GSMTR - Part I

I got home Saturday night from a 3-day trip with my brother, Michael, to the Upper Tellico Off Road Vehicle Park (which is north of Murphy, North Carolina, on the Tennessee/North Carolina border). The even is called the Great Smoky Mountain Trail Ride and this was the 17th year that it was put on by the Southeast Toyota Land Cruiser Association.

I left town Wednesday night in the rain and it managed to rain pretty well straight through Friday night. Michael also came up from Atlanta on Wednesday and brought his '71 FJ40 (above, in its fresh new paint color), along with a supplier in his '80 FJ40, a customer in a '73 FJ55, and an employee in a '07 Tacoma. On Thursday, his business partner also came up in his 80-series Cruiser towing a ex-coworker/customer/friend's Suzuki Samurai. Everything made it out on the trails except my 4Runner (below, left), which sat comfortably and cleanly in camp the whole time.

Thursday was spent doing some very mild 4-wheeling in the light rain. We were pretty much playing scenic tour guide to several mostly-stock Cruisers and the Tacoma. We did have a bit more excitement than we ever would have wanted when Terry, the man who has (had?) the almost-perfectly-restored 1973 FJ55, slid off of a gravel road. The good news is that he wasn't injured and was saved from rolling down a very steep mountain side by a tree. The bad news is that the truck didn't come out so well.

Here is the truck pre and post- restoration:

This would be the Cruiser that Michael has hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of time and effort into restoring and is (was?) one of very few super nice examples of an FJ55. Terry only picked it up two months ago from its restoration, but has already driven it 11,000 miles since then!

(Note the ostrich leather sun visor. The same material also covers the headliner and door panels. Like I said, this truck was NICE!)

Some good news is that Terry is fairly financially secure and said he’ll have the guys at ACC rebuild it even better than it was. It does have to get in line with his two other Land Cruisers that are slated for work at ACC in the near future.

Caspian Review

A few of us went to see Prince Caspian over the weekend. I'm sure Amanda will give a much more complete review, so I'll keep mine short and sweet.

I really enjoyed the movie. The acting was *much* better than the old BBC version we watched as kids, and the special effects were great. My only complaint was that it strayed from the book quite a bit. They made Peter out to be a bit of an antagonist, and messed with the order of some of the events. I don't think it really affected the story too much though. In fact, I probably wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't read the book just a couple of weeks ago.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend the movie - just make sure you refrain from reading the book between now and then. I might also suggest going to see it at a location or time where there won't be any pre-teens roaming around and talking during the movie.

Happy Friday Dance

So, Amanda wants to see the Happy Friday Dance. Since I can't post a video of myself, I found the next best thing...

Happy Friday!

I'm SO glad it's Friday! I'm drinking my chocolate milk and eating a chicken biscuit, which always makes me smile, but even more so on a Friday. I should do the Happy Friday Dance to celebrate.

Matt's still out of town with his brother, so I'm making a special effort not to get too lonely without him. Tonight we're going to see Prince Caspian (if you're interested, let me know, we'd love to have an even bigger group!)

Hope you have a wonderful day!

R & D Report

Okay, so I've been debating whether to post this or not. I know it's not a big deal, but there is a really small blurb with my photo in the Huntsville Times' R & D Report Magazine that came out this month. I sent a link to my family, but figured that really only friends and family read this blog anyway, so I shouldn't feel stupid sharing it with you guys.

I am kind of embarrassed to show it to everyone, but still excited, so here it is. (pgs 18 and 20). After all, it's not every day that you get to talk about your work in any kind of publication, even if there are only about 5 readers!

I was a bit misquoted (I didn't bring up nor am I excited about all of the "young single engineers" moving to Huntsville) ;) but overall it turned out okay.

El Capitan

Here we are with Matt's father, Ron, back in October.
El Cap is on the front left (of the background).

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first (documented) person to climb El Capitan ("The Captain") in Yosemite Valley, CA.

Matt and I went to Yosemite National Park just this past fall. We had a great time and spent some time driving through the valley and walking around various parts of the park. It is a gorgeous place.

El Capitan is the largest rock face in North America, and is made up of about 3,000 vertical feet of granite. It has been free climbed (with no ropes) several times in less than a day, but most people take more than one day to make the ascent, camping overnight on the rock face.

Here is a short clip of what you might see and experience part of the way up the climb:



Matt and his friends were really into rock climbing growing up. They spent a lot of time at the local rock gym and made several trips to various Southeast climbing attractions. In college, we camped at Sand Rock one weekend with his brother and another friend.

I am not a rock climber.

I watched for most of the morning as they did some bouldering (free climbing on smaller rocks) and high climbs (30 - 50', with ropes). Then Matt set up a small course for me. I got to about six feet up (less than the height I would be standing on if I were on top of a door frame), and I froze. My hands are sweating right now just thinking about it. Matt had to be very patient and coax me into even attempting to move and get down.

When I reached the ground and saw how high I had made it, I was embarrassed. It sure felt a lot higher when I was up there! I could have just stood on Matt's shoulders instead. I'm afraid of heights and did not like the experience as much as I thought I might. I haven't attempted it since, and am perfectly fine with that.

My hat goes off to anyone who has even attempted to climb El Capitan. I will never consider joining you on such a feat, but admire your courage. I'll stick to the ground where my sweaty, nervous palms can rest in my pockets.

Forgetting Isn't Failing

Have you heard of this lady, Jill Price? I saw a news story on her over the weekend.

Jill Price has baffled doctors for years. She has a memory that recalls just about all of the events of her life. You can name any date and she can not only tell you what she was doing on that day, but any other events that happened in the news that she heard about during that day.

Instead of wondering, "Where has the time gone?", Jill can remember everything she's done in her life, down to even the most minute details. Scientists have been studying her for several years now, in the hopes of finding out what affects our memory. This could help them with some of their research on what causes and prevents memory loss and Alzheimer's. Brain scans of Jill Price have shown extremely high levels of activity in certain areas of the brain that are well above what is considered normal, and this may account for how her memory functions.

What would it be like to be able to call up your childhood friend and say, "Do you remember what we were doing on this day, 20 years ago?" I would love to be able to perfectly recall all of the trips I've taken and neat things I've seen.

With the good memories, though, also come the bad. Jill says that she recalls not just the joyous events in her life, but also the painful ones. She says that she remembers every hurtful word said to her, and regrets how she acted on so many occasions in her life. She also relives the day her husband died, over and over. She said that's been the hardest struggle of her life - finding a way to deal with regret and learning to live in the present.

I am thankful that God created me so that over time, I can forget. Isn't that an incredible design, though? We're made, for the most part, to be able to overcome hard times and eventually forget a lot of the painful details. I often remember more of the good things about something than the bad, and am grateful for that.

During the first few months that we were married, Matt and I were living in Dallas. I was still looking for a job a long way from where I called home, and didn't know anyone nearby other than my new husband. Matt had to travel for his job, and I had nothing to do all day. It was a hard time for me. I was left alone with just my thoughts for the better part of the day, and it was torturous. I would dream about and remember all kinds of things that I hadn't thought about for years. I'd find myself getting upset about something that I'd done when I was 12.

Being active and exercising your brain daily is probably the best way I know from allowing yourself to go crazy. I was tormented with my memories, as broken and incomplete as they were, when I wasn't able to keep myself occupied. I can't imagine having to relive all of both the good and the bad every moment of my life. I'm so thankful that I forget!

Huntsville Has a Wonder

This morning, ABC's Good Morning America featured the Saturn V rocket in North Alabama as one of their 7 Wonders of America. In Huntsville, you don't have to look very hard to find someone involved with the development of the Saturn V, or the development of any of the latest space technology for that matter.

I think this is a really good choice. As they put it, the Saturn V represents America's "pioneering spirit" and is a great example of the scientific advancements made by our nation.

Did you know that the Saturn V is the most powerful rocket ever developed (according to the story on GMA)? I had no idea, but it makes sense. It sure beats the 2-Liter water/air pressurized "rockets" we made in my high school chemistry class.

Congratulations, Ryan!

Congratulations go out to Ryan for graduating this past week. He finished his Bachelor of Business (Supply Chain Management, which is a fancy name for logistics) at Auburn and has already accepted a job offer near us. He starts work the beginning of June. We're excited because we'll get some hang time with him before the big day in August.

Congrats, Ryan! Welcome to the world of work! I hope you love your new job.

Parisian Puppy

I got this in an email. I periodically order doggie toys and treats from Pet Edge, so they occassionally send me their junk emails with the "latest fashions". They have a lot of doggie clothes, even raincoats, doggie sunglasses, and sneakers! Haha!

Matt does not want me to start dressing up the dogs. I did convince him to let me get Ace a sweater though... but only because Ace shivers constantly during the winter, and he's not allowed to wear it in public where other people can see it.

I once sent Lynne an email with some fabulous Halloween costume ideas, but Charlie told me that he was going to block my email address if I didn't watch out. He said I was giving Lynne some bad ideas. ;)

I guess this stuff sells, or they wouldn't keep making it. I think it's pretty funny. Some of these dogs are better dressed than I am!

Faking Sick

My mother in law has a great group of friends and co-workers. One of them, Laura, even threw a bridal tea for me before we got married, and she didn't even know me.

I love Laura, she's a hoot. She always teases Matt whenever he comes to visit his mom at school, and always asks me if I've got him "trained" yet or not. When we heard that she'd been out sick, we went to the store to get her a get well card.


We laughed and laughed when we saw this card. Of course, Laura was really not feeling well and definitely wasn't faking it, but she has a pretty good sense of humor. I thought she'd get a kick out of it, but called my mother-in-law to check just in case she wasn't feeling up to joking around right now.

We sent the card. Matt wrote that he still wasn't sure (if she was faking or not), and I told her that we thought the card would make her laugh, but if it didn't, it was ALL Matt's idea. ;)

Apparently she loved it! She emailed us this week thanking us for the card and asking where we got it... her husband liked it so much that he wants to go get several for when his friends get sick.

Laura's back at work now. I like to think that laugher really is the best (earthly) medicine.

Best Fortune Ever

Matt and I have a favorite lunch date place. It's a little hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant near my office. It's a bit run down (don't move the tables, the bases hide the difference between the original and current carpet colors), but the food is very good (and cheap!). The lady always says, "Yum Yum!" when she hands us our food, and we're never disappointed.

A while back, I found the best (funniest) fortune ever in my fortune cookie:


It's not really a fortune, but I still like it. I thought it was so funny that I showed it to my coworkers (who wrote the saying on my door) and saved it. I found it today while rummaging through my desk. I kept it just to give myself a laugh once in a while, but hadn't seen it for a long time (it got lost in the mess that is my top desk drawer).

I've probably gotten at least three or four fortunes hinting at an impending stork arrival, but they never turned out to be legitimate (good thing I didn't bet all of my money on the "lucky" lottery numbers on the back side), but this one is definitely my favorite. We always like reading our fortunes to each other. My friends usually add "under the sheets" to the end of their fortunes for a good laugh, while my Uncle Scooter somehow manages to get "Wash your socks weekly" in every single one of his fortune cookies (what are the odds?).

What's the best Chinese fortune cookie fortune you've ever gotten??

Maddie Madkins - 5 months

Madison Shipman (soon to be Wellman).

We had the privilege of an overnight guest last night, Amy's puppy, Maddie. She has grown a lot since the last time we saw her, so I thought I'd post some updated photos. She does NOT sit still for more than a split second at a time, so it took a lot of attempts to get these photos.

She has the darkest eyes I've ever seen on a doxie, and a LOT of personality. There's nothing like playing with a puppy to make you late for work in the morning! So cute!

When Amy first got her, back in February, she looked like a clear red. The breeder had told her that Maddie would be a dapple (spotted), and they were right! It's just starting to come out in her coat, as you can see above.

Here are the dappled dachshunds of the family (minus my parents' spotted mini).


She wants Ace to like her soooo badly! They played together very well in the yard this morning.

Matt won't let me get any more dogs (which is good... I'm afraid I'd become the crazy dog lady if given the opportunity), so I'll just have to settle with playing with everyone else's. Thanks for lending her to me last night, Amy!

Now I just need to get that cute little chunk, Otis, over to my house for a visit. ;)

Gas Profits and Prices

A lot of moaning has been heard lately at the high gas prices (from myself included). Thankfully, we live fairly close to our respective offices of employment and don't have to drive more than about 20-25 minutes each way. We also have fairly fuel efficient vehicles and don't have to use premium gasoline. But, never the less, the steady increase in fuel prices over the last several years has taken a toll on our household budget. It's caused us to have to readjust our spending. Since more is not coming in, it's a battle to make sure that more does not continue to go out.

Recently, I've been hearing a lot of talk about suspending the federal gas tax for the summer. The suspension of 18.5 cents/gallon won't necessarily be passed onto the consumer in the first place, but even if it is, I think I would only save about $26. Not a lot of money in the big scheme of things. (And definitely not an amount I'd be willing to save if it means I'm going to be putting up with a lot more potholes this fall and risk getting a flat tire.) Another suggestion is to tax (at 50%!!) the oil companies' profits when oil prices top $50/barrel. This is just stupid.

What makes a politician, or really any person for that matter, feel that he or she has the right to take away from the profits of a private company? This kind of stuff really makes me mad. Who's business is it if a company is successful as long as they're not cheating the consumer?

Plus, oil companies are not as profitable as you might think. On average, the energy industry makes about a 9.7% net profit margin (Google posted a net profit margin of 25% in their most recent quarter) according to Thompson Baseline, which is a little above average, but not by much. If any other company made a 9.7% profit, no one would be talking about it. It's just the fact that 9.7% of billions of dollars is still billions of dollars.

When we feel like we're entitled to the profits earned by a company, that's the end of capitalism and the beginning of a very scary change in our economy (and not for the better!). Besides, all companies should be taxed at the same rate, not just because they offer a good or service that has recently experienced an increase in demand.

Not to mention that stealing a company's profits cuts into the funds used to research new products, etc. Just like when some of Congress proposed limiting the prices that drug manufacturers could charge for their prescriptions, which would take away money spent by those companies to research and develop new life-saving medicines, cutting gas companies' profits cuts into their research to develop alternative fuels and find oil sources closer to home! We can't get out of our dependence on foreign oil if we don't invest in finding alternative sources and alternative fuels. (Insert Homer Simpson "Doh!")

I'm not saying that the oil companies are perfect. Some of them pay their CEO's obscene amounts, which I think is a pretty stupid move especially considering the scrutiny they're under over their pricing and spending. They could definitely afford to be more responsible with their budgets, but that's ultimately their decision and not mine.

However, I don't think they're quite the price-gouging profit-mongers that they're made out to be. In fact, this article on CNN Money lists a lot of good things about them. The increase in gas prices (mostly due to the huge increase in demand from China and India and the dollar's sliding global value, not the companies' greed) has also resulted in a huge increase in jobs within these companies. They're also, on average, much higher paying jobs. Plus, the increase in their profits has been reflected in higher dividends being paid to their investors and shareholders.

Prices won't fall because we write legislation to try to control them and limit the free market. They'll fall when we can increase the supply, decrease the demand, or find other fuel options.

Over all, gas prices suck. So maybe I should just do my part and drive less. Matt and I car pooled for a while back when he was in school; I'd sure be willing to do it again. Plus, we decided not to take one of our planned vacations until at least the fall, so we won't be driving on as many long trips this summer either. We will also be using our SUV a lot less and try to stick to the smaller cars that have better fuel efficiency.

As long as I'm not willing to change how much gas I use for optional trips, I feel like I'm not entitled to complain about the amount I'm spending on it. So, if you hear me complain about how much it costs to fill up, feel free to ask me if I've decided to cut back or not.

One Serious Fan

I hadn't heard about this before, but apparently this kid made national news a while back.

David Witthoft wore his Green Bay Packers Brett Favre jersey for over four years (every day for 1,581 days) until he took it off for good last month.

Here is David, now 12, in an AP photo.

His mother washed his jersey every other day since Christmas of 2003 and mended it when needed. His father said that he finally gave it up on his 12th birthday after realizing that it was too small.

Wow! I get embarrassed if someone catches me wearing the same thing two weeks in a row (except for my pink Auburn ball cap, which I wear most sunny days with the top down). :)

Making the Big Switch

Growing up, we didn't have cable. In fact, we weren't even allowed to watch tv at all on week nights (I'm thankful for this, and probably will do the same if I ever have kids)... except for the occasional instances when we were able to sneak into the room for a few minutes while Dad was watching the news or The Simpsons.

During the summers, we were each allowed 20 minutes of tv during the day. My mother's intention was for the three of us to work together and pool our time to be able to watch a single hour a day or to save up to watch a movie, but instead it usually resulted in us simply turning off the tv during the commercials (which was probably better for us anyway) so that we could each watch a 30-minute program of our own choosing. I know this wasn't really what my mother intended for us to do, but I think it was a genius idea, plus there was less fighting this way. (After all, the whole point of watching tv is to see the program, not the filler in between, right?)

Matt and I got rid of our home cable, which included several movie channels, during the last year of his stint at UAH. It was hard for either of us to get stuff done when we had a constant distraction, especially for him since he could watch the Speed Channel during the day instead of studying. It was also how I spent a lot of my time while he was studying every evening. I thought it would be really hard going without cable.

I was wrong.

I'm so glad we got rid of it! In fact, the only reason I'd consider getting it again is so we could watch more of the Auburn games at home, but that's still not a big enough motivation for me. Even though we've since signed up for Netflix, we still spend only a fraction of the time in front of the tv than we did before. When there are less programs to choose from, there's a greater willingness to find an alternative to watching the tube.

We do have broadcast channels, though. My dad gave us his old antenna (they got cable as soon as I moved out) and Matt hung it up in the attic. This gives us enough options so that we can watch the evening news and a few prime time shows.

Lately, all of the local channels have been pushing for people to make "The Big Switch" to digital. A few months back, I signed up for the coupon program and got two $40 cards to be used toward the purchase of two digital converter boxes. We went to the store this weekend and bought two boxes.

The channels really are much clearer (no more static), and we've picked up a few extra stations. My favorite part is that we've now got a couple of channels that are just for the weather, so I don't have to flip between stations to find the forecast while I'm getting ready in the morning. The downside is that we now have another remote that we have to use (which is really annoying).

Being an electrical engineer, I really ought to be able to make my own converter box. We had to make several analog to digital converters of different sorts in school, and I'm sure I could figure it out if I really wanted to (which I don't). But, with $40 off of a pre-made (and working) $60 box, I probably couldn't even make my own that cheaply! Plus, this is definitely much less work!!

Can You Be a Minister and Not Believe in Jesus?

Apparently so. My dad sent me this post from Mark Steyn on National Review Online. I don't think I need to tell you how stupid this is!

Brand X by Mark Steyn
The mainline Protestant churches have long been beyond parody. America gave us the first Episcopal minister who's also a practising Muslim. Now Canada gives us a minister from the United Church (the merged Congregationalists, Methodist and Presbyterians) who wants to move beyond the whole Jesus thing:

Though an ordained minister, she does not like the title of reverend. It is one of those symbols that hold the church back from breaking into the future -- to a time "when the label Christian won't even exist" and the Church will be freed of the burdens of the past. To balance out those symbols of the past inside West Hill, there is a giant, non-religious rainbow tapestry just behind the altar and multi-coloured streamers hang from the ceiling.

"The central story of Christianity will fade away," she explained. "The story about Jesus as the symbol of everything that Christianity is will fade away..."

Ms. Vosper does not believe in the Virgin Birth, the Resurrection, the miracles and the sacrament of baptism. Nor does she believe in the creeds, the presence of Christ in communion or that Jesus was the Son of God.

In With or Without God, her book that was formally launched this week, she writes that Jesus was a "Middle Eastern peasant with a few charismatic gifts and a great posthumous marketing team."

The head of the United Church of Canada, the Reverend David Giuliano, feels "it is not his job to condemn":

Even Rev. Giuliano agrees that the name Christian -- which carries the baggage of colonialism and other ills -- should probably be phased out. Instead, he would replace "Christian" with "Follower of the Way" or "Follower of Jesus."

Why not just replace the Cross with a giant version of Robert Ferrigno's "I'm Sorry" button?

ACC Grand Opening

Michael, Matt's brother, has opened his own Toyota truck shop, Atlanta Custom Creations. He and one of his co-workers from their previous shop decided to go in together and start their own business. They've been open and doing some small projects over the last month and a half, but are having their grand opening today!!

Michael has an MIS degree from Auburn, and used it for a couple of years after graduating until his love of cars took over (trust me, it runs in the family!). He has spent the last couple of years restoring old Land Cruisers and other Toyota trucks in Atlanta.

In college, he had an old 4Runner as well as his '71 FJ40 Land Cruiser that he was always working on and playing with. He and Matt have gone on several trail rides together in the Land Cruiser, and now Michael's restoring it to showcase some of what he can do.

The photo above is of him at a trail ride a while back (it is NOT a Jeep!!). I'll have to post a new photo once the restoration is complete (he's even painting it one of the original classic colors... spring green).

I think these trucks are just the coolest things. I've told Matt that some day I would love to have an old woody wagon to cart kids and dogs around in. They're so neat! Here's a photo of a similar style (a Toyota FJ60) without the wood side panels:


If you have one of these great old (or new) trucks, Michael does great work!

(And yes, this IS a shameless plug). :)

HUSL - Week 1

Last night was the first official game for the Huntsville Ultimate Summer League. Unfortunately for me, it didn't give me a good enough excuse to skip the gym for the day because Amanda re-recorded her jazzercise instruction video beforehand, and I was obligated to go cheer her on (she did REALLY well, by the way!).

- on a side note, it is VERY rude to talk (loudly!) while someone is recording their instructional video for certification!!! To the girls on the front ride side of the gym: you could all serve to learn some manners. Especially the one who would start the next choreography sets before Amanda told her to. It was all I could do to try to ignore them and not tell them what I thought of their behavior.

Okay, I'm glad I got that out of my system! Moving back to the subject...

After the gym, I barely had time to race home and rinse off before the game at 6, but luckily they started late and I didn't miss a thing.

Of course, you didn't miss a thing either. They ended up losing pretty badly. I don't know what the final score was, but it was 1-8 at half time (and my honey had scored the only goal by then... go Matt!).


I spent most of the time talking to Jenny. Her husband was playing on the adjacent field against another team, so she came and kept me company. She really didn't want her photo to be taken!






Tyson made a new friend, Halie. She is just the cutest little girl. Both of her parents play on our team and she spent a lot of time giving the "cat" kisses. How cute! Tyson especially loved her when he realized she had a bag of cheese! I was soooo embarassed when he jumped up and took a little piece from her.





Here we all are towards the end of the game. Amanda taught a whole hour of aerobics beforehand, and then came and played almost the entire game (they only had 1 female sub last night!).

Hiding Under the Covers

This morning, I had the tv on while I was getting ready for work when they started talking about a young girl who text messaged her mother while her home was being robbed. (Here's the full story).

This 13-year-old girl was home sick from school when a car pulled into the driveway and a male and female proceeded to ransack the house. She told her mother that she was afraid and hiding. The mom called police and raced back home. The girl said that she hid under the covers of her bed instead of in a closet because she knew that robbers would be looking for valuables, and less likely to check under her sheets. At one point, the robbers even sat on the bed she was hiding in, only inches away from her, while discussing what to take!

This girl was so smart and level headed. She would call her mom when the thieves were in the other room to let her know that she was okay and then hang up when they came nearby so that they couldn't hear her talking.

When her mom pulled up to the house, she rammed the burglars' car that was parked in the driveway and wrestled with the female robber until the police arrived. Go mom!

As a kid, I often imagined what I would do if someone broke into our house. I had all kinds of safety plans for the various scenarios created by my overactive imagination. I thought my best hiding spot would've been on the highest shelf of the linen closet, using the comforters as my camouflage. Of course, this plan didn't take into account the fact that those old wooden shelves probably wouldn't have supported my weight, and I most likely would have come crashing down just as any would-be robbers walked by (assuming I had enough time to get up there unnoticed in the first place). So much for my imagination!

Now when Matt goes out of town for his car weekends, I can just arm myself with that over-powered BB gun of his and scare them off before they get to my end of the house without putting too big of a hole through my walls. Heh Heh. (You know my dogs won't be any help... they'll be the ones hiding under the covers).