I've attended AU (#AU2009) for the past four years. This year's decision to go was a difficult choice since 1) I got laid off from Little in February; 2) I'm working in a new job that i) doesn't use Revit ii)looked at me like I was growing horns when I mentioned in my interview that i'd like to attend this year iii) will not be paying me for this time out of the office; 3) money is tight with the huge paycut I had to take.
Last year, I drug along my work laptop so I could review items from my classes and keep in touch through e-mail. Internet in the room was $10/day ... Yikes! So, I dragged that laptop around to my classes where I could tap into the conference's wi-fi. I knew I didn't want to do that again, so I figured I'd just be out of touch except for cell texting.
That is, until someone on the AUGI boards posted that they picked up an iPod touch. I was trying to convince myself that I was unimpressed by these gadgets and did not need one. Until this post made me reevaluate. Lucky for me, it was just before Black Friday and I had some time to do some research and price checking.
So, at 4:30 am on Friday, I found myself amongst the Wal-mart doorbuster crazies purchasing my very own iPod touch. I'm having a great time with it; and, i'm not going to be out of touch while I'm in Vegas this year!!!
See ya in Vegas!
Sent from my iPod
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
a Wedding in Aruba...
just a quick post... more to save as a placeholder for me to come back and edit...
Douglas Field Walters, II and Christina Hoppe were married on Saturday, November 14, 2009 in Aruba.
51 of their closest friends and family members were able to attend.
May I just say, for the record, that Aruba is definitely a country I'd return to. For being out of the country, it was just like being in the US! LOL.
Douglas Field Walters, II and Christina Hoppe were married on Saturday, November 14, 2009 in Aruba.
51 of their closest friends and family members were able to attend.
May I just say, for the record, that Aruba is definitely a country I'd return to. For being out of the country, it was just like being in the US! LOL.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
First Weekend of Fall, 2009
It's been raining for over a week. Before it began to rain, I was worried about my boat. Our cove needs dredging and the water is very shallow at my dock. Two years ago, when we had a drought, we ended up moving the boat when the lake level dropped to 96.4. Last week, the lake level dropped to 96.3! I was calling Doug, asking him if I needed to move the boat. He was confident the boat would be fine until he arrived home to help. I wasn't so convinced.
But then the rain came! I think it started as outer bands of a Tropical storm that came up in the Gulf of Mexico. But then it rained, and rained some more. I watched Duke Power's lake levels every day (sometimes two and three times) each day last week. To my relief, the lake levels rose.
Yesterday, Saturday, it was still raining. Most of the day was misty, but we had several bursts of heavy, soaking rains. I just checked the lake level; LKN is up to 97.6! This is such great news! I was not (mentally) prepared to trailer the boat for the winter just yet. I was so hoping to be able to take it out as the leaves change color for a fall cruise or two. This week's rain will allow us to leave the boat in the water a little longer. I'm so happy!
Today, Sunday, the sun began to peek through the clouds. We squinted our eyes and commented how bright the sun is. It's funny how, when you've been covered with clouds for an extended period of time, the sun seems so much brighter than we remembered it being.
The commute to my new job takes about 45 minutes in the morning. In the afternoon, the commute takes longer as I travel through congested Mooresville. So I found another, back-road route. It takes me through a tiny little town called Catawba. And past an historic mill called Murray's Mill. This weekend, Murray's Mill held their annual Harvest Folk Festival. They've been advertising it for about 6 weeks with small road-side signs. When I took Doug for a ride along the same back roads we've never explored, he saw the signs and mentioned we should go. When I reminded him it was this weekend, he held true to his suggestion.
The day ended up being absolutely beautiful. The grounds were pretty soft and very muddy in places, but the Folk Festival was a great place to spend the first Sunday afternoon in Fall! There were horse drawn wagon rides, a petting zoo, an antique tractor parade, boy scouts demonstrating candle making, wood crafts, and even a hand made catapult. (Typing out "hand made catapult" is giving me a sense of Deja Vu... Hmmm.) Folk Singing families sang their concerts over at the mill all day long. Later in the afternoon, there was even a Civil War battle reenactment.
After Doug and I got home, we took the boat out for a cruise about the lake. There was not a lot of traffic; the wind was decent so there were a lot of sail boats out. A small helicopter hovered above the lake and we waved and the pilot and passenger waved back.
What a gorgeous day!
But then the rain came! I think it started as outer bands of a Tropical storm that came up in the Gulf of Mexico. But then it rained, and rained some more. I watched Duke Power's lake levels every day (sometimes two and three times) each day last week. To my relief, the lake levels rose.
Yesterday, Saturday, it was still raining. Most of the day was misty, but we had several bursts of heavy, soaking rains. I just checked the lake level; LKN is up to 97.6! This is such great news! I was not (mentally) prepared to trailer the boat for the winter just yet. I was so hoping to be able to take it out as the leaves change color for a fall cruise or two. This week's rain will allow us to leave the boat in the water a little longer. I'm so happy!
Today, Sunday, the sun began to peek through the clouds. We squinted our eyes and commented how bright the sun is. It's funny how, when you've been covered with clouds for an extended period of time, the sun seems so much brighter than we remembered it being.
The commute to my new job takes about 45 minutes in the morning. In the afternoon, the commute takes longer as I travel through congested Mooresville. So I found another, back-road route. It takes me through a tiny little town called Catawba. And past an historic mill called Murray's Mill. This weekend, Murray's Mill held their annual Harvest Folk Festival. They've been advertising it for about 6 weeks with small road-side signs. When I took Doug for a ride along the same back roads we've never explored, he saw the signs and mentioned we should go. When I reminded him it was this weekend, he held true to his suggestion.
The day ended up being absolutely beautiful. The grounds were pretty soft and very muddy in places, but the Folk Festival was a great place to spend the first Sunday afternoon in Fall! There were horse drawn wagon rides, a petting zoo, an antique tractor parade, boy scouts demonstrating candle making, wood crafts, and even a hand made catapult. (Typing out "hand made catapult" is giving me a sense of Deja Vu... Hmmm.) Folk Singing families sang their concerts over at the mill all day long. Later in the afternoon, there was even a Civil War battle reenactment.
After Doug and I got home, we took the boat out for a cruise about the lake. There was not a lot of traffic; the wind was decent so there were a lot of sail boats out. A small helicopter hovered above the lake and we waved and the pilot and passenger waved back.
What a gorgeous day!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Fantastic Lake Weekend!
What a great weekend on the Lake!
Saturday, the lake was up to 99.8! I really wanted to discover my backyard at nearly full pond. So we ventured out and headed toward the dam. We could see no dam wall... just looked like an infinity pool. Awesome to have water in the lake!!! Then, Saturday night, the moon was so bright and big and the sky was clear; we ventured out for our first moon-lit cruise. We didn't venture far, and we went slowly, but it was so beautiful and relaxing.
Sunday morning, we got up early to beat the crowds; we wanted to take Denali out to a small island that has a little beach. Ian carried her from the boat to the shore and waded back out. He called her out into the water and she swam for the first time!!! It turns out, she really likes it! http://picasaweb.google.com/lzaras/DenaliSFirstSwim Later that morning (after we took Denali back to the house) we headed back out to our neighborhood cove and Ian tried his wakeboard again. He's really getting the hang of it. When we got back to the house, I swam in our little cove and laid out in the sun.
LOVE LIVING ON THE LAKE!!!
Saturday, the lake was up to 99.8! I really wanted to discover my backyard at nearly full pond. So we ventured out and headed toward the dam. We could see no dam wall... just looked like an infinity pool. Awesome to have water in the lake!!! Then, Saturday night, the moon was so bright and big and the sky was clear; we ventured out for our first moon-lit cruise. We didn't venture far, and we went slowly, but it was so beautiful and relaxing.
Sunday morning, we got up early to beat the crowds; we wanted to take Denali out to a small island that has a little beach. Ian carried her from the boat to the shore and waded back out. He called her out into the water and she swam for the first time!!! It turns out, she really likes it! http://picasaweb.google.com/lzaras/DenaliSFirstSwim Later that morning (after we took Denali back to the house) we headed back out to our neighborhood cove and Ian tried his wakeboard again. He's really getting the hang of it. When we got back to the house, I swam in our little cove and laid out in the sun.
LOVE LIVING ON THE LAKE!!!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Teen Car Ownership ... a mini rant.
Why is it that teens today feel like they are OWED a car? They expect their parents to provide them with their own personal transportation? I only have one child, a son. He's one of those with of the mindset that he is OWED a car. We've tried to teach him differently.
When he was younger, he went through a stage where he wanted to quit everything he was involved in: baseball, soccer, playing the trumpet, boy scouts, etc. We tried to find ways to motivate him, but he's just difficult to motivate. We wouldn't let him quit trumpet (he has natural ability) or boy scouts. In order to keep him in scouts, we proposed the following, "Mommy and Daddy hope that when you turn 16, we're fortunate enough to be able to purchase a third vehicle. IF you were to make your Eagle Rank, the type of vehicle might be of YOUR choice. Otherwise, mom and dad will purchase a vehicle of our choice." This worked.
However, it took him so long to finish his Eagle, our circumstances changed. We needed to purchase a third vehicle long before he'd even thought about his project. We purchased an 11 year old, beat-up, small pick-up truck. It was relatively inexpensive. It was the family's third vehicle. Period. There was no $$ left for a fourth. We needed the truck to haul stuff while renovating the house we'd purchased. We gave him permission to drive the truck to/from school, scouts and work. Since he was driving it, we made him pay for the additional insurance (for a teen driver) and he needed to keep the tank relatively full. That's not to say his father wouldn't fill the tank when he drove it on a weekend. And his father showed him how to change the oil, so he takes care of that, too. Any other major repairs, tires, etc. are paid by us. It's still our vehicle... not his.
But the kid, still resents us. He's earned his Eagle Rank and he's p*ssed that he doesn't have a car of his own choice. He feels like we tricked him.
He just finished his first year in college. The college is 3 hours away. He lives in a dorm. We didn't let him take a vehicle to school. I needed mine. His father needed his. And we still needed the truck at home to work on the house. So he got pretty grumpy and depressed when he couldn't come home on the weekends when he wanted to. He hated asking around to bum a ride.
This summer, we are looking to replace the pick-up with a larger one. His father is planning on using it as his primary vehicle. So his car is going to be available for the son to take to college. Son is STILL looking at car advertisements; I don't understand. But he is driven by the fact that he feels like he needs his OWN vehicle. I think it's dumb. If you're given a vehicle to drive as you want, why would you want to go and spend your $$ on another vehicle???
We told him we're not helping him if that's what he wants to do. He'll need to get a better paying job. He'll have to purchase the vehicle. And insurance. And gas. And maintenance. And repairs. Once he buys a car of his OWN, it's all his responsibility. He wants it so bad, but I just don't think he's really ready; mentally or financially. Yet, he keeps looking.
When he was younger, he went through a stage where he wanted to quit everything he was involved in: baseball, soccer, playing the trumpet, boy scouts, etc. We tried to find ways to motivate him, but he's just difficult to motivate. We wouldn't let him quit trumpet (he has natural ability) or boy scouts. In order to keep him in scouts, we proposed the following, "Mommy and Daddy hope that when you turn 16, we're fortunate enough to be able to purchase a third vehicle. IF you were to make your Eagle Rank, the type of vehicle might be of YOUR choice. Otherwise, mom and dad will purchase a vehicle of our choice." This worked.
However, it took him so long to finish his Eagle, our circumstances changed. We needed to purchase a third vehicle long before he'd even thought about his project. We purchased an 11 year old, beat-up, small pick-up truck. It was relatively inexpensive. It was the family's third vehicle. Period. There was no $$ left for a fourth. We needed the truck to haul stuff while renovating the house we'd purchased. We gave him permission to drive the truck to/from school, scouts and work. Since he was driving it, we made him pay for the additional insurance (for a teen driver) and he needed to keep the tank relatively full. That's not to say his father wouldn't fill the tank when he drove it on a weekend. And his father showed him how to change the oil, so he takes care of that, too. Any other major repairs, tires, etc. are paid by us. It's still our vehicle... not his.
But the kid, still resents us. He's earned his Eagle Rank and he's p*ssed that he doesn't have a car of his own choice. He feels like we tricked him.
He just finished his first year in college. The college is 3 hours away. He lives in a dorm. We didn't let him take a vehicle to school. I needed mine. His father needed his. And we still needed the truck at home to work on the house. So he got pretty grumpy and depressed when he couldn't come home on the weekends when he wanted to. He hated asking around to bum a ride.
This summer, we are looking to replace the pick-up with a larger one. His father is planning on using it as his primary vehicle. So his car is going to be available for the son to take to college. Son is STILL looking at car advertisements; I don't understand. But he is driven by the fact that he feels like he needs his OWN vehicle. I think it's dumb. If you're given a vehicle to drive as you want, why would you want to go and spend your $$ on another vehicle???
We told him we're not helping him if that's what he wants to do. He'll need to get a better paying job. He'll have to purchase the vehicle. And insurance. And gas. And maintenance. And repairs. Once he buys a car of his OWN, it's all his responsibility. He wants it so bad, but I just don't think he's really ready; mentally or financially. Yet, he keeps looking.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Just a short note... Pet Friendly Lodging
I know! It's been WAY too long since my last post... and I'll get around to why in a few weeks, I suppose. But today I ran across something I just needed to share!
I've always been amazed at how you can wonder about something; so, you go to look it up on the web and you find something else of interest... so you follow along to that... then it leads to something else.
So, I was interested in Dog Agility Training. And before I found the information I was looking for, I was finding myself looking at schedules for the next Dog Agility Trials in my area (which just happen to be NEXT weekend!) Looking at the information for the trials, I found the place for my next Mountain Vacation. I want to bring Denali here: http://www.barkwells.com/
I can just picture it now, cool, crisp days with Denali romping across the mountainside, meeting "friends" along the way and introducing her to waterfalls and mountain paths! I'm usually more of a Beach person, but I'm thinking I REALLY want to try this place.
I've always been amazed at how you can wonder about something; so, you go to look it up on the web and you find something else of interest... so you follow along to that... then it leads to something else.
So, I was interested in Dog Agility Training. And before I found the information I was looking for, I was finding myself looking at schedules for the next Dog Agility Trials in my area (which just happen to be NEXT weekend!) Looking at the information for the trials, I found the place for my next Mountain Vacation. I want to bring Denali here: http://www.barkwells.com/
I can just picture it now, cool, crisp days with Denali romping across the mountainside, meeting "friends" along the way and introducing her to waterfalls and mountain paths! I'm usually more of a Beach person, but I'm thinking I REALLY want to try this place.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Denali's First Birthday
It's Denali's first birthday! She got to help mommy and daddy re-pot house plants on the back deck. Then she took a ride to the Canine Cafe (http://www.k9treat.com/,) where she took over the duties of "Welcoming Committee." She wasn't too happy wearing the birthday hat, but it was just too cute!!!
She had so much fun at the Canine Cafe, she needed a nap on the way home.
She had lots of choices for her birthday cake...
She had so much fun at the Canine Cafe, she needed a nap on the way home.Then, later in the evening, she was able to partake of her Peanut Butter and Banana Birthday Cake. She had a very good day!
Happy Birthday, Denali!!!
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