Wednesday, December 31, 2014

End of the Year survey

1. What did you do in 2014 that you’d never done before? 

I was the women's winner in five races this season. I have never won a race before.
 
2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't make any. Or I just didn't post them. But they are the same every year: lose weight and take more photos. I maintained my weight throughout the year and thanks to my camera phone, I did take more photos. I want to keep that up and actually take my real camera out and shoot photos more and lose some weight.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? 
No.

4. Did anyone close to you die? 
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
Stayed in the US. Visited Mackinaw City/Mackinac Island, MI in August.

6. What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014? 
Either a full-time job or another part-time job.

7. What dates from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
November 26 - That was the day my husband and his co-worker pulled a man out of a burning house.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?  
Entering my photos at the county fair again. Out of the eight that I submitted, four won ribbons.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Applying for a second part-time job and not even getting a call for an interview.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? 
My dog twisted my right ankle with his wheelchair and I stepped awkwardly off my treadmill, my left knee felt funky for a day.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Oiselle clothing, a new flash for my camera, drawing and painting supplies.

12. Where did most of your money go? 
Student loan, gas, groceries, e-books, race fees, other bills, clothing and art supplies.

13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Registering for an online interior design course.

14. What song will always remind you of 2014? 
Dirt by Florida Georgia Line and Shake It Off by Taylor Swift

15. Compared to this time last year, are you: 
a) happier or sadder? Happier.
b) thinner or fatter? About the same.
c) richer or poorer? Neither.

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Take more photos.

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Not sure.

18. Did you fall in love in 2014?
Yes. As always with my wonderful husband of 13 years.

19. What was your favorite new TV programs? 
True Detective, Fargo, NYMed, Madame Secretary, Lost History and State of Affairs.

20. What was the best book you read?
I had a few: Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures, Robert K. Wittman & John Shiffman
Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan, Del Quentin Wilber 
Joe and Marilyn: Legends in Love, C. David Heymann
Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies and the Making of a Medical Examiner, Judy Melinek, M.D.

41: A Portrait of My Father, George W. Bush
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory, Caitlin Doughty

21. What was your greatest musical discovery? 
Florida Georgia Line

22. What was your favorite films of this year?
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Draft Day, The Monuments Men and The Wolf of Wall Street.

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
 I turned 35 and ran a 5K. Placed third in my age group.

24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? 
Drawing once again and started to paint.

25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2014?
Most of the time, I'm wearing my uniform for work. When not working, t-shirts, shorts or jeans.

26. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? 
None.

27. Who do you miss?
My answer will always be my dad who passed away in 1998.

28. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014.   
Sometimes when you do everything you're supposed to, you still get passed over.

29. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. 
Hey what ever happened to waiting your turn
Doing it all by hand, 'cause when everything is handed to you
It's only worth as much as the time put it

30. Do you have any big plans for 2015? 
Visiting Florida for the first time.

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Monday, December 29, 2014

Books read in 2014

Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead do Tell Tales, William Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Roads, Earl Swift
Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI, Dana Kollmann 
Confessions of a Surgeon, Paul A. Ruggieri M.D.
Lincoln's Grace Robbers, Steve Sheinkin
Why Your Prescription Takes So Damn Long to Fill, Drugmonkey
Beyond the Body Farm, Dr. Bill Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession, Mark Obmascik
True Hollywood Noir: Filmland Mysteries and Murders, Dina Di Mambro

Island of Vice: Theodor Roosevelt's Quest to Clean Up Sin-Loving New York, Richard Zacks   
Mortal Evidence: The Forensics Behind Nine Shocking Cases, Cyril H. Wecht
Amelia, Nancy Nahra
Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures, Robert K. Wittman & John Shiffman 
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Hot Lights, Cold Steel, Michale J. Collins, M.D.
Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs, Michael J. Collins M.D. 
Dark Dreams: A Legendary FBI Profiler Examines Homicide and the Criminal Mind, Roy Hazelwood & Stephen G. Michaud 
Swim, Bike, Run: Our Triathlon Story, Alistair Brownlee & Jonathan Brownlee
The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule
Beauty, Disrupted: The Carre Otis Story, Carre Otis & Hugo Schwyzer
House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder and Survival, Deborah Ball
Trama: My Life as an Emergency Surgeon, Dr. James Cole
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies, J.B. West
Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain
Back of the House: The Secret Life of a Restaurant, Scott Haas 
Shooting Stars: My Unexpected Life Photographing Hollywood's Most Famous, Jennifer Buhl
Trauma Junkie: Memoirs of an Emergency Flight Nurse, Janice Hudson
You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again: The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny, Suzanne Hansen
NYPD Confidential: Power and Corruption in the Country's Greatest Police Force, Leonard Levitt 
The Things That Matter, Nate Berkus
Chicago Cop: Tales from the Street, Star #14931
The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America, Michael Ruhlman
Monica's Story, Andrew Morton
All Too Human: A Political Education, George Stephanopoulos
Flowers in the Attic, V.C. Andrews
Petals on the Wind, V.C. Andrews
If There Be Thorns, V.C., Andrews 
How I Helped O.J. Get Away With Murder, Mike Gilbert  
Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan, Del Quentin Wilber
Standing Next to History: An Agent's Life Inside The Secret Service, Joseph Petro & Jeffrey Robinson  
Intensive Care, Echo Heron
Condition Critical: The Story of a Nurse Continues, Echo Heron
Cabin Fever: The Sizzling Secrets of an Virgin Air Hostess..., Mandy Smith
Dancing with the Devil: The Windsors and Jimmy Donahue, Christopher Wilson
The Season: A Summer Whirl Through the English Social Season, Sophie Campbell
Joe and Marilyn: Legends in Love, C. David Heymann
Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies and the Making of a Medical Examiner, Judy Melinek, M.D.
Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents, Cormac O'Brien
Secret Lives of the First Ladies, Cormac O'Brien
The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Han van Meegeren
Killing Patton: The Strange Death of World War II's Most Audacious General, Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard
Gone Girl, GIllian Flynn
The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art, Don Thompson
Julius Caesar, Philip Freeman
The Painted Word, Tom Wolfe
What Are You Looking At?: The Surprising, Shocking and Sometimes Strange Story of 150 of Modern Art, Will Gompertz
41: A Portrait of My Father, George W. Bush
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory, Caitlin Doughty
The Inner Circle, Brad Meltzer
Geroge Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring that saved the American Revolution, Brian Kilmeade & Don Yaeger
Jackson Pollock: A Biography, Deborah Solomon

Currently Reading: Citizen Keane: The Big Lies Behind the Big Eyes, Cletus Nelson & Adam Parfrey

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Merry Christmas


May the magic of Christmas 
fill each corner of your 
home & heart.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Lights Before Christmas I - Toledo, OH









My husband and I traveled to the Toledo Zoo last week. We have been going to see The Lights Before Christmas at the Toledo Zoo for 18 years. It is one of our favorite holiday traditions.

If you are in the Toledo, Ohio area, the Lights Before Christmas will be on display until January 4, 2015.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Sometimes you have to go back

The big rumor around here and the entire United States is that Michigan is trying to get Jim Harbaugh to be the next head coach of the maize and blue. That would be great if Harbaugh came back to Michigan, but we will have to wait and see.

Until then, watch this amazing video.


Monday, December 22, 2014

NCAA D1 Volleyball National Championship

Unseeded Brigham Young University Cougars met the fifth seeded Penn State Nittany Lions in the NCAA D1 Volleyball National Championship Saturday in Oklahoma City, OK.

Penn State defeated BYU in three straight sets 25-21, 26-24 25-14 to win a seventh national championship.

Leading the way for Penn State was Aiyana Whitney and Megan Courtney with 11 kills each. Courtney also had 14 digs. D1 Player of the Year, setter Micha Hancock, had 36 assists, five digs, one block and a service ace. Dominique Gonzales led the Nittany Lions with 16 digs.

For BYU, Jennifer Hamson led the Cougars with 14 kills, eight digs and two blocks. Alexa Gray had nine kills and two blocks. Alohi Robins-Hardy contributed with 31 assists and eight digs.

All-Tournament Team
Alexa Gray, BYU
Jennifer Hamson, BYU
Ali Frantti, Penn State
Micha Hancock, Penn State
Megan Courtney, Penn State - Most Outstanding Player
Brittany Howard, Stanford
Chiaka Ogbogu, Texas

byucougars.com
byucougars.com
Mark Selders
Mark Selders
Mark Selders

Mark Selders
Mark Selders

Mark Selders





Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Books read in 2014

Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead do Tell Tales, William Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Roads, Earl Swift
Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI, Dana Kollmann 
Confessions of a Surgeon, Paul A. Ruggieri M.D.
Lincoln's Grace Robbers, Steve Sheinkin
Why Your Prescription Takes So Damn Long to Fill, Drugmonkey
Beyond the Body Farm, Dr. Bill Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession, Mark Obmascik
True Hollywood Noir: Filmland Mysteries and Murders, Dina Di Mambro

Island of Vice: Theodor Roosevelt's Quest to Clean Up Sin-Loving New York, Richard Zacks   
Mortal Evidence: The Forensics Behind Nine Shocking Cases, Cyril H. Wecht
Amelia, Nancy Nahra
Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures, Robert K. Wittman & John Shiffman 
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Hot Lights, Cold Steel, Michale J. Collins, M.D.
Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs, Michael J. Collins M.D. 
Dark Dreams: A Legendary FBI Profiler Examines Homicide and the Criminal Mind, Roy Hazelwood & Stephen G. Michaud 
Swim, Bike, Run: Our Triathlon Story, Alistair Brownlee & Jonathan Brownlee
The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule
Beauty, Disrupted: The Carre Otis Story, Carre Otis & Hugo Schwyzer
House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder and Survival, Deborah Ball
Trama: My Life as an Emergency Surgeon, Dr. James Cole
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies, J.B. West
Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain
Back of the House: The Secret Life of a Restaurant, Scott Haas 
Shooting Stars: My Unexpected Life Photographing Hollywood's Most Famous, Jennifer Buhl
Trauma Junkie: Memoirs of an Emergency Flight Nurse, Janice Hudson
You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again: The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny, Suzanne Hansen
NYPD Confidential: Power and Corruption in the Country's Greatest Police Force, Leonard Levitt 
The Things That Matter, Nate Berkus
Chicago Cop: Tales from the Street, Star #14931
The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America, Michael Ruhlman
Monica's Story, Andrew Morton
All Too Human: A Political Education, George Stephanopoulos
Flowers in the Attic, V.C. Andrews
Petals on the Wind, V.C. Andrews
If There Be Thorns, V.C., Andrews 
How I Helped O.J. Get Away With Murder, Mike Gilbert  
Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan, Del Quentin Wilber
Standing Next to History: An Agent's Life Inside The Secret Service, Joseph Petro & Jeffrey Robinson  
Intensive Care, Echo Heron
Condition Critical: The Story of a Nurse Continues, Echo Heron
Cabin Fever: The Sizzling Secrets of an Virgin Air Hostess..., Mandy Smith
Dancing with the Devil: The Windsors and Jimmy Donahue, Christopher Wilson
The Season: A Summer Whirl Through the English Social Season, Sophie Campbell
Joe and Marilyn: Legends in Love, C. David Heymann
Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies and the Making of a Medical Examiner, Judy Melinek, M.D.
Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents, Cormac O'Brien
Secret Lives of the First Ladies, Cormac O'Brien
The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Han van Meegeren
Killing Patton: The Strange Death of World War II's Most Audacious General, Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard
Gone Girl, GIllian Flynn
The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art, Don Thompson
Julius Caesar, Philip Freeman
The Painted Word, Tom Wolfe
What Are You Looking At?: The Surprising, Shocking and Sometimes Strange Story of 150 of Modern Art, Will Gompertz
41: A Portrait of My Father, George W. Bush
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory, Caitlin Doughty
The Inner Circle, Brad Meltzer
 Geroge Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring that saved the American Revolution, Brian Kilmeade & Don Yaeger

Currently Reading: Jackson Pollock: A Biography, Deborah Solomon