Weekend update

Its over. I already miss it. Staying up later then normal. Sleeping in. Those days are over for now. My vacation ended Sunday. I had a good time, but now its back to work.

Thursday morning, my husband and I headed up to Dearborn to go to The Henry Ford museum. There was so much to see. I think we were in the museum for five or six hours. When we first arrived at the museum, my husband stopped to read most of the descriptions in front of the objects. Near the end of the visit, we mostly looked at things and kept walking. My favorite pieces of the museum was the train engine/cars, doll houses, JFK's limo that he rode in the day was assassinated and Lincoln's chair from Ford's Theatre.

Friday morning I decided to run on the hotel's treadmill. While my husband was still sleeping, I stretched and walked down to the fitness center. It really wasn't a fitness center, it had a step stepper, treadmill and a bike. I got on the treadmill and started running. It felt weird. The belt was jerking and it really wasn't smooth. Since I didn't like the treadmill, I only ran a mile.

After our delicious hotel breakfast, we checked out and headed to Greenfield Village. It was fun walking around looking at the old houses and businesses. Some of the houses had actors in them portraying life from that time period. They cooked meals and attended to work in the barns or gardens. My husband and I took a break before lunch to ride the train around the village. A woman, son, her mother and three friends sat in front of us. Every conversation was about this woman and her life. I'm doing this. I'm doing that. My son named all of the trains at the roundhouse. My husband and I kept rolling our eyes at each other. We were so happy to step off the train and get away from them. We stayed about six hours and saw every house, business and shop at the village.

Later that afternoon, my left knee was in pain. It hurt to bend it. It didn't help any that we went to a Detroit Tigers game later that night. There was hardly any room between the seats, so my leg was in a awkward position all nine innings. Besides my knee being in pain. It was so windy and cold, especially in the upper deck. I only brought a light jacket with me and it didn't help. The wind was blowing right threw it. The Tigers were getting hammered 10-2 and I kept saying "Get Out". I just wanted the game over so we could go back to the car and warm up.

Sunday I decided to run only a couple of miles on my treadmill. My knee and calf did hurt while running. Slowly the pain went away, but I'm still playing it safe. I don't know how much I will run this week. I have to get my knee better for the 5K race coming up Saturday. If my knee still hurts by Saturday, I will still run. But not as fast.

The training program

So far so good.

For the past three weeks, I have been sticking to the training program I put myself on. The first week I ran 14.1 miles. Week two I stayed inside for most of my runs and only ran 13.1. Week three is still in progress, but I'm at 7.5 miles. I still have two more days of running this week, Saturday and Sunday. Next week I will alter my schedule because of the upcoming 5K race that I'm in. Week five will be back to normal.

My run yesterday was horrible. I told my husband I was going for a four mile run. He asked outside? I said yes. It was a mistake. I ran slow because it was so humid outside. Besides being so humid my legs felt like jello. Every step I took it amazed me because I was still running when my legs wanted me to stop. Around 3.4 miles I kinda gave in. I stopped at an intersection waiting for traffic to clear and taking a breather. When a truck and van left the area and no other cars were coming my way, I started running. About .40 of a mile later, I couldn't continue. I stopped and walked. The minute walk break was nice. At the last intersection that I come to on that route, I had the don't cross signal. I waited for traffic to pass then I walked through the intersection. I walked until the next block and ran the rest of the way home. After the 4.1 mile run I was surprised that I ran for so long when my legs felt like crap. I guess that is the distance runner in me that says keep going when you don't want to.

Books read in 2007

A Man of Faith, David Aikman
Hannibal Rising, Thomas Harris
All of the President's Men, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus III
Jack: A Life Like No Other, Geoffrey Perret
Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate, Bob Woodward
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, James L. Swanson
The Manchurian Candidate, Richard Condon
Leni Riefenstahl, Rainer Rother
From Here to Eternity, James Jones
Cultural Warrior, Bill O'Reilly
Ava Gardner: Love is Nothing, Lee Server
The Man Who Would Not Shut Up, Marvin Kitman
Clint Eastwood, Richard Schickel
Notorious, Donald Spoto
Katharine Hepburn, Barbara Leaming
Empire: The Life, Legend and Madness of Howard Hughes, Donald L. Barlett
Diana, Andrew Morton
Mrs. Kennedy: The Missing History of the Kennedy Years, Barbara Leaming
Judy Garland: The Secret Life of an American Legend, David Shipman

Currently Reading: Shadows of a Princess, P.D. Jephson
Up Next: Just Jackie, Edward Kline

That's that way to say goodbye. Take a chuck of my arm.

It was a glorious day Tuesday. The sun was shining and it wasn't too hot. I went for a nice 3.4 mile run in the morning because my husband and I had plans for the evening. I actually had plans, my husband had to attend a city commission meeting. My plans were hosting a jewelry party.

Before the jewelry party my husband put harnesses on our dogs, Blitzkrieg and Kelly. It was time for them to be taken to the kennel for their doggy vacation. Both dogs were so excited to be going somewhere in the car. My husband rolled down both back windows so they could stick their heads out and smell the air. With the back windows rolled down, dog hair was circulating the car and getting all over my husband's dress pants. I suggested rolling the windows up, he did. And Blitzkrieg went crazy. Usually when the windows are rolled up he thinks its almost time to get out of the car. Blitzkrieg was whining in my husband's ears. He rolled the windows back down and Blitzkrieg stuck his head out the window again.

Our drop off time at the kennel was 5 pm. We arrived ten minutes already. We got out and let the dogs walk around, relieve themselves and sniff. During the course of waiting to check in our dogs, Blitzkrieg kept wrapping his lead around me or my legs. I did my best to untangle myself and the leads. After the fourth or fifth time, Blitzkrieg didn't like that. Next thing I know he is jumping up and he bit my left arm. Blitzkrieg left five marks. My husband pulled him back and asked if I was okay. I was. The stinging was bad. I was holding Kelly's leash, so I took her back near the car to sit on a bench. My husband asked if I was bleeding. At first I said no, then I looked again and said I was. That dog made me bleed my own blood.*

Finally the kennel owner came out to let the dogs in. She asked Blitzkrieg if he remembered her. He just sniffed her and ran into the kennel. Blitzkrieg and Kelly were so happy to be there. We walked through the kennel and she opened the backdoor to the fenced in area. Blitzkrieg and Kelly ran all over and marked their spots many times over. The kennel owner let them in from the yard and they went right in their cage. It was at that point I asked the owner if I could clean my bite marks in her sink. I put soap on it and it stung. She asked what happened and I said Blitzkrieg bit me. I'm glad he just went after my arm and not hers. We said goodbye to the dogs and got back into the car.

When we got back into town, my husband dropped me off in front of our house. My sister was already inside setting up her jewelry displays. I needed to get ready for the party. I got out the delicious cheesecake brownies I made that morning and stirred the nacho dip. I got out all of the supplies for the deep fried mac and cheese. I got some ready for the oil and put them into the pan. The squares were supposed to be in the oil for a minute. Not even a minute later, smoke is rolling out of the pan. I burned the bottoms of the first batch. The oil was too hot and also there wasn't enough. At this point almost every room is filled with smoke. I decided that there wasn't enough time to finish before everyone started arriving. I aborted the project. We already had ham/turkey subs, chips, nacho dip and cheesecake brownies. There was enough food to go around.

The first half hour of the party everyone just ate. When my sister Diane, who is a nurse, saw my dog bite, she instantly went into nurse mode. She put some cream on my arm and asked if I washed it out. After that my sister Denise, started her talk on Premier Designs jewelry. She had a nice display of jewelry. She would talk about a piece then pass it around. After her talk, she handed everyone a book to look through. Everyone bought something. With enough sales at the party I received some free gifts. I picked out two necklaces and earrings. Diane and my mom each bought me a necklace for my upcoming birthday, July 26. So I made out from the party, four necklaces, earrings and a free hostess gift. All for free! It was pretty sweet.

*Reference to the movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)

Random things

Vacation is really nice. I've enjoyed going to sleep later then 9 pm. I have been going to sleep around midnight every night. Before I had a full-time job that required me to be at work around 5 am, I always went to bed late. Its nice to actually go to sleep when it is dark out, not when it is still light out like I have been doing the past six summers.

While watching the Next Food Network Star last night, I was surprised at the final two. Rory and Jag. After the judges told Amy that they were going to let her go, the TV screen went black and this is where the twist happened. Jag lied to the judges about his past. He said that he graduated from culinary school and served in Afghanistan with the Marines. Both were lies. When he met with the producers in a face to face interview he said he did go to culinary school but did not graduate. He also served in the Marines, but never went to Afghanistan. It was at that point he withdrew himself from the competition. The judges had no choice to bring back Amy for the final two.

I didn't understand why they got rid of her in the first place. She was better then Jag in all of the competitions and when they cooked live on the air on the Rachael Ray show. Next week the votes will be in and we will find out who will get their own show on the Food Network. Hopefully it will be Amy. I love to watch the Food Network, especially when I'm running on my treadmill. It makes the time go by faster.

Besides the jewelry party that I'm hosting today, the dogs will get a surprise. They will be going on their own doggy vacation. This afternoon, my husband and I will be dropping them off at a kennel. The kennel has air conditioning and a huge fenced in area. Unlike our backyard, Blitzkrieg and Kelly will actually be able to run around.

Tuesday my husband and I planned to go to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. But we might put off that trip. It is supposed to rain and there is a chance of thunderstorms. That wouldn't be good to drive almost two hours to see the rides closed. We will have to check weather.com later today and tonight.

The 2007 Miss River Raisin Festival Scholarship Pageant photos are loaded onto my instaproofs website. To view or purchase please go to http://www.dcophotography.instaproofs.com/. Over on my photo blog, DCO's Photo Gallery, is the 2007 Miss River Raisin Festival, Melissa Brown. Tomorrow will be the First Runner-Up Amanda McKinney.

Miss River Raisin Festival

Tonight is the start of the River Raisin Festival in Blissfield, Michigan. For the past few years, I have always photographed the Miss River Raisin Festival Scholarship Pageant for the newspaper. But not tonight. As I'm sure you already know, I'm on vacation. I will still be in attendance and with my camera.

I have already told my husband that we must leave early to get to the festival. I have to be there early to get a spot on the grass right next to the stage. The pageant is held on a stage and there are no seats. Everyone has to sit on the grass or bring their own chairs. Its not just me, other people find a place to sit an hour before the start.

Monday I will be posting photos of the Miss River Raisin Festival Scholarship Pageant over on my photo blog, DCO's Photo Gallery. The order of the photos will be the 2007 Miss River Raisin winner, First Runner-Up, Second Runner-Up, Third Runner-Up and the rest of the contestants in alphabetical order according to their last names. To let everyone know I don't post on weekends. If you don't see a certain contestants photo, don't worry it will be posted only between Monday and Friday.

I will be posting all of the Miss River Raisin Festival Scholarship Pageant photos my instaproofs site for viewing and purchase. This gallery will be available shortly after the pageant. The address is http://www.dcophotography.instaproofs.com/.

PHOTO CAPTION: Miss River Raisin 2005 Erin Chlebowski, left, and Miss Michigan 2006 Angela Corsi officially crown Miss River Raisin 2006 Elisabeth Dorman last July at the River Raisin Festival in Blissfield, Michigan.

I love it when a plan comes together

At 11:30 am this morning, I turned in my time card and left the building. I'm officially on vacation! I'm just so happy that this day has finally arrived. Eleven months between vacations is too long.

Party food

Next Monday I'm hosting a jewelry party. My sister who is a teacher is selling jewelry to make money during the summer. I thought it would be fun to host while I'm on vacation. Then my sister told me I had to supply the food.

Supply the food?

My first thought was to go to the grocery store and buy a bunch of appetizers to make in the oven, microwave and deep fryer. My husband and I had to go to the store to pick up a few items, so while we were there we walked through the frozen food aisle. I had a bunch of frozen treats picked out like mozzarella sticks, mini tacos and pizza rolls. My husband said maybe I shouldn't get foods that could all go in the deep fryer. I agreed that I should have some variety.

Now my party menu will include a Subway 3-foot party sub, nacho dip and fried mac and cheese. As for the sub, I have to give them 24 hours notice for them to make it. As for the nacho dip and deep fried mac and cheese, I will be making those. For dessert, I will be making cookies or brownies. I got the nacho dip receipe from a co-worker. She brings to work often. It is very good. The other recipe is from Paula Deen. The recipes are below.

Nacho dip

1 cream cheese brick
1 bag of shredded cheese
1 can of Hormel Turkey chili without beans

Place cream cheese brick in bottom of a crock pot and mix it up. Add the can of turkey chili then the bag of shredded cheese. Turn the heat on high for one hour. Mix before serving.


Deep Fried Mac and Cheese
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Peanut oil, for frying
1 recipe "The Lady's Cheesy Mac" prepared, chilled in the refrigerator overnight, and cut into 15 bite-sized squares, recipe follows
Flour, for dredging
1 egg, beaten Plain bread crumbs, for dredging


Heat 2 inches of oil in a large, heavy Dutch oven to 350 degrees F.

Dredge each Cheesy Mac square in flour, then egg, and then bread crumbs to coat. Fry for about 1 minute on each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels before serving.


"The Lady's Cheesy Mac":

4 cups cooked elbow macaroni, drained
2 cups grated Cheddar
3 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Once you have the macaroni cooked and drained, place in a large bowl and while still hot, add the Cheddar. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and add to the macaroni mixture. Pour macaroni mixture into a casserole dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes. Top with additional cheese, if desired.

Random things

After completing housework Sunday morning, I decided to go running. I'm so glad that I didn't wait until later in the afternoon to run. By the time I got outside at 9:30 am, it was already 76 degrees and rising. After my 4.1 mile run, my dri-fit shirt was drenched in sweat and my arms and legs glistened from sweat. Around the time that I usually run on a Sunday afternoon, the temperature in town was 96 degrees.

My husband informed me this morning that he has the next two weeks off. Two weeks! That upset me because I still have to go to work until Thursday! Its just not fair that my husband gets more days off them me. I swear he never works.

I put the check in the mail today for the Hudson Booster 5K Cross Country Open. This time I can't oversleep.

Miles run in 2007

I know I'm behind last year's mileage at this point and would like to catch up. Earlier this week, I decided to try to follow a training program. Its really not a big deal, but I wanted some structure in my running. On days when I run, I decide in advance how far I want to go that day. Now I have this program that tells me I should run X amount today. I have been following it all week and I like it. Today is supposed to be a scheduled day off, but I want to run. Who knows I may want to run tomorrow morning as well.

Miles run through July 5:
2004: 164.7
2005: 210.2
2006: 264.6
2007: 254.2

Books read in 2007

A Man of Faith, David Aikman
Hannibal Rising, Thomas Harris
All of the President's Men, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus III
Jack: A Life Like No Other, Geoffrey Perret
Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate, Bob Woodward
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, James L. Swanson
The Manchurian Candidate, Richard Condon
Leni Riefenstahl, Rainer Rother
From Here to Eternity, James Jones
Cultural Warrior, Bill O'Reilly
Ava Gardner: Love is Nothing, Lee Server
The Man Who Would Not Shut Up, Marvin Kitman
Clint Eastwood, Richard Schickel
Notorious, Donald Spoto
Katharine Hepburn, Barbara Leaming
Empire: The Life, Legend and Madness of Howard Hughes, Donald L. Barlett
Diana, Andrew Morton
Mrs. Kennedy: The Missing History of the Kennedy Years, Barbara Leaming

Currently Reading: Judy Garland: The Secret Life of an American Legend, David Shipman
Up Next: Shadows of a Princess, P.D. Jephson

December 18, 1999

Krista asked the married ladies to tell their engagement stories. Here is mine.

I thought it was a normal Saturday. It was like every other Saturday in my life. My boyfriend and I had our three year anniversary on December 15. We decided to celebrate on that Saturday because our anniversary date fell on a Wednesday and I was studying for final exams in college.

A letter was given to me by my boyfriend. I opened the letter and it was the start to a scavenger hunt. The first place I had to go was a park in town. The clue I was looking for was taped to a light pole and had a cassette tape inside with the letter. The letter said that the tape was songs that we both enjoyed and to listen to it while driving. I couldn't listen to the tape because my car didn't have a cassette player. So old school! The next clue lead me to a Mexican restaurant that my friend worked at. I had to walk in the door and say that I loved my boyfriend to get the next clue. After I said the phrase my friend gave me the next clue.

I drove over to the next location, which was a out of business go-kart track. I got stuck there. I couldn't find the letter. After five to ten minutes looking for it, I called my sister on my cell phone. I told her that I couldn't find the letter. She told me to keep looking for it. I hung up with her and continued the search. I still couldn't find it. I called her back and said that I would keep looking, but if I couldn't find it where was the next spot on the scavenger hunt? She told me that the next stop was the mall. I hung up again and looked all around for it. I finally found the letter. It was in a white box hidden in the white snow. My boyfriend made it hard to find.

I read the letter and drove over to the mall. The letter told me to go sit on Santa's lap. I walked to center of the mall to see Santa. While waiting my turn, I noticed my family and my boyfriend's family all nearby. My sister came and stood next to me at the bottom of the stairs leading to Santa. When I was standing there, I noticed a photographer that I worked with at the newspaper standing near Santa. Finally I knew something was up. It takes that to realize that something was up. After I figured out I was on the exit steps to Santa, I went to the other staircase and walked up to see Santa.

I sat on Santa's lap and he asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I told him that I wanted a bunch of new camera equipment, like a couple of new lenses and camera bodies. Then I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and there was my boyfriend wearing a suit and holding a dozen white roses. He sat down on Santa's knee, handed me the roses and he told me to look at the camera. The elf helper took our picture sitting on Santa's lap. When this happened I thought to myself, "I went on this scavenger hunt all over town just for roses!" I wasn't too thrilled about that. You can see it all over my face in the above picture.

After the picture was taken. My boyfriend stood up and reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a box, then opened it. It was a diamond engagement ring. I later found out that he had it designed just for me. I remember he said something to the effect of wanting to spend the rest of his life with me. I only thing I actually remember him saying was, "Deloris, will you marry me?"

We got married on September 15, 2001.

Wine tasting

After dinner Friday, I asked my husband if we could go to the liquor store in town to buy: Wine. My husband and I are not wine drinkers and I thought we could try something different. At the liquor store, we found the refrigerator that held the tiny bottles of wine. We picked one brand and bought four different flavors. The four flavors that were picked were Merlot, White Zinfandel, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio. Before we left, I walked in the non-refrigerated wine aisle and looked at the bottles. I mentioned to my husband that I saw a commercial of one on television and the wine looked good. I found the brand I was referring to and picked up a bottle of White Zinfandel. I asked my husband what if we didn't like it? He said it wasn't that expensive so it was OK.

When we got home, my husband got out small glasses. He picked White Zinfandel. He poured the same amount in both glasses and then we drank it. The first taste was OK, then there was a horrible aftertaste. I wasn't fond of this drink. Our dogs, Blitzkrieg and Kelly, really wanted to try some. I couldn't choke down any more, so I dumped some in Kelly's dish. She licked it up and wagged her tail the entire time. My husband and I agreed that the wine had a bad aftertaste. We know we won't get that again.

Sunday evening I was taking out my contacts and getting ready for bed. My husband asked if I had brushed my teeth yet. I said no. I wondered why he asked and I walked into the living room and saw him with two glasses and the small bottle of Merlot. He poured equal amounts into the glasses and we started to drink. I thought there really wasn't any flavor to it. But the good thing was the Merlot didn't have the aftertaste that the White Zinfandel had. But I still wouldn't go out and buy a bottle. I finished my wine and walked to the kitchen to wash my glass. My husband got out the big bottle of White Zinfandel from the refrigerator and opened it. He poured some in both of our glasses. I took a drink and loved it. This Zinfandel tasted good and didn't have an aftertaste. After I downed my glass, I said to my husband "Now I could drink a bottle of this."

We still have the Chardonnay and the Pinot Grigio yet to go. If I don't like those I can just finish the rest of the White Zinfandel bottle and then go to the store and get more. I'm hooked on it.

Plates and vacation

We've been together for eight years. We've seen changes together and yesterday I had to let you go. You're not where I want you to be, but your still with me. I should be able to let things go, but I didn't want to part with you. The state told me otherwise. Goodbye friend......

When I bought my own car in college, I was given a Michigan blue license plate (blue background, white letters). I liked the plate because it was mine. It was registered under my name and not my dad's, like all of my previous cars. The letters were memorized by me and others and it has been with me through three different car changes. In 2006, the state of Michigan passed an act saying all blue plates had to be replaced in 2007. Since my birthday is in July, I waited patiently at the Secretary of State Friday morning for 45 minutes to get my new plate.

When my number was called, I handed my info to the SOS worker. She said the blue plates were being eliminated and I had to choose a new plate. My choices were the standard plate of a white reflective background and blue lettering or the Spectacular Peninsula plate. The spectacular plate features cityscape's, forests, the Mackinac Bridge and the Great Lakes. The plate also costs five dollars more. Since I was spending $95 to renew my tags, I passed on the spectacular.

Now 'ol blue is gone and replaced with clean white. I'm still not fond of it, but I shouldn't be. It is a only just a license plate.

July is a good month. It has the 4th of July and my birthday. Besides those, this year it also contains my vacation. My last vacation was the first week of August 2006. It has been 11 months since my last vacation and do I ever need one.

Besides my full-time job at the newspaper, I own my own business. I've been working non-stop and I need a break. That break comes on July 13. My husband and I are going to take some day trips closer to home. One day we will be going to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio and another day to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan. My husband and I haven't been there since we were both in elementary. The last stop on our vacation is going to a Detroit Tigers baseball game. It should be fun.

The official countdown has begun. My vacation starts in 12 days.

Photo Illustration credit: www.michigan.gov/sos/

The shirt and the ring

At work this morning, something was different about my polo. I looked down at my sleeve and noticed my shirt was inside out. I went to the restroom to turn it right side out. I was walking around with my shirt inside out for two hours. I'm such a dork.

Besides wearing my polo inside out, another thing happened today. I got something back. I had a voicemail on my cell phone yesterday from the jewelry store. The jeweler said my engagement ring was fixed and I could pick it up. My husband and I drove to Tecumseh to pick it up before lunch today. I was so happy to get back. I have been without it for two weeks. Now my finger is happy again.

Books read in 2007

A Man of Faith, David Aikman
Hannibal Rising, Thomas Harris
All of the President's Men, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus III
Jack: A Life Like No Other, Geoffrey Perret
Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate, Bob Woodward
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, James L. Swanson
The Manchurian Candidate, Richard Condon
Leni Riefenstahl, Rainer Rother
From Here to Eternity, James Jones
Cultural Warrior, Bill O'Reilly
Ava Gardner: Love is Nothing, Lee Server
The Man Who Would Not Shut Up, Marvin Kitman
Clint Eastwood, Richard Schickel
Notorious, Donald Spoto
Katharine Hepburn, Barbara Leaming
Empire: The Life, Legend and Madness of Howard Hughes, Donald L. Barlett
Diana, Andrew Morton

Currently Reading: Mrs. Kennedy: The Missing History of the Kennedy Years, Barbara Leaming
Up Next: Judy Garland: The Secret Life of an American Legend, David Shipman

Weekend update

This past Saturday, I photographed a wedding. I felt bad for the bride. Things weren't going her way.

I get to the hotel at 2pm and ask the front desk clerk where the bride's suite was. He asked why. I told him that I was supposed to shoot the bridal party there. The clerk said that they weren't in that room. He added he didn't know where they were either. He said he would call the mother and see where the bride was. He talked to her and hung up. The bride was still at the hair salon. After 10 minutes of waiting, he told me he would call the mother again. He hung up the phone and told me that there wasn't an answer. The front desk clerk then called someone else and found out which room the bride was moved to. He asked me if I would like to go to the room or stay in the lobby. I said the room.

We walked down the hallway that led to the bride's room. While walking through the hall, I noticed a smell. Why do most hotels have smelly halls? Anyway, it wasn't plesant, but we arrived at the room soon after that. He opened the door and let me in. Once I was in the room, I unpacked what I needed and started to work. The bride had her veil on the bed, so I took photos of that. Not much else was in the room. After I was in the room for 10 minutes, there was a knock on the door. I opened the door and saw two women dressed nice. They were the mother of the bride and her friend. They weren't sure if this was the correct room or not. I let them in and we all sat down. We all chatted until the bride came in about 10 minutes later.

The bride said that they got behind at the hair salon and there were other problems as well. The hotel double booked her original suite. That forced her to get another room. The second room she got was smaller. With the smaller room, all of the bridesmaids had to get dressed elsewhere. The placards for the reception still had to be finished. After they were finished, someone had to drive to the reception site about a half hour away to set the cards up. At this time, a bridesmaid went to go get copies of the program. The store said that they couldn't get to them Sunday. She told the store that the programs were for a wedding later that afternoon. Last I heard, the store started making the programs around 4 pm. The programs never made it to the wedding. In between moving to different rooms, things having to get done, the bride forgot to pack double-sided tape. Not to worry. Her mother's friend drove to a store nearby and picked some up. After the bride got her dress on, she put some of the tape underneath her dress. The tape wasn't sticking. The bride said she didn't have time to worry about it and let it go.

Once it was time for the wedding, everything was going according to plan. The wedding, formal photos and the reception happened without any problems. I felt bad for the bride. It was her big day and she had to worry about things that went wrong and weren't finished.

A while ago I blogged about running a 5K. I didn't send money before hand, because I missed the early registration. The race was Sunday morning. I figured that I usually get up early on Sunday's and I would have no trouble getting up for this race. The night before I got home from the reception around 10:30 pm and didn't go to bed until after 11 pm. Sunday morning, I woke up and looked at my alarm clock. It read 8:30 am. I totally missed the start of the race. I felt bad, I have run this race for 4 years.

I had a good excuse, a wedding the night before. Later in the day, I did run on my treadmill while watching a NASCAR race. But it wasn't the same as running in a race. Checking out the other runners before the start. Standing at the start line getting ready to start my watch. Hearing the gun go off. Hearing the sound of other runners feet striking the road and clapping and cheering when you cross the finish line.

I will be running a 5K at the end of July. This race is on the best high school cross country course in the county, lots of hills, swamps and woods. When I say I will run this race, I will. It is the toughest race and I love it.

Random things

On Tuesday my husband and I went to a restaurant on 35 cent wing day. After we ordered a hostess walked around the corner to seat some customers in the area we were sitting. First around the corner is a mother holding her daughter. Behind her is her mother. The mother was wearing curlers in her hair. She didn't have a scarf on her head or a hat. Her hair was long and the curlers were only on the ends of her hair. She was wearing them like it was no big deal. Did her daughter say anything to her before they left the house? Or does she not care? If my mom was wearing curlers in her hair in public I would be embarrassed. But this woman didn't seem to mind that her mother had them in her hair. I think wearing curlers outside of the home could be the next fashion trend. Why hasn't New York picked this up yet?

While eating at a BBQ place down in Toledo, Ohio on Wednesday, I managed to drop food on my lap. I was holding my pork BBQ sandwich above my platter and some pork fell out bounced off of the platter and landed on my shorts. I had a many barbecue stains on my shorts. After dinner I order dessert, bread pudding. My husband doesn't like bread pudding so I ate half of it. I got a box to put the other half in. When we were driving back to Michigan, I had the box on my lap. My husband happened to knock the box over on my lap. I thought nothing of it. He pulled into a gas station to fill up his car and I looked down at my shorts. The other leg had a big bread pudding stain on the leg. The delicious topping leaked out of the corner of the plastic box and right on my shorts. Not a good day.

At work today, corporate sent speakers to the office for a conference. The photographers' speaker was Justin from The State Journal-Register in Springfield, Illinois. He had a great power point presentation about documentary photography. It was nice just to get a refresher course on everything. After his talk he had some tips on Photoshop to help me tone my photos better. My seminar was the last one of the afternoon. It would have been nice to have more time with him to talk more about Photoshop.

Books read in 2007

A Man of Faith, David Aikman
Hannibal Rising, Thomas Harris
All of the President's Men, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus III
Jack: A Life Like No Other, Geoffrey Perret
Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate, Bob Woodward
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, James L. Swanson
The Manchurian Candidate, Richard Condon
Leni Riefenstahl, Rainer Rother
From Here to Eternity, James Jones
Cultural Warrior, Bill O'Reilly
Ava Gardner: Love is Nothing, Lee Server
The Man Who Would Not Shut Up, Marvin Kitman
Clint Eastwood, Richard Schickel
Notorious, Donald Spoto
Katharine Hepburn, Barbara Leaming
Empire: The Life, Legend and Madness of Howard Hughes, Donald L. Barlett

Currently Reading: I will visit the library Wednesday. I hope I'll find books that aren't over 600 pages long. I enjoyed Empire, but three weeks is a long time for me to finish a book.
Up Next:

UPDATE:
Currently Reading: Diana, Andrew Morton
Up Next: Mrs. Kennedy: The Missing History of the Kennedy Years, Barbara Leaming

Weekend update

Friday, I spent most of my afternoon and evening standing on pit road at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, MI. The afternoon started with the Citizens Bank 400 Time Trials for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. I didn't get to see my favorite driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in person. I saw him on the big jumbo-tron in turn 4 and driving around in his car during his qualifying lap. Sadly, Junior didn't qualify in the top 5. Only the top 5 in qualifying park their cars on pit road. After his lap he pulled straight into the garage.

After time trials, was the ACRA RE/MAX series Michigan 200. The big names of the race was IndyCar driver Sam Hornish, Jr and female driver Erin Crocker. The race was pretty boring and Hornish and Crocker finished second and third.

On Saturday morning I woke up dizzy. Everywhere I looked the walls were moving. Usually on Saturdays if I don't have an early morning assignment I run. I considered running, but I didn't feel up to it. After taking a shower, I really wasn't feeling well and threw up three times. I had an assignment later in the afternoon, so I had to get better. I snacked on some crackers and started to feel OK. My husband made hamburgers for lunch. I started eating it and felt like throwing up. I kept the food down, but I didn't finish it. My dogs Blitzkrieg and Kelly were thankful for that. They got to split what I didn't eat.

Later that afternoon, I got in my car and drove to Battle Creek. A local team, Tecumseh Indians, were playing the Division 2 Softball state finals. When I arrived at Bailey Park, I found a parking spot and collected my photo gear. It was a hot, sunny day and I was still not feeling well. I knew it would long day.

The media box that I stood in was right on the field to the right of the batter box on the third base side. I have covered a lot of games before but never that close. During the 3rd or 4th inning, a new photographer came down to the field and stood outside of the box. After the inning was over, the umpire behind the plate told the photographer the he needed to be in the media box. He asked the photographers near him to move down and only two of them did. I was on the other end of the box at the chalk line, I couldn't move down any more. The two photographers on my left didn't move at all. Since they didn't move and there was no more room in the box, the umpire told him to leave the field. I kind of felt bad for him, but if he wanted to shoot on the field he should have been earlier, like at the start of the game. The team that I covered, Tecumseh, won the state championship 3-1. It was nice to drive 1.5 hours to see a team win it all.

I took Sunday off. I could have been at MIS photographing the Citizens Bank 400, but I gave it to another photographer. During the race I worked on wedding stuff and got a lot taken care of. Later that afternoon I ran on my treadmill. The first half mile was terrible. I felt like I was running with cement blocks attached to my shoes. It was hard to run. I stopped at a half mile and took a breather. After that, the rest of the run was good.

Random things

Over on my website, Deloris Clark-Osborne Photography, a blog has been added. On this blog I will be posting my favorite photos from my sessions. I have a couple of engagements posted right now. I will be adding the weddings and teens that I have already photographed this year soon.

While in Tecumseh yesterday, I decided to get my engagement/wedding rings cleaned at the jewelry store that made them. I handed my rings over to the employee and she went in the back to clean them. She came back and handed me the rings. She then asked if the ring was bought at the store. I said it was made here. She went on to tell me that one of the prongs holding the diamond is cracked. She said that it wasn't an emergency to get it fixed, but it needed to be repaired. My husband asked how long it will take to fix the engagement ring. Two weeks she said. My husband told me its either two weeks now or two weeks later. It needed to be fixed so I reluctantly handed over my ring. I still have my wedding band, but now my ring finger is lonely without its diamond.

I heard the rumor last night. Now it is not a rumor, it's fact. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will be driving for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008.

Loud talkers

Across the street from my house is another house broken up into apartments. Those apartments are like revolving doors. People move in a out all of the time. Currently, a couple of college age guys live over there. During the day, I never see them. It is only at night when they become a problem.

Between the hours of 11 pm - 3 am, they like to sit on their front porch and talk. There is nothing wrong with that. When it becomes a problem is when one loud mouth guy likes to yell, scream and swear as loud as he can.

This morning around 3 am I woke up due to the loud mouths across the street. That one guy started yelling. A few minutes later, a car with a loud radio drove by and he started yelling again. Excuse me dude, but when is yelling at 3 am such a good idea? Some people, ME, actually have to get up at 4 am to get ready for work.

When my alarm went off, I got out of bed and walked downstairs. My husband was still awake sitting on the couch. I asked him if he heard the loud mouths yelling around 3 am. He said he did and called the cops on them. I asked if the cops came when they were still outside. He said they didn't because they went inside. He called dispatch to let them know that the loud mouths weren't on the porch anymore so the cops didn't have to stop. The dispatcher told my husband that someone else also called about the yelling and the cops were going to stop and talk to the people.

Do these people just not get it? It seems like every week that the cops get called on them. How many times do the cops need to talk to you? I'm looking forward to the day that they move out so the 3 am yellings will stop. That day is not soon enough.

Weekend update

Friday night I had to cover for a co-worker in the office, while he went to a photo shoot. I left work around 9:30 pm and was hungry for dinner. I decided to go to a sandwich shop a couple of blocks away.

I pull up to one of the driveways leading to the restaurant while I wait for traffic to go by. When I'm waiting a truck pulls into the second driveway. He pulled in a weird angle and decided to park over two spots. Just a guy and his wife in a truck not hauling a trailer park over two spots. I pulled into the lot and pulled up to the front of the restaurant to an empty spot. As I was getting out of my car, the jerk beats me in.

I wait in line behind this guy and he orders two sandwiches. Of course he has to have double meat, cheese and get them toasted. Once his sandwiches came out of the oven, he had the fixings put on. The lady behind the counter didn't hear him, either did I, but he asked for a gallon of mayo to go on first. She starting putting the veggies on the sandwich and he told her that the mayo went on first. She picked off toppings to put the mayo on. While he is getting both sandwiches made, his wife walked in to tell him to get her a certain kind of sandwich. What you didn't tell him before he got out of the truck?

Finally both sandwiches are made and then he asks for a box of cookies. Could you make your order take any longer? The lady gets all the cookies around and then gives him his total. He gave money to the lady and she gave back change. He is about ready to walk away and stops. He tells the employee that he didn't get some of his pennies back. Pennies are you serious? She said sorry and opened the drawer to get them. No pennies were in the drawer. She had to go to the secret stash and break the pennies open from the paper roll. Leave the pennies jerk and get out of my way! GRRRRRRR!

Last night I stayed up to watch the series finale of The Sopranos. I thought it was a good episode. I was happy when Phil Leotardo got shot in the back of the head. I laughed when his wife got out of the SUV after Phil was shot and left it in drive. The SUV rolled over his head. It was awesome. The last five minutes was a big build up. The Sopranos were going to meet at a restaurant to eat dinner. Tony is alone at the table and flips through the tabletop jukebox and picks a song, "Don't Stop Believin" by Journey.

While Tony is waiting, he keeps looking around at the others in the restaurant. Carmela is the first to arrive, then AJ. A guy walked in the restaurant door before AJ and sat at the counter. Tony, Carmela and AJ are waiting for Meadow, the guy at the counter keeps looking at Tony. Cut the scene to Meadow and she is outside trying to parallel park her car. It takes her a couple of tries before succeeding. Before Meadow comes into the restaurant the shifty eyed guy at the counter gets up and goes to the restroom. Meadow opens the restaurant door, walks in and looks at Tony, then the screen went black. I thought my cable went out, because it has done that before. Then a minute later the credits rolled onto the screen. I was pissed! I thought I missed the last scene. I hit rewind on my DVR and all I saw was the black screen. I set the DVR to record another Sopranos later that evening because of the black screen.

Before going to bed I checked a TV website and people were saying "worst episode ever", "I want that hour back" and "I waited eight years for this!" I noticed that other people wrote that their cable went out as well. This morning when I read newspaper stories and saw the ending on cable news shows, that is how it ended. My cable didn't go out. After knowing what I didn't miss, I am OK with the ending. The Sopranos is about Tony's family and it ended with a nice family dinner. I was glad that Tony didn't get shot. With Tony living that always leaves the door open for a movie down the road, just like Sex and the City. I can't wait to see that movie!

Photo Credit: HBO

Race debate

For the past 4 years, I have run the in the Hospice of Lenawee Run, Walk and Bike Tour in Blissfield, MI. Last year I ran in the 10K instead of the 5K. I was excited to run that. I made the time to train for a 10K and I wanted to run something different.

The day of the race, it was extremely hot and humid. That made running the course a bit harder. I finished 4th in my age group at 1:11:16. When I crossed the finish line, I promised myself that I would run the 10K again in 2007.

Fast forward to 2007 and I will break my promise this year. I haven't had the extra time like last year to train for the 10K . Most of my time this year has been decided to my photo business and my full time job. I debated on whether I would even run in the race this year. But I decided that I will run the 5K.

I'll see you'll on the course, but only on the 3.1 mile one.

Attack of the Blitzkrieg

When my dog Blitzkrieg has free reign over the house, he tends to get into trouble. While you're in one room, he is in the other doing something he shouldn't be doing. The best example is from last night.

While working on my computer in the upstairs office, Blitzkrieg walked upstairs, layed down beside my chair and chewed on a bone he brought with him. I got up from my chair and Blitzkrieg dropped the bone and followed me. When I walked back to the office, my other dog Kelly, walked over to the bone Blitzkrieg was chewing, picked it and started on it. Blitzkrieg layed down and watched Kelly for a while then got up and walked downstairs. A minute later, he walked back upstairs into the computer room and layed down. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw he had something in his mouth. The object was a light cream color, so I thought it was another bone from downstairs so I continued working.

After a couple of minutes, I looked down at Blitzkrieg and he wasn't chewing a bone. It was my husband's hat. I got out of the chair and tried to grab the hat. Blitzkrieg picked it up and ran with it. I cornered him at the top of the staircase and tried to get it away from him. He stood and growled at me with his front paw on the hat. To get the hat away from him, I kept repeating dog treat names to him. Blitzkrieg and Kelly know the names to their treats. I said "Ol' Roy" and "Pig's Ears" Blitzkrieg calmed down and stopped growling at me. I picked up the hat and saw the damage. It wasn't too bad. He chewed the inside flap of the hat. I took the hat downstairs and put it on a shelf. To keep Blitzkrieg from doing that again, I leaned a pet gate in front of the shelf.

I walked back upstairs and continued working. Then I heard Blitzkrieg scurrying around downstairs and I ran down as fast as I could. Blitzkrieg now had my library book about Howard Hughes in his mouth. When I reached the bottom of the steps, he dropped the book on the floor. I tried to get my book, but Blitzkrieg started growling again. I knew just saying the names of the treats wouldn't get me anywhere. So I tried something else. I walked over to the cabinet where the treats are stored and got out the pig's ears. Blitzkrieg and Kelly then ran over to me jumping up to smell the bag. I walked with the bag in hand, picked up the book and put it on a table where he couldn't get to it again. I shouldn't have given Blitzkrieg a treat for being naughty but since the bag was out, I gave them a pig's ear.

This is not the first time or the last time Blitzkrieg has done that. He tries to get his paws or I should say mouth on newspaper, bookmarks, paper towels, Kleenex, books, money, checks, receipts and VHS tapes. He has eaten a lot newspapers, paper towels, bookmarks, Kleenex and chewed the front cover off a cook book. As you can see he likes paper and also likes to eat it.

Barking alarm clocks

My husband and I have two German Shepherds. When it is time for me to go to bed, they both know. When I get up and close the entertainment center doors, they know it is time for them to go to their beds. My two dogs sleep together in the gated kitchen.

Two nights ago, I got into bed around 9:15 am, about a half hour-later both dogs start barking. It was still early, so I really wasn't mad. I hoped they would just calm down and be quiet. After a couple of barks, they both stopped. Not even five minutes later, both of them are barking again. They didn't stop after a minute or two, so it irritated me. I got out of bed and opened the door and yelled at them to be quiet. Once they heard my voice they stopped. I closed the door and layed back in bed.

Right after I got back to sleep the dogs started barking again. Besides barking they were jumping all over the back door. Usually when they jump on the back door, it means that my husband is home. I got out of bed and walked over to a window. No sign of my husband or his car. So I didn't know what they were barking at. I walked downstairs to try to calm them down. I walked up to the gate and Kelly is wagging her tail. I look at Blitzkrieg and he started growling at me. I turned on the light and he continued growling. I told them to quiet down and finally Blitzkrieg backed away and stopped growling. I went back up to bed and fell asleep. I stayed asleep until my alarm woke me up the next morning.

When I walked downstairs to let the dogs out, I had a surprise at the end of the staircase. Both Blitzkrieg and Kelly were sitting at the bottom of the steps. I walked over to the kitchen and turned on the light. They both escaped by knocking over the gate. I'm sure when the gate fell over it was loud, but I didn't hear it.

This morning, the dogs woke me up with their barking. This time it was 2:45 am. I got out of bed and told them to be quiet. I shut the door and crawled back into bed. That didn't stop the barking. Blitzkrieg continued. His bark was quiet, not as loud as his regular bark. I knew what that meant. He needed to go outside. When I walked downstairs, Kelly and Blitzkrieg were wagging their tails near the gate. I said, "Do you want to go outside?", and they both ran to the door. There is nothing like waiting for dogs to finish there potty break at 2:45 am when you need to get up for work in an 1.5 hours.

I guess that I shouldn't be mad when the dogs wake me up. I would rather have the dogs wake me up with their barking then my loud neighbors. With the dogs, I can tell them to be quiet or take them outside to calm them down. With the neighbors, they don't quiet down unless someone leaves or if the cops are called on them.

I've been busy. How about you?

The start of the week was nice. I had Memorial Day off and that was the end to a lovely three day weekend. To start off the weekend, I was done with work Friday morning at 9:30 am. I couldn't have planned that any better.

The weekend was dedicated to work at home. I finished editing a wedding and photographed a engaged couple. I did take some time off to enjoy the outdoors by running, biking and walking the dogs with my husband. I also watched a lot of sports, Indianapolis 500, Coca-Cola 600, the Detroit Tigers and the Detroit Pistons. I also finished a book and started to read another.

Tuesday was a long and busy day for me. I worked 13 hours. I did my normal morning office shift in the morning and then photographed a track invitational that my newspaper hosts with a co-worker later that afternoon. It was a hot day for a track invitational and the runners did well, four records were tied or broken. If you would like to see all 195 photos that are posted from the meet, go here. I photographed the girls if you're interested.

Today I was supposed to photograph a baseball and softball game. This morning my sports editor told me that I didn't need to cover them because they were turned into scrimmages. That made me very happy. I was glad because I really didn't want to stand outside in the 90 degree heat.

Excited that I didn't have to work this afternoon, I finished some work at my home and later I will be running on my treadmill in my basement.

Books read in 2007

A Man of Faith, David Aikman
Hannibal Rising, Thomas Harris
All of the President's Men, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus III
Jack: A Life Like No Other, Geoffrey Perret
Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate, Bob Woodward
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, James L. Swanson
The Manchurian Candidate, Richard Condon
Leni Riefenstahl, Rainer Rother
From Here to Eternity, James Jones
Cultural Warrior, Bill O'Reilly
Ava Gardner: Love is Nothing, Lee Server
The Man Who Would Not Shut Up, Marvin Kitman
Clint Eastwood, Richard Schickel
Notorious, Donald Spoto
Katharine Hepburn, Barbara Leaming

Currently Reading: Empire: The Life, Legend and Madness of Howard Hughes, Donald L. Barlett
Up Next: Library trip after I finish Empire. Who knows how long that will be. The book is over 650 pages and I have a busy week ahead of me.

Random things

Every morning while driving to work I pass a hair salon. The place usually doesn't open until 8 or 9 am. On Fridays its different. This morning around 4:50 am, I passed the hair salon. Today the hairstylist inside prepping her station. Other times I have seen her working with a client at 5 am. My question is why would you want to have your hair done at 5 am? Is it because they have a hot breakfast date?

Overheard this morning: Person A: "My eyesight is so bad. I have to squint to read. I do have reading glasses, but I don't wear them." Person B: "Why?" "Because I don't like to read." OK

Happy Birthday Sean!

Recital photos

This past Sunday, I photographed Encore Dance Studio's 10th Anniversary Celebration Recital in Tecumseh, MI. Over the next week or two, I will be posting my favorite photos from the day on my photo blog, DCO's Photo Gallery. You can check them out over there or if you want to see all of the photos go to my instaproofs site.

Weekend update

I've been very busy this past weekend. It has non-stop since Friday afternoon. Today, I get a bit of a break, I don't have to photograph any sports. But I do have a lot of editing to do.

- Friday afternoon: I drove up to Grass Lake to photograph the Division 4 Track Regional. The field events were supposed to start at 3:30 pm. Needless to say, they didn't. The officials didn't stop the athletes from warming up, they let them continue. The field events started about 20 minutes later. While the field events were still going on, the preliminary heats were run in the 100, 200 & hurdles. Those were close to schedule, but still off. After the 3200 meter relay and the semifinal heats were run there was a mandatory break. The break lasted an hour. According to the program, the finals were to start at 6:05 pm. The finals didn't actually start until 6:45 pm. That made me mad because that meant that I couldn't see more of the events and I needed to leave by 8 pm to drive back to the office.

- Saturday: Around 2:30 am, my awesome neighbors were out on their porch screaming, yelling and talking loud. I needed sleep because I had a long day ahead of me. After they woke me up, I realized I felt horrible. I couldn't breathe and my nose was stuffy. I realized that I caught my husband's cold. I stacked my pillows against the headboard and tried to get to sleep with my head propped up. I probably tossed, turned and blew my nose for the next half hour or so until going to sleep. I woke up around 7 am and got ready for the day.

I photographed a friend's wedding Saturday. My day started early at 9 am at the salon. I was tired and couldn't breathe, but I was happy for the couple. Most of the time I was on my feet going from here to there, directing the bridal party, family and the couple. I had a good time and it was fun photographing a wedding of people I knew. After about 11 hours and nearly 1000 photos, my day was done.

- Sunday: In the afternoon, I had another photography shoot. This time it was a ballet recital in Tecumseh. I was not feeling too well, but I promised the dance instructors that I would be there. When I arrived, I walked backstage and said hello to all of the dance instructors. I sat in chair backstage waiting for the show to start. The show went well. I always enjoy shooting the recital because I get great photos. I think if I wasn't sick, I could have gotten more. But what I shot was good. This year I took pictures of dancers that I haven't got before. I think they will be excited when the see them soon.

Locking problems

I took my car to a dealership Monday to get it serviced. I noticed a couple weeks ago during a storm that water was leaking into my car. Enough water leaked in to soak the carpet on the floor on the drivers and passengers side of the front seat. I was going to wait to get it fixed when I got my next oil change but something else went wrong.

Last week, I didn't hear the locks go down when I pressed the lock button on my key less remote. The horn sounded but my car was still unlocked. I had to walk around to all four door and lock the car by hand. I didn't like the fact that my key less remote wasn't working. I thought if the lock button isn't working would the unlock? Just to be safe I tried the unlock button with my driver's side window rolled down. I was thankful it still worked. But just to be safe I wanted to start using my key to open the door. I put my key into the lock and turned. It didn't work. This was practically the first time I ever used the key to open the door. When I bought my car two years ago I have always used the key less remote for everything. When the key didn't open my door, I tried opening/locking the trunk and glove box. Magically my key worked on those locks. The entire two years I had my car I never knew that the keys didn't unlock the door.

When I took my car in, I showed the service worker where the water was leaking in. He told me that the water was probably coming in from the deflector and it wouldn't cost that much to fix. Before leaving I told him that my key didn't unlock my door. I said that the key starts the car, opens the trunk and locks the glove box. He went over to my car and tried every lock. He was surprised that the key didn't work in the door. The service worker said that the lock would have to be replaced.

Later in the afternoon, the dealership called to say my car was ready. All the parts were replaced. I could now open my door with my key and no more water should be leaking into my car. He said that a lot of water and moisture is under the carpet in the front. He said they could take out my seats and carpet and dry up all of the water for about $350. If I let it go, my car could start to smell. I said that I thought the water had been leaking in since the fall and hadn't smelled anything. So I passed on it. I really didn't want to spend that much money to clean up water. I'm sure the carpet will dry out sooner or later. It is spring and we should have some warm sunny days soon*, I hope.

*Yesterday, I wore my winter coat and hat to a softball game! Today I will be wearing my winter coat and hat to a baseball game. The temperature outside is only 46 degrees. Its spring isn't it?

Pain and bikes

Last Saturday, I photographed my first wedding of the year. After standing for most of the day and night, my legs and feet were sore and tired. Instead of resting on Sunday, I decided to go on a bike ride.

It was my first bike ride of the year. It was also a short one, only 3 miles or so. But it was not the thing to do. My legs were probably asking me what I did to them to put them through so much pain, but I needed to exercise. I knew I wouldn't be able to run very far, so biking solved my problem. Besides my legs being in pain, I thought it was a nice ride.

Monday afternoon I headed out on a run. I told my husband it would be a short run since my legs hurt. Only a 1.5 mile into my run, I stopped in my tracks. I developed massive cramps and couldn't run anymore. I cut my run short and walked home. While walking home the cramps started to go away. Once I got home I felt better. I talked to my husband for a bit then I decided that I wanted to run at least 2 miles for the day. I walked back down my driveway and ran around the block. I finished with 2.1 miles for the day.

About an hour after running, my husband and I went on a bike ride. I used the same route that I did on Sunday. Once I sat down on my seat, I knew I didn't escape the pain from the first bike ride of the year. It hurt. Riding over uneven pavement and bumps didn't help much either. Later in the ride, when I saw bumps or dips up ahead, I stood up on my bike to avoid the pain. It helped out alot.

I like to ride my bike, but I always forget how much discomfort goes along with the first couple of rides.

Junior

My favorite NASCAR driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the end of this year. This morning at a press conference at JR Motorsports, Junior announced he is leaving DEI to pursue other options. He also stated that he wants to continue to drive a Chevrolet. His sister, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, has handled Juniors contract negotiations wants to have a deal at the end of the month.

Could Junior drive the number 3 for Richard Childress? Will he go to Joe Gibbs and be teammates with his friends Tony and Denny? We will all find out soon.

Books read in 2007

A Man of Faith, David Aikman
Hannibal Rising, Thomas Harris
All of the President's Men, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus III
Jack: A Life Like No Other, Geoffrey Perret
Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate, Bob Woodward
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, James L. Swanson
The Manchurian Candidate, Richard Condon
Leni Riefenstahl, Rainer Rother
From Here to Eternity, James Jones
Cultural Warrior, Bill O'Reilly
Ava Gardner: Love is Nothing, Lee Server
The Man Who Would Not Shut Up, Marvin Kitman
Clint Eastwood, Richard Schickel
Notorious, Donald Spoto

Currently Reading: Katharine Hepburn, Barbara Leaming
Up Next: Empire: The Life, Legend and Madness of Howard Hughes, Donald L. Barlett

Random things

Last Thursday, my husband's present arrived in the mail! I was so excited to see it in the mail, I tore it open to show my husband. Yesterday I asked him if he has watched Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, Season One yet? He hasn't. My husband has been outside doing yard work and putting up a new fence in our backyard. But not to worry, I have already watched all 13 episodes.

An hour after I blogged about the library not finding my book, they called me. The book was found and was placed on hold for me. I picked up the book after my softball game turned into a scrimmage.

My soccer game on Friday didn't start on time. The visiting team was late due to construction and I waited over an hour for the game to start. After the visiting team was finally on the field warming up I asked the assistant coach for a roster of the team. She only had a phone number list with the players name on it. I asked if she could write the players jersey numbers next to the names. She agreed and I waited for 5 minutes. When she finished, she handed me the list. I thanked her and put it in my pocket. I turned and walked away and reporter from another paper said I needed to give the list to his photographer. While he was talking I just kept walking because the game already started. I waited patiently for the list, couldn't he do the same? Since I didn't stop, he chased me down to the other side of the field behind the goalie. Once he got to me, he told me to give him the roster. Um, no. I told him that I would let the photographer see it. Before leaving the game, I showed the list to the photographer. She was very nice and thanked me. I guess she has all of the manners in the group.

That's the way the ball bounces

My sports assignments haven't been going my way this week. There has been some problem that has occurred the last three days I have been scheduled to photograph a game.

Tuesday, I drove to a high school outside of town for a track meet. I arrived at the school and no one is on the track. A storm system that was producing lightening was passing by. If lightening strikes during a sporting event, Michigan High School Athletic Association has a rule to stop the game and wait a half-hour. The visiting school was sitting on their buses, while the home school was chillin' in the gym.

After an hour and a half of sitting in my car waiting, I walked into the school to use the restroom. While leaving the restroom I saw the home school track coaches watching the weather on TV to decide if the meet was still going to go on. The head coach wanted to wait for the next storm cell to roll by before they decided to call the meet. The storm cell that was in the neighboring county was capable of producing tornado's. The home team's athletic director went outside to the visiting school buses to talk it over with the coaches. Five or ten minutes later, the buses start moving. I thought they were going to drop the athletes off at the school to wait out the storm. Nope. They kept driving by. The meet was called due to the weather.

An hour after the meet was postponed, the sky turned blue and it didn't rain or storm the rest of the evening.

Wednesday, I drove across the county for a softball game. I arrived at the game about a half hour before it was supposed to start to copy down rosters from both teams. After the teams finished their warm ups, the game started. The home team had a quick top half of the first inning. The pitcher had two strikeouts and an easy out at first base. When it was the home team's turn to bat the head coach stood in the box near me on the third base line. She asked me what I was doing at the game. I asked why. She said that earlier in the week, she told a co-worker of mine that the game was being changed to a scrimmage. I told her that it wasn't mentioned to me. Since it was a scrimmage there was no point in staying. I called my sports editor and told him the bad news. The entire time I was in either dugout, nobody told me it was a scrimmage. Seems like they would wonder why the paper would be there covering it.

Today, I checked a website with local sports schedules to see when my tennis match started. The website read that the home tennis game was now away. I called the school's athletic department and the tennis game was moved Wednesday afternoon to another school. I thanked the athletic secretary for the information, called my sports editor and left a message. He called me back and he decided to send me to a soccer game in town.

Tomorrow I would like my schedule to be back to normal. Please let my soccer game be played without any problems. No more weather cancellations, scrimmages and schedule mix-ups, I've had enough for one week.

Still missing

It has been a couple of weeks since I've been to the library. Last time on my books read list, I mentioned that I wanted to check out a book. The library computer had the book listed available. Unfortunately it was not on the shelve where it was supposed to be. I looked around the biography section and couldn't find it. When I checked out the other two books, I mentioned to the library worker that the book was missing from the shelve. The worker went back to take a look for herself. She came back empty handed. I provided the library with my name and phone number, so they could call me when they found the book. Before I left, I was told that they were really good about finding missing books.

Fast forward, two weeks later and no call from the library. Granted I haven't had much time to read, but they still haven't found that book? Are they even still looking for it? GRRRRRR!

On a different note:
Tuesday mail check - Still no Harvey Birdman DVD in the mail.

Where is it?

Way back on April 14, I ordered a birthday present for my husband. I ordered a DVD online for his birthday that was last Friday, the 27th. Two days after I ordered the DVD, I received an email saying the DVD was mailed and it should arrive in 5-10 business days. Plenty of time to arrive for his big day.

On my husband's birthday, I gave him one of his presents that I already had. It was a red Boston University t-shirt. He received his Master of Criminal Justice from BU in 2005 and he wanted a shirt. I ordered the shirt the same day as the DVD and the shirt came within 3 days. When the mailman didn't bring the DVD in the mail on his birthday, I let him know what his other present was. I told him to expect Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, Season One soon.

The mailman came by earlier today and brought the mail. No Harvey Birdman. The email that the company sent said to expect delievery between 4/25-4/30. Well today is the last day of April. I called the 800 number to see what was going on. The customer service lady said that it was the 10th business day and if I don't get it by Thursday call them back. If I should happen to call them back, the company will ship out another DVD. The lady was nice on the phone, but I just wanted to yell because this DVD was supposed to be a birthday present. My husband's birthday was last Friday not this coming Thursday. GRRRRRRRRRRR!

I hope Harvey arrives before Thursday, I don't want to wait another week or two to watch the first season. Err, I mean my husband doesn't.

Last name fun

At a high school baseball game that I was photographing today, the players were having fun with a teammate's last name. The player's last name is Hooker.

Examples of what was being said in the dugout:

"Way to find the hole Hooker"

"We need you on the corner Hooker"


Silly boys.

Random things

The soccer game was played as scheduled Wednesday. The heavy rain passed and when the game started it was sprinkling and cold, in the low 40s. I wore boots, pants, a sweater, jacket and a long raincoat, and I was still cold. I left my gloves in the car because I didn't think it was that cold out. Wrong! After the game, I had a mental note: Always bring gloves.

When I arrived at the soccer field, I got my camera ready. Before even taking any photos, I counted how many people were in attendance. Other then the players, officials, coaches and scorekeepers, there were about 15 people on or near the stands. Not a huge turnout. What's wrong with people? They don't like standing outside in the cold and rain?

Everyday I read USA Today on the web. While reading Pop Candy the other day, she had a link to a woman who blogs about The Baby-Sitters Club book series. Growing up, I also read that series and loved it. I thought it was cool that these 13 year-old girls were in a club and had jobs. I so wanted to be them. I spent about a half-hour on her blog and laughed the entire time. It is a great blog and I'm glad that it was brought to Whitney's attention at PC.

Happy early birthday honey.

Rain, cameras and outdoor sporting events don't mix

Later today, I will be photographing a soccer game in the rain. I know there is no chance that the game will be canceled. Soccer games are played no matter what. I'm not looking forward to covering my camera/lens in plastic, wearing boots/raincoat and standing outside in rainy 45 degree weather.

Do you think besides the players, officials, and me that parents would want to stand on the side of the field to watch their daughters play in the heavy downpour? If it was me, I would say "Honey, I'll watch from the car."

Sunday 5K

Sunday, I ran in a local 5K. I was a perfect day to run. It was nice, sunny and the temperature was in the 50s.

The first mile I ran pretty well. I kept a good, steady pace on the mixture of hills and flat surfaces. I passed the first mile marker, a full minute faster then what I usually run. I thought I could keep that pace for the entire race. Then it happened, severe stomach cramps. The pain was terrible, my pace slowed but I kept running. The stomach cramps stopped near the end of the second mile. With the pain gone, I started picking up my pace.

While I was running slower with the worst stomach cramps ever, two women passed me. My hope was to catch back up with them, but they were both so far ahead I knew the chances would be slim. Since I couldn't catch the two ahead of me, my motivation was to keep a group of women behind me. After crossing the second mile mark, I could hear them talking. I really didn't know how close they were, but they were close enough that I could hear bits and pieces of their conversation.

Around the 2.5 mile mark, the course took a left hand turn. It was at this time I could turn around and see where they were. While going around the corner, I turned to look back. I didn't see them. It was a relief. I knew that I had some distance on them. With not much more of the race left, I wanted to finish with a good time.

I continued to pick up my pace on the flat surface. The course didn't stay flat for long. The flat course dipped down then up a giant hill. I ran strong up the hill and was excited that I was close to the end. When I made the final turn towards the finish line, I tried so hard to sprint to the finish. My legs had nothing left. I spent all of my energy making up time from the horrible second mile. I crossed the finish line at 32:01.57. I finished sixth in my age group. I thought I beat last year's time, but I was just shy: 31:57.

I didn't beat last year's time but this run made me happy. I was happy because I wasn't last in my age group and I wasn't the last runner on the course. There have been many 5 and 10K races where I was last in both categories. When I do finish last, it doesn't bother me. I'm just happy that I finish every race that I start, no matter where I finish.

Books

I returned my books to the library this morning and picked out two different books. I would have borrowed a third book, but it was missing from the shelve. The library computer indicated that the book was in the library and supposed to be on the shelve. I went back, looked around most of the biography section and still couldn't find it.

When I was checking out my other books, I told the librarian that the book I was looking for was missing from the shelve. I gave her the authors name and the title and she went see if she could find it. A couple of minutes later, she came back empty handed. She said she would have workers look for the book later today. I wrote down my name and phone number and was told when the book is found, they will call me. BOO!


A Man of Faith, David Aikman
Hannibal Rising, Thomas Harris
All of the President's Men, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus III
Jack: A Life Like No Other, Geoffrey Perret
Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate, Bob Woodward
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, James L. Swanson
The Manchurian Candidate, Richard Condon
Leni Riefenstahl, Rainer Rother
From Here to Eternity, James Jones
Cultural Warrior, Bill O'Reilly
Ava Gardner: Love is Nothing, Lee Server
The Man Who Would Not Shut Up, Marvin Kitman
Clint Eastwood, Richard Schickel

Currently Reading: Notorious, Donald Spoto
Up Next: Katharine Hepburn, Barbara Leaming

Miles run in 2007

Today I ran a easy 2.6 miles outside. Sunday is my first 5K of the year and I wanted to run on the road to get my legs used to the hard surface. The 5K will start and finish in downtown Adrian and will be run on city streets. For the past three years I've run this race, the weather has been bad. This year it is supposed to be sunny and warm. That will definitely make it fun to run.

Miles run through April 18:
2004: 90.1
2005: 120.2
2006: 151.8
2007: 150.1

Books read in 2007

A Man of Faith, David Aikman
Hannibal Rising, Thomas Harris
All of the President's Men, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus III
Jack: A Life Like No Other, Geoffrey Perret
Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate, Bob Woodward
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, James L. Swanson
The Manchurian Candidate, Richard Condon
Leni Riefenstahl, Rainer Rother
From Here to Eternity, James Jones
Cultural Warrior, Bill O'Reilly
Ava Gardner: Love is Nothing, Lee Server
The Man Who Would Not Shut Up, Marvin Kitman
Clint Eastwood, Richard Schickel

Currently Reading: Library trip coming soon
Up Next:

What the wind blows into my yard

In the city I live in, garbage day in Monday. Most people on my street put their trash out Sunday night. I took my two bags of garbage out and placed them near the curb. The neighbors across the street had their usual 75 bags out on their curb.

Overnight the winds in the area picked up, the winds were around 25-35 mph today. With it so windy, the neighbors across the street really don't tie their bags very good. Alot of their trash blew into my yard and driveway. This afternoon, my husband and I picked up a large popcorn box, children's homework and a plastic bag.

When I came back home from work this evening, I saw more trash in my yard. I went outside and gathered the trash. I wanted my yard to look clean before one of my brides came over to pick up her engagement pictures. This time I picked up an art project, a warranty paper, cardboard, wrappers and a nice four page note written to a girl. The note was written to a girlfriend saying he has looked into houses and they need a certain amount of money to put a down payment on. Then he says that they need to brace for a health situation, so expect the worst he wrote. Last but certainly not least this guy wrote, ".... we must create some great personal memories to carry us through the times to come."

Written on top of the next page is: Food for thought, HMMM!! This guy totally gets dirty. He writes what he wants to do sexually to the recipient of the letter. He wrote, " The thought has crossed my mind what and how would you like your body made love to." The next two pages describe in detail what he wants to do to her and what he wants in return.

I'm sure this girl was supposed to keep this lovely letter, but somehow it ended up in the garbage. And on this very windy day in the Maple city, it ended up in my yard and into my hands. Such a heartfelt letter Timmy*. I'm sure your girl enjoyed reading it as much as I did.

*Name changed

Track meets, 5K's and goodbye

Twice this week, the track meets I was supposed to photograph were canceled. I can understand canceling on the day that it was snowing, raining and below freezing. But yesterday it was breezy, cloudy and the rain stopped a couple of hours before the meet was supposed to start. When I pulled up to the track and saw the track team out running practice, I was disappointed. They can run practice outside, but not run in a meet? What is up with that? When I was in high school, I remember running in a hale storm and heavy downpours. Its not the same as it used to be.

My first 5K of the year is April 22. Usually I send my money in a month early, this time I have been dragging my feet. For some reason I thought I had a couple of weeks to get ready for the 5K. While talking on the phone with another runner, he informed me that the race is next Sunday. As soon as I got home from work, I filled out the entry form and wrote out the check. This will be the fourth year that I have run this particular 5K. It would be nice on race day if it would be sunny and warm. For the last three years, it has been cold, windy or raining on race day but that is typical Michigan weather.

Congratulations to ST! Today was his last day at the paper in Adrian. ST will be leaving us because he got a new job in Lansing at the State Journal. It has been a pleasure working with you. Good luck at the LSJ.

Dad

John Wayne Clark

April 10, 1942 - August 15, 1998

Happy birthday Dad

Weekend update

On Good Friday my husband and I had an extremely late lunch. I was fasting and could only eat one meal, so we waited until 3 pm to eat. We went to a pizza place in town and ordered bread sticks and a large pizza. One half of the pizza had pepperoni and mushrooms and my meatless half, onions and mushrooms. When our bread sticks were brought out, I gobbled mine down fast. At that point I haven't ate in about 19 hours, so I was really hungry. After wolfing my bread sticks down, the pizza was brought to the table. The pizza was cut into 8 slices, four for each half. At the end of lunch, all four of my slices were gone. My husband needed a box for his two that he didn't eat. I felt like the biggest hog, usually I don't eat four large slices in a sitting.

Saturday morning, I didn't have to work so I decided to run. It was around 8 am and I didn't eat or drink before before running on the treadmill. If I do eat or drink before a run I get horrible side cramps. So I did what I always do, I started running and it was bad. The day before I only ate once around 3:30 pm. About 17 hours later, here I am trying to run. I had no energy. My legs felt like cement blocks. I'm thankful that my treadmill has hand rails. If it wasn't for them I don't think I would have even finished running the 2 miles.

Easter Sunday my alarm woke me up at 6 am. I rolled out of bed to get ready for the Sunrise Mass at 7 am. I arrived at the church at 6:30 am to get a seat. I was expecting to see the church packed like last year, but it wasn't. Not too many people showed up for the early mass. Maybe everyone was sleeping in like I wanted to.

After mass, I went to the grocery store to pick up some chocolate bunnies. While walking out to my car, I passed a car with a front licence plate that read "Rico Suave". Come on, why would you ever have that on your car? They must like bad 80s singers.

After Easter dinner at my mom's, I waited a while before running. This run was much better then Saturday's. I actually felt good and didn't use the hand rails for support.

Finally, the premiere episode for the last season of The Sopranos was on HBO last night. I told my husband that I wasn't going to watch it all, just five minutes. In the opening scene Tony was arrested for a gun charge. I couldn't leave the couch, it was too good. I watched the entire show and crawled into bed. It was worth staying up an extra hour to watch The Sopranos, but the alarm clock came too early this morning.

Random things

Earlier this week I was wearing a t-shirt and a jacket, enjoying the warm spring weather. Now it has gotten colder and my outfits switched to sweaters and my winter coat. To top it off I had to brush snow off of my car this morning and I slid through an intersection. I think this is payback for all of the nice days we had in the winter.

I don't know how many people watched The Agency on VH1, but that show had its season finale Tuesday night. The Agency followed the Men and Women's Boards at Wilhelmina Models in New York City. Its interesting to see how men and women's models are selected and signed with an agency. One woman's board agents got fired on the last show due to her attitude, that made me happy. She was such a drag to watch. I was surprised they waited so long to fire her. If you haven't seen it, check it out. I'm sure it will be replayed a lot.

Tomorrow is Good Friday. The last meatless Friday of the year. The downside is that I will be fasting tomorrow and can't eat more then one meal. The good news is that I will be able to buy something from the vending machines at work next week.

Books read in 2007

Instead of going outside to enjoy the beautiful, but windy day Monday, I stayed inside my house on the couch. Most of the afternoon was spending reading, The Man Who Would Not Shut Up by Marvin Kitman. It was worth it, I loved the book. I started reading the book Sunday afternoon and finished it Monday evening. I will start reading Clint Eastwood today, but some of the afternoon will be spend outside for a run before the rain, snow and cold take over for the rest of the week.


A Man of Faith, David Aikman
Hannibal Rising, Thomas Harris
All of the President's Men, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus III
Jack: A Life Like No Other, Geoffrey Perret
Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate, Bob Woodward
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, James L. Swanson
The Manchurian Candidate, Richard Condon
Leni Riefenstahl, Rainer Rother
From Here to Eternity, James Jones
Cultural Warrior, Bill O'Reilly
Ava Gardner: Love is Nothing, Lee Server
The Man Who Would Not Shut Up, Marvin Kitman

Currently Reading: Clint Eastwood, Richard Schickel
Up Next:

Books read in 2007

A Man of Faith, David Aikman
Hannibal Rising, Thomas Harris
All of the President's Men, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus III
Jack: A Life Like No Other, Geoffrey Perret
Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate, Bob Woodward
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, James L. Swanson
The Manchurian Candidate, Richard Condon
Leni Riefenstahl, Rainer Rother
From Here to Eternity, James Jones
Cultural Warrior, Bill O'Reilly
Ava Gardner: Love is Nothing, Lee Server

Currently Reading: The Man Who Would Not Shut Up, Marvin Kitman
Up Next: Clint Eastwood, Richard Schickel