Dave and Kara

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!

Phenomenon

I am sitting here at the airport waiting for my flight and contemplating life and the things that I just don't understand. Let me share... I have found that it is amazing what you lose each time you move. For example, my green bowls. They are simply nowhere to be found. These were lost in move number one when we moved from Utah to Arizona. I never really officially unpacked when we were there because we were just renting. I kept thinking that I would come across them when I moved again and really unpacked all of the boxes. We are down to the last few boxes, and still, no green bowls!!! I really find it to be quite the phenomenon. It is like they fell off of the back of the moving truck or something. In move number two it has been the plastic cups... gone! I am pretty sure that all of the kitchen boxes have been unpacked, and the green bowls and plastic cups have simply disappeared into thin air. It's like the sock in the dryer phenomenon. You know that it did not travel anywhere outside of the laundry basket, washing machine, and then to the dryer, but it is gone, never to be found again. So if anyone has words of advice as to where I should look for these magically disappearing items, please, share...

Note: The above picture is not an image of the actual disappearing green bowls, just a representation for those of you who are visual people.

Spokane...Here I Come

I leave for Spokane tomorrow where I will be helping my sister-in-law, Amber, out with her new baby boy that will arrive some time on Thursday. I am very excited that I am able to go and help and that I can spend some time with Dave's Family. But I am not looking forward to leaving my Davy behind! I will be there for two weeks and that will be the longest time we have ever been apart in the 5 years we have been married. We will see if we can actually make it that long! Although, I have left Dave quite the list of things to keep him busy while I am gone. He is going to build my garden boxes and refinish our old Armoire. It's he wonderful... I certainly think so!
Stayed tuned for pictures of my adventures in Spokane...