Updates........

Kurt and I went to Umar's status conference this week. Being in a court room, not being the "attorney" for one of the parties, is weird in itself. Sitting in the back watching the proceedings is odd to me. Kurt and I got there early and sat in the hallway until the doors opened. Once the doors opened, we went in and took a seat. From what I could tell, the only other people there besides us were the media, attorneys for the other side, and I believe, some CIA agents. Kurt was asked by a reporter who he was with (I think they thought we were reporters) and he told her that we were passengers, which sparked her interest. She was from The Free Press and talked to us a lot before the hearing, during it, and in the hall afterwards. nothing we said to her was reported in the Free Press, which did not surprise us since mainstream media seems to steer clear of reporting our story. I don't blame the reporters though, I think they are truly interested, but when they give the story to their higherups, the stories are shot down because we are speaking out against the government, who helps fund them/controls them.........Anyway, we walked outside and it was kinda crazy. Cameras flashing, video cameras everywhere. We talked to a bunch of TV stations, and Fox News was the only one to actually report having talked to us. I imagine Fox is able to report as they are a republican based station, and since we are speaking out against the government and the current administration is democrat, this makes it OK for Fox to show this stuff, and they are probably encouraged to do so. Fox also contacted us the next day asking to come to the office, and filmed us for an hour talking about our different ideas and theories. This was aired as well, two days in a row, however, I cannot find this video online anywhere for some reason. Was Fox told not to air it online by someone? Hmmmm.

Anyway, back to the hearing. When Umar came out, it was really eerie. He was wearing a white t-shirt, just like the last time I saw him. Seeing him was really odd. I almost felt like I was taken back to that day, all the memories of how horrible I felt for months came rushing back to me. I think Kurt felt the same, as I looked at him and said "this is creepy" and he agreed. One result of the PTSD was nightmares and flashbacks to the event, and that night, I had a nightmare and a flashback again. Luckily, it was just the one night though and has not happened since.

We had drinks after work with a friend this week who knew nothing about all of this, and when telling her about the flight, I almost started crying, especially when I saw my telling the story was making Kurt slightly upset. It's so strange to me that what I went through still affects me so much. I remember Kurt sitting back down in his seat, after walking up the aisle saying "we are going to die" and how all I could think about was how upset my Mom would be and how I thought I was living in some bad horror movie.

Had dinner with my friend Nancy this week at Roman Village, half off pasta on Tuesdays! Super good meal not following The Daily Plate! LOL. The bread there is incredible, service is exceptional. Wish it was closer to the office. Also had dinner on Saturday for Grama's bday at an Italian place in Plymouth. Food was below average, but the tiramisu was to die for. Even with the bad meals this week, I still am down another 1 pound, so I have now lost 41.8! I am expecting things to slow down at this point though, so I am happy with that! I worked out extra that night because I felt guilty about the dessert, haha.

Went to a different Kroger's today grocery shopping, and loved the fresh sushi! Kurt tried it tonight for dinner and said it was good! Grocery store sushi, how awesome! This Kroger's also had a much better fresh fish selection than the one I normally go to by the house, so I may be heading there more often.

Anyway, hope everyone had a nice week. Not looking forward to the forecasted snow later in the week, but am looking forward to Kurt turning 40! I will, of course, be harassing him endlessly............

USA Guilty: Underwear Bomber NOT Guilty Haskell Explains

Underwear Bomber Poll

by Kurt Haskell



It seems to me that the U.S. Government is in a difficult position right now. After all, the Underwear Bomber Trial is set for October 4, 2011. This trial could expose the entire false flag plot. I can't see that happening. My question is this, what will happen between now and October 4 that will cause the truth to be suppressed?



a. A plea deal is reached

b. Umar dies mysteriously in prison

c. Umar represents himself and puts on an incompetent defense

d. A bigger event occurs that takes the focus off of the trial

e. A legitimate trial will occur and the false flag plot will be exposed

f. Other (Explain)

Seven Things

I've been awarded the Stylish Blogger Award by Nancy at Crazymrsnancy.com!

Rules of the award are as follows:

1. Make this post and link back to the person who gave the award to me.

2. Share 7 things about myself.

3. Award 5 great bloggers.

4. Contact the bloggers to tell them they’ve won!

So, 7 things about me, will try to make them things you may not know yet, although some of you know me so well this may not be possible........

1. I just recently found out what my exact heritage is. I am 50% German, 25% Polish, 12.5% French Canadian, and 12.5% English. I have no idea why I have never known this before. I always knew the German and Polish (HELLO, I have the most complicated maiden name ever), but I did not know the English and French Canadian. Maybe it was the French in me that stupidly made me take French in high school instead of Spanish. I so wish I could go back in time and take Spanish instead of struggling with it now.....

2. I had totally gotten over the post-traumatic stress stuff from Flight 253. We went to a hearing last week for umar, and I had a nightmare that night with flashbacks to the fire on the plane. No more yet, but I am hoping I did not trigger something by seeing Umar again.

3. On that note, we were telling the entire story to a friend of mine last night who did not know we were on the flight. When I was talking about seeing the fire on the plane, the thoughts that went through my head, I almost started crying it upset me so much. I did not realize it all still affected me so much.

4. I am really proud of myself for being a great attorney and being respected by others in the legal field, without having to do the "behind the scenes" stuff that so many lawyers do. I don't hold judge fundraisers, I don't suck up, I don't ask the Judges to lunch. I do my job, I am nice to people, and it gets me the same results as those that try and work the system.

5. I feel like I was put on this Earth to do something in relation to helping animals. I actually like most animals better than most people. I don't know exactly what my purpose in life is yet, but I know it's not divorcing people. Once I retire from this job, I hope to pursue whatever it is I was put on this Earth to do.

6. I am not running for school board again. I feel like I am not making the difference that I used to anymore and I feel like I need to move on. I plan on volunteering at the high school instead, perhaps speaking to kids/classes or mentoring or something of that nature. I want to feel that I am directly helping kids more, vs attending meetings and voting.

7. Unless I know the person personally, I will never vote for either of the two major parties ever again. Which is odd, after a lifetime of voting straight democratic.

OK, so now the tagging. Here goes! Let me know if you post.

1. Colleen at Life Beings at 39 1/2
2. Natalie at Texas Cowleys
3. Emily at Law For a Living
4. Alex at Dirt. Juice. Details
5. Joanna at just A peek.

Thoughts on Umar's Hearing This Week and a Look Ahead to the October 4th Trial

by Kurt Haskell:

Lori and I attended Umar's status conference this week. The proceedings were extremely interesting to me. First of all, Umar walked into the courtroom in a white t-shirt. He turned and stood about 20 feet in front of me. I kind of had a deja vu moment as when I saw him in Amsterdam, he stood about 10 feet in front of me with a white t-shirt on. I finally got to hear Umar speak. I've never heard him speak until this hearing. His English seemed pretty good, although he had a fairly heavy accent. He did have a Nigerian translator present and he did consult with him a few times. Most of the hearing was spent in a back and forth discussion between Judge Edmunds and Umar. The discussion centered around the need for Umar to accept standby attorney Chambers as his regular attorney. Umar refused over and over again. Everyone in the court room seemed to just want to stand up and say "LET HIM BE YOUR ATTORNEY!". Judge Edmunds finally gave up. Another part of the hearing discussed the fact that Chambers is not Umar's attorney right now, and therefore, Umar and Chambers don't have the attorney client privilege. Thus, anything Umar tells or shows Chambers can be found out by third parties. The U.S. Attorneys seemed particularly troubled with the fact that some of the information they turned over to Umar, could be obtained by third parties and used in a civil case. I wonder why? The hearing then proceeded with a discussion of if and how the evidence held by Umar's previously fired attorney (given to her by the prosecution) would be turned over to Chambers. The result was that it would only be turned over to Umar at Milan Prison and Umar could show Chambers only what he wants to. Note that Chambers, during this discussion, indicated that Milan prison had not been providing faxes or messages of his to Umar or being helpful in scheduling appointments. He went on to state that it was his belief that Milan prison was doing this intentionally, and he suspected that it had received a call from "higher up" to do this. Note that I had a similar experience with Milan prison last year. The hearing concluded with Judge Edmunds setting a trial date. She first suggested June 23, but Chambers wasn't available. She then suggested September 10, but Chambers again wasn't available. She then suggested October 4 and noted that she wouldn't likely reschedule that date. When she set that date, Umar stated that he needed more time than that to read up on how to do the trial. He then asked for a trial date in 2012. Judge Edmunds immediately refused. I was shocked at how adamant Umar was that he was going to represent himself. I now strongly believe that this matter will proceed to trial. What I am concerned about is that Umar will likely represent himself at the trial. If he does so, he may not know how to get the important evidence admitted into the record. If I am correct and Umar does not use Chambers in the trial, I fear that the facts will never be known. I was very impressed with Chambers and Judge Edmunds. I did not get the impression that either is biased towards the prosecution and the "official" story. I talked to Chambers for a few minutes after the hearing and we will be having a conference soon. It was strangely odd that no other passengers were present. This fact put Lori and I back in the crosshairs of the media crunch. We talked to at least 7 reporters, but only Fox 2 Detroit reported the interview. What is also strange is that nearly all of the passengers seem to have disappeared. I no longer have a valid email address or phone number for any other passenger. I am not sure what to make of this.

Attempted Plane Attack: Trial Date Set for Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab

Attempted Plane Attack: Trial Date Set for Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab

Kurt on the News.......

Inspiration

Kids can really be pretty inspiring and amazing.

I had a board meeting tonight, where three high school seniors spoke about a program that they started at the school this year, to educate other students about bullying and what can happen if you do so (i.e. suicide, depression, etc.) They talked about taking a stand, and not caring what others think, and doing the right thing no matter what, and helping others.

Their message meant a lot--we just dealt with 4 kids last week being suspended long term because of bullying on their sports team, so it's an issue high on our list of importance.

It's also something that really strikes close to my heart........Just two weeks ago, I posted a quote by Albert Einstein on my facebook, as follows: "The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing". Someone sent this quote to Kurt and I, thanking us for our efforts in standing up against the US government, the body scanners, etc.

I spoke at the board meeting, when it was time for board comment. I rarely say much at meetings, but these kids were so impressive at the meeting and the parallel between them and adults was so blatant to me. We, as adults, do not set examples for the kids, IMO. I go to court every day and see ADULTS bullying one another, hear attorneys talking in a rude way to one another or judges, and basic bullying in general. I hear about domestic violence, adults hitting kids, so many things and I realize our kids are bullying because they are being taught the behavior and being taught it's acceptable. We as an adult society set SUCH a bad example for our kids. They learn through our example, not by being told what to do.

I am 33 years old. I just learned this lesson, REALLY learned this lesson, after Flight 253. I realized that, even when our opinion is not popular, and not widely accepted by society, that "Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it."- William Penn. The kids who spoke at my meeting? They get it at age 17, which is just amazing to me. They should be commended, and will do well in life learning such a valuable thing at such a young age.

I just want adults to get that the world is never going to change if we don't ALL change. If we don't all set an example, and try to make this country a better place. If we don't all open our eyes, and realize that there are problems out there with this country, with society........Be an example. Don't sit back and do nothing if there is something you are concerned about. Stand up for what is right. Stick up for someone who is wronged. Don't worry about the consequences or what anyone else thinks about it. If we don't, we are just setting our kids up for a horrible world to live in.

We need to care about what is going on in our government. Most people just don't care and sit back and just accept what is going on around them. Be brave, vote third party. Try to get people into office who will make a difference, and not just do what their party tells them to do. Ask questions. Don't just accept things as they are. Stop allowing our rights to be slowly taken away.

Kudos to the Jefferson kids who already get it. Let's hope the rest of the country gets it soon as well, before this country is run into the ground by the US government, who is taking advantage of all of us being lemmings.

Alana Turns 21!

Had a weekend mostly filled with.....work. But, did have a great time on Saturday night celebrating Alana's 21st bday! The entire office made it, and the event was held at a bar in Livonia called Slingers. Although not the standard place I would choose to hang out (think around 21 year old crowd, everyone trashed, crowded, LOUD, obnoxious DJ), but since we had a great group there, we had a blast anyway. We were convinced the DJ is normally a DJ in a strip club with the variety of music he played.........Above is a blurry pic my drunk husband took of Holly, Shannon and I (they are two of my co-worker attorneys) Kurt cannot take a clear pic for anything.........

Kurt and I got a ton of work done this weekend, which ROCKS. We started looking at which weekend we want to go out of town for Kurt's 40th, and I think it may be the weekend of President's Day since we know we have no court on that day. This is such a hard time of the year for us to getaway, but we can't do nothing for Kurt's 40th, and he does NOT want a party.

On another positive note, I weighed myself today, after not doing so last Sunday since I was out of town without my trusty scale. And, I am down another 4.2 pounds, bringing my grand total lost to 40.8 pounds, which is insane to me!

Exciting food finds of the past few weeks: World Catch Salmon Burgers from Sam's Club--quick to make and super yummy, low cal. Chocolate chip Special K bars--YUM. I found Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches in BULK at Kroger's. awesome.

I am trying a new hair salon this Friday, recommended by a lawyer friend of mine, Kara. It is located near the office, and while I have never found a place I liked downriver, I am hoping this one is awesome. I am really sick of driving to Royal Oak or Toledo to get my hair done and it would be nice to drive 5 minutes from the office. Finers crossed. :).

anyway, busy court morning, so I am off to bed. Hope everyone had an awesome weekend. :).

Wrestlers from Jefferson High School in Monroe punished by the school board for hazing

Wrestlers from Jefferson High School in Monroe punished by the school board for hazing

You can see me on the right hand of the screen a couple times when they show the school board. What a night.....we were there from 530 PM-115 PM. Horrible to have to spend so much time on something like this, but hopefully, the school can take care of this issue which appears to have been going on for a really long time unknown to anyone by the team....

New Posts

Click here.

Tampa

Flew to Tampa last weekend with my Mom. I had a free companion ticket, and could finally use it, so I decided to take my Mom there for her bday! :). We flew out Friday morning and came back Monday night.

Got there and picked up the rental car from Alamo. We rented a compact since all we were really using it for was driving to my grandparents and back, and when we got there, they were out of compacts, so they upgraded us for free to a Nissan Altima in dark grey which we loved. It was way cheaper to rent a car then get a shuttle to my grandparents in Port Richey. Total for rental for the time, $41.00. Drove to Port Richey (after getting lost at the airport for a few minutes). Stopped for a quick lunch and then arrived. Went and watched my grampa play the harmonica in his club, then we all headed back to their place. I decided to run outside, since the weather was in the 60s and being outside is awesome to me since it is currently 5 degrees in MI. Ate dinner and played cards.....Next morning, met my Great-Aunt Louise for breakfast and then went shopping. I got to walk around Dilliard's (love that store and there are none in MI). Found awesome clearance deals, got a suit marked down from $280 to $50 (Tahari) and a dress marked down from $120 to $30. Bought my Grama a winter coat for her bday with my Mom....It's sad they actually get cold in FL. haha. Had dinner out that night and went running again. Third day we did some more shopping and I found some awesome tights on clearance (pink and purple) and a pair of awesome green Converse on clearance. Went running again and had dinner at home and played cards. Learned some new fun card games as well. Day four we woke up to rain, so no running, BOO. Had breakfast, then relaxed at the house. Did some stuff on my Grampa's computer (set him up a facebook account, changed his printer ink, showed him how to do some different things like save bookmarks). Off to the airport, then home! Had an awesome time, and it was so nice to get out of MI weather for a few days.

Work has been crazy busy and exhausting. Had a really late board meeting last night, did not get home until 11:15 PM, which is crazy. Tonight, had a fun dinner out with Rebecca, Kurt, and Kory at Crave in Dearborn. Had a spicy california roll with spicy botan shrimp and rice, and hot and sour soup. aMAZing meal. They had a live musician there too, and he was great! Played a huge variety of music, just him and his guitar.......Have to work all weekend, but hopefully, will get somewhat caught up.

Happy Weekend, everyone!

UNDERWEAR BOMBER'S (STANDBY) ATTORNEY "ATTEMPT MAY HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE"

by Kurt Haskell

I almost fell out of my chair when I saw this story today. Umar's standby attorney now claims that his bombing attempt was impossible! There is only one explanation why this could be true. HE WAS PLANTED WITH A FAKE BOMB! Please take a look at My Christmas Day 2010 post where I claim that this was in fact what happened:

http://haskellfamily.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-day-one-year-later-underwear.html

Furthermore, Attorney Chambers gives us this bombshell quote:

"The file contains expert information which disputes the government’s allegations"

No wonder the prosecution has been attempting to hide evidence from the defense (see below):

http://haskellfamily.blogspot.com/2010/12/prosecutors-trying-to-block-use-of.html

This may not mean much to most of you, but to me this is a late Christmas present (no pun intended). After 13 months of hearing the U.S. Government's propaganda, the fog is starting to lift and I will soon be completely vindicated.

I am heading down to Umar's status conference tomorrow afternoon. This will be the first hearing of Umars that I've attended. While there, I will attempt to have a discussion with "Standby" Attorney Chambers concerning the necessity of having myself testify as a witness for the DEFENSE. The U.S. Government, the real terrorist in this matter, will not get away with this as long as I am alive.

Short Update

Life has been pretty hectic, lots going on, work is busy, social life has a lot going on, kurt working on starting his radio show, me getting rready for a long weekend in Florida with my Mom......

Anyway, had a nice dinner tonight in Canton at my Aunt's house for a late holiday dinner with the family. My Aunt made my favorite salmon patties from Holiday Market, and I basically ate way more calories than I generally do in a day, but I allow myself some cheating on holidays. :). We also exchanged holiday gifts and I think everyone loved what I got them, so yay! Yesterday, I had to shop for the holiday (I never buy gifts until like the day before), and I stopped at Macy's while out because I desperately need clothes that fit me. I have like ONE pair of dress pants for work that fit right for suits, and like one suit that fits me right. So, I looked thru the clearance racks at Macy's and found three cute suits (one a Tahari, I love that brand), another skirt, and a pair of dress pants. Also, bought a pair of jeans since I have zero that fit me. And I needed something to wear this coming up weekend in Florida. LOVE the jeans I bought, they fit perfectly. Great brand that I have never tried on at Macy's before, but really like.

Bought Kurt a book at Border's while I was there buying grama a new dictionary. it is so funny for me to sit and watch Kurt read a book because most of his reading is online or in law books, LOL. He is totally loving this one though. I may read it when he is done, just because he is making it seem to interesting! :).

While working out, have been watching this show called Conviction on Netflix and just read it was not renewed for a second season! boo! Sad that I am watching it 4 years after it actually aired, LOL.

Lots of car issues going on. After it finally totally broke down, we donated my poor little Saturn to Purple Heart this week. RIP little Saturn, it was nice having you for 165,000 plus miles and 10 years, 2 months. Fabulous car with almost no issues. Also, took the jeep in to be fixed (needed a new battery as well as an entirely new heating system). Back and running great. Saab is also in the shop, from my incident prior to leaving for vacay that I dont think I posted about. I was driving down the highway and a tire literally flew off the car in front of me. I could not swerve as cars were on both sides of me, so the tire hit the front of my car, causing the bumper to partially fall off. I drove the car home, then realized I could not drive it anymore until it was fixed. Took it in, and the damage is enough for insurance to be called. So, i called, and the insurance person is going out to the shop on Monday to look at it and write a check. Boo.

My working out and weight loss is still going fabulously. Over vacay, I gained 0.2 of a pound. So, while I was bummed I did not continue losing, I was thrilled I did not really gain either. The following weeks, I continued to lose and I am now up to 36.4 pounds, whoot. I am so happy to be almost to my pre-law school self and to enjoy the ways clothes fall on me again.

There are so many things that need to be done around the house and office, and like zero extra time in my days. My laundry is really backed up (although I did get several loads done this weekend), the pantry light fixture has an issue so until Kurt has time to fix it, i have no light in my pantry, my master bath toilet has a broken part, so again, until Kurt can buy the part, I cannot use that toilet. Need to clean before my Mom comes later this week, need to pack for my long weekend in Tampa. I would like to start researching for flights for our Feb Costa Rica trip, but we need to decide when we are going. Kurt needs to get everything ready for his radio show, which starts later this week. Much more as well, just can't recall everything.....

Anyway, wanted to post a quick update, since I know this week is going to be super busy. I am still working on Thailand pics and a report, and will do that when i have time.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend.

2010 Netflix List

What I watched in 2010 via Netflix (every year I post this)

Sex and the City 2

Conviction: The Complete Series: Disc 1-2

Rock of Love: Season 1: Disc 1-2

Obsessed

The Real Housewives of O.C.:Ssn 1:Disc 1-2

The Secret Life of...: Vol. 4: Disc 1-3

I Love You, Man

Happy Endings

Housewives of New Jersey: Season 1: Disc 1-2

Dance with Me

Spread

90210: Season 2: Disc 1-5

The Invention of Lying

Every Little Step

Popular: Season 2: Disc 1-6

Step Up 2 the Streets

When in Rome

21 Jump Street: Season 4: Disc 5

My Sister's Keeper

Bring It On: Fight to the Finish

The Hills: Season 5: Part 2: Disc 2

The Hills: Season 5: Part 2: Disc 1

Weeds: Season 5: Disc 1-3

Popular: Season 1: Disc 1-6

The Secret Life of...: Vol. 3: Disc 1-3

Couples Retreat

The Secret Life of...: Vol. 2: Disc 1-3

Jillian Michaels: No More Trouble Zones

The Nanny Diaries

The Secret Life of...: Vol. 1: Disc 1-3

Bring It On: In It to Win It

Fame

Karen Voight: Burn & Firm Circuit Training

Post Grad

Glee: Season 1: Disc 1-4

The L Word: Season 6: Disc 1-3

Very Young Girls

Big Love: Season 3: Disc 1-4

90210: Season 1: Disc 5-6

Weeds: Season 4: Disc 2-3

Camp Out

Any suggestions for future TV show viewing? What were your fav things you watched this year? :).

New Blog Name

New Year, New Blog Name!

When I started this blog, many years ago, it was started as my own personal space to fill my friends and family in on what is going on in my and Kurt's life.

At that point in my life, I was a pretty hardcore liberal democrat and was really into politics, and so, "lori's liberal realm" was born. Really, I just liked the way the blog name flowed when I said it.....;).

Things have changed, and thus, the blog name is changing.

I notice comments sometimes that talk about the fact that my blog name contains 'liberal', and thus I must be a democrat and must support all views of the democrats--not so.

Since Flight 253, this blog has changed quite a bit......Kurt now posts on here quite often, and I no longer affiliate myself with any political party, in fact, my opinion now is that we should all support third parties, as I think both the Dems and Repubs are corrupt. i no longer feel that the old blog name fits the purpose of this blog, and so I just randomly chose a new one.

Welcome to "Adventures with Kurt and Lori". Our lives--which always seem to have something crazy, interesting, fun or annoying going on--will continue to be chronicled on this site.

Happy New Year!

Stay Tuned for the Kurt Haskell Radio Show in Early 2011

by Kurt Haskell

In case anyone hasn't noticed, I am fed up with the fraud and corruption of the U.S. Government. I am also very fed up with the complicity of the mainstream media in the corruption. Therefore, I have decided to host a bi-weekly radio show to discuss various topics of government corruption and fraud. I will ask the hard questions and not hold back or be intimidated from discussing anything. The show will be entirely non-profit and paid for entirely by myself. As I've stated on many occasions, I seek only to expose the truth and nothing else. Fame and fortune can be had by others who are more desirous of obtaining them than I am. Stay tuned for details in the very near future.

Prosecutor's Trying To Block Use Of Evidence By Umar's Standby Attorney

by Kurt Haskell

Ho-hum, just another story that supports my version of Flight 253 with Umar as a patsy:

http://www.freep.com/article/20101122/NEWS05/101122060/Feud-rages-over-underwear-bombing-evidence#ixzz17kENrZf0

This story just keeps getting better and better. First of all, what the heck is a standby attorney? You either have an attorney or you don't. Having an attorney allows you to have the attorney client privilege apply to all of your communications between the client and attorney. Under no circumstances can those communications be discovered by anyone or held against you in court. Does that apply to a standby attorney? Does that mean that Umar has an attorney or he doesn't? Why do I ask? A few weeks ago I went to visit Umar in prison to discuss his case. I was denied access because Umar had a "standby attorney" listed on his visitor sheet. Without that listing, I (allegedly) could have met with Umar and discussed his case.

Now to a discussion of this article. Judge Edmunds previously ordered that Umar's standby attorney, Anthony Chambers, could have access to all of the discovery materials for the case. For non-lawyers, discovery is the pre-trial process in which both sides obtain all of the evidence that might be used at trial. Logically, if an attorney is getting ready for a trial, his staff will help him with that preparation, and consequently, will have access to all of the discovery materials. The prosecutors are now attempting to block the request of Attorney Chambers to give his staff and various experts (who may testify for Umar) access to such materials. A denial of such a request would greatly damage any help Attorney Chambers may be able to provide Umar.

A question I have is, why try and block such a request if you have nothing to hide? Wasn't that the excuse the U.S. Government used when it started using illegal wiretaps? If you have nothing to hide, then don't worry about it. Again, this is just another tell to the truth that I've been repeating over the last year. I caught the U.S. Government with their hand in the cookie jar and it knows it. Now it must take every unjustified step to ensure that Umar doesn't receive a fair trial. For those of you that ask if it really matters, yes it does. A person can commit a crime and still be found not guilty. Umar could be found not guilty based on a defense of entrapment. Umar could also get off on the Outrageous Government Conduct Defense. Such a defense came into existence in the 1971 case of Greene v. United State, 454 F.2d 783. In ruling for the Defendant in that case, the court stated that "we do not believe that the Government may involve itself so directly and continuously over such a long period of time in the creation and maintenance of criminal operations, and yet prosecute its collaborators".

Hidden in this article is also this gem: Anthony Chambers needs to discuss the evidence with experts. Hmmm, I have to wonder what kind of experts? Anthony Chambers is apparently an expert in criminal law with 25 years experience. Thus, I don't see that he would have a need to consult with other attorneys to discuss the issues. The only other possibility, is that he needs to discuss evidence with experts in chemical composition, explosives and plane construction. Each being tied to the question of whether Umar's bomb was viable. As I stated in my post on 12-25-10, this question is the only question that matters. Apparently, after looking at the evidence and/or discussing the matter with Umar, Anthony Chambers questions exactly what I do about the bomb. He apparently feels the viability of the bomb is the entire case. Obviously, he must be questioning some sort of shady government evidence as to its viability. I am almost feeling sorry for the man that nearly killed me (via fire from a fake bomb). On deck for me this week will be a personal visit to the office of Attorney Anthony Chambers.

Back to Reality

Wanted to let everyone know that we made it back, safe and sound, from our adventures in Thailand. Thankful that there was nothing on our flight that caused us to be on the news again, LOL.

Anyway, we had an amazing time. I started to put some pics up on Facebook (click here), but there are about 900 more to go through. I tried to put up a lot of them with us in there so you could see those first.

Hope everyone is having a nice holiday season. When I am not exhausted and have time, I will work on a trip report to post.

Hugs, Lori

Christmas Day One Year Later-The Underwear Bomber-Case Closed

by Kurt Haskell from Thailand

I've been attempting to write this article for the last 36 hours but the internet has been out at our hotel...............

It has been one year since the Underwear Bomber incident that changed my life. I'm not going to rehash the entire story of my account, as that is available here in my past postings on this blog. I just have a few things to say that I've been thinking about as I hike through the jungles of Thailand.

On January 28, 2010 I first posted that the Sharp Dressed Man was a U.S. Government Agent.

http://haskellfamily.blogspot.com/2010/01/truth-about-flight-253-has-been.html

I am now nearly 100% certain that I am correct.

Three days after I wrote the above blog post, I wrote the following post, which discusses what I considered to be the most important remaining questions regarding flight 253.

The third question that I asked, "Was the bomb intended to explode?", to me, is the entire key to the story. I believe it has been answered.

On January 31, 2010 I never would have dreamt of a scenario in which the U.S. Government would ADMIT that it was handing out fake bombs to terrorists, but that has now happened on two occasions that I'm aware of in 2010:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=11684350

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/27/mohamed-osman-mohamud-portland-car-bomb_n_788695.html

Also, if you take a look at this interview with the college kid that sat next to Umar (I refuse to call him a terrorist as he is a mere patsy), you can see that the U.S. Government seized all of his clothes:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123821351

The above three articles when taken together definitively solve the entire underwear bomber episode. The first two represent the modus operandi of the FBI/CIA, which is, if nobody get hurt, fake bombs are o.k. I will discuss that aspect in a minute. When you look deeply at the third article you have to ask the question, why were all of his clothes seized? The bombing substance, allegedly PETN was all over the airplane cabin near Umar's seat. It is not like there was a lack of material to be tested. The truth is that the government seized it all so that nobody could test the real chemical composition to determine that the bomb was indeed a dud. If I would have known that I would be writing this article one year ago, I would have picked up some of the substance as I walked within inches of it.

If you accept that the Underwear Bomber had an intentionally defective bomb /fake bomb, then you need not answer any of the other questions that I posed on January 31, 2010. The answers are either unnecessay or have only one possible explanation.

Before I get into that discussion, let me state that even if you accept that the bomb was fake, it does not mean that the plot didn't have victims. The last 10 minutes on flight 253 were the most terrifying moments of my life. For months I did not sleep, and my doctor diagnosed me with post traumatic stress disorder. It is also likely that without the fast acting efforts of a flight attendant equipped with a fire extinguisher, our plane would have blown up from the fire that resulted from the fake bomb.

Back to why the fake bomb is so important to this story...........

Since it can be almost certainly accepted that the FBI/CIA planted Umar with a fake bomb, we must ask a few more questions. Who was the Sharp Dressed Man? The answer is now certain that it was a U.S. Government agent sent to ensure that Umar boarded the plane. Obviously, the entire fraudulent plot fails if Umar fails to board the plane. Who was the Man in Orage? The answer is not really important anymore. It is likely that he supplied Umar with the dud bomb at Schipol Airport and was taken into custody after the bomb residue was found in his carry on bag. The scenario that he lugged it in his undies from Yemen is simply not plausible. One also has to wonder why the U.S. Government changed its story so many times in relation to this guy. Obviously, he is also a U.S. Government agent. Now we must dig a little deeper and ask how did someone get enough of Umar's trust to set up the plot and give him a fake bomb. One would have to have a deep involvement in a "terrorist group" in Yemen in order to do so. One person likely wouldn't be able to accomplish winning his trust. Two or three would also be unlikely. We must accept that the U.S. Government has planted numerous "Al Qaeda" plants, perhaps even entire terrorist cells, in order to win the trust of someone like Umar. When we accept this fact, one must ask if, without such a large encouraging environment, Umar would have been a "fake terrorist" at all. It has been reported that Umar is not very intelligent. I don't doubt that at all. Is it reasonable to believe that he could have set up this plot, created a bomb (I sure don't know how to) and attacked an airline without the help of the U.S. Government? No it is not. Without the U.S. Government, Umar would remain an unknown Nigerian.

If we accept what I have stated so far, we must dig a little deeper. The U.S. Government has now been shown to be staging "terrorist" plots with individuals who likely would be unknown without its help. We now must go a little further and question whether there have been any legitimate terrorist attacks ever. I am not well informed enough to answer that question, but in pondering that question you must consider, as uncomfortable as it may be, that the U.S. Government also staged the attacks on September 11, 2001. I will not discuss that further in this post other than to say that the only difference between the attacks on September 11, 2001 and flight 253 is a fast acting flight attendant equipped with a fire extinguisher. Without that flight attendant, flight 253 burns to the ground due to a "deranged terrorist from Nigeria."

Next, I would like to address why the U.S. Government would continue to stage such plots. There may be numerous answers to this question. The answer regarding flight 253, was that the Patriot Act needed to be renewed and body scanners needed to be placed in the airports. What a perfect way to bring body scanners to the airports: stage a fake terrorist bombing when the bomb is in the bomber's clothes. You see, if the plot was merely to catch Umar in the act, then he could have been arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder, which could have resulted in a life sentence. There was no need to allow Umar to light the fake bomb on the plane, unless a propaganda campaign was being staged. Not surprisingly, Umar lit the bomb in full view of everyone and not in the bathroom where it would have fizzled, as duds do, and not caused any kind of stir. Allowing Umar to light the dud bomb on the plane served the ultimate plot of the U.S. Government, which was to renew the Patriot Act and get body scanners in the airports. It is too obvious. Why the U.S. Government is attempting to raid the treasury of funds and take away our Constitutional rights is unclear. There are many possibilities and I will not discuss them here. What can't be argued is that the U.S. Government is in fact engaging in such a propaganda campaign. I suspect in 2011 we will see more fake terrorist attacks targeted to take away specific rights of U.S. citizens. Fake plots that come to mind are: bombings of malls, trains, boats, universities and sporting events (Likely by U.S. citizens this time). Of course, each plot will be followed by a security solution that will involve the loss of rights and drain the treasury further. Stay tuned.

It is unfortunate that the USA has become what it has, which is the true global terrorist. This is no longer your grandmother's red, white and blue U.S.A. My support for my government due to this incident has become nil. When I tried to help in the investigation, the government lied. It put out false propaganda stating: "We've seen nothing in 200 hours of video", "No man in orange", "No sharp dressed man" and even stooped so low as to have another passenger call me to try and tell me I didn't see what I did. Unbelievable. Further, I watched as pictures of Umar's underwear and passport were shown on t.v. I have figured out that with the U.S. Government, what's up is down and what's down is up. The release of those photos told me that they were fake. Meanwhile, the Schipol Airport video that would reveal the truth remains hidden. Call me what you will, but my beliefs are entirely justified.

What also is entirely disturbing to me, is that the media does not do any investigative journalism. My claims have not been followed up on. I have discoverd that the media is nothing but a mouthpiece for the U.S Government. I saw a "documentary" put out by the BBC that showed Umar walking through security and showing his passport. Come on. When it is said that a picture speaks a thousand words it certainly does. That reinforcement made many more people believe in the official story.

Lastly, I must comment on the recent conspiracy charges that have been brought against Umar:

http://detnews.com/article/20101217/METRO/12170394/Suspected-%E2%80%98underwear-bomber%E2%80%99-arraigned-on-terror-conspiracy-charges


I have to ask why these charges have been brought so late in the game. To me the answer is clear. Only when negotiations on a plea deal broke down were these charges brought. Why? They are being used as a hammer to force a plea deal. The U.S. Government DOES NOT WANT to go to trial with Umar(who now knows that he was duped), representing himself. I blogged previously on why I thought that this scenario would be one of the greatest events in the history of the U.S. More importantly, the new charge is one of conspiracy. A conspiracy requires an agreement between at least two individuals. It is obvious that the failure to bring this charge until one year later shows that the U.S. Government did not want to admit that a conspiracy occurred. The indictment reads that Umar conspired with "persons known and unknown". We have to ask that if conspirators are known, why are their names not in the indictment? Why are they not being charged? Why are they not on the FBI's 10 most wanted list? The answer could not be more clear: The conspirators are agents of the U.S .Government. Hence, the reluctancy to bring this charge. I remain sceptical that this matter will ever proceed to trial. The trial would be too damaging to the propaganda campaign of the U.S. Government. If somehow it does happen, I will be there everyday, front row center and I will make a victim impact statement.

As I indicated on January 28, 2010, the Sharp Dressed Man was indeed a U.S. Government agent. To those of you that supported me over the last year, I thank you. God knows that there were times when I needed it. To those of you who doubted me, it's time for your Christmas dinner and crow is being served.

updates

I suppose I should post before we leave on Saturday.......

Vegas was an awesome getaway. Flights were both good, no being felt up by TSA or being put through the body scanners. I was a little nervous Kurt would be selected and would cause some kind of scene. Instead, we got right through, and Kurt forced me to stand there and watch an elderly woman get felt up, and a 50-something year old man. The woman--I could not even watch. It was pretty horrible where they were touching her, and they pulled out her pants and kinda looked down them (she was wearing black, stretchy yoga-like pants), which disgusted me and made me turn away. The guy seemed to be respected more by his TSA employee. I was happy to see that some people were choosing to NOT go through the body scanners. I am really annoyed that so many people have the opinion that we should just "deal" with the scanners as "flying is not a right" and "we need to be safe." I wish everyone saying that would look at the details a bit more. The guy that tried to kill me? Yea......he did not have to go through any security at all. So, these body scanners that make us all super safe? The patdowns? Yep, would have done NOTHING on my flight because if the US wants terrorists here to track? They'll get them here. These scanners are a complete violation of my constitutional rights, but everyone in the US is so scared by the US government, they just say whatever and go through. It's sad. Pretty soon, the US government is going to be completely controlling everyone and their money, and everyone will be convinced it's "for our own good." Scary.

And since this is my blog? Please do not post to try and talk me into the scanners, or talk about how you are OK with them. Until you can say you were on a plane, on fire, with a terrorist, who did NOT go through any security because our government chose that, you don't really have the right to disagree with me.

Vent over. Back to Vegas.

Got there, and got the rental car. Did not like the new Vegas setup with getting to the rental car place. They have all rental car companies on one bus. It was maybe busy cuz of the holiday, but we had to wait about 20 minutes for a bus to get to our car. Once we got there, we got the car pretty quickly, it was some kinda Hyundai, cant remember exactly. Drove to Treasure Island, and there was a line there to check in too, LOL. But, once checked in, our room was incredible. We had reserved a tower Suite, and it was HUGE with two bathrooms, a jacuzzi tub, awesome shower, view of the Strip. Really comfy bed. I used the gym three of the mornings and they had awesome equipment. While in Vegas, we ate at Garduno's, a Thai place (went there with a local radio host whom Kurt knows and his family), the Mirage Buffet, Treasure Island buffet. Also saw Love at the Mirage, and a topless show called X Burlesque at the Flamingo. Played a bunch of poker, some slots, Kurt played sports stuff of course, and I did a bunch of outlet and other shopping (although I did not buy much). I was super psyched to see a White House Black Market outlet, a Kate Spade outlet, a Puma outlet.......Got two massages........Really nice trip. Really needed too.....

Weighed myself after Vegas on Monday (one day later than usual), and because I ate morein Vegas than usual, I expected to gain, but I stayed exactly the same, which was thrilling to me. This week, stayed totally on track with The Daily Plate again, so we will see in the morning what the scale says.

Went last night to the downriver bar association holiday party. It was an awesome time, got to hang out with some of my fav lawyers, there was a band, food, open bar.

I got new glasses a new weekends ago, which rocks, so I dont have to wear my contacts every night. America's Best has great deals, I got two pairs for $129! Could have gotten cheaper, but of course, I always favor the higher end stuff. Bad me!

Cannot believe we leave for Thailand on Saturday, it's so crazy! Looking at where to go for Kurt's 40th bday in February. I was thinking Mexico, but i know he really wants to go look at property in costa rica, so we may end up there in the jaco area again. Either one would be great to me.

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving!

My Visit to See Umar

By Kurt Haskell

As I posted about a month or so ago, I have been attempting to meet Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab (AKA- The Underwear Bomber) in prison. I initially contacted the Milan Prison holding Umar by phone. I was given an extension to a Ms. Rodriguez and left her several messages. She did not return any of my calls. I put this on the back burner for awhile as I have been busy at the office. While on vacation in Las Vegas this weekend, I decided that I would try again when I got back to Michigan. Today was that day. After my trial this morning, Shannon (An attorney in my office) and I drove to the Milan Prison. We met a guard who said he would attempt to have us meet Umar on the spot since we were there. I thought "sweet" as I wasn't expecting much from this visit. We were told that we would have to talk to Ms. Rodriguez after her meeting ended in approximately 5 minutes. So we waited. When Ms. Rodriguez finished her meeting, the guard talked to her and showed her our I.D.'s and bar cards. The guard then came into our waiting room and told us that we would have to call to schedule a meeting with Umar. O.K., this is more of what I expected. When we returned to the office, Shannon called the prison and was told that we could never meet with Umar unless he put us on his visitor list. She was further told that we could not meet with him as his potential attorneys either as he had a court appointed attorney listed on his visitor sheet. We were told this in spite of the fact that it is well known that Umar does not have an attorney. As I have stated all along, the government will have to kill me to stop me from my relentless pursuit of the truth. Until I am successful, the government's deceit of the American public concerning the Underwear Bomber will continue.

.

Figures

It kinda figures that kurt and i are flying out again on a weird day, when a nationwide protest is scheduled regarding the body scanners, which were put into place after Flight 253. Click here to read about it. I will post about anything interesting at the airports once we arrive tomorrow! I am really, really hoping that neither Kurty or I are chosen for the scan or being felt up, as I don't want to have to make the decision. It's like asking me "In which way would you like your constitutional rights violated? Pick the best option, you have no choice." My guess is Kurt is selected, LOL, and I walk right though.

Can't wait to get to Vegas, and simply do whatever I want for 4 days straight. We booked one show, and that is as far as I am going with planning. I do however plan on eating one fabulous dinner at my fav Mexican place, Garduno's. I have been dreaming about their shrimp fajitas and salsa bar. Yum. I am bringing workout clothes and plan on using the hotel gym while we are there, and probably hiking at Red Rock with Kurt at some point. Perfect weather for it, we are usually about dying walking around in 100+ degree weather while there. Also, packed my granola bars, so I can attempt to eat as healthy as possible while there.

Cannot wait to do some random walking around and shopping as well. I desperately need some work pants that fit. Hopefully, I can find something designer and cheap at the outlets. Heart Vegas shopping.

Hope everyone has a fabulous Thanksgiving, with lots of family time, good food, and Black Friday shopping!

Death Threats

Got our first death threat at the office. I'm actually shocked it has taken this long, considering family law is so emotional and the opposing party in our cases does not generally "like us". We represent the wife in a case, and her husband told her that he has hired a motorcycle gang to kill Kurt. Kurt says he takes that as a compliment, as it means he did a good job during her hearing, but stuff like that still makes me nervous. We may go get PPOs against this guy, but what does that really do to help us if there is really a "hit" out on us? Nothing. So, prob won't waste my time getting one. Makes for interesting talk at the office though. I swear, we could have a TV show with all the drama that goes on, LOL.


**Me and Gretel Olivia, at the vet, waiting.

This weekend was pretty low key, which I needed. Took gretel to the vet for a shot on Saturday that she was overdue for, and got a massage at Blu Water with a discount they were having, whoot. We were supposed to have dinner with a friend of mine who was in town, but she ended up having to cancel, so we stayed in (last minute) on Saturday. I was looking forward to spicy botan shrimp from Crave, but The Daily Plate was happy I stayed in and tracked my food, LOL. Worked part of the day today, and grocery shopped after work. Made an awesome dinner and have been trying to ward off this headache I have had all day. Also, met Megan's new German Shepard puppy, Mya, and OMG, way too cute. Only 6 weeks old, and such a little sweetie. Makes me want a puppy (but not really). I wanted to take Megan's puppy, but she seemed pretty attached to it. ;).

Weighed in again today and am down another 1.6 pounds, which takes my total up to 24.2 pounds. Super psyched about that. Thank you, The Daily Plate! Best site ever.

Had a board meeting earlier this week, dinner out with Mel and Tammy on Thursday night. We ended up at Panera....I think I am driving my friends nutty with my strange eating habits. haha. Applebee's was having a special for Veteran's Day, so we did not want to wait for a table.

Ordered some new shoes this week as well, cuz I totally needed them, LOL. Really though, I have been wanting purple heels as I have quite a few things I wear that purple heels would love fab with, and I have been having issues finding the perfect pair. We will see when they come if I like them though, as I ordered some purple heels a montha ago I had to send back. Anyway, the purple ones are Michael Kors, and I also ordered a grey pair of Juicy Couture. If you like high end shoes and HATE the prices, check out 6pm.com. Great site. On just these two pairs of shoes, I saved like $400+ using this site. Not that I ever would have paid that much for the shoes, but it sounds good! haha. The black shoe below I actually got in grey, but it's sold out now so I could only post the pic of the black. I really like the black as well, but I have enough pairs of black heels. Never even knew Juicy sold shoes until I saw them on this site.

Saw Rock of Ages at the Fisher with my Aunt on Tuesday night and loved it!! The music was all 80s rock and awesome. Really fun, upbeat show. I wish I could take my Mom to it because she would love it. I think even Kurt would have liked it, and he hates the theatre and musicals.

Fast

This week went by so insanely fast....I seriously have no clue where it went. So busy at work. Which is the norm, and I sound like a broken record, I totally realize this, LOL. I had a lot of hearings this week, topped off by a hearing on Friday that both annoyed me (because of the snotty attorney who I was arguing against), but made me feel proud of myself at the same time because I kinda gave a good speech at the end that made the other atty look stupid. Which he totally deserved. I will write about it in the secret blog when I get a sec.

This weekend, we relaxed a lot. Saturday, we stayed home. I did grocery shop, but that was my only leaving of the house. Today, we worked a couple hours this morning, then I ran some errands at Kohl's and Meijer's. I decided it was time for some new frying pans. Mine are really old and really worn out, and I think have been put in the dishwasher a few too many times. Anyway, I bought a new 12 inch, 10 inch and 8 inch frying pans with lids. I have been wanting clear lids, as I like how you can "see" what you are cooking. My old lids were chrome. My old stuff I loved, it was cobalt blue and Circulon, a gift from my Grama and Aunt. New stuff is boring grey, but hard anodized Caphalon. Used one tonight and I love it so far. My goal for this stuff is to clean it immediately after use, so I am not forever scrubbing pots and pans. Did that tonight after grilling tuna. :). Also, while at Kohl's, bought two new work skirts (here and here) and a work variation on the blazer (in purple, I liked red as well, but they did not have my size), as well as two new pairs of black tights. I was super psyched when trying on clothes, as my skirt size went down 4 sizes, which is insane to me, as I don't feel like my size changed that much. Weigh in again today was down 3.6 pounds, which makes my total thus far 22.6 pounds since the start. Have been tracking religiously with The Daily Plate every single day, and that site is a God send. It really makes me accountable for what I eat, and I don't cheat, almost ever.

Anyway, off to bed, busy morning ahead! :). Hope everyone had a nice weekend full of rest and relaxation.

Week Update

Had a nice rest of my week! :). Rebecca and I met up for facials and dinner in Royal Oak on Thursday night. Caught up at dinner at Mezza Grille, which was aMAZing. I had lentil soup and spicy hummus, and their bread was to die for. Service was perfect and the food was super yummy, and not horrible for you. Well, I guess depending on what was ordered, but I tried to be good! :). Headed next to use our Groupon certs at Michigan Advanced Aesthetics in Royal Oak. Really liked the place as well.

Rest of the weekend, we did not work, which is somewhat crazy these days! :). Saturday, I had a massage appointment, then ran to Sams Club and then to Farmington Hills. My Mom and Ronnie got back from driving my grandparents to Florida, and I spent most of the night there hanging out with family, watching football/baseball and playing Euchre. Which my Mom and I rock at, BTW. Won every game! Sunday, I mostly ran errands. Went to Macy's to the MAC counter, where I bought some foundation I read about, powder and lip gloss. Tried on some suits, but the one I really liked was missing a button and I do not sew and was not going to buy a nice suit, then have to figure out how to sew a button on or pay someone else to do it. I should have asked if they would give me a discount, but I did not see any employees around. Tried on another cute suit at NY and Co, but since I keep losing weight, I dont want to buy clothes I only wear for a short period of time and I was just not feeling it. Went grocery shopping after that, then spent the rest of the day at home, relaxing with Kurty.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend as well!

Flights Booked!

Flights booked for the Christmas trip, so I guess it's for sure now! :). Sending in the money for the tour tomorrow. Yay. Cannot wait. I am hoping this is our best trip yet! :). Def some new things that we have not done yet on ANY trip.

Had dinner last night at LaPita with my friend, Nancy, which was really nice. Got to catch up, and have awesome food. Lentil soup, hummus and naan.....yum.

Today at the office was pure insanity. We ended up working until after 8 PM, but, I got a ton of stuff drafted at the end of the day. I am going to be filing a lot of new cases tomorrow at family court, and have three early hearings, ugh on the early, but yay on getting paperwork done.

Off to bed, another busy day tomorrow! :). Night everyone.

Trip Itinerary

So, here is the copied and pasted version of our trip. I think I am most excited about the baby Tigers experience, the elephant interaction, and the gibbon treehouse thing.

Extreme Wildlife TourSpecially Prepared for Haskell, 2 pax

DAY 1 Arrive in Bangkok
Meet our guide at Suvarnnabhum airport and transfer to The Bhuthorn. Free at leisure.

DAY 2 Kaeng Krachan National Park ( B,L,D )
08.00 Depart the hotel to Floating Market, an incredibly colorful market. Enjoy lunch before continuing to Kaeng Krachan National Park, Phetchburi province.

14.00 Visit Kaeng Krachan‘s visitor center and continue to Baan Krang station inside the park. Enjoy wildlife watching along the road until sunset. We will use 4WD vehicle while we are in the park. Visit several salt licks enroute to see wild animals and tracks. Regular animal sightings include dusky leaf monkey (langur), Hornbills, gibbons, barking deer, elephants, civet, giant porcupine, and occasionally black leopard, flying fox, sun bear and more. Deep Jungle Camping option or lodging option.

DAY 3 Kaeng Krachan National Park (B,L,D)
Enjoy wildlife and bird watching on Pha-nean Thung route to see 6 species of Hornbills, Gibbons, Giant squirrels and beautiful waterfall in the deep jungle. Go for nocturnal animals after dinner. Camping.

DAY 4 Kaeng Krachan – Pa La U (B,L,D)
Enjoy wildlife and bird watching at Kaeng Krachan in the morning. After lunch transfer to Pa La-U which is a remote part of Keang Krachan National Park where we will track wild elephants to their sleeping place until dark. Overnight at Park’s house (rustic).

DAY 5 Pa La-U – Sam Roi Yod - Chiewlan Dam (B,L,D)
Leave Pa La U in the morning and transfer to the Praya Nakorn Cave at Sam Roi Yod National Park. After lunch transfer to Chiew Lan Dam which is in Khao Sok National Park, Surathani province. Take a boat to the remote Klong Seang Reserved Area. Stay on the rafthouse in Klong Seang which is the Park’s house (Rustic accommodations that are the only option in the area, so they offer the best way to see wildlife.). Free at leisure. After dinner go for an exciting night-time excursion spotlighting for wild animals by boat.

Day 6 Klong Seang (B,L,D)
Early morning take a boat to see animals in the morning. Back for breakfast and then enjoy trekking, canoeing and swimming. After dinner go for another nighttime spotlighting excursion to see nocturnal animals.

Day 7 Klong Seang - Khao Sok (B,L,D)
Leave Chiewlan Dam in the morning and transfer back to Khao Sok. Then enjoy hiking, kayaking, and wildlife viewing along Sok river. Wildlife includes snakes, birds and small animals along the way. Overnight at The Cliff & River Jungle Resort.

Day 8 Khao Sok National Park (B,L,D)
Hiking and wildlife viewing on the trail to the 11 Tiers waterfall until late afternoon. Return to the Cliff & River Jungle Resort for a second night. (Local guide)


Day 9 Surathanee - BKK - Chiangmai. (B)
A day for traveling. Transfer to Surathanee airport. Fly to BKK and continue to Chiangmai. Transfer to Lanna Mantra Ping River Hotel. (No guide)

DAY 10 Chiangmai – Elephant Nature Park - Rafting (B,L,D)
Spend an amazing day feeding, bathing and learning about elephants at an eco-responsible elephant camp. Play with them in the river, then float downstream on a bamboo raft. You will not believe how much fun this experience is, and how much it will open your heart to learn about these incredibly social animals! This evening explore Chiangmai Night Bazaar, famous for hand made items and Thai silks.

DAY 11 Chiangmai – Doi Inthanon – Tiger Kingdom ( B,L,D)
Early morning wildlife viewing and birdwatching at Doi Inthanon National Park, home to the largest number of bird species in Thailand, including the endemic Green-tailed Sunbird. Beautiful Asian orchids adorn its cloudforest ad Gibbons, deer and Siamese Hares are sometimes seen. Visit nearby waterfalls. Then visit Tiger Kingdom, and learn how to safely intertact with baby tiger cubs! Transfer to Chiang Rai and overnight at Pholwadon Spa

Day 12 Gibbon Experience: Treehouses, Ziplines & Gibbons
Very early this morning your Thai naturalist guide will transfer with you to the Thai border town of Chiang Khong, in time to be first in line to cross the border to Houxay, Laos, at the famous Me Kong river when the border opens at 8:00am. Once across, you'll meet with the staff of the Gibbon Experience at their office and begin your 4WD journey to Bokeo Nature Preserve. This is a very poor road, but a long stretch is in the process of being paved. After a break for lunch in a small Laotian village, you'll continue your journey through rivers and over dirt roads to a small native village. Here you'll leave your 4WD behind and walk about an hour or more with your bag, up to the Gibbon Experience (pack light!) (Note that in the event of heavy rain, the 4WD truck may not be able to make it all the way to the village, and additional walking may be required.)

Upon arrival, you'll meet your local Laotian guides, who will provide a short orientation and safety instructions, . They will fit a rock-climbing harness to you, show you how it works, (including an innovative rudimentary cable breaking system) and help you zip to the first tree house. From there your guide will accompany you on a series of zip lines and short hikes to the tree house where you'll be spending the night. The guides will bring your hot , delicious Lao meals, prepared with incredible taste and packed ingeniously to travel with them on the zip lines. Overnight in one of the magnificent rustic treehouses.

Highlights: Traverse a unique system of zip line cables that end in magnificent rustic treehouses, affording panoramic views of the rainforest. With luck, you'll have front row seats to see the gibbons, a small ape that sings duets with its mate each morning as the mist burns off the rainforest. Wildlife: Gibbons, macaques, asiatic bear, barking deer, giant squirrels, and over 300 species of exotic tropical birds. Overnight: Spectacular rustic Treehouse in the rainforest canopy, accessed by ziplines! Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 13 Gibbon Experience: Treehouses, Ziplines & Gibbons
Early this morning your Laotian guide will guide you as you explore the network of ziplines and treehouses. For groups of 6 or more, Wild Planet may also include a second naturalist wildlife guide, who will be both serving you and training the local Laotian guides to spot and identify
wildlife. You'll have all day to explore the rainforest with your guides. One of the great benefits of the treehouse/zipline network is that it allows wildlife lovers to be up in the canopy at dawn, dusk, and at night...the best times for wildlife observation. We know of no other ecotourism effort that caters so specifically to wildlife observation, especially with such conscious attention on serving the local community and conserving the rainforest and wildlife. Overnight in one of the magnificent rustic treehouses. Overnight: Spectacular rustic Treehouse in the rainforest canopy, accessed by ziplines! Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 14 Gibbon Experience/Chiang Rai
Around mid morning you will begin the hike back to the last village and wait for your 4WD transportation back to Houxay. The border closes at 5:00pm, and usually we make it in time. Once you've crossed the Me Kong again, you'll check in at the Thai border crossing to get your passport stamped, meet your Thai guide, then transfer by vehicle back to the spa in Chiang Rai, ready for a relaxing afternoon of pampering yourself after your adventure. Note: if the 4WD vehicle doesn't reach Houxay by 4:20pm, you will not get across the border to Thailand and will have to spend the night in Houxay at a minimal extra charge. Do not make any urgent travel plans for the rest of this day. Overnight: Pholwadon Resort & Spa Meals: Breakfast

Day 15 Chiang Rai / Bangkok
Transfer to the Chiang Rai airport for your flight to Bangkok, in time to make your international flight. Meals: Breakfast

Trip

I am feeling kinda exhausted tonight and am hoping I am not catching the sickness the entire office has had. Downed an Airborne when I got home so hopefully it helps some. I will take another in the morning and attempt to ward off the evil, haha.

So, we are booking Thailand/Laos tomorrow! Cannot wait. I have to send a check to California, since paying with a credit card means an extra 3% I dont want to pay. So many travel places do this, which annoys me because I hate going to the bank and getting a cashiers check, etc. But, will send that out tomorrow and book our flights. My agent's vendor found this flight I have not even seen online, with only one layover both there and back and not really long layovers, which rocks. I am also excited about the trip they put together for us, which is a personalized one, diff than the one on the website. It is just us (as I hate travelling with tour groups) and takes out the cooking lesson and beach days, adds in some more animal experiences. I will try to post later this week, as it is only saved on the work computer.

Today was crazy busy. One positive note, I got to have dinner with my friend, Nancy, at LaPita, after work. Super yummy lentil soup and hummus there. I did not even have an actual ordered meal, as I was craving lentil and hummus. Yum.

Off to bed, Happy Monday!

Week In Review

The Firm went to Erebus on Thursday night for the Annual Haunted House Law Firm Adventure. It was a lot of fun, and we ended up, via Kory meeting some random guy at the bar, getting in VIP and before the line of people who had been waiting there in line. Gotta love that. Megan and Alana were interviewed for the news afterwards as well (the rest of us were hiding from the cameras).

Saturday was my first day off in forever. I was thrilled. :). Had lunch at PF Chang's with Hollie, Tammy and Becca, and then went to Farmington Hills to see my Mom and Ronnie and other family. My Mom and Ronnie were there to drive my grandparents to Florida, leaving on Sunday. Had dinner and hung out. Super fun and good to see everyone.

My new briefcase came and I love it! It's perfect and fits files well, which is really the only requirement besides looks on a briefcase.

Weighed in today, only down .3 of a pound (making my total 17.8 pounds). I am just happy to not gain anything though. Eating was really good this week. Even yesterday, with eating out and at family's, I still stayed below my calorie intake, although I did eat more yesterday than I do in a normal day. Eating at home is so much easier though than making good choices eating out. There are not many good choices eating out, LOL. I actually had to try something new at Chang's since my normal meal there is fried and horrible for you. I had the shrimp with lobster sauce lunch bowl and it was VERY good. Not as good as the other meal, but I felt better about eating it, ;).

Oh, I almost forgot! My office was painted purple this week and I love it! Love. Looks amazing and makes me happier to be in there.

Worked part of today, but I finally feel like we are catching up some. Actually had some time today to research law on some areas we have been needing to, and filed some bankruptcies to catch all those up. Whoot.

Anyway, another busy week ahead, starting with court bright and early! Some fun stuff mixed in this week though, so hopefully, I maintain my sanity! :). Happy weekend!

Stolen From Candace

1. Who is the better cook, you or your spouse?

Def me. Kurt has not cooked himself a meal in 14 years. Not sure he even knows how, LOL. But, I am OK with this as I actually like to cook. :).

2. How often do you talk to your mom?

Prob at least every other day or so. I usually call her when I am driving to and from court, or home from work when Kurt is not in the car.

3. Are you adventurous in the kitchen or stick to the recipe?

I mostly stick to the recipe, but with modifications. Like I will use spices to make things hot. Or change things around to make the recipe more healthy.

4. Is your second toe longer than your big toe?
Nope.

5. Do you dress up for Halloween? (Bonus question: What will you be this year?)

I have not in a long time. I am not really a fan of the holiday.

New Beginnings

Lots of stuff going on at the office.

Shannon started work on Monday and has been following us around for hearings. Kurt decided today that he is no longer doing most family law cases. There are a few he has going on that he is going to finish up, but other than that, Holly and I are going to do all the cases. He is psyched about that decision, as family law has never really excited him. He would much rather focus on our other areas, which is fine, because Holly and I both like family court.

I finally found a new briefcase online this weekend! I have had the same one for over 5 years, which is crazy to me since I get at least one new purse a year and a briefcase should be the same in replacement and time, I think! :). My current briefcase is actually still in great condition, considering it's been 5 years, so I will save it as a backup. The new one I got for a great discount on Gilt, and it is made by Furla. Hopefully, I like it when it comes.



Oh, weighed in on Sunday and I am down another 1.5 pounds. Total of 17.5, which is crazy to me, since I have been so busy at work and not had time to work out every night like I would like to. Still following The Daily Plate religiously, and loving it because it holds me so accountable. I guess I never realized before how much crap we eat by eating out, ordering in, etc. I am discovering so many different food options and stuff too which allow me to have stuff I crave like salty and sugary snacks, but still follow the rules of TDP. Great, great site. So many of my clothes are getting huge as well (mostly pants and skirts), so I think a Birch Run shopping trip may be on the table in November! :).

Off topic, but I really want to buy one of those chest freezers. Now that I am eating at home more, it would be nice to have since my freezer is always totally stuffed. I went to look at one at Sears, but the delivery charge was stupid compared to the product cost. I just could not pay it. I may need to borrow a truck or something.

We are having some minor work done at the office as well, hired a guy to paint most of the office, i.e. the front lobby, hallway, Kory's office, my office. The other three offices have been painted recently so they will stay the same. I am painting my office purple, so I am excited about that. I wanted pink, but decided that would be too girly, so a deep kinda plum it is. :). Hopefully I like it, because it's pretty out there, but I am guessing I will. I like old there colors.

Anyway, exhausted, off to bed. Hope everyone had a great weekend! :).

Mid-Weekend

Had an aMAZing day on Friday. Holly got her bar results (passing) on Thursday evening, and we of course wanted her sworn in ASAP so she can start doing lawyerly things at the office.

Since Judge Halloran was out of town, I picked Judge Elder to swear her in, and it was awesome. Judge Elder videotaped it, and the courtroom was packed with people waiting for hearings, so they all clapped for her (and her boyfriend, who was there as well being sworn in). Her parents came as well, and I was so beyond happy for her. I know how it feels, all the work you put in, and finally getting to see the results of it all. It's overwhelming really, the feeling you get being sworn in, it's almost like getting married, LOL.

So, starting next week, Holly can appear in court for us! Whoot. Our other new attorney is starting Monday as well. :).

I am so happy with all the positive energy at the office these days.

I can't even remember what else happened this week, I have been so busy. Worked all day today as well, and have to go in tomororrow. BOOOO. Been still doing great with The Daily Plate. Weigh in tomorrow!

Weekend Randomness

This weekend was too short.

Worked part of each day, again. At least we are getting some things off our desks, but until the new attorneys are trained all the way, I think this is going to be what my life looks like, unfortunately. That's OK though, I can see my life getting back to normal in the next month or so, hopefully! :).

Did get a massage yesterday, which was nice and really needed.

Made some awesome salsa tonight for Kurty. New recipe and I think my best yet. Click here to see it. I used jarred lime juice, canned diced tomatoes and the food processor, but other than that, exactly as the recipe lists. Super yummy, although, I am a fan of chipotle. Also made a cream of broccoli soup which came out ok, but kinda bland. Need new recipe for that I think.

So, my procrastination on the December trip is not good. I really started researching hardcore again this weekend, and I think I may have found the perfect trip, with flight prices that are not insanely high. Found a wildlife tour in Thailand that looks incredible. Might want to tweak the tour and take out the cooking lesson and the beach days and either cut the trip short or add on something else nature related, but other than that, it's perfect. Sent the place an email asking for more information and a tailored itinerary. Click here to see it. I know most of you will think I am crazy to cut out the cooking lesson and the beach, but Kurt is not into cooking and I dont want to bore him, LOL.

I cannot believe the Lions won today! It was a miracle! haha. And, I was super psyched State won over Michigan. Whoot!

Bought a piece of artwork for above my bed and it came in the mail and I love it. Kurt hung it and it goes perfectly above our headboard and with the colors in my bedroom. I would take a pic, but none of my cameras are at home right now!

Speaking of cameras, I went to turn my new one on, the 50d, and it would not turn on! So, I had to send it in under warranty. Hopefully, it arrives back home soon, I miss it already! :).

Draining Day

Hello draining day!

Update

Secret Update

Update

Another crazy busy week, shocker there, hun? :).

Some highlights of the week though......

Saw West Side Story (for the second time) at the Fisher with my Aunt. It was awesome. Love that show and the music. I have been walking around all day singing "I feel pretty, oh so pretty...." and "tonight, tonight...." Fabulous show.

Went to a meeting last night with Holly for the Downriver Bar Association and had a great time! It's mostly socializing with speakers thown in there. I normally hate stuff like this, but this is all local lawyers and actually was a good time! They let me sub Holly in for Stacey (who I had signed up initially), so I was happy they did not make me pay again. I think Holly had fun too, and it's good for her to start meeting local lawyers outside of the courtroom, and everyone loves her.

Been doing great still with the eating and The Daily Plate, so much so it's like second nature now, which is totally what I was striving for. It is also getting me to cook recipes more, which is awesome. I made these awesome bean mix for burritos that I have eaten for three nights straight for dinner. Super yummy. Also, weighed in with Week Three of using the program on Sunday, and I have lost 13 pounds to date, which rocks since I have not had a ton of time to work out.

Lots of changes happening at the office lately, but I will post more about that once decisions are made and set in stone. Our Monroe office opened on Friday, and i already have an appointment booked there for Monday, which rocks!

Changes

Changes....

BUSY

I. Am. Exhausted.

OMG, this week has been insanely busy every single night until tonight. And even tonight, when I almost always leave the office at 5, I was there until like 520. AARGH.

Each night worked late for different reasons, and was trying to get all ready for our Monroe office opening this past Friday, which we did for the most part. Still need to order one more thing, but it's ready for meeting with clients, which is great. I think I did not get home until 800 PM or after Monday-Thursday. BLAH.

Started the interview process at the office, and thus far, have interviewed two people. We plan on interviewing about 8 or so, then making a decision next week. cannot wait for some normalcy at the office again, and having the feeling again of knowing that I have staff around that are not leaving soon! :). Training people takes a lot of time and energy, which is worth it in the end, but exhausting at the start.

Court has been crazy for me as well, which makes things even more hectic in the office.

Am thrilled to be going to finally get my hair done tomorrow. Its like at least a month past due, and I generally only get my hair done every 3-4 months. Yep, I think it's been like 5. How sad is that, LOL. I am planning on NO office stuff tomorrow, but will prob go in on Sunday to catch up on some paperwork. I have a case I want to hurry up and file on Monday, so I want to get it done.

Wore new heels to work today and they did not hurt my feet all day long! Whoot, love that. Especially when said heels are a little bit higher than I generally wear. the little things make me happy........;).

Ordered a really cute pic for the office breakroom, which arrived from Art.com this week. I also ordered from amazing candles on Etsy, which arrived and smell AMAZING.