A little while ago I looked in the mirror and thought to myself, "I am a strong, healthy young woman. I am full of energy and vitality; ready to conquer the world!" I am not sure if my confidence levels are at an all time high or if the endorphins are creating an altered perception of reality. Either way, it is great feeling comfortable with myself ( Read more... )

"Failure is not defeat until you stop trying." & "Dare to dream, hope, believe, seek, feel, find, and love."

This evening I asked my neighbor how he distinguishes between companion hunting dogs and cage hunting dogs (I wondered if a dog's personality, appearance or breed made a difference). This was his response, "Well, you keep the cage dogs in the pin from February to October and the companion hunting dogs get to stay in the house." I guess I deserved ( Read more... )

I saw this on one of my favorite photography blogs and decided to do my own modified version (see: http://www.ashleymccormickphotography.com/blog/, I also love http://www. ( Read more... )

My uncle's response on how we should make Alejandro's parents feel welcome when they visit the U.S. for the first time: [Okay...I'm going to rent a colorful blanket and a small donkey to make them feel at home. I would recommend some games like: " Blindfolded Taco Toss", "Hot Sauce Eating Contest", " Musical Sombreros", "One-legged Pinata Smash"] ( Read more... )

I'm not sure if the lovely fall-like weather has anything to do with it but recently wildlife has been on the move around our house. A few days ago I saw a hawk, a small bear, two small deer and a gray fox! We've also had a lot of frogs and insects hopping and flying around after the heavy rain. While I'm used to seeing critters around our ( Read more... )

This past Tuesday was my first visit to the hospital for personal ailments. I am very grateful to be in good health and hope any future returns to medical institutions will be either planned or preventative in nature (i.e. checkups). When I awoke Tuesday morning, I rubbed my left eye (a bad morning habit of mine) and while doing so rubbed debris ( Read more... )

Today I went to mass at my childhood church. I have been trying to get Mom to go with me for the longest time. She always declines, so I decided today to go alone after setting out for a morning run. The last time I went to this church was around the three years ago. Prior to that visit, about five years had gone by without a visit to St. Hubert’s ( Read more... )

I am glad to see the water level slowly return to a normal level around the house. The past couple of weeks of heavy rain left us with large mud puddles around the yard, comparable to Lake Drake North and South (I named them, hehe) from Tropical Storm Fay last year. It is nice to be able to actually run down the driveway (well, smush through the ( Read more... )

Just mentioning the last name Kennedy evokes thoughts of one of America's greatest political dynasties. Their family has endured countless tragic deaths as well as the recent "expected" departures. I was surprised to hear of Senator Edward Kennedy's passing on this morning, especially so soon after his sister's (Eunice) death. It is up to their ( Read more... )