Super Cabinet Man

I like John. He doesn't snore. He hops up to do the dishes as soon as we are done eating dinner (yes, it's true...I AM the luckiest lady in the world!). He cleans the spare bathroom after we have guests for the weekend because I am, yet again, gone for a week of work. He really is a dream come true in every way.

But he improved my view of him even more this past month by finishing the staining of the remaining cabinets in our home. He documented the process with my old UFO-Mystery camera, and I took the Finished Product pictures. I still smile when I walk past these beautiful accents in our home. They now look like pieces of furniture! I am in love. The photos give just a glimpse of how huge and laborious this project really was! John is a rock star.

While we waited for some polyurethane to dry, we headed outside to fill up the landscaping green bucket once again. We are pulling out the monster bushes in front so I can plant some pretty, simple desert landscaping. We have been working on it for three weeks. Unfortunately, it only takes ten minutes to fill the bucket! It's a long wait for the bin to be empty again (every Thursday) so we can again fill it to the brim. I bet one more week and the monsters will be gone for good!

It's kind of fun to leave for work to see what wonderful present John has in store for me when I get back the following Friday. He never stops trying to make me happy. He always succeeds at that.

Worth The Trip

I got emotional when I stepped into the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. That must mean I really like airplanes! It was an unbelievable experience to see some airplanes that played such a major part in how aviation evolved. My first glimpse of the Spirit of St. Louis was breathtaking...to think this was the very first airplane to cross the Atlantic, leaving from the United States and landing in Paris almost two days later! Charles Lindbergh was the man, I tell you. Another amazing character? General Chuck Yeager for risking his life to break the Sound Barrier in the airplane he named after his wife, Glennis. Nobody knew how the human body would handle going faster than the speed of sound, but he wanted to try anyway. And how about the first non-government airship to go into space, the Space Ship One? This is the predecessor to the present Space Ship Two, which is even now preparing to take very wealthy passengers for a 15-minute trek in space. Thanks to Richard Branson, the owner of Virgin Airlines, for making that possible!

In the slide show is a picture of Amelia Earhart's airplane. I just need to clarify right here and now that I am not a fan of that lady. Someone who never flight-plans and is constantly getting lost and running out of fuel isn't exactly a pilot to be revered. But, since it is a part of aviation history, I begrudgingly took a picture to record that I had seen it.

I was inside the huge museum walls for just over an hour. I almost ran from room to room to ensure I saw everything. Next time, when I have all day, I will stop to smell the roses and read every single piece of written literature in the building. For today, however, it was incredible just to be in the presence of such beloved pieces of metal!

Picking Pumpkins

I spent a lovely day with family yesterday. My sister, T'liese, organized a few hours at Mother Nature's Farms Pumpkin Patch. It was so neat to see Evan and his cousin in their first Halloween experience! I took several more pictures but promised my brother months ago that I wouldn't post anything of his little family. It's tough to honor that promise since he has an adorable little girl. Luckily, Evan is pretty cute, too.

Meeting my brother's family for a late breakfast at Crackers Cafe meant I waddled for the next few hours from being so full! It is a real treat to eat out for breakfast, and I love that little cafe! We then accidentally stopped at Culver's for a small concrete mixer shake before our trek to the farm just after noon. There we met my sister and her husband and son. Also joining the fun was my brother-in-law's sister, Stephanie, whom we love so much. She brought three of her kids and left a sick one at home with her husband. Aren't they beautiful children?

The farm had animals to pet, face-painting, and picnic spots. Their gigantic pig had recently given birth to eleven little piglets, and it was so fun to watch them jump and skip around! Our little goat friend came all the way from the other side of the field to be loved by us, and we certainly didn't mind. Out on The Ranch as a kid, we had a goat named Betsy that was ticklish. Seeing this sweet little goat brought back so many fun memories of growing up! (Cue the banjo music).

After watching the kids jump in the bouncy house and picking out pumpkins for the road, we headed to the Friend's home for a few hours of soaking our feet in their pool and chatting. It is so fun to see those two babies interact. I rather enjoyed my pre-Halloween day with family.