Butterfly...Flutterby

Still Here

I'm still here...I think!

Here are some pictures for ya. This one was taken during a thunderstorm with continuous lightning.

So you can see it better, here is the same picture in black and white.

I took this one at my grandparents' home.

My New Place

Here is a picture of my new place....

I live in apartment C which is marked by the big arrow.

The View Was Beautiful

Went hiking with Crystal and Eric the other weekend.

Discovered that I am way out of shape.

The hike? The only hike that I have ever gone on that gets steeper and longer each and every time... Humpback Rock. I have never had to stop so many times on a hike because the backs of my legs burned so bad and to catch my breath. A good one sentence description of the hike can be found in a September 12, 2000 Caviler Daily article by Catherine Dunn "The near-vertical hike to Humpback Rock climbs almost a mile in the sky ..."

Enough about that.....

Let's take a look at the view:
Gorgeous...don't you agree?

The Pictures I Promised

Here are the pictures I promised in
To Grandmother's House We Go...

Enjoy!

P.S. - The photo of me laughing on the right

was taken by my Uncle Eldon.

He told me to be serious...

Obviously I follow instructions well!

A Little Bit Of Lightning

It's not the best lightning picture ever, but I'm proud of it.
It is just the beginning of a huge bolt that lit up the sky.
Click on the picture to zoom in and get a closer look.

Hello...Good-bye

Hello Spring...

Good-bye Winter...

***Update 4/5/2007***

I guess I spoke too soon!

We now have a freeze watch and a freeze warning!

Smith Mountain Lake & The Green Valley Bookfair

This weekend I joined a bunch of New Beginnings Church ladies for a Pajama Party at Smith Mountain Lake. While I can't tell you what happened there (what happens at the lake....stays at the lake!), I can show you some pictures....with no people in them ;) They (the pictures) will be at the bottom of the post.

When I got back, I went to the Green Valley Bookfair. I get into soooo much trouble there! This time I spent $71.50 on 17 books. If I had gone to a regular bookstore I would have spent $236.75! I just love the bookfair! To see a schedule and a "preview," check out the website at gvbookfair.com

Now here are the pictures I promised.....

Here is the entrance sign:

Here is the house we stayed at (it is there...I promise!):

Here are two views of the lake:

Basketball

Dad, Aaron, Rodney and Alex decided to shot some hoops on Saturday 3/10. They divided into teams (Team1: Aaron and Rodney Team 2: Alex and Dad) Team 1 won of course!

Dad trying to block Rodney and Alex waiting the outcome of the 'stand-off'

Aaron and Alex racing for the ball.

The Weird Bug

Does anybody know what kind of bug this is? I've never seen one quite like this.

***UPDATE***

I have a friend who knows a lot about bugs......should have asked her first....and she said, "It's a leafhopper." Thanks Ashley!

***UPDATE***

Flowers For A Winter Day

Both photos were edited (cropping and color fading) with Mircosoft Digital Image Pro 10.

Thanksgiving in St. Louis

I spent Thanksgiving 2006 in St. Louis, MO with my sister Crystal and her husband Eric. We crammed a lot of fun and interesting things into one short week. Here is a quick run down. I hope that I get everything in the right order!

November 18 - 25, 2006
Day 1 - Saturday Driving, lots and lots of driving..... When I arrived, Crystal and Eric took me to the City Museum. That place is just awesome(And I am saying that even though I got injured!). It would have been cool to spend more time there, but after traveling all day, I was tired and hungry. Day 2 - Sunday Crystal and Eric took me to the church that they have been attending. It is a small, but very friendly group. Day 3 - Monday Crystal had to work, so Eric and I went to the Botanical Gardens. Even though a lot of things were "dead" and it was cold, we found lots of opportunities to test our photography skills. Chihuly's art was on display through out the gardens. There was also an exhibit that you had to pay to see that we didn't go to. That dude has talent. If you get a chance to see his work...do...unless of course, the tickets are outrageously priced! Day 4 - Tuesday
We celebrated Thanksgiving early because Crystal had to work the holiday. We went to the St. Louis Zoo - which is amazing, the Arch - which is not for the claustrophobic, and the Melting Pot Restaurant - which is yummy but expensive (Don't order the mushroom salad! It is a plate of mushrooms with 3 or 4 pieces of lettuce!). Out of all the pictures that I took on this day, my favorite is this one of the Arch. Day 5 - Wednesday Crystal and Eric decided that they would torture me by making me walk/run with them 3.7 miles around some lake. (They walk fast, so every so often, I had to run to catch up.) Here is a lovely little view of said lake. Day 6 - Thursday Crystal had to work, so Eric and I watched the Thanksgiving Day Parade. It was great to be lazy after all the walking the day before. Day 7 - Friday We went shopping around St. Louis today. Not much to say about it except it was cold.
Day 8 - Saturday Homeward bound! I am thankful for all the prayers for safe travel. I was almost involved in a wreck, that I'm positive only God kept me out of. At one of the numerous interstate interchanges in KY, a driver cut in front of me doing considerably less then the speed limit and me. I am so thankful that I saw it happening, that my brakes worked and that the surrounding drivers were also paying attention to what was happening. (A few minutes later, he thought about doing it again, but saw who he was going cut in front of.....he decided to stay in his lane.)

You can also find pictures and Crystal & Eric's side of the story on their blog Our Life...As We Know It.