Yeah it works...well sort of

Well it looks ok on the screen but that is VERY different than what I see while I am composing. It says I can put in pictures but then I can't figure out how to do that. So I guess the plan will be to record the trips we go on starting with the Grand Canyon and then when I get home go back and add pictures. Well, this makes me happy! I just love this iPad 3!!! Dan was so sweet to get it for me this past Christmas.

Test

This is just a quick note to see how the blog works on the iPad. Since this is the device I prefer to travel with I need to know how this interface works. I know it is hard to get pictures, but I will try that too.

Grand Canyon Training

In October Dan, me, Jay, Heidi, and our friends Greg and Stacey are going to meet Heidi's brother and his family at the Grand Canyon to hike to the bottom of the canyon & back up. It is about a 9 1/2 hour hike and with my hip bursitis (old lady disease) I am well aware I cannot really do that big of a hike. Everyone is "training" right now by taking long hikes in our various local hills and mountains. Well, I have to find another way to train, so my YMCA trainer, Brandon, is helping me get ready. At this point, I think a realistic goal will be to plan to hike down 1 hour and then hike back. Maybe by October I'll be able to go further, but right now 2 hours of hiking seems like a LOT. It will be a super fun get-way as we are going to be gone 5 days.

At this point I am walking or on a treadmill at the Y for at least a mile 4-5 days a week. I like the treadmill because I can change the elevations both up and down slopes. but then how can you not love walking at the Pacific Ocean!!

3-4 days a week I am trying to get to the Y to do work with weights etc. One day a week I am with Brandon. Last night was just awful and I am so sore today! We did tons of stuff with that big blue ball (Swiss Ball) that strengthen your core. In other words tighten the muffin top! Then we used those long straps mounted to the wall (TRX) to do push-up, arm curls and squats. OMG! I am so sore today!! Those straps just use your body weight as resistance..and that is more than I would like too! I much prefer the days when he plans to use the weights and machines.

The goal is also to lose the weight the DR. recommended to help my hip and to get strong enough for the hike. OK, he wants me to lose 15 pounds! That seems harder than the training! He told me to do Weight Watchers--thankfully a program I know, so I am back at it again. Keep you posted on that...

Some Jobs are Harder Than Others

To work in property management it is fair to say that the unexpected is the norm. Things break and leak. Tenants "forget" to pay rent or just bounce checks. Maintenance crews work too slow to meet move-in deadlines. Owners frequently  "check-in" to see how things are going. And then there is the foot traffic that comes through the office...

"See me helping ?"

Jay is sort of the office manager these days. He runs a tight ship. His DOG however, (Danny~ Boy, Wiener Dog) subscribes to a completely different work ethic. To work for Shore Management, you need to like dogs. Yes, it is a pet friendly office. You can bring your dog to work. Pepper, a big black lab hangs out several days a week when her "mom" comes in to work. Jay brings Danny daily and he pretty much rules the office! He sits wherever he wants including the chair you are occupying! He sits in either of the dog beds, but prefers Peppers big bed. The old golden lab from the office next door wanders in from time to time. This can be dangerous when the three dogs decide to play chase and make laps around the filing cabinets and front desk. Danny is by FAR the fastest despite only having 3 working legs. Yeah, that 4th leg doesn't work well at the knee so he just sort of giddy-ups when he runs!

While Steven is working on tenant applications, Danny had decided to help by supplying Steve with a lumbar pillow. It is a hard job for a 10 pound dachshund, but someone has to do it. Note the bored expression? This means a dog-nap is sure to follow as the eyelids become heavier. Don't you wish you had a job like his?

"When was the last time you got an award?"

Shore Management also has the pet insurance program. In other words, if your pet needs to be groomed, or otherwise looked at by the local vet, you can take time off to take your doggie to get help. We don't pay the bill, you just get the time off to go. On his last visit to the Vet he was SO GOOD that he received a spanking new necker-chief AND a bumper sticker that says: "My Dog Was Pet of the Day." Surely that was a bribe for future behavior because Danny has a will of his own and I doubt he really beat out other dogs for this award!

Some day jobs are just harder than others. How's yours?

Earning His Keep

Being an executive at Shore Management is a task Danny Boy~ Wiener Dog is up for any day of the week. Yes, he is in Jay's momentarily vacated chair, looking for "work" AKA treats. He is not as bad as Auggie used to be, but he will never turn down a treat. He does sleep a lot during the day and enjoys barking at other dogs as they walk by the office which is not really too professional on his part.

But when not at the office, he is busy being a hound dog at home. So what does he hunt and kill you ask? Gophers of course! Two weeks ago Jay noticed him being preoccupied in one corner of the back yard. When he went over to "check on things" he saw that Danny had caught a gopher and was shaking it for the kill. And you though they were bred to only catch badgers! He was so proud of his kill. Jay and Heidi were thrilled as well so he was given MANY treats that night.

Gopher in a trap

 The next day Jay set a trap and guess what got caught in the trap? You guessed it, another gopher!

Danny really wanted to play with the little guy, as you can see him sitting up and begging like it was a cookie or something. Sometimes Danny is not the sharpest tool in the shed! Jay threw the dead gopher down into the canyon and sure enough, that was Danny's only venture over the cliff to the canyon below. Off he dashed to "get it." Jay had to go after him as he refused to come back on his own. Danny would make a great fox or coyote dinner.  A fence is really needed back there, but with so many other costly projects to do, not sure when that will happen. Usually he is pretty timid and won't go out there without Jay or Heidi and even then sticks close to the house. Guess he has some "fear factor" going on...unless of course there is a critter to chase!

The New House

Jay and Heidi celebrated their 1st anniversary on July 23! This has been a whirlwind year for them. Jay took over the job of bookkeeper as well as his web work for Shore Management. He seems to do well with the accounting portion (must take after his father) of the business and still has time to work on the new web site and all the "computer" things in the business. His Amateur Endurance website continues to grow and he is busier than ever making websites for other companies.

Heidi's is still with Intuit and has great job security and benefits.

Picture this with bushes, trees, and grass!

AND THE BIG NEWS IS: They bought a home! It is a wonderful 1900 sq. foot home in Clairemont within walking distance of an excellent elementary school. It is in a great neighborhood and while it has new carpet, paint, and roof, it has MANY other project to be attended to. Currently they are working on the sprinkler system, small retaining wall in the front yard and basically trying to beautify the front which was nothing more than a pile of rocks! The back yard is quite large and goes down into a huge canyon. So far Danny Boy~Wiener Dog has only taken one trip down into the canyon. They don't have a fence up yet.

They got a fantastic deal on the house because it was empty for a year and a half, had fallen out of escrow more than once, and is certainly the worst looking home on the block. Jay is super handy at fixing things and this place has AWESOME potential. What Jay doesn't know how to do, Dan does, so they continue to "bond" over home improvement projects (electrical, plumbing, brick work etc.). It is eerily similar to the early days with Dan and his dad, Bud. Some things really don't change...and what a blessing that is!

Heidi's dad has been a HUGE help too. He has done a great deal of the gardening prep work in both the front and back yards. He actually moved every single rock (those little nasty ones) from the front yard to the side yard so they could dig up the dirt and find the problem(s) with the sprinkler system. It was an unbelievable job! He also gave them a surprise little garden oasis in the back yard surrounded by weeds, dirt, and you guessed it, rocks! It certainly helps them visualize how amazing the yard will be. He got them a Shopvac yard blower now that they are real homeowners!

Her parents also bought them new kitchen appliances since the house came with none. They are loving the home and don't seem to mind putting in the labor to make it "their own." All I can say is welcome to the money pit!

Summer Bible Study

With summer off for teachers, our church offers more daytime Bible studies because we have lots of teachers in our congregation. This is a nice break for me since I usually lead a Wed. night ladies group. Now I get to be a participant rather than planner/facilitator. I chose to participate in 2 studies for a 7 week period. One is on the book of Jonah and is a DVD study with a workbook about how a "life interrupted" is really an opportunity for a "Divine Invitation" to join God in His work. Priscilla Shirer is a wonderful speaker and writer. I already had her book Life Interrupted: Navigaitng the Unexpected  and it is about the same thing as the DVD series but in a wonderful, easy to read book. I love this author, so I am thoroughly enjoying this Tuesday morning study. Talk about a real life study! We can all relate to life's interruptions and having the chance to see how God really uses those times for His purposes puts a whole new perspective on things. Jonah is that chapter in the bible that if your bible pages are still new, they will stick together and you will pass up this 4 page book!

I am also going to a study called Heaven with a different group of women on Thursday mornings. We go all through the bible getting the biblical perspective on heaven. This is far more philosophical than the Jonah study, but a good study anyway.

In September we will start up with our fall studies where we will begin The Story which is an abridged, chronological study (NIV) of the bible. It is always good to just be "in the word." If any of you struggle with the technical reading of the bible, get a copy of this book. It reads more like a novel and doesn't repeat things. It really is abridged and flows nicely while still using the direct New International Version translation. This is also a good version to recommend to new believers who are intimidated with that big book called, "The Bible."

New Furniture~ At Last

For some young couples they begin a marriage by buying a piece of nice furniture and add to it as finances permit. Well, after 35 almost 36 years of marriage, Dan and I finally decided to buy some "real" bedroom furniture. We got a new bed complete with head and foot board and Temprapedic mattress. I consider this a big step. We bought matching nightstands, and a huge 10 drawer dresser. The bed as 6 drawers under it too. Until yesterday, Dan had ALL THE DRAWERS! Yes, that is 16 drawers of his clothing. OKAY, so as not to completely throw him under the bus, he did give me three of the big under the bed drawers just yesterday. Hopefully today we are going to buy a new bedroom set for the guest room. It is actually the same stuff but will be in a darker wood stain.

Unfortunately, if you come spend the night at the Pedersen home, you will have to sleep on a standard/full size bed. A queen won't even fit in the room if you would like to walk around the bed! Can you say cozy accommodations?! We painted the bedrooms and they look so nice and fresh now. The good news~ I get the new dresser in that room all to myself! Sorry guests, you will need to live out of your overnight bag. :)

We also finally gave up the glass dining table and those incredibly comfortable Danish beechwood chairs. We updated to a darker wood table set that is counter height and has 6 chairs with a leaf and two more seats when we want them. A kinda of cool feature is the Lazy Susan in the center of the table. It is a fun set, but you really can't beat the old chairs for comfort!

The only other furniture we need is a new desk type thing for the "craft room" but the old dining table that I grew up with continues to do just fine as a card making desktop.

April Wedding

I've been away from the blog for so long that I need to do some recapping! But where to begin?? In April we had the great opportunity to fly to Fort Walton, Florida for Dan's nieces wedding. There were actually many highlights to the trip one of which was seeing a new part of the country. We were there for 5 days and stayed at a very central and reasonable hotel.

Highlight #1
The wedding was on the water and while it was a casual wedding it had many elegant touches. The bride came down from an upper staircase onto a large garden area just feet from the sand and bay. The ceremony was performed by a minister they both knew from the Air Force. A family style dinner followed and we were seated with the entire Pedersen crew: Virginia and Bob; the siblings~ Beverly and Ron, David and his family, and Dan and me. The food was delicious Italian. The last time we were all together was for Bud's funeral in December, so this was a time of celebration. Dancing in the evening was outside on a large deck surrounded in mini lights and tables with candles. It was a spectacular evening and we were so glad to have attended.

Highlight #2
Being so close to the water, we were able to go out twice on boat excursions. One trip was on a large boat to see the dolphins...and we saw lots. It was a fun way to spend an afternoon. Another day all the siblings  rented a pontoon boat and ventured off to see the sites. That was quite an experience to see how the "rich and famous" live.

Highlight #3
A few days before the wedding Stacey and John took all family members (both sides) on a tour of their giant airplane. They are stationed at Hurlbert Field and that was quite an experience to be  on a military field! There was also an outdoor military aircraft museum located across the street that we wandered thru.

Highlight #4
Just spending time with the relatives! Each day we went on an adventure with some or all of the family. Great fun smashed into 5 days. Well, we got an unintended 6th day because our flight was canceled due to mechanical issues. AA was kind enough to provide transportation, hotel, and food accommodations for an entire plane load of folks until the next day.