1 Bushel and 3 Pounds Lighter

It was time to work on thinning out Bandit's coat for the hot summer days. Our Coat-King brush may not have the star power (or PR influence) of the Furminator, but as long as it lets me pet the dog without stirring up clumps of hair, I'm all for it.

Nothing witty to go here this time

A week and a half ago my family learned that my sister was admitted to the hospital back in Kansas. I'll spare you the details (because thinking about them too much will likely bring back the tears that have finally stopped), but basically her liver was overrun with toxins and her enzyme levels were at a life-threatening level (usually your enzymes are around 50 units; Ally's were above 5,000 units). She spent a week at the hospital in Manhattan, only to find out that the special unit there was closing down that very week. Fortunately there is a great specialist in Kansas City, and that's where she is now. My parents are also in KC to be there with her. We are so very lucky and thankful that the doctors and specialists were able to help her, and we hope and pray that her body is now on the mend. Things look good, and we're still planning on celebrating Ally's graduation from K-State in one month – it will be even a more joyous celebration than planned, I'm sure!!!

Thanks to all the friends who have given their support over the past week. At this time, I'm even more grateful to have some real amazing people in my life.

The Big Ditch

Ally and I visited the Grand Canyon last weekend. I've been a bit disappointed in my photo-taking abilities in recent weeks. I don't know why I'm not capturing things the way I see them in my mind. Here are a couple that turned out ok.

Photo update

Pat came for a visit last week. Whee! Below is evidence of good times:

At the recreation of St. Louis's Sportsman's Park at the Big League Dreams baseball stadiums in Gilbert




A night out at Devil's Martini with Courtney




Pat and Bandit bonded




Ally's in town! Yay!




Viviane tried her hand at coloring Easter Eggs




Brooke rocked at blowing bubbles

Pat's visit!

Coloring Easter Eggs with Viviane

Inspired: A "new" set of wheels

During my travels, I went bike-riding at least 5 times, which was about 4 times more than I'd experienced in the last 10 years. It was this ride in Salzburg (pictured above) that convinced me that I needed to put more bike in my life. A fellow American and I rented our bikes for the day and set out to explore. We quickly gave up trying to maneuver around the narrow, cobblestone city streets and set out on a trail to the countryside, ended up at a country pub out west of the city, and then a couple hours later, at the top of the tallest hill on the east end of the city. I decided then that once I was Stateside again, I'd look into getting myself a cheap-o set of wheels from a garage sale and do more bike-riding.

I got something even better: a bike from the dumpster. The day after Christmas, a lady was wheeling her bike to a dumpster, and upon inquiring about the bike, she said she was getting rid of it because the tires were flat and I was welcome to it if I wanted to salvage it. A few squirts from the bike pump later and I had myself a new set of wheels.

I invested $20 in a helmet and a bike chain, and it's been the best thing ever. I bike to the gym, the the bank, to the grocery store, to the salon, to Wal*Mart. And it's my goal in six-ish months to find a new place within a 5-mile radius of my FABULOUS! NEW! JOB! so I can give Yolanda the Honda days upon days of rest. Because nearly 50 miles to the gallon isn't good enough when gas is predicted to approach $4/gallon.

A fashion aside
That coat in the picture was probably the best purchase I made during my travels. My Phoenix mindset definitely influenced my packing when I completely forgot to stick a coat in my luggage. After three weeks of shivering around England and Scotland, I picked this jacket out in an Amsterdam store. I don't think I've owned any item that has received more compliments than this jacket. I'm kind disappointed that the heat is returning to the desert because I'm going to have to stick this trench in the closet for a few months now.

Walkin' the Dog

Jess, Eric & I took Bandit for an easy hike a couple weekends ago. You can get to the full album by clicking on the pictures, or following the link below.

More Arizona Fun 2008

Employed

Looks like that horoscope was right about "the grand design" being sketchy until March. This week I left the illustrious ranks of the unemployed. I've got a few weeks to loaf around until I start my new job. I won't include details here, because that's not how I roll. But if you're interested, I'll email you more info. I'm quite excited. Yay!

The Life and Times of Arizonans

I stumbled across a few pictures I had yet to upload to Picasa. If you want to see more in the various albums, just click the pictures. Enjoy.

The Famous Amos barks again.



Game Night essentials



Viviane loves her blue dress



One of my favorite things to do in Phoenix is have a leisurely weekend breakfast at La Grande Orange.

Before and After, Round 2

Yeah, this one went through a lot of manipulation. The result isn't your everyday picture, and you certainly wouldn't use it for just anything. But I like it. I was going for a superhero-type look, so I figured the over-the-top contrast, color and funky full-body halo effect would fit.

Original


Updated

Before & After, round 1

I've had a thing lately for seeing if I can take a not-so-great picture and make it better. This pic was really washed out. In Photoshop I messed with the levels, the color balance, removed the circles under her eyes and cleaned up the whispy hair at the top. I was really pleased the the outcome, even though I'm not convinced I like the sun rays across her jacket.

Original


Updated