My Big Sister

I have the best big sister in the world. She has been my best friend for as long as I can possibly remember. Well except for when she was in high school and had to share her bedroom with me, but even then, she was always good to me.

We've had some of the greatest times over the years, shopping in Prague, touring the tulips and the red light district in Amsterdam, eating strawberries under the Eiffel Tower, wandering the alley ways in Venice, bawling our eyes out after touring the concentration camps, lace and nutcracker collecting in Germany, chocolate and the salt mines in Austria, yodeling in the Swiss Alps....we have had some adventures. And let's not forget the great times (minus our crazy driver) discovering the small walled villages throughout Italy. So many things we have done and experienced together. She shares her life, her family, her church calling, her heart and soul with me and I love you Hippie Hippie dippy Karey Beary Bean Blossom!

Now is the challenge and adventure of a lifetime, she is fighting a brain thinger bobber that she has named Ned. It is nerve wracking as we wait to find out what course of action she has to get rid of the stupid thing, but I have no doubt that she will get rid of it. It may be a tough road, but there is so much love and support in her corner and I know that Heavenly Father is watching over her. So here is my good riddance to Ned diddy...

I hate that you have a name, and that you're even here at all,
Really, who invited you and what is your purpose for showing up now?
Why do you think that you have power to stay
and what is your plan at the end of the day?

You really should exit the same way you came,
You are not welcome you big piece of nothing
Take a hike, a taxi a raft or yacht
how you exit Dodge I really care...NOT!

Why do things like this happen to such good people like Karen
She's never done wrong and she serves others willingly
I have a hard time figuring this thing out
One thing I know without any doubt

It just one more test in a long line of many
I pray for a great outcome and for an easy journey
but should the road get tough and you need me, I'm there
I'll help you and love you and shoulder my share

But I say to you, just get rid of that thinger
he's really not needed, so don't let him linger
Snuff out old Ned and send the creepy thing packing
we need to get back to our silly wise cracking!

So I'm no poet, but you get the message!


I love ya tons! And I am there for you!

I Need to be Here...

February, Tahiti, going, check!

Doggie Updates

Typically beautiful morning walk with the dogs and a great time to update pictures. As always, this is the 3 dog circus, Sadie with the ball, Dira barking at her and Hoss just happy to be chasing the girls!

The 3 Amigos in a quieter moment. L to R Dira, Sadie and Hoss

This is Dira our Slovakian girl. She's gone crazy chasing deer and cats and what ever else dares to move in her line of site. She's a total loving sweetheart. I still haven't gotten all the Slovakian commands down yet, but we do have Kume' or come and she understands tummy rubs!

And this is Hossie Von Goosie, compare the picture to the right. I weighed him a couple of weeks ago and he is already at 60 lbs. He's still a puppy, still growing, still loves to "try" to sit in my lap and have his belly rubbed. Seems hard to remember how small he was when we got him. I do love my Hossie Boy. He is all boy and worse, he is all adolescent boy, I fear for Sadie and Dira!

Tessie and Booner are getting older and it is hard for them to go the full walk. Tessie eventually makes it but she goes at her own pace. She's still a trooper though and goes every single time. She's getting up there, probably 12 or 13 years old now. I think about when we got her, in Tucson during Rockies spring training. We had to sneak her into the hotel room with us, she slept in the dip between the mattress and the headboard and she too was just a tiny thing. We took her in a small cat carrier on the plane and she rode most of the way inside my jacket, she was a sweetheart then and she is still a sweetheart now.

It's super hard for me to write about Booner without getting all choked up. He has been my companion for 12 years now and I love him more than most people love their kids. I took him to the vet yesterday because he has had a bit of pain in his shoulders and he has stopped going on the long walks with us. He usually makes a short circle in the field and heads back to the house now. The Doc said it's arthritis most likely and just the aging process. He said that is "admirable" that Booner looks and feels as good as he does for his age. I wanted to cry, but waited til I got to the car, I can't bear the thought of not having him with me forever. They gave him some pain relievers to help with the pain and increased the thyroid medicine to help keep the weight off. He did a lot better on the walk this morning, so I have my fingers crossed that if he starts feeling better, he will keep walking with me. xoxo Booner!

Trip to Minnesota wrap up

Okay, so I did make it back from South Dakota and Minnesota but it was a LONG trip. The weather ended up being stormy so we had to drive 8 hours each way for a 2 hour meeting...that dang bank better sign the flippin' contracts! Any way, we did have a little fun along the way. This is my colleague Jon at the place we ate lunch in Fargo, ND - it was pretty good, you betcha!

On the road again...I was driving, fast like normal, defying the slow poke Minnesota farmers and country hillbillies, had a nice flow going when I saw a small sign at the side of the road that said ANTIQUES. Screeching tires and quick turn into the skinny drive way and we found this treasure.

Good thing we spotted this place, it was really cool and had a ton of things I would have loved to purchase. Super good thing we couldn't get stuff in the rental car, and I knew I couldn't get it in my plane, so I kept to the business of finding old spoons for my sista Bean Blossom. I asked the guy at the counter if he had any old spoons, he pulled out a huge box and told me to take my pick. A buck a piece for silver plated spoons...not bad, huh Karen? Here is a sampling of the what I got. Next time you see these, they will be shaped into bracelets.

We decided when we finally got to Grand Rapids that we deserved a nice dinner. $150 later we felt like we had achieved our goal. Great steak and hello, I've never had a popover before...it's a staple in these parts and I was a little torqued that I only got one.

Long story short, meeting with the bank went better than anticipated, but they still haven't signed the paper work, so I still have work to do. The trip back seemed to go faster, of course I drove most of it so that's probably why. We got back to Sioux Falls around 8:00 pm on Friday night, I checked into the hotel, walked the block to the grocery store, stocked up for my flight home in the morning, set a goal to get in bed by 10:00, everything is going according to plan except that I wake up every 2 hours to make sure I'm not over sleeping, man I hate that!

Up and at the airport by 6:30, YEA! Pre-flight, fueled up, loaded up and ready to go. There is fog on the ground from all the rain during the week. A lesser pilot wouldn have waited, me however, I was on a mission to get home before the thunderstorms built up in Denver. 373WD cleared for take off and take off I did. It was a nice flight home, smooth and quiet. I got to Denver safely and just before the thunderstorms started to build. It was a fun and confidence building trip for me. As always, I had a special co-pilot taking care of me.