One step at a time

RE Year of Acheron

noreply@blogger.com (Alexia) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:17:00 +0000

Chicago

noreply@blogger.com (Alexia) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:16:00 +0000

What can I say about Chicago? Many things.... I enjoy the freedom the public transit gives me but appreciate the cleanliness of Portland's mass transit.

I have generally loved the food such as Potbelly's. I recommend the Italian Sub and with a order of their Potbelly's Vinaigrette to use as dip. Very tasty! Found it after searching for a Indian restaurant that turned out to be on the other side of town. We walked in as two frozen icicles and out with happy stomachs.

Although a bit pricey ($23-$26 a person) the Shedd Aquarium is worth the wait to get in and the money. Granted we did go there on the busiest day of the week, Saturday, however even with the peoples it was very satisfying. Their Dolphin show was not close to Sea World's (Orlando, of course!) but it had its own charm. The only draw-back was that the seats were made of the hardest rocky-pebbly stuff you can imagine.

We also spend so time in Chicago's China Town. Which is always a blast.

Printing solor pannals from your ink jet printer

noreply@blogger.com (Alexia) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 20:28:00 +0000

I was having a Conversation with Kirby and it reminded me to tell him about something I had heard on NPR. Researchers at New Jersey Institute of Technology are working on an inexpensive solar cell using Bucky balls (Fullerene).

I am excited to know that there are still new things to learn and discover.

M&S Ranch

noreply@blogger.com (Alexia) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 22:14:00 +0000

I was catching up on my blogs and I wanted to make sure to add Sarah's Alpaca M&S Ranch. I have heard wonderful things about the "Black Gold" fertilizer they produce. I also put the link to the right. Go Sarah!!! Wish you luck with your ventures.

On the subject of Alpaca pooh I found this nice description of the joys of Alpaca Poo. Not to be confused with Convergys POO.

Praying Mantis

noreply@blogger.com (Alexia) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 21:59:00 +0000

So I got home today to find an unusual sight. This is what I found on my screen door. I had never before seen a live one except in a Zoo. It was a Praying Mantis. It was elegant in its simplicity. I never realized that were that large.

I am amazed that I saw it as we normally do not have mild winters but I guess with the abnormally warm previous winter it survived.

I am glad as they may remove some of the Ant problem in our yard.

Hopefully it will be on his or her way by the time J gets home....

Dreams of my Mother

noreply@blogger.com (Alexia) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:40:00 +0000

When I was a child I had nightmares and my mother taught me how to lucid dream so that I would know that the dream is not real. I have always enjoyed it in the past as it allows me to take control of my dreams. When you know you are dreaming you can control the dream and break the rules of the natural world and Fly or wake up. There is nothing like flying in ones dream to liberate the soul.

Ever since my mothers death in march I have dreamed about my mother. It a double edged gift. I love seeing my mother and it comforts and eases the pain of her loss. However there comes a point that I realize and usually say something to question the dream. Immediately there is a gaping hole of loss that enters my heart. Usually my mothers expression change from the content and happy expressions to ones of sadness. She reassures me that she will always be with me and that I will see her again. Then she leaves my dream or more comminly I wake up.

I hope the dreams continue to appear as I sleep. However painful the moment of realization of loss is, the comfort is worth the cost.

Something to do?

noreply@blogger.com (Alexia) — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 22:43:00 +0000

My Cousin Alex

noreply@blogger.com (Alexia) — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 01:29:00 +0000

My cousin Alex was at Harvard this summer participating in a study of forest dynamics, land use history and conservation coordinated by David Foster. His mother keeps me updated at his happenings. He is a veteran and a very intelligent man. We are all very proud of him. I know that he is going to do something great in the field of biology. Please check out this site to read more. He is mentioned in the third paragraph.

What I did today

noreply@blogger.com (Alexia) — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 22:11:00 +0000

Well since I am still putting Cd's on my IPod thought I would post again.

John went grocery Shopping today with his father and niece. We only by grocery's every 5 weeks so it a long trip. Takes at lest 10 minutes to unload it all but its nice have a very full fridge!

We can not fit more then one person near the fridge. Its one of the few things I do not like about the house. When we expand the house we plan to move the back wall so we can have a larger kitchen. We were also thinking of making a sun room as well. Maybe get a hot tub too...

So while John was unloading I went to watch my niece play with Rosie. I snapped this picture on my phone. This is one of Rosie favorite tricks to get people to pet her. I just can not resist. I am gathering pictures for a post all about Rosie

After John was finished with the groceries I went back to Johns Parents to eat. John's mother always cooks a large delicious meal. It also gives us a chance to watch cable.

I decided to watch a movie so I put in I, Robot. I have always liked Isaac Asimov works. I thought the movie took some of the elements of Asimov's short stories and made a very entertaining film. I especially like how they designed the robots and the integration of Asimov's 3 rules.

Filling an 80g IPod

noreply@blogger.com (Alexia) — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 15:29:00 +0000

So today I felt that I need to put more music on my IPod. Currently I have 48.30g free space... Filling 80 gigs is not easy. I have 8.87g of music which translated to 2,373 songs which is 39.6 days worth of time.... So I am going through our collection of Cd's to burn everything I think might be good. This another picture from my phone shows the Cd's waiting to be loaded and you can see my IPod hooked up to my computer. I go the wrong angle and the screen is washing out a part of the picture.

This is such a slow processes but I like having a selection to listen too... I doubt I will fill it but its fun trying. My music tastes are so broad. When people ask me what music I like it's easier to tell them what I do not like. Which is not much!

Its amazing that since I got my IPod I have not had to spend any money on songs. Just getting the free songs, using my library of Cd's and other peoples library of Cd's. I have heard that some people think that the online outlets for music will make Cd's obsolete but I do not think so... at lest not until cars and stereos can be completely converted. Might happen someday.

This makes me think of the IPhone... I mean what is the point of putting all your devices together in one device. What if it breaks... well because of my job I am always thinking what could go wrong with a phone ... since I deal with Phone warranties for Cingular. Me and a few fellow managers where in the IPhone training and we were simultaneously looking for what is going to go wrong! I made the training much more entertaining. There are some great features but I would defiantly wait for later editions.

Doldrums of Car repair

noreply@blogger.com (Alexia) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 13:19:00 +0000

So on Sunday on my way to work my check engine light came on. The last time this had happened it was because I had not closed the Fuel Lid tight enough. Of course this was shortly after I had purchased it. I pulled over on a side street and checked the fuel lid. To my surprise it was firmly attached to the car. Then when I turned the car back on it still had the light. Not fun. On the way home that night it seemed to hiccup and stagger so I was really worried

This morning I had to wake up early on my day off to drop it off at James Corlew Chevrolet service department to figure out what's wrong. My friendly tech Alvin took my car and said he hoped to get it back today. Why am I not convinced?

I bought my Aveo, Lucian, shortly after it first hit the market. It had been introduced in April and I had bought mine in September due to an unfortunate u-turn that totaled my last car. I miss the car that my mother had helped me buy but at lest this one has air conditioning. Since Lucian was so new I had purchased an extended warranty. Look back at how much time I had to have my car in the shop I was very glad I did.

So here I am stuck at school, by now caught up on my homework trying to find things to do....

The call for my car was during my Labor Economics class, when I had unfortunately left the phone on. My professor being the comedian told me he usually stomps on the phone if they go off in class. Luckily he was in a good mood! When I went to pick it up I found that it was my gas cap and that their had been a recall on that part. I am glad that it was nothing serious.

Fun with Google Earth

noreply@blogger.com (Alexia) — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 12:44:00 +0000

I was playing around on Blogger looking at other people's blogs when I found one that talked about Google earth. I had seen Kirby use it for mom's Memorial Service. It had peaked my interest but I had filled it away for latter since I was in the beginnings of Grieving.

I recommend this program to anyone who likes exploring or just viewing nifty things.

School Again

noreply@blogger.com (Alexia) — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 11:51:00 +0000

Well I go back to college today. I actually started Spring 2007 but with my mothers passing I had to withdraw from my classes. So now I go back for what I hope will be a full semester. Granted it is the summer and it is only a month. I am attending Austin Peay State University.

I had studied their before to get my Bachelors degree in Computer Science and Information systems. Now I am going back to get a Bachelors degree in Business with a concentration in Accounting.

I was inspired to pursue Accounting by my late mother. She taught me how to be a bookkeeper specializing in not for profit organizations. I was very content working with my mother with my own clients. She also motivated me to go back to school while I was working with her in Oregon.

Back to APSU, I will be taking a Beginning Accounting class and again I am excited. Wish me luck.

Down goes the pool

noreply@blogger.com (Alexia) — Thu, 31 May 2007 11:15:00 +0000

So this is my husband and his father tearing down the eyesore we call a pool. When we bought it is was not in that bad shape and we had a goal to tear it down. We drained in asap but then did not take it down for a year because of lack of equipment and time. But this last weekend it is finally down! Our yard is so much bigger now and it will be so beautiful once we get some seeds in the sand that the pool rested on.

You can see it was a beautiful day in Tennessee. Hot and in the 80ish.

I really need to get a real camera. I am using the camera on my cell phone.

Cute video's

noreply@blogger.com (Alexia) — Sun, 27 May 2007 03:41:00 +0000

So I was serfing YouTube since there is nothing good on tv and ran accross these:

Something poped up on Yahoo

noreply@blogger.com (Alexia) — Sun, 27 May 2007 02:45:00 +0000

Mother

noreply@blogger.com (Alexia) — Sat, 26 May 2007 21:48:00 +0000

Photo curtusy of Kirby Urner

My mother was Dawn Wicca. She was a force of nature and an amazing woman. She was diagnosed 3 years ago with Inflammatory Breast Cancer. If you have breasts you need to know about this. Even Men can get this and it is very serious. Here are two good orginazations that es that explain what IBC is: American Cancer Soceity also National Cancer Institute

She went through the normal mastectomy and then radiation and chemotherapy. Then almost a year latter after we all hoped it was gone. But then in my mothers words "You can not prove a negitive. It had metastasised to her bones and lungs, roughly 6 months later it then metastasised to her Brain and Galblatter and maybe her liver.

On March 11, 2007 I was first notified of the beginning of the end. On March 13, 2007 I flew to Oregon and waited on my mothers deathbed. On March 17, 2007 at aprox. 12:30am my mother passed away. Kirby has written so wonderful blogs about my mothers passing and the events afterwards: Saturday March 17, 2007 Praying for Dawn, which was written the day of her death and has her obituary also March 20, 2007 Dust to Dust. He is my stepfather and the photographic cronicler of my life after the age 12.

Mom approached death in a way I had never seen before. I am sure that she was afraid of it but she faced it head on and embraced the process. She want to experience it. I don't think I will ever understand it complietly but I hope I do understand it when its my term to pass.

I believe she died the way she wanted to. She did not want to be alone. Amazingly there were a large amount of people who paid there respects and stayed and comforted her. I was so amazed.

Her memoral service, which was wonderful thanks to many great people, was attended by over 250 -300 people. I know my mother would have appriecated it.

I have been experiencing the stages of greiving. I miss her daily and there isn't an hour that goes by that I do not think about her.

Robins High School Graduation

noreply@blogger.com (Alexia) — Sat, 26 May 2007 20:35:00 +0000

I had done a typical disassociation of the day that Robin Graduated. i.e. I thought it was Friday and John of course thought it was Thursday. In Thursday he reminded me that we had it to go to... but of course I was too stubborn to double-check so their we are on Friday all dressed up, at the bottom of the driveway and about to go down our street and I decided to look at the invitation. I say something like "You where right it was Thursday!" Bright I know.. We go to eat and then go to my in laws. Which was nice.

So that Saturday I make sure to go to the Graduation Celebration at Linda's house. She took some pictures that I would like to share:

This is Slosh one of my amusing friends.

Me and Walter