Shop Flora is Officially Open!

Shop Flora is now officially up and running. Check it out!











Here is a preview of what is for sale. Click on any item to view more information about it:

Tax Rebate???

The President has decided to give us a boost with a tax rebate (see full story). A person could get at least $300 just for being alive. Couples are expected to get $1200 if they made under $100,000 last year. Over 16 million people in the US will benefit from this boost. Yay for us...time for a block party!

Now, I love to get money as a gift for Christmas, birthday, etc. But I am always weary of when people want to just hand over that kind of cash. Where did all of this money come from? I thought the US was in a lot of debt. Is this charity going to further decrease the value of the US dollar? One thing I am learning is that when it comes to government, you never get something for nothing. Someone somewhere somehow has to pay. Which country is handing out the allowance checks?

We don't even have the money and people are already trying to tell us how to spend it. Personally, I have no idea what I am going to do with the money. Most likely, I am going to pay off my medical bills since we do not receive universal health care (which would have prevented us from having medical bills in the first place). Wouldn't having universal health care be a nice, more effective boost? At least these rebate checks can help pay for a couple months of health insurance or gas for your car.

I know I am being negative, but something does not seem right about all of this.

It's Cold!

It was very chilly this weekend and this is the weekend I started running now that my ankle has healed. I had to rest it for a month to let the tendonitis heal. I haven't had any really bad pain in about a week or so, so I I gave running a shot again.

My first run was on Saturday. It was an easy 2-mile run in my neighborhood. I had my ankle brace on and made sure I warmed up and stretched properly to avoid injury. I actually did a lot better than I thought I would.

The same for today, too. My time was slightly worse today because of the really cold wind--it is hard on my lungs. My pace both times was a little over 10 minutes. My goal is to eventually run a mile in less than 10 minutes, which I was doing pre-injury. If my ankle cooperates, I could participate in a 5-k this spring.

Kyle said I should wear a ski mask today so I wouldn't have to breath in so much cold air, but I told him I'd look like a robber and people would think I am running away from a place I just robbed. I have a new convertible head band/wrap that I wore that did the trick and I know the PGE people I saw working were jealous I had one. I'll post a picture of it when I have one.

Here are some pictures of my family and me during the holidays:




Kyle and my dad looking at fly fishing stuff.








Me wearing my new silk scarf--practicing for when I go to a Middle Eastern country. I could wear this. Would I fit in? I think it looks good.







Food that goes in the tamales








Christmas tamales cooking.








My parents, sister, and I on New Years Eve.









My sister and me.

I NEED THIS!

Toast has been taken to a whole new, exciting level!

I Love Pandas!

My favorite animal is the PANDA BEAR. Here are some pictures I found of people who look like they have fun jobs taking care of pandas:



Surrounded by baby pandas....lucky!








"I love my job!"











Since I will probably NEVER own a panda, I will settle for a dog that looks like a panda...like this one.






 

My Weekend

Kyle and I went out to dinner at The Melting Pot this weekend. If you have not been there, you are missing out...especially if you like cheese (melted) and chocolate (with anything).

Take a look:







The double boiler. The heating element is on the table.









Cheddar cheese fondue with bread, veggies, and apples.










Meat fondue with pot stickers and veggies.


























S'mores Chocolate Fondue: milk chocolate with marshmallow creme and a graham cracker topping.








The yummy things to dip in chocolate.







The next day I taught Sunday school at church. This is JJ. He loves John Sena & Mysterio (wrestlers). He told me that when he prays, he like to tell God about how cool he thinks John Sena is.







My limbs are obviously a little too long for the miniature table. Check out that boot action over the table.






I am sitting in the mini chair with one leg kneeling on the floor and the other one propped up (shown). JJ thought I should get a taller chair.

My Dog, Shelly

I have a Doberman named Shelly. I've had her since I was fifteen-years-old. She was such a cute puppy and only weighed 2 kilos. Watch out, though--now she's a really scary dog and she will eat you!




Shelly just hanging out.








Shelly gardening.







Shelly on her way to church.









Shelly's friend, Carlitos

I Think Martha Stewart Reads My Blog...

I think Martha Stewart reads my blog because she reviewed the new Amazon Kindle on her show today. In her review, she basically said the exact same things I have on my blog about what is so cool about...right down to the part about how much of a pain it is to lug a bunch of heavy suitcases around because they have so many books in them.

Maybe I am a secret substitute writer because of the strike--doubt it.

Who knew Martha and I thought so much a like?

Cat Hat

My cat sometimes likes to sleep on my head. No joke.

Here's a snapshot of her and me sleeping in the morning. It obviously takes a stampede to wake us up, especially when we have a plethora of pillows around us.

FUUUUUUNNNNYYYY

I just found a new site that has hilarious "misprints": www.engrish.com.

Here are some of my favorites (click on the picture to enlarge it):




Danger YO YO












What???










Do run in the halls










No toys for Chinese children I guess

Great Reads While Traveling

While preparing for my travels this holiday, I discovered the Kindle. It is like a bigger PDA where you can read your favorite books without all the bulk. The idea is like an MP3 player, but you download up to 200 books into the reader like you would music for the music player. The display is called "electronic paper" so it's like you are reading from a book and you only need to recharge the battery about every other day.

Downloading a book is actually cheaper than buying one, as most titles are under $10.00 and you don't have to wait for the book to be shipped, pay for shipping, or rummage around a book store that might not even have the book you want. You can even get the newspaper every morning, read your favorite magazine, or catch up on the blogs you check out (including this one!). And even better, you don't need a computer to download a book, periodical, etc. It connects wirelessly to Amazon.com and it's done in under a minute!

I don't know about you, but I have gone over my weight limit on my suitcases at the airport because I had so many books in them. So I had to take the books out and lug them around the airport in my carry-on luggage. It was a mess. With the Kindle, though, I can have all my books in one little device that is also lightweight and can even fit in a purse or backpack.

The this the new MUST-HAVE item that will only grow in popularity and is currently flying off the shelves. Get one today!

My Meow is Back

Kyle picked up our cat, Mango, from the cat hotel today. Cookie, the cat matron, takes very good care of her guests and she loves all of the cats in her care. Cookie said Mango was very homesick for the first few days she was there, but she warmed up and even made some kitty friends. This is amazing because she usually hates, no--despises, other cats. So I guess the news of her making friends is encouraging for when Kyle and I look into getting a dog.

Mango was so excited to see us and really happy with the presents my parents gave her for Christmas: some cat toys and a scratching post. We put the scratching post upstairs so the cat does not claw at the carpet. She is so snuggly tonight and has been serenading us with her purring.

Happy New Year!

It's 2008 and I have to make all of my 7s into 8s because I forget. I know I'll get it by March (the latest).

On New Year's Eve, my family and I went to a friend of my parents' house in Winston-Salem. It was kind of fun and everyone there was really nice. There was A LOT of dancing. I have not danced since my wedding.

The next day, Kyle and I flew back to our place. I thought our flight was later than it was. By the time I realized what the departure time was we had to jet...like FAST. I felt so stupid--very embarrassed.

The flight was really nice, though. We even were upgraded to first class to accommodate the horrible flight to North Carolina where bulk head seats were not given to us. First class was really nice and we were given fruit, cheese, ham, and salami.

We also got Popeye's Chicken at the airport. I can never eat KFC again! That was the best fried chicken I have ever had and I usually hate fried chicken. I definitely need to have Popeye's at least one more time in my life.

I'll put pics up when I have them.