LOVE THIS PICTURE OF DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS

image found at flickr.com

FAMOUS QUOTE FROM KEN KESEY

& THE MERRY PRANKSTERS...

"NOTHING LASTS"

The 1939 International Harvester bus, aka the "Further Bus", that author Ken Kesey, Neal Cassidy and the Merry Pranksters drove into psychedelic history in 1964. Luckily, recent plans have been made to restore it, so the saying isn't entirely true!! :)

WEEKLY RANDOM PHOTO

Our first Molly Woo's experience... TO DIE FOR!!!! Their Honey Chicken had a sweet kick to it and the Orange Peel Shrimp was sensational!!! The warm sake was good, but the lemon ginger martini was even better!!! Good thing I didn't have to drive home! ;)

ONE OF THE MANY PERKS OF PARENTHOOD...

LIVE-IN ENTERTAINMENT!!

Ben never ceases to amuse me! I could sit back and watch him play with his toys for hours as he makes his "dudes" talk to each other and carries on little conversations with himself! If that isn't funny enough at times, (like when he makes his G.I. Joe guys hug and say "I love you" or is crashing his cars into each other and then politely apologizes saying " I sorry" or "excuse me") he sometimes says the downright funniest things!! This morning, while I was changing his diaper after he first woke up, he looked down in amazement and said, "Mommy, why is my pee-pee so tall?" After losing it for a second over his puzzled face and curious question, I had to simply answer, "HMMM...You're gonna have to refer to your daddy on this one, pal!"

THIS KID CONTINUES TO IMPRESS

THE CRAP OUT OF ME!!

For Christmas, we were given a Nintendo Wii. This is interactive gaming of the future!! I think it is really cool for almost every age. (I just got knocked out in boxing by my 2-year-old)! Even older people could get into this type of game system because there aren't a million buttons and it causes you to get off of the couch and move around a little bit! After playing the first day that we got it, my arms were literally sore!! Some of my favorites include target shooting, bowling (I'm a superstar at the white trash sports :), tennis, cow racing & American Idol (yes, with the mic and all... just picture it ;)!!! There are also less "active" games such as picking out people that look alike (my son's favorite game) and air hockey, but you still have to be in front of the t.v. pointing your remote at it! Just like anything, moderation is key, but I'm beginning to think that the benefits of sharpening your hand-eye coordination outweigh the notion that "video games rot your brain"! Plus, some games allow up to four people to play at the same time, which makes it even more fun!!

Ben loves to find the look-alikes and the target shooting game. Since it tracks and saves your progress, we can actually see how much he improves on a daily basis...which is quite a bit!! He's actually been able to beat me in a few different games (and I wasn't letting him win either)! I'm interested in trying the Wii Fit, but I'm not sure if it would be too stationary or not. I would recommend this gaming system to anyone who has a family or entertains frequently, as it definitely keeps everyone involved, somewhat active...AND OFF OF THE COUCH!!!!!

WEEKLY RANDOM PHOTO

This picture was taken in Put-in-Bay, Ohio. I had no idea what to expect from this little "town" you have to reach by ferry, but we had a fantastic time riding around on a golf cart and checking out all of the gorgeous lake houses and the many bars and restaurants on the island! Before leaving, we had to stop for crab cake sandwiches and lobster bisque from The Boardwalk! Their lobster bisque is DELICIOUS... You can't possible stay on the island without trying a bowl! I am truly looking forward to visiting again this summer...this time, we can dock our boat, eat a bowl, and then go back to "island hopping"!! There is only water as far as the eye can see in every direction...just as good as the ocean for me!! I'd hate to be there right this second though...BRRR!!!!

THE NEWEST ADDITION TO THE PACK

One of the coolest things I would like to do in my lifetime is start an animal rescue, focusing mainly on dogs, but I pretty much love all things furry and/or four-legged, so a complete animal sanctuary would be the ultimate dream. Several months ago, we fostered our first rescue dog, Taco, who would have been put to sleep if we hadn't taken him in that particular day. He wasn't exactly what we had expected and he only stayed with us for a week, but he touched our lives in such a special way. Just by opening our home, we saved an animal's life. We were blessed by that little ten-pound pooch because he showed us that we can make a difference, however small it may seem.

Fast forward to two weeks ago... I went to the Fairfield County Dog Shelter which is an extremely high-kill shelter since it is the only one in the county other than the Humane Society (which is extremely small and almost always full). Occasionally, I take Ben there to see the dogs and to play with one in a playroom. On this particular visit a couple weeks ago, there were several litters that had been dumped and there must have been at least 30 tiny puppies, all under 8 weeks old. I got to talking with a girl who worked at the shelter and she told me how a lot of really young puppies don't make it because they end up getting sick from the other dogs in the shelter and their immune systems just can't handle all the different diseases and viruses that they are exposed to. That really tugged at my heart strings and I ended up making a rash decision to take one home with the intention of possibly finding him a forever home. My son instantly fell in love and so did Mike (although he wasn't thrilled that I brought home a puppy without discussing it first). Good thing he is such a dog lover...I was kind of banking on that! I put an ad on craigslist and got quite a few responses. In the end though, it looks like this little collie-retriever fur ball is going to stick around here for good! We couldn't help but fall in love with him! He and Chopper are best friends and Hoshi is putting up with him, for the most part! Although we certainly won't be able to keep every foster dog we save, it's nice to know this guy will lead a healthy, happy life out here in the country with us instead of the ugly fate he may have awaited otherwise!

Our hope is to build a pole barn this year and we would have a dog run attached to it with a doggie-door and several kennels inside so that we will be able to continue to foster many more dogs throughout the years! For now though, we'll enjoy our little eight-week-old pup and all of his grunts, stinky farts, and late-night potty breaks... man, this is all too familiar! Did we adopt a puppy or another baby? I guess everything this precious comes with a price, but it's one that's worth being paid!

HERE WE GO STEELERS, HERE WE GO...

PITTSBURGH'S GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!!!

I have to admit, I was kind of born into being a Steelers fan. Most of my family is from Steubenville, Ohio and it borders Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh is a mere 25 minutes away! Needless to say, you don't see many Browns colors around that town!! I have been cheering on the Steelers for as long as I can remember with my dad and brother when I was a little kid and it has continued on throughout my adult life. I will say that the past two years, I have not been the dedicated fan I once was. Maybe having a rambunctious two-year-old has something to do with it, but whatever the reason, my heart hasn't really been into it. Mike teases me that I can't even name more than three players (which is untrue, but I probably can't name more than five). Fast forward to last night's Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens! Mom took Benny for the night and Mike and I celebrated his 31st birthday betting $500 on the Steelers in Vegas. The spread was six points and at the very last minute, we pulled through a victory! (Pittsburgh was already going to win, but the spread wasn't over six points until the very end of the game)! I'm sure the $500 wager upped the excitement, but part of me had forgotten how fun it was to watch the games and really get into them. I'm an Ohio State fan as well, but my support for them has also fallen to the wayside a little since we've added a new addition to our own "home team". Contrary to most chicks, I actually know the rules to the game quite well and can accurately explain what is going on down on the field due to the fact that I grew up with my brother playing football. I'm kinda sad that my new found "team player" spirit will only be exercised one last time this season...but it couldn't be a better game for me to get back on board with! The Arizona Cardinals have a lot of heart and it will be a tough game if Pittsburgh doesn't play like they mean it! I'm no bandwagon fan, it's in my blood...

HERE WE GO STEELERS, HERE WE GO. PITTSBURGH'S GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!! AGAIN!!

Broken Laptop

UUUGGGGHHH!

I have been lost without my laptop, but relief is on the way! We have decided to get a home computer rather than another laptop for now, but within a week, I should be back up and running!! Life without the internet is...disconnecting!!!!