"Who Me? Really!"

Said I as I pointed to myself and raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, you!" answered the girl with a chuckle as she went back to rolling cheese.


For those of you who didn't know, I started this blog in March of 2009. The main purpose was to have a quick & easy way to post pictures and updates on our life for Christin & Grace while they were in Europe for two months. :D When they came back I thought of stopping, only to be told by Christin "Why? I enjoy reading it even when I know what's going on!" So I continued the blog and the rest is history. Right?

So, a few weeks ago I was posting about something (I think it was the post about "God Bless America") and one of the girls who helps roll cheese called up to me to tell me she was heading out to the creamery to work on cheese. I yelled back I would be down in a few minutes.

Five minutes later I walk into the creamery ready to work & she asks "What took you so long?" (in a teasing manner). I answered "I had to finish my blog post, as I haven't blogged in a week or so." She looked at me kind of weirdly and asked "You blog?"

"Yes" and I told her how it started. She then chuckled and said "You know? That's kind of nerdy!" to which I replied with..."Who Me? Really!".

I had to laugh though as I thought about it because the term nerd refers "to a person who avidly pursues intellectual activities, or endeavors, knowledge, or other obscure interests, rather than engaging in more social or conventional activities"

Some how the term nerd never really seemed to apply to me when I thought about it. Then I looked it up and KNEW there was no way it really could apply to me, right? I mean last I checked I am not really a scientific person and when it comes to technical things I may be slightly technical savvy, when you get down to it I am really not, I know just enough to get me by. And to top it all off...I could be wrong, but I'm not really the person who prefers computers to human beings. :D

Now though, when I talk about it she chuckles & thinks it's a great idea, though she still thinks it is a little weird.

Update

For those of you who didn't know, a week ago today I boarded a plane headed for Houston. :D Where I spent 4 1/2 days with family & friends. :D God greatly blessed me on this trip home. I got to snuggle with all my toddler & baby siblings, spent time with mom while shopping for animal feed and human food. :D Bible study with Christin & some friends, did one market & visited three other markets, I was also able to go to Central Market & church with my family. God has greatly blessed me & the trip home showed me even more how blessed I am.

New York City on the way to the airport.

About to land in Chicago. Have I ever mentioned how I hate layovers? Chicago is in the top two cities that I want to visit and I didn't get to see any of it, due to being on the wrong side of the plane both when landing & taking off!

There's no place like Houston!! :D

City Center Market Thursday night with Sara holding Dixie.




Urban Harvest Saturday morning

Highland Village Saturday afternoon

On our way into Central Market





Discovery Green Market Sunday afternoon



My siblings waiting for me to board the plane (which I ended up not doing that day).

My Family!

Behind The Song...

"God Bless America"

It's a song that every American knows the chorus of. It's song during the 7th inning at every Yankee game & Sunday baseball game in the US. It's that timeless "American Hymn" that even toddlers can remember the words to. "God Bless America" is America's unofficial national anthem But do you know the background to it?

Written by Irving Berlin in 1918 while serving in the US Army at Camp Upton in Yaphank, New York. Berlin wrote "God Bless America" for Yip Yip Yaphank a revue put on by the men at Camp Upton. Berlin never used it during the revue, feeling that it did not fit the act. In 1938 with the World at war again, Berlin brought the song back as a peace song.

In 1938 with some of the lines changed and words switched out. Berlin asked Kate Smith to sing it on her show. On Armistice Day 1938 Kate Smith sang with a full band. Almost over night "God Bless American" became a hit all through out the US. There were even some who pushed for it to be made into the National anthem, though it was enough of an opposition, that it was never passed.

"While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. "

God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.

Wednesday's Day Off

This past Wednesday for my day off I went to a Yankees game. :D In case you haven't caught it yet, I am a HUGE baseball fan and was missing my baseball games. The hard part about this game? Well, it was a Yankee game (Top of my dislike list), my dad wasn't able to come with me, and it wasn't the old Yankee Stadium. But I took what I could get and went to the game, calling my dad more then once, silently cheering the Orioles (as I wanted to go home alive!), and taking as many pictures of the stadium that I could.


I got there a few minutes after the gates opened, and enjoyed batting practice, Monument Park, the Yankee Museum, and looking around the park. (FYI for those baseball fans planning to go to Yankee Stadium, there is really no way you can get autographs while at the game.)




I greatly enjoyed my day off and can now add one ballpark and two more teams to my list of visited parks & teams watched. :D

Wednesday...A Day Of Firsts.

• First time to go to a game without a family member.
• First time to go to a baseball game all by myself.
• First ride on a New York subway
• First time to go to Yankee Stadium.
• First time to see the Yankees play.
  
• First time to see Lance Berkman in anything other then an Astros' uniform.
• First American League game to watch live without the Red Sox playing.
  

And another big thing that wasn't a first, rather a second. For the second time in 12 years I went to a baseball game without my dad. The last time was in 1998 and my mom went with me. But other then that one time dad has ALWAYS gone with me to a game and it felt really odd to not have him with me. (Just in case you didn't know I LOVE my dad and greatly appreciate that he takes the time from his days to spend time with me at ballgames. :D )

A Funny....

And not from a toddler imagine that! lol

Yesterday we went to another goat persons house for a BBQ. After dinner & looking at her goats we are sitting around the fire pit roasting marshmallows and telling farm stories. When the other goat person takes a phone call from her hey guy.

She has him on speaker phone so we can all hear him and he asks her if she went to the Duchess county fair with her goats. She replied "No, but I helped Lynn. She had 22 goats there.". Her hey guy laughs and said "Well, you should have brought one or two of your goats. With that many goats no one would have noticed. It's just like having 12 children, you won't notice one or two more added!" lol

I couldn't help it! I busted out laughing and took everyone else a few seconds to get it and then they all started laughing as well. And the poor hey guy is clueless & asking what was going on. As he didn't know I could here him & didn't even know me and that I come from a family or 12 children. lol

Everyone had a good laugh over that one I can assure you. :D

One Month!

I've been in New York for one month!

One month ago I boarded a plain for the fourth time in my life. Only this trip was different from my other plane trips. I was not going to or away from family for a vacation. I was leaving for four months for an internship in New York. And this coming only two weeks after I told someone that "No, I didn't really see myself ever leaving Texas for any length of time longer then a week or two for vacation". (Never say never!)

Now, one month later I am counting the days until I can see my family & friends back in Houston for a few days. Yes, I miss my family! I miss the hugs, kisses, laughter, toddlers, older sisters, fights, debates, & everything else that comes with my family.

But I am taking each day that I have here & counting it as a blessing, as it's not every year of my life I will be able to spend months in New York & sight see everything I can on my day off. Nor is it every day I get to live on another dairy and learn many different things about goats, cheese, & showing.

The people I've met have been great, very helpful & friendly. Even if I do have a new nick-name..."That Red Sox fan". lol And then get to be told how "The Yanks ARE the best!". (Yeah, well...)

The weather is totally different, not as humid & rarely as hot as it is down in Houston. It's been very nice in the 70s to 80s with low to no humidity and some mornings or even some evenings being a bit chilly. Though, I am warned that in a month I will be coming into the cool months & will see some winter which includes snow, then they can start calling me a wimp instead of me calling them one. Meaning I will need some warmer shoes & a nice warm jackets. (Which means I will have to go buy some new shoes...Last thing on my list of things I like to do!)

It does feel a little weird not having toddlers or Liberty sharing a bed with me. I have played music any & all chances I get as it tends to get to quite here. :D And I am still having a hard time cooking for less than a half dozen people--More like cooking just for me. I've found that though I greatly enjoy cooking, like traveling alone it's not as fun to cook for oneself as it is for when your cooking for others as well.

Then there are the TONS of pictures I take to share with my friends and family so I can enjoy the trip & time here knowing that they will be able to see my trip at least a little bit through my pictures. And by the time I get ready to go home I am going to need to drive down as it will be better with all the things I will have bought for my family & friends for Christmas.

So, one month down--Three and half more to go. BUT in less then two weeks I will be to see my family & friends. As well as attend a very good friend's wedding, I can't wait! :D

Yesterday's Day Off...

So, yesterday was my weekly day off, and unlike previous weeks it wasn't was WAY full. :D Well, for Carlson standards. lol

Yesterday I spent looking at goats, visiting a cemetery, viewing the grounds at Vanderbilt, And touring the Culinary Institute of America. A laid back & enjoyable day, even though it did feel like home in the mid to upper 90s.

The first stop was a Cemetery in Rhinebeck NY. For those of you who don't know my family all that we LOVE visiting cemeteries. You learn so much from them, see so many interesting names, and learn about people things you might not have. :D


After that it as touring the grounds of the Vanderbilt mansion. Due to a prior reservation I didn't have enough time to tour the mansion it's self but it is the plans for sometime while in New York.




After the rose garden & grounds at the Vanderblit I went down to the riverbank and took some up close pictures of the Hudson river. Ever since I first saw the Mississippi river at the age of seven rivers have fascinated me and the Hudson was no different. (When I am rich, and have nothing else to do with my time or money I am going to travel down the Mississippi river lol)





After that it was on to the the Culinary Institute of America, something I would never have thought of if someone had not mentioned it to me. But I greatly enjoyed my time there!