Pumas and Bison and Bears Oh My!

Two weeks ago my parents came down to visit and bring my Murphy. I was so excited to be reunited with my dog as he provides great company seeing as how he is only 1 of 2 people I know in this city. Imagine my surprise when they arrived and Doodlebug was with them! It was such a great surprise. The second day we were here we went to Charles Towne Landing. This park is where the English settlers landed in 1670 and established their colony. One of the neat parts of this park is they have a natural habitat zoo. This showcases the animals that would have been native to this area in 1670. So, here they are.

It was quite exciting to see all of these animals. There were also otters (which I could not get a good picture of) and Doodlebug deemed them her favorite. We would not buy her a stuff otter in the gift shop (I know, we're horrible) so mom said all she did on the way home (5+ hours) was tell them how much otters are her favorite animals. She's a smart one all right.

Text the Troops

As Thanksgiving approaches and I dread the 5+ hour car ride home (my first with the dog) it is hard for me to imagine not spending this time with my family. Yes, driving home is not a lot of fun (especially with the oil barons getting rich and me getting poor) but I am going home. When I accepted this new position in this new city so many hundred miles away, I knew I would not see my family as often as I had been. But with one friend currently living in southern Asia and another friend moving to the Middle East soon I knew that I was thankful that it only took me 5 hours to get home and I could go. They don't have the luxury of doing that. Another group of people who will not be spending Thanksgiving with their families are our troops. I love our troops. I love that these men and women voluntarily sign up to serve our country. I respect them more than I could ever tell someone and the fact that they know when they sign up it could mean going into war, makes it even more special. My dad is a veteran. My grandfather was a veteran. I have several friends who have served and are currently serving in the armed forces. I work next to an Air Force base and see our men and women in uniform on a daily basis. It warmed my heart when I read an article on how we can say thanks this holiday season. It's part of the "America Supports You" program. Check out the links in the box below to see how you can make your support known and thank the troops for serving you.

I Heart Vick

I am in love. Not mildly in love. Madly in love. And yes, this is probably just a fling. But starting last night and every night for the next few, my heart belongs to only one. If I could, I would spend 24/7 with this new love. The emotions I have experienced are unlike any I've ever felt before. Relief, immediate. Sleep, amazing. And the way he smells...simply irrisistable. And to think he came into my life when I was at my worst and has done so much for me. Simply amazing. I guess I need to back up a few days and tell you that late last week I started coming down with a cold. I spent most of the weekend taking meds and drinking lots and lots and lots of water. In fact, I'm pretty sure you could have floated a small pontoon in my stomach on all the water I consumed. Things got worse and by Monday I was pretty sure I was going to stop breathing in my sleep and that would be it. I even called my mom to tell her I wasn't going to make it. (Note: I am overly dramatic when not well. I don't deal well with pain. I'm pretty sure I get this from my grandmother. It doesn't bode well for me getting older.) Lucky for all reading this post I survived and awoke Tuesday to go to work another day. I was feeling remarkably better overall, but I have this persistant deep cough. Finally, I though, I was turning the corner. It really doesn't pay for me to think. By Wednesday night I wasn't afraid of not being able to breathe, but I was afraid of coughing up both lungs. And I could. Not. Stop. I wanted to go to sleep at 9:30 but a little after 11 I had been coughing for 2 hours and was ready for it to end. I just wanted sleep. So, I did what I do best and got online to do some blogstalking. I figure if I'm going to cough up a lung or two, I might as well get caught up on some stalking. So, I got caught up and decided to stalk a little more. So I ventured over to Mommy of Three and read this article: cough solutions. And that is where I met my new love. I would like to now introduce you to Vick. And he comes in my favorite shade of blue! So, the trick for when you can't sleep because you are coughing is to rub Vicks on the bottom of your feet and put socks on. And you'll be able to sleep. It's the craziest thing I've ever heard of, but it worked. I am a believer. And I'm in love. So, for the next few days it's me and Vick. I'm sure I'll break his heart when I no longer need to spend so much time with him, but I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts. After all, not all relationships were meant to be long-term, right?

I Have Been a VERY Bad Friend

So, in my hiatus (unintentional) from blogging, I missed the tribute to Shanle on her birthday. So, for her 3rd unbirthday of this year of her life here we go.

S - Shay's wife. Remember Shay. Yep, they are still one of my favorite couples ever.
H - Honest. Shanle is always honest when you need or to be or when you don't want her to be. You always know where you stand around her. A great characteristic and I love her for it.
A - Angel with a choir robe on. Ok, maybe not anymore. But she was when I first met her. I still enjoy sitting next to her and hearing her praise Jesus on Sundays.
N - Neat gift giver. She went to Kenya and brought me back the coolest bracelet that she knew I wouldn't like. It was orange and white. No, I'm not a Vol fan, but I loved it anyways. It represents the #20. Go Tony Go. It's in my car so I think of her everytime I put the car into drive or park.
L -Long way away. Ok, really not so long, but she isn't just down the road anymore. And she isn't saving me a seat on the 3rd row at chuch anymore. But she is always around on Facebook to poke me and send me messages.
E - Ever-forgiving. She doesn't hold it against me that it took me 3 days to get this posted. She's just pumped she got her own blog entry.

So, Shanle, I love you and I hope you had a great day. Love, Kari.