Lineman Challenge

Our "kids"

So here are all our "kids". The dog came with Shawn and two cats came with me. Three animals were not enough so we added another cat to the clan just over a year ago. Thanks to my sister being a vet tech I end up taking in stray animals from her clinic. Thanks Marcy! Shawn has his fingers crossed that one day a pug will need a good home. Mac is the beautiful bug-eyed face below, he is pushing 8 years old this year, Marcy says that he is a "senior" in dog years. Mac is what we call a "solid" Boston Terrier. He has never missed a meal! The newest addition, and the one on top of the cat condo is Georgia, named as Georgia O'Keeffe. We mostly call her Georgie Porgy. On the lower level of the condo is Maurice. he is "the original" to the entire clan. He hails from Virginia, I picked him up on my way south from the clinic where my sister was working at the time. He turned 6 this year, which means I have been here 6 years too! "Mo" is the snob of the family, I think he holds a grudge e against Shawn for bringing that smelly dog into the house. Finally we have Joey below, "Joseph" for short as Shawn calls him. He actually came from a local shelter, the only one I had to pay for. He is the lover boy and loves to give hugs, even if you do not want one. "Jo-jo" is a year or so younger than Mo. That is it, our zoo of animals.

ONE Down and EIGHT to go!

The paper says it all......PASS!

Just checking in....

Not much to report on these days. I took my first (of nine) exam last week. One step closer, assuming I pass, to getting my architecture license. I really could not tell one way or the other if I passed. What I think to be a right answer can differ from those who made the test and grade it. This exam covered Mechanical and Electrical systems, which includes fire prevention as well. Lots to cover in one test!

To fill some space and keep this blog interesting I have some filler photos to put up. I have a couple of the cat condo that my office designed and built for charity, the local animal shelter. It sold for $1500, beating the next highest seller by $500! Felt good to be a part of something for a good cause. In one photo you can see that Joey enjoyed the condo for the night that I had it at home before delivering it. I also have a picture of my office from the perspective of my chair. It is a lot more open that the last office, just "feels" more creative and architecture like.

Construction and Football

Shawn and I have been busy little bees as usual. In the diaries of starting a family last week was a roller coaster for us. I have been taking some pills to help things along and I have chalked it up to more experiences in the world of hormones! This past weekend I volunteered again with Habitat for Humanity. I have attached a picture of the house. Back in the beginning of June I helped kick off the house, which is to be built by all women. On that day we set the entire flooring system! This past Saturday we finished up the drywall work......Dad would be proud with my work. I did not get to "sparkle" like I did as a kid but I did get to draw lines on the wall. It was hard work but fun. While I was working hard Shawn was out in the sun watching his football team. His guys finished third in a "Linemen Challenge", which is good, GO DEFENSE! Oh, and just for fun on Sunday we moved my sister, AGAIN, making it move number four.

Williamsburg Viginia

We traveled to Williamsburg, VA for July 4th. Shawn had never been and the last time I went I was knee high to a grasshopper. We had a great time and Shawn did not let us rest until everything had been seen. We also went to Busch Gardens and on the way home we stayed a night at King's Dominion. Again, Shawn would not let me rest until every ride had been riden, some even twice. Shawn got to hang out with Thomas Jefferson some in Market Street, Mr. Jefferson was not all that talkative. When we got to Williamsburg we were warned that the British were in town as well. They had set up camp right in the middle of the "city". We also made a trip out to Historic Jamestown and toured all the sites to be seen there as well. We were lucky enough to get there in time to get a guided tour from one of the park rangers.

Before and After

For those who have not seen yet....I CUT OFF MY HAIR! Back in May I cut the curls off and donated them to Locks of Love. Hopefully there is a child or two out there wearing my hair. How funny is that to think about? They easily cut off the required 10 inches and had some to spare. It is really amazing to me to see how different I look with it gone. Not sure if I will grow it long again anytime soon.