Mass Effect 2...

I have beat you!!!

Happy Anniversary!!

Six years happily married to the most wonderful man in the world! I am blessed beyond words! I love you sweetheart!!

Lily

For over a year now we have been taking Lily to the veterinarian periodically to have her urine checked. (This all stems from a bladder/kidney infection she had when we were in San Diego a year ago). This test usually results in either extremely high or extremely low pH and some variation of crystal formation. The remedy is to switch her food. We have done this probably 8 times in the last year. Nothing has helped. We had her checked again last week and the results are troubling. The calcium levels are very high and she may be producing stones in her bladder or kidneys. An x-ray will be performed next week to determine if the stones have formed. If so, she will need surgery. Either way, stones or not, she is being put on a very special diet which includes only drinking distilled water. Her doctor is confident we will get to the bottom of this but we have a two month window of opportunity now before permanent, long-term damage becomes likely.

Dear Neighbor,

Thank you for throwing your dog's poop in our trash can after the garbage had already been picked up. Nothing makes me happier than smelling your dog's excrement in my garage for the next week.

Best Regards,

-- K

Cushing Street Ground Breaking

The Cushing Street Bridge is a project hubby has been working on for approximately 4 years. He has been to endless meetings, sat through tiresome phone conversations, and answered thousands of emails regarding this project. Yet, some how, his company was only given 2 seconds of recognition and hubby wasn't acknowledged at all. I am so disappointed! Instead the Congress people, city council members, and board of directors congratulated themselves on a job well done. How hard they all worked to get this project to groundbreaking...it certainly wasn't the engineers or architects! I despise you Tucson elected officials!

I am proud of you baby! This was a long haul and you made it!!! Congratulations!

Here are all the folks who absolutely had nothing to do with the bridge on a daily basis. They simply are in a position of power and therefore must feel important.

The artists rendered of what the bridge will look like 1 year from now.

My Hubby's plan set.

Silly Schnauzers!!

Mount Lemmon Hike

Hubby and I decided to enjoy the beautiful, cool summer air up on Mount Lemmon and took the puppies with us. Oh my, did they have a great time! So much to smell!!! Both girls were troopers and didn't start to poop out until about 1.5 hours. I was exhausted much sooner. :)

Happy 30th Birthday!!

To My Gorgeous Husband --

Happy 30th Birthday!!! Welcome to the club, you are now one of us!!

Volunteership

At the beginning of the month I was promoted from repository duty to archaeological collections at the Arizona State Museum. Part of my new "job" is to reorganize the archaeological collection due to "The Great Move" which caused a tremendous amount of disruption and nothing is where it is supposed to be. Today I found a box of artifacts whose numbers were partially rubbed off, my job was to try to decipher the number and find its home. In an effort to help me, my boss gave me a giant magnifying microscope for my desk. This microscope is the very same one that sat on the desk of Emil Haury, a very famous archaeologist who worked at the U of A. Haury is a hugely prestigious figure among my co-workers and I am honored to have been bestowed such a relic!

It is all official...

Got my diploma today aaaaand my paperwork for student loans. I guess college is now officially over! It seems more real now that I have my highly overpriced piece of paper. :)

Cutest Liam Moment

No one is quite sure where he learned it from, but the cutest Liam moment of our vacation had to be the above. Every time Liam would drop something on the floor, he would grab his face and say "UUHH-OOHH". It got to the point where he knew it was so cute that he would deliberately start throwing things just so we would laugh and cuddle him. Sneaky boy!

He is lucky he is so darn cute because his parting gift to me has been a week+ (longer than our actual visit, might I add) illness which has finally been diagnosed as a sinus infection paired with bronchitis. B and I have already worked out the bill, Liam will be mowing my lawn (when I get one) as soon as he is able. :)

San Diego 2011

A few weeks after graduation, Hubby and I went to San Diego to visit our good friends B, C, and l. Below are just a few shots we took while we were there. As usual, I was so focused on making sure we got hilarious Yoda shots (over at yodaadventures.blogspot.com) that I forgot to get ones with our friends.

The San Diego Museum of Man, located in Balboa Park

This one is for my hubby who has an interesting fascination with little people

Coronado Beach

I just can't get over the beach, it is so amazing and beautiful!

Photo Bomb

Liam and his Uncle Matt

Be forewarned: your kids aren't safe around us, especially if you are a Sun Devil! (not shown: Liam's second Arizona t-shirt in red)

“True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.”

Today I would like to remember and recognize the men in my life who served their country. They didn't pay the ultimate sacrifice, losing their lives in the line of duty (which is what Memorial Day is all about), however they each paid costs which changed their lives forever.

To my husband: who gave many long years in pursuit of his dream to be a Marine, who didn't only because his bones failed him! I am so very proud and thankful for you!

To Curtis: who served as a Marine, who will teach his young son to love and honor his country, and whose heart was given to and for this great land.

To my Pop-o: who served in the Reserves during Vietnam, who stood up for what he believed in...even if it was unpopular.

To My Grandpa Ski (deceased): who served in the Army during WWII in Europe. He never spoke of the traumas of war, his experiences too painful to recall out-loud. Instead, he turned to the bottle and drowned his sorrows in the only thing that brought him comfort. On this day, I place a special emphasis on those veterans who to this day still struggle to reintegrate into daily life and who suffer silently with all that they have witnessed.

You each are heroes to me and I appreciate what you did! Thank you!