. The girls were pretty bored and bickered most of the way. I was really ready to leave them in Oklahoma.

We stayed Friday night in St. Louis at Andrew's Aunt and Uncle's. They took us to the City Museum. Ed had SO much fun showing the girls all the cool tunnels and caves. Mostly everything was designed from scraps from the city: old conveyer belts, pools, rivets, old printing presses...it was very cool. The girls just enjoyed crawling everywhere. We stayed past midnight, and of course, my girls were the only little kids left in the place that late. Figures.

Saturday morning we left for Fort Worth. We stopped a few times and rested, so it took about 12 hours. I was definitely glad to get here. I met my new niece, Isabel. She's such a sweet baby, and she loves Sarah. Giggles at her every time she sees her. Too cute. It was Tax Free Weekend here in Texas, so yesterday Deanna and I went and got a few things for the girls. Tax here is 8.25%.










Later.

It's Happening

Welp, we leave for Texas tomorrow. It's been a long and stressful week, which I will elaborate on when I actually get to Texas. Just wanted to let everyone know what's up, and that by Saturday night, I'll be a Texan! Yee Haw!!

Cora was on TV!

Ok, this was seriously cool. Jason Fielder, a sports reporter from CBS Channel 5 came to the bow club to learn how to shoot and challenge Cora. It was a hoot! You can see the video here:

Video

If that doesn't work, go to WNEM Sports
then click on "Fielder's Choice: Jason tries archery"

That's all the news I have this week. Here's Sarah lazin' around watching "Space Cow" (???)

I'm a Slacker

Yup, that's me. Been pretty busy around her the past couple weeks. The house is finally for sale. So now we do is wait for it to sell. My house has never been so clean for so long! Maybe I can pretend that my house is always for sale and keep it this clean all the time in Texas? HA!

Yesterday we spent the day in Farmington Hills with Andrew's brother. They were working on our truck to make sure it will be able to tow a trailer full of our crap to Texas. Looks like it will now. We think we're going to buy a 12 foot enclosed trailer and move to Texas that way instead of paying 1400 bucks to rent a UHaul. YES, it costs that much to move from Michigan to Texas. But if you look to move from Texas to Michigan, it's only 400 bucks. Nice, eh? EVERYONE is leaving Michigan, so UHaul loses their trucks on one-way moves. Guess they have to recover their money somehow. So we decided to buy a trailer and then sell it when we get to Texas. Take THAT, UHaul! *giggle*

Cora now has to wear glasses full time. Looks like she inherited her dad's eyesight. Which sucks, because Andrew's eyes are horrible. Maybe since we caught it early it will be better for her. They changed considerably since last year. Last year she was far-sighted and needed glasses only for reading. Now she's near-sighted and needs them all the time. Sigh.

Anyhoo...here she is:



I think she's gorgeous!

Check out this cool website. It's like Locks of Love, but you only need 8 inches instead of 10.

Pantene Beautiful Lengths

Dude, It's Hot

And I love it! I'm SO gettin' psyched for Texas.

Last weekend we traveled to Oklahoma City, OK for JOAD Nationals. Cora was certain she wanted to shoot. The only thing we didn't expect was her getting sick. She had been sick with a virus the week before, but was feeling better. We left on Wed., July 9. She started feeling bad on the way to St. Louis. We stopped there to visit Andrew's aunt and uncle. She woke up on Thursday feeling ok, but as we got close to OKC, she felt crappy again. We went to the archery field to get her checked in and have her take a few practice shots. We could definitely tell she wasn't feeling well, but she shot her practice shots. Then we go to the hotel, and she promptly hurls. Poor kid. No sleep Thursday night. She gets up Friday morning for the start of the tournament and finishes out Day 1. Friday night she gets no sleep again. She actually started crying about 15 minutes before the alarm was set to go off because she knew she needed to get up and shoot. She makes it through the tournament, and even manages to shoot a personal best despite being sick as a dog. We're SO proud of her. She was easily the smallest kid on the field.




The fact that it was in the 90s and HUMID as all get out didn't help. Poor kid. She was SUCH a tough kid. She came in 6th. Keep in mind that all her competitors were 11 and 12 years old. She's 8.

The Flint Bowmen Posse: Bad-asses, the lot of them.





This is Danielle (AKA: NUGGET)

Here's Cora on Sunday morning. She felt GREAT, and of course she didn't have to shoot.


Andrew helps the "Bowmen" tally up their scorecards.




We got home without sickness. Somehow I became hooked on the Twilight series. Excellent book. Not quite as good as Harry Potter, but definitely good enough.

We're winding down our time in Michigan. Within the next couple months, we'll be Texans. At the tournament, we met some of the people from our potential future JOAD club. VERY nice folks. Cora will be in good hands.

"I'm not from Texas, but I got here as fast as I could."

SSD's New Designer!

Go Libby! Libby made her digi designer debut tonight at Sweet Shoppe Designs! Check out her stuff; it rocks!

Congrats, girlie!!








Check out her store!

No Snappy Title Here...

Nothing earth-shattering happening around here. Buick Open just got done here in Grand Blanc. It's cool to have a major golf tournament happening a mile from the house. Unfortunately, Tiger isn't here this year since he's having surgery on his knee.

Anyhoo...last weekend we were in Hanover. Andrew was there on business, so the girls and I drove down there to stay with him for a few days. We got there Thursday (6/19). Friday we hung out at the mall for a while, then Andrew came to meet us at Remomo's
for lunch. Pretty good crab cakes.
Here's a photo of the girls saying good morning to Baltimore. (we saw Hairspray a couple days before)



Saturday we drove to DC. It took us a few minutes to figure out how to get to where we wanted to park, but it wasn't too bad. We decided to walk around instead of taking a tourbus. It was a LOT of walking, but we went slow, so it wasn't so bad. First thing we saw was the Roosevelt Memorial.


It was designed really beautifully. The "feel" of being in DC was really unique. Knowing that we're in a place of such historical significance was really cool.

Next was the WWII Memorial. This was really awesome.









After we got done at the WWII Memorial, we walked over to the Washington Monument. This is just spectacular. We could see it from must about anywhere around there. Very cool to see it up close.



Sarah takes a break in the shade of the Washington Monument.


We really had a blast wandering around the Natural Science Museum. Got to see the Hope Diamond, and it seemed like a really popular item, as it was very hard to get to the case to see it. The whole gem exhibit was really interesting. I used to work in a jewelry store, so seeing all these stones was so much fun for me. I love learning about them.

Here's Andrew in the Air and Space Museum next to something from one of the space projects. He helped design some of the programming on it and was pretty proud to see it on display.



Capital Building



I loved the architecture of most of the building around. Very old and just like they were a hundred years ago. Somehow, that makes me feel good. I love when things stay the same even when things around them change dramatically.

After the capital, we walked to George's House.



The White House, of course, was a very popular stop. They were apparently having some sort of party there this night, as there were people dressed up, and my absolute favorite thing was seeing snipers on the roof.

Check it...

This makes me giggle. Man, I love this photo. America rocks.

From the White House, we walked a LONG way to the Vietnam Memorial. I was blown away by this place. I'm not sure how to describe it. Very humbling to be here. To think of all the names on this wall. All these people gave their lives for their country. Wow.



There were many flags, letters, even a jacket that was left there on the wall. I was moved.

Lastly, we saw the Lincoln Memorial. I was blown away by the size of Lincoln's statue. Pictures I've seen didn't prepare me for how big he was. VERY cool.



Of course, we had to do the obligatory photos that everyone does when at the Lincoln Memorial. Sure, they're not original, but fun nonetheless.




We were SO pooped after this. We walked back to the car and drove back to the hotel. Sleep came pretty fast once we got there.

Sunday was reserved for Arlington National Cemetery. Again, we walked, but I truly think walking through this sacred place is the best way to experience it. What an experience for Andrew and me. The girls enjoyed it, but they didn't experience it the way Andrew and I did. Being former military, we were so proud to be here among soldiers and others who earned the right to be laid to rest in such a place.



Andrew and the girls walking up the amphitheater's steps



A Sentinel 'walking the mat'



The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier



The Changing Of The Guard ceremony was by far the highlight of the day. We saw two changings, and I SO could have stayed there all day. These guys were just so awesome. They are SO bad ass. I was really impressed with how precise they were. Everything was timed perfectly. Sweetness.

Thurgood Marshall's grave:



Audie Murphy, baby!



And of course, Andrew being a very naughty boy:





That's our big weekend in DC. I definitely recommend making a trip if you've never been. I loved every minute of being there. A lot of America's history, right there to see. Granted, some of our history isn't something to be proud of. But most civilizations have that to say about themselves. Our past makes us who we are. Hopefully we're able to learn from our mistakes and make the future better.

Monday we took a last-minute trip to Hershey Park. This was the girls' first trip to an amusement park. I had SO much fun watching them run around having the time of their lives. The 100 buck admission fee was totally worth it.

Good Morning, Baltimore!

Ok...the girls and I watched Hairspray Wednesday night. Great show.

We're in Hanover right now. The girls and I drove down yesterday. Andrew's here on business, so we thought we'd come for a visit. This weekend we're going to see D.C. I've always wanted to go, and once we're in San Antonio, I probably won't have a chance again. Plus, Andrew has a rental car and free hotel. Woot! Maryland is beautiful. People drive like maniacs though. I've also found that archers are the same everywhere: extremely nice, helpful, and fully willing to talk smack to a complete stranger when it comes to archery. LOVE it! We went to the range where Andrew's been shooting while he's here.

I figure today we'll hit the Arundel Hills mall while Andrew's at work. After the trip down, I'm not up to much driving.

Welp, I'm off to explore the mall. Later!