Out On the Town With Ditters

It was Petsmart's 50th Birthday this past Tuesday. They advertised some
fun stuff for your pup...so of course I had to take Ditters!

We stood in line for a good 20 minutes or so waiting for our lovely picture to be taken. You can see that Dit's ears are back a little bit...tail still wagging though...just a little nervous with all the other dogs present. He did SO well though! (I'm a proud momma). Sadly, after this picture was taken, Adam and I were informed that we could no longer take pictures inside the store. Hmmm. So sadly, I was unable to get MY version of the "free" photo taken...but I will scan the one they took soon and try and fix some things (like evil green doggie eyes).

After our Petsmart trip we headed over for Doggie Night at Ritters. So Ditters got to go to Ritters!

People around us with their dogs were giving us a nice smirk while taking this lovely picture. I'm sure they were thinking..."ok, this gal got a picture of the sign, and now the dog in front of the sign, what's next?" Who cares...I was having fun!

Ditters was waiting so patiently for his ice cream...and probably did every trick in the book that he knows to make SURE he got his treat! It was hilarious to watch him go through the trick routine...ending with a happy smile!

Ah success!

We really had a great night...but I think every day should be doggie day!

Why Librarians Shouldn't Be Genealogists...

Just a quick post to say I am fully addicted to the wonderful hobby of genealogy. The problem enters when the person that is fully addicted is also a reference librarian. Why is this a problem you ask? Here's why:

• I love to research...but I MUST find the answer/information when researching
• I love to find new information...but this information usually leads to another round of information and another round of information...*ahem, you get the idea!

So, as you can see, this can present a real problem for one such as me. Last night I had to MAKE myself stop researching and go to bed; otherwise I would be a zombie today. I could have easily stayed up till 4 or 5 in the morning happily reading about my lovely ancestors. So what will I be doing today while I'm having down time at work? More research of course! It passes the time quickly (which is unfortunate when you love to research)...and I will feel like I have accomplished something too!

~Happy Researching to all

Booking Through Thursday: Vocabulary

This week’s Booking Through Thursday question is:

I’ve always wondered what other people do when they come across a
word/phrase that they’ve never heard before. I mean, do they jot it
down on paper so they can look it up later, or do they stop reading to
look it up on the dictionary/google it or do they just continue reading
and forget about the word?

For me, it's all about context. On the rare occasion that I still can't figure out what a word is, I will use my dictionary dashboard widget...complements of my wonderful Mac computer...and that will satisfy my immediate need to know what the word means. Surprisingly...or maybe not surprisingly...I forget a lot of what I look up. Big words just don't "stick" in my vocabulary.

National Library Week...and what I've been up to

This is me...in Second Life. I am brand new to SL, and the only reason I downloaded the sim client...onto my flash drive might I add... is because ALA (the American Library Association) had a GREAT line up of events planned for the week. So far I have attended:

~3 Storytimes at The Pond
~A Virtual Presentation given by Doug Johnson (Blue Skunk) that covered all things Copyright
~A Scavenger Hunt that was SO fun
~and a relaxing Tai Chi session to help all of us stressed-out librarians unwind

There are still so many more activities planned on ALA Island for this week. I hope to make most of them cause this is just TOO FUN!



Just a side note, if you can't tell by the photo, that is a picture of me standing in front of the Cleveland Public Library in Second Life. It's pretty awesome that libraries are having such a presence here!
To learn more about Second Life, visit THIS website.

Carnival Of Genealogy: Genes and Traits

This is my very first carnival to participate in, but I had to jump in with this question just because it seemed so fun! I was intrigued and ended up talking with my mom about some traits that may have been passed down to me. Here's what we came up with:

Appearance
I definitely look like my mom...pretty much the spittin' image of her. It was pretty freaky this past Christmas when I visited her after not seeing each other for a year. She opened the door and it was literally like looking in a mirror. It was the first time that I could see for myself how much we really do look alike! There are a few differences though where I am a little like my dad. I'm shorter, like my dad, where my mom is very tall. I also have my dad's hands and his nose.

Peronal Qualities
From my mom's side of the family, the women (especially mom and my grandmother) were very reserved/modest and quiet-spoken people. In recent years I have begun to come out of my shell, but I still have that initial introverted way about me.

Music has always been a BIG part of my life...and I was initially a piano performance major in college. Mom taught me piano from a very young age, and in talking with her over the phone for this blog post, I learned a lot more about her side of the family. When mom was growing up, she had many people coming through her house, groups of people, that would practice around her family piano. Uncle "Dude" sang in a quartet which was probably the first time that mom heard how harmonies fit together. Mom's sister and brother (Uncle Clyde and Aunt Carolyn) were a part of the Sing Out Georgia group and they would practice at the Parker household as well. Uncle Johnny (mom's uncle) was also a hymn writer for some of the older Baptist hymnals. My dad was also musically inclined...but sadly I don't know much about his side of the family.

Are you happy and you know it...clap your hands..... Mom also informed me that when I was a baby, and even a little girl, the thing that people would always remember about me was that I laughed all the time. I never cried...just laughed...ALL THE TIME! Cool huh! I suppose I'm still a pretty happy-go-lucky gal, and according to mom, this comes from her dad (Pawpaw) who was a fun-loving kinda guy too.


So I suppose this is me in a nutshell. I had loads of fun talking with mom and gathering information. It's always good to sit and listen to a good ole' story every now and then.

For more Carnival of Genealogy entries, head over to Creative Gene.

Photo Hunt: Twist(ed)

This is one of my favorite groupings of pictures and such. I have it in the door entry-way and it always brings a smile when I look at it.

In keeping with the theme of this weeks' Photo Hunt, I chose this pictures for the iron that has been twisted to make the "READ" sign and the candle holder. The pictures have nothing to do with reading, but because I'm a librarian...I couldn't pass up the sign!

For more entries or to participate, head on over to tnchick's blog...

Have a Great Weekend!

Thank you....

...to the most supportive husband in the world!

I have just officially completed my undergraduate program by submitting my very last paper. It feels like a weight has been lifted...and I am one happy-go-lucky gal right now. Graduation is scheduled for May 10th, and I can't wait. It will be great to reunite with some of my classmates from my Cohort and my mom is planning on coming into town as well. So why the thank you? Well, I informed Adam that I had completed and submitted my paper...and this is what he sent back to me in an e-card:

I just wanted to let you know how proud I am of you. I always knew that you could do anything that you set your mind to. I am very excited about this next phase of your career and I want to support you in every way possible. Always know that you are the most important thing in my life and I will always love you.

Adam

So, a BIG thank you to Adam for being the best that anyone could ask for...and I hope to always make you proud!

Works For Me Wednesday (easy chicken dinner)

I have been doing more and more cooking lately...but when you get home at 7pm, you definitely want something fast!

My friend Heather asked me to post what I had for dinner last night since we chatted about it together before I headed home. So heather...this one's for you!




Easy Hot Chicken "salad" with Tostito Chips

-Use leftover chicken, shredded, or canned chicken
-Grated Cheese
-1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
-A little Mayo
-Onion, chopped
-Garlic
-Salt, Pepper

Keep in mind that this is a throw together with what you have meal. You mix it all together...heat it up in a skillet on the stove top, or in the microwave, and then eat with a little sour cream and chips.

This easy peasy meal was scrumptious and quick. Two things I absolutely love...and it definitely works for me!
For more Works For Me entries, go to Rocks In My Dryer.

Wordless Wednesday

It is finally looking like Spring here in Indiana!


I don't know what kind of bush this is...but I love it!


My Tulip tree is about to bloom


My very favorite flower...the Daffodil!

Spring Reading Thing 2008: Kidnapped by Jan Burke

This title was a little hard to get into, but the middle to the end packed a suspenseful punch that kept my attention. I am a big fan of mystery titles in general and had never read anything by Jan Burke before. I don't really know or remember what spurred my interest in this title, unless it was a recommendation, but overall I'm glad I read it.

If you are interested in reading an overview of this book, you can read it HERE.

Because this is a Spring Reading Thing review, feel free to check out other entries and lists HERE as well.

That's it for now...and just an FYI, I've already strayed from my original list, but at least I've gotten through 2 of my 3 "to finish" reads.

~Happy Reading!

Photo Hunt: Glass

This picture was taken about a year ago when visiting my mom in Georgia. The lake looks just like a mirror/glass to me!
To see other pictures that were posted for this event, visit tnchick's website.

Booking Through Thursday - Lit-Ra-Chur

• When somebody mentions literature what’s the first thing you think of? (Dickens? Tolstoy? Shakespeare?)
  
• Do you read literature (however you define it) for pleasure? Or is it something that you read only when you must?

I tend to think of literature as being "the classics." I begin to pull names out of my head such as Jane Eyre, Great Expectations, The Scarlet Letter, etc. I remember reading a lot of literature in High School...but loved it. I haven't read much literature lately, but have started reading a lot of historical fiction.

For other entries for Booking Through Thursday, head over to the blog and check them out!

~Happy Reading~

Works For Me Wednesday

I have only participated in WFMW once before. With that said, I understand that this weeks' post is supposed to be "the best of"... but I just don't have anything to pull from. I sure hope it will be ok for me to post this instead!

I am a recent convert to Firefox. I realize that to some this may come as a shock...but I just haven't needed it until now.

• First of all, I use portable firefox at work and love it. I'm able to take everything with me on my USB device...and this just WORKS!
• Second, there are many firefox addons that I love as well. One firefox addon that I am beginning to love more and more is ScribeFire. I am using right now in fact to write this post! It really seems to be a VERY simple way to blog...and it's all done right in your firefox browser.
  

So, as you can see, firefox definitely works for me! (hehe...that rhymed)
For other great ideas, scoot on over to see Rocks In My Dryer and the rest of the gang at Works for Me Wednesday.

This is just a test...

I'm trying ScribeFire...a firefox addon... to see how it works. So far it looks like it will be very helpful. I'm all about making it easier to blog and share!

Fun Display

One thing that I like about my job is that I get to come up with fun display ideas. Like this display for instance...I got to play with Lincoln logs! I'm always needing new display ideas, so if you see a really neat one at a school, or at your local library, snap a pic and blog about it!