Wisconsin

Well, I've been thoroughly enjoying my time in Wisconsin these last few days!  I flew in on the 16th and have spent a lot of time with family, some time taking naps and also some time playing with Buddy!  All in all, it's been a fantastic visit!  

I'll be flying back to Wyoming on the 3rd so I'm soaking it all up in this last week here!  I was outside playing with Buddy the other day and it started to snow and it was just so pretty.  I tried to capture a picture of her coming back from chasing her ball, but this was the best I could get (I was using my cell phone).  And, unfortunately, it's of her butt toward the camera, not her face.  haha!  She got distracted just as I was taking the picture.  Oh well... :)

All for now but I wanted to let you know that I'm enjoying my vacation!!  It's been GREAT to just relax and spend time with family. :)  Have a very happy New Year's weekend and be safe out there! :)

Catching up...

So, it's been awhile...again.  Sorry about that, folks.  I'm actually quite burned out by my blog and the time it takes to update it, so I've been considering canceling it.  What do you think?  Good idea?  Bad idea?  Oh, we'll see what I decide.  If you remember, I had originally started the blog so that I could keep everyone updated with my cancer check-ups, but now that those are so few and far in-between (thank goodness!), I just find that my blog takes a back seat on the priority list!  So, if I don't update for weeks on end, now you know why.

Life has been busy.  Advising week was the last week of October/first week of November and I am still catching up from that.  It's insane!  But I've gotten to a point now where I refuse to work overtime, so the going is s-l-o-w in terms of getting all caught up again.  It'll all work out, right?

Four more days and I leave for Wisconsin!  Yahoo!!  I'm so very excited about this trip!!  It's been a big help that mom & dad have tried to come out here once or twice a year since retiring, but I'm starting to think that I need to travel up THERE more than once a year.  I get so homesick anymore.  I would love to move back up there, but the economy is so bad these days that I think it's going to be awhile before any move like that takes place.  Good thing that I love my job and where I live as much as I do! :)

Some of you have been asking about the sleep study that I had done recently and I was surprised by the inquiries because I really don't remember mentioning it on here!  haha!  Anyway, it turns out that I have sleep apnea, so now I have to sleep with a CPAP machine (a machine that forces air down into your lungs so that you don't stop breathing through the night).  How is it going?  I hate it.  But there's nothing I can do to change it at this point, so I just deal with it and I don't really talk about it.  As far as whether or not I feel more rested, I do, but that doesn't mean that I'm thankful for all of this quite yet. :)  I know, I know...the alternative is much worse, but that still doesn't make this easier to accept.  :)  Some day, I'll show you pictures of my airway and why I ended up getting put on a sleep machine.

Anyway, I have LOTS to do to get ready for this week and for my departure on Friday, so I'll let this be all for now!  I'll try to be better about updating, but no promises. :)  Ta-ta for now!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you!!!

It has been too long.

Hello!  I know it has been WAY too long since I've updated the blog and I'm sorry for that.  I have been extremely busy with work stuff (aka, LOTS of overtime) so when I do have any free time, I like to relax with a book or with a NAP! : )

I don't have much to post now, anyway, but I just thought I'd write about why I've disappeared for so long.  I just can't believe that two weeks from today is THANKSGIVING!!  WOW!!  I'm looking forward to the extra two days off of work, though.

So, for now, I will leave you with this cute cartoon that passed through my e-mail the other day and I will try to give a GOOD update before Thanksgiving.  Hope you're doing WELL! :)

So, here's a question for you...

Here's a question for you...

Last year, after the Packers/Bills game, Buffalo released quarterback Trent Edwards.


During the Packers/Eagles game, the Packers injured Philadelphia quarterback Kevin Kolb. Philadelphia then had to play backup quarterback Michael Vick.


During a playoff game against the Eagles, the Packers injured Michael Vick and another backup was needed.

After the Packers/Cowboys game, Dallas fired Wade Phillips and most of his staff.



After the Packers/Vikings game, Minnesota fired Brad Childress and most of his staff.

Four weeks after losing to the Packers, the 49er's coach Mike Singletary and most of his staff were fired and replaced.

During the Bears Playoff game, the Packers injured Jay Cutler and backup Todd Collins forcing the Bears to go with 3rd string quarterback Caleb Hanie.

So here's the question ....
Is it just me, or did the Packers create more jobs last year than Obama?  : )

Do you want to come visit?

In today's news:

October 27,2011 - A RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE OF -16 DEGREES WAS SET AT LARAMIE, WY, AIRPORT TODAY (at 8 AM). THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 7 SET IN 1970.


And so it begins. *sigh*

Mikhail Gorbachev came to town!

On Friday, I had the privilege of going to listen to a guest speaker in town.  He was here as part of the University's push toward internationalization.  Yes, on Friday I listened to a one-hour speech given by Mikhail Gorbachev...past president of the USSR, now known as Russia.

It was quite an experience and I'm so glad that I made the decision to go to his talk. He had a lot of good things to say!  Some of the things that I enjoyed the most from his speech were the following:

• When asked about who influenced him the most throughout his experiences, Gorbachev didn't name any person, but he said it was literature.  He said, “Even now when everyone has television, when you have this multitude of channels, don’t forget what will enrich you — reading a book. Think about it.”
• He said, "Things cannot stay the same forever.  You have to embrace change."
• About Russia (but could apply to anyone):  “Today, there is a lot of discontent. Many people are unhappy,” he said. “And some are saying about those elections [that] no one will take our individual opinion into account. And I say to the Russian people: Go and vote.”

The above photo was the one taken at our particular event.  The other two photos in the blog were taken from other speaking events in which Gorbechav had a part.


Other thoughts from his speech:

• "Either we will have peace for all or there will be no peace at all," Gorbachev said. "Today, I think we fully understand the importance."
• Gorbachev said his advice to future leaders is to never panic. "There will be failure," he said, "But the most important thing is to persevere." Persevere, be creative and don't fear life.

So, it was quite a fantastic experience and I'm so glad for the opportunity!!  It's kind of amazing to think that in this little 'ol town I live in, I have been able to listen to such famous people.  I listened to Barack Obama in 2008 while he was in town for his campaign (for this current presidency) and now Mikhail Gorbachev.  I may not agree with them or believe in their ideas, but it's pretty awesome to be able to say that I listened to them speak at a public event!  Not many people have opportunities like that and I'm so glad that I have been able to take advantage of such amazing opportunities! :)

Snow storm update

Well, the snow storm has moved on and it has officially stopped snowing.  This was the final "damage" from the storm.  The photos were taken early this morning.  Some places had up to a foot of snow, but there wasn't quite that much at my apartment (except where the wind blew the snow into deeper piles!). :)  These are all looking out my patio door:

Lo and behold, a few hours later, the sun was out and the snow was MELTING!!  Yay!! : )

So, fall might be returning for a little while after all!! : )

*le sigh*

This is what's outside MY window today!  *le sigh*  I'm glad I don't have to go anywhere today. :)

Good-bye summer season...and probably fall, too!  ha!

Fall Season

Well, the fall season is in full swing now here in Wyoming and it's beautiful!!  I've seen some photos of my native Wisconsin recently, too, and that seems to be in it's peak right now, as well.  We had our first frost last week (I had to scrape my car windows off before heading out to work!) and that's just another sign that the season is changing.

Fall is my absolute favorite season.  It's fresh, invigorating, cool and absolutely beautiful.  It is definitely a season of change!!  Don't get me wrong, I like all of the seasons, but fall is my favorite.  It's the season that really gets me to thinking about my life and it definitely becomes a season to reflect.  To me, winter is about hunkering down and enjoying warmth and love of family, spring is about resolutions and change, summer is about just being (and by that I mean, just enjoying things as they are!) and fall is about reflection.  Isn't that funny how each season has its own meaning to me?  I wonder if that's the same for you?

One thing that does cross my path in the fall season, too, is a little bit of seasonal depression.  Isn't that odd how it's my favorite time of year and yet I get to feeling a little bit down during that season?  It's nothing to be overly concerned about, but no matter what I do or try, it seems to be something that plagues me for a few days or more during the fall season.  And then one day, it's gone and things are back to normal again.  Do you think it's part of the reflection process going on?  The shedding of the old to let in the new?  Oh, who knows.  At least the scenery around me is BEAUTIFUL during those days! :)  Nothing warms my heart more than seeing the beautiful changing of the leaves.  I think that it just signifies so much for me and brings back SO MANY wonderful childhood memories that I just can't help but smile and feel THANKFUL. :)

I have some more pictures and videos that I want to share with you over the next while, but guess what?  I don't have them!!  They are all pictures or videos that my friends took and so I have to get them to e-mail them to me.  Once that's done, I'll be sure to share a little more of my days with you.  Until then, take care and enjoy the beautiful fall season!!! :)

Lots 'o flowers!

As I mentioned, while we were driving up in the mountains, there were LOTS of flowers along the way.  We started off looking for wildlife and this was "dutiful Jessica," doing her part to help out.  Cute pic, eh? :)  (Again, click on them one time to make the picture larger!)

Take a look at all of the beautiful pictures of flowers that the girls captured.  There are SO MANY beautiful flowers in the mountains near-by!

Aren't the flowers just beautiful?  I thought so, too.  And this is what my friends looked like ALL day long...just picture snappin' gals! :)

Fun times continued!

When my friends from WI arrived, we headed downtown to the local farmer's market.  We bought some homemade kettle corn and Jessica and I were quite excited about it! :)  (Again, if you click ONCE on the picture, it will make it MUCH bigger and easier to see.)



Next, we headed to the local sushi restaurant.  Jessica was NOT excited about this, but we managed to talk her into trying it out.  It was delicious!  Jessica thought it was so-so, but she still was okay with some of it. :)  Beth and I...

The spread....

Jessica getting ready for her first big bite!  And, no, that's not fear you're seeing...she's just trying to remain positive!  :)

In the meantime, I'm shocked at what Beth was brave enough to try.  Can you tell? :)

All-in-all, it was a nice evening.  The next day, we decided to head to the Cheyenne Frontier Days.  Those rodeos are about four hours long and when it's your first time there, it's kind of overwhelming because there is SO much going on.  Seriously, it's a non-stop four hours of activity and things going on.  It's fun, but definitely sensory overload.

A mass of cowboys during the wild horse race...

Crazy buckin' bronc!!

Even crazier bull!! :)

This part of the show was pretty impressive.  This BEAUTIFUL team of six horses was able to turn this wagon rig around and around in circles, over and over.  VERY impressive!  Here's a series of photos of the event...

Look at the front wheels in this one (below)!  Impressive!!!

As always, there's a rodeo clown.  This guy was SO funny!  Here he is playing his fake electric guitar.  HILARIOUS!

Next, he wanted to be sure that the steers in the steer roping weren't running too fast, so he tried to "clock" the steer.

Here he is, announcing how FAST the steer went...91 mph!!!  Isn't that crazy-fast?  Oh, wait, what's that?  Oh...the clown had the clock turned upside down.  The steer was actually running 16 mph.  hahahaha!!!! : )

There were all kinds of eventful things that happened that day...this guy face planted...

...this guy didn't look like he was gonna be able to hang on a second longer...

...and THIS guy about lost his hat!  Whoo-whee!! :)

Beth & I at the CFD (Cheyenne Frontier Days)

Beth & Jessica at CFD

Oh, and one of the best things about CFD...the fair rides!!  Here's a cool shot that Beth took through the fence...

When I asked Jessica & Beth if I could go on one of the rides, they said NO and that we had to head home.  This was my reaction...yes, that's right...I was NOT impressed.

We had a great day at the CFD, from the parades to the buckin' broncs to the steer wrestling, it was a grand 'ol time and we had SO much fun! :)

Fun times!

Way back a "long" time ago (about two months), two lovely ladies came to visit me from Wisconsin!  They were here for a crazy-short three day visit, but we had a lot of fun (or so I felt...I didn't ask them!)! :)  Here's a bit about their visit.  These pics were selected out of 600, so there's LOTS more that happened during their visit and I'll show those pics later. :)

Oh, and don't forget...if you click ONCE on each picture, it will open up the picture to a bigger view! :)

Beth is one of the girls that came to visit.  This pic was taken while we were all hiking around one day:

Jessica was the other girl that was out here for the visit.  This pic was taken on the same hike as the pic that was taken of Beth & I.  Yes...there were still large patches of snow up in the mountains that we were able to hike around on:

This was ONE of the many beautiful flower pictures that were taken that day.  It was cold and rainy on our first day out there, so we ended up taking a second day trip out there and that was much better weather.  It just opened up opportunity for LOTS more flower pics! :)  It was great!

On the first rainy day of our adventure, we decided to head back for home because it was just too rainy.  On the way back, though, I was sure I had seen some elk, so we swung around to drive back and look.  We couldn't find them, but we noticed a car had stopped in the road, so we slowed down to see what they were looking at and we saw this gigantic MOOSE!  I've lived out here for nine years and this was the FIRST time that I saw a moose up in these mountains.  It was awesome! :)

We never did see any elk that day or the next and I was kind of bummed about that, but on the way to go rock climbing, we got to see a TRUE Wyoming experience...cowboys moving cattle! :)  I was excited for my friends to actually see this because it's just a neat experience.

We finished the day hiking and climbing and it was then time for the girls to head back to WI and for me to head back home.  So, we said our goodbyes and off we went in our separate directions.  Wouldn't you know, less than three miles away, I saw this massive heard of elk on the side of the road!  I was SO bummed that the girls missed it, but SO glad I was able to catch some photos of them.  They're such beautiful animals.

And that's that!  We also went to the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo and out for sushi, so I'll show some of those photos later on.  For now, though, take care and have a great day!!  Bye! :)