tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351477942024-03-13T21:09:43.475-06:00Bunny TrailsThe meanderings of a woman who often finds herself on life's bunny trails.Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.comBlogger935125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-11710234804663127412014-03-31T10:38:00.001-06:002014-03-31T10:42:47.693-06:00Mr and Mrs PigeonDon't you think that pigeons are sort of stereotyped? Just these birds that hang out in crowds on statues and poop all over them? Of course, there was the pigeon lady in Home Alone 2. She didn't give the pigeons a bad name at all. She was their friend and they even helped Kevin. But for the most part, I don't think people have much of an affinity towards pigeons. I was pretty much part of that group, too. Until Mr. & Mrs. Pigeon decided that living on our miniature tree farm (just kidding - we just have a LOT of trees on our property) was a good idea.<br />
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I saw them around, hanging out in one of the pine trees most of the time. You'd think I'd know what kind of trees I have and I do for some of them. But we have 22 trees and without knowing how to identify them to begin with, what's a girl to do? So there are a variety of evergreens, but I mostly call them all pine trees. Until I know better, anyway.<br />
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So back to Mr. & Mrs. P. I'd see them hanging around and since they're the only two pigeons I've ever seen here, I figured it had to be the same couple. That was all fine and well, as we have numerous birds here (see first paragraph - a LOT of trees). But a couple of weeks ago, I saw something going on outside my window. The view is fairly well-blocked by pine tree branches and needles, but I finally figured out what was up. <br />
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Nest building. Mr. & Mrs. are preparing for an addition to the family. Or maybe additionS. I don't really know. Do pigeons hatch one baby at a time or multiples? Anyone know about that? I suppose Google might send me in the right direction. I'll have to get back to you on that one.<br />
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So I grabbed the camera (of course) and watched as Mr. P would go find a proper twig or other piece of nest building material and fly up to their branch, walk/hop out to the nest location, and hand it off to Mrs P. Then he'd turn around and walk/hop back to the inner portion of the branch. Flit down to one of two lower branches, then fly down to the ground to retrieve the next piece of nest building material. Lather, rinse, repeat. <br />
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Yes, it's true. I stood there watching a pigeon get one piece of material at a time and repeat the same sequence over and over and over again. And then I wonder where my day has gone and why I didn't accomplish more.<br />
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I wish I could see their nest a little better. But I also don't want to give away their special location to any possible predators. Like ravens. Or squirrels. Do ravens or squirrels bother pigeons? I guess that's another thing to Google.<br />
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Maybe if I stand on a chair where I can look out from the top of the window, I can see their nest. I'll try that later. In the meantime, here are some shots I got that day.<br />
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Hi, there, Mr Pigeon!<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13541060323" title="20140319_mrmrspnest_001 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2824/13541060323_a682b9e2b9.jpg" width="700" alt="20140319_mrmrspnest_001"></a><br />
</div><br />
That one looks pretty good.<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13540943155" title="20140319_mrmrspnest_025 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2843/13540943155_7de36b0939.jpg" width="700" alt="20140319_mrmrspnest_025"></a><br />
</div><br />
Here you go, Mrs. P.<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13541054923" title="20140319_mrmrspnest_003-2 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7361/13541054923_131f420409.jpg" width="700" alt="20140319_mrmrspnest_003-2"></a><br />
</div><br />
Time for a little break.<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13541244914" title="20140319_mrmrspnest_053 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2929/13541244914_471dd53ca8.jpg" width="700" alt="20140319_mrmrspnest_053"></a><br />
</div><br />
Back to work.<br />
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<div align="center"></div><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13540932335" title="20140319_mrmrspnest_028 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7441/13540932335_88a19123cb.jpg" width="700" alt="20140319_mrmrspnest_028"></a><br />
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<img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-8228118272747755582014-03-25T20:15:00.001-06:002014-03-25T20:15:24.486-06:00Cute Little Pocket Book - TutorialSometime around December of 2009, Lucy and I did a Make & Take at Archiver's while we there cropping one Friday night. It was a cute little book with pockets in it made out of a piece of 12x12" cardstock. I made one for my sister to use as a gift for someone she worked with. I proceeded to post a few pictures and tell <i>about </i>the book, but not <i>how </i>to make it. You can see it <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2009/12/cute-pocket-booklet.html">here</a>. My dear friend, Michelle, said she'd like the instructions because it would be fun to put prayers in the pockets and give it to someone. I probably said I'd be happy to share my newly-learned directions with her.<br />
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But I never did.<br />
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Sigh.<br />
<br />
I did, however, keep the email containing her comment asking for instructions. All this time. Since 12/21/09.<br />
<br />
Sorry, Michelle. What a major procrastinator I am!<br />
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And I am happy to report that now, nearly four and a half years later, I'm finally posting the instructions. For Michelle. Or anyone else who'd like them. <br />
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1. Start with a 12x12" sheet of double-sided cardstock. Not patterned paper, but cardstock (I just don't think paper would hold up all that well, but you could try it).<br />
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2. Cut it in half. Either direction. Ha! Ha!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13410387833" title="IMG_2097 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7033/13410387833_74bf0bd48f.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_2097"></a><br />
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3. Score each half at 2" the long way. Figure out which side you want to be inside and which will be the outside. Fold on the score line the appropriate way. This forms the pockets. <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13410386023" title="IMG_2098 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3668/13410386023_da6444551c.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_2098"></a><br />
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4. Now score each half on the back side at the center (6"). <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13410637614" title="IMG_2099 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7153/13410637614_0932483636.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_2099"></a> <br />
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5. Score at 3" in from each end on the opposite side.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13410381893" title="IMG_2100 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3820/13410381893_1cb84917c0.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_2100"></a><br />
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5. Fold it back and forth, accordian style, as shown in the picture.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13410380333" title="IMG_2101 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2872/13410380333_3f9c8ab629.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_2101"></a><br />
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6. Using a very narrow adhesive, adhere the outside open edges on each half to close the pockets. If your adhesive is very wide, it takes up pocket space. I love this adhesive because it's only 1/8" wide and it does a great job of holding things together. <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13410629034" title="IMG_2104 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/13410629034_52c8f0f031.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_2104"></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13410373313" title="IMG_2105 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7318/13410373313_0ac08ed2d4.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_2105"></a><br />
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7. Adhere the two sections together at the center. Yes, I know, my outside edges aren't yet adhered in the picture. I did this in reverse order on these two steps when I made it. <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13410377673" title="IMG_2103 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3764/13410377673_77488c37e6.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_2103"></a><br />
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Now it's one long accordion with a slightly thicker center where the two pieces are adhered to each other. <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13410370783" title="IMG_2106 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7190/13410370783_755978f423.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_2106"></a><br />
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8. From a scrap of coordinating cardstock, cut a piece 2x4" Score at about 3/4" in from the long edges on both sides. Fold. This will form the spine. You can also tear the edges or use decorate scissors or sponge ink onto them for a different look.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13410258415" title="IMG_2111 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3689/13410258415_ba20d50676.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_2111"></a> <br />
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9. Put adhesive on the two sides of the spine, but not in the center strip. Align book inside the spine and attach together.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13410364323" title="IMG_2112 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7381/13410364323_ec461e0999.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_2112"></a><br />
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10. Determine desired length of ribbon to wrap around the book and tie in a bow. Center over the spine and adhere (glue dot or adhesive) on the front at a minimum. You can also add adhesive on the spine and/or the back as you want. Another variation would be to put the ribbon underneath the spine. In my finished product, the ribbon is on the outside, although you'll see me attaching it to the front before the spine went on. How I made it and how I'm writing the instructions are a little out of order. <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13410368423" title="IMG_2110 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3777/13410368423_a2ebcac93c.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_2110"></a><br />
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11. Attach decorative die-cut or sticker or whatever other bling you'd like to add to the front over the top of the ribbon.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13410254205" title="IMG_2113 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2882/13410254205_02abb1da0a.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_2113"></a><br />
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12. Put stuff in the pockets - gift cards, money, notes, gum, miniature Flat Stanley and family, or whatever else you can come up with. Tie it closed with a bow. Or knot.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13410252045" title="IMG_2114 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3668/13410252045_59635f626d.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_2114"></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13410250475" title="IMG_2115 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3733/13410250475_05ecd53981.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_2115"></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13410610184" title="IMG_2116 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2840/13410610184_6e6a5db512.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_2116"></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13410244185" title="IMG_2118 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3697/13410244185_3acfc00b99.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_2118"></a><br />
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13. Clean up the mess that is your desk. Or maybe that's just me. In all fairness, I did another project before this one, which would be why it's super extra messy. Or at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Actually, now that I look at that mess, it's from the other project, not this one at all. Oh well. The messier the desk, the more creative. That's my motto and I'm definitely sticking to that one.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13410646164" title="IMG_2095 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7231/13410646164_91da4778a3.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMG_2095"></a><br />
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If you have any questions or anything doesn't make sense, let me know. Enjoy!!<br />
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<img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-57041326628787593102014-03-22T23:35:00.000-06:002014-03-22T23:35:18.574-06:00Blogging Versus FacebookOnce upon a time, I used to blog regularly. More or less. Then my friends all started jumping on the Facebook bandwagon. I eventually joined in the party. Which was fine for awhile. I was already well immersed in Twitter by then. But a funny thing happened along the way. The more time I spent on FB, the less I blogged. Pretty soon, it was only Wordless Wednesday images being posted. But then before long, that fell by the wayside, too. Then it was merely lamenting over the reality that I could barely manage a post or two in a month. IF that. <br />
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I've made it back to the blogosphere a couple of times. I've written a few posts. In a row, even. But I never quite get back to any sort of consistency there. Though I sure manage to scroll through update after update after update in my FB newsfeed. <br />
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Today I started looking at other blogs in my list over there on the right. One that I used to read (the second blog I frequented regularly ever) has gone private. So I removed her from the list. Another's blog is apparently gone. Which makes me a little sad. I liked what she wrote. I'm still connected with her via Instagram, FB, and Words With Friends. But still. Then I got to another blog which was always fun to read. Sometimes hilariously funny. She's still there. She's still blogging. And it made me very happy. I read her story about her father who passed away last year. Being that she's a very gifted story teller, it was a sweet and touching post. As if I were reading a novel. I really enjoyed it a lot. I also read about her son who is now 10. He was 6 when I first started reading her blog (I think). No, maybe he was 4. He wasn't in school yet, so it must've been 4 in the beginning and 6 later (cause that's how our chronological time works, no?). <br />
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And I think that's when it clicked. Facebook is like being at a big, huge party with lots and lots of people. Some you know from work, some from your childhood, some from church, some from your kids' school, and so on. You get to chat a little bit with a lot of people. Surface conversations. Good times for an extrovert (like me). But only for awhile. You don't really know anyone with those sound bites. <br />
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Blogging and reading other bloggers gives you more than 30 seconds to hear what's going in their lives and make a comment. You actually get to read more of their story. You get to know them much more than the jokes and articles they share. While I love the party, I'm really missing the move engaging venue of blogging. I've gone through my entire list blog friends and some are still there, some have left completely, and some blog only occasionally or haven't blogged in a couple of years. I've also found a couple of new blogs that I look forward to reading regularly. I know it won't be the same as it was. But I still want to go back. A little like going back to that small Nebraska town where we would visit my Grandma. Life was slower and calmer and different. <br />
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I've taken breaks from Facebook before, but I think the goal now is to minimize my time there. I don't see me leaving it entirely. At least not at this point. I'll pop into the party on occasion, I'm sure. But I'm eagerly anticipating my new adventures in blogging (again).<br />
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This is exciting to me, too. Another new beginning. My alium bulbs are sprouting and growing daily. And I can't post without a picture anyway. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/13345426654/" title="20140317_aliumstart_004-2 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2847/13345426654_157a5edf07_c.jpg" width="700" alt="20140317_aliumstart_004-2"></a><br />
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<img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-62180599098531458912014-02-08T16:45:00.001-07:002014-02-08T16:46:36.334-07:00Bubbles, BubblesFor some reason, my boys don't really want to blow bubbles for me to photograph any more. <br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/12394760115/" title="caleb profile bw sm by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7419/12394760115_caf9c41b28_c.jpg" height="600" alt="caleb profile bw sm"></a></div><br />
Maybe it's because they're 20 (above) and almost 19 (below).<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/12394768365/" title="zach profile bw sm by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2814/12394768365_333116508c_c.jpg" width="700" alt="zach profile bw sm"></a></div><br />
I suppose that's a good possibility. LOL!<br />
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Fortunately, at 9 years old, my niece still enjoys bubble blowing. She's pretty good at it, too.<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/12395420924/" title="mrs bubbles-1sm by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7303/12395420924_b62e2b2b25_c.jpg" width="700" alt="mrs bubbles-1sm"></a></div><br />
<b><i>POP!</i></b><br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/12395426044/" title="mrs bubbles-2sm by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7453/12395426044_5abae5a9cc_c.jpg" width="700" alt="mrs bubbles-2sm"></a></div><br />
This has always been one of her favorite things to do with me. <br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/12395421834/" title="mrs bubbles-3sm by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7424/12395421834_30405ce6ac_c.jpg" width="700" alt="mrs bubbles-3sm"></a></div><br />
I sure could've used her the other day when I was trying to blow bubbles in the cold so they would freeze. It was a little challenging to blow them, set down the wet, drippy wand, get the camera up (after wiping my hand on my jeans), compose, focus, and get a shot before they popped. But I still got some.<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/12395013175/" title="silver bubble by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7371/12395013175_bda39c6395_c.jpg" width="700" alt="silver bubble"></a></div><br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/12395164393/" title="bubble jeep by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3707/12395164393_3ba10b26f3_c.jpg" height="600" alt="bubble jeep"></a></div><br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/12395117375/" title="frozen bubble-1sm by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7312/12395117375_ce86a6e55a_c.jpg" width="700" alt="frozen bubble-1sm"></a></div><br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/12395116145/" title="frozen bubble-2sm] by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7307/12395116145_55862b5687_c.jpg" height="600" alt="frozen bubble-2sm]"></a></div><br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/12395118085/" title="frozen bubble-3sm by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3727/12395118085_5206fdc9b1_c.jpg" width="700" alt="frozen bubble-3sm"></a></div><br />
Good times all the way around.<br />
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<img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-79757505391210325722014-02-01T23:23:00.001-07:002014-02-01T23:29:48.607-07:00Less is More, RevisitedSo, I sort of fell off the wagon with my decluttering efforts. Part of the issue is akin to the stars aligning for something spectacular. In my case, the following has to happen:<br />
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<ol><li>I have to be motivated to purge</li>
<li>I have to have a chunk of time available</li>
<li>I have to make a decision about what area I will purge</li>
<li>I have to not be hormonal.</li>
</ol><br />
That last one probably doesn't count. If I <i>am</i> hormonal, #1 will be but a distant memory, at best.<br />
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When the first three align nicely, I'm then able to tackle the clutter in my house. But it can take awhile. Like waiting for <a href="http://www.space.com/19878-halleys-comet.html">Halley's Comet</a> to come back into visibility. Well, maybe it's not quite that bad. Which is a good thing, otherwise, there'd never be anything getting out of this house.<br />
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I had thought awhile back that perhaps I should just start at the front door and work my way through the house. And since the top three were in alignment today, that meant tackling the coat closet. After I cleaned up the entry area. I must say, I have a lot of coats. <br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/12263772314/" title="coat closet before-1 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5471/12263772314_65d3750a90_c.jpg" width="700" alt="coat closet before-1"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/12263493733/" title="coat closet before-2 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3729/12263493733_da46604c60_c.jpg" width="700" alt="coat closet before-2"></a></div><br />
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Well, I did just say it. I think I cut that down by half. I still probably have more than I truly need, but it's the best I can do right now. And the closet isn't jam-packed any longer. Not only that, there's a floor in there. Who knew? I think I saw it once, about five and a half years ago. Oh yeah, when we looked at the house before we bought it; that's when I saw that floor.<br />
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The paraffin bath has been living out in the open since I got it for Christmas. Sometimes I dip my hands every day, so I want it to be easily available. This works. The vacuum has always lived in there, but sometimes it was a little challenging to put it away. Ditto with the boots. But there's still open floor space. Whee!<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/12263919696/" title="coat closet after-2 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2894/12263919696_51aef297f1_c.jpg" width="500" alt="coat closet after-2"></a></div><br />
<br />
The coats on the right of the empty hangers are what I kept. Not bad.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/12263920146/" title="coat closet after-1 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5528/12263920146_345f5f5eb3_c.jpg" width="700" alt="coat closet after-1"></a></div><br />
<br />
You never know what you might find when you clean out a closet. Like a whiteboard with chemistry stuff still written on it.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/12263917026/" title="coat closet during-1 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7380/12263917026_a2eecd09fb_c.jpg" width="500" alt="coat closet during-1"></a></div><br />
<br />
I actually think it's a good thing that I have coats (and gloves) to get rid of, being that it's winter and all. Mom and my sister get first dibs on the coats, but then I'm going to donate them some place. Or just go give them to homeless people. Or something like that. Winter in Colorado (especially right now with the snow) can be tough. Particularly for someone living in too much of the elements. Or just someone without the means to buy a coat or gloves. Anyway, I want them to go to someone who needs them. <br />
<br />
So there you have it - a tidy closet (John still has to sort through his coats, but they're tidy and less abundant than mine were). I think the buffet will be next. <br />
<br />
<img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png" />Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-62789531020033058852014-01-01T22:13:00.000-07:002014-01-01T22:18:39.538-07:00Don't Be a LemmingSometimes we over-informed, suffer from short attention spans, and super eager to be a part of things. Or maybe that's just me. Anyway, as we.....er, <i>I</i> begin a new year (Hello, 2014, you arrived far too early!), I realize how SO many things sound like fun and that I should join in said fun.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>A friend posts her first image of 2014, tags it 1/365, and I immediately think, "Hey, I should do that!"</li>
<li>I get an invitation to the <a href="http://aliedwards.com/2013/12/one-little-word%E2%84%A0-2014-workshop-registration-now-open.html">One Little Word</a> class for 2014 and I'm ready to register.</li>
<li>Someone else shares their new Read the Bible in a Year plan and I start thinking about which plan I'd like to do this year.</li>
</ul>
But here's the thing. Or maybe two. <br />
<br />
1. I can't do everything that sounds like fun. Oh, I can try, and often do, but it leads to being overwhelmed, frustrated, and eventually disappointed in myself for falling behind. At least most of the time it does.<br />
<br />
2. Just because my friends, the "cool kids," or whoever else is doing it, doesn't mean I need to (I sound so parental!). Their journey isn't the same as mine. We may cross paths occasionally or even walk the same road for a time, but I don't have to follow them everywhere.<br />
<br />
What I really <i>need</i> to do is stop and think about it. (Anyone else cue over to <a href="http://youtu.be/cGXU7268Z50">Aretha Franklin</a> in the Blues Brothers at that moment? Or was that just me, too?) Is this something that I truly desire to do for myself? Is it something that can fit into my life? Am I already committed to another project that may be quite similar?<br />
<br />
And how about this?<br />
<br />
Could I just enjoy the projects that other people do without always feeling the need to do it myself, too? Read their posts, look at their images, listen to what they have to say. Then encourage them in their pursuits. Pretty simple, really. No pressure on me. And then join in only on the things that really have some sort of value to me. <br />
<br />
I've already committed to a few such projects and I think I need to stop right there.<br />
<br />
Before diving off the cliff.<br />
<br />
Happy New Year!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SPxJHm1DzGI/UsT2B7DkCZI/AAAAAAAAA5U/VqCi7qd5AZM/s1600/ribbon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SPxJHm1DzGI/UsT2B7DkCZI/AAAAAAAAA5U/VqCi7qd5AZM/s640/ribbon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png" />Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-35213920902873924672013-12-14T07:52:00.000-07:002013-12-14T07:52:00.095-07:00920 is the new 1000Yeah, that sounds a little odd. Apparently I didn't really pay attention to the numbers on this blog's dashboard a few months ago when I excitedly published my <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2013/09/one-thousand.html">One Thousand</a> blog post. One thousand was the number of posts I had <i>written</i>. The number published was actually 920.<br />
<br />
Oops.<br />
<br />
I guess I'll have to pay a little more attention to detail. Or something.<br />
<br />
And since I can't seem to post without a picture, here's my Jeep.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11361290303/" title="banana jeep-sm by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7408/11361290303_4d068250d8_c.jpg" height="700" alt="banana jeep-sm"></a></div><br />
I won't be posting <i>another</i> one thousand post, though, because that would be kind of silly. It's already been done. Just a little too early...eighty posts too early. <br />
<br />
Oh well, it was still fun tracking down old posts to share. If you missed it, go <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2013/09/one-thousand.html">check them out</a>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-77793739796495083332013-12-13T13:45:00.000-07:002013-12-13T13:45:15.583-07:00Just in Case<br />
I think one of the causes behind all the clutter in my life is the dreaded <i>Just in Case</i>. You know, I'll keep this {<i>insert the thing I'm keeping</i>} just in case I want to {<i>insert activity in which I would use said thing</i>}. It applies to all areas of my life; clothes, art and craft supplies, kitchen utensils, papers, emails, purses,...it never ends! <br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11356977156/" title="The case for decluttering. by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3782/11356977156_1fab6ab03a_c.jpg" height="700" alt="The case for decluttering."></a></div><br />
I need to stop that type of thinking. It should be more along the lines of, "Is this useful to me <i>now</i>?" "Will I need/use/want it in the next month?" Obviously, different rules apply to seasonal items. Just because I won't wear those sandals until next summer doesn't mean they should go. In the case of seasonal items, "Will I need/use/want it the next year?" would be more appropriate.<br />
<br />
I am not the storehouse for all things that <i>might</i> be wanted or needed in my lifetime. Why do I live like I am? <br />
<br />
I always go through phases of frustration with the clutter and right now I'm a bit maxed. I've lost my Bible study, even though I was sure I had put it in a specific location. I've also lost a certain item of underclothing which probably has my missing Fitbit attached to it. Sigh. I make myself crazy. And yes, all three missing items are useful to me now. Right now. I need and want them here and now and cannot find them. What a waste of my time, looking in the same places over and over again because I don't know where else to look. <br />
<br />
I hope to make a dent in this with the new questions. Soon. Very soon.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-29961433907926881932013-12-11T23:16:00.001-07:002013-12-13T12:41:14.605-07:00Thanksgiving Weekend, part 2<br />
Go here for <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2013/12/thanksgiving-weekend.html">Thanksgiving Weekend</a> part 1.<br />
<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
Later Saturday morning, we planned to go to Helen Hunt Falls, walk around the lake at the Broadmoor, and go to Garden of the Gods that day. We also had my two nieces for the day, so now we were up to eleven people. Two vehicles were definitely in order. Sadly, we couldn't get to Helen Hunt Falls because Cheyenne Canyon was closed due to the flooding this summer. Huge disappointment. Up the street is the Starr Kempf house so we checked out his kinetic wind sculptures. They're so amazing.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11185018734" title="large bird by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3780/11185018734_e9019a98df.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="large bird"></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11185125593" title="short bird by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3750/11185125593_a2c25c752a.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="short bird"></a></div><br />
We went the few blocks down to the Broadmoor and met with quite the variety of construction, but finally made our way around to the lake. It was stunning, as ever. We walked around, taking more pictures, but it was a little awkward, given the, um, <i>class</i> of people who stay and live at the Broadmoor.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11184986123" title="hotel reflection by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7338/11184986123_f5aac3618f.jpg" width=700" alt="hotel reflection"></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11184978443" title="mrs water by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2831/11184978443_6c65e48f48.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="mrs water"></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11184865606" title="lake bokeh by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2831/11184865606_2e17d6dc73.jpg" width="700" alt="lake bokeh"></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11184882854" title="c and c kids lake by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7305/11184882854_74f0d15fff.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="c and c kids lake"></a></div><br />
Then it was off to Garden of the Gods (for yet another vantage point!) after a quick stop at Sonic for hungry and thirsty people. Apparently, beings that it was a beautiful day and a holiday weekend, a LOT of people thought a trip to Garden of the Gods was a good idea. Meaning that parking was a little challenging and we had a bit of a crowd with which to contend as we walked around the park. But again, it was nice to be out and about, walking, taking pictures, and just generally enjoying the day.<br />
<br />
I think this is so awesome!<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11334666973/" title="plaque by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5521/11334666973_b1715afa6d_c.jpg" width="534" height="800" alt="plaque"></a></div><br />
<div align="center">The Garden of the Gods<br />
given to <br />
the City of Colorado Springs<br />
in 1909<br />
by the children<br />
of<br />
Charles Elliott Perkins<br />
in fulfillment of his wish<br />
that it be kept forever<br />
free to the public<br />
</div><br />
<br />
Many thanks to the Perkins family!<br />
<br />
<br />
That's my kid - yeah, he's taller than I am, but he's still my kid. {wink}<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11334625924/" title="z - bw-sm by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5532/11334625924_ed33202a25_c.jpg" width="700" alt="z - bw-sm"></a><br />
</div><br />
Awww...sisterly love!<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11334666293/" title="sisters by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2872/11334666293_a2da614536_c.jpg" height="700" alt="sisters"></a><br />
</div><br />
Always the climbers in Garden of the Gods.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11334627464/" title="rock climber by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3776/11334627464_cc6edb9e1e_c.jpg" height="700" alt="rock climber"></a><br />
</div><br />
Quick! Run past the lady with the camera already. Sheesh.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11334628324/" title="passing me by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5503/11334628324_5f847197e9_c.jpg" width="700" alt="passing me"></a><br />
</div><br />
One of my lovely nieces.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11334538555/" title="mrs fence sm by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5489/11334538555_a940ac438f_c.jpg" height="700" alt="mrs fence sm"></a><br />
</div><br />
The oldest and the youngest of the collective offspring.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11334539515/" title="c and x by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5506/11334539515_ab206a56d6_c.jpg" height="700" alt="c and x"></a><br />
</div><br />
Somebody was getting tired.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11334535985/" title="x tired by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3808/11334535985_84cebcf38d_c.jpg" height="700" alt="x tired"></a><br />
</div><br />
The volleyballer. Out of her element. <br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11334539665/" title="b by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2846/11334539665_082bb2d57c_c.jpg" height="700" alt="b"></a><br />
</div><br />
Did I mention that someone was tired?<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11334665303/" title="x tired 3 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5473/11334665303_85b9c05a44_c.jpg" height="700" alt="x tired 3"></a><br />
</div><br />
Like...really tired.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11334602136/" title="x tired 2 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5516/11334602136_9b7888c59b_c.jpg" height="700" alt="x tired 2"></a><br />
</div><br />
But not too tired to race John back to the car!<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11334627654/" title="race by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5521/11334627654_726ca06375_c.jpg" width="700" alt="race"></a><br />
</div><br />
We decided on China Village for dinner for their last night. They got their things packed up and we just vegged a bit for the remainder of the evening. In the morning, as the car was being loaded, Carrie and I squeezed in a quick head shot for me, and then they were off a little before 8:00. <br />
<br />
She did a great job with my head shot, don't ya' think?<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11334738284/" title="IMG_1445-8-1 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5512/11334738284_75078ae0f0_c.jpg" height="700" alt="IMG_1445-8-1"></a></div><br />
As opposed to the last two times she's come, this one didn't feel quite so short. Sure, I'd love to have had them stay for another day or two, but the time we had was fun and wonderful and not so rushed. We loved meeting Chris (they were married last December) and enjoyed the kids. I guess it's about time we make a trip to Kansas, though, since the count is currently Godwins visiting = 0 and Hilgert/Evans visiting = 3. We'll have to see what we can do to make it so.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-56796153981798386592013-12-02T23:45:00.002-07:002013-12-02T23:45:53.798-07:00Thanksgiving Weekend<br />
I <i>tried </i>to put this all into one post, but good night, Irene, it became HUGE. Plus I just discovered I need to upload more photos. But more than that, I need to go to bed. So here's the first part of it. But it will be finished in the second part, which is pretty much finished. Because I don't want to do that multi-part, never-ending blog story again. But I digress.<br />
<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
We had a <i>fabulous </i>Thanksgiving weekend. <a href="http://www.stripedsocksphotography.com/">Carrie</a>, Chris, and most of the kids came out for a visit. They arrived Wednesday afternoon and we hung out for awhile, then headed off to Bird Dog for some excellent BBQ. Mom and Dad joined us, too. <br />
<br />
Since our house is a bit on the cluttered side, adding 5 people to the sleeping arrangements is a little interesting. So we borrowed Mom & Dad's motorhome so Chris and Carrie could have a <i>guest room</i> in our driveway. Unfortunately, the heater quit running in the middle of the night, so Carrie was a little too cold (fortunately we didn't have <i>this week's</i> weather, because it's going to be very, very cold. But that also meant that she was up and in the house much earlier than otherwise. Once I smelled the coffee and heard the talking, I joined her. Since John's an RV technician, he was able to get the furnace fixed that morning.<br />
<br />
Everything for the Thanksgiving dinner came together nicely. Mom brought her amazing pies, delicious (or so I hear) sweet potatoes, a veggie (whew!), and cranberries. It's what she always brings. Susan (my sister) brought homemade rolls and biscuits as well as some Cool Whip for the pies. We provided turkey, ham, potatoes, stuffing, and gravy. It's all pretty standard most of the time. Susan and her family used to spend the day in Denver, but it's been nice having the here with us now.<br />
<br />
Apparently I'm the pie nazi because people sure wanted pie in a hurry after that big old meal and I said, "no." Because I'm mean like that.<br />
<br />
On Friday, seven of us headed to Denver to go to the Aquarium. It's been years since I've been, so it was fun to be back there again. Our boys stayed home and while we missed them, it did allow us to take one vehicle. Had a tasty lunch at Red Robin...yum!<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11175602114" title="hug a shark by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3768/11175602114_7bb82f59d3.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="hug a shark"></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11175598664" title="polka dot by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2873/11175598664_033309255f.jpg" width="700" alt="polka dot"></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11175606056" title="fishy face by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5512/11175606056_e35a272ac4.jpg" width="700" alt="fishy face"></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11175573984" title="starfish-crop by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5542/11175573984_117c259fa1.jpg" width="700" alt="starfish-crop"></a><br />
</div><br />
Plenty of leftovers for Friday's dinner and it was nice to just hang out at home after being out and about all day. Carrie and I did make a couple of small grocery runs, though.<br />
<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
Saturday, Carrie, Chris, and I got up super early again as I'd heard there would be hot air balloons flying in from the west over Pike's Peak shortly after sunrise. Bundled up, we arrived before sunrise and got some beautiful pictures.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11184991223" title="carrie focus by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7378/11184991223_daac679d52.jpg" width="700" alt="carrie focus"></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11184837455" title="c and c field 2 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5476/11184837455_b78891c4c0.jpg" width="700" alt="c and c field 2"></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11184857904" title="sunrise by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5478/11184857904_091743ca15.jpg" width=700" alt="sunrise"></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11184871664" title="kissing camels and peak by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3746/11184871664_abff452dc4.jpg" width="700" alt="kissing camels and peak"></a></div><br />
Following the live stream of the launch, I learned that they would have to move to a new location. By that time, we'd already shot the sunrise, the Peak, Garden of the Gods, and whatever else, plus we were cold and in need of caffeine. So we zipped down to Starbucks and headed back over to a slightly different vantage point for some new photos. The balloons finally were visible, but they were so far west of Pike's Peak that they were just little dots in the sky. Enough of that.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11184842234" title="tiny balloons by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5478/11184842234_fe3d0502a2.jpg" width="700" alt="tiny balloons"></a></div><br />
After we dropped off Chris, we picked up Jack and his skateboard and drove down to the skate park. Fortunately, it was very UNbusy, which was nice for Jack to try things out. Of course, Carrie and I walked, sat, and took pictures. It's what we do.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11184864414" title="skate park 2 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5522/11184864414_8d69a4c8fa.jpg" width="700" alt="skate park 2"></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11184972143" title="skate park 4 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5504/11184972143_f7f0a29f18.jpg" width="700" alt="skate park 4"></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/11184858776" title="skate park 3 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7354/11184858776_804a392644.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="skate park 3"></a><br />
</div><br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
Stay tuned for Part 2. <br />
<br />
<img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-30268382231678372542013-09-16T21:00:00.001-06:002013-09-16T21:00:47.856-06:00Life is ShortWe hear about the brevity of life and sometimes, when we've experienced the death of someone close and/or unexpected, we're more aware. But I think that in addition to human life, we can forget that even our surroundings might not always be the same. But we live like they will be. <br />
<br />
I imagine that every day I'm blessed to wake up alive here on earth that Pike's Peak will still be a part of the Rocky Mountains and a part of my landscape toward the west. I don't concern myself whether or not the Rockies will be there each and every day. Even on a smaller scale, I assume that my yard will look the way it does (barring some landscape work on our part), that the neighborhood will look relatively the same, and that the roads will be intact.<br />
<br />
Yet that's not always true. Yes, for them most part, that's how life works. Major thoroughfares typically don't just go away or become altered. But they can.<br />
<br />
The fires burn uncontrollably.<br />
<br />
The rains gush down relentlessly. <br />
<br />
And the landscape changes.<br />
<br />
I got an update today on my great uncle who lives on the Big Thompson River in the canyon between Loveland and Estes Park. I knew he had to have been evacuated given all the information on the news. I believe he's 86 years old and still lives alone in that house where he's been for over 30 years. He and his wife bought it in 1977-78. The Big Thompson Flood happened in 1976 - a "100 year flood" - so they figured they wouldn't live long enough to see another flood of such proportions. My great aunt didn't. Surprise, surprise - my great uncle is still alive and kicking. In the same house. And the next 100 year flood did not wait 100 years to arrive.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"></div><br />
It's one of the most peaceful places I've ever had the opportunity to visit. It's only a few hours from here and I haven't been there all that often (though I wish I had been). But when my aunt and my cousin's kids came to visit this summer, we did get the chance - no, we <i>made the time</i> to go visit him. My boys came along, too, for which I'm now even more grateful. It was a perfect day. Of course, I had my camera and took numerous pictures. While my pictures always are valuable to me, they are an even great treasure to me now.<br />
<br />
<div align="center">My great uncle is in red. Probably pretty easy to figure that out. That's the Big Thompson River behind us.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9780414395/" title="norman and us-fb by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3732/9780414395_254052b740_c.jpg" width="700" alt="norman and us-fb"></a><br />
<br />
The river runs off to the right just outside the picture and you can see it a tiny bit in the center background. This place is just so wonderful. At least it was prior to last week.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9780490273/" title="property by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5468/9780490273_6aa68a9eef_c.jpg" width="700" alt="property"></a><br />
<br />
Beautiful.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9780233282/" title="the river by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5549/9780233282_1873e735ca_c.jpg" width="700" alt="the river"></a><br />
<br />
Zach, relaxing and enjoying the water flowing past.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9780421266/" title="zach - river by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3747/9780421266_5367f91afd_c.jpg" width="700" alt="zach - river"></a><br />
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My cousin's lovely daughter, taking in the fresh mountain air.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9780239131/" title="bri-river by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2870/9780239131_df2b9ebac0_c.jpg" width="700" alt="bri-river"></a></div><br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
My uncle was helicoptered out last week during the rain and flooding. They took him to a shelter and one of his kids drove in from Kansas to get him. I'm not sure if he'll be coming back. I'm not sure what he'll have to come back to. While his house is elevated from the river a bit, we've had a ridiculous amount of water in Colorado this past week.<br />
<br />
My heart just breaks for him and the thousands of other people impacted by this devastating weather. My heart breaks even selfishly for myself, not knowing if I'll have the chance to go back to that amazing place. But I'm so grateful I was there this summer.<br />
<br />
None of us knows what life will look like tomorrow. Appreciate and savor the life you have, the people in it, and the places that you go while you have the opportunity to do so. <br />
<br />
<br />
<img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-50726143127710988852013-09-15T17:37:00.001-06:002013-09-15T17:37:29.486-06:00Homemade CaramelsWe've been big fans of Alton Brown's show <i>Good Eats</i> for some time. Albeit, disappointed fans since the show's no longer on. But we have acquired his three cookbooks and Caleb thought he'd like to try his hand at making homemade caramels.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9765778633/" title="caramel-2 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2847/9765778633_2d4c122843_c.jpg" width="700" alt="caramel-2"></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9765487512/" title="caramel-4 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7385/9765487512_99ed98e390_c.jpg" width="700" alt="caramel-4"></a></div><br />
The first batch cooked too high and too quickly. Primarily due to the fact that we don't have a heavy enough pan. Nothing like the smell of burnt sugar. Blech. <br />
<br />
Caleb enjoyed stirring and playing with the bad batch. He stuck it in the frig so it would harden quicker and we could toss it.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9765485612/" title="caramel-6 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3752/9765485612_814237b7e6_c.jpg" width="700" alt="caramel-6"></a></div><br />
Then the pan had to be washed so he could start batch #2.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9765784794/" title="caramel-7 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7319/9765784794_5cff66c782_c.jpg" height="650" alt="caramel-7"></a></div><br />
Looking much better.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9765486672/" title="caramel-5 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3675/9765486672_d11af28b7a_c.jpg" width="700" alt="caramel-5"></a></div><br />
Much, much better. Caramels were never meant to be black.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9765777693/" title="caramel-3 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5330/9765777693_3363b61602_c.jpg" width="700" alt="caramel-3"></a></div><br />
I wasn't sure how they would be sea salt on them, but that was what the recipe called for, so that's what he did. They're really not too bad. In fact, looking at how quickly they're being eaten, I'd say they were a big hit.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9765695945/" title="caramel-1 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5341/9765695945_d2cb5d06ac_c.jpg" height="650" alt="caramel-1"></a></div><br />
I actually cut my little square into about eight tiny pieces. That stuff is brutal on the teeth! But they are super tasty. I suspect we'll see those being made again sometime in the near future.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-28786985178838105012013-09-13T16:27:00.000-06:002013-09-13T16:27:00.320-06:00Dallas, part 4Who knows how long this will take? At least I'll have a record of our trip. In addition to the trazillion images. Okay, maybe slightly fewer than 3,000. But it feels like a trazillion when you're culling and sorting and editing and such.<br />
<br />
Tuesday was the 3rd day of tournament play. Fortunately, Caleb was finally feeling well enough to join us. I was really disappointed that he missed most of the first day and all of the second day, but he enjoyed hanging out in the hotel room by himself. <br />
<br />
After volleyball, I had some time to wander around and take a few (more) pictures. Fountain water is always interesting. To me, anyway.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9731385673/" title="dallas - day 4_01c by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7460/9731385673_975ff85402_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 4_01c"></a></div><br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9731385231/" title="dallas - day 4_01d by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3700/9731385231_15f3d0710f_c.jpg" height="650" alt="dallas - day 4_01d"></a></div><br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9731386389/" title="dallas - day 4_01b by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3718/9731386389_fe93db6e00_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 4_01b"></a></div><br />
We saw an awful lot of this garage entrance. <br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9734614682/" title="dallas - day 4_01a by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5508/9734614682_b4b9c07fa6_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 4_01a"></a></div><br />
I wasn't really sure what the deal was with these two enormous letters.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"></div><br />
After I walked over there, I discovered a sign (no idea why there's no picture of <i>that</i>, which said something about a part of the next BIG thing. When you stand in the middle (there are footprints to guide you), you become the letter I in the word BIG.<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9734611744/" title="dallas - day 4_02 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2869/9734611744_5e0865d9b4_c.jpg" height="650" alt="dallas - day 4_02"></a></div><br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9734607128/" title="dallas - day 4_12 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3821/9734607128_a15603c1e0_c.jpg" width="650" alt="dallas - day 4_12"></a></div><br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9734607522/" title="dallas - day 4_11 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7393/9734607522_c885609b31_c.jpg" width="650" alt="dallas - day 4_11"></a></div><br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9731383145/" title="dallas - day 4_03 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7360/9731383145_86037233c3_c.jpg" height="650" alt="dallas - day 4_03"></a></div><br />
<br />
Since it was the last night in Dallas, the entire team, including families had dinner at the Grand Lux. Which is in the mall. Which mean we could walk. Nice.<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9734612394/" title="dallas - day 4_01e by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7416/9734612394_8d73ced9c2_c.jpg" height="650" alt="dallas - day 4_01e"></a></div><br />
Back at the hotel we discovered this beautiful Maserati parked out front. Drool. Drool.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9734608092/" title="dallas - day 4_10 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7341/9734608092_1f3bf91a60_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 4_10"></a></div><br />
Of course, all three of them couldn't possibly cooperate at one time.<br />
<br />
I could probably clone Caleb's bunny ears out pretty easily.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9734610166/" title="dallas - day 4_04 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7435/9734610166_61e40be3e5_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 4_04"></a></div><br />
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This one could've been good...had Caleb been looking at me. Maybe I'll paste his eyes in from the previous picture.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9734609810/" title="dallas - day 4_05 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7410/9734609810_f129c68deb_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 4_05"></a></div><br />
<br />
And then the silliness began...<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9734609458/" title="dallas - day 4_06 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2851/9734609458_118b51e0c7_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 4_06"></a></div><br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9734609098/" title="dallas - day 4_07 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2884/9734609098_a49b54bd01_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 4_07"></a></div><br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9731381123/" title="dallas - day 4_08 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3791/9731381123_7698077c9d_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 4_08"></a></div><br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9731380793/" title="dallas - day 4_09 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5499/9731380793_d08b926ab6_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 4_09"></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
And yes, her team won more than they lost again.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-79530861823092552082013-09-12T14:07:00.001-06:002013-09-12T14:07:07.663-06:00Dallas, part 3Sunday night, our bathroom sink was draining very, very slowly. But I didn't really give it a whole lot of thought. I would, however, give it more thought the next morning.<br />
<br />
Monday was the second day of the tournament for Bailey's team. The bathroom sink (which was very deep, by the way) was very full. Of dark brown sludge water. Ewwww. We had to brush our teeth in the tub. Neat.<br />
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Caleb's stomach was still bothering him, so he stayed in the room. Yes, the one with the icky dark brown sludge water. I was planning to contact the hotel later, as I knew Caleb would go back to sleep once we left.<br />
<br />
No, I did not photograph the icky dark brown sludge water. You're welcome. <br />
<br />
Being at the tournament I pretty much forgot about calling the hotel. <br />
<br />
Cracked me up to see Cliff jumping that high while Kaylie just stood there. She is 6' tall, though.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9734190318/" title="dallas - day 2_04 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3714/9734190318_cc055afab0_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 2_04"></a></div><br />
Another awesome serve by #2.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9730963709/" title="dallas - day 2_01 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7406/9730963709_a72f462a87_c.jpg" height="650" alt="dallas - day 2_01"></a></div><br />
My other niece, chillaxing.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9730963287/" title="dallas - day 2_03 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7386/9730963287_04b7ea4685_c.jpg" height="650" alt="dallas - day 2_03"></a></div><br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9731140005/" title="dallas - day 3_11 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7385/9731140005_16f6810c29_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 3_11"></a></div><br />
I got back to the room in the middle of the afternoon and one of the maids popped into our room to switch something out, so I mentioned the icky dark brown sludge water. She promptly called maintenance. Who didn't show up. For a couple of hours.<br />
<br />
I had gone down the hall to get ice, saw the maid again, and she asked if they had taken care of it. When I told her, "No," she looked rather horrified and told me to call them right away. Which I did. The guy was there very quickly this time around. He told us it would take quite awhile to repair this issue and we could stay in that room or be moved to a new one. Since my sister and her family were on the 15th floor and we were on the 13th, I asked if there were rooms up there, which there were. <br />
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He went downstairs to take care of all the administrative issues and returned with a cart and new card keys - which included access to the executive lounge for our trouble. Plus we got to be on the same floor with the rest of our family. After getting settled in our room, we had dinner with the rest of the family, minus Bailey, at the Tin Star. It was pretty yummy. I even scored an awesome, in-the-shade-all-the-tme parking space!<br />
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Easy to spot a yellow jeep, even from the 15th floor.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9734189664/" title="dallas - day 3_04 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3696/9734189664_b860bc6f68_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 3_04"></a></div><br />
Then we came back and hung out in our room for awhile where I was able to photograph an amazing sunset.<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9734188996/" title="dallas - day 3_05 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7368/9734188996_f934bc2288_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 3_05"></a></div><br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9734188674/" title="dallas - day 3_06 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3808/9734188674_b4be6b5cfa_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 3_06"></a></div><br />
I guess all the laying around the room for a couple of days gave Caleb some pent-up energy. So he decided a couple of Superman stunts might be fun.<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9734188442/" title="dallas - day 3_07 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3678/9734188442_88b9a41b88_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 3_07"></a></div><br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9734187978/" title="dallas - day 3_08 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2884/9734187978_0316dcabaa_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 3_08"></a></div><br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9730960073/" title="dallas - day 3_09 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5448/9730960073_4742ca5c41_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 3_09"></a></div><br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9730959627/" title="dallas - day 3_10 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2873/9730959627_2c5b0155ee_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 3_10"></a></div><br />
Oh yeah, Bailey's team won more than they lost again. Sweetness.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-74288123083796942032013-09-10T11:22:00.001-06:002013-09-10T11:22:10.033-06:00Dallas, Part 2Let's see if I can put the future parts of this Dallas trip together just a little quicker. <br />
<br />
While I pretty much covered getting there and that very tired Saturday, I did not post these shots of my beautiful nieces.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9714340326/" title="dallas - day 1_06 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5513/9714340326_14c416c9cb_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 1_06"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9714400644/" title="dallas - day 1_07 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2891/9714400644_3c064fc2ae_c.jpg" height="700" alt="dallas - day 1_07"></a></div><br />
The tournament was at the Dallas Convention Center and we stayed at the Westin Galleria. It's about a 17 mile drive down the toll road to the Convention Center. While we took two vehicles to Dallas, we could all fit in one just fine for the toll road jaunt each day, plus we'd be able to split the cost of paying the toll.<br />
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The first day, Bailey had to be at the Convention Center at 7:00 a.m. Which meant we ALL had to be at the Convention Center at 7:00 a.m. So we got up bright and early (actually, it wasn't bright at all - it was dark!), got all our stuff together (camera, cards, lenses, wallet, etc. - you cannot bring any food or beverage in so that they can charge you an arm and two legs to buy theirs!), and headed south. Dave dropped us off and then found an excellent parking space in the underground parking garage and it was all looking pretty good.<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9714342414/" title="dallas - day 1_01 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7325/9714342414_9b041ec21b_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 1_01"></a></div><br />
When the doors opened to go in, we had to go past the security people to get into the court area. They asked to see inside my bag (had my LowePro backpack) and promptly told me that I was not allowed to bring in the lens I had (I rented a 70-200mm f/2.8). In fact, I couldn't bring in a lens over 3" long. Interesting, because nowhere in the information about the tournament stated such lens limitations. Now I know they have professional photographers from whom people could buy pictures, but really? Fortunately, they went ahead and let me in. Whew. I was a bit stressed, though, since this was the lens I had intended to use most of the weekend.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9256260085/" title="Good bye, lens. It's been fun. Safe travels back to #borrowlenses. by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2848/9256260085_32784624f1.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Good bye, lens. It's been fun. Safe travels back to #borrowlenses."></a></div><br />
Or not.<br />
<br />
Having never made it to any of the previous regional or qualifying tournaments (though I tried), I had NO idea what the setup was like. I thought we would be sitting in bleachers, kind of far away from the players. Not sure why I thought this, but I did. I couldn't have been much more wrong. Unless I'd pictured us in a football stadium. We all sat in chairs RIGHT NEXT TO THE COURT. Which is awesome for watching the game. But horrible for the lens I brought! In my effort to travel light, the only other one I brought was my pancake lens - a 40mm. That was it. I could've cried. Oh, I'd still have rented a lens, so the money wasn't the issue. The problem was I had rented an amazing lens and wouldn't be able to use it. For FOUR ENTIRE DAYS of the tournament!<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9714341556/" title="dallas - day 1_03 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2857/9714341556_80aed7474a_c.jpg" width="800" height="534" alt="dallas - day 1_03"></a></div><br />
But then an angel disguised as an assistant volleyball coach appeared with his bag o' tricks. Bailey's assistant coach, Cliff, is a photographer, and he shoots Canon, and he had a 24-70mm Sigma, and he was super sweet and kind and allowed me to borrow it for the ENTIRE TIME we were there! <br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9719625624/" title="dallas - day 1_08 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2879/9719625624_629419c94c_c.jpg" height="700" alt="dallas - day 1_08"></a></div><br />
It would seem that all was well at this point. Only it wasn't. Unfortunately, the trip and the not eating normal and the screwy sleep (or lack thereof) wreaked havoc on Caleb's stomach. He was not feeling well at all. He stuck it out for the morning, but wasn't doing any better. So I borrowed the keys and took him back to the hotel. I left the big, amazing, heavy lens in the hotel with him and headed back to the Convention Center. Naturally, there were no underground parking spaces available, so I had to park in the hot, hot Texas sun. Phooey. I also missed a game, but that was to be expected at that point.<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9716442007/" title="dallas - day 1_12 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2876/9716442007_0d7ba02d38_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 1_12"></a></div><br />
Bailey's team had a pretty good day - they won more than they lost. It was also her birthday, so that was pretty cool since she loves volleyball so much and got to spend a good portion of her day playing. That night, the team had a pizza party planned at the hotel, so she got to continue to have a fun birthday.<br />
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Nice photobomb by my brother-in-law.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9714341040/" title="dallas - day 1_04 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7384/9714341040_82daa338ee_c.jpg" width="700" alt="dallas - day 1_04"></a></div><br />
Caleb & I just vegged in the hotel. I think he finally started to feel a little better. Oh yeah, I also uploaded nearly 800 images from the day. Yikes.<br />
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
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Pillar reflection I discovered on our way out of the Convention Center.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9711106209/" title="dallas - day 1_05 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3777/9711106209_5099f95b25_c.jpg" height="700" alt="dallas - day 1_05"></a></div><br />
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Who says you have to be tall to be good at volleyball? Not me. I've seen otherwise.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9711107687/" title="dallas - day 1_02 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5528/9711107687_d149fd507e_c.jpg" height="700" alt="dallas - day 1_02"></a></div><br />
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She has a great serve. Although I miss her jump serve.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9716393217/" title="dallas - day 1_09 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3805/9716393217_d5e8bf6588_c.jpg" height="700" alt="dallas - day 1_09"></a></div><br />
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Bring it on.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9716392739/" title="dallas - day 1_10 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3777/9716392739_4129a2e2a6_c.jpg" height="700" alt="dallas - day 1_10"></a></div><br />
<br />
This isn't about the play. Look at the ceiling lights. A) They make for great lines, photographically. B) It gives you an idea of how big this place is. This is just a small portion of it that you can see. I believe there were 90-some courts total. That's a LOT of volleyball!<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9716392289/" title="dallas - day 1_11 by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2876/9716392289_09a5a75991_c.jpg" width="800" height="534" alt="dallas - day 1_11"></a></div><br />
<br />
In case you missed it:<br />
<a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2013/07/dallas-part-1.html">Dallas, Part 1</a><br />
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<img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-91331489908893030442013-09-01T19:24:00.000-06:002013-09-01T21:41:08.665-06:00One ThousandHoly moly! This is my one thousandth post. Who'd have thought back when I started blogging in September of 2006? Certainly not me. Of course, I'd have been here a lot sooner had I not neglected this blog so severely the past couple of years or so. But that's water under the bridge. Time for moving forward.<br />
<br />
<div align="center">{randomly gratuitous photo}<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9651520080/" title="shallow dof flower by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5504/9651520080_26020d21cc_c.jpg" width="800" height="534" alt="shallow dof flower"></a></div><br />
I really came over here to continue my belated Dallas series (no, not the TV show - I never was a fan). But then I realized that this would be #1,000 and it seemed that I should at least acknowledge that. So what's happened in 1,000 posts over seven years? Well, here are <del>a few</del><i>some </i>of my favorite posts. And because I apparently am not good at getting off the far ends of the over/under whelming spectrum, there are a bunch. Read a few. Read them all. But, please, read something. Those with asterisks are my favorite favs. Just in case you were wondering. Never mind that. I would have to asterisk all of them. Besides, 21 out of 1,000 is a pretty good culling, I'd say.<br />
<br />
<ol><li>A little <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2007/02/friday-fun.html">sisterly silliness</a> from back in the day</li>
<li>My <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2007/02/garlic-guacamole.html">strangley inconsistent views of food expiration dates</a> as they relate to garlic and guacamole</li>
<li>Thoughts about <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2007/03/little-things.html">the <i>little things</i></a> in life</li>
<li><a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2007/04/its-jeep-thing.html">Hubby's Jeep</a></li>
<li>The phone call from my Dad about <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2007/04/exploding-eggs.html">exploding eggs</a></li>
<li>My youngest niece <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2007/04/being-two-and-half.html">dancing music</a> at two and a half</li>
<li>The day I was brave enough to participate in the <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2007/05/morning-face-challenge.html">morning face challenge</a> on my blog. Either that, or I wasn't awake yet.</li>
<li>No wonder I can never <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2007/06/focus-what-is-that.html">focus</a> on anything for very long</li>
<li>The day my son wanted to put <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2007/06/glue-on-stairs.html">glue on the stairs</a></li>
<li>I seriously have a <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2007/07/youve-got-to-be-kidding.html">LOT OF HAIR</a></li>
<li>Yep, I still like listening to the <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2007/10/road-to-nowhere.html">Talking Heads</a> while randomly meandering about</li>
<li><a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2008/01/trouble-in-rivet-city.html">Trouble in Rivet City</a></li>
<li>As if my 13 year old son (at the time) really had any idea what <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2008/03/old-school.html">old school</a> meant</li>
<li>My interpretation of <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2008/06/who-comes-up-with-these.html">signs at the laundromat</a></li>
<li>Join Jenny and me on a trip to <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2008/08/trip-to-crazy-tasty-town.html">Crazy Tasty Town</a></li>
<li>The kid who wears <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2010/01/sandals-in-snow.html">shorts and sandals</a> year round</li>
<li><a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2010/09/randomly-silly-stuff.html">More random silliness</a></li>
<li>The post in which I decide we need <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2011/11/friends-family-and-whatember.html">an extra month</a></li>
<li><a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2012/04/my-manly-man.html">My awesome manly man</a></li>
<li><a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2013/01/six-degrees-of-fish.html">Six Degrees of Fish</a></li>
<li>Lessons learned from a <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2013/05/what-i-learned-being-pseudo-unplugged.html">week of being psuedo-unplugged</a></li>
</ol><br />
Kudos to you if you got this far! Kudos to you if read <i>any </i>of these. And a big old thank you, from the bottom of my little bloggity heart.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png" />Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-39146927869436587682013-07-12T22:59:00.002-06:002013-07-12T23:01:43.674-06:00Dallas, part 1I have no idea how long this little series will be, but it will definitely be more than one post. Thus, the Part 1.<br />
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Caleb & I made the trip to Dallas a couple of weeks ago with my sister, brother-in-law, and two nieces for the Girls Junior National Championship in volleyball. My oldest niece has been playing volleyball for quite a few years now, but this was her first year playing club. I had hoped to make a couple of other out of town tournaments, but things never came together, so I was excited to make it to the national championship.<br />
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We drove straight through from Colorado Springs to Dallas, which went fairly well. It was nice driving at night and I think I was actually less drowsy than during the day. We headed out around 7:30 p.m. and, other than getting stuck behind a semi on a two-lane highway in the middle of the night a bit northwest of Amarillo, made great time. We did stop every couple of hours, either to refuel or stretch our legs or use the restroom or all of the above.<br />
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Ironically, there's pretty much no pictorial evidence of this trip. My brother-in-law's a fairly focused guy and I didn't think he'd appreciate me stopping for pictures. Actually, I sneaked in a few iPhone shots - the kind where you just hold up the phone and shoot out the window with no idea what you'll get. <br />
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<div align="center">Pre-sunrise somewhere in Texas.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9271820001/" title="presunrise by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2873/9271820001_b310cf0fec.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="presunrise"></a><br />
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Beautiful sunrise {disrupted by the disgusting bug mess on my window}<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9274608576/" title="photo by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7326/9274608576_9a08e197c2.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="photo"></a><br />
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Okay, one more. Just because. Even if the picture isn't that great, the sunrise really was.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9271818569/" title="sunrise by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2824/9271818569_f78fb41c61.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="sunrise"></a>
</div><br />
<br />
When breakfast time rolled around that next morning, about 12 hours later, we finally stopped at the Armadillo Grill. They say things are big in Texas, well, the short stack of two pancakes that I ordered were HUGE. I shared with my sister and still couldn't finish one.<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9271823207/" title="armadillo grill by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7387/9271823207_b2d0797cc7.jpg" width="374" height="500" alt="armadillo grill"></a>
</div><br />
<br />
Of course, driving in Dallas traffic - even on a Saturday morning - was loads of fun. Not. But by about 10:30 (9:30 our time), we made it to the Westin Galleria. Unfortunately, our rooms weren't ready since it was somewhat early. We were so tired, I think we could've probably slept on the benches in the hallway. But we didn't. We wandered around the Galleria mall since it's attached to the hotel.<br />
<br />
<img style="FLOAT: right; padding: 10px" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3797/9271817405_c64753b586.jpg" height="400" alt="susan head shot">Naturally, our first order of business was to locate a restroom - in Nordstrom's - and take a picture with a silly head in the men's department. Then we just wandered aimlessly. Finally, around 12:30 or so, my sister and her family's room was ready to check in. Caleb's and my room, however, wasn't. So we brought our stuff up to their room anyway. Some opted for a nap. My nieces and I opted for a second wandering of the mall. Actually, we went and got hot soft pretzels. Yummy.<br />
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<div align="center">Palm trees in the mall. Of course.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/9272004839/" title="mall tree by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5531/9272004839_6dc7edd842.jpg" width="374" height="500" alt="mall tree"></a></div><br />
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We were at last able to check into our room around 3:45 and since it later than it should've been and we had to wait so long, the hotel clerk was kind enough to give me free wi-fi in our room {sweet}. So we relaxed in our room, had dinner at a little Italian joint in the mall with the rest of the family, came back to our room and watched some Pixar goodness, and went to sleep. I had been awake for 38 hours. It was definitely time for some sleep. My brain was slightly melted and quite loopy.<br />
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<br><img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-88732110596896915882013-05-20T10:07:00.001-06:002013-05-20T10:07:47.659-06:00Why Purging Clothes is so HardI'm purging my closet (again) and I think I've figured out why this can be such a challenge. Two reasons, really. For me, anyway, and I imagine a number of other people.<br />
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<b>1. Happy Memories</b> - Some clothes remind me of times past when I wore them and the great memories that accompany those particular times. Ergo, wearing them again will bring fun and happy times. Rather a false conclusion, but I found myself reminiscing about a variety of good memories. It's great that I have those memories, but keeping extra clothes in my closet which I no longer wear isn't producing more wonderful life experiences. So they have to go. If I feel that attached, I could always take a picture of the item. But then I'd be cluttering up my hard drive. Just be happy with the memories and photos I already have and move on.<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/8758399474/" title="yellow shirt by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2883/8758399474_633ef2c495.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="yellow shirt"></a></div>
This was one of my favorite shirts for years - warm, cozy, comfortable. With a button-down front, I could wear it alone or as a jacket. Definitely a lot of good memories here. But I haven't worn it in...I don't know, maybe 5-6 years (probably longer). So here's a picture for posterity.<br />
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<b>2. Expectations</b> - Then there are those clothes which <i>almost</i> fit and surely they will fit...as soon as I drop a few (or more) pounds. This is just ridiculous. If I am actively losing weight <i>right this moment</i> and may possibly be able to wear an item in the next few months...then maybe they would be worth taking up space. But the reality is that I'm not. I'd like to be. I want to be. But until I actually am? <i>Fuhggetabouti</i>t. Let them go. Buy new clothes if/when I lose the weight. Much better to have the free closet real estate and potential shopping later, anyway.<br />
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Having these two explanations helped me. A lot. I will admit that I hung onto a few more items than I probably should, but if I haven't worn them by the end of the season (switched out winter for summer), then they can go to a better home this fall. In the meantime, I have breathing room in both my half closets, which makes me very happy.<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/8758408762/" title="closet purge by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8253/8758408762_03fccaeaba.jpg" width="500" height="387" alt="closet purge"></a></div><br />
The clothes squished on the right hadn't been gone through at this point. Interestingly, they represent how crowded this space was, all mashed and wrinkled together. The clothes on the left are an equal number, but given some space. Much better.<br />
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<br><img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-53012806568031431062013-05-14T05:39:00.000-06:002013-05-14T05:39:00.920-06:00A Week or a Year Unplugged?Yesterday, I posted about my week of being <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2013/05/what-i-learned-being-pseudo-unplugged.html">pseudo-unplugged</a>. I also came across a post by a gentleman who actually unplugged entirely for a year. The timing seemed rather fitting, so I thought I should share his thoughts on the issue, too.<br />
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You can read <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/1/4279674/im-still-here-back-online-after-a-year-without-the-internet">his post here</a>.<br />
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I suppose the reality is that the internet is very much an integral part of many lives these days and I don't know that it's just a simple flip of the switch to sail off to some imagined, idyllic life. As he mentioned, part of the equation is still you and your priorities and choices. That remains whether it's on- or offline. I suppose it's like many things in life - we have to learn how to handle it in moderation, knowing that sometimes we won't succeed, but plenty of other times we will. It's just a part of life. <br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/8736010807/" title="apple tree by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7286/8736010807_5fc1796b58.jpg" width="700" alt="apple tree"></a></div><br />
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<br><img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-86907134613540059172013-05-13T16:20:00.002-06:002013-05-13T16:20:33.324-06:00What I learned Being Pseudo-Unplugged Recently I decided to take a week off from that parts of the internet which become huge, time-sucking vortices. Vortexes. Vor Texas. For Texas....<br />
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As much as I think I'd like to unplug entirely, I know that it's just not that feasible. Too much of my life is connected - banking, paying bills, proofing, setting up a website, and so on. But I posited that I could gain a lot of valuable and, hopefully, productive time if my only internet time were spent upon specific tasks. I wrote about it <a href="http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com/2013/05/a-week-unplugged.html">here</a>. <br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/8735821731/" title="tree silhouette by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7284/8735821731_c1fb1316a9.jpg" width="700" alt="tree silhouette"></a></div><br />
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Monday was fantastic! Of course. It was the first day and I was highly motivated. I even started making journal entries to keep track of how my week went. I also decided to implement a Three Things system for each day. Every morning I wrote down three things that I felt really needed to be accomplished that day. It's much more palatable than a five-page To Do List. I completed one and a half things (one of them involved looking through 5-6 years of photos and scanning some which were specifically requested - a hefty project). One and a half items? Okay, not too bad. I suppose. However, I accomplished a whole bunch of other things, in addition to playing games with my kids, spending time outside, and dealing with all the dreaded hand-wash dishes. I felt great at the end of the day.<br />
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On Tuesday, I pulled off two and a half items. I also got out for a walk with Caleb, remembered to pick up Mother's Day cards, got a super deal on my B Complex, and had some fun time downtown with my mom. I walked a lot more than normal, which felt wonderful.<br />
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Wednesday rolled around and we had a drizzly, cooler day. I completed one item from my list of three. Ran some errands. Enjoyed Starbucks' Frappuccino Happy Hour with my boys and a sweet time of fellowship with friends.<br />
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By Thursday, I didn't write down anything. Not three or any other number. I don't know why. Things had just begun to fizzle, I guess. Plus I still had some leftovers from the first three days. I took Zach to bowling. I sat in my chair and finished reading a book. I ordered pizza for dinner. <br />
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But I also had a light bulb moment. From my little journal:<br />
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<blockquote><h1>This week is a perfect example of how I roll.</h1></blockquote>
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That's exactly it. Over the years, I've had a number of times when I've "taken the week off" to accomplish something or another. Every time I do, the first day is amazing. The second day is just a notch or two lower. The third day's not bad. But by the fourth day, I'm pretty much done. Maybe this means that in the future, I shouldn't take an entire week off, because days four and five are usually somewhat guilt filled. Even if I need more time, just take three days sometime soon again.<br />
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As for the internet, I did quite well at staying away from Facebook and Twitter. I also was relatively focused when I was online. All in all, this was a good experiment.<br />
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I learned that three days holds my Maximum Accomplishment Potential.<br />
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I accomplished numerous things.<br />
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I had some fun hanging out with my kids. <br />
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<br><img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-56741814156103845872013-05-05T23:38:00.001-06:002013-05-05T23:38:20.778-06:00A Week UnpluggedThat's what this week will be. When I say <i>unplugged</i>, what I really mean is unplugged from the excessively great time sucking vortex portion of the internet. You know, like Facebook and Twitter and other such things. I may need to check the balance in our bank account, pay a bill, edit some images, or some such thing. But nothing that leads to trolling around the web, losing all track of time, and frittering the day away. It's an experiment in <i>what can I accomplish if I free up some time and space in my life</i>?<br />
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I'll be back to report my findings on Mother's Day or the day after.<br />
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In the meantime, how about a photo or two?<br />
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My youngest. Who is now 18.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/8713389582/" title="zach by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8396/8713389582_e478266420.jpg" width="500" height="453" alt="zach"></a></div>
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I never thought of ducks as curious.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/8713390086/" title="curious-duck by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8115/8713390086_f34b7d0e4b.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="curious-duck"></a></div>
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Have a great week, everyone! Catch ya' later.<br />
<br><img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-82525932230383077092013-04-16T06:23:00.000-06:002013-04-16T06:23:00.116-06:00Creativity ExercisesOn Saturday, I got up at the crack of 8:00 or so to gear up and head down to a local park for a gathering of photographers who wished to stretch their creativite muscles. We were each required to bring a random object, some sort of camera, an open mind, and we had to be there on time.<br />
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I wracked my brain trying to come up with a good, random object to be photographed. Something with flexibility. Sometime fun and interesting. Aha - Socrates, <a href="http://photo-bunny.blogspot.com/2009/01/26365.html">Caleb's sock monkey</a>. I was pretty excited about this choice. A sock monkey, a garden at the park, and a camera = fun photos. Or so I anticipated. <br />
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But these creativity exercises were about thinking outside the box, about being creative with whatever comes your way, about doing something different. So we were paired up with another photographer (10 of us total) and we each had 20 minutes to photograph our <i>partner's</i> random object in 10 images. Oooh, what a tricky leader/instructor we had. Obviously, my partner had it easy with Socrates. He came up with some pretty fun shots. <br />
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What did my partner bring? A pair of statues.<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/8653265816/" title="statue couple_1_sm by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8258/8653265816_47ca991c7d.jpg" width="700" alt="statue couple_1_sm"></a></div><br />
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They turned out to be a very interesting couple to photograph.<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/8653265338/" title="statue couple_2_sm by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8107/8653265338_cb5521b39e.jpg" height="600" alt="statue couple_2_sm"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/8653264586/" title="statue couple_3_sm by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8533/8653264586_7c0458dd14.jpg" width="700" alt="statue couple_3_sm"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/8653263930/" title="statue couple_3b_sm by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8519/8653263930_18e88fc98f.jpg" width="700" alt="statue couple_3b_sm"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/8653263164/" title="statue couple_5_sm by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8539/8653263164_bd1b0b5f7c.jpg" width="700" alt="statue couple_5_sm"></a></div><br />
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For the second exercise, we had new partners and one person had to walk and walk and walk until the partner said to stop. Wherever you stopped, you would mark that location, and then you had 10 minutes in which to shoot 10 photos no further than 10' away from where you stopped, using the random objects or not. Naturally, my partner (our illustrious leader/instructor) was nice enough to stop me in the middle of a dirt trail. Fortunately, with my 10' radius, I could get to a few things. And I had a zoom lens on my camera, so that gave me some flexibility. Here are a few of those:<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/8652167727/" title="path_sm by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8120/8652167727_862ca7fcd4.jpg" height="600" alt="path_sm"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/8653269406/" title="circles_sm by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8243/8653269406_d21bd8e15d.jpg" width="700" alt="circles_sm"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/8653267242/" title="purple pipe_sm by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8538/8653267242_b3c34e7730.jpg" width="700" alt="purple pipe_sm"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/8653266682/" title="socrates_sm by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8524/8653266682_da006f6730.jpg" height="600" alt="socrates_sm"></a></div><br />
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And for the third exercise, we had yet another partner and you had 10 minutes to take three photos in which you tell a story. My partner? Yeah, he got to tell a story with a sock monkey. Easy peasy, right? Me? He handed me his wallet. I had to tell a story in three photos with his wallet. Okay then.<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/8652218209/" title="walts wallet by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8122/8652218209_604eb958fc.jpg" height="600" alt="walts wallet"></a></div><br />
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Okay, it's not a Pulitzer Prize-winning story, but it's a story, nonetheless. Sometimes you have to work with what you have. <br />
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<br><img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-91794059811319698822013-04-15T11:53:00.000-06:002013-04-15T11:53:05.339-06:00Spontaneous Family DayWhile Sundays usually have some family time involved, we thought our day was going to look a bit different than it did. But it was one of those serendipitous moments when the plans changed and we had the day wide open before us, with pretty much nowhere to go and nothing to do (well, nothing urgent or planned). So we had a family day.<br />
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Actually, we squeezed in a couple of haircuts before the fun and games began. Poor John - it's been super windy around here and having his hair all in his face has been rather frustrating while trying to work. He wasn't fond of my bandana idea, either. Now he can see and work without all that hair interference.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/8651471774/" title="Family fun! #clue #boardgames by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img style="float: right" paadding="10px" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8255/8651471774_98f2959947.jpg" width="300px" alt="Family fun! #clue #boardgames"></a>We played Clue, which I know I haven't played in probably 8-9 years. The boys have probably played a little more recently, but not sure that it's been within the past 4-5 years. It was a blast! Interestingly, the murderous Mrs. White was guilty three out of four times! She's a treacherous one, that Mrs. White.<br />
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We also played a couple games of Yahtzee. It's been awhile since I've played that one, too. We made a run to the frozen yogurt joint in between games, though, which cooled the dice off significantly. Our second game was quite underwhelming. Fun with sad scores.<br />
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Oh yeah, John & I made a quick run over to the grocery store, where we were greeted in the checkstand line with this!<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/8651470312/" title="She was staring at us in line at the checkout! #googlyeyes @kelseybigelow by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8244/8651470312_f1b007c479.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="She was staring at us in line at the checkout! #googlyeyes @kelseybigelow"></a></div><br />
Yikes!<br />
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Since we had yogurt at around dinner time, no one was terribly hungry, so we watched a few episodes of Numb3rs on Netflix and snacked as the need arose. <br />
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All in all, a spontaneously wonderful day.<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunny-trails/8651473320/" title="Too many options! #clue #boardgames by bunny trails, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8522/8651473320_0a72536dde.jpg" width="300" height="300" alt="Too many options! #clue #boardgames"><br />
Too many options!</div></a><br />
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<br><img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-57765806243395812972013-04-04T06:03:00.000-06:002013-04-04T06:03:00.552-06:00End of Eight YearsWhen I began the homeschool journey, Caleb was just entering middle school (6th grade) and Zach was still at the local public school for 5th. If I were to homeschool all the way through high school, it would be a total of eight years. Not as long as many, but that seemed SO FAR AWAY. But here I am in April of 2013 and that eight-year-mark will arrive next month. Color me stunned.<br />
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What ever will I do with myself with no homeschooling responsibilities?<br />
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<img style="FLOAT: right" src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/check.jpg" padding="10px" width="60px">I've decided to start a list. Because I like lists. Mostly I like lists because I like to check or cross things off of lists. (<i>Do you like to check them or cross them off? I'm sort of random, so I'll do both. But not on the same list.</i>)<br />
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1. I will lighten my cyberlife by unsubscribing from any remaining homeschool lists, unfriending and unfollowing people with whom I have no relationship beyond homeschooling, and I will remove myself from any other online homeschooling ventures. Not because I don't love homeschooling any more, but it won't be relevant.<br />
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2. I will round up all the curriculum, resources, and other such stuff, and sell it or give it away or whatever it takes to get it out of my house and free up some space around here. And I will write long, run-on sentences just for the fun of it because I don't have to be in teacher mode even though I am always an editor at heart.<br />
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3. I will stop attending the meetings of the homeschool group I've been a part of for these past eight years. But I still get to meet with them afterward just for fun.<br />
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4. I will convince my boys that we should still have Bible and prayer each morning just because I love that time with them. Unless, of course, they don't live here (ha! ha!) as that might be a little inconvenient.<br />
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5. I will engage more in my photography business.<br />
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6. I will do all those things I never had time for (cleaning out my junk in the garage, purging the closets, finish painting the family room and trim throughout the house, etc.). <br />
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<i>{sorry...I just fell out of my chair from laughing so hard at the idea of "doing all those things I never had time for"...bwahahahaha!!!}</i><br />
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7. I will do whatever else God has in store for me of which I know nothing right now.<br />
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Doesn't that all sound lovely? I highly doubt it will go that way. Life rarely goes according to plan. I'm pretty sure that #1-3 will happen, but the rest? We'll see how that goes. <br />
<br><img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35147794.post-88872871322680479842013-04-02T05:00:00.000-06:002013-04-02T05:00:09.272-06:00Homeschool PromYesterday I mentioned not really pulling any April Fool's Day pranks for the past few years. Apparently, I forgot about last year. This was classic - to John and me, not really the boys so much.<br />
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It was a Sunday morning and the boys were sleeping in. We got them up and had them come upstairs fairly soon so they wouldn't have time to realize what day it was. I proceeded to tell them that since we were nearing the end of our homeschool journey and we didn't want them to feel like they'd missed out on anything, we were going to plan a Homeschool Prom. A little back story here - the boys haven't had any interest in girls or dancing or anything remotely prom related. So already this sounds pretty horrible.<br />
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I went on to let them know that planning and decorating would be part of their school since we had a month or more to put it together. We'd hold it in the garage. John has a stereo out there, so no problem for the music. There's a refrigerator, so we could set up a table with refreshments. There's plenty of room to dance. They know more homeschooled boys than girls, so in order to even that out, I said we could invite some girls from the bowling league. <br />
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I went on and on about the entire event and at one point, I heard Zach quietly saying, "No thank you," repeatedly.<br />
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Caleb eventually figured out what day it was and what was going on. Shortly after that, I let Zach know, too. Oh, I also let him know that I'd been recording it - first on audio, then video. I think he said something about how mean I was. Really, Zach? I offered to let him wear shorts with his tie and jacket.<br />
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So apparently I'm not quite as nice as I thought yesterday. John and I thought it was rather funny, though. Caleb remained fairly calm, though I doubt he wanted to see it actually happen. Zach, on the other hand...he had much more of a reaction. But I think he was pretty relieved to find out it wasn't real.<br />
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And no, I'm not sharing the audio or the video. The boys will thank me for that. <br />
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<br><img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t211/lalwbh/bunnycarrotsig-1.png">Dianne - Bunny Trailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604043807160470553noreply@blogger.com1