8/6

LaVor and I are approaching the 6th anniversary of our trip to Europe. My my, how time does fly!

While I loved a majority of our trip (far too quick and Frankfurt was a flop), one of my favorite places ended up being Berlin.

And that's the subject for today: a favorite place.

There were so many things to love about Berlin. The people were especially friendly, the city had a combination of old and new, there was tons to see, but I think what encompassed me the most was the fact that 20 years prior, it was a completely different city (and Germany a different country).

We followed what used to be the wall for a majority of the day. I kept trying to imagine what it would be like to be on the east side, so stinkin' close to freedom yet trapped by concrete and barbed wire. I remember my mom telling me a story of when she visited East Berlin and how she had never been as scared as she was crossing Checkpoint Charlie.

While we were never that scared, we did have our brief moments of uneasiness. But it wasn't enough to turn me off to such a great city. One full of history, that I'd love to visit again someday.

Dreams Come True

About a month ago, The Lime had asked me where all of the fire stations were in our city. We looked the map up online and in the process, came across the invitation to the open house of station 1. Station 1 is across the street from the post office so whenever we mail something, The Lime asks if we can drop in and say hi. We did back in December but haven't been back. I knew the open house would be a real treat for The Lime, especially since that's where one of the city's hook & ladders is (his favorite truck).

The Lime practically ran out of his bedroom Saturday morning, he was so excited. We got to the station a little after it started and The Lime was a bit reserved. We were welcomed by the chief and invited to take a look around.

Our first stop was the obstacle course out back. Kevin greeted us and asked if The Lime wanted a turn. He said no but I told him he was doing it, no matter what. Kevin offered to do it with The Lime, as long as he took his hands out of his pockets.

He got to run through some cones, drag a dummy across the ground, screw a hose together, lift some weights from the ground up, and finally put a pretend fire out with a hose (the best part!).

After that, The Lime wanted to check everything out. We left nothing untouched!

Jeff was a nice guy who was helping kids onto the truck, where the controls were for the ladder. The Lime went on this part a few times. The second turn, he asked Jeff what kind of car he drove when he left the station. "A truck," Jeff said. "What kind?" The Lime asked. Jeff got a smirk on his face and said, "This could be debatable...a Ford." "Alright!" exclaimed The Lime, while giving a thumbs up. It was hilarious.

A fireman overheard The Lime say he wanted to take a tour of the firehouse so he happily showed us around. The fireman emphasized how clean they have to keep their spaces and encouraged The Lime to keep his room clean.

We learned that this station is one of the few left with a pole, which they still use. I wanted to take a picture of The Lime with it but he got scared that we were going to make him slide down. LaVor had to hold his hand and the fireman blocked the doorway with his leg, then The Lime was confident he was safe. The fireman zipped down the pole and met us at the bottom (we took the stairs).

We ran into a fireman demonstrating the air tank to some boys and The Lime asked if he could try it on. That sucker was heavy and The Lime almost fell backward. The fireman said with all their gear on and the tank, they're carrying around at least 100 extra pounds. I told The Lime that's like me riding on his back and he better start working out. He thought that was silly.

We ran back into the chief and The Lime asked him what he drove. He took us out front to his Suburban and opened up the back, showing us all the cool stuff he gets to use.

The Lime asked the chief where the captain was and he directed us back to the hook & ladder. We had met the captain at our local fire station back in December when we dropped cookies off for them. The captain was manning the tiller, which The Lime could hardly wait to sit in. If there weren't other kids waiting, he would have stayed there the entire time.

We walked around the truck for the 100th time, only this time, The Lime wanted to try on the headphones. Nobody else was doing it so I wasn't sure we'd be allowed to. Before I knew it, The Lime was asking Jeff if he could get in the cab and put them on. He was so sweet to let him and it ended up being another highlight of the visit.

The open house was just about over, and we had seen everything imaginable. Before we left, The Lime had to do the obstacle course four more times. We finally had to tell him if he wanted to stay, he'd have to clean the floors and toilets. That was reason enough to leave but it wasn't without thanking everyone for the wonderful morning and allowing a little 4 year old to live out his dream.

8/5

I originally thought of posting a picture of my boys for today, since they're dang cute, but then I realized I have pictures from 4 months ago that I never posted.

Today's subject is something I made.

Come April, it's a given that I'm going to make my niece's birthday cake.  And I love it!  I love being able to contribute to her special day and bringing a smile to her face.

This year's theme was Tangled and my sister gave me a couple photos for inspiration but always lets me make the ultimate decision.  I was drawn to one in particular and decided to try my hand at recreating it.

I've determined noses and lips are not my strongpoint. I've never been good at drawing them and clearly that rolls over into cakes. And I need to ease up on the blush. I do love how the braid turned out, wrapped around the entire cake.

But my niece loved it and it tasted great. Just hoping I can redeem myself next year.

8/4

Today's subject is a photo of myself.

This picture was taken in Paso Robles, May 2006.  LaVor and I were at a car show and thought some friends from L.A. were going to be there.  We walked around for hours looking for them and ended up taking a break in this spot.  LaVor sat on the bench while I stood to keep an eye out for Carol and Joel.    We didn't have their phone numbers to call them and didn't find out they were unable to make it until we got home that night.

That was one of my favorite haircuts/styles even though it took forever to curl.  It was also while I was dying it dark brown.

I wanted a new dress and my mom was willing to help me make it, but I had to cut the pattern out.  I probably got about 2/3 done and was so frustrated that she ended up taking over and finishing the whole thing herself.  I went to bed the night before and the dress was in pieces.  When I woke up the next morning, it was perfect and ready to go.

LaVor took the picture and saved it under the file name "my babe" on his computer.  Love that guy and this picture.

8/3

My dad hosted his annual WWII reunion in 1996 in Colorado Springs (when "Mmmmbop" was popular). One of the events we attended was an evening at the Flying W Ranch. Included with the cowboy dinner was a show put on by the Flying W Wranglers (I believe). My dad enjoyed the music so much, he bought the group's cd and listened to it often. One of the songs on the album was "Cool Water". The last line of each verse is, "...water...cool, clear water."

I have a hard time talking about water without having that line run through my head. Hence why I posted it for today's subject: water.

 The state of California is experiencing an exceptional drought, per the morning news. But I don't need to watch the news to figure that out. The smell of constant smoke outside or the dry grass everywhere is a clear indication we're lacking water.

We've tried to do our part and cut back where we can. Both lawns are primarily yellow, as is the toilet water (if you know what I mean), we turn the faucet off while we're scrubbing our hands or brushing our teeth, laundry isn't as done as often, nor the dishes.

But one thing I haven't cut back on is the amount of water I drink. In fact, it's increased dramatically, thanks to Doodlebug and his need to eat.

I don't remember being so thirsty all the time with The Lime, but I always have a cup of water handy nowadays. And at least once a day, after taking a drink, I say to whoever is in the room, "Why is water so good?!" I say it often enough that now The Lime says it when he takes a drink of water.

It's cool, refreshing (as long as it's not warm or bubbly), feels good on a hot day, and helps us in more ways than I can count. I just wish there was more of it to go around these here parts.

8/2

Speaking of hands, that's the subject for today.

I love hands. I love holding them, I love studying my boys' hands and admiring their tiny fingers, I'm appreciative of all the things my hands can do.

This photo was taken in 2002 while I was taking a photography class in high school. LaVor and I were at Coyote Hills and I was snapping pictures like a mad woman. Quite honestly, I think it was my best roll I took the entire course. And this was one of my favorites.

8/1

You know what's sad?  I used lined paper and I still can't write straight.