Feline Photo Shoots

Inspired by the feline blogs that frequent The Zoo Crew I decided to do my own photo shoot with our two resident fuzzies. We have one indoor resident, and we have one outdoor resident. Let me introduce them to you:

This is Boots. He lives on the second floor of our home and rarely ventures downstairs.

This is his "Don't I look thinner from this angle?" pose.

What a guy he is!

"Yeah, Garfield is my hero! So, what of it?"

Midnight basking in the sun on the new porch. She's our resident outdoor feline.

"Don't I look good on my new furniture?"

"I just know a bird will land here soon!"

"I knew they loved me! A new porch and new furniture just for me!"

I have to hand it to the kitty cat bloggers. Feline photo shoots are challenging. A little history on our kitties. Boots was inherited from our daughter, and we have no idea how old he is. Ever since we got him he has stayed upstairs only venturing to the first floor if he knows the dogs are outside or in our bedroom for the night. Which doesn't make a lot of sense to me as he will lay on our bed with the dog at night. Go figure! He's VERY lovable and affectionate and eats like a horse, and he weighs more than our Tibetan Spaniel, Lucky.

Midnight is our outdoor kitty. She used to live indoors, but she developed some bad habits that gave us no choice but to relocate her to the yard. Don't feel bad for her. She has it made! We acquired a cat house through Freecycle for her before winter, and she honestly thinks that we built the new front porch just for her! She won't even move on the couch when you try to sit down. I think that picture of her smiling says it all! Another interesting tidbit is that she has six toes on all four of her feet. It looks like she has thumbs. She's about five years old judging by the age of my son when he rescued her as a stray.

Sunday Stealing Meme

Today I ripped this meme off Stay at Home Mom who ripped it off of Becky from Musings from the Sofa. She credits two bloggers for her theft, the Queen, and also Zoesmom. But, it was probably stolen there as well. So, of course, that will be as far as I go. Tracing back our theft's thieves might take some time. Link back to us at Sunday Stealing!



A – An advantage you have – Very Organized

B – Blue or brown eyes – Hazel

C – Chore you hate – Putting Away Laundry

D – Dad’s name – Robert

E – Essential start of your day – Bible Study

F – Favorite color – blue

G – Greatest thing you’ve ever done that made you feel really good – Got Baptized

H – Habit you have – Counting Things

I – Issue you hate that the world tries to make you pursue – Perfect Body

J – Job title – Domestic Engineer

K – Kohls or Target – Kohl's

L – Living arrangements – Single Family Home

M – Music you like – Celtic Folk

N - Nicknames – Angel, Teena Weena

O – Overnight hospital stay – Tonsils, Child Birth

P – Pet Peeve – When People Don't Replace the Toilet Paper!

Q – Quote that you like most – "When you give you defy the fear of not having enough."

R – Right or left handed – Right

S – Siblings – 1 half-brother

T – Time you wake up – 7AM

U – Underwear – Of Course

V – Vegetable you dislike – Lima Beans

W – What makes you run late – Stuck on the Phone

X – X-rays you’ve had – Wrist, Tonsils, Chiropractic, MRI, Mammograms, Ultrasounds

Y – Yummy food you make – Mango Cream Pie

Z – Zoo animal – The Snow Monkeys, awww!

A Moment for Dads

Father's Day can be such a beautiful time with dad. We've had fun with them over the years. It seems much of my blog is about transitions. Isn't that what we spend most of our life doing? How many times did our mother's say when we're growing up, "It's just a phase!"? We are in a constant state of transition from the moment of creation.

Our current transition is life without our fathers. That is one thing Pat and I now have in common. I lost my father on April 1st in 2005. That was a big year for us. It signified the end of life for my father, the beginning of life for our first grandbaby, and the formal commitment between the two of us in marriage. This all happened within a five month period. Pat's father just passed away on November 1st of 2008. Life is still learning to continue without his presence.

When Father's Day comes I still find myself with the instinct to look for a card for my dad, and now my father-in-law. It's amazing how much time can pass, and we are still looking to do what we'd known for our entire life. It doesn't fall to the side so easily. I still find myself thinking dad would like that or I should tell dad about this, and he's been gone for over four years. Now, my father-in-law is added to that equation.

It really is true that a loved one never dies completely. They really do always live on in our hearts. This Father's Day was a little tough being the first one without my father-in-law. I know everyone dealt with it a little different. We spent most of our time on the road taking Andrew to Central Michigan University for MAA (Master at Arms) training for Sea Cadets. This afforded my husband a lot of time for quiet contemplation, and I think he needed it.

Knowing Father's Day was going to be so busy we celebrated Father's Day by surprising my husband after work on Friday. We ate his favorite German Chocolate Cake with ice cream after we had a BBQ. We didn't get a special gift, just a card. It was more about the time spent together sharing a good meal and just hanging out. All in all it was a good time. Hope everyone else out there enjoyed their Father's Day as well.

Adult Children

As a parent we raise our children with dreams of our own. Dreams of success, intelligence, and independence. At least that's what I dreamt for them, and for myself. It seems I have failed majorly in this department.

I have managed to raise five girls that are anything but successful, intelligent, or independent. It is beyond frustrating. The decisions that they have made and continue to make just perpetuate their less than favorable situations. It is beyond ridiculous.

Don't get me wrong. They have certain levels of success, at least some of them. Intelligence is relevant. They are academically smart for the most part. It is life skills that they are sorely lacking. And, when it comes to independence, well they are very sorely lacking.

I have been forced to rethink my position as a parent. I no longer offer advice as it falls on deaf ears anyway. They have ignored my advice much to their detriment, and I am so tired of being effected by their bad decisions. If you ignored my advice and created a problem, then that's your problem, right? Not according to my children! This is feeding my belief that parents should live out of comfortable reach from their adult children. What is an adult anyway? It certainly isn't an age. I can tell you that!

Well, I stand corrected. One definition of adult is one who is legally of age. I guess being an adult only has to do with age and nothing else. One can be an adult and still be reliant on their parents. One can be an adult and still make toxic choices as a general rule without the benefit of learning from ones mistakes and making better choices from that point. One may continue to age all the while thinking that the world owes them something.

I know my posts about adult children have been very negative lately. We are just struggling so desperately to cut the apron strings. Enough is enough. It seems the harder we try to get in a position to not be effected by their bad decisions the further we get sucked in. It's like trying to escape from quick sand. Kicking and screaming puts your life in further danger. Yet, if you do nothing you remain stuck. Apparently this is going to require some creative maneuvering on our part. We just cannot seem to figure out the moves.

The hardest part about the whole thing is the way we are treated. There is little to no appreciation for the wonderful feats we are able to pull off. We are a pretty amazing team when it comes to a crisis. We can make things happen, and it's just taken for granted. Sometimes we are even treated rudely, and it is just so hard to stomach. It doesn't help that we are not on the same page when it comes to limits. I would never give as much as my other half, and every time I think he gets it here we are giving again!

I know I am a good parent, and I know I gave it my all. I also know that parents are not always their child's greatest influence, and it can be an uphill battle. I have discovered that I am VERY tired, and I am more than ready to transition to something new. I seriously do not know how much more I can stomach. I went from feeling great to fighting depression. It isn't fun, and I'm ready for a change. Period.

Road Trip Photo Journal

We're back from our road trip, and did we ever have a wonderful time! Here is a small taste of what we did and where we went:

This is just one of the outdoor displays at Bronner's in Frankenmuth. Bronner's is a wonderful place that houses more Christmas decorations that one could ever imagine under one roof. It was founded in 1945 by Wally Bronner. Above you see the Bronner's motto.


Bronner's is a year round attraction with many special events scheduled throughout the year. The Oberndorf/Salzburg, Austria, Silent Night Memorial Chapel was built in 1992 as a tribute to God and the world's favorite Christmas hymn. This truly is a magical place.

We traveled through the historic covered bridge to access parking for the little village of shops they have there. One of our favorites is the popcorn store. This time we tried blueberry, banana split, sour cream and cheddar and garlic parmesan. YUM!

This is just a lovely shot of rural Michigan. Such a place is my idea of heaven on earth. I am a city girl with a heart that lives in the country.

Our next stop was Bay City.

If I could choose the type of abandoned buildings that I saw on my travels, this would be it. You may not know the reason behind leaving dilapidated buildings like this. There is a zoning law that you only have a certain amount of time to erect another structure on the property after tearing down a structure, or you lose your right to build. Silly, isn't it?

Downtown Bay City is a lot of fun! There is a lot to do there, especially if you like antiquing. You would not believe the size of the antique stores here. Not to mention the food. There is an amazing restaurant, Morning at Maggies Omelette, on Saginaw Street. I do not even like eggs, and I absolutely loved this restaurant. If you're even in town, you have to check it out!

You don't see these signs in the city!

This is my idea of traffic problems!

This park is a nice place to stop. There is a picnic area and a playground which comes in handy if you are traveling with children. Waterfowl is abundant, and the scenery is beautiful.

This little duck was one of many that were just hanging out on the water's edge. She's getting ready to shake a leg! It was pure pleasure watching them all hang out together.

How often do you see something like this? For me, it was a first. There were two complete families of geese traveling together in Lake Huron off the coast at the park. What a sight!

Anyone up for a sail?

This pretty little flower grew all along the water's edge. It also came in white. I am not sure what they are, but they remind me of buttercups.

This flower was also growing there. Isn't it gorgeous? I really think this is a beautiful flower. Once again, I have no idea what it is. It's not something I've seen before.

This is the main intersection in Tawas. There is a nice row of little stores and restaurants to stop in. We had breakfast in town the next morning on our way out.

Another totally cool naure moment. When I shot this picture I didn't even notice the little chicks following their momma. I had to pull back and look after my husband said something. This is a mother turkey and her babes. Awww...

This is the codo we rented on Lake Huron at Mai Tiki Resort in Oscoda, just north of Tawas. It had two bedrooms, so we invited a couple up that we are friends with. It was a great day and evening. Too bad check out time is 10AM!

These are the cute little cabins that caught our attention from the road. The cool thing about this setup is that they all face Lake Huron. Most cabins that you rent on the lake face eachother with the lake at the end. No matter where you stay at Mai Tiki Resort you have a lake view all for the same price as a night in a hotel. What would you prefer?

This is the beach at Mai Tiki Resort, another nice amenity. If you go further south down Lake Huron the beaches tend to be real rocky. Not here, and the water wasn't even that cold!

Some people find seagulls annoying, but I just love them. I think they are a beautiful bird. I still remember my little buddy in Maine. He sure liked his oysters!

The surf hitting the turf!

Just one of the totem poles at Mai Tiki Resort.

My pyromaniac husband starting the fire. It was a little cool, but we really enjoyed hanging out there and chatting with the other people that were staying by for the night.

This is another way you know you are further north in Michigan. You do not see The Jerky Outlet stores anywhere in the city. Period. You see them everywhere when you head north.

Look at this barn. It's so happy to be in the country that it is smiling. I would be too!

We stopped at a lovely boat launch area in Port Austin, and this family of swans was out for a swim. Can you just believe all the little waterfowl families that we saw? Aren't they precious?

The view from the inlet at Port Austin.

Kayaks on the beach in Port Austin. We've never actually gone out before, but we did get to give it a try once at a demonstration in a state park we stayed at once.

Look at this clear Michigan water! Isn't it beautiful? This is why it is so much fun to swim in Michigan. It is just gorgeous!