much needed vacation

(First of all, I apologize for not keeping up recently!) Why is it that the week before you leave for vacation, tons of things happen and need to be done!?! I have been extremely busy at work the past couple weeks. We are planning on moving into a larger office space this Fall. I am in charge of the textiles (flooring, paint, window treatments, etc), appliances and furniture. I've been trying to get most of this done before we leave for New Mexico, too. On top of that, we are also planning our booth for the annual ABC Trade Show in Las Vegas. Our booth will be 50' x 50' this year....huge! And, of course I have to do all the other stuff I usually do every day. By the way, my self proclaimed title is "Damage Control Queen"!

Let's just say I can't wait to go on vacation!!! :)

more hiking...

We went back to Umstead Park this morning. It was a beautiful morning... I guess around 80*. That did mean, however, that it was a little crowded! We went down to the river and hung out awhile. Bailey had a great time! She gets braver and braver each year.
She was running around on the big rocks so fast I was afraid one of her little toothpick legs would break!






I guess she saw a snake or something because she was mesmerized with this spot. She would creep up to look and then run away!






We sat at the river for awhile before heading back.

Photo Shoot!

We had a Svan (www.SvanUSA.com) photo shoot today. It was at an amazingly modern house in Raleigh. I could never live in a house like that, but I admit it was pretty cool. You walk along a suspended boardwalk to get to the front door!
Just inside, you see an entire wall of windows to the right of a wood and metal staircase. It must have been 30 feet high! Everything was wood (a warm, teak color) and metal.

We used the kitchen and dining area for the shoot.
We were going for a very high-end, modern feel and I think this house was perfect! (I was even a model in some of them!) Here's some shots of kids in action...




I think we got some really great shots.

nuvi

We bought a GPS last night! After reading several reviews and accepting the fact that none of them are perfect, we got the Garmin, nuvi 260. We decided not to go with the wide screen because it turns out that the picture is no larger than normal...they just stretch it! For $50 more, I don't need that. It's pretty cool. It's the perfect size to put in your pocket and even has an option to change it to Pedestrian, rather than Vehicle. I used it on my way to work this morning (so I wouldn't get lost...) and it was right on. I can't wait to use it on road trips. This should be fun!!!

Gotta love Canon!

So, my beloved, 3 year old, Canon PowerShot was malfunctioning recently. I got so annoyed, I decided to look for a new camera. After carefully researching cameras, I decided to send a quick email to Canon customer service to see if they had heard of the issue I was having. Thank goodness I did because it turns out my issue was a defect they recently found out about! Even though my camera was no longer covered under warranty, they sent me a pre-paid label so I could return it and have it serviced, free of charge. Not only that, but when I explained that we had a big trip coming up this summer and I really needed my camera, they are returning it to me via FedEx 2 Day. Thank you Canon!!! (That saved me a couple hundred dollars!) I have always been a fan of Canon products and now I always will.

Hiking in Raleigh

We did some light hiking this morning. We saw all kinds of critters... baby mouse, box turtle and lots of crayfish. Bailey actually got a little too close to a larger crayfish and it pinched onto her face! She shook her head to try to get it off. Finally, she put it between the ground and her paw...ended up ripping it's entire claw off! We showed her another one and she wouldn't go near it....smart girl! It was so hot today. We had fun. Here's a few pics from the trip.






Bailey was exhausted at the end of the day; who am I kidding... we all were!

It's the eyyyyyyye.......of the Tiger!

Thought this was pretty cute....

Summer Blooms

Some new blooms around our house...

And, Bailey admiring the Jasmine on the arbor...

"Keat"

Our friends, Zac & Amy (and their new baby, Keaton - 1 month old) came over for dinner tonight. We had a fabulous grilled, rosemary chicken recipe. I was very happy how well it turned out....you never know with new recipes! It was simply 1/4 cup of chopped rosemary, 2 large garlic cloves, salt & pepper and a couple table spoons of olive oil (we put the rosemary & garlic in a mini food processor, then stirred in the olive oil)... rub that on the chicken breasts and grill.

Here's a couple pics of baby "Keat"...

He's a big boy!

Wild West

We are taking another vacation out in New Mexico this summer. I can't wait! I absolutely loved our trip last summer. In preparation, we've been going to the gym more often. We'll probably be doing lots of hiking, which is nice and all, but I am more of a light hiker (keep that in mind, Dave!). We're even taking a side trip up to the Grand Canyon for two days. We'll do a short hike into the canyon, but I am mostly looking forward to watching the sunset! I also can't wait for the food out there. Which is strange because I never liked Mexican food before. Actually, it's "New Mexican" food, which is a little bit different. Bring on the soapapias!!! Here are some of my favorite pics from our trip last year:

Bumps & Bruises

So, last week was a little rough on me. It all started when I threw up on my way to work Tuesday morning! No, I wasn't sick... rather I skipped breakfast (I always eat breakfast) and I took a multi-vitamin on an empty stomach. While driving on the highway, it hit me. I had to take the next exit, but before I could even pull over, I threw up in my hand. Fun times! Later in the week, I had a coupon for a package of men's disposable razors, so I got some. Maybe not such a good idea. I tore my legs up! It looks like I walked through a brier patch wearing short shorts! Finally, to end my wonderful week, I split open my head Friday night. After a wonderful wedding rehearsal and dinner for a friend of mine, I stumbled while opening the car door. As I pulled on the door in an attempt not to fall, the corner hit me just above my eye. So, for the rest of the weekend, I had a big, white butterfly bandage over my right eyebrow! Let's just say I'm glad that week is over!

On a lighter note, my friend's wedding was beautiful. We had a great time! I am so happy for them. Here's a picture of them right after the ceremony...