wbw--horsies and kneesocks

this is from when we lived in Bartlesville, which was where we were born. I remember this horse, and I remember the frog that's sitting behind it (on the right side, see the green speckled thing? that's a frog.) and man, do I remember those dresses!!

I have no idea how old we are here. three, maybe? we lived in Arizona for a while, and went to kindergarten there, so maybe we're three almost four? maybe?

anyway, this is DEFINITELY from way back. found it as I was going through my images to put on my new site. I put it up on myspace a long time ago, so if you saw the answer to this then, please don't guess. Which one am I? On the right or the left, hmmm?

the only thing I like more than bokeh

is bokeh giveaways!

I bought a 50mm last summer 'cause Melissa insisted I would love it. She is SO right. It is by far, hands down, absolutely my favorite lens.

but.

sometimes if your subjects aren't all the same distance from the camera, they won't all be in focus. which is sometimes fantastic. and sometimes bummer.

I would LOVE to be able to get that effect with everyone in focus sometimes.

and MAN is it crazy what photo software can do these days. it boggles the mind, I tell you.

ps: wondering what the heck bokeh is? see this picture? see how the background is little circles? that's bokeh. it can manifest in a lot of forms, but this is the first one that came to mind.

anyhoodle, cross your fingers for me. :)

cool.

I am cool.
I am.
that's all there is to it.
my mail says so.
so there.

I joined cool people care. because I care. I do. heck, that's my nickname for crying out loud. don't think the dual meaning is lost on me! and it's cool people care that got me doing that eh2ed beeeswax. and maybe some of you didn't like it, and maybe some of you LOVED it. and if you're the later rather than the former? I concur.

so, part of why I did it is because if I was a good little girl and completed the challenge, I knew that I would get this:

oh, wait, you wanna know what's inside? well, okay, fine...it's this. how to save the world in 24 hours?!? Sign.Me.Up. !!!

So I have about 20 pages left of The Shack, and I will probably knock those out tonight, and then I shall begin reading my glorious new book. My glorious new FREEBIE book. My glorious new FREEBIE book on and environmental topic...SCORE! Oh yeah, and? It's autographed too. :)

"into a place where thoughts can bloom..."

~panic at the disco.

so, I feel like I've been kinda awol. Though, admittedly, I've been kinda busy. :)

this weekend I went to wedding #3 for Bob & Jamie. it was a pretty wedding, for sure. you could tell she really put time into the details!

we had a TON of fun with our weekend-house-mates, too. It was Matt's two best friends, Adam and Taylor, and their girls--Kristin and Katie. We all get along really well and I kind of love them all to pieces. :) Friday night we drove there and had burgers for dinner and chit-chatted and the like.

Saturday morning after a yummy breakfast (with the sausage from my CSA!) the boys headed to play cornhole on the beach with the groom and the rest of the groomsmen. They'd been told it was boys only, but apparently it wasn't. Oh well--I was going to the winery no matter what, Kristin was sunburned and Katie has a boot on her foot--the beach probably wasn't the best idea for us. :) Instead we visited Lumina Winery. It looks like it's a hole in the wall, but it has LOTS of wines and was pretty for pictures!

we met back up and headed to the wedding! I didn't take a lot of pictures there, and a lot of that was 'cause I was hiding from the sun. The wedding started at 5 and though we got there plenty early, by the time we sat down all the shady seats were taken. THANKFULLY one of our friend, Derek, saw me in the sun, using my program for shade and covered with my wrap to protect my skin, and insisted that I trade him places and sit in the shady spot. It was kind of awesome of him. He gets two thumbs waaaaay up! he's the one in the sunglasses.

It was kind of cool though--the wisteria on top of the gazebo in the gardens matched the colors of the wedding party--lavender and green--so it all went together very well! And then it was off to the reception! HILARIOUS toasts, sweet thank yous, a cute first dance, delish food (there was a pasta station!) and more koozies to add to our wedding koozie collection. :)

Oh and when they put together the video I might look like I get around...because I danced with three different guys that night. Ha!

After that the six of us piled in the car and headed back to the house. And made the AWESOMEST pit stop on the way. The girls had tried to go there after the winery--it's a little tiny hole-in-the-wall bar right off the highway. It's called "JW's." It looks kind of scary--bars on the windows and not exactly what you would call well kept.

We decided to go anyway. And we are SO glad we did.

Adam and I played checkers while everyone else played shuffleboard. They honest to goodness had beads hanging up around the bar--in dispensers. I bet you can guess what you had to do to get them. We looked pretty silly in our fancy wedding attire, no doubt, but we are SO glad we went! Good stuff, good stuff. The boys are already talking about how next time the three of them are there they'll have to bike to the bar. ha!

And then yesterday we walked around downtown Wilmington and ate at a place called Elijah's. Our server was terribly amused by our table. Between the six of us we ordered 8 bloody marys, 9 appetizers and we each had a meal. I enjoyed North Carolina chowder and eggs benedict. Matt had buffalo shrimp, calimari and french toast. Both of those got strange looks. But those with raw oysters followed by breakfast food got the most interesting looks of all. :)

Sooooo fun! We will see them all again in June when Adam and Kristin get married, and I am so excited already!

"let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters and teach them how to dance"

~ingrid michaelson

I am kind of obsessed with this song. It's called "You and I."

soooooo, starting at, oh, 8pm on Wednesday through a few hours ago has been nuts.

-a total of roughly 11.5 hours of sleep.
-found I was using the modeling program incorrectly and did like 50% of it over
-wrote my term paper
-AND had...counting...four photo sessions get booked. all between 8pm on Wednesday and, oh, 3pm yesterday. Have another maybe and I have three sessions un-finalized. I suppose when it rains it pours! :D YAY!
-I bought three pairs of shoes. All various shades of pink! Seriously yesterday was class-work-shoes-interview-work-csa-work-paper.
-also had to put out some fires at work. and my no-more-nerves tooth still hurts (had the second part done on monday)

and I am TIRED.

But my term paper is in.
And my final is Tuesday (cringe).
And I am going to a wedding this weekend--the weather should be amazing, we're staying in a house with my very favorites of Matt's friends, and it should be good stuff.

And I found out I had a dress I'd completely forgotten about! I know how terrible that sounds! But I somehow had. So last night when I made sure I knew where my other dresses were I thought "oh YEAH!" I wore it to Renee's rehearsal dinner last year, which is why I didn't remember it--it's never been to an actual wedding. But my other dresses have, so I remember them. :)

Also, I am SO glad I broke out the blender for my green smoothies. This looks MUCH more appetizing, right? it eventually became browner when I added more blueberries for flavor's sake, but it's better this way, I swear! This is with Kale and now I have spinach and greenleaf lettuce just waiting to become a green smoothie. I make it ahead of time and blend up some ice and add liquid and sometimes a little OJ and ta-da! I've also added pears and I'm going to try adding a couple of carrots too.

Yay for healthy smoothies I like drinking. :)

Does anyone have a magic bullet? How do you like it? I'm thinking about getting one 'cause this rinsing out the blender daily thing is taking a lot of time and water...

Okay, time to actually get some stuff done so I can go home, pack quickly and sleep in the car while Matt drives us to Leland!

eh2ed-final. HAPPY EARTH DAY!

yeah, yeah, I'm posting at the end of earth day. but that's okay, methinks.

so, today's earth hour to earth day post, the crowning post of them all...I had to come up with something good, right? well this was one of the most valuable eco-lessons I ever learned.

I mean, I knew it, I did, but I hadn't heard someone who was "official" tell me so.

and as a matter of fact? the info came in a little book that dearest Jackie gave me for a housewarming present last July. It is this:

You do not have to be perfect to make a difference.

No, really. You do not have to eat local and bring you own bags and take ship showers and be a vegetarian and never drive a car and wear clothes until they wear holes and only wear ones made of organic materials and not shampoo your hair or drink alcohol brewed farther than 50 miles away and freeze in the winter and swelter in the summer and forego the refrigerator and grow your own everything and never take medicine and all that jazz.

I mean, you can. Totally. And if you do? More power to you, please teach me how you manage! But so many people don't bother to do anything because they feel pressure to do everything. I find it terribly ironic that people are having to be medicated due to their eco-stress, and that medication? not an eco-friendly thing! but I digress...

start small. do a little. if you already do things? add one more. buy carbon credits to offset your next vacay. get a couple of reusable bags and keep them in your handbag or glove compartment. and USE them. get a reusable water bottle or three and USE them. every bit counts.

and together? TOGETHER we can make a difference.

that's what this is all about. It sounds sappy and cheesy, but I cannot tell you how true it is. I firmly believe that when we look back on this time in history, if there is much of a future (sorry for the doom and gloom), we'll be able to look back at it if and only if the PEOPLE make the difference. As citizens of the US we've collectively emitted WAY more than our fair share. It is our voices and our actions that will institute change for the better.

And just like any journey? You have to take that first small step. And then all you have to do is keep the momentum going.

You can do it. Together, we can do it. Be someone your grandchildren will be proud of. Do your part!

Happy Earth Day!

hair.

I've been thinking a lot about my hair recently. It needs a change. I've thought about cutting it really short, but then I remember how I love ponytails. I may still cut it short. Who knows?

I've had a lot of (unsolicited) comments about my hair recently--some saying they love the dark, others saying they miss the red and some saying they love the blonde they've seen in pictures.

So, I'm going to pull a Jackie... (kidding. sort of.) what do YOU think? answer the poll and/or tell me which picture you like it best in!

poll by twiigs.com

I realize hair color isn't a big deal, but I'm indecisive. :)

wbw--a doozie

I had trouble deciding, okay? So you get LOTS of way back pictures. :)

first up: in May 2001 I went to the USAFA's Ring Dance with one of my oldest friends, David. It was FANCY. SO fancy. I borrowed the dress and the purse, the shoes were mine. I felt like a modern day Audrey Hepburn with my 'do--I rarely like my hair when I have it done, and I LOVED it this time. The dance was awesome. As was the dinner. There was a saber arch and I remember not being allowed to touch the food--I had to tell one of the guys what I wanted and they would put it on my plate for me. At least, if that's not what was "official" then it sure seemed like they were getting to it faster than I could!

That time in my life was DRAMA-O-RAMA. I had just broken up with Derrick (in the most amusing way possible, for sure) and I was sortakindabutnotreally seeing Justin, and I was going to this fancy schmance dance, and I had a crush on an upperclassman in my lab. (who I later found out had a crush on me.) and also, one day ALL FOUR of them were wanting my time at basically the same moment. my ex boyf came in one door of the lab, my future boyf came in the other, my friend was waiting outside to pick me up for lunch and my crush and I were talking in the lab already. it was bizarre. anyway. another story for another day. or perhaps not at all.

So, the dance. Flew there. Stayed in a hotel, saw the academy, went to the dance. We boogied. A lot. I will never forget the people in fancyfancy clothes dancing to "I like Big Butts." I mean getting DOWN. After my feet hurt A LOT and I slept in the car on the way to where a bunch of us were staying, we went on an awesome hike through somewhere I can't remember. David made lasagna, we all drank wine and he kept finishing my beer for me. Which infuriated me at the time, but later he reminded me I was used to drinking Oklahoma beer. :)

It was FUN. And there was a rainbow! And anyway, pictures:

Next up, my twinkie. God love her. Here's from when we looked so much more alike. Our personalities are evident though! These are our senior pictures, and one that was likely from Thanksgiving or Christmas? Or a birthday? I can't tell. But it's cute. And that there pitcher was a gift from my Granny. It was owned by my Great Aunt Cleona Carrie. I am her namesake, and I will be naming a little girl Cleona after her. :)

And this is the first time I made a pumpkin pie from scratch all by myself. In the TU apartments. Man I LOATHED my roommate by the time we were done living together, but I really appreciated it that she took this picture--she insisted. :)

And this is in Detroit. How many engineers does it take to open up a bottle of wine?!? We didn't have a corkscrew. We ended up using a pocketknife, a pen and a hanger. We got it open, but it wasn't pretty!

And last? That's me and Keith Diekelman. I'm pretty sure this was on like a Saturday afternoon! I was definitely completely sober. Name that frat house, TU folks. First one wins a prize.

eh2ed #23

get out of that rut!

do you find yourself always leaving your reusable bags in the car?
or always bringing home yogurt in individual containers instead of a larger one (or making your own!)?
or always wanting to replace the perfectly good car/clothes/dishware/wall art/shoes/whatever you already own?

do you find yourself thinking "I'll do [insert eco-friendly action here] next time...next time." for the umpteenth time?

I mean, nobody is perfect. Not you. Not me. Not Al Gore either, I'm sure. But make the decision to STOP. Maybe you start little--you turn off lights you don't need. Or you exercise your right to "if it's yellow let it mellow." Or maybe you decide you'll go for a run in your neighborhood once a week instead of driving to the gym. So many options. SO many. Just pick one. Do it. Start a habit. Get out of your rut. All it takes is baby steps, folks, and you.can.do.it. TRUST me. :)

eh2ed #23

achoo!

spring is in the air. if you're in NC, you can actually SEE the pollen. so people are downing all of those anti-snot-medicines, right? I realize that quite a bit of the time they're pretty unavoidable--if you NEED a decongestant you NEED a decongestant, yes?

however, know what's more eco-friendly? using something that isn't a drug, that is natural, and that won't pollute the groundwater or our land after passing through your system.

now, I'm no medical professional, but there are some tried and true methods to deal with seasonal allergies that don't involve pills (which involve manufacturing and chemicals and shipping and the like)

for instance:
-feeling stuffed up? drink some peppermint tea. or if your throat is sore? try some "throat coat" rather than the sugary cough drops.
-is your nose feeling like someone stuffed some cotton all inside your head? try using a neti-pot to relieve some of the congestion. (make sure it's one that is appropriate to use when you're congested though!) believe you me--sudafed is helpful and all, but long term something like a neti-pot or other irrigation is soooooooo much more helpful. It isn't a quick fix, it's an actual solution.
-and there are even some positive-pressure neti-pot type contraptions (example, here) that use good old salt to wash out your sinuses before the issues even start. what's that saying about an ounce of prevention, hmm? oh yeah, it's worth a pound of cure.
-drink water! being hydrated is a HUGE part of making sure your sinuses function properly.

I'm not saying don't take allergy medicine--I mean, I have to take Zyrtec most days, honestly--but when things get rougher that that, I opt to try the more natural and homeopathic and eco-friendly options first. they're better for my body and better for the environment. win, win!

eh2ed #22

use what you've got.

that applies to cars and clothes and the like, but it also makes a lot of sense in other situations too: like, when you're on a road trip, and you have to eat fast food? save the extra clean napkins and use them later. or don't get a bag if you don't need it. and all the rest...

cheraw!

We're here!!


-post from my iphone!

eh2ed #21

know what happens on saturdays most places?

FARMER'S MARKETS!

go check out your local one--AMAZINGLY delicious produce at great prices and-and-and...good for the environment. check.it.out!

eh2ed #20

check it out--next time your at your friendly neighborhood store--grocery, target, whatev--take a gander at the label before you buy it. SEE where it came from. Be aware. Some people, like my e-friend m, refuse to buy items that come from certain countries, due to what you're supporting by purchasing from there. And if you're not that hardcore, you can at least KNOW.

and that, my friends, is half the battle.

When you can, pick good made in your own country by your own folks. It's better for a lot of things, including the environment. :)

eh2ed #18 and #19

yeah, so I kiiiinda did 18 'cause I psted two for 17. but...

eh2ed #18 (wednesday's)-so for that 20oz bottle of water you buy at the gas station? yeah, it took approximately 25 times that volume just to manufacture that bottle. and when you recycle it? it'll take about that much to make it into a new bottle again. invest in a water bottle. LOTS of places are having earth day sales on eco-friendly items, and water bottles counts. It's SO easy! And easy on your pocket. And you bring an empty water bottle through security at the airport and fill it up at a water fountain too--saving yourself even more $. simple, simple.

eh2ed #19 (thursday's)-more about that water? be mindful of what you're using at home. everyone knows to wash full loads of clothes and all that good stuff. but you can do so much more! the best thing I think Matt and I do is when we're letting the shower water run to warm up, we collect the water with a clean and empty kitty litter bottle. Later we use that perfectly good water to wash our clothes (we just add it to the washer while it's filling), clean the car, water the plants or soak the dishes before we clean them. SO simple, and right there where we need it.

#20 later!

"thanks, that was totally fun."

~yours truly

I took a test yesterday in my air pollution whatever it is class. I get a little confused because I am an Air Quality engineer, but my degree is in chemical engineering, but I'm working on my masters in civil engineering, with a focus on air pollution, but my classes have been engineering principles of air pollution control and air pollution control-air quality. um, yeah.

so, my air-civil-grad-class-thing. took a test yesterday. it was a B*TCH. I went through to answer the questions I knew that I knew...and, um, yeah, that was about 30% of them. the first time through I knew FOUR multiple choice. four of the twenty. plus the short answer and problems.

glorious.

I trudged through and felt a little better when I turned it in, but I would not be surprised if I did poorly. Actually, I will be surprised if anyone actually did well.

and I got stuck on trying to figure out how to make the lambda not be an exponent anymore on (x/sigma)^lambda. I ended up taking the lambda-th root, but I am not so certain that's how we were supposed to do it.

oh yeah, and last friday I went to the bar to play volleyball and though we didn't have a game I DID play the best game of cricket I've ever played in my whole life. I took pictures. It was awesome. And yes, that's 199 points. :D I usually do AWFUL and I'm totally inaccurate, but I won! woo hoo!

um...and that's it. working on some stuff for my new photography website. It's not ready yet, but email me if you want a preview. I am SUPER excited. I expect it to be up in the next few weeks, probably May 4th at the latest!!

And tomorrow AM we leave to go to Cheraw, SC for my friend Betsy's wedding. I have heard about her and M's story the whole time they've been talking to one another, so I'm really pleased to know they're getting hitched and to be a part of that!!

and now for some eh2ed, since I have been remiss.

wbw again!

obvs I've been looking at photos from high school. this is from when I got my Gold Award! and that there lady, Kathy, our leader? kind of one of my heroes. Her daughter, Stacey, was in my grade and my troop, and in third grade they were in a car accident coming home from skiing over spring break and Stacey died. It took her a little while to grieve, but it was SO important to Kathy that she come back and be a part of our lives--the girls who were her scouts and her daughter's friends.

so sad, but so heartwarming too.

anyhoodle, so, that's me, whitney, amanda, kathy and ellen. amanda and I lived next door together when we were like 5-8, and ellen and I lived down the street from one another after. oh, memories of super contra (up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, b, a, b, a, select, start, anyone?), tie dye, older sisters, secret clubs, sleepovers and bike rides. :)

eh2ed #17{version 2!}

so, this *could* have been #18, but nah.

it's just too cool not to share! ORIGINS is doing something kind of awesome.

In my area my empty cosmetic containers cannot be recycled. And I go through Burt's Bees Lip Balm faster than I care to admit. I either throw it into the bin and cross my fingers (knowing it will be discarded at the facility) or after using qtips and whatever else to get every last bit of balm out of the tube, it just sits and sits since there's nowhere eco-responsible for me to place it.

BUT.

now I can take my old cosmetic and toiletry containers of any brand to origins. they need to be clean and empty, and they don't take secondary packaging (e.g., plastic wrap or the paperboard boxes) but they take the plastic. it's recycled if it can be, and if not, it's used for energy recovery. AND if I take it in? I get a free sample of an origins product. SCORE!

eh2ed #17

only eight eh2ed posts left!

this one is about reusing. SO many things can have other purposes if you'll just think outside the box a little. but the one that makes me happy today is this.

a flower vase out of a bic pen? SIGN. ME. UP.


alternatively, I use my beer bottles as vases. :)

all of my spare pennies...

have been going into camera/photography stuff. I've yet to get everything I want/need, but I am working on it. here are some of my new items. that's a lensbaby composer, my new 17-55 f 2.8, my fisheye-for-now-to-see-how-I-like-it, and my new flash diffusers.

next up: camera body, memory cards, batteries and a new bag. baby steps, people. baby steps. I am trying to decide if I want a second flash or not, just in case. I'm not sure yet. But in any case, I know I'll have it all by the end of may so I can use it to shoot a wedding.

also, I went to look at fabric. there is another store in raleigh I want to hit up, but these are some fun options! decisions, decisions! I LOVE how it looks, and I'm excited to have fun possibilities. I'm kind of bragging, but I feel like I've really gotten to be my creative photographer self the past few months, and these fun ideas are popping into my head, and it makes me happy! I can't wait to show you the maternity photos I took--but some of the coolest ones will have to wait until the little boy is born 'cause his name is a secret! and if you have suggestions about which fabrics are neatest, I'd love to hear what you think of the six here.

and here's a pic with the fisheye. I only played with it for like 5 minutes 'cause I had homework to do, but I am excited to add it to my options!

and, I need to get a new headshot. perhaps I'll talk matt into it. :) one of my exciting things will require that. yay!

oh and last but not least, a poll. I'm updating some of my business structure and I want your opinion! if you have a comment or opinion or insight, let me know, please!

poll by twiigs.com

my other spare pennies have been paying for gas for school and more school and more school. I can't believe my final is in two weeks. and I have a test on thursday. and a paper due next thursday. wtf? that is SO much of my grade. in two weeks. and both of these weekends coming up are going to be spent out of town at weddings. man, oh, man. when will I get to do the laundry? or get my new brown dress tailored? or catch up on sleep? :(

and last thing? this week is the first week o' the CSA! expect a picture on Thursday!

eh2ed #16

people should NEVER set their blog feeds to only show up as a summary on google reader. a) because of the wasted energy and computer usage opening up a new page and letting it load so you can read their blog (it adds up, okay?) and b) because I find it annoying. and selfish. like "click on me, click on me, but only if I'm interesting." well dammit I just want to know what's going on with you, and I've 3/4 of a mind to stop reading your blog altogether because you're so pretentious.

um, er. right. I might be a bit miffed about that crap. so that's not my tip, eh?

today's tip? buy local flowers. in season. I find it ironic that V-Day falls when nothing is blooming, you know? But whether it's mother's day or a birthday present or wedding flowers, be sure to get what is available at that time, where you live. It's just like food, but in some ways worse because cut flowers are generally just discarded and have no nutritional value.

So yeah. make with the eco-flowers, please.

eh2ed #15

next time your cleaner runs out, whether it be dish or laundry or for a scrub o' the tub--get an eco-friendly alternative! better for you, better for the environment, win, win, win. :)

"i've got a smile on my face and four walls around me..."

~great big sea

-happy easter!

-know the fabric I've been talking about? got to test it out, and I LOVE it. see? more to come!

-and and and, I had an amazing weekend photography-wise. lots going on. lotsa lots. I'm waiting for alllllllll the details to be final before I go getting superduper excited, but I.am.pumped.

okay, back to homeworkage.

eh2ed #14

mind your peeps and q's

every year at easter SIX HUNDRED MILLION peeps are purchased. that's enough to circle the equator--twice!

and while they aren't good for you, and they're all sugar, one small comforting factor is that they were made in bethlehem pennsylvania, not in china or anywhere else far, far away. there are some laws about where our candy can come from, but overall, it's entirely possible for your candy to come from somewhere far away (for instance, chocolate)

so as you indulge, remember to take a gander at the label--and if it's from far far away and your life wouldn't be complete without it, remember to counteract your yummy indulgence's carbon. :)

eh2ed #13

Or is it twelve?

Do you recycle?good. Now, compost. It's easy, inexpensive and so worthwhile! See what your city/county offers or get your own! I LOVE my bokashi one!

baby steps, people. baby steps!

-post from my iphone!

even gobi likes my new fabric

see?

what I had for breakfast this morning.

okay, well, with coffee. and some other stuff. but anyway.

this is a "green smoothie." it has spinach, a little romaine I had left over, frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries and a little bit of orange juice in it. I was feeling lazy so I made it in my food processor instead of my blender.


and to be completely honest with you? after my first two sips it was DEEELISH. It took a sip to get used to the flavor (I mean, you couldn't taste the spinach very much, but there was a little bit of it) and another to get used to the consistency (next time I'm adding some more OJ and using the blender) but overall? it was GOOD. and I will make it again. and perhaps next time I will add carrots.

thank you, maria, for posting about it! there's a little info about how to make it here. for tomorrow's I think I'll try adding some pineapple. and when I'm out of fruit, I'm definitely going to hold out for strawberries pieces instead of buying whole strawberries--it was all that was left at the store, but I think it made the process longer.

eh2ed #12

hi! this one is short but sweet. yesterday I found a pretty cool new site. it's called Treewala. It's not so different from FreeRice, except that you're planting trees instead of feeding the hungry. AND you're increasing your eco-knowledge too.

Trees are SUCH an important part of our environment, our life and our communities. Check it out!


How to Plant Trees!

Click on the answer that best defines
the word on the right.

You earn one leaf for every word you define correctly. Every leaf generates
ad revenue, which Greenwala uses to buy trees.

Click here to learn more.

You can adjust the difficulty level
by going to the options page.

	1 correct answer = 1 leaf
	20 leaves = 1 tree

so, I went on vacation, right?

and I haven't told you about it. well, exactly....

things you need to know:
1. I took a nap EVERY day.
2. my wii fit character had glasses.
3. the little girls are too cute for words.
4. I did not get a sunburn.
5. we stayed in the "presidential suite."
6. the latest I woke up while there was 915AM.
7. I had sushi. and tuna. and wayne's. and mmmmmmm.

Other factoids:
Tuesday-arrived. flight was uneventful, I suppose, though I came pretty close to missing it 'cause I did not allot the 15 extra minutes for getting from the parking deck to the ticket counter. it's a hike if you're flying SWA. that and the dude next to me on the plane TOOK OVER the middle seat, but whatev. so, got there. played wii fit. hung out. had sushi for dinner. opted not to go to the hockey game, but those who did ended up sitting reallyreally close to scottie pippen. yes, this dude. hung out, tonya and I did not sing girl scout songs like before, and we chilllllled. sat on the balcony, got in the pool and the like.

Wednesday-got up to go to butterfly gardens, but then we learned it was going to cost like $27 for adults and $18 for kids or something whack like that. yeah. instead we stayed in the house, people played with bubbles and we had easter! mmmm jelly beans. it was fun hiding the eggs and seeing the girlies find them. then there was more napping, more wii, more chilling, another trip to the pool I think, and wayne's for dinner. which is DEELISH. George (Matt's dad) introduced us to it. mmmmm.

Thursday-went to the beach! I hid under my spf-cover-up and sat in the shade and rocked my floppy hat and SPF 85. and did not get burned, woo hoo! Thursday night all the kids went to dinner together, which was nice. Good food and lots of laughter! Oh and we played tennis!

Friday-up early once again for a WEIRD massage. Called Tuan bamboo or something? I got there and the nice lady was like "uhhh...yeah, I'm not going to be able to do this like I normally would, you will walk out of here black and blue." It also included cupping, which is a suction cup thingie applied to the fleshy parts of your back. And it HURT and she stopped immediately. It isn't supposed to hurt, but with thinner skin like mine it can be pretty painful. So that was a bust.

Then we played with bubbles and on the playground with the girls. And Matt and Trevor played putt putt. Too fun!

And that evening the packing began. :( We had SUCH a good time. Almost didn't make it home due to the HORRENDOUS line and crazy drama at the airport (long story short--the woman in front of us was a label-flashing, full-of-herself drama-queen who thought she was more important than everyone else and made a scene). We got to be rushed through security and everything--but despite checking our bags only 18 minutes before the flight was supposed to be in.the.air, somehow they made it on and we made it home. We did have to sit on the tarmac for quite some time before taking off (~30 min?) but oh well!

and now, pictures!

also, these make me laugh--katlyn kept doing this to matt, over and over and over. funny, funny.

and here's the whole group the last evening!