On the Road Again

I checked this book out of the library last week. It was on the shelf across from some fiction I was picking up. It's been fun to thumb through and see the places that I've been and the places I would love to go. One of the places was right here in Dallas: The Mansion at Turtle Creek, which is a five-star hotel and restaurant. So, I'm thinking next anniversary? Hopefully!

By my count, I've been to 43 places listed in the book! Only 957 places to go. So, let's see...if it took 30 years to get 43, then it will only take me (957 divided by 43 times 30) 667.67 more years to hit them all! Well, that's totally doable! What was I worried about. <_<

Some of the places listed that I've been to were:

The Oregon Coast:

Monticello:

And Neuschwanstein:

But imagine my surprise, when my beloved Butchart Gardens did not make the list! So, I decide to make my own list. Now, of course, I don't have 1000 places to list, but I do have 10 places that took my breath away. Some, because of the beauty and some because of the history. But all these places hold a special spot in my heart, because the day I visited them, I truly understood the phrase, "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, of good report or praise worthy, we seek after these things."

10. Adam-Ondi-Ahman, Daviees County, Missouri

This picture doesn't do it justice, but it is close to the place where I went when I was 15. It was here that I had one of the most amazing spiritual experiences of my life. My testimony has truly never been the same since visiting this site.

9. World Trade Center, Ground Zero

This picture was taken just a few months after we visited New York. We actually rode the train into the World Trade Center Station everyday. It was very emotional to start our day this way. I'm sure y'all can appreciate this.

8. Gettysburg National Military Park and Cemetary, Pennsylvania

My sister used to live about 1 1/2 hours from Gettysburg. Once, when visiting her, she took us to it. At the end of a long, lovely, and fascinating driving tour, you come to the large field where the final battle took place. It was very easy to picture the soldiers marching towards each other, and I remember getting emotional about the ridiculousness of war. Of course, the Civil War was completely necessary in order to abolish slavery, but the fact that it had to come to that was so disheartening at that moment. I pictured all these young men marching toward their death and completely realizing that while doing it. It still moves me when I remember it.

7. Windsor, England

Though Hubby and I spent less than a day here, we both LOVED it! It's my dream to rent a summer home near here. Ahh...that would be the life! Of course, all of you would be invited, too! ;)

6. The Statue of David and The Pieta by Michaelangelo Florence and The Vatican, respectively

The first time I saw a picture of The Pieta was in a text book when I was 13. I was blown away by the small image. My mother told me what it was and that it was in Italy. I said to myself, "Someday, I'm gonna see that!" If I thought the small picture was a masterpiece, well, that was nothing compared to the real thing! I have such loving feelings toward Mary and I think this sums up every feeling a mother would have if they suffered as Christ had. I loved being there.

The Statue of David blew me away, as well. Hubby and I went to see it, because we felt obligated, being in Florence and all. But, seriously, if you have a chance, DO NOT MISS IT! I had no idea why it was such a big deal until I saw it myself. It's truly amazing what Michaelangelo accomplished in his life!


5. Butchart Gardens, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

What can I say about this place except, "Omigosh! It's the most beautiful place that I've ever been to in my entire life!!!! SQUEEE!!!!"? I was totally inspired by this place. I'm still a little shocked that it's not listed in the book!

4. Stourhead Gardens, England

This makes my list because it was such a dream to be there! As many of you know, or have read on blogs, I was one of the lucky girls that went to England this past May. While sitting in the grotto writing in my journal overlooking this lake, I was swelled with emotion at the blessing of taking this trip. It was truly a dream come true! When the idea was first put out there, in the back of my mind I kept asking, "Is this REALLY gonna happen?" Sitting there, after having re-enacted my fav scene in the movie, I was overcome by the fact that yes, it had happened. Stourhead was also listed in the book. Yes, it's THAT beautiful!

3. Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany

Being in Berlin was surreal. But seeing this site, took the cake! We walked through it, coming from the formerly Russian side of Berlin. To the left of this picture is the government building where they elected Hitler and next to that is a walkway that has monuments of those who had died trying to cross the wall. The last deaths were early in the year 1989. It's truly heartbreaking to stand infront of this gate a realize what atrocities people had lived through.

2. Washington, D.C. Monuments at night

One of the many great things about having a sister that lived in the DC area, was that she really, REALLY knew her way around that town! So, one of the days that we spent in DC, we hit the monuments at night. I was particularly moved by the Korean Memorial. The memorial itself is statues of soldiers marching along. At night, they look like ghosts. It's breathtaking. Seriously, check it out, if you can!

1. Jane Austen House and Museum

Jane is one of my best friends....she just doesn't know it, yet! So, there really are no words for my joy while being at her house! She was truly a remarkable sister, daughter, friend and author. The world has been made better because of her pen.



So, I hope you all enjoyed my extremely long post! I hope that you all have as many wonderful travel memories as I have made. I'm sure you do!



Also, I would like to thank Google Images. Without it, this post could not have been made.

Don't Cry Out Loud

So, I don't know if some of you have noticed, but I have a list on my sidebar of "Things You Might Not Know About Me". Number 1 is "I'm a borderline hypochondriac." This just means that everytime I hear someone list symptoms of a disease, it freaks me out, because I usually have at least half of the symptoms! Then, I walk around for the next week or so, imagining my death bed and how my kids will survive without me, and whether or not Hubby will get re-married. Personally, I feel it's just a product of my over-active imagination. (I imagine Hubby dead on the side of the road, alot, if he's a few minutes late and won't answer his cell phone.)

But, I saw a commercial the other night that gave me pause. It was a commercial for Restasis, which is a medicine for people who have problems producing tears. My initial reaction was, "Oh no. What if I have Chronic Dry Eye? That would be so inconvenient!" And then, reality hit, and I just had to laugh at myself. Um, hello, Katrina! You cry at everything! I mean EVERYTHING! Anything that has any emotion behind it at all, and I'm gone! Whether it's people I'm interacting with (and let me tell you, that's always a little embarrassing!), or even more often, something on the TV. Even productions that are so blatantly manipulating you into feeling something, I swell with emotion, and my eyes let it loose! I cry at award shows, at commercials, and for some reason I even cried at that YouTube video of the Mom's William Tell overture. Don't ask why, cause I really don't know.

So, this is a relief. I don't have Chronic Dry Eye. Shwew! Now I just have to go battle my diabetes, anemia and ulcer. (All self-diagnosed, of course!)

Michelle's new video reminded me of this fanvid! Today is Office Day! Woohoo! After over 4 months (139 days, but whose counting?) of waiting, today is finally here! Yippee! Go Team Pam!
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Send Me an Angel

So, here is something I copied from a design magazine. I was running out of space in my jewelry box. So, I went to Hobby Lobby (I'm getting embarrassed at how much I mention this store!) and bought these two little statues from their garden section.

The fleur de lis holds my necklaces, obviously, and the angel holds whatever I was wearing that day. I move things over to my jewelry box when she gets too cluttered. I really like having my necklaces on display, because it adds color to the room, but more importantly it reminds me of what I have to wear! I can also see what necklaces I haven't worn in a while, because they're on the bottom. That way they don't feel left out of the fun! And, hello! What's more fun than being on Katrina's neck? Well, OK. I can actually think of alot of things. But, whatever.

Fix You

Yes, yes, yes. I've been a negligent blogger. But now I'm a repentant negligent blogger. So, y'all all have to practice forgiveness and completely forget the previous sentences! OK, done.

But, I have a good excuse for my negligence. (What negligence? You told us to forget those sentences!) Here is what I've been up too. First off, my updated fall arrangement. (I'm so lucky to have a Hobby Lobby open down the street from my house!)

I've wanted mirrors underneath the arrangement for a year, now. But it took me a while to figure out how to get that done. Problem solved with candle holders!

Next, my oldest daughter's room. Well, some of it.And here is a close up of the maps over her bed. Just $13 dollars! Thanks PB Teen for the inspiration!

And, finally, the slipcover that I mentioned in a previous blog about biting off more than I can chew! I'm very proud of this project, as it only cost me $15 dollars! We found the wing chair at a garage sale, and I recovered it with left over fabric. I even got the seller to through in the yellow toile pillow in for free! Yea me! (Also, the door in the background was the thing that I painted preparing for Mavens! I've been a busy bee! :D ) And, yes, that is a Jane Austen Action Figure in the background! Aren't you all jealous? ;)

So, now you can see what I've been up to. I'm a little crest fallen as I don't have any projects in the workings right now. I can actually say that I've done everything on my list! :O I guess I'll just have to make a new one!

A special thanks goes to Laurie for letting me borrow her camera and then emailing me the pics! I really need to get my camera fixed!

This Woman's Work

So, tonight I finished Queen of Babble In the Big City. I love Meg Cabot. She gets better and better. I consider myself a little bit Becky Bloomwood who is actually not a Cabot creation, a little bit Lizzie Nichols , and a little bit Heather Wells . But Heather just for her size, not for her adept way of solving crimes.

So, my little Meggy (and, yes, I claim the right to call her Meggy!), has been trying something new with her series of books, both the Queen of Babble and Princess Diaries. I'm intrigued as to why she's venturing off her regular path. But whether it be from personal experimentation or publisher's breathing down her neck, I like the results. She leaves me craving more. And what else can we ask of our favorite authors? (Except Jane Austen. I don't want to crave more, because she's dead and can't satisfy that hunger. [Fan fiction doesn't count! ;)] )

Fall to Pieces

Question of the Ages:
Why is it when you spend three days cleaning and doing projects that at the end, your house is messier than it was to begin with?

OK, well, maybe that's not the "Question of the Ages". That probably sounds more like, "What is our purpose in this life?" (http://www.mormon.org/mormonorg/eng/) But it's Katrina's "Question of the Day" just the same.

This week, I'm hosting our Mavens night. A fun Girls Night Out. (A GNO!) I haven't hosted in two years, because I was preempted by Rochelle's slumber party last year. So, I thought this would be a good time to finish up projects and show off my house! Yea! Or so I thought....

I've been working pretty much non-stop this whole week, and right now my house is a disaster zone! I sitting here taking a break after having repaired baby's crib, touch-up paint in the nursery, gone to Wal-Mart (but, really, that doesn't count, cause it's an everyday occurence), re-hung a frame on the mirror, vacuumed, done the dishes, organized the butler's pantry and put away tools! All before 10:30. You'd think that'd put a dent into the dicombobulation that is my house. But you'd be wrong.

To make matters worse (they can get worse?!), my camera broke last week, so I can't even take any pictures of before, after or even during!

OK, so I'm off to steam clean, dust, vacuum, organize, paint, and sew a slip cover! Ack! What have I gotten myself into?

Oh, and if any of you that are reading this are Mavens, disregard the above. My house always looks like it will on Thursday night. It takes no effort or work on my part. I lie around the house all day eating bonbons! ;)