Hello....?

Did we have an anniversary? YES we did!!! How could I neglect to post on the most important day of our year? Crazy. Must be the hectic schedule. So, here it is. The lit-only-once-yearly candle (yes it is in the shape of a wedding cake) and the fingers. Just count them. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

Here's to six awesome years, baby! Just as a side note, the 16th is our happy day. :)

Final criterium race - Downer's Grove

Skot is the rider all the way to the right in the picture. He raced in a category 3/4 race. He usually races in category 4, so this was a really fast and difficult race seeing that he was racing with guys that were a whole category ahead.

Me, doing my wifely duty... taking lots of pictures.
My sweaty boy post race.

Go outside and ride your bike

My favorite buddy was in a cycling race this past weekend in Grayslake, IL. He came  in 13th place. Pretty good work Skot. He hung in there the whole time. (No wreck!!!) I have decided I want  a new camera... a better camera... a faster camera. It is hard to take pictures of these guys when they are racing by at 30 miles an hour.

Where did she go? Where did she go?

No where.  :( :( :(

I was supposed to go out of town last weekend. But my plans fell through. :(

I was going to go to Vancouver.

Oh well. Not the end of the world... maybe next time.

Did you see that?

OK. It can be hard to impress me at times. What am I saying? That sounds so snotty. Let me try again... I'll just get to the point. I was severely impressed by the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. I was wowed, I was stunned, I was blown away. They put so much money, time, effort, and discipline into the entire presentation. This one won't be topped for a long time. What I found funny was that Chicago's Mayor Daley was interviewed and he immediately said that there was no way Chicago could host the Olympics the way the Chinese have. Ha! No kidding! 

-Christi- :)

Plant lady

So, instead of being dubbed the "Cat Lady" by neighborhood kids I will be called "Plant Lady" for the mass of flora I collect.  Foliage is my weakness.  Tropical blooms are an even greater weakness of mine.

This one is called Tillandsia.  AKA the "air plant." It is an epiphyte and survives in the wild by living in trees. It absorbs water and nutrients through the leaves. Last year it produced an amazing plume of purple and fuschia.  It was wild to look at.
This is a basic Phalaenopsis orchid "Anna." It is blooming now and, as you see, is gorgeous.
This bad boy is an orange tree!!! It was a gift from the Warr's. They bought it last January while vacationing in Orlando. It was just a tiny seedling and now it stands over 12 inches tall. I can't wait to see what happens to this little guy over the next 20 years. Yes, we will be long time friends.

What a view

So basically we have an amazing view behind our home. This has just about ruined us. We have no idea how we will ever survive a move. We must have something to look at like this for the rest of out lives. It is beautiful the entire year. Not green, usually covered with a blanket of snow actually, but beautiful.

 

I Need A Vacay.

I have been telling Skot that I don't know how much longer I can go without a vacation. I'm going a little crazy. Our trip to the Chicago Botanical Garden held me over for a week, that's it. So last Saturday we went to the Dundee park district pool. I know, community pool. Some people say no way. I say who cares, I need a place to chill. So we were there just a couple of hours and I got the sun I needed, a little dip in the pool, and temporary freedom from my hectic and busy life. It has held me over for a good full week. I will report back on this weekend's activities later. Let's just say I'm doing something fun.

My First Heirloom Tomato

One day I will be a part-time organic farmer. Just you wait and see. This is the first green zebra tomato from my very first heirloom tomato plant - organically grown, of course. It's not very big as you can see, but it was yummy and I think very pretty, too.

Skot's High Adventure

Skot survived high adventure... barely.
Skot is the President of the young men's organization at church. He loves those guys. He also loves torturing them with 25 miles of cycling - all hills. Ouch. Apparently they cursed his name for a good part of the ride. 
I can't believe he did this.  Skot is deathly afraid of heights. I think his manly competitive spirit wouldn't allow him to not do it. Amazing what a healthy dose of testosterone does to a man's brain.