Herbert Russell Schwencke

January 11, 1923 - December 26, 2007

Goodbye, Papa.

We love you and we'll miss you. We are all thankful that you are in a much better place now. The next few days will be spent celebrating your life. You will never be forgotten.

Goodbye, Papa.

New Years Resolutions, Early for a Change

Two weeks before the new year and I've already made my list. This is a good sign, my friends, as I'm normally thinking of what I'm going to improve upon two weeks IN to the new year. A sign? Let's hope so.

There's a ton that I want to accomplish in 2008 - a year I am looking forward to, even though not one month into it I will turn another number on my age-odometer.

My personal goals are as follows:

• Lose weight. 25lbs, in which 20 will be shed by the end of February (prior to the annual ski trip). I put this on every year. I know it. You know it. My brother and his girlfriend have lost a lot of weight and I'm jealous. Time to play catch up.
• Give up Diet Coke. I'm an addict. Probably one of the worst. It is my coffee, my tea, my juice, nay, my warm cup of milk before bed. I have probably shed a few years of my life off already drinking the quantity that I do, however, my health demands that I get rid of it. I can't continue. I'll be sad to see my rewards points stop accumulating. I'd rather not share how many points I currently have as the number is a rather embarrassing figure.
• Recreate colleenkoenig.com utilizing Flash (see professional goals as well)
• Create layout for Schwencke Album so that family members can print their own copy to distribute and share pictures. There are some fantastic family pictures out there that everyone has divided up. My goal is to scan and layout in a photo album so that we can all celebrate our great heritage. On to Forsythe family side after I complete this.
• Less TV, more self-improvement. This may involve more time in front of the computer, but that time will be spent accomplishing my resolutions. I honestly watch waaaay too much television AND, though I hate to admit it, I'm a reality tv freak! I can't help it..... I try, I swear!
• See to it that Jeff and I start living a healthy lifestyle. My whole family is making changes. We all need to get on the bandwagon, once and for all.
• It's time to start paying it forward.

My professional goals:

• Learn Flash in order to take our client presentations to the next level beyond PowerPoint.
• Take more initiative. Though I've been pretty good in this area, it's time to take myself out of the comfort zone and into the unfamiliar.
• Create an online portfolio of my work so far. This would just be good to have in general.
• In conjunction with learning Flash, brush up on Dreamweaver (you can do this, Colleen, you've done it before. Stop letting this program intimidate you!).
• Produce a publication/website for someone/company outside of work. It's time to stretch your horizons. Whether it be your home owners association, a friend or a random person, just get out there and get something else under your belt.

As you can see, my list is lengthy, but doable. I just need to stick to it. I've done it before, I can do it again and above all I need to maintain a "I CAN SUCCEED attitude". Life's too short to be overweight and unsuccessful! There's too much I want to do. Bring it, 2008.

Thank you bro!

Let me start out by saying that I have THE best brother ever. Hands down. No competition. As per his usual over generous nature (yes you are, J.R.) he sent us a housewarming present. And of course, it's awesome! You might not think as much, but I'm of the age that I truly appreciate this, especially having animals!

dyson absolute

Thank you, bro! I love you and miss you! Hope you had a great time in Jamaica!

Update

Jeff and I are in our new place....it's total chaos. After sporadically putting things here and there all weekend, we finally decided to finish out one room on Sunday night, post 9pm. ha! Since then, not much else has been done. Tonight, I did NOTHING...talk about lazy. Oh well, it will all annoy me sooner than later and I'll finish. However, this week is probably going to be busy at work, so I'm gonna take it easy at the house. I already did 11 hours today (sigh).

Sunday, as tradition (thought we are missing my bro), we went and got a Christmas tree from the Pipe Creek Christmas Tree Farm. Jeff and I picked a nice one, I'm proud at least. We've got the lights on it, but I can't find our ornament hooks anywhere. I'll get around to that sometime this week.



Sad news from the Forsythe farm....Pete aka "Stinky Pete" a beloved cat passed away from causes unknown. We estimated him to be about three years old, so his life was short lived, which makes it all the more sad.

I thought the day would never come.

Today, Jeff and I officially became homeowners!! We signed our lives away for our beautiful 3/2, 1858 sq. ft. house! We'll be mailing out change of address cards to everyone soon and also info about a housewarming/Jeff bday party! We've already had our first guests (i.e. Aunt Kathy, Aunt Eileen and my cuz, Em!). Here's some pics of us after closing and a picture of our house!

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

Hello all! Sorry to get this post off so late, but we've been busy the past few days and I wanted to wait till I had pictures to post. Unfortunately, our original plans of going to San Francisco were postponed. We are set to close on our house tomorrow (Monday) and we wanted to watch our spending before we are set to give away all our $$$ then! Instead we headed to Houston to see Jeff's family. This actually worked out because we were able to see our new niece, Elise. She's super tiny and very beautiful.

We also got to spend some time with our 2-year old niece, Clara, which Jeff and I both enjoyed! We always wonder if she'll remember us because we live so far away and don't come in that often, but it was really nice to see that she does know us! "Uncle Jeff" had a good time "jumping" with her and I got to play all kinds of games!

I missed seeing my brother and spending some quality time with the whole family - but I've been reassured he's coming in for Christmas and I can see him then! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! Hope ya'lls was equally enjoyable!

Another addition to the Koenig family!

Elise Koenig was born today, November 19th, weighing in at 6lbs 12oz and measuring 18.5 inches long. Congratulations to Rick & Lauren - we can't wait to see her in a few days!!!

Anxiously anticipating....

*holding my breath until post November 30th*

details to come if it all works out.....

Inside Joke

Changes

Wow - it's been awhile. I'll spare my usual excuses. There's been some changes in the past few weeks in my life. Notably, my firm was bought out and I am now an employee for Jacobs Engineering. C & B was 3,200 employees nationwide - Jacobs is 49,000 international. So we are joining up with a pretty large company. I look forward to the opportunities that are sure to come!

Over the past few months, I've been participating in a weight loss challenge. The goal was the first person to lose 10% wins and everything was based on the honor policy. While I didn't win, I did end up losing 9 lbs. Tack that on to my previous 10lbs lost and I've lost a total of 19lbs this year. I have to give myself a pat on the back for that. However, since the contest ended two weeks ago, I'm pretty sure I've gained back at least half (just kidding, but not really). So, to keep everyone going smoothly through the holidays, round 2 of the weight loss challege starts tomorrow. This time, I'm going to give it 150%. I need to exercise more, that's for sure (last time my effort was poor to say the least). But, for motivation, I'm posting a pic of me that was taken at the end of 2003 after I had lost close to 30lbs!! I was about 2lbs heavier than my high school weight and I was "IN SHAPE" which is what I'm trying to be again. The picture isn't the best as far as poses go, but I like to look at this and realize that I CAN be this skinny again. So, next time you see me, I'll be on my way to achieving this goal!

SNL

Here's two skits from this weekends SNL that I thought were HILARIOUS:

As if I didn't feel poor enough....

We've started the house hunt. This time I was excited (as opposed to two years ago when I almost hyperventilated everytime I thought about a mortgage payment). Our budget has grown, so I thought, yeah, this time it's gonna be good. I'll have so many options! Apparently, time also turns the tastebuds and my palette for homes has someone become more refined. So essentially, we are in the same place as two years ago. Confused. Not sure of what we want. Trying to make the best decision possible. And somehow hoping that we'll win the lottery along the way so that we can afford the house of our dreams. Although, I suspect you actually have to PLAY to win the lottery. Guess that's out the door....

I know I live in one of the cheapest cities in our nation, however, my salary reflects that as well! Plus, Jeff is making his career change and we have to allot for this too.

You would think that we could at least afford something like this:

Alas, some yuppie bastard claims this is "rustic hill country" and some overrated realtor slaps a price tag of $300k on the place and lists it with the tagline "country charm".

On the other hand, I have a hard time choking up the $$ for one of the million homes that look like this:

In addition (as if you need to here another point) there's still a strong part of me that doesn't want to settle in San Antonio. I still want to make my "move" and try out another place for awhile.

*Sigh*

It will all work out soon enough.....

Congratulations!

My friends, Ellen and Ryan Burke, finally completed the adoption process and have brought their baby boy, Korbin, home from Russia!! Their journey is documented on Ellen's blog! I am very excited for them and can't wait to hear more about Korbin and his new family! Congrats Ellen & Ryan!

WAHOO!!!

I'm DONE with my car payment on my Xterra!!! YES!!! It feels so good!!!!

Feist

The Replacement

We replaced the old truck on Thursday. We ended up getting a great deal on a 2005 F150 with, get this, only 9k miles on it! Suhweet! The truck is almost the same as Jeff's last one, except that it is an extended cab instead of a crew and it's black. But my favorite part is that it is much cheaper!!! Here's some pics of our new purchase:



Next week, we pay off my car! Two years before the note is up! I can't recall ever paying off a car early! I'm so excited!!!

What a week

This past week has been insane. As most of you know, Jeff was in a bad car accident on Tuesday, but thankfully, he walked away with only minor scratches and bruises. The truck, however, is another story.




We are in the process of finishing with insurance and finding a replacement. We both loved the previous truck, so the whole experience is kind of draining for the both of us. I hate car shopping - I'm on the constant defense because I think that everytime we walk onto the lot, someone is trying to screw us. Needless to say, car shopping with me is not a fun experience. Poor Jeff. Hopefully, he'll have a new set of wheels by mid-week, that's IF insurance does what they should do. Of course, we've all heard the nightmare stories. Let's hope it doesn't go that way.

My new toy!

Jeff and I found a great deal online the other day. And since we've been talking about getting one for quite some time now, we went ahead and ordered. I placed the order Monday night and got the package today at noon! Go DELL!

Here are the stats:

EOS Digital Rebel XTi Black 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera (with 18-55 mm Lens)

I wanted to take some outside pics, but it was getting too dark and I'm not familar with the settings yet. So I took some of Jonsey, instead. He's a poser.

Bahama Mama

Jeff and I were in the Bahamas from August 16th-19th. We were there to surprise his sister, Jennifer, on her wedding day, Friday (17th). The wedding was absolutely beautiful (see pics below) and the scenery couldn't of been better. We borrowed Lauren's awesome camera to take pictures of the wedding, so I had a great time trying to be 'creative' and 'professional' with all the photography.

The one day that we were able to explore was the day that the rain came! Luckily, we didn't feel any of Dean's wrath, but we still had some wind and rain. Of course, that was the day that we had planned our snorkeling trip. Alas, the tours were cancelled for the day and because of our flight time the next day, we weren't able to reschedule. Instead we went into downtown Nassau to check out local living. Our trip back was a bit tedious as check in and security through the airport in the Bahamas took about three hours!

Congratulations!

I've been absent from the boards lately. Too much going on and never enough time. So the same excuse comes out again.

Just a quick shout out to my friend Meghan. She had her baby boy, Desmond John, on August 8th! I visited them last week and again on Saturday (8/25) and he's PRECIOUS! Lots of hair and he's so tiny. CUTE!

I changed a boy diaper for the first time. That's an experience I can go without for awhile... I'm just saying is all. But who knows, maybe the experience will come in handy one day.

.com makeover

Chaa Creek in Belize - aka: Jeff and Colleen's honeymoon destination - did a makeover on their website since I last visited. Which, if you had seen the prior version, this is 1000 times better. If anyone is looking for a vacation destination, I HIGHLY recommend Chaa Creek. Our trip was unforgettable.

The Moral of Price is Right...

...is “help control the pet population – have your pet spayed or neutered!"

Living in rural America, this popular phrase often falls on deaf ears (or peeps who don't watch the Price is Right). But never-the-less, the people in this county (and country) need a good lesson in animal control.


Growing up, I would venture to say that at least 75% of our animals were strays who were either dumped or found wandering on school grounds. As a child, I had a fondness towards animals, but my attachment has intensified in my adult years. It's a sad thing when we have to kill animals because people are too idiotic to fix them. Yeah - it's expensive. But don't get an animal if you can't afford it!


So, keeping along these same lines, I'd like to introduce, my first rescue!





To remain "unattached" I decided not to name him. But he was a yellow lab mix, thought to be between 10-12 months old, sweet, docile and he loves to fetch and run in water.


I posted a flyer at work and thought we had a taker, but that ended up falling through. Instead, we sent him to Cowboy Capital Pet Assistance Leage, Inc. (CCPAL) which is located in Bandera. The sheriff came to pick him up and told us that with his "gentle personality", he'll probably get adopted quickly. Let's hope he's right! Meanwhile, I'm double checking tomorrow that they received him and if so, they'll receive a generous donation. I hope some great family will adopt him!

as of late

time has slipped away from me, as usual. in order to put in a decent post, i'm skipping capitalization. hope it's not distracting.

work has been crazy this week. things finally slowed down around 2 pm today and i was able to check my personal email which was backed up by five days - fyi: having more than 20 emails in my inbox (read and unread) really irritates me. i think you have to have ocd to understand.

last week i saw harry potter and the order of the phoenix. i told myself i'd reread the book, i got 220 pages in and wasn't able to finish. but, the movie was great - like they make bad harry potter movies! the second book comes out tomorrow (saturday, technically) and i'm going to try to cram a sixth book reread session into 2 days. i think i can do it.

summer's half way over and i haven't been able to do jack that i wanted to do. tubing - negative. camping -who has the time? kayaking - yeah, think again. next month we have an adventure to look forward to - i'll post more details about that later (later = my next blog post, if things progress at the pace they have been, regarding posting).

j.r. sent us some merlot (try 8 bottles) from forsythe vineyards (i tried to run a search for their site, but alas, i see nothing) - not the hugest fan of merlot, but i'm going to try one anyway, just because he was awesome enough to send it!

that's it for now, i make no promises, lest you be disappointed.

It's another...

Girl! My brother-in-law and his wife, Lauren, are expecting another baby girl! They just found out the sex on Friday. This was right before they came to see us over the weekend. We had a great time, though exhausting! On Saturday, we took them and our neice, Clara (20 months), to the San Antonio Zoo, we shopped in San Antonio, went to San Marcos and shopped some more and then went to New Braunfels to eat at The Gristmill (yumm)!

I'm just saying is all...

I've found my Christmas 2007 present. I'm going to start saving now and plead to family around that time to contribute some. So here it is, my Christmas list:

1. Canon Digital Rebel XTi 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens -Silver (or reference picture)2. See above.

3. See above.

Damnit...

Well, my bike is temporarily "out of order".... I went out for a ride tonight, hit a pothole and next thing you know, my derailer is jacked! argh! Tomorrow she goes to the shop. Let's hope they can fix it.

So it's been awhile since my last posting. Sorry about that, but work was a little crazy and I was putting in some insane hours. It's better now and I've been able to see the light of day lately.

I can't believe it's already nearing the end of June! So many things that I had planned for the summer have been pushed to the backburner for other events. I've been inundated with showers lately. I had one this past weekend, I'm hosting another next weekend and then another one at the end of July. Seems like weddings and baby's are in no short supply.

I'll make sure to enter another posting this week, but I wanted to post something before I lost readership (which has probably already happened). Till later this week!

Thank you, craigslist

If you haven't ever used craigslist before, I highly suggest it. Jeff and I have experienced nothing but success. Mind you, our first experience was a bit "shady" due to the buyer, but every other experience we've had since then has been pleasant and easy! In the past week we've sold a buffet/hutch in less than 24 hours and a truck in about the same time frame!

The best thing I can recommend is to be upfront and honest. If your furniture has scratches, say it, and put a pic of it online. If your vehicle has issues, diclose that information in your posting. There are people out there who are interested in your wares, and you'll have much more pleasant experience if you've already been upfront with any problems and the buyer is not coming in to this without knowing the issues.

So thank you craigslist, I appreciate the service you are doing, and I vow to use you again for any future sales!

Somewhere....

Pipe Creek, TX 5.13.07

Goals for the Week

Jeff's in California for the week - so I'm flying solo on this end. We had a great conversation last week and the end result was me vowing to be more productive. It's time to drop the TV shows and get up off the couch. So, with this in mind, here our my goals for this week:

1. Catch up with my online class. I enrolled in a CSS/XTML class and, to be honest, I haven't done ANYTHING. I'm so far behind. I plan on doing two lessons a night. I should be caught up by Friday.
2. Ride my bike everyday when I get home. No excuses. I need to start conditioning myself. I heard there was a ride on July 4th that I might need to be a part of.
3. Finish Meghan's baby shower invites. At first, I was going to make them. Then I bought some, then I decided to make them again. I finished half of them tonight. I plan on mailing them by Wednesday.
4. Stay on my diet and TRACK my points online. I'm paying for monthly membership to WeightWatchers so why not utilize it! I've got TWO weddings to go to this year and I plan on spending a decent amount of time at the river this summer AND I plan on going camping and hiking a few times as well. Time to get in SHAPE, SHAPE, SHAPE!

So, I've got a lot to live up to this week. I plan on fulfilling each and everyone one of them. I just wanted to say thanks to my awesome husband for believing in me and pushing me to my limits and beyond. Without him, I fear I'd be a bump on a log.

Inappropriate Names for Specialty Furniture Shops

My bro sent me a book a few weeks back. It was unexpected, but greatly appreciated.

Anyway, I thought I'd share one of the entries. And of course, give credit where credit is due.

Please excuse, any crudeness and instead try to find the humor in it.

"Inappropriate Names for Specialty Furniture Shops"
by Mike Ward

- Stool Samples
- The Ottomon Empire
- Knobs
- Hidden In-desk-retion
- Great (one) nightstands
- Getting the Chair

Back in touch...

I got my new phone in yesterday. I'm back!

Conan in Napa Valley

I love Conan!!

Tap, Tap, Tap

I'm hesitant to post TOO MANY political statements on my blog. Is it because I'm afraid I'll piss too many people off? Perhaps. Although I am very passionate in what I stand for, I don't hold other's opinions against them; in fact, I enjoy a good debate. However, I fear people will take things too personally, which will inevitably lead to awkwardness. Will my political beliefs effect my job should I post them on this site? I don't know. I can't imagine how one would find this blog, unless I point it to them directly. Am I being naive in this assumption?

Nevertheless, I'm currently resisting posting about 5 'saved drafts' from my blog dashboard. Perhaps, once I 'get over it' and grow some, I'll just publish them and to hell with all of you!

New Personal Trainer

Well, the previous bike fell through. A bad experience with the guy at the bike shop (please don't do business with Planet Bike in San Antonio, TX) led me to seek out a new store (and a complete refund). So, I took myself down to Britton's Bikes and ordered a new one! A much better experience all around. I had measurements taken, questions asked...even if it wasn't, it just FELT more professional. Jeff decided he wanted a bike too. We crunched the numbers and decided that we would should just go ahead and do it. Here's a pic of the new bike. This one's name is Brava (the best part...she's Red! smokin'). The brand is Bianchi (mind you, all of this means nothing to me at this point). I started with an entry level (about all I can afford right now) and let's just see how into it I get. Mama even got herself a brand new pair of shoes (velcro...sexy). I'll keep you posted on the happenings of my new hobby!

Egads!

So, I knew I had, to put it lighlty, gained a few pounds before my wedding, but I never realized how bad I looked. {Hand in front of face, palm face towards you} No, no, friends and family, I don't want to hear anything doubting that statement, because I know it to be only too true. I finally got my wedding video from my brother (both of us are to blame for the tardiness). Tonight, I made the mistake of putting it in the dvd player to take a look. What a mistake. I should of probably watched it before dinner.

I can not believe I had let myself go that much before the wedding. Not only did I look absolutely STUFFED into my dress, I looked so ridiculously uncomfortable. It makes me sad. I loved my wedding day. Aside from the fact that I wish I weighed about 20 lbs less and I wish I had not gone to a particular seamstress, the day was perfect. But seeing that video did not give me gushy memories. It made me want to go outside and run about 80 laps around the yard.

I have a wedding in August to go to. And mark my words, I will be in shape for that one. I plan on wearing something that bears at least some of my shoulders and legs. A sweater in mid-August would be hard to explain to on-lookers.

....gotta go do some crunches.

Personal Trainer

Well, I invested a pretty penny today in my new personal trainer. Meet Dolce.

That's right my friends...after Thursday (she gets in then), I'm officially going to be a spandex wearing, helmet sporting, funky shoes cyclist. Or...that's the goal at least. :) Let's see how it goes.

The Doe

About two weeks ago, I turned on to our road to head home. There's a spot on the road that is always prone to deer crossings, so everyone knows to slow down. Typically, it's unusual to pass more than one car while traversing the 2 mile road, but on this day, there just happened to be four cars around the deer crossing, myself included. As we all crept by, I noticed everyone was going a bit slower.

A doe was standing on the side of the road and, I assume everyone was slowing down in fear that she would dart at any moment. As I passed the doe, I realized she looked a bit panicked, but still she wasn't moving. And then I saw it.... she was missing a leg. To be more specific, she was missing her right leg from the knee down.(I'm assuming their parts are called the same as ours)

Over time, I've grown super sensitive to animals, and any type of cruelty (intentional or not) is a stick right to my heart. I couldn't help it, the sight brought tears to my eyes. I realize deer are not the brightest members of the animal kingdom, but there is a beauty about them that to see them mamed in this manner seems so sad.

Today I saw her again. This time she was on the other side of the fence, happily munching away at the grass, oblivious to the rain falling on her skin. I hope she's doing well for herself, though I ponder how she made it to the other side of the fence. I'm glad I didn't see that part. I wish I could give her a prosthetic to use and make life easier, though I know that's a ridiculous thought and she'd probably hate it. I wonder how the other deer treat her. Do they reject her because she can't 'keep up'?

I hope she knows that we feed corn in the field around 6pm daily and she's always invited to the supper table....

More news articles that have caught my eye

China is Imposing Tougher Restrictions on Adoption

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,260391,00.html

Some noticeable changes include,"...people who are older, obese, single or facially deformed can no longer become adoptive parents of Chinese babies, with some exceptions made for those agreeing to take in children classified as "special needs."

Al Gore lives "Carbon-Neutral"

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,260431,00.html

"Inhofe took this question a step further, by placing it right at the foot of the former vice president. Correctly noting that Gore is adored by hundreds of thousands for his green message, Inhofe asked the Tennessee Democrat if he'd be willing to pledge to "consume no more energy for use in your residence than the average American household by one year from today?"

It was a "gotcha" moment, and one that was not widely reported in the mainstream media. Gore refused to take the pledge, adding that, "we live a carbon-neutral life."

Get ready to hear a lot about carbon-neutral living in the days and months ahead. It's the new euphemism for Escalade-driving environmentalists who "purchase" carbon credits to assuage any guilt about their private jets and 20,000 square foot summer homes."

There's Got to be a Better Way

I'm not sure how many of you have experienced the same frustrations in finding a doctor as I have. Why is it so hard to pick a frickin' doctor? Let me vent, and please, feel free to add your $.02 where you see fit.

It pisses me off that with every changing insurance policy, you inevitably lose one or more of your doctors in the process. With my latest change, I have lost my physician (not that I liked him in the first place), my dentist, my obgyn (this one made me angry) AND my optomotrist. I basically had to revamp my entire physician address book. I'm secure on 2 out of the 4 right now, but I've encountered a barricade.

It makes me angry that I pay out of my pocket well in to the thousands every year for healthcare that I rarely see an ROI on (actually, I'm thankful for that but that parts not my complaint). What I'm complaining about is that for these thousands of dollars that I pay out of my pocket, I'm given a list (a very vague list) of names, addresses (1/2 the time out of date) and phone numbers of various physicians that I am "allowed" to go to, OH, IF they are accepting new patients that is. IF I'm lucky, I get a graduation year and the name of the med school and what languages they speak (not that Italian is helpful for me living in San Antonio, TX), but nevertheless, if I want to a doctor that can speak Italian, I can pick "Dr. Giorgio". Oh, and another 5% of the doctors on the list offer a link (that fools you into thinking you will get more information on them). But this link, it sends you to some lame website that some company spieled to the med group the doctor belongs too, and has created a very generic site with, what else, the doctors name, address and telephone number (SURPRISE). Oh, and also, there are a bunch of default articles that have been uploaded to the site, so that we "morons" can be fooled to think that the site actually contains "more" information then what was actually given to us by our network provider list.

The fact that you can sort through the doctors by 'specialty' is a righteous JOKE. Pick 'Internal Medicine' and you'll pull at least 1/3 of the doctors on the entire list. Oh, and guess what, just because they say it's a 'specialization' doesn't actually mean they can help you with what ails you. For example, I called one of the 'internalists' and actually, got a hold of the Cardiovascular Health clinic. I told the woman on the phone I was looking for a new doctor to treat my blood pressure and she acted like I was putting her out. She said that Dr. "Name" treats people for heart disease and did I ahve high cholesterol too? I said, "no" and then she struggled with telling me that she couldn't help me when she finally blurted out, "no, we can probably help you" in which she proceeded to ask me personal info (address, etc.). "Excuse me? you can 'probably' help me?" If you don't WANT to help me, then I'm finding another doctor, thank you.

Doctor/Patient relationships are completely non-existent these days. They examine you inside and out and then they move you through the gates with the other cattle they are constantly herding all day. Heaven forbid in the ten minutes you actually get to visit with them you might ask them a question in which it might actually eat up some of their "precious time."

My suggestion, let's get websites going with personal info on these doctors (i.e. specialties, practices, do they accept new clients, what drug companies they use, and most importantly, USER REVIEWS!!!) For God's sake, this is our lives that we are putting in their hands, why can't we ask, nay, DEMAND more information!!

p.s. sorry this is so scattered, I'm watching LOST at the same time - I'll revise later.

Eddie Izzard: Cats & Dogs

If you are a pet owner, you're gonna love this one :) One of my favorites parts! It's about 10 minutes long, so make sure you have some time. And for those of you at work, this may contain some language so take heed :). Enjoy!

You'll have to visit the site, because it's too large to upload!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9F0cq5mUsQ

"Al Gore, I see your true colors shining through"

Source: FoxNews.com

"Last August, the Gore mansion burned more than twice the electricity in a single month as the average American family uses in an entire year. Gore’s heated pool house alone uses more than $500 in electricity every month."

Please, feel free to click the link above to read the article in full.

Ski, Izzard, and breast cancer

It's been awhile since my last post, but I've been busy and haven't had much to share. I thought I would write this huge post about my ski trip, but I only took THREE lame-o pictures and they were definitely not blog-worthy. Never-the-less, I uploaded them to my Flickr site for your viewing pleasure...er....displeasure.

I've decided I'm going to start an Eddie Izzard collection. Today, I bought Definite Article.... I really love Dress to Kill and Cirlce and hope to soon add those! He cracks me up. You can't be disturbed by the whole transvestite thing, otherwise you'll miss a great stand up routine. Seriously!

This morning I walked in the MSWalk down at the AT&T center. There was a decent turnout, but not nearly on the scale of breast cancer. You know, I think every cause is a worthy cause, but I wonder why breast cancer has gotten the most hype. Does anybody know the statistics on it? Is it just the latest focus, likes AIDS in the 90's?

Well, that's it for now. Just wanted to write a quick something so everyone would know I was still active on the web. I hope to actually write a decent blog soon enough - but I've got blogkage (trademarking that saying, so back off) :) haha!

Snow, Snow, Snow

3 more days!!! If you count starting tomorrow! Can't wait!!! To prepare for the trip, I'm posting a few pics from over the years.

2006 - Durango, CO (Purgatory)

2005 - Ruidoso, NM (Ski Apache)

2004 - Ruidoso, NM (Ski Apache)

Red, Yellow, Green

Pipe Creek is getting it's first stop light.

Noteworthy article in today's paper

I thought this was a great point - had to share.

Why are the spoiled brats so unhappy?
Charles Slaughter
Special to the Express-News

A recent Newsweek poll alleges 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence, two-thirds of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

What are we so unhappy about?

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, seven days a week? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the past year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state.

Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all involved? Whether you are rich or poor, they treat your wounds and, if necessary, send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home. This should make you very unhappy ... only 70 percent? Horrible.

Or while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents, your child is one of 90 percent of teenagers who own cell phones or a computer. Pathetic!

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. yet has a great disdain for its citizens. Here we are, the most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have and what we hate about the country instead of what we do have.

What about our lousy president with his 31 percent approval rating who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9-11? The president who cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession?

Could this be the same guy who has succeeded in keeping all the spoiled brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve and, in many cases, have died for your freedom. There is no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are there in harm's way and need support, not criticism.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want, but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads, and they specialize in bad news. The media strongly dislike our president and, unfortunately, make no bones about it.

Stop buying the negative venom you are fed every day by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

I suggest we sit back and count our blessings. If we don't, what we have will be taken away. Then we will have to explain to future generations why we squandered such blessings and abundance. If we are not careful, this generation will be known as the "greediest and most ungrateful generation."

A far cry from the proud Americans of the greatest generation, who left us an untarnished legacy.

*Cough, Cough*

What in the hell is this crap going around?! And why the hell can't I shake it?!? I can't stop the coughing and if hacking up a lung will give me some relief, then take it, damnit. I just want to sleep a full night without waking up every hour to my own wheezings.

I accidently coughed on some proposals at work that were being shipped to Arizona. Maybe that will rid this virus from Texas - at the very least the rest of the nation can suffer along with us ....

Poor Jeff has it now.

Birthday Eve

27!!!!

*sigh*

damn.....

The most wonderful thing has happend...

...we have HI SPEED (well ... higher speed) out here in Pipe Creek!!! :D I'm so frickin' excited, I could cry. The past year has been rough to say the least. I mean, who would of thought we'd ever hear the ridiculous dial up sound ever again? Anyway, just wanted to write a quick post, because I CAN! :)

I'll post more and SOON!

p.s. I posted more freeze pics on my Flickr site (again, because I CAN!)

Taken around 5pm - The sleet has been steady for about 4 hours now. Another day at home? Let's hope not - I'm going stir crazy....

It's FREEZING here....

...literally! An "arctic blast" (according to the overdramatic newscasters) has made it's way to South Texas and has stranded most of us at home. We are under watch until tomorrow at noon. Hopefully I'll be able to get to work tomorrow, I really can't afford the time off. Thought I'd share some pictures with everyone. Keep it warm!

Yada, Yada, Yada....

It's been awhile since I've posted a decent blog - Okay, fine, it's been months since I've posted a decent blog, but for once, life has been busy for the 'ole Colleen - and that's saying alot. The past year was definitely a major step outside of my comfort zone. While there were some difficult times, I recommend for everyone to try it if you haven't done so already.

My outlook on 2007 is nothing but hopeful. My list of "to-do's" was sidelined for awhile last year, but I've already managed to kill 2 of them nine days into the new year. It feels awesome! My annual ski trip is coming up at the end of February and the snow forecast for Ruidoso(NM) is more optimistic than last year at this time! Jeff's sister was engaged over the Christmas holidays and I hear that wedding bells may be sometime this spring on a beach in the Caribbean. Hopefully, we'll be able to make it. Only time, and finances, will tell.

More wedding bells will be ringing on October 20th, when my oldest friend Kelli ties the knot to her fiance, Rick. She's got a lot of work ahead of her - trying to plan a wedding in San Antonio via Minnesota - but she know she need only ring and I'm on the job! Kelli and Rick also plan on digging themselves out of a Minnesota winter long enough to submerge themselves in more snow in Ruidoso, as they will be joining our ski-festivities in February. I cant' wait!

Alas, due to hectic scheduling, many of my friends were not able to join us for our annual snow surf, but, they are planning their own trip the weekend before mine. I've deemed them the scouting crew, if you will, and ask for a full trail report when they return mere days before our departure.

That's it for now, my friends and family, until the next time - which should be sooner than later.

Happy 2007 .