Look What I Can Do!

Kyle put Sunflower seed shells down the garbage disposal on Monday which clogged it up. I took the pipes apart to fix the clog and found that whoever installed the disposal 10 years ago did it wrong. The gasket between the disposal and the pipe leading out was completely bent and cracked so I couldn't get it back together without it leaking. I went to Home Depot (one of my favorite stores) to see if they had a new gasket. They don't sell that part. That is something that comes with the disposal. Needless to say, I had to buy a whole new disposal. I spent the afternoon installing it by myself and it actually worked! I am so proud of myself!

And just so you know, on Monday, I fixed 5 sprinkler heads!

The Capital/The Big Easy

For those of you that may not know, I recently got a new job. It still is in the transportation field like Super Bowl, but for a much better cause. I was hired by TMS who is a contractor to FEMA. I will be helping to develop and implement a plan for motor coach evacuation in the event of a natural disaster (hurricane) in the states of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas (most of which I will be able to do from home). I was hired on July 1st and since then I have spent time in our Nation's Capitol for some orientation training and in New Orleans for a mock evacuation drill.

I was close to Washington DC the first few days of July. It was a quick trip so I didn't have much time to sight see. I did, however, have to go into the capital to get finger printed at FEMA headquarters. To quote Jim, now I'm "on the grid"!

This is the Lincoln Memorial. Just so you know, he is my favorite president. The whole "mall" area was in preparations for the 4th of July celebrations. I was sure glad to be home for the 4th but it would have been spectacular to be in DC!

My next trip was to New Orleans. For the most part, I spent my time in meetings. It was very interesting to learn about how these cities, parishes (counties) and the state deals with a hurricane. I had some time after the evacuation drills to go downtown and to the French Quarter. It was not my favorite city. It smelled like beer and pee. It was very humid and I was away a day and a half longer than I needed to be. It did give me the chance to drive over the "Mighty Mississippi" for the first time (on that bridge in the background) and go to a New Orleans Zephyrs baseball game. I got to sit in the Jefferson Parish box with the AC. It was nice and relaxing after a busy week but I would have given it up to just be home with the family. I breathe easier in the dry climate we have here in Utah and our baseball stadium a lot more beautiful!

Finally...Tagged! A Closer Look

My friend De tagged me on July 6th. In the whole month of July I have only been home 8 of the last 21 days due to work and other things that will be posted in the next few days. Enjoy! (by the way...Kelly, Heather and Joann...you are tagged!)

1. My Kitchen Sink

Thanks to Joann, My sink is empty except for my cereal bowl and the Winder milk jug that I emptied this morning in my bowl of Multi-Grain Cheerios.

2. Inside my fridge

Like I said, I haven't' been home much. I think that Chinese food (it's just the white rice that no one will eat) is over a week old. Most of that will be in the trash in a few hours. Costco, here I come!

3. My Favorite Shoes

Asking me to chose my favorite shoes is like asking me which of my children I love most! My feet are the only thing on me that are the same size they were in High School. I love in these shoes because they are comfy and casual (I love flip-flops) but they are leather so I figure they are dressy enough to wear just about anywhere. I haven't quite convinced Jim that they are dressy enough for church. That's OK. I have plenty of other cute shoes.

4. My Closet

Not much to say about this except it is July and I haven't' put winter in the basement yet. I guess I won't need to in another month or two...

5. My Laundry Pile

I still have things packed away in my duffel...


6. What my kids are doing right now

I sent the younger two off to Scout Camp at 5am. Austin is playing Lego Star Wars on the Xbox

7. My Favorite Room

I love to create yummy things in the kitchen. Thanks again to Joann for how clean things are. (That pile of dishes by the sink is a pile of clean dishes that I need to put away.)

8. Most Recent Purchase

I have been having my boys write a book report every three weeks this summer. Just before I left on my most recent trip we went and got a few new books.

9. My Fantasy Vacation
Usually this involves something Disney but I have never seen Europe. I really want to go on this cruise!

10. Self Portrait

I love my feet in the summer. Polished toes and a tan line from my favorite shoes!

Thanks, again, De, for making me do this. I was going to go back to sleep after I took the boys to the church this morning (scout camp) and finished Kyle's paper route. Now I can take a longer nap this afternoon!

Sit Macy Sit

As puppies do, Macy is gets noticeably bigger every day. So far she has been a great puppy with very few problems; accept for the unfortunate digestive issues she had after secretly eating a big bowl of cat food. Austin studies his dog book every day to make sure we don't do anything wrong (he must have missed the chapter on the effects of cat food on small puppies). It took almost no time at all for Austin, with a little help from his book, to teach Macy how to sit. As you can see from the pictures Austin, and Josh, are very good teachers. Now, according to "the book", Austin says Macy should be ready to learn the 'stay' command...... 'stay' tuned.