Two Peas In A Pod

One would never guess that Brady was not a dog lover at one time in our young married lives-but after we got Rodi it was no turning back for him. I think he says more dogs are cute now when we are out and about than I do. I can only hope that one day he will want to add to our flock-unfortunately he is a one man dog at the time! Although...I am trying to convince him that we should raise some urban chickens in the spring. I think the unused doghouse in the backyard could be perfectly converted into a chicken coop-who's with me? Well we're off to run the half marathon this Saturday-my knee is feeling much better, I just hope I can keep up with Brady.

Perceptions and Personalities

Tuesday I went to IU to meet with my professor for the Independent Study course. It was an experience. I hadn't been to campus in a few years or more than a few-anyway-I felt totally old and out of place. Even the Prof made me feel rusty. I was wondering how old I looked to the students since they all looked about 16 to me-ha! Anyway-I have quite a bit of work to do on the paper/project after our chat, although he reiterated that he didn't want me to do a re-write. I did however get the Stats class waived which is a huge blessing, although I'm not sure that Environmental Engineering could be much better!

The dog trainer turned life coach that I've been working with over the past 2 months introduced me to the Enneagram and discovering your personality type. It is so interesting. Most of the time perceptions I think are based on our different personality types and by learning about different personalities we can better communicate with each other and grow as individuals into our strengths. Anyway-I would love to hear about what type you are-there is a free online test if you google it. I also have two books about it.

This week has been extremely busy for me. I actually have three jobs that I'm working on after a 3 month hiatus with no projects in site, mainly because of the economic situation. And last day of market is tomorrow with rain and chill in the forecast.

On a final note, I'm so excited for my long time friend, Ali, who just got engaged over the weekend! Congrats Ali and Mike!!

It's Hard to Keep an Old Runner Down

Well, I told Brady Thursday night after we did a work-out for our upcoming mini marathon that I was indeed injured to my dismay. A very hard thing for a determined runner to admit-even a somewhat retired one. At the NCAA Pre-Nationals CC meet on Saturday I coerced some advice from the ISU athletic trainers telling them I was an alum. Sounds like it might be tendinitis (my right knee). And of course the advice consisted of rest, ice and Advil...so I'm going to take a few days off and hope that Brady doesn't get too far ahead of me in training and that I can still do the race. Tonight I biked 10 with him instead of running like a good injured runner would do.

Covered Bridge

The annual Covered Bridge Festival took place this past week. Wednesday I met my parents in Brazil for the somewhat annual tradition of attending-although I missed quite a few years during college. This year we chose to go to Bridgeton-last year it was Mansfield. Maybe next year it will be Rockville. The best part of CB is of course the food much like any other festival. We had cinnamon rolls and an Amish pretzel for the morning snack, BBQ dinners for dad and I, ham and beans for mom for lunch, and pumpkin ice cream for afternoon dessert. Can you say umm umm good! Bridgeton is known for it's grist mill that produces cornmeal and flour among other things-they have been a vendor at the Broad Ripple market this season. Also this past year a new covered bridge was constructed in the place of the one that was burned down from arson. This is also a favorite fishing spot of dad and Todds.

Oktoberfest

We held our first annual Oktoberfest on Saturday with brats, polka and beer to boot. Brady cooked the food to perfection. We had a good turn out and were able to enjoy some friendly competition playing volleyball. Hope to see those who couldn't make it next year.

Because I was so busy playing and not taking pictures during Oktoberfest I have don't have any to document the day however, I did take pics at the farmers' market that morning. Only two weeks left and I'm ready for a break. For those that don't really know what I do there, you will see the pic of the nifty info booth where you will find me or one of my trusty volunteers. One might think that there isn't much ones needs to get info about at the farmers' market but you'd be mistaken. We get a lot of questions (and complaints-ha).

Retro Desk

A few weeks back Dan and I went antiquing at Midland Arts and Antiques downtown Indy (Dan finally took a day off work). Lots of cool stuff, tiny juice glasses and lots of great furniture. Some may know that recently I've been wishing for a better work space with more room, and since my paper is almost officially finished (I have to go through and document my sources tonight) shouldn't I celebrate by getting a new desk? Anyway-here is a pic of a retro desk that I took a liking to. The chair isn't bad either!

Request for More Pics

The Hansels and The Deckers at Shades State Park on my Dad's 65th Bday!

The Bottled Water Habit

As a part of the Independent Study course that I'm taking this semester I am reading two blogs, "No Impact Man" (aka NIM) and "Slow Food USA". They are both very cool. If you ever want to check them out they are linked on the side of my blog. Anyway-today NIM was urging us to tell others to kick the bottled water habit and I thought that I would pass on some interesting factoids that he listed. I must give a shout out to my in-laws for kicking their bottled water habit. Nice job guys!!


"We have a chance here to make a real difference on keeping our drinking water clean and drinkable while reducing carbon emissions and plastic bottle waste."

-Bottled water is up to 1,000 times more expensive than tap water.
-Forty percent of bottled water is tap water anyway.
-Bottled water is less stringently regulated by the FDA than tap water.
-The production and disposable of plastic bottles stresses the habitat we depend upon for our health, happiness and security.
-The transportation of water around the world by ship and plane causes unnecessary carbon emissions.
-Bottling companies are buying up water rights around the world which means free water may not be available at all in the future.

Think about it.

The Beauty of Autumn

Yesterday we went to Shades State Park to celebrate my dads 65th birthday. It was a perfect day full of good food, celebration of life, beautiful weather and a wonderful family. We played Frisbee, ate, tried to keep talk of politics to a minimum and went on a couple trails. To their delight my dad and brother even got to wet a line in the creek. If you look closely at this picture you will see Todd, Rodi and someone painting a picture on an easel by the edge of Sugar Creek.

Dinner in the Garden

The benefit dinner last night for the Broad Ripple Farmers' Market was so beautiful I just had to share some pics with you. Thanks to all the folks who came out to volunteer their time-I really appreciate it. Sounds like we're going to make this a annual event. You can see about the only thing left growing in the garden is okra.