tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24577881269831198702024-03-13T03:54:52.411-04:00Battling BedlamShaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-21807264388617796752011-07-06T20:39:00.003-04:002011-07-09T09:43:04.618-04:00I went on a trip to a land far, far away...<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Last week, my husband and I went on a trip to a land far, far away, also known as Germany and Austria. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We went without our kids, because my incredibly amazing aunt drove 7 hours to stay with our three rugrats for an entire week while we were gone. (Note: If you don't have an Aunt Carolyn, go find yourself one. You can't have mine though, because I don't know what I'd do without her!) This was our first trip sans kids in years. That's right: <i>years</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Can I tell you something? It was AMAZING.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Don't get me wrong, we definitely missed the kids. I'm pretty sure that I drove my aunt crazy by calling every day to make sure things were ok. (I wasn't worried about the kids; I was worried that the kids had driven her insane.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Still, it was pretty terrific to have some quality time with my husband. But what made it truly spectacular was that we were experiencing Europe for the first time - together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We stayed in Oberammergau, Germany.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We also stayed in Munich (but not for long).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We hiked around on mountain tops.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We took a romantic stroll around Schloss Linderhof at sunset.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We toured Neuschwanstein Castle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We learned that churches are to Bavaria as Starbucks shops are to most US cities/towns/truckstops.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We saw a lot of dirndls and lederhosen (and I had to be stopped more than once from dropping a few Euros on a set of my own).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We consumed ridiculous amounts of incredibly delicious food.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Oh, and we had beer. Lots and lots of beer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Did I mention that we took a day trip to Salzburg? I may or may not have been singing "Edelweiss" as we strolled through Mirabell Gardens.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jIj4OLCMXmc/ThOuomw6qCI/AAAAAAAAM4E/-QCBZZ6262Y/s1600/_DSC0987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jIj4OLCMXmc/ThOuomw6qCI/AAAAAAAAM4E/-QCBZZ6262Y/s320/_DSC0987.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We took in some spectacular views.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rxcdrGbEzfw/ThOvGdcH9WI/AAAAAAAAM6E/Q0yqtXvH6Oc/s1600/_DSC0284-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rxcdrGbEzfw/ThOvGdcH9WI/AAAAAAAAM6E/Q0yqtXvH6Oc/s320/_DSC0284-2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We took a <i>lot </i>of pictures.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_9sR7KWA2QOYItKVrs25RSoBbjepKDlpCVlxPskJpJzCKL3l7ABpp4o-QBismLirFKa52lk8RlmDrvhr79j30ZhGKuEOVXOzwl7XBrd26ATkej_7TmTUiGH_oJ8cm5mR0depSTs4t_sq/s1600/_DSC0178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_9sR7KWA2QOYItKVrs25RSoBbjepKDlpCVlxPskJpJzCKL3l7ABpp4o-QBismLirFKa52lk8RlmDrvhr79j30ZhGKuEOVXOzwl7XBrd26ATkej_7TmTUiGH_oJ8cm5mR0depSTs4t_sq/s320/_DSC0178.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But most of all, we took the time to enjoy our surroundings with each other.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SAUI3MXwboM/ThOtZHozRTI/AAAAAAAAMx4/2YMj7Lywj-4/s1600/_DSC0397-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SAUI3MXwboM/ThOtZHozRTI/AAAAAAAAMx4/2YMj7Lywj-4/s320/_DSC0397-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">More posts to come with recommendations for what visitors should and shouldn't do in Germany and Austria (Example: Avoid getting a flat tire in a rental car. Trust me.). Until then, I'm going to dream about how I can swing another TDY to Germany...</span>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-46466556168440437032011-03-25T10:12:00.000-04:002011-03-25T10:12:42.291-04:00Heading North - Part 1<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Last Fall, I had the opportunity to travel to Ottawa, Canada. It was my first time above our northern border, and I have to say - I'm absolutely smitten by Ottawa. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It is such a beautiful city, even when it's covered in snow (there will be a post about that... eventually). Luckily, my first trip was in September, so I was able to enjoy the transition from summer to fall.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQtTbaiDWkc5aowNyZdY2yzBUC52bxAyRla1YUnzu7NMWpkQ7tTIyNldfE0NIdyvldpjXrW58izjH9OA4kQcG9xFpC2AkrHgVX07Brr0Qbbz_CHj68E7MuMKtUTv0pw4kMLXgWLd22Vwi/s1600/Ottawa+Sep+2010+-+Collage+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQtTbaiDWkc5aowNyZdY2yzBUC52bxAyRla1YUnzu7NMWpkQ7tTIyNldfE0NIdyvldpjXrW58izjH9OA4kQcG9xFpC2AkrHgVX07Brr0Qbbz_CHj68E7MuMKtUTv0pw4kMLXgWLd22Vwi/s320/Ottawa+Sep+2010+-+Collage+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I was even luckier to have the opportunity to participate in a <a href="http://www.ottawaphotosafari.com/">'Monuments and Memorials of Ottawa' photo safari</a> hosted by local photographer Ray Pilon and his lovely partner Isabel. They were extremely knowledgeable about photography and the iconic landmarks of Ottawa - I really could not have asked for a more perfect introduction to such a wonderful city! In fact, many of the pictures I'm posting here are from that excursion; you can find the rest in the <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/shauna.hunt/OttawaPhotoSafariSep2010#">Picasa album from that trip</a>. It was with their help that I was able to take my photography up a notch - so if you're ever in Ottawa and have a couple of hours to spare, I strongly recommend that you contact Ray and set up a photo safari. He was extremely kind to schedule a one-on-one excursion for me, so don't think that you need to wait for an already scheduled event!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In addition to improving my photography skills, I also learned quite a bit about the city and its landmarks. I stayed in the gorgeous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_Laurier">Chateau Laurier</a>, which is right next to <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCcQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FParliament_Hill&ei=86GMTdDyFOGy0QHLoumtCw&usg=AFQjCNEKgUkTd1j2dWgzkJulSZr4hwiU2w&sig2=nAusvqSrLQ9o5TQV8HkfDw">Parliament Hill</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ByWard_Market">ByWard Market</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rideau_Canal">Rideau Canal</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_War_Memorial_%28Canada%29">War Memorial</a>. I'll have lots more about my visits to those locations in the next post - stay tuned!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j8WuFf32SFA/TJwI4olYnsI/AAAAAAAAK4I/q8sgwKWJ83I/s1600/_DSC0104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j8WuFf32SFA/TJwI4olYnsI/AAAAAAAAK4I/q8sgwKWJ83I/s320/_DSC0104.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-16969018879329089652011-01-14T21:17:00.048-05:002011-01-30T20:28:38.130-05:00International Travel - Part 3<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In parts <a href="http://jatamanzi.blogspot.com/2011/01/international-travel-part-1.html">1</a> and <a href="http://jatamanzi.blogspot.com/2011/01/international-travel-part-2.html">2</a> of my International Travel series, I told you about much of my trip to Taiwan in Summer 2010. This post will finish up my trip to Taiwan with details of my bus (ok, really just a van with three tourists and a tour guide/driver) trip out of Taipei and to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_Coast_National_Scenic_Area">Northeast Coast National Scenic Park</a>.</span></span><br>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was kind of a miserable, cloudy day, so unfortunately my pictures didn't turn out as well as I had hoped due to poor lighting conditions and a less than satisfactory camera. You'll just have to trust me that the drive was beautiful!</span></span><br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipS4xZ2_nS5Z1lvArAElwsF0box_nvuecV4wH8JyPK23cSyl-1LgzmsrgnIJnriB6V8nC2Y58Vko1rWjwRtH_1SVEtk2FZchSFpiZg4zVf-JTQDTZbLQOeONX0wan5D_v8_Ny4CcOeGrTf/s1600/IMG_0455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipS4xZ2_nS5Z1lvArAElwsF0box_nvuecV4wH8JyPK23cSyl-1LgzmsrgnIJnriB6V8nC2Y58Vko1rWjwRtH_1SVEtk2FZchSFpiZg4zVf-JTQDTZbLQOeONX0wan5D_v8_Ny4CcOeGrTf/s400/IMG_0455.JPG" width="300"></a></div><br>
<a href="http://jatamanzi.blogspot.com/2011/01/international-travel-part-3.html#more">But wait! There's more >></a>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-7323066959898918332011-01-11T15:41:00.002-05:002011-01-14T21:17:28.374-05:00International Travel - Part 2<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As mentioned in my last post, I had the opportunity to visit Taiwan this past summer. The first several days of the trip were filled with meetings and amazing dinners presented by our extremely gracious hosts. However, our busy schedule kept us from "playing tourist". Luckily, the day before we returned home, we had some time to do some sightseeing.</span><br>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKiuZQTv2jIGBLua-odRHs4gdYBAyX5UloZCrO4BYwCZW_CCLreO3f4isf3-XR8UwcaNIgzB9FIzy1c-3xKuzlNU29GJ5wcQ7-Do27_7W6AgN2E_5upgy0bx0K22EaBaYA0GciLUkbyi-P/s1600/Taiwan+part+2+sun+park+bldgs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKiuZQTv2jIGBLua-odRHs4gdYBAyX5UloZCrO4BYwCZW_CCLreO3f4isf3-XR8UwcaNIgzB9FIzy1c-3xKuzlNU29GJ5wcQ7-Do27_7W6AgN2E_5upgy0bx0K22EaBaYA0GciLUkbyi-P/s400/Taiwan+part+2+sun+park+bldgs.jpg" width="400"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br>
</div><a href="http://jatamanzi.blogspot.com/2011/01/international-travel-part-2.html#more">But wait! There's more >></a>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-44386565055289531682011-01-02T20:49:00.008-05:002011-01-14T21:17:50.221-05:00International Travel - Part 1<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now that I have (finally!) completed my series on our End of Summer Adventures, I want to post a few entries on two international trips that I had the opportunity to enjoy in 2010. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br>
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">First up - Taiwan!</span><br>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfvQBwVWXfrWZ2LDAWOSuJtcKEKThMJsFtGVBuG9d1_-LHrnf4Cmx2KAgZf1BZdvR_LlYq2hnCFcvTLK4-u0ijGvlcEsJ_A950dfBH128WxYXBR2o9UAIXx2xHZdWS56gKoiC3oLpbgCr1/s1600/Taiwan+collage+part+1+begin+edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfvQBwVWXfrWZ2LDAWOSuJtcKEKThMJsFtGVBuG9d1_-LHrnf4Cmx2KAgZf1BZdvR_LlYq2hnCFcvTLK4-u0ijGvlcEsJ_A950dfBH128WxYXBR2o9UAIXx2xHZdWS56gKoiC3oLpbgCr1/s400/Taiwan+collage+part+1+begin+edit.jpg" width="400"></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br>
</div><a href="http://jatamanzi.blogspot.com/2011/01/international-travel-part-1.html#more">But wait! There's more >></a>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-77452456788562609032010-12-12T15:50:00.001-05:002011-02-26T08:58:15.370-05:00End of Summer Adventures - Part 4<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Continuing with my series on our End of Summer Adventures (yes, I know it's December), I wanted to take you with us on our day trip to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.</span><br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SC6uiTJrUts/THnILgNrFgI/AAAAAAAAKs8/mhPTHpocXgs/s1600/_DSC0061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SC6uiTJrUts/THnILgNrFgI/AAAAAAAAKs8/mhPTHpocXgs/s320/_DSC0061.JPG" width="320"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We could not have asked for a more perfect summer day. Ok, maybe we could have asked for some slightly cooler temperatures, but by the end of our trip, we found a way to cope with the scorching humidity. More on that later.</span><br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SC6uiTJrUts/THnINTJCNfI/AAAAAAAAKtQ/P-XR1pkxR4o/s1600/_DSC0071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SC6uiTJrUts/THnINTJCNfI/AAAAAAAAKtQ/P-XR1pkxR4o/s320/_DSC0071.JPG" width="320"></a></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><a href="http://jatamanzi.blogspot.com/2010/12/end-of-summer-adventures-part-4.html#more">But wait! There's more >></a>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-63932898223817832662010-11-27T15:44:00.000-05:002010-11-27T15:44:13.447-05:00Our cat is weird.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0n-EuIV7QO9KHBU5CxaTBvu-UdBiydMrmUwTCVXkHq_O_BFp5_PM-jQm5m9GH5qzDgU5938mgu7ijir5XIxS_XGjPc9dRrkmCZzWN7cNZjsZPMuxn6CZM5_jOCT6-VlzX5umD22WeNbG/s1600/_DSC0139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0n-EuIV7QO9KHBU5CxaTBvu-UdBiydMrmUwTCVXkHq_O_BFp5_PM-jQm5m9GH5qzDgU5938mgu7ijir5XIxS_XGjPc9dRrkmCZzWN7cNZjsZPMuxn6CZM5_jOCT6-VlzX5umD22WeNbG/s320/_DSC0139.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our cat is weird. The evidence is as follows:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fact 1: She likes to hide behind doors and wait for you to stick a finger or toy in the crack so she can attack it. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOXNLPPus7tviPIxmjCVCgKguWAk_RN4Pi3FXh91aBLXxzxox6kfShfleAe9NT-3yUaYSaAlODX88BYzEviaOAqEvQtHmChtivsdizAEFURIL59JWxCbOcwSzsi6N6DpRBJnJutHuc3sNx/s1600/_DSC0079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOXNLPPus7tviPIxmjCVCgKguWAk_RN4Pi3FXh91aBLXxzxox6kfShfleAe9NT-3yUaYSaAlODX88BYzEviaOAqEvQtHmChtivsdizAEFURIL59JWxCbOcwSzsi6N6DpRBJnJutHuc3sNx/s320/_DSC0079.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fact 2: When she feels that you are devoting too much time to the computer (never mind the fact that you have a 20pg paper due in a week, even though you've been <a href="http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/">procrastinating</a> instead), she will lay on top of the keyboard until she has your full and undivided attention. This is occasionally connected to the status of her food dish.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasBkrUCOY8bvbxROuHAwlYWLeZXbkT6F8XR6loVLopxcIUAMUwEDpAnhSkd_Ks-msyKvTF3PVIrLqFBEtsFlOK5GIuKZ8FPAwCf6-D76b5m5DxrPC60-BntgaAp6VAE9YQeorVFSov4pV/s1600/_DSC0097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasBkrUCOY8bvbxROuHAwlYWLeZXbkT6F8XR6loVLopxcIUAMUwEDpAnhSkd_Ks-msyKvTF3PVIrLqFBEtsFlOK5GIuKZ8FPAwCf6-D76b5m5DxrPC60-BntgaAp6VAE9YQeorVFSov4pV/s320/_DSC0097.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fact 3: Her favorite napping place is on the back of the couch. She doesn't mind if she slides down behind the couch cushions.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCwh4jL-kGD7dQ5Wo3d9ZQWDj6AgwQ7DTSbIZ98ymkYBgjVCZj3woZqYUUJUXsJ7kSeybI_iMD7nkJjke8jcjT64EPvT-9t4s4SytfVrk7SG-RoEZCFhBMov2UC26SoSoWdNQKMugAZr-W/s1600/_DSC0141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCwh4jL-kGD7dQ5Wo3d9ZQWDj6AgwQ7DTSbIZ98ymkYBgjVCZj3woZqYUUJUXsJ7kSeybI_iMD7nkJjke8jcjT64EPvT-9t4s4SytfVrk7SG-RoEZCFhBMov2UC26SoSoWdNQKMugAZr-W/s320/_DSC0141.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fact 4: In addition to hiding in paper grocery bags, she likes climbing into the laundry hamper. She specifically has an affinity for climbing into the bag that holds the dirty socks. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaqozajVljnF1lGT980BugT_xpgvYbp2w6ke8tq6f7OhH_r_Dpihl5derm9wu_CybthCxW7vnzsYF2uCOZXk6pvYwAMaGqRQwKoS9PizvP7jHMD66_E2TL3g3wOcoxojJ2AFi4Y0Jfv7F/s1600/_DSC0130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaqozajVljnF1lGT980BugT_xpgvYbp2w6ke8tq6f7OhH_r_Dpihl5derm9wu_CybthCxW7vnzsYF2uCOZXk6pvYwAMaGqRQwKoS9PizvP7jHMD66_E2TL3g3wOcoxojJ2AFi4Y0Jfv7F/s320/_DSC0130.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Still, she is awfully cute. I think we'll keep her.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgleueztwjRVRT5Pzv9Lxyurpuq7G_oaopFNfRSJsSLflkrZCXnLWqNvZdi9T5vKmiyw7YeT_GTK8I0uxFN-03Ppp32pMtPPsu-ipX3C5WtPSw1PwfYz1P5lQudyFhghhfu52pjIkAenLmN/s1600/_DSC0135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgleueztwjRVRT5Pzv9Lxyurpuq7G_oaopFNfRSJsSLflkrZCXnLWqNvZdi9T5vKmiyw7YeT_GTK8I0uxFN-03Ppp32pMtPPsu-ipX3C5WtPSw1PwfYz1P5lQudyFhghhfu52pjIkAenLmN/s320/_DSC0135.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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</span>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-79631625825638781612010-11-18T22:30:00.001-05:002010-11-27T15:10:09.047-05:00End of Summer Adventures - Part 3<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Editor's Note: Yes, I know that Thanksgiving is exactly one week away, which means that summer is long since gone. However, sometimes life gets in the way (read: kids and I are back at our respective schools), which means that blog updates get pushed back. I promise I'll get everything updated eventually!</span></i></span><br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SC6uiTJrUts/THhd1hVMReI/AAAAAAAAKnE/1Iwpcxq-M7M/s1600/_DSC0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SC6uiTJrUts/THhd1hVMReI/AAAAAAAAKnE/1Iwpcxq-M7M/s320/_DSC0008.JPG" width="320"></a></div><br>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Continuing with our theme of visiting National Parks before the end of summer vacation, our next adventure took us to the Maryland side of Great Falls to the C&O Canal. </span></span><br>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For those of you who haven't had the opportunity to visit, "C&O" stands for the "Chesapeake and Ohio" Canal. Take a few minutes to <a href="http://www.nps.gov/choh/index.htm">get your history on and learn something</a>. </span></span><br>
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<a href="http://jatamanzi.blogspot.com/2010/11/end-of-summer-adventures-part-3.html#more">But wait! There's more >></a>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-32286950217028912002010-11-09T06:35:00.001-05:002010-11-09T06:36:20.730-05:00Annie's First Day<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Well, we all thought that little Annie needed a night at the vet so that she could have a little surgery done. Turns out she didn't need it at all, so we got to pick her up a day early!</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_b2nYhX4E5ccGsNClHBxyIboL5xz3hsLQR0u0zvmeu2kC9Ii4fl-EJUTpDtK2FcXrT0WxggsYQXVBHhyn4I7rMMbYPV6eekBw8x2KnISjLTdCiIBQm9RBepxfn6F7np3o6FYw5j033Xq/s1600/_DSC0071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_b2nYhX4E5ccGsNClHBxyIboL5xz3hsLQR0u0zvmeu2kC9Ii4fl-EJUTpDtK2FcXrT0WxggsYQXVBHhyn4I7rMMbYPV6eekBw8x2KnISjLTdCiIBQm9RBepxfn6F7np3o6FYw5j033Xq/s320/_DSC0071.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We thought that she would need some time to get acclimated to each room in the house; we figured on one room per day.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Annie knocked that expectation out to approximately 3 minutes per room.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDubfhyphenhyphentq7qUBpZ2r7kJDQG_K_dOcZGRcMLsgt6_k37djjhM1CaF5Q-wRY05prWjR5RonQu2sQXLwcGwJVYrklGV2XqcVVAd9tcK313w4RdV35HklWLx1mRyw-UoGqVkv3ArhNUV7vJNpc/s1600/_DSC0090.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDubfhyphenhyphentq7qUBpZ2r7kJDQG_K_dOcZGRcMLsgt6_k37djjhM1CaF5Q-wRY05prWjR5RonQu2sQXLwcGwJVYrklGV2XqcVVAd9tcK313w4RdV35HklWLx1mRyw-UoGqVkv3ArhNUV7vJNpc/s320/_DSC0090.JPG" width="143" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This adorable new member of the family explored the house... </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmv-hSzuq_7a5My4wEsyJH38l3PyuEa1cRAAnqwkQqNKSgNiNgr2gX7hQLPUcNf87G9808QNYJ5b0yxg5SWBNTfoQGMljK2QSgaLrLFbccjIyRTt0FUoBeOKa5LBJvmLko8Hved3kHk5x/s1600/_DSC0105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmv-hSzuq_7a5My4wEsyJH38l3PyuEa1cRAAnqwkQqNKSgNiNgr2gX7hQLPUcNf87G9808QNYJ5b0yxg5SWBNTfoQGMljK2QSgaLrLFbccjIyRTt0FUoBeOKa5LBJvmLko8Hved3kHk5x/s320/_DSC0105.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">...jumped all over the piano... </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOiRcoWjT6frLAHntjL89fqJxdILLa4XD5f1mCNPDxpA5ROS1xZeXbOVM2p6hphw7RAvgW-1hgcqL_4tR4NhQ9wzGIHfO_50cKXV8zfbl4l0nWEEiDNrdt0AkAbf-ObKNJ11KLJ1N73WT/s1600/_DSC0084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOiRcoWjT6frLAHntjL89fqJxdILLa4XD5f1mCNPDxpA5ROS1xZeXbOVM2p6hphw7RAvgW-1hgcqL_4tR4NhQ9wzGIHfO_50cKXV8zfbl4l0nWEEiDNrdt0AkAbf-ObKNJ11KLJ1N73WT/s320/_DSC0084.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">...and then settled down to allow herself to be fawned over by the kids.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3qyOFBgXwhjDQ5wnUAqdO5t7uB9uObMa0kKpTSekW0tsbOAPv6HLWoIsidkEtuwxoS_rEbqSAXpbd1DLV8ClhKS3FQkFEQpOJ8kxpOdFTWkf1FxX_GJcS17ve-KH_LV4pkZeKGh9xnHd9/s1600/_DSC0103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3qyOFBgXwhjDQ5wnUAqdO5t7uB9uObMa0kKpTSekW0tsbOAPv6HLWoIsidkEtuwxoS_rEbqSAXpbd1DLV8ClhKS3FQkFEQpOJ8kxpOdFTWkf1FxX_GJcS17ve-KH_LV4pkZeKGh9xnHd9/s320/_DSC0103.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is one seriously happy, lovey kitty. :)</span></span>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-47352973421400593982010-11-05T16:30:00.000-04:002010-11-05T16:30:22.791-04:00New addition to the family<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Meet Annie!</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHhCAfjBhgwuQatHY7EaeoB-I0dSWfX9jvP_XdZZc6kpxAeU3iwEbpPPdhU8gMosjrOE1gynq6vZXpHzOGLMPaS4DOp3kbvLxBTvNrMFqW2_Du8zeLgwa3H-4yhQigiBv9ZkwnkmI17kh/s1600/Annie+awake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHhCAfjBhgwuQatHY7EaeoB-I0dSWfX9jvP_XdZZc6kpxAeU3iwEbpPPdhU8gMosjrOE1gynq6vZXpHzOGLMPaS4DOp3kbvLxBTvNrMFqW2_Du8zeLgwa3H-4yhQigiBv9ZkwnkmI17kh/s400/Annie+awake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We've adopted her from the local shelter, but we can't bring her home yet. Our beautiful new 2-yr-old orange tabby needs to get spayed first, so we'll have to wait four long days before we can pick her up from the vet. We're really excited, especially since she is just about the sweetest kitty in the whole world!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Welcome to the family, Annie!</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk89IV48v_ya4TqrQkEQFGDObUuZEPR7qnkRbBXciw6M_KVKKXDXZxyJHP4NtO734vocYhRWL3rrniutBwb_LThH1YTqkZoT31RHyq3lQ1YvBZnNvopnF57BWzv1u3TqSShq7JLziwzdhN/s1600/Annie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk89IV48v_ya4TqrQkEQFGDObUuZEPR7qnkRbBXciw6M_KVKKXDXZxyJHP4NtO734vocYhRWL3rrniutBwb_LThH1YTqkZoT31RHyq3lQ1YvBZnNvopnF57BWzv1u3TqSShq7JLziwzdhN/s320/Annie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-90932509623509102132010-10-31T17:58:00.001-04:002010-10-31T18:05:19.425-04:00Way behind in my updates...<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I know, I know - I've been horribly remiss in posting updates. In between <a href="http://jatamanzi.blogspot.com/2010/09/end-of-summer-adventures-part-2.html">this</a> and <a href="http://jatamanzi.blogspot.com/2010/10/experiment-in-contest-baking.html">this</a>, there's been a lot of this:</span><br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtxmQg9bfbW9vknM8gOz77ZeYswKrH4JwmNtptvzdMT0rXnssnpUc_Xd5-JtweZQ5WP_o-y7W-6g27VXLP8B5w3Jkzg76XEgLH_tvUwjRVe2NPbdSgSSi7I8q5455McQEr72ZncsvE1A5/s1600/_DSC0267-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtxmQg9bfbW9vknM8gOz77ZeYswKrH4JwmNtptvzdMT0rXnssnpUc_Xd5-JtweZQ5WP_o-y7W-6g27VXLP8B5w3Jkzg76XEgLH_tvUwjRVe2NPbdSgSSi7I8q5455McQEr72ZncsvE1A5/s320/_DSC0267-1.JPG" width="320"></a></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">...and this...</span><br>
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<a href="http://jatamanzi.blogspot.com/2010/10/way-behind-in-my-updates.html#more">But wait! There's more >></a>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-40797135464275734562010-10-24T00:31:00.002-04:002010-10-25T22:13:42.497-04:00Updated: School Boundary Study<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our local school district has decided to redraw the local elementary school boundaries. We knew this was being discussed, but we were not informed that our childrens' school would be affected until the district released map pdfs yesterday. Needless to say, we were quite shocked to learn that two of the three proposed changes include an option to move our neighborhood to a different school. We oppose this change for numerous reasons, many of which are captured in <a href="http://smallwoodhouselog.blogspot.com/">another blog</a> that my husband and I update infrequently. However, we feel strongly enough about this issue that a <a href="http://smallwoodhouselog.blogspot.com/2010/10/fcps-southwest-boundary-study.html">very detailed post</a> went up today in anticipation of my husband's attendance at a neighborhood meeting hosted by the district on Monday. We can only hope that the district board sees reason... </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">UPDATE: My husband attended the "meeting" and provided a report of the proceedings along with the literature handed out at the meeting. To say I am appalled at what transpired is a gross understatement. You can <a href="http://smallwoodhouselog.blogspot.com/2010/10/first-impressions-of-southwest-boundary.html">read my post here</a> if you're interested. </span></span>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-4560364548144084782010-10-21T16:34:00.002-04:002011-08-29T11:17:42.961-04:00An Experiment in Contest Baking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ClKYa0oot9vTgKUNfwk4hZFhVXoO5fgpG75bC4HyPmAXeNJWdpnTGxgc40MBcF-5mnT4t2Vvl1zcCTHAfQ6OQhDdRYVZvjU2DR0pb-xyhAoFU5VbuOsQ4I-XDZqRCAoPZ_6Z-ca4Gkpa/s1600/_DSC0363-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ClKYa0oot9vTgKUNfwk4hZFhVXoO5fgpG75bC4HyPmAXeNJWdpnTGxgc40MBcF-5mnT4t2Vvl1zcCTHAfQ6OQhDdRYVZvjU2DR0pb-xyhAoFU5VbuOsQ4I-XDZqRCAoPZ_6Z-ca4Gkpa/s320/_DSC0363-1.JPG" width="320"></a></div><br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ok, so it wasn't exactly the <a href="https://www.bettycrocker.com/community/recipecontests/goldmedalbakingcontest">Gold Medal Flour Baking Contest</a>, but I did sign up to enter a baking contest put together for the annual office picnic. With more than 100 people in the division, I shouldn't have been shocked that there were 17 entries, but still - dang! 17 entries! </span><br>
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<a href="http://jatamanzi.blogspot.com/2010/10/experiment-in-contest-baking.html#more">But wait! There's more >></a>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-82616380960764863012010-09-12T08:33:00.001-04:002010-10-31T18:05:42.524-04:00End of Summer Adventures - Part 2<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our next adventure took us to Manassas Battlefield, where I was determined to begin fostering an interest in all things military history in my children. Some of my favorite memories as a child were of visiting <a href="http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/foma/main.php">Fort Macon</a> and <a href="http://www.nchistoricsites.org/fisher/fisher.htm">Fort Fisher</a> with my grandfather. (I'm pretty sure that those trips and our long talks about history and the causes of war were some of the major reasons why I joined the military.) With those memories in mind, I wrangled the kids into the car and we headed off to Manassas.<br>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXcbEfz6Xge_5zcKlW7n4V50SQSmCMvOhcCo3ccDEOhpdNRkiM4BRm3sSzyrAr29dDQRFf5zd07Ha04Uax7bEObwbVSIaEwGZK6r5ps9EI9nVuuVAQ_tSL4-NiAZ6GriiXNHhyy-iHIkI/s1600/_DSC0021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXcbEfz6Xge_5zcKlW7n4V50SQSmCMvOhcCo3ccDEOhpdNRkiM4BRm3sSzyrAr29dDQRFf5zd07Ha04Uax7bEObwbVSIaEwGZK6r5ps9EI9nVuuVAQ_tSL4-NiAZ6GriiXNHhyy-iHIkI/s320/_DSC0021.JPG"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henry Hill, Manassas Battlefield - 55mm, f/5.6, 1/500s, ISO 200</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The weather wasn't terribly fabulous that day, as we had the remnants of a tropical storm moving through. The up-side was the improved lighting conditions that helped me avoid overexposed images (which had been a problem <a href="http://jatamanzi.blogspot.com/2010/09/end-of-summer-adventures-part-1.html">the day before in Great Falls</a>). So while the kids were having fun running all over the expansive open fields...<br>
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</div><a href="http://jatamanzi.blogspot.com/2010/09/end-of-summer-adventures-part-2.html#more">But wait! There's more >></a>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-75737870936938308412010-09-03T19:25:00.003-04:002010-10-31T18:06:15.386-04:00End of Summer Adventures - Part 1<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">With summer drawing to a close, my husband and I found ourselves staring at our calendars one day and came to one horrible realization: With summer camp over and the start of school two weeks away, we had no one to watch our two oldest children. At 11 and 6 years old, we couldn't leave them at home alone. So, with much grumbling and negotiating, my husband and I agreed upon the days that we would each take off from work to stay home with the kids.</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">It's been a busy summer for me and my husband; I was promoted at work and traveled internationally, while my husband attended a couple of out-of-state conferences and took on extra responsibilities at the office. Our kids, however, weren't experiencing such grand adventures. So I figured that if we couldn't afford to go someplace fabulous (like Europe!), I would at least try to be a good parent and take them to some of the amazing national parks that we have here in the D.C. area.</span><br>
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</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">I won't lie - it was also a great excuse to try out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-D5000-18-55mm-3-5-5-6G-Vari-angle/dp/B00267S7TQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1283552857&sr=8-1">my newest acquisition</a>, courtesy of an award that I had earned at work. After years of a rinky-dink point-and-shoot, my Nikon D5000 is a pretty sweet upgrade! </span><br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Our first adventure took us to <a href="http://www.nps.gov/grfa/">Great Falls Park</a> in Virginia. We went early in the morning, even before the Visitors Center opened at 10am. The kids weren't sure what to expect; I think they had a good time, though. There were squirrels and grasshoppers and caterpillars and <i>butterflies</i>!!! </span><br>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzaiAIFbxY41hre6XT9fXrma9syunWlhoBZ1m0EOrBK_ivLKh0nbb4mi9vCcpuT3SwyhOiJsa8m6RBXK17VBD2k0pK-21WFA3jxPjNx6JL1bMimQHLlgTnU2NXqD4eB3E3Zkj6kwaXnGbL/s1600/_DSC0103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzaiAIFbxY41hre6XT9fXrma9syunWlhoBZ1m0EOrBK_ivLKh0nbb4mi9vCcpuT3SwyhOiJsa8m6RBXK17VBD2k0pK-21WFA3jxPjNx6JL1bMimQHLlgTnU2NXqD4eB3E3Zkj6kwaXnGbL/s320/_DSC0103.JPG"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Falls, VA - 55mm, f/14, 1/160s, ISO 200</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br>
<a href="http://jatamanzi.blogspot.com/2010/09/end-of-summer-adventures-part-1.html#more">But wait! There's more >></a>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-54864533866793587002010-08-23T15:15:00.003-04:002010-10-31T18:06:43.871-04:00Birthday Cake Goodness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br>
WARNING: This is a reeeeeally long post with a lot of pictures. It will also cause insatiable cravings for chocolate that cannot be ignored. You've been warned.<br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmE41btRB1IWhXKAMZw31WQ3xA08gYDfgWot_U7-8sPSeWlb9t3GIwkG2Lg8TeOUC-A9y1d5_IAlYM79Zu69V2DVBW8IO9AmiexMLZxPviJX1ucWUEmGptSygIr99IRsonKemsd7yLNEu/s1600/_DSC0038.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmE41btRB1IWhXKAMZw31WQ3xA08gYDfgWot_U7-8sPSeWlb9t3GIwkG2Lg8TeOUC-A9y1d5_IAlYM79Zu69V2DVBW8IO9AmiexMLZxPviJX1ucWUEmGptSygIr99IRsonKemsd7yLNEu/s320/_DSC0038.JPG"></a></div><br>
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It all started with an indecisive Birthday Girl and a recipe that one of my favorite food bloggers (who, incidentally, has a fantastic name!) posted just in the nick of time.<br>
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<a href="http://jatamanzi.blogspot.com/2010/08/birthday-cake-goodness.html#more">But wait! There's more >></a>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-26943273430276757692010-08-06T16:33:00.001-04:002010-10-31T18:07:10.804-04:00Beef Stew Goodness<span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span><br>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="543021513-01082010">A few of months ago, I went out to lunch with a coworker and two of our foreign liaisons at a small Belgian/French bistro near the office. Since I'm not a fan of the very popular mussels, I decided to go with the Flemish Beef Stew. Simply put, it was <i>amazing</i>. It must have lasted all of about 2 minutes on my plate - it was <i>that good</i>.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="543021513-01082010"><br>
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="543021513-01082010">Not to be outdone by a highly trained and experienced chef (and the restaurant's exorbitant prices), I decided that I would resurrect the Belgian Beef Stew recipe that I had discovered in a Cooking Light issue a couple of months prior. I had not tried said recipe due to my husband's ridiculous aversion to all things beef stew. I finally managed to convince him that my version wouldn't taste anything like the Dinty Moore version that he kept envisioning, and I was permitted to try the recipe.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="543021513-01082010"><br>
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="543021513-01082010">I am so glad that I did! This stew is absolutely amazing. Go on, get thee to a grocery store and get the ingredients. You will not regret the time and effort involved, especially if you serve it over mashed potatoes. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="543021513-01082010"></span></span></div><a href="http://jatamanzi.blogspot.com/2010/08/beef-stew-goodness.html#more">But wait! There's more >></a>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-34233193695845586612010-07-17T17:54:00.002-04:002010-10-31T18:09:14.130-04:00Unaccompanied Minor Travel FAILToday, my daughter traveled from Grandma and Grandpa's house back home on an airplane for the first time. Grandma and Grandpa were terrific - they drove her from our house to theirs to spend the week, showed her a great time, then bought her a one-way plane ticket to come home.<br>
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Unfortunately, that's where the trouble began.<br>
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<a href="http://jatamanzi.blogspot.com/2010/07/unaccompanied-minor-travel-fail.html#more">But wait! There's more >></a>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-34001731271511484882010-05-08T14:10:00.001-04:002010-10-31T18:09:40.399-04:00From hobby to income?One of my favorite hobbies is photography. I'm certainly not a professional by any stretch of the imagination (I have friends who are), but I do enjoy taking pictures of my kids, my yard and my adventures in cooking/baking. A few months ago, I decided that I really loved some of my pictures and that they might look halfway decent on the otherwise empty wall in my front living room.<br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheiM2ZL9npYyHQLjgbCV0g4GzIoEqvHImXOJZeFXbqbYIkWZTBoW2UZZ5MaPryqAECmGI4ViVPEkxrMsYXovNza0wkdeyOHrfTm4agQii9iTxgqgSjKvX6kTY4cJdH1RAylWjCgtela8i2/s1600/IMG_9005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheiM2ZL9npYyHQLjgbCV0g4GzIoEqvHImXOJZeFXbqbYIkWZTBoW2UZZ5MaPryqAECmGI4ViVPEkxrMsYXovNza0wkdeyOHrfTm4agQii9iTxgqgSjKvX6kTY4cJdH1RAylWjCgtela8i2/s320/IMG_9005.JPG"></a></div><br>
I really love how this wall turned out. One of my favorite photographs is featured in the middle:<br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7VPHy_HEXfnMMeOxcpFnJEIQIWIdLmz7eR90UMMqiI2OPPNPtIsTspgmoFUPkHTg2E4BKKuLPLxKMQMPJqefnSj7xKOnBh7IXPcH2lO2ifeAZk2gdp-3B60RBO-DWzB37wvwyXJqkkt_8/s1600/IMG_6669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7VPHy_HEXfnMMeOxcpFnJEIQIWIdLmz7eR90UMMqiI2OPPNPtIsTspgmoFUPkHTg2E4BKKuLPLxKMQMPJqefnSj7xKOnBh7IXPcH2lO2ifeAZk2gdp-3B60RBO-DWzB37wvwyXJqkkt_8/s320/IMG_6669.JPG"></a></div><br>
Several other pictures are featured on either side, some from our yard and two from our trip to Massachusetts last October.<br>
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Every time I walk into this room (which is where my hubby is usually stationed at his computer), I stop to think about how proud I am of these photographs, especially since they were taken using the macro function of my tiny little <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-SD1000-Digital-Optical/dp/B000NK8EWI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1273341931&sr=8-4">Canon PowerShot SD1000</a>. I've thought about putting more of them up around the house, but I can't decide where to put them (it would look cluttered to add more in the living room, wouldn't it?). A friend suggested that I should sell some of my photographs. That thought has been stirring around in my wee little head for some time now, but I haven't actually done anything about it.<br>
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And then a sign appeared at the entrance to our neighborhood. <br>
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<a href="http://jatamanzi.blogspot.com/2010/05/from-hobby-to-income.html#more">But wait! There's more >></a>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-35581852391041112932010-04-27T14:36:00.002-04:002010-04-27T14:36:48.384-04:00Can someone tell me why I do this again?Exhibit A:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUmyMFcrMZIlIzkLskWIexXgSXiJq7UFVJScVcrAyPvHfdvyPC_caB3WVkjGYhOafACGFWY_nk-QKBxn32BZkPSa26GMDU7_LenhjNSjM1IYF8ikaLsk-fMr9oXFcQVMFe9dwUMPo2k2lu/s1600/IMG_8916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUmyMFcrMZIlIzkLskWIexXgSXiJq7UFVJScVcrAyPvHfdvyPC_caB3WVkjGYhOafACGFWY_nk-QKBxn32BZkPSa26GMDU7_LenhjNSjM1IYF8ikaLsk-fMr9oXFcQVMFe9dwUMPo2k2lu/s320/IMG_8916.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Exhibit B:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7c4NUr-1NsyLNeIAAF4sVfOsTtnkX2mZ78mv0tFF3CJHdSYlqFrPW0OPpGdfXc5qVSf_12iJYG_law7I1MGwsIAGflZK1yFBPr9QE-Jhq3gxMgOl8NVxL3vJNqzoEWzgqWiuQ6eyKg0P3/s1600/IMG_8917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7c4NUr-1NsyLNeIAAF4sVfOsTtnkX2mZ78mv0tFF3CJHdSYlqFrPW0OPpGdfXc5qVSf_12iJYG_law7I1MGwsIAGflZK1yFBPr9QE-Jhq3gxMgOl8NVxL3vJNqzoEWzgqWiuQ6eyKg0P3/s320/IMG_8917.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Exhibit A is the pile of books (some from the local library, some from my personal library) that will be resources for the paper I'm writing on the Vicksburg Campaign of 1862-1863.<br />
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Exhibit B is the pile of readings that will be resources for the paper I'm writing on the threat to national security posed by cyberwarfare (incidentally, can someone please figure out whether it's "cyberwarfare" or "cyber warfare" or "cyber-warfare"?!?).<br />
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Take a second and consider the differences between the two images.<br />
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Did your immediate response sound something like, "Gosh, it seems like there are an awful lot of books in the first picture compared to the puny pile of mostly hand-scribbled notes in the second picture!" Yeah, I said pretty much the same thing when I actually looked at everything piled up on my desk. Such is the difficulty in writing on a topic of current interest that lacks authoritative research vs. a topic that has entire library shelves devoted to a single battle.<br />
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Just for fun, here's a picture of my handwritten notes for my paper on cyberwarfare (and no, I can't figure out why Blogger isn't allowing me to rotate the image):<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfOdJFfHshJM-b7q48op3TezPvbQRN9lfznkh1IiLTvOphYidC7FbxudjgR3I2arRHt8N2SxDn9kp8vea_STCeMKEp4EvGZuQwZv6T7Sq6VVfnZ6n0OB8nIvTPYIOLWAOEybXBsh6muyE-/s1600/IMG_8923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfOdJFfHshJM-b7q48op3TezPvbQRN9lfznkh1IiLTvOphYidC7FbxudjgR3I2arRHt8N2SxDn9kp8vea_STCeMKEp4EvGZuQwZv6T7Sq6VVfnZ6n0OB8nIvTPYIOLWAOEybXBsh6muyE-/s320/IMG_8923.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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Can someone please tell me why I keep choosing to study a topic that no one else seems interested in writing authoritatively about? It's becoming increasingly difficult to recycle my own material and still make it seem fresh. Seriously, when I have to run out to the bookstore to grab the one copy available of a book that was just published last week so that I can have an actual book in my bibliography, what does that say?<br />
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I'm starting to seriously reconsider my area of focus. Maybe I should just get my M.A. in military history instead of cybersecurity policy?<br />
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I need a pep talk, stat!!Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-86841035725294179922010-04-20T21:50:00.000-04:002010-04-20T21:50:50.905-04:00School, Hawaii and family - oh my!So it's funny how life gets in the way sometimes. I've been meaning to post an update for ages, but never quite got around to it. There was this whole thing with the end of Fall semester (A's in all my classes! 3.7GPA!), my parents visiting for Christmas, a new job... I also went to Hawaii in February to celebrate (and sing in) the wedding of one of my best friends. Seriously people - wedding in Hawaii on the beach at sunset! Highly recommended. (Especially if I'm not singing, because then I wouldn't be so wigged out and fun could be had by all.) I also tried kayaking for the first time, which was also pretty fabulous.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBwnxdLChXdGEcJSF7hoERlApAM8MW30AUVrmFmWgIHxwkCk_aIR2YobidYI6Tn-n8n_mjo5UtGozKbsVfAR3UYoj2AdNMWSqCwm8LAGTeHiijFaEIg3bLDWT-OqNLjg1FIuO993RSYha/s1600/IMG_8611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBwnxdLChXdGEcJSF7hoERlApAM8MW30AUVrmFmWgIHxwkCk_aIR2YobidYI6Tn-n8n_mjo5UtGozKbsVfAR3UYoj2AdNMWSqCwm8LAGTeHiijFaEIg3bLDWT-OqNLjg1FIuO993RSYha/s320/IMG_8611.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Fabulous seems to be the word of the day, oui?<br />
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Oh, did I forget to mention the new job? Yeah, it's pretty fabulous, but it's one of those jobs that takes a long time to explain and then I can't really talk about it anyway. So... it's a fabulous job and I love the people I work with. The best part is that I get to go TDY to some amazing SE Asia countries this summer. There will be lots of pictures. Guarantee. <br />
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With that, I leave you with this picture, taken just a couple of weeks ago in my yard:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1aa8GfiLWCgmAxgfzdF3DiobSVFx-6ceoN95qxGk27Ol2HzbY6f6zw0vhRc4eMc1k2KQgteXfYq9F_mt290w-uWH5u7HrshC8ZEL2ENngnY3rBWF_goh9uZiEewVxwnGpE9gAjGNoWr_m/s1600/IMG_8732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1aa8GfiLWCgmAxgfzdF3DiobSVFx-6ceoN95qxGk27Ol2HzbY6f6zw0vhRc4eMc1k2KQgteXfYq9F_mt290w-uWH5u7HrshC8ZEL2ENngnY3rBWF_goh9uZiEewVxwnGpE9gAjGNoWr_m/s320/IMG_8732.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-1326830768014874522009-11-15T09:15:00.004-05:002009-11-15T09:39:07.166-05:00Let the holiday cooking begin: Sweet Potato CasseroleAs soon as my birthday rolls by in September, my mind immediately turns to the food extravaganza that is the Holiday Season. Sure, Christmas is great and Halloween is fun. (It finally dawned on me this year that Halloween, in its current over-commercialzed form, must have been created as an excuse for adults to gorge guilt-free on the subsequent kid-collected haul. Brilliant!) However, my favorite part of the Holiday Season (yes it's capitalized - it is <i>that</i> important) is the food, which is why Thanksgiving is my knock-down-drag-out <i>favorite</i> holiday of the year.<br /><br />When I was in the Navy and stationed in Hawaii, my friends and I would take turns hosting Thanksgiving at our homes. Every year provided a new logistical challenge, as our quaint (read: tiny) military housing became increasingly cramped as we tried to pack in our growing broods. Still, we didn't care - after all, the holidays are about the closeness of family right? We were a family, and we loved sharing our favorite stories, jokes and dishes with each other.<br /><br />Now that we've moved to Virginia, we have new Thanksgiving traditions. Every year, we drive out to share Thanksgiving dinner with my husband's family, then drive home so that I can prepare my own turkey the next day (otherwise, we wouldn't have Thanksgiving leftovers! The horror!). <br /><br />Every year, even though no one seems to eat it but me, I prepare Sweet Potato Casserole. My grandmother taught me how to make it when I was very young; I've been making it for so long that I can't remember a Thanksgiving or Christmas when I haven't had it on the table.<br /><br />It's not the Sweet Potato Casserole that has been buried under a mountain of marshmallows. This is a more traditional Southern version with an amazing brown sugar-pecan topping. I plan on making this in the next day or two, you know, just for quality assurance purposes in advance of Thanksgiving. I posted this recipe on Facebook the other day for a friend in need (I hope it turns out ok for her!), so I thought I might post it up here. If I'm sharing the love with my family at the Thanksgiving table, I might as well share the love online too!<br /><br /><b>Sweet Potato Casserole</b><br />Courtesy of Grandma Edna, who always called it "Sweet Potato Souffle"<br /><br />3 cups cooked/mashed sweet potatoes<br />¼ cup granulated sugar<br />¾ cup light brown sugar<br />1/3 cup milk<br />½ stick butter, melted (DO NOT use margarine!)<br />½ tsp salt<br />2 tsp vanilla extract<br />¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice (or a mix of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg)<br /><br />1 cup light brown sugar<br />1/3 cup all-purpose flour<br />1 cup chopped pecans<br />½ stick butter, melted (again, DO NOT use margarine!)<br />sprinkle pumpkin pie spice (optional)<br /><br />Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray baking dish with Pam or other non-stick spray (I prefer the butter flavored one!).<br /><br />Mix first eight (8) ingredients and pour into a 9"x13"x2" baking dish. Mix remaining ingredients in separate bowl and crumble over top of sweet potato mixture.<br /><br />Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbles appear around the edges. Serve warm and enjoy!Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-51772239048891119422009-09-22T15:03:00.003-04:002009-09-22T15:24:49.996-04:00The tradition continues...Unfortunately, my string of having lousy birthdays continues! Not because of my hubby or family (they've been great!), but because of other uncontrollable circumstances.<br /><br />For example, the original plan was to go on a lunch cruise around the Potomac. First Day of Fall cruise and all that. So what happened last week? Cruise got canceled. They wanted to "upgrade" us to the dinner cruise, but as we have small kids and no babysitter, that didn't exactly pan out.<br /><br />So far: Birthday Gods 1, Shauna 0.<br /><br />Next example: The back-up plan was to go on a tour of the US Capitol and have lunch downtown so I could get my history geekness on (and get my husband some culture!). Everything is looking good so far, except for the fact that the lunch place I'd picked out has a "business casual" dress code - not good news for tourist activities. That's ok, we can improvise and just find something, right? WRONG! That would have required that we actually MAKE IT DOWNTOWN. Couldn't find a parking spot at the Metro, and had we driven in, we would have missed our reserved tour time at 1010, and the next one wasn't until 1430. The tour is 1.5hrs, so we wouldn't have been able to make it back home in time to pick up the kids and meet my uncle for dinner (who called yesterday to say he's in town).<br /><br />Updated score: Birthday Gods 2, Shauna 0.<br /><br />So, hubby and I decide we're just going to wing it. First attempt at merriment wasn't too bad; beautiful drive (despite the low, dreary clouds) out to Winchester for some apples and a shared apple cider doughnut (YUM!!). Ok, we're doing better! When we finish, we drive through Winchester and stop at a little antique place. We find a teacup and saucer that matches the MIL's china set. Yay!<br /><br />Visiting team scores! - Birthday Gods 2, Shauna 1.<br /><br />Aaaaaand that's when tragedy hits. We drive out to Middleburg looking for lunch. First place we try isn't open on Tuesdays. Second place we try wants $8 for a grilled cheese sandwich (!). Third place we try has several outside tables full, so we decide to see what's up. We grabbed a table and waited for the waitress.<br /><br />And waited. And WAITED.<br /><br />Finally she showed up to get our drink order: "What do you want to drink?"<br /><br />No, there wasn't a "Hi, welcome to the Red Horse Tavern! My name is _____, and I'll be your server today. Can I start you off with some iced tea or a glass of wine?" She just went straight to "What do you want to drink?" and tossed the menus on our table (which, btw, was dusty and had cobwebs - EW!). When she returned more than five minutes later with our iced tea in cheap plastic picnic cups (seriously, I have bought better cups at Costco!), she was "ready to take [our] order." Nice.<br /><br />A little while later (while we were marveling at the women nearby fawning over their dog that was sitting in a chair at their table), she arrives with the daily special of "breaded calamari" that we had ordered. Three words: STALE RUBBER BANDS. As Drew appropriately stated, he would have expected about the same fare from the batch of "fried calamari" that the bowling alley buys in bulk from Sam's Club.<br /><br />The next disappointment was when our "entrees" were delivered. Plastic shallow baskets, wax paper too small to really fit the basket, and small, pathetic sandwiches accompanied by stale potato chips. Drew's "Cuban" was an insult to the communist country that bears it's name, and my "wrap" was stuffed with lettuce that was, conveniently, not listed on the menu. Did I mention that the chips were STALE?!<br /><br />The waitress didn't even bother to make any kind of effort to earn a tip - she clearly couldn't have cared less about being there or about having us as customers. Sucks for her, because we are usually very generous tippers (having been a waitress at several restaurants in a past life, I know how hard the work is and how bad the pay can be!). All told, our horrible meal cost us $30.52. In an effort to escape (and hope to avoid getting my credit card # stolen), I paid in cash: $31.00. Drew said that I was overly generous in my tip, but I was simply too lazy to count out exact change from my wallet.<br /><br />So, the new score: Birthday Gods 3, Shauna 1.<br /><br />We did have a high point immediately following: In an effort to rapidly remove the taste of the food from our mouths, we stopped at an ice cream shop down the street. It's run by the Middleburg Humane Society, and it was terrific! The ice cream was delicious, the shop was cute and quaint, and the server was very friendly. Super awesome points for the ice cream shop for being a major bright spot in our day!!<br /><br />Final score (thus far today - it's only 3:30p): Birthday Gods 3, Shauna 2.<br /><br />I'm hopeful that tonight will greatly improve so that at least I can break even on the score. I think wine and chess with the hubby might do the trick! :)Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-88575211061424586152009-08-09T21:50:00.001-04:002009-08-09T21:58:33.766-04:00A little chip of heavenSometimes, we all have to cave in to the demands of a 5-yr-old. You know what I'm talking about: You take him to the store, he's a good helper and can point out all the important vegetables ("Look, Mom - carrots! Spinach! Asparagus!!"). So when he looks up at you with those big brown eyes and bats those long eyelashes and asks if we can make chocolate chip cookies while he's presenting you with a bag of your favorite 60% cacao Ghiradelli chocolate chips, how on earth are you supposed to say no??<br /><br />You can't, so you cave in.<br /><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2CDPWKQdSSi6pPpU6CYb3Bda9_mwMszX6kZ7je79gvN9hNbM1a5-GCY-f9q5WNg-gSqQgTd4VIZ01UvLrR_4P4b_l9tkymShkFKQ18ZIJSInBtyPpkuwtyVU9FrNlnvJ2egh3zNZp7Gzn/s1600-h/IMG_7361.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2CDPWKQdSSi6pPpU6CYb3Bda9_mwMszX6kZ7je79gvN9hNbM1a5-GCY-f9q5WNg-gSqQgTd4VIZ01UvLrR_4P4b_l9tkymShkFKQ18ZIJSInBtyPpkuwtyVU9FrNlnvJ2egh3zNZp7Gzn/s320/IMG_7361.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br />This is what happens when you cave in - a couple of hours later, you somehow find yourself halfway through a batch of chocolate chip cookies.<br /><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfYBVjhxIBr8Q0rI3SZBa4eKcRpt3wObvT-uAv4oGA0VKzdAbN6xkUVRsPZVsc7xorvDRnaxeveT4yztwdjN-tqNSW0_9dvebsyIGNgiVeIHOHhGHy8HvrDXxgtyVyyn3YFTv2ZqGVfXA/s1600-h/IMG_7366.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfYBVjhxIBr8Q0rI3SZBa4eKcRpt3wObvT-uAv4oGA0VKzdAbN6xkUVRsPZVsc7xorvDRnaxeveT4yztwdjN-tqNSW0_9dvebsyIGNgiVeIHOHhGHy8HvrDXxgtyVyyn3YFTv2ZqGVfXA/s320/IMG_7366.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br />These are not just any chocolate chip cookies, mind you. These are cookies straight from Williams-Sonoma's <a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sku5799556/index.cfm?pkey=xsrd0m1|16|||0|||||||essentials%20of%20baking&cm_src=SCH"><i>Essentials of Baking</i></a>. You know the one - the recipe titled "Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies" on page 32. The one you modified with triple the amount of your favorite 60% cacao Ghiradelli chocolate chip cookies, because you don't have any milk chocolate chips and you don't like white chocolate. The kids don't like white chocolate either, so it's okay, right? <br /><br />Don't worry - the cookies still love you. See that adorable little mound of cookie dough right there? The one shaped like a heart? Yeah, that's proof that the cookies still love you.<br /><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSeMQmJF7HWlT13MwGJB0PmtOSKf8G9eN5kBXr2qiUAizHro6gC80y6CrooNLAsngCvGJwIq6Q-CK8oYiVyqnKrxJt1vww0Ttzz-_BOzfKWPF2Uqzt7uAGDha97b3eWdONE3NK4lfFE5yM/s1600-h/IMG_7369.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSeMQmJF7HWlT13MwGJB0PmtOSKf8G9eN5kBXr2qiUAizHro6gC80y6CrooNLAsngCvGJwIq6Q-CK8oYiVyqnKrxJt1vww0Ttzz-_BOzfKWPF2Uqzt7uAGDha97b3eWdONE3NK4lfFE5yM/s320/IMG_7369.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br />An hour later, you're looking at these. Can you resist? No, you can't. Good thing the cookies can't put up much of a fight, especially with that glass of milk just waiting to wash it all down.<br /><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZOLtwiFr98kKrn-AL-bzJTn8l7QnPeH2DsClsgoeVMuUW1lyCCmDOWVIkVXeuemAVNNdgxeTeT7jEn6bO6DR4mVj6V5vfBqDeeCj0LyaD4CQYlf9YtCZ0ohcE8_A77DGsWyo0apa_pmD/s1600-h/IMG_7379.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZOLtwiFr98kKrn-AL-bzJTn8l7QnPeH2DsClsgoeVMuUW1lyCCmDOWVIkVXeuemAVNNdgxeTeT7jEn6bO6DR4mVj6V5vfBqDeeCj0LyaD4CQYlf9YtCZ0ohcE8_A77DGsWyo0apa_pmD/s320/IMG_7379.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shauna.hunt/ChocolateChipCookies#">Life is good.</a><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457788126983119870.post-51757347630761248642009-07-24T17:51:00.003-04:002009-07-31T10:55:01.969-04:00A Fortnight of FunFrom 13-24, I was out in Lansdowne, VA at the National Conference Center taking a leadership course titled "Preparing for the Challenge". To be perfectly honest, I was pretty apprehensive about the course, especially as I have taken numerous courses on the topic and even re-vamped a 5-day leadership course for junior sailors back in my Navy days (a whole two years ago - seems like a lifetime!). Still, I really needed a break from the office drama and welcomed a chance for a breather, even if it did mean that Drew had to deal with our three little munchkins by himself for nearly two weeks (it was an overnight thing).<br /><br />Luckily for me, I actually really enjoyed myself! Once people started to connect and open up, things went very well. We had a great time one day out at the National Training Center doing outdoors-y type activities, and we had some phenomenal guest speakers (one of my favorites was the guy who taught "Leadership Lessons from Star Trek" - my inner geek loved it!). <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_SC6uiTJrUts/Sme9V1UJosI/AAAAAAAAHas/1uZtfXvsf4s/s512/IMG_7104.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 120px; height: 180px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_SC6uiTJrUts/Sme9V1UJosI/AAAAAAAAHas/1uZtfXvsf4s/s512/IMG_7104.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a>However, I think the best day of all was our trip out to Antietam Battlefield. Our guide, Greg, does historical reenactments pretty much full-time these days, and it was an amazing experience. He taught us about some of the leadership choices made on both sides of the battle by taking on the persona of various soldiers present during the battle. Greg had a book with letters and personal accounts from many of the solders there that day, and you could feel and see what they went through as you stood at sites around the battlefield. <br /><br />Each of us also selected a person to be that day (I was Maj Gen Fitz J. Porter) and we were responsible for conducting research in advance on our characters so that we knew what choices they made and why. As a Historical and Political Studies major as an undergrad with a focus on American History, I had a fantastic time with this evolution. I took some pictures, which you can <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shauna.hunt/AntietamStaffRide#">see here</a>. It was a humbling and heartbreaking experience, and one that I hope to have my children experience one day.<br /><br />All in all, it was a great experience. I've made some wonderful friends, some of whom I have already bumped into at the office! We're planning to hold "reunions" quarterly so that we can keep in touch, which should be interesting from a VTC scheduling standpoint as some of my classmates are not located in the DC area. I was planning to bake brownies - maybe I should send some to my geographically dispersed classmates...? ;)Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16802371805982029349noreply@blogger.com0