Dave and Kara: April 2008

Arkansas Must-Haves

In the few weeks I have been here in Arkansas there are a few things I have learned are certainly some must-haves. The first being Galoshes...

Besides the fact that I think the word Galosh just might be on the coolest words in the English language, I mean you can't just call them rain boots- that's just cheating. They have been one of the best purchases I have made since I moved here. I wear them everywhere! The problem is that the ground never really seems to dry up here (granted it is the rainy season) and so it is a soggy mess to walk around in, making your pants all muddy. Dave makes fun of me every time I put them on, but I am convinced they are pretty sexy!

The second must-have is, of course, bug spray, and bug killer lawn treatment...

On week two here, I had my first tick attached to my side. As you can imagine, I was not a happy camper about that situation! But I did freeze him for later... just in case I come down with some strange disease, I will know the culprit to blame it on. I have pretty much replaced my perfume with the Arkansas perfume of choice, bug spray! I, at least, asked Dave to buy the good smelling kind (OFF skintastic, tropical fresh scent, of course, with DEET)

The third is a weather radio...

We recently made this investment after a series of storms that brought tornado's three miles from our home. The weather radio will wake you up in the middle of the night, to what I understand is the most annoying noise on the face of the planet (most people suggested you don't use it as an alarm clock and to keep it in a room far away. They told us not to worry, that we would hear it no matter what, along with our next door neighbors). You program it to your county and warning level that you want it to wake you up or warn you for (Example: tornado warning in Saline County). This is very handy when you can't watch the scary clouds outside because it is bedtime or watch the weather forecast on TV (which I also understand is frequently wrong anyways).

The fourth has become my new favorite item, Frizz Ease Serum!

And just as the bottle says, it is certainly my secret weapon. This product is my most recent must-have, frizz ease. Although, I have hair which is about as straight as a board. This new weather does some funny things to it! Thus far, this seems to help- but as everyone has informed me, I am not even close to the brunt of the humidity.

I am sure as the months go on we will have many more "Arkansas Must-Haves" to post, but this is a start. Stayed tuned for the things you don't need in Arkansas...

Mr. Lizard, Our Backyard Friend

We (okay, I) were so excited when we spotted this little guy crawling up the side of our house today. I have never seen a lizard this color in real life. The lizards in New Mexico, are made to blend in with their surroundings, hence, they are pretty much the color of dirt! But this little guy was bright green and very cool looking. I yelled out to Dave so he could come and see and we caught him to check him out (we have become quite the outdoor wildlife adventurists- we are also raising baby tadpoles). As we were looking at him we found a tick attached to his belly (probably the reason we were actually able to catch him). That nasty tick probably would have sucked the blood out of him till there was no more left, so we removed it and rescued Mr. Lizard! I was just so excited I had to share the pictures. Any idea's for a name for our new little friend?

The New Truck

Everyone has been asking to see pictures of our new truck and I am finally getting around to posting them (life has been pretty crazy since I got back from Spokane). We are pretty convinced that it just so happens to be the coolest truck ever! We were so brave and tried the whole ebay deal and we have been very pleased. Dave can't quit telling me how much he likes it and that he will never get any other kind of vehicle again. And you want to know why...

*It has a front, side, and rear 5 star crash testing rating (higher than any other truck in it's class, making it the perfect family truck).

*It is all wheel drive, but can lock into 4 high for our serious off roading adventures.

*It has a dual action tailgate, which not only lays down like a traditional tailgate but can also be unlatched to swing to the side.

*It has a lockable and watertight storage area located under the truck bed. This includes a drain plug at the bottom so that it can serve as an ice chest.

*It has the most passenger room in the back seat than any other truck in it's class (fitting three grown men comfortably).

*And last but not least, it has, what Dave calls, the center console of all center consoles, with multiple compartments for all your truck organizational needs.

So if anyone is down for a serious tailgate party or camping trip we are there!

At Last... Some Privacy

After a month with no privacy my blinds have finally arrived! I am just so excited about them I figured it was something to blog about (that's for you Blaire). They look so good up (sorry, the picture doesn't do them much justice). It's kinda one of those things you take for granted until you don't have them! Until you getting into the shower and realize your all out of soap which is down the hall, through the living room, and over to the linen closet- you might not fully appreciate blinds until then!

Going Home

It's hard to say that I am going home, when "Home" has only been "Home" for a month (and 2 weeks of that were spent in Spokane)! But it always feels like Home when you are going to the one you love. We survived the two weeks apart, but it certainly wasn't easy being gone for that long. I think I had the easier time being surrounded by family rather than Dave, who came home every night to an empty house.

I had a wonderful time in Spokane and I leaned so much about both the joys and challenges of a new baby. It was so fun spending time with my sister-in-law and getting to know her better, especially when I don't have a sister of my own. I also was able to help them with the kitchen remodel. I learned how to cut and set, grout, and seal tile. We also painted the cabinets. Abby was so fun and cute. I will miss her a ton, she brought so many smiles to my face! And for the record I did improve on my pig-tails ability while I was there.

The flight from Spokane to Little Rock makes for a long day of travel and I loose two hours on top of it. I started my morning with a 9:30 arrival at the airport. I am now in Las Vegas for my 2 and a half hour layover (which might have been fun and exciting if I gambled-but I don't, so instead I get to sit here and blog as I listen to the annoying sound of the slots going everywhere in the background). I then depart for Little Rock at 3:40 and arrive at 9:55.

I also get the pleasure of supporting the ridiculous cost of airport food. I just love paying 9 bucks for a measly quesadilla with chips and salsa and water bottle ($3.49) which I am afraid to drink to much of because I don't want to have to use to plane lavatories. But with all that said, I get more and more brave each time I fly. I calculated it up and I have flown 12 times in 5 months. That may not be a lot to some of you, but for me that is a lot of flying. I have left the snowy weather of Spokane only to return to the rainy and stormy weather of Arkansas. Bon Voyage!

In the Wake of the Storm

I told you it probably wouldn't be long before we experienced a tornado and apparently I was right. In less than a month of living in the nature state we have had our first tornado, along with our series of other crazy weather! Fortunately, I was still in Washington because I probably would have been freaking out and annoying Dave. The Tornado struck about 3 short miles from where we live. Although that sounds far away, that is way to close when you are talking about Tornado's. The storm hit around 9 Thursday evening and continued through the night. It was the first time we have heard the Tornado Sirens go off (they unusually do practice drills every Wednesday at noon but I have yet to hear them), which Dave said were very faint-scary! Dave lost power and still didn't have any when he left for work on Thursday morning. There was a lot of damage caused but no injuries or deaths. The freeway was flooded and it took people around 3-4 hours for what is normally a 20 minute drive. After the winds died down at our house Dave went outside to check everything out (which is the time you are suppose to seek shelter because it is the eye of the storm) he said the clouds were like nothing he has ever seen before and they looked very cool. I have included a slide show of some of the pictures of the Bryant Storm that I found on the news website. The tornado's were considered to be an F2 (wind speeds between 111-135 mph), imagine the damage if it were an F4 or F5! There were three tracks confirmed in our area, averaging between 2-8 miles long. Some of the damage done was simply by strong winds- not even a tornado. Little Rock is apparently the 8th most struck city in the country for tornado's. We are very grateful that Dave and the dogs were kept safe and that we didn't experience any damage to our property.

Here are a few links to videos from the news reports:

http://www.todaysthv.com/video/news/most_viewed_player.aspx?aid=63492&sid=63472&bw=hi&cat=2

http://www.todaysthv.com/video/news/player.aspx?aid=63578&sid=63483&bw=

http://www.todaysthv.com/video/news/player.aspx?aid=63546&sid=63490&bw=

A New Addition

As you know, I am here in Spokane helping my Sister-in-law. She just had her baby on Thursday and this is the first chance I have had to make a post since I have been here! Both mother and baby are healthy and well. He was 7 lbs. 1 oz. and 19 inches long. They finally chose a name after much deliberation. His name is Joshua Robert Oliphant. You can check out their blog to see all of the pictures (He is a cutie). I have included the link below:

http://theoliphantfamily.blogspot.com/

I have had lots of fun being an Auntie. Me and Abby (her other little one) have had lots of fun and I am learning alot about what it takes to be a mother! I felt so bad, I have tried multiple times to do her hair in pig tails like her mother always does-but it always looks terrible and by the end of the day it is a mess and falling out. I guess I have a lot to learn before I am prepared motherhood. It has been a big eye opener as to what it takes. My heart goes out to all you mom's! Although it seems to be exhausting-I can't wait for my chance!