Spring Forward!

We had such a busy, exciting weekend! As Mark would say, it was "off the chains!" Friday, we made it an early night after a fun Sprint Happy Hour in OP. Then, Saturday morning, we got up early to get out to Topeka to see the Jayhawks beat the K-State Wildcats...again. Snore.

Of course, upon arriving in Topeka, my defiant canine bolted to our neighbor's property to take a dip in the pond. And here he is in time-out. Standing on the doghouse, still trying to assert his independence. BAD DOG!

Here's Dad working on his world famous brisket. This was hours before his near-death experience, almost choking to death laughing during the "hotel scene" in the movie Borat. Our family members, it seems, have strange reactions to extreme laughter. Molly pukes, Dad chokes.

This is Mom and Dad's pet opossum. He's cuter than I thought he'd be, but is very camera-shy.

Ah - a yummy cookie to celebrate St. Paddy's Day!

This is "Howard's Favorite" - fudge cake with cream cheese icing (although the one we made was devil's food with buttercream icing because we're a bunch of cheaters).

Marg, Randy, and Papa

Kyle, Mimi, Koffee, and Marg (she's in a lot of pics)

Emily and Kiki - these two were VERY reluctant to have their photo taken, but I think it worked out quite nicely.

Thanks for a great day, family! Happy Birthday Papa, Laurie, and Lola!!! Have fun in Tahoe, spring breakers!!! Nancy and Tom, we missed you, but we'll catch you on the flip-flop!

And congrats to our Kansas Jayhawks, Big 12 Champs! All the way, Final Four, baby! Rock Chalk! Number one seed INDEED!

When Animals Attack!

Here is a grainy video I made with my cell phone of Blue freaking out when threatened with a spray bottle. I was lucky to get out of the room with my life! Video is not for the faint-hearted...

He's all hopped up because he gets to visit his best friend Chili tonight.

Austin City Limits

Here are a couple pics from my trip to Austin. I managed to make it downtown for an hour before my flight. I bet Dad's sweating the thought of me moving here. As you can see from the first photo - tattoo parlors on every corner! Very risky. Don't worry, Dad. I'm sure they sterlize their needles.

***FOR AGES 18 AND OLDER***
This is the best. I didn't even notice it until I downloaded the photo below. Put on your glasses, squint, and read the T-shirt in the window. Ha! Now THAT ain't Southern Hospitality!!! Scandalous! And it's on Neches street too. Colin would be so proud.

Agriculture is better than no culture at all

For years, K-State students have smuggled live chickens into basketball games against KU, then thrown them onto the court - intending for the chickens to mock their rival's Jayhawk mascot.
PETA responded to the latest incident during a game Feb. 19 by sending a letter to the KSU president - describing chickens as "very intelligent and inquisitive animals" that appeared to have been subjected to "deafening noise, bright lights, terror, abusive handling and likely death for the sake of amusement"- similar to their fate under gripping, gnashing teeth of Bubba Dog, may he rest in peace.
K-State has said it would not comment on the complaint, but the athletic department issued a statement Tuesday saying it considers live, non-service animals "contraband." Any fans caught with animals or caught throwing any object onto a playing surface will be ejected from the game and could face prosecution.
"These actions severely tarnish the image of our University, its athletics teams and the majority of our outstanding fans and supporters and while viewed by many as harmless pranks, these acts are likely illegal," the letter said.

This class act hasn't done much to will the Wildcats to victory. The Jayhawks beat Kansas State 71-62. So my question for you Wildcat fans is this:

What is the Colonel's secret recipe?

THE MAN!

Okay, so I posted below that Kris Kristofferson was one of my top two favorite actors of the '70s, well here's my favorite in a new AWESOME M&M ad - Mr. Burt Reynolds. You heard me! He was THE MAN of the '70s - so much so I wanted to name our first dog after him. Kristen would not allow it. However, she has since changed her mind and will allow me to name our next dog Bandit. Close enough. Check the ad...

The Rubber Duck

The movie Convoy seriously kicks so much ass, and Kris Kristofferson was one of the two coolest '70s actors to ever grace the big screen. And I'd argue that this is unquestionably one of his finer moments. It reminds me of being a snot-nosed, feather-haired, seven-year-old boy. Ah...the good ol' days.

What's so interesting about Convoy is that it was my favorite movie for years as a kid. See, I had an unhealthy infatuation with "big trucks," or "rigs" as Kristen calls them. Well...my mom took me to see Convoy at the drive-in back in 1978, and it was all over after that. Big trucks were my thang!

I had spent a good twenty years trying to see this movie again, with no luck. It's never on TV, and for the longest time, it was almost impossible to find on VHS. In fact, the VHS tapes of the movie I saw sold on eBay for over $100. I was almost tempted once, but decided against it.

Convoy was released on DVD a couple years ago, and I've watched it many times since getting it. It's still as good (and campy) as I remember. I just so happened to think it'd be fund to share the opening scene of the movie with you. It's one of the best parts and it has the C.W. McCall song, "Convoy."

And oh yeah...I had the biggest crush on Ali McGraw in this movie, too. Tight afro and everything...

Oregon Photos

Multnomah Falls - the spray from this waterfall got me soaked!

Latourell Falls

Mt. Hood - look closely, it was cloudy

View of the Vista House in the Columbia Gorge

View outside my hotel window

The moss on Highway 26 in West Portland

News from the Northwest: Day Four

Today, I finished with my stores and the sun was out, so I decided to head out east for some sightseeing and BOY was I glad I did. Twenty minutes east of the city in Troutdale, I got off the highway and headed down the Historic Columbia River Highway.

There were huge cliffs all around and more mossy trees. But then, approx 4 minutes into the shady drive, I saw something that nearly made me hit a tree! I pulled off the road to take a picture. It was a waterfall, a natural, powerful, ROARING waterfall nearly 5 stories tall. I couldn’t believe it! This was NOTHING like the waterfall at the Topeka Zoo, y’all.

Luckily, as I learned, the scenic highway was littered with them. And I stopped at EVERY one. I reached a viewpoint called the Vista House that looked out over the the Columbia River Gorge, which Lewis & Clark traveled through in 1805 on their expedition to the west. It looked like the “Cliffs of Insanity” from the Princess Bride. It took my breath away. I got tons of pictures, which I will post tomorrow. Finally, I made my way to Hood River, OR in an attempt to snap a photo of Mt. Hood.

Unfortunately, there were MOUNTAINS blocking my way, so I drove the trusty Grand Prix up to a panoramic viewpoint and managed to get a few pictures – even though the clouds had rolled in. I can’t tell you how beautiful everything was today. Amazing. I sure hope to make it back here someday…in the summer. Brrrr.

You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma

The lyrics to this country song from the 80's are very appropriate since I am stuck in Portland and my Okie husband is back home on the 9 year anniversary of our first date. Yep - 9 years ago the day after Fat Tuesday, Mark took me out to the Cheesecake Factory and we've been together ever since, which makes me The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA - to quote another country song.

So, Mark, Happy Anniversary....I'm sure missing you.....

kk

News from the Northwest: Day Three

This afternoon, after visiting my stores on the west side of Portland, I thought I'd take the 50 minute drive to the coast. The scenery was gorgeous - first vineyards and dairies and then a forest of tall pine trees covered in rich, shaggy moss. The highway was a tight, winding 2-lane logging road that climbed into the mountains. Thirty minutes into the trip, I passed a sign that said something to the effect of tire chains being a necessity. As I climbed higher and higher, the temperature gauge on my Grand Prix started flashing "ice, ice, ice." And the snow began falling. Panicking and having visions of running off the road in the Oregon wilderness, I turned around. Although I did not reach the Pacific, I was able to get some great photos along the way and saw some unique countryside - including tunnels that cut through mountains. I will post the pics on Thursday when I get home.