6.30.06 I am so Smart...SMRT!

To give proper credit to the brilliant creator of Pearls Before Swine, Steve Pastis, I must post the original cartoon without my edits.

Not to worry, readers, I will be back as soon as I get an internet connection back at home.

6.28.06 Wacky Wednesday

This picture just cracks me up! This is the same sexy guy I posted for HNT last week. He is a great guy and really fun to be around. As you can see, he is a real goofball when he wants to be. The picture was taken inside a B-17. Go to my sister's blog, Arctic Circle, to read more about the B-17 flight. Have a great Wacky Wednesday!!

6.27.06 Tackle it Tuesday

I saw this at another blog (sorry, I can't remember whose blog...should have written it down) and thought it was a great idea. Basically, I will pick one small project or an errand that needs to get finished but is easily pushed aside. Then every Tuesday morning, I will post what it is I am tackling. Hopefully by the afternoon or evening, I will update the post with a "YEAH! I tackled it!" I think this will be a fun way to get the not-so-fun tasks done and over with. Let's see how long I can keep this up!

OK. For my first Tackle it Tuesday, I am going to sit down and look over the Creating Wellness program that I have purchased through my chiropractor. I am going to create my meal plan for the week and then get the groceries after work.

**Update: Well, I guess I played touch football and didn't exactly "tackle" my task. However, I did start it and I am eating the right foods today. I have planned out my meals for the rest of the work week and I will go to the store after work and before I get home. I will be out of town Friday evening to Tuesday evening; so, my meal planning will take a little more thought. I will also need more willpower to stick to the meal plan while out of town. Maybe, since it is the first week, I will do better.

6.26.06 Monday Madness

1. Do you own a digital camera? Yes.

2. What is your camera of choice? My choice would be a Cannon 5D. What I use is a Pentax Optio.

3. If you're a digital camera fan, do you print your own photos, or do you send them in to be printed? I send them to be printed. I don’t like home printers too much. I think the stores can do a better job (when you ask them to).

If you send them in, do you have a favorite place? I usually take my pics to Wolf Camera although I am rarely completely satisfied with them. For regular every day pictures, Wolf Camera is FABULOUS. However, for a better quality print, a custom shop is better.

4. How many pictures do you take a month? Hundreds.

5. How many of those pictures actually get printed? Very few to none. I am too much of a perfectionist and rarely like my pictures. I do have a few that I like and print.

6. Are you planning on purchasing a new camera in the near future? Yes, yes, yes. I am getting a Cannon 5D for Christmas. My sweet hubby is saving all year to get it. I love that man.

7. CHALLENGE: Go check out Favorite Five Photos and Foto Pherrets and choose just ONE photo to share. I found this one over at Silas's. I got to it by searching Foto Pherrets. To check out Foto Pherrets click the above link.

6.25.06 Sunday Mutterings

I haven't done one of these in a while so I thought I would do one this Sunday. Here it goes...

1. Newspaper :: Black & White


2. Crucify :: Jesus


3. Sausage :: Link


4. Handy :: Man


5. Cloak :: Drape


6. Drunk :: Beer


7. Fuel :: Fire


8. Caress :: Smooth


9. Itch :: Scratch


10. Vehicle :: Car

6.24.06 Saturday Photo Hunt: Love

When I think of love, I think of my family, my husband and my daughter. This picture was taken one week after my daughter was born. It was the first time either one of us got to hold her. When deciding who would hold her first, I looked at my husband and said, "You go first. I've been holding her for 9 months." When I saw the nurse put our baby in his arms, I was truly breathless. I was so filled with love seeing the two people that I loved most in this world in the same place and together. I have never felt that feeling in my life and haven't felt it since. I expect when we have our next child I will get to experience that kind of love again.

Our daughter, Madison, didn't make it past her 9th day because she was so sick due to severe brain damage caused during labor and delivery. We miss her very much but know that she is no longer suffering and that someday we will see her again. Your Daddy and I love you the most, Madison Marie.

6.23.06 Friday Favorite

This is one of my favorite pictures of my sister. I forgot to post it for Wacky Wednesday; but, it worked out for today. I like this picture because she looks like she did when she was a young kid and that's how I remember her. You can see the freckles on her nose which are so cute and summerish. My sister is one of my favorite people, too. She could never be replaced by anyone in this world. She is one of the sweetest people I know and she always knows how to have a good time. She is the best giggle and dress-up partner I've ever had! Love you the most, JB!!

6.22.06 HNT "A Sweet Cheek To Kiss"

Isn't he a cutie? Want to know why my brother-in-law is Half Nekkid? Go visit Os and his "band" of HNTers and they will tell you ALL about it.

6.20.06 Two Turtle Tuesday

Check out this turtle! Yes, it's real. Read the National Geograpic article about this pair. I think these guys/gals would fit into my collection quite nicely. Wonder how much the owner would sell them for?

6.19.06 Monday Madness

1. How many cop shows can you name? C.O.P.S., CSI: Miami, SVU (?)…that’s about as good as I can do since I don’t have TV

2. Do you send text messages? Yes…but only to my husband.

3. If you could be on a gameshow (current or old), which one would you be on and why? The Newlywed Game because I would love to read my husband’s answers…or The Price is Right because it looks fun and cheesy. I am fun and cheesy.

4. What are some of your favorite websites? I don’t know about favorites but I use Google all of the time and Yahoo Yellow Pages…I really don’t have a favorite website…I do, however, have favorite blogs. Oh, I just thought of one...Wikipedia.

5. What are your favorite things about the internet? I like how I can find ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. I crave information so I read and learn from the internet as much as I can.

6. What about least favorite? I don’t like how it sucks me in and abducts my mind. I can get lost on the world wide web and be mesmerized by it. Just ask my husband who LOVES my blogging nights. :P

7. What are some good ways to deal with a pet loss? Recognize it and treat it like any other loss. Do not deny yourself grief just because it is a pet. For most of us, pets are part of the family and it ok to treat them as such (even in death). I send flowers or sympathy cards to family and friends who have lots their pets. To have someone else recognize and validate your grief is very important during the grieving process.

6.18.06 How Quirky Am I?

This is for you, JB. You and MD will get a kick out of this one.

Your Quirk Factor: 40%

You have a few little quirks, but you generally blend in well with society. Only those who know you well know how weird you can be.

How Quirky Are You?

6.17.06 Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt: Sports

Let me introduce you to our family sport of Mudbug (or Crawdads for the Northerners) Racing. Every year my family and friends gather 'round the Mudbug track and race our favorite mudbug. We name them, set up a bracket of teams and race these suckers.

Here we are at the starting line up. The board on top of the track is removed. Then, at the sound of the cap gun, they're off...

This one looks like a winner to me. What do you think?

Here's Judge Jody. She settles any distubes among the racers. "My antennae corssed the line first!" "Well, my nose crossed first...that's the real winner!" The Mudbugs take this very seriously.

Believe it or not, the sport is quite popular. Look at all the fans!

And the winner is....

**Technical difficulties**Blogger is not letting me post the picture of the winner. Please check back later for the update. Thanks!

...Wolf! The owner was awarded a First Prize Ribbon. The racer was awarded his freedom and was released in the near by river.

To see more pictures of the 2006 Crawdaddy Feast, please visit http://www.stilwellpictures.com/2006_CDF.html

6.16.06 My husband the Dream Pilot

My husband is training to be a pilot. It is a little funny because 3 1/2 years ago I had to drag him on the plane we took to Boston. Now, he LOVES the days he is doning autos and steap bank (scary ass) turns.

Well, today the president of his company bought flights on a World War II eara B-17. There were two flight times (1 PM and 4 PM) and each flight held 7 people. There are maybe 50 people in the office. My husband was one of the ones choosen to fly! He didn't seem too excited yesterday when he was told he had won a flight. Well...this is the email I got from him today after the flight.

"Sorry, I just got back from the B-17 trip and am not mentally inclined at the moment. Please check back when I find my mind!"

He was beside himself with excitement! I called him after I got the email and he wasn't able to talk because he wanted to watch the second flight take off.

I am so happy for him and so glad to know that he has found what he truly loves to do. Not many people are that lucky.

My friend Regular Jo and sister at Arctic Circle also went on the flights. (Yes, they work for the same company. As well, as my mother-in-law and brother-in-law who is my husband's twin. To make it worse I used to work for the company...but, this is not what this post is about.) Go check out Regular Jo and my sister to see what they said about the B-17 flight.

6.16.06 Friday Favorite

Have I mentioned that I LOVE turtles? They are my favorite. I found this cool place called Stuck on Maui and bought some turtle stickers for my car. You should check them out; they have some really cool designs. What do you think? Is it me?

6.15.06 HNT "Eye Of A Princess"

To find out why this Princess is Half-Nekkid, visit Osbasso and his "band" of HNTers.

6.14.06 Who Knew I Was So Good?

To find out just how good you are...click here.

6.14.06 Wacky Wednesday "Pleasantville"

Wonder what is going on in that house to make it so colorful?

6.14.06 Wordless Wednesday "Sandwich Series #1"

6.13.06 Never Argue

One morning the husband returns after several hours of fishing and decidesto take a nap. Although not familiar with the lake, the wife decides totake the boat out. She motors out a short distance, anchors, and reads her book.

Along comes a Game Warden in his boat. He pulls up alongside the woman and says, "Good morning, Ma'am. What are you doing?"

"Reading a book," she replies, (thinking, "Isn't that obvious?")

"You're in a Restricted Fishing Area," he informs her.

"I'm sorry, officer, but I'm not fishing. I'm reading."

"Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment. I'll have to take you in and write you up."

"If you do that, I'll have to charge you with sexual assault," says thewoman.

"But I haven't even touched you," says the game warden.

"That's true, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you couldstart at any moment."

"Have a nice day ma'am," and he left.

MORAL: Never argue with a woman who reads. It's likely she can also think.

Found this at Adventures In Everyday Life Thank you, Meagan!

6.13.06 I'mmmmmm Baaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!

Yea, I'm home!! I had a great vacation, the beach was beautiful, our host and hostess were gracious and wonderful as always, my house/pet sitter was the BEST and my babies were glad to see me when I got home. Below is a recap of the vacation sans pictures. I have been trying to upload the pictures to Flickr; but, I am having issues with it. I think I a trying to download too many (or too big of pictures) at a time. I'll play with it some more tonight (if the husband will let me).

Host and Hostess
We stayed with one of my husband's friends and his wife. We'll call them J and B. J and B have a cute home in a nice little neighborhood just 6 miles from Wrightsville Beach, NC. They were so fun to stay with and let us sleep in every day that we were there. They also fed us and taxied us around for 4 days. THANK YOU, J and B, for a wonderful time. We can't wait for you to come to Texas so we can return the favor!

House/Pet Sitter
My sister (http://www.mustlovepolarbears.blogspot.com) stayed at our home and took care of the babies while were out. She is amazing. Not only did she feed, water, love and play with the pets...she also cleaned the apartment. Yep, CLEANED the apartment. She even had our sheets in the dryer when we got home so we would have fresh clean sheets to sleep on when we got home. What a great sister, huh? I love her so much...and not just because she cleaned the apartment. She is the best sister-house/pet sitter in the whole universe! Oh...and she also dropped the rent check (without me asking) for us because I forgot to do that before we left. I'm so lucky!

Airlines, Flights and Airports
The flights were good and smooth except for the VERY fast landing in Charlotte. The pilot came in too fast and we had to come to a screeching halt. My husband, the pilot, LOVED it. I was not impressed with the airport (especially the bathrooms) in Charlotte. The airport in Wilmington is cute. It is so small it only has one terminal. When getting ready to come back home, we were late and missed our return flight; so, we had a choice...stay one more day or re-route through New York City. We chose New York City and saw the Statue of Liberty and Yankee Stadium on our way in. That was cool. We had lunch in NYC and then went home.

Sites & Adventures
Our first day, we spent on Wrightsville Beach. It is a very nice and clean beach. We watched the sunset and then headed "home".

The second day we just hung out around the house and drove around town.

The third day, my husband and I rented a car and explored downtown Wilmington. We ate at a cute place called The George which is on the river walk. We sat outside on the patio and enjoyed the scenery and nice weather. After lunch, we toured the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA. The battleship is a WWII battleship that was at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese bombed it. I recommend this tour to anyone in the area. The tour is self guided and you get to crawl all over and in the ship. It was very interesting to see what is on a naval battleship; it is a world of its own complete with a barber shop, soda fountain, store, operating room, press room, cobbler, tailor, dark room, post office, etc. Next, we toured the Burgwin-Wright House. This house was once used as a headquarters during the American Revolution by Lord Cornwallis. My husband got to hold Cornwallis' seal and I got to see a 1700 original Waterford crystal chandelier!

On Saturday, we went to Kure Beach and toured the aquarium. I LOVE aquariums and could spend all day just looking in the tanks and watching the fish. I also took lots of pictures of all the turtles; but, most of them are blurry. :o( I got a great picture of a Lion Fish though.

Sunday we went home.

Sunshine Pickles and Chloe
J and B have two furry-four-legged children. One baby girl (Sunshine Pickles) is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi that is 5 months old. She is the SWEETEST puppy and I loved seeing her every time we got "home". She got her name from the town she was born in...Mt. Olive, NC where they grow and make Sunshine Pickles. Chloe is a 2 year old tabby/white kitty cat. She was a little skidish at first; but, warmed up to us after a couple of days. Once I get my pictures posted, you can see the results of Sunshine's and Chloe's photoshoot. The are ADORABLE!

Well, that sums it up pretty well. As I said before, we had a really good time in North Carolina and look forward to another visit. I think next time we will stay on the beach...swim during the day and sit on the balcony in the evening. Ahhhhh....

6.9.06 Where in the world is Haleigh Anne?

I'm having a great time on my vacation and thought I would have some fun with my readers. Remember that game Where in the world is Carmen San Diego? Well, I think we should play Where in the world is Haleigh Anne?. I will give you a few clues as to where I am and you can leave your guesses in the comments.

First clue...This is the flag I am staying under while away from my beloved home.

Second clue...These two shows are/were filmed here.

Third and last clue...I have to cross a draw bridge to get to this beach.

Can you guess where I am? Have fun! I'll post pictures and stories of our vacation when I get back. Until then, have a great weekend!

**Answer: Wilmington, North Carolina, USA

6.7.06 Haleigh Anne On Vacation

I will be on vacation until Monday, June 12th...and, this time, I really am on a beach!! Check back Tuesday for details and pictures.

6.6.06 Sweet Dreams

6.5.06 Monday Madness

1. I have broken __0___ bones in my lifetime.

2. I have had to get __?___ stitches. If you are squemish, go to #3. The only time I have ever had to get stitches (sorry guys) is when I gave birth to my daughter. I asked the doctor how many stitches it took to sew me back up and this was her answer: "I have no idea. I just went in there and started looping my stitches. You were so torn I couldn't really tell where to stitch or how many I made." Great story, huh? Whose chompin' at the bit to have a baby now?

3. The worst I've ever injured myself was when I fell off the step at the Texas State Capitol in Austin. I sprained my ankle and to this day I still have problems with it. My husband loves to tell why I fell off the step; so, I guess I will include it here for his benefit and good giggle. I missed the step because I was looking at another woman's boobs. She was very endowed and I guess I didn't realize I was looking as hard as I was until I fell. Ok...so, now I have told on myself. I can hear my husband giggling now.

4. I've had to go to the Emergency room __1___ time for a gallbladder attack.

5. On a scale of 1 (being the highest) to 10 (being the lowest), my pain tolerance is a __3___. I am MUCH better than when I was a kid and before I had a baby.

6.4.06 Mirror

I'm a little late in posting my Saturday Scavenger Hunt Photo. I do have a good excuse though. I spend most of yesterday shopping for my upcoming trip to North Carolina. So, who can blame me huh?

This picture is from my flower collection. It has been photoshopped so that one side is a mirror image of the other. I like how it looks like there is a little light in the middle of the flower. Does anyone know what kind of flower this is? I haven't a clue.

6.02.06 Friday Favorite

This is Martha. She is one of my favorite co-workers. She is like me and talks a lot. My boss laughs because sometimes I will be sitting at desk just talking out loud and it looks like I am talking to myself; but, I am really talking to Martha who is next door. I'm sure it does look funny to other people who are passing by. I also love sitting by Martha because it seems like everyone in the company comes by at least once a day to say hello to her. She is friends with everyone...even the security guards. Today, we spoiled ourselves and got pedicures during lunch. Hehehe...we are so spoiled. Make sure to say hello to Martha in the comments!

6.1.06 Quote of the Month Club

“Children who are seen and not heard have just done something awful.” ~Anonymous

Is this true for the four-legged furry children, too? Probably, yes. Hello, fellow friends and quoters. Can you believe June is already here? Summer has started and it’s time for some adventure and flip flops! Have a great June and remember your sun block!!

If you would like to join my Quote of the Month Club mailing list, please email me at haleighanne@gmail.com and let me know.

6.1.06 HNT "Road Trip"

Want to know why I'm Half-Nekkid? Visit Osbasso and the other HNT fanatics and they'll tell you all about it.