I love Apple and Amazon

I want one of these!!

Ok. Now on to Amazon. I'm completely hooked! I have 30 books and 30 games on my wishlist now. And it only continues to grow. The recommendations tab is creating a never-ending monster. I'm going to have to live a very long time to ever make it through this list. Not to mention having a very good job to supply the never-ending expense. I don't smoke, I don't drink; so it should be easy to buy an entire library. Now the addition to the house to hold all of the books is a different story. Reading is good. Do it more often. It's exercise for your brain.

My biggest recommendation is Brandon Sanderson. Thanks Caitlin!

Another picture update

Ok. Here are some pictures from the Labor Day camping weekend.

Me chilling out on the boat. The pontoon boat had these plastic porch benches on board. Sweetness, only one of them was actually bolted to the boat.
Me doing my part on the boat. I attempted to haul up the anchor. I was able to pull up the 30 feet or so of rope, but once the anchor actually reached the side of the boat gravity kicked back in on the brick chunk that was the anchor. It went from weighing 10 pounds to about 50. My little chicken arms couldn't quite pull the weight and Jason was afraid I was going overboard. I'm not entirely sure he was off base on that assumption. Definitely glad he decided to have a hold. It was warm out, but not enough for a swim in the lake.
After the inability to pull up anchor, I was given driving duty. I took the boat back to the shore. I did not dock the boat, though. My driving skills are not perfected enough to be near a shore with a rented boat. Heck, I wouldn't let me near the dock in my own boat either. My depth perception is ridiculously off.
Jason taking a turn as helmsman. My dad relaxing in the back. His mom laughing at his inept boating skills. Just kidding, he is really good at driving pontoons. It's jet skis that he lands on pontoon boats you have to watch. (Side note: Check out the $5 fine for returning a wet life jacket. Hopefully they take benefit of the doubt your life was in need of saving. Otherwise that's just about the most ridiculous thing I've ever read.)
The lily fields. There were thousands of lily pads all around the lake. This is only one big cluster. They were mostly in bloom, but I think we missed the prime season. Still beautiful none-the-less. Made me have a Monet moment, wishing for an easel and some oils.

Last weekend his parents came down to visit us. They took us to the Land of Illusion. Quite a cool little Halloween theme park with four individual haunted houses. I'm not big on the haunted houses really, but these were a good time. One about clowns and one about a crazy doctor. You're typical scare themes actually. The clown one had 3D glasses that made it worth the lack of fright. Plus, it had a maze of fences, which combined with 3D glasses had us so turned around it was insane. There was a mile walk. We got grouped with some teenage black girls who couldn't stop screaming their heads off. It honestly kills the scary tension, a shame really. The temple was by far the best. It even managed to surprise Jason. The drop down ceiling had him pancake to the ground in 5 seconds. Quite hilarious. There was a live band who you could listen to in between haunted houses. They were actually really good. His dad yelled out "Radio" in between sets and they immediately began the song. Sweet! A good night all in all. The next morning we went to a sweet breakfast buffet and disc golf at one of the local courses. It was such a nice day; we spent 2 hours out on the course. Good exercise, but I was beat by the end.

Jason has started work on his senior project. He has to spend half the day most Saturdays teaching high school kids about robotics. It is an interesting experience for him, but very good.

This is something I promised Mrs. Hair I would some day post. That day has come. It has gone around the blogsphere and I find it to be very invigorating.

Here's the deal. The first 5 people to leave a comment here will get a homemade gift from me. It doesn't matter if I don't know you. The only catch is that you have to pay the gift forward by reposting this on your blog/Facebook/Myspace. I will check to make sure you've done so. I don't know what the gift will be, but it will be homemade. I'll get it to you sometime this year (but probably sooner than later so I don't have it looming over my head). I don't promise you'll love it, but I'm not going to make you something I think you'll hate, either, because that would be like an un-gift and defeat the entire purpose.

Pictures

I promised I would put up some pictures so here they are. We will ignore the fact that I am behind schedule yet again. But with pictures will also come more news to sate your curious minds.

The Chicago Pipe and Drum band at the Dublin Irish Festival. I haven't missed one of these festivals in 5 years. I love them. If I had more money, it would be devastating. The imports they get are phenomenal. We found juice concentrate that Jay absolutely loves, plus I get Bounty bars every year. The Welsh cookies are probably our favorite. Even though they have a website, there is something so special about getting them every year at the festival.
Close up of the band. I was surprised to see women up on the stage. Not completely traditional since they were Scottish men that followed the army.

Me and Nikki, the new blushing bride. She was absolutely beautiful.

The wedding party

Me and the groomsmen, Caitlin. Very progressive of Nikki and Zack.

Aren't I a pretty bridesmaid?

These guys truly were phenomenal musicians. One of the best parts about the festival is the entertainment. My one wish is they get more professional dancers. I'm not big on watching midgets dance around since they only know five steps. We were able to watch a couple of the "adult" groups. They have amazing stamina and grace. I would love to take Irish Dance lessons. Maybe I'll get motivated some day when I've settled.

Labor Day Weekend was AWESOME. We went camping for 3 days with his parents and my dad. We went to Cowan Lake, which is beautiful, peaceful, and small. We camped at the primitive sites with no electricity. That means we were relatively isolated with other campers of our caliber (no midgets running around screaming and yelling at all hours of the day and night). We rented a pontoon boat for one of the days to stay out on the lake and fish. However, the fish felt it was a good time to avoid us. Being on a boat was pretty sweet. So relaxing, just laying out and catching some rays I practically fell asleep.

We were able to sell our Wii for some nice cash and went out and bought a Playstation 3 slim. SWEEEEEEET! The system is amazing. That is really the end of the story. It kicks butt in every category for us. Now we are saving up the paycheck extras to get some games. Right now were living on free demos. The list is amazingly long. We search the flea markets for deals, but the system is still too new for many of the games we want to be floating out there. But I'm patient if I get good savings.

My list also includes games for the DS, which are easier to find. I love that little pocket gamer. Gives me something to do at lunch hour that is relaxing and escapes from work. Reading is a good option too.

Ok. So it's been two months. As most of you may realize, I'm not very good at this blogging thing. Life sweeps me by and I live it crashing before I ever update it.

My new job: I am assistant to the Safety Director at my company. I am responsible for updating the company safety manual and making sure procedures are up to current OSHA standards. I have memorized more OSHA standards then I ever wanted to know. I can do safety inspections and actually know what's wrong. I visited our other facility in the state. It was like walking back into the 70s. It was refreshing to see a company that isn't investing money in new furniture and buildings when they have a perfectly working facility. I do admit that I am fascinated by the process of making our product. Printing is cool. I go to meetings to explain the safety audit I created. I handle the calendar for my boss, who is slightly overwhelmed by the new position of handling safety for all 7 of our locations. I'm hoping they like my safety skills so much they'll make me safety coordinator of our Netherlands branch. Right now we have kind of forgotten about them, but I'd gladly learn Dutch!

My new bed: I'm moving up in the world. Now with a full time position, some help from loved ones, and limited expenditures throughout the year, I have saved up enough money to buy a new bed! It is sweet. I had my previous bed for 25 years. It was definitely time for an update. We went to HH Gregg of all places. We did the typical walk around and looked at all the mattresses. I hopped on some and turned and tossed trying to get a feel for the mattress. There were a couple we liked in our price range. But with the guru of haggling, we also checked out a few that we a little over. Then we found it, the Serta Kira. The goddess of mattresses. It was firm for Jason, soft for me. You couldn't feel any springs when rolling around (which was the problem that had us in the store). Then the sales guy said it was the original foam mattress! The thing is amazing and I never want to get out of it. Jason haggled them down to a price I couldn't resist. Plus, they delivered it in no time.

Nikki's Wedding: In July, Nikki got married and I was one of the bridesmaids. She picked out some of the cutest dresses. I was glad I didn't get stuck with something lurid or fluffy. I would actually wear my dress again. It makes a nice summer dress. The wedding was outdoors at a castle. It was beautiful. I'll have pictures posted later. (I'll post some pictures of the weekend we spent with Dawn and her kids too.)

Jason just finished up his summer session with a 4.0!!! Now he has a few weeks break before heading into fall semester. It's the final year. The end is nigh.

Weekends we aren't going home, we go out to the flea markets and play disc golf. You never know what you're going to find at a flea market. It is a place of hidden treasures. It has been an excellent summer. Labor Day is going to be spent camping with his parents and my dad. Looking forward to a nice long weekend out in the woods.

There's your two month's worth of news. Sorry if it was a little scattered. Trying to remember what I've been up to the last months is difficult. I'll do pictures once I get back from the flea market!

Promotion

Starting Monday I will be moving up in the world, though I will be in the same place. I get my new desk once the office is reorganized, until then I will be doing my old job with my new job. Talk about chaos ensuing. More later. (When I actually have a clue about what I said yes to)

Deer Creek

Last weekend we went camping for the first time. Camping season is officially open and I couldn't be more excited. Outdoors in the fresh air of spring. Nothing better. The nights could be a little warmer for my tastes. That would mean hot days, though, so I'll make the compromise. That's why I have under-armor, right?

Sunday morning, we all went out together to do some fishing. Us girls were there to search out the wildlife. Herons flock to the side parts of the lake. Our campsite had this sweet trial that led from the back straight down to the lake.
I tried to get a better picture of the heron flying, but this was the best I could do. I was on extreme zoom and it was hard to keep the camera steady enough to focus. I wish I would have had a more steady 35mm. I really like have hard prints over digital copies. Digital cameras still lack what a good Nikon has to me.
Across the lake from us is a Blue Heron. 
Here is our awesome snake friends. There were a set of four. I believe they were a mated pair each. I also believe we were fishing near there breeding spot. They had both picked crevices that came up the shore a little, but still had water under the rocks. They were the most interesting part of the fishing trip, in my opinion.

Here is a close up with the snake sticking his face out of the water. He was a fast one, just check out the racing stripes.

Now for a close up IN the water. He was trying to flee, but I would have none of that. It is a Watersnake. They have a skunk factor, so I kept my distance, but I couldn't resist taking pictures.
Here is our friend bathing on a hot rock. This is the furtherest they come from water, and he was not fast enough getting in the water when he spotted me. Proud of myself for having enough balance on the rocks to sneak up on a snake. The clouds were so thick we had little sunshine through the day. The winds were hurricane force and brought the cold front. Somehow, the rain stayed away making excellent camping conditions. Nights were a little rough with the tent trying to achieve lift off and extreme temperature drop.
He followed me wherever on the coast I went. He was the cutest little fellow. 
The dam was were all the action was happening. Not only a ton of fishermen, but a ton of fish to catch. The guys were getting all kinds of hits. They caught a variety that live at Deer Creek. 

Dad came down too. It was a really fun weekend. Eating camp food, sitting around a fire, fishing in the cool spring air, getting the first sunburn of the year. Excellent.

I got a sweet Nintendo DS. So I went to get some cool games to keep me entertained without breaking the bank. I found a cheap one called N+. I am totally hooked. It is an old school platforming game by Atari. You're a stick figure ninja who has to get through a 3D maze in the fastest time possible. I can't put the game down. It is sweet. There are so many games I want, my christmas list is bursting.

It's May already?!?

My new job has been going really well. I do enjoy being a receptionist.

Other than that the most exciting thing in my life is a dishwasher! Mom has a friend who remodeled their kitchen and had a portable dishwasher they weren't going to put back into the kitchen. Mom thought of us and our heaping pile of dishes that magically show up no matter how many dishes we seem to wash. I've become very domestic if I'm eagerly anticipating delivery.

Saturday we went to the most amazing flea market! It's called Treasure Aisles. Everyone should come down and spend a day there. The prices are low and the products are everything you could ever want. I found a dress hand-made in Acapulco with all natural fibers and dyes. I have found my true hippy dress. They make it by weaving the fibers with bone tools. The best part: the women down there are predominantly heavy chested, so they make clothes that will fit them (which means I found clothes that actually fit me!!). I also found $5 cat-eye tortoise-shell sunglasses! I have been looking everywhere for cat-eyes to be in style. Most of the sunglasses these days are big enough to eat lunch on. I do not glasses that Paris Hilton made popular. That is what the 80s were for.

Jason had even better luck than I did. He found a copy of Final Fantasy VII. (For all those who know little about video games, it is a very hard to find game. Online sellers ask hundreds of dollars for their copies. It is one of the best games for PS1 and everyone overcharges for their copy. Plus many weren't able to survive their teenage owners.) We found a copy in the original case, in practically new condition, for only $50. I don't think the seller had any idea what game he had on his hands. We were only too happy to take it from him. He also found a gentlemen from Kentucky selling true hot sauce. It has awesome flavor with quite a kick behind it. We love supporting the local people over Kroger.

It has been an amazing weekend. Since it is May, the best weekends are coming. Camping season has begun and the rest of our weekends will be spent camping or backpacking somewhere. Any one interested in camping, just let know!