We started with the sting ray and dolphin feeding areas before heading to the dolphin show. It was so fun, and very cool getting so close to the animals! The penguin habitat (photo) was neat too, as was the shark exhibit. They have a very cool “cirque” type show, and we finished the day off with the Shamu show. Unfortunately it was too cold to run the roller coasters (or at least that was the story!), so we missed out on Manta & Kracken.

It really brought back memories since I remember having season tickets to Sea World in San Antonio back when I was 12! It’s amazing to see how things have changed. Very, very cool experience today.

Oh yeah, and we topped it off with dinner at Miller’s Ale House… Awesome seafood mac & cheese!! :)

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If you’re ever in the area, I highly recommend a visit. It wasn’t so educational that it lost interest. There’s lots to do too, so definitely plan a full day! We’d love to go back and hit the Hall of Fame as well!

Pics to come… I didn’t take any with my phone, just my digi camera.

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Ok, so back to the post… I’m reading it and she announces she’s teaming up with her daughters for a new online kit club!  Very cool! And the prize she’s giving away is 6 months membership to that club!  Even cooler!  And then… you’re not going to believe this… she drew MY name!!  Holy heck! Seriously?!?!  The video’s even there to prove it!

WOW!!!  Thank you Margie!!  This is so awesome! I am so excited about this, and here’s why… over the past year I’ve kind of lost the “spark” for scrapbooking. I’ve been needing a swift kick in the pants to get me back in the groove.  And on top of that, there’s the whole unemployed thing going on, so it’s an awesome, awesome, awesomely exciting thing! 

~Heather

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First of all, the City of Fort Worth cancelled all outdoor public gatherings due to the swine flu!  Well the ride was supposed to finish on Sunday in Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth.  After some scrambling, the route for day 2 was changed to be out and back from Texas Motor Speedway.

So Friday night was the Expo at the Embassy Suites… very awesome! Jack and I decided not to stay at the hotel this year since we had Angel recovering from seizures and Spaz recovering from his surgery.

Saturday morning started bright and early.  Jack had to be at the SAG meetup at 5:45 AM, so yeah, very early!! lol  I was lucky enough to be driving a loaner Toyota Highlander since Toyota was a sponsor.  Woo hoo!!  Once Jack was loaded up with his SAG driver, I headed out to the first rest stop.  The day was full of driving between rest stops, picking up lunch and running it back to other rest stops… thank goodness for that Highlander and my GPS!!

All day long it was overcast and threatening rain.  At one point in the afternoon you could feel the temperature just plummet! I was passing the Tour Director on the road, and the next thing you know she’s pulling up next to me and her driver is waving me to her car.  I got in to find out that hail was moving into the area, and they were calling the ride.  We had to clear everyone off the road.  We were at the only rest stop with no shelter, so they immediately got moving clearing out that rest stop while I headed to the last one to help the SAG coordinator from that end.  Not long after I got out on the road, it was raining.  I felt horrible for those cyclists who were riding in the rain.

I got to the rest stop, donned my poncho (thank goodness I remembered to throw it in the car), and we directed cyclists to cover until we got the official word that the road was clear behind us. As I was heading back towards the finish, I came across about 50 cyclists huddled under an overpass.  Police were with them and they were waiting for SAG vans to come pick them up.  No one was willing to leave their bikes, so I left empty handed.  The same thing happened a few minutes later at a Valero station.

It was such a relief when we finally heard that everyone was safely off the course. Now the question, with the threat of more weather, what would happen to Day 2?? When we left the Speedway there was a weather meeting about to take place, and on the way home we drove through a monsoon!

It wasn’t long after we got home that I got the phone call… Day 2 was cancelled. It was a bummer, but I knew we couldn’t put people out there knowing that we’d be having bad weather again.

Well, we woke up Sunday morning, and it was a great day!  The sun even came out at one point!  Apparently the weather that we were fearing came through faster than they thought, and passed through overnight.  So we ended up with a nice Sunday, and got lots done… including cupcakes! :o)

Next year will even be bigger and better! And I think I may try to get my HAM license before then so we can be a better part of communications.  But we’ll see!

~Heather

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Last weekend was the celebration of my grandfather’s 97th birthday.  I made him a cake that looked like his cowboy hat that he wears to church every Sunday.  I’ll post a photo soon.  Most of our extended family came up for it, so it was a great time of visiting and catching up with everyone!

This past weekend Jack rode in the Tour of Dallas bike ride.  20 miles!  I’m so proud of him!  I’ll post photos later once I get them off the camera.  I was supposed to ride too, but had some mechanical issues.  Instead I was his personal SAG vehicle. :o)

Later that day we took the dogs to the off-leash dog park (which is becoming a daily thing), and since I didn’t ride that morning I decided to walk them to the park!  It’s 2.05 miles… gulp!  Cool thing though, I bought the Nike+ sensor thing that you can put in your tennis shoes and it feeds information about your walk to you iPod.  I don’t have the Nike shoes, but there’s all kinds of ways to use it with other shoes too.  When I plug my iPod into the computer it uploads my walk/run information and keeps track of it online.  Cool, huh?  Even cooler is the little avatar thing that I can put on my blog so that YOU can see how far/fast/etc. I’ve walked/ran and keep me accountable!  Right now she’s on the right sidebar, down towards the bottom.  Check her out, my mini me is pretty rockin’!

This month is going to be super, super ACTIVE!!  Next weekend is Easter and we’ve got family egg hunts, and more.  The next weekend we travel to Houston and Austin to drive a SAG van in the BP MS 150 bike ride.  Monday, April 20th we’ll also be in Austin for the Cyclists in Suits lobbying day at the Capital.  Then there’s a soldering class I’m helping out with.  Then the next weekend (the first weekend in May) is the Sam’s Club MS 150 in Dallas/Fort Worth where Jack is HAM’ing, and I’m helping with the rest stops!  Whew!  So basically, if you don’t see me, don’t get responses to emails, etc. during the month of April, don’t send out a search party just yet!  lol

Today, I’m chilling out at Panera Bread, taking advantage of their free wi-fi while waiting to go to my doctor’s appointment, then heading to the office after that.  Also working on a new website for Jack, but more on that later.

Lots of stuff for “later!”  So I’ll definitely be posting again real soon!
~Heather

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Can you identify a single word that sums up what you want for yourself in 2009?It can be something tangible or intangible. It could be a thought or a feeling or an emotion. It can be singular or plural. The key is to find something that has personal meaning for you. This is not your mother’s word or your spouse’s word or your child’s word – this is YOUR word.

One little word can have big meaning in your life if you allow yourself to be open to the possibilities. And here’s one thing that is totally interesting: sometimes a word will pop into your brain and it will not make any sense to you right now. Give it some time. Let it percolate a bit. I have often found that our hearts speak to us in very unique ways. Maybe this is a word you need to hear but just aren’t ready for it yet. Again, be open to the possibilities.

One. Little. Word.

Ali has posted this challenge on her blog for a couple of years now, and I always think about it, but can never seem to settle on a word.  Well this year is no different!  I have three.

Hope
Health
Happiness

Hope – Hope for what this year will bring, especially in the area of expanding our family.

Health – Because Jack and I both have plans to better our health this year.  It’s just something we can’t ignore anymore.

Happiness – I want to do what makes me happy.  If there’s something that doesn’t make me happy, make me smile, make me appreciate life, it’s not going into my life.  I’m tired of the negativity.

So, I guess it’s Three Little Words! :o)

~Heather

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Other than trying to make a baby, I’ve been swamped with custom charm orders (see http://sweet-and-charming.blogspot.com).  Luckily I’m finishing up the last of my outstanding orders tonight.  The rest of the week I’ll be working on a cake for a party on Saturday.  It’s going to be a challenge, and I can’t wait to show you pictures… if it turns out ok!!  lol

So that’s my quick update.  I’m fully expecting the next couple of weeks to be crazy! My last craft show of the year is Saturday,  and my custom order deadline is the 19th, so maybe it will calm down after that!!  Maybe!

~Heather

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Happy Pre-Halloween!

Originally uploaded by dacriscloset

Today was our company Halloween day since a bunch of people will be
off tomorrow. We have a costume contest, a spooky spread (pot luck),
department decorating and pumpkin decorating contests. I entered the
pumpkin contest with a Cinderella’s Coach (pictured). It turned out
really cute, but I didn’t win. :( the “blue whale” pumpkin won… I
have to admit it was cute though, she used excedrin for the teeth!
My pumpkin is still a winner in my heart! LOL

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OH. MY. HECK!!!

Found this on YouTube today!  If you have kids you’ve probably already seen it.  It’s from a show called LazyTown (what’s scary is that my husband recognized the song and knew the show!!  Um… honey, we need to talk! lol). 

So here it is… and I DARE you to get the song out of your head!!!  lol

(If you can’t see the embedded video above, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-azqXygCzO8)

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Yep, yesterday I aged a whole year… in one day!  lol  Seriously though, it was my birthday, and after a Multiple Sclerosis Society fundraiser in the morning, I had an awesome evening with Heather, Valita and Joanna!  Thanks ladies for a great birthday… and to Heather for the fabulous chocolate fondue!

Tomorrow morning we’re having a bake sale at the office for United Way, so of course I had to do a cake!  I had this great idea to do a bunch of little cakes with this new flower pan I bought, but um, they didn’t turn out so well.  So plan B was this… a Chocolate Irish Cream cake with Irish Buttercream Icing, and fondant flowers & leaves on top.

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