Trout Day Is Tomorrow

March 1st is opening day of Trout Season in Missouri. Growing up just down the road from Roaring River State Park, I've always enjoyed driving around the park and watching the crowds on opening day when I get the chance. But this year it's on a Monday and I have to be at work. So, I drove down today and took a few shots of the park before tomorrow morning's madness hits.

Just for fun, here's a picture I took on opening day last year. It was even colder last year than it was today and the weather really determines the size of the crowd. When it's warm on opening day you'll see people lined up shoulder to shoulder.

Game Night!

Want an entertaining Saturday night? Play a board game with this bunch of maniacs. It's a laugh-a-minute, gauranteed.

The Jacob vs. Takara Saga Continues

Jacob isn't quite yet fast enough to cause Takara too many problems. But man, he is getting so close. A few more weeks and she'll have to run and hide when he comes up to spend the night.

One Of My Happy Places

I needed to run in here and grab a gift for a friend but of course I had to buy myself something too. I bought two bookmarks. Because I'm a freak. They're cool bookmarks though, you'll like them. Yes, I'm talking to you internet. I'll take a picture of them just to prove it to you.

Da Crane, Da Crane

Okay, I actually believe the bird in this pic is a blue heron. But ya gotta admit the Fantasy Island reference was funny. No? Oh.

Hooray, It's Clean

Scott cleaned the spare bedroom this weekend. Now it no longer looks like it's a room in an abandoned home.

Spray Paint Art

This is a picture of the two spray paint paintings that I own. They were both created using actual spray paint by a well-known (on the street) spray paint artist from Austin, Texas. Check out the whole story here.

Grandma Beeson's Birthday

Grandma turned 83 on Friday so today we got together and cooked Sunday dinner for her for a change.

Roaring River

I love Roaring River and since we had an almost warm day today I took Charlie down to feed the fish. It's amazing how a sandwich baggie and 4 quarters can keep two people so happily occupied for so long.

B-I-N-G-O

Tonight I headed over to the Amercian Legion Building at Benton and E. Trafficway (behind the Shrine Mosque) and played Bingo with Shelley & Lisa. We had fun, caught up on some gossip and Shelley won a little bit of money. But Lisa and I were losers. How sad.

Such A Scatterbrain

Here's another "last minute" photo for your viewing pleasure. Bad day at work today. We've been undergoing a downsizing for quite some time and had thought those of us that were left were gonna make it. But today they told us our last day will be March 27th. So I completely forgot about planning out a photo post. This is the artwork in the living that hangs above the tv. Lol. I'm so lazy I didn't even crop the picture.

Adding To My Collection

I've mentioned it here before... I love books. And I have a decent-sized collection of my favorite books and authors. My most recent additions are pictured here and they came from my late Grandpa Beeson's library. Grandma let me pick them out this past weekend. So. Very. Cool.

Home Away From Home

Here's what my work cube looks like. We moved to a new building last October. I love some things about it and still miss a lot of things about our old location. But hey, at this point I still have no idea how long I'll keep my job so I'm not complaining.

** Edit: two days after typing this we learned that our jobs will end on March 27. So this won't be my home away from home very much longer.

Game Night!

Chuck and Rachael came over to hang with us last night and after stuffing ourselves on some pizza, we broke out the game they brought with them. It's called Quelf and it's hard to explain. Basically it's a game that creates chaos and hilarity with a huge helping of embarrassment. I recommend everyone play it at least once.

P.S. - Charlie did that on purpose.

Saige Says Happy Valentine's Day

Sunday I went to Grandma's for dinner... mainly because I was hoping she made some of her famous sugar cookies for the holiday. And she did. But I digress. Anyway, we hung out down there and ate and played games and pretty much forgot all about it being Valentine's Day. But Saige (my cousin Cindy's daughter) looked so cute running around in her Valentine shirt I just had to grab the cell phone and take a picture of her.

Eureka Springs

This weekend we took Emma and the twins down to Eureka Springs just to get them and us out of the house and find something interesting to do. The kids hadn't ever really spent much time there and I knew there'd be plenty of stuff to look at to keep them interested. We did get sort of a late start to our day though, so we didn't get to walk the shops or involve ourselves in the Chocolate Festival they had going on. But we did eat at a ridiculously overpriced Irish pub. I had the lamb stew which is what is pictured above. Wanna know how it was? It was exactly like beef stew except with lamb. It was good, but not really a big deal. As we were walking back down to the car we passed a fudge shop and felt drawn to go inside and purchase some ridiculously overpriced fudge. Then we headed up to the top of the hill and checked out the Crescent Hotel, one of the most famous haunted hotels in the U.S. I had been in there before but Scott and the kids had never even seen the building. They really enjoyed walking through the lobby. Dillon got to pet the resident cat. Here's a pic of the kids out in front of the main doors.

The Winter Olympics Begin

I am one of those people who loves the Olympics. And I would have to say the Winter Olympics are my favorite of the two. The snowboarding, the figure skating, the curling. Okay, not so much the curling. But I do love just about everything else. So Friday night found me parked in front of the tv watching the opening ceremony.

And of course let us not forget how the 2010 Olympics started in the wake of a tragedy.

I Live Like A College Student

Aging is a weird process. In my mind I still think of myself as being around 23 even though I will be turning 40 this year. Yep, the big 4 0. I have no trouble saying it because (so far) it doesn't bother me. It's just a number. But I am finding myself having little minor struggles with aging more and more often. Not about turning 40 specifically, but just silly stuff like wondering if I am officially too old to have SpongeBob bedding. Should I try to hide the fact that I still listen to the newest rap & pop music? Because around here it seems like you're expected to convert to country music at around 35. Am I the only 39 year old female who loves to watch skateboarding and bmx? And many other things along these lines.

I wonder if these things stick out more because I'm single. I really think if I were married I'd act more grown-up. Surely I wouldn't expect my husband to sleep on SpongeBob sheets. Unless he loved SpongeBob as much as I do. Are there any 40 year old men out there who love SpongeBob? I seriously doubt it. And surely if I were married I could get my husband to install some mini blinds or a curtain rod so I wouldn't have to hang a KC Chiefs blanket over the window.

I don't know. Getting old is weird I tell ya. There are some things that have definitely changed simply because of my age. I have no desire to party anymore, that's for sure. Now I just prefer to sit and sip while talking or playing cards. I don't need the loud music or craziness of the old days. It was a gradual change, not one that I made on purpose. And there are times when I'm really sad I can't enjoy myself at a party like I used to. But I seriously can't. And of course with age you finally learn how to responsibly handle your money and pay your bills. You start finding it a little easier to get up in the mornings... because you now go to bed an hour earlier than you used to. You discover you don't like people as much as you used to. Etc., etc.

Anywho, this is what my bedroom looks like. I just have no idea if that's cool or creepy.

Takara

This is my bratty cat Takara (Tuh-car-uh). She's actually a very pretty kitty and I was hoping I could get some good shots. But as you can see, she was in no mood. Silly cranky kitty. Just because I woke her up and started setting off a flash in her face. Geesh.

Paying Bills Can Be Fun

The Water Dept. in Republic, MO is ran by Nazi's. It's true. Ask anyone. And because we've had so many problems with them and the way their payment rules change on a monthly basis, I have started actually driving my payment over to them and dropping it off in person. Today was my day to do that. Now because I'm me, I decided to get to the Water Dept. by taking some new streets I hadn't been down before. And that's how I discovered this building. It's located on N. Hampton across from the elementary school. I'm trying to find out what, if any, history there is behind it. Until I do, I'm just happy looking at the picture. I love old abandoned places.

SURPRISE !!!

Yep, more snow.

Okay, now that you've gotten that eye rolling out of your system, let me explain. I do realize it's a boring picture of basically nothing and you've already seen way too many snow pictures here from me. But, a big part of this project is the commitment to actually take a picture every day. Forcing myself to stick to my guns regardless of how tired I may be or how inconvenient it is. This picture was taken after I had already gone to bed and as I lay there thinking about my day I realized I had not taken a picture yet. So I got up and took a picture of something. Anything. Because I promised myself I would. There will be more days like this I'm sure. Days when I don't feel good. Or forget to take my camera with me. Or just get busy and never think about it. And when those days happen, you will get these stupid random images. Of snow. Or my shoe. Or whatever. And when you do, know that it means I am hanging in there and keeping my commitment.

Saints Win The Superbowl!

When I got home this afternoon to get ready for the big game I discovered Scott had layed out a great looking snack table for us. He had all the bases covered: mini corn dogs, pizza rolls and ranch dressing, chips and cheesy bean dip, oreo cookies. Yum.

Also, I was rooting for the Saints the whole time. Not because they were the underdogs. Not because I don't like the Colts. (I actually love Manning). I have simply loved the Saints for years. And I'm a fan of both Reggie Bush and Jeremy Shockey pre-Saints. It sure was a great night.

Hanging With The Parentals

Saturday morning I dropped Jacob off with his daddy and then headed to Seligman to visit with Mom and Dad. Mom had mentioned that she wanted to go to the Sprindale / Fayetteville area and do some shopping so I was kind of looking forward to talking her into some flea marketing. However plans had changed by the time I arrived. Now we were heading to Ashley Furniture in Fayetteville and Dad was coming. Turns out they have decided to re-do the living room and were wanting to shop for a sectional. This was my favorite one (comfort wise) and it's the one they ended up deciding on. It's so amazing to sit on. The cushions are stuffed with baby's kisses and angel's eyelashes. Mom liked the color. Dad liked the 4 recliners. Win / Win.

Casper's Frito Pie

I finally got to eat at Casper's for the first time today. Scott picked me up at work and we met John T. over there for lunch. With the huge snow flakes falling slowly from the sky it was a perfect day for chili. I had the Frito Pie with cheese and onions. It was delicious. And we got there right before the lunch crowd so we didn't even have to wait in line.

My Car's First Boo Boo

Today after work I spotted my first bald eagle of the year. It was flying away from me and I didn't get a chance to take any pics but it did make me wonder if there were any more in the area. I know that in the winter the eagles head south along the waterways so I decided to take a quick trip down to Terrell Creek (about 5 miles from the house) and see if maybe I'd get to see another one.

I spent about 15 - 20 minutes down at the creek but never did find another eagle. However on the road back home I saw a huge hawk sitting on a fence on the side of the road. I briefly considered trying to stop and take a picture of it but then decided not to. Apparently the hawk had psychic abilities and must have realized I had dismissed him in my mind because it made him so mad he immediately flew straight at me. After bouncing off the front of my hood he plastered himself on my windshield for a few brief seconds and then disappeared over the roof. I never saw him hit the ground so I'm assuming he survived the assault. And thankfully so did my windshield. Unfortunately when I got home I noticed he had left a mark. I have had this car for almost 4 years and have kept it in great shape... but now it is damaged. Sigh.

Winter Wonderland

Today the Springfield area was covered in hoar frost (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Hoar_frost) and everything looked so white and pretty. These are the trees that are beside the building at work.

Right Place, Right Time

I just happened to get caught at a red light trying to turn west onto Sunshine from Campbell and just happened to have my camera laying out in the front seat and there just happened to be minimal traffic coming the other direction to allow me a rare shot of the Wonders of Wildlife building from this angle with no cars or people in the pic.

Jacob's First Visit To Hooters

Isn't he cute? Look at the way he's checking out that blonde. He definitely is all boy. Everytime our waitress leaves the table he watches her go. And not only was it Jacob's first time but me, Emma & Kyle had never been before either. Look at that pile of hotwings on the table. Yummy, we chowed down on those things.

What's that? You're confused because you don't see any pictures of Hooters? Maybe that's because MY STUPID CAMERA WOULD NOT WORK THE WHOLE TIME I WAS FREAKING THERE. It would not focus no matter what I tried. It just kept making a noise like it was trying to focus but nothing was happening. So when Jacob got to get his picture taken with about 5 Hooter's girls, I missed it. I had a similar problem a few days ago with my camera, but I assumed it was a weak battery and had made sure I charged the battery that night. Now I know it wasn't a battery issue because I've only taken like 10 pics since I let it charge.

So instead of seeing Jacob check out the hot blonde, you get to see that after I googled it the camera is now working fine. Several websites suggested it may be caused by dust inside the lens or the lens being loose and not secure. I just took the lens off and blew out the inside then secured the lens and somewhere between those two things it is now working.

Luckily, a few people got some cell phone pics so that you could actually see Jacob at Hooters.