Pumpkin Carving

Well it is that time of year again when the spirits are roaming the land. So it is time to carve the pumpkins. This year Doug grew the pumpkins for us in his garden so we got to watch them grow.


So we wish you a happy and safe Halloween...

Morning Fog

With Fall definitely here we have been getting some cooler mornings and the other day we had some cool fog sitting around out here... click the picture to see more.

Fright Night!

Last Saturday Night (Oct 11) Jody and I went to meet our friends Kim and Ron for dinner and a scaring. So Jody and I headed to Longmont for the day, since when you live in the sticks you have to make the trip worth it. So we did a little shopping for some things we need and then met Kim and Ron at The Rib House. So we shared a combo plate since the portions are huge... we had some ribs, the chicken and the brisket and for sides we had beans, potato salad, and garlic mashed potatoes, plus a couple of rolls... see it was a lot.



After a filling and talkative dinner...
For dessert we headed out to Terror in the Corn at Anderson Farms. They do a great job of setting up a great haunted "house". They start you out by taking you on a tractor ride out to their "haunted" mining town. And then you follow a trail thru the corn and then finally thru a series of buildings in the town. They really have a nice setup, but it was fun and we didn't know if we should laugh or scream half the time. Oh, did I mention that it was raining the entire time? Not a hard rain, but just enough to add an extra bit of erieiness to it. It was also quite cold, at around 40, which for some reason it had been the entire day.

Jody also met a new friend...
And why do I always end up in Jail?


Anyway, it was a great time... tell us about the haunted houses in your area...

I'm stupid...

You ever do something and they say, gee that was really dumb. Well today I got one. I was getting ready to make some oatmeal for breakfast (that really healthy Quaker kind). Anyway I usually open the bags over the trash so I don't make a mess. However, today after opening the bag, I decided that I should pour the contents of the bag into the trash. Needless to say, I had to get another bag....

Deck Picture

Well the deck is basically finished on the back of the house, minus a few screws.. so here is a picture...


Next project... landscaping...

Office Supplies

It seems my Girl on a Bike video was not the hit I expected it to be, it was all in good fun and I hope no one is permanently damaged. And for the record US I was not a boy scout, I only made it part way through WeBeLoS.

Anyway, today we got some new supplies for the home office. We had some chair mats made from GlasSolutions, this company makes chairmats but instead of making them out of plastic they make them out of tempered glass. Basically making a mat that should last forever, our friend Kim recommended them.

Girl on a bike

Make sure your volume is up and watch the girl on the bike carefully....

Hey April

Just wanted you to know....

We went to Sonic for lunch today!

YUM

It's me...

Hi all, I know I have not posted for awhile, but I really don't think that I have much interesting to say at the moment. Just been working and doing a few things here and there. But nothing really worthy of sharing. Yes, my life is boring.

Anyway, I thought I would share with you some of the comics I read on the net that I enjoy. I've been thinking about doing this for awhile. But you can tell alot about someone by what they read so I hope these links don't change your opinion of me.

First up: Sinfest I've been reading this for awhile now and the artist real has some unique points. The language can be a little strong at times. But then he'll come up with a gem like this one.


The recent ones on the economy are pretty incite full. Although the one with Cerberus took me a second to get. I believe is about the bailout.

My next choice is xkcd a self described comic is romance, sarcasm, math and language and while the are is just stick figures, the point the artist is making is usually right on.

Finally, sticking with the basic art there is Kick in the Head this another commentary on everyday life in New York City. I don't read this one everyday. Usually I read about a month of it at a time. I recommend reading the comments below the comic since the background about where the comic came from is sometimes better than the comic.

I think I broke it....

My toe that is:

I guess that is what happens when you drop an end table on it from about 4 feet high. Yeah, I didn't mean to do that. We were moving some more furniture of my parents today, working on getting everything in place. I actually worked at moving furniture for about 30 min after I dropped the table on my toe...but once I took my shoe off, I knew it was really broke. Sigh...can't even call in sick tomorrow....I don't type with my toes :)

UPDATE:

Well this morning it was even more purple and swollen, so Kevin and my parents said I should go to the doctor and have them check it out. The Doc did have me get an X-Ray, just in case I had broken it near a joint or broke any other bones on my foot. He also gave me a fancy boot to wear for support. So the final word is that the toe is broken, the big bone at the top of the toe above the knuckle….that is actually good news, since now I just wear the boot, elevate and ice, and wait for it to heal. The other scenario I am sure would not have been as nice.

Thanks to everyone for your well wishes…..US, I love the idea of having a bell, but Kevin already nixed that :(

Super Fun Day

When you live out away from the city, sometimes you need to have a shopping day. That was today for us. So Kevin and I headed out......

First we went to Kohl's. We picked up a few things and when we went to the register, the cashier was talking and we said we had this 30% off coupon at home, but it didn't start till Oct 1. I said, unfortunately we live too far away and we wouldn't be able to use it in the time frame of the sale. So she called her manager and they honored the discount anyway! Awesome! What a great start.

Then we stopped off at Target. I really like Target, but the closest one is over an hour from home :(

Next we headed for lunch...we ate at Hacienda Colorado, (see old post), we hadn't been there since May. YUM!!!

Next we went to TJ Max's Home Goods Store, this is a fun store if you have any nearby. They have all kinds of decorating accessories at VERY good prices. I wish we had our house more put together so I knew exactly what I was looking for. Ahhh, well now I just have to go back :)

Then we went to Office Max, because I was looking for new larger monitor. I wanted something that I can hook to my laptop, but had a really good resolution and large enough that I could look at two documents side by side. I also thought it would be really helpful when do my monitoring of faculty for work. I also have some tech money at work, that I can turn this in for and get reimbursed. I found a 24" monitor, and it had a $50 instant rebate on it....well it didn't ring up with the rebate, because their signage was old, but they gave it to us anyway...Score!

Next was the Omaha Steak store. I had this coupon for a huge combo of meat...it was originally $180 and I could get it for only $60....but it was supposed to be mailed in. So we went to the store and I asked if I could use it at the store and they said "yes". In fact they let me trade out some stuff, for other products. I also got some free steak burgers (yuck to me, but yummy to others), and a set of knives for free also.

As if that wasn't enough shopping, we decided to hit up Sam's and Costco also. I know it is a lot...but remember we have to drive a minimum of 1.5-2 hours one way to get to these stores you have to make the drive count, and we only go every 8-10 weeks, so we try to stock up on the essentials.

So you would think the car is full and we were tired. You are right! But, one more stop for us....Kevin had a gift card at Ultimate Electronics. The gift card was worth quite a bit (a little over $300), and we do need some sound system items for our house...but Ultimate does not carry what we (I really mean Kevin) want. We had looked several times and no luck. So we had talked to my parents and they wanted a surround system, but nothing too fancy, but they didn't know what to pick out. So we bought them one today with the gift card, and then they will give us the $$ to put down on the one that we (again I mean Kevin) want.

To put the new surround system in the car, we actually had to take things out and move stuff around, to make room, and stuff the backseat full.

It was actually a really nice day. The weather was great...it was good to be out and about, do some walking in the big stores, have some time alone, a good lunch, good company, great service at all the stores we were at today....fun....

When we got home, we carried things in, put stuff away...then we had my brother and sister-in-law over for dinner. Nothing too exciting we just BBQ'd some burgers and franks...but it was a good end to the day. Now I am tired, so I think I will head off to maybe read the novel I have been wanting to read.....

Attention....this blog is rated....

This site, scans your blog and looks for naughty words etc....

Whats your blog rated?

My office?

Since the deck is done (all but the stairs), I decided to hang outside this afternoon. I admit it is harder to work and not stare off into the field...so not sure how much work is occurring.

Kevin sat out here this morning for a little while also, but it was too cold for me earlier. It won't be long and it will be cold all day and we won't get to enjoy the outside.

Our Workhorse

My parents had an ezgo cart at their old property, and so we just recently moved it here to the new house. Kevin and I have been having fun riding it around the neighborhood and going to get the mail. I am sure it will come in handy as we put in our yard, and work around the house, but for now, it is mostly for fun!

check out the hood ornament....my brother's handy work :)

The bed of the cart is very cool, it actually has a little lift bed on it, so you can fill it up and dump it out.

It all came down to this

So you spend 5 years, studying, writing papers, researching, filling out forms, thousands of dollars etc..etc...

You go to defend your dissertation and it all comes down to this check box that says Pass or Fail....all that matters is that the PASS line is marked and your committee signs off on it.

How do you celebrate?

So on Wednesday after I became Dr. Jody, you would think that a big celebration would be in order. You are right! It just hasn't happened yet...but I definitely think something exciting should happen.

Anyway, after I finished up at CSU, we were in the big city of Fort Collins, so we decided to do a little shopping. So first we went to Whole Foods. I love Whole Foods, but there isn't anything like it at all in Fort Morgan. Then we went to a big grocery store, then out to dinner.

Kevin took me to Biaggi's, in Loveland on the way home. I had the Chicken Marsala and Kevin had the Farfalle Alfredo, and then we shared a Tirami Su for dessert. Dinner was good, but I think I was so happy that evening, anything would have been good. The Tiramisu, not so much, that is one of our favorite desserts and we try it every time we go to a new Italian restaurant, we usually rate them, so for the record....this doesn't make the top 10.

Now....on to planning that party.....

Introducing....

Dr. Jody DeKorte!

Yes I did it!. I successfully defended my dissertation today!. I was very nervous, my committee members however, were totally supportive. I have one minor minor change to make to my abstract and that is it. As of today, I am officially

Jody DeKorte, PhD.

Thanks to everyone for your well wishes, and support over the past 5 years. It really hasn't sank in yet that I am done. I guess I don't know any better but to be the student. Now on to bigger and better things....or just to reading a regular old novel :)

Yea for me!

Rocky Mtn National Park

I forgot to blog about our trip to RMNP with Didi. Always a must do when in Colorado...

So of course we went up to the top of Trail Ridge road (hard to believe that on Aug 16th it was closed due to snow). So here is Didi at the top... that is 3685m above sea level for our friends in Europe.
We also got to see a nice herd of Elk in the valley. We probably got to be within 50' of them....
All in all a great day at RMNP...

Already broke the mower...

Last night Doug brought over the ride on mower that we are going to keep at the house. The weeds are getting pretty tall so I thought I would chop them down tonight. Well, I got about an hour into it and then the mower seized up. So Mert and I took at look at it, and we thought it was the drive pulley bearing after checking all the obvious things, like it being out of gas and such. So we called Doug and had him check our work. He had the thing out in about 10 mins (I'm pretty sure I can put it back) and sure enough the bearing were shot and so now we have to get new ones before we can get back to weed patrol.

one stress down.....

two to go....

I did my first ever conference presentation today. It was online...so I sat here in my t-shirt and sweats, with messy hair....but no one could see me :)....but I will share with you all....

Now 2 stresses to go....

1. Next Wed (9/17) defend my dissertation

2. Nov 19, the same presentation as today but live in Las Vegas at the ELearn Conference

These two are in person....guess I will have to spend a little time on my outfit :)

Its a small world

DiDi went home on Thursday. We had a good time getting to know her. We wish her the best and hope to stay in touch.

My baby

So the other night I was laying on the floor and Deogi cuddled up with me. Then when I got up she laid her head on my pillow so I covered her up and Kevin caught this shot. She is not spoiled at all. LoL.

Fine Dining

Today after church, we went to Desirae's (my niece) house to help put in some new windows. They live in an older home and it was time for some better windows. Dez was really good and for dinner she had steak and chicken that I helped cook on the grill for everyone.

When we left, I decided since it was a boring day for DiDi and Kevin had worked so hard, it was time for a treat. So we stopped at Dairy Queen for some ice cream. We went in, instead of the drive through, so that DiDi could take her time and look at pictures. Not sure why though, because I knew she would want an Oreo Blizzard....she is all about the cookies and cream...

Anyway, so we were waiting for our stuff and this guy comes up and says to the lady at the counter "you forgot to give me the special Ketchup for the shrimp". Well that just struck me as very funny....reminds me of the hick town we now live in....no longer do we have cocktail sauce....but special ketchup.

I can just imagine going to the Village Tavern and asking for special Ketchup, maybe I could get that special BBQ sauce for my steak too....or they would just boot me out the door.

Life is returning to normal

Last week we (Jody, Didi and I) went to my parents for a family reunion on my mom's side. My parents live in Oregon so it is a 2.5 day drive each way. And due to work commitments we could only be gone about 8 days. So 5 days of driving for 3 days of visiting... It was a killer trip.

However, we did get to see some things we had not seen before and also got to catch up with people we hardly ever see. So that was good. (Uncle Steve, thanks for trusting me with driving the new toy. I was super nervous driving it)

Took a couple of days to get settled after getting home, but I think we are about there. Didi goes home in under a week :( , so we are doing a few last things with her and then she will be gone.

I'll be posting pictures soon...

Mark your Calendar

September 17th....2:oo PM (MT), Ft. Collins Colorado, Colorado State University Campus....

I will be defending my dissertation! That is right...it is written, my advisor has approved, my methodologist has approved, and the date is set!

I can't believe that the time to be done is so near. I started this process in the fall of 2003, and now finally I will be done...

The official graduation date will be December 19th (Happy Birthday Kevin)!

another delay

So I saw this article today. I can't believe that the next Harry Potter movie is postponed until next summer? Why? So they can make more money of course. This is very disappointing. I know many of you are Harry Potter fans also....I am sorry if I am breaking this news to you.

Fearless...

I have to say that I thought I was doing pretty good in the fear management department when I rode the roller coasters at Elitch Gardens in Denver last weekend. However, my cousin Holly just moved to Albania for a year to teach. Now that is fearless. Not only is she going to be teaching (which Jody tells me can be scary enough), she is moving to a whole new country that speaks a whole new language and has a culture that is different that that of the good 'ol USA.

So Holly, I know I am proud of you and I hope you get a lot out of the experience.

Goodbye to a Dear Friend

Wednesday was a very sad day for my family. We lost a dear family friend, Sylvia. I have known Sylvia my entire life. She was best friends with my mom. Bill and Sylvia moved to Brush at the same time we did, but we knew the family before we moved here.

Sylvia was my 2nd mom. She was the one that always went shopping with my mom and me, for school clothes, prom dresses, my wedding dress.....She always knew how to balance what I wanted and what I thought was cool, with what my mom thought I should have and how much it should cost. I can't tell you how many times she saved us from fighting as teenagers and mothers do.

Sylvia was very fun loving and always saw the best in the world. She was always able to take a situation and laugh at it or herself. She laughed with me about boys, with Kari, at camp with Cheetos in our nose, at Halloween when Kari and I were sweet banana boys, I can't think of a time, when we weren't laughing together.

I love you Sylvia, and I will miss you

When it rains

It pours....

Ok, I know that saying is used a lot, but I have a whole new respect for it now...First of all Wednesday was just not a good day, it was tough all around. I worked until about 9:30, and it was raining so I said to Kevin, lets go stand on the front porch and look at the rain....then we found the flood....yes a flood, we had a sink hole develop and it filled the window well to the window of my parents bathroom.....


Here is Kevin, trying to dig a trench....no that isn't a shovel...they are all in storage....The boxes are from our new mini blinds Kevin just put up on Wednesday....good thing we had them....



Here you can see the water in the window well....


Here is the view from inside, you can see at this point a lot of water had already come in, and you can see how high the water was at first....



So we grabbed some towels some buckets and started mopping up, even while water was still coming in....


It was so bad, we had to call my brother and have him bring some shovels over. He also helped us bail water out of the window well. I helped my parents clean up in their bathroom. This next picture just cracked me up, we were working our way down, from the counter to the floor and I opened up this drawer and this it was full of water....at this point there was nothing to do but laugh and take a picture....


The water even came into our unfinished storage area as well.....



Here are the morning after pictures......

So by the next morning it was sunny and things were starting to dry up. And we did laundry all day washing up all the wet clothes and towels.

Digger!!!!

Oh, I forgot my most important post, just for Gibson....


Now that is a nice digger....

Field Museum

Jody's work had a reception at the Chicago Field Museum and so the place was open while we where there. Since I did not know many people I walked around some of the exhibits. They have a nice collections of fossils on display and several well done dioramas.

Of course, Soldier Field... Home of Da'Bears is right next door. Something was going on there that night, but still not idea what it was.