A moment for pause.....

"Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn"

Elizabeth Lawrence

The Ferry Ride

This ride has become "my usual" ride. And although we actually don't go over the three car ferry, we go right by it. A 20 mile loop that takes you through beautiful farm land, horses, chickens, and now beautiful falling leaves. A nice way to recenter and collect my thoughts.

November Thoughts on School.....

Taking exams gives me the same feeling as when I'm about to do a hard water ice lead....It makes me want to vomit and I ask myself why do I continue to do these things....? But there is that something inside of me that finds some sort of odd pleasure in enjoying the process of it all! Happy November!

A Fall Day of Fun!

First there was some trampoline fun.....

I tried pretty hard to keep up with the kids,

but they had their flips, turns and butt jumps down!

Then there was some Tyrolean fun!

And the canoe commute back to the house....

one of the nice advantages of having all of my family live on the same lake!

A day with Mom.....

I've been busy, but there are some things in life that are worth slowing down for....a long walk on the beach with Mom is well worth slowing down for....temps are still warm, water is still warm and the sound of the ocean is still magical.....As always, thank you Mom for being such an amazing person!

I was on my way to Berlin, but I ended up in Snow Hill

My life has changed quit a bit now that I'm living on the Eastern Shore. So, its been a little bit of a struggle to try and figure out what to blog about...as I do still love my blog. I do feel everyday is an adventure here, just different than my life in Alaska.......So as of late, I've been back on a bike, which has just been great! Probably one of the things I missed while living in AK. I have not figured out a way to attach my camera in a position that makes it easier to take photos, so these are not so great - I'll work on it. But I do think it will be a great way to document some of the area. Its pretty easy to escape the 'city' and find yourself on beautiful country roads.....I don't have a good map yet, and I continue to get lost...but I do usually find my way!

Every now and then, its nice to be on the sideline....Stacy's First Triathalon

I just had to brag about my cousin Stacy for a second as I was so proud of her for completing her first triathlon! It was a 1/2 mile open water swim, 15 mile bike and a 3.1 mile run. She smiled as she got out of the water, looked super strong on the bike, and glowed when she crossed the finish line....ok, maybe she wouldn't call it glowing! But she really did a fantastic job!

AK Friends Come to Salisbury!

It is pretty amazing to me that my Alaska friends would make a stop in Salisbury. It is truly amazing to me that with my move here, Salisbury is on the radar for so many folks....that I am truly grateful for....cause without you all,,,,well it just wouldn't be right.

Resh had an amazing time playing in the pool and playing on the beach....It was one of those days where it actually felt warmer in the water than it did on the beach...We couldn't get Resh to go in the water, but Rick and I took a quick dip....ok his was longer than mine.....A windy warm day......wind, even on the east coast, still continues to be my least favorite element.

We walked on the boardwalk, ate Thrashers (the best french fries ever), it was to late in the season for rides, but we did spend sometime in Playland playing skeet ball, grab machines, raced cars and other games.

So glad you all were able to make the trip and to see what my life is like! Miss you all!

Lobster, Lighthouse, Wedding, and a Freaking Crazy Round of Golf! Maine and the Weekend Getaway!

Time has been a ticking, and my blog has been neglected......

And its about time I do some updating!!!

The Jackson crew was heading to Maine for a long weekend, and I couldn't resist!

Evan trying to figure out what to cook for dinner......Lobster of course!

What would a trip to Maine be like without a tour of one of the local lighthouses!? I know its one of those blurry photos of mine,,,,but for some reason I like the blurry ones....gives it more richness, more character or something like that.....the lighthouse was super cool, and some how or another, Evan and I ended up chaperoning two kids to the top...not sure what they were thinking!

The wedding I would say was in my top 5. Maine, just beautiful with country farm land, rolling hills, romantically beautiful, and perfect weather to go with it....

you couldn't ask for much more on a wedding day!

Playing a round of golf has been on my list for a long time....and I had no idea golf could be so entertaining.....balls flying everywhere, shouts of 'four' or more like screams of 'watch out'! Bottles of wine, cans of beer and a little four wheeling here and there.....a day to be remembered!

I am now a Gull.

I am now a Gull

And now my new chapter begins....I am scared, nervous, and excited all rolled into one. I ponder how I will feel the first time a patient dies, I wonder what I will feel the first time I see a baby born, and I question whether I will actually be able to stick someone with a needle or stick a tube down someones nose......which they tell me is going to happen this week. Wow, what did I just get myself into? I guess its all to be determined, just like everything else in life....unknown. And as I move into this new direction, amazing reconnection's with my family, looking out over the lake I spent so much time as a child..........well, I can't help but smile and be thankful for who I am! As always, thanks to everyone who has been and continues to be a part of my life.....I truly treasure those unforgettable moments with each of you......!

Assatugue - Where the Horses Run Free

Well, I made it! And I just couldn't wait to head to the beach!!!!!! Assatugue is know for the wild ponies that roam the shores...I think technically they are horses, but regardless its pretty cool!

Luke quickly turning in to the hottie surfer guy!

As we drove across the bridge a big flashing sign indicated ROUGH WATERS - RIP TIDE....and they were not kidding.....Either the water was really rough that day (as I feel very lucky that my bathing suit made it home) or its been soo--- long since I've been in the ocean I had totally forgotten what its like to be tossed and tumbled in the water! (oh yeah, water temps hit 88 degrees last week!!!!! Thats a nice change)

Emma contemplating life.....!

I'm thinking she should take up Bikram Yoga!!

My cousin Stacy, her husband Mick and me!

My two month retirement, well, too short of course, but I am certainly enjoying being back east, enjoying being close to my family, and school......it just makes me smile!

Cedar Point, Akron, and a Very Large Hangar

I made a stop in Akron, Ohio to see my friend Bill. Bill and I go back to by Albuquerque days…..He was always my go to guy: laundry, boy trouble, leaky faucet, boy trouble, moving things up or down the stairs, more boy trouble….guess some things never seem to change! We had a great time at Cedar Point riding roller coasters over and over again.....I had no idea they were so hard core! We arrived before they opened and were one of the last ones to leave (after the park had shut down, and they had to kick us out!). I was afraid they wouldn't let me stop for lunch!

One of the coolest sites in town was this HUGE hanger across the way. I was amazed! They use it to build blimps and secret spy stuff of course....what follows is a cut and paste off the Internet:

Big buildings are not unusual in Ohio, but Akron has a structure that makes "big" a bit of an understatement. In fact, when it was built, the Goodyear Airdock was the biggest building, without interior supports, in the world. It's vast. At its farthest points, it's 1,175 feet long, 325 feet wide, and 211 feet high. You could fit eight football fields inside with room to spare. The
structure is so big that a legend developed about rain falling inside it. That's exaggerated, though. In high humidity, the interior gets misty, but it hasn't actually rained.

Bill, thank you for your wonderful hospitality, encouragement, motivation and especially the friendship over the years!

Out of the Mountains and into the City - Chicago

WOW! Chicago is a pretty amazing city...i had no idea, as this was the first time I had ever ventured there.....just something truly beautiful and magical about this place.....have to say if I was looking for a home in the city this would be at the top of the list!

We ate pizza, saw the Picasso, checked out the architecture, ate popcorn, shopped....a really great walking city.

One of my favorite sites was a seamless stainless steel, and therefore mirrored, elliptical statue in Millennium Park.....almost like a piece of mercury that lost its way....you could watch the reflections of the clouds, people, and tall buildings....a really cool perspective to such an amazing place.

Badlands National Park and Moving Mounds of Dirt

We just did a quick drive through the Badlands on the way to Chicago.

The landscape looked rugged with eroding buttes, pinnacles, and spires....formations that seemed to contrast sharply with the flat plains and rolling hills......somewhat colorless, yet the rock/mud was filled with rich sand colored stripes....Certainly made for nice driving!

Devils Tower, Wyoming and the Biggest Harley Davidson Flag in North America!

Devil's Tower....Well, I'm still digesting this place, as it kinda gave me the eebee geebees.......I think it was a combo of everything.....debate about whether you should really be climbing it or not; as it is a place of prayer for the American Indians.....very odd, strange people wandering around that all seemed to have a 1,000 questions for you.....turkey vultures riding thermals that seemed to actually be following you.....(ok they were actually really cool)........the odd story of the man who parachuted to the top and was stuck up there for 9 days.....

The climbing actually was super amazing, but a little spooky at the same time.....run out with old school ratings, i'm still trying to figure out where the 5.5 pitch was supposed to be.................or maybe the place just has something to do with Close Encounters of the Third Kind......

Regardless, I'm left feeling that the place is just a little odd......

And regardless of being odd, it sure was beautiful at the top!

We just happened to hit the same week as Sturgis, the big motorcycle rally....we were told the flag that is flying is the largest Harley Davidson flag in North America.....