Monday, October 30, 2006

2 Months to go!

Sean and I recently went to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens to get some "engagement photos" taken. (Yep... It's about 2 months now until the WEDDING!) We've both been to the gardens before, but it's been years! And as we walked around, we wondered why we haven't been here more recently -- and more often. It's so neat! At any rate, here is one of my favorite photos. I love the Autumn colors; and the people in the photo aren't too bad, either!

Thursday, October 26, 2006

No wind... no fly!


Have you ever noticed that kite flying without wind is more like kite holding or kite dragging? Well, this was Jaiden's first run with a kite... and run it was -- literally! (And then it was smash the kite into the ground -- or the neighbor's house -- and start all over again!) Oh, well! It will be like a whole new experience when we try this again -- hopefully under more ideal kite-flying conditions!

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Chillin' at the Pumpkin Patch


A more appropriate title for this post would mention the fact that we were actually freezing at the pumpkin patch! I didn't think it would be that cold as Sean, Jaiden and I piled into the truck and headed for the pumpkin patch last Friday. And I certainly didn't know what to expect, either.... But we were in for a long, muddy hike, some mild starvation, poisoning by noxious smoke and me tearing up my ankles in new "galoshes" because I didn't wear good socks. Ok, ok. We did have some fun. (And I do exaggerate a bit!) We went on a hayride -- my and Jaiden's first. We saw the pumpkin patch, petted some farm animals and ran around an authentic teepee. But the cold wind, the muddy mess and the smoky, burnt marshmallows were not so much fun! Ha-ha! And the piddly little pumpkin Jaiden got to take home was pretty funny. We went on a 5-mile hike up and down steep, muddy hills and tortured our lungs with a dozen smoky campfires for a softball-sized pumpkin?!?! Ah yes. Life's little lessons. Next October, we're not only taking chairs to the pumpkin patch, we're bringing snacks, drinks, comfortable shoes, blankets, gas masks and magnifying glasses ... to see the pumpkins, of course...

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Archery for Blondes

I am definitely not an archery expert; I only wrote a book about it! (Ha-ha! Really. Go buy it!) And sad but true, this was my first attempt at shooting a compound bow. Now, I've practiced with and pulled many a compound bow -- at 50 pounds or less -- but I've never actually had an arrow to shoot.... (Those who know me well, know that I am really bad -- aka "accident prone" -- with fire and sharp things.) And I've never actually shot right-handed either. I 'm one of those weirdos: I am right handed but left-eye dominant... which makes for an interesting shot (to say the least).
At any rate, as you can see, I hit that silly plastic deer! (Look closely -- the arrow is sticking in its neck!) Hey -- that deer was threatening us with its fierce, artificial gaze. I did a service to the community -- and to everyone in the immediate area -- by taking down that crazed synthetic creature!

Monday, October 9, 2006

I don't really remember...


Yep. That's actually me in the picture, shoving some random flower in my nose. You see, I've been pondering the whole "what-will-Jaiden-rememember-when-she-gets-older?" thought, and it's giving me a migraine! I remember very few things from my pre-Alabama days (up 'til age 9)...
Let's see, there was…
* watching the snowflakes -- illuminated by the street lamp outside my window -- falling on Christmas Eve night as I anticipated the arrival of Santa...
* staring at the hideous orange, yellow and green "psycho mushrooms" on the wallpaper in my bedroom...
* playing with Wally (the stuffed walrus) that I accidentally left behind at the grocery store (I got him back... and I still have him somewhere)...
* baking cookies with mom, or, actually, sneaking big globs of raw cookie dough when she wasn't paying attention…
* racing down the hill on my tricycle until it tipped over (then I was skidding down the hill on my right arm and elbow!)…
* trick-or-treating in a plastic Strawberry Shortcake costume that tied in the back like a bib…
* listening to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and thinking it was really good…
* eating those weird, sour, chalk-like lollipops they sold at the concession stand at the pool…
* using nail polish and markers to “paint” rocks with my friend Matthew (and trying to sell them to passers-by)…
* thinking that my Spiderman Big Wheel – with the permanent 55 mph speedometer reading --was the coolest thing I could ever have…
What about you? What from your early childhood do you recall?

Tuesday, October 3, 2006

Jaiden's 4th Birthday... and the Beginning of the Hello Kitty Obsession


My little girl is 4.... (Well, she's 4 years and nearly 3 months old by the time of this writing)... and I thought I would take a moment to ponder that.
4.... I honestly don't remember 4. At all. So I wonder how much of this she'll recall!

One thing is for sure... the "Hello Kitty Obsession" rages on. I guess it all started when J and I went to Target to pick out birthday party items. We came across the huge Hello Kitty selection -- from pink, feathery Hello Kitty pillows and glittery stickers to flower-shaped bubble bottles and Japanese-style Hello Kitty lanters.... Jaiden was hooked. You can see in the picture that she's blowing out candles on her Hello Kitty cake. (That's Corinne, Sean's sister, giving her a lift up to the table!) There were also Hello Kitty plates, Hello Kitty napkins, Hello Kitty bags, Hello Kittty bubbles, Hello Kitty t-shirts, Hello Kitty shoes and several Hello Kitty-themed presents. And now Jaiden thinks EVERYTHING should be Hello Kitty. She told me she's having a "Hello Kitty birthday for Christmas after she has Hello Kitty pizza and Hello Kitty cupcakes and plays in the Hello Kitty jumpy place." Hmmmm... Should I be concerned?!? The weird thing is, I went through a Hello Kitty stage myself. Yep, I bought those silly, overpriced Hello Kitty lollipops and the notebooks with pencils so skinny and small you couldn't really write with them.
Well, I guess it could be worse. She could be into Barney or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or the Power Rangers or something!