Katrina - August 29, 2005 - 4 Years Ago Tommorrow

Our home after Katrina in 2005.

Everything was so dead! No birds singing, no animals......just dead. No green leaves or grass on the lawn.......just dead. How do you start again? First you trust in God, second you surround yourself with wonderful old and new friends.....
....and you get started. That's how you begin again. Sometimes life throws you a hard knock, but you don't let it keep you down. You've got to keep on living and trusting in God. He always works things out.
My home today! The birds are singing, the animals have more than multiplied....it's very much alive! Green leaves and green grass....it's very much alive!

ISN'T GOD GOOD!!!!!!

Snoopy and Charlie Brown - Best Friends Forever!

Snoopy loves Charlie Brown!

Charlie Brown (the cat) is Snoopy's (the dog) best friend. We got both Snoopy and Charlie Brown on the same day and not on purpose. Here is the story - My friend brought over Snoopy (as a cute little puppy) to a harvest party that we were having at my parent's house in October of 2007. She was trying to find him a good home, and I could not resist his sweet adorable personality. So, I convinced my husband to let me keep him. He didn't want me to at first, however, he relented in the end. My daughter earlier that same day, without my knowledge, accepted a cute little orange kitten from a family giving kittens away in a neighborhood. She hid Charlie Brown in her room and was trying to think of how to let us know she brought home a kitten. I discovered him when I needed to get something out of her room. The discovery was made late that evening after we decided to keep Snoopy. After much debating we made the decision to keep both Charlie Brown and Snoopy, and believe it or not when I took them to the veterinary for their first visit, the doctor told us they were both seven weeks old.

Snoopy and Charlie Brown fell in love and have been best pals ever since. They love to wrestle together and snuggle together. It's amazing to watch. We are so glad that we made the decision to keep them both!

In addition to Snoopy and Charlie Brown, we also have another cat named Lizzie (she likes no one except for herself). All of my pets have really interesting stories to tell - one day I will tell you their stories - like the time Snoopy was stolen from us and how we got him back, how Charlie Brown was smashed in the top of the garage door and his recovery, and how Lizzie survived hurricane Katrina.

NeKee's Beautiful Home & Gardens

Just wanted to post a few pictures of Nekee's beautiful home and gardens. Her home is not just beautiful, it's fun and welcoming. I always love going to visit my sis, her husband and her children. We had such a wonderful time on our last visit.

I didn't get any pictures of her vegetable garden in the back yard, but I was very impressed with it.

Taking a Sweet Picture

Have you ever seen those sweet, angelic, perfect photos of children?

Like the one above of my niece, daughter, nephew, and my sister's dog, Lizzie?

Well, almost perfect, the dog is looking off and everyone looks somewhat uncomfortable. However, the picture is sweet. This was not an easy task.

Attempt #1...."What are you doing, sweetie? Please smile for Aunt Meboo." "Sure, how is this? (my niece)" "Lizzie, Lizzie, look here! (me)"
Attempt #2...."Is this smile better?" "Hey, what about my smile, Aunt Meboo? It's called the tight lip smile." "Lizzie, Lizzie, hold still!"
Attempt#3...."Not bad, except...Lizzie, what are you doing. Get back up there!"
Attempt#102......"This is getting to be so funny......"
Attempt #103..."Please open your eyes and look at the camera!" "Nekee, please come here and make them smile right!"
Attempt#104..."I think I hear my cell phone. Should I get it? (this is my daughter)" "How's this smile? Do I look sweet? (my niece)" "Maybe if I smile at the ground, she'll be happy and let me up (my nephew)."
Attempt#105..."Hello, look at the camera, please."

Attempt#106...."I think I'll go answer my cellphone (my daughter)"

"I give up!"

Question: Who else has this problem taking family photos?

Blackberry Picking!

While in Maryland, we went blackberry picking at Butler's Orchard. Here is a link to their website http://www.butlersorchard.com/. Have you ever saw berries this big? Not only were the berries big, they were yummy, and best of all there were no stickers to deal with!

Mar-Mar picking. So cute!

Plainoldkristi and my daughter showing off their pickings.

Doesn't she look like an advertisement for Butler's Orchard.

"Come taste our delicious berries at Butler's Orchard!"

Getting low to pick. Most people picked right at their eye level,

so most of the really big berries were down low.

I think I'll try one of these berries.

Look how big I have to open my mouth to get one in. Yummy!

Nekee picking berries.

Now, Plainoldkristi can make us a scrumptious blackberry cobbler.

Day 5 - C & O Canal - The End of the Tour

On day 5 of the trip we rode all the way into Georgetown. This was my favorite day. It was fantastic. The rain, the beauty, the accomplishment--all of it!

As you can see from the photo above the MMM method works for packing up as well as for finding a good tent spot (you must see Plainoldkristi's blog to understand). Notice, we are all packed up and ready to go (fingers crossed--I won't mention that we haven't cooked our breakfast and ate yet), while Plainoldkristi and her husband (who have cooked their breakfast and ate) struggle in the background to pack their belongings. It's the last day of the trip--we are getting the hang of this camping thing.

The path was great on day 5!

After arriving at the beginnings of the Great Fall area, we ate lunch, enjoyed the beautiful camp area, and rested.

Nekee tired, but feeling good!
A picture from the photo shoot of me. Nekee was my photographer. Plainoldkristi's husband drinking coffee and enjoying the break.
Me, posing for the camera and enjoying my surroundings.
A huge fish. It was really big!

A canal boat. In Georgetown and at the Great Falls, visitors can take a ride on these boats and hear all about the history of the canal.
Although we did not stop at the Great Falls (we all have been there several times), it's definitely a place to go if you have never been there before. It's breathtaking beautiful. Above is a picture of some of the rocks and scenery near the falls.

Another photo of a Lock Keeper's house.

I thought this photo was funny because Plainoldkristi and her husband were in front of Nekee and me and didn't realize that they had lost some of their belongings along the way.

After lunch, it began to rain. The rain felt wonderfully good! Since it was the last day of the tour, we rode while it was raining and enjoyed every moment of it.
Georgetown at last! When arriving in Georgetown my camera went dead so I have no more pictures of the trip. The message on the camera stated (battery exhausted). I felt the same way. Exhausted, excited, and accomplished. We did it! Business executives stared at us from their windows. I imagine that they were probably thinking we were crazy or wishing they were outside with us instead of in a stuffy old office. We were playing in the rain, laughing, waving our fists in the air, and taking pictures (Plainoldkristi has a picture of this moment on her blog). It was priceless. Afterwards, we rode our bikes to a Starbucks, changed into dry clothes, drank coffee, talked, and waited for my brother in law to pick us up. I must say the trip was wonderful, and I would definitely do it again! Thanks Plainoldkristi for convincing me to go.

Day 4 - C & O Canal

On day 4 we rode our bikes for approximately 46 miles or so and stopped to camp at Turtle Run. The campsite should have been called centipede run because there were centipede's running throughout the grass. Eeek!

Plainoldkristi enjoying her coffee and chatting with me and Nekee on the other balcony.
On this day, we woke up refreshed and anxious to jump back on our bikes and start pedaling. But first, we enjoyed a cup of hot coffee on the balcony of our rooms. Plainoldkristi and her husband were in the room next door so we were able to talk to each other from our balconies.

Plainoldkristi and her husband.
The Potomac.
After reaching Harpers Ferry, Plainoldkristi and her husband unloaded their bikes and hauled them up a flight of stairs to go visit the historic town of Harpers Ferry. Nekee and I decided to continue on our way to Point of Rocks to meet up with a wonderful friend who offered to meet us on the trail, bring us to her house, and fix us lunch. We were also able to wash our clothes while we were there.
The super nice friend making us delicious chicken salad sandwiches with pasta salad. The lunch was great, and I absolutely fell in love with her children. Both of them have such great personalities and are quite intelligent also.

Funny, smart, and cute kids. They were vicious pirates on this particular day and were really excited to show me and Nekee their pirate ship that their father built for them.

After lunch and a visit, the friend took us back to the trail, we said our goodbyes, and started back on our journey. Meanwhile, Plainoldkristi and her husband finished their visit at Hapers Ferry, biked to Point of Rocks, ate their chicken salad sandwich (which was dropped off to them)on the trail and continued on to the designated campsite.
After Harpers Ferry, the trail became quite nasty. Lots of mud, broken branches, and ruts. Somehow, we managed to miss the rain and bad weather. Patiently and carefully riding our bikes, we were able to stay upright despite the numerous times we fish tailed through the mud. At some points the path became nice again like in the picture above. This part of the trail actually made me think of the Bayou. Nekee barely missed running over a black snake stretched across the path.

A beaver's lodge.

When arriving at our campsite, Turtle Run, Plainoldkristi and her husband were setting up camp and informed us of the icky little centipedes crawling through the grass. Somehow, we were too tired to care very much. We managed to find a comfortable location for our tent (Plainoldkristi's website gives good details about this process), and set up camp for the night. On this night we did have a man and his teenage son share the campsite with us. They were quite friendly and pleasant. We enjoyed their company and discovered that the teenage son had just returned from a trip to New Orleans.

Plainoldkristi building the camp fire. This was her nightly ritual.