Yes, I've said it...but when you are frustrated while looking for something and someone says, "It's always the last place you look."

OF COURSE IT'S THE LAST PLACE YOU LOOK...YOU DON'T HAVE TO LOOK ANYMORE...YOU'VE FOUND IT!

This week in my Citizen's Police Academy class we were able to go to the track where the officers practice their driving skills...Sara and I sporting the required helmets:



We then were able to ride as the officers drove about 150 mph around the track...ok...it was really about 80ish...they then showed us how they safely end a pursuit: I am in the first car we had just robbed a bank...but we were caught...crime never pays children...you'll get caught...even if I have to citizen arrest you or bump your bumper in a high speed chase because I SO know how to now...

Sam...the oh, so precious fatty catty introduced in a previous blog ....decided to have a night on the town this past Friday night...Yes...I did leave the doggie door up, but on the rare occasion that Sam has exited this door, he is quick to return...not even leaving the porch...Sam wouldn't even dart out the front door if it was propped open as I carried in Target treasures or groceries...



Well...not anymore...I noticed late in the evening that he was MIA...not in his usual spots...I checked outside...hearing no commotion from neighboring dogs and seeing no cat...Checked the front yard...still nothing...I took a drive up and down a couple of streets not sure if I would see him or not...but had to try...no luck...



I made sure the doggie door was open hopeful for his return...I knew he'd be hungry...I couldn't really sleep at all...every couple of hours I was checking in the utility room to see if my wayward son had returned...



Did I look long enough? What if he gets hit by a car? What if he totally trades me in for a new family...maybe one with kids that will play with him more...or one that won't give him the weight management food...these and other thoughts kept going through my mind...



At 7 the next morning I checked the utility room again...and yes...he did return...but with an attitude...he comes strutting into the kitchen talking to me...demanding food...so...all was back to normal...

I guess I will "count" this as my Thursday's Thought for this week...

I have never claimed have a green thumb...green eyes, yes,...thumb...no...in my flowerbed I planted geraniums only because they are easy...they still grew...as did the weeds...over the spring/summer I maybe pulled weeds a total of 5 times...yeah...should have done it more...I thought I had done enough pre-work to help with the weeds for this season...the area was sprayed, I even doused it with round up prior to planting and such...however, the weeds were ruthless. I let them win. I would pass by them every day as I left and entered the house but I chose to do other things (whether important or not) than to tend to the weeds.

I have done this in life as well...I "see" weeds in certain areas of my life, but don't bother to tend to them...have the "I'll get to it later" attitude or think "oh, it's not hurting anything for now" and wouldn't you know it...the "weeds" soon over take the area...for example, maybe not giving 100% at something because 80% effort will be ok and no one will notice...or participating/initiating gossip or talking about others...and such...

it takes much more time to completely rid an area of weeds as opposed to removing them as they pop up...so now my flowerbed needs a complete overhaul...when if I would have just kept up with it...just a little maintenance would do...parts of my behavior/attitude need an overhaul as well...

So..I watched the premiere of The Biggest Loser Families tonight...and as I watched the daughter talk about her father and how she wanted him to be around for a long time...I started to cry...Then the couple with two kids talked about how they didn't want their young kids to end up in the same state...I teared up again...When the couple that thought they would be going home because they received 2 penalty pounds ended up losing like 47 lbs and coming in 1st place...waterworks...I know those are emotional topics...but I even cry at things like the Christmas Folgers commercial where the son comes home and the little sister finds him making the coffee...what is up with that? I'm such a sap...well, I guess a tender heart is better than one like a stone, right? OK...crying at commercials is a little much...

The state where the wind goes sweeping down the plain and the waving wheat does smell sweet now has an NBA team..and we're excited...

I'm not so excited about the logo...but it'll work...Here's what caught me off guard today as I listened to the radio on the way to work...I'm a scanner when it comes to the radio...if I'm bored...switcharoo...(I heart radio controls on the steering wheel)...the first word as I was scanning was Thunderwear...this caught my attention because I thought they said underwear...the commercial then proceeds to inform the listener where they can purchase their own Thunderwear...how they can show their enthusiasm by sporting Thunderwear...I am also SO for supporting your team...however, these words sound way to similar (I know because underwear is in Thunderwear)...I just don't want people to think ill of us Okies that we all have speech issues because they're thinking we can't properly say underwear
other options? Thunderclothes...still a speech problem...Thundergear...maybe...Thunderthreads...hmmm...

Thunder, Thunder,Thundercats...ok...no...Thunderforms...Thundergarb...other ideas? If it's not changed then all fans will be walking around downtown to the games and everywhere else in their Thunderwear...oh, my...what will the state fair be like then???

This one is on a Thursday, barely...





A lot of us have thought about what happened 7 years ago today. I know I thought about how I was on my way to teach my 4th graders and heard about the first plane on the radio. I made it into the office about the time the second plane hit. The next several days there was so much fear that seemed to take over almost everyone. We were getting bomb threats in the district and had to evacuate on a couple of occasions.





When I visitied D.C. in 2003 there was an exhibit that had items from that day. There was a voice mail from a victim that you could listen to articles of clothing and such. It was very moving.





I visited Ground Zero last August when I was in NYC. They were working on the memorial. I hadn't seen the Towers in person. To see the open area it was hard to invision how two massive buildings were there. It also put into perspective for me how close everything is there.



There is a Fire Station right across the street which now has a memorial alongside the building.




I encourage you to take the time to think and pray about all those affected by 9/11/01, those who lost their lives that day and the ones who have since...as well as their families.

I get a call from Lil Man and in the most sad sounding voice he says, "Aunt K...I miss you (long pause) forever". My heart just melted...I haven't seen him since the train ride early last month...He is so sweet! I miss him terribly too!


When we're told that we are missed it's a reminder of who cares for us. We (I) should try to do a better job of not having to be missed...

My PaPa would have turned 82 today. He was one of the greatest men that I will ever meet. I practically lived my whole childhood with him. Maybe I'll go into why in a future blog...This is the only pic of him I had at my house, the rest of the albums are elsewhere. He is holding my mother. He really was a happy person...he was just doing the serious 1950's fatherly pose, I guess...

Some of my fondest memories of him include his laugh. He had a great sense of humor. As time passes it does get harder to remember that comforting sound. He enjoyed doing crossword puzzles. He would let me look at the new TV Guide puzzle first so I could fill in what I knew...he then would practically complete it. He fostered my curiosity, like when I asked how peanuts grew, he said "Let's plant some"...and we did...I loved his big black and red 1977 Ford Explorer cab and a half pickup...He would take me "up on the hill" where the donut shop was. I would get donut holes and a Pepsi...he would drink his coffee and visit. I could listen to his childhood stories over and over...We would watch Cubs and Bulls games together...For our birthdays we would get to eat at a restaurant of our choice, but PaPa would also take us to Catfish Cabin (this was more for him than us...but he did love to eat there).

He would say things like, "Go tell them how the cat eats the cabbage", "I'm going to cut that dog's tail off right behind the ears" he never would though...he loved dogs...just wouldn't admit it...I would go along with him to play bingo at the American Legion...He loved to cook and would dehydrate almost anything...He would help me get off to school and when I was in kindergarten and first grade he would let me "read" the comics as he tied my shoes...he would then brush my hair...and there are so many more but the best is that there was never any doubt that he loved his family...

I attended 57 Baby Showers this weekend...Ok...actually 2...They both were very enjoyable. I got to spend time with a dear college friend, Rebecca, who is due in October.

I also got to visit with some long time friends at the other shower. The baby for that shower arrived just a couple of weeks ago...so we got to pass her around...I am on cake and punch overload...but it was worth every calorie...I probably have broken some kind of record for saying, "Awww, that is so cute!" for the past two days...

Speaking of Awww so cute things...below is my newborn picture...can't you see the angelic glow around me?...maybe they just really bleached the heck out of this blanket...Newborn pics are hard to identify...don't you think? Let's talk about these newborn Feather features...I can see why my eyebrows are so thick...they should have been waxed before this picture...I no longer have the mohawk...happy for that...Maybe the "hawk" hair is the reason for my name...The only 2 other features that I can use to identify this is me are my nose and the double chin...

A little over a year ago a travel show came and filmed at my job for an episode. I was chosen (Ok...maybe it was because I happened to be standing near the area where they needed someone) to be the receptionist. Our actual receptionist had a cast on her arm and it was connected to one of those bar things to her hip, if I remember correctly. I suppose the director thought the cast wasn't tv friendly...but my face was :)...ha...So here is the edited clip...I wasn't blonde then either...but remember, I'm the friendly receptionist that stands up to greet you when you come in...I should probably also note that not only was this my debut...but I haven't had any tv offers since...I guess I should take a hint...or maybe it's because they didn't run credits...so those who wanted to call couldn't...hmmmm...

Ok...so maybe I need to change Thursday's Thought to Tuesday's Thought or something...because this is the second week that I can't seem to make the time to post on Thursdays...

I did start a class last night...which will take up most of my Thursday evenings...I'll talk about my class as opposed to posing some deep theological question for you to ponder for days...

I am taking a citizens police academy class that my city's police department offers...I am sooooooooo looking forward to it...call me dorky if you choose...just don't write it in your comments...I do have feelings you know...We meet on Thursday nights for about 14 weeks or so and we get to do/see some of the following: ride with officers, check out the crime lab and do finger printing, tour the jail & 911 center, ride (and drive a teeny bit) on the training course, blow stuff up with the bomb squad and get to shoot some weapons! There's tons more too..Oh, I forgot the best part...we can be attacked by the K9 unit...I am so volunteering for that! We do get to take our cameras with us so hopefully I'll get some blog worthy pics of my adventures...

So...I was off today also (a 4 day weekend is so much better than 3)...I was a good girl and had all of my chores done before today (ok, not mowing...but it'll be done soon)...So, I basically didn't have to do anything today. What a great feeling...I'm sure there were things I should have done such as mowing...I could have volunteered somewhere...washed the car...but no! I took lunch to my 4th grader cousin and ate in the cafeteria...It was at the school I attended in 4th grade and looking at it again was very strange...I went to visit my aunt, visited some friends at their work (no I wasn't a distraction...well, I don't think I was)...Got my Sonic happy hour large Lime Coke (Happy Hour is going to last through the winter too, right?) But there was even more fun after that...

I was on a mission...For Halloween the various departments at my work go ALL OUT...and when I say ALL OUT...I mean it...We are so competitive...My department has an idea (I cannot share the specifics, but will later, probably around Oct. 31st)...Other departments are not above cheating...My mission was to find a particular item for a particular person in my department...I went to area thrift stores...Here is the question for today...WHY DO THEY SELL UNDERWEAR AT THE THRIFT STORE? I am not above garage sale-ing, swap meets, or thrift stores...but there should be a no underwear selling policy...at least a no underwear purchasing policy...at thrift stores, swap meets or garage sales...

Well, here are some pics from last year's Halloween Extravaganza...If you have an idea for my department email me!

So, my department was the whole gang from Scooby Doo! We transformed our office area into the Mystery Machine, and our boss was the Invisible Phantom that we had to capture. In case you're wondering, I'm Scooby. We so should have won right?