Best-Ever Carrot Cake

Last week one of the linemen (I work at an electric cooperative) brought me some carrots from his garden. I was so excited! Fresh carrots are the best! When I was little my sisters and I would run out to the garden, try to pick the biggest carrot, barely brush the dirt off, and eat it. Mmmmmm...so good! Anyway, later I saw the same lineman and he requested I make a carrot cake from scratch. He remembered the last time I'd made one, which surprised me cause that was a good 4-5 years ago! Wow...must've been a really good carrot cake! So, being the nice person I am, I went ahead and made the linemen a carrot cake from those fresh carrots. Pacen was so bummed that they got the whole cake so I let him have a sliver and tonight I made him a cake of his own. It will be a nice surprise for him in the morning. A not so nice surprise will be that he has to share it with me. :) The recipe I use is out of the Better Homes and Garden cookbook. Yes, the famous plaid cookbook. It is called "The Best-Ever Carrot Cake" and it lives up to its name. I also made Cream Cheese Frosting from scratch and used a recipe out of the same book. Here are the recipes.

Best-Ever Carrot Cake

4 beaten eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional, but I suggest you use it!)
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 cups finely shredded carrots* (lightly packed)
3/4 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted (optional...I didn't use them)

Allow eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease and flour (or use grease and wax paper) two 9 x 1 1/2-inch round cake pans. Set pans aside. In a large mixing bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon (if desired...and trust me it should be desired), and baking soda.

In a medium bowl combine eggs, carrots, and oil. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir until combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool thoroughly on racks.

Frost tops and sides with Cream Cheese Frosting. If desired, sprinkle chopped pecans over frosting. Store cake in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

*NOTE: The carrots need to be finely shredded or they may sink to the bottom of the pan during baking.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 tsp vanilla
5 3/4 to 6 1/4 cups sifted powdered sugar (I only used 4 cups cause I think too much takes away from the cream cheese flavor.)

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Gradually beat in additional powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency. (Like I said...I only used 4 cups and it tastes great!)

"Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie." ~ Jim Davis

It's that time...

It's that time of year. The time in between the scorching heat and the bitter cold. The time when days become shorter. The time to harvest. The time of the year that I consider to be the most beautiful. I love Autumn. I love the colors of the leaves. I love the smell. I love the weather...it's usually not too hot and not too cold...usually. :) Last weekend I went on a road trip to Spearfish Canyon in the Black Hills to take pictures of the pretty colors. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a disappointing trip. It rained the whole time (just my luck...it was super nice the whole week before...almost too hot). Yes there were pretty colors to see, but they just aren't quite as pretty when there is a cold, wet fog surrounding everything. I did manage to get some fairly decent pictures at Roughlock Falls, but I had to use Photoshop Elements to enhance the color a little because they turned out too dull and dreary (due to the fog and rain). Next weekend I get to attend a wedding at Roughlock Falls and I'm hoping that the sun is shining and there is still some color to see.

This is North of Harrison in Monroe Canyon.

Roughlock Falls in Spearfish Canyon

Near Roughlock Falls

View from Roughlock Falls

On the way home...beautiful Aspen.

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. " ~ Albert Camus

"Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter." ~ Carl Bishop Hipps

Abandoned

A couple years ago I mentioned my fascination with old, abandoned, and wore-down buildings. It's a fascination I've had my whole life. When I see an old abandoned building all I want to do is sneak inside, explore, and take pictures. I don't want to steal anything or destroy anything...I just like to look. I like to imagine what it may have looked like in the past when someone cared for it and I like to imagine what it could look like if someone invested the time and money to administer some TLC. It's just so hard for me to fathom how people can let old buildings rot and crumble. There are so many abandoned buildings that are beautiful and could be put to good use if they were fixed up. If I were filthy rich and didn't have to work I would spend part of my time fixing up old abandoned buildings.

Last week I stumbled upon a website that made me drool. It is a website that lists 100 abandoned houses in Detroit. I have fallen in love with a majority of the houses on the website. They are amazing and beautiful! I've heard enough about Detroit to understand why there are so many abandoned houses, but maybe by cleaning up and fixing some of those houses Detroit can begin to clean up and become a better city. I assume many of the abandoned houses on the website are in the ghetto type areas of the city, but I just feel that if they were fixed up then maybe the neighborhood(s) would turn around and become what they once were. Have I also mentioned that I am a very hopeful person? I dream...A LOT. :)

I love this house! Beautiful and so much potential!

Look at all the abandoned homes in this neighborhood! Ridiculous! They even have decent roofs and glass in the windows...they could be fixed up fairly easily (compared to many others).

"The cry of the ghetto is being heard by a nation with its fingers in its ears." ~ Barbara Sizemore

Pumpkin Patch

Today I went on a field trip with the 4th graders. We went to the University of Wyoming Ag Research Center and the Harvest Home Pumpkin Patch. Pacen has been on a field trip to the pumpkin patch every year since 1st grade and I've never been able to join him. This year the field trip was on my Friday off so I jumped at the opportunity to go. I've never been to a pumpkin patch and I always thought it would be fun. The pumpkin patch that LEMS goes to also has a corn maze. This year the maze is a soldier with a flag and it says "We Support Our Troops". Last night Pacen said, "Mom. Last year I ran through the maze with Cole (running through the maze is not allowed). I'm not doing that this year because the maze is a soldier and that is disrespectful to soldiers." I asked him if a teacher told him that and he said, "No." I was so proud of him for wanting to (on his own accord) respect the military.

Pacen led Mrs. Wasserburger and I around the maze and then we got to choose our pumpkins. Pacen picked a pretty large one. Surprise, surprise. :) I picked a medium sized one and I also bought a few itty bitty white pumpkins, some tomatoes, and a few squash. I can't wait to eat the squash (with a little brown sugar and butter baked into it). All-in-all it was a good field trip. We learned quite a bit at the UW Ag Rearch Center, ate lunch in the park, and had fun at the pumpkin patch. I hope I get to go again next year.

Pacen with his pumpkin

"We fancy men are individuals; so are pumpkins; but every pumpkin in the field goes through every point of pumpkin history." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Long Time Coming

Well, it's about time I post some (and by some I mean A LOT) of pictures from my Self Discovery Trip. Here are some (A LOT) of my favorites...

Day 1: Battle of Little Big Horn & National Cemetery

Day 2: Coeur d'Alene Lake, Idaho

Day 2: International Rose Test Gardens - Portland, OR

Day 2: Japanese Gardens - Portland, OR

Day 3: Portland and Wedding

Day 4: Mount St. Helens & Washington State Capitol

Day 4: Seattle (Pike Place Market & Waterfront)

Day 5: Around Seattle! (I LOVE Seattle!)

Day 5: Seattle Waterfront, Space Needle, and Views

Pike Place Fish & the famous "Low Flying Fish"

Day 6: Oregon Coast - Astoria and along Highway 1o1

Day 6: Oregon Coast -Highway 101, Cape Meares Lighthouse, Devil's Punchbowl, & Devil's Churn

Cold and miserable day, but that won't keep me from enjoying the Ocean!

Day 7: Heceta Head Lighthouse!!!!

Day 7: University of Oregon and on into Idaho.

Creepy!!! :)

Day 8: Back in Beautiful Wyoming!!

"Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow." ~Mark Twain

Much Needed Lovin'

This week has been quite a week. Things at work are really getting under my skin and causing me to be in a bad mood. To top it off the scabs from my tonsillectomy (that I had 2 weeks ago) still haven't fallen off so my throat is still slightly bothering me. Today, though, I received some lovin' from a very special little girl in my life, which made my week 100% better. The little girl is my 3-year-old "niece", Autumn. She used to pretty much despise me and never wanted anything to do with me. *Heartbreak* Back in June she became an older sister and now she loves to be around me. When I visit her and her family she sits with me on the couch and we talk and color. When Autumn and her mom drive through Lusk Autumn used to say, "Aunt Wook lives here and she has two snakes." Now she says, "Aunt Wook lives here, she has two snakes, and I love her." Yay!! :) I love feeling her arms wrapped around my neck when she gives me hugs. I love to see the excitement on her face when she sees me. I love the way she gives me big kisses. I have a few "nieces" and a "nephew" and anytime any of them give me lovin' it makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside and it totally brightens my day/week/year! There's just something about children's hugs, kisses, and smiles...

My "niece", Autumn

"Love is the greatest refreshment in life." ~ Pablo Picasso

Busy, busy Summer

Oh my! I have been slacking on my blog this Summer! I've been busy. I spent most evenings this Summer either playing Softball or training for my first Triathlon. As far as weekends are concerned...c'mon, everyone knows how Summer weekends are...busy, busy, busy. I made it to the lake a couple of times, hung out with friends, enjoyed Rawhide, participated in the Sioux County Fair (my hometown fair), attended weddings, etc. Summers are crazy hectic and I'm ready for things to slow down. Unfortunately, I don't think they will. Pacen is going to be participating in a few more things during this school year so I have a feeling we'll be go, go, go all year. *sigh* Here are some pictures from this Summer

Pacen and I watching Fireworks on the 4th of July

The sisters and I at Rawhide

Pacen enjoying some lake fun!

Pig Wrestling

The sisters and I at the John Mellencamp and Bob Dylan Concert

Pacen's 10th Birthday Party

Busch Stadium!!

"Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it." ~ Russel Baker

Couch surfing

This past weekend I hosted two couch surfers from Prague, Czech Republic. It was a great experience. It was actually my first experience hosting couch surfers and it couldn't have gone any better. I have a feeling that many of you are wondering what couch surfing is. Well, go to this site and it will explain everything. I think it is an absolutely wonderful program. I love how it gives people an opportunity to not only help others, but to also allow some culture into their lives and homes.

The night I hosted Petr and Vaclav (I had a hard time pronouncing it...Vatzlaf is what it sounds like), I was also hosting a birthday party for my "baby" sister's 25th birthday. There were many people at my house and they were very accepting of my couch surfers. Everyone had questions and Petr and Vaclav were very open and had no problem answering questions and carrying on conversations with everyone.

The last couple weeks, some of my friends showed concern about the fact that I was going to allow two complete strangers to stay at my house. One friend even suggested I borrow a gun to put under my bed! Haha! I honestly had zero weird feelings about allowing these two strangers into my home. I told everyone I would be fine and everything would work out. I was right! :)

If any of you are interested in the couch surfing program then I suggest you sign up. It is a great opportunity.

"The only way to have a friend is to be one." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit." ~ Jawaharlal Nehru

Self-Discovery Trip: Day 8

I left Boise pretty early in the morning on the eighth and final day of my adventure. I drove on the Interstate to Idaho Falls, which is clear across the state from Boise, and then cut across the mountains to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I've been to Jackson once before, but I was very young so I stopped to take picture of the famous antler arches. There were already a lot of tourists in town so I didn't stick around very long. I headed North out of Jackson to and drove through the Teton National Forest to Dubois. It is a very pretty drive and the mountains are breath-taking! There were many signs warning drivers of Elk, Moose, and Buffalo on the road. I was very excited cause I've never seen a Moose in the wild before. Well, as my luck would have it, I didn't see any wildlife until I was almost to Dubois. I got to see an Elk. Woo dipity do. I've seen numerous Elk in my time so that wasn't anything too special to me. I did stop to take a picture. Of course. :)

From Dubois I drove to Riverton and then over to Casper. Another very boring stretch of highway. It was my first time through Riverton though and I must say I was actually impressed. Riverton is much bigger than I'd always imagined it to be and much cleaner.

I made it to Casper, which is only 1 1/2 hours from home. Whew!!! I filled up with gas and started on the last leg of my journey. When I was about 20 minutes from home I spotted a Deer with her baby. I love Fawns and their cute little spots! Of course I pulled over and took pictures. :)

I got home around 7:45, unpacked, took a shower, talked to a friend of mine, and then "hit the hay". I was exhausted and pretty happy to be home. I looked at the GPS system and it said I had driven about 3,500 miles on my adventure! WOW! That is a lot of driving!

"Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quiestest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey." ~ Pat Conroy

"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow." ~ Lin Yutang

Self-Discovery Trip: Day 7

I woke up on day seven to more rain. Imagine that. (Sense the sarcasm?) To accompany the rain on this day, though, were gale force winds. If I hadn't known any better I would've thought a hurricane was blowing into the West Coast. There was no way I was going to miss seeing my favorite lighthouse though, so I drove back out to Heceta Head. Like I mentioned before, the hike to the lighthouse was a 1/2 mile, which doesn't sound bad at all until you factor in the sideways rain and gale force winds! As I stepped onto the cliff that is home to Heceta Head Lighthouse my beloved umbrella blew inside out and the wind tried to rip it out of my hands. I closed it before it could be lost to the sea and went on about my mission to photograph my favorite lighthouse, which is really hard to do when it's almost impossible to keep the lens clear of water. On a normal sunny day I would've spent quite a bit of time taking pictures of Heceta Head, but I think I ended up only staying 10 minutes. It was too miserable up there and by the time I got back to my car my coat and pants were completely soaked.

I decided to stop at the Sea Lion Caves about a mile South of Heceta Head. It is the largest sea cave in North America and is home to many sea lions. They are very entertaining creatures even though they pretty much just lay there. Every so often one will swim in and try numerous times to jump onto a rock so he/she can be lazy.

After leaving the caves I drove back to Florence and then headed East towards Eugene. Eugene is home to the University of Oregon. One of my dad's heroes is a track legend at UO and is the reason Eugene is called "Track Town USA". Steve Prefontaine. Before I left on my trip my parents and I were talking about Oregon and dad mentioned that before his time is up he would love to run on the same track that Steve ran on. Well, due to that remark I made it a point to stop at OU. I got directions to Hayward Field and took pictures of the track. It is a very nice setup and the OU campus is gorgeous! It created feelings in me that I really didn't think I'd ever feel. All of a sudden I was wishing I had been able to attend a real University (not the online version I attended). Yes, I attended Chadron State College for a couple semesters, but I didn't like it at all. Universities are much bigger and seem to put out a different vibe than small colleges. I guess I should be thankful that I was able to earn my degree at all.

After leaving Eugene I headed toward Bend. The "little bitch" on the dash ended up leading me astray somewhere between Eugene and Bend. She took me up a scenic byway that happened to be closed about ten miles up the road due to snow on the mountain. I was a little irritated that I lost 20-30 minutes of my travel time, but I saw some very pretty scenery so it worked out. I was anxious to see Bend...my sister "lived" there quite a few years back and my family drove out to see her and when they returned they kept telling me how it is the perfect place for me. Well, after I finally made it over the mountain and into Bend I was slightly disappointed. It wasn't quite what I pictured, but I also didn't get to see much cause I didn't stop anywhere or go off the trail I was on. I have looked at Bend's website since I've been home and it is actually quite a pretty town. If I'm ever there again I'll take the time to check things out.

From Bend I took Highway 20 to Burns. That has got to be the most boring road ever! There isn't anything to look at and it seems to go on forever! I finally made it to Burns and took Highway 26 up to Canyon City. It was just about as bad as Highway 20. From Canyon City I drove to Vale and on over to Ontario. The drive from Canyon City to Vale was a little better...there was a nice canyon to drive through, but then it got rather boring again. I'm very disappointed in the Eastern side of Oregon. I got on the Interstate at Ontario and drove to Boise, Idaho, where I stayed in the nicest Motel 6 I've ever seen! By the time I got to Boise it was dark and time for bed. I wanted a cheap place to stay and I saw the Motel 6 so I took a chance (I've never been too impressed with the Motel 6 chain). I was pleasantly surprised when I got to my room. The room and bathroom both had laminate wood flooring and the bathroom was very spacious. If you ever go through Boise and you have to stay the night I definitely recommend the Motel 6 along the Interstate. :)

"To awaken alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world." ~ Freya Stark

"A traveler without observation is a bird without wings." ~ Moslih Eddin Saadi

Self-Discovery Trip: Day 6

On day six I drove down I-5 and then cut across to Astoria, OR to start my journey down Highway 101 along the coast. I was expecting to see signs in Astoria stating, "The Goonies filmed in this area" or signs pointing the way to some of the locations where The Goonies was filmed. I didn't see anything that pertained to The Goonies! What a disappointment! What an outrage! The Goonies is one of the best movies ever made! It's a classic! When I was young I dreamed of following in the footsteps of "the Goonies" and finding a long lost treasure! Astoria should be proud to have been the location for such a great movie!

Sorry to vent...moving on now. I stopped to take some pictures of fishing boats in Astoria Port and when I got out of the car I heard a "barking" sound. I immediately knew what it was coming from so I followed the sound and discovered many Sea Lions. They were laying all over the docks being super noisy! I watched them for a while and they made me laugh a lot. They were so cute! After I ventured on I stopped at the Columbia River Maritime Museum. It was very neat. It turns out that the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean right at Astoria. This location is called the Columbia River Bar and is one of the most dangerous bars to cross. Many ships have gone down in this area and it known as "The Graveyard of the Pacific". The museum displays artifacts from many of the wrecks and people are even allowed to tour a floating lighthouse, which is a ship once owned by the Coastguard.

After leaving Astoria, I started my drive down the 101. I stopped at numerous pullouts to take pictures of what I could see of the coastal scenery (it was very cloudy and rainy). I even stopped at a beach (pretty sure it was near Cannon Beach) and wandered about ankle deep into the Pacific Ocean. It was my first time seeing or touching the Pacific. The wind was blowing pretty hard and it was raining like crazy so I didn't get to hang out for very long.

I continued driving and when I made it to Tillamook I discovered they have a cheese factory. I thought I better stop. I got to see the slicing and packaging process...it's pretty cool to see all the machines and people working. A trip to a cheese factory wouldn't be complete without purchasing some fresh cheese slices and cheese curds, so that's just what I did. :) I also stopped at a small French place, Blue Heron French Cheese and Winery. I purchased some Blue Heron wine (made in Tillamook) and can't wait to try it. As I was driving out of Tillamook I saw a sign pointing the way to the Cape Meares Lighthouse. Of course I had to take the detour to see it. It was quite the detour. Very much out of the way and at times kind of spooky as it seemed I was the only one on this road. I kept wondering what I would do if I broke down or blew another tire. Well I made it to the lighthouse and there were a bunch of tourists there. I got some pictures and went on my way. It took a bit to get back to the 101, but I made it!

Later I saw a sign for the Devil's Punchbowl. I had seen pictures of the punchbowl so I had to stop. It is located at Otter Rock, South of Depoe Bay. It is really neat. At first I thought I was in the wrong place cause I couldn't see the punchbowl. You can't really see it until you walk to the fence along the cliff and look down. WOW! It is really cool! It is a hollow rock formation with a hole in the wall near the bottom. The ocean slams through that hole into the formation and swirls and foams.

Near Yachats I stopped to see the Devil's Churn. Hmmmm, have you ever noticed how a lot of locations have "Devil" in their name? There is a Devil's Den near my dad's cabin North of Harrison. There is a Devil's Swimming Pool on the top of Victoria Falls that I want to visit someday. It's just weird how many locations have the "Devil" in their name. Okay, now moving on. :) Even though it was still raining very steadily I decided to walk down the trail to get a close up view of Devil's Churn. Keep in mind that I was the only person around. I got to the bottom of the trail and started carefully walking across a bunch of slippery rocks to the edge of the churn so I could get pictures. Also keep in mind I had on flip-flops. So I got pretty close to the edge and...and...I slipped! I almost fell in! If I had fallen in I would've been a goner! Devil's Churn is a large, long, crack in the rocks. The water slams into the crack and boils all the way to the end. It is very loud...it was especially loud when I was there cause the Ocean was very rough due to the weather. I got some pictures and then wandered over the hill, where it was much safer. On the other side of the hill from the churn there are a lot of tidal pools. Unfortunately I didn't see any sea creatures in the pools. The waves were crashing very beautifully on the rocks though so I got closer to get a cool picture. As I was taking a picture of a wave crashing another wave crashed on me! Good thing I was already soaked! :)

It was starting to get dark so I decided I better get to Florence. I still wanted to see my favorite lighthouse, Heceta Head, which is 11 miles North of Florence. I drove to Heceta Head Lighthouse and discovered it is a 1/2 mile walk from the parking lot to the lighthouse. Like I mentioned before, it was getting dark, plus it was still raining like crazy. I decided to go on into Florence and find a cheap hotel room (as camping was once again out of the question even though there were many campgrounds nearby). I found a decent place, hauled my saggy self into the room, dried off, got warm, watched "The Top 20 Unsolved Murders" (made me glad I didn't camp), and then "hit the hay".

"I love traveling. I love just going about on my own, feeling I have no roots." ~ Tom Jenkinson

"But more wonderful than the lore of old men and the lore of books is the secret lore of ocean." ~ H. P. Lovecraft

Self-Discovery Trip: Day 5

Day five consisted of A LOT of walking! Half of it in the rain. I started out by wandering around the Pike Place Market. If you ever go to Seattle I strongly urge you to check out the market! It is awesome! The first shop I saw was Pike Place Fish, home of the "low flying fish". It was so cool! If somebody ordered fish a guy in front would grab the fish, yell something at the guy in the back, and then throw the fish. I could've stood there all day and watched, but I had other things to do.

I wandered further into the market and saw many awesome things! I was surprised at how many flower stands there were...all run by Asians (if I remember correctly). There were all different kinds of flowers and they were so pretty! One of the first things I noticed when I arrived in Seattle was the number of people walking around downtown carrying a bouquet of flowers. I'm assuming they purchased the flowers at the market. While in the market I stumbled upon a pasta stand. It turns out the man running it is from Laramie, WY. How crazy is that? Small world. :)

After leaving the market I walked 12 blocks down 1st Ave. and a few blocks up Jackson Street to the International District. My main reason for wanting to go to the International District was so I could eat some authentic Asian food...particularly Dim Sum. I wandered around for a bit and then decided it was time to eat. The only problem...there were tons of restaurants to choose from. I saw a small restaurant with pictures of their Dim Sum options in the window so I checked it out and decided it was too busy. I really didn't want to wander into a really busy Asian Restaurant by myself. I could just imagine the looks I'd get. I started walking back down the street and an Asian man stopped me and asked me if I was looking for a place to eat. I told him I was and said he was too, but he didn't want to eat alone. He asked me to join him so I agreed. We walked a few blocks to a large, very busy restaurant. After waiting for 20-30 minutes we were seated. I'm so glad I ran into Tim cause I couldn't understand a single thing the waitress was saying! We ordered a few dishes of Dim Sum. I have no idea what they were called but they were all very delicious! We also enjoyed some Oolong tea. After lunch Tim wandered with me around the district. He took me to a grocery store so I could see all the different items. There were so many strange things, but it was really neat. Tim even bought me a rice cake filled with red beans so I could sample Asian dessert. It was good, but not something I'd eat all the time. I was getting a little nervous cause he kept talking about how he's still single and he kept mentioning that he makes great money so finally I ditched him as politely as I could. I told him I had to get back to my Hostel to do some things, thanked him for everything, and then I hurried on my way.

I walked quite a ways down Jackson Street and when I determined that Tim wasn't following me I walked down Occidental Ave. so I could check out Qwest Field, home of the Seahawks and Sounders, and Safeco Field, home of the Mariners. I then walked all the way back up into the Pioneer District. I was pretty tired and my feet and lower part of my jeans were soaked so I sat down on a park bench to rest. Shortly after, a big black man sat down next to me...and lit up a joint! Haha! He was talking away and half the time I couldn't understand him cause he was talking so fast, but he was very nice so I sat and listened. We talked about all kinds of stuff and I found out that he grew up in Kansas City, MO and that his name is James. He asked me to take his picture, so I did. He then asked me to send it to him when I got home, which I will do. :) After talking to James for about a half hour or so I told him I had better be on my way as I still had lots to see. He thanked me for making his day brighter and for being a beautiful ray of sunshine and then he gave me a big bear hug and a kiss on the cheek. I thanked him for making my day better too and I went on my way.

I walked a couple blocks and happened to be walking past Diva Dollz (the vintage inspired clothing store I fell in love with the night before) and noticed they were open! Uh oh! :) I wandered inside and fell deeper in love! It was a very quaint shop full of the most amazing clothes, shoes, and jewelry! I tried on a few things and ended up buying an outfit, which I paid an ungodly amount of money for. I don't even want to talk about it. I decided vintage inspired clothing is a huge weakness of mine and I better try my hardest to never go in that shop or another vintage inspired clothing store ever again...unless I become extremely rich. :)

I decided I needed to change my shoes cause they were soaked so I stopped at my car, which was parked near the Hostel and I made the big mistake of putting on my old worn out "chucks" instead of my nice running shoes. I then walked 16 blocks to the Space Needle. The view from the top was amazing!! Luckily the sun had come out so you could see quite a ways. I stayed in the needle for a while and then walked down to the Waterfront. I started walking up the Waterfront towards Pike Place Market, which was another 16 or so blocks away. By this time I realized that it was a huge mistake for me to have opted for my "chucks" instead of my running shoes. My feet were hurting and I could tell the bottom of my pinkie toes were blistered. It was quite an uncomfortable walk back to the Pike Place Market area. I stopped in a few shops along the Waterfront, ate at Ivar's Fish Bar, which I thought was pretty much like a Long John Silver's.

After eating I made my way back to the Hostel, showered, and got ready for bed. All that walking wore me out! I'd like to know how many miles I walked. By my calculations I walked well over 100 blocks on day five! Probably between 120 and 130 blocks. Holy cow...no wonder my feet were hurting!! Next time I walk that far I will be sure to wear my running shoes.

"The longest journey begins with a single step." ~ Lao Tsu

"Good things happen when you meet strangers." ~ Yo-Yo Ma

(I still haven't gotten my pictures downloaded so bear with me. They will be posted as soon as I have time.)

Self-Discovery Trip: Day 4

I'm home now, but I need to play catch up with my trip. :) I'm not gonna lie...on day four I slept in. I needed the rest! After I finally got ready and hauled all my crap back out to the car I headed to Seattle. I stopped at Mount St. Helens on the way, but I couldn't see it! :( They said it had been days since they've seen the famous volcano, due to the cloudy weather. Bummer. So what I did instead was drive to the nearest gas station, bought the biggest taco salad (for only $3.99) ever, and headed back to the St. Helens visitor center to picnic. It was slightly drizzly, but they had a couple picnic tables under some trees. It was a nice picnic and the taco salad was great!

After my picnic I headed on my merry little way towards Seattle. Once again, though, I veered off course. I was driving through Olympia and saw a sign mentioning the Capitol Building. I thought, "Why not? It will be good to see the Capitol Building of another state." So, I drove to the site of the Capitol and luckily it wasn't too far off the Interstate. I walked around the grounds and took pictures of some amazing war memorials. I then got to go inside the legislative building. It was awesome!

After I was done at the Capitol I was back on my merry way. I made it to Seattle and followed the GPS directions to where the Hostel I wanted to stay in was suppose to be. Unfortunately the Hostel was under construction. Fortunately the GPS system I borrowed will tell you where the nearest lodging sites are. Low and behold, there was another Hostel in the same area...actually a much better area than the first one was in! It was directly across the street from the Pike Place Market and between the Space Needle and the International District! Everything I planned to do and see was within walking distance of The Green Tortoise Hostel!!! How lucky can I get?! So I checked into the Hostel and headed to my room. I liked this one much more than the Hostel in Portland. Don't get me wrong. The Northwest Portland International Hostel was very nice, but The Green Tortoise had curtains on the bunks so you could have a tiny bit of privacy and each bunk had its own light and fan! Plus there were more bathrooms so you weren't nervous to take a shower longer than 5 minutes.

Once I got settled in I headed out into the city. I wandered the Pike Place Market but it was already closed for the day so I found my way to the Waterfront. Seattle sits right on the Puget Sound so there were many freight ships and sail boats to see. I wandered the Waterfront for a bit and then decided to eat at a seafood restaurant right on the pier. I had fried oysters! Mmmm. :) After eating I wandered a little further down the pier and then crossed back over into the hustle and bustle of the city. I ended up right in the middle of the Pioneer District, which is one of the places I wanted to see. It's an old part of town and has some awesome character about it. While in the Pioneer District I stumbled upon a store that made my jaw hit the ground. It was a vintage inspired clothing store! I LOVE vintage inspired clothing! Unfortunately they were closed, so I had to be happy with just admiring the vintage clad mannequins in the windows.

After some admiring and drooling (haha) I finally made my way back up to the Green Tortoise to get some sleep.

"The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see." ~ Gilbert K. Chesterton

Self-Discovery Trip: Day 3

I spent the morning of day three walking around the Pearl District and the Saturday Market in Portland. The first place I went to was Powell's City of Books. It is an amazing book store! It is huge! There are numerous rooms...named after a color. For example, the orange room contained books about crafting and cooking. The rose room contained books for children and books on how to teach children. I purchased a book about cake decorating and a book I loved when I was a child. Animalia. I thought Pacen might like it. I really didn't go into any other stores in the Pearl District but I did wander around and down to China Town. I was not impressed with China Town. It was dirty and rather scary.

My next stop was at the Portland Saturday Market. I loved it! If I lived in Portland I would probably spend many weekends at the market. It is right next to the river. There is live music and numerous booths containing arts and crafts, food, jewelry, etc. I stumbled upon a booth with the most amazing art pieces. I fell in love with many of the pieces and ended up buying two. The artist is Sienna Morris. She draws her pieces using the numbers of the clock: one through twelve...to "signify time in a fleeting moment". I suggest you check out her work...it is amazing!

I then checked into the Doubletree Hotel and got ready for my cousin's (Kirby) wedding (there was even a swag bag for the wedding, containing a 40 of PBR, peanuts, chex mix, PSU pins, etc.). The wedding was on the roof top of the Urban Center at Portland State University. I ended up riding the MAX to the Urban Center with the bride (Bronwen), her family, the bridesmaids, and my family. The ceremony was very nice and very short. The best kind. :) After the ceremony everyone hung out on the roof sipping champagne. The reception was held at the hotel and it was absolutely amazing! Everything was gorgeous and the band was absolutely fantastic! (If you ever get a chance to hear "The New Groove" band I suggest you take the opportunity!)

The wedding had a rather unique "theme". Mustaches. Each table at the reception had a picture of a famous mustached man. To figure out what table you were seated at you had to find your name on a chocolate mustache on a stick. I was seated at the "Hulk Hogan table". I think my table was probably the most fun! We had so much fun with the mustache's, some fake tattoos that were put on each table (with stickers that said "Keep Portland Weird"), and we laughed a lot. I ate some amazing food, danced my butt off, and hung out with my cousins. It was a great night.

"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person." ~ Mignon McLaughlin

(I will post pictures after I return home.)

Self-Discover Trip: Day 2

On the second day of my trip I slept a little longer than planned, but I really needed the rest. I checked out of the hotel between 6:30 and 7:00 and drove part way around Coeur d'Alene Lake. It is beautiful! I then headed toward Portland. I didn't make many stops between Coeur d'Alene and Portland, as there really wasn't much to see. I was actually very surprised at how barren the East side of Washington is. I did stop at a country market to buy some fresh cherries though. I saw a sign along the highway and I just had to stop. I love cherries! :)

Most of the rest of the drive to Portland was along the Oregon/Washington border, which is the Columbia River. The river is huge and the gorge is WINDY! I stopped at a gorgeous rest area between The Dalles and Hood River. Yeah, I put the words gorgeous and rest area in the same sentence. :) It was probably the nicest rest area I've ever seen. Hood River is where the scenery started to become breath taking! The mountains are amazing and everything was so green! BEAUTIFUL!

I arrived in Portland about 2:00 p.m. (Portland time) and found Northwest Portland International Hostel, which is where I stayed. It was the first time I ever stayed in a hostel and I liked everything about it, except for the fact that you have to try to be super quiet cause your roommates are sleeping. When you're trying to be super quiet the sound of a zipper zipping seems as loud as a foghorn!

After I checked into the hostel I headed to run some errands (buy shoes for the wedding and a wedding gift). That is when the 2nd "incident" of the trip happened. I locked the keys in my car. Ugh. Luckily the DSW Shoe Warehouse ladies helped me out and found a number for me to call. About 45 minutes later I was back on my merry little way. I headed to the International Rose Test Garden and the Portland Japanese Garden. Both were very beautiful and the smell of the Rose Garden was absolutely wonderful! It rained the whole time I was touring, but I had an umbrella so it was just fine. I also checked out Pittock Mansion. The parking lot was empty (except for one car) so I took a picture of the mansion and left. It was somewhat eerie.

By the time I got back to the hostel it was about time for the "meet and greet" party for the wedding. I got ready and drove to the bar where the party was. I got there at the perfect time...my dad's cousin, Mike (groom's father), and his wife had just pulled up. I met a lot of people and had a good time. I ended up staying later than I had planned, talking and playing shuffle board with my cousins and some of their friends, but it was great! By the time I got back to the hostel everyone in my room was asleep.

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only a page." ~ Saint Augustine

Self-Discovery Trip: Day 1

I left Lusk at 5:00 this morning on what I'm calling a "self-discovery trip". My cousin, Kirby, is getting married on Saturday in Portland, Oregon. I decided I wanted attend the wedding, but I didn't want to fly, so I planned a big road trip! I'm not going to tell you all about the road trip just yet...I want to do it on a day-to-day basis (if I have time), so here is day 1:

Like I mentioned above, I left at 5:00 a.m. For those of you that know me, that is extremely early for me. I am not a morning person...at all. I did really well until about two hours into the trip when I was between Casper and Buffalo (very boring stretch of highway) and then I started getting very drowsy. When I got to Buffalo I stopped to grab a coffee and after that I was fine.

Last night my dad told me not to treat this trip like a "mission". He told me to take time to stop and see the sights and enjoy the scenery. My parents took across country bike trip before I was born. They were gone for two months and only took two rolls of pictures! They even rode right by the Grand Ol' Opry and didn't stop! So, I took my dad's advice and I stopped at the Little Bighorn Battlefield...and I took lots of pictures. :)

After that stop I didn't really see anything of interest except the Louis and Clark Caverns. That sounded neat, but it was a ways off the Interstate so I didn't check it out (I still had four hours to drive and it was 3:00). I did stop and take some pictures of the mountains though. Montana has so many gorgeous mountain ranges.

My goal for today was to make it to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. I had just passed St. Regis, Montana (about 80 miles from Coeur d'Alene) when I blew a tire. Seriously, the whole middle section of tire came off and flew across the Interstate. I did what any independent semi-young woman would do in such a situation...I pulled to the side of the road and changed my tire. While changing my tire dangerously close to the lanes of traffic I discovered something. 98% of people driving through Montana don't care that a semi-young woman is trying to change a tire...they stay in the right lane instead of moving to the left lane. Even semi's stayed in the right lane, which was very scary. So after 10 minutes or so my "doughnut" was successfully put on the car and I'm thinking I'm ready to roll to the next exit to get help, but fate had other plans for me. While I was changing my tire the battery died. Seriously! Well crap, a dead battery is definitely something I can't fix on my own with just one vehicle, so I called 911. The lady who answered (after 6 rings or so) informed me that I was in such-and-such county and she was dispatch for a different county. She told me she'd have the correct county call me. After waiting 15 minutes and not hearing a word from dispatch I decided to take care of business myself. I popped the hood, got my jumper cables, put a "helpless puppy look" on my face, and stood in front of my car. It worked! A very nice man pulled over and jumped my car. He even offered to let me stay at his house (he made sure to inform me that he is married and has a child so he was harmless). About that time a cop finally shows up. Wow! What if this had been a huge emergency?! Anyway, the cop was zero help so I drove away with my "doughnut" to the next exit with a business (10-12 miles away, over a mountain pass). I stopped at a cute bar/restaurant called "The Oasis" and the very nice bartender called the "local" mechanic who happened to have a tired that would work. Yay!!!! Well, I was excited until I saw the shop. I actually had to follow one of the mechanics to the shop because it was a couple miles back in the mountains. When I pulled off the main "street" and onto the dirt road leading to the shop, "dueling banjos" started playing in my head. This place looked like it came straight out of a hillbilly horror movie! There were even Rottweilers running around. To top it off, when I pulled my car into the shop one of the mechanics was sitting in a chair fixing his fake leg! The third mechanic was very old, and I didn't look too close, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was missing most of his teeth. When it came time to pay I asked Mr. Fake Leg if they would accept a credit card. He hem hawed around and finally said they could and then he asked me if I had any cash. I told him I did so he said he'd charge me $60, which was supposedly half-price. I gave him $80 and then I got out of there. They were nice people, but it felt weird there.

My original plan was to camp at Coeur d'Alene at a very nice campground, but when I got here it was raining and I decided I'd had enough excitement for one day...I didn't want to mess with a wet tent, so I found a hotel. Whew! Now I'm going to take a nice hot shower and hit the hay.

I have many pictures, but I will have to post them later...I'm exhausted! G'night!

"People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something one finds, it is something one creates." ~ Thomas Szasz

It's Okay To Be 'You-nique"

It's been a year since I was thrown into a downward spiral of confusion, sadness, anger, abandonment, and loneliness. I think it's pretty pathetic that I know the exact date...but what can I say? I'm pathetic. My friends and family have helped me a lot this past year...they've provided shoulders to cry on, good advice, and they listened to me as I went into long tirades. I have had so many questions, most unanswerable, but my friends and family have done their best to try to answer those questions and give me a sense of peace.

Through all of this my self-esteem has suffered. I haven't ever had the greatest self-esteem...some people think I do, but I really don't. I look in the mirror and immediately see every flaw I have. I find flaws about everything in my life. My friends and family claim that I'm delusional and they claim that they don't see the flaws I see. I think they're just being nice. I have an extremely hard time believing people when they compliment me. I usually just say, "Thank you", while on the inside I'm thinking, "You're just trying to be nice".

A friend of mine recently gave me a list of all the things "the world loves about me". It made me laugh and cry. It made me realize that I am special and that there is definitely nobody else out there like me. I'm unique (I like to think of it as you-nique). I may be flawed but I'm me...and that's all I can be. Here is what he wrote:

Reasons the World Loves Brooke

She is intelligent. She is funny. She snorts when she laughs. She has raised a great son named Pacen. She always tries to be a friend. She is a good friend. She has a good work ethic. She honors her father, her mother, and her grandparents. She will never turn a person down no matter what the request. She is a great softball player. Despite what life has thrown at her, she has created a beautiful environment around her. She has dorky friends that she adores. She loves her sisters (almost always). She digs adventure. She helps people when they ask. She is classy. She is incredibly kind. She has a crazy bird named after a pirate. She works hard to maintain her health. She encourages those around her. She dreams big dreams. She is determined. She sets and achieves goals. She believes in a life beyond what is given to her. She is even kind to snakes. She has a nice home that she is making nicer. She is very wise. She is a classy dresser. She has great business sense. She is a free spirit. She listens to funky music. She has a huge college degree. She drinks wine. She laughs and laughs. She knows how to hammer a nail and saw a board. She helps her dad plant trees. She insists that country music sucks, despite the fact that 99% of those around her feel differently. She stand on her granddad's homemade scaffold to help him paint when he needs it. She takes care of her finances. She is careful not to judge (except for country music). She drinks margaritas. She scuba dives. She thinks life is better because of sailboats and lighthouses. she has been a lighthouse for many, looking over their personal safety and well being when they would not. She has ink. She is special (but not special ed). She has a huge heart.

"A human being is a single being. Unique and unrepeatable." ~ Eileen Caddy

My Little Artist (ar-teest)

A while back Pacen told me he wants to start painting. It took me by surprise. My son is very outdoorsy...a rough, wild, dirty little boy who normally can't sit still for more than half a second. You don't believe me? Try sitting on the couch with him to watch a movie, or taking a road trip with him, or sleeping in the same bed as him (it is dangerous and harmful and I end up covered in bruises)! He seriously cannot sit still at all! It's just the way he is, and there is nothing I can do about it...well, maybe there is but it's not good practice to duct tape your children to a chair. :)

So, due to the fact that Pacen is so squirmy, I've never thought of him as being the kind to sit down and paint a picture. He likes to draw, but he does that at school, when he has to try and sit still. When he's home it's play time...not sit still time. Anyway, decided I would let him give painting a shot. Why not? It's good to feed the creativity of children. To help them use their imaginations and do something constructive with what is running around in their little heads. So, I bought Pacen an easel, some canvas, paints, brushes, and pretty much everything a little boy would need in order to paint a masterpiece.

All the supplies sat around for a bit due to the fact that Pacen and I have crazy schedules this time of year, but the time finally arrived...it was a beautiful evening and we didn't have anything going on, so I set everything up on the front porch and my little artist (I think I'll pronounce it ar-teest) painted his first masterpiece. He painted a picture of a motocross rider going up a hill. It turned out pretty good!

Such a serious little painter. (Ignore the x-mas lights...I took them down later that day.)

Wow! Such concentration! :) He's probably thinking, "Mom! Knock it off!"

The final product!

"The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself." ~ Alan Alda

Earth Day

Happy Earth Day everyone! I know not everybody is into saving our planet and many people think the planet doesn't need saving. Think whatever you like. I'm very open-minded so I don't mind if people have different thoughts than I do. I do think the planet needs to be taken care of, but I will admit that I'm not very good at doing this. I recycle my water bottles at work and I started a compost pile, but I still throw things away that should be recycled and I drive a car that isn't very eco-friendly. I'm going to try to start doing more things to help this planet though. Maybe I'll adopt a stretch of highway or something. Pacen needs to be taught to respect the Earth too and the adopt-a-highway program would be a good way to do this. He'll probably want to keep most of the trash we pick up so he can build something, but hopefully he'll get the understanding that it's not good for people to litter. Yes, I think I will look into the adopt-a-highway program tomorrow.

"Save the Earth, it's the only planet with chocolate!" ~ Unknown

There's just something about Tulips

Tulips. I love them. I love everything about them. The main reason I love them is because they are like a new beginning. As soon as their green leaves start to sprout up from the dirt I feel a sense of peace. I know that the dreary days of winter will soon come to an end and that most everything will be bursting with life. Warmer days are on the way. Sunshine. Birds singing. Flowers blooming. Bees buzzing. The sound of children laughing as they ride their bikes up the street. I can't wait!


*sigh* I need blooms. I need them now. I planted many many bulbs the past couple years and I'm hoping this is the year that they all decide to bloom. Many are starting to sprout from the ground, but not as many as I'd hoped. In anticipation of the beautiful blooms to come, I drew some tulips on my sidewalk with chalk. I guess those "blooms" will have to do for now and hopefully they don't get washed away too soon.


"The tulip is, among flowers, what the peacock is among birds. A tulip lacks scent, a peacock has an unpleasant voice. The one takes pride in its garb, the other in its tail." ~ French Proverb (And even though a Tulip doesn't have a scent I still love it!)

Every woman should

I was perusing some of my favorite blogs the other day and I came across the following poem on The Lettered Cottage. I know I've heard it before, a long time ago in my past, and I remember thinking it was a great poem. I guess I kind of forgot about it. I think every woman should read this poem:

Every woman should have...

Enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to.

Something perfect to wear if the employer, or date of her dreams, wants to see her in an hour.

A youth she's content to leave behind.

A past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age.

A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra.

One friend who always makes her laugh and one who lets her cry.



A good piece of furniture, not previously owned by anyone else in her family.

Eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored.

A feeling of control over her destiny.

Every woman should know...

How to fall in love without losing herself.

How to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without ruining the friendship.

When to try harder...and when to walk away.

That she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents.

That her childhood may not have been perfect...but it's over.

What she would and wouldn't do for love.

How to live alone...even if she doesn't like it.

Whom she can trust, whom she can't, and why she shouldn't take it personally.

Where to go when her soul needs soothing; be it to her best friend's kitchen table or a charming Inn in the woods.



What she can and can't accomplish in a day...a month...a year.

~ Pamela Redmond Satran

Candy Pwease

Easter weekend I got to see my friend's little boy, J.T., whom I haven't seen since Halloween (he was Mr. Clean). He will be two in May and he is so adorable. I was taking his picture a lot while I was over at his Aunt Sunny's (my best friend) house and he loved it. He even said "cheese" for me before every picture. He is such a little "ham", much like Pacen was when he was that age. I miss having a "ham" around to photograph. Pacen outgrew that phase a long time ago and I'm sure J.T. will too, but until then I will photograph the little guy like crazy every time I see him. He is very photogenic too. I wish his cousin, Autumn, was as understanding of "Aunt Wook" and her camera as J.T. is. :)

One of my favorite pictures I got of J.T. also involves one of my favorite foods. Chocolate! I brought a small bag of chocolate to Autumn as an Easter treat and he saw it and said, "Candy pwease." How adorable! I love the way little kids talk! His mom gave him a piece of chocolate and the next thing we knew his little face was covered! So funny! Later I was holding him and he looked at me and his Aunt Sunny and again said, "Candy pwease." At first we weren't sure if we should give him another piece and then we decided there was no way we could say no to such a polite and adorable request. This time the chocolate ended up all over his face and all over my neck/chest. Just look at the picture. Would you ever be able to say no to those big green eyes staring up at you and the little voice saying, "Candy pwease."?! I don't think so!



"Even when freshly washed and relieved of all obvious confections, children tend to be sticky." ~ Fran Lebowitz

My Little Knight in Shining Armor

This morning I was getting ready to take a shower and when I got to my nasty shower (more on that later) I discovered something that I don't ever want to find in my shower or, for that fact, anywhere in my home! Something I have been deathly afraid of pretty much my whole life! A spider! A huge, nasty, big-butted (I sometimes create words) spider! Luckily it was already dead. Many thoughts started running through my head. "Where did he come from?! Is my shower so nasty that it kills spiders the instant they crawl into it?! What am I going to do?!"

After sitting there for a bit I decided I would just wash the spider down the drain. I don't have a normal shower drain. You see, my shower is homemade. Constructed by someone who didn't put much thought into what they were doing, I might add. Someone who didn't want a nice, spa-like shower. The drain is a normal basement over-flow drain. It has pretty big holes. I figured the spider would easily wash down the drain. I was wrong.

Plan A was a failure so it was time for me to move on to Plan B. First I had to come up with a Plan B. I was so sure Plan A would work! Dang it! Okay, slowly Plan B is started coming together in my head. Aha! I decided it would be best to wake Pacen a whole half-hour before he normally wakes up so he could take care of the spider for me. Perfect! So I run back upstairs to get my knight in shining armor, knowing he is not going to be happy about this whole ordeal.

"Baby, I need you to do me a favor.", I say in my sweetest, most loving voice. :)

He stretches, yawns, and says, "What is it Mama?" (Yes, he calls me Mama and I love, love, love it!)

"There's a spider in the shower. Can you please get it for me?"

*Big Sigh* "Give me a minute."

So I wait...but not for very long cause I don't want the spider to miraculously come back to life and get me (it could happen...anything is possible). As we're walking downstairs I look at Pacen just as he runs his fingers through his hair in a rather frustrated manner with a rather frustrated look on his face. I knew he wouldn't be happy, but what else was I suppose to do?!

"Where is it Mama?"

I point towards the shower and after he finally focuses in on it he says in a very matter-of-fact tone, "I'm NOT picking that thing up!"

"Well what are we going to do?! I can't pick it up either!"

After a little thought he says, "We could vacuum it up. Go get the vacuum."

My son is so smart! Why didn't I think of the vacuum? So now we're on Plan C. I get the vacuum and hand him the hose (I can't touch anything that is touching a spider...it's a thing).

"Okay, turn it on!"

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR (my very loud vacuum sound)

After just a second or two he screams, "TURN IT OFF!"

"NO! WHAT IF IT'S NOT IN THE BAG YET?!"

"IT'S IN THE BAG MOM!" Oh my, he called me "Mom", he must be serious.

I turn off the vacuum, he complains about how loud it is, and then goes back upstairs. He just left me! With the vacuum that has a large spider in it! How could he do that to me?! Just to make sure the spider actually did make it to the bad I turn the vacuum back on for 30 seconds or so. Okay, I think it's safe now. I take a very fast shower...the whole time looking up, down, side-to-side, and everywhere for more spiders. *Shudder* I HATE spiders!

I do have to say, though, that I am much better about dealing with spiders than I used to be. When I lived in Harrison I had to face spiders a lot as I lived in a trailer house and trailer houses are so easy for mice and spiders to break in to. I would call my friend, Norm, who lived in Crawford. He would answer the phone to someone crying and hyper-ventilating. He always knew it was me and he always knew what was wrong.

"Brooke, it's not going to get you."

Between gasps for air and sobs, "Yes...it...is! It's...so...BIG...Norm!"

"Breathe Brooke. You'll be okay."

"No...I...won't!"

"Brooke, get a shoe and throw it at the spider."

"I...can't! If...I...go...get...a...shoe...it'll...crawl...away...and...I...won't...know...where...it...is...and...it'll...get...me...while...I...sleep!"

"No it won't, Brooke. Now go get a shoe."

"Okay."

"You got a shoe now?"

"Yes."

"Throw it at the spider."

"I...can't...Norm!"

"Yes you can, Brooke."

It usually took Norm about a half-hour or so to get me to the point where I would actually throw the shoe at the spider. More times than not I missed and the spider took off like a flash. I would then start freaking out again, jumping around the room I was in, and looking all around me like the spider was going to jump from some dark corner and attack me. It would then take Norm another half-hour or so to calm me down enough that we could both go on with our lives. I'm so glad Norm was always there for me in my time of need...even if it was just on the phone. Other people were not as patient as he was. My dad once told me I need psychiatric help for my arachnophobia. Wow Dad. Kind of harsh.

Quote time! The quote for this blog comes from the movie Arachnophobia, which my cousin forced me to watch when I was 10 or 11. He seriously made me sit on my hands and he held my eyelids open. Mean! Very mean! Maybe that was his way of helping me get over my fear. It didn't work.

Dr. Ross Jennings: Chris, I'm scared to death.
Collins: Yeah, we all are, but our brains secrete a neurotransmitter that enables us to deal with them.
Dr. Ross Jennings: I don't think I have that particular neurotransmitter.

I'm with you Dr. Jennings! I too do not have that particular neurotransmitter!