Disturbingly Interesting

I came across this website when I was curious about what the HIV virus looked like. I had read an article in the British news about HIV and it sparked my interest. If you watch the little video towards the bottom middle of the page it explains how it works. No wonder it is such a deadly deadly disease. Anyone who can survive it for years must have something special in their bodies. Please take a minute to educate yourself if you haven't already!!!

My Friend, the Monarch

I "caught" (not like they run real fast) 2 monarch caterpillars a couple of weeks ago, fed them, and they hatched from their cocoons last weekend!

One of them flew away right off the same day it hatched, but the other needed a couple days to recover from the rebirth:

It was so awesome, he just sat on my hand the whole time, not afraid, just trusting me.

Oh I wuv you mister butterfly!

He finally flew away after spending 2 days in a tupperware on this sunflower head :)

I'm Sure Most Of You Know By Now

....that I'm pregnant again :)

I am not sure how far along probably about 8 weeks or so. I have a doctor's appointment on October 1st to get an ultrasound so I'll post a pic of it on here :)

I have had NO time to blog lately, and my stupid Acer has some kind of problem in the back where the power cord plugs in. Sometimes it makes contact, sometimes it doesn't. I really need a new laptop bad. Oh well.

So anyway, right now my baby is the size of a Kidney bean (5/8") and I feel about as big as a beluga whale already! I really hope I don't blow up with this one like I did with Alex. I've been jogging every few days and walking as much as possible, but winter's coming. I do have a gym membership that I'm going to try to use more when it starts getting to crappy out to walk. It will be hard to find time because of course now both kids are more demanding as they are both in school (alicia is in 2 day a week preschool) and want ME there when they get home, not Kris. Alicia has become very clingy lately and gets very upset if I am not able to make her breakfast, get her dressed, help her brush her teeth, and read her a story. I have had Alex almost full time since he started school and he needs a lot of attention although he is not as demanding for it. I don't want him to feel left out. So when am I supposed to make time to exercise? And spend time with Kris? I have no idea. Someone is going to get sacrificed. That is just the way life goes.

Humpty Hike

Yesterday I got to go on a real hike for the first time since well, a long time! When Kris asked me if I wanted to go up Camel's Hump, I said, "Yeah of course why not?" thinking back to the time that I think I did it when I was like 14 years old haha and it was sooooooooo easy right?

Well unFORTUNately I didn't get much hiking experience over the last few years and I only walk and jog for exercise on mostly flat surfaces so really I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I started off on almost a run going up the steepest trail that there is (starts with a B...can't remember the name though)
and....then....I......sloooooooooooooowed......down. Kris of course has these ridiculously long legs, and while I have long legs for a girl I was still finding it impossible to follow the same course he was taking. AND I kept stopping to take pictures of little mushrooms

and holes and leaves along the way so I was going slow. "Butterfly" I made with leaves

Finally we make it to the top and I was still feeling pretty good. The summit was amazing, beautiful, and a dream come true for me because here I am, in the midst of the things I love most about God's creations:

Clouds! They are rushing over me, around me, THROUGH me it seems. I can feel their cool misty touch against my sweaty cheek and through my hair. It gave me a chill, but not a cold chill. I watched them form together, then degrade, then form again and build up into what we see from the ground.

The air was so still, so quiet like it must have been before all living things were made. I can see why He felt the need for creatures to exist: it is very lonely without life.

So ok the spiritual feeling was great, but then we had to leave and go back DOWN which I thought I was looking forward to since going UP was so challenging. Oh and PS. I was wearing stretchy jeans, walking sneakers, and a long sleeve shirt over a tank top (i thought that was smart of me...lol). At least I remembered deoderant! At least I didn't have to carry anything. On the way down I was doing great at first, marveling at using my gymnastics skills (lol) to maneuver between the rocks and my crab-walk to get down the sheer places that had no real hand or foot holds.

As time went on my thighs remembered that they didn't get used that often and started protesting. I began to shake and my ankle began to twinge here and there. Kris had decided for us to take the "short" way up and the looooooong way down!! I was screwed!! I tried my best not to complain. I gave fair warning of my bitching and moaning and then just shut up and took it. Half way down I really thought I was going to collapse...and then I did. My ankle gave way and I fell onto my knee but caught a tree at the last moment. I just sat there for a minute, dizzy and confused. Then I got up, told Kris to keep going, and robotically went the last of the way there...for about 1.5 hrs.

While I was coming back I was thinking (and saying) "You know, maybe hiking just isn't for me. I like to walk. Obsessively. But hiking, well, it kind of sucks!!" But here I am the next day, thinking about the next time maybe I can do it again.......

the sound of my feet,
the long gray path before me,
the soothing rhythm of the crickets.
i stop to pray in my sanctuary;
i find solace among the dead,
comfort among the quiet.

tears fall from the sky as a
tear falls from my eye
my lip quivers and
i let go of my little ball of anger.
i gave it to him.
my life is mine again.

You May Have Heard

I cut off my hair :)

Cannot get that girl to smile for the camera!

I'm Baaaaaack....

I haven't really been able to post much for a while or do much of anything at all because my Acer Notebook's power cable died on me a couple of weeks ago. Fluffy 1 had puked on it once, right where the detachable cable met the boxy thingy, which may have caused it to degrade over time, who knows! So yesterday I went to Circuit City with the fam and asked where to find a new one. The sales rep directed me to the Universal cords, showing me the 100$+ models. Then I said, "Do you have anything cheap?" He looked a little resigned and pointed me in the direction of the "Out of Box" items that were 50% off!!! I got the nicest model of the ones he was showing me for 50$!! It still hurt to pay that much but honestly if I'm paying for the DSL and I have a computer and I use it all the time, it is worth it to me.

Today's Morning Walk

Mushrooms!!!!!!

We saw these on our walk through the woods at Indian Brook Reservoir in Essex, VT...

Progression of a Storm

Berry Pickin'!

Blueberry season is just about upon us. Usually its going real good by now but I think that it has not been sunny enough the past couple of weeks so the berries are not totally ripened yet. We still managed to bring in about 4 pounds of them though! They are a bit sour...but I'll eat 'em anyway!