**Strange things being reported, this story just continues to get more weird every day. I am glad our intelligence agencies want to be congratulated for *almost* stopping the bomber. Thank you so much, Ms. Napolitano. I appreciate you almost stopping me from being part of a terrorist attack. Almost does not quite cut it in this case though........
Find this article by clicking here, LA TIMES
U.S. learned intelligence on airline bomb suspect while he was en route
U.S. border enforcement officials came close to stopping the attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines jet while the suspect was en route to Detroit on Christmas Day, new data show.
January 6, 2010 5:36 p.m.
Reporting from Washington - U.S. border security officials learned of intelligence about the alleged extremist links of the suspect in the Christmas Day airline bombing attempt as he was en route to Detroit and had decided to question him when he landed, officials said in new disclosures today.
The new information shows that border enforcement officials came close to uncovering the plot despite previous intelligence failures that were criticized by President Obama this week.
If the intelligence had been discovered sooner, it could have resulted in the interrogation and search of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab before he boarded the Amsterdam-to-Detroit flight, senior law enforcement officials said.
"The people in Detroit were prepared to look at him in secondary inspection," said a senior law enforcement official who requested anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. "The decision had been made. The . . . database had picked up the State Department concern about this guy, that this guy may have been involved with extremist elements in Yemen. . . . They could have made a decision on whether to stop him from getting on the plane."
Nonetheless, the revelations underscore the complexity of the intelligence and passenger screening systems that are the subject of comprehensive reviews to be revealed by the administration Thursday.
Even if U.S. border enforcement officials had learned of the Nigerian's alleged extremist links in time, it is not clear the intelligence was strong enough to cause Dutch officials to search him or block him from flying, officials said. The threshold for requiring a foreign visitor to undergo special scrutiny upon arrival in the United States is considerably lower than criteria for preventing him from getting on the plane overseas, according to current and former law enforcement officials. That is why border enforcement officials rely heavily on terrorism watch lists, officials said.
"The public isn't aware how many people are allowed to travel through the U.S. who are linked, who intersect with bad guys or alleged bad guys," a national security official said. "It makes sense from an intelligence perspective. If they are not considered dangerous, it provides intelligence on where they go, who they meet with."
Moreover, the window for identifying a passenger as a potential threat before boarding is limited, according to a senior homeland security official. Although U.S. border enforcement officials have access to passenger data based on reservation lists and use them for preliminary assessments, the in-depth vetting by Customs and Border Protection only begins once the flight manifest has been generated, just a few hours before takeoff, and focuses on potential actions to take at the U.S. border, the official said.
As a result, the intelligence about Abdulmutallab was discovered in a database by Customs and Border Protection inspectors based at the National Targeting Center in Washington once the plane was airborne, the other law enforcement officials said. The administration's review of screening now underway includes an effort to make more information accessible to U.S.inspectors further in advance of flights, the senior law enforcement official said.
Customs and Border Protection spokesmen declined to comment because the investigation is still open.
In Detroit today, federal prosecutors filed a six-count indictment charging Abdulmutallab, 23, for his alleged role in the attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253. The Nigerian already had been charged in a criminal complaint, and the indictment accuses him of placing a destructive device on an aircraft, attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and other charges that carry a penalty of up to life in prison.
"This investigation is fast-paced, global and ongoing, and it has already yielded valuable intelligence that we will follow wherever it leads," Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. said today. "Anyone we find responsible for this alleged attack will be brought to justice using every tool -- military or judicial -- available to our government."
Abdulmutallab has provided valuable information to the FBI and federal prosecutors about his dealings with extremists in Yemen, where he was allegedly trained and outfitted with the explosive device that he concealed in his underwear during the trip that began in Ghana, according to U.S. law enforcement officials. Abdulmutallab has told interrogators that the plot involved meetings in Yemen with Anwar al Awlaki, an American-born Yemeni cleric suspected of involvement with Al Qaeda. In addition, communications intercepts detected discussions about Awlaki's role in a suspected plot involving a Nigerian, U.S. officials have said.
The investigation has also uncovered communications between Abdulmutallab and Awlaki, a U.S. anti-terrorism official said today.
"He was definitely in communication with Awlaki," said the official. "That's been documented."
Justice Department officials declined to comment on whether Abdulmutallab's cooperation could result in a reduced sentence. But officials familiar with the case have said a plea deal could short-circuit the debate over his being charged in a civilian court.
Some Republican lawmakers and independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, have criticized the Obama administration for that decision, saying he should be interrogated and charged as an enemy combatant, without the right to counsel.
Times staff writers Josh Meyer and Christi Parsons contributed to this article.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
THE ANNOUNCEMENT WE HAVE BEEN EXPECTING
By Kurt Haskell
Over the past week, Lori and I have been expecting an announcement by authorities that they have reviewed the Amsterdam airport security footage and found nothing. Well, today we got that announcement.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9D1OPVO0&show_article=1
We never once thought that we would see an accurate unedited version of the 2-3 minute clip of the terrorist with the "sharp dressed man". Even though Dutch officials have had the video for 11 days, it apparently took them that long to review the 2-3 minute clip. According to Dutch authorities, they have reviewed 200 hours of video. Why? What video is so lenghty? Sure sounds like Dutch authorities are doing a thorough investigation , or maybe they want the public to think that they are doing a thorough investigation. Seriously, I cannot believe that 200 hours of video exists. Of course, it was too much work to show the 2-3 minute clip to the flight 253 passengers and the rest of the world. Apparently, it is much easier to say nothing was on the video then to attempt to disprove my story. I guess another possibility is that the Dutch authorities just need more time to edit out the relevant portion of the video. LOL.
Over and over again the American public is being spoon fed conclusions by the Federal government and then spoon fed "The Fix to the Problem". At what point is the government going to give the American citizens proof that supports their ultimate conclusion(s)? I am beginning to think never. Please don't forget that the authorities work for the American people, not the other way around. The American public is getting pretty tired of hearing conclusions wihtout proof. This sort of behavior by the federal government breeds a very strong distrust from the American people. I fear a storm is brewing unless we see substantial change in the near future.
Very curious that an article of mine regarding flight 253 was removed from the Drudgereport not once, but twice this week. What is going on?
A good look at the unedited security video would make me feel a lot better, but the government apparently has more important things to do.
Over the past week, Lori and I have been expecting an announcement by authorities that they have reviewed the Amsterdam airport security footage and found nothing. Well, today we got that announcement.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9D1OPVO0&show_article=1
We never once thought that we would see an accurate unedited version of the 2-3 minute clip of the terrorist with the "sharp dressed man". Even though Dutch officials have had the video for 11 days, it apparently took them that long to review the 2-3 minute clip. According to Dutch authorities, they have reviewed 200 hours of video. Why? What video is so lenghty? Sure sounds like Dutch authorities are doing a thorough investigation , or maybe they want the public to think that they are doing a thorough investigation. Seriously, I cannot believe that 200 hours of video exists. Of course, it was too much work to show the 2-3 minute clip to the flight 253 passengers and the rest of the world. Apparently, it is much easier to say nothing was on the video then to attempt to disprove my story. I guess another possibility is that the Dutch authorities just need more time to edit out the relevant portion of the video. LOL.
Over and over again the American public is being spoon fed conclusions by the Federal government and then spoon fed "The Fix to the Problem". At what point is the government going to give the American citizens proof that supports their ultimate conclusion(s)? I am beginning to think never. Please don't forget that the authorities work for the American people, not the other way around. The American public is getting pretty tired of hearing conclusions wihtout proof. This sort of behavior by the federal government breeds a very strong distrust from the American people. I fear a storm is brewing unless we see substantial change in the near future.
Very curious that an article of mine regarding flight 253 was removed from the Drudgereport not once, but twice this week. What is going on?
A good look at the unedited security video would make me feel a lot better, but the government apparently has more important things to do.
Dutch say failed plane bomber acted alone
**I guess we are always supposed to believe that the authorities are telling us the truth, and always tell us the truth. Notice, no release of the video, nothing. The video of him boarding and such and prior would be so short and easy to show. Not hard at all to release. So odd. And why does the airport have to review 200 hours to see this? The guy was there at a very specific point and this should have been done LONG ago. I don't get the delay. Are they trying to bolster their claims more, by saying they reviews a whole 200 hours?
Even if Kurt is wrong, and what he saw was another individual who looked similar, proper procedures were still not followed in regards to that person. When a refugee gets on a plane, the paperwork is supposed to be set up and done FAR before boarding any plane, not with a supervisor at the airport.
Even if Kurt is wrong, and what he saw was another individual who looked similar, proper procedures were still not followed in regards to that person. When a refugee gets on a plane, the paperwork is supposed to be set up and done FAR before boarding any plane, not with a supervisor at the airport.
No matter what the case, security and the measures followed before, during and after this event was horrible and needs to be looked into. I hope the governement does not just gloss over this now and say he was a lone crazy person, it won't happen again.......
We actually thought a report like this would come out, ironically.....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100105/ts_nm/us_security_airline
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas acted alone and probably smuggled the explosives from Nigeria, the Dutch public prosecutor said on Tuesday.
The prosecutor's office said Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab did not have an accomplice at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, as some other passengers on the flight had alleged.
Abdulmutallab, 23, the son of a prominent banker, flew from Lagos to Amsterdam on a KLM flight, arriving on Christmas Day. Prosecutors said the seats from that plane are still being examined for traces of explosives.
In Amsterdam, Abdulmutallab went through a profile interview and a security check before waiting at the gate for his flight.
He is charged with trying to blow up the flight, Northwest Flight 253, outside of Detroit with a highly explosive substance hidden in his underwear.
Some of the passengers on the plane had said they saw him accompanied at the gate in Amsterdam by an older, well-dressed Indian or Pakistani man. But the review of more than 200 hours of video showed no one with him, the officials said.
(Reporting by Ben Berkowitz; Editing by Jon Boyle)
Monday, January 04, 2010
JANET NAPOLITANO: OPEN MOUTH INSERT FOOT--By Kurt Haskell
By Kurt Haskell:
On December 27, 2009, two days after my wife, Lori, and I were innocent victims of Flight 253, our wonderful Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano came out and had the following response to our flight, "the system worked". At a time when many of the flight 253 passengers were very emotionally disturbed due to the terrorist attack on our flight on Christmas Day, Janet Napolitano comes out with this sucker punch to the gut of all of the flight 253 passengers. Oh Janet what are we to do with you?
The system worked only due to a dysfunctional bomb and some heroic passengers on flight 253. Janet, please explain how did the system work?
Yesterday, January 3, 2009, Janet "clarified" her statement through White House aid John Brennan, who appeared on Meet The Press and other television programs. John Brennan now explained that Janet Napolitano was misquoted and actually meant that the system worked "after the plane landed". Seriously Janet, I know that you are trying to save your job, but quit playing the American public for fools.
Let's see if we can clear up how the system worked after we landed.
1. Instead of having an emergency evacuation of the plane, no passengers were let off of flight 253 for appr. 20 minutes after we landed. At this time, nobody knew if any accomplices or further bombs were on board the plane. Instead, the FBI was more concerned with taking the handcuffed terrorist off the plane, before dealing with us. Let's save the TERRORIST from another possible bomb on the plane, SCREW the passengers and crew.
2. The passengers were allowed to leave the plane with their carry on bags, possibly destroying a valuable crime scene (the plane).
3. The passengers were allowed to take their carry on bags into the terminal and the passengers were grouped together for appr. one hour until bomb sniffing dogs arrived. At anytime, a bomb could have exploded from any carry on bag and destroyed the entire terminal.
4. Something was apparently discovered in a carry on bag when a "bomb sniffing" dog detected it in the carry on bag of "the man in orange". He was then questioned and taken away in handcuffs. We were then moved for our safety.
5. For quite some time after we entered the terminal, the officers watching over us had no idea that a bomb was even on our plane, and therefore, had no idea to watch closely for a second bomb.
6. A man videotaped the entire terrorist attack on board the plane, and even though authorities were told in customs the 4 possible seats the "camera man" was in, they took no action to secure the video, and to my knowledge never obtained the video (which could have contained significant evidence).
Thanks Janet for the follow up insulting comment. It's always nice to receive a second sucker punch to the gut a few days after you just received one. Janet, PLEASE STOP VICTIMIZING THE FLIGHT 253 PASSENGERS!
Janet, I'm sure you will soon be joining many of my fellow Mchigan residents in the unemployment line.
Ten days since the terrorist attack and we still don't have the Amsterdam Airport Video. The wait continues........................
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Flip side of intelligence failure -- poor response
Click here to read an interesting article by a reporter we really enjoy, Christine Negroni
Ms. Negroni has been very nice to us through all of this, and has done a lot of research into Flight 253 and the aftermath. Thanks again, Christine.
Ms. Negroni has been very nice to us through all of this, and has done a lot of research into Flight 253 and the aftermath. Thanks again, Christine.
Fellow Passenger Daniel Huisinga Supports My Claim Regarding the "Man in Orange" live on FOX News
By Kurt Haskell
I just found this account by fellow Flight 253 passenger Daniel Huisinga on FOX News where he backs up my claim regarding the "Man in Orange". The term "Man in Orange" was coined by myself and is not specifically used to describe such man in this video, but Daniel is referring to the same man. The important part of the interview regarding this "Man in Orange" begins at 2:42.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlYNTGQAz5Q&feature=related
It is no wonder the "Official Position" regearding the "Man in Orange" has now had 5 different versions.
I just found this account by fellow Flight 253 passenger Daniel Huisinga on FOX News where he backs up my claim regarding the "Man in Orange". The term "Man in Orange" was coined by myself and is not specifically used to describe such man in this video, but Daniel is referring to the same man. The important part of the interview regarding this "Man in Orange" begins at 2:42.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlYNTGQAz5Q&feature=related
It is no wonder the "Official Position" regearding the "Man in Orange" has now had 5 different versions.
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Thoughts by Lori
Wow.
I think that is really the only word that comes to mind when trying to define how my life has been since just before noon on Christmas.
It still has not sunk in that I almost died on Christmas Day. There was a terrorist on my plane. With a bomb. Who tried to blow our entire plane up, and harm those on the ground below. And, I am still in shock.
Seeing smoke in our cabin, seeing flames going up the wall of the plane.......Finally seeing that A TERRORIST did this, and was not a weird plane electrical problem or something........
Being on the plane, while this happened, was one of the most helpless feelings of my life. There is no place to go. Nothing you can do. When you are at 20000 feet, you can't just jump out of the plane. You are stuck. It is the one and only time in my life I have been sure I was going to die. And for some reason, I kept thinking about my Mom, and tears were coming to my eyes because I thought I might never talk to her again.
It's even worse when you have a husband who is also scared flying, and now all of his worst fears are coming true, right in FRONT of him to witness.
We were in Row 27 H and J. "He" was in Row 19A. Only 8 rows away, across the plane. In clear view. On one hand, I wish I did not have to witness it, because it will be branded in my brain forever. On the other hand, if I had not been able to witness it, the "unknown" may have stressed me out even more.
I, opposite of Kurt, have always been a great flyer. Scared of nothing. Until now. Which is completely, and totally, unfair. But, it is what it is.
What is really unfair about this situation is some things I have been reading online about Kurt, or rather about both of us at times. Kurt wants nothing but a full investigation to be done into this. He saw things that nobody else is claiming to see, and wants to feel safe flying again. And people on message boards, comments on news articles, they are CRITICIZING him. Trying to say that we are using this to promote business, for our future political runs, or whatever. All of which are ridiculous. Those that "know" Kurt and I in "real" life know we are extremely private people, who spend a lot of time at home and have no desire, in any way, to be in the limelight. I keep this blog to update friends and family on my life, since I so rarely get to see them. My office is the busiest I know of in our area, and we do not need more business and would never use something as tragic as this to promote our business--that's sick. And, since both of us HATE politics and refuse to even associate with a political party any longer, that claim is the most laughable.
What's funny is, I almost just died, and instead of sympathy, some out there are sooooo negative. I am guessing the negative people would not want to relive that day in my shoes, but people are always out there questioning others and wanting to doubt.
Anyway, when I have time and energy (this has all been really draining), I plan on posting more about what happened in our experience, as well as all the details from my Uganda trip, which was amazing.
I thank everyone in the public supporting us for doing so. the emails and calls we have gotten from complete strangers has been just heartwarming and eyeopening, and really make me proud to be an American. And to all my friends and family, thanks for being there and supporting us, and believing us, like you always have. I am truly blessed to still be alive to write this email, and to have the support system I do in my life.
Happy New Year, everyone, and safe travels.
I think that is really the only word that comes to mind when trying to define how my life has been since just before noon on Christmas.
It still has not sunk in that I almost died on Christmas Day. There was a terrorist on my plane. With a bomb. Who tried to blow our entire plane up, and harm those on the ground below. And, I am still in shock.
Seeing smoke in our cabin, seeing flames going up the wall of the plane.......Finally seeing that A TERRORIST did this, and was not a weird plane electrical problem or something........
Being on the plane, while this happened, was one of the most helpless feelings of my life. There is no place to go. Nothing you can do. When you are at 20000 feet, you can't just jump out of the plane. You are stuck. It is the one and only time in my life I have been sure I was going to die. And for some reason, I kept thinking about my Mom, and tears were coming to my eyes because I thought I might never talk to her again.
It's even worse when you have a husband who is also scared flying, and now all of his worst fears are coming true, right in FRONT of him to witness.
We were in Row 27 H and J. "He" was in Row 19A. Only 8 rows away, across the plane. In clear view. On one hand, I wish I did not have to witness it, because it will be branded in my brain forever. On the other hand, if I had not been able to witness it, the "unknown" may have stressed me out even more.
I, opposite of Kurt, have always been a great flyer. Scared of nothing. Until now. Which is completely, and totally, unfair. But, it is what it is.
What is really unfair about this situation is some things I have been reading online about Kurt, or rather about both of us at times. Kurt wants nothing but a full investigation to be done into this. He saw things that nobody else is claiming to see, and wants to feel safe flying again. And people on message boards, comments on news articles, they are CRITICIZING him. Trying to say that we are using this to promote business, for our future political runs, or whatever. All of which are ridiculous. Those that "know" Kurt and I in "real" life know we are extremely private people, who spend a lot of time at home and have no desire, in any way, to be in the limelight. I keep this blog to update friends and family on my life, since I so rarely get to see them. My office is the busiest I know of in our area, and we do not need more business and would never use something as tragic as this to promote our business--that's sick. And, since both of us HATE politics and refuse to even associate with a political party any longer, that claim is the most laughable.
What's funny is, I almost just died, and instead of sympathy, some out there are sooooo negative. I am guessing the negative people would not want to relive that day in my shoes, but people are always out there questioning others and wanting to doubt.
Anyway, when I have time and energy (this has all been really draining), I plan on posting more about what happened in our experience, as well as all the details from my Uganda trip, which was amazing.
I thank everyone in the public supporting us for doing so. the emails and calls we have gotten from complete strangers has been just heartwarming and eyeopening, and really make me proud to be an American. And to all my friends and family, thanks for being there and supporting us, and believing us, like you always have. I am truly blessed to still be alive to write this email, and to have the support system I do in my life.
Happy New Year, everyone, and safe travels.
UPDATE ON FLIGHT 253: A CONVERSATION WITH A FELLOW PASSENGER--By Kurt Haskell
Today I received a phone call from a fellow passenger, Bo Taylor (Bo indicated that I could identify him). This was the first contact I have had with any other passenger (besides Lori) since we left customs on Christmas Day. The conversation was very interesting because we both saw different things and were able to compare notes.
In the interest of obtaining the truth, which has always been my goal, I am posting the following account of Bo Taylor that differs from mine:
"After we landed in Detroit I saw an older looking teenager who was African and looked NEARLY IDENTICAL to the terrorist bomber. Since he was a minor, and travelling alone, he was accompanied by an airport employee at all times. Kurt, this could have been the guy you saw in Amsterdam before we boarded." I have no reason whatsoever to dispute the veracity of Bo's statement. I also have no reason to not believe what I saw.
Two different people can see two different things. However, I am not sure that it matters that much. You see, if Bo is correct, than we have a possible future airline security breach since the teenager was allowed on the plane without a passport(apparently) due to coming from Sudan (apparently). This may be a common airline policy that is potentially problematic. If I am correct, well, we have an entirely different and much larger problem. Either way, there are concerns. Either way we need an open, honest, and thorough investigation. There is one way to conclusively determine who is correct, and that would be for the Amsterdam Airport to RELEASE THE CLOSED CAPTION VIDEO FOOTAGE! Seriously, the attack happened 8 days ago, the relevant video is probably 2-3 minutes in length and has(apparently) already been viewed by airport security personnel. So why hasn't it appeared anywhere? Within 24 hours of any bank robbery or gas station hold up, the video of the perpetrator is played all over the news and posted on the internet. If the video really is not related to the terrorist incident, release it and let us move on. If it is related, release it, place it on the internet and let the world attempt to identify the "sharp dressed man". I suspect that due to the potential problems I indicated above (regardless of which account the video supports) federal law enforcement will likely never release the video.
Bo went on to emphasize the numerous amount of gaffes he saw (Many of which I did too) AFTER our plane landed. Bo cited the following as major problems he saw with how the investigation was handled:
1. We were left on the plane too long after landing, which caused unnecessary risk to the passengers.
2. We should have never been allowed to take our carry on bags into the terminal since they were not searched until we had been held for approximately one hour. This also caused unnecessary risk to the passengers.
3. Even though there was a no cell phone policy, Bo observed many people making cell phone calls and believes this was also an unnecessary risk to the passengers.
4. He was particularly concerned that according to him, "law enforcement in customs was not even notified that there was a bomb on our plane until we had been held for quite awhile". He informed me that an officer he spoke to in customs was clueless that there was even a bomb on our plane. Therefore, law enforcement WAS NOT EVEN AWARE of the risk our carry on bags presented while we were held in customs!
5. He indicated that he informed law enforcement that a man videotaped the entire terrorist incident and he gave the following possible seat numbers for the "camera man", seats 31A, 31B, 32A or 32B. However, law enforcement did not verify who was in such seats. Further, law enforcement could have confiscated each camera, but instead let this lead slip away when they let the passengers leave without ever finding the video.
It was very nice to compare notes with a fellow passenger even if his account was somewhat different than mine. My goal is not to prove that what I saw is correct, but only to pose the questions in order to obtain satisfactory answers. An open, honest, and complete investigation is vitally important to the future of all airline passengers. We must all continue to ask the questions until all of our concerns are satisfied.
By the way, the very important questions I posed at the conclusion of yesterday's post continue to remain unanswered.
Kurt Haskell- A Flight 253 passenger and a concerned American Citizen.
In the interest of obtaining the truth, which has always been my goal, I am posting the following account of Bo Taylor that differs from mine:
"After we landed in Detroit I saw an older looking teenager who was African and looked NEARLY IDENTICAL to the terrorist bomber. Since he was a minor, and travelling alone, he was accompanied by an airport employee at all times. Kurt, this could have been the guy you saw in Amsterdam before we boarded." I have no reason whatsoever to dispute the veracity of Bo's statement. I also have no reason to not believe what I saw.
Two different people can see two different things. However, I am not sure that it matters that much. You see, if Bo is correct, than we have a possible future airline security breach since the teenager was allowed on the plane without a passport(apparently) due to coming from Sudan (apparently). This may be a common airline policy that is potentially problematic. If I am correct, well, we have an entirely different and much larger problem. Either way, there are concerns. Either way we need an open, honest, and thorough investigation. There is one way to conclusively determine who is correct, and that would be for the Amsterdam Airport to RELEASE THE CLOSED CAPTION VIDEO FOOTAGE! Seriously, the attack happened 8 days ago, the relevant video is probably 2-3 minutes in length and has(apparently) already been viewed by airport security personnel. So why hasn't it appeared anywhere? Within 24 hours of any bank robbery or gas station hold up, the video of the perpetrator is played all over the news and posted on the internet. If the video really is not related to the terrorist incident, release it and let us move on. If it is related, release it, place it on the internet and let the world attempt to identify the "sharp dressed man". I suspect that due to the potential problems I indicated above (regardless of which account the video supports) federal law enforcement will likely never release the video.
Bo went on to emphasize the numerous amount of gaffes he saw (Many of which I did too) AFTER our plane landed. Bo cited the following as major problems he saw with how the investigation was handled:
1. We were left on the plane too long after landing, which caused unnecessary risk to the passengers.
2. We should have never been allowed to take our carry on bags into the terminal since they were not searched until we had been held for approximately one hour. This also caused unnecessary risk to the passengers.
3. Even though there was a no cell phone policy, Bo observed many people making cell phone calls and believes this was also an unnecessary risk to the passengers.
4. He was particularly concerned that according to him, "law enforcement in customs was not even notified that there was a bomb on our plane until we had been held for quite awhile". He informed me that an officer he spoke to in customs was clueless that there was even a bomb on our plane. Therefore, law enforcement WAS NOT EVEN AWARE of the risk our carry on bags presented while we were held in customs!
5. He indicated that he informed law enforcement that a man videotaped the entire terrorist incident and he gave the following possible seat numbers for the "camera man", seats 31A, 31B, 32A or 32B. However, law enforcement did not verify who was in such seats. Further, law enforcement could have confiscated each camera, but instead let this lead slip away when they let the passengers leave without ever finding the video.
It was very nice to compare notes with a fellow passenger even if his account was somewhat different than mine. My goal is not to prove that what I saw is correct, but only to pose the questions in order to obtain satisfactory answers. An open, honest, and complete investigation is vitally important to the future of all airline passengers. We must all continue to ask the questions until all of our concerns are satisfied.
By the way, the very important questions I posed at the conclusion of yesterday's post continue to remain unanswered.
Kurt Haskell- A Flight 253 passenger and a concerned American Citizen.
Friday, January 01, 2010
Latest Story--By Kurt Haskell
-The Man In Orange and the Merry Go Round of Ron Smith/U.S. Customs-
As many of you know, my wife Lori and I were passengers and innocent victims of Northwest Flight 253 (Flight 253). We have repeated our story many times to various reporters, television and radio stations ,both across the country and abroad. Our story has never changed. What I would like to emphasize in this article is that not only did we almost lose our lives in the air, but we also almost lost our lives after our plane landed. Let me explain.
When Flight 253 landed, the passengers were forced to stay on the plane on the runway for 20 minutes. We were forced to do this despite not knowing whether there was a further bomb on our plane held by another passenger, in a carry on bag, or in the cargo hold. This action taken by law enforcement further endangered the lives of every passenger on flight 253.
After we were removed from the plane all of the passengers of flight 253 were taken to an empty baggage claim area of an airport terminal. We all had our carry on bags with us and we stood together for nearly one hour until bomb sniffing dogs arrived. Three dogs arrived, one lab, and two German shepherds. The dogs were split up and one German shepherd sat next to a bag of “the man in orange” who stood 20 feet from me the entire time until he was detained (see my post yesterday for more detail). This man in orange was immediately taken into a room for questioning. He was not handcuffed at this time. After approximately one hour, the man in orange was taken out of that room, handcuffed, and led away. At this exact time, a law enforcement person came up to the group of flight 253 passengers and said the following (approximate quote) “You are all being moved to another area because this are is not safe. You all just saw what happened and I’m sure you are smart enough to read between the lines and figure out what is going on.” We were then escorted out of this baggage claim room and taken to a long narrow hallway. While we were being held in this area, an FBI agent announced the following to us 253 passengers “We have those (Plural) we believe are responsible for this in custody we will now be doing interviews with each of you and then you are free to go.” He went on to state two further references to more than one person, which I cannot specifically quote. I have repeated this exact story hundreds of times since flight 253.
The “official” story regarding the man in orange has now changed numerous times.
Version 1: This was the official story from 12-25-09 to 12-30-09. This version was that only Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was involved or detained.
Version 2: After some of my fellow passengers supported my claim in media accounts, this version 2 was released and became the official story on December 30, 2009.. This version was that, yes, another man was taken into custody, but he was being held indefinitely on “immigration charges”.
Version 3: This version came out late in the day on December 30, 2009. This version provided that yes another man was taken into custody, but he was from another flight. This story was the most ridiculous version to date and made myself write the current article on Mlive.com.
http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2009/12/flight_253_passenger_kurt_hask.html
Let me explain.
Ever since the passengers of flight 253 got off of the plane, we were “quarantined”. By this I mean that nobody was allowed on our floor of the terminal or anywhere near any of us passengers. As a matter of fact, we never saw anyone except law enforcement personnel the entire time we were held by customs (6 hours). To say that the man that was being held was from another flight, and is the same one I saw 20 feet away from me the entire time, defies logic. We were in such tight security that we were not able to drink, eat, use our phones, or go to the bathroom by ourselves (without a law enforcement officer). However, this version tries to make the American public believe that passengers from other flights were by us commingling the entire time. This did not happen. To think that law enforcement would let anyone else near the passengers and crime scene of the biggest terrorist attack in 8 years is simply beyond comprehension. Further, every plane that landed for quite some time after we did, held its passengers on board for a long time. The man in orange was taken away one hour into our detention period (during which, I do not believe any other flights allowed their passengers to get off of). Most certainly however, no other passengers were on the baggage claim floor that we were. When I wrote the above Mlive article I predicted that I would soon see version 4 of the “official story”. I was overwhelmed to find not only a fourth version, but a fifth version.
Version 4: Shortly after 6PM eastern time on December 31, 2009, Ron Smith of U.S. Customs sent an email to various reporters across the country. I received my copy from a reporter that I have been corresponding with. Here is a copy of the email:
All,
Good Evening,
Thank you for your patience and accuracy in reporting the events of December 25 at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Everything we have talked about has been accurate concerning these events
That being said I have just received a piece of information that I did not previously have and hope it will clear up this matter.
As I have explained, there were no other passengers from flight 253 arrested or detained. The eyewitness accounts coincided with a separate issue concerning a passenger from a separate flight arriving at the airport. That passenger was escorted from the arriving plane to the CBP area. He was handcuffed at that time and could have been observed by the passengers from flight 253.
This still remains true; however, I now know that a passenger from flight 253 did have a canine alert to his carry on baggage in the baggage area of the CBP facility. He was placed in handcuffs and escorted to an interview room where he was interviewed and searched. There was nothing found during that search. Following the negative search results he received an explanation of why he was searched. He thanked the officers for doing their job and departed the facility along with the other passengers from flight 253.
I can not provide any other information about the individual because again, he was not arrested or detained and we have to protect his privacy.
This information is consistent with the eyewitness accounts.
I accept full responsibility for this information not being made available to you. I did not access the correct report that contained this information. I take pride in providing my media contacts complete, accurate information and I did not accomplish that this time. Please accept my apologies for any difficulties this may create.
I am sending this as an email because I will be traveling this evening and will not be available by phone until first thing in the morning.
Respectfully,
Ronald G Smith
Chief CBP Officer
Public Affairs Liaison
US Customs and Border Protection
Office of Field Operations
Mr. Ron Smith now claims the following:
1. “He just received some information he didn’t previously have”. Seriously.
2. “The eyewitness accounts coincided with a separate issue concerning a passenger from a separate flight arriving at the airport”. Please see above where I explain that we were “quarantined” which makes this statement impossible.
3. “He now knows (as if he didn’t before), that a passenger from flight 253 did have a canine alert to his carry on baggage in the baggage area of the CBP facility. . . There was nothing found during the search”.
First of all, does it seem plausible that Mr. Ron Smith didn’t have and know all of this information before? Also, please see my account of events above, where I explain that the man in orange was taken away not in handcuffs, but was HANDCUFFED AFTER HE WAS QUESTIONED/SEARCHED FOR AN HOUR! Remember, we were then moved to a new “safe” area at this time and damning comments were made by a law enforcement officer(see above).
4. “This information is consistent with eyewitness accounts”. Not mine Mr. Smith.
5. “He accepts full responsibility because he did not access the correct report that contained this information.” Mr. Smith, are you sloppy and incompetent or something else? This is the most important story in 8 years and a spokesperson for U.S. Customs just cannot come out in public and make an incorrect statement of this magnitude.
6. “Please accept my apologies . . . “ Where is my apology Mr. Smith? Oh wait, I don’t get one because the purpose of this bogus story was to discredit me…………….
Version 5: I was pretty shocked to see version 5 come out this morning in The Detroit News. It seems that Mr. Smith works really hard at this. Of course it would be much easier to just put out one correct story.
http://www.detnews.com/article/20100101/NATION/1010354/1020/rss09
This is my second favorite version besides version 3. Now Mr. Smith claims the following:
1. “My account is a composite of two events at the airport around the time passengers got off flight 253. Both events were unrelated to the suspected terrorist incident.” One of these events involved a passenger from flight 249. Come on Mr. Smith, we both know that our flight was completely “quarantined”. Please see above for a further explanation.
2. “A sniffer dog reacted to agriculture or food products inside the bag of a third man who was off yet another flight”. OK, passengers from other flights DID NOT COMINGLE WITH OUR FLIGHT!
Funnier yet, Mr. Smith is proposing that a dog sniffing for food from another flight was the same as the dog sniffing for a bomb in the carry on bag carried by the orange dressed man on flight 253, who stood 20 feet away from me the entire time until he was taken away. Oh boy is that ever a stretch.
3. “Officials did attempt to segregate flight 253 passengers but the entire baggage area was not cleared”.
Think about this one for a minute. You have the biggest crime scene in 8 years. You don’t know if there are further bombs. Federal law enforcement is involved. You don’t know if there are accomplices. You need to find evidence Yet Mr. Smith proposes that law enforcement was unable to segregate the passengers of Flight 253 and let others trample through our “quarantine area”. Mr. Smith you should become a comedian.
Please answer a few questions for me Mr. Smith before I accept the apology you have yet to give to the passengers of flight 253:
1. Why were the passengers of flight 253 detained on a plane for 20 minutes not knowing if there was another bomb on the plane, in the cargo hold, or on another passenger after the “terrorist” had admitted that he had an explosive device in his pocket to a flight attendant, tried to detonate it, and set our plane on fire? Was it gross incompetence or something else?
2. Why were the passengers of flight 253 taken WITH their carry on bags and held with them for one hour before bomb sniffing dogs arrived in the baggage claim area of the terminal, all the while not knowing if any of the bags contained a bomb? Was it gross incompetence or something else? Did law enforcement intentionally risk the ENITRE AIRPORT TERMINAL TO AN EXPLOSIVE DEVICE or was it something else?
3. Why did you indicate to a well respected reporter that our carry on bags were searched ON THE PLANE, when in fact they were never searched (except for sniffer dogs), until she told you that my wife and I adamantly disputed your claim? Then you suddenly changed the official position to, yes, the carry on bags were not searched? (This was relayed to me in confidence)
Mr. Smith, I think if you honestly answer the few questions above, we will have our answer as to why the “official” position regarding the man in orange has changed 5 times. I suspect that all of the above is tied in together. Draw your own conclusion.
By the way, I look forward to version six of the official story.
I am not going away.
---A concerned American and a victim on multiple fronts, Kurt Haskell
As many of you know, my wife Lori and I were passengers and innocent victims of Northwest Flight 253 (Flight 253). We have repeated our story many times to various reporters, television and radio stations ,both across the country and abroad. Our story has never changed. What I would like to emphasize in this article is that not only did we almost lose our lives in the air, but we also almost lost our lives after our plane landed. Let me explain.
When Flight 253 landed, the passengers were forced to stay on the plane on the runway for 20 minutes. We were forced to do this despite not knowing whether there was a further bomb on our plane held by another passenger, in a carry on bag, or in the cargo hold. This action taken by law enforcement further endangered the lives of every passenger on flight 253.
After we were removed from the plane all of the passengers of flight 253 were taken to an empty baggage claim area of an airport terminal. We all had our carry on bags with us and we stood together for nearly one hour until bomb sniffing dogs arrived. Three dogs arrived, one lab, and two German shepherds. The dogs were split up and one German shepherd sat next to a bag of “the man in orange” who stood 20 feet from me the entire time until he was detained (see my post yesterday for more detail). This man in orange was immediately taken into a room for questioning. He was not handcuffed at this time. After approximately one hour, the man in orange was taken out of that room, handcuffed, and led away. At this exact time, a law enforcement person came up to the group of flight 253 passengers and said the following (approximate quote) “You are all being moved to another area because this are is not safe. You all just saw what happened and I’m sure you are smart enough to read between the lines and figure out what is going on.” We were then escorted out of this baggage claim room and taken to a long narrow hallway. While we were being held in this area, an FBI agent announced the following to us 253 passengers “We have those (Plural) we believe are responsible for this in custody we will now be doing interviews with each of you and then you are free to go.” He went on to state two further references to more than one person, which I cannot specifically quote. I have repeated this exact story hundreds of times since flight 253.
The “official” story regarding the man in orange has now changed numerous times.
Version 1: This was the official story from 12-25-09 to 12-30-09. This version was that only Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was involved or detained.
Version 2: After some of my fellow passengers supported my claim in media accounts, this version 2 was released and became the official story on December 30, 2009.. This version was that, yes, another man was taken into custody, but he was being held indefinitely on “immigration charges”.
Version 3: This version came out late in the day on December 30, 2009. This version provided that yes another man was taken into custody, but he was from another flight. This story was the most ridiculous version to date and made myself write the current article on Mlive.com.
http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2009/12/flight_253_passenger_kurt_hask.html
Let me explain.
Ever since the passengers of flight 253 got off of the plane, we were “quarantined”. By this I mean that nobody was allowed on our floor of the terminal or anywhere near any of us passengers. As a matter of fact, we never saw anyone except law enforcement personnel the entire time we were held by customs (6 hours). To say that the man that was being held was from another flight, and is the same one I saw 20 feet away from me the entire time, defies logic. We were in such tight security that we were not able to drink, eat, use our phones, or go to the bathroom by ourselves (without a law enforcement officer). However, this version tries to make the American public believe that passengers from other flights were by us commingling the entire time. This did not happen. To think that law enforcement would let anyone else near the passengers and crime scene of the biggest terrorist attack in 8 years is simply beyond comprehension. Further, every plane that landed for quite some time after we did, held its passengers on board for a long time. The man in orange was taken away one hour into our detention period (during which, I do not believe any other flights allowed their passengers to get off of). Most certainly however, no other passengers were on the baggage claim floor that we were. When I wrote the above Mlive article I predicted that I would soon see version 4 of the “official story”. I was overwhelmed to find not only a fourth version, but a fifth version.
Version 4: Shortly after 6PM eastern time on December 31, 2009, Ron Smith of U.S. Customs sent an email to various reporters across the country. I received my copy from a reporter that I have been corresponding with. Here is a copy of the email:
All,
Good Evening,
Thank you for your patience and accuracy in reporting the events of December 25 at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Everything we have talked about has been accurate concerning these events
That being said I have just received a piece of information that I did not previously have and hope it will clear up this matter.
As I have explained, there were no other passengers from flight 253 arrested or detained. The eyewitness accounts coincided with a separate issue concerning a passenger from a separate flight arriving at the airport. That passenger was escorted from the arriving plane to the CBP area. He was handcuffed at that time and could have been observed by the passengers from flight 253.
This still remains true; however, I now know that a passenger from flight 253 did have a canine alert to his carry on baggage in the baggage area of the CBP facility. He was placed in handcuffs and escorted to an interview room where he was interviewed and searched. There was nothing found during that search. Following the negative search results he received an explanation of why he was searched. He thanked the officers for doing their job and departed the facility along with the other passengers from flight 253.
I can not provide any other information about the individual because again, he was not arrested or detained and we have to protect his privacy.
This information is consistent with the eyewitness accounts.
I accept full responsibility for this information not being made available to you. I did not access the correct report that contained this information. I take pride in providing my media contacts complete, accurate information and I did not accomplish that this time. Please accept my apologies for any difficulties this may create.
I am sending this as an email because I will be traveling this evening and will not be available by phone until first thing in the morning.
Respectfully,
Ronald G Smith
Chief CBP Officer
Public Affairs Liaison
US Customs and Border Protection
Office of Field Operations
Mr. Ron Smith now claims the following:
1. “He just received some information he didn’t previously have”. Seriously.
2. “The eyewitness accounts coincided with a separate issue concerning a passenger from a separate flight arriving at the airport”. Please see above where I explain that we were “quarantined” which makes this statement impossible.
3. “He now knows (as if he didn’t before), that a passenger from flight 253 did have a canine alert to his carry on baggage in the baggage area of the CBP facility. . . There was nothing found during the search”.
First of all, does it seem plausible that Mr. Ron Smith didn’t have and know all of this information before? Also, please see my account of events above, where I explain that the man in orange was taken away not in handcuffs, but was HANDCUFFED AFTER HE WAS QUESTIONED/SEARCHED FOR AN HOUR! Remember, we were then moved to a new “safe” area at this time and damning comments were made by a law enforcement officer(see above).
4. “This information is consistent with eyewitness accounts”. Not mine Mr. Smith.
5. “He accepts full responsibility because he did not access the correct report that contained this information.” Mr. Smith, are you sloppy and incompetent or something else? This is the most important story in 8 years and a spokesperson for U.S. Customs just cannot come out in public and make an incorrect statement of this magnitude.
6. “Please accept my apologies . . . “ Where is my apology Mr. Smith? Oh wait, I don’t get one because the purpose of this bogus story was to discredit me…………….
Version 5: I was pretty shocked to see version 5 come out this morning in The Detroit News. It seems that Mr. Smith works really hard at this. Of course it would be much easier to just put out one correct story.
http://www.detnews.com/article/20100101/NATION/1010354/1020/rss09
This is my second favorite version besides version 3. Now Mr. Smith claims the following:
1. “My account is a composite of two events at the airport around the time passengers got off flight 253. Both events were unrelated to the suspected terrorist incident.” One of these events involved a passenger from flight 249. Come on Mr. Smith, we both know that our flight was completely “quarantined”. Please see above for a further explanation.
2. “A sniffer dog reacted to agriculture or food products inside the bag of a third man who was off yet another flight”. OK, passengers from other flights DID NOT COMINGLE WITH OUR FLIGHT!
Funnier yet, Mr. Smith is proposing that a dog sniffing for food from another flight was the same as the dog sniffing for a bomb in the carry on bag carried by the orange dressed man on flight 253, who stood 20 feet away from me the entire time until he was taken away. Oh boy is that ever a stretch.
3. “Officials did attempt to segregate flight 253 passengers but the entire baggage area was not cleared”.
Think about this one for a minute. You have the biggest crime scene in 8 years. You don’t know if there are further bombs. Federal law enforcement is involved. You don’t know if there are accomplices. You need to find evidence Yet Mr. Smith proposes that law enforcement was unable to segregate the passengers of Flight 253 and let others trample through our “quarantine area”. Mr. Smith you should become a comedian.
Please answer a few questions for me Mr. Smith before I accept the apology you have yet to give to the passengers of flight 253:
1. Why were the passengers of flight 253 detained on a plane for 20 minutes not knowing if there was another bomb on the plane, in the cargo hold, or on another passenger after the “terrorist” had admitted that he had an explosive device in his pocket to a flight attendant, tried to detonate it, and set our plane on fire? Was it gross incompetence or something else?
2. Why were the passengers of flight 253 taken WITH their carry on bags and held with them for one hour before bomb sniffing dogs arrived in the baggage claim area of the terminal, all the while not knowing if any of the bags contained a bomb? Was it gross incompetence or something else? Did law enforcement intentionally risk the ENITRE AIRPORT TERMINAL TO AN EXPLOSIVE DEVICE or was it something else?
3. Why did you indicate to a well respected reporter that our carry on bags were searched ON THE PLANE, when in fact they were never searched (except for sniffer dogs), until she told you that my wife and I adamantly disputed your claim? Then you suddenly changed the official position to, yes, the carry on bags were not searched? (This was relayed to me in confidence)
Mr. Smith, I think if you honestly answer the few questions above, we will have our answer as to why the “official” position regarding the man in orange has changed 5 times. I suspect that all of the above is tied in together. Draw your own conclusion.
By the way, I look forward to version six of the official story.
I am not going away.
---A concerned American and a victim on multiple fronts, Kurt Haskell
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Do I Exist?
Below is an email I received from a random person, questioning if I truly exist...
Apparently, I don't, and the governement has made me up to scare the American people about international travel.
I think all I can say is "wow".
**********************************************************************
name: BJORKMAN Anders
home phone: +334 93784590
cell phone: +33661725424
e-mail: anders.bjorkman@wanadoo.fr
preffered contact: cell
preferred contact: e-mail
county: Alpes Maritime, France, Europe
additional info: Hello,
it seems some people do not believe you exist;
http://z6.invisionfree.com/Reality_Shack/index.php?showtopic=83&st=30&
Pls, confirm that you exist.
kind regards
Anders Bj�rkman, http://heiwaco.tripod.com
Apparently, I don't, and the governement has made me up to scare the American people about international travel.
I think all I can say is "wow".
**********************************************************************
name: BJORKMAN Anders
home phone: +334 93784590
cell phone: +33661725424
e-mail: anders.bjorkman@wanadoo.fr
preffered contact: cell
preferred contact: e-mail
county: Alpes Maritime, France, Europe
additional info: Hello,
it seems some people do not believe you exist;
http://z6.invisionfree.com/Reality_Shack/index.php?showtopic=83&st=30&
Pls, confirm that you exist.
kind regards
Anders Bj�rkman, http://heiwaco.tripod.com
Funny
I totally feel better now! (heavy sarcasm, LOL)
Dear Lori and Kurt Haskell,
RE: Case Number 8049355
On behalf of Delta Air Lines, I want to take this opportunity to express
our concern for the inconvenience (I like how they call this an inconvenience, like there was some minor turbulence or something) you experienced when there was a
disturbance (how about, he tried to blow up my plane and there was fire going up the wall) by another passenger (terrorist) as you approached Detroit on Flight
253.
I understand how unsettling this event must have been for you. As you
are aware, the passenger was subdued and was taken into custody by law
enforcement authorities. Delta Air Lines will be fully cooperating with
the law enforcement officials who are leading the investigation.
As a gesture of goodwill, we are providing you with an electronic credit
voucher for $250.00. The voucher can be applied to a future ticket
purchase. The terms and conditions will arrive under a separate cover.
We pledge to you that we are dedicated to providing safe transportation,
and we hope you will provide us an opportunity to serve your air travel
needs again soon. Thank you for your understanding and for flying
Delta Air Lines.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Reed
General Manager, Customer Care
Northwest/KLM/Delta Air Lines
Dear Lori and Kurt Haskell,
RE: Case Number 8049355
On behalf of Delta Air Lines, I want to take this opportunity to express
our concern for the inconvenience (I like how they call this an inconvenience, like there was some minor turbulence or something) you experienced when there was a
disturbance (how about, he tried to blow up my plane and there was fire going up the wall) by another passenger (terrorist) as you approached Detroit on Flight
253.
I understand how unsettling this event must have been for you. As you
are aware, the passenger was subdued and was taken into custody by law
enforcement authorities. Delta Air Lines will be fully cooperating with
the law enforcement officials who are leading the investigation.
As a gesture of goodwill, we are providing you with an electronic credit
voucher for $250.00. The voucher can be applied to a future ticket
purchase. The terms and conditions will arrive under a separate cover.
We pledge to you that we are dedicated to providing safe transportation,
and we hope you will provide us an opportunity to serve your air travel
needs again soon. Thank you for your understanding and for flying
Delta Air Lines.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Reed
General Manager, Customer Care
Northwest/KLM/Delta Air Lines
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Safe and Sound
Kurt was interviewed by Mlive regarding our experiences on Flight 253. Check it out here.
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Product Review
The pugs have reviewed a product for me, that was purchased for them at the grcoery store. haha.
The product is a dog snack called Purina Busy Rollhides. The pugs, and Whiskey, loved this snack. they all spent a lot of time eating it and enjoying it, and the pugs are VERY picky about non-soft treats.
I highly recommend this for your dogs.
The product is a dog snack called Purina Busy Rollhides. The pugs, and Whiskey, loved this snack. they all spent a lot of time eating it and enjoying it, and the pugs are VERY picky about non-soft treats.
I highly recommend this for your dogs.
updates
I keep starting posts, erasing them, starting them erasing them.....not enough time to finish a thought, and nothing really substantial to say.
Got two packages at the office this week, one, my Tilley hat and the other, my clothes from Ex Officio. Kurt has already stolen the Tilley hat. The guy who did not want a safari hat steals the first one that comes in the mail. haha. I love the hat from Ex Officio, and most of the clothes. One pair of pants, for some reason, is HUGE, so I need to send those back, but I like the capri pants and shorts. So yay for things to wear on vacay. Kurt has been wearing the Tilley hat around the house, he is such a dork.
I am finally getting excited about vacation. Have not thought about it at all until now. I try not to until right beforehand because then I have a hard time concentrating at work, but since we leave late Friday, I think I can start. Not looking forward to the 21 hour flight, but am SOOO looking forward to all the animals, new experiences, and time off ot work, which is much needed.
We worked all day yesterday and part of today and I can actually see my desk again! Whoot! i want it totally cleared before we leave because I know it will be covered in stuff by the time I get back.
I ran some errands after work today, the place we booked our safari thru sent us a list of things we may want for the trip, and a lot of it, we do not have. I went to Cabela's and bought Kurt some lightweight hiking pants, and myself a pair as well. Weirdly, one of the pairs does not fit Kurt right, and another pair, I grabbed the wrong size somehow. One pair thankfully fits perfect. I think the hanger said one thing and the pants said another. Sigh. Also bought a high power small flashlight, as well as another pair of binoculars. We have one pair, but i think for this trip we may want two. Stopped at Kohl's (Rebecca's most recent post reminded me I needed to use my Kohl's cash) and got a pair of pants for the trip for a grand total of $7 after the Kohl's cash and my discount. The guy at the register was so nice. I forgot my coupon, but he gave me my 15% off anyway. Oh, and the guy at Cabela's?? He gave me 10% off the binoculars because it was the last pair! Everyone is so in the holiday spirit. ;). and OMG, Cabela's is insanely busy! You would never guess the MI economy is depressed going to that store. Pure insanity!
I have a confession. I am addicted to Season One of 90210, and not the old show (although I love that one too). The new one! Never thought I would like it, but it is a good show! Nowhere close to the original, of course, but good just the same! I heart mindless TV.
Anyway, work has been insane, so not much else to post about.
Got two packages at the office this week, one, my Tilley hat and the other, my clothes from Ex Officio. Kurt has already stolen the Tilley hat. The guy who did not want a safari hat steals the first one that comes in the mail. haha. I love the hat from Ex Officio, and most of the clothes. One pair of pants, for some reason, is HUGE, so I need to send those back, but I like the capri pants and shorts. So yay for things to wear on vacay. Kurt has been wearing the Tilley hat around the house, he is such a dork.
I am finally getting excited about vacation. Have not thought about it at all until now. I try not to until right beforehand because then I have a hard time concentrating at work, but since we leave late Friday, I think I can start. Not looking forward to the 21 hour flight, but am SOOO looking forward to all the animals, new experiences, and time off ot work, which is much needed.
We worked all day yesterday and part of today and I can actually see my desk again! Whoot! i want it totally cleared before we leave because I know it will be covered in stuff by the time I get back.
I ran some errands after work today, the place we booked our safari thru sent us a list of things we may want for the trip, and a lot of it, we do not have. I went to Cabela's and bought Kurt some lightweight hiking pants, and myself a pair as well. Weirdly, one of the pairs does not fit Kurt right, and another pair, I grabbed the wrong size somehow. One pair thankfully fits perfect. I think the hanger said one thing and the pants said another. Sigh. Also bought a high power small flashlight, as well as another pair of binoculars. We have one pair, but i think for this trip we may want two. Stopped at Kohl's (Rebecca's most recent post reminded me I needed to use my Kohl's cash) and got a pair of pants for the trip for a grand total of $7 after the Kohl's cash and my discount. The guy at the register was so nice. I forgot my coupon, but he gave me my 15% off anyway. Oh, and the guy at Cabela's?? He gave me 10% off the binoculars because it was the last pair! Everyone is so in the holiday spirit. ;). and OMG, Cabela's is insanely busy! You would never guess the MI economy is depressed going to that store. Pure insanity!
I have a confession. I am addicted to Season One of 90210, and not the old show (although I love that one too). The new one! Never thought I would like it, but it is a good show! Nowhere close to the original, of course, but good just the same! I heart mindless TV.
Anyway, work has been insane, so not much else to post about.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Thanksgiving and the Rest of the Week
I started this post on 11/21. Just finishing it now. So sad how slow i am at getting things posted.....
I bought a humidifier for our bedroom. This time of year, I start waking up in the middle of the night, really thirsty. Like my throat is insanely dry. Bought this one at Target. It says you only have to put water in every 36 hours. I think that's only if it's on low, as I had to put in water after about 24 hours (on high). Which is fine. So far, I really like it, and, it is not as ugly as your normal humidifier. Since this post is so old, I have now been using the humidifier for like a week and I really like it. I am not waking up in the middle of the night desperate for water. Whoot!
Work has been crazy busy with expansion stuff as well as every day stuff. I went in today and worked part of the day myself. I filed 9 bankruptcies and some other bankruptcy docs, then stopped and went to the mall to stop at a few stores. I love being at the office when the phone is not ringing off the hook and nobody is stopping in. SOOOO productive for paperwork. While I was there, Kurt was working on our bedroom. We bought paint this morning, as well as new covers for the light switches and outlets (silver), and two new lights for the room. I need to search online for a new ceiling fan. I personally do not want to put another ceiling fan up. I want to just put lights up and be done, but Kurt wants a fan. I am going to look for something smaller, because we do not have really high ceilings in our room. Anyway, the paint looks awesome. I love it. Our room is like a mini-spa now or something. :). We bought a flat screen TV on Black Friday for the room, and hung that as well. It is nice to be able to turn the TV on in the morning and sit there until we fully wake up. Also, it will be nice for those late night games Kurt watches, he can watch from bed and I can sleep! Whoot!
Speaking of Black Friday, we actually wandered out on that day, which Kurt never does and I rarely do. We found a new winter coat for Kurt at Macy's. He cannot find his mid-length coat from last year that I bought him. Please explain to me how someone LOSES a winter coat, LOL. I am sure it will turn up. They are both nice wool coats, so he will just have two. My opinion is, you can never have too many classic coats! OK, maybe that is just a sign I am addicted to coats. In MI, I at least get wear out of all of them. We also got Kurt two new baseball hats at Lids, and looked at cameras at Best Buy (did not buy anything, they are overpriced there). I am really wanting the Canon 50D, however, I am having a hard time justifying buying it since the camera I have is perfectly fine.
Speaking of coats, I finally found a black coat that will work for over my suits!!! I found it at Kohl's, while shopping with Rebecca. Then, my addict self went to Macy's today, as I had a $10 coupon off and found an amazing deal on this coat....I have been wanting a green coat for like two years, and could never find one I really liked on. I generally do not like this short of a coat, but this one is really cute.
Saturday late afternoon, I headed to Clawson to see Rebecca. We headed to a couple stores before having dinner with Lauren and Sarah. Stopped at Kohl's, where Rebecca picked up some things she needed. I bought a really cute winter hat (that Kurt hates and I have no idea why) and some freezer storage things that I have been wanting to pick up. I have been making "extra" of a lot of my meals lately, and storing them, but have nothing really good to store the stuff in. We then went to DSW and I bought a pair of cute work heels that are similar to these. Two pairs of my black heels are about falling apart and I need to replace them, even though I am attached........Both pairs are super comfy and cute, and I will only get rid of them when I have to. Went with Rebecca, Lauren and Sarah to dinner, which was super fun, then hung out some at rebecca's afterwards.
So, Thanksgiving, Kurt and I stayed home and had my Dad over (we are doing a bigger family thing tomorrow). I made my Dad steak (ended up buying a New York Strip), made Kurt and I grilled tuna, and made scalloped potatoes, homemade mac and cheese, and made up fruit/veggie trays and a cheese/cracker tray (it was fun making the veggie trays, as I only used stuff I knew my Dad and Kurt liked, so it was a little different than your normal tray, LOL, mostly contained cucumers, radishes, broccoli, apples, strawberries). Also, made a chocolate cream pie for dessert, as it is like the only dessert my Dad likes (pie). I used a graham cracker crust, and my Dad just raved about it, so I guess the recipe gets a thumbs up! We basically sat around watching football, playing cards, and Kurt had a few too many rum and cokes. Whoopsie! :). It was a great laid-back Thanksgiving.
We are getting soooo close to our trip! Kurt had to start taking his Malaria meds tonight! (we take different scrips as the one I take bothers Kurt's stomach). The one Kurt is on now "may cause vivid nightmares", so that will be interesting since Kurt rarely even remembers his dreams, or even has them. I dont have to start taking mine until the day before we get there.
Oscar has been acting weirdly the past couple days. We are thinking he may have arthritis, but I think he is kinda young for that, since he is only 6 (almost 7). He may have just hurt his leg. He was walking around last night, acting like he was hurting and would not even jump on the bed, but then today, he seemed better. We hate taking them to the emergency vet, so I will make an appointment on monday for him at the regular vet.
So, the other day, I ordered some clothes from a new website, for our trip. Hope they fit OK. I just wanted some clothing better suited for the safari then I have, and I found a coupon for this site, and everything I bought was on clearance (pretty much). I also had been wanting a hat for the trip, as the sun in Africa is supposedly really harsh. So, I found this site, ExOfficio, and the stuff seems pretty high quality (anyone ever use this site??). I bought all capris and shorts (I have a lot of t-shirts and tanks already I can take with me on the trip. Just looked on FedEx and I should have it all Monday (looks like they tried to deliver Friday and Saturday and we were not there). I got these shorts, these capris, these capris, and this hat. Got another pair of shorts too that I guess are now not available. also bought this hat on eBay (have not yet received it either, but they said they shipped it).
Anyway, I am super tired, so I am going to close here. Hope everyone had a really nice holiday, and if you shopped, got some great deals!!!! :).
I bought a humidifier for our bedroom. This time of year, I start waking up in the middle of the night, really thirsty. Like my throat is insanely dry. Bought this one at Target. It says you only have to put water in every 36 hours. I think that's only if it's on low, as I had to put in water after about 24 hours (on high). Which is fine. So far, I really like it, and, it is not as ugly as your normal humidifier. Since this post is so old, I have now been using the humidifier for like a week and I really like it. I am not waking up in the middle of the night desperate for water. Whoot!
Work has been crazy busy with expansion stuff as well as every day stuff. I went in today and worked part of the day myself. I filed 9 bankruptcies and some other bankruptcy docs, then stopped and went to the mall to stop at a few stores. I love being at the office when the phone is not ringing off the hook and nobody is stopping in. SOOOO productive for paperwork. While I was there, Kurt was working on our bedroom. We bought paint this morning, as well as new covers for the light switches and outlets (silver), and two new lights for the room. I need to search online for a new ceiling fan. I personally do not want to put another ceiling fan up. I want to just put lights up and be done, but Kurt wants a fan. I am going to look for something smaller, because we do not have really high ceilings in our room. Anyway, the paint looks awesome. I love it. Our room is like a mini-spa now or something. :). We bought a flat screen TV on Black Friday for the room, and hung that as well. It is nice to be able to turn the TV on in the morning and sit there until we fully wake up. Also, it will be nice for those late night games Kurt watches, he can watch from bed and I can sleep! Whoot!
Speaking of Black Friday, we actually wandered out on that day, which Kurt never does and I rarely do. We found a new winter coat for Kurt at Macy's. He cannot find his mid-length coat from last year that I bought him. Please explain to me how someone LOSES a winter coat, LOL. I am sure it will turn up. They are both nice wool coats, so he will just have two. My opinion is, you can never have too many classic coats! OK, maybe that is just a sign I am addicted to coats. In MI, I at least get wear out of all of them. We also got Kurt two new baseball hats at Lids, and looked at cameras at Best Buy (did not buy anything, they are overpriced there). I am really wanting the Canon 50D, however, I am having a hard time justifying buying it since the camera I have is perfectly fine.
Speaking of coats, I finally found a black coat that will work for over my suits!!! I found it at Kohl's, while shopping with Rebecca. Then, my addict self went to Macy's today, as I had a $10 coupon off and found an amazing deal on this coat....I have been wanting a green coat for like two years, and could never find one I really liked on. I generally do not like this short of a coat, but this one is really cute.
Saturday late afternoon, I headed to Clawson to see Rebecca. We headed to a couple stores before having dinner with Lauren and Sarah. Stopped at Kohl's, where Rebecca picked up some things she needed. I bought a really cute winter hat (that Kurt hates and I have no idea why) and some freezer storage things that I have been wanting to pick up. I have been making "extra" of a lot of my meals lately, and storing them, but have nothing really good to store the stuff in. We then went to DSW and I bought a pair of cute work heels that are similar to these. Two pairs of my black heels are about falling apart and I need to replace them, even though I am attached........Both pairs are super comfy and cute, and I will only get rid of them when I have to. Went with Rebecca, Lauren and Sarah to dinner, which was super fun, then hung out some at rebecca's afterwards.
So, Thanksgiving, Kurt and I stayed home and had my Dad over (we are doing a bigger family thing tomorrow). I made my Dad steak (ended up buying a New York Strip), made Kurt and I grilled tuna, and made scalloped potatoes, homemade mac and cheese, and made up fruit/veggie trays and a cheese/cracker tray (it was fun making the veggie trays, as I only used stuff I knew my Dad and Kurt liked, so it was a little different than your normal tray, LOL, mostly contained cucumers, radishes, broccoli, apples, strawberries). Also, made a chocolate cream pie for dessert, as it is like the only dessert my Dad likes (pie). I used a graham cracker crust, and my Dad just raved about it, so I guess the recipe gets a thumbs up! We basically sat around watching football, playing cards, and Kurt had a few too many rum and cokes. Whoopsie! :). It was a great laid-back Thanksgiving.
We are getting soooo close to our trip! Kurt had to start taking his Malaria meds tonight! (we take different scrips as the one I take bothers Kurt's stomach). The one Kurt is on now "may cause vivid nightmares", so that will be interesting since Kurt rarely even remembers his dreams, or even has them. I dont have to start taking mine until the day before we get there.
Oscar has been acting weirdly the past couple days. We are thinking he may have arthritis, but I think he is kinda young for that, since he is only 6 (almost 7). He may have just hurt his leg. He was walking around last night, acting like he was hurting and would not even jump on the bed, but then today, he seemed better. We hate taking them to the emergency vet, so I will make an appointment on monday for him at the regular vet.
So, the other day, I ordered some clothes from a new website, for our trip. Hope they fit OK. I just wanted some clothing better suited for the safari then I have, and I found a coupon for this site, and everything I bought was on clearance (pretty much). I also had been wanting a hat for the trip, as the sun in Africa is supposedly really harsh. So, I found this site, ExOfficio, and the stuff seems pretty high quality (anyone ever use this site??). I bought all capris and shorts (I have a lot of t-shirts and tanks already I can take with me on the trip. Just looked on FedEx and I should have it all Monday (looks like they tried to deliver Friday and Saturday and we were not there). I got these shorts, these capris, these capris, and this hat. Got another pair of shorts too that I guess are now not available. also bought this hat on eBay (have not yet received it either, but they said they shipped it).
Anyway, I am super tired, so I am going to close here. Hope everyone had a really nice holiday, and if you shopped, got some great deals!!!! :).
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! :).
Even though I may be doing some paperwork this weekend, I am thankful for some time off of work!
I have a lot to be thankful for this year, however, I do not have right now to blog. I will try to do so later.
Go Lions! (in my Lori dream land, they will win!)
Even though I may be doing some paperwork this weekend, I am thankful for some time off of work!
I have a lot to be thankful for this year, however, I do not have right now to blog. I will try to do so later.
Go Lions! (in my Lori dream land, they will win!)
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Steak Question
OK, I know this is weird, coming from a vegetarian and all. However, I am going to be making a steak this week (not for me) for a holiday function. I have to go buy it, however, I have no idea what cut, etc., is the best. So from you foodies, who like steak and cook it at home, what is the BEST I can buy that will be available at a local supermarket like Kroger's (a nonhigh end grocery store)? Also, any tips on the best way to cook a steak?
Thanks in advance for answering my odd question.
Thanks in advance for answering my odd question.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Honestly....from Rebecca
I was given this award by Rebecca! :). Thus, I am following the rules and participating.
Rules: Thank the person who gave you the award and link to their blog. Share 10 honest things about yourself. Present this award to 7 other whose blogs you find brilliant in design or content.
Thanks, Rebecca!!! Love getting these little awards. Super fun. Hmmmmmm, 10 honest things about myself. I am going to try and think of new things that you all don't already know, but that might be kinda hard. Here goes......
1. I honestly was terrified of animals until I was about 8 years old or so. I would literally scream if a cat or dog came near me, and would become hysterical. For no reason at all. I had never been bit, nothing. My Mom got a puppy for us around that time and since then, I have been a total animal lover, to the point now that I don't eat meat because i don't want to think I contributed to the death of an animal. Quite the jump there......
2. As a kid, we honestly NEVER travelled. We mostly went to Glennie, MI, to the family cabin (which I loved, don't get me wrong, but it was still just MI). We also went to Niagara Falls once. That was it. I think that is the reason I am obsessed with travelling now, I never really got to experience it as a kid.
3. Until about 6th grade, I honestly was the most shy kid around. I barely talked to anyone unless I really, really knew them. My teachers would tell me Mom that I was really smart (I was even in the gifted and talented program), but they were concerned about my lack of participation and socialization. i actually really did not even talk until I was about 4 years old. This is funny to me now, because now, I will almost talk to anyone and would not consider myself shy at all really. However, when I am in situations where I do not know anyone, I do tend to be kinda shy and aloof.
4. I honestly will do and try almost anything. I think I terrify Kurt sometimes because I don't even think before volunteering to do something crazy. Who would like to jump off the boat first? Me! Who wants to hold the snake? Me! Who wants to walk across the shaky scary brige? Me. Who wants to swim with sharks? Me. I LOVE LOVE LOVE an adrenaline rush, and I love having stories to tell my friends and family. I don't even think before I do these things, and afterwards, I am like WHAT THE HELL was I thinking? Like the swimming with 8 sharks in Galapagos? I still shudder about that, but I was all about it while I was there. LOL.
5. I honestly was obsessed with reading as a kid, to the point where I won awards for the amount of books I read in elementary school. In 3rd grade, I was reading at an 11th grade level. Now, I probably, because of time, read maybe like 5 books a year. I think I really, thru all my schooling and such, just grew tired of it. I also have no interest now in reading anything intellectual.
6. I honestly could care less if I ever had an alcoholic drink again. For some reason, I have zero interest in drinking alcohol. I still have the every now and then drink, and I love doing shots with rebecca, but I truly could take it or leave it. I think some people think I am boring because I don't drink, and I dont really care. I have fun without it.
7. I honestly have never smoked a cigaratte, and have never done an illegal drug. But, if being around others smoking pot changes that, then I am guilty. haha. Hey, i went to Ferris for a year.
8. I honestly do not like hockey. Living in MI, this is pretty much a sin. I have no interest whatsoever in the sport, and I actuallly kinda do not like the Red Wings, because they remind me of the Yankees, meaning they are the team with the most money, so they always win. I hate those kinda teams.
9. I honestly bargain shop for EVERYTHING and use coupons anywhere I can. However, i will never bargain shop for hair salons and firmly believe that a $10 haircut is not going to be as good as a $50 one, unless I know the stylist and she is giving me a discount. it's the one thing I will never scrimp on and I dont care if I sound snobby saying that.
10. I honestly am sick of politics and politicians. I no longer consider myself a political party, and do not even like to talk politics anymore. I think they are all liars, and I hate the "politics" behind it all.
So, that's it. I think most people have already been awarded this award, so if you have not, and you read my blog, please fill it out on your blog! Hugs.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Randomness
So, I have not posted anything *real* since Monday! Work has been busy. Even though we are working more regular hours, the hours I am there are pretty crazy! I also had two board meetings this week on top of work. Friday, we had the last in the series of three shots for the rabies vaccine and now, we are DONE. Well, until we go to Asia anyway. There is some vaccine for that part of the world that we do not have yet. I cannot believe Africa is getting so close! It's crazy. Friday night, Kurt and went to dinner to relax.
Saturday, we did a lot of stuff around the house, me--cleaning and laundry, Kurt--working on tile in one of the downstairs bathrooms. That night, Val, Larry, Val's boyfriend Dan, and Larry's friend Mike, came over to go to dinner. We have not seen Larry in forEVER, and he seemed so TALL. I think he is like 6'3 now. He wants to go to law school and will prob start in Fall 2011. His friend, Mike, is in law school now, and really wanted to ask Kurt and I questions about having our own firm and stuff like that. He is only 22, married, has a 3 year old and is in law school. It's pretty incredible how much he has accomplished so far. Anyway, dinner was really good and it was a really fun night.
Today, we chilled at home again. I did some grocery shopping (and saved $47 with coupons, whoot), and Kurt and I ran some errands at Lowe's and Petsmart. Bought Gretel two new sweaters. She looks adorable. Kurt did some more tile work in the basement and we shopped for tile for the other basement bathroom. We also stopped and looked at kitchen stuff and I found an awesome cabinet set I really liked. I cannot wait unti we redo the kitchen someday.
Saturday, we did a lot of stuff around the house, me--cleaning and laundry, Kurt--working on tile in one of the downstairs bathrooms. That night, Val, Larry, Val's boyfriend Dan, and Larry's friend Mike, came over to go to dinner. We have not seen Larry in forEVER, and he seemed so TALL. I think he is like 6'3 now. He wants to go to law school and will prob start in Fall 2011. His friend, Mike, is in law school now, and really wanted to ask Kurt and I questions about having our own firm and stuff like that. He is only 22, married, has a 3 year old and is in law school. It's pretty incredible how much he has accomplished so far. Anyway, dinner was really good and it was a really fun night.
Today, we chilled at home again. I did some grocery shopping (and saved $47 with coupons, whoot), and Kurt and I ran some errands at Lowe's and Petsmart. Bought Gretel two new sweaters. She looks adorable. Kurt did some more tile work in the basement and we shopped for tile for the other basement bathroom. We also stopped and looked at kitchen stuff and I found an awesome cabinet set I really liked. I cannot wait unti we redo the kitchen someday.
The black coat I ordered from Ideeli was delivered this week, and the watch. The coat was cute, but not exactly what I want, so I sent it back. It was kinda more fitted than I wanted. I need something that is kinda baggy to wear over suits at work. The watch though, I love. I need to take it in to get links taken out, but it is really cute.
Oh, and the ring I ordered that was too big when it came? The right size was delivered this week! Super yay. I love it.
Made two recipes for dinner tonight from my Kraft magazine. The first, a peanut butter cup pie, and the second, a cheese-lover's pasta roll-ups. Both were super yummy and I highly recommend. The pie is really rich though, so I suggest small slices when eating. With the rollups, I made the whole recipe, but I froze most of it. I would much rather warm that up for kurty than storebought stuff.
Finally took a pic of the ceiling fans we bought, here is a close up of one of them (there are two, right next to one another, on the ceiling in the great room):
Anyway, hope everyone has been doing well. I cannot believe it is almost Thanksgiving. Trying to decide what I want to do for that holiday this year. :).
From Rach
Rules:
1. Respond and rework: Answer the questions on your blog. Replace one question with a question of your own or add a question of your own.
2. Tag other un-tagged people.
What's your favorite article of clothing?
**The jeans I got at the Bass Shoes store. The outlet stores sell clothing, and I love some of it!
Who was the last person you hugged?
**kurty
What's your favorite dinner?
**Spicy Botan Shrimp from Crave Lounge in Dearborn, MI
What was the last thing you bought?
**Groceries. Exciting, I know!
What are you listening to right now?
** The Lions/Vikings Game.
What is your favorite weather?
**Sunny, slight breeze, around 75 degrees.
What is your least favorite season?
** Winter in MI.
Who do you admire the most?
**My mom.
Say something to the person who tagged you:
**Nobody tagged me!
What is your favorite dessert or cool treat?
**Tiramisu
What did you want to be as a child?
**An eye doctor.
What do you want to be now?
**Retired
What is your favorite song?
**"Piano Man" by Billy Joel
Which is you favorite country/state, and why?
**Hmm. Costa Rica, I think. I love it there. It is relaxing, beautiful, the people are happy and friendly. The wildlife is SO diverse. And the weather is aMAZing.
If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
**I think I would pick Manistee to see my Mom and Nick, my nephew.
What are your most challenging goals right now?
**I don't really have anything ultra challenging going on. I guess training our new secretary?
What is your 5 year plan?
**I dont really do 5 year plans. However, I hope to be retired at that point.
What is your favorite sport to watch?
**Baseball.
What show would you want to be a cast member on (reality included)?
**The Amazing Race.
What is your most prized possession?
**my passport.
Name one favorite childhood memory.
**hanging in Glennie on vacation with my cousins and friends.
What is your favorite book of the Bible?
** Psalms
What is your favorite quote?
**"Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it."- William Penn
What is your favorite movie?
**Legally Blonde
Now I tag any one of you who would like to do this...and leave me a comment if you did so I can read your answers :)
1. Respond and rework: Answer the questions on your blog. Replace one question with a question of your own or add a question of your own.
2. Tag other un-tagged people.
What's your favorite article of clothing?
**The jeans I got at the Bass Shoes store. The outlet stores sell clothing, and I love some of it!
Who was the last person you hugged?
**kurty
What's your favorite dinner?
**Spicy Botan Shrimp from Crave Lounge in Dearborn, MI
What was the last thing you bought?
**Groceries. Exciting, I know!
What are you listening to right now?
** The Lions/Vikings Game.
What is your favorite weather?
**Sunny, slight breeze, around 75 degrees.
What is your least favorite season?
** Winter in MI.
Who do you admire the most?
**My mom.
Say something to the person who tagged you:
**Nobody tagged me!
What is your favorite dessert or cool treat?
**Tiramisu
What did you want to be as a child?
**An eye doctor.
What do you want to be now?
**Retired
What is your favorite song?
**"Piano Man" by Billy Joel
Which is you favorite country/state, and why?
**Hmm. Costa Rica, I think. I love it there. It is relaxing, beautiful, the people are happy and friendly. The wildlife is SO diverse. And the weather is aMAZing.
If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
**I think I would pick Manistee to see my Mom and Nick, my nephew.
What are your most challenging goals right now?
**I don't really have anything ultra challenging going on. I guess training our new secretary?
What is your 5 year plan?
**I dont really do 5 year plans. However, I hope to be retired at that point.
What is your favorite sport to watch?
**Baseball.
What show would you want to be a cast member on (reality included)?
**The Amazing Race.
What is your most prized possession?
**my passport.
Name one favorite childhood memory.
**hanging in Glennie on vacation with my cousins and friends.
What is your favorite book of the Bible?
** Psalms
What is your favorite quote?
**"Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it."- William Penn
What is your favorite movie?
**Legally Blonde
Now I tag any one of you who would like to do this...and leave me a comment if you did so I can read your answers :)
Saturday, November 14, 2009
From Sarah.....
20 years ago (November 1989)
Age? 12
Were you in school? yes. Or my parents would have been arrested, haha. I was in 6th grade.
Where did you work? I did not work. Chores around the house was about it. :).
Where did you live? Manistee, MI.
What were your regular haunts? Jamie's house, Becky's house, Jessica's house.
Did you wear glasses? Yes.
Who was your best friend? Jamie.
How many tattoos did you have? None.
How many piercings did you have? My ears.
What did you drive? haha. My Mom drove me everywhere.
What was your biggest goal? to be popular and do well in school.
Ten years ago (November 1999)
Age? 22
Were you in school? Yeppers
Where did you work? Aquilina Law Firm
Where did you live? Lansing, MI
What were your regular haunts? Mostly did stuff with Kurt, Nichole's house, the mall
Did you wear glasses? yes.
Who was your best friend? Kurt
How many tattoos did you have? None
How many piercings did you have? my ears
Five Years Ago (November 2004)
Age? 27
Were you in school? Yes. Wayne State University Law school
Where did you work? Haskell Law firm
Where did you live? Newport, MI
What were your regular haunts? I had no life. School and Work.
Did you wear glasses? Yes
Who were your best friends? Kurty
How many tattoos did you have? None
How many piercings did you have? my ears
What did you drive? Mostly, my Saturn. Also, the Wrangler.
One Year Ago (November 2008)
Were you in school? Nope.
Where did you work? Haskell Law Firm
Where did you live? Newport, MI
What were your regular haunts? My house. :).
What was your favorite song? Piano Man by Billy Joel
Who were your best friends? Kurty
What was your prized possession? My passport
What did you drive? Mostly, my Saab.
What were you looking forward to? Changes that were to come at the office, we were talking about hiring new attorneys.
As of today (November 2009)
Age? 32
Are you in school? No
Where do you work? Haskell Law Firm
What are your regular haunts? Home.
Do you wear glasses? Yes
Who is your best friend? Kurty
Do you talk to your old friends? yes
How many tattoos do you have? None
How many piercings do you have? ears
What do you drive? Mostly, my Saab 9-3 Aero Convertible.
Age? 12
Were you in school? yes. Or my parents would have been arrested, haha. I was in 6th grade.
Where did you work? I did not work. Chores around the house was about it. :).
Where did you live? Manistee, MI.
What were your regular haunts? Jamie's house, Becky's house, Jessica's house.
Did you wear glasses? Yes.
Who was your best friend? Jamie.
How many tattoos did you have? None.
How many piercings did you have? My ears.
What did you drive? haha. My Mom drove me everywhere.
What was your biggest goal? to be popular and do well in school.
Ten years ago (November 1999)
Age? 22
Were you in school? Yeppers
Where did you work? Aquilina Law Firm
Where did you live? Lansing, MI
What were your regular haunts? Mostly did stuff with Kurt, Nichole's house, the mall
Did you wear glasses? yes.
Who was your best friend? Kurt
How many tattoos did you have? None
How many piercings did you have? my ears
Five Years Ago (November 2004)
Age? 27
Were you in school? Yes. Wayne State University Law school
Where did you work? Haskell Law firm
Where did you live? Newport, MI
What were your regular haunts? I had no life. School and Work.
Did you wear glasses? Yes
Who were your best friends? Kurty
How many tattoos did you have? None
How many piercings did you have? my ears
What did you drive? Mostly, my Saturn. Also, the Wrangler.
One Year Ago (November 2008)
Were you in school? Nope.
Where did you work? Haskell Law Firm
Where did you live? Newport, MI
What were your regular haunts? My house. :).
What was your favorite song? Piano Man by Billy Joel
Who were your best friends? Kurty
What was your prized possession? My passport
What did you drive? Mostly, my Saab.
What were you looking forward to? Changes that were to come at the office, we were talking about hiring new attorneys.
As of today (November 2009)
Age? 32
Are you in school? No
Where do you work? Haskell Law Firm
What are your regular haunts? Home.
Do you wear glasses? Yes
Who is your best friend? Kurty
Do you talk to your old friends? yes
How many tattoos do you have? None
How many piercings do you have? ears
What do you drive? Mostly, my Saab 9-3 Aero Convertible.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Taurus
Rebecca posted this on her blog, and I always like to read stuff like this, even though I don't buy into it. Some of this is, a lot of this, is eerily accurate. Like Rebecca, since I am not into astrology, I dont really know if I am on the cusp of something or not, but I will add some comments below.
Taurus - Ruled by Saturn : [ April 21 - May 21]: My birthday is May 17.
• A Feminine Negative Fixed Earth Sign
• Polar or Opposite sign: Scorpio
• Colour - Shades of verdant green
• Stubborn and dependable, you are blessed with a bullish steadiness, which is your very own. (this is very true)
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Taurus Traits
Positive Traits
• Patient and reliable: Hmm, don't really know on patient.
• Warmhearted and loving
• Persistent and determined
• Placid and security loving: had to look up placid, haha.
Negative Traits
• Jealous and possessive
• Resentful and inflexible: I would not say I am inflexible, but I do resist change sometimes.
• Self-indulgent and greedy: I am not greedy at all.
Taurus Likes: permanency, stability, luxury, comfort, pleasure and good food: all true
Taurus Dislikes: disruption, being rushed, being indoors, being pushed too hard and any break in routine: all true as well
Important Parameters
Lucky Number - 6
Lucky Color - Green
Lucky Flower - Violet
Lucky Gemstone - Sapphire, Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli, Moss Agate, Jade and Opal
Lucky Day - Friday
General features
Taurus represents art, beauty in all its forms, and strength (not only physical). Taureans are realistic, security loving (both on the material and psychological level). In order to obtain this kind of security, they use all their qualities of resistance, quietness, patience and practical intelligence. The steady character makes them reliable and practical with a natural ability for business or anything involving money. They are placid and at times stubborn as they do not appreciate change. They seldom lose control, but when they get angry they can be violent (LOL, I am never violent, although I do sometimes overreact when angry). This is the reason why it is necessary for him to find the right partner. Most people with Taurus prominent have a deep, powerful, or melodious voice. Among their most suitable careers: interior decorator, teacher, and cook (dont know how attorney fits in here, haha). Most of all taureans like relaxing, but only after having reached a prefixed goal (SOO true of me). Person born under this sign, are an endearing combination of the dependable and sensible, the sensitive and emotional. Taurus is not attracted easily, and even when they are, they move towards the person they desire with extreme caution. Taurus will look at the person they desire, they will analyze their positives and their faults, and then they will decide if to move forward.
Taurus - Ruled by Saturn : [ April 21 - May 21]: My birthday is May 17.
• A Feminine Negative Fixed Earth Sign
• Polar or Opposite sign: Scorpio
• Colour - Shades of verdant green
• Stubborn and dependable, you are blessed with a bullish steadiness, which is your very own. (this is very true)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Taurus Traits
Positive Traits
• Patient and reliable: Hmm, don't really know on patient.
• Warmhearted and loving
• Persistent and determined
• Placid and security loving: had to look up placid, haha.
Negative Traits
• Jealous and possessive
• Resentful and inflexible: I would not say I am inflexible, but I do resist change sometimes.
• Self-indulgent and greedy: I am not greedy at all.
Taurus Likes: permanency, stability, luxury, comfort, pleasure and good food: all true
Taurus Dislikes: disruption, being rushed, being indoors, being pushed too hard and any break in routine: all true as well
Important Parameters
Lucky Number - 6
Lucky Color - Green
Lucky Flower - Violet
Lucky Gemstone - Sapphire, Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli, Moss Agate, Jade and Opal
Lucky Day - Friday
General features
Taurus represents art, beauty in all its forms, and strength (not only physical). Taureans are realistic, security loving (both on the material and psychological level). In order to obtain this kind of security, they use all their qualities of resistance, quietness, patience and practical intelligence. The steady character makes them reliable and practical with a natural ability for business or anything involving money. They are placid and at times stubborn as they do not appreciate change. They seldom lose control, but when they get angry they can be violent (LOL, I am never violent, although I do sometimes overreact when angry). This is the reason why it is necessary for him to find the right partner. Most people with Taurus prominent have a deep, powerful, or melodious voice. Among their most suitable careers: interior decorator, teacher, and cook (dont know how attorney fits in here, haha). Most of all taureans like relaxing, but only after having reached a prefixed goal (SOO true of me). Person born under this sign, are an endearing combination of the dependable and sensible, the sensitive and emotional. Taurus is not attracted easily, and even when they are, they move towards the person they desire with extreme caution. Taurus will look at the person they desire, they will analyze their positives and their faults, and then they will decide if to move forward.
Monday, November 09, 2009
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Still Sick
Still not feeling well, but feeling much better than I was the day I stayed home from work. Still on the prescription and taking Mucinex, but i went to work on Thursday and Friday and did some stuff outside the house this weekend. I notice that I am still getting tired more quickly than usual, so I am trying not to overdo it.
Saturday, Kurt and I went to the Michigan/Purdue game with our friend, Mike, and his wife, Mary. Mike is a friend of ours who is an attorney. He is on the other side of many of our cases, and he is a really kewl, laidback guy. Very "nonattorney" like. LOL. Anyway, Mike took us to a tailgate party, took us to watch the drums for the band warm up (which was awesome, they are incredible) and got us into the game with NO waiting in line (gotta love the secrets of the season ticket holders). Our seats were aMAZing, on the 50 yard line. MI lost the game, but I had an amazing time, and the weather was more than awesome, especially for November. I started feeling kinda tired after the game, so we came home and chilled for the rest of the night.
Today, I wanted to go to Trader Joe's, and I usually go to the one in Northville since it is near my Aunt's house in Canton. My Dad was over there and had taken my Grama to the hair salon, so we all met up and went to lunch at Max and Erma's. Then, Auntie and I went to TJs and I stocked up on fish, cheese, and chili, and bought some bread since I was almost out. BTW, tried the bread tonight (I have never bought bread there before), and super yummy! I bought sourdough. The guys were over today and put up the new ceiling fans which look even more kewl than I thought! I need to take pics, but am being lazy right now. They also fixed our recessed lighting which had issues, and fixed the breaker issue I was having in the kitchen, but splitting apart some of the plugs. they are coming back tomorrow to go through the rest of the house. We found out the guy is a licensed builder and can do pretty much whatever we want, so we are going to put together a list and see what is worth paying people for and what is not.
Click here if you want news on the office.
Saturday, Kurt and I went to the Michigan/Purdue game with our friend, Mike, and his wife, Mary. Mike is a friend of ours who is an attorney. He is on the other side of many of our cases, and he is a really kewl, laidback guy. Very "nonattorney" like. LOL. Anyway, Mike took us to a tailgate party, took us to watch the drums for the band warm up (which was awesome, they are incredible) and got us into the game with NO waiting in line (gotta love the secrets of the season ticket holders). Our seats were aMAZing, on the 50 yard line. MI lost the game, but I had an amazing time, and the weather was more than awesome, especially for November. I started feeling kinda tired after the game, so we came home and chilled for the rest of the night.
Today, I wanted to go to Trader Joe's, and I usually go to the one in Northville since it is near my Aunt's house in Canton. My Dad was over there and had taken my Grama to the hair salon, so we all met up and went to lunch at Max and Erma's. Then, Auntie and I went to TJs and I stocked up on fish, cheese, and chili, and bought some bread since I was almost out. BTW, tried the bread tonight (I have never bought bread there before), and super yummy! I bought sourdough. The guys were over today and put up the new ceiling fans which look even more kewl than I thought! I need to take pics, but am being lazy right now. They also fixed our recessed lighting which had issues, and fixed the breaker issue I was having in the kitchen, but splitting apart some of the plugs. they are coming back tomorrow to go through the rest of the house. We found out the guy is a licensed builder and can do pretty much whatever we want, so we are going to put together a list and see what is worth paying people for and what is not.
Click here if you want news on the office.
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Lisa's Questions
OK, some more answers today.
Lisa's posed questions were as follows:
What was your highschool career like? Did you play any sports, invovled in any groups, date any jocks ;)
Click here to see the responses.
Lisa's posed questions were as follows:
What was your highschool career like? Did you play any sports, invovled in any groups, date any jocks ;)
Click here to see the responses.
Friday, November 06, 2009
Hooray!
Hooray for all the inquiries and questions! Keep them coming. :). I will start with the top questions and work my way down.
So, Sarah, this is for you! Here are her questions.
1- How did you meet Kurt?
2- When and why did you decide to go to law school?
3- When are you & Kurty planning your next trip...to San Diego?Hahahaha :)
Click here to see the details.
So, Sarah, this is for you! Here are her questions.
1- How did you meet Kurt?
2- When and why did you decide to go to law school?
3- When are you & Kurty planning your next trip...to San Diego?Hahahaha :)
Click here to see the details.
Inquiries
I am not participating in the daily blogging thing, however, I am aware my life is pretty monotonous, and really, this blog is kinda a journal of mine of sorts, to document different things going on in my life.
Thought I would put it out there, if anyone wants to know anything about me, write me on here or email me, and I will blog about it!
Thought I would put it out there, if anyone wants to know anything about me, write me on here or email me, and I will blog about it!
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Home Sick
OMG, so sick! Sucks. Yesterday morning I started to feel horrible and it just escalated all day long. I ended up leaving the office early, for I think, like the first time ever. Came home and basically fell asleep in the sun room until like 7 p.m. when Kurty got home. Kurt then told me I should stay home today, I was that sick. So, I did. Went to the doctors as well and I have the beginning of sinusitis, so they wrote me a scrip for amoxicillin and I bought some Mucinex since I was out. I basically stayed on the couch, all day long with the pugs. And, felt guilty that I was not at work. But, I would have not been very productive anyway. My head feels so stuffed up. Ugh. I need to get better, I dont have time to be sick.
An electrician came yesterday and looked at the ceiling fan job as well as some work I need done in the kitchen. Gave us an estimate, and are coming back on Sunday to complete the project. I can't wait!
An electrician came yesterday and looked at the ceiling fan job as well as some work I need done in the kitchen. Gave us an estimate, and are coming back on Sunday to complete the project. I can't wait!
Monday, November 02, 2009
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween everyone! Hope everyone had a fun weekend handing out candy, going to parties, whatever it is you did!
Kurt and I laid pretty low this weekend. Which was great. Friday, Kurt left work at 2, and I left around 4 to run some errands. Gretel Olivia came into work with us and dressed like a bumblebee. She was super cute. Ran to Bed Bath and Beyond and Sams Club after work--needed some groceries at Sam's and wanted to buy this laundry bag thing at Bed Bath and Beyond that you can wash nylons in. i also bought these towels for my hair I have been eyeing for some time (i read an article about how it is awful to wrap your hair up in a normal bath towel, which I do like every morning. Spent the rest of the night at home with Kurt, went to dinner at Nick and Nino's, then chilled at home.
Saturday, I had lunch with my friend, Hollie, and she treated, which was so not necessary, but so nice of her! She also brought me a gift, this little piece of art work with a pug on it that is so freaking cute. Thanks again, Hollie! After that, headed to Farmington Hills to see my Mom, who had just flown in from Tampa. Spent most of the day and part of the night with her, had dinner with two of my Uncles and one of my Aunts as well as my Mom and Ronnie, then headed home to hang with Kurty. We got NO trick or treaters, which is normal, LOL. My Mom and I went to Ulta because I had a coupon to use, and I ended up buying Redken shampoo and conditioner on sale, some new eyeshadow that came with two free lip glosses (whoot) and lip stick.
Kurt and I ran some errands today and did some light work at the office. spent the rest of the day at home doing laundry, dishes, relaxing.
On a side note, I should never watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Every single time I watch this show, I cry. I am seriously pathetic. :).
Kurt and I laid pretty low this weekend. Which was great. Friday, Kurt left work at 2, and I left around 4 to run some errands. Gretel Olivia came into work with us and dressed like a bumblebee. She was super cute. Ran to Bed Bath and Beyond and Sams Club after work--needed some groceries at Sam's and wanted to buy this laundry bag thing at Bed Bath and Beyond that you can wash nylons in. i also bought these towels for my hair I have been eyeing for some time (i read an article about how it is awful to wrap your hair up in a normal bath towel, which I do like every morning. Spent the rest of the night at home with Kurt, went to dinner at Nick and Nino's, then chilled at home.
Saturday, I had lunch with my friend, Hollie, and she treated, which was so not necessary, but so nice of her! She also brought me a gift, this little piece of art work with a pug on it that is so freaking cute. Thanks again, Hollie! After that, headed to Farmington Hills to see my Mom, who had just flown in from Tampa. Spent most of the day and part of the night with her, had dinner with two of my Uncles and one of my Aunts as well as my Mom and Ronnie, then headed home to hang with Kurty. We got NO trick or treaters, which is normal, LOL. My Mom and I went to Ulta because I had a coupon to use, and I ended up buying Redken shampoo and conditioner on sale, some new eyeshadow that came with two free lip glosses (whoot) and lip stick.
Kurt and I ran some errands today and did some light work at the office. spent the rest of the day at home doing laundry, dishes, relaxing.
On a side note, I should never watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Every single time I watch this show, I cry. I am seriously pathetic. :).
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Lights Shining Down........
Sunday, after working in the garage some, my husband came into the house and said "I want to hire some people to do some various work on the house." I about fell over. I don't think these words have EVER come out of his mouth. LOL. Since he is SOOO handy, he hates spending money on service people because truly, he can do most of the work himself. Our issue though, is time. We have no time to do anything like that. I don't even have time or energy to clean this place most of the time. Anyway, I was thrilled to hear him say that. And, I need to get ALL over that because he may change his mind soon.
I have a guy coming tomorrow to look at the fireplace. We have a gas fireplace in the great room, and it has not worked since two winters ago. Yea, we never called anyone last winter. Whoops. Anyway, hopefully it is a simple fix and I can light the fireplace again this winter. I love the fireplace.
I ordered the ceiling fans I wanted today, and talked the place down on price with the use of price matching. Also, got a free table fan with purchase, which I will put in my office. They should be delivered within a week or so, and then I am going to call the electrician to fix various things in the house.
We are also going to call some people about painting inside. I really want to paint the great room and entrance to the house a dark brown color, and paint the kitchen a darker red, as well as the bedroom some shade of blue. I normally would not pay someone to paint, but with the bad economy in MI, it may be worth it with the discount service prices we can get. Plus, the ceilings are crazy high in the foyer and great room for Kurt to paint. He would most likely harm himself, haha.
We stayed home all day Sunday and relaxed. Well, relaxed in between cleaning, laundry, cooking. I made an awesome apple crisp, yum. Kurt did some fall work in the garage, we put the cover on the one car and parked it for winter, and hooked the other car up to the battery charger and it is not down for the winter as well. BOOHOO to no fun cars. It has not snowed yet, so I still get to drive the Saab until the first snowfall. :). Then it's back to the winter vehicles, BOO. Winter sucks. Cold weather sucks. Snow sucks......Why do I live here again? We are supposed to have an unseasonably warm November, so that will be kewl.
Saturday, I headed to Farmington Hills to see my Mom and other family. My mom and stepDad were down to drive my grandparents to Florida, where they live in the winter. It was also Carolyn's (my cousin) 13th birthday party. So, I got to see a ton of family and hang out with Carolyn. :). My Aunt bought her a gorgeous cake, which was eaten pretty quickly and she made dinner for everyone, including salmon for me.
Tonight, the office (minus Misty who could not go as she has other things going on), went to the largest haunted house in the world, Erebus. We had a BLAST. It was about 45 minutes inside, and it was scary! Everyone screamed a LOT and we had a blast. I highly recommend going to anyone in the area.
I have a guy coming tomorrow to look at the fireplace. We have a gas fireplace in the great room, and it has not worked since two winters ago. Yea, we never called anyone last winter. Whoops. Anyway, hopefully it is a simple fix and I can light the fireplace again this winter. I love the fireplace.
I ordered the ceiling fans I wanted today, and talked the place down on price with the use of price matching. Also, got a free table fan with purchase, which I will put in my office. They should be delivered within a week or so, and then I am going to call the electrician to fix various things in the house.
We are also going to call some people about painting inside. I really want to paint the great room and entrance to the house a dark brown color, and paint the kitchen a darker red, as well as the bedroom some shade of blue. I normally would not pay someone to paint, but with the bad economy in MI, it may be worth it with the discount service prices we can get. Plus, the ceilings are crazy high in the foyer and great room for Kurt to paint. He would most likely harm himself, haha.
We stayed home all day Sunday and relaxed. Well, relaxed in between cleaning, laundry, cooking. I made an awesome apple crisp, yum. Kurt did some fall work in the garage, we put the cover on the one car and parked it for winter, and hooked the other car up to the battery charger and it is not down for the winter as well. BOOHOO to no fun cars. It has not snowed yet, so I still get to drive the Saab until the first snowfall. :). Then it's back to the winter vehicles, BOO. Winter sucks. Cold weather sucks. Snow sucks......Why do I live here again? We are supposed to have an unseasonably warm November, so that will be kewl.
Saturday, I headed to Farmington Hills to see my Mom and other family. My mom and stepDad were down to drive my grandparents to Florida, where they live in the winter. It was also Carolyn's (my cousin) 13th birthday party. So, I got to see a ton of family and hang out with Carolyn. :). My Aunt bought her a gorgeous cake, which was eaten pretty quickly and she made dinner for everyone, including salmon for me.
Tonight, the office (minus Misty who could not go as she has other things going on), went to the largest haunted house in the world, Erebus. We had a BLAST. It was about 45 minutes inside, and it was scary! Everyone screamed a LOT and we had a blast. I highly recommend going to anyone in the area.
I bought a new watch online this week too, on my new fav site, Ideeli. I have a watch i love by Burberry, but it is "bracelet" style and it is very hard to wear while typing. I end up only wearing it while going out with others, which does not happen very often. I wanted a normal kinda style watch that did not hang and dangle like the Burberry. Anyway, I found the one pictured, and it is by Rotary. Never heard of the brand, but I love the style. Hopefully, I like it as much once delivered and tried on. :). i like wearing a watch and have not worn one daily in quite some time. This one is super cute, but nice at the same time.This week is going by super quickly, for some reason. Which is awesome, as I can't wait for the weekend, as I get to see my Mom again! Yay.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
I've Come to Realize That....
*Read this quick survey on a couple friends' blogs, and decided it is a good lazy Sunday post.....Or maybe I am procrastinating from mopping the floor. I did switch the laundry and dishes over, and am comtemplating making an apple crisp. :). Anyway, if you have not already done so, fill this one out and add to your blog!
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I LOVE: doing nothing. I remember, when I was youunger, I wanted to be doing *something* at every waking moment, whatever it was. I would be bored just sitting at home. Now? I cherish the time I have at home, doing nothing. LOVE IT.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I SAY: things a little bit too harshly sometimes. I am a tell it like it is kinda girl. And while sometimes I should chill a little bit, I really think this approach is usually the best.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I AM: more confident than I thought i was. When I was younger, like pre-6th grade, I was SUPER shy to the point that I would barely talk to anyone unless I really, really knew them. I have always thought of myself as shy, but have realized I am not so much anymore!
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I'VE LOST: my desire to buy most things house related. I think it's because I want to move out of the country and dont want to have a lot of things to deal with if I leave.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I HATE: hunting. animal cruelty. child abuse.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT MARRIAGE IS: amazing. And has been since the start.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT THE BEST: friend one should ever have is their spouse, followed by their mom.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I'LL ALWAYS BE: Blonde. ;).
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT LOVE: is how we get through hard times.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT THE LAST TIME I CRIED: Was over a 90210 episode. Wow, I am lame. haha.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT, WHEN I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING: I should just get up and stop hitting the alarm! :).
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP AT NIGHT: i need to wash my face. EVERY night.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT RIGHT NOW: I'm relaxed and should be cleaning.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT BABIES: are very time consuming and life changing.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I GET ON MYSPACE: very rarely. More for work research. LOL.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT TODAY: I am tired, but need to clean. See a theme in these posts?
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT TONIGHT: I will prob make dinner, work out, and chill with Kurty watching football.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT TOMORROW: I will work. No court though, whoot! Well, we have court, but Jessica and Stacey are covering it so we can catch up on paperwork.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I REALLY WANT: to retire soon.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I LOVE: doing nothing. I remember, when I was youunger, I wanted to be doing *something* at every waking moment, whatever it was. I would be bored just sitting at home. Now? I cherish the time I have at home, doing nothing. LOVE IT.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I SAY: things a little bit too harshly sometimes. I am a tell it like it is kinda girl. And while sometimes I should chill a little bit, I really think this approach is usually the best.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I AM: more confident than I thought i was. When I was younger, like pre-6th grade, I was SUPER shy to the point that I would barely talk to anyone unless I really, really knew them. I have always thought of myself as shy, but have realized I am not so much anymore!
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I'VE LOST: my desire to buy most things house related. I think it's because I want to move out of the country and dont want to have a lot of things to deal with if I leave.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I HATE: hunting. animal cruelty. child abuse.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT MARRIAGE IS: amazing. And has been since the start.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT THE BEST: friend one should ever have is their spouse, followed by their mom.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I'LL ALWAYS BE: Blonde. ;).
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT LOVE: is how we get through hard times.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT THE LAST TIME I CRIED: Was over a 90210 episode. Wow, I am lame. haha.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT, WHEN I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING: I should just get up and stop hitting the alarm! :).
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP AT NIGHT: i need to wash my face. EVERY night.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT RIGHT NOW: I'm relaxed and should be cleaning.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT BABIES: are very time consuming and life changing.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I GET ON MYSPACE: very rarely. More for work research. LOL.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT TODAY: I am tired, but need to clean. See a theme in these posts?
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT TONIGHT: I will prob make dinner, work out, and chill with Kurty watching football.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT TOMORROW: I will work. No court though, whoot! Well, we have court, but Jessica and Stacey are covering it so we can catch up on paperwork.
I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I REALLY WANT: to retire soon.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Sizes BLAH
My new ring came in the mail today, the one I ordered as my anniversary gift? haha. Anyway, it is too big AARGH. But, I mailed it back and they are going to send me a size smaller. I loved it though, so I am glad about that! :). Wish it would have fit right though.
I have been looking for a black coat, and finally found one online that I like. It is pictured above, and is made by Betsey Johnson, AND I got an amazing deal on it. A friend referred me to this site, Ideeli, for shopping, and I get emails a couple times a week from them. they have designer stuff, for like 80% off. Men's, women's, home, etc. Anyway, I have never bought anything from them until today. We will see if it fits right when it comes in the mail. My fav part about this coat is the buttons, which are little hearts. Love. :).
Picked up our typhoid vaccine tonight and took the first pill. Does not seem to have any side effects, except I am tired! I am always tired on Friday night though, so can't tell if it's the vaccine or just normal! :). We had sushi at Dolce tonight, and have just been chilling the rest of the night.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Friends
Had dinner last night with some law school friends--Amanda and her son, Ajani, Nancy, and Jessica. We ate at Motor City Brewing, which I loved. I had veggie chili and a crab dip, and OMG, great food. I highly recommend. It was a nice dinner, catching up and seeing all of them. Tonight, had dinner with my friend, Melanie (Tammy was supposed to come too but ended up having to cancel). We met at our norm, Famous Dave's, and caught up and gossiped for a while....It was really relaxing and nice. Yay. I guess it's a week full of friends! :).
I was SOOOOOO excited to do this one particular court hearing this morning, and was bummed that the other side did not show. Well, not really, cuz it was their hearing and I had their Motion dismissed, which thrilled my client, but i was looking forward to arguing the case as the details are great and totally on my client's side. What also sucks is I had to sit down there for almost two hours in order to simply have something dismissed. AARGH.
Oh, BTW? Jennifer Granholm sucks. And yes, I voted for her.
I was SOOOOOO excited to do this one particular court hearing this morning, and was bummed that the other side did not show. Well, not really, cuz it was their hearing and I had their Motion dismissed, which thrilled my client, but i was looking forward to arguing the case as the details are great and totally on my client's side. What also sucks is I had to sit down there for almost two hours in order to simply have something dismissed. AARGH.
Oh, BTW? Jennifer Granholm sucks. And yes, I voted for her.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Happy Birthday Jessica!
My arms are killing me. We had an appointment with the travel doctor today to get a polio booster and the first in a series of three shots for the rabies vaccine. Normally, shots don't hurt me at all, but for some reason, both my arms are sore, moreso the rabies shot. I think it is because the rabies needle is slightly different than the normal vaccine needles. Anyway. Ow. Hopefully they hurt less by morning.
Today is Jessica's 28th birthday. We had an office lunch, we sent her flowers at the office that were really pretty and all pink, and we all went out to Malarky's after work. It was a nice day. Pic here is of me and Kurt at the after dinner event. :). Happy Birthday, Jessica!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Happy ***** Day!
We don't celebrate Sweetest Day. I *thought* it was a lame Hallmark holiday, but then I was schooled by Rebecca tonight, who sent me a link to what Sweetest Day really was......and I love the real story behind it. It is kinda not surprising that America has turned it into a commercialized kinda day that has nothing to do with helping the underprivileged. But, to everyone who does celebrate, Happy Sweetest Day! I do think it's nice that couples dote on one another and spend time together. Spread the love! ;).
So today, I went with two of my Aunt's to Birch Run for some outlet shopping. I had a great day. I ended up finding some great deals. I got a suit at the Kasper Outlet, made by Le Suit. Marked down from $200.00 to $55.00. What a deal. I love deals like that. Also bought a pair of dress pants, sweater and heels at Ann Taylor, a pair of jeans at the Bass Outlet, PUG boxers for Kurt at JCrew (like I could not buy those), some kewl Pyrex bowls at the Corningware Outlet, and knee high nylons at the Leggs Hanes Store. I also bought this really cute apron at Le Gourmet Chef that is cobalt blue and says Kiss My Asparagus.
We had lunch at A&W and I love having their rootbeer, it's the best ever. The best moment of the day was when we were at A&W and heading out to the car and Aunt Marlene totally went to the wrong car and tried to get in while Aunt Karen and I were walking in the other direction. It was hilarious. I would not stop laughing.....
Today, I headed into Southgate to run some errands. we needed pop and Kurt needed Breath Right strips, which i only buy at Sams Club. There was NO LINE at customer service, which never happens, so I fixed my card which was having an issue. I bought these new vitamins, which I started taking today. Anyone take anything like this before? It is supposed to give you the nutrients from fruits and veggies that one needs in a day, and since I dont eat a ton of those, I thought this would help me out. I guess we will see how I like them. I headed to Petsmart after that because Gretel needed a new winter sweater. Ended up buying her a really cute pink one. Also bought her a halloween costume. Gretel will be a bee this year! :). Also, picked up some doggie food, a new kind that looks good for them. While at Petsmart, I kept seeing pug after pug, it was surreal! I finally realized that they have a pug Sunday one day a month and people bring their pugs to play in a backroom there. I probably saw like 30 pugs, at least, a bunch of them in Halloween costumes, the best of which, was a pug banana. I have to take the pugs next month, well at least Vito and Gretel. Oscar gets nervous in social situations. :). Headed after that to the mall. My sunglasses, the awesome Revos I got on clearance in May 2008, died. One of the lenses kept popping out, and this last time, it fell and cracked a little bit. So, they are being retired. :(. I became spoiled with the polarized lenses in those, so I went to Sunglasses Hut to look at only polarized pairs. I wanted another pair of Revos, but they did not have any styles that I liked this time. I tried on some I loved that were Dolce and Gabbana, but they were not polarized. I ended up with a pair of Maui Jim's. Never heard of the brand before, but I like the lenses. They have this weird policy at that store where you can "try out" the lenses for 90 days and if you bring them back, you can trade them for another pair. OK, seriously, I will do it just to get a new pair. What a weird policy. (picture above is of me in the sunglasses, taken in the car, so excuse the bad quality). Headed to Lady Foot Locker next to look for shoes. I had about given up on finding new ones. Everywhere I have looked previously, I either liked nothing, or they did not have my size. All my fashion tennies are OLD, like I think at least two years old, and I want to get rid of some and replace, but can't until I find new ones! Anyway, I lucked out today. I bought a pair of Pumas and a pair of New Balance (I did not even know New Balance made non-running shoes).
Did a bunch of laundry this weekend (still not done, UGH), and made a really yummy salmon pasta dinner tonight, and watched Desperate Housewives, which is the only show left on TV that I actually watch weekly. No court in the morning, so hopefully things are calm! :). Hope everyone else had a nice and productive weekend!
So today, I went with two of my Aunt's to Birch Run for some outlet shopping. I had a great day. I ended up finding some great deals. I got a suit at the Kasper Outlet, made by Le Suit. Marked down from $200.00 to $55.00. What a deal. I love deals like that. Also bought a pair of dress pants, sweater and heels at Ann Taylor, a pair of jeans at the Bass Outlet, PUG boxers for Kurt at JCrew (like I could not buy those), some kewl Pyrex bowls at the Corningware Outlet, and knee high nylons at the Leggs Hanes Store. I also bought this really cute apron at Le Gourmet Chef that is cobalt blue and says Kiss My Asparagus.
We had lunch at A&W and I love having their rootbeer, it's the best ever. The best moment of the day was when we were at A&W and heading out to the car and Aunt Marlene totally went to the wrong car and tried to get in while Aunt Karen and I were walking in the other direction. It was hilarious. I would not stop laughing.....
Today, I headed into Southgate to run some errands. we needed pop and Kurt needed Breath Right strips, which i only buy at Sams Club. There was NO LINE at customer service, which never happens, so I fixed my card which was having an issue. I bought these new vitamins, which I started taking today. Anyone take anything like this before? It is supposed to give you the nutrients from fruits and veggies that one needs in a day, and since I dont eat a ton of those, I thought this would help me out. I guess we will see how I like them. I headed to Petsmart after that because Gretel needed a new winter sweater. Ended up buying her a really cute pink one. Also bought her a halloween costume. Gretel will be a bee this year! :). Also, picked up some doggie food, a new kind that looks good for them. While at Petsmart, I kept seeing pug after pug, it was surreal! I finally realized that they have a pug Sunday one day a month and people bring their pugs to play in a backroom there. I probably saw like 30 pugs, at least, a bunch of them in Halloween costumes, the best of which, was a pug banana. I have to take the pugs next month, well at least Vito and Gretel. Oscar gets nervous in social situations. :). Headed after that to the mall. My sunglasses, the awesome Revos I got on clearance in May 2008, died. One of the lenses kept popping out, and this last time, it fell and cracked a little bit. So, they are being retired. :(. I became spoiled with the polarized lenses in those, so I went to Sunglasses Hut to look at only polarized pairs. I wanted another pair of Revos, but they did not have any styles that I liked this time. I tried on some I loved that were Dolce and Gabbana, but they were not polarized. I ended up with a pair of Maui Jim's. Never heard of the brand before, but I like the lenses. They have this weird policy at that store where you can "try out" the lenses for 90 days and if you bring them back, you can trade them for another pair. OK, seriously, I will do it just to get a new pair. What a weird policy. (picture above is of me in the sunglasses, taken in the car, so excuse the bad quality). Headed to Lady Foot Locker next to look for shoes. I had about given up on finding new ones. Everywhere I have looked previously, I either liked nothing, or they did not have my size. All my fashion tennies are OLD, like I think at least two years old, and I want to get rid of some and replace, but can't until I find new ones! Anyway, I lucked out today. I bought a pair of Pumas and a pair of New Balance (I did not even know New Balance made non-running shoes).
Did a bunch of laundry this weekend (still not done, UGH), and made a really yummy salmon pasta dinner tonight, and watched Desperate Housewives, which is the only show left on TV that I actually watch weekly. No court in the morning, so hopefully things are calm! :). Hope everyone else had a nice and productive weekend!
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