Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Subway Cheese

Saw this and chuckled... How did they teach you to put the cheese on the subs Kyle?!

Free Trip... @ A Price

Get a Free Trip Mexico for Just a Small 'Price'

To help combat one of travelers' worse woes, volunteers are being sought to participate in a diarrhea clinical study to develop a remedy that affects over 10 million tourists each year.U.S. vaccine maker Intercell is offering volunteers a free trip to Mexico if they sign up to be part of a diarrhea drug trial. In exchange for participating, the company will cover all flight and hotel expenses. Travelers simply wear a vaccine patch -- before/during their Mexico travel -- and provide regular updates via blood tests and stool samples. MailOnline reports that the trial had been planned for April, but was put on hold after the swine flu outbreak in Mexico. Previous published results revealed the vaccine reduced the incidence of diarrhea by 75 percent.

Blue Moon

Rare New Year's Eve 'blue moon' to ring in 2010

Once in a blue moon there is one on New Year's Eve. Revelers ringing in 2010 will be treated to a so-called blue moon. According to popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a month. But don't expect it to be blue — the name has nothing to do with the color of our closest celestial neighbor.A full moon occurred on Dec. 2. It will appear again on Thursday in time for the New Year's countdown. The New Year's Eve blue moon will be visible in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America and Africa. For partygoers in Australia and Asia, the full moon does not show up until New Year's Day, making January a blue moon month for them. However, the Eastern Hemisphere can celebrate with a partial lunar eclipse on New Year's Eve when part of the moon enters the Earth's shadow. The eclipse will not be visible in the Americas.

More of the article here.

New Art

I am PUMPED! Aaron got me one of Kelli Murray's printed for Christmas. It is the Power To The Peaceful print. I can't wait to start looking for an awesome frame to put it in.

Then yesterday I get an email from Kelli. I had emailed her a few months back about one of here pieces. I was thinking Ryan and I could get it for ourselves as a Christmas gift. The price was pretty steep, so we decided that we wouldn't be able to get it at that time. The email that I got from Kelli yesterday said:

Hey Carlee! I believe it was you who was interested a bit ago in the "Whispers of Hope" painting...? It is still available and i would love to give it a new home :) If you are still interested in having that piece...i am willing to negotiate a very reasonable price. (much cheaper than what is listed) Let me know what you think!

So I sent Ryan a quick email to see if he thought we would be able to get it and he said YES!! We will be the proud owners of another one of Kelli's pieces - Whispers of Hope.

Quote- "The trees....they whisper of hope. For beauty is all around us. As far as my eyes can see."
MEDIUM: This is an original painting on wood. using acrylic/aerosol/india ink
SIZE: Large painting measures 44" X 24" X 3/4"


I am so excited to go pick it up soon too!! (We decided to save some shipping costs and just go pick it up since she is only a few minutes south of us). Enjoy some of the pictures... (I'm sure we will have more when it makes its way onto our walls :) )



Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Top Ten Toms

I got another pair of Toms for Christmas (WHOOO HOOOO). They are the Dolina Cordones. THANKS McCLURGS!! I see that TOMS posted a Top Ten blog today. It is the Top Ten pictures of people where Toms around the world. The pictures are awesome and getting the word out and about is AMAZING. I can't wait to wear my Toms to lots of super cool places and submit pictures of them as well!!!

Check out the blog here.

Word Verification

Just a quick note: I have added 'Word Verification' on my comments. I have been getting quite a few comments of SPAM lately (people just posting a ton of links or random characters). Dad, I know you had issues with commenting before when you had to do the word verification, but hopefully that won't happen again this time.

What this does is to prevent automated systems from adding comments to your blog, since it takes a human being to read the word and pass this step. If you've ever received a comment that looked like an advertisement or a random link to an unrelated site, then you've encountered comment spam. A lot of this is done automatically by software which can't pass the word verification, so enabling this option is a good way to prevent many such unwanted comments.

Michigan Tricycle

I saw this cute University of Michigan tricycle at MDen and thought it would be an AWESOME gift for Mr. Matthew. The age said 18 months and up, which was perfect for Matthew. I have to saw it seemed like Matthew was more interested in sitting on the box than the actual tricycle, but hopefully he will love it when he gets a little older (well, at least a little longer legs, hehe). Oh yeah, and by the way, we found a California license plate with Matthew's name :)

PS Ryan put it together and did an AWESOME JOB!!








Beatles Rock Band

Ryan and I got Rock Band - The Beatles Edition for Christmas. We hooked it up and had some jam sessions. The McClurgs will mail it back to us when they are done playing it, hehe (just kidding, we couldn't take it on the plane, so they are going to ship it back to us, but of course we told them to play it as much as they wanted before they sent it back to us).

Wanna come over and jam?!

Jamie on drums, Ryan on guitar and Eric on vocals (by the way, this was the first time Eric sang 'karaoke'):

Ryan jammin' on guitar and Aaron belting out the tunes:

Jamie and Mr Matthew singing:

Char-Star on the drums:

Mr Matthew loved the drums, so I had him help me out:

Winter Geo Caching

Okay, so I guess we have been winter geo caching before, seeing as it is still winter out here in Southern California, but this was the first time we went SNOW GEO CACHING!! Ryan and I thought we would go to a few when we were back in Cheboygan and we ended up doing 8. We are now up to 210 caches since we started, which I think is pretty awesome. We picked up a travel bug from MI and will drop it somewhere in CA. We even took Mr. Matthew (our 18 month old nephew) on his first geo cache, hehe. Here are a few pictures from our snow geo caching adventures.





Welcome Back

Wow. What a whirlwind of the last few days... I feel like I just need to sleep for the next 4 days or so :). I wanted to start posting things before I started forgetting. I am going to post a little story and then a couple pictures that go with it. If you want to check out all of the pictures at once, feel free to check them out here. There are about 170 new pictures (and then 50 or so old ones from getting ready for Christmas). I am hoping to put up captions on them soon (maybe Thursday morning before we head out of town again :) ).

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Regifting Rules

How to “Recycle” Presents—And Not Get Caught

So if you're a closet regifter, rest assured: You're not alone. In fact, a Code of Regifting Ethics has emerged from the shadowy, persecuted regifting underworld, marking horror stories the signs of amateurs at work. Follow these simple commandments, and you, too, can regift with class, dignity, and little to no fear of karmic retribution...

Rule #1: Thou shalt not regift anything you've already used. This is the single most important rule. Don't try to fudge it. Think of this rule as your excuse to give that gently-worn sweater to a worthy charity, instead of racking your brains trying to think of a friend who won't remember seeing you in it.

Rule #2: Thou shalt carefully examine your regift from every angle. Check for gift notes tucked into the box. Check for inscriptions on the first ten pages of the book. Check for damage. And for the love of sweet pickle juice, check for monograms and personalization.

Rule #3: Thou shalt be certain, beyond a doubt, that the person who originally gave you the gift does not know, and never will know, the person you're regifting it to. File under "duh."

Rule #4: Thou shalt regift with the same care and generosity with which you, er, regular-gift. Wrap the gift nicely, include a thoughtful card, and observe your usual gift-giving discretion. You wouldn't tell a friend how much you paid for a gift you bought, right? You don't need to tell her how much you didn't pay, either. (Total honesty might make you feel better, but it probably won't have the same effect on the recipient.)

Rule #5: Thou shalt only regift things that other people might actually want. On the "do" list: Bottles of wine and champagne are almost universally welcome regifts. Other good regifts: new toys, bestselling books, unused (and unopened) beauty products, edible goodies that not only are fresh but also look fresh, music (anything that wasn't the big hit of last year, that is), and picture frames you've taken the trouble to put great pictures into.

On the "don't" list: Branded stuff (umbrellas with logos on them, the silver pen from the conference you went to that has the conference name on it), small appliances (too obvious), anything that was itself obviously a regift. . . unless you're headed to a White Elephant party.

And then there's "the big maybe:" Anyone who's ever been married has probably regifted at least one wedding present. We ain't sayin' it's right or wrong. But if you regifted a wedding present, you probably know that there's about a 65% chance that the recipient guessed. . . which isn't exactly the desired effect. Which brings us to the final rule of regifting.

Rule #6: Thou shalt remember why you give gifts to begin with. We give gifts because we want people to like them. We give gifts out of the impulse of generosity, and because as a species, we like seeing each others' eyes light up with delight and surprise, one of many characteristics that distinguishes human beings from, say, woodpeckers or garden slugs. If you can't see a regift making somebody you know and love happy, maybe that regift deserves another recipient. Like a charity. Or the recycle bin.


More of the article here.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Prairie Dogs

Learn more about the Prairie Dogs :) from Zoo Days on CBS 8...



Maybe I could have one of them for a pet.. I mean, look how cool they are on a leash.

Chasing Pavements

I have loved Adele since two seasons ago on So You Think You Can Dance. Here is a live show of Chasing Pavements:

Happiest States

Maybe Ryan and I should look into one of these states to move to next year :)

Happiest States Revealed by New Research

The happiest states:

1. Louisiana
2. Hawaii
3. Florida
4. Tennessee
5. Arizona
6. Mississippi
7. Montana
8. South Carolina
9. Alabama
10. Maine

The scientists caution, however, that the top spot, Louisiana, might not reflect current levels of well-being since the data were collected before the disruption caused by Hurricane Katrina. They are confident that data for the other states does accurately reflect happiness levels.


The article can be found here.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Etsy :)

I was looking on Yahoo.com today and saw this article. I've had an Etsy shop for about a year now... I, of course, have not made more than $25, but hey, at least some people are making it big through Etsy. It is possible :)

Cashing In Big Selling On Etsy

To some craft enthusiasts that is just the name of a popular blog on Etsy, the fast-growing Web site that serves as a marketplace for crafts and vintage goods.

But to Yokoo Gibran, it was an epiphany.

Ms. Gibran, who is in her 30s, had been selling her hand-knit scarves and accessories on the site for less than a year when she decided last November to quit her day job at a copy center in Atlanta. Thirteen months later, she would seem to be living the Etsy dream: running a one-woman knitwear operation, Yokoo, from her home and earning more than $140,000 a year, more than many law associates.

Jealous? How could you not be? Her hobby is her job. But consider this before you quit your day job: at the pace she’s working, she might as well be a law associate.


More of the article here.

Christmas Letter

December 2009

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!! We hope this letter finds you well. This has been an awesome and exciting year and we wanted to share a little of what has happened.

This year was our first full year of marriage – and boy was it great. Ryan and I are still madly in-love and enjoying one another (what a relief, huh? ☺). We even decided to go sky diving for our one-year anniversary (we had a BLAST). Of course, a healthy and happy marriage takes a lot of work, but we have really treasured learning more about each other and growing together as a couple. Our ‘young married’ small group, through our church, has been an amazing place for growth and friendship.

One thing that we have really enjoyed this year was becoming annual pass holders to Disneyland. It may seem childish – but I think that is what we love most about it. We have had a blast spending time with Mickey, Minnie, our friends, and each other at the HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH! Ryan’s office is about 15 minutes away from Disney, so I sometimes take the train up on Fridays and we will head over to the park for a few hours, catch the fireworks, ride a few rides and just take in the magic (and it is so much nicer when you don’t have to jam everything in to the trip, when you can take your time, and take pleasure in everything around you). I like the characters and Ryan likes the rides – but we both love DISNEY!

We’ve done a little traveling this year (not as much as we would have liked, but hey, that’s what happens when you have full time jobs and the economy is on the fritz – good thing our STAYcations are in the “Finest City in America”). In February we went to the Virgin Islands (with the McClurgs), in November we went to Destin, FL (with the Padots) and in December we will be heading to Cheboygan, MI (with the McClurgs). We will be taking a trip to San Francisco with friends in January and then Hawaii in February for another family vacation (MAN, WE’RE BLESSED!!).

BREAKING NEWS – There has been a new development in our lives as of late. Ryan and I have decided that we will be moving back to the East Coast this spring. We know that we love Southern California, but thought we would try the East Coast for a while. We want to be able to spend more time with family and figured now would be an awesome time to try it out. We don’t have many of the details worked out yet, but are thinking that we will pack up and head east in April. We will spend the summer with our families (down in Temperance, up in Cheboygan, and probably plenty of places in between ☺), as well as spending time traveling along the East Coast to decide where we want to set down roots next. We are thinking possibly Wilmington, NC, but really it will be up to where God leads us. Normally I am the type that needs to have every detail planned out, but I am actually at peace about this decision and not having things already determined – how freeing. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen – we realize we don’t like it out east and have to move west? We’ve already done it once before, it’s not that scary, don’t worry.

If you are interested in more frequent updates (rather than just once a year), feel free to check out my blog – www.carleepadot.blogspot.com. I am sure I will keep it updated when we are making the move out east (I may even start one dedicated to the trip and adventures along the way).

We love you,

<3 Carlee & Ryan <3

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Hemp Giveaway

Awesome hemp clothing giveaway... One Love Creations and Indigo Inspired Giveaway

I’m so excited about this one. This week is a DOUBLE giveaway featuring clothing designed by Bethany at One Love Creations and Gillian at Indigo Inspired. We spent several weeks in Eugene getting our new RV converted to run on veggie oil, and while we were there, I had the blessing of spending lots of time with the mamas that run these stores. They each have their own Etsy stores and their own unique lines of clothing, but they work together to dye them. When Bethany gave me one of her pieces for my birthday, I just knew I had to ask if they would do a giveaway because I fell IN LOVE with the clothes and I knew you would too!

All of their beautiful pieces are:

**Certified Organic Hemp + Cotton blend…with the perfect stretch!
**Dyed by hand with environmentally friendly dyes
**Custom designed
**Handmade with love

If you’ve never had any hemp clothing before…now is your chance to try it out. I LOVE how hemp wears…so soft and cozy (and yet sturdy too!). I also thought it would be fun for you to get to know Bethany and Gillian better…so I asked them to introduce themselves to you and say a little about their clothing.


The original post here.

Hippo

Want to know what is CRAZY?! Ryan had never heard the "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" before I played it for him yesterday - CRAZY!!! I mean her teacher even tells her that a hippo is a VEG-O-TARIAN!







That's for you babe. And I guess that's one reason you've got me... to introduce you to all of the FANTASTIC Christmas tunes!!!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Gingerbread Cottage

Ryan and I picked up a Gingerbread Cottage from the grocery store and decided to make it this rainy, Saturday afternoon. We split the house in half so we each got to decorate half in our own tastes :) (No it wasn't a contest, at least not yet) Ryan even took a home tour video of the cottage :)

What do you think??







More pictures of the process here.

Friendly Snail

We have a friendly snail that appeared on our sliding glass door last night. I think he saw the beautiful Christmas lights inside the house and wanted to come in and celebrate with us :) Or he might just be trying to get off the wet ground and trying not to get rinsed away from the rain.

Maybe we will let him in tomorrow.

I think I will call him Robert.





Robert was on the move, so had to take more pictures :)



Soggy Night

So we decided to go to Disney last night. There was only about a 70% chance of rain and we figured that we would try it :). Well, that 70% chance was a little off, because it rained (or drizzled) most of the night. It was pretty soggy, but we had a great time because there was NO ONE there. We walked onto all of the rides (Screamin' twice in a road, Tower of Terror, It's a Small World, Buzz Lightyear, Big Thunder Canyon, and Haunted Mansion) and the fireworks still went off.

Fireworks:

Small World:

Peace on Earth:

The Castle:

I ACTUALLY BEAT RYAN FAIR AND SQUARE IN BUZZ LIGHTYEAR BY 700 POINTS AND THE CAMERA ON THE RIDE DIDN'T WORK SO I DON'T HAVE ANY PROOF :) But he said he would tell the truth if you ask him

SOGGY NIGHT:


More of the pictures here.