"Hmm...That Could Be A Snake...", She Said To Herself.

Mom came across a big ol, fat, ugly, long, snake in her front yard on Wednesday night! Hold on while I....aghhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I don't even know why I am writing about this! I get the creepy crawlies just thinking about that nasty sucker.

So Mom was going out to get her mail after work, and it was already dark out, and she saw a peculiar outline at the end of the sidewalk. It wasn't moving and she thought to herself that it looked like a snake. With closer inspection (but not TOO close) she saw that it was indeed a snake and looked a lot like a water moccasin. She went to get the flashlight and phone and came back to the snake who had stayed in the same position. Ok, so he wasn't agressive...that is good.

Michael and Tammy and the kids came over to check it out and try to identify it. Uncle Ray was also called in on the job---if anyone could identify it, it was probably Uncle Ray! They identified it as the non-venomous Texas Diamond-back Water Snake. Good grief...I hope that thing stays over there in Garland. All we have here in lovely Plano are cute, fluffy, sweet field bunnies.

P.S. I posted a picture but I had to take it off cause I didn't like looking at it. One could google it if one so desires.

Wordless Wednesday: A Moment In Time That Needs No Explanation

...And Now A Word From Our Sponsers...

http://www.splatdesigns.blogspot.com/

Elana's Bat Mitzvah: Mazel Tov!

We had a whirlwind of a weekend! But so much fun! We rushed out Friday night after work to catch a flight to Chicago to attend Josh's cousin, Elana's, Bat Mitzvah.

This is a huge milestone in a young Jewish person's life. Once they turn 13 years old they are considered to have transitioned into the adult community both socially and spiritually. The idea is not that a 13 year old is an adult in every sense of the word, but is now responsible for their actions and knows the difference between right and wrong. Many months are spent studying for this day. It is most common for the celebrant to learn the entire haftarah (a reading from the Prophets, read along with the weekly Torah portion), including its traditional chant, and recite that. In some congregations, the celebrant reads the entire weekly torah portion, or leads part of the service, or leads the congregation in certain important prayers.

Elana did awesome! I just couldn't believe how she got right up there on Saturday morning services and lead the congregation with such self-assurance and pride. She was a fantastic speaker and so eloquent. I can see that she would be able to link religious ideals and philosophies in her head...but to be able to explain them out loud as well, in words she wrote herself, was so very impressive and touching. As one who has always had varying views on scripture and organized religion, I could see that she truly had a strong link to her beliefs and unwavering faith.

What a special family! And that is coming from me who has a really special family...so you know they have met high standards for qualification! Wes and Shelley have brought up two extraordinary children, Elana-13 and Seth-18, whom are both beautiful, talented, well spoken, and wise beyond thier years...which is no doubt an relflection of the beautiful people Shelley and Wes are as well. Elana really looks up to Seth and they have such a sweet bond...every time I turned around they were laughing with each other or hugging and wiping away joyful tears from their eyes. Seth even sang Elana a song, playing guitar and harmonica at the same time, wishing her to stay forever young. Talk about a tear jerker!

Moreover, the party was awesome! We had such a great time dancing with our streamers, tambourines and bead necklaces. There was so much dancing, traditional and Western, that there was never a dull moment. I could have sat and watched all the kids for hours! I only hope to have children like the children in this tight knit community...who can respect and appreciate each other (and their parents) and know how to have FUN!

My only regret is that we didn't get to sightsee any. Josh's regret is that he didn't get any Chicago style pizza or hotdogs. Yeah...I could have chowed down on some Chiacago style food, too. We even joke often about opening a Chicago style everything restaraunt. Hmmm...maybe someday!

***Have a wonderful week!***

Lanscaping with Handy Andy

I cannot tell you how excited I am to overhaul the front yard flower beds! I almost feel like skipping through a meadow. Or something. Heehee, anyway...this has been on my mind forever and I finally felt like it was time to just do it! Also, I thought it would be a great start to a new marriage. I have been using that "great start to a new marriage" line a lot lately...Josh may not buy it much longer.

So, I starting looking for someone who was affordable and strong...cause I surely was not going to install all that! I found Andy Ingram (andy.ingram@charter.net, 940-206-2238) on the Dallas Craig's List and we really hit it off right away. He seems like a great fellow. He drew up the design plan for us and I think it will look absolutley awesome. The only revision we are going to make is to leave a couple of ornamental trees that are already there. I just couldn't bare to let them go...trees are such a precious asset to the world.

Everything else is GOING! Two Texas Sage bushes and two rose bushes are going to be transplanted to another spot. I am not sure where yet. I would like to keep the roses in large pots, so any tips for that out there-let me know. We had a big beautiful mushroom shaped boxwood and we totally lost it with the drought this past summer. I was really upset at the loss. We said good riddance to a horribly deformed, ugly tree-bush wierdo thing by the guest room window, and two sorry looking oleander plants. I have never even seen the oleanders bloom, probably because they prefer sun and they are in a lot of shade. I may just move them to another spot and see if they survive the transplant. We also may transplant two red tipped photinias that are currently in the front and in the way of my new plan!

The plan is for Dwarf Burford Holly in the back row. I don't care for holly much but at the same time it's nostalgic and reminds me of growing up on Clayton (and getting dried leaved stuck in my bare feet). Azaleas are also going in. I have heard they can be particular to care for, but I am up for it. No problemo! Those suckers better give me some great blooms, though! Clara Indian Hawthorn is another really pretty flowering bush we are using. I can't wait to see it together with the azaleas. Next are two of my favorites. We have Supergreen Giant Liriope--which I have wanted as long as I knew I was getting a yard to plant in--and will go around the ends by the holly. I can't put my finger on why I love liriope so much, it is just such a fun plant and has those nice purple blooms. Compact Nandia is my other favorite which is going in between the hollies and the azaleas. I can actually smell the scent of torn leaves and squished berries from this bush. The red and green leaves will be a great splash of color. Lastly, we have two Japanese yew which are a tall skinny tree/bush (pictured bottom, left). I am pretty thrilled at this new find. I have never heard of it before and it looks great in pictures. Here is a picture of the leaves and berries. It reminds me a lot of a rosemary/christmas tree/cedar tree mix. I can't wait to get my hands on cuttings to use in fresh arrangements for the house. But no eating it...they are very toxic. In fact, oil from the leaves is called taxol and is used for breast and ovarian cancer treatment.

Handy Andy is going to till and fertilize the soil. The azaleas will require a particular combo of peat moss and soil. They like acidic conditions. If Josh and I feel so inclined, we may try to get out there and dig up the old plants and border of rail road ties to save some of the cost on labor. I am not too excited about digging up those old rail road ties, though...I can only imagine what that involves. I am such a girl, I know!

Installment commences on March 31st! Hope the weather is good!



***Best Wishes to All!***

Announcement: Hear Ye Hear Ye, Come One Come All

Ok, the word on the street is (not really the street, but from an email) that my big bro, Peter, will be graduating on Friday, May 25, 2007! Peter has been away in training for his new job as I.C.E. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agent. Oh lordy, look out world...Peter has the power to arrest. :)

We got the news not long ago that his looooonnngg application process was complete and he was wisked away to Glynco, Georgia for six months of training. He just completed the first half of training and was honored for expert marksmanship! Now into the second half---stay strong, Peter! He is most likely taking a job south of Dallas...waaayyy south, like on the Tejas border.

The federal training facility in Glynco turns out folks trained for pretty much every area of law enforcement..."82 area of federal law enforcement" to be exact. "The four most significant Federal law enforcement agencies not aligned with FLETC are the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service." (Wikipedia.com)

This is from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and Homeland Security website:

"Glynco is the headquarters facility for the FLETC. It is situated on 1,500 acres in southeast Georgia with modern conventional facilities such as classrooms, dormitories, and administrative and logistical support structures, including a dining hall capable of serving more than 4,000 meals per day.

Additionally, Glynco has 18 firearms ranges, including a state-of-the-art indoor range complex with 146 separate firing points; and eight highly versatile semi-enclosed ranges with 200 additional firing points. Other training assets include a sprawling complex of driver training ranges, a physical techniques facility, explosives range, fully functional mock port of entry, and numerous other structures which support the entire training effort.

Among these is a 34-building "neighborhood" practical exercise area, which includes houses equipped with video cameras for recording various kinds of practical exercises.

The classroom buildings house various special purpose areas including a library, interviewing suites, mock court rooms, computer forensics laboratories, and other laboratories for fingerprinting and identifying narcotics.

Glynco’s physical techniques complex encompasses over three acres, including mat rooms, classrooms, weight rooms, gymnasium, and other facilities devoted to training and fitness.

Plans are currently under way to build and expand facilities at Glynco to conduct a wide array of programs to support the Homeland Security mission."

Wow! That's some crazy stuff, there! CONGRATULATIONS Peter, and we love you!!

**Best Wishes!**

Wedding Update: More Pictures!

Amy and Pat with Shades of You Photography were the best to work with. They really know their stuff. They are such a sweet couple and so much fun to be around! I can't wait to use them for all of our portraits in the future.

Some words from the photographers:

1. Keep in mind that you are viewing your proofs online and therefore the quality will vary depending on your particular monitor and its settings. It is possible that your online proofs may appear dark, light, grainy, etc. This is due to the nature of online viewing and monitor variations.

2. To access your online gallery, please go to http://www.shadesofyouphoto.com. Enter the site and from there you will find a menu item titled "Client Login. Your gallery is Blachly wedding. Your password is: feb24 (then hit your "enter" key on your keyboard).

3. Once you are in your gallery, you can either view all of your proofs at once, or on across the top of the gallery there is a button for "Catagories". This is a good choice so that it is not an overwhelming amount to go through all at once. Within each catagory is a slideshow option which is also a good choice.

4. Your online gallery will stay online for 90 days. Your expiration date is June 20, 2007. Once the gallery is removed there is a $50.00 re-publishing fee if you need them put back online.

5. If you share your gallery with family and friends, please note the details about the pricing/shipping/minimum order which is all on the gallery. Your family and friends are welcome to order directly from the gallery. However, please be sure that they understand there is a minimum order of $50.00 and we do charge for shipping. If they prefer to order smaller prints that do not meet the minimum order requirement ($50.00) remember they can order from you as you will have your negatives.

6. You will receive a DVD with your digital negatives of all of the images in your gallery. These are images that have not had cropping or artistic work done for the most part. You may make your own prints directly from these negatives (please back up on your hard drive), but they will not be of the same quality as you would get from our professional lab. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you would like to order any prints through us, or if you would like a consumer lab recommendation.

7. There are 2 choices for prints if ordered through us, Standard and Custom. Standard prints are printed from the negative (what you see in the gallery) "as is". There is no artistic interpretation. Custom prints are fully rendered. They are cropped, color corrected, adjusted for contrast, and have minor retouching done when necessary. These prints are each worked on individually and are of a different quality than the Standard prints. This is definitely your best choice for any wall portraits or larger album pages.

Scrappin', Shoppin', and Beyond

This was about the most Heather-ized weekend ever!
"Heather-ized": adjective, verb.
Definition - relaxation, shopping, much accomplished on a laid back time schedule, also meaning: it's all good.
Being Heather-ized is a good thing, by the way!

Friday we had a birthday dinner at Pappadeux Seafood for Josh's 27 birthday! What a wonderful time! We love birthdays around the Blachly house. They usually take on a life of their own turning into week long celebrations. After all, without them...we wouldn't be here in the first place! For those who are in the know (or want to be)...Pappaduex has the best crab cakes ever, and the worst parking!

I took off on Saturday to Argyle, after a cup of coffee with the birthday boy, for a day and night full of scrappin'! This weekend I got pictures up to December 2005 in my album. It sure is fun to re-live all the events of past years! I also completed our brag book on the remodel of the house. I really wanted to have a seperate book for that whole process since it was such a momentous occassion in our lives. It sure does bring back fond nightmares of those 6 months of intense labor!

We had a great time scrappin'. Mom, Tammy and Shannon were all present and accounted for and we had the pleasure of having Jessie and Lindsey there off and on too. There is just nothing like some good ol' arts and crafts and time with the girls. It is really a great way to catch up and recharge. And Shannon's new "estate" is just georgous! I say estate becuase it is way more than just a house: they have a nice size barn turned into a workout room, huge three car garage with two big storage rooms on either end, a hilly backyard with a gazebo, and a spacious guest house! It is awesome!

So now on Sunday---after waiting in traffic after I-35 closed down for the road to re-asphaulted, arghh!---Josh suggested an afternoon of shopping. We headed off to Pottery Barn, Linen's N Things, and my favorite...Bed Bath and Beyond! We got our master bath towel bars, hooks and toliet paper holder. Although the master bath is already in use, now it will be fully functional!! Our other exciting purchase were some beautiful scarfs for the dinning room windows - the one pictured here. We chose not to use the matching panels because we really like the look of the blinds and don't want them covered or competing against curtains. We'll use the scarf over the top and hang it down the sides of the window frame. After we got home, we decided that the room now looks complete. They add the perfect touch to make the room look warm and inviting. Voila!

Josh opened an early birthday present from me Sunday night and we relaxed the rest of the evening. Here comes Monday...

**Best wishes!**

Some people get the Seven Year Itch, we got the Seven Year Hitch!

Our Honeymoon
Viva Mexico! We visited Cancun for six days of relaxation and sun. This was a very very special trip for us though. We had depleted our budget planning for the wedding and were not expecting to visit anywhere exotic for our honeymoon. As a special present, Josh's Aunt Debbie and Uncle Sid Milstein gave us a week in Canun and paid for our airfare. Can you believe it? It is one of those things where we didn't know what on earth to say. "Thank you" is a start, though. And we love you both so much. This trip meant so much to us. Now, I am going to spare the details of the trip since all we did was lay basking in the sun, rehash the wedding, eat and drink. But one of my favorite details; we had a refreshing guacamole snack and beer about 3:00 everyday...and our server was sure to find us to deliver it! The beach was quite washed out, we are guessing it still hasn't recovered from Hurricane Wilma of '05, and huge sheets of rock and boulders were present eveywhere along the beach. The pool was perfect though, and we did get at least some beach time. We had several romantic dinners and also great massages by the beach! We were, ofcourse, sad to say goodbye! Audios, Mexico!