Rocks

Take a close look at this beautiful collection of butterflies. They're not preserved insects, rather they're polished rock carvings. Grandpa Ken's father was a rock hound on top of his daily job in a factory in Walla Walla, Washington. He made the butterflies by carving the outer edges of the wings. Then, he sliced the rock into 2 halves, similar to how he'd make symmetrical book ends...and that's how the wings came out with symmetrical colorations.

Grandpa Ken's father had an expansive rock collection. He made a mallard duck that used over 50 different pieces of rock and stone for the various colorations of the feathers. He also carved intricate mini tables, chairs, plates, utensils, axes, and other similar hand tools for a doll-sized user. Below is a clock. He carved each individual piece then glued it together to form the clock. The clockface is just an old pocketwatch that was set inside.Below is a sampling of symmetrical bookends--utilizing the same techniques he used for the butterflies. The rock hound and artist is visible in the photograph in the background.

Washington Photologue II

Today, for the first time in over a week, it was sunny and calm. I was in such a good mood due to the pleasant weather that I cooked turkey enchiladas for the family. I also did a 20 minute hilly route run, followed by a 3 mile hilly walk/climb with my aunt. I wanted to take advantage of the gorgeous sun, because who knows what the weather will be like tomorrow.

I forced myself to run in the windy cold yesterday. It wasn't raining, sleeting, nor snowing, but it wasn't pleasant weather at all. Steve ran with me along a scenic road that overlooks the valley at sunset. It was great to run downhill for the first leg of the run, but the uphill jaunt with a strong crosswind made the return trip very tough. Steve kept telling me to run each and every hill, but I took a couple of short walk breaks. This Florida girl isn't used to the steep hills. The locals call the mountains "hills" which is quite an understatement. But, I'll take the burning workout in stride as I prep for the race that will burn a lot more for a lot longer.

We watched The Nativity Story in the theater as a family . . . taking up more than a whole row. We enjoyed the movie: great acting from mostly little known actors, except for 2002 best actress nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes who played Mary. There was definitely some story-telling liberty that got thrown in the mix to flesh out some details, but overall, it was excellent and captivating with fantastic desert and Mediterranean footage. Finally, Hollywood got some things right and didn't make the angels female. The soundtrack features several Christmas hymns and carols set as background music. It's a beautiful movie for the holiday season. So, check it out!

And now, more fun photos from Christmas in Washington:

Family tradition is that whomever receives the gift with the nativity scene reads the story of Jesus' birth from Luke 2. I knew that Steve would be dubbed the gospel narrator this year, since he's the one in seminary. Bill got a couple of pairs of snowshoes . . . for all 4 feet. I got the warmest and cutest new bathrobe!
Abe & Lily zonked out waiting to unwrap gifts. Abe got a t-shirt that said "Dogfather" as a play on the Godfather movie poster. He is Italian, afterall.

Bill got Heather & Lily some appropriate signage.
Bill tortures Blazer with a reindeer costume. Keeping Lily snuggly warm.

Christmas Photologue

My grandparentsCarrot cake, my weakness
Candle & tree

Little Lily & Big Blazer

Aaron & Blazer

Tree ornaments with a glimpse of the hills and Snake River valley

My cousin Heather has an adorable 5 month old Maltese purse puppy named Lily. Everyone loves her, especially Steve. He's a huge fan of big dogs, until he met Lily.My grandpa loves Lily, too.I adore the little snowball with legs, too. She's so sweet! And, she doesn't even bark. Who could ask for a more perfect little dog?

My grandparents' backyard complete with a light-up tower, waterfalls, and a couple of fish ponds.

Everyone huddled around the punch bowl for Christmas Eve party. My aunt & uncle hosted around 30 people for food and a white elephant gift exchange.

Christmas in Washington

It's a Christmas marathon of festivities up here in Washington. My aunt & uncle, Bill & Tammy, hosted a house-full of people for lunch after church on Saturday. We ate food, played cards, and watched movies. Same thing on a different day, except on Sunday it was in honor of Christmas Eve. Same thing one more time on Monday for Christmas. Eat, hang out, play cards, eat s'more. . . non-stop. Tomorrow is yet ANOTHER family get together that will consist of even more food and hanging out. I'm sure we're going to play yet another card game. We've played everything from international rummy, Skip-Bo, Uno, Bouncy-Bouncy (or 7-up and 7-down) to Dutch Blitz. I think Steve will have his heart's content of card games for the next decade after our visit with family.

At church on Saturday, I sang with Heather and Tommy for the worship and special music. That was a lot of fun. It doesnt' get any better than singing Christmas carols with my cousins. Tommy is especially awesome at the guitar. We did the Jars of Clay rendition of "Little Drummer Boy" and the Caedmon's Call version of "What Child is This?" to keep things upbeat and lively. We were a little more traditional with a few other songs.

Forget running. It's either been snowing or raining here everyday. I'm lucky I got in a run the first day we were here. It was mostly a hilly run on pavement, so the steep downhills weren't too kind to the shins. I did see a herd of 7 mule deer only about 20 feet away. Steve wanted us to take a different route which consisted of steep climbing and going through briars and nettles up to my waist. I think next time I'll just back-track on the paved trail. I was also able to get in a nice swim at the county's new aquatic center. I'll be back there tomorrow if the rain doesn't let up.

I've been helping my grandparents with some basic rehab exercises they can do for their spines. My grandfather has responded especially well to spinal exercises, molding, and head weights. Now, everytime someone comes over to visit my grandparents, they want to give him a pool noodle and tell him to use it for his back! Talk about patient compliance and referrals, they're machines! And, we're only doing exercises and molding up here!

Washington

We got in late last night and I'm still adjusting to not getting enough sleep in the past week. The temps are running in the teens out here, but it's still tolerable with the extreme dry weather.

This morning, I woke up to the sound of my uncle driving around a Bobcat on gravel. Forget about the sun waking me up, there's nothing quite like the revving engine of the Bobcat. We also watched a red tail hawk perch on the fish pond, and a wild turkey gawked at her reflection in the sliding glass door of the dining room. There are all sorts of crazy wildlife that hang out around here.

We ended the evening by playing a couple of rounds of international rummy. My family is really into cards and board games for the holidays. I let Steve know he'd get more than his fill out here. Steve plays a board game with me no more than once a year, sometimes it's less frequent than that. As soon as we get a re-charge hook-up for the camera, I'll post some pix of the incredible backyard and the beautiful Washington landscape.

Birthday Fun

Not only did I get a really cool watch for my birthday, but I was serenaded by 7 guys. How cool is that? The tiramisu cheesecake was killer good. There's one piece leftover. I plan on chowing down on that for breakfast after my 6 mile run tomorrow morning.

I won't be able to post any more photos until we recharge our camera battery. We didn't pack one, but we ordered one that can be used in cars or outlets. It'll meet us in Washington later this week.

Chris recommended some awesome artists and tracks that he's going to play & deejay on a Sirius radio show for New Year's Eve. So, now I have a super cool list of inde artists and albums that I'll run out and purchase.

Nuthin' But Nashville

Last night, we went to Percy Warner park to play frisbee & soccer. There were several locals running, playing la crosse, walking dogs, or riding horses along the trails. Then, we took a turn for spontaneity. Chris was invited to a Christmas party, but he turned down the invites since we were in town and we (actually--I) didn't have party attire. But, I suggested to Chris that if he had some women friends who might let me borrow a dress and shoes, we could make this thing happen. So, Chris called up a sweet gal named Rachel who was so generous to let me borrow a cute little black dress and shoes. This is the first time EVER in my life I've worn a strapless dress. It wasn't as revealing as I thought it would be. I actually kinda liked it. I may have to get one of my own!

Everyone cleaned up sharp and festive for the party. It was fun being anonymous and not knowing ANYONE there. I met several really cool gals, most of whom are in the music business or somehow related to or affiliated with someone else at the party in the music business. We were the atypical crowd: 3 chiropractic students and a seminary student. The question we were constantly asked was "how do you know Chris?". Seemingly, everyone there knew Chris.

I had a cool chat with Abby, sister of Matt (owner of the house and one of the party hosts). Abby is a Physical Therapy student and she and I got into a discussion on scoliosis and different ways to treat it using rehab and adjustments. I also met Rowdy, a really cool gal from Daytona Beach, FL who went to Embry-Riddle (which is just down the road from Palmer FL). We traveled all the way to Nashville and met folks from Florida and Texas. How crazy is that?Rachel and I had a lot in common: we both lived in Oklahoma, we went to rival schools in the Big XII Conference, we both worked for President Bush (except he knows her by her first name), and we both have affiliations to the Air Force. Rachel's only shortcoming is that she's an Oklahoma Sooner, but I like her anyway.

We went to church this morning with Chris, and we waited for him to catch up with his friends. I started up a conversation with a gal who had a really cool headband. When she realized we were at church with Chris and not fans lagging around to get a brief word with him, we all laughed.

We had a delicious lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, and Steve got me this for my birthday. I'm 29 today. We're having tiramisu cheesecake after dinner tonight! Katie got me a fantastic dark chocolate and ginger organic chocolate bar for my birthday which I decided to save at home for when I return in January.

Tales from Tennessee

I'm exhausted from being here, and it's been so luciously relaxing. I think I'm more worn out from back to back days with longish runs. The hills are killer on the quads, but I love the training and the gorgeous views of the horsefarms and mansions from the meandering roads. Alan Jackson's large mansion is along the running route at the top of a fairly good hill . . . which I've now climbed 3 times in my runs. A few miles further was a sweet black pony who let us pet her furry neck.

Yesterday, we had the best breakfast EVER at Nashville's nationally famous Pankcake Pantry. Vince Gill was in there while we were breakfasting. Apparently his favorite dish are the sweet potato pancakes. I ordered them because I'm a huge fan of the lovely sweet potato. My stack of cakes were delicious complete with cinnamon, pecans, and cinnamon-flavored syrup.We also walked the pedestrian bridge over the Cumberland River. Afterward, I snapped a few photos of the old honky-tonk strip and we went inside Trail West to try on a few Stetson's.

We bought groceries at the local Wild Oats and cooked up a lavish feast of turkey cacciatore. Chris set the dining room with beautiful candles. Josh grilled the asparagus. I got a little creative after dinner and combined coconut milk with hershey's chocolate bars for a blueberry & banana fondue dip.Today, we drove around the area, played soccer and frisbee at a local park, and had a "snack" at McCreary's Irish Pub in downtown Franklin. Later, we're off for sushi and we'll view the festive lights at the Opryland Hotel.

Goin' on Holiday

We leave for the airport in less than 4 hours. I haven't packed yet, and here I am blogging. Priorities! I had a packed morning at the clinic, but I got everything done. One of my patients (and a very dear friend) also gave me the coolest gift: a gift certificate to the local mall and a gift certificate for Steve & I to use at Ritter's Frozen Custard). I love presents!!

I'm tired because it's just been a busy week at the clinic. Last night, I also went to a classmate's bridal shower until 10pm . . . after I'd been at the clinic ALL day. Workouts got scrapped for the week . . . that's always the first to go, second is lunch, and some chores just won't get done (unless Steve gets finished packing before me).

For the first time since we've been married, Steve wrote our annual holiday letter--the entire thing--all by himself! I am so grateful. I haven't even read it yet, but I'm just pleased as punch that he did it since I was already short on hours this week for anything other than clinic.

Well, enough procrastination--I must start packing!

St Augustine trip report

The San Sebastian Winery was our first stop on the itinerary. All I had in my gut were 3 oranges; Steve had only eaten an apple. We had hoped to stop for breakfast in St Augustine, but we planned our trip on the fly. So, we toured the winery and sampled the wines, sherry, and port on fairly empty stomachs. I felt pretty sleepy and needed food FAST to absorb the minute amount of alcohol that was already seeping through my bloodstream. We had so much fun on the tour, we decided to come back later in the afternoon to check out the live music in the Wine & Jazz bar located on the roof of the winery.

Steve sipped on scrumpteous red wine sangria. We shared a glass.

The Angela Roberts trio was a decent jazz ensemble who performed at the Cellar Upstairs Wine & Jazz Bar.
We hung out until 5pm just relaxing and enjoying the music and rooftop view. Then, we headed to the Gypsy Cab Cafe for an incredible dinner. We enjoyed the hummus platter appetizer which featured delicious fresh-made hummus surrounded by a bed of fresh greens, alfalfa sprouts, carrots, cucumbers, kalamata olives, and tomatoes. Then, we opted to share a dinner entree. Steve let me choose the duck with cherry glaze, cabbage and balsalmic vinegar, and carrot spears. The duck was so delicious! Steve wants to return soon so he can try the Greek Seafood Island. Later this summer, I want to go back to the Cellar Upstairs and order a pitcher of sangria, and the meat and cheese platter--stay for a few hours and soak up the jazz.

Steve is a huge fan of geckos and chameleons. He found a rather tame chameleon who didn't run away. Steve coaxed him onto his hand. And, he hung out with Steve for a little while. I think this was the highlight of Steve's trip to St Augustine. We ate lunch at the Athena Restaurant, a quaint little Greek eatery that had the best gyro's we'd had in years. Afterward, we strolled through Old St Augustine and made a sudden stop.

We walked into the Cafe Hidalgo just to glimpse at the gelato presentation, and we ended up getting to try numerous samples. So, of course, we indulged ourselves. I had pineapple and strawberry, and Steve stuck with the strawberry.

Historic Flagler College groundsTiffany stained-glass window in the lobby of the main building at Flager College

Frog spitting fountain