I Heart Kate

I've loved Kate Middleton ever since she came on the Prince William scene years ago.  She was lovely and adoring...and then she became a princess and stepped up her game.  If I was 6'2" and lived near her, I'm sure we would share clothes.  Also, I think she would have made a perfect Kappa, but that's impossible now.  Oor is it...maybe she could be a honorary member like Lucy Webb Hayes, former President Rutherford B. Hayes' wife!  So, back to reality.  Kate Middleton dresses like I would if I were a member of the British family (and a foot taller).  Tonight, I stumbled upon a blog called What Kate Wore.  I'm pretty sure I'm obsessed.  I'm always looking online to see what Kate wore on random days, and now I have my source (people.com doesn't have the detail I need to keep up with Kate on a regular basis).

Emily McCorquodale Wedding

Diamond Jubilee

The Engagement Announcement

There you have it.  I love her style.  I think she would make an excellent (and classy) Kappa.  I think we could be friends.  Maybe one day I'll visit England, and we'll run into one another, and we'll talk all about our dogs, and then we'll become lifelong friends...ok, I'll stop now. 

Things that make me smile

This past week was hectic.  I don't really remember why.  Probably because I haven't had a weekend home without any major events in about a month, and the build-up of not having clean laundry and a clean house in addition to the stress of a photo shoot in the studio this past Friday, and prepping for a photo shoot at my house this upcoming week...ok, now I remember why it was hectic.  My garage, kitchen, and dining room are still looking very patriotic from the items I shot on Friday.  Today, I should probably clean out the garage and hem the curtains we're using for the photo shoot in my dining room this coming Wednesday.

Anyway, one major highlight of my week was making this purchase at Costco.  I love Sharpies, and colorful Sharpies make everything happier!

24 colorful options!

This past Wednesday, we found out Josh received a full academic scholarship to the University of Iowa's Law School.  I'm really proud of him.  In the next few months, things will certainly be changing a lot around here.  We had to cancel our Florida vacation (that I had just reserved on Tuesday) since it was scheduled August 16-23 and classes begin on August 20.  However, his aunt was sweet as always and offered the condo to us whenever we could fit it into Josh's new academic schedule.  In an attempt to process all the life-changing news on Wednesday, we took Sophie on a little walk.  She was very happy about it (she loves walks!), yet confused as we went a different route than we usually go.  I can't get enough of her sweet smile and trust it will help make the transition into next chapter in our life a bit more manageable.

Sweetest Mini Schnauzer ever!

Summer Vacations

Growing up, I didn't really have a summer vacation.  My parents were Ham Radio operators.  Dad's call sign is N0HAN; mom's is KB0MGV.  When I was homeschooled, my mom taught my sister and me Morse Code.  She was upgrading her Ham Radio license and learning Morse Code was required.  I don't remember much (more than SOS), but I'm glad I had the experience.  Anyway, back to family vacations.  Pretty much every summer, we ventured three hours from our house near Larimore, North Dakota, up to Dunseith, North Dakota for the annual Ham Radio Fest.

I loved every year when I saw the giant turtle.  It meant the gardens were just a few minutes away.

"World's largest man-made turtle" was "erected as a novelty" in 1982, welded together from over 2,000 steel wheel rims by, George Gottbreht.

Other vacation highlights included the clock, the sunken gardens, and the Peace Tower.  Every year, the garden is planted differently, so seeing the different flower patterns was truly exciting.  I was homeschooled and lived in North Dakota, folks.  Almost anything was exciting to me.

The Flower Clock plantings change every year.

A narrow channel flows through the center, the 49th parallel, of the formal garden.

Most years, I remember sleeping in our family car for the couple of days we were there.  I think we slept in tents a couple of years.  Once (that I remember), a bear was rumored to be in the campgrounds.  This is probably why I don't like camping now.  Who would want to die on their family vacation by being eaten by a bear?  Not this girl.  So, that's one of my childhood summer vacations.  The others were spent at Family Camp and Junior Camp, camping trips put on by our church.  They were about as fun as camping at the Peace Gardens.  Ok, they weren't.  They were worse.  Even as a little kid, I didn't want to be in nature for more than a couple of hours.  When, in fourth or fifth grade, I took three suitcases to Junior Camp, I should have come to grips with this.  I enjoy the comforts of home and being inside.