tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80353908875058508232024-03-05T22:44:38.755-08:00K.C.'s Ramblingsblah blah blahK.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-56398355682572582412012-05-20T17:41:00.000-07:002012-05-20T22:55:33.482-07:00Anniversary 2012X and I just got back from a weekend get-away up in Reno for our 3rd anniversary. Since it wasn't a milestone year, we thought we would just do something simple. More of a "back to the basics" kind of thing. And it actually ended up working out perfectly with a work-sponsored event as well. We had a great time, and here are some of the highlights from our trip:
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fortune cookie from P.F. Chang's</td></tr>
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We started the first night off right at P.F. Chang's. The fortune cookie for X said that we would enjoy doing something different over the weekend. We weren't sure exactly what it was going to be, but we figured we'd know what it was when we saw it.<br />
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Saturday morning we woke up and headed over to the nearby "Trampoline Bounce House" where we thought it would be cool to dive into foam pits and run into the walls. Then we showed up and it was full of rowdy kids for birthday parties and such, so we decided against going in. We were probably a little too old in the first place.<br />
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We had lunch at an Indian buffet. Sadly it seems like nothing can compare to our favorite Indian restaurant up in Logan (Tandoori Oven), so we're going to have to make a special trip up to Logan next time we are in Salt Lake. Fortunately my little sister is still in school up there with her husband, so we can see them while we are up there and justify the trip.<br />
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After lunch we decided to let the food settle so we headed to the local fun park and did a round of mini golf.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOR4u_xNTSfizNikjDIgICkCiDVg-KX-dHbyZlOBJG7F7O3Xq8eNw_tPchLb1D32zB4v0v3tfoOuE8VqZHuEOOtvbcyN68jUpR_pvijZVQ662rN4gzkpmPi_xvmLzXitXWe3X3Rb9LEY/s1600/DSCN1230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOR4u_xNTSfizNikjDIgICkCiDVg-KX-dHbyZlOBJG7F7O3Xq8eNw_tPchLb1D32zB4v0v3tfoOuE8VqZHuEOOtvbcyN68jUpR_pvijZVQ662rN4gzkpmPi_xvmLzXitXWe3X3Rb9LEY/s320/DSCN1230.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">X's Go Kart - "The Snail"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFuToAm6e3eE81_FvFGDee1YCK1yzTYaILupsmKJKlqSETnEzvpDWEPUcYqKcBhVXmsuBUn_YYsPbsQXOj35xPcCXyJaoueRzXQx6JNoigY-VIlO_nAL9KIfWk0t7Y-dkexyifMJgo-E/s1600/DSCN1231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFuToAm6e3eE81_FvFGDee1YCK1yzTYaILupsmKJKlqSETnEzvpDWEPUcYqKcBhVXmsuBUn_YYsPbsQXOj35xPcCXyJaoueRzXQx6JNoigY-VIlO_nAL9KIfWk0t7Y-dkexyifMJgo-E/s320/DSCN1231.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">K.C.'s Go Kart - "Slick Trick"</td></tr>
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We also did a round of Go Karts on the road and slick tracks. X's Go Kart was SO SLOW and I ended up lapping her twice. But I let her pass me in the end so she didn't feel as bad. The slick track was much better and she managed to stay in front of my pursuit the entire time.<br />
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We headed inside a nearby casino where we were surprised to find a "Cat Show" taking place. We laughed and mockingly said that it will be just like a Dog Show. We were right. I had no idea people actually professionally show their cats, but we saw a whole conference center full of them! We enjoyed watching some cat judging and walked through to see all the cats on display. As we were leaving we walked past the entrance where we noticed it said $5 entrance fee that we didn't see on the way in. Oops.<br />
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Then we headed to the indoor arcade in the same casino and had fun playing Dance Dance Revolution, Skee Ball, and ended up winning the jackpot on a couple of the ticket reward games. Maybe I should take up gambling since I'm so good at the gambling arcade games! We gave our tickets to a family with some small kids who needed a few extra to get a bigger prize.<br />
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After the arcade we went outside and X surprised me by saying she wanted to go on the Sky Coaster. Now this really shocked me because X is really afraid of heights. I knew this would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something like this since she normally would not consider doing something like this. I told her that if we were going to do it she would have to pull the rip-cord since I wanted her to be able to say she did that too. She didn't want to agree to that at first, but she finally came around. Here's our video of the adventure:<br />
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If you can't see the video visit <a href="http://www.facebook.com/v/455179927842022">this link</a>.
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We met up with some good friends at Texas Roadhouse for dinner before we all headed over the local Minor League Baseball stadium. It was GE Night at the Aces game, and we had a good time cheering for the home team.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnepeqc14mm8HTUs3HeWWhAwPRn_us2H4tkFB_0O0gIbZej8Uyms5FcnTIiebqacQQzXAjH_Bwrwda_8_UE4s7kyMEm5_anYPWFDsCNNvuIdL403-a_IY_iSdIl3dVIbvnvHQ2kVKJgiE/s1600/DSCN1237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnepeqc14mm8HTUs3HeWWhAwPRn_us2H4tkFB_0O0gIbZej8Uyms5FcnTIiebqacQQzXAjH_Bwrwda_8_UE4s7kyMEm5_anYPWFDsCNNvuIdL403-a_IY_iSdIl3dVIbvnvHQ2kVKJgiE/s320/DSCN1237.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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They had a special promotion called the "Gelato Lotto" where if the Aces won the game and had more than 7 runs everyone wins a free scoop of Gelato from the Atlantis Casino. They ended up winning 14-9, so we ran over to the casino and ate our HUGE scoops of gelato while we watched a couple of people lose over $2500 playing black jack. Good times!K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-79366528869877534632012-02-26T20:53:00.001-08:002012-02-26T20:53:17.702-08:00Army Crawl<p>X taught our dog a new trick. It only took her 2 days to get it down!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxDEdH8d-Ueg93kqCwlO--earelpGJ5JdFUjl56e1E7FTHkltuARbEj67CYuvXYQz5fU6ZxZ0-9e_M4JG2UyQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><p>P.S. We finally named her "Rhys" (Reese). It's Welsh for "Dragon"</p>K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-83400103701371860432012-02-19T13:23:00.000-08:002012-02-19T13:23:00.058-08:00Home Improvements<p>When we moved out to Nevada we knew that there were going to be some upgrades we were going to have to do pretty soon. Our couch was old and uncomfortable. Our kitchen table was small and only had 3 chairs. The fridge was not energy efficient at all. And our TV was small. But X was only at the house for a couple months before she left back for school, and I figured that everything still WORKED, so I could manage using it all still at least until she got back. Fast forward 9 months. X came back and was able to give her input on what kind of new furniture we could get, and now we’re ready to show it off!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFMib3UAGrs-MkAE1yS-DkdDIHK0BjTFykpBz9zo1lK5tuiGM65xtJIF9yhJTnkqDa7o_8U8UUaut9Gug2RfMT9yEfYVns5ShaYX8n4IcnT65cVh4VXodijbLbErsFHVrXqHGulJ72HgQ/s1600/DSCN1156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFMib3UAGrs-MkAE1yS-DkdDIHK0BjTFykpBz9zo1lK5tuiGM65xtJIF9yhJTnkqDa7o_8U8UUaut9Gug2RfMT9yEfYVns5ShaYX8n4IcnT65cVh4VXodijbLbErsFHVrXqHGulJ72HgQ/s320/DSCN1156.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is our new dining room set. We specifically bought a counter-height table so we would be able to get extra chairs to put along the island bar. All eight chairs will fit around the table if we have enough company, and it makes for a perfect game-playing table for the game nights we've hosted at our house :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaCx2in_sOXzKTIC9rwxDsh5r1ADQ078X2R0J_LjxUuMQSln0YAiDSWlXU_KDst2gShGH9SliPYUVq38Nx89ZevTU19JR6a8-atV2Lcca22zTB3ItVkFc5RgKDohNSuMt7H_6fdcyvHM/s1600/DSCN1189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaCx2in_sOXzKTIC9rwxDsh5r1ADQ078X2R0J_LjxUuMQSln0YAiDSWlXU_KDst2gShGH9SliPYUVq38Nx89ZevTU19JR6a8-atV2Lcca22zTB3ItVkFc5RgKDohNSuMt7H_6fdcyvHM/s320/DSCN1189.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is our new living room furniture. We actually ended up (unknowingly) buying the same sofa & love seat that X's dad had in his old apartment. We were sure surprised when Carolyn walked in our house shortly after we had bought everything and said "These are our couches!". They are definitely MUCH more comfortable than the old blue couch. I would've love to say RIP blue couch and burned it out in the desert, but some guy offered to buy them for $80. Why not, right?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYvmnoAaz-6Wm7eIn5xEj4Y3XscsLQpSn3RxapM6TBYIQT5AprLS3Jz54VtQRR08vqDdqHtu72NQF67IhCXbQgy800PeEfqnWdb_3mLqHka7k-Rii16T4mXk_DZWkbIcTC2eZZ0rGbSo/s1600/DSCN1159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYvmnoAaz-6Wm7eIn5xEj4Y3XscsLQpSn3RxapM6TBYIQT5AprLS3Jz54VtQRR08vqDdqHtu72NQF67IhCXbQgy800PeEfqnWdb_3mLqHka7k-Rii16T4mXk_DZWkbIcTC2eZZ0rGbSo/s320/DSCN1159.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the benefits of being a GE employee is the ability to purchase GE appliances at the "employee" rate. The top is a french-door refrigerator, and the bottom is a pull-out freezer drawer. Its way more energy efficient than our old one (we were shocked at the savings on our new electric bill), and we also enjoy finally being able to use a water/ice dispenser. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsSd0Jvc4_1U7KTIc33X7A37cCsXIWxY7_6w3xhyybJZWHeGxluX4TDinnb9idPBCGcu22leaqb7-1t9oHjRLQT2HrSJEsA01eO2hIdLUdbzNMUoTw-oo0hvb2d_BQBQB7MOy9f9emJE/s1600/DSCN1201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsSd0Jvc4_1U7KTIc33X7A37cCsXIWxY7_6w3xhyybJZWHeGxluX4TDinnb9idPBCGcu22leaqb7-1t9oHjRLQT2HrSJEsA01eO2hIdLUdbzNMUoTw-oo0hvb2d_BQBQB7MOy9f9emJE/s320/DSCN1201.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We finally splurged and got a new TV! We held out for so long since we couldn't afford a new one as students, and we wanted to wait and see if the latest technology would come down in price. We decided to get a 3D TV, but we got one that uses the same kind of glasses as the theaters, instead of the $200/pair kind. Now we don't have to worry about having the neighbors and kids over to watch a movie! This also "forced" us to upgrade to a blu-ray player, and I decided that we would also get a 7.1 Surround Sound Home Theater system too while we were at it. I LOVE these new additions most of all :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>X has also done a lot of decorating in the house too. I'm grateful that she's able to do that, cause it isn't really my thing. She really seems to enjoy it though, so I'm glad she's found a new hobby to keep her happy. She has a real knack for buying cool creative things and pairing them together, and she has also made some neat things from ideas she found on <a href="http://www.pinterest.com">Pinterest</a>. Since it isn't really my thing, I'm not really up to posting about it. So I'm calling X out to post about all your new décor either here or on your own blog :)</p><p>Day by day our house feels cozier as we add new improvements!</p>K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-31484759271969955702012-02-04T19:24:00.000-08:002012-02-04T20:20:43.128-08:00Home Sweet Home<p>Wow. I really waited too long on this one! At first I thought if I delayed writing about our house, people would be incentivized to come out and visit us to see if for themselves! And then we wanted to make all sorts of improvements so we waited and waited, and then 2 years later I decided I just need to get this done so we have some kind of record that we do indeed have a house!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBDV9g7SxV_VbS-u9QZ2fUWwjDxRc2RPKF_KjIIF6HiQi6ScpOtZ6cbGhY08hQSxsZ1vtqO5cLaoaMvJ4H1l-MKfwbXhrCMevz43SKgIpsay6LL2HKTEKrO8fZ9hyphenhyphenzxwDzWVRJaBjMpcc/s1600/GardnervilleRancheros-Oblique.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBDV9g7SxV_VbS-u9QZ2fUWwjDxRc2RPKF_KjIIF6HiQi6ScpOtZ6cbGhY08hQSxsZ1vtqO5cLaoaMvJ4H1l-MKfwbXhrCMevz43SKgIpsay6LL2HKTEKrO8fZ9hyphenhyphenzxwDzWVRJaBjMpcc/s400/GardnervilleRancheros-Oblique.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Carson Valley - Can you see Lake Tahoe in the background?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>So that is the area we live. Some people have told us it is a little bit country. We think it is a <u><i><b>lotta</b></i></u> bit country! People are VERY laid back out here and I still don’t think we are used to that. We do enjoy all the open space and outdoor activities available out here though. We can’t remember what rush-hour traffic is, and the starry nights are AMAZING. And the best part is that it feels like home for us.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Ll4ycbaTpUZ99WVi4xxisEn9Fqr4xFfnrSJIBuvqLfAucwR1R3vJX9CxgUDR9lBgC7SRl9DrftyoJNnbPtQTbVw39qCj3LN59aoKlEbWO-Y8dHuf2w33CE8ff0h2lD_LaRr5SvKP8-o/s1600/DSCN0036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Ll4ycbaTpUZ99WVi4xxisEn9Fqr4xFfnrSJIBuvqLfAucwR1R3vJX9CxgUDR9lBgC7SRl9DrftyoJNnbPtQTbVw39qCj3LN59aoKlEbWO-Y8dHuf2w33CE8ff0h2lD_LaRr5SvKP8-o/s400/DSCN0036.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moving Day!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMpgudUehKdK3Z5_k1fHwcQloAC-LEovnXaLIweHuUou5ry9uRJ3tse1P69FxW0cZtO4NZqFzEgTzGP_VhxeFOuD98XO3VRRY7EjhWAQawaZ-z38iT_EBHyZ0Roc80qVXJVytaEZMBFY/s1600/DSCN0038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMpgudUehKdK3Z5_k1fHwcQloAC-LEovnXaLIweHuUou5ry9uRJ3tse1P69FxW0cZtO4NZqFzEgTzGP_VhxeFOuD98XO3VRRY7EjhWAQawaZ-z38iT_EBHyZ0Roc80qVXJVytaEZMBFY/s400/DSCN0038.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoCaption" style="text-align: center;">Have to add felt pads to the bottom of EVERYTHING to keep the hardwood floor looking nice</div></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWFD_qY4Ri5QtM_vlrBDQz87lZSyBoqLk82wg0NZ9BuHeNcWbePKcGPhFlVvOeql7qaRTllJgtDFBWD7WXEiXWXrQjmkdNeZ2T7-Nig7OqoVWvRrEaGogFvGu8EgRsHsT2s6MlLOC3f0/s1600/DSCN0035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWFD_qY4Ri5QtM_vlrBDQz87lZSyBoqLk82wg0NZ9BuHeNcWbePKcGPhFlVvOeql7qaRTllJgtDFBWD7WXEiXWXrQjmkdNeZ2T7-Nig7OqoVWvRrEaGogFvGu8EgRsHsT2s6MlLOC3f0/s400/DSCN0035.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoCaption" style="text-align: center;">All the packing paper from the movers – unfortunately there isn’t a recycling program out here, but I like to use this paper as tinder for the wood-burning stove</div></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtujMnyFhFPNIsfk99LZo_lXKDuzBjixBbQndfbKWJUKVuvjW396d2OmtxpCkrJRqA0N6Y0g7eYiNFQpaJClF67FrlXwYFPDJAuU-wnCcAhHwTECJ0cFwCJhZrj5FMpsnnOYL5yYUItbY/s1600/DSCN1163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtujMnyFhFPNIsfk99LZo_lXKDuzBjixBbQndfbKWJUKVuvjW396d2OmtxpCkrJRqA0N6Y0g7eYiNFQpaJClF67FrlXwYFPDJAuU-wnCcAhHwTECJ0cFwCJhZrj5FMpsnnOYL5yYUItbY/s400/DSCN1163.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoCaption" style="text-align: center;">Here's that fireplace. It keeps us roasty-toasty in the winters, and also helps reduce our gas bill!</div></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoCaption" style="text-align: center;">The kitchen was remodeled in 2008. We’ve had to re-organize the kitchen twice now to make all our stuff fit and easier to access, but we both love how it looks.</div></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoCaption" style="text-align: center;">The “Green Room”, as we call it, has become our office/craft room. There is enough room on the floor for a queen-sized blow-up mattress, and we’ve hosted several friends and family here.</div></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoCaption" style="text-align: center;">The “Blue Room” is our guest bedroom. It also features a Crayola-colored ceiling fan for our guests' enjoyment.</div></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbWwP83i7BBIO1zofC0XV1Ic4Zc8_AzgnehQCmoQ25_eCY00yi8RkcDdb7cdlLFhyphenhyphenRT-kp9sYM12LAH8LZwmV23sr0HIF-Q5HO2IG-ymqhvjGY-lXxCyEixw2QFDQTFl8nHF5ila_qZI/s1600/DSCN1175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbWwP83i7BBIO1zofC0XV1Ic4Zc8_AzgnehQCmoQ25_eCY00yi8RkcDdb7cdlLFhyphenhyphenRT-kp9sYM12LAH8LZwmV23sr0HIF-Q5HO2IG-ymqhvjGY-lXxCyEixw2QFDQTFl8nHF5ila_qZI/s400/DSCN1175.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guest bathroom</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The master bedroom is where it is all at! So far we've actually kept it pretty plain. We don't even have a TV! But X is working on new decorating ideas every day.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The master bathroom has slate floors – pretty nice, but FREEZING on January mornings in bare feet! Walk-in closet is in here – a little different – but at least our clothes get steam-cleaned on a daily basis!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQj4RwvztKFHUe_HqjRv3LC0p7ipXJo6G0OPydPzGs-Q2Yy-yddz3l_GwuAfnJNQcb_5SmnRgOM91zdxN0Ds4OpOcOIbHD7reaBMDDnfbqyKPtwG6CGXt_FnOY_CYxmS2y1H9taN_S6M/s1600/DSCN1161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQj4RwvztKFHUe_HqjRv3LC0p7ipXJo6G0OPydPzGs-Q2Yy-yddz3l_GwuAfnJNQcb_5SmnRgOM91zdxN0Ds4OpOcOIbHD7reaBMDDnfbqyKPtwG6CGXt_FnOY_CYxmS2y1H9taN_S6M/s400/DSCN1161.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Laundry/Mud room with utility sink. Also acting as extra emergency storage.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>We don’t have any A/C, but the house came with a window-mounted swamp cooler. We were a little nervous about this fact when we moved in, but the summers are so mild here that we haven’t had any problems! In fact, most days we just keep the blinds closed and turn on the ceiling fans and that has kept us cool enough!</p><p>And that’s it! Sorry it took so long to get this out there! Check back soon for a post on some of the improvements we’ve made since X returned.</p>K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-60950565038647870662012-01-28T21:36:00.000-08:002012-01-28T21:36:23.607-08:00Our Baby<p>Towards the end of the year X and I decided that our house was a little too quiet. We decided that it was either time for a baby or a dog. We went with the dog. :)</p><p>Introducing: Name to be Determined!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRDmJ7pUwbixZolPHIrxHTOW9w75cbm9S5SDslb1lqE-PwAYykfpcRBlLeZafprKORsGFK9dl2C3s9VtIlCFYTa3693GGsdqwlKYapmQDR8krlIT_NtXIACFQ9bucRCbWhjU-ILx3jBk/s1600/doggy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRDmJ7pUwbixZolPHIrxHTOW9w75cbm9S5SDslb1lqE-PwAYykfpcRBlLeZafprKORsGFK9dl2C3s9VtIlCFYTa3693GGsdqwlKYapmQDR8krlIT_NtXIACFQ9bucRCbWhjU-ILx3jBk/s320/doggy.jpg" /></a></div><p>This is our new 3-year-old Welsh Terrier. She’s a hypoallergenic dog (doesn’t shed much, like a poodle), and she is very well behaved… Unless you make her do something that she doesn’t want to do; then she gets a little, shall we say, “bitey”. She also doesn’t get along very well with other dogs, but we’re hoping to nip that problem (and the biting) pretty quickly. We’re still working on some dominance issues, but once we’re over that we feel pretty confident we’ll be able to socialize her just fine.</p><p>We actually ended up getting her from a posting we saw on craigslist. It all seemed a little sketchy – one of those “too good to be true” kinds of things, but so far she has been super fun and has filled in that gap that our house was missing. She’s completely house and kennel trained, and has no problem staying inside while we’re both at work during the week. She doesn’t seem to really chew on things, and since she doesn’t really shed she is allowed on the bed and on the couch (although she does get down and sleep in her kennel during the night).</p><p>We’re still working on a name (her previous owner called her “Lulu Bear”, or just “Lulu”), but our friends’ dog’s name is “Lula”, and we’d just prefer to change it anyways. Some names we are considering are “Toffee”, “Reese”, and “Pepsi” (LOL all food names). Leave a comment if you like any of those or have another suggestion!</p>K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-43766365867196508452011-11-08T20:36:00.000-08:002011-11-08T20:36:59.542-08:00The Challenge is Over<p>Last year I <a href="http://im2cre8iv.blogspot.com/2010/09/cruise-lifestyle-challenge.html">blogged about the Cruise Lifestyle Challenge</a> we were doing with my family and X's mom for a year. The challenge officially ended October 1st, and everyone had a good amount of success with completing their goals.</p><p>I ended up losing 55 of the 60 pounds I wanted to lose! Unfortunately I couldn't find a "before" picture (not sure if I even took one), so I figure an "after" picture won't be worth much without something to compare it to. Instead, here's a picture of 5 lbs. of fat, so you can just imagine what it looks like (and feels like) to lose 11 of these :)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh33ireWUBYSbM_KaQEokAZwvQjFwAihhZYCZ98eRAK9Y52T3SHR9QuwlocfB-fP98WVGUZ5_bqrVdr_i02KIDtTRvesTXGJT7AZTuExWP0qZzsQ5gJ5x6PbHdPNBJV3Vnux2h0_Lp58fk/s1600/five-pounds-of-fat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="241" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh33ireWUBYSbM_KaQEokAZwvQjFwAihhZYCZ98eRAK9Y52T3SHR9QuwlocfB-fP98WVGUZ5_bqrVdr_i02KIDtTRvesTXGJT7AZTuExWP0qZzsQ5gJ5x6PbHdPNBJV3Vnux2h0_Lp58fk/s320/five-pounds-of-fat.jpg" /></a></div><p>I also successfully completed a year without sweets (minus the once-in-a-lifetime desserts I was able to try in Israel, Egypt, and Jordan). I had hoped it would be relatively easy to stay away from sweets after a whole year without them, but unfortunately Halloween proved this to be incorrect. At least I feel like I'm eating a lot LESS than I used to! Here's to keeping it all off - until the cruise at least!</p>K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-71417121073793804082011-10-31T22:05:00.000-07:002012-05-25T22:52:27.404-07:00Pumpkin Carving Extravaganza 2011<p>NOTE: For the most satisfying viewing pleasure, please read this blog directly from my website (not from Google Reader or another RSS feed). The before/after images won't work otherwise.</p>
<p>This year for Halloween we were in San Francisco for "<a href="http://www.nevadaday.com/" target="_blank">Nevada Day</a>", so we didn't have a lot of time to carve our pumpkins, but we still had a fun time picking them out at the local pumpkin farm and furiously trying to complete them before our trip. Here are our results! (Reminder: hover over the pictures to see the before/after images)</p>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Nightmare Before Christmas" Jack Skellington Pumpkin</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIy52OVp9JN2ToRL9QBdgHeutls8JpQUVgGPtn3Cuo02jMyXIboUZ_2tCA890TuyPLUWY8YKK0QcG_BxKOaKHeKQOpo_-Jo2w2mI9gzYONKv1zgCfKHBtTRorayQRWIgeydXdN4osXwb4/s1600/DSCN1117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" onmouseout="this.src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIy52OVp9JN2ToRL9QBdgHeutls8JpQUVgGPtn3Cuo02jMyXIboUZ_2tCA890TuyPLUWY8YKK0QcG_BxKOaKHeKQOpo_-Jo2w2mI9gzYONKv1zgCfKHBtTRorayQRWIgeydXdN4osXwb4/s320/DSCN1117.JPG'" onmouseover="this.src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgkVzUg_QqiNMkOWdTsKouJW1gMg6eudS3MSdE44tJj6DUBYTZ6rwM2DxFvVffcpgrzHnCoiiFkyfOskyQza4MIbvyU2_icuLZtebN1-DvHSVr2wiGJWi-QpLBtkL08GsN8nmyWWl-sgM/s320/DSCN1112.JPG'" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIy52OVp9JN2ToRL9QBdgHeutls8JpQUVgGPtn3Cuo02jMyXIboUZ_2tCA890TuyPLUWY8YKK0QcG_BxKOaKHeKQOpo_-Jo2w2mI9gzYONKv1zgCfKHBtTRorayQRWIgeydXdN4osXwb4/s320/DSCN1117.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Despicable Me" Minion Pumpkin</td></tr>
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<p>Unfortunately when we got back from SF on Halloween Eve, our pumpkins were a little wrinkly, but nothing that a quick bleach bath couldn't fix!</p>
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<p>While in SF, we went to a 49ers game, which was AWESOME! Check "Professional Football Game" off of my bucket list!</p>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CeMalI0NUYPqc6G5-uucz5BPSg_TLSvK7yz4Yuniiotd6TGehoYjXxY04_lldnTHr9vxR-oFntQwkjFb4nhvCAXi0uT_g7ePVJLWq8foUY9yaVQTL8TvPJE3mLPMd9wlX_IPf5iPe_w/s1600/DSCN1124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CeMalI0NUYPqc6G5-uucz5BPSg_TLSvK7yz4Yuniiotd6TGehoYjXxY04_lldnTHr9vxR-oFntQwkjFb4nhvCAXi0uT_g7ePVJLWq8foUY9yaVQTL8TvPJE3mLPMd9wlX_IPf5iPe_w/s320/DSCN1124.JPG" /></a></div>
<p>As a side note, if you have ever wanted to find out what it is like to eat a meal as a blind person, try out <a href="http://www.darkdining.com/" target="_blank">Opaque - Dining in the Dark.</a> It is a "Blind Dining" experience where you basically get to eat a full 3-course meal in a pitch-black room! It was totally the most unique experience! They have locations in San Francisco, L.A., San Diego, NYC, and Dallas.</p>K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-27802925831352417112011-07-24T13:23:00.000-07:002011-07-25T11:37:35.493-07:00New Callings<p>Now that X has gotten settled into the area, the bishopric decided that it was time to put her to work. They were going to try to give her a calling that she could do remotely (calling for visiting teaching reports maybe?), but it didn't end up happening. Now that she's back we've heard that all the auxiliaries have been "fighting" to get her, but she ended up with the young womens. Here's the new YW 1st Counselor:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjwFmG1ubB5oWfEm2BGhSI3U8LMtjCcLbiLa2fiC8E3i3aiZxS2qJPaIFJibdkKx1ZAhDCD210qnq9A-UeFO6Ie0Gro8Wer8rbFkNzn-fN6RHi2REg4l4LA4VbQ7Ei3dV5kfEPxXOOkSI/s1600/DSCN0970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjwFmG1ubB5oWfEm2BGhSI3U8LMtjCcLbiLa2fiC8E3i3aiZxS2qJPaIFJibdkKx1ZAhDCD210qnq9A-UeFO6Ie0Gro8Wer8rbFkNzn-fN6RHi2REg4l4LA4VbQ7Ei3dV5kfEPxXOOkSI/s320/DSCN0970.JPG" /></a></div><p>I've been the Elder's Quorum secretary for about a year now. The EQ President that called me had been in for about a year. A few weeks ago X and I were asked to meet with someone in the stake presidency (we weren't familiar enough with the presidency to know if it was the president or one of his counselors), but it ended up being the president! We weren't sure if it was going to be a new calling for X or me (it really could've been for either of us - it didn't matter that she was just called as a YW's counselor), but it ended up being for me. Prior to the meeting X teased me that I was going to be called as a bishop (there have been rumors about splitting the wards out here for some time now), and I was fairly sure I wouldn't be called as the EQ President since our current President has been in for less than 2 years. So any guesses?</p><br />
<br />
<br />
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<p>I'm the new EQ President!</p><p>We both are a little overwhelmed with our new responsibilities, but I guess we got what we were looking for when we decided to get outside the Utah bubble and find opportunities to serve!</p><p>Stay tuned next time - we're getting our new furniture delivered this week and finally feel like we can show off our home!</p>K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-26806443699539755672011-07-17T13:23:00.000-07:002011-07-25T11:46:59.414-07:00Our New House<p>BIRD-House that is! We've had this plain, old, log/post sitting out in our front yard ever since we moved in and we've been looking for something to put on it. We were pretty sure we wanted to do a birdhouse of some kind, but none of the ones we found had the right "look" that we were after. But on our bike ride yesterday after a work picnic/carnival, we spotted a bunch of birdhouses for sale and found the perfect one. Here's the final installed product!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJKA0d1z9Q-nATd72tC5g1kuTiPwIUmJti3oAfwyaJNgtYQDYkJTGLrTSmFpG0hitm6VK3RvmYdIfNwVsELC90WgiMzG9gBGrYcWXSMFTL6G01SfBiQkUK3WEyWR2Ka1AUeMUAkWvsEs/s1600/DSCN0953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJKA0d1z9Q-nATd72tC5g1kuTiPwIUmJti3oAfwyaJNgtYQDYkJTGLrTSmFpG0hitm6VK3RvmYdIfNwVsELC90WgiMzG9gBGrYcWXSMFTL6G01SfBiQkUK3WEyWR2Ka1AUeMUAkWvsEs/s320/DSCN0953.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's a tiny little broom leaned up against the door</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRGG0zRhsOQKtEZcADdor3_2zAbpeWnt8N7JCBmm48jHsztBqkHsgpy-DO4XVzesoTyFGZyPfRsDI8Z8GDo_Y6FskZR0MbLfTCCG-Jk5j1F4W7qbd-c0Bifdfvm-fycMdyDAQB7r4qZ6A/s1600/DSCN0954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRGG0zRhsOQKtEZcADdor3_2zAbpeWnt8N7JCBmm48jHsztBqkHsgpy-DO4XVzesoTyFGZyPfRsDI8Z8GDo_Y6FskZR0MbLfTCCG-Jk5j1F4W7qbd-c0Bifdfvm-fycMdyDAQB7r4qZ6A/s320/DSCN0954.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sitting atop the log/post</td></tr>
</tbody></table>K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-65221442792087678542011-07-03T13:23:00.000-07:002011-07-24T21:54:20.741-07:0050 Down... 10 to go!<p>After 9 months I am almost at my cruise goal to lose 60 pounds! I still have 3 months left for the last 10, but I definitely feel like I have plateaued and it is going to be quite a struggle to go this last little bit. It is definitely easier though to resist sweets after all this time! I'll definitely post before/after pictures after the challenge is over.</p>K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-55326919338837351322011-06-26T13:23:00.000-07:002011-07-24T21:54:20.743-07:00The Honeymoon<p>I stumbled across some pictures from our Honeymoon back in 2009 and realized that I hadn't ever posted about them. Since I'm still dragging my feet on sorting through all the pictures from Egypt, Israel, and Jordan, I figure posting these might be a good stalling tactic for this week! :)</p><p>X and I were married on May 20th, 2009 in the Salt Lake Temple. We decided to do our reception the night before (at "The Point" at Huntsman Cancer Institute) which made things SO much easier - the day of our wedding was tons less hectic, and we were able to leave right after the ceremony and luncheon. Definitely the way to do it in my opinion! We decided to do a smaller honeymoon up in Park City for a week, and then for our first anniversary we'd do something <a href="http://im2cre8iv.blogspot.com/2010/06/anniversary-graduation-vacation.html"><i><b>bigger</b> and <b>better</b></i></a>.</p><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCq60R5dtc09PYXgMVeqNKjggpLnqzbMEjBFl_GwubIweqe-AbReceSS0zFkJEj_VCh228Nh-88x3SJGAcxhWEixNjHRisyTmXMuXvb4wNjU8C4bYlrci27l85HywtiCRrU9V1Q9vHXs/s1600/DSCN1589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCq60R5dtc09PYXgMVeqNKjggpLnqzbMEjBFl_GwubIweqe-AbReceSS0zFkJEj_VCh228Nh-88x3SJGAcxhWEixNjHRisyTmXMuXvb4wNjU8C4bYlrci27l85HywtiCRrU9V1Q9vHXs/s320/DSCN1589.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Since our reception was the night before, no one ended up decorating our car. Luckily my car was dirty enough for us to manage it ourselves!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKhfzaZuSOw-nTuQ0FdzBYdvpHAXVLaiKVbo3ToyUE8jcpJcST_y_8JRdDevPasFiSsmGIgM0GIk6zn6LHM6asLwCf3PNs7diVr6NiSGPQPUBDZ_MCmTxeAPsDd0wyoQCRA50XvoZdj0/s1600/DSCN1593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKhfzaZuSOw-nTuQ0FdzBYdvpHAXVLaiKVbo3ToyUE8jcpJcST_y_8JRdDevPasFiSsmGIgM0GIk6zn6LHM6asLwCf3PNs7diVr6NiSGPQPUBDZ_MCmTxeAPsDd0wyoQCRA50XvoZdj0/s320/DSCN1593.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We stayed our first night at the <a href="http://www.steinlodge.com/">Stein Erikson Lodge</a>, and had dinner at the Glitretind Restaurant. Since dinner was included in our Honeymoon package, we decided to be adventurous and try new and expensive things we wouldn't have tried otherwise. Our 3-course meals included raw elk (sliced paper-thin), foie gras (duck liver), quail, peanut butter and banana crème brûlée, and the most random flavors of chocolate truffles - including curry!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPa1TeXxlbbJV2u1WcrQgKNNNb6p5CleWnuxCVBUSyhNlEpkOdO5juK4ujAPeGv8nmYIKBq3106UMno7X9p5c45qt_xCQs0tNb7qbN5g03gOYadrf3D3ijX8cYYI0P_M29sEa8rXpjH68/s1600/DSCN1594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPa1TeXxlbbJV2u1WcrQgKNNNb6p5CleWnuxCVBUSyhNlEpkOdO5juK4ujAPeGv8nmYIKBq3106UMno7X9p5c45qt_xCQs0tNb7qbN5g03gOYadrf3D3ijX8cYYI0P_M29sEa8rXpjH68/s320/DSCN1594.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We spent one afternoon at the Utah Olympic Park. We found out they give free upgrades on ride passes if you are on your honeymoon! :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1EwuNWql4mPzqMgkCaTSguzscKihOFlQGEJZYXUm6h6Szf4qLYiFeBscI9IhJ5Sqcp-UgSIA9tncMFu_xLYJLuWhIHwMBSLnh3I4ogZovnAE7dvx-0inS0_OqoafMEA1wCZLEKxHxhgE/s1600/DSCN1596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1EwuNWql4mPzqMgkCaTSguzscKihOFlQGEJZYXUm6h6Szf4qLYiFeBscI9IhJ5Sqcp-UgSIA9tncMFu_xLYJLuWhIHwMBSLnh3I4ogZovnAE7dvx-0inS0_OqoafMEA1wCZLEKxHxhgE/s320/DSCN1596.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">X practices her form on the luge</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsPRGPzlsgTsKBBkppPUx37Atcxju0COtbG7tiXckiP6U_3wqwrOTV3u7_5rNyA2Xs_5AWRxI5Vuc8jQvQAWQa46tZRekj2nyZnZ0VVD0iIP34nD_O4qrD5eUd_VWj-R_2kkvSBmO5gg/s1600/DSCN1597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsPRGPzlsgTsKBBkppPUx37Atcxju0COtbG7tiXckiP6U_3wqwrOTV3u7_5rNyA2Xs_5AWRxI5Vuc8jQvQAWQa46tZRekj2nyZnZ0VVD0iIP34nD_O4qrD5eUd_VWj-R_2kkvSBmO5gg/s320/DSCN1597.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I couldn't bear to watch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_q7jd0urEEcUpqPDnl9UUaBW7Aa2fLSOsd7mzQWV3sI296icDU7rCz9lc49hiwXqFjLv3qAfhyphenhyphenGppWUW1q_4QGyxVlcm1pBfQlzRd2yrt3SnmydwBW7_i7K1Fy49TNuTlkuHaaLcY8oI/s1600/DSCN1599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_q7jd0urEEcUpqPDnl9UUaBW7Aa2fLSOsd7mzQWV3sI296icDU7rCz9lc49hiwXqFjLv3qAfhyphenhyphenGppWUW1q_4QGyxVlcm1pBfQlzRd2yrt3SnmydwBW7_i7K1Fy49TNuTlkuHaaLcY8oI/s320/DSCN1599.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">X enjoying a ride down the mountain</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1682gJbMU7dVIgBeTqkkxxlvhmQpStZtcYXXm9akZq41ZpkAWfcQLi4-xtAbR98xOp8i4OkpRvbkIwRL104nMDJePNYfAhjep1yzwTChy_35RSlMXAPj-kp7_9uc4cbmaXwSw7QoZJqY/s1600/DSCN1600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1682gJbMU7dVIgBeTqkkxxlvhmQpStZtcYXXm9akZq41ZpkAWfcQLi4-xtAbR98xOp8i4OkpRvbkIwRL104nMDJePNYfAhjep1yzwTChy_35RSlMXAPj-kp7_9uc4cbmaXwSw7QoZJqY/s320/DSCN1600.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm not sure if I was enjoying this or not...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYE_fVvphp8ScXPWXwPg99yuyurLsANIXxMmaanERz8stlikzTC9ZbCq7qTGzAs4PWJQe5af1Fwd23Dff7sfaK-FDvCCbfDUd1pGDZqU2VghppZ35JKzHmKTXngnQ_NpRBmyE6QIo8Lb8/s1600/DSCN1602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYE_fVvphp8ScXPWXwPg99yuyurLsANIXxMmaanERz8stlikzTC9ZbCq7qTGzAs4PWJQe5af1Fwd23Dff7sfaK-FDvCCbfDUd1pGDZqU2VghppZ35JKzHmKTXngnQ_NpRBmyE6QIo8Lb8/s320/DSCN1602.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before going down the zip-lines</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgIbRmBMrax0sNfEmlhK3sMYbolCiiZ0hOmMkLqPZJYMBhXA6Xp0Ayd_B05u-IoZ7R7QT85Rw1XqQyNldZJXKCYPIzz256imDfoFd2pY5fOoBqSZCI4Hyrb-ihnSsq7bhjPCypHYzn80/s1600/DSCN1604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgIbRmBMrax0sNfEmlhK3sMYbolCiiZ0hOmMkLqPZJYMBhXA6Xp0Ayd_B05u-IoZ7R7QT85Rw1XqQyNldZJXKCYPIzz256imDfoFd2pY5fOoBqSZCI4Hyrb-ihnSsq7bhjPCypHYzn80/s320/DSCN1604.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the gates to open</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7Pn0ZWkcVQBVreYfI1M1K4aoAdKRjNPD7gzFvVmkM2adZ_ejWjwxgV4CedAZvMwNz5rJcfy8Vj61VsEbkb53gaNobLCbL2_Q3sgjM1CqR1RNXaSe4gE1RhQh5UkxkBL-tqVNYkHLpFo/s1600/DSCN1607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7Pn0ZWkcVQBVreYfI1M1K4aoAdKRjNPD7gzFvVmkM2adZ_ejWjwxgV4CedAZvMwNz5rJcfy8Vj61VsEbkb53gaNobLCbL2_Q3sgjM1CqR1RNXaSe4gE1RhQh5UkxkBL-tqVNYkHLpFo/s320/DSCN1607.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I smiled to trick X into thinking I was going to let her win in our race down the lines</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzn2-HovH7tfadqxDl4RO0HrJr6W2TnH5OJ5Mg-_udL11b2FKsFvFsjmIaCZ7Kb_rOxeHmMUEJ5WIz10YKXmON81-QpbV9pVNWopUtVl0f6Cs08boQEg7ilNecm_g7gvLo71Z1fq3GbUY/s1600/DSCN1605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzn2-HovH7tfadqxDl4RO0HrJr6W2TnH5OJ5Mg-_udL11b2FKsFvFsjmIaCZ7Kb_rOxeHmMUEJ5WIz10YKXmON81-QpbV9pVNWopUtVl0f6Cs08boQEg7ilNecm_g7gvLo71Z1fq3GbUY/s320/DSCN1605.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course we couldn't leave out the "Alpine Slides". We'll never forget the little girl in front of us on our first run who rode the brakes the whole way down. We would literally wait a few minutes in hopes she'd be at the bottom by then, and then catch up to her in like 10 seconds! Fortunately they let us ride again for free.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgboJ8do-9F78XmHMR6wI-Q0Rt5mhlohcQA-IUIFh_f7mziB_SB2srHx46FZuavxT-lN0PWuuphb4iBQ-_nLNmpIt1N0Xkg5Lv15b6fDy2Iel2eiLDA-7HA7B4YUhKg9Jr-DcHofFYMDi8/s1600/DSCN1606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgboJ8do-9F78XmHMR6wI-Q0Rt5mhlohcQA-IUIFh_f7mziB_SB2srHx46FZuavxT-lN0PWuuphb4iBQ-_nLNmpIt1N0Xkg5Lv15b6fDy2Iel2eiLDA-7HA7B4YUhKg9Jr-DcHofFYMDi8/s320/DSCN1606.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I snapped this shot when we were waiting for the slow-poke</td></tr>
</tbody></table>K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-5021002486136927362011-06-20T15:57:00.000-07:002011-07-24T21:54:20.745-07:00Wanna Come For a Visit?We had our good friends Mike and Suzanne out from Utah for Memorial Day Weekend and we had a blast being good hosts for them. You can read about all we did in their very complimentary <a target="_blank" href="http://mikeandsuza.blogspot.com/2011/06/reno-and-bells.html">recap of the weekend</a>. So if you've ever thought about coming out but didn't know if it would be worth it, see what you think after reading what they had to say!K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-23131179073387052732011-06-12T13:23:00.000-07:002011-07-24T21:54:20.747-07:00Preparing for X's Return<p>I had a lot of work to do before X got home last week. I had secretly turned the house into my own personal bachelor pad (I had lots to hide up in the attic and down in the crawlspace), and there was lots of yard- and house-work I wanted to take care of prior to her return so she wouldn't have much to worry about. Here's what I've been working on the last few months to spruce the place up a bit:</p><br />
<b><u>Weeding</u></b><br />
<p>Oh the joys of owning your own home! Part of our yard is just rocks, so I was sure that was going to be weed-free; oh how wrong I was!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNi_hDvDCaS5y3yBfH-HjcHx8DgGm69hm9PMRBkavNJ7nGNafLT_hnrF2miEMZOyrB0tqpFGVGH_3iFB6UdvjeTbV3PO4LXgZ_fOXzO5sxyNPzAxhmVsy0vBZs_QGpYPcMMk-NiRX4MY/s1600/0409111932a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNi_hDvDCaS5y3yBfH-HjcHx8DgGm69hm9PMRBkavNJ7nGNafLT_hnrF2miEMZOyrB0tqpFGVGH_3iFB6UdvjeTbV3PO4LXgZ_fOXzO5sxyNPzAxhmVsy0vBZs_QGpYPcMMk-NiRX4MY/s320/0409111932a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our weedy side-driveway</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMK75dDnJ9grniNKRPnhYjyl4m3038cQEaxX0xgzNxLE3Mnz4MxGUQLEGohkb4rKbh2XszixTxWKxBAJRFFlpkJRxX-GG9ClQT3FeuPJ27_JwvHGL8psiUt3P9z2XGYBE4jjYgMYOoyE/s1600/DSCN0884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMK75dDnJ9grniNKRPnhYjyl4m3038cQEaxX0xgzNxLE3Mnz4MxGUQLEGohkb4rKbh2XszixTxWKxBAJRFFlpkJRxX-GG9ClQT3FeuPJ27_JwvHGL8psiUt3P9z2XGYBE4jjYgMYOoyE/s320/DSCN0884.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had LOTS of these in the grass</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>Even since X has been home there has still been a lot to do for the both of us! Maybe we need to get busy on that having kids thing... Luckily I heard about this stuff called Casoron, which is an herbicide that prevents seeds from germinating. So I've applied a bunch of that this year and will do more next year before anything starts to grow and hopefully we'll see a dramatic reduction in weeds.</p><br />
<b><u>Sandbox and Grass Seed</u></b><br />
<p>The previous owners had a large sandbox with a huge playhouse build into it, but they dug it out and took it with them when they left! But they didn't dig out all the toys, garbage, and other crap that was left behind in the sand. So I had to dig out all the junk left behind and make it look nice again. I also tried my best to grade the sand also since it was really shallow in some places, but really deep back by the fence. The playhouse also had a slide that went right into the grass so there was a big dirt spot where the kids would slide into the grass, so I seeded in that spot and a few others. The grass is already filling in nicely!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7aC7ggASfTFIDH1BnXw36FiOJ9EeHpPSRh6GJzbS610L9PgoMQcJ_RFXetrUxW56fhQgIRz_a9s1tkJnSoq8dwKUNq4XpgCJq0_encF__kaTiIpFASHRU4KKzSEKE0dZ_-6SFG8HZICs/s1600/DSCN0890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7aC7ggASfTFIDH1BnXw36FiOJ9EeHpPSRh6GJzbS610L9PgoMQcJ_RFXetrUxW56fhQgIRz_a9s1tkJnSoq8dwKUNq4XpgCJq0_encF__kaTiIpFASHRU4KKzSEKE0dZ_-6SFG8HZICs/s320/DSCN0890.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see the missing grass in this picture, and also the dark line on the fence where the sand used to be</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<b><u>Sprinklers & Broken Pipes</u></b><br />
<p>This year when I turned on the water in the backyard, I was confused when suddenly ALL of the sprinklers turned on simultaneously. Turns out all of the sprinkler valves in the backyard were bad and I had to replace them all! We also have a pair of those old-timey water pumps in our backyard, and one of those had burst during the winter so I had to dig that out and cap off the pipe. Unfortunately for me that one was tied directly to the water main (so who knows how long that was leaking?) and there was no way to turn off the water completely unless I shut off the water to the house. No fun.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpUtxRmoEZ98-XGHozg-wQE2Zfdt7wbxKLQJ9L7m2xAhF3vEEmLYpMTMRwk9bcMGklRiX0FeL1M57l3UARhJpj8wBU4ORnQ7LpKO8_go1wxoc3N8oRvzY557s9XXhgOOxceKjfC4obLE/s1600/DSCN0886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpUtxRmoEZ98-XGHozg-wQE2Zfdt7wbxKLQJ9L7m2xAhF3vEEmLYpMTMRwk9bcMGklRiX0FeL1M57l3UARhJpj8wBU4ORnQ7LpKO8_go1wxoc3N8oRvzY557s9XXhgOOxceKjfC4obLE/s320/DSCN0886.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After digging the hole</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxpJAFDFrboboKhNwCeJ3ZorcDiwX8nZXn4Dpm2fr9Unzi0Z_reMRjOcQjdGkcJffwa2EELWD-8WRgpYQrteX-bdP_I8plUL4xUBpPKYmG9UWOQ_S1yffTO4yGLlj9Lk5vMGRcUCV0sA/s1600/DSCN0889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxpJAFDFrboboKhNwCeJ3ZorcDiwX8nZXn4Dpm2fr9Unzi0Z_reMRjOcQjdGkcJffwa2EELWD-8WRgpYQrteX-bdP_I8plUL4xUBpPKYmG9UWOQ_S1yffTO4yGLlj9Lk5vMGRcUCV0sA/s320/DSCN0889.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down into the abyss</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLW3IKjU5iXxbsbD6MPfUyfSNgGkDH22WE8kiqvd4PnXIphrV3g5OwkTSzpUDvu0xXejOegj1Nq1X4781oX6VvrG2pq2QkQoabEx42BO3WpDL3SZ_4xb1PDRQ733geNS60gN_YmFT8yZI/s1600/0612111658a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLW3IKjU5iXxbsbD6MPfUyfSNgGkDH22WE8kiqvd4PnXIphrV3g5OwkTSzpUDvu0xXejOegj1Nq1X4781oX6VvrG2pq2QkQoabEx42BO3WpDL3SZ_4xb1PDRQ733geNS60gN_YmFT8yZI/s320/0612111658a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished result</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>X is back home now and I am glad I have a lot of these big projects out of the way so I can enjoy the free time with her! :)</p>K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-38472002754544735682011-05-22T13:23:00.000-07:002011-07-24T21:54:20.749-07:00Floor Repair<p>Our house has nice hardwood floors in all the rooms except the bedrooms and bathrooms, but unfortunately the movers didn't understand the concept of moving pads and left some nice scratches in the floor when they moved us in last year.</p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgweKh8OWSCZr_QVjiAXyW2qIWjHy5n9zhDT8Dwm1Lmcl98dGOV3FjcTOUejySDIpuy8uMO6xHtANTS28XgX0XYXfSHrPmJRAhYIWFH-C98NaoltqXxfdp1P7GB3EbO1EotGJSq8K1otx4/s1600/DSCN0760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgweKh8OWSCZr_QVjiAXyW2qIWjHy5n9zhDT8Dwm1Lmcl98dGOV3FjcTOUejySDIpuy8uMO6xHtANTS28XgX0XYXfSHrPmJRAhYIWFH-C98NaoltqXxfdp1P7GB3EbO1EotGJSq8K1otx4/s320/DSCN0760.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7DcwqEAi1A_BMzonWFhg11RqZ0ECHdSgzCkwC1nzPRZ9dZ-cMs77IFmdBeuMOmRF3IaF7Fz34zVhPGcJu4og5ZpqNudNUu1E1XTcQanjibysgw4GJPanpz2uMJyn-GF7BGwcywnDsQY/s1600/DSCN0777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7DcwqEAi1A_BMzonWFhg11RqZ0ECHdSgzCkwC1nzPRZ9dZ-cMs77IFmdBeuMOmRF3IaF7Fz34zVhPGcJu4og5ZpqNudNUu1E1XTcQanjibysgw4GJPanpz2uMJyn-GF7BGwcywnDsQY/s320/DSCN0777.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Imagine this, but ALL OVER</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>Luckily we were able to get the moving company to fully cover the cost of repairs (after 10 months of hard work and many, MANY follow-up calls). Apparently the guys who put the floor in originally didn't really know what they were doing and neglected to let the wood acclimate to the dryness here, and so there were gaps EVERYWHERE where the boards had shrunk (see below for examples). We've been really worried about spilling any kind of liquid down there and ruining the boards from underneath, but luckily for us the floor repair guy said those gaps would have to be filled in order to do the repair, so we were able to kill two birds with one stone! I knew there was going to be a period of time when we couldn't walk on the floors while it was drying, so I made sure to get it all done before X came home. Here's a picture journal of the entire process:</p><br />
<b>DAY 0 - "Before" Pictures</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEo_dCUpaGnXb81FOClxsbK6i6gfOWIoaBohhaduo3p8k85xOgWy2WKLuPGhVlc9ruCp5RM2T0Hmmq5WYhTS2CBPbPlpDUiMxQglEL8E1DaH8FuLK3xKhdv1S34FkJlEWid0Y3F36UUjc/s1600/DSCN0810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEo_dCUpaGnXb81FOClxsbK6i6gfOWIoaBohhaduo3p8k85xOgWy2WKLuPGhVlc9ruCp5RM2T0Hmmq5WYhTS2CBPbPlpDUiMxQglEL8E1DaH8FuLK3xKhdv1S34FkJlEWid0Y3F36UUjc/s320/DSCN0810.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's what the floors looked like before - we also decided to do it right and take off the baseboards so that we could get right up against the wall</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjip5EYeYovIfPALzFjBEqvALfOQjNCQA170X-nynglQU6wPxC6s2lu5saJGq5015UaXr0Uytx9hl9N-m19zL_8fscSg_eM9-p6YC9XKmN9Jzkd6VTYbDUMosLo5uUzcEXSxVm4xt5oRh0/s1600/DSCN0816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjip5EYeYovIfPALzFjBEqvALfOQjNCQA170X-nynglQU6wPxC6s2lu5saJGq5015UaXr0Uytx9hl9N-m19zL_8fscSg_eM9-p6YC9XKmN9Jzkd6VTYbDUMosLo5uUzcEXSxVm4xt5oRh0/s320/DSCN0816.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a good example of a gap in the boards</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPHH_k_Lx0VYRdniV-4rSFHGjkUJOIITUiYkRHHCRTZIM03m8JlwOtUOrkbgf2XYxtaSdJKvt8UYL3YQRFRstAtv1g22lktor-s7Jge3ZTGaLTqav9VvN5v3Xs6bLyX6Hs3wYMzBOzOM/s1600/DSCN0811.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPHH_k_Lx0VYRdniV-4rSFHGjkUJOIITUiYkRHHCRTZIM03m8JlwOtUOrkbgf2XYxtaSdJKvt8UYL3YQRFRstAtv1g22lktor-s7Jge3ZTGaLTqav9VvN5v3Xs6bLyX6Hs3wYMzBOzOM/s320/DSCN0811.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the gaps were almost 1/4" big!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGpHaRmqt5XR1OyQRVtmB0df9qVqKjd0tKEGld_PZky7Qgeh6aZlsArImFPHsYhslP52TorS_DXq19j38hyphenhyphenGhkNir46ukh5_qS2xw9y86XOeICaDb092VI8IrSlEBFSA9Q95GTSd-LAsw/s1600/DSCN0829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGpHaRmqt5XR1OyQRVtmB0df9qVqKjd0tKEGld_PZky7Qgeh6aZlsArImFPHsYhslP52TorS_DXq19j38hyphenhyphenGhkNir46ukh5_qS2xw9y86XOeICaDb092VI8IrSlEBFSA9Q95GTSd-LAsw/s320/DSCN0829.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We kept the fridge plugged in and kept it in the front entryway so I could get food without walking on the floors</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0z1OduGM56CAWRqU5_FRezFrrGWsbDbTj2O1Q81UXh9KonivNycqrEyDuISvk8Ng-qf2Nr9vtJJufpTEYF6rX50Y9JvHGOlb91IXwermKQgcjIeTXoLUfA_mQbCgHomM3CD5YtZdlKM/s1600/DSCN0830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0z1OduGM56CAWRqU5_FRezFrrGWsbDbTj2O1Q81UXh9KonivNycqrEyDuISvk8Ng-qf2Nr9vtJJufpTEYF6rX50Y9JvHGOlb91IXwermKQgcjIeTXoLUfA_mQbCgHomM3CD5YtZdlKM/s320/DSCN0830.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of our stuff got crammed into the bedrooms</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1ejRhqXtoW9LmiPIR_jan1lk0ie66MZkPLrdLmCHYhShp8x8-fJIb69VDLZiQh9QYEFOeLWStXSn3cwOiGyAyC63AX8GLrnocnldQ9LFtFawfYeW-EkrkxB5OE5E86YhZ6cmzbqzsgk/s1600/DSCN0833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1ejRhqXtoW9LmiPIR_jan1lk0ie66MZkPLrdLmCHYhShp8x8-fJIb69VDLZiQh9QYEFOeLWStXSn3cwOiGyAyC63AX8GLrnocnldQ9LFtFawfYeW-EkrkxB5OE5E86YhZ6cmzbqzsgk/s320/DSCN0833.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't really get to cook at all during this process - good thing I like cereal!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<b>DAY 1 - Initial Sanding</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkiDmlyXZYG4Ex3aqgMa26EMHnWftBfkDVeKTCi1LWf3ub1EOaU5-bRg1UXU7pU6_z06DnAqgLYg6g7QFgMV5xO9l6PduFGEul3QtKTy37SGtFKmBC3FfW6S0SqE6VKaJ_4pWgmH3PXc/s1600/0321111001a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkiDmlyXZYG4Ex3aqgMa26EMHnWftBfkDVeKTCi1LWf3ub1EOaU5-bRg1UXU7pU6_z06DnAqgLYg6g7QFgMV5xO9l6PduFGEul3QtKTy37SGtFKmBC3FfW6S0SqE6VKaJ_4pWgmH3PXc/s320/0321111001a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first pass from the sander - the natural floor color was lighter than I expected!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwpWT4rLZzvxQADHYL8SQ9XXPDqB0doszUhA1T4AqJanKlqEr-R_1R5xq7TnV4ixNzcFS8Q0bg08VEBVLxafd4cmnUV0-iGUJdBQIGzUuCgXfomPXSxCGD8FkkMkHEI45ReaPkrCXvxQ/s1600/DSCN0834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwpWT4rLZzvxQADHYL8SQ9XXPDqB0doszUhA1T4AqJanKlqEr-R_1R5xq7TnV4ixNzcFS8Q0bg08VEBVLxafd4cmnUV0-iGUJdBQIGzUuCgXfomPXSxCGD8FkkMkHEI45ReaPkrCXvxQ/s320/DSCN0834.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished sanding</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<b>DAY 2 - Hand-Troweling the Filler</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh350nbnjn_0fGk4QMiktg9D3W8S6ZtV-eZSzhsSd_eQVFwMax07cPdYq65zSlj74E0ub9r5ruuEIvJc5KUa0h_C8-xq2NmZQ0LBlzHZ5Hf2NpeITzrWFG7UzhK0Cju6zEfrlAwkZHp8Ns/s1600/DSCN0821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh350nbnjn_0fGk4QMiktg9D3W8S6ZtV-eZSzhsSd_eQVFwMax07cPdYq65zSlj74E0ub9r5ruuEIvJc5KUa0h_C8-xq2NmZQ0LBlzHZ5Hf2NpeITzrWFG7UzhK0Cju6zEfrlAwkZHp8Ns/s320/DSCN0821.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the first round of filler - when I showed X this picture she freaked out cause she thought our floors were ruined :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOt1J-pQzT3HiSiWnTcjLWjp63krEYY2Veyziju2X8nFBRFQPS6Hnp7L14_FwASIk4I7-qR6_74epYw8sx6fuxUSBoWj7ZnvJ5Oh-aqTb3W2dHubA6jDdBQFeLfzbTciNii8GjB2WqD4/s1600/0321111924a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOt1J-pQzT3HiSiWnTcjLWjp63krEYY2Veyziju2X8nFBRFQPS6Hnp7L14_FwASIk4I7-qR6_74epYw8sx6fuxUSBoWj7ZnvJ5Oh-aqTb3W2dHubA6jDdBQFeLfzbTciNii8GjB2WqD4/s320/0321111924a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sander - it was so heavy he had to wear a weight lifting belt to make sure he didn't hurt his back!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<b>DAY 3 - Sealer</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEgMvvL8HVsGl_9ywPWg_lA9s2KP8hGeDhn7OsgetLaIieZ6LtTuri7Tgnp7GRGt6SWWc-VABUZN72emNo3t3k-F_ubasqaXEWZZbxthgmtx_OQXf0IddiqrwNLtW7iUSsITQoWazg1A/s1600/DSCN0849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEgMvvL8HVsGl_9ywPWg_lA9s2KP8hGeDhn7OsgetLaIieZ6LtTuri7Tgnp7GRGt6SWWc-VABUZN72emNo3t3k-F_ubasqaXEWZZbxthgmtx_OQXf0IddiqrwNLtW7iUSsITQoWazg1A/s320/DSCN0849.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After sanding the filler away - the wood has so much character - the floor guy didn't know what it was for sure, but guessed it is a mix of light and dark Brazilian Teak</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Zk4_6VcwmQUcf3S7NRvnsnCHTeYxviOXeSvKwETguVYMv0cEYsEHNi3mpMcMSwCcCN7R8U5hlGUslQj-ge88ahx9hD7mZL7UoxAmGiKaKUAU0qfoakwX8lZ2uDpN796w5ybxxBa153c/s1600/DSCN0838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Zk4_6VcwmQUcf3S7NRvnsnCHTeYxviOXeSvKwETguVYMv0cEYsEHNi3mpMcMSwCcCN7R8U5hlGUslQj-ge88ahx9hD7mZL7UoxAmGiKaKUAU0qfoakwX8lZ2uDpN796w5ybxxBa153c/s320/DSCN0838.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sealer brought a lot of color back to the wood - luckily it dried in a few hours so I could walk on it right after work</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<b>DAY 4 - First Coat of "Glossy" Finish</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BPoHzHUAnor2oJ1vmTcBMNm7Cv1YtoMAtJPSBN7c6aXhyhUdKuayGmSoW6Z5baZoJE8PwMJiWw9fHwQcOQMCOKGx3DjHXfxfAGL7jUC4U_T4bpmfMzqm62Nme0qsEvBbH9Kj3sn0HC4/s1600/DSCN0843.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BPoHzHUAnor2oJ1vmTcBMNm7Cv1YtoMAtJPSBN7c6aXhyhUdKuayGmSoW6Z5baZoJE8PwMJiWw9fHwQcOQMCOKGx3DjHXfxfAGL7jUC4U_T4bpmfMzqm62Nme0qsEvBbH9Kj3sn0HC4/s320/DSCN0843.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finish needs a slightly rough surface to adhere to, so they had to "scratch" the surface before applying the first coat of finish</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXWdd1alOBKIFddfN1Njg5L2YDBqG2G9eUeYdyxDxQyK6nQ6JtWn6r50CaS_JghTBBaWevbVC1BmKm5nDfvgalF9i18t5xs4_qwDREbwQaRKm5p6t7JFKulF-68vMPW8B4tBdbv78ubV8/s1600/0326111019a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXWdd1alOBKIFddfN1Njg5L2YDBqG2G9eUeYdyxDxQyK6nQ6JtWn6r50CaS_JghTBBaWevbVC1BmKm5nDfvgalF9i18t5xs4_qwDREbwQaRKm5p6t7JFKulF-68vMPW8B4tBdbv78ubV8/s320/0326111019a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The applicator - aptly described as looking like a "sheep's bottom"</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoX1GNKJp2Ty7ZEL5r1IX298-l9bbGHPYKiRhQMClPoNFTv6ZqKYUNN1L3uP7mKIehHcpvuaH-8Mesf0dHKBZXIbAAPxrcPMdsGw0TpJwjxjyaAPYR1qS175utAgYGC_1SzJ4ttCRS77g/s1600/0324110914b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoX1GNKJp2Ty7ZEL5r1IX298-l9bbGHPYKiRhQMClPoNFTv6ZqKYUNN1L3uP7mKIehHcpvuaH-8Mesf0dHKBZXIbAAPxrcPMdsGw0TpJwjxjyaAPYR1qS175utAgYGC_1SzJ4ttCRS77g/s320/0324110914b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Applying the first coat</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4NgcurlJtHRkbQVPAKvMDcwQP-yYnym_r6wALUCn6FpZEFoIlQPCnBxYK2dWnnhSzdJDpWoi4QcGVdiLXn6xBLw4FLO_hSHvMnJi7cKzcJegi-Rzna2vC__gd27o4Y_Eww-asDd-of98/s1600/0324110921a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4NgcurlJtHRkbQVPAKvMDcwQP-yYnym_r6wALUCn6FpZEFoIlQPCnBxYK2dWnnhSzdJDpWoi4QcGVdiLXn6xBLw4FLO_hSHvMnJi7cKzcJegi-Rzna2vC__gd27o4Y_Eww-asDd-of98/s320/0324110921a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VERY glossy! Fortunately only the last coat influences how the floor ends up looking so he used the glossy (stronger) finishes for the other coats</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIs-i2XOEf3od75tDZFQzTyJtG0C3RS7jwKf9e847-2wKTnv6px7UMbbOX_a-xEoRjRO22Q18RhGGMdPxzt-1hyphenhyphenySTTzuxs951VL1de7ANKftJXibHDOyspRF5c1zzWN_ad3ArAJ9PLo/s1600/0324110925a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIs-i2XOEf3od75tDZFQzTyJtG0C3RS7jwKf9e847-2wKTnv6px7UMbbOX_a-xEoRjRO22Q18RhGGMdPxzt-1hyphenhyphenySTTzuxs951VL1de7ANKftJXibHDOyspRF5c1zzWN_ad3ArAJ9PLo/s320/0324110925a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at the difference between the glossy finish and the satin sealer!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<b>DAY 5 - Second Coat</b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CTnuE-4ufgyLKCcNbD55QEQkGJeqcObxMIjN0DjenM8WH_R72-MsiQKVVXKhAk9t417VeuH7xzPzprXHRQbYu5Sb0-RbMi_Q-2-5rkdz278Tm3-oirnCHIViSs2jDRAA1sVS4hABu34/s1600/DSCN0851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CTnuE-4ufgyLKCcNbD55QEQkGJeqcObxMIjN0DjenM8WH_R72-MsiQKVVXKhAk9t417VeuH7xzPzprXHRQbYu5Sb0-RbMi_Q-2-5rkdz278Tm3-oirnCHIViSs2jDRAA1sVS4hABu34/s320/DSCN0851.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the second coat had dried - each coat took 24 hours to dry so I had to go out the back bedroom door and around the house to go anywhere!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<b>DAY 6 - Final Coat</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjLKnAg-s106dDmE1t4QWCb5n5YzEevhwOW25GAGlMKKgd6yp0yGy2HpCt16JxdsEErE4xiYkmm84LsNecxasujDHIC_iP0I7u7j0k9SdmiQQwF-RRNyqv_fk1QKi_1cbTb0Ar_vWU7LI/s1600/0327111327a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjLKnAg-s106dDmE1t4QWCb5n5YzEevhwOW25GAGlMKKgd6yp0yGy2HpCt16JxdsEErE4xiYkmm84LsNecxasujDHIC_iP0I7u7j0k9SdmiQQwF-RRNyqv_fk1QKi_1cbTb0Ar_vWU7LI/s320/0327111327a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had them do a satin finish for the final coat since the floor was so dark - that will help keep it from showing dirt as much, and overall it looks much nicer!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUWJTRMOh2CxyGy1lg2GW-PcThrSjF7_-7rWdzcXzng0iTZcf4cRtSGPmMr1ktQwi_Dev6Dj1Lr6TW0RuKUn6s4R29YCK2eN7EWnktDytOpoo7EbyoRRQlUdXQFsXlB8KhTv3yuhVHs8/s1600/0415111848a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUWJTRMOh2CxyGy1lg2GW-PcThrSjF7_-7rWdzcXzng0iTZcf4cRtSGPmMr1ktQwi_Dev6Dj1Lr6TW0RuKUn6s4R29YCK2eN7EWnktDytOpoo7EbyoRRQlUdXQFsXlB8KhTv3yuhVHs8/s320/0415111848a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished floor - It looks so great we couldn't have hoped for better!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>It took a couple days for the final coat to completely cure before we could move any of the furniture back out, but we got everything put back before X came home, so all in all it was a huge success! The floors look GREAT! And it is so nice to have a completely smooth, flat floor now and no concerns about spilling foods and liquids into any cracks. Now all we have to do is put up some new baseboards (X insisted I wait so she could help with that part), and it'll feel like a brand new house!</p>K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-64140264105886679582011-05-15T13:23:00.000-07:002011-07-24T21:54:20.751-07:00She's Home!<p>9 months ago I <a href="http://im2cre8iv.blogspot.com/2010/08/alone.html">posted</a> about X leaving and going back to school in Utah while I stayed in Nevada to work. It was definitely one of the hardest things we've ever done, but it doesn't matter any more since SHE'S BACK!</p><p>Last weekend I drove out to Logan for her graduation, we loaded up her car and said a more permanent "goodbye" to everyone, and then drove back out to Nevada. X said it felt weird to be driving "home" since she has only spent a couple of months out here since we moved in and it doesn't really feel like home yet, but hopefully we can get that changed in the coming weeks.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIFWSf2d0qUqU9Sy09ysKSFpjUFsRx2nbGc9GqSxnnXnr8wQGfn3lexE2rTBvbzYu2CA5I1IgUpHKZX1ssJ2qaf47RX_IwMSpN_2M7ALrJXyqP7P-JsKVW91cmQwN1A2RqVF-r6_-7ISk/s1600/DSCN0942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIFWSf2d0qUqU9Sy09ysKSFpjUFsRx2nbGc9GqSxnnXnr8wQGfn3lexE2rTBvbzYu2CA5I1IgUpHKZX1ssJ2qaf47RX_IwMSpN_2M7ALrJXyqP7P-JsKVW91cmQwN1A2RqVF-r6_-7ISk/s320/DSCN0942.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWZ-G3hChVVY_qmyblEyB27wa9KRgQkzd9IRlzSDZ49Uj7xFXeNBRxibtVNuCRr8Ojbxt0S4zZeqGQZ3gMXuTuqRB98jJUFnQMvfi-QaSiJNjyQ3ifibhNrIQBUnjp_crMn6FnAlCiwQ/s1600/DSCN0944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWZ-G3hChVVY_qmyblEyB27wa9KRgQkzd9IRlzSDZ49Uj7xFXeNBRxibtVNuCRr8Ojbxt0S4zZeqGQZ3gMXuTuqRB98jJUFnQMvfi-QaSiJNjyQ3ifibhNrIQBUnjp_crMn6FnAlCiwQ/s320/DSCN0944.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good work babe!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>The day we drove home was Mother's day, so X was kind of bummed to spend the whole day in the car, but I made it up to her by letting her cut off my beard when we got home. I have to admit it was getting pretty nasty, but I wanted to see how long I could get it before she came home.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4nll7m-PIFLia358-29NHydiV7rxryObbzfJ6F-4C-LBs3aq3UiYtFJz6jgrm7detDSF_jV1YvUtK7Gl3k3atoMXhlpSzUWjGzPGvVMuP3GHaqWu_WfQVu0pujtHkVlrp06c-IdApgo/s1600/0507111718a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4nll7m-PIFLia358-29NHydiV7rxryObbzfJ6F-4C-LBs3aq3UiYtFJz6jgrm7detDSF_jV1YvUtK7Gl3k3atoMXhlpSzUWjGzPGvVMuP3GHaqWu_WfQVu0pujtHkVlrp06c-IdApgo/s320/0507111718a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was getting long enough to braid!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdI-No1jTPSJjQiQ9aJi9qXfglGwMmVKgrB2YnOpFGLvcq_S_2gJwI1ljothsioG0WZEE8WI7uuRRPT5OM3m3yPkId1Iagn-qWjdx5PEHGyd6DiDlriwA7s2CWDNHu6epY0idnciQgck/s1600/DSCN0949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdI-No1jTPSJjQiQ9aJi9qXfglGwMmVKgrB2YnOpFGLvcq_S_2gJwI1ljothsioG0WZEE8WI7uuRRPT5OM3m3yPkId1Iagn-qWjdx5PEHGyd6DiDlriwA7s2CWDNHu6epY0idnciQgck/s320/DSCN0949.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ain't she a beauty? My chin feels so naked!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>I also got X a set of Cutco knives for graduation. Both our moms had these knives growing up and they had been an item on our "want" list for some time (the knives we had previously were pretty cheap). For a while I've been telling X they were too expensive and it would be something for much later in the future, so she was quite surprised to open a box and find a whole set of her own!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3Kj11lp3gg3_KBS2Y7Utsr7Usw1QKEXitjOW5NJy1OkmllhgUxNGFHFN5arrOQyalFPtggH4tPZ1yHfcnXhY-8Ay27NUjpDo5LTi0ghVLV-iasTZXE6kO1Ch_POK4zZHTqmtntN0iNg/s1600/cutco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3Kj11lp3gg3_KBS2Y7Utsr7Usw1QKEXitjOW5NJy1OkmllhgUxNGFHFN5arrOQyalFPtggH4tPZ1yHfcnXhY-8Ay27NUjpDo5LTi0ghVLV-iasTZXE6kO1Ch_POK4zZHTqmtntN0iNg/s1600/cutco.jpg" /></a></div><p>Last night we were invited over for dinner at a neighbor's in our ward. I am home teaching companions with the husband and the wife is X's visiting teacher. What X didn't know is that the "dinner" was actually a surprise graduation party for her! We'd been planning it for weeks, and it was perfect because X was out of town so there really wasn't any way for her to find out about it! (X is notorious for finding out secrets). She was really surprised and happy to see so many people wishing her congratulations and happy to see her home. Now all we have to see is how long it takes for her to get called to speak in sacrament and also to receive a calling! So good to have you home babe!</p><p>For more on X's graduation keep an eye out on <a href="http://sublimecitrus.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">her blog</a>. Supposedly she's going to try and get caught up on her blog and she'll write more about her big day.</p>K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-5843994203001921162011-05-01T13:23:00.000-07:002011-07-24T21:54:20.753-07:00Spring Hike<p>We have some friends coming out to visit over Memorial Day weekend, and they are really outdoorsy people. Which is perfect because Douglas County has TONS to do outdoors! My friend's wife is 6 months pregnant though, so we wanted to find a way to see a lot of cool stuff, but still take it easy.</p><p>Last weekend I went scouting for some good hiking trails with a guy from work. He volunteers for the Douglas County Search & Rescue unit, so he's very familiar with all the different areas that people like to explore (and subsequently get lost). He said he knew of a perfect trail that is relatively easy, but has great scenery, so I took him up on the offer.</p><p>About 30 minutes south from our house is Grover Hot Springs in Markleeville, CA. Right near the hot springs is the head of a trail leading up to Hot Springs Creek Falls (it's a mouthful). After 10 minutes of hiking I could already heard the rush of water, and within the hour we saw 4 different waterfalls. It was so cool!</p><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmkJrRJTTaeTqIP9WsG3-vbyQXhhFLL9YfAauHjQjXNnErih_HhmNQjtG3NNaUWF933H3uH0VrPdeU3uzgCkQl1C0BqlaqeIPkjbnljbJ_3aw2GNWXZOiNsIYEPJEpEDvaqQCK34rHqY/s1600/DSCN0892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmkJrRJTTaeTqIP9WsG3-vbyQXhhFLL9YfAauHjQjXNnErih_HhmNQjtG3NNaUWF933H3uH0VrPdeU3uzgCkQl1C0BqlaqeIPkjbnljbJ_3aw2GNWXZOiNsIYEPJEpEDvaqQCK34rHqY/s320/DSCN0892.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot Springs Creek Falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFp8xjEpQtGsa_smY43C3sQxGZ-W4DD6awBo-A62uLYJhOPG1hEPRwGiw2bXUuY3hSFMQ5b0KMwIGCK0SygKu6EK-Vgkwsvkk3VHMXCqAZ7lTQPI9wixLjb-DaV6xkBVtTcCVH0PRopo/s1600/DSCN0893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFp8xjEpQtGsa_smY43C3sQxGZ-W4DD6awBo-A62uLYJhOPG1hEPRwGiw2bXUuY3hSFMQ5b0KMwIGCK0SygKu6EK-Vgkwsvkk3VHMXCqAZ7lTQPI9wixLjb-DaV6xkBVtTcCVH0PRopo/s320/DSCN0893.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More of Hot Springs Creek Falls (sorry it is a terrible angle)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1X5Aa7HrMqibsqjWNbWOeODkc-CL0SpNP7KVdASkwPeSSPdx3zWMP2XWLLpedTzpXnuDaFWa2icB_lK9k8Q6tio9TuEZPYAP-tpn7Mi9qNmQDlsJZL6p2QyLiYogqioXm12RXp3i4MP0/s1600/DSCN0895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1X5Aa7HrMqibsqjWNbWOeODkc-CL0SpNP7KVdASkwPeSSPdx3zWMP2XWLLpedTzpXnuDaFWa2icB_lK9k8Q6tio9TuEZPYAP-tpn7Mi9qNmQDlsJZL6p2QyLiYogqioXm12RXp3i4MP0/s320/DSCN0895.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me blocking the view of Hot Springs Creek Falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1XHPjoc3qEkHVWZnWob06iI_uvVvoVsuqD6RIvbN1lW0l5I6nrL5Far7IQ7IPJ6IepK5P8cAel4WXtFZ1s2PV56wifCNrxdg9gYxvzG0_A6lMg0zHuL1Y80ffXMud9xvMTIHK0w6Ufg/s1600/DSCN0897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1XHPjoc3qEkHVWZnWob06iI_uvVvoVsuqD6RIvbN1lW0l5I6nrL5Far7IQ7IPJ6IepK5P8cAel4WXtFZ1s2PV56wifCNrxdg9gYxvzG0_A6lMg0zHuL1Y80ffXMud9xvMTIHK0w6Ufg/s320/DSCN0897.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My co-worker Eelke. It's hard to tell in the picture, but he's wearing a gigantic 40-lb backpack! He says "just in case"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zwHARSCzT9_8pfIKnr9-GrFUMxVe7aRnDMQQzUBXGN1ZmC0DttVCCO9JlFzA2ergThP1hJ_4vLodFU5_BzQqN0aCG459FzO4jQkIJQNro_Rf2pKRpMqgmFVlYUqxFKaVp0d7RtVrMLw/s1600/DSCN0898.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zwHARSCzT9_8pfIKnr9-GrFUMxVe7aRnDMQQzUBXGN1ZmC0DttVCCO9JlFzA2ergThP1hJ_4vLodFU5_BzQqN0aCG459FzO4jQkIJQNro_Rf2pKRpMqgmFVlYUqxFKaVp0d7RtVrMLw/s320/DSCN0898.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't know the name of this one (maybe they are all considered Hot Springs Creek Falls?), but Eelke says that people like to swim below this one when the weather gets warmer</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjt-4ERq4GTuzZQs-lnl2c6qgL5CDTtcCLkEvvKPpjiplxVyLqWH7KHpqidxYu4ttaUBjMEX3HY3S5Lf81U2Sx6Fpy1oPIXOwz5EativZIHwQ_WmcYAFgKDh_T6i81JeDrgnYZ5S9PhvI/s1600/DSCN0901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjt-4ERq4GTuzZQs-lnl2c6qgL5CDTtcCLkEvvKPpjiplxVyLqWH7KHpqidxYu4ttaUBjMEX3HY3S5Lf81U2Sx6Fpy1oPIXOwz5EativZIHwQ_WmcYAFgKDh_T6i81JeDrgnYZ5S9PhvI/s320/DSCN0901.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one was a little more difficult to get to, but I think she can do it!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21sTxpJM3LqicCfJWLrwNk9E0u7BeNN9CBcpX-banqzZUq5hqu0zqUZm0uAu9uTTa0sCbMmwNhP1GZMREHtxWhFdL7uDdt81NIJi4YQS-g2JD3fYGU_Osd20pXN2UJL0ZbFdGRGg0FxI/s1600/DSCN0903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21sTxpJM3LqicCfJWLrwNk9E0u7BeNN9CBcpX-banqzZUq5hqu0zqUZm0uAu9uTTa0sCbMmwNhP1GZMREHtxWhFdL7uDdt81NIJi4YQS-g2JD3fYGU_Osd20pXN2UJL0ZbFdGRGg0FxI/s320/DSCN0903.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another popular swimming hole</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>The total hike was around 3 miles round-trip and took about 90 minutes. Overall it was a pretty easy hike (Eelke says he always sees families with little kids on the trail) so I think it'll be perfect for our friends, and we can always turn back if it gets too difficult.</p><p>After the hot springs hike we went over to Lake Tahoe (another one of Mother Nature's beauties less than an hour away from our house) to see Eagle Falls and Emerald Bay.</p><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiYBCclEPb6fFEpP69DzxvLN2kI0YoXdN1aYI4oLe5HBYCeDsOHr8Fu5JGicNTZ0rMLv-gSTVAeUtdHFChWMucUYr7XQSm8PA5p8-5ZV5Px6uxRjjlnmC8rKieglzfivxx3mMNhX7REY/s1600/DSCN0907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiYBCclEPb6fFEpP69DzxvLN2kI0YoXdN1aYI4oLe5HBYCeDsOHr8Fu5JGicNTZ0rMLv-gSTVAeUtdHFChWMucUYr7XQSm8PA5p8-5ZV5Px6uxRjjlnmC8rKieglzfivxx3mMNhX7REY/s320/DSCN0907.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eagle Falls - We didn't have enough time to hike down to the bottom (the trail goes all the way around the mountain), so we just went to another area to get a nice view of the whole thing (sorry the snow kinda makes the falls blend in)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKHG-mLf8g65SVOclyVEn22g1MuKUQWRVy31rVZHRH_FXR3m8W8W-ZlQ4SA_e_TWqbgkH9OgjAqmvD4sH4xv_v73hioIODvaB3zETG45htu0ao-vG-03Gf189VcWmuRpAaOiihbCxAPQ/s1600/DSCN0905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKHG-mLf8g65SVOclyVEn22g1MuKUQWRVy31rVZHRH_FXR3m8W8W-ZlQ4SA_e_TWqbgkH9OgjAqmvD4sH4xv_v73hioIODvaB3zETG45htu0ao-vG-03Gf189VcWmuRpAaOiihbCxAPQ/s320/DSCN0905.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top of Eagle Falls is right near the road though, and we had enough time to see it up close</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKLR_ytmf7yqW0i65WrGZMc_1vG-MrO3K4hJUi5j1q62Ybd9o_JolB5qyI2g186G0wlWC2LDm0utT2E_LpiR1VAYF8dvUysqXEBFy1Tf_9OoXasUPbrixdeHa_2cd-aNqlz_eEwl4R2Y/s1600/DSCN0906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKLR_ytmf7yqW0i65WrGZMc_1vG-MrO3K4hJUi5j1q62Ybd9o_JolB5qyI2g186G0wlWC2LDm0utT2E_LpiR1VAYF8dvUysqXEBFy1Tf_9OoXasUPbrixdeHa_2cd-aNqlz_eEwl4R2Y/s320/DSCN0906.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking "down" Eagle Falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvv-oT82Cwq2THyBKvKgT4GMTsAXWd3rCPnQoxeSNMZXeDApdptGwOk8cn1wKFYKULhTmOtz63rzt8CtORDqV_C_OHilgGjkcyvBUen7hqdYcXl8nRYYQFTYNQr126YUPsUeXF28v0Ok4/s1600/DSCN0911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvv-oT82Cwq2THyBKvKgT4GMTsAXWd3rCPnQoxeSNMZXeDApdptGwOk8cn1wKFYKULhTmOtz63rzt8CtORDqV_C_OHilgGjkcyvBUen7hqdYcXl8nRYYQFTYNQr126YUPsUeXF28v0Ok4/s320/DSCN0911.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emerald Bay - Some crazy rich lady owned this bay and build a castle (Vikingsholm) at the head. She would take a boat out to Fannette Island (which she also owned) for tea every day</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSotXJXTW2KTwJ3f5nwBbmfqAjz0jNBMx8rlQ740MBSmtqocCfWxIKCJbiixNLlqJxY5wFPcZjzIfuQ2Xfx72_0RSGuTj9VzaXdbZUyUMtBHBCuF-gxBNxKMpJIzPjiDZqckbTHd3CwM/s1600/DSCN0914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSotXJXTW2KTwJ3f5nwBbmfqAjz0jNBMx8rlQ740MBSmtqocCfWxIKCJbiixNLlqJxY5wFPcZjzIfuQ2Xfx72_0RSGuTj9VzaXdbZUyUMtBHBCuF-gxBNxKMpJIzPjiDZqckbTHd3CwM/s320/DSCN0914.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fannette Island - right in the middle of Emerald Bay. They have "cruises" in Lake Tahoe that will take you near/to this island</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>It is truly awesome to live so close to this this kind of stuff and to literally have national forests in our backyard! Thanks again Eelke for the great hike and the perfect spot to take our friends later this month!</p>K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-72451299616316881662011-04-17T13:23:00.001-07:002011-07-24T21:54:20.755-07:00When The Murders All Began<p>Every Halloween some friends of mine get together for a "Murder Mystery Dinner". If you haven't ever been to a murder mystery party, basically everyone dresses up and acts like their assigned character, and you follow the mystery in a pseudo-scripted/-improved activity to discover who the murder is (sometimes you are the murderer and you don't even know it until the very end)! Well I stumbled upon this picture from the first Murder Mystery dinner from about four years ago:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZNcKsDaBxP_xpqxlCfeW7W2erdgBj4vGICbdwdaVK-K05oH3oc2Ecw1rfat3JIae8Hq0O-muHKfyXk9PBx4qa-9uxvSSef1vTBVgf5RawMmBpSOKU6LyCAboawiAwqMxmi7x3fMX8iQ/s1600/Murder+Mystery+Dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZNcKsDaBxP_xpqxlCfeW7W2erdgBj4vGICbdwdaVK-K05oH3oc2Ecw1rfat3JIae8Hq0O-muHKfyXk9PBx4qa-9uxvSSef1vTBVgf5RawMmBpSOKU6LyCAboawiAwqMxmi7x3fMX8iQ/s320/Murder+Mystery+Dinner.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Murder Mystery Dinner 2007</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>In case you couldn't tell, that is me on the far left in the ghastly-white complexion. I was supposed to be the 60-year-old Sir Hamish Hogwash in <a href="http://www.merrymurder.com/murdersoverview/themurderspumpkin.htm" target="_blank">The Mystery of the Pungent Pumpkin Poisoner</a>, a free murder mystery game you can download. I think I took the old-age thing a little too far, but everyone loved it and we had a really good time. If you are wanting to try out your own murder mystery dinner, but don't want to spend any money, this one was pretty fun for a first-time experience. And if you want to add a fun twist, <a href="http://im2cre8iv.blogspot.com/2010/06/murder-mystery-dinner-2009-pasta.html" target="_blank">checkout my post</a> about the murder mystery dinner we hosted back in 2009 for more fun ideas for your own party.</p>K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-48509214259287912692011-04-10T13:23:00.000-07:002011-07-24T21:54:20.757-07:00Our Inviting House<p>This is the view our friends and neighbors got as they approached our door this winter:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGP5sYbQLt9ds1SxkAIrY_5zKkNvitOvjTYPKavD2wCV0cGkhYosC012eC7xx6XVhWLQRZEg0Y_WJDDgaPVoCczsVGc0LC5cALTCSRYo5JZI_0PXrgW3X0iB802_98_97XVffQZvyHupY/s1600/DSCN0801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGP5sYbQLt9ds1SxkAIrY_5zKkNvitOvjTYPKavD2wCV0cGkhYosC012eC7xx6XVhWLQRZEg0Y_WJDDgaPVoCczsVGc0LC5cALTCSRYo5JZI_0PXrgW3X0iB802_98_97XVffQZvyHupY/s320/DSCN0801.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watch your head!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>Not very inviting, is it? At least we had our little "Welcome" sign to make people feel more comfortable as they reached our ice cave. Luckily we didn't have anyone slip on the ice that formed from all the dripping. We're definitely going to have to put some gutters up this year!</p>K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-89205397393176038102011-03-27T13:23:00.000-07:002011-07-24T21:54:20.759-07:00Dedicated to Breeze<p>Dogs are the funniest animals! Growing up, we always had a dog in the house. And while yes, they are a lot of work and cost a lot of money in food and upkeep, they are just too much fun to skip out on! Here are two dog-related videos I've seen in the last little while that made me laugh really hard:</p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="340" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4LzMAXqu8qU" title="YouTube video player" width="419"></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="255" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/B8ISzf2pryI" title="YouTube video player" width="419"></iframe><br />
<p>When my wife decided to move back to Utah to finish up school and left me here all alone in Nevada (don't worry honey - I don't hold it against you :) I asked her if I could get a dog to keep me company. She told me that she wanted a dog too, but didn't want it to get too attached to me and not like her as much after being with me for a full year. Lame. So hopefully within a little while of her returning we'll get ourselves a good dog (or two?)</p><p>But this post isn't supposed to be about dogs in general, but about BREEZE - my sister's Golden Retriever dog (who has really become our family dog) and has been one of my favorite dogs growing up - thanks Amanda! Don't let the blog post title fool you - she didn't die or anything - I just wanted to put up some pictures and video of the best dog around.</p><h4>Growing Up</h4><p>As is the case with most dogs, Breeze was a very cute puppy. Breeze was the first dog I've known since puppy-hood (all our other dogs were already adults by the time I was born, or we got them as adults from a shelter) I remember that Breeze had really bad "puppy breath" (it smelled like crap - literally) and I always wondered if it was because the puppies ate each others poop. Thankfully Breeze stopped (or never started) eating poop, so her breath has improved since then. Our other dog Hazel unfortunately has never given up the practice... :-/</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPl_4kvGzxF-Cv7R_C6-qFbCY9iYXWwIYL6MnKtZCjqP5a4Bzr9lJNBrr44RnzPGEw8lIXxcwcq83R49PxwaPuiGRg-XC3d548WF9ZCmWhA5z4wTROymZGpLUcTMXi42g9HQM4Kz3cw4/s1600/puppy+breeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPl_4kvGzxF-Cv7R_C6-qFbCY9iYXWwIYL6MnKtZCjqP5a4Bzr9lJNBrr44RnzPGEw8lIXxcwcq83R49PxwaPuiGRg-XC3d548WF9ZCmWhA5z4wTROymZGpLUcTMXi42g9HQM4Kz3cw4/s320/puppy+breeze.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puppy Breeze</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9BxmWGxy6VYYje5AjT5TWE2TscLYjYpX0lpOp4TDLEZQXOw8nk7gbdIq1F1wotVMWgp5kMDQk8wuxO3ENVhJntY9T9GfFIaJc3qUJbYRQEW99MdZTHldzQSfmoSMgnE6xNen4Uxi2LA/s1600/teen+breeze.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9BxmWGxy6VYYje5AjT5TWE2TscLYjYpX0lpOp4TDLEZQXOw8nk7gbdIq1F1wotVMWgp5kMDQk8wuxO3ENVhJntY9T9GfFIaJc3qUJbYRQEW99MdZTHldzQSfmoSMgnE6xNen4Uxi2LA/s320/teen+breeze.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teenager Breeze</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>Doesn't she look like she's going through that "awkward teenage phase" in that picture? It always makes me laugh :)</p><h4>A Patient Pup</h4><p>Breeze is one of the most patient dogs around. She'll sit and stay for eternity just waiting for you to tell her "okay!" before she can get up and move. She's also content to spend the entire day by your side - so long as you are willing to hold her paw.</p><p>Breeze also puts up with a lot of crap from us. She'll endure the torment as we pile a tower of treats on her nose waiting patiently (and steadily) for us to give her the command that will allow her to dine on her snout snacks.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVeJ3jBzHby1x_V7MimIcSkQ4P4EUJ-Tnv63H8I5FPPlzyQmbcjjB708WG5uR2DF2gN0TUjp7qT-i2x7X1hMM1PQlDkkwYkuuKLIlQbuF5BNiHNQ00T2_foWwgR7TlR6epIVw6pG-p3s8/s1600/balance+breeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVeJ3jBzHby1x_V7MimIcSkQ4P4EUJ-Tnv63H8I5FPPlzyQmbcjjB708WG5uR2DF2gN0TUjp7qT-i2x7X1hMM1PQlDkkwYkuuKLIlQbuF5BNiHNQ00T2_foWwgR7TlR6epIVw6pG-p3s8/s320/balance+breeze.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Balancing Breeze</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>She will also let us play mean tricks on her (like tying a bone to the ceiling just barely out of reach), as long as in the end she does end up getting her reward:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwjCOgnho45UC4MlXCeK-0opkwfN9sjJTBVQ7k0I1o_TnY2QvsaoSs2oEk9CcsvRy5Jm3fI1IcJgovNbFI_nA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><h4>An Unusual Hobby for a Dog</h4><p>The most unique thing about Breeze is how she loves to play dress-up. She's happy with all the attention she gets when she dresses up in something like this:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZOr3NtGjAVoh-sn1bn0sFN-YLPKXET37GOiSQ0i7z4s5ltbHDOrE0DkxSpzkQAyVVrTDUOnvgLmtYo-TzDkluhEhfluV8au8kD5PgX4n_IrzrESNqGHdnJgF_PTV55H0qyJjwFbqjVaw/s1600/baseball+breeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZOr3NtGjAVoh-sn1bn0sFN-YLPKXET37GOiSQ0i7z4s5ltbHDOrE0DkxSpzkQAyVVrTDUOnvgLmtYo-TzDkluhEhfluV8au8kD5PgX4n_IrzrESNqGHdnJgF_PTV55H0qyJjwFbqjVaw/s320/baseball+breeze.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baseball Breeze</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXVJJpapad6Wo7wIFCblEZZoQjZ59H_hg6FDZZKjGpmZYZPsNLfeA_1XGo7P54qUiDptDLAW47lKwAexMDpzKsFqSJRZXutagWDhzNeo7NTUMCxVijnZExFQq9FqEYIeRzuIHoo_1IWSE/s1600/breezeglasses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXVJJpapad6Wo7wIFCblEZZoQjZ59H_hg6FDZZKjGpmZYZPsNLfeA_1XGo7P54qUiDptDLAW47lKwAexMDpzKsFqSJRZXutagWDhzNeo7NTUMCxVijnZExFQq9FqEYIeRzuIHoo_1IWSE/s320/breezeglasses.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool Breeze</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMCcvSvkXockoEVQL8EL3ngH1DfFm1GE38apXtdFca0_LGRPXtNS8mVaiabVj_uR_OmXGtnf6O79pZg4c_lsoK_Gp-8jJZAhjaaEU1tZuJdJ0RlibKuPACiLxrpKs90pbaxKCC11ioys/s1600/clown+breeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMCcvSvkXockoEVQL8EL3ngH1DfFm1GE38apXtdFca0_LGRPXtNS8mVaiabVj_uR_OmXGtnf6O79pZg4c_lsoK_Gp-8jJZAhjaaEU1tZuJdJ0RlibKuPACiLxrpKs90pbaxKCC11ioys/s320/clown+breeze.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clown Breeze</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWt0NOtFJF3ApZyC7aYRFgsNa-Is75xZ_iKLAI2JYxfdoxViTWSmk_p7P7gKT4KGPiFiIICU7WFzXATHZPH-DW_5Nc4sT9ne9opoqwesngaJ6K9lrA79gKMiuTXpVGwtifF6eysQgHb4/s1600/granny+breeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWt0NOtFJF3ApZyC7aYRFgsNa-Is75xZ_iKLAI2JYxfdoxViTWSmk_p7P7gKT4KGPiFiIICU7WFzXATHZPH-DW_5Nc4sT9ne9opoqwesngaJ6K9lrA79gKMiuTXpVGwtifF6eysQgHb4/s320/granny+breeze.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Granny Breeze</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbH0EJqjxVtwxaWffK5qT2ZSf_apaFhUuynn3bBp6hre_an9UFWXgW5WIYpwQOEBAi-0CTTG_6q9Mr59efe37Pnayc4VCuQ8dg6tnw8D3sJm7i-9rF9fyMzag1Ik5QPDI_dKSIVXYDrQ/s1600/mourning+breeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbH0EJqjxVtwxaWffK5qT2ZSf_apaFhUuynn3bBp6hre_an9UFWXgW5WIYpwQOEBAi-0CTTG_6q9Mr59efe37Pnayc4VCuQ8dg6tnw8D3sJm7i-9rF9fyMzag1Ik5QPDI_dKSIVXYDrQ/s320/mourning+breeze.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mourning Breeze</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhewyiBGSZ9ULwS1F2wf8Lzh8mi0zm6b7siKi4Vx7FQHgn4bF4H7zxbABnNYwkovoKmSGEa3lWsohopdZyDHxr3jhIsx05-Q6Oq8ys-0rVt5VdOvfEvPCCZNYSkjBSuUaNpIiMdYmWiO5c/s1600/old+man+breeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhewyiBGSZ9ULwS1F2wf8Lzh8mi0zm6b7siKi4Vx7FQHgn4bF4H7zxbABnNYwkovoKmSGEa3lWsohopdZyDHxr3jhIsx05-Q6Oq8ys-0rVt5VdOvfEvPCCZNYSkjBSuUaNpIiMdYmWiO5c/s320/old+man+breeze.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Man Breeze</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUzVwdw85Y5GeBd9IYbjRowOm4n1iqqo9JJHIxIS22zsiwDTXwrOCO9MiknwgU0mIB1LMYe5Tzku2C0b1WVhcpLahCQrchnhO-jhwfgUhiZN1c5ebSCbPS2C4pdd1wDudCU5YTPxgFKG0/s1600/painter+breeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUzVwdw85Y5GeBd9IYbjRowOm4n1iqqo9JJHIxIS22zsiwDTXwrOCO9MiknwgU0mIB1LMYe5Tzku2C0b1WVhcpLahCQrchnhO-jhwfgUhiZN1c5ebSCbPS2C4pdd1wDudCU5YTPxgFKG0/s320/painter+breeze.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painter Breeze</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hf5JPgRQi2BbtJn9UoeBqf1do3GkRSHxjY_G2uzfo7uX2eBwJ5PPglveg60GNDGO3bG6i_mM_lqWERjr_OLy8JykDM9dsXy-NW2B9pRTefZeCL4S506JbFN-EhojzzeAg76yfmJBLYM/s1600/bankrobber+breeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hf5JPgRQi2BbtJn9UoeBqf1do3GkRSHxjY_G2uzfo7uX2eBwJ5PPglveg60GNDGO3bG6i_mM_lqWERjr_OLy8JykDM9dsXy-NW2B9pRTefZeCL4S506JbFN-EhojzzeAg76yfmJBLYM/s320/bankrobber+breeze.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bank Robber Breeze</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlY0nP0jjJ3UjTkEF9ThKemaHLXGJ4Se9wbrMW64-Pohh_lsEUoUs6kKXmg46_fgnCOV-z2TFSkjDeLinsOvud6dH1kmAa1pNDC4Lu3M4y_klNMCwHjLajRo9kaeV8zzfcQNW7JKuL1kU/s1600/police+breeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlY0nP0jjJ3UjTkEF9ThKemaHLXGJ4Se9wbrMW64-Pohh_lsEUoUs6kKXmg46_fgnCOV-z2TFSkjDeLinsOvud6dH1kmAa1pNDC4Lu3M4y_klNMCwHjLajRo9kaeV8zzfcQNW7JKuL1kU/s320/police+breeze.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Police Breeze</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVifLnbkdbv4m4N8yWvhSk1iF_IllidyNqYsB4KlJfJ1C8-68TbZXvYD3dm7qBLhllcGbaIAIeE1aXTUGlbvL2sqMvW35hFTZNmicOCjPHpsawiTlHTAHrtkcoBw0xayECDyg2I7W2zQ/s1600/rasta+breeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVifLnbkdbv4m4N8yWvhSk1iF_IllidyNqYsB4KlJfJ1C8-68TbZXvYD3dm7qBLhllcGbaIAIeE1aXTUGlbvL2sqMvW35hFTZNmicOCjPHpsawiTlHTAHrtkcoBw0xayECDyg2I7W2zQ/s320/rasta+breeze.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reggae Breeze (with some paw-holding action)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcjjbuz0zugljqNa4G26XZVQ97eGyKDtvy7lZXL_LeEiQs0LyUORHuUrW_H_qtOFIY6YFv-X5HtCRIy7_K8NtPtzZnDctFLH84tTEPw3yvTNyTLAVa_AQFX0OHc068jhFo9oKgwZCgecU/s1600/scary+breeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcjjbuz0zugljqNa4G26XZVQ97eGyKDtvy7lZXL_LeEiQs0LyUORHuUrW_H_qtOFIY6YFv-X5HtCRIy7_K8NtPtzZnDctFLH84tTEPw3yvTNyTLAVa_AQFX0OHc068jhFo9oKgwZCgecU/s320/scary+breeze.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scary Breeze</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbrlkiFhTira21RZDVgnaMAIWHlzL3o3kc83iOsmRwc79xCU9sDO9ZCXLIIUB-Hp9msU84GAdJqTxaBP2UIchZLDIUJ1SByg4zGoTjGcwrahEDEFwwkiyKzc4iWUb_b80DSLXZQXwyiw/s1600/scuba+breeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbrlkiFhTira21RZDVgnaMAIWHlzL3o3kc83iOsmRwc79xCU9sDO9ZCXLIIUB-Hp9msU84GAdJqTxaBP2UIchZLDIUJ1SByg4zGoTjGcwrahEDEFwwkiyKzc4iWUb_b80DSLXZQXwyiw/s320/scuba+breeze.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scuba Breeze</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTl9NtpASI9CB78SoQlEJBfx7wIbKanA0bNr_tBMRK1BpjSvHIkA5PhNmHI_aLcs-VclAjVyRCqFntk5am2sRkuniebUDGb-ywDuy0vzWrddYP4Ia_7bl2FxPbP8ewl6GdddsJCyLT4e4/s1600/sexy+breeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTl9NtpASI9CB78SoQlEJBfx7wIbKanA0bNr_tBMRK1BpjSvHIkA5PhNmHI_aLcs-VclAjVyRCqFntk5am2sRkuniebUDGb-ywDuy0vzWrddYP4Ia_7bl2FxPbP8ewl6GdddsJCyLT4e4/s320/sexy+breeze.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sexy Breeze</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVYS9JCwP7ngCkndaeBzuMKWG4WCTdjOpx0ufcpaoZuHZlVPsecTe-LkcBICU1H6sDd7wwvKPH4h7uVYsoe9-kEm623QmxdCM3jepfY_ljGPNG5K1aFd23lurSXtTIYWOfZwsrMrHYO04/s1600/snowboarder+breeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVYS9JCwP7ngCkndaeBzuMKWG4WCTdjOpx0ufcpaoZuHZlVPsecTe-LkcBICU1H6sDd7wwvKPH4h7uVYsoe9-kEm623QmxdCM3jepfY_ljGPNG5K1aFd23lurSXtTIYWOfZwsrMrHYO04/s320/snowboarder+breeze.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snowboarder Breeze</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6JvNk55vyLdY-xpNrMpyP3vjnRoDaDLk7UEJE2gryxQ2i5n4kdtl8TS8lR5Q8E6gyxCJZxoLxXureiAYud5dgFjy2UgpIdByt1NcJQWPngZFj0lxAUPNVlh_ozhQ_adCtr8WzysrFLg/s1600/spelunker+breeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6JvNk55vyLdY-xpNrMpyP3vjnRoDaDLk7UEJE2gryxQ2i5n4kdtl8TS8lR5Q8E6gyxCJZxoLxXureiAYud5dgFjy2UgpIdByt1NcJQWPngZFj0lxAUPNVlh_ozhQ_adCtr8WzysrFLg/s320/spelunker+breeze.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cave Explorer Breeze</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLFba_wMU-J1VRKCsxqVvbndtXRoFqpi9ADLEa4ojI972gYRWKcW7TBKzXt0ep47P_WIWuwPAJXHfzlInN3zI6_rBoc85hTI3XvvMfnq_1rj7XiJba8upV6Px-TX0he5oJBRt2q7EpMo/s1600/swine+flu+Breeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLFba_wMU-J1VRKCsxqVvbndtXRoFqpi9ADLEa4ojI972gYRWKcW7TBKzXt0ep47P_WIWuwPAJXHfzlInN3zI6_rBoc85hTI3XvvMfnq_1rj7XiJba8upV6Px-TX0he5oJBRt2q7EpMo/s320/swine+flu+Breeze.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swine Flu Breeze</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>We've had Breeze as part of our family for 6 years now, and here's to many more years of enjoyment and companionship with Breeze!</p><p>P.S. What is your favorite dress-up photo of breeze?</p>K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-39519305222154490402011-03-20T13:23:00.000-07:002011-07-24T21:54:20.761-07:00Nerds Building Stuff!<p>Remember "Engineering Week" back in high school and college? They'd usually have some sort of neat demonstration, and there was ALWAYS a building competition (usually bridges of some sort). I never participated in school and recently got depressed when I realized that I'd never have another chance. Then came along GE.</p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>GE celebrates "Engineering Week"<br />
and has a building competition.</b></span></div><p>When I saw the posters up announcing the event I was <b><i>stoked</i></b>. I don't know if I was more excited to find out what we would be building, or to see how badly mine compared to everyone else's! After all, I'm a <u>software</u> engineer, and we have all sorts of mechanical and electrical engineers that can build any kind of contraption you can think of! Luckily they let us form into teams - ideally we'd have one of each type of engineer on a team to be able to tackle any sort of problem, but instead I joined a team with 2 other software engineers. We were determined to show up the other engineers!</p><p>Here are the basic rules we had for the competition:</p><ul><li>Our challenge was to build a wind powered vehicle that would transport a small plastic duck along a set course</li>
<li>The vehicle could consist <i>only</i> of materials purchased at Wal-mart with a supplied $20 gift card</li>
<li>Nothing can be donated to (or by) the team</li>
<li>The vehicle must be wind-propelled (there were 3 fans along the course to power the vehicle - as shown below)</li>
<li>No part of the vehicle may be left behind (i.e. no launching the duck) </li>
</ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizKH1WSebZSJleyfVBB7ll4d-NIAUcP3E3lcUOY6R_T9a2tS1647Phbykdoyvs-QSydi8ZlSWO8MdOJ1_lucRBtrL9VqJrDD8RCF_qTOHvlRx_NzIOUF8HWIlDCNpexttUpWqzXrp_KC0/s1600/Building+Competition+course.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizKH1WSebZSJleyfVBB7ll4d-NIAUcP3E3lcUOY6R_T9a2tS1647Phbykdoyvs-QSydi8ZlSWO8MdOJ1_lucRBtrL9VqJrDD8RCF_qTOHvlRx_NzIOUF8HWIlDCNpexttUpWqzXrp_KC0/s320/Building+Competition+course.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Course</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>At first our designs were <b><i>WAY</i></b> too complicated. We were going to do some sort of tricycle-sailboat-thing with the front axle attached to the sails which would turn the vehicle in whatever direction the wind was blowing. Then we remembered we only had a week to build, test, and compete so we turned to a more simplistic idea - what if we could put the duck inside some sort of ball? Then we'd just have to make sure it was big enough to catch the wind, and light enough to move really fast!</p><p>Here's what we made:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJzVuVkOIeQbr5gCcKDrxAEcfqu22cZw0aznblcqFVwYVO0hWNJ9oSLqvHEP5k2uL-ncIO9uSSMFK9cDPdijregJj1ufXE17T2ZVV59UCvzwpwJcTnqwNMfihPRLSMeAcbnJiQjNKcHs/s1600/0225111430a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJzVuVkOIeQbr5gCcKDrxAEcfqu22cZw0aznblcqFVwYVO0hWNJ9oSLqvHEP5k2uL-ncIO9uSSMFK9cDPdijregJj1ufXE17T2ZVV59UCvzwpwJcTnqwNMfihPRLSMeAcbnJiQjNKcHs/s320/0225111430a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meet pac-man</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX_Q_EfdnwWFtSirdUPGI2zlksCaGYJGRk8l_wxdn-lsBixsKIs6dLaZKVYq2f-20ImKrfMoiQriahsIIaZI8CKYIJLGKnhu2IRWsedhiX64nIT1K7xDaY6Ent8OFnCMvXYdmp1-u3slQ/s1600/0225111430b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX_Q_EfdnwWFtSirdUPGI2zlksCaGYJGRk8l_wxdn-lsBixsKIs6dLaZKVYq2f-20ImKrfMoiQriahsIIaZI8CKYIJLGKnhu2IRWsedhiX64nIT1K7xDaY6Ent8OFnCMvXYdmp1-u3slQ/s320/0225111430b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The duck fits right into his mouth for safe-keeping!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>We wanted to do a bigger ball with lighter styrofoam, but when we looked online we found that a styrofoam ball around 12" to be about $65! So we had to go with this denser (but cheaper) nerf foam.</p><p>There were 10 different teams that competed in the challenge. I have video of all of the runs (each team was allowed 2 runs), but it was too messy to put them all up here. Instead I have the <a target="_blank" href="http://kcstop5.blogspot.com/2011/03/top-5-building-competition-runs.html">TOP 5 Building Competition Runs</a> over at my <a href="http://kcstop5.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">TOP 5 blog</a> if you are interested in checking them out. For now I'll show you our best run (we ended up taking 2nd place - we lost by 0.2 seconds) and the winning run. Sorry for the bad quality!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz_pjFCsjca9p15ZHjGfYlkDOvr3bMIf0hBElD3RF6BfX8yMSg_tHsU4QVug4uxBFVKre6E0Cdwfrt-m1UR4Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">My Team - 2nd Place</div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzsTK7olq2rc0f02zy3AIg-tfJYAeD25xCafTPuz2i4b7XFaOy8Fpai-L81uvPtNyXODujCLfcEAdOn8D622A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">1st Place run</div><p>Ironically the winners had a design that was actually pretty close to our original tricycle-sailboat idea; just without the movable axle. Unfortunately, in competitive times like these, there are no prizes for 2nd place, but we're already looking forward to next year's building competition to try for the coveted 1st place spot.</p>K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-90993111251979061622011-03-06T13:23:00.001-08:002011-07-24T21:54:20.763-07:00Three-Way? Yes Please!<p>No matter where you are in the world, there is always some new kind of food that you have never tried, or a food that is exclusive to the area you live. While I was in Cincinnati on an LDS mission, aside from people eating roadkill and squirrels, they ate <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnati_chili">spaghetti topped with Chili</a>. And they called it a two-way. Want to add cheese? Ask for a three-way. More toppings? Four- or five-way and so on from there.</p><p>The other day I made a batch of some homemade chili and was thinking about what I could make with it when I remembered the Cincinnati-style meal. Here's my creation:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MpBMhcfjixbkrG_HG3b7SUADwfjogs-4Iz0wOkjNuij7EemqBDZjAsuH4DWA6pvxfZ0CqPX7IFTNWtDm0gth95IEimD_RN7N7hMXXw3vqsprjNngDW4DXbvVy134lbasMWky2v-mrOw/s1600/six-way.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MpBMhcfjixbkrG_HG3b7SUADwfjogs-4Iz0wOkjNuij7EemqBDZjAsuH4DWA6pvxfZ0CqPX7IFTNWtDm0gth95IEimD_RN7N7hMXXw3vqsprjNngDW4DXbvVy134lbasMWky2v-mrOw/s320/six-way.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A six-way with chili, cheese, fresh tomatoes, salsa, and sour cream</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>Next time you're looking for a simple meal, but not the same-old red-sauce spaghetti, suggest a 3-way to your significant other and see what they have to say!</p>K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-81110971975869064312011-02-27T13:23:00.000-08:002011-07-24T21:54:20.765-07:00To the East!<p>A couple of weeks ago I flew out to Wilmington, NC for some work training. I've never been to the East Coast, and Wilmington is pretty much right on the coast, so I was excited for the opportunity to be in a beach town and experience their unique food. Typically when you hear about the water from the Atlantic you always hear that it is "so warm", and I was excited to try it out because the water in the Pacific is always so cold! Unfortunately I guess that doesn't hold true in February - the water was frigid! I talked to some of the locals though, and they said it has been colder than usual because of some unusually-cold weather down in the Gulf. Just my luck! It was fun being at the beach though, and of course I had to take the opportunity to send a message to my wife (who didn't miss me fortunately since we're already apart):</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsWQfSsvhAkhcpv8HcSETZ6FHs_lCytIoZOHD3Oa0JfoTC5EKfAbuMF7wKeAYlCK2qBEC-gSz-V_6r8yn4tzi4VZhoXY91OhdbC-niXjjsJj934ErqLapICjjJ9l2D0Wchm4bUa0PRiQ/s1600/0208111539a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsWQfSsvhAkhcpv8HcSETZ6FHs_lCytIoZOHD3Oa0JfoTC5EKfAbuMF7wKeAYlCK2qBEC-gSz-V_6r8yn4tzi4VZhoXY91OhdbC-niXjjsJj934ErqLapICjjJ9l2D0Wchm4bUa0PRiQ/s320/0208111539a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aww... How sweet!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>The best part of the trip (besides the training of course... heh heh...) was the FOOD! Check out the awesome cuisine I tried!</p><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNs7HR2tw9PJ16GULOalOxBUaSOncdMRvMWeT0fe4Mb0XI9sd82bWb0VZxlauJSREiMsuCrjy54OY1d9JWD0SEokrtKGmwCTqESGcikV4WzRFmxjEZO9yh5rbgr5MgeAtHls2n-qGlMaU/s1600/0209111219a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNs7HR2tw9PJ16GULOalOxBUaSOncdMRvMWeT0fe4Mb0XI9sd82bWb0VZxlauJSREiMsuCrjy54OY1d9JWD0SEokrtKGmwCTqESGcikV4WzRFmxjEZO9yh5rbgr5MgeAtHls2n-qGlMaU/s320/0209111219a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Mexican sushi-roll! Avocados, rice, cheese, tomatoes and shrimp!<br />
And instead of Wasabi they had chipotle/BBQ dressing. So good.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHPruKkJ5ECzuBDoIt6xgbj_6ipIWGDBLZDlLiFY1tjQQjkNtlCMH-TG0-HRXUdE003oIquJQFSw76QZglzOO6NqO15cLTPe3yN09ROibb4dP3JUbvEwGsSrfopjpVEqqWe1O0YDjck2Q/s1600/0209112031a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHPruKkJ5ECzuBDoIt6xgbj_6ipIWGDBLZDlLiFY1tjQQjkNtlCMH-TG0-HRXUdE003oIquJQFSw76QZglzOO6NqO15cLTPe3yN09ROibb4dP3JUbvEwGsSrfopjpVEqqWe1O0YDjck2Q/s320/0209112031a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A crab cake INSIDE of a crab! I wasn't expecting this on my seafood platter -<br />
it was more of a WTF moment - but it too was delicious!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifvWBFYGul0zFikULocZsCsfMLhcA_QHz6C01jLlfHIqYxqiIqdlLCSfCbZ4tVQ3yHJdeWVsNxV9xTIZ-fZ1aiDNZYQefkZ7B_c__DtEPo-DKH1-9POSZEr2ygtQetR0WgBjI1dbVFiiY/s1600/0210111216a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifvWBFYGul0zFikULocZsCsfMLhcA_QHz6C01jLlfHIqYxqiIqdlLCSfCbZ4tVQ3yHJdeWVsNxV9xTIZ-fZ1aiDNZYQefkZ7B_c__DtEPo-DKH1-9POSZEr2ygtQetR0WgBjI1dbVFiiY/s320/0210111216a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raw Oysters - I always have been curious about them and never sure if I would actually do it, but the opportunity presented itself and I just went for it.<br />
They were saltier than I expected, but overall not too bad.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>I also was told by some locals to try out a place called "Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q" and to get the "Chicken and Barbecue" platter. So I went into the restaurant and asked for the "BBQ Chicken" and the lady looked at me like I was a little slow. She replied "You mean the Chicken and Bar-B-Q?" I was a little confused at this point - was "Barbecue" a food here or something? Turns out it was! Barbecue in North Carolina mean pulled-pork in a vinegar- & pepper-based barbecue sauce. It definitely was different, but it was really good! And they even have a <a href="https://scnbnc.com/store/index.php">mail-order service</a> where you can have "Bar-B-Q" shipped to you front door anywhere in the United States!K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-10002861278822661532011-02-21T17:21:00.001-08:002011-07-24T21:54:20.767-07:00Old and Decrepit<p>Many of you have heard me often complain that my body is growing old way too fast. With frequent sore joints, a "neck of a 60 year-old", and the fact that I started losing my hair in high school, I feel justified making that claim. But when we went to Disneyland last year I had the opportunity to "see what I would look like in 50 years". I just stumbled on these videos that I took and thought they were pretty funny.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxW_X2GQyxM6JE7XKNQkV4eBZ77lt8hrxGuVyXJB2WZ9Ui3F-yEfZGEzUuB1l_uZ6KAhH4UoAFAUn1zCbrQTw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dymS_lkfVx1AdsTAstlWVxwk9nVdfA4uKnrDb-ioefV1L7R69mJpnThvUJ_ppr2PGcyLc66_wZNNtPTTDa-WQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
I selected the "gain weight" and "tan often" options on this video</div><p>So if you see someone who looks like this next time you are in the grocery store, don't be surprised if it is me and my body just decided to age a little on me again!</p>K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-61495337279592739792011-01-16T08:43:00.000-08:002011-07-24T21:54:20.769-07:00I <3 BaconI put two special items on my Christmas list this year because so far I just haven't been able to bring myself to buy them. I'd seen them popping up in stores for the last year or two, but I just knew they probably weren't going to be as good as I'd hoped.<br />
<br />
Well turns out I DID get them for Christmas, and so now I've had the opportunity to try them guilt-free and not feel bad about throwing them away if they were terrible. Thus far I've had difficulty in bringing myself to using them in fear of ruining a perfectly delicious sandwich or meal, but I HAVE tried them a little. Here are my experiences thus far:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOTI0OHgjOO-vibevCfrQ9HtkLKSoCUW_oj0y9Cy4206Im67IKQo9XykwdDl1rE_ZbxzivB1bgjK6F4Wll0BiNOv2Ld3HBV6aeQx8rGJ-k8E4nQeFcUYWdE3cOIMGYI3U8Ym8Y3-crUo/s1600/bacon_salt-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOTI0OHgjOO-vibevCfrQ9HtkLKSoCUW_oj0y9Cy4206Im67IKQo9XykwdDl1rE_ZbxzivB1bgjK6F4Wll0BiNOv2Ld3HBV6aeQx8rGJ-k8E4nQeFcUYWdE3cOIMGYI3U8Ym8Y3-crUo/s320/bacon_salt-1.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>Bacon-Salt</b>: I tried this on some popcorn because I know this same company makes a product called <a href="http://www.baconpop.com/" target="_blank">Bacon Pop</a>. It actually was pretty good. X didn't like it at all, but I plan to put it on all my popcorn in the future. I think it'll be a good strategy in the future for ensuring that she doesn't HOG all the popcorn on our movie nights ;) Here are some other ways I plan to try this in the future: <ul><li>Scrambled Eggs</li>
<li>Steamed Veggies</li>
<li>Sandwiches</li>
</ul><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlCjlrlsPmgqLa7C8MQfXQUOdMoqqKouN4Smw1zo0OAJoogukTJ4p0CIlHkIwhvddEle2EirJ9c2YAX93csDvXM9CQlQg1_2rrNnZL5OdXrCUb6gygJzZnK_Y7kiYuaE_AscHycFOH-A/s1600/baconnaise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="248" width="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlCjlrlsPmgqLa7C8MQfXQUOdMoqqKouN4Smw1zo0OAJoogukTJ4p0CIlHkIwhvddEle2EirJ9c2YAX93csDvXM9CQlQg1_2rrNnZL5OdXrCUb6gygJzZnK_Y7kiYuaE_AscHycFOH-A/s320/baconnaise.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>Baconnaise</b>: First off I have to say that this doesn't smell anything like bacon to me. Its' like a weird combination of thousand island dressing smell and Worcestershire sauce - but that's still not quite it. I've had it on a sandwich or two and couldn't really taste anything (this could be due to the fact that X says I barely scrape any mayo on my sandwiches anyways). But Friday night I did the ultimate taste test - a Tuna Bacon-Salad Sandwich! It actually wasn't half-bad, and surprisingly enough it actually did kinda taste like bacon. Some other ideas I'm trying to talk myself into: <ul><li>Deviled Eggs</li>
<li>Celery Sticks</li>
<li>Fry Sauce</li>
<li>Egg Bacon-Salad Sandwich</li>
<li>Bacon Dip (yes - dipping bacon INTO it)</li>
</ul><br />
If I haven't grossed you out already, why don't you give it a shot and leave a comment with your most disgusting (or even good) ideas on how I can use my new bacon-substitute products? And if you are interested in trying some of these products, just remember what they say - Baconnaise is "For people who want heart disease, but are too lazy to make the bacon". Cheers!K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035390887505850823.post-17481290191719531402011-01-07T21:30:00.000-08:002011-07-24T21:54:20.771-07:00I Once Was Blind, But Now I SeeAlright, I'll admit it - those aren't the exact lyrics from "Amazing Grace", but those words are exactly what've been in my head for the last 30 hours... because I got LASIK surgery! In 10 minutes time I went from 20/220 vision to 20/15! For those of you that aren't eye-lingo savvy, 20/220 means that objects that are 20 feet away from me would appear like something 220 feet away from someone with good vision. Now I can see things at 20 feet as if they were 15 feet away!<br />
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It has been a long journey for me up to this point. Back in the 8th grade I noticed that my eyes were constantly tired and I was always squinting. I couldn't see the board very well in class, so I'd often sit up front. My teachers finally said something about my squinting, so I went in for an eye exam. Much to my dismay I found out that I needed glasses. At that time however my eyes weren't that bad. Around 20/60, but still bad enough that I couldn't see what was written on the board very clearly. Over time my eyes got a little worse each year, and around the time I was a senior in High School I knew I was old enough to get LASIK. I asked my eye doctor, but he said I needed to have a stable prescription for a couple of years so that my eyes wouldn't change after the surgery. That was around the time I took up contacts.<br />
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Contacts were both a blessing and a curse. No longer did I have to wear nerdy, easy-to-fingerprint glasses, but my eyes were ALWAYS dry and it was a pain to maintain them and keep them clean. I went through numerous brands and styles of contacts, each allowing more and more oxygen to the eye (in theory to prevent dry eyes), but none seemed to work well for me. I finally found a brand that didn't dry out my eyes nearly as bad as the others, and as a plus I was able to keep them in for up to a month at a time! The only problem is they were like $300/year, plus I had to pay for a new eye exam & prescription each year. After my 2nd year of dealing with the hassle and price of these contacts, I decided it was time to look into LASIK again. It turned out my prescription hadn't changed for the last 3 or 4 years, so I was a perfect candidate! I booked a free LASIK consultation, put some money aside in an FSA, and set the appointment for a time when X was going to be in town so she could drive me home after the operation.<br />
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Which brings us to yesterday. We went in around 3:30, I put on some sterile attire, and proceeded to get <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V4I2xzwGd4&NR=1" target="_blank">this</a> done to my eye. (Warning: The video has some "eww" moments, but it is far less graphic than some of the other LASIK videos on youtube) P.S. this isn't me in the video.<br />
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We went straight home, I took some magic pills, and slept for the rest of the night. Now I just have to put drops of antibiotics and steroids in 4 times a day and keep my eyes lubricated as needed. The hardest part is remembering not to rub my eyes - I wouldn't want to tear off the cornea flap!<br />
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Here are some pictures-<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a target="_blank" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-9Aj5PENqCZGjSq8fbGs_L0_dB3EMEM1sHabqSbavmF_OXvQn05b_R_uSBPk7k3jSGvs5lTf1KKjqvhmEVJo29iN1a58K95yP-APi0PkaGUBIZ1j3BEsD8_FQk6dhvYT1XZkPm0H-lw/s1600/DSCN0786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-9Aj5PENqCZGjSq8fbGs_L0_dB3EMEM1sHabqSbavmF_OXvQn05b_R_uSBPk7k3jSGvs5lTf1KKjqvhmEVJo29iN1a58K95yP-APi0PkaGUBIZ1j3BEsD8_FQk6dhvYT1XZkPm0H-lw/s320/DSCN0786.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right after my surgery - my eyes were pretty red</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a target="_blank" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsCxl17NIPcjpBLyc61zJ8WYnagVK7OrJjrFh-h2FO_URxrMTM05mtqlLXhuH-eelrKuDad3q9keh51I0P5cfGTfGovQhXaAnBaYA5yFXdkiaVJ3Kwzi9YvB_ml8ZRrl_TO2DTpO93ao/s1600/DSCN0787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsCxl17NIPcjpBLyc61zJ8WYnagVK7OrJjrFh-h2FO_URxrMTM05mtqlLXhuH-eelrKuDad3q9keh51I0P5cfGTfGovQhXaAnBaYA5yFXdkiaVJ3Kwzi9YvB_ml8ZRrl_TO2DTpO93ao/s320/DSCN0787.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think the medicine was starting to kick in...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a target="_blank" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi38jTkHBOfLrkQkSlRLRkdjTTJmFE0MoYuaV_gdu2TH3DP5J2KgkmOzoflFLxi4xrQddyGykoxXyaOl39sTarmYq5SXTW6yIVOdpVDMUVosANhXp1QZuN9F1r1PYEz9-7SN8HHiXrnwM/s1600/DSCN0789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi38jTkHBOfLrkQkSlRLRkdjTTJmFE0MoYuaV_gdu2TH3DP5J2KgkmOzoflFLxi4xrQddyGykoxXyaOl39sTarmYq5SXTW6yIVOdpVDMUVosANhXp1QZuN9F1r1PYEz9-7SN8HHiXrnwM/s320/DSCN0789.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The day after - most of the redness is gone but there was some hemorrhaging (the doctor said this is normal) </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a target="_blank" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25hs1mEa14DFwCxk5v367z9ZaX0vpRrMHC5e7xhIUB9FJwy5rcEjLmFs94t4T_4ZMD83p8PVJdn7CWMpqPslLkxxpeVrg4ZPs8s1r-XOKgMCNDm4xujtllBBuNwQ2FIQ-wvdNUTklECE/s1600/DSCN0792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25hs1mEa14DFwCxk5v367z9ZaX0vpRrMHC5e7xhIUB9FJwy5rcEjLmFs94t4T_4ZMD83p8PVJdn7CWMpqPslLkxxpeVrg4ZPs8s1r-XOKgMCNDm4xujtllBBuNwQ2FIQ-wvdNUTklECE/s320/DSCN0792.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An extra large & purple hemorrhage :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a target="_blank" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvT2D43IWOwrQlsitT9RrWUY4Bf_co4x3YRCSjPnVaG948r82x9tGgnFJiZw1xiOrWlItxrBYPOpb0LCVKBUyS5iygk3jfP23XBhM_ZqZYs87hvO2kDYoEA55VmJ_WuhqpGsg-sa9TJ8/s1600/DSCN0797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvT2D43IWOwrQlsitT9RrWUY4Bf_co4x3YRCSjPnVaG948r82x9tGgnFJiZw1xiOrWlItxrBYPOpb0LCVKBUyS5iygk3jfP23XBhM_ZqZYs87hvO2kDYoEA55VmJ_WuhqpGsg-sa9TJ8/s320/DSCN0797.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My ninja goggles that I get to wear at night to make sure I don't accidentally rub my eyes while asleep. Don't I look dangerous?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Overall I am extremely satisfied. Or as satisfied as I can be just a day after my surgery! I'll keep things updated (as much as I do with other things on here) as time progresses. If you have ever considered LASIK or have any questions, now you know someone whom you can go to for answers!K.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12319988780879381416noreply@blogger.com4