Laura’s Blog

Dad and I drove through eastern Washington and visited Idaho.  We stayed in Coeur d’Alene and it was beautiful.  It is a resort town and there were lots of visitors for the summer.  We even went on a seaplane ride over Couer d’Alene Lake.  That was definitely a highlight of the trip!  We also drove through a lot of desert like terrain in eastern Washington which surprised me.  It had been turned into farm land though irrigation systems.  Theses systems created circular fields because they rotated around a center point.  Does that make sense?  Probably not!  We also went to the Grand Coulee Dam which was built during Roosevelt’s presidency as a WPA project.

A few pictures of Seattle… Dad and I spent time wandering around the city and obviously spent time at the public market watching them throw the fish.  The fresh food and flowers were a sight to see!  It made me wish I had a farmer’s market much closer to me.  We also had dinner at the Space Needle and rotated around as we ate.  Our tour of underground Seattle was enlightening and humorous.  I can’t believe they built the new streets as the old city was still in use!

In February I walked a half-marathon with two friends. I was a little under the weather with what was later diagnosed as a sinus infection but we still made pretty good time for walking! I was so happy and proud once I was done and I am already looking for another one. I would like to complete it in a shorter amount of time!! This was my first visit to Myrtle Beach, SC and the walk through the beach town gave me a good feel for it. I imagine in the summer it is a lot like Panama City Beach, FL. Check out the links for a few more photos if you are interested.

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I flew out to Arizona for a long weekend in Feb. I met my mom, Tata and Uncle Larry there for the world’s largest gem and mineral show. This is where my uncle gets stones for the jewelry he makes. I can’t begin to even explain the size of this event! There were so many amazing things to take in and experience.  I came back with some new pieces of jewelry that I love and a few other fun items also…. clothes and a purse:)

While I was there we were able to get away to Old Tucson Studios. I saw where many westerns have been filmed.

We also went to Saguaro National Park and viewed the desert up close. The saguaro cacti were enormous and really amazed me. I was impressed with how they grew everywhere and covered the mountains. I even saw a javelina (wild pig) run across the road while we were driving

Over the holiday break I went ice skating! It was pretty chilly.. probably the coldest day of the vacation but I had the best time. I was able to stay upright the whole time we were there which was a pretty impressive feat since I don’t skate much at all. We all made it home with big smiles and no broken bones.

I spent the holiday with my mom, Tata, uncle and cousins. We had quite a few laughs over the break and I included at least one of the “silly” photos we took. Mom and I baked cookies for the first time in several years. I even made Buckeyes:)

My mom had a lot of tree damage when the ice storms came through Oklahoma this winter. The trees were cracking and popping and falling continuously. These photos were early in the storm.

When I came home for Christmas there were limbs stacked up on every street in Norman. I took a few pictures of Mom with just one of her piles to show how big it was. You can see in one that the front window is completely blocked because the pile was so large. The car was stuck in the garage for several days because so many limbs fell in the driveway. Luckily no damage was done to the house and Mom is just fine!

Thanksgiving was celebrated at my house this year. My mom came in from Oklahoma and my brother’s family drove over from the mountains. My Uncle Gil and Aunt Tad flew from Ohio into Charleston, SC picked up my cousin, Michelle, and drove up here to be with all of us. It was wonderful to have everyone here and spend time with my family. We also visited a NC winery while they were here. It a little chilly for a picnic but we decided to brave it anyway!

I went to Oklahoma in November to surprise my mom for her birthday. She was so shocked that she couldn’t stop crying! The look of surprise on her face as well as my aunt and uncle made it all worthwhile. I could not have planned it any better.