Bears, oh my!

So we're a little scared of meeting up with a grizzly in Alaska (we leave next Thursday)... we even tried to see this 'Grizzly Man' in Batestville this weekend so he could teach us some 'moves' to defend ourselves. :) Then, I thought I'd read some Anchorage news and saw this article.

"Howard Hawkins Junior says he found that out the hard way when he was driving to get an early morning cup of coffee Friday. He says that before he could even react, he plowed his Land Rover into a large grizzly bear running at a full gallop across one of Anchorage's busiest streets. Hawkins says he didn't stop his car, the impact did. Hawkins was uninjured. Police eventually killed the bear, a 15-year-old grizzly that was part of a state Fish and Game research study to determine how many bears there are in Anchorage.

So far this summer, 18 black bears and one grizzly have been shot in the municipality in defense of life or property. That's a higher number than normal."

10 Year Reunion

Ten years ago I graduated from Penn High School (around 800 in my graduating class). I feel pretty fortunate in that I had a pretty great high school experience because of some awesome friends. There are a few people I really missed seeing at the reunion, but it was great to catch up with the ones that were there! :) Also, it was wierd.

Indy Trip

This weekend I got to spend time with my sister Kris and her son Aidan (who live in California), my sister Julie, my brother Eric, and my mom! Aidan is sooooooo cute and a ball of energy! :)
Me and my buddy Aidan... loving the TRAINS!
Us four on one couch!
Hey squirmy! Let's take a picture!

Golden Eagle

BJ and I went canoeing this weekend - which was quite a workout but a lot of fun. We were really surprised at the amount of wildlife we were able to see from the river - we saw a ton of cool birds including a golden eagle! We had no idea that there were eagles around here but sure enough.. there one was soaring above us! I've been meaning to figure out what type it was and just learned that there have been other accounts of golden eagles in Indiana.

We head to Alaska in a month - maybe we'll see a bald eagle! :)

Snake Plant

I am not gifted with green thumbness... and have killed many a plant. But for some odd reason it seems I may be improving!






Yesterday BJ noticed that one of my many snake plants (I l-o-v-e snake and jade plants) had something strange growing from it's middle. Day of all days! It's flowering!!!

Cooper!

I'm a bit behind on the blogging and my excuse is that it's summer. Last friday BJ and I got to meet Tim and Erin's little man Cooper! He's so awesome and we are so incredibly happy for them.

Camp!

BJ & I got back this weekend from a week of high school camp. We had a ton of fun because the students are a ton of fun. :) Here are a few of the girls in our 'family group'.
Here are our 'family group' kids performing the modern version of Peter's life story.
Here's BJ with one of the cutiest girls on the planet.
Part of our rockin dodgeball team.
Veronica and Kayla playing one of our favorite silly games.

Erin's Baby Shower

This is a little late.. but we've been gone. :) These are from Erin's baby shower. We love Tim and Erin so much and can't wait to meet their little man (any day now...)!

Welcome to the world...

Isla! :) My new cousin Isla and my aunt Yvonne...! :)

I'm a Cousin!

Congratulations to Bill and Yvonne on their new baby girl, Isla!!! We're so happy for you and we can't wait to meet her! :) Bill and Yvonne are my aunt and uncle who live in the UK - this is them a few years back with Julie and my Grandma Marie.

A Week of Peace

...and now I have a peaceful week to recuperate and catch up! Everything was awesome last week (more to come) but it was a LOT.

Our cats are unposable... They just like to be symmetric sometimes.

Why My Life is Crazy...

I have a few people wondering why I've been so bad answering emails and calls... so sorry if you need me and I haven't gotten back. Here's why...

Work craziness: John McCain is coming in an hour or so. The press was here early (some were all set up by 8am... but the national press just showed up) and we've set up a press room for them. This is on top of (or I should say putting a halt to) my regular work (that is piling up because of this)!

Personal craziness: This week we had a graduation party and cookout Sunday night, a softball game Monday night, Kutlas concert Tuesday night, concert at Bright with college kids last night and then a few of the college students stayed with us... tomorrow night we have a SEABIRD concert, and Saturday we have a baby shower, a party, a golf tournament (BJ) and a high school girls sleepover. Plus I've got 7 freelance projects going on.

Anyway I just thought I'd explain myself! Back to the craziness!

Visit from McCain

John McCain is coming to Xavier tomorrow (we found out yesterday) and this place is CRAZY! That's all - got to get back to the madness!

Fresh Strawberries

I'm not sure if it's because we helped them grow or that they are smaller and more packed with flavor... but they're GOOD! We're picking about this much a few times a week now. :) Check out Layla's perked-up ears! She's cute. :)

Softball Game

Here's a few from BJ's softball game last night... Layla loves the attention and the dirt!

The Beach

BJ and I went to "The Beach" waterpark last yesterday with our friend Jon and his daugher Jasmine. It was a nice hot day - perfect to get cooled off. The cicadas were AWFUL! They were everywhere! It really made us thankful that they are only on the east side of town and we haven't seen a single one by us.

We went to the wave pool and I about had a heart attack. My sister Julie and I had a frightening experience in a wave pool once so I was a little on edge and kept watching out for kids. We were in for a little while when we decided to get out. I turned around and at my feet (at the bottom of the pool) was a little girl floating still face down. My heart about stopped. I grabbed her and pulled her up and she looked at me shocked like, "what the heck, lady!". Um... maybe you shouldn't be floating still at the bottom of the wave pool!

Lightning Storm

Here's a couple of pictures BJ and I took last night from our back porch... We sure have been getting some crazy storms lately!

Family Photos

A while back I posted about the IKEA photo wall I've been working on in our dining room. I finally finished it last night!
This one has BJ and I's paternal side photos. I'm halfway done with the family photo scanning project - hopefully I'll get some photos from our mom's sides next!

Ellen's Party

FREEEEDOM!!!
Mom and Peggy!
Peggy and Grandma!
Three chicas!
I'm not really sure what Jen's doing but I love her expression.
I am just going to NOT explain this one because it's funnier that way. :)

Wedding Picts

This weekend I went home for my cousin Ellen's graduation party and to help Kate shoot a wedding.

It was a long fun day! :)