Monday, August 23, 2010

a lesson in meteorology

what is a microburst?
and why isn't it called a macroburst?

August 21, 2010 our home, along with many other homes, were held hostage to a microburst. 


a microburst is described as  a small, very intense downdraft that descends to the ground resulting in a strong winds. the size of the event is typically less than 2 1/2 miles across. microbursts are capable of producing winds of more than 100 mph causing significant damage. this is equivalent to an EF1-EF2 tornado. the life span of a microburst is around 5-15 minutes.

and below is the damage that can occur in 5-15 minutes.

who needs fences?


the yard two down is missing a trampoline.... 

maybe this is it?

our roof needs a band-aid....



the blessing of this event is watching our neighbors pull together and help each other.  our street is simply amazing.  we were not home when this microburst hit, but our neighbors checked our windows (many had blown out windows), checked to make sure our dogs were safe, and were there to greet us and warn us of the damage when we got home.  they helped with the cleanup and never complained.  

lessons learned:
1) it could have been a lot worse
2) we have amazing, wonderful, generous neighbors
3) maybe we should live in a world without fences.

Monday, August 16, 2010

there's somethin' women like about a pick-up man



she had always been a thorn in my side.
she cost too much, she was too loud, and she got his attention.
she is my husband's truck.

isn't she swell.....
'
it was not until the blizzard in 2009 that i truly came to appreciate her, her strength, and her power.

after we were blanketed with inches of snow, she was the only reason we went anywhere.

so below are a few things, besides the 4x4 that i have grown to appreciate about kenneth's "other" woman...

 

bench front seats. because sometimes a girl has to sit close to her man.

  

how kenneth has personalized her and what each sticker symbolizes to us.


so tomorrow as we say another goodbye we remember it is just the start to many. we will not own a pick-up in italy. however, kenneth has the 'pick-up man' kind of soul and there is something this woman likes about a 'pick-up man', 





Friday, August 13, 2010

going to buy me a mercury and cruise it up and down the road...

i admired her from a far.
at the time i was driving a ford focus and she would sit by the service station just smiling at me.
for me, it was love at first site. 

isn't she a beauty.

then she was mine.
may 2007, kenneth surprised me with her in my garage.


today i say goodbye to her and it's the first of many goodbyes for me.
and for those who really know me, you know I don't handle goodbyes well at all!!

so before i hand over the keys, i felt i should share with you a few of the many things i love about her.

keypad entry: a must when you marry a man who is notorious for locking keys in the car

i think we used the keypad entry as often as we put it in drive.



heated seats. :)

even in the summer, the heat felt great on a sore back

the plates are faded. six years ago when i married kenneth this was the first thing i can remember him buying for me. they have been with me since. the new owner requested they stay with the car because she is an air force wife.

air force wife

another sentimental gift kenneth had made. dad, mom, boz, admiral, and sweet bazil (with the halo, waiting for us at the rainbow bridge)

our family

another gift from kenneth when i graduated with my undergrad that will stay with the car. the new owner is an ou alum as well

sooner born and sooner bred

so as i say goodbye to my "perfect" car i know that she is in good hands. her new owner states "it's like the car was made for me" i know that is how i felt when i saw my mariner for the first time.


so glad she was my mercury.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

one man's trash is another's treasure

last weekend we began the process of "de-cluttering" before the BIG move by hosting a garage sale.....



 a pic of Kenneth holdin' down the fort per say

as we prepared for our garage sale i began to think about "how did the idea of a garage sale ever come about??" so i began to do a little research....


garage sales are also known as rummage sales, yard sales, moving sales, attic sales, well the list goes on and on....


there is the world's longest garage sale that has it's own website


127 Sale!! LONGEST GARAGE SALE! :)

with the onset of ebay, craigslist, and various other internet 'marketplaces' you can now take your local garage sale inventory and market it world wide!!


although our garage sale was not nearly as large as the 127 Sale  it was a great opportunity to get get rid of some junk and make a little cash!


help a neighbor out and stop the next time you see a garage sale sign! who knows you might just find some treasure!



what treasure have you found at a garage sale?