Countdown to NYC

So I realized in about a month, I'll be in New York for the first (possibly last) time. I have a lot to do by then.
1. Get in shape. Given my long list of phobias, I need to be able to walk for miles and miles and miles.
2. Lose weight. These two work together.
3. Write about 5 million words to get to 50,000 that work.
4. Learn how to ride the subway.
5. Learn how to hail a cab.
6. Hit the lottery.
7. Determine how many sites and experiences I'm going to try to cram into a few days. Museum of Natural History, Empire State Building, Times Square, Central Park...these I think I can get done. What else? Statue of Liberty...not sure I can get there. Purl Soho? Somehow that's higher on my list than other things. Macy's? Also possible.
8. Choose a Broadway show and purchase tickets. Yes, I'm going to buy one show ahead and then maybe think about trying the discount tickets for a second show. This is what the line at the booth looks like. Already I quake. What do you think? How to Succeed at Business to see Daniel Radcliffe? Wicked if you can get even full price tickets? Sister Act? Chicago? Phantom? Rock of Ages won't be running then...Ideas?
9. Find some good shoes.
10. Worry about Jack, cuddle Jack, and freak out once a day for approximately one month.

Somehow, I'm tired already.

Looking forward to...

I made reservations at lunch but not for lunch. First, I got my ticket to ride an aeroplane all the way to Salt Lake City by way of Dallas. I'll be headed there for Spring Quilt Market, a whirlwind trip. I'm also going to the AQS show in Paducah at the end of April: good quilting fun + road trip.

And I thought you could name the direct flights from Little Rock on one hand (not quite, but almost: Dallas, Memphis, Houston, Chicago and...uh, Atlanta, and...).

And add to the list NEWARK, NJ. I know! Who would have thought it? And why would you want to fly in to Newark? A. Did I mention it's a direct flight? That works really well with my crazy anxious weirdness over airports and making connections. But more importantly, B. it's all about some New. York. Ci-tay. I've been flirting with the idea of going for months. And now, I'm going. In June.

This is a picture of the hotel. In Times Square. And the best part is that it's only going to cost me a million dollars. For two million dollars' worth of fun!

Garvan Woodland Gardens on a Sunny Day

On Wednesday, I hurried over to Garvan Woodland Gardens because it was a beautiful sunshine, blue skies day and most of the time I make it over there, it looks like the skies will pour on me at any time. I had to seize my chance so I decided that Darcy would probably be fine for 3 hours or so, left a note on the door (the preferred method of communication at 5 Points), and drove over. The place was nearly empty so I could shoot anything I wanted to with no interfering people in the way...until my camera tells me that I filled up my memory and refuses to take any more photos. I believe I had been there around 15 minutes (I do have many swimming Darcy shots that had made it onto the card before I got there), so I had to dump what I could bear to dump and changed the size of the photos. It's a good thing that worked. That might have been enough to put the stress back into my stress-free week.

So what's going on at Garvan Woodland Gardens right now? They were preparing for the Christmas lights and it looked like they were building something for a flower show. Otherwise, peaceful and serene, quiet and cool. Azaleas, camellias, mums...those are the only ones I can name.

Bathing Beauty

Warning: weird dog mom post again but you knew they were coming, right? These are the Darcy pictures. I like the first one...it sorta looks like she leaves magic sparkles in her wake. The third one shows how she swims...the middle of her back never gets wet but she ducks her head under over and over. She's not really a distance swimmer. And believe me, if none of these strikes your fancy, I have more. This is the first time in her life she's been unleashed...it was the perfect place, bounded by the lake on one side and a very steep hill on the other. She kept peeking over the edge of the dock and over the edge of that grass (bounded by the rock wall and then a drop into the lake) like she wanted to jump. She's never jumped off a dock in her life. And I have a very strict no-swimming-in-water-that-looks-like-it-might-have-fish-in-it for myself so I really wasn't looking forward to jumping in to save her. I managed to convince her to go down the boat ramp instead, but it was close a couple of times.

And then, because there are clearly fish in that water, she smelled like wet dog/fish water for mostly the whole time we were there. But that's OK. It was worth it to see her Bo Derek impersonation. Someone asked if we had a good time, and I said that we both came back with a limp so we must have had a good time! It was a lot of swimming, jumping, hiking for two old dogs like us but we kept going.

Little House in the Big Woods

Anybody else recognize that? I admit, when I first walked into this cabin that was supposed to safely house me for four nights, I did have a little Laura Ingalls feeling. All that was missing was snow and howling in the distance. Well, except for the electricity, plumbing, and pumping window unit air conditioner. Maybe it was more of a Green Acres kinda feeling. Any time check-in means finding the cabin with your name taped on the door because the key is inside, I get a little worried. Wood outside, wood walls, wood floor, it was woodsy. And small, but that's a good thing. As we had a rollicking storm the second or third night I was there, I did determine that it was soundly constructed. And the spider webs added a protective shield as well. Really, that was my only complaint.

Ok, well maybe not the only complaint. I didn't love the kitchen. And I had never seen pocket windows, and they needed to be opened. Really. Eventually someone else showed up to "check me in" and showed me how to open the windows and...the other really big problem...light the stove. I viewed the stove with mistrust and did not use it. I have a strict policy of not setting myself on fire or causing detonation while on vacation. Luckily, this hidden cabin with the beautiful view is right in the heart of Hot Springs. Five minutes from Wal-Mart and any food you could choose. This is my kind of location. And with a little power washing, a new stove, and some fresh air, this could be my idea of the perfect place to live!

Seriously, it's a great place for dogs, less expensive than similar cabins that will accept pets and really, the view from the deck...it's worth it!

I'd Rather Be Fishing

Well, not really, but I would rather be sitting at the end of the dock, just like I was about this time (really, no matter what time it is, I didn't do much more than sit and stare and breathe) on Monday. It was perfect. For everyone who asked "What are you going to do on your vacation?" and looked slightly dissatisfied with my open-ended answer, this is what I did:

1. Sat on a deck overlooking the lake, listening to waves and wind and boats and trees and ducks and...no people.
2. Walked my dog. A lot. Uphill. We went down the hill to swim (she swam, I was on the other end of the leash) and then a-l-l-l-l the way back up the hill. Over and over.
3. Swatted mosquitoes.
4. Watched movies.
5. Read books.
6. A little cross stitch.
7. Visited a couple of my favorite places in Hot Springs, including Garvan Woodland Gardens...on a sunny day! I know. I was shocked too. It seems like I only pick overcast days to go.
8. Ate like it was going out of style.
9. Wrote a little bit, just to see if I still could.
10. Did not think about work. Once. At all. Never.

All in all, so many of my favorite activities were only improved by doing them on a deck overlooking the lake. Of course, it was not without a price (Ok, even more than the charge to my credit card). Tomorrow I'll show you the cabin. "Rustic" is the right word. I think I know at least one person who wouldn't have stuck it out, but Darcy and I, we're tougher than that.

Must-see Minneapolis

Since it looks like Minneapolis will be my exotic destination, I've been researching very important destinations...like yarn shops. Quilt shops will be next on the list. Since I have faced a very scary yarn shortage in an unfamiliar city with no transportation, I like to map out my options before I go. We've gotten some suggestions but I'm always open to more. As I am leaving on a jet plane and miraculously taking a DIRECT flight, I'll be there in plenty of time to shop at the Mall of America...and then I'll be looking for other things to spend money on. Clothes shopping never takes me long. Anybody got any ideas? As I have no wheels, I have to stay close to Bloomington/Mall of America...

Plan B is to hole up in the hotel room with my transported yarn stash until my presence is required. Plan B is also very attractive.
Oh, and because the weather watch starts now, here are the forecasts:

Minneapolis:













Little Rock:

Vacation Destination: Tonga

I know that it can be difficult to follow my train of thought sometimes. It's hard for me, too. Where would a blog post about escaping to Tonga come from? I don't even know where Tonga is (thanks to the interwebs, now I do...off the coast of Australia). Here's how it works.
1. Cold breezes here after 70 degrees...makes me long for tropical destinations.
2. Instead of that, I'll wedge myself into an airline seat to head for Minneapolis, a really nice place but not tropical. In any way. And I think I'm going to have to work when I get there. I mean...I could do that here, right? I want to lay on a beach with a book.
3. Definitely not winning at our work "Biggest Loser" competition. In fact, consoling myself with ice cream is only contributing to my increasing problem.
4. An AOL story about this article about how fat American tourists can feel comfortable in Tonga, the fattest nation on earth where size is viewed at a matter of wealth and status.
5. And it's warm there. The pictures have palm trees to prove it.

So...anybody want to go to Tonga with me? I'll wedge myself into another seat to get there.

I think we better go soon though. I think the weight=status thing used to work in Europe too. About 800 years ago. Tonga may be the last place on earth where my people fit and the clock is ticking!

UPDATE: I just checked the costs. To get there from the metropolis that is Little Rock...the trip would cost about $6,000 for a week. The only way for me to come up with $6,000 is to stop eating. And that would totally fix my increasing problem. And I could probably fit in on a beach a little closer to home. And that's an entirely new train of thought.

1000 Places to See Before You Die

The best thing about DVR is that you set it to record a show, and then it actually remembers to get that show whenever it's on. Like magic! So as I was convalescing on the couch, I went through all my DVR stock and hit all the left over Travel channel shows. My favorite is "1,000 Places to See Before You Die" where a newlywed couple, the Ullies, travel to places outlined in the book by the same name. And I watched France and Peru. And I can feel my passport burning a hole in my pocket. I really liked the Peru show the best because I've been there (and the Ullies actually ate cuy, but I memorized the word so that I'd recognize it on the menu to avoid it. Little did I know that it was served with the head on. No way would I have eaten that with the head on. Cuy=guinea pig), but Paris looked just as magical as you'd think it would be.

Between these shows, the "House Hunters International" marathon, and the words "wintry mix" in the forecast, I'm ready for a sandy beach somewhere.

And then the lake shots

Every morning and afternoon, Darcy and I got out to take a walk. We had 2 paths, one along this side of the lake and these docks and the other around that side and those docks. Each ended at the boat ramp where Darcy took a quick dip before we trudged back up the hill. Nice and easy. We also did a little off-roading, but we're both more "follow the road more traveled" than less and prefer pavement to undergrowth.




I took the boat pictures for Jean. She hopes to live on a boat someday. I told her I was having some boat envy myself. As I would never be able to work the trailer required to get the boat into the lake, I'm sure my boating will never be. But I did envy all those boaters who sped off for the open water while I was sittin' on the dock of the bay.

The view from the deck

Since it's Sunday afternoon and I'm mourning the end of my vacation, I'm reliving the good times with some photos. I took some of these while I lounged on the deck, shortly after sunrise. I've been spoiled by a dog who basically takes care of herself at home. On vacation...she had to be walked. A lot. And neither one of us were really used to the exercise. We'd get back to the bottom of the hill below the cabin and she'd give me this look like "Really? I have to do this AGAIN?"


So on this morning, I carried the breakfast of champions (skim milk, Froot Loops, and a C-O-L-D Diet Coke) out with me and used the stake-out thingy that I use when I'm out in the front yard at home with Darcy to attach her to the stairs. My reasoning: she could wander but not get into too much trouble because I would never leave her out there all by herself. There were some extra large squirrels on the loose after all. So I'm relaxed...


Then she comes trotting across the deck and a small lightbulb goes off. There's no way that she could be up on the deck and still attached to the stairs. And, indeed, she wasn't. Her harness was still down by the stairs. She however was already back inside the subzero temperatures waiting for a Milkbone. I never tried that whole stake-out thing again.

Praying for Peru

(WARNING: this post has the potential to turn into a sermon and there probably aren't that many laughs inside. I visited Peru twice on mission trips and saw God at work there. That's what's prompting this. Back to Darcy stories tomorrow!)Peru has been on my mind since the devastation of the earthquake. I'm not a news-watcher and I usually have a hard time making a connection to people around the world. But I've actually been to Peru twice,know people who live in Lima. And Peru actually stays on my mind. I don't know if everyone has these moments where they know their lives have changed forever. I have. I remember very vividly sitting on a bench in a town in the Andes. We had driven over to use the phone. It was the day my mother was having surgery to remove a large tumor in her lung. And there was no one I could get in touch with at home. Every one had calls to make...a parent, a spouse, a child. So as I'm having a breakdown on that bench, Angie, the preacher's daughter, comes to tell me that she'd spoken with her dad. Someone had visited my family in the waiting room, my mom was out of surgery and in recovery. It was one of those moments where I learned something...God heard my prayers and the one thing in this world that I can count on is His care. I could tell a million different stories about Peru and the things I learned there (I could probably build tons of sermons to deliver if I really think on it). I fought the hardest battle of my life to actually get on the plane and go...against all my fears and the worst timing in the world. And God met me there. And I'll never be the same.


Traveling outside the U.S. is bound to teach a lesson. Ireland was different, but not so different than what I'm used to. Lima, Cochas,driving in the Andes mountains...very different. I learned to really appreciate the little things...a toilet that flushes every time I push the handle, a shower that always has water and it's almost always warm, being able to moan about the long walk in the Wal-Mart parking lot as opposed to the miles-long journey down into the orchards along the river at the bottom of the valley and the haul of apples all the way back to the top(which, believe me, I NEVER did. They'd have had to bury me beside that river). The 10-block walk in Lima to the Starbucks was tough, but totally do-able after near collapse in the mountains. Things are different in the mountains of Peru. But some things are exactly the same. The ladies sit together and gossip. The men sit together and gossip. The kids are thrilled with a balloon and some attention, even if your Spanish is as limited as mine. When things like this happen, it's hard to know what to pray. My prayer for the people affected by the earthquake is for comfort, mercy, compassion, safety, and the blessing that God wants to send to the suffering. Why do these things happen? There's no satisfying answer. We were never promised easy lives. God did promise to take everything that happens to His people, the ones who know His son, and use it for their good. I went to Peru to try to show people that God loves them and that His people love them. I really learned how much He loves me.
I'll never forget the feeling of sitting on that bench. It's hard to understand that I'm not in control. For some reason, I felt like because I wasn't in the hospital waiting room, something terrible would happen that I could maybe just fix. And with the wisdom of hindsight, I understand better today that no matter where I am, God is in control. I've now been at a bedside twice where something terrible happened and I was completely useless. But I have no doubt that God was in control. The best part about that is that it's true no matter where I am...Little Rock or Lima. God is in control and He is at work in lives, saving them and changing them. He will take the devastation and turn it into blessing and that will impact the world. That's my prayer for Peru.

Ready for a vacation

So we're back to Home Sweet Home, safe and sound. Darcy's doing her best impression of a furry rug in the middle of the floor. And I'm checking work e-mail. From home.

I think I need a vacation.

Another "To Do" list

So next week I'm outta here on vacation. And I'm looking forward to it. I think it was purchasing the sun screen that did it. A little lake time, a little hiking time, a little nap time...well, OK more nap time than hiking probably. Friend Mary is going to take over the official posting for me because I think I'm going to be totally unplugged next week. If only my laptop hadn't died...maybe that was for my own good?
Cheryl's To-Do list:
1. Perfect my routine in the pool in case I'm ever asked to try out for a synchronized swim team.
2. Watch Darcy do the doggie paddle (ha! Get it?) around Lake Ouachita (wa-shi-ta for non-Arkansans).
3. Rest my eyes.
4. Eat. A. Lot.
5. Shop a little.
6. Read. Probably at a book-a-day pace.
7. Knit some.
8. Soak up someone else's air conditioning.
9. Catch up on my DVDs.
10. Do my best to enjoy August 16 and the rest of my week off.

I'm thinking about "accidentally" leaving my cell phone at home. But then I'd have a real "accident" and need it, right? Better not try that. It looks like a busy week. Maybe I should just stay here to work...

Traveling again

So we're off to Chicago for the summer Craft and Hobby Association trade show. If it's in the world of crafting, no matter how loosely translated, you can see it at this show. I've never been to the summer show, but I have seen the winter show (in Anaheim this year) a few times. Today I'm reminding myself of imporant lessons.
1. Wear comfortable shoes. I used to spend time worrying about my "professional" style...I only worry about that when I'm out of the building. Inside the building, I just worry about making it to work on time wearing clothes of some sort. Now at trade shows, I plan more carefully what I'll wear to go with my crummy, comfy shoes.
2. Move fast. I'm only good for about 1.5 days of travel. Once I hit the afternoon of the second day, my attention span grows very, very short. My feets and my back just distract me from all the good stuff around.
3. Just get ready to suffer for my travel. Flying is never my friend. Leaving Little Rock around 6:15 a.m. and returning around 11:10 p.m. the next day. I hope to avoid waking up hours late and making the 30 minute trip to the airport in 10 minutes or less. I'm tired already, but I'll be glad I did it on Sunday...when I am neck-deep in the last Harry Potter book. If one more person says one more thing to me about midnight parties or getting their copy on Saturday, thus beating me at the start line, I might lose it. And, by the way, Mundane Jane is headed for the train. She doesn't do planes well. She'll probably have some interesting posts to check out.
4. Carry plenty of projects to work on. Since I had such a close scare in Salt Lake City of running out of something to work on, I've planned my knit project more carefully than my "professional" style. A girl has to have her priorities.

My map

My counter shows me how many people visit every day (closing in on 10,000 visitors, 40 or 50 by day) and where they're from. It also makes a really neat map of the last visitors. This is my map on Tuesday. And it usually looks this way...lots of eastern US, not so much in the west, and a few people scattered in exciting foreign destinations (in my imagination at least). I'm on a travel kick lately. I've replaced HGTV with Travel Channel and I'm keeping my passport out in a visible place so I'm ready to go at a moment's notice. If you have some highly important business which requires my assistance, and live near a beach or some foreign locale requiring use of said passport, please contact me ASAP!

I'm thinking about building one of those maps that shows where you've been. I'd have quite a few states marked off thanks to my travel for Leisure Arts, but my only international visits have been Ireland and Peru (that's kind of an odd mix, right?). I definitely need more stamps in my passport. Let's see...Australia? New Zealand? England? Canada would be fairly easy...