this weekend, my parents and i are traveling to northern va/washington dc. we're going to see the sites (the "new" aerospace smithsonian) friday afternoon/saturday morning and then saturday, paige and paul will join us for a gladwin family reunion. mike, lisa and kelly are coming from california and jordan, charlotte and declan will be there as well. it's an opportunity to get together and catch up...i saw them at the wedding, but let's face it, i was more interested in beer, dancing and taking pictures; and, to meet the newest additions to the family. :)

bella will be spending the weekend at suite paws. i know she'll have a great time...and this time, the pool should be open (i hope she's careful, she's never been swimming before!).

i have some good news to report as well...yesterday, a town to which i'd applied called to set up an interview (tuesday 8/24). this afternoon, a city/county called to set up an interview as well (tuesday 8/31). i am really excited!! these two jobs i am super interested, plus i wouldn't have to move (well, not any great distance at least). on the new job front, i have 3 within nc to apply for and one in richmond, va (the first one closes 8/31, so when i get back from dc & after my interview, it's 'go time'!)....

hope everyone has a great weekend!

the land i love

my mom and i are flying out to spend a week in our home state of COLORADO. i am very excited..i should probably start packing! :D

couldn't resist

Antelope Canyon, Page, Arizona.

The Charlotte Observer held a photo contest this summer. I pulled these (along with other breathtaking shots) off the website. The winners will be published in Sunday's paper. These are a few of my favorites. BEAUTIFUL!



Yellowstone National Park. Heart O' the Hills Trail, Olympic National Park. Storm, Emerald Isle, NC. Ammoudi Fishing Village, Santorini, Greece.

Meet the Parents

From a previous post, I mentioned that I'm a horrible packer...Well, I was quite proud of myself because I got it all in one carry-on sized suitcase.

So, this past weekend Brent and I flew to Illinois for his induction into Parkland College's Hall of Fame with his baseball team. To prepare, I bought a new coat. I ended up leaving REI with a Burton down-filled, reversible, hooded jacket originally around 180$ for only 55$. Holla! It was the perfect coat to take..light and squishable, yet super warm and wind-resistant (duh, it's a ski jacket, haha).

Brent came in the evening on Friday (because the game in SC was cancelled). He fixed my window sill (where Bella had nibbled) since my inspection was Monday; and we hung out...I stayed up all night, while he slept for a couple hours. We left for the airport around 4:30am and made our way towards the upper midwest. We flew from Charlotte to Detroit and then hopped on a propellor-jet to Champaign. That was interesting..and small!

I met Brent's parents who took us out to lunch and then back to the hotel so we could pass out for a few hours. It was nice, we both had our own bed..I plugged the heating pad in, curled up and I was out like a light! When we woke up, it was time to get ready for the game.

Parkland is a junior college, small, but with a lot of land. I was surprised. Brent and his team were inducted at halftime. After the game was over, they had a reception with beverages and appetizers. It was nice. After that, we went to a place called "Jupiter's" which is like a Jillian's, to enjoy some beverages and so they could enjoy the reunion. At least I was able to reunite with my dear friend, Blue Moon.

Sunday, we went to lunch with his parents and ran a few errands before heading to the airport. While his mom and I were in Borders, Brent got a call that our flight had been cancelled. Apparently, it was snowing or was going to snow in Charlotte. Crazy! So, Brent took care of things and figured out a plan. His mom helped us to rent a car to drive to Indianapolis so that we could get a flight out Monday morning (it was the only flight getting into Charlotte early enough for me to make it to work). But, that night I found out that our office was actually closed. Our office, that never closed, had decided to do just that. But, we were already in Indy..so we flew out at 5am Monday and arrived to a snow-covered city.

That's the jist of our whirlwind trip. I'll write about the snow tomorrow. :) But, the good news, his family--especially his parents liked me. Whoopie!

Hopefully we can go back over the summer..when it's warmer!