Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Tuesday
Today I drove home from work and the truck is so nasty filthy that I could barely see out the window. I thought about taking it to the car wash but it's just going to get filthy again tomorrow....is that bad?
Jon is still in Nevada helping out with the cat sanctuary down there. He is ready to come home, although tomorrow he spends the day in sin city doing business. Among other things, fueling some poker machine along the way I'm sure...
Jon is still in Nevada helping out with the cat sanctuary down there. He is ready to come home, although tomorrow he spends the day in sin city doing business. Among other things, fueling some poker machine along the way I'm sure...
Monday, July 16, 2007
Small Miracles
I cried on the way home today.
Probably not for the typical reasons a person might cry over while driving home from work. But as I wound down the dusty trails of the sanctuary to reach the canyon and the main road, the floodgates opened.
I received an email from which an excerpt follows, although I have changed the names of the actual writer & her son to maintain some degree of anonymity.
Dear Best Friends,
I just wanted to let you know that my son, Matthew, donated a Kuranda Dog Bed from your website. Matthew will be 4 on July 27th and instead of receiving a present this year, he decided to buy a dog bed for a dog that did not have a home. He decided to do this after our beloved dog, Sadie, passed away 2 months ago at the very young age of 5. Matthew and Sadie were best friends and loved playing in the stream together and going camping/hiking. Matthew would like a special dog to receive the bed and hopes that they enjoy sleeping in it as much as Sadie enjoyed sleeping in her special bed. We hope you all have a wonderful day! Keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
Matthew’s Mom
Okay, so maybe I’m a little volatile from the heat and perhaps from the emotional nature of uprooting my life and moving away from all that I’ve known for many years. But that has just got to be one of the most sentimental things I have heard in a long time. It’s no miracle, (or is it?) but these things happen every day here. I can’t even begin to express how moving it is to be involved in something like this. And so for the moment, I cried.
Probably not for the typical reasons a person might cry over while driving home from work. But as I wound down the dusty trails of the sanctuary to reach the canyon and the main road, the floodgates opened.
I received an email from which an excerpt follows, although I have changed the names of the actual writer & her son to maintain some degree of anonymity.
Dear Best Friends,
I just wanted to let you know that my son, Matthew, donated a Kuranda Dog Bed from your website. Matthew will be 4 on July 27th and instead of receiving a present this year, he decided to buy a dog bed for a dog that did not have a home. He decided to do this after our beloved dog, Sadie, passed away 2 months ago at the very young age of 5. Matthew and Sadie were best friends and loved playing in the stream together and going camping/hiking. Matthew would like a special dog to receive the bed and hopes that they enjoy sleeping in it as much as Sadie enjoyed sleeping in her special bed. We hope you all have a wonderful day! Keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
Matthew’s Mom
Okay, so maybe I’m a little volatile from the heat and perhaps from the emotional nature of uprooting my life and moving away from all that I’ve known for many years. But that has just got to be one of the most sentimental things I have heard in a long time. It’s no miracle, (or is it?) but these things happen every day here. I can’t even begin to express how moving it is to be involved in something like this. And so for the moment, I cried.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
The Oven
For starters, I haven’t blogged recently because
a) we have been in the process of moving and things have been nuts
b) we haven’t had internet access until 3 days ago
c) I’m freaking tired.
It’s been over 100 degrees every day for the past two weeks. But right now it’s thundering and lightening up a storm. Came out of nowhere and I’m sure it will be gone just as quickly as it arrived. I just ran out to the driveway to get something out of the truck when the downpour started. Who ever said it never rains in the desert? Well, it rarely does. BUT I felt compelled to jot down what I witnessed just now. As soon as the rain started pelting a little girl – 8 or 9 years old?—across the street ran out her front door and into her driveway. She stretched her arms out and looked up at the sky as the water poured into her face. Then she lifted her arms upward as if to catch the raindrops and thank the sky above for releasing them. And then in all her glory she looked across the street and noticed her creepy new neighbor (me) watching her and ran back inside. Can’t really blame her for that. I wasn’t intent on being lecherous, though. Just observing her spirit and really actually relating to her actions. As such I walked around the house and did not physically replicate the ritual, but I sure felt relieved and thankful for the precipitation.
a) we have been in the process of moving and things have been nuts
b) we haven’t had internet access until 3 days ago
c) I’m freaking tired.
It’s been over 100 degrees every day for the past two weeks. But right now it’s thundering and lightening up a storm. Came out of nowhere and I’m sure it will be gone just as quickly as it arrived. I just ran out to the driveway to get something out of the truck when the downpour started. Who ever said it never rains in the desert? Well, it rarely does. BUT I felt compelled to jot down what I witnessed just now. As soon as the rain started pelting a little girl – 8 or 9 years old?—across the street ran out her front door and into her driveway. She stretched her arms out and looked up at the sky as the water poured into her face. Then she lifted her arms upward as if to catch the raindrops and thank the sky above for releasing them. And then in all her glory she looked across the street and noticed her creepy new neighbor (me) watching her and ran back inside. Can’t really blame her for that. I wasn’t intent on being lecherous, though. Just observing her spirit and really actually relating to her actions. As such I walked around the house and did not physically replicate the ritual, but I sure felt relieved and thankful for the precipitation.
My First Rapid Response
So today I will head out to Pahrump Nevada. There is a cat sanctuary there in need of our help so I am off as part of the first team to respond to the place and get it all in order. 400 cats. Should be fun.
Not a usual part of my job, but Pahrump kind of falls in my territory. I am not sure how helpful I will be as a rapid responder but we'll see. I love cats, so 400 in one place should be an interesting experience. I will only spend a couple of days there working the long days, back breaking work, staying in an RV. I'll be off to Vegas for Wednesday and then back to Kanab.
For those who would much rather hear from Jaime, #1 I don't blame you, and #2 I am trying to get her to blog more.
Maybe once I am gone for these three days she will get on the ball?
Thursday, July 12, 2007
The Edge of your seat....
I know, I know. You have been on the edge of your seat wondering how we are doing. Did the truck come yet, you said? Are they moved in? Did Jon and his Best Friends softball team win?
Yes to all.
The truck arrived today. It was indeed two days late. For some reason the truck was not picked up Monday night at the ABF terminal in Salt Lake. The plan was for that to happen, and then it would be to us on Tuesday. I smell a refund in the works.
So the truck is here, I bought a dolly from the hardware store in town. The next few days will be simply unloading hell! Yay!
We did get into the house over the weekend. It is so awesome. We moved in Saturday and even without a single possession in the place it totally feels like home. I have no idea what on earth we will do with the 2900 sq ft. but I am sure I can find a few uses (bar, and poker room anyone?)
And yes, I made my Best Friends softball debut on Tuesday night. I am 1-for-1, hitting a 1,000 and I have not yet made an error (fielded one ball). So that's good. Another game tonight.
Although I am not entirely sure I can actually move. Advil is my friend. In fact I thought the feeling I had after running to first base would be the worst I would feel. Apparently not. Even today it still hurts.
Yes to all.
The truck arrived today. It was indeed two days late. For some reason the truck was not picked up Monday night at the ABF terminal in Salt Lake. The plan was for that to happen, and then it would be to us on Tuesday. I smell a refund in the works.
So the truck is here, I bought a dolly from the hardware store in town. The next few days will be simply unloading hell! Yay!
We did get into the house over the weekend. It is so awesome. We moved in Saturday and even without a single possession in the place it totally feels like home. I have no idea what on earth we will do with the 2900 sq ft. but I am sure I can find a few uses (bar, and poker room anyone?)
And yes, I made my Best Friends softball debut on Tuesday night. I am 1-for-1, hitting a 1,000 and I have not yet made an error (fielded one ball). So that's good. Another game tonight.
Although I am not entirely sure I can actually move. Advil is my friend. In fact I thought the feeling I had after running to first base would be the worst I would feel. Apparently not. Even today it still hurts.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Too Hot?
Oh believe me. I know it can be too hot. This may sound silly since we just moved to Kanab, but anything over a hundred it just too hot for me. Also it apparently is too hot for airplanes.
I took a five o'clock flight last night from SLC to Saint George. It was the easiest way for me to get down here since my car was already here. The flight takes about 80 minutes, and it takes about 90 to drive to St. G from Kanab. So Jaime and I essentially left at the same time.
About halfway into the flight the pilot comes on...
"Yes, ladies and gentlemen, from the flight deck. You probably won't be surprised to learn that it is hot in Saint George. And you'll notice we just took a left turn, we will be doing another, and going back to Salt Lake. It is to hot for us to land in Saint George."
I have done a lot of flying in my life, flown all across the globe, but I have never heard in my life that it is too hot to land. Apparently it's something to do with air density, or molecules or something. I was never good at science.
So I had no way to call Jaime. She was almost in St. G by the time we landed back in Salt Lake. I did make the next flight so she just had to wait for 2 1/2 hours.
I took a five o'clock flight last night from SLC to Saint George. It was the easiest way for me to get down here since my car was already here. The flight takes about 80 minutes, and it takes about 90 to drive to St. G from Kanab. So Jaime and I essentially left at the same time.
About halfway into the flight the pilot comes on...
"Yes, ladies and gentlemen, from the flight deck. You probably won't be surprised to learn that it is hot in Saint George. And you'll notice we just took a left turn, we will be doing another, and going back to Salt Lake. It is to hot for us to land in Saint George."
I have done a lot of flying in my life, flown all across the globe, but I have never heard in my life that it is too hot to land. Apparently it's something to do with air density, or molecules or something. I was never good at science.
So I had no way to call Jaime. She was almost in St. G by the time we landed back in Salt Lake. I did make the next flight so she just had to wait for 2 1/2 hours.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
A US Citizen?
I know this is not Kanab related. Sorry about that. Anyway, I have been going over the idea of finally becoming a citizen of the US. This is a test I came across on MSNBC.com....
---------
Do you have what it takes to become a citizen?
You answered 95% of questions correctly. Here's your rating:
0-20%: Maybe you're still thinking too much about the Old Country.
25-40%: Mmmm. Do you really want to be a citizen? This kind of performance isn't going to impress those nice immigration folks.
45-60%: Not too bad, but you really need to break out the civics books again -- word is, the INS is looking for an 80 percent score.
65-80%: Hey, you may make a good citizen yet! Look at your wrong answers and a little revision should do the trick.
85-100%: Welcome to the United States! (And, truth be told, you know more about this great land than most Americans.)
-------------
I was actually going to post my 19/20 correct answers, but I figure it might spoil it for others. The dumb thing is, the only question I got wrong was the date of the writing of the constitution.
Take the test by clicking here through to the MSNBC website!
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Wagon Train
So, I made it to the Brandon. Well, officially it’s now called “The Flagstone” (motel) but everyone in town calls it the Brandon, so we do too. First off, I am pleased to announce that the animals and I arrive unscathed with the exception of one accident had by the infamous Coconut. We made an unscheduled stop in Scipio to take care of business. The cats both (but Karma in particular) yowled the entire way here. They apparently do NOT like the car. I gave them each 2 tranquilizers and they still screeched the whole way. Poor things. Actually, I should correct myself. They didn’t scream the entire way. It’s a five hour drive and they only technically hollered for the first four hours…..
Anyway, Moki & Kona have become quite the seasoned travelers, so they were fine until we arrived…when they were so anxious to get out of the truck they both tried to jump out the window in the front seat.
But now both of the dogs are crashed on the floor, and the cats have both taken up residence underneath the bed. Fine by me. We do have one escape artist (Karmie) so as far as I’m concerned ‘under the bed’ is far superior to ‘on highway 89’.
I start work tomorrow and I’m really excited. I’m sure it will be mostly an orientation day with HR and whatnot. The only concern I have is leaving the animals at the motel while I’m gone. When Jon gets here (flying to St. George on Friday after the moving truck gets packed) he can take them to work with him. But I’m not really comfortable taking the drooling mongrels to the office…not even sure yet if it’s kosher in my dept. so hopefully they all do ok on their own during the day for the time being.
That’s it for now. I’m off to breathe some fresh air and drink some clean water.
Anyway, Moki & Kona have become quite the seasoned travelers, so they were fine until we arrived…when they were so anxious to get out of the truck they both tried to jump out the window in the front seat.
But now both of the dogs are crashed on the floor, and the cats have both taken up residence underneath the bed. Fine by me. We do have one escape artist (Karmie) so as far as I’m concerned ‘under the bed’ is far superior to ‘on highway 89’.
I start work tomorrow and I’m really excited. I’m sure it will be mostly an orientation day with HR and whatnot. The only concern I have is leaving the animals at the motel while I’m gone. When Jon gets here (flying to St. George on Friday after the moving truck gets packed) he can take them to work with him. But I’m not really comfortable taking the drooling mongrels to the office…not even sure yet if it’s kosher in my dept. so hopefully they all do ok on their own during the day for the time being.
That’s it for now. I’m off to breathe some fresh air and drink some clean water.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Moving Sucks
I could not be more excited to start the new adventure in Kanab.
We are just having a hard time getting there.
Jaime organized a moving company last minute. It was our fault, I mean we really didn't get on the ball. We found someone who said they could do it. As we grew closer to today, I started to wonder about the company, and more specifically if they could accomodate all of our stuff.
Thursday I talked to the girl, and she mentioned that they had a trailer. Not a truck, a trailer. A 21x9 trailer at that. Not enough for our stuff.
At this point it's too late, and the recommendation she gave us was to try rent a u-haul. In June. On a Saturday. Day of. Moving season.
Yeah right.
So we are not doing anything today. Jaime is taking a well deserved nap, and I am blogging.
All is not lost however. I just spoke with ABF U-Pack and they are awesome! They are dropping a semi truck thingie at our house on Tuesday sometime. They will then pick it up on Thursday. It will then be delivered to Kanab on the 10th. We hopefully will close on our house in the 9th! It is the fraction of the cost of the other companies, and quite frankly cheaper than even a damn u-haul.
So, all we need now is some good strong lads to help us do all the heavy lifting!! On both ends LOL
Jaime will be in Kanab tomorrow. She will drive down with the kids while I work from up here for a couple more days. Once the truck is packed I will depart for Saint George courtesy of Sky West. Then, just maybe I will be in the office again Thursday.
We are just having a hard time getting there.
Jaime organized a moving company last minute. It was our fault, I mean we really didn't get on the ball. We found someone who said they could do it. As we grew closer to today, I started to wonder about the company, and more specifically if they could accomodate all of our stuff.
Thursday I talked to the girl, and she mentioned that they had a trailer. Not a truck, a trailer. A 21x9 trailer at that. Not enough for our stuff.
At this point it's too late, and the recommendation she gave us was to try rent a u-haul. In June. On a Saturday. Day of. Moving season.
Yeah right.
So we are not doing anything today. Jaime is taking a well deserved nap, and I am blogging.
All is not lost however. I just spoke with ABF U-Pack and they are awesome! They are dropping a semi truck thingie at our house on Tuesday sometime. They will then pick it up on Thursday. It will then be delivered to Kanab on the 10th. We hopefully will close on our house in the 9th! It is the fraction of the cost of the other companies, and quite frankly cheaper than even a damn u-haul.
So, all we need now is some good strong lads to help us do all the heavy lifting!! On both ends LOL
Jaime will be in Kanab tomorrow. She will drive down with the kids while I work from up here for a couple more days. Once the truck is packed I will depart for Saint George courtesy of Sky West. Then, just maybe I will be in the office again Thursday.
Friday, June 22, 2007
A Zillion Degrees
I’m still in Kanab as Jon rounds out his second week at Best Friends. I haven’t seen him this energized in months. While I think his job anchoring the news was very suitable for him, I don’t think it was all that interesting to him by the time he decided to move on. I have yet to begin my two weeks but at this point am scheduled to begin July 2nd. We are driving to SLC tomorrow and will be there through the week. Jon has a few meetings up there so he is going to work from home which will be nice since he can help me pack things up in the evenings. We have a mover scheduled to come on Saturday and haul it all down to Kanab. It will probably cost a small fortune, but we need the help and hopefully it will not be an expense we will need to shell out for again any time soon.
The girls are easing into life here in Kanab. They are still suffering anxiety when separated from us; me in particular. They are ok with Jon but they prefer me I think. I am, after all, the momma. We have been moving around from motels to rentals and whatnot and they just don’t get it. Kona had an anxiety episode at daycare the day we left, and she has been a little off since then but seems to be doing better. The other day I went out to my truck to get something out of the front seat. Understand, it is 8 zillion degrees outside, and probably 9 zillion inside the truck. They both hopped in the back seat and wouldn’t get out. I had to coerce them for about 5 minutes, and actually physically lift Kona out (bad leg) but that’s how confused they are. Poor babies. I think they will adjust in time, though. They are such great companions.
The girls are easing into life here in Kanab. They are still suffering anxiety when separated from us; me in particular. They are ok with Jon but they prefer me I think. I am, after all, the momma. We have been moving around from motels to rentals and whatnot and they just don’t get it. Kona had an anxiety episode at daycare the day we left, and she has been a little off since then but seems to be doing better. The other day I went out to my truck to get something out of the front seat. Understand, it is 8 zillion degrees outside, and probably 9 zillion inside the truck. They both hopped in the back seat and wouldn’t get out. I had to coerce them for about 5 minutes, and actually physically lift Kona out (bad leg) but that’s how confused they are. Poor babies. I think they will adjust in time, though. They are such great companions.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Ok, so that worked...
I have now been in Kanab exactly seven days. The first week has been hard without a doubt.
Some jobs you start, and it takes a while before you are getting in there and really working. It took me about 6 hours.
So far I have done many things, but most importantly I have helped to organize an adoption for 37 animals from 2 centers that are closing. The short story is that if we didn't help, and get this together they would have died.
It's exactly what we came here to do and it is a good feeling. It's pretty amazing to be able to do a job where you help, and you also feel pretty damn good about yourself too.
I want you guys to check out our network at Best Friends. It is, I think, the kind of thing people have been trying to do on the web for the last couple of years. Find that next thing, I think of it as web 3.0
http://network.bestfriends.org
You can find people in your area, find any particular issue you care about, and find out things you can do to help.
Yet another reason why Best Friends ROCKS!
We obviously still have a lot to do in terms of moving, and getting Jaime down here full-time and working, but we will get it done. Hopefully we will be in our new home by the middle of next month, and then we expect regular visits!!
Some jobs you start, and it takes a while before you are getting in there and really working. It took me about 6 hours.
So far I have done many things, but most importantly I have helped to organize an adoption for 37 animals from 2 centers that are closing. The short story is that if we didn't help, and get this together they would have died.
It's exactly what we came here to do and it is a good feeling. It's pretty amazing to be able to do a job where you help, and you also feel pretty damn good about yourself too.
I want you guys to check out our network at Best Friends. It is, I think, the kind of thing people have been trying to do on the web for the last couple of years. Find that next thing, I think of it as web 3.0
http://network.bestfriends.org
You can find people in your area, find any particular issue you care about, and find out things you can do to help.
Yet another reason why Best Friends ROCKS!
We obviously still have a lot to do in terms of moving, and getting Jaime down here full-time and working, but we will get it done. Hopefully we will be in our new home by the middle of next month, and then we expect regular visits!!
Monday, June 11, 2007
Buying & Selling
Things are moving along with the selling of the house. Made an offer on a new (well, not new but new to us) place in Kanab. It's a little older but has been remodeled inside. It's huge and in a great in-town location. Should know by 5PM tomorrow if the sellers accepted the offer. If I wasn't already so old & grey, I would be really excited by all this hype. But honesly, I'm just tired. So I guess I'll just go soak my bunions.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
The Good News
No, I'm not pregnant.
But, this is a post that is long overdue. I vow to begin anew and keep up with this thing, as it seems now more relevant than ever. First off, the good news: we have accepted positions with Best Friends Animal Society based in Kanab, Utah. We have sold our house and are moving down south. It is a HUGE change for us both but we are so excited to take on new challenges in a new arena. I guess we don’t do things half assed. Get married, go on kick-ass honeymoon (I’ll still be posting further journal entries from that, btw) sell a house, buy a new house, quit long-held career positions and switch gears all together. Yeah, it’s a lot to stomach.
Based on this stress related scale, combined we are well over 300. Yet we’re hanging in there, and the bottom line is that the change is all for good. We wanted and needed change, and boy did we get it. Things have been going so smoothly through the transition (as smoothly as can be expected) and although we have shed many tears over leaving our local friends and family, we will only be a half day’s drive away, and hope that folks will utilize our new awesome location when visiting Southern Utah and its recreational possibilities.
Second. I’ve re-named the blog. While you may or may not know that I haven’t entirely taken Dunn on paper I don’t mind being referred to as one. Plus it’s kinda kitschy for this purpose.
Third. Jon will be adding posts. So if there’s anything off colour or offensive, don’t necessarily blame me out of the gate. Of course, your comments, as always, are welcome. :)
I’m in Salt Lake finishing out my notice and then hopefully getting the house closed. We have a house we are thinking of offering on next week in Kanab, so wish us luck that things continue to transition smoothly.
But, this is a post that is long overdue. I vow to begin anew and keep up with this thing, as it seems now more relevant than ever. First off, the good news: we have accepted positions with Best Friends Animal Society based in Kanab, Utah. We have sold our house and are moving down south. It is a HUGE change for us both but we are so excited to take on new challenges in a new arena. I guess we don’t do things half assed. Get married, go on kick-ass honeymoon (I’ll still be posting further journal entries from that, btw) sell a house, buy a new house, quit long-held career positions and switch gears all together. Yeah, it’s a lot to stomach.
Based on this stress related scale, combined we are well over 300. Yet we’re hanging in there, and the bottom line is that the change is all for good. We wanted and needed change, and boy did we get it. Things have been going so smoothly through the transition (as smoothly as can be expected) and although we have shed many tears over leaving our local friends and family, we will only be a half day’s drive away, and hope that folks will utilize our new awesome location when visiting Southern Utah and its recreational possibilities.
Second. I’ve re-named the blog. While you may or may not know that I haven’t entirely taken Dunn on paper I don’t mind being referred to as one. Plus it’s kinda kitschy for this purpose.
Third. Jon will be adding posts. So if there’s anything off colour or offensive, don’t necessarily blame me out of the gate. Of course, your comments, as always, are welcome. :)
I’m in Salt Lake finishing out my notice and then hopefully getting the house closed. We have a house we are thinking of offering on next week in Kanab, so wish us luck that things continue to transition smoothly.
Monday, April 30, 2007
To Placate The Restless
The first post from the honeymoon. Sorry it's taken so long but we've had a few things going on. Writing out thank you cards and getting the house put back together, among other things. Thank you to all the family and friends who made the trek. We had the greatest wedding EVER. (And I have the beverage invoice to prove it if you have any doubts!!) xoxo P.S. - pics to follow....
Monday, March 26, 2007 4:35 Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Well, the wedding went off beautifully. I mean absolutely flawless. I can’t even begin to describe how well everything went down. Everything was perfect.
All of the family made it in for the event, and we saw them all off yesterday morning. It’s about 4:35 in Rarotonga right now, and again, everything is amazing. Jon is sleeping. We finally lied down to watch a movie and both of us crashed and burned. I only slept for about an hour, and he’s still out. I don’t remember the end of the movie.
I just stepped inside from our porch. It is incredible. Right on the water. It’s a little windy today, but the sun is shining on the crystal blue lagoon, and again, we are awestruck with the beauty of this place.
We left SLC for Los Angeles last night around 7pm MST. We then went through the international terminal at LAX (translate: complete nightmare) but we got checked in and boarded our flight with Air New Zealand around 11:30 PST. We then flew for approximately 8.5 hours, and arrived in Papeete, Tahiti. I was able to sleep on the plane for about 4 hours although I continued to wake up several times through the trip so it was not restful to say the least. When we arrived in Tahiti, we deplaned once again for about an hour, and then re-boarded for Rarotonga. That flight was about an hour and 45 minutes. It was less than full so I was able to commandeer an entire row in the center and lie down for a good nap. Jon was more anxious to sit by the window and witness our spectacular landing, which I did wake up in time for. Evidently the airstrip in Rarotonga is exceptionally short. As a result, our pilot ‘missed’ on the first approach. Something about an air gust throwing us off. I’ve never in my 30+ years experienced a ‘missed’ landing, but Jon said he has had it happen a few times to him. Anyway, we flew past the airstrip, circled around, and successfully landed the second time. We were near the back of the plane but were practically the first ones off; almost running down the jet way to get our luggage. A man was singing to the new passengers and playing a stringed instrument (similar to a ukulele?) and that was a nice welcome. We grabbed our bags, dashed through customs, and our ride was waiting to take us to our villa. Oh, and he adorned us with fresh flower leis. That was a nice touch.
Once we got settled in we went for a short walk in the lagoon, a dip in our private pool and then took a jaunt down the road (on foot) to pick up a few groceries. Upon returning we decided to go forth and rent a car for the duration, and made arrangements with Budget Rentals and then picked up our small Daihatsu compact. We headed to the center or town, Rauva, applied for a driver’s license (we are now both fully licensed drivers in the Cook Islands) and grabbed a quick cheeseburger at a burger stand. There are chickens running around freely, picking up our crumbs, so that lent for some amusement. We later headed to the food market and liquor store and came back home. After having a snack and another Foster’s Lager (or was that a Steinlager?) we passed out in front of the TV watching the Borat Movie. We are trying to hold out until tonight to fall asleep for good so we can acclimatize to the time difference and not be on a weird waking schedule.
Tomorrow morning we have spa appointments at a nearby resort and for now we are off to bbq burgers by the private pool. Cheers.
Monday, March 26, 2007 4:35 Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Well, the wedding went off beautifully. I mean absolutely flawless. I can’t even begin to describe how well everything went down. Everything was perfect.
All of the family made it in for the event, and we saw them all off yesterday morning. It’s about 4:35 in Rarotonga right now, and again, everything is amazing. Jon is sleeping. We finally lied down to watch a movie and both of us crashed and burned. I only slept for about an hour, and he’s still out. I don’t remember the end of the movie.
I just stepped inside from our porch. It is incredible. Right on the water. It’s a little windy today, but the sun is shining on the crystal blue lagoon, and again, we are awestruck with the beauty of this place.
We left SLC for Los Angeles last night around 7pm MST. We then went through the international terminal at LAX (translate: complete nightmare) but we got checked in and boarded our flight with Air New Zealand around 11:30 PST. We then flew for approximately 8.5 hours, and arrived in Papeete, Tahiti. I was able to sleep on the plane for about 4 hours although I continued to wake up several times through the trip so it was not restful to say the least. When we arrived in Tahiti, we deplaned once again for about an hour, and then re-boarded for Rarotonga. That flight was about an hour and 45 minutes. It was less than full so I was able to commandeer an entire row in the center and lie down for a good nap. Jon was more anxious to sit by the window and witness our spectacular landing, which I did wake up in time for. Evidently the airstrip in Rarotonga is exceptionally short. As a result, our pilot ‘missed’ on the first approach. Something about an air gust throwing us off. I’ve never in my 30+ years experienced a ‘missed’ landing, but Jon said he has had it happen a few times to him. Anyway, we flew past the airstrip, circled around, and successfully landed the second time. We were near the back of the plane but were practically the first ones off; almost running down the jet way to get our luggage. A man was singing to the new passengers and playing a stringed instrument (similar to a ukulele?) and that was a nice welcome. We grabbed our bags, dashed through customs, and our ride was waiting to take us to our villa. Oh, and he adorned us with fresh flower leis. That was a nice touch.
Once we got settled in we went for a short walk in the lagoon, a dip in our private pool and then took a jaunt down the road (on foot) to pick up a few groceries. Upon returning we decided to go forth and rent a car for the duration, and made arrangements with Budget Rentals and then picked up our small Daihatsu compact. We headed to the center or town, Rauva, applied for a driver’s license (we are now both fully licensed drivers in the Cook Islands) and grabbed a quick cheeseburger at a burger stand. There are chickens running around freely, picking up our crumbs, so that lent for some amusement. We later headed to the food market and liquor store and came back home. After having a snack and another Foster’s Lager (or was that a Steinlager?) we passed out in front of the TV watching the Borat Movie. We are trying to hold out until tonight to fall asleep for good so we can acclimatize to the time difference and not be on a weird waking schedule.
Tomorrow morning we have spa appointments at a nearby resort and for now we are off to bbq burgers by the private pool. Cheers.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
In Case You Missed It
Ok, I thought the Governor's Mansion was a big deal. But this is the big time. I got (indirectly) mentioned in Ethan's blog, slcspin.com.
What he says is true. Rhonda Kamper, Henry the Chihuahua's mom and other supporters organized a rally this weekend in front of the Governor's Mansion. Yep, the day we are getting married there. Reminds me of an Alanis Morisette song or something since Jon and I met volunteering for NMHPU.
Of course, our allies and fellow pet lovers came through in yet another demonstration of how loyal we are to one another, let alone the animals. The rally was kindly rescheduled to take place earlier in the day. Ain’t life grand?!
What he says is true. Rhonda Kamper, Henry the Chihuahua's mom and other supporters organized a rally this weekend in front of the Governor's Mansion. Yep, the day we are getting married there. Reminds me of an Alanis Morisette song or something since Jon and I met volunteering for NMHPU.
Of course, our allies and fellow pet lovers came through in yet another demonstration of how loyal we are to one another, let alone the animals. The rally was kindly rescheduled to take place earlier in the day. Ain’t life grand?!
Wednesday
All of the out of towners’ welcome gift bags are ready. All of the sheets and towels have been laundered. The house cleaners came. The dogs are groomed. The guest counts have been tallied. The musical selections have been chosen. The work at my office has been left for better or worse. The airport itineraries and shuttles are scheduled. The tuxedos are ready to be picked up. My hair is colored. My dress is here. It’s show time folks. Let’s party.
Right after I take a much neeeded nap.
Right after I take a much neeeded nap.
Monday, March 19, 2007
List This
If I never make another list of things to do for the rest of my life, I feel confident that I will have experienced my fair share and then some.
If I never make another list of things to do for Jon, he will love me forever.
If I never make another list of things to do for Jon, he will love me forever.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
wha, huh?
It's 5:08 a.m. I went to "sleep" at 12:15-ish. This is ridicious. I spent the entire evening working on lists for this and lists for that plus getting the house semi organized so the cleaners can come today. I also spent some time hunting for some important documents that I have somehow hidden from myself in all the chaos. I have looked EVERYWHERE and they are nowhere to be found. I haven't seen them in about 6 weeks so lord knows where they are. Here's a little silent prayer that I can find them....eeegads.
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