And last, but not least, all the way from summer…
The pictures I took of all those cool powerlines about 4 months ago, before my life became all about the nursing program. (I’m still in it, in fact I should be reading right now–test on Monday–nutrition, of course, everything else except vitamins, so it shouldn’t be too difficult—and I am coming out to the last two weeks here. Clinical is over for now. Skills are done. Just: Test. Lab Final. Course Final. Off track…) Anyhoo, power lines, bike rides, long long bike rides…check it here to read all about it
But these are them. Enjoy. I can still feel the tingle looking at them now. Good times.
Riding up to them. Looks pretty impressive. I was kind of in awe. There's something about all that power in one place that can kill you.
Ground to sky is ok but not nearly as cool as looking all the way up.
Doesn't that just make you want to find power lines and climb up them? No, well since the weather just turned massively ugly here...cold, blustery, overcast, with flakes of snow (NOOOO!!!!), this makes me want summer back.
The picture I love the most! I like the color and the angle...it was hard to tell if it came out because the day was really bright and I couldn't see to take the pic or to look at it after. Check out the plane flying across. And the moon. If I remember correctly the day was about to turn stormy. Captured forever.
Speaking of candy
There seems to be a mad love affair going on with the old fashioned wax bottle candy. You know, the ones shaped like bottles that have the colorful, fruity liquid inside them? You can bite off the top, drink the juice and then chew on the wax until it’s gross. Yes, those.
My daughter discovered them by accident at an old fashion type ice cream shop. Besides the wax bottles, they had candy cigarettes and bottle caps and what not, but she honed right in on those wax bottles. We bought her ten. She “ate” one and she was hooked. So we bought her twenty more. In the week between our first purchase and going back for more, they were all gone! A really big jar, sold out! She was crushed. I don’t know what happened in the south suburbs this summer that spurned the love of wax bottles, but we couldn’t find anymore, anywhere, in the area. Ridiculous right?
But you can always count on the internet. There they were. Cases and cases to be bought. Pound after pound. Store after store. We picked the company that didn’t charge more for the shipping than the actual candies, ordered up four pounds of them and hoped for cool weather on the day they were delivered. (They tend to melt in the box if it’s too hot outside and you’re not home)
But we had no problems. When they came I let Stevie open them. Told her we had a special surprise for her since we had bought Mason a bike the week before. (It’s not exactly even reciprocation, but she doesn’t care because those candies are worth more to her than a bike, which she already has anyway) She was thinking she was getting books (Twilight is the current fav and being read right now)…when she saw the candy she almost cried! It was very exciting. She carried them around for awhile in their separate bags, then took them all out and counted them (216), then put them in one big bag, and then finally transferred them all to a shoe box. She tries not to eat too many at a time even though she wants to eat them all.
Sunday Bug
I have two more left. This was technically the last bug on the tour, but I am putting it second-to-last because I want to go out with a bigger bang! Bumblebee Big! You’ll have to look tomorrow!
Anyway, I still have to go to my sissy’s and it doesn’t look like I am getting outdoors to do any actual exercise today, so I’ll quickly post these things that are outside, in nature, and that will kind of have to be good enough.
You will also have to excuse the extra people in the pictures. For some reason, everyone globbed up right at the end, talking to their friends, pulling snacks out of strollers, on the phone, kids laying all over the grass… and wouldn’t get out of picture range for all the rest of us. But you can still see the bug.
Come on people! Get out of the way!! Go talk on your cell phone out of picture range!
To the Zoo!
Quality time with the kiddies. Stevie is on board. Mason says no. Majority rules! Pictures and updates later! Summer is almost over!
It’s sunny and beautiful here in Chicago! 72° at 10 am. They say the rain is on its way. We better go!
Enjoy your Thursday wherever you are!
EVERY time we go to the zoo! Alligators attack my kids!
Victory is sweet!
Ah yes, you have learned well grasshopper…
Or something like that. If you don’t “get” the above headline, then it doesn’t matter if I got it wrong. Please just forget it and look at the pictures!
More bugs! It’s a grasshopper!
I know! That was alot of grasshoppers! Last shot. WITH the kids. Looking at this picture now, I notice they all seem so suspicious...and tired of sitting next to big bugs made of shiny sticks. That they can't even touch! They are so over it. But we still have, like, three more! At this point they were probably walking half a mile or more already. It's a BIG place!
Here's an extra shot that kind of shows "vastness". No bugs. Just land. (And water)
Flower Update. In front of the house.
It’s finally starting to look the way I like it. Kind of wild and a little weedy. I’m sure that’s some kind of glimpse into my soul or my inner psyche.
With the rain/sunshine/heat/ combo’s we have going here all week, the sprouts are blooming. Here’s from tonight, before the rain came again.
Hot Breaking News From the Suburbs!! Rita Wears Her First Summery Outfit In Years!! Ankles EXPOSED!!
We have photo’s of this magnanimous event! I took the pictures! With my camera! She let me!
It’s true. It’s all true. Rita NEVER wears anything that goes above her elbows or the tops of her shoes. EVER. Heck, she never even wears OPEN toe shoes.
But today, for whatever reason, she showed up, at my house, with a light blouse and jeans on, that were rolled to mid-calf! And cute, little Sketcher shoes with multi-colored bands. They had a closed toe, but they were definitely summery! I am so proud of my mom!
If I can be serious for a minute, this is the first time, as an adult, I think I can remember her exposing her ankles in such a fashion. And, I might add, she looks pretty good! (The skin on her ankles is probably all freaked out though wondering what the hell happened and who dares to parade them around in the daylight!?!)
Enough of my talk talk. This is for my mom. Here’s the shots:
Hot Mama! Looking Good!
Back to boring old me.
Dang Nabbit…I wish it would rain here already so I have an excuse for not leaving the house and running again…It’s getting to be 2 pm Chicago time and the storms I was promised this morning have yet to show up. Good Lord I might have to actually get up and go out!
Bugger, I’m tired and sore. I pushed it on through yesterday and ran five whole miles. Not a lot to some, I know, but I’m a novice here. Amateur athlete, with loose use of the term “athlete”. I have the Scenic 5 in September and this was my first run at that distance. (I’ve run farther before but that was way before, and not relevant to this time period in my life). It took a little over an hour. I guess that’s not too bad. I will be happy for the race if I complete it under one hour. That’s my goal. I felt really good running too. I thought I was going at a good pace, but when I got to the end of the trail I run, it’s only 3.6 miles, and I realized I would have to go past the car and keep running as if to do it twice, I got all psyched out and quivery. Then I felt heavy and hot and thought I should just stop. I don’t HAVE to run five miles this very minute. So, I kept going, sloppily, but I logged the miles. Then I was sore all night. Ate a very healthy dinner. Nothing extra. (But still didn’t lose any weight! In fact I gained a pound from last week! Tumor?? Too soon to tell.)
And if you come back later, I’ll share my last and final post about the Warrior Dash. My sister’s mud camera pictures came out pretty good and there are a couple of horrendous pictures of my giant ass going over the wall that I will be willing to post here strictly for the pure hilarity they provide. I wish I was exaggerating even a little. If you can’t laugh at yourself you can always laugh at me!
Anyway, I guess since the weather isn’t cooperating, I better get out there. I’m only doing the 3.6 today so it shouldn’t be too bad.
I have a music list to share also!! It has been a really long time since I posted one. I go in waves with stuff like that. I am currently out-of-love with my I-Pod and music in general. But I needed something to get my ass around that track. This is what I used. If you run at my pace (slow) it will play the exact amount of time you will need for a five mile run! I shuffle it and keep running….Let’s call it the, “5-Mile Shuffle“ Music List!
The birthday that NEVER ends…
Ok sissy, first off, THANK YOU! for reading my posts. Without all this good family material what would I really have to talk about??
So, here it is from me, C-Bip, (that’s my new internet handle–get used to it–stands for Chicago-Based Internet Personality…???…from the previous post???…does anybody READ this thing???) (haha. i’m just kidding. not.)
Even though her birthday was 11 days ago now, we still have to talk about it! The Sox!, blah blah blah, Baseball!, blabbity blabbity, Pictures!, blab blab blab, With players!, me me me…enough already! Here’s your stinking post! With pics!
My only regret is that she only sent three fabulous pictures out of 200 for me to share with my new world-wide celebrity fan base!
So, one more time, HAPPY B-DAY SISTER!! Here’s you, hubby, AJP (can’t spell the last name, too lazy to look it up) and the Sox! Love, L. C-Bip to my peeps.
Hey, I just noticed AJP's last name is spelled perfectly on that guys shirt in the first pic above! So, there ya go!
Wacky Water Weekend With… / Saturday Swim
The Birthday Pool Party!
What a nice day! Not too hot, not too sunny…although I got pretty scorched along with my brother-in-law, that semi-cloud cover can be deceiving…
They belong to a Park District Pool where they live and Elexa’s B-day Party was there! Friends, family, food, fun…the usual.
This place had many pool areas: a party room, snack bar, diving boards, a drop chute, water slides (2) open/semi-closed, slow/fast, kids or adults. Nothing crazy. Some Lily Pad jump things, Dumping Buckets of Water, and Sprays. The kids loved it.
(I did the slides, the drop chute and the high dive, making me the coolest mom who participated and didn’t just sit on the sidelines…their words, not mine.)
One more time:
Happy Birthday Elexa!
Happy Birthday Jesse!
Birthday girls (to the left) and an extra to the right
The high dive
The drop chute
Lily pads with slides in the background
Better water slide shot with extra ACTION!
Party food
Party kids
Party Over! See you next year!
just shy of pretty 