Shiny

Just as soon as I decided I would most likely wait until the end of winter to buy a car, here she is. Not quite an impulsive decision, I've been looking online and I saw this one a few weeks ago. Since it was at a dealership in Sheboygan, and I was home for Thanksgiving, my sister and I went for a test drive. And when I got back from the test drive we talked about numbers a bit, and then I was signing papers.

She's a good car. 2003 Mazda Protege5. The previous owner was a furniture salesperson, and the bumper of this car shows it. There are also a few dings on the side doors, but luckily, the dealership agreed to pay to have those taken out (which certainly affected my decision in buying). But if you step back and don't scrutinize over the little scratches, she's a pretty sharp looking car. I rationalize the scratches it comes with too --- this way the first bruise I inflict won't be the car's first minor injury, and perhaps I won't cry... as much.

Aside from the exterior imperfections, the car is in very good condition. Not a huge engine, but it's not a huge car, so it is able to do like the comercial says (zoom, zoom, zoom...)

It looks as though Buddy likes the car too... or he just likes the spotlight attention.

I intend to enjoy my new vehicle. If you ever need a ride, maybe you can enjoy it too :)

Jason's success (with help from dad)

I'm not going to say it's cheating, I suppose it's very similar to the way guys do "deer drives." The little bro Jason had a very successful deer season - a doe on Thursday and a buck on Friday, both nearing the hours of sunset. Dad helped-- he's been having combine troubles, and as a result some of the corn hadn't been harvested before this weekend. Since the deer like to roam about the corn fields (lots of food and great camoflauge), Jason sat in the woods just beyond the edge of the corn field, waiting for the combine to scare the deer out of the corn rows. He had success both times, Dad chased a good-sized doe out on Thursday afternoon and a 10-point buck on Friday. The picture is of the buck (obviously), and I apologize to anyone who doesn't like looking at dead animals.



In other news, Jason's dog Buddy had some eye troubles in the past month. You can see from the picture that his eye hasn't fully recovered, but believe me, it looks much better. 2 weeks ago when I was home his inner eyelid was sewn shut to help the healing process. But don't be deceived, through it all, he's remained as energetic and happy as any year-old golden retriever ever has been.

Weddings, weddings, weddings

One more post for today, and it is about yet another wedding.

Liza Ann Semph is the next to take the leap into married life. Enjoy a few photos of the preparation period :)



Liza and Colin, the adorable fiances.

Bridal Shower time.

And again with the group photo.

Erin Otte-Meyer

Another "Sheboygan Falls Girl" is off and married. My tribute to Erin, who met Justin when we were still at Sheb Falls High School.



Eating at the Cheesecake Factory in Milwaukee as a las hoorah with "the girls" (or were we in Waukesha...?). Erin's cheesecake came specially decorated.



Then came the wedding. October 28th, a beautiful fall day. The ceremony was at Camp Y-Koda, reception at none other than Rangeline Inn. If you're a Sheb Falls native, these places sound so very familiar and homey :)




And what would a wedding be if the "Falls Girls" of the class of 2001 didn't pose for a group picture?

Only 3 months later...

I'm obviously behind on the blogging. Here's some pictures of my family at the County Fair back in September.Drill Team -- My baby sister Jolene is riding the 4th horse from the right in this pinwheel.


More Drill Team. They are an impressive group of riders.


Jolene and Dapper doing their best to be quick around the barrels.


My cousin Andrea showing in the "Farmer Bud" -- a just-for-fun show for kids 8 years old and younger. Jason is helping "lead" the calf around.


Jason and Becky all schnazzy with the cows getting ready to go in for the futurity show. (For those of you who aren't in the cow showing world-- these are cows we entered for this show when they were calves in 2003. They are 3 year-old cows, in their second year of producing milk. The idea is to be able to pick out calves in your herd who will be show quality after halving had 2 calves of their own.)


Becky on the halter. She's leading a good cow - nice milk producer - but not the fancy type of show cow you hope for. She received 22nd place out of 28 or so. Not bad when you saw all the nice looking animals in the ring.


This is the real beauty (and Jason's pretty handsome, too). 9th place. Even if you don't know cows, I bet you can tell she's a real looker. :)