New photos coming tonight - Monument Valley in Arizona and Utah.
Is anyone else besides myself disturbed by the fact that banks like AIG are giving their executives millions of dollars in bonuses with our tax money? Especially since the banks' predatory lending practices are what got the economy in such a mess. It is illogical for the government to give tax money to banks without setting any restrictions on how the money is to be used.
Anyway, that is my rant for the day. Photos coming this evening. Stay Tuned!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Lake Powell
This year during our trip to Tucson, my husband and I decided to drive to Northern Arizona to visit Lake Powell and Monument Valley. Lake Powell is just north of Page, Arizona. It is a beautiful area, but February is a little early for the tourist season, so there weren't too many activities on the lake. I did spend a few hours photographing Lake Powell.
I couldn't get a good frontal photograph of the Glen Canyon Dam because there was a chainlink fence on the bridge. Also, I was too petrified to walk out to the middle of the bridge and take some time to try and get a good shot. My husband finds this little quirk of mine quite funny. I'm not afraid to stand at the edge of a canyon on a rock, but I'm terrified of walking on man-made bridges, towers, scaffolding, etc. I'm okay in a tall building, but anything that is out in the open terrifies me. I managed to walk about 1/4 of the way out onto the bridge and snap two or three quick photos of the dam through the fence. By then my knees were about to buckle and my heart was racing so I bolted back to the safety of land and waited for my husband in the car.
Cameron is the opposite. He wasn't at all bothered about walking out to the middle of the bridge, but he gets nervous when I stand too close to the edge of a canyon. I trust the rock created by a Perfect God a lot more than I trust a bridge made by imperfect men. Cameron is of the opinion that you never know when there will be an earthquake or a landslide.
I guess we all have our little quirks.
Here are some photos of Lake Powell for your enjoyment.
Knee-Knocking Photo of Glen Canyon Dam
Sunset Over Lake Powell
Sunset Over Lake Powell Part Two
Rocky Reflection
Sunset Over Page
Glen Canyon Bridge
I couldn't get a good frontal photograph of the Glen Canyon Dam because there was a chainlink fence on the bridge. Also, I was too petrified to walk out to the middle of the bridge and take some time to try and get a good shot. My husband finds this little quirk of mine quite funny. I'm not afraid to stand at the edge of a canyon on a rock, but I'm terrified of walking on man-made bridges, towers, scaffolding, etc. I'm okay in a tall building, but anything that is out in the open terrifies me. I managed to walk about 1/4 of the way out onto the bridge and snap two or three quick photos of the dam through the fence. By then my knees were about to buckle and my heart was racing so I bolted back to the safety of land and waited for my husband in the car.
Cameron is the opposite. He wasn't at all bothered about walking out to the middle of the bridge, but he gets nervous when I stand too close to the edge of a canyon. I trust the rock created by a Perfect God a lot more than I trust a bridge made by imperfect men. Cameron is of the opinion that you never know when there will be an earthquake or a landslide.
I guess we all have our little quirks.
Here are some photos of Lake Powell for your enjoyment.
Knee-Knocking Photo of Glen Canyon Dam
Sunset Over Lake Powell 
Sunset Over Lake Powell Part Two
Rocky Reflection
Sunset Over Page
Glen Canyon BridgeImportant Petitions
Tonight I will be posting some more photos of Arizona, but right now there is something important I would like to bring to your attention.
Every afternoon I listen to a program called "Jay Sekulow Live." Mr. Sekulow is an Attorney for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). The ACLJ is the Christian equivalent of the ACLU. However, where the ACLU wants to eliminate all reference to Christianity from the public view, the ACLJ wants to protect the religious rights of Christians. Today a couple of important issues were discussed on the show that I would like to bring to light. You won't hear about these things in the liberal media, so word of mouth and a few conservative talk shows are your only source for learning about these important issues.
The first issue I would like to discuss is a petition to help prevent President Obama from eliminating a doctor's choice to choose not to perform abortions. President Obama has already signed new legislation that will supply taxpayer money for the study of embryonic stem cells. Essentially, he is taking my hard-earned money to fund the creation and murder of human embryos. I'm not against stem cell research. However, I am opposed to murdering innocent human beings for study. There are now scientific means available to create stem cells that imitate embryonic stem cells. So therefore, the creation and murder of innocent human embryos is no longer necessary. Of course you will never hear about this on the liberal media sources.
Now President Obama wants to prevent doctors from having the right to say "No" to performing abortions, regardless of their religious or moral beliefs. This is outrageous! How would you feel if a law was enacted that said you had to murder a human being despite your beliefs about it? Before this legislation is approved, President Obama is allowing 30 days of "discussion." Of course I'm certain you haven't heard this issue discussed on the news. This way, the President can give the appearance that he gave time for the public to present their opinion without really making the issue known; therefore, no response will be given. Well, it is up to us to spread the word. I encourage you to click on the link below and sign the petition to make your voice heard. Tell President Obama we don't want our doctors to be forced to do something against their moral and/or religious beliefs.
http://www.beheardproject.com/
Another important issue I would like to bring to your attention is something happening at the United Nations. The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is trying to create a resolution that would essentially allow the persecution of Christians if they spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I believe that everyone has a right to practice the religion of their choice (including atheism) assuming no other human is injured or killed because of someone else's religious beliefs. However, the OIC wants to ensure that worldwide, it would be illegal to speak against Islam in any way. So essentially, any time you preach the Gospel or speak about any other belief system (Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, etc.), the UN could declare that this speech is against Islam, hence it is illegal. Last year the OIC tried to get this passed through the UN and because of a petition submitted by the ACLJ, the issue was dismissed. Now they are trying it again. It is up to us to make our voices heard. The OIC wants to make Islam the moral law of the world. This is the same "moral law" that encouraged a group of Muslims in Egypt to burn a man alive and kill his father because they had heard a rumor that this man was involved with a Muslim woman. Just a rumor! And they burned this man alive and murdered his father too! I don't know about you, but this is not the kind of "moral law" I want enforced in this country. Please let the United Nations know that we will not tolerate the Islamic "moral law." Please follow this link and sign this petition.
https://www.aclj.org/Petition/Default.aspx?sc=3417&ac=1
I usually try and keep my posts light-hearted but these issues are something I cannot just dismiss. If we don't stand up for our freedoms, who will?
Every afternoon I listen to a program called "Jay Sekulow Live." Mr. Sekulow is an Attorney for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). The ACLJ is the Christian equivalent of the ACLU. However, where the ACLU wants to eliminate all reference to Christianity from the public view, the ACLJ wants to protect the religious rights of Christians. Today a couple of important issues were discussed on the show that I would like to bring to light. You won't hear about these things in the liberal media, so word of mouth and a few conservative talk shows are your only source for learning about these important issues.
The first issue I would like to discuss is a petition to help prevent President Obama from eliminating a doctor's choice to choose not to perform abortions. President Obama has already signed new legislation that will supply taxpayer money for the study of embryonic stem cells. Essentially, he is taking my hard-earned money to fund the creation and murder of human embryos. I'm not against stem cell research. However, I am opposed to murdering innocent human beings for study. There are now scientific means available to create stem cells that imitate embryonic stem cells. So therefore, the creation and murder of innocent human embryos is no longer necessary. Of course you will never hear about this on the liberal media sources.
Now President Obama wants to prevent doctors from having the right to say "No" to performing abortions, regardless of their religious or moral beliefs. This is outrageous! How would you feel if a law was enacted that said you had to murder a human being despite your beliefs about it? Before this legislation is approved, President Obama is allowing 30 days of "discussion." Of course I'm certain you haven't heard this issue discussed on the news. This way, the President can give the appearance that he gave time for the public to present their opinion without really making the issue known; therefore, no response will be given. Well, it is up to us to spread the word. I encourage you to click on the link below and sign the petition to make your voice heard. Tell President Obama we don't want our doctors to be forced to do something against their moral and/or religious beliefs.
http://www.beheardproject.com/
Another important issue I would like to bring to your attention is something happening at the United Nations. The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is trying to create a resolution that would essentially allow the persecution of Christians if they spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I believe that everyone has a right to practice the religion of their choice (including atheism) assuming no other human is injured or killed because of someone else's religious beliefs. However, the OIC wants to ensure that worldwide, it would be illegal to speak against Islam in any way. So essentially, any time you preach the Gospel or speak about any other belief system (Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, etc.), the UN could declare that this speech is against Islam, hence it is illegal. Last year the OIC tried to get this passed through the UN and because of a petition submitted by the ACLJ, the issue was dismissed. Now they are trying it again. It is up to us to make our voices heard. The OIC wants to make Islam the moral law of the world. This is the same "moral law" that encouraged a group of Muslims in Egypt to burn a man alive and kill his father because they had heard a rumor that this man was involved with a Muslim woman. Just a rumor! And they burned this man alive and murdered his father too! I don't know about you, but this is not the kind of "moral law" I want enforced in this country. Please let the United Nations know that we will not tolerate the Islamic "moral law." Please follow this link and sign this petition.
https://www.aclj.org/Petition/Default.aspx?sc=3417&ac=1
I usually try and keep my posts light-hearted but these issues are something I cannot just dismiss. If we don't stand up for our freedoms, who will?
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Tucson Sunset
My husband was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. I was born and raised (mostly) in Louisville, Kentucky. We met on the Internet in the Spring of 1997. It was a whirlwind romance. By December 1997 I had moved to Arizona to be with him. In February 1998 we were married. We moved back to Louisville in October 1999 to be closer to my family. In 2006 we decided it was time to go back and visit his parents in Tucson. We realized we missed not only his family, but Arizona as well. So now we make a yearly pilgrimage to Tucson.
There are a few things that I absolutely love about Arizona; the weather, the scenery, and especially the mountains.
In Tucson, you are surrounded by mountains on every side. To the north you have the Catalina Mountains, to the east you have the Rincon Mountains, to the south you have the Santa Rita Mountains, and to the west you have the Tucson Mountains. The Catalina Mountains, particularly Mount Lemmon, are the tallest and most accessible range. You can travel the Catalina Highway to the top of Mount Lemmon where you will find Summerhaven and Ski Valley. Along the highway you will find pullouts for scenic and picnic areas. The Catalina Mountains are approximately 9000 feet high. As you travel the Catalina Highway you start in the desert and work your way up to an evergreen forest. When I lived in Tucson, the Catalinas were my way of having a small piece of Kentucky in Arizona. If it is 100 degrees in Tucson, it is 70 degrees in Summerhaven. In the winter there is often snow on Mount Lemmon.
The last photo was taken at the Babad Doag pullout on the Catalina Highway. This is one of the first scenic pullouts on the highway. We had spent a few hours traveling up and down the mountain and decided to wait there for the sunset. I just love the way the rays of sunlight are splashing over the city. As we were leaving the mountain and got to the bottom of the foothills, the skyline lit up with oranges, pinks, and reds. I had to pullover to the side of the road to take the first two photographs.
Sunsets like these are a fairly common occurrence in the Arizona desert.
Orange Sunset
Desert Sunset
Sunset Over The Tucson Mountains
There are a few things that I absolutely love about Arizona; the weather, the scenery, and especially the mountains.
In Tucson, you are surrounded by mountains on every side. To the north you have the Catalina Mountains, to the east you have the Rincon Mountains, to the south you have the Santa Rita Mountains, and to the west you have the Tucson Mountains. The Catalina Mountains, particularly Mount Lemmon, are the tallest and most accessible range. You can travel the Catalina Highway to the top of Mount Lemmon where you will find Summerhaven and Ski Valley. Along the highway you will find pullouts for scenic and picnic areas. The Catalina Mountains are approximately 9000 feet high. As you travel the Catalina Highway you start in the desert and work your way up to an evergreen forest. When I lived in Tucson, the Catalinas were my way of having a small piece of Kentucky in Arizona. If it is 100 degrees in Tucson, it is 70 degrees in Summerhaven. In the winter there is often snow on Mount Lemmon.
The last photo was taken at the Babad Doag pullout on the Catalina Highway. This is one of the first scenic pullouts on the highway. We had spent a few hours traveling up and down the mountain and decided to wait there for the sunset. I just love the way the rays of sunlight are splashing over the city. As we were leaving the mountain and got to the bottom of the foothills, the skyline lit up with oranges, pinks, and reds. I had to pullover to the side of the road to take the first two photographs.
Sunsets like these are a fairly common occurrence in the Arizona desert.
Orange Sunset
Desert Sunset
Sunset Over The Tucson MountainsWednesday, March 04, 2009
Traveling Through Arizona
Every year my husband and I travel to Tucson, Arizona to visit his family. He and I lived in Arizona for two years when we were first married, then we moved to Kentucky where my family lives. I really loved living in Arizona, but I missed my family so much that I had to move back home. I really love it when we get an opportunity to return to Arizona. We usually spend the week at his parents house; however, we will take a two-day road trip to somewhere scenic in Arizona. This year we decided to go to Lake Powell in Northern Arizona and Monument Valley in Northern Arizona an Southern Utah. It was just amazing to see. Over the next few days I will be adding photos from our trip to Arizona. Here are a few to get you started.
Glen Canyon Dam & Bridge on Lake Powell
Desert Wilflower in Orange
Glen Canyon Dam & Bridge on Lake Powell 
Desert Wilflower in OrangeMonday, March 02, 2009
New Posts
I will be putting up some new vacation photos today or tomorrow. I was trying to do it in a hotel while I was on vacation, but my photos wouldn't upload. Stay tuned for some photos of beautiful Arizona!
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Ice Storm in Louisville
To all of my loyal readers (all four or five of you), I apologize for taking so long to put out a new post. As you may have heard (unless you've been living in a media blackout), Louisville had a major ice storm last week. It started on Tuesday with snow and then Tuesday afternoon it changed to freezing rain. The freezing rain continued all afternoon and all night. Early Wednesday morning I awoke to the sound of breaking trees. I looked out my window and mistakenly thought I saw flashes of lightening. What I was actually seeing was flashes of light from exploding transformers. My sister lost her electricity Tuesday evening so she packed up her family and went to my father's house (who lives on my street). We felt pretty fortunate that we still had electricity.
The electric company said it could be 7 to 10 days before everyone's electricity is restored. We must try and keep those people without electricity or heat in our thoughts and prayers. Many people in Kentucky and Arkansas are still struggling because of the ice storm.
Even though the storm was difficult for many, there were a couple of positive outcomes. First, I got to spend more time with my family. My sister, her husband, and her two children, my parents, and my husband and I had dinner together on Wednesday and Thursday evening. It was nice spending time together. I'm sure there were many families huddling together in a relative's home that still had power and heat. Another positive aspect was the extreme beauty of the storm. Just seeing the sun glinting off the ice-covered trees was a sight to behold. I took lots of photos, but I don't think my photos can really do the sight justice.
The experience of the storm has taught me that no matter what is happening, God is always watching over us. He is there in good times and bad. This storm has also taught me that even during difficult times, there can be positive experiences.
Below you will see a few photos of the downed trees on my street. However, I don't think my street really does the storm justice. I don't think a single tree in the Louisville area escaped damage. Every where you go, you see broken branches and trees laying on homes and vehicles. It is going to take weeks upon weeks to cleanup the mess.
Below you will also see a few photos of the ice. I just hope the photos can convey a little bit of the beauty of the storm.
Downed Trees On My Street
Tree Branches In My Front Yard
Tree Branches In My Driveway
Broken Tree Branches In My Back Yard
Ice-Covered Grill
Ice Coating My Bird Feeder
Ice-Covered Branches
Ice-Covered Branches Part II
Icicles
Ice-Covered Branch
Branchcicle
Treecicle
Sunlit BeautyMonday, February 02, 2009
Stay Tuned!
I know I haven't posted in a while, but things have been crazy here in Kentucky. We had an ice storm last week and everything has been chaos since then. I'm just getting back to a normal routine. I will be putting up another post this evening with some new photos, so please stay tuned!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Tag! You're It!
I was recently tagged for a fun photography game by Alice. Here are the rules of the game:
1. Choose the 4th folder where you store photos on your computer.
2. Select the 4th photo in that folder (no cheating - cropping, editing, etc.).
3. Explain the photo.
4. Tag 4 other people to do the same.
Red Rose
This photo was taken from my rose garden. It is a pretty small garden. I planted a yellow rose bush, a red rose bush, and a coral-colored rose bush. However, I didn't pay close enough attention when I bought the rose bushes. The yellow rose bush is a full-size rose bush, while the coral and red roses are ground-cover roses. This is a typical gardening mishap for me (see my June 6, 2008 post regarding Flowers for an example of my gardening skills). I love photographing flowers, I'm just not good at growing them. I believe I took this photo soon after I planted these rose bushes.
Now, for my tagging, I pick Lauren, Shelley, Carley, and Megan. Their blogs are great and enjoy reading them. I figured since they enjoy photography, they might enjoy this game of tag.
Have fun ladies!
1. Choose the 4th folder where you store photos on your computer.
2. Select the 4th photo in that folder (no cheating - cropping, editing, etc.).
3. Explain the photo.
4. Tag 4 other people to do the same.
Red RoseThis photo was taken from my rose garden. It is a pretty small garden. I planted a yellow rose bush, a red rose bush, and a coral-colored rose bush. However, I didn't pay close enough attention when I bought the rose bushes. The yellow rose bush is a full-size rose bush, while the coral and red roses are ground-cover roses. This is a typical gardening mishap for me (see my June 6, 2008 post regarding Flowers for an example of my gardening skills). I love photographing flowers, I'm just not good at growing them. I believe I took this photo soon after I planted these rose bushes.
Now, for my tagging, I pick Lauren, Shelley, Carley, and Megan. Their blogs are great and enjoy reading them. I figured since they enjoy photography, they might enjoy this game of tag.
Have fun ladies!
Monday, January 05, 2009
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
Not many people have heard of this disease, but it affects about one in 10 women. I was diagnosed with this disease about 8 years ago. My mother was reading an article in a magazine about PCOS and she suggested that I read it too. As I read the article, I realized that I had many of the symptoms of this disease. I went to my OBGYN to get tested. She ran a few tests and sent me to an endocrinologist for further testing. The endocrinologist diagnosed me with PCOS.
When people ask me why I don't have children yet, I tell them it is because I have PCOS. The usual response is "What is that?" It is amazing to me that this disease is so widespread but you never hear anything about it in the media.
PCOS is the leading cause of infertility in women. Since the media and medical community have been so neglectful of informing the public about this disease, I thought I would tell you about it myself. PCOS is a disease that causes a woman's hormones to be severly imbalanced. The hormone inbalance can cause any (or all) of the following symptoms:
* Few or no menstrual periods.
* Women with PCOS often do not ovulate.
* Heavy, irregular periods.
* Hair loss from the scalp and hair growth on the face, chest, back, stomach, thumbs, or toes. (PCOS causes high androgen levels which causes the hair loss on your head and hair growth in places you don't want it to grow. So you are hairy everywhere but your head. What a great look for a woman!)
* Acne and oily skin (and let me tell you, it is such a treat [she says sarcastically] to have skin like a 15-year old when you are 30).
* Infertility (and of course the guilt that goes along with infertility when you realize that you can't give your husband the children he so desperately wants).
* Weight gain and the inability to lose weight (I have struggled to lose weight for many years without much success).
* Repeat miscarriages (if you are fortunate enough to get pregnant. I have had one miscarriage myself and I have never gotten pregnant again.)
* Insulin resistance (pre-diabetes and Type II diabetes) which can also cause skin tags or patches of dark skin.
* Sleep apnea.
* Chronic pelvic pain (caused by cysts that sometimes grow on the ovaries - hence the name of the disease).
* Exhaustion or lack of mental alertness.
* Decreased sex drive.
* High cholesterol.
* High blood pressure.
* Depression and mood swings (and really, who wouldn't get depressed fighting all of these symptoms?).
PCOS is often misdiagnosed as some other disease. That is because there is no definitive test for this disease. Most of the time it is diagnosed by process of elimination. When I went to be tested for this disease, the OBGYN took 2 vials of blood for tests, then she sent me to the endocrinologist. The endocrinologist took 12 vials of blood for testing. Sometimes they even do a pelvic ultrasound to look at your ovaries.
There is no cure for this disease. There also really isn't much treatment for this disease either. The only thing doctors typically prescribe is a healthy diet, exercise, and Metformin to help with the insulin resistance.
My husband and I have been trying to have children since 2000 with no luck. I'm not giving up hope, but I have to be realistic. It isn't likely to happen for me, especially since I'm over 30 now (soon to be 34). My husband and I are going to be looking into adoption soon.
My reason for writing this post is so that when you hear a woman say she has PCOS, you will be informed enough to know that she is dealing with a difficult disease. Perhaps you can give her support and encouragement. You may also know women who suffer from some of the symptoms listed above. Tell her about PCOS so she can discuss it with her doctor (because most likely her doctor has never mentioned it to her).
Please join me in signing this petition to make sure that women are educated about PCOS and those women who have PCOS receive the proper healthcare and medications they need.
http://www.petitiononline.com/pcosweb1/petition.html
Orange Zinnia
Pink Rose
When people ask me why I don't have children yet, I tell them it is because I have PCOS. The usual response is "What is that?" It is amazing to me that this disease is so widespread but you never hear anything about it in the media.
PCOS is the leading cause of infertility in women. Since the media and medical community have been so neglectful of informing the public about this disease, I thought I would tell you about it myself. PCOS is a disease that causes a woman's hormones to be severly imbalanced. The hormone inbalance can cause any (or all) of the following symptoms:
* Few or no menstrual periods.
* Women with PCOS often do not ovulate.
* Heavy, irregular periods.
* Hair loss from the scalp and hair growth on the face, chest, back, stomach, thumbs, or toes. (PCOS causes high androgen levels which causes the hair loss on your head and hair growth in places you don't want it to grow. So you are hairy everywhere but your head. What a great look for a woman!)
* Acne and oily skin (and let me tell you, it is such a treat [she says sarcastically] to have skin like a 15-year old when you are 30).
* Infertility (and of course the guilt that goes along with infertility when you realize that you can't give your husband the children he so desperately wants).
* Weight gain and the inability to lose weight (I have struggled to lose weight for many years without much success).
* Repeat miscarriages (if you are fortunate enough to get pregnant. I have had one miscarriage myself and I have never gotten pregnant again.)
* Insulin resistance (pre-diabetes and Type II diabetes) which can also cause skin tags or patches of dark skin.
* Sleep apnea.
* Chronic pelvic pain (caused by cysts that sometimes grow on the ovaries - hence the name of the disease).
* Exhaustion or lack of mental alertness.
* Decreased sex drive.
* High cholesterol.
* High blood pressure.
* Depression and mood swings (and really, who wouldn't get depressed fighting all of these symptoms?).
PCOS is often misdiagnosed as some other disease. That is because there is no definitive test for this disease. Most of the time it is diagnosed by process of elimination. When I went to be tested for this disease, the OBGYN took 2 vials of blood for tests, then she sent me to the endocrinologist. The endocrinologist took 12 vials of blood for testing. Sometimes they even do a pelvic ultrasound to look at your ovaries.
There is no cure for this disease. There also really isn't much treatment for this disease either. The only thing doctors typically prescribe is a healthy diet, exercise, and Metformin to help with the insulin resistance.
My husband and I have been trying to have children since 2000 with no luck. I'm not giving up hope, but I have to be realistic. It isn't likely to happen for me, especially since I'm over 30 now (soon to be 34). My husband and I are going to be looking into adoption soon.
My reason for writing this post is so that when you hear a woman say she has PCOS, you will be informed enough to know that she is dealing with a difficult disease. Perhaps you can give her support and encouragement. You may also know women who suffer from some of the symptoms listed above. Tell her about PCOS so she can discuss it with her doctor (because most likely her doctor has never mentioned it to her).
Please join me in signing this petition to make sure that women are educated about PCOS and those women who have PCOS receive the proper healthcare and medications they need.
http://www.petitiononline.com/pcosweb1/petition.html
Orange Zinnia
Pink Rose
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