The Ocoee River Run

What a blast!!! I have not been river-running for years - it was awesome!!! Colleen and I went to the Ocoee (oh-koh-ee) River in Tennessee and had a great time. It took several hours and they kept warning us about falling out, but fortunately we never did. We watched one guide purposefully dump her crew and it was hilarious! We got soaked and bumped around a lot and the only time we were in the water was because we chose to float for a bit. Actually, Colleen chose to float for a bit. I sat in the safety of the raft and got to pull her back in when she was ready. Fun stuff! I have more pictures from the waterproof camera we took. I'll post those soon.

The nest three pics are with Colleen and I in front, then the last three we are in the middle.




Our guide told us on this part of the river when they would be taking our picture and told us to smile. Colleen took the opportunity and waved to the camera!!!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game II

Take me out to the ball game, take me out with my twin!

How ‘bout a kiss from Heater there,

I wonder if anyone else will care.



Hey, does this hat look too small for me?






No, no, I think it looks great!

What a great time with my twin at the Dayton Dragons game!

They Don't Have THAT in Utah!

A few people (who shall remain nameless) have teased me a little bit about what I will not be able to do or will not have in Ohio. Well, I came up with my own list of what Ohio DOES have that Utah does not have.

• Marion's Pizza: Words cannot describe this pizza. I believe we all have our "hometown favorites". Well, this is one of mine.
• Mike-sell's potato chips: Again, hometown favorite. Made in Dayton and the oldest potato chip company in the United States!

• Big Butter Jesus: This is outside of Cincinnati and it looks like someone carved Jesus out of butter.

• This very large crucifix was on our way home - I took this picture through the window in the truck. You definitely don't see this in Utah!

• Trader Joes: I love this store!

• The Cardinal: This is the OHIO state bird. Some would like to think that it was the Indiana state bird first, but that is not the case. Some very simple research shows that Ohio received its statehood in 1803, while Indiana did not become a state until 1816. I saw a cardinal my first day in Ohio! It was absolutely bea-U-ti-ful!

• The Golden Nugget Pancake House: It is a tradition that started several years ago. Colleen, Denise, Dad, and Flo would meet every Friday morning at 'Goldies' for breakfast. That tradition still continues today and now I will be a part of it.
• My Twin! Utah does NOT have my twin, nor the rest of my family. I'm so excited to be with them!

Cross Country Top 10

Top 10 (then we thought of 3 more, so top 13) Things We Learned on Our Cross Country Trip

#13: Thank goodness for the extra insurance.

#12: How to drive a big rig and make wide right turns.

#11: Bench seats in big rigs give us wedgies!

#10: Almond nut thins (cheddar) are AWESOME!

#9: Sports bra is a necessity for extra support when driving big rig.

#8: Every pilot needs a co-pilot.

#7: 50 gallon tank? Really? We never got close to 50 gallons when we filled up.

#6: If I don't get a teaching job, plan B is NOT going to be truck driving.

#5: Pig trailers stink - don't fill up 50 gallon tank parked next to a pig trailer.

#4: Don't write thank-you notes while riding in big rig.

#3: Don't expect to drive the car on the trailer and be able to open the car door to get out!

#2: Don't forget the pin in the trailer hitch.

And the #1 thing we learned on our cross-country trip:

You can't cram 12 feet of truck under 8 feet of clearance - no matter how hard you try!!!!!!

(Refer back to #13)