Cryptosporidium,Bacteria and Protozoan Cysts Be Gone...

A few days ago, Dan and I went to the first of many trips to the outfitters store in Ocala for our upcoming hiking trip in the fall. YEAH!!! We purchased our ever important water filtering system. This contraption will pump out 2 liters per minute... AWESOME... A much quicker plan to the previous ones we have researched. I'm so excited. It also anhilates all diarrhea and other uncomfortable illness causing ickys, not seen by the human eye, in the water ones about to ingest. We looked at all sorts of different gear etc...We decided on which tent and sleeping bags we will get. So now we know what brands and are on the hunt to find them at the most economical price. We still have many more hours of research ahead, but today's outing has definitely aroused the hiking bug. We are going to check out some of Walmarts supplies to compare quality and pricing, and make final decisions on which outfitter to choose. The ole' wallet is screaming Walmart prices, however, we've learned that sometimes it pays to pay alittle extra for quality which will in the end last longer. Not all items fall under this category, but in this case, definitely.

Hello Bloggers!

Well, it's been along time since I posted. We've been quite busy here in the Dickinson household. Dan and I went to Fernandina Beach recently and then to my parents house for the weekend. Alex was able to join us during the beginning of the week, but with finals at school, he was a responsible student and went back home to study, yep, that's what he did. And I'm happy to report, he passed and is now entering...HIGH SCHOOL!!!!!



Work has been CRAZY busy, like 3 and 4 houses a day during the week with one day off. Last week I had 4 jobs on Monday, 3 on Tuesday, off Wednesday, 4 on Thursday and I was off on Friday. On my days off, Haleigh bug and I catch up on some extra playtime...YEAH!!!!!








With our hike coming up, every job I complete I'm logging down as hiking prep. Absolutely!!!There's alot of calories to be burned cleaning houses now. I'm still working on the whole backpack and walking with a 30 pound load. Not quite there yet. I have alot of goals set...running, drink more water, cut out sugar, etc...but I'm not stressing over unmet goals yet. Baby steps. Every little bit of prep helps. For those of you interested in the cakes we've been trying to create, here's the car pics. I'm still waiting on the spaghetti pics and will post asap.










I have also discovered that yes, even when you are up to your elbows in marshmallow fondant and powdered sugar, you still burn calories. Question...How did one come up with the exact calculation of calories burned during baking? Did they take into consideration the taste testing involved and the physical exertion one expels during such a task? I do believe that every baker/cook should be required to taste test and that that should somehow cancel out a certain number of calories for taking into consideration the safety and culinary needs and wants of our family and friends.

Back to Business...

Well, vacation is over...UGGG! I know, it's only been 3 weeks, and I'm ready to go again. PATIENCE GIRL!!!!!! Anyway, the next few weeks are going to be very busy. We have 2 cakes to make, and we are catering a party. YEAH...MEATBALLS! The first cake was a spaghetti cake for a friends surprise 50th birthday,(which we actually did already this past Saturday, and it was pretty cool) and the other is a 1959 Ford Edsel cake. I'm so excited. This will be our first attempt creating a car cake. The spaghetti cake I think was pretty easy. All the OOPS that happened where covered by squwiggling (is that an actual word...SQU-WIGG-LE-ING???)frosting noodles. FUN!!!



Wednesday Haleigh Bug is coming over for the day.








And tommorrow Dan and I are going to a seminar. We are spending the whole day together. We will be entering the wonderful world of INSULATION...Yeah!! Dan and I get to sit at the feet of one of the most well renowned scholars of the pink stuff (remember the Pink Panther commercial)? I did find out that it's in Tampa at the Hilton in the West Shore district, around the airport, before going over the Howard Franklin Bridge. My plan is to endure, I mean soak up and retain as much info as I can stand, I mean get, and then maybe make my way to the West Shore Plaza mall for alittle down time before the second half of the day. We will see. All together the seminar is for 9 hours. UUGGG, I mean YEAH!!! Last time I was at that mall was when Dan was in school for his contractor's license. I made my way over to the mall and walked around Sak's 5th Avenue. I saw the most hidious dress I wouldn't even put on someone to be buried in. The dress was red and had all this ugly beading on it and the price tag was $1221.00. Do people really pay that much for one article of clothing? I once payed $20.00 for a dress, and about talked myself out of it because I thought it was too much. But my honey helped me through this buying purchase challenge, and I'm glad he did. Though I have to admit. I love being able to go to the local thrift store and fill a bag for $5.00. Beat that Saks!


DID I MAKE IT THROUGH? I COULDN'T WAIT TO TELL...
Yes, I survived the 9 hour seminar. YEAH!!! I have to admit, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I walked away with some new found skills that I plan on putting into practice, no worries mates, I'm not going to use you as guinea pigs, or will I? I'll never tell...Anyway, the information was quite interesting! SURPRISE to me too. It was nothing like I invisioned in my mind. Dan and I was even called to do alittle role playing infront of all these people. Thank God we did not have to say anything. I threatened Dan with his life if this man called on us. But, it wasn't has horrific as I imagined. Oh, I also thought we were going to a totally different hotel. I never stepped foot into Saks 5th Avenue. However we did spend 9 hours in a Hilton. A first for me. OOOH LAAAA LAAA! Did you know that there are 2 faucets per sink in the restroom? Quite enlightening for me.Before class began, I naturally was looking for the little girls room. Well, imagine my surprise when I stepped into the ladies room and saw 2 faucets in each sink. What is that for? COOL, A spiket for each hand...OOOH, FANCY!!! Well, just imagine the squeal of amazement that sounded forth when I was washing my hands. The second faucet is not for water, but a soap dispenser in disquised.WOW!!! What a handy little contraption. I had so much fun with it. One squwirt or two miss,Hmm..FOUR please. Hey, you would too. And it smelled SO good. It really made my hands soft as well. I had NEVER seen this ingenious invention before in a public facility. O.k, maybe not that public. But at least for the day, this girl was afforded the most luxurious bathroom experience of my life. And I didn't have to spend the $119.00 per night fee. Yes, and that was their "special discounted rate." OOH LAAA LAAAA!! Though, it got me thinking on the way home. Have we as a society really become that lazy? Who comes up with these ideas, REALLY?
Maybe it's to make every persons bathroom experience at this Hilton more "green"-you know earth friendly etc...VISIT YOUR LOCAL BACKYARD...Just kidding. Maybe someone, during their unmentionables, decided... How can I change the way people experience their bodies natural plumbing tendancies from ENDURING the process to being the MASTER of their domain. HMMMM! Self squwirting soap dispensers.TAADAAA! I wonder if the Hilton cleaning ladies get to wear fancy uniforms? I hear that Saks has an appropriate little uniform for a mere $1200.00. Take it from me, it doesn't matter what I'm wearing to clean in, if there's fancy, smancy soapy thingies or not, talking paper towel holders or whatever else is invented in the future for a more "comfortable" bathroom experience, if I have to clean up after others unmentionables the last thing on my mind is OOOHHH look at that, 2 faucets! However, when it's my turn to be graced by the ingenious work of yet another tidy bowl mastermind, I can only pray that they take a moment to reflect, with thanksgiving, the hard working cleaning staff, that clean the millions of bathrooms out there. Now, tidy bowl masterminds, create...only this time, can someone please invent the self cleaning bathroom...Calling all cleaning girls...Stand with your toilet scrubbers high girls and proclaim...IT'S NOW OUR TURN TO BE PAMPERED IN LUXURY!!!

WE MADE IT!!!!

This weekend, we went back to Pickens, South Carolina, with our pastor and lovely wife (J.D. and Margie Hatfield) to conquer Table Rock Mountain.

YEE HAW!!!!! What a challenge.
Dan and I thought this would be a good tester to see just how "prepared" we are for our 76 mile hike coming up this fall. Well, we both received a serious reality check. We did make it all the way up to the top and back,
however, we definetly are looking at the upcoming hike alittle differently. It's time for some SERIOUS hiking prep. Dan carried about 45 pounds on his back up Table Rock, and I carried a WHOPPING maybe 7. It was quite comfortable though. But after talking to our friends who have hiked numerous trails across the U.S.A. including the Foothills Trail, the average hiker carries 1/5 of their weight in their pack. That's about 25 pounds for me....UUUGGGG!!!! Needless to say, Dan and I both have realized just how challenging this is going to be and to increase our training for the fall hike, DRASTICALLY!!! It's time to enroll in the THUNDERBOLT TRAINING PROGRAM...yikes. Right now we are continuing our endurance training using the Mountaineer Stair Climber, and now are adding walking with our backpacks loaded with 1/5 of our weight. This should be interesting for me. I wonder if I'll make it past the drive way?

Happy 1st Birthday Bug!!

WOW!!!! It's been a whole year! Today, Haleigh went to the zoo with mommy and daddy. She really enjoyed the water fountain play area for alittle while. She slept for a half an hour on the way down to Tampa. However, her mommy said she can see a tooth trying to cut thru, which explains why she's been a wee bit on the cranky side...Oh, well bug...It's your birthday, and you can cry if you want too! Love you bunches, from Gramzie and PopPop!

She's Almost One! ONE? ALREADY???

WOW!!!! It's hard to believe that Haleigh is going to be one on March 24th. Has it really been a whole year? Pop-Pop and I are going to be making her birthday cake that her mommy designed!! We were quite impressed with our daughters creativity. Haleigh will be celebrating her first birthday with a three teird SpongeBob and Bikini Bottom themed cake. We are very excited and up for the challenge.


Dan and I are looking forward to our upcoming hiking trip! YEAH!!!!! We will be going back to South Carolina too conquer Table Rock Mountain. We are not completely "ROUGHING" it, YET...
We are bring Rocky (a.k.a. our pop-up camper). The BIG test for us will be in September. We are planning our first thru hike on the Foothills Trail in South Carolina and North Carolina. I haven't decided what to call this adventure yet. Maybe the... Make You or Break You Tour? ,The Nitty Gritty Challenge, Pack it In and Out, Thunderbolt Insanity Proclamation. I'm not sure what to call it yet, but whatever we decide, Dan and I will be hiking 76 miles, start to finish, with our backpacks loaded with enough food, supplies, and whatever else Dan feels we need to "rough" it in the woods with. Dan may however be caring more than supplies on his back...like ME!!!! This sounds fun, challenging,YES I conquered the mountain, but no water, electricity, "real" food, etc... Nope, it's just Dan and I (I do like that idea, unless we both stink from not submerging ourselves in a warm bath for 8 days, without soap...YUCK!!)Anyway, it will be just us two, braving the elements (Yeah like hiker craving mosquitos, and other woodly creatures waiting for our demise). FOCUS CINDY!!!It will be Gramzie and Pop-Pop, hiking the trail, enjoying nature, chilling around the fire with fellow hiker enthusiast! Enjoying God's creation. Sounds kinda fun..RIGHT? Well Pop-pop's not going to completely strip me of modern conveniences on this trip.I will be bringing my camera. I want to get pictures of our time in the woods,capturing everything,the good, the bad, and the ugly! So, we will see. For now, we have ALOT of planning, and researching to do concerning our trip. Did you know theymake backpacks and sleeping bags, and tents that weigh only one pound? Seriously! They'll cost you your retirement fund, but yeah, who needs retirement money when you can proudly announce I CONQUERED the mountain?! Oh Lord Help Me!

Look Mom, No Hands...

Hello!!!! Haleigh bug, you are the cutest. It's hard to believe that she's almost one. Yes, one year old. WOW!!! Time has put on a turbo pack and is flying at lightning speed it seems.

Look everybody, NO HANDS. I'm WALKING...O.k. two days ago it was more like running across the room. Just a few weeks ago she looked like her legs were made out of jello as she concentrated so hard to standup and walk without falling on her backside. NOW...she's not just walking across the room, I'm pretty sure she's been watching track and field competitions, she is sprinting across the living room at full speed these days.
Luckily her buddy SpongeBob was sitting over by her toys and distracted her before she went into overdrive.