So far Seaworld is my favorite by far! The access to the animals is amazing. For the past two days I have been able to feed and pet the dolphins. Today I get to do a training session with them! I will post more pictures when I get home.

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This is the view from our room. So far wonderful weather. We went to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure today, heading to Seaworld tomorrow. They are calling for thunderstorms and we figure they have lots of indoor shows. Will try to post more pictures soon.

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Headed for Florida

As I sit here I am counting down the hours until we leave for Florida!  I can't wait!  I have two more hours of work and then Paul is picking me up and we are headed south.  Car is already packed so all I have to do is hop in and go.  And the best part is, since I worked tonight, I will get to sleep most of the trip away.  At this point, I must say, Thank You Garmin Nuvi!!!!  My dear sweet husband is a wonderful man, he just can't find his way out of a paper bag.  The last time I went to sleep in the car, we were headed home from Myrtle Beach - I woke up in TN - about 2 hours south of Winston Salam - we should have been almost home.  He has even been able to get lost while I am reading!  I must keep my eyes on the roads and signs.  Now, with our Garmin, I know that I can sleep peacefully and even if he takes a wrong turn (which he still manages to do, even with the Garmin) it will simply "recalulate" and get us back on the right track.  I will try and upload a couple of pictures while I am gone but I will do a nice recap once I am back. 

SPRING IS HERE ! ! !

I am so glad that spring is finally here!  Now if the weather will just follow.  We are in the warm/cold phase right now.  The other day it snowed, then it got up to 70 degrees, now they are calling for more snow this week, URG! Enough already.  I want beaches and suntan oil, sunburns and flipflops.....NO MORE SNOW!

So I thought as a way to celebrate spring I will share some of my last beach trip.  It was a weekend trip with the girls.  My mom, my 2 aunts, 2 co-workers, me, and a beach!  A couple years ago a close friend of mine and I found a little known hidden beach located in South Carolina.  It's called Edisto Island.  It's a small island located about 45 minutes south of Charleston,SC.  There are no hotels, no chain stores, no chain resturants.  It's a very small island with LOTS of rental houses, condo's, and apartment type housing.  If you are a golfer the resort has a beautiful golf course on the island.  There is a state park with wonderful trails for biking or walking.  The island is small enough that everyone uses bikes or golf carts to get around.  It is located in the protected wetlands so you get a taste of many different kinds of scenery.  It's a beach made of sand, with roads lined with hudge Live Oaks covered in Spanish Moss.  Not concrete and hotels for miles.  No Crabby Mike's or Wings stores.  It is a vacation to relax. 

Inside the gated resort

Beach on sound side, is almost lake calm.

One of the neatest things...at low tide you can walk so far out that you can hear the dolphins blowing water through thier blow-holes as they enter and leave the sound.  We wanted to take pictures but didn't want to risk our cameras in the ocean.

The bike trails are crushed shale and so easy to ride on.  The scenery is breath taking.  They have a great little bike rental that rents everything from bikes to boats!

We thought the signs were a joke, boy were we wrong!

And he was in the river right beside our condo!!!

We stayed at the King Cotton Condos.  They were great!  Two screened in decks, front deck without screen, two car garage, outdoor shower, 3br/4 full bath, and an elevator.  It was wonderful!

Right now we are planning our vacation to Universal Studios in Orlando.....but not to worry.  I will be back to Edisto soon.......

Time To Pick a New Phone

Thanks to US Cellular's new Belief Project, it's time for me to get a new phone.  I am as excited as I am scared.  Do you remember the first cell phones?  We called them bag phones because they were so big they came in a bag!

This is what my dad's bag phone looked like!

I can remember getting my first cell phone.  I needed it to makes calls and nothing more.  I was so excited!  I won so many radio contest because of my first cell phone.  I think it might have started my cd collection!

Hey it may not be much to look at, but at the time it was the bomb!

Of course there have been many phones since then but I now have the Blackberry Curve.  It took me ages to learn how to use it and now I have to learn something new!?!  I had thought about just getting another Blackberry but I don't like the internet limitations, and I love what the new andriod phones offer.

It has been a wonderful phone, minus the trackball issues.

I am now looking at the HTC Desire.  From what I have been able to find online, HTC seems to be one of, if not the best out there right now.  I'm just not crazy about the touch screen.  As a computer tech, I see what happens to touch screens.  Is that what my phone will soon look like?  And learning the menus again,URG!  Why can't cell phones just agree to have all the menus in the same place?  Would it really be that hard?  I do not think I should have to pull out a book just to answer my phone!  Luckily I have been practicing on Paul's new andriod but I still can't type worth a darn on that thing.  My regular typing is funnier than his predicive text.  

So this is the HTC Desire I am looking at getting.

At least with US Cellular's Belief Project I know I can earn points and get a new phone again soon if I don't like it.  I go Monday so I will be sure to post and let everyone know how the HTC learning is going.







The Strange Things That Can Bring Back a Memory ...

You know, it's funny the things that can make you remember something.  I was going through the drive through yesterday at Hardee's and saw a sign that brought back memories from childhood!

My father, my sister, and I used to go to Myrtle Beach almost every weekend when I was younger.  It was always our special get away.  During our trips we would always have one night that we would get dressed up and go out to a really nice restaurant.  On one such trip we picked an Italian restaurant.  We waited for our table and then the three of us headed to our table.  Deciding that the best pizza is always from a true Italian restaurant (and that is what it looked like we had found) we quickly decided that is what we would have.  When the waitress came to take our drink order and give us the menus, my dad told her we already knew what we wanted.  We wanted a large pizza, dripping with extra cheese, peperoni (and whatever other toppings Dad was going to make us pick off).  The waitress looked like we had kicked her in the stomach!  She quickly informed us that this was a "sit down" restaurant and that they did NOT serve something as common as pizza!  My sister and I were stunned, what did that mean?  My father, was pissed, now you are treating his family as if they are beneath you?  If I remember correctly we quickly found a small home owned Italian restaurant and had some of the best pizza I have ever had!  Silly story brought back by an even sillier sign.  I still have to ask the question.....What is a "Sit-Down" restaurant?  And has anyone ever seen a restaurant where you are made to stand?

SWVRRC New Website Address is Announced

***This is a duplicate post also posted on swvrrc.blogspot.com.  I just wanted to make sure that everyone saw the new web addresses and the added photo site***

 

Thanks so much for all of the hard work that Karen has done to keep our website going and to deal with the process of moving it to our own dedicated site.  Great work Karen!  She has also set up a SWVRRC page on shutter fly (I have added the link on right side under web links).  So please browse around the two sites.  One has scores of information on running training, and other great help articles and the shutterfly account shows  all of the great races where all our running club has been! http://swvrrc.shutterfly.com/

The Southern West Virginia Road Runners Club now has their official domain.  The address is  http://swvrrc.org   Please bookmark this address in your favorites and delete the old.    The old will direct you to the new domain for a short period of time.  After a couple of weeks of redirecting, it will be totally deleted.

Basically, the site still looks the same with some changes:

1.       Under the schedule tab, you will see a “Revised Date” column to assist you with knowing when a change  (date, website, entry form, etc) was made to  the information posted.

2.       Under the club info tab, training materials will be added soon to assist you with your running goals.

3.       Under the photo tab, major additions were added.  As many of you know, when I am able to attend a race, I have been taking a lot of pictures.  Since I have too many pictures to post on the website, I have started a SWVRRC shutterfly site at http://swvrrc.shutterfly.com/   I plan to post a few pictures on the website, but will be uploading ALL pictures on the shutterfly account.  If anyone takes pictures at the races, please email them to my home address at kgordon@citlink.net and I will upload them to the shutterfly account.  For the album covers I have chosen to use the race t-shirts; therefore, if you send me pictures of a race, please include a picture of the t-shirt.  As of today, there are 27 albums on the account.  Check out the pictures that have NEVER been seen….victory smiles, friends supporting friends, pets and owners, children enjoying fun runs, agony and pain. 

If you see any problems, with the website, please let me know by email at kgordon@citlink.net

Safe Running,

Karen

Throwing Out The Flowers

I hate to throw out my flowers. I know that I hold on to them too long but they were soooo beautiful! This last dozen roses that Paul got me even dried beautiful. The flower kept its red colors and just the tips changed color. And now it is pouring the snow so we will have to wait for nature's colors....
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Scentsy Monthly Specials

March's Scentsy Warmer and Scent Bar of the month

Dotty is the Warmer of the Month and Jumpin' Jelly Bean (Crisp pear and apple, zesty lemon, and sugar evoke sweet childhood memories) is the scent of the month.

Also, a sneek peek of next month's Warmer of the Month

Be sure to check out our Scentsy Page to see all of the new warmers and scents that are in our new Scentsy Catalog!

New Scentsy Catalogs Start Today

Ok, everyone.  The new Spring/Summer Catalogs start today.  We have added new scents and warmers so be sure to check out our Scentsy Page to see the new warmers!  We also have new scents to replace all of the scents that were discontinued last month.  Some are new and some are old favorites that they have brought back: Oats & Honey; Go-Go-Goji; Sharp-Dressed Man; Cherry Limeade; Honey,Do!; Route 66; My Wish; Rio Beach; Surfer Chick; Mums & Marigolds; Pomatini; Sugar; Embers; Cranberry Muffin; Luna; Love Story; Shades of Green; Cocoa Clementine; Faerie Blossom: Newborn Nursery; Tea Party; Groovy Grapefruit; Forever Pink; Wishing Well; Red Candy Apple.  Here is the New Scentsy Catalog , please take a look at the new warmers!!! 

Do you like free stuff?  Having a Scentsy party is the perfect way to get all of your Scentsy products either free or at a large discount.  Don't have time for a party?  That's OK, do a book party.  We will give you the books, sample scents, and supplies you need and you just take up orders.  You still get all of the free items as if you had your own Scentsy party.  If you have any questions, if you are interested in having a party, or if you would like some informaiton on becoming a Scentsy Consultant: please shoot me an e-mail!

Not Just An Everyday Monday

As everyone knows, Monday's are always the pits!  It marks the end of the weekend.  In our case, it means another 2 weeks before Paul and I will have another day off together!  So as with any Monday, I drag around the house getting ready for work, not wanting to let our weekend go.  Today was no different.  Paul made spaghetti for dinner and we did our normal "getting ready for work" routine. I had to stop by the grocery store on my way to work and pick up some soda (can't live without my Coke! ) so I got to play out in the rain. Then I get to work, get clocked in and get down to business.  Paul comes in to work 45 minutes after I do and I usually meet him at the front doors.  Tonight he slipped in and brought me A DOZEN RED ROSES!!!!

What a wonderful man I have!!!!  How can a dozen roses NOT make a Monday better!!  I still have to work, but now I get to look at my beautiful flowers while I do it.  And it's also something to remind me of him, my sweetheart!  So although its Monday, its turning out to be a great day!

Nascar Tony Stewart

Great race with a top 10 finish(7th)! And now Smoke is sitting 3rd in points! Woot! Woot! Also a shout out to Newman who finished 5th moving him up to 8th in points. Way to go Team!
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Wasting Away Again in Margaritaville!

Tonight we are enjoying a frozen concoction! We picked up two bottles of the Margaritaville Mango Mix while we were at Myrtle Beach. When put through the smoothie maker this just might be the best frozen drink EVER! We have a Waylon Jennings special waiting on DVR. So the night is off to a perfect start!
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Myrtle Beach Marathon Pictures

Sorry it has taken me so long to get some of the pictures up from the marathon.  I hope to add more but this is better than nothing.  We were able to get pictures at the start, around mile 7, around mile 17, and the finish line.  Karen was sweet enough to forward some of the pictures that she got while they were running Ocean Blvd.  As soon as I get pictures from more of our runners I will post them.  I will also try to post this in a way that is easy to see.

Let Me Introduce My Cats!

I tell people that I own three cats, but that's not actually correct.  If I told the truth, Paul & I belong to three cats.  As anyone who has a cat or cats will quickly tell you, you do not rule them, they rule you!

Rosie is in front and Zoe is in the background.



Rosie is our oldest.  She is a true lady.  She mostly just sleeps and tries to stay away from the other two cats.  She is a true snuggler!

Jasmine showing off her groundhog impression.

Jasmine comes next.  She is spoiled rotten!  She was found as a kitten in a cardboard box, just don't tell her, she thinks she is a princess.  She will stand and hold her arms up for you to carry her around and she loves to play fetch.  And as you can see, she is a bit on the heavy side.  Last weigh in she was right under 20lbs.

Zoe in her bed.

Zoe is our youngest.  She is two years old and the most spoiled of the bunch.  She will only eat can food, and it has to be a certain type.  If she is hungry she will either smack Paul on his head with her paws (no claws), lick his head, or head butt his chin until he gets out of bed to feed her!

Zoe trying to look big.

Zoe is VERY playful.  I can't imagine how big Jasmine would be if Zoe wasn't there to keep her active!  Whenever they start getting rough Zoe will puff up, I assume trying to match Jasmine in size! LOL!

Jasmine & Zoe getting lovings from Paul.

As you can see they have Paul right where they want him! Giving lots of love and petting.  Now they are just fighting over who gets to lay closest to Paul. 

Ah, what joys they bring us.  I will be sure to post more about them as they are always into something.  First I just wanted to introduce them to everyone.

ANIMAL CRACKERS VIDEO - Too funny not to share!

This was just too funny not to share! I LOVE the groundhog, Alan! Alan! Alan! LOL. He is my favorite! OK, everyone. Watch the video and let me know which animal is your favorite.

Really? This could be a problem.

OK, on the way home from the beach we passed my favorite escape ramp.  This is located on I77, and has always cracked me up.  Its really just the layout of the road that makes it look so crazy.  The sign is pointing to an escape ramp that is located on another road and the real escape ramp is on the other side of the bridge.  But can you imagine the poor trucker who doesn't know the road?  I would be interested to see a 18wheeler try to make that jump!  Now that would be worth watching!!!!!!

You might have to click the picture to full size in order to see the ramp and sign clearly.

MIA, sorry!

Sorry I haven't been posting. When Paul and I have time off together you won't find me near a computer. He has to go back to work tomorrow, so I promise to post pictures and stats from the marathon!
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On The Road Again

Ah, Pilot Mountain is always a welcome site on the way home. It shows we are getting closer! Yeah! Marathon went great! Will post some pictures soon.
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Almost Time to Start Running!

First, the weather here is beautiful! It was in the 70s today! Everything is laid out and ready. Now just hope that everyone gets plenty of rest, a 630am start time will be here soon! Best of luck to everyone!!!
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Trying Singing Frog Again

Edit:  OK, I am going to try to load a video ONE MORE TIME.......

Valentine's Day

Don't you just LOVE the cutie sweetie things Valentine's Day allows you to get?! It's like being a kid again, when silly stuffed animals were totally acceptable gifts! Paul got me the adorable bear and I got him the Singing Frog.
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Nascar driver spotted at Wal-mart?

Is that a famous Nascar driver that we have found at Wally World? She actually found him at the trash dump, too perfect for words. Lol!
GO SMOKE!!!
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Beach Bound Baby!

So it's Wednesday night, we are leaving first thing Friday morning, and I have nothing packed.  I ended up staying up all day long running around town with Mom delivering lunch to the "Sisses" ( long story, I will explain all that later or I will NEVER get packed!).  I was able to fit in a bit of Scentsy today too.  So I was able to make money, AND have fun!  I got almost all of the laundry done so I'm not doing so bad, I have all of the running clothes washed and hanging to dry; and although the suitcases are empty, I mentally have them packed! I will try to post finish times from the marathon, if I can figure out how to do it from my phone.  So I decided that I am going to try to post a picture for every blog, no promises.  Today, I couldn't figure out how to add a logo link so I think I linked it through another post. 


Edited to add.........
OK, so the logo still didn't show up the way I wanted so I think I have it now!  See, I catch on quick!

Myrtle Beach Marathon

Myrtle Beach Marathon

Hope that the weather turns out to be as beautiful as they are forecasting. I hope everyone has a safe race and many people race to their new PR's!

Brand new Scentsy Warmer for Spring/Summer 2011

OK, here it is, my favorite warmer from Scentsy so far.  Isn't it beautiful!!!  I can't wait to get it!!!  Check back in March and you can get one too!!!!

Scentsy Fall/Winter Closeout!

OK, now to be fair, I warned you ahead of time that not all of my blogs will be on running.  Although Paul could probably fill pages and pages about running, I don't have that kinda running knowledge, sorry.  So, I am also going to bore you with all of the other things also happening in my life.  This month is our Fall/Winter Closeout sell.  Almost everything is 10% off.  We are getting ready for our Spring/Summer books that start March 1st.  February is the time to stock up on all of your favorite Scentsy products!  Check to make sure that one of your favorite scents isn't being discontinued so you can stock up!!  If you visit My Scentsy Page you can see a list of all the items to be discontinued at the end of this month.  HURRY, don't miss out!  It has kept us very busy but has also been lots of fun.  We went to the Scentsy Spring Sprint in Fredericksburg,VA.  WOW!  I was blown away by #1 the amount of people, #2 the friendliness of all the people, #3 the amount of people who do this for a living.  The set up was amazing.  They went through a great power point explaining the beginnings of Scentsy and how the company was founded.  Then they showed us how they pick the scents used and how they become a Scentsy Bar.  They also had a great power point Leadership Training session that was very insightful.  We first started selling Scentsy because our hours at work had been cut and we needed something to help supplement our incomes, I had no idea we would find something that is so rewarding, both through our earnings and the friendships we have made.  OK, now for a quick sneak peek.....this is my favorite warmer of ALL time.  It is a new plug-in warmer that will be available in our Spring/Summer Catalog.  OK still learning the blog thing but I guess I can only have one picture per post.....so maybe I will post it next time..........

Sunrise

What a beautiful picture to go to sleep by!
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Runner's Wife's Best Friend

OK, I know that I have already posted today but it's new so I thought I would give it another shot today.  Now, on to my point of topic.  Ever had to sit for 3 1/2 - 4 hours waiting on someone to finish running?  Well if you haven't then you're lucky.  It crawls by!  I love to read but often I finish a book before Paul finishes or I make the horrible mistake of picking up and packing a book that I have already read.  For Christmas, Paul got me a Kindle.  It has been the best gift EVER!  (Now if only I can remember to pack it).  I have one with the  built in, Amazon Whispernet wireless, so if I finish a book, I quickly download another.  Something I had no idea about was the games for Kindle.  I am a sudoku nut, did you know that you can buy that for your Kindle?  And there are tons of other games out there too.  I am more of a reader so can't really help much on the games but thought it was a neat option I didn't know about.  I have found that it is much easier to do searches online if you don't have an idea of the kind of book you are looking for.  If you know who wrote it or the exact title it can easily be found doing a search from your Kindle but I think the choices are too grand with the limited amount of sorting options when viewing from the Kindle.  OK, ladies & men, what gets you through the races?  What have you found as the best "time killer" as we wait for our men, women, and children to cross the finish line?

Almost time for Myrtle Beach Marathon

Well, it's almost time for the Myrtle Beach Marathon!  Hopefully things will go much better this year then they did last year!  So far it is looking like highs are supposed to be in the 60's for Saturday, YEAH!  Paul has all of his long runs in and is now fighting the "tapering" cold.  It looks like we are going to have a great turn out from our Running Club.  I think this should be the largest amount of runners from the Southern West Virginia Road Runners Club to ever participate at one time!  Way to go guys!  And surprisingly it looks as if the Myrtle Beach Marathon will have another record turn-out this year, despite them cancelling due to snow last year.  The half-marathon is already sold out and on-line registration has already been cut off for the marathon, however, they state there are more spots that you can fill if you sign up at the expo.  That is my favorite part!  I love to wonder through the expo and see what new products are being offered.  And all the free products are amazing!  Paul is always so shocked to see all of the free items that I have gathered up while he is shopping.  Last year I was able to get a wine bag, free diners at Chick-Fil-a, chap stick, hand warmers, and so much more.  I love freebies!!!  Not really looking forward to a 6:30am start time (which means we will need to be there around 5:30am), that is tough on a night shifter, but it means we will have more of the evening left after he rests.  We are hoping to head to the After Party at the House of Blues.  We have never been to it so I am really hoping that Paul feels up to going.  We have been there for a concert and loved it, but have not been able to attend the After Party there yet.  OK, I know I have jumped all over the place with my rambling but hopefully I will get the hang of this soon and it will improve.  Feel free to post any advice.  Have a great day!