tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70439835159579446492024-02-07T16:57:09.044-11:00ISLAND LIFEKelly's Adventures in the South PacificKelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-48393944502457411992009-01-17T20:42:00.011-11:002009-08-21T23:29:47.474-11:00Animal Balance visits Samoa<div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LTPfgQ2moXO-X_1PYjCHDyvs70N9Z5rb0iYy1HVi9WIpZPWx6-yPtP-9YDyS3v5usg4k6LswSqK3TNDuF1-YHIK5KaCL1Sgn2p_hu7xhf6gvlLldqNiOvu411hHdoANOQ40AkizcTrqD/s1600-h/Eye+Problem.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372715211793283122" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LTPfgQ2moXO-X_1PYjCHDyvs70N9Z5rb0iYy1HVi9WIpZPWx6-yPtP-9YDyS3v5usg4k6LswSqK3TNDuF1-YHIK5KaCL1Sgn2p_hu7xhf6gvlLldqNiOvu411hHdoANOQ40AkizcTrqD/s320/Eye+Problem.jpg" border="0" /></a>As many of you know, there is little to no health care available for animals here on the Rock. One morning a week when they have the medicine, and that is a <strong>big</strong> <em>when</em>, the Department of Agriculture offers spaying and neutering for companion animals (dogs and cats) for $25.00. Certainly a great price, but often you get what you pay for. For a perfect example, check out Phil Murphy's post on the issue <a href="http://www.themurphylife.com/2009/05/dog-gawnit.html">here</a>. And even though spaying/neutering is occasionally available, it is certainly not utilized to the degree that it needs to be in order to have any impact on the dog problem here on our island. What's more, there is almost nothing that can be done for your pet if it gets injured. As a member of the American Samoa Humane Society, we are doing everything possible to bring affordable animal health care, clinical care, and animal welfare education to American Samoa. One giant step in that direction was an assessment visit by Animal Balance to both American and Western Samoa. During this visit, we were able to conduct a free mini-clinic at which over 30 dogs and cats were spayed, neutered and treated for various ailments and injuries. Animal Balance founder Emma Clifford along with volunteer vets, Dr. Byron Maas and Dr. Larry Richmond, were on hand to perform surgeries, provide needed care, and dispense invaluable advice to concerned pet owners. To read a bit about it, see the SamoaNews article <a href="http://www.samoanewsonline.com/viewstory.php?storyid=3387&edition=1232532000">here</a>. </div><div align="center"><br />Animals were brought into the clinic for all sorts of reasons. Bonnie, pictured above, had an eye infection that needed to be looked at. She also ended up getting spayed. Below, Dr. Byron Maas assesses the problem.</div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BcEsRklFTvzPSdbJDeNkoRsaKYFarEy5koezRZdqEGJvXQhbMwI2pGMfodM7iELOf9eNt49S6pq5fP0UlAjFeandU6dQTKqdYbu7xFlewJQ7S-SPBua_HfspyRzDQQfx0wn_CsFhV77Z/s1600-h/Eye+Problem+Exam.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372715113339346914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BcEsRklFTvzPSdbJDeNkoRsaKYFarEy5koezRZdqEGJvXQhbMwI2pGMfodM7iELOf9eNt49S6pq5fP0UlAjFeandU6dQTKqdYbu7xFlewJQ7S-SPBua_HfspyRzDQQfx0wn_CsFhV77Z/s320/Eye+Problem+Exam.jpg" border="0" /> </a>Then he explains how to treat the problem:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZmswMdu61QvMj45lk71Q6HU1XJx46wSd3HuVKq94n0gPwKaNXgyNdvrq-odR_9sPEYarAg5SnQterIwf-SEoMHzH9WvvWzR7-8cA2RzKMzcOAqE_bQRn2pL7hH9o8edlRoUNccP1n3th/s1600-h/Eye+Problem+Instructions.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372702467805151442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZmswMdu61QvMj45lk71Q6HU1XJx46wSd3HuVKq94n0gPwKaNXgyNdvrq-odR_9sPEYarAg5SnQterIwf-SEoMHzH9WvvWzR7-8cA2RzKMzcOAqE_bQRn2pL7hH9o8edlRoUNccP1n3th/s320/Eye+Problem+Instructions.jpg" border="0" /></a>This puppy, Daisy, was attacked by some other dogs and brought in for treatment:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5xm81nm0DJaMjc-hm_s8wRXsiQBxqJ0fY9A2nErNGljZgrdwe2bvukF4Ah72CuVaz0tKkJ0KH8U0xhA_JM04nFJAplgxrZQnp7PWBRaYSynifXVpxC24D0FSPSHMlOMY4o2J03byVDMx/s1600-h/Puppy+Injury.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372702455647122418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5xm81nm0DJaMjc-hm_s8wRXsiQBxqJ0fY9A2nErNGljZgrdwe2bvukF4Ah72CuVaz0tKkJ0KH8U0xhA_JM04nFJAplgxrZQnp7PWBRaYSynifXVpxC24D0FSPSHMlOMY4o2J03byVDMx/s320/Puppy+Injury.jpg" border="0" /></a> Dr. Maas assessing Daisy's injuries:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fswA77SmCy9gxYdqpQjYFDtL7vFE25Rhlx2wJj0IbaJ7atdrhISk2Y-tt2lfwYezUZsrtPNI0XzYJV0CILmU1OcuWZron2oEXi_8-Hwe2C7FteOkfksSwE5c2ojJVK5_UCJ1cOBTZ6aD/s1600-h/Puppy+Exam.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372702064874837810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fswA77SmCy9gxYdqpQjYFDtL7vFE25Rhlx2wJj0IbaJ7atdrhISk2Y-tt2lfwYezUZsrtPNI0XzYJV0CILmU1OcuWZron2oEXi_8-Hwe2C7FteOkfksSwE5c2ojJVK5_UCJ1cOBTZ6aD/s320/Puppy+Exam.jpg" border="0" /></a> Dr. Maas examines Jack to see if his hip pin needs to be removed. Jack is doing well and won't need surgery today:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZi8TQ0RXnI0Fwk7_yS4Kj4GZaMBT_A-HH5wTnh2-PwnT4HZ1zQle7D5wik4krS9NKdKZiy7XjJjbHZGjh19pWoKhIkoT4g_BYLQ2YaopjOhALN6oIR61fy_Xh988nBY_GTcK0Y20PKo-/s1600-h/Hip+Pin+Assessment.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372702060686730882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZi8TQ0RXnI0Fwk7_yS4Kj4GZaMBT_A-HH5wTnh2-PwnT4HZ1zQle7D5wik4krS9NKdKZiy7XjJjbHZGjh19pWoKhIkoT4g_BYLQ2YaopjOhALN6oIR61fy_Xh988nBY_GTcK0Y20PKo-/s320/Hip+Pin+Assessment.jpg" border="0" /></a>Ratu was attacked by another dog and needed stitches on the shoulder:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7U8L_AhOi14H23aRV0xdzzqg_OevhAHPQeBnfJA0uw52aK-3AxQBKUnlWRPh7DUnwpu_j1Qqf8xBrGfEWaDPKNa52bvOvd45kSdJLU5jaBnJINGE4D-JZ_iE3CfKfVj8x3uhP8A_VWq9/s1600-h/stitches.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372702047040886194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7U8L_AhOi14H23aRV0xdzzqg_OevhAHPQeBnfJA0uw52aK-3AxQBKUnlWRPh7DUnwpu_j1Qqf8xBrGfEWaDPKNa52bvOvd45kSdJLU5jaBnJINGE4D-JZ_iE3CfKfVj8x3uhP8A_VWq9/s320/stitches.jpg" border="0" /></a>These two pit bulls, Dottie & Diamond, both came in to get spayed:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVN1idr8vMy5p5cX4O2Gol0GriMukrbYPbjJYdyk9ChS1F7ZijqptrYfIxOLutZ1_PjX1i_BlXVN8K6yceyj61ojiiosAxc5gByzJK8tF8voZJO7rUX__qyMqFLkDommXxbzf5QAheuwc/s1600-h/Pit+Bulls.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372702038232352082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVN1idr8vMy5p5cX4O2Gol0GriMukrbYPbjJYdyk9ChS1F7ZijqptrYfIxOLutZ1_PjX1i_BlXVN8K6yceyj61ojiiosAxc5gByzJK8tF8voZJO7rUX__qyMqFLkDommXxbzf5QAheuwc/s320/Pit+Bulls.jpg" border="0" /></a> Dr. Larry Richmond removes a tumor and neuters Kane all in one surgery:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpomsaNYbFS2XpvTVxkGNXEPVxtlRKIMJ56qM_goBnas3cv7R4ytnPVC0qb2T5x5HeydaAlE9u-h6lDOKWGIe2qCYScjGe2CmHk6fS0jJjYpdkXnEVEdDktpsRUB7tN8_nAZIcOdmN8Oxn/s1600-h/Surgery.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372702032647599506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpomsaNYbFS2XpvTVxkGNXEPVxtlRKIMJ56qM_goBnas3cv7R4ytnPVC0qb2T5x5HeydaAlE9u-h6lDOKWGIe2qCYScjGe2CmHk6fS0jJjYpdkXnEVEdDktpsRUB7tN8_nAZIcOdmN8Oxn/s320/Surgery.jpg" border="0" /></a>The list of patients kept growing. At the end of the day 33 animals were seen at the clinic. A very successful day:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0aGBbDutkY_8xhET_LhGMlx_7J0w5QW0eM0LD7zJJXrdTszrOXIeJIP5YEjEuKCD_34Mce2f1DoTCULQ3G8k_aK08gK57cjmILqkz30fGhjJLFiO_SZyib0xbVkoODSezMokeob_23nz/s1600-h/list.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372701220526784930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0aGBbDutkY_8xhET_LhGMlx_7J0w5QW0eM0LD7zJJXrdTszrOXIeJIP5YEjEuKCD_34Mce2f1DoTCULQ3G8k_aK08gK57cjmILqkz30fGhjJLFiO_SZyib0xbVkoODSezMokeob_23nz/s320/list.jpg" border="0" /></a> Gently helping the dogs wake up after anesthesia:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8oMp3m8r2Nw-joctE-E5vIMHF-v2B6YN8gN7XOqTlZ_8MuFZU47k0pSEjMSMyz_CuoTG6mM2WistkuYl9UOXcm8rnbV9fKELTzkqWLIg0sosg8dEUG1Yeyyg4rxYae-LiK8VN1FCsnR2F/s1600-h/Recovery+Room+4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372701213453538610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8oMp3m8r2Nw-joctE-E5vIMHF-v2B6YN8gN7XOqTlZ_8MuFZU47k0pSEjMSMyz_CuoTG6mM2WistkuYl9UOXcm8rnbV9fKELTzkqWLIg0sosg8dEUG1Yeyyg4rxYae-LiK8VN1FCsnR2F/s320/Recovery+Room+4.jpg" border="0" /></a>Both of my puppies got spayed at this clinic. Here I am with my Suka after she got spayed. Meli is still in the operating room:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0rtqKeA9jo_INs-sgwM4QGi4ioJFcpD5O5uFjRykVipSxXwmV4m5-6358X1hxaQSLrkZUUjRW9CoNyBLj0YCT2PIHjRUkAk120raKhkIr5fEJUwfJtCfvRfhUgHFjqCqhOLifIJH68xin/s1600-h/Kelly+%26+Suka.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372701209758193602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0rtqKeA9jo_INs-sgwM4QGi4ioJFcpD5O5uFjRykVipSxXwmV4m5-6358X1hxaQSLrkZUUjRW9CoNyBLj0YCT2PIHjRUkAk120raKhkIr5fEJUwfJtCfvRfhUgHFjqCqhOLifIJH68xin/s320/Kelly+%26+Suka.jpg" border="0" /></a>Emma Clifford, the founder of Animal Balance, helps the animals in the recovery room after surgery. Their ears were cleaned, nails clipped, and they were treated for ticks and fleas:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxj7EnzV0pfaM2qXGGxsvwkGedME7RkgMkbPv_1-rdqeKoxDU2xLC-rwl8e0Cp0TjFUvIHC4f6ILiL76HcDeZdoNU6GFIc-TtyE3lqlIiWBUzH9ly4Nfvagp0n7F3fAQ5DSGRBveIRRBc/s1600-h/Recovery+Room+Ear+Cleaning.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372701199536698130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxj7EnzV0pfaM2qXGGxsvwkGedME7RkgMkbPv_1-rdqeKoxDU2xLC-rwl8e0Cp0TjFUvIHC4f6ILiL76HcDeZdoNU6GFIc-TtyE3lqlIiWBUzH9ly4Nfvagp0n7F3fAQ5DSGRBveIRRBc/s320/Recovery+Room+Ear+Cleaning.jpg" border="0" /></a> These Rotti pups were 9 days old and came in to get checked out. Aside from a flea/mite problem, all were healthy. Mom got spayed today too:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJj9N3ilBGGvIpVLDHaDdry83zp_tn_KBPu9TUbLcrpi16KK-4YShdnkAZXwis2m58fsahEY5OBltWv8UQbEJXlwNcsnxV8ooI08SS8UTOaVRln0xXKvZWYFxauZ2MzNZh0hHl7rjzMHb/s1600-h/Rotty+pups.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372701192644475410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJj9N3ilBGGvIpVLDHaDdry83zp_tn_KBPu9TUbLcrpi16KK-4YShdnkAZXwis2m58fsahEY5OBltWv8UQbEJXlwNcsnxV8ooI08SS8UTOaVRln0xXKvZWYFxauZ2MzNZh0hHl7rjzMHb/s320/Rotty+pups.jpg" border="0" /></a> Snowbell had to be put to sleep. Unfortunately she had a tumor that was one third of her body mass:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Udl6-Dg3GH0HhKkooqTb3dzfdFvf7_Dtgpeen4CqxbcMA33ZGnqkZwl2JxqJTLwdLtNCnm8vHGGU9qJhuvXimH-7Wz95DE3Y3F-Nwu9U6uFul2OJELxHBjK-IgVRIEBbwX-MyvL83zqe/s1600-h/tumor.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372692283710297170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Udl6-Dg3GH0HhKkooqTb3dzfdFvf7_Dtgpeen4CqxbcMA33ZGnqkZwl2JxqJTLwdLtNCnm8vHGGU9qJhuvXimH-7Wz95DE3Y3F-Nwu9U6uFul2OJELxHBjK-IgVRIEBbwX-MyvL83zqe/s320/tumor.jpg" border="0" /></a> At the end of the day just before the last patient was seen, the power in the clinic went out. Instead of giving up, Kona's neuter was moved out into the prep room where there was plenty of light to shave him by hand and perform the surgery. Good as new:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvJQsfe3Rol7BzX-pNWBfHV7zP2iYshyphenhyphen5dS730rdxNPqp7CWWUj829YyyTUPipoXJk-1Q3V8Pj4-a-DO7rSqFlyNbKaWFbYSSweFUqjQGF4VoZNW_glwqb5Sugkjlr6al4NqhZsc9ykR9/s1600-h/Kona's+neuter.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372692269325781794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvJQsfe3Rol7BzX-pNWBfHV7zP2iYshyphenhyphen5dS730rdxNPqp7CWWUj829YyyTUPipoXJk-1Q3V8Pj4-a-DO7rSqFlyNbKaWFbYSSweFUqjQGF4VoZNW_glwqb5Sugkjlr6al4NqhZsc9ykR9/s320/Kona's+neuter.jpg" border="0" /></a> We are currently in the process of fundraising to help bring Animal Balance back to the Rock for a 2 week island-wide clinic in March 2010. We hope to have 25 volunteer vets return to help provide spays/neuters, animal care and welfare education in both Western and American Samoa. To read about the Animal Balance Samoa Campaign, go <a href="http://www.animalbalance.net/Samoa.html">here</a> for general information and <a href="http://www.animalbalance.net/files/samoa_2009.pdf">here</a> for the Feasibility Study Report. For more information or to help, please contact the American Samoa Humane Society <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.ashumanesociety.org">here</a>.<br /></p>Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-56671652907174209252009-01-17T18:45:00.001-11:002009-04-19T21:50:29.524-11:00Really Cool Scientific Airplane<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxc5xuO3PlP_KaJ6yW7CvjWya3yi9XkGkmwPlLqypj6bEoYcQBSOX06Okh0rE-BHOhPxHiNPAMPk4rMcD_ZpeETWlqEJxtoUTDt-vlruQrnVlJOuLnigyBXOs2OXi5Wz1oV3EU7Cz_0UM/s1600-h/full+plane+shot.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326662395061238674" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxc5xuO3PlP_KaJ6yW7CvjWya3yi9XkGkmwPlLqypj6bEoYcQBSOX06Okh0rE-BHOhPxHiNPAMPk4rMcD_ZpeETWlqEJxtoUTDt-vlruQrnVlJOuLnigyBXOs2OXi5Wz1oV3EU7Cz_0UM/s320/full+plane+shot.jpg" border="0" /></a> The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) operates a Gulfstream V mid-altitude jet aircraft primarily to conduct National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored atmospheric research. This aircraft is known as the High-performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research (HIAPER), or GV. The GV has unique capabilities that set it apart from other research aircraft. It can reach 51,000 feet, enabling scientists to collect data at the tops of storms and the lower edge of the stratosphere. With a range of about 7,000 miles, it can track atmospheric particles across the oceans or reach the South Pole from bases in South America or New Zealand.<br /><br />We were lucky enough to be in American Samoa as the GV came through during Phase I of the Pole-to-Pole Observations. The “Collaborative Research: HIAPER Pole-to-Pole Observations (HIPPO) of Carbon Cycle and Greenhouse Gases Study” will measure cross sections of atmospheric concentrations approximately pole-to-pole, from the surface to the tropopause, five times during different seasons over a three year period. According to the National Center for Atmospheric Research, a comprehensive suite of atmospheric trace gases pertinent to understanding the Carbon Cycle will be measured. HIPPO will transect the mid-Pacific ocean and return either over the Eastern Pacific, or over the Western Atlantic. The program will provide the first comprehensive, global survey of atmospheric trace gases, covering the full troposphere in all seasons and multiple years. This was the first of those five times and it flew the following missions:<br /><ul><li>Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, CO, USA -> Anchorage, AK, USA </li><li>Anchorage, AK to the North Pole (up to 85 degrees North) round trip </li><li>Anchorage, AK, USA -> Honolulu, HI, USA </li><li>Honolulu, HI, USA -> Pago Pago, American Samoa </li><li>Pago Pago, American Samoa -> Christchurch, NZ </li><li>Christchurch, NZ -> South Pole (up to 67 degrees South) round trip </li><li>Christchurch, NZ -> Papeete, Tahiti </li><li>Papiete, Tahiti -> Easter Island, Chile </li><li>Easter Island, Chile -> San Jose, CR </li><li>San Jose, CR -> Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, CO, USA </li></ul><p>This route is 27,760 miles (24,200 nautical miles) long and will take 21 days.</p><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBq1YU-jCLhqy9rwvkbPOJNvWGZFdPXxdkonWRGDzahMwyZVt1bl3hyJIcz8CiBKkgrXdholecnV6sUOFJk03oTAKsBRK8MPE-xWmWmjLtujpmO1z3Vni_2F9ILbkEhyphenhyphenRZOorhvDS6II/s1600-h/me+and+the+plane.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326661262466837410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBq1YU-jCLhqy9rwvkbPOJNvWGZFdPXxdkonWRGDzahMwyZVt1bl3hyJIcz8CiBKkgrXdholecnV6sUOFJk03oTAKsBRK8MPE-xWmWmjLtujpmO1z3Vni_2F9ILbkEhyphenhyphenRZOorhvDS6II/s320/me+and+the+plane.jpg" border="0" /></a>Above is me after checking out the inside. Because of all the scientific equipment on board, only a couple of us could go inside at a time to check it out. Below is Simon in the cockpit getting to check things out from the pilot's perspective:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsP9chtwdISSqAezpYfw_cvaKTW3clf93MCqq-VE0MNGZwSqJQV3DFntlIiEbRw01ObWUdfO2UAS2xb_4GKJni9Cg4d4UIgofGqXTwbhiO9plpX4tb5uEUZvRs4u2RE7o6jEB06qlUDY/s1600-h/Is+this+Simon+in+the+cockpit.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326661261987214562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 170px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsP9chtwdISSqAezpYfw_cvaKTW3clf93MCqq-VE0MNGZwSqJQV3DFntlIiEbRw01ObWUdfO2UAS2xb_4GKJni9Cg4d4UIgofGqXTwbhiO9plpX4tb5uEUZvRs4u2RE7o6jEB06qlUDY/s320/Is+this+Simon+in+the+cockpit.jpg" border="0" /></a> Pavel Romashkin, our tour guide, describes what types of scientific data the G-V collects in its Pole to Pole Observations:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Oho2sXbzkiPlIm3s-mNviV7CZhM4pM0xxnwB68JcD1HxA_-2V_iMV5h9sic1L347Lohk1np2G61i5TYujA2BY5QPJkxPQF9tdBHgNNyn0HL4YbZ7SWFLrA5WXEdvwg9L6voZlZdaKZ8/s1600-h/group+speech.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326660321374023490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Oho2sXbzkiPlIm3s-mNviV7CZhM4pM0xxnwB68JcD1HxA_-2V_iMV5h9sic1L347Lohk1np2G61i5TYujA2BY5QPJkxPQF9tdBHgNNyn0HL4YbZ7SWFLrA5WXEdvwg9L6voZlZdaKZ8/s320/group+speech.jpg" border="0" /></a> There was quite a large group of us there to tour the plane. Science is cool!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNyWkGJB01yp96wnxbpnTGMdZrkp2FWzTKiwrMH1lq7NxkOSxGV_Wbdd3pREvOX8ba6WiB5tmzcvIA7IssdSegD8RYEV8bb0hNiKrnouH-yqv_LL1fpP9kCYYcw467Sxt1GNWkWlinOjA/s1600-h/group+on+tarmack.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326660316539838946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNyWkGJB01yp96wnxbpnTGMdZrkp2FWzTKiwrMH1lq7NxkOSxGV_Wbdd3pREvOX8ba6WiB5tmzcvIA7IssdSegD8RYEV8bb0hNiKrnouH-yqv_LL1fpP9kCYYcw467Sxt1GNWkWlinOjA/s320/group+on+tarmack.jpg" border="0" /></a>Here, Pavel shows us how the nose of the plane has been retrofitted to collect atmospheric data through highly sophisiticated sensors during flight:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtntDDjKpSCeQOvWwro3-_BbKgnSzhrqHf9d2ZWfRihNVEk8UEd1ji4hM3g4C9xYdSuMtMVFtCXJmf6vX1mhZOM2lKG_obp3bkLMZDP-xroDProgYX-q5w_PRDway7TAg7BR7b_77HQVY/s1600-h/nose+instruments.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326660320231907922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtntDDjKpSCeQOvWwro3-_BbKgnSzhrqHf9d2ZWfRihNVEk8UEd1ji4hM3g4C9xYdSuMtMVFtCXJmf6vX1mhZOM2lKG_obp3bkLMZDP-xroDProgYX-q5w_PRDway7TAg7BR7b_77HQVY/s320/nose+instruments.jpg" border="0" /></a> The various instruments and sensors that were affixed to the jet make this a cutting-edge observational platform that will meet the scientific needs of researchers who study many different areas such as Chemistry and Climate, Chemical Cycles, Studies of the Upper Troposphere/Lower Stratosphere, Air Quality, and Mesoscale Weather.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVfY0rKnedOZC6d1EaznLvpgK7ZnrnTsbQYGCKzaIJsyQTCrokYM7_icyJZbX6dJUNJSgc1MGS0RrTWZmAiCG-SkknZI3QJVboXTtpFF7fj14_wSQcGJC_ONutrE-_Zm5I_9LK3nzUgo/s1600-h/instruments.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326660320414465890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVfY0rKnedOZC6d1EaznLvpgK7ZnrnTsbQYGCKzaIJsyQTCrokYM7_icyJZbX6dJUNJSgc1MGS0RrTWZmAiCG-SkknZI3QJVboXTtpFF7fj14_wSQcGJC_ONutrE-_Zm5I_9LK3nzUgo/s320/instruments.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjitw7nBX52f9FvMOwLPy4PzrTCr3wKlxypCC3qClSKps0k3KylJr4AlVRFJUfvjZwwuKjd2LLTakB9I0zcz4zpCEhsPvEqcHxCIXuC6Vsqg7HchJL07Z1jFrdZYYUIVpSY1paG5UKgOyM/s1600-h/instruments+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326660313584792050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjitw7nBX52f9FvMOwLPy4PzrTCr3wKlxypCC3qClSKps0k3KylJr4AlVRFJUfvjZwwuKjd2LLTakB9I0zcz4zpCEhsPvEqcHxCIXuC6Vsqg7HchJL07Z1jFrdZYYUIVpSY1paG5UKgOyM/s320/instruments+2.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div>Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-67229349742021140612009-01-10T20:47:00.004-11:002009-03-08T14:43:50.493-11:00Howard Dean visits AmSam<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHO9N5lscO29QwdeOIzMJNaXYovMWzOGVvigeYUoxGi0r6yWX2MswlF4hEADkaL08IxBvM9m4D7jOi7g8baRHfdglkAfhBzbVDiCn0ke6lph_p1upfAsStjRDFc0t1JW3_1wfLOTSIJzg/s1600-h/group+photo.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310995276117650770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 274px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHO9N5lscO29QwdeOIzMJNaXYovMWzOGVvigeYUoxGi0r6yWX2MswlF4hEADkaL08IxBvM9m4D7jOi7g8baRHfdglkAfhBzbVDiCn0ke6lph_p1upfAsStjRDFc0t1JW3_1wfLOTSIJzg/s320/group+photo.jpg" border="0" /></a> Howard Dean recently visited American Samoa as part of his pledge to visit all the states and territories during his tenure as Chairman of the Democratic Party. Obviously, he saved the best for last and in his last week as Chairman, he made the trip to the South Pacific. There was no way we were going to miss it, so 9 of us bought $50-a-plate tickets to the fundraising dinner being held at the Tradewinds Hotel. Worth every penny. Above is Jeremy, me, the Dean, Chase, Ned & LTM. Below is Howard Dean addressing the dinner guests:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWVuu9JA0zLFKXXwp9YBiqQ_pM8NfXb0f9m20sUri2Diz9IA2SC1Y1uu4cpYPUADmzEQ5XNQP-z6kK_k0_FNRYXA3juImIowfPjOrCkNvlYeA916zTpB9lJCWrOFY7LZh5aObvzgsSD0/s1600-h/Dean's+speech.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310993989982189442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWVuu9JA0zLFKXXwp9YBiqQ_pM8NfXb0f9m20sUri2Diz9IA2SC1Y1uu4cpYPUADmzEQ5XNQP-z6kK_k0_FNRYXA3juImIowfPjOrCkNvlYeA916zTpB9lJCWrOFY7LZh5aObvzgsSD0/s320/Dean's+speech.jpg" border="0" /></a>Governor Togiola even spoke. And he was funny! Who knew?<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6-pe2ZaVYcYaQ8Cbn5CMxvpYoDIUORCOb6UnMMIEprV2h4cNOuNFqJkV6WLDbKp6V92n54tpn5P4SEzMutTq1U2Q4fFNigWnCtBKUY1uwbSqCzTsMc7NEIfllNcF8I6eLdcTFlR9xCQ/s1600-h/the+gov.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310993982550421682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6-pe2ZaVYcYaQ8Cbn5CMxvpYoDIUORCOb6UnMMIEprV2h4cNOuNFqJkV6WLDbKp6V92n54tpn5P4SEzMutTq1U2Q4fFNigWnCtBKUY1uwbSqCzTsMc7NEIfllNcF8I6eLdcTFlR9xCQ/s320/the+gov.jpg" border="0" /></a> Here's J.R. Scanlan and the Dean with the rest of our crew--J.R., Aaron, Vojik, the Dean, Doug & Naomi:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwlUBMXjEp2CBvif1zTeIBcEIyCDxWKNQrr-KamC0ZkPATN8TcJC2AxAg_T_5XCmJOGvgkfANcmeAJq7YDDpfXfO_C2_yUmvytrVlvHyzuKy8KAaGxjZRha_dVMvOMygwuVNFZEsuRo8/s1600-h/team+puppy+%2B1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310993975619862690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwlUBMXjEp2CBvif1zTeIBcEIyCDxWKNQrr-KamC0ZkPATN8TcJC2AxAg_T_5XCmJOGvgkfANcmeAJq7YDDpfXfO_C2_yUmvytrVlvHyzuKy8KAaGxjZRha_dVMvOMygwuVNFZEsuRo8/s320/team+puppy+%2B1.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div>Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-8078105374061675922008-12-27T20:48:00.007-11:002009-03-08T14:45:53.559-11:00Sailele<div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlsWad9ruPxHpsAUmr3fSNSfgRJAPn9lgiQsmwOc3vKMW5o-bJdMprzXbj4tDLSYS8lzjk1HW5eK4rg0bSjy42N2P9W4723GMEPsDJ-g6n9IXvmLIz94oSJDyp6nU505-68Yrvqak21Ks/s1600-h/Sailele+sign.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309247064517883922" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlsWad9ruPxHpsAUmr3fSNSfgRJAPn9lgiQsmwOc3vKMW5o-bJdMprzXbj4tDLSYS8lzjk1HW5eK4rg0bSjy42N2P9W4723GMEPsDJ-g6n9IXvmLIz94oSJDyp6nU505-68Yrvqak21Ks/s320/Sailele+sign.jpg" border="0" /></a>Over the long Christmas weekend, a group of us decided to spend a day at the beach just relaxing and hanging out. We chose to head to the north side of the island and visit Sailele. Check out the super sweet gold sequened fabric that is draped around the sign posts. Oh yeah, they're not playing around. To get there you drive up and over a fairly steep pass, but then you pretty much drive right up to the beach, get out of your car and you're there. </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">The next four pictures are shots of the coast line taken from left to right starting with the road that runs into the village where you park and moving along the beach.<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdDXKxazF_0upxvb7iVwLsmoNfgCh3twilyPNy4Inc42SuhBengJcIuWsGxcn_0ceviCXGSzem9WmxMD8aMok3EjlB8dfIxwVYBII-YYl5PkNTW-ukcYSXA5I_wao8ohDufjeWTso_j4/s1600-h/road.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309245618883118658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdDXKxazF_0upxvb7iVwLsmoNfgCh3twilyPNy4Inc42SuhBengJcIuWsGxcn_0ceviCXGSzem9WmxMD8aMok3EjlB8dfIxwVYBII-YYl5PkNTW-ukcYSXA5I_wao8ohDufjeWTso_j4/s320/road.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRtTrc1mfjCSsJBs81LNCsJVWI3zqZs3kd9H6SwtVGzZf_hAEIIFneEW8uoRpkxyP7jYPJ7dLoCzmMFlGo_ug-cqJTYRgQjYwpoN5L3qatt73iFOVEH8DRsIbFmvWSsy287gAPfXqxbE/s1600-h/beach+to+left.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309245618418594690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRtTrc1mfjCSsJBs81LNCsJVWI3zqZs3kd9H6SwtVGzZf_hAEIIFneEW8uoRpkxyP7jYPJ7dLoCzmMFlGo_ug-cqJTYRgQjYwpoN5L3qatt73iFOVEH8DRsIbFmvWSsy287gAPfXqxbE/s320/beach+to+left.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKrj7f93Zxqse1MpVuccuSuQjtdPw74l3BRbZa4Xw7ZE7X2SIDbQ576jE4omxNWskQyz_ZE-Lr0V5wsATSGT8770CqbTJRuz6zwRYxHLHYSaOzDBozd4ty_AUMDSPrgOzAxVoLzxjv0o/s1600-h/beach+to+middle.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309245616946276978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKrj7f93Zxqse1MpVuccuSuQjtdPw74l3BRbZa4Xw7ZE7X2SIDbQ576jE4omxNWskQyz_ZE-Lr0V5wsATSGT8770CqbTJRuz6zwRYxHLHYSaOzDBozd4ty_AUMDSPrgOzAxVoLzxjv0o/s320/beach+to+middle.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCq_HTM47L4mrT5Bm5XXbYDl3_5s0H5fjwVU29hURPvgRld-hdQWdk_zWcBN69_NR9SovZtvikik6z0BqU1E8CBj-087HRQnL95D2lvbi1PF_lOQDu8NQ6S3l2SBLo83EVbeEpyC7zQsY/s1600-h/beach+to+right.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309245611913861170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCq_HTM47L4mrT5Bm5XXbYDl3_5s0H5fjwVU29hURPvgRld-hdQWdk_zWcBN69_NR9SovZtvikik6z0BqU1E8CBj-087HRQnL95D2lvbi1PF_lOQDu8NQ6S3l2SBLo83EVbeEpyC7zQsY/s320/beach+to+right.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Here are Nunu, Ben, Steve, Aaron and Naomi getting set up underneath one of the fales along the beach:</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJ53_gKg36_vB94aYd72s-0fS4ogPGHrig90efoetjb1iDiJ7BLRn9-865cSEhC53f5e8gd8KnKng9SZpNFNN0sxrtsOoQQ9Prxc_TvuL1Nv9lcJEQM7PJaqxqCxK-szfDo4gmXcfQJ4/s1600-h/group+shot.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309245122979699906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJ53_gKg36_vB94aYd72s-0fS4ogPGHrig90efoetjb1iDiJ7BLRn9-865cSEhC53f5e8gd8KnKng9SZpNFNN0sxrtsOoQQ9Prxc_TvuL1Nv9lcJEQM7PJaqxqCxK-szfDo4gmXcfQJ4/s320/group+shot.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>LTM and me:<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPk1jW7SOnU8WttTzsYDwzq4QC9UtMZ7dYNNE9I7DBE4Bu1WRGjsn6KisJLaad4oWz6Dc16uyLTxWE9eTBcIyWe3OCdJA03stDAVf1agAeWUUcqf-k3O4UVApnO_LEJBOm3VXLEKNiShY/s1600-h/LTM+%26+me.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309245118616997970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPk1jW7SOnU8WttTzsYDwzq4QC9UtMZ7dYNNE9I7DBE4Bu1WRGjsn6KisJLaad4oWz6Dc16uyLTxWE9eTBcIyWe3OCdJA03stDAVf1agAeWUUcqf-k3O4UVApnO_LEJBOm3VXLEKNiShY/s320/LTM+%26+me.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Steve got a boo-boo:<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ubKxbZmz48bfUlTZuSu-Z0sg64YuK-A8JUHo2cvFSAfN9S46qOY5MdO4Wd_3BSSP4TwS5V2fJpRLOVxguHsl7xq8cbDkARlOW3SDJ8rF0gYrFpcT4VkmCkMtxGkA-QzwEanFFAvSUYE/s1600-h/Steve's+Boo-boo.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309245121283374946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ubKxbZmz48bfUlTZuSu-Z0sg64YuK-A8JUHo2cvFSAfN9S46qOY5MdO4Wd_3BSSP4TwS5V2fJpRLOVxguHsl7xq8cbDkARlOW3SDJ8rF0gYrFpcT4VkmCkMtxGkA-QzwEanFFAvSUYE/s320/Steve's+Boo-boo.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>He was in shock:<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ozNauR2sdRPBIfzKSbb5JZXw8nXoigaIpvymRsk96LKACLVoYu0elRwatRIxEz8qiYaT8gX5bAYJR5g0CTJhWJVcbQq-nLuen1KPNEliZfQdpKXFaJK1wW8aJtYZztxCES-ceS-NyO0/s1600-h/Surprised+Steve.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309245115292655042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ozNauR2sdRPBIfzKSbb5JZXw8nXoigaIpvymRsk96LKACLVoYu0elRwatRIxEz8qiYaT8gX5bAYJR5g0CTJhWJVcbQq-nLuen1KPNEliZfQdpKXFaJK1wW8aJtYZztxCES-ceS-NyO0/s320/Surprised+Steve.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>But Ben kissed it and made it all better:<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj90yZiJOo6pB4AiaAGiygCxhNmwipcvZ_g8qD9eFB_pJYufEbR-lLqRbR7kUviJ7UPWtLfMA9p52GCvxxOq1oyMbp96Qik2DwgFCc6wVT7NiMlz7wKd7dp8M2jIUnxBQvkQoGJCGy0Jpk/s1600-h/There+there+now.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309245104589664530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj90yZiJOo6pB4AiaAGiygCxhNmwipcvZ_g8qD9eFB_pJYufEbR-lLqRbR7kUviJ7UPWtLfMA9p52GCvxxOq1oyMbp96Qik2DwgFCc6wVT7NiMlz7wKd7dp8M2jIUnxBQvkQoGJCGy0Jpk/s320/There+there+now.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Several beers in, Naomi had quite a bit to say about the awesomeness of libraries in general and the legalities and ethics of accepting donations of burned DVD's. She was in rare form and it was fantastic! We were just watching the show:</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1cbIEArtORMSmRYlMulgky86IY2pz-Hv0a6k08INCoDSbBNuC88ktrYw6iMWCBeMau9tXAMTeaN0QTrYvnHnxR1VIlwd1C-akqwPZ240g3kS6JWv6xegAVjxRgUEgMIBo7u9-WVaKEfA/s1600-h/hanging+in+the+fale.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309244323185877922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1cbIEArtORMSmRYlMulgky86IY2pz-Hv0a6k08INCoDSbBNuC88ktrYw6iMWCBeMau9tXAMTeaN0QTrYvnHnxR1VIlwd1C-akqwPZ240g3kS6JWv6xegAVjxRgUEgMIBo7u9-WVaKEfA/s320/hanging+in+the+fale.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>There was a group of kids playing in the water that day. They looked like they were having a blast:<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGRzlOZ38NSAsfN0CcvK4H3a0-5uBNV2RvbE4uN4SCsbScUdYr0QFcFkk0SKEz6ruyGYodzssQ7KxBpvbHgjy-tLThZd2FKEG-1qO4AWzrKW6yVkMYN7Tgu9CB6f6Fodg3S_r0x6fqNo/s1600-h/Kids+3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309244321954404418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGRzlOZ38NSAsfN0CcvK4H3a0-5uBNV2RvbE4uN4SCsbScUdYr0QFcFkk0SKEz6ruyGYodzssQ7KxBpvbHgjy-tLThZd2FKEG-1qO4AWzrKW6yVkMYN7Tgu9CB6f6Fodg3S_r0x6fqNo/s320/Kids+3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEE_oKBnIbHm2TcxxwpggxNpadw-NQYPb2dDFVKXp0bD-sz0UeYWp3FrUa8uG9XCR53NspTB0FZEFjWYbhrdg0ehfzES7As16yRCtHIpFBCX3QqFZ_GW7fo_Nkeqqt4XiAXp1Maj8DrGk/s1600-h/Kids+1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309244320497519730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEE_oKBnIbHm2TcxxwpggxNpadw-NQYPb2dDFVKXp0bD-sz0UeYWp3FrUa8uG9XCR53NspTB0FZEFjWYbhrdg0ehfzES7As16yRCtHIpFBCX3QqFZ_GW7fo_Nkeqqt4XiAXp1Maj8DrGk/s320/Kids+1.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Nunu taking a swimming (aka potty) break:</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIt1FyIXU0Bvop5vBwk0sV0gdk0mRz6k4GjlIuvRkoOEZikfVq9ZHI2TKI4JFXaDMbEmv864UDKn1kkfQQfhcDbMGSE1mNm9Fg5nkKj2Heau4CdX2QDdmdQ0r_W8i35hfgqz9S8jSnPlw/s1600-h/Nunu's+pee+break.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309244322737023762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIt1FyIXU0Bvop5vBwk0sV0gdk0mRz6k4GjlIuvRkoOEZikfVq9ZHI2TKI4JFXaDMbEmv864UDKn1kkfQQfhcDbMGSE1mNm9Fg5nkKj2Heau4CdX2QDdmdQ0r_W8i35hfgqz9S8jSnPlw/s320/Nunu's+pee+break.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Emily had to be instructed on how to pee in the ocean. Sit down Emily, sit down:</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60fw9BfX3Vzlg3RwGUEKETYE9cyk7zcjnpJ5uKtvo4QFiqiszl8nfBmj79zrto2y7iI_hpBk8XUyUrCbB3zY7TKy0G5WxoLoH3oPTTJDg5EGh9LXGmSdTmHwRMAHs4ktk503cy5tu3QI/s1600-h/Emily's+pee+break.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309244315889366130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60fw9BfX3Vzlg3RwGUEKETYE9cyk7zcjnpJ5uKtvo4QFiqiszl8nfBmj79zrto2y7iI_hpBk8XUyUrCbB3zY7TKy0G5WxoLoH3oPTTJDg5EGh9LXGmSdTmHwRMAHs4ktk503cy5tu3QI/s320/Emily's+pee+break.jpg" border="0" /></a>Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-49501291484068599652008-12-26T21:59:00.007-11:002009-03-08T14:14:02.863-11:00Aaron's X-mas Eve Extravaganza<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bRnhCZmHrQs7pboLu76jNUFY5YRfYWHWV0eS-llFyx4iTNkLmF13cTmcx3L2XnqgpJTwSeRn6jz19AnCVX4SksL24E6rW0q5rarTRSjsKM4QqpF8NXyAgMjq_OPmUg7whbrDsm-NM9o/s1600-h/tree+%26+presents.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309257845955897890" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bRnhCZmHrQs7pboLu76jNUFY5YRfYWHWV0eS-llFyx4iTNkLmF13cTmcx3L2XnqgpJTwSeRn6jz19AnCVX4SksL24E6rW0q5rarTRSjsKM4QqpF8NXyAgMjq_OPmUg7whbrDsm-NM9o/s320/tree+%26+presents.jpg" border="0" /></a> On Christmas Eve, Aaron and Naomi hosted a great holiday party complete with good food, holiday decorations and even a gift exchange. Despite 90 degree temperatures, for this one night, it actually felt like the holidays. They even had a Christmas tree! Everyone brought a dish for the potluck and we ended up with an awesome spread. I made broccoli souffle, which is my favorite thing about Christmas dinner. I had to make a few adjustments based on island ingredient availability, but it turned out great. Aaron even fried a turkey, which was awesome. After dinner, the gift exchange got underway. Each person brought 2 gifts--1 in the $20-25 range, and another in the $2-5 range. We drew numbers, started picking gifts and then the stealing began. There were a few hot items including an American Samoa flag and a eukelele from Western Samoa. I walked away with the eukelele and a cooler. A pretty fantastic haul. Others were not so lucky. Ned ended up with 2 floppy fisherman type hats. Aaron got a collage photo frame that he was not happy with. And Naomi got stuck with a callous shaver. Dr. Dave & Maria scored a hamper set after some serious stealing back and forth with Nunu. There were also a couple of bottles of booze that kept getting stolen by Ben and Erick. All in all it was a fun evening and everyone walked away with a little something. Below are Aaron and Naomi explaining the rules and having people draw numbers to begin the exchange.<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKv448sLpEAovanLIbw4uy0RqPLOtVB2v1syGuLAu1ghaZkNBqIQKo599DrQPVawMxW0IDIRtzQVm19TWdUgi8bb8gHJeiUImIVdNBCCVbu83DQ0_Z5cXlAEy83fnkrHagePhdTffGFsE/s1600-h/Aaron+%26+Naomi+getting+it+started.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309257214140997874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKv448sLpEAovanLIbw4uy0RqPLOtVB2v1syGuLAu1ghaZkNBqIQKo599DrQPVawMxW0IDIRtzQVm19TWdUgi8bb8gHJeiUImIVdNBCCVbu83DQ0_Z5cXlAEy83fnkrHagePhdTffGFsE/s320/Aaron+%26+Naomi+getting+it+started.jpg" border="0" /></a> Here's Siri waiting for the present show to get on the road:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiApDdUvXmOG2XvddvJ3jyZPBFDkzxpU20D5tnZ7XUf1x_Zpmgx2i5PNad0s3zN8Rt3vOm1pouJxef6_UiQxGwhblR_LHXxen33DoQh6TS2Poh0_vLt-ZNGpF8TvU9x8ANBEgYD04wt6WY/s1600-h/Ciggs.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309257209198421250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiApDdUvXmOG2XvddvJ3jyZPBFDkzxpU20D5tnZ7XUf1x_Zpmgx2i5PNad0s3zN8Rt3vOm1pouJxef6_UiQxGwhblR_LHXxen33DoQh6TS2Poh0_vLt-ZNGpF8TvU9x8ANBEgYD04wt6WY/s320/Ciggs.jpg" border="0" /></a>Voj chillaxin:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFqOFIb1EJX_qXknB63ef3hdaDXmGLMiIcuC0laHhLIBrbZQbE5v0MLSsAysJjcFAV97awHKTRckrWcqFndyKiRksGwONkVp17xMXPeozimATHh6e_pwWnT18c9UY9H6GNCRiweszQsk/s1600-h/Voj.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309257209454893106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFqOFIb1EJX_qXknB63ef3hdaDXmGLMiIcuC0laHhLIBrbZQbE5v0MLSsAysJjcFAV97awHKTRckrWcqFndyKiRksGwONkVp17xMXPeozimATHh6e_pwWnT18c9UY9H6GNCRiweszQsk/s320/Voj.jpg" border="0" /></a> Julia & Liz:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWilRpmjvSQJb-slPIpdk5sDkF8x4dI4ShQdbzuRUbp4DelQt9qfBfFT8Fmg_LN2nX3nSpoYndN3DWtChKdJQfgGbd2QeCf_rwzBL9X5l5YWVYm4WVSFmUw94pss9N7S7VfdxBz4DW_Uo/s1600-h/Julia+%26+Liz.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309256688388922818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWilRpmjvSQJb-slPIpdk5sDkF8x4dI4ShQdbzuRUbp4DelQt9qfBfFT8Fmg_LN2nX3nSpoYndN3DWtChKdJQfgGbd2QeCf_rwzBL9X5l5YWVYm4WVSFmUw94pss9N7S7VfdxBz4DW_Uo/s320/Julia+%26+Liz.jpg" border="0" /></a> Everyone waiting for the games to begin:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1z28X1msBvisGWxWMrm-byuK4dpSF2Y6B-kvYPYtYWUpiNTSv5HuHc-23msXNXZaJ9YmJAVSXxyFVdRkH670n-JbEeY1FjeFJPQWA0_jy1rHIaJ8pAvuXtXfX5z6pY5CoC7jhChlAXok/s1600-h/Couch+shot+at+present+exchange.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309256686146811490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1z28X1msBvisGWxWMrm-byuK4dpSF2Y6B-kvYPYtYWUpiNTSv5HuHc-23msXNXZaJ9YmJAVSXxyFVdRkH670n-JbEeY1FjeFJPQWA0_jy1rHIaJ8pAvuXtXfX5z6pY5CoC7jhChlAXok/s320/Couch+shot+at+present+exchange.jpg" border="0" /></a>Melissa & Siri opening the eukelele (which I went home with...bwahahahaha):<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB0_-v6bQ1Q5J-5PpVQjuYycQMGWGLZKln3-JnQBoKf6m3S0NG2VKiaXCyl1NxcMRFt2lIGu0Od2KIf9yAAFvFUwFIfjpPEPRClRibR3F_LW48ITRiE7NoaLKMhoY0-9nKAgEauWT4KHc/s1600-h/Melissa+%26+Ciggs.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309256685053325026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB0_-v6bQ1Q5J-5PpVQjuYycQMGWGLZKln3-JnQBoKf6m3S0NG2VKiaXCyl1NxcMRFt2lIGu0Od2KIf9yAAFvFUwFIfjpPEPRClRibR3F_LW48ITRiE7NoaLKMhoY0-9nKAgEauWT4KHc/s320/Melissa+%26+Ciggs.jpg" border="0" /></a> Nunu opening the cooler (which I also went home with).<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DjSDrJBV1FYDgnkXYjuvP6DhmPEFiRTbmQW8sMIjQRkbCL9ESfH201mS1LwKE4pT0TY9YYpmY9-KxgXA76QQpcheDRs82S1FneAtnXEwJP58D1lOYQ3fX4tVN2B46x6NVeePwbyzTgk/s1600-h/Nunu.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309256681137343170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DjSDrJBV1FYDgnkXYjuvP6DhmPEFiRTbmQW8sMIjQRkbCL9ESfH201mS1LwKE4pT0TY9YYpmY9-KxgXA76QQpcheDRs82S1FneAtnXEwJP58D1lOYQ3fX4tVN2B46x6NVeePwbyzTgk/s320/Nunu.jpg" border="0" /></a> Voj unwrapping the hamper set. You can see Maria eyeing it off to the side..."Those will be mine...oh yes, they will be mine."<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLrtdtIPvL1veD1t7HAmx_PRd5cYcqvFLiKJbu8_6Fy2TvbCEu7P4W9c1RZboHIiSXQ1QHCBfsPjE9ePmc1N-eQvVwQnPRyjT7nrz9LHmpTgZvUZhK7BvhfaR-ugD5QN2RwuwRFb0XAg/s1600-h/Voj's+baskets.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309256680306241154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLrtdtIPvL1veD1t7HAmx_PRd5cYcqvFLiKJbu8_6Fy2TvbCEu7P4W9c1RZboHIiSXQ1QHCBfsPjE9ePmc1N-eQvVwQnPRyjT7nrz9LHmpTgZvUZhK7BvhfaR-ugD5QN2RwuwRFb0XAg/s320/Voj's+baskets.jpg" border="0" /></a> Ben in his reindeer gear:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENiTHqlmmllB0ZiaFrcwG3Doifpz_8qDcr7SfToBL1N46WzU1yw2bMAusZFz59_V7jQPZq_Sq19O7owPS2eyh-pQchWZZv0dtAl4TXk8uUmI1B-iqOGRvlHt0prYivaiAUPEpGBwSS-Y/s1600-h/Ben.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309256250938182434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENiTHqlmmllB0ZiaFrcwG3Doifpz_8qDcr7SfToBL1N46WzU1yw2bMAusZFz59_V7jQPZq_Sq19O7owPS2eyh-pQchWZZv0dtAl4TXk8uUmI1B-iqOGRvlHt0prYivaiAUPEpGBwSS-Y/s320/Ben.jpg" border="0" /></a> Alden digging in:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICIs2cN2Fydu2JbTquJAmy9rxRXtQhai6zE_cZsqRrigiuwPic9IUnA3Nrg8KPVFqfU7f8NAuybry_U61yG8rWOWZFd7tsuONKoE_-oTFIfCY5wsCmk6f9HwMJGXrggnwVpZhxoE1jwU/s1600-h/Alden.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309256251912890450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICIs2cN2Fydu2JbTquJAmy9rxRXtQhai6zE_cZsqRrigiuwPic9IUnA3Nrg8KPVFqfU7f8NAuybry_U61yG8rWOWZFd7tsuONKoE_-oTFIfCY5wsCmk6f9HwMJGXrggnwVpZhxoE1jwU/s320/Alden.jpg" border="0" /></a> See how happy Aaron is with his frame:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOX0SV5oJXJGHz7MSUtvSyzXROreK6-6dwjH04-A6s-5ok5qRU8l00UYX_Krmx1J8XumstS6yZYHOYac_9lMZJIORyyIzSzUPdecSuaWi_lrOyviyzraLdmFu3p4WAejG2BfA38tuwvA/s1600-h/Aaron's+frame.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309256248170135106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOX0SV5oJXJGHz7MSUtvSyzXROreK6-6dwjH04-A6s-5ok5qRU8l00UYX_Krmx1J8XumstS6yZYHOYac_9lMZJIORyyIzSzUPdecSuaWi_lrOyviyzraLdmFu3p4WAejG2BfA38tuwvA/s320/Aaron's+frame.jpg" border="0" /></a> Ned and his floppy hats. Sweet.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOINxiRKFj7tT0wPGyE66CzzizoEjhzSUGsD6_hV8BWDXcVx4_6V2u-5wrLeUB58UuGRoQw4CWaLKkItSnqp9Bi9VpIm0UzDN1crdxKlyry-oyevg30msUNPU6xbBqWkj4nGXfTxpd6Y/s1600-h/Ned+and+me.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309256240922271170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOINxiRKFj7tT0wPGyE66CzzizoEjhzSUGsD6_hV8BWDXcVx4_6V2u-5wrLeUB58UuGRoQw4CWaLKkItSnqp9Bi9VpIm0UzDN1crdxKlyry-oyevg30msUNPU6xbBqWkj4nGXfTxpd6Y/s320/Ned+and+me.jpg" border="0" /></a>Nate got LTM an extra special gift...it's Sport Action Lisa, complete with black eyes, a broken leg and Doug's drilling field. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmc_BV0h7gTBcNImPZukXMey7rIb8mao1Q8NPSlY8arZFFTchwajB7s8MOENnqF8q_lVZWjpar_7OwV_JlO6mEPQWzOUJHTn8yVVZB4y88XTE_uZtvtzwZrDuXpogM3zwNfZa6tX6kmow/s1600-h/Sport+Action+Lisa.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309256236847586546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmc_BV0h7gTBcNImPZukXMey7rIb8mao1Q8NPSlY8arZFFTchwajB7s8MOENnqF8q_lVZWjpar_7OwV_JlO6mEPQWzOUJHTn8yVVZB4y88XTE_uZtvtzwZrDuXpogM3zwNfZa6tX6kmow/s320/Sport+Action+Lisa.jpg" border="0" /></a></div>Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-79652652002234778032008-12-21T20:06:00.007-11:002009-03-08T15:57:16.765-11:0035th Birthday Bash<div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKnA_OG76p-v0kKKYLH987xmZQc5FZ9F9vENYrS1ZHUcwHiO2EmlDcbOyDvQQikXW4uN42dNDj1NQiSo1_oLWQbOOE9BLrPa8i1xKrNK3GHYylIAsRRX_6DL_FJ9BU4_q6u19PE37k-o/s1600-h/me+%26+LTM.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309224467243244546" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKnA_OG76p-v0kKKYLH987xmZQc5FZ9F9vENYrS1ZHUcwHiO2EmlDcbOyDvQQikXW4uN42dNDj1NQiSo1_oLWQbOOE9BLrPa8i1xKrNK3GHYylIAsRRX_6DL_FJ9BU4_q6u19PE37k-o/s320/me+%26+LTM.jpg" border="0" /></a>Every year on my birthday, mom and I would take the day off of work and have a fun bonding day. We would go to the movies, go shopping, get mani's and pedi's, go to lunch, and whatever else sparked our fancy. It was something I looked forward to all year. This year, however, that wasn't going to happen and wasn't sure how the day would go. Yet despite being 6000 miles from home in the middle of the South Pacific, Lisa made sure I had a great birthday. I got a pedicure, we went out to lunch, saw a movie and had an awesome 80's party that night at Ben and Emily's place in Coconut Point. We did a little shopping and I found all sorts of dayglow jewelry, a rockin' shirt and even tights with lace on the bottom! All right here on the island if you can believe it. Lisa decided to come dressed as a Cabbage Patch Doll. Note the pig tails. Sweet. Like we were like totaly set for an awesome 80's party. Below are some of the boys chillin' like a villian...Steve, Erick, Evan, Ben and NuNu (standing up).<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9-u3jnVS33e_qZ2A7Smq8PHzEWaNfFQffNMRIcKmchw5heV3JshgJ9jJAfoL3s61i0jwbnLQtU11im9RBF_UJR5kXqC7TjIhAqLTb0bDsUibE4vQJN5P0VYB84_FrWP-ee7ma_G7hic/s1600-h/deck+shots.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309223299415131218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9-u3jnVS33e_qZ2A7Smq8PHzEWaNfFQffNMRIcKmchw5heV3JshgJ9jJAfoL3s61i0jwbnLQtU11im9RBF_UJR5kXqC7TjIhAqLTb0bDsUibE4vQJN5P0VYB84_FrWP-ee7ma_G7hic/s320/deck+shots.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>More folks enjoying the evening on the deck. From left to right around the table are Emily, Kiwi Sara, Oscar, Haz-Matt, Kayla, Alyssa, Julia (hidden behind Ned), and Ned.<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjq87_D-I4dgopBMkhT47HAO2a3lV2QepddVtki3ZHSlpTXWOrb6xLr6F0x4olVpg2MYkOZaVlsCH3LwV_3AgqWFO8lJJWmTCnQeBPbQLlQ509RglwGZqB1F29mQDqgjcRLflS4Zos6As/s1600-h/deck+shots+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309223299725992386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjq87_D-I4dgopBMkhT47HAO2a3lV2QepddVtki3ZHSlpTXWOrb6xLr6F0x4olVpg2MYkOZaVlsCH3LwV_3AgqWFO8lJJWmTCnQeBPbQLlQ509RglwGZqB1F29mQDqgjcRLflS4Zos6As/s320/deck+shots+2.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>A few brave souls actually dressed up in the 80's theme. LTM as a Cabbage Patch Doll, Evan in his Def Leopard island tour T-shirt, and me and Steve all decked out.<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9LXMaSR8O-dQoqtH-ko0R3TjgS-Z9YgY1br9Lkswd0bZT_B0dutRD-Cr95bh7YmUkvXWV0HVPS7CXE2YiQBdmkC5z7Oh9OReQj0r2gRPfP_Dha_gDLa_zVHnDtLhnXANmlNDFhlUrZ1w/s1600-h/Dresser+Uppers.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309223294848548866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9LXMaSR8O-dQoqtH-ko0R3TjgS-Z9YgY1br9Lkswd0bZT_B0dutRD-Cr95bh7YmUkvXWV0HVPS7CXE2YiQBdmkC5z7Oh9OReQj0r2gRPfP_Dha_gDLa_zVHnDtLhnXANmlNDFhlUrZ1w/s320/Dresser+Uppers.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Here is Evan's tour T-shirt. The stops on the tour were priceless:<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9TnXCZRkbGlNJsKhWlqmhyKwMxrD1cziA6TyXWtOXsuktJTZHPw19xSw4pQkJPZP1hH8X5y4NYEI5GUTq8Vsqnd8DUvx9PRh1Rx1j6wj-D3kqpXZfLf9MQfQ3gmtFYaDTIFpbprgQyo/s1600-h/concert+shirt.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309223297898493938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9TnXCZRkbGlNJsKhWlqmhyKwMxrD1cziA6TyXWtOXsuktJTZHPw19xSw4pQkJPZP1hH8X5y4NYEI5GUTq8Vsqnd8DUvx9PRh1Rx1j6wj-D3kqpXZfLf9MQfQ3gmtFYaDTIFpbprgQyo/s320/concert+shirt.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Check out Steve's vans and his peg-legged jeans:<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0drxUKOsfwidREM8U_9tFnZoEHIcXd9m_uWbVob9_bWbpEfk5rroC_tm1j3gt_smigMIV9UXX2JD7Z0sBgu5mWna7R_i_S8tQjc5-ZQ5auOkCYPGMZ-ADPY53vF-sPyHdVbc08b_JeuA/s1600-h/pegged+jeans,+Vailima+%26+vans.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309223298678368210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0drxUKOsfwidREM8U_9tFnZoEHIcXd9m_uWbVob9_bWbpEfk5rroC_tm1j3gt_smigMIV9UXX2JD7Z0sBgu5mWna7R_i_S8tQjc5-ZQ5auOkCYPGMZ-ADPY53vF-sPyHdVbc08b_JeuA/s320/pegged+jeans,+Vailima+%26+vans.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Julia, LTM and Ned hanging out on the deck. Check out LTM's blue eyeshadow. Awesome.<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzj0jQtg6QytdMlvHd5-hDxP445K8-beMW5beETDcxM1cElIYbA2fQaEO7mnN7xojcpGh5_yvgeQmJhxNcanI6hyphenhyphenqqojxWqOWw6GHgBxmiGdp7T4V-PaxZpoya8UzFKySuNTNDUgd-zY/s1600-h/Julia,+LTM+%26+Ned+on+deck.wow+shadow.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309222626811343762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzj0jQtg6QytdMlvHd5-hDxP445K8-beMW5beETDcxM1cElIYbA2fQaEO7mnN7xojcpGh5_yvgeQmJhxNcanI6hyphenhyphenqqojxWqOWw6GHgBxmiGdp7T4V-PaxZpoya8UzFKySuNTNDUgd-zY/s320/Julia,+LTM+%26+Ned+on+deck.wow+shadow.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Aaron and Naomi came a bit later after the library Christmas party so they were dressed in another theme. Here is Lady Naomi, otherwise known as the Snow Princess:<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oZRqtdy16f3nHkfbvOIg3VZiM3EV85_sb7HLH1iN6Q-5cfc5s0F9Pz8VfAqUPytVB_Wlnqa43rYw_WNRNP1LJ4uteDhBlKEBk2Xc7-vMMTuBqKUvzwcvxPlz52G6o9FaXxt2_lJ2Cz0/s1600-h/Snow+Princess.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309222625041461554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oZRqtdy16f3nHkfbvOIg3VZiM3EV85_sb7HLH1iN6Q-5cfc5s0F9Pz8VfAqUPytVB_Wlnqa43rYw_WNRNP1LJ4uteDhBlKEBk2Xc7-vMMTuBqKUvzwcvxPlz52G6o9FaXxt2_lJ2Cz0/s320/Snow+Princess.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>And Aaron, her little helper:<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY0wUJSzd2koC64JUjqJ5rrw7YEllSEJISjbzHudFeMcihIxk85UuztCmR0g7af7mJT8q7NcDByK_P2djmW2rh8skvzODz13KFiAJYFebVDaCFMryTvOPNsAG3wDKOLkzxXpyJYcOUMeo/s1600-h/Aaron.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309222626627169202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY0wUJSzd2koC64JUjqJ5rrw7YEllSEJISjbzHudFeMcihIxk85UuztCmR0g7af7mJT8q7NcDByK_P2djmW2rh8skvzODz13KFiAJYFebVDaCFMryTvOPNsAG3wDKOLkzxXpyJYcOUMeo/s320/Aaron.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>A totally awesome dance party broke out. Here are Lisa and Emily taking a turn on the floor to Cindi Lauper's Time After Time:</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkt6pR2yHUO7Cr0qym2r9BDpRGceb59PvOhrbr0OzzSZ-G8yOvmz3-_sMlFwkAFBUB3ssOY8S-wxUx5Cm7jECCAjmScjsIFuTjpmaU65UES7Dl2u_9VeMEHOqdsK6y2D2CqodVnBhWtE/s1600-h/LTM+%26+Emily+dancing.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309221197116982914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkt6pR2yHUO7Cr0qym2r9BDpRGceb59PvOhrbr0OzzSZ-G8yOvmz3-_sMlFwkAFBUB3ssOY8S-wxUx5Cm7jECCAjmScjsIFuTjpmaU65UES7Dl2u_9VeMEHOqdsK6y2D2CqodVnBhWtE/s320/LTM+%26+Emily+dancing.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>LTM and Steve rockin' out to some Depeche Mode and Ben in the background loading up the queue:<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs2uTSu9BAbOkKNVpQrIqHLRHsMBzgg3GuJfEXTwIlImcDqBW5AGMBCa8O37DUk4hFoGp2q0iGwRbL_kssgQJl0qZ6CehTmPh1AuFK_qQGq29DNXkO-J-Ry8SoXXSXAxIbeETO-IVkVVo/s1600-h/LTM+%26+Steve+dancing+with+Ben.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309221195959030242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs2uTSu9BAbOkKNVpQrIqHLRHsMBzgg3GuJfEXTwIlImcDqBW5AGMBCa8O37DUk4hFoGp2q0iGwRbL_kssgQJl0qZ6CehTmPh1AuFK_qQGq29DNXkO-J-Ry8SoXXSXAxIbeETO-IVkVVo/s320/LTM+%26+Steve+dancing+with+Ben.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>You can call this Lisa's exorcist dance move. Steve isn't sure what's going on:</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_gY_NV2wN0AwPovcqeMxqRRnud6bFgKkWgUeXuUonSJuQ_U8est9CtEdaZcuAqdKUsSlUx33hGHLpl_EGABglpievsi2-2AIsT9lHCTa1LlJrp_5yCGTirJNHMrjHW_VaNvqc3a2J78/s1600-h/Exorcist+Dancer.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309221200301911362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_gY_NV2wN0AwPovcqeMxqRRnud6bFgKkWgUeXuUonSJuQ_U8est9CtEdaZcuAqdKUsSlUx33hGHLpl_EGABglpievsi2-2AIsT9lHCTa1LlJrp_5yCGTirJNHMrjHW_VaNvqc3a2J78/s320/Exorcist+Dancer.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Ned and Lisa playing a little grab-ass:<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2nvs9B2I7ZHVv0zCxEnr0XG9lslvcH06Q7X4E4MQaoCFgO4CoB-agd_Psu2DnqZL-vjkfWDAIfnnXXFTkNRVXCc7SRrPx5MiOQEEyydSdows2URl7cy6fT6Am8l6fxkXAv4uh__asr7I/s1600-h/LTM+%26+Ned+grabass.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309221198965542146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2nvs9B2I7ZHVv0zCxEnr0XG9lslvcH06Q7X4E4MQaoCFgO4CoB-agd_Psu2DnqZL-vjkfWDAIfnnXXFTkNRVXCc7SRrPx5MiOQEEyydSdows2URl7cy6fT6Am8l6fxkXAv4uh__asr7I/s320/LTM+%26+Ned+grabass.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>And of course Naomi, LTM and Emily singing and dancing the night away right into the camera:</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgllp0aWbiu47cmTRIXO5bmo07apeHAyHbxIRmXaIk9Xu_PAZ7gUj26yKsM5KxCkIouUpHx5buYX1Oy1VPVtfZxzj-GN0jIIToNTT2ivxtAlcnenBO_NvzmSyXI3FiGoR16oALk5awO1Z0/s1600-h/Naomi-LTM+bum+rush.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309221198036570114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgllp0aWbiu47cmTRIXO5bmo07apeHAyHbxIRmXaIk9Xu_PAZ7gUj26yKsM5KxCkIouUpHx5buYX1Oy1VPVtfZxzj-GN0jIIToNTT2ivxtAlcnenBO_NvzmSyXI3FiGoR16oALk5awO1Z0/s320/Naomi-LTM+bum+rush.jpg" border="0" /></a>Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-15411642687174180792008-12-19T20:00:00.005-11:002009-02-28T08:43:20.042-11:00Church Decorations<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OzTUhSBJzB_GdbYLZcJj93IHcvuY2pM-ks6HDa9bB9SQocSy76-ReffrLSc7HcfUzzehm85FSP2y-Hx0v-WEmv1BBAamzWTV4yZAbhbZKh5V8pwwtYhOjQmSzIuocg5ZhXjrjsy0qho/s1600-h/Daytime+church.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307930801517446610" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OzTUhSBJzB_GdbYLZcJj93IHcvuY2pM-ks6HDa9bB9SQocSy76-ReffrLSc7HcfUzzehm85FSP2y-Hx0v-WEmv1BBAamzWTV4yZAbhbZKh5V8pwwtYhOjQmSzIuocg5ZhXjrjsy0qho/s320/Daytime+church.jpg" border="0" /></a> Some of the villages go all out with the decorations around the holidays. The Catholic Church in Leone has one of the best displays. There are all kinds of decorations plastered on every square inch of this place. Everything from your traditional baby Jesus in the manger scene, to Santa's of every size, shape and configuration, to penguins (and lots of them) and palm trees, candy canes, ferris wheels and merry-go-rounds, geese aglow in lights, Disney characters of every kind, reindeer parachuting with umbrellas, Christmas presents all tied up in bows and just about every other sort of decoration you can imagine. It was definitely worth the visit. Below you can see Ned, me and Nunu (Sean) in front of the church at night. Awesome...<br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTfIxTSPTCOWXEJRK9nDP6X1OmLZIZqYfu569Tauf78dRXwsUEwKKD4WZ0-7pgrt-SSURGb13LaaOusvFmTe5XipYCnBEiiAU_k5EayY268UmS2OvPZ_GGk6nmW-eeUQ-gFbbgJQefaU/s1600-h/Ned,+me+%26+Nunu.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307930151427192994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTfIxTSPTCOWXEJRK9nDP6X1OmLZIZqYfu569Tauf78dRXwsUEwKKD4WZ0-7pgrt-SSURGb13LaaOusvFmTe5XipYCnBEiiAU_k5EayY268UmS2OvPZ_GGk6nmW-eeUQ-gFbbgJQefaU/s320/Ned,+me+%26+Nunu.jpg" border="0" /></a> Reindeer parachuting with an umbrella:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGX6diGwEsduQPdhMNv7eP1wDXJVrGZ6XSfONjiFYbpWK-B1e3j4B0m_m7N3v7-eyEkZupJPoT7I8C6vIdctvv9nitKsoySpwEuokXnxj3jFcHqr6R80kc152g8euNXQLi-_1PAxno9U/s1600-h/reindeer+on+umbrella.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307930144511719074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGX6diGwEsduQPdhMNv7eP1wDXJVrGZ6XSfONjiFYbpWK-B1e3j4B0m_m7N3v7-eyEkZupJPoT7I8C6vIdctvv9nitKsoySpwEuokXnxj3jFcHqr6R80kc152g8euNXQLi-_1PAxno9U/s320/reindeer+on+umbrella.jpg" border="0" /></a> The church all aglow:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_4H8X5MQJqXFyyYM1BDPDORRnOd0tDuvFjA6YtSX2vIwt8TRfn-5dE2VUS0NEDABE5IYLJACFOsKfacsWVoWLv5o3hBaKgSdAvidKoI8zvoAW3sjMt8LtmRk2ANUBWeUi8Wsx7Mi7M8/s1600-h/Church+front+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307930144623269250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_4H8X5MQJqXFyyYM1BDPDORRnOd0tDuvFjA6YtSX2vIwt8TRfn-5dE2VUS0NEDABE5IYLJACFOsKfacsWVoWLv5o3hBaKgSdAvidKoI8zvoAW3sjMt8LtmRk2ANUBWeUi8Wsx7Mi7M8/s320/Church+front+2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1q4EI3nHCiMilQhhPj-zXgpiJSk8bVSOSgCvfKIc4UDbFKsXdMszeA67kqhCWOAozv_cJ-r2eWgiTp2KQh6bQ_nkvQZdvPV6T0kVjf2Eya2bR1FZVQgGmmlXrmm3n0L2RJ1ZjKSd48Ao/s1600-h/Church+front+at+angle.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307929366431861538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1q4EI3nHCiMilQhhPj-zXgpiJSk8bVSOSgCvfKIc4UDbFKsXdMszeA67kqhCWOAozv_cJ-r2eWgiTp2KQh6bQ_nkvQZdvPV6T0kVjf2Eya2bR1FZVQgGmmlXrmm3n0L2RJ1ZjKSd48Ao/s320/Church+front+at+angle.jpg" border="0" /></a> Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus along with Santa's, palm trees, Mickey Mouse & Whinney the Pooh:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKNbm7OB5uRde6YfbwvFZ0rA6VlKOF94SixhK_wDFCHwhwFuW6SAuXW0gdz2bYcOP-O53B8WrcmwTXH4gzADJxpaRKTr0DsrQ1BiIBR4Zs-s0U40xHkelBpWXUsxREj4FBhY9WngxhTY/s1600-h/Santa,+Jesus+%26+Mickie+with+palm+trees.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307929358624480498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKNbm7OB5uRde6YfbwvFZ0rA6VlKOF94SixhK_wDFCHwhwFuW6SAuXW0gdz2bYcOP-O53B8WrcmwTXH4gzADJxpaRKTr0DsrQ1BiIBR4Zs-s0U40xHkelBpWXUsxREj4FBhY9WngxhTY/s320/Santa,+Jesus+%26+Mickie+with+palm+trees.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vS71Wfx50_De5rChKSOYCXoWSq-j-6y6vQ0_x91Pz0T5BVUH6EEdrSShnN1j8qNQzZwbYGqhfRB4LVqh8p_Sq7uBptK1UJAzro8o0UTZRjYTniCD88Ygb6T55tyC9qWADVOP-imcXhs/s1600-h/front+line+right.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307929362484032162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vS71Wfx50_De5rChKSOYCXoWSq-j-6y6vQ0_x91Pz0T5BVUH6EEdrSShnN1j8qNQzZwbYGqhfRB4LVqh8p_Sq7uBptK1UJAzro8o0UTZRjYTniCD88Ygb6T55tyC9qWADVOP-imcXhs/s320/front+line+right.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlEpPKISJlOyWkzKFLUiZjG7YiUhcWYhSUuC_2v6anvODE7vxeZX6tN5pG2Ecz8II8zcP1g8XHj3gO4WywuFOmLvh3NIYr0tr52hfTBSL0MwwcY2FHsbhaEBBAVDPZEpmYg-QTKXkkUg/s1600-h/boxes.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307929357703106578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlEpPKISJlOyWkzKFLUiZjG7YiUhcWYhSUuC_2v6anvODE7vxeZX6tN5pG2Ecz8II8zcP1g8XHj3gO4WywuFOmLvh3NIYr0tr52hfTBSL0MwwcY2FHsbhaEBBAVDPZEpmYg-QTKXkkUg/s320/boxes.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxesBn9PnnzmswpP8xm8qsZtxN-YnwFPF-gpKYmw14rZyHspP5mDV7Y7-iiZZAWIMkkW6qK6fC_g3MbWkPbcOBvy9po2wl_KG2s6mcvFM5VTzGBavGF1KXBICWyMEyBlhHxOLkyjRDdD0/s1600-h/cross.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307929351359466514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxesBn9PnnzmswpP8xm8qsZtxN-YnwFPF-gpKYmw14rZyHspP5mDV7Y7-iiZZAWIMkkW6qK6fC_g3MbWkPbcOBvy9po2wl_KG2s6mcvFM5VTzGBavGF1KXBICWyMEyBlhHxOLkyjRDdD0/s320/cross.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div>Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-74882025121320575742008-12-18T19:26:00.008-11:002009-02-28T08:10:48.715-11:00Pese<div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeUw4CcVkEJ6gz7UI3Lr4xMKKoExdR3ukrr2V0bb5GNtsIG8D8e4dmoV86MXdM0X7K9-PPNfqDShu5JZmWC7MZ9npFH5Me1AZy5QXS8d5X4nLnEFW353r0ZmSLf9RZ3tcOeSCPp8X6ols/s1600-h/Before+the+show.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300708141786963474" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeUw4CcVkEJ6gz7UI3Lr4xMKKoExdR3ukrr2V0bb5GNtsIG8D8e4dmoV86MXdM0X7K9-PPNfqDShu5JZmWC7MZ9npFH5Me1AZy5QXS8d5X4nLnEFW353r0ZmSLf9RZ3tcOeSCPp8X6ols/s320/Before+the+show.jpg" border="0" /></a> Every year at Christmas time, all government employees in American Samoa are called upon to gather with their various offices, agencies, and organizations to perform Christmas carols and variations thereof for the governor. Some in English, but most in Samoan, these carols take on all forms. You've got your standard Oh Holy Night, Jingle Bells, and the like. And then you've got other tunes such as Osana Ma Pepese sung to the tune of Livin' La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin. Yes, that's what I said...Ricky Martin. The performances are broadcast live on TV to the whole island and this is such a big deal that for weeks leading up to the three-night extravaganza, every agency has daily practices that last most of the afternoon. For most of the offices, these practices are mandatory. Yes, mandatory practice for government employees to sing religious Christmas carols during the work day. Don't even get me started on the separation of church and state. The practices in our office, however, were voluntary. I think that may have had something to do with the fact that we are a bunch of lawyers and actually know a little something about the Constitution. Below is Afa, the AG, watching as we perform. In between each song, the Directors of the various departments would give speeches, thanks, etc. and that is usually what takes a 2 hour show and turns it into a 5 hour marathon. Luckily, the AG kept is short and sweet. Thank you Afa!<br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXi1RohZpVoxA5_wqQuF97iVcZsTgRJ_IIqnA9tMk2Qvm5qmyPxptGGqXIWEnw0vowBMIS4EB6yRGOsmyLRo38ZyHHaAdFXcUZyqXnmatY41i03U_XvSnD9zvkO4NWSvYWudjsSCMx5ic/s1600-h/Afa.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300707999110235970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXi1RohZpVoxA5_wqQuF97iVcZsTgRJ_IIqnA9tMk2Qvm5qmyPxptGGqXIWEnw0vowBMIS4EB6yRGOsmyLRo38ZyHHaAdFXcUZyqXnmatY41i03U_XvSnD9zvkO4NWSvYWudjsSCMx5ic/s320/Afa.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5A-2lWaMyjCBb45UJUkwaLa99-TpiIM9YrwaNM6vMfSm3e5t8nuWf-Q8B-A85n8LsPpoelM3qLoJzTmIkfbXK5Ba5G1xy1l-0A-t8FFXENZ0q5vb0yvjqf_9eBuzZiCaEeO8M4y6gtjU/s1600-h/on+stage.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300707378055115682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5A-2lWaMyjCBb45UJUkwaLa99-TpiIM9YrwaNM6vMfSm3e5t8nuWf-Q8B-A85n8LsPpoelM3qLoJzTmIkfbXK5Ba5G1xy1l-0A-t8FFXENZ0q5vb0yvjqf_9eBuzZiCaEeO8M4y6gtjU/s320/on+stage.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY46I1eLhCpKXsuzvnSQGcwC9g1PVo3e_mm-FFO5NtpcCoNpYy2b-sjCmIe9zbzyeAEgdvLBDkEUSD31ITREs_dU6CEHPH71BadDGXC73v5_3JV9utMKVdaCSVqptOpP9zn11MK2MDiGA/s1600-h/on+stage+closeup.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300707375711879474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY46I1eLhCpKXsuzvnSQGcwC9g1PVo3e_mm-FFO5NtpcCoNpYy2b-sjCmIe9zbzyeAEgdvLBDkEUSD31ITREs_dU6CEHPH71BadDGXC73v5_3JV9utMKVdaCSVqptOpP9zn11MK2MDiGA/s320/on+stage+closeup.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVnLvS7eTGJRXqtlUCSQxXwC1y8A8jEkT_zcIknlRNtsArux3iO8oeaqkhhyphenhyphenOX5xmmOqDd0ZYjVPLRldxg2oFzz2yIVRCdxNCkuYNyjE3BzFu4Jkg13OnoIbqxMBURbJY9_ui4linFt0/s1600-h/girls+closeup.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300707367113473826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVnLvS7eTGJRXqtlUCSQxXwC1y8A8jEkT_zcIknlRNtsArux3iO8oeaqkhhyphenhyphenOX5xmmOqDd0ZYjVPLRldxg2oFzz2yIVRCdxNCkuYNyjE3BzFu4Jkg13OnoIbqxMBURbJY9_ui4linFt0/s320/girls+closeup.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a> Below are the palagi lawyers after we finished singing--Sean, Clif, LTM, Aaron & me. Lisa was so "animated" that the camera was apparently on her for half the show and the next day I swear she must have been recognized by at least 100 people, many of whom asked if she was drunk, which she actually wasn't--she just really got into the performance. I've got the whole show on DVD, so if you want a good chuckle maybe I'll show it to you.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxGfOKV83matg423fSJpUPfympCKNkm-ROz03FJhYsuLp_XGjFx_Cm71wK0h0fz6S7WH6uE0rWmQ-PLIMMrR-9j7J1U0rP2C23AXerkcMCSrGgNexFXal08-DQ9NMkt9RzHwY4mhl_1E/s1600-h/After+the+show.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300707367134115890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxGfOKV83matg423fSJpUPfympCKNkm-ROz03FJhYsuLp_XGjFx_Cm71wK0h0fz6S7WH6uE0rWmQ-PLIMMrR-9j7J1U0rP2C23AXerkcMCSrGgNexFXal08-DQ9NMkt9RzHwY4mhl_1E/s320/After+the+show.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYO7zEuov-iVMHH7y6MLp6jbnFL60pOhjKqEwWY98gVaz1LHCvlFkioMbsyUMO_SRpcUhV20SL6L55kah88WD0ECyMucPhBFHGHqttL_tB8O3ZEnRUxR8xsirOsYDsXriAmfl7xq9QjoE/s1600-h/tree.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300707367696151970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYO7zEuov-iVMHH7y6MLp6jbnFL60pOhjKqEwWY98gVaz1LHCvlFkioMbsyUMO_SRpcUhV20SL6L55kah88WD0ECyMucPhBFHGHqttL_tB8O3ZEnRUxR8xsirOsYDsXriAmfl7xq9QjoE/s320/tree.jpg" border="0" /></a>Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-41088195356506539182008-12-14T20:03:00.005-11:002009-02-08T21:02:39.837-11:00Cookie Day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6fW92vtrlpxkGhSaoNIf2bdazEGV03NqcV9NRyRVD0BEcVd569slsncLYwFyyEpa45f0eR1Zv-mOUDsycYXKy-LW9KOtEohnwhyphenhyphenpU1yaZhswE1_U3I8VPRsClUG03Rk-7csBskmvfB4/s1600-h/group+pic.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300701972036219874" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6fW92vtrlpxkGhSaoNIf2bdazEGV03NqcV9NRyRVD0BEcVd569slsncLYwFyyEpa45f0eR1Zv-mOUDsycYXKy-LW9KOtEohnwhyphenhyphenpU1yaZhswE1_U3I8VPRsClUG03Rk-7csBskmvfB4/s320/group+pic.JPG" border="0" /></a> Back home, every year around Christmas the women in my family get together for what has been termed Cookie Day. We start early in the morning and for one solid sugar filled day we bake hundreds and hundreds of cookies. We've been doing this for nearly a decade now, and since this is my first Christmas away from home, I was going to miss it. That is, until the women here on Tutuila decided to get together for our own version of this holiday tradition. Sara was kind enough to volunteer her air-conditioned house, all decked out in Christmas lights and along with some yummy drinks, holiday music, good friends, and lots of dough, for one night it actually felt like the holidays. Sara sent us all home with a fun holiday themed oven mit as well as a tray or two of yummy cookies, grandma's balls, and chocolate salami.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZxUclIOfXbcB708bWaAjid-3MXQ1uy9EPbnKkCjucFMfT4hg0KWmxu-i81ympbQ8JlyZJLpLYnehO_HFPeTjQkJlxlWhvqPGYYDG1VjrzaVv2brxWeWu2LOv29qaYEj-QnzqFP_LmwU/s1600-h/Kelly+making+anatomically+correct+cookies.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300701471484396354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZxUclIOfXbcB708bWaAjid-3MXQ1uy9EPbnKkCjucFMfT4hg0KWmxu-i81ympbQ8JlyZJLpLYnehO_HFPeTjQkJlxlWhvqPGYYDG1VjrzaVv2brxWeWu2LOv29qaYEj-QnzqFP_LmwU/s320/Kelly+making+anatomically+correct+cookies.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Above you'll find me making some hand-cut candy canes as well as some anatomically correct cookies. I am sooooo becoming my mother. Below, Amity and Barbara man the frosting station.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1nemG6IrbUL2JLE921-g56HmpjK_CUjuotOjrLBM14tTueCP40CDZefSxUXayMEk8LcVQDEgRXUoO0XnXRjxnMutw36mviPcXL353bSMzRC_K4UQaB4kAgbwl-1-r8wOQNb9PW-_3uc/s1600-h/Amity+%26+Barbara+frosting.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300701471156201794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1nemG6IrbUL2JLE921-g56HmpjK_CUjuotOjrLBM14tTueCP40CDZefSxUXayMEk8LcVQDEgRXUoO0XnXRjxnMutw36mviPcXL353bSMzRC_K4UQaB4kAgbwl-1-r8wOQNb9PW-_3uc/s320/Amity+%26+Barbara+frosting.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Here is Kim with her lovely blue frosting:<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GrIYyawfkm71M0BicuI3LKXZnhuS1WAHyHhQ36eCK9ykUFC_T7xV3sxDc8K6_JK-1W5ixxwHWOVfNq1ySzdoe2n-yJAuqYDqsaRmzffvAX4gYMiLqpLRfIkzWCsKYQntvaIzEOTs4y0/s1600-h/Kim+and+her+lovely+blue+frosting.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300701467030999682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GrIYyawfkm71M0BicuI3LKXZnhuS1WAHyHhQ36eCK9ykUFC_T7xV3sxDc8K6_JK-1W5ixxwHWOVfNq1ySzdoe2n-yJAuqYDqsaRmzffvAX4gYMiLqpLRfIkzWCsKYQntvaIzEOTs4y0/s320/Kim+and+her+lovely+blue+frosting.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>And Naomi searching for just the right cookie decorative toppings. Notice the palm trees outside the window--Christmas in the tropics.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZrIoPDVIY2fh9RWuYOUK1BoFuCOy5LGd86phmHClxW5XCAwx3PmTX1zKM7LcUdeQIMbeoSK-2CveB6KP8Z-enckGqIUS3hnPTLuXEJs2nlVCK61dx7DAb-14dfuKOJPeZZdnPVz5hq0/s1600-h/Naomi+frosting+with+beach+and+fale+outside.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300701467855682882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZrIoPDVIY2fh9RWuYOUK1BoFuCOy5LGd86phmHClxW5XCAwx3PmTX1zKM7LcUdeQIMbeoSK-2CveB6KP8Z-enckGqIUS3hnPTLuXEJs2nlVCK61dx7DAb-14dfuKOJPeZZdnPVz5hq0/s320/Naomi+frosting+with+beach+and+fale+outside.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a> Thanks to Julia, Sara & Liz (I think) as most of these shots were stolen from their various blogs and facebook profiles. Thanks girls!</p>Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-26833994030258928042008-12-11T19:25:00.018-11:002009-02-08T20:43:52.057-11:00Team Turkey<div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKtGuT8wtxK4UZ2pLmFoEZEfLca09yBKK_W0gKxixhIXqWvkrkzwd9hvPQsCBbVEdRukPdXxhYekQ2ybpHD5rq7sOhAHvmf2QbuvqJpFs-RyJqXoRerrK7wK49xg8XfdaM6sE2XiRl-M/s1600-h/beach.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300676481278737538" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKtGuT8wtxK4UZ2pLmFoEZEfLca09yBKK_W0gKxixhIXqWvkrkzwd9hvPQsCBbVEdRukPdXxhYekQ2ybpHD5rq7sOhAHvmf2QbuvqJpFs-RyJqXoRerrK7wK49xg8XfdaM6sE2XiRl-M/s320/beach.jpg" border="0" /></a> This year a group of us decided to spend Thanksgiving in Ofu. There were about 16 or so in the group, and it became known as Team Turkey. There were the usual Ofu indulgences--snorkling, hanging out on the beach, losing yourself in a good book, and great home cooking. But with this group, there were also some new adventures (for me at least)--bridge jumping, sea parrots (thank you Aaron), cooking dinner with Team Wednesday, trying to find the Southern Cross in a sky with more stars than I ever thought possible, hanging out in the water for hours at a time without burning thanks to our handy dandy sun umbrella, LTM burning her back to the point of second degree blistering burns while snorkling, and then doing a cannonball off the bridge and busting open the blisters (only LTM...), karaoke with the very un-pollitically correct Uncle Ned, and the non-stop recounting of the legend of Snowy (sorry Gwen). All in all, it was a great way to spend Thanksgiving if I couldn't be at home.<br /></div><div align="center"><br />Chase decided to do some tree climbing:<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN95qGlq3tnaPTjk6zVwxE_cYOWG4hoZd0Np8WpCE_88PfWib9rndSzc62-TyfUAv4g072NujaopFyH51Uri2-s8wQBGONJ7DoD-4gATMjh2XzSgDU8NnSAm9CyFr8Tdlv__kQO5rs-gY/s1600-h/monkey+chase+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300673919141407794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN95qGlq3tnaPTjk6zVwxE_cYOWG4hoZd0Np8WpCE_88PfWib9rndSzc62-TyfUAv4g072NujaopFyH51Uri2-s8wQBGONJ7DoD-4gATMjh2XzSgDU8NnSAm9CyFr8Tdlv__kQO5rs-gY/s320/monkey+chase+2.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Here's Thanksgiving Dinner. As is the case with any meal at the Vaoto Lodge, it was fantastic!<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YWH4BwHJQQar01yGgGqhXPcQ-C9mKYURWxrysh8msFEOii7bdquP1YWL0QSXwPJorl61FYAdFBneeEowHzMMqI8qzSDe1E-nbla0N3BjbJPGmrjBE_Wp3py3DUMgeT5uTOAf7Ap4DAI/s1600-h/Turkey+Dinner.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300673407064772914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YWH4BwHJQQar01yGgGqhXPcQ-C9mKYURWxrysh8msFEOii7bdquP1YWL0QSXwPJorl61FYAdFBneeEowHzMMqI8qzSDe1E-nbla0N3BjbJPGmrjBE_Wp3py3DUMgeT5uTOAf7Ap4DAI/s320/Turkey+Dinner.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>After dinner, some folks took a walk down the airport runway. At the other end was a nice place to hang out and take in the view:<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQQut04r40OFAobtZNGw_bmVWw1yrt3sKbP_qUOYWuiNJUJG57NWsh5nWWurmvK_R_TdeJLdzqjOP371IEcqFg7ceVCR-NireIEt99kUC998UqVwB-iOlapbbfQnmIsri5aJxpHbVw6U/s1600-h/Sunset+Watchers.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300673410489003746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQQut04r40OFAobtZNGw_bmVWw1yrt3sKbP_qUOYWuiNJUJG57NWsh5nWWurmvK_R_TdeJLdzqjOP371IEcqFg7ceVCR-NireIEt99kUC998UqVwB-iOlapbbfQnmIsri5aJxpHbVw6U/s320/Sunset+Watchers.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Haz-Matt, Lady Naomi & Ofu Jim:<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5bOilAIGaIqc2BS0kH8d_ES73QThIGt6iOjHB-Nw3loaGpy8y24Zpjk5sOp5gGK_lxKcbjq2_cUo2iffdPQrljEGErf5aWk9lJTErMO2e4D_lE7usNFuX7sI2-ssidtyhyrw_mNi-VfA/s1600-h/haz,+naomi+%26+jim.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300673403639723282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5bOilAIGaIqc2BS0kH8d_ES73QThIGt6iOjHB-Nw3loaGpy8y24Zpjk5sOp5gGK_lxKcbjq2_cUo2iffdPQrljEGErf5aWk9lJTErMO2e4D_lE7usNFuX7sI2-ssidtyhyrw_mNi-VfA/s320/haz,+naomi+%26+jim.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Jer, Kiwi & Gwen:<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJl2_efDBlPvI1Mt4y-efYdyS_VsJjwKUaYKjhts_k1Bdh3VsWyG-losnkP2HQwjCtxUTCsPAWrUpsWpUUYiERfbIE-6TS8qvOmuSCBcJFxry7qucPQBnPp03b_caI6Jwinhei_TXWpRU/s1600-h/jer,+kiwi+%26+gwen.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300673405901293346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJl2_efDBlPvI1Mt4y-efYdyS_VsJjwKUaYKjhts_k1Bdh3VsWyG-losnkP2HQwjCtxUTCsPAWrUpsWpUUYiERfbIE-6TS8qvOmuSCBcJFxry7qucPQBnPp03b_caI6Jwinhei_TXWpRU/s320/jer,+kiwi+%26+gwen.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Team Puppy:<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Cze0JYbd-9HtALC8oOCdDL_AV-ErogRQPWPCM7fAo5Ca5qnnlfrjs5ik4qtdYZrIPvPNTo3XL-cvQdkgrFWK7xIqAdwxVeyFq9Hs62Hd6cPmJbhMNkmZ6jVMTsxDG-Gt7o2DRv-t3ms/s1600-h/Team+Puppy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300673405346706162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Cze0JYbd-9HtALC8oOCdDL_AV-ErogRQPWPCM7fAo5Ca5qnnlfrjs5ik4qtdYZrIPvPNTo3XL-cvQdkgrFWK7xIqAdwxVeyFq9Hs62Hd6cPmJbhMNkmZ6jVMTsxDG-Gt7o2DRv-t3ms/s320/Team+Puppy.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Watching the sunset:<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirY_cNGhsZZiyhXMolsRbYEJlKUX1AmOG9hQpQm6xTP0FKHHPwQP3y_M5SAAFGJzipmddTJqGtD8itZn2ja7MNcb8yOO4d0xFkV4Y_bviHDGeD1EcBP2AiL5-2XInwulOnq9o2s8W4X8g/s1600-h/Sunset+Watchers+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300669562030904322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirY_cNGhsZZiyhXMolsRbYEJlKUX1AmOG9hQpQm6xTP0FKHHPwQP3y_M5SAAFGJzipmddTJqGtD8itZn2ja7MNcb8yOO4d0xFkV4Y_bviHDGeD1EcBP2AiL5-2XInwulOnq9o2s8W4X8g/s320/Sunset+Watchers+2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSeNyZoXz1eNIwVWC_LcKdbfIJdixUux7cUK3ewL4jGfJIdyXMkslc3fGnJO0NrYr3c9S3MG02Ki57QKMHXfi6eP0xaGoaY0wJFDF1SAa8sWni0Fb_yMM0YFeiKNhBAFZkFfya-0t3Wwk/s1600-h/sunset+3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300669557469005026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSeNyZoXz1eNIwVWC_LcKdbfIJdixUux7cUK3ewL4jGfJIdyXMkslc3fGnJO0NrYr3c9S3MG02Ki57QKMHXfi6eP0xaGoaY0wJFDF1SAa8sWni0Fb_yMM0YFeiKNhBAFZkFfya-0t3Wwk/s320/sunset+3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsguyrLbwZ4py19uY64JwilJL2E0FmZ6VEkmAazl1SO95aKmhyphenhyphenpkeKIr2boPodkPl1d16707OyYK7SbnkIj7M4Mdis62s8FsoGsS_sQdH7NFMmfHuZtrW3WHeVfj5SOFPh3tqMwHhFDXs/s1600-h/sunset+4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300669555211974386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsguyrLbwZ4py19uY64JwilJL2E0FmZ6VEkmAazl1SO95aKmhyphenhyphenpkeKIr2boPodkPl1d16707OyYK7SbnkIj7M4Mdis62s8FsoGsS_sQdH7NFMmfHuZtrW3WHeVfj5SOFPh3tqMwHhFDXs/s320/sunset+4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfVmqZ-LbggHYXvvaEbaxIsoY0psSkBvt3P3GebBTOYfvzfcyirHWXjYETgDFmzv6iuR7DpkK06M5WQqCR6RPg1hXcp7eJuNFA9XqlduH0jihzBY_4wMnIqtn-1tu8QG2E_xtBfrvc79E/s1600-h/sunset+watchers+3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300669557522000818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfVmqZ-LbggHYXvvaEbaxIsoY0psSkBvt3P3GebBTOYfvzfcyirHWXjYETgDFmzv6iuR7DpkK06M5WQqCR6RPg1hXcp7eJuNFA9XqlduH0jihzBY_4wMnIqtn-1tu8QG2E_xtBfrvc79E/s320/sunset+watchers+3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center">Between Ofu and Olosega Islands, there is a bridge. And one of the things to do while you're visiting Ofu is to jump off this bridge. There is also alot of hanging out under the bridge in the water that goes on, but it is somewhat of a rite of passage to jump off the bridge.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-xtE4Dwnt75A6sXa5Hkcenp3dqe7Qm4q9Nj8c_HodWqjp4bQNRrn41DrITRaUfKMHycP3lIT1olez7_Gay-619ICR7FseHFeCbvEUtWiH0yEoecIwSmDHBAskYyxRahGxSVAzh8yH7s/s1600-h/sign.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300659670491095554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-xtE4Dwnt75A6sXa5Hkcenp3dqe7Qm4q9Nj8c_HodWqjp4bQNRrn41DrITRaUfKMHycP3lIT1olez7_Gay-619ICR7FseHFeCbvEUtWiH0yEoecIwSmDHBAskYyxRahGxSVAzh8yH7s/s320/sign.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"></a>Here's the bridge:<br /></p><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaoQvFUdCGYd1-QjkyC8Ff5pKniHhK297v847_UtgdSZCCF7xzeQr6WPwcK81OAEU5m9T0lwGoZ0i8d_iO4HvojwFZumSBr57T6tbc0dAOBWD712GTz3olcfcrs0tnUzw0hlKU0BADP_s/s1600-h/bridge.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300657638074304418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaoQvFUdCGYd1-QjkyC8Ff5pKniHhK297v847_UtgdSZCCF7xzeQr6WPwcK81OAEU5m9T0lwGoZ0i8d_iO4HvojwFZumSBr57T6tbc0dAOBWD712GTz3olcfcrs0tnUzw0hlKU0BADP_s/s320/bridge.jpg" border="0" /></a> Here is a view of the water below the bridge. It's a freakin' long way down!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15e8qy42C6koDLM0AGnBQmTZJRH1tmd4j_VpksqBe9RpaF7GwhlGMuWqQkngg9ZJLipaUYwEn_3yvThPwlomjTTfBtR_vFcnT0D3tK0tMCC4FWvBOUO-ncWQIr0f4bP0qgsHrNuSbKIE/s1600-h/below+the+bridge+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300657638361533954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15e8qy42C6koDLM0AGnBQmTZJRH1tmd4j_VpksqBe9RpaF7GwhlGMuWqQkngg9ZJLipaUYwEn_3yvThPwlomjTTfBtR_vFcnT0D3tK0tMCC4FWvBOUO-ncWQIr0f4bP0qgsHrNuSbKIE/s320/below+the+bridge+2.jpg" border="0" /></a> Jer & Haz take a break from surface snorkling:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQFETRUsFqhqJACcxDsZgJT7zYVXTWgaWz91wwho2imJZDROuKx44VJUkaZ0XzeHuFmBj6TNbCSR0mZ008M8Icp22b-EPpR5HYxVzIuB6nYzR8A8U57QsggD4zq9GgvmSrmHcRayJUw1I/s1600-h/below+the+bridge.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300657636614545922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQFETRUsFqhqJACcxDsZgJT7zYVXTWgaWz91wwho2imJZDROuKx44VJUkaZ0XzeHuFmBj6TNbCSR0mZ008M8Icp22b-EPpR5HYxVzIuB6nYzR8A8U57QsggD4zq9GgvmSrmHcRayJUw1I/s320/below+the+bridge.jpg" border="0" /></a> Chase telling one of his very animated stories:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJxWtSOj475NrT4CBlJW-h7Z3XMNG1NhHVNjLEWV-A-m8hXPBltzMRdG8l2dF3NCONXoQLKecUJsWqbPbXoTyzQH6dIvx1pbPFe6U_RcF8rNngL7egrvTm98XrrZkHCCpL6d-Gw-nh0g/s1600-h/below+the+bridge+3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300657634909024258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJxWtSOj475NrT4CBlJW-h7Z3XMNG1NhHVNjLEWV-A-m8hXPBltzMRdG8l2dF3NCONXoQLKecUJsWqbPbXoTyzQH6dIvx1pbPFe6U_RcF8rNngL7egrvTm98XrrZkHCCpL6d-Gw-nh0g/s320/below+the+bridge+3.jpg" border="0" /></a> Nunu, Gwen, Naomi, Kiwi and LTM lounging in the water:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbbwWDOdAG6p1T-ElHKYuslPvG0mMGpSXHLGA8fWsUXSA98G4-iePpro6GVOclquNAfMeYYkfGv_2Ipc9OO0Cs6s8K-E03wv80uofTT_31l1VFFZMNttXMAawO7iU5W_HiCtP3R2baww/s1600-h/below+the+bridge+4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300657633701516130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbbwWDOdAG6p1T-ElHKYuslPvG0mMGpSXHLGA8fWsUXSA98G4-iePpro6GVOclquNAfMeYYkfGv_2Ipc9OO0Cs6s8K-E03wv80uofTT_31l1VFFZMNttXMAawO7iU5W_HiCtP3R2baww/s320/below+the+bridge+4.jpg" border="0" /></a> As I stand on top of the bridge, cursing up a storm, and trying to psych myself up to jump off the bridge 35 feet above the surface into 8 feet of water, Chase leaps into action:<br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yntUIE0H2qNHzKxN85kkw3Nd_WvRREFTfHsuIhOuIgO1f9ot9RHcZI0v20zmQ6txGZC_LSqRVlILM2GmPLEJSyyKfQZqHKaB11_qBpoJ2EzWrT30n2ypwiujQla8qrXiBkr-gtHX-84/s1600-h/Chase+jumping.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300656129318933714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yntUIE0H2qNHzKxN85kkw3Nd_WvRREFTfHsuIhOuIgO1f9ot9RHcZI0v20zmQ6txGZC_LSqRVlILM2GmPLEJSyyKfQZqHKaB11_qBpoJ2EzWrT30n2ypwiujQla8qrXiBkr-gtHX-84/s320/Chase+jumping.jpg" border="0" /></a> The boys assessing the situation before they jump:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDfFuRpnuWeD8FEJSFSfOS9lI74NkrF7sglTU6dPR3BPi6aEPsVpsyHIhftDLfKjKoSMcWANz2g5SijsCutA-gmyVifN5E2le97vrrEAIC2kVn74zpjm2DmnhlMy9Aj3DJftsLbIgROk/s1600-h/bridge+assessment.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300656131811956322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDfFuRpnuWeD8FEJSFSfOS9lI74NkrF7sglTU6dPR3BPi6aEPsVpsyHIhftDLfKjKoSMcWANz2g5SijsCutA-gmyVifN5E2le97vrrEAIC2kVn74zpjm2DmnhlMy9Aj3DJftsLbIgROk/s320/bridge+assessment.jpg" border="0" /></a> Yes, I did eventually jump. Four times, in fact. Here's my second leap with Team Jump:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIwoFkA3kp_7coNf9Wqgg2NaCVBjJsi03E7mKsPE02ggNMv9nE-CDUxpAL3ml76xdwobaQvpZlIDmPnkI6_eeo4Jke0KnWQcWIDzGvSxOt6cCROfCJQEN8xDJGZ4QuI2NvBaarIKO6_TA/s1600-h/Team+Jump.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300656131070949202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIwoFkA3kp_7coNf9Wqgg2NaCVBjJsi03E7mKsPE02ggNMv9nE-CDUxpAL3ml76xdwobaQvpZlIDmPnkI6_eeo4Jke0KnWQcWIDzGvSxOt6cCROfCJQEN8xDJGZ4QuI2NvBaarIKO6_TA/s320/Team+Jump.jpg" border="0" /></a>LTM held Kiwi's hand for her first jump. Or rather, Kiwi had a death-grip on LTM's arm...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-X1-MgE4NTsgIyZhd2RE5r2vHt8Ef7Wdxueqf18f6WYIfv0MvvS3o5YP5o6kNO9WU4jhpHbAntb3j535Icv007FIL_fOK5F0pJE6ZbWOEVIDxfWNj_X-OKrsU88IJkpb-UpVAA21IUU/s1600-h/LTM+%26+Kiwi.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300656129572892018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-X1-MgE4NTsgIyZhd2RE5r2vHt8Ef7Wdxueqf18f6WYIfv0MvvS3o5YP5o6kNO9WU4jhpHbAntb3j535Icv007FIL_fOK5F0pJE6ZbWOEVIDxfWNj_X-OKrsU88IJkpb-UpVAA21IUU/s320/LTM+%26+Kiwi.jpg" border="0" /></a> Harper taking the leap:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOvvRKHZ0RuaIoTe6CmiSDSXRLL4GRynpc9wJ4nT0-MRdhNYO2w6qPlk_8SGCbg6u8VPRjyYgD5g9q4fwhpd7k50yIxisL0iFxgjN6qzPhd4H7Op4eHlXwr2xB5ag552PHzvW7yVStdY/s1600-h/Doug's+jump.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300656126546326786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 212px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOvvRKHZ0RuaIoTe6CmiSDSXRLL4GRynpc9wJ4nT0-MRdhNYO2w6qPlk_8SGCbg6u8VPRjyYgD5g9q4fwhpd7k50yIxisL0iFxgjN6qzPhd4H7Op4eHlXwr2xB5ag552PHzvW7yVStdY/s320/Doug's+jump.jpg" border="0" /></a> Nunu's perfect form:<br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJ7SpniZ-7almdUIxUmPjqBXwQxwq3DwQ23GdaOh69eJJQ_Pdl_-FuiVDgOC0ax0X3ZVRCv4DlLTdAd-H1RodCm2-Gt6fugyxaIOQKTNstiZtQbFi6EK_lHhxrH3-f5DRsvn1zW27rMc/s1600-h/Nunu's+jump.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300654381422306098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 212px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJ7SpniZ-7almdUIxUmPjqBXwQxwq3DwQ23GdaOh69eJJQ_Pdl_-FuiVDgOC0ax0X3ZVRCv4DlLTdAd-H1RodCm2-Gt6fugyxaIOQKTNstiZtQbFi6EK_lHhxrH3-f5DRsvn1zW27rMc/s320/Nunu's+jump.jpg" border="0" /></a>Between jumps:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnzKxca1M1vMQ3bfOGh9EsI4wNCL12-emWXg4i8wGWqNZbZSoNa66fl1yYZ41QrXslwCjcxqYQhGwIm-92iZ3Oq2kedJ9s1sczH8S4wAN4JxJ_FPK8mLCU5gMGtbYfhjHQeSYeiRjFWY/s1600-h/hanging+in+the+water.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300654376248196162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnzKxca1M1vMQ3bfOGh9EsI4wNCL12-emWXg4i8wGWqNZbZSoNa66fl1yYZ41QrXslwCjcxqYQhGwIm-92iZ3Oq2kedJ9s1sczH8S4wAN4JxJ_FPK8mLCU5gMGtbYfhjHQeSYeiRjFWY/s320/hanging+in+the+water.jpg" border="0" /></a>Under the bridge:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoaQkdbkGang8frt1EnpYc0-5_Yw7xemSaJKkewUyNj7XC9xaqvESFvF0FOPFxAt6Q-uVK5hpFscJsf0TUEv8UgFRtbi-MpiGXXmnGGCUqtwULxYcUdwgbw92P05EaukT4twzr6N_PfYo/s1600-h/Hanging+in+the+water+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300654377793969074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoaQkdbkGang8frt1EnpYc0-5_Yw7xemSaJKkewUyNj7XC9xaqvESFvF0FOPFxAt6Q-uVK5hpFscJsf0TUEv8UgFRtbi-MpiGXXmnGGCUqtwULxYcUdwgbw92P05EaukT4twzr6N_PfYo/s320/Hanging+in+the+water+2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />LTM & Chase started getting into this one-upping competition with their jumps. One would jump backwards, another would touch their toes, and so on. As they were trying to figure out what each of them would do next, Jim decided to "jump the shark" and jumped up and over the railing from the side of a moving truck. Un-freakin-believable:<br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DrB-7vO3cWU&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DrB-7vO3cWU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />Here is Jim in the back of the truck:<br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-xf43Ci24NF4mjPXnoevbgMKFKJ_-DRADIgCzl_ykTcpVbZYxlUBe7revdkdV7nrhXFMJWnMXVKF4GssXTgis2WeYtSArnx6-qivY7T4BxycqFYnNeqEexXPFNF5BahbSN0RgpaExrc/s1600-h/Jim+in+truck.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300659668426537074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-xf43Ci24NF4mjPXnoevbgMKFKJ_-DRADIgCzl_ykTcpVbZYxlUBe7revdkdV7nrhXFMJWnMXVKF4GssXTgis2WeYtSArnx6-qivY7T4BxycqFYnNeqEexXPFNF5BahbSN0RgpaExrc/s320/Jim+in+truck.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Then, Chase got in on the action too:<br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xKeuBSXsD_I&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xKeuBSXsD_I&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />After Jim and Chase took their death-defying leaps, LTM decided to do a front flip. Unfortunately, she over-rotated and smacked face first into the water. Here is a video of her "dive" from on top of the bridge. I assure you, watching it at water level and seeing her hit that water took it to a whole other level. Listen to the audio on the video for some special jems like the ambulance sirens...<br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yOzfdvmrBOQ&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yOzfdvmrBOQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />How'd that feel?<br />LTM icing her injuries:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihRlfkk2_YEleY36Neky80nnnQgMALjlrSEb9KTp2etK7zqUCHQod9hiS2N27-k45yv4si5FHZoh46ScWt_oLCf0TM_TwjJK5dwFVcj-zclP8MbzYkubnCcbtHoslqgIn4PbQKkr0wqFk/s1600-h/LTM+icing+eye.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300654372031854418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihRlfkk2_YEleY36Neky80nnnQgMALjlrSEb9KTp2etK7zqUCHQod9hiS2N27-k45yv4si5FHZoh46ScWt_oLCf0TM_TwjJK5dwFVcj-zclP8MbzYkubnCcbtHoslqgIn4PbQKkr0wqFk/s320/LTM+icing+eye.jpg" border="0" /></a> The black eyes and swelling setting in:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WAwCNtwp-Pv7xQhzQeoanX446ZqRt0rux86kuBJFBPM1sosaWLBA4JoDsZ8YX30erlV9U4PiyiPnAwf43AG_5l_kUTX92F-suUUsgKBG-EMaVWjKtpj3FTQ_GzNbl6nazYnhwP9DUnI/s1600-h/LTM's+eyes.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300654374295698050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WAwCNtwp-Pv7xQhzQeoanX446ZqRt0rux86kuBJFBPM1sosaWLBA4JoDsZ8YX30erlV9U4PiyiPnAwf43AG_5l_kUTX92F-suUUsgKBG-EMaVWjKtpj3FTQ_GzNbl6nazYnhwP9DUnI/s320/LTM's+eyes.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center">Ned after a day of bridge jumping:<br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZfbCrhkOJY-dnI_GLFcEOzxLwBCHx-5u4EV-Tb27HPI8gkuW0VdyRQJezJKH20APIB7niP_sTiWw6aq1_H7jYDVHdew611eXb-I7xrU1-XhNgwFKl-DMqL1iYb5YCoxcV0GDR1DsfVY/s1600-h/Ned+at+day%27s+end.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300649534765123506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZfbCrhkOJY-dnI_GLFcEOzxLwBCHx-5u4EV-Tb27HPI8gkuW0VdyRQJezJKH20APIB7niP_sTiWw6aq1_H7jYDVHdew611eXb-I7xrU1-XhNgwFKl-DMqL1iYb5YCoxcV0GDR1DsfVY/s320/Ned+at+day%27s+end.jpg" border="0" /></a> LTM with her 3 pair of sunglasses after a long day on, off, and under the bridge:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj17cX6LhCgQHQDidZopdHXtG-2Ad3r4qQbpa5Lx_CPbCTi-aiUhGwwgXwR0iSj0RBI9tXv2Bk7lAdnVpj5NEWfvvv6y0hPpyOVZN-hVnNeoZCMtrscQnT8tmyjeJUn7OSfnCmg5p6P4Wk/s1600-h/LTM.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300649531111407170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj17cX6LhCgQHQDidZopdHXtG-2Ad3r4qQbpa5Lx_CPbCTi-aiUhGwwgXwR0iSj0RBI9tXv2Bk7lAdnVpj5NEWfvvv6y0hPpyOVZN-hVnNeoZCMtrscQnT8tmyjeJUn7OSfnCmg5p6P4Wk/s320/LTM.jpg" border="0" /></a> Gwen jammin to some tunes for the ride home:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_a-Ob9Us3BlWHc7oLZ7cBBeXjGpoA_RHf6nZayg_8plhy0RYpxYXKzLtDyJ4rS53JJAs0xGAx3wMV6YbAFnh0UctJXEYRJbFpE7RBoEq4woL-b9phTC7PdpiIhiHCagzTPUtk-C2PJQ/s1600-h/Gwen.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300649528550398642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_a-Ob9Us3BlWHc7oLZ7cBBeXjGpoA_RHf6nZayg_8plhy0RYpxYXKzLtDyJ4rS53JJAs0xGAx3wMV6YbAFnh0UctJXEYRJbFpE7RBoEq4woL-b9phTC7PdpiIhiHCagzTPUtk-C2PJQ/s320/Gwen.jpg" border="0" /></a>One afternoon a sloshball game broke out and it has since been described as the best sloshball game ever played. The scenery, I'm sure, didn't hurt:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-QfgD83dHQmTr0ho2DlLAo_GttYDsn70Ltbw1A2NCYKX-rYGVRDRW8m3HgQ0jk5hRnCZZTeQ9ZkEnm_rVx9tK5pcFuh2iqZDfngVfmseFEyeQX_chD0CA6UzmUKyIDH-NTb96jRaAoY/s1600-h/sloshball.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300649529941401730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-QfgD83dHQmTr0ho2DlLAo_GttYDsn70Ltbw1A2NCYKX-rYGVRDRW8m3HgQ0jk5hRnCZZTeQ9ZkEnm_rVx9tK5pcFuh2iqZDfngVfmseFEyeQX_chD0CA6UzmUKyIDH-NTb96jRaAoY/s320/sloshball.jpg" border="0" /></a> Two down:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7AfCG2syRBfVr9f8UBvEdfcUGwicKta9Uep50tMhzhWNLc1RVZKkjrj_KBVVQoeR7A9Lv8Dh8Bip6sPk21aG4E0R8YEUgytpDxXD_Xlr8uVb6FNHbixP90sksOG2plF19MXKpUXEO-8/s1600-h/2+down.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300649526756348450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7AfCG2syRBfVr9f8UBvEdfcUGwicKta9Uep50tMhzhWNLc1RVZKkjrj_KBVVQoeR7A9Lv8Dh8Bip6sPk21aG4E0R8YEUgytpDxXD_Xlr8uVb6FNHbixP90sksOG2plF19MXKpUXEO-8/s320/2+down.jpg" border="0" /></a>Doug in action:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYqBv3C8EMF5EeINWTqyPUoqLw1uirPweMdERjqIQigHnRqt5BZY0QUU0cn8BTrcHZ0CzR9FZdJR9gRJp8gBuF3f_4Vr9JiM5WogK7fqFgPZH0ltwVUjYQYWeMB6ueETwL1R8wV2oJ2M/s1600-h/Doug+fielding.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300648601752603890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYqBv3C8EMF5EeINWTqyPUoqLw1uirPweMdERjqIQigHnRqt5BZY0QUU0cn8BTrcHZ0CzR9FZdJR9gRJp8gBuF3f_4Vr9JiM5WogK7fqFgPZH0ltwVUjYQYWeMB6ueETwL1R8wV2oJ2M/s320/Doug+fielding.jpg" border="0" /></a>High five Ned & LTM:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsVhUbvo7zE8sMzMDMPYU3fejZNBSOCJI3crUyOa3nKwvYXqOM-WuC8KARlbzLe6dR-ez_RkP8NqbibPI2Tb4sVqP8wKBI4cmtQ_Prsa_ZEGN9eSSuaD-nTn-oVCe1bTQXby9jotLnRY/s1600-h/high+five.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300648600094600898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsVhUbvo7zE8sMzMDMPYU3fejZNBSOCJI3crUyOa3nKwvYXqOM-WuC8KARlbzLe6dR-ez_RkP8NqbibPI2Tb4sVqP8wKBI4cmtQ_Prsa_ZEGN9eSSuaD-nTn-oVCe1bTQXby9jotLnRY/s320/high+five.jpg" border="0" /></a> Jer & Kiwi<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxSXQ5rYdchJlOP6G-o3tUNldsjIiJBTEIA-kQsdQzTKAWPbEtD4rE4n6lIGYjQ9qrpcXv2UFWcZnxA7pY6nJh1yx7BJ6n01RQVITCqs-9IG784VuqS5hnAR10ukWZwH8kkhEwI1ZDes/s1600-h/jer+%26+kiwi.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300648602483397026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxSXQ5rYdchJlOP6G-o3tUNldsjIiJBTEIA-kQsdQzTKAWPbEtD4rE4n6lIGYjQ9qrpcXv2UFWcZnxA7pY6nJh1yx7BJ6n01RQVITCqs-9IG784VuqS5hnAR10ukWZwH8kkhEwI1ZDes/s320/jer+%26+kiwi.jpg" border="0" /></a>In the outfield:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6-RRmiq09kg-ISWfi9k0wuWiDt3PzzXAOxAT5MZlgpMzhyw7UL1M4zXXmcUHM_Ph2YKrIPXGup3leMK6iOcHqIf076hCdlv5FTzshNTblwp75aQP8Y-zdDUhbrIY4GwoT18C-pdA5Oc/s1600-h/Sloshball+outfielders.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300648602753214562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6-RRmiq09kg-ISWfi9k0wuWiDt3PzzXAOxAT5MZlgpMzhyw7UL1M4zXXmcUHM_Ph2YKrIPXGup3leMK6iOcHqIf076hCdlv5FTzshNTblwp75aQP8Y-zdDUhbrIY4GwoT18C-pdA5Oc/s320/Sloshball+outfielders.jpg" border="0" /></a> Who saw it? Was she safe or was she out?<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrBXScxZ-0inTOmOrk4HEG0sZHtjQD40krrL6OWUzNU177aK9vsG93I1tV2K0dhTJPTa645ZnD1l3BrF1rgCARKNlkccCqtDJPBmZN_rp5fiYUVza3McPYC2CslY5KjRd31KC7ibsB24/s1600-h/who+saw+it.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300648598070054642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrBXScxZ-0inTOmOrk4HEG0sZHtjQD40krrL6OWUzNU177aK9vsG93I1tV2K0dhTJPTa645ZnD1l3BrF1rgCARKNlkccCqtDJPBmZN_rp5fiYUVza3McPYC2CslY5KjRd31KC7ibsB24/s320/who+saw+it.jpg" border="0" /></a>Aaron reaching and LTM opening:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4f9KKeco0bxd-s_0-abgKDw5nNlHsgdglRze0q-GMB3NORSaEn-kbaywufLxPkRJdE4i5m4Y7Gd6DIuYtOLGUzQkeszfzI2re7Sw0GSO_ywWCq95bXoRvIB8Mf1HqYRzDUTP9a5xkjC8/s1600-h/Aaron+in+action.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300647890211970882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4f9KKeco0bxd-s_0-abgKDw5nNlHsgdglRze0q-GMB3NORSaEn-kbaywufLxPkRJdE4i5m4Y7Gd6DIuYtOLGUzQkeszfzI2re7Sw0GSO_ywWCq95bXoRvIB8Mf1HqYRzDUTP9a5xkjC8/s320/Aaron+in+action.jpg" border="0" /></a>Scott pitching to Doug:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihL-6MqWmH01dInYQjYo7Jh2LZ2eKyXi-5ulpZ8lYAXFiqBG_CxXrT7nFvadYHvpIIbQU3lr8mWjB59f2kEvg2chSIf9srzx2RG5LQj5eAJJJb9VPmesNYhZxRt8CAlOeFal46N0yLph4/s1600-h/action+shot.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300647888976006466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihL-6MqWmH01dInYQjYo7Jh2LZ2eKyXi-5ulpZ8lYAXFiqBG_CxXrT7nFvadYHvpIIbQU3lr8mWjB59f2kEvg2chSIf9srzx2RG5LQj5eAJJJb9VPmesNYhZxRt8CAlOeFal46N0yLph4/s320/action+shot.jpg" border="0" /></a>Amity in the outfield:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNpry23UlnhS2NgIDU46O45Gg03N7dtvhl3Q8jbB5kkJWeZtldlyhv0HYfkbhyphenhyphenXawdMaU0FcaQJjmDRZF77RdUIPNxglujEc1inop9MsF1ltcT4EM4WvQZXpogpttwjTRF2VvVOcG2rHE/s1600-h/amity+in+the+outfield.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300647884640473538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNpry23UlnhS2NgIDU46O45Gg03N7dtvhl3Q8jbB5kkJWeZtldlyhv0HYfkbhyphenhyphenXawdMaU0FcaQJjmDRZF77RdUIPNxglujEc1inop9MsF1ltcT4EM4WvQZXpogpttwjTRF2VvVOcG2rHE/s320/amity+in+the+outfield.jpg" border="0" /></a>Jer & Hazmatt with the airport runway in the background:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXKTJtxzrpahzwaHgf7rhpO5PJh2BQfRlOOSkJZo-r76f83TAVeeikoOMGL1hwraYdbd1JFl4Kt2VUQFPK29G4Y0LrDwcepSPw7KYbY1HvcIp1evq1DAJ3HY1wg8jFAhwWB78-rGCPK8/s1600-h/jer+%26+haz.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300647879472897874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXKTJtxzrpahzwaHgf7rhpO5PJh2BQfRlOOSkJZo-r76f83TAVeeikoOMGL1hwraYdbd1JFl4Kt2VUQFPK29G4Y0LrDwcepSPw7KYbY1HvcIp1evq1DAJ3HY1wg8jFAhwWB78-rGCPK8/s320/jer+%26+haz.jpg" border="0" /></a>Rain schmain...play on:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1wbOCSZO9HvdYYep5cQp_3d2JS-42_t3UZWFAb6jKamzbwdXRTCBhlwgZPIsW9XJsYBxaJG2BLVdd1aNeQpRkNk9S-dOP0y0Bp-wHrNPTRKUUlYwFT2hNT05GmWDqtnFqhHd6IpDYh0/s1600-h/rain+schmain.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300647878010647602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1wbOCSZO9HvdYYep5cQp_3d2JS-42_t3UZWFAb6jKamzbwdXRTCBhlwgZPIsW9XJsYBxaJG2BLVdd1aNeQpRkNk9S-dOP0y0Bp-wHrNPTRKUUlYwFT2hNT05GmWDqtnFqhHd6IpDYh0/s320/rain+schmain.jpg" border="0" /></a>Nunu built and tended to a bonfire on the beach thanks to the skills he learned in boyscouts:<br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgs9RLua1XlNF-o6_wvIcGW-7NHsuTyCfNHmU1uL4RAsfIECfAgChu91Cv6XreyFNyslKawa4Ww6lXhPOwxkRcDN2hy9SA5HtOTOyeHp869if-G16-kjiMJ2IxyYEOdmstKVh2obyQxBY/s1600-h/bonfire+prep.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300323199194146146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgs9RLua1XlNF-o6_wvIcGW-7NHsuTyCfNHmU1uL4RAsfIECfAgChu91Cv6XreyFNyslKawa4Ww6lXhPOwxkRcDN2hy9SA5HtOTOyeHp869if-G16-kjiMJ2IxyYEOdmstKVh2obyQxBY/s320/bonfire+prep.jpg" border="0" /></a>Sitting around the bonfire on the beach:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNghmUj-rhjXyGZ9HtqW3H5QDnRoGPPAJKOOnq6OEI8PFefuDPCsKyHPXjaj6nQUIsUgmVi2TZpHPvoUtOjZrmuroj8rNzC3rM17GxUpNhzW4f0YucWnm8kKq7BGzBCdShCsmKTS7XGSM/s1600-h/bonfire.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300323198395228290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNghmUj-rhjXyGZ9HtqW3H5QDnRoGPPAJKOOnq6OEI8PFefuDPCsKyHPXjaj6nQUIsUgmVi2TZpHPvoUtOjZrmuroj8rNzC3rM17GxUpNhzW4f0YucWnm8kKq7BGzBCdShCsmKTS7XGSM/s320/bonfire.jpg" border="0" /></a> Ned had a birthday while we were in Ofu. The clock just struck midnight and it's officially his special day. Sitting around a bonfire on a beautiful island...not a bad way to start the celebration.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3wMxW8tn5P9A_iGGZ29wNzszgrNhwAKQdhbroY0Qr6xHHsmC6LkxElVjIVKbaJvDm_DWa4nkWtkpKXvl3kQVygt4ZU2Pl7lG9fzgq_d5NRz4x_qamaJsMrBEkDfdtpfECrMe_OibP2E/s1600-h/Ned's+B-day.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300323198861364018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3wMxW8tn5P9A_iGGZ29wNzszgrNhwAKQdhbroY0Qr6xHHsmC6LkxElVjIVKbaJvDm_DWa4nkWtkpKXvl3kQVygt4ZU2Pl7lG9fzgq_d5NRz4x_qamaJsMrBEkDfdtpfECrMe_OibP2E/s320/Ned's+B-day.jpg" border="0" /></a> Scott & Sara ready to go home:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNWzbAvnF1Lzv2mZmpYpE-et3_dFaiqsDMijeQK4XUeDPWGrjD_BQFs1mXQa-mouo1MoM_sDYyg3hn7Po7TSPVVZ1UBB53a5jTjbZ2qOLikT_aS3dJfCiFtasfOIAuTg4fvl-UgFnlgA/s1600-h/Scott+%26+Sara.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300323195785315474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNWzbAvnF1Lzv2mZmpYpE-et3_dFaiqsDMijeQK4XUeDPWGrjD_BQFs1mXQa-mouo1MoM_sDYyg3hn7Po7TSPVVZ1UBB53a5jTjbZ2qOLikT_aS3dJfCiFtasfOIAuTg4fvl-UgFnlgA/s320/Scott+%26+Sara.jpg" border="0" /></a> Ned and Nate waiting for the plane to come in:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqa0zsxFCGDHNT_wCo75op91Au0n6MEsNPh9nyiL-ncx40Vq1HEfukhyphenhyphenbEI0uoyNzGXJT7iTX0naF0G6XGbYN6ApOdy-bBofCGOA-9CkwKDgFXieONfL89ZPdHR1QcG6tgq3H24h_0mdM/s1600-h/heading+home.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300323198719606850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqa0zsxFCGDHNT_wCo75op91Au0n6MEsNPh9nyiL-ncx40Vq1HEfukhyphenhyphenbEI0uoyNzGXJT7iTX0naF0G6XGbYN6ApOdy-bBofCGOA-9CkwKDgFXieONfL89ZPdHR1QcG6tgq3H24h_0mdM/s320/heading+home.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center">On the plane ready to head home:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkC4OfhcOyndi-YWx9VgNs5F9UbEkx0nH3U9iqsYUgvk-_PJS7HnFtWusfjYMIYSnzHvGu9mt1LtvieBir83Pu_0TgYtsKj2sPdpW7mTvHt8G6ieUj4xORhXBFl2WwIhKbypKq5sM4Lfw/s1600-h/Team+Turkey+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300321315169822146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkC4OfhcOyndi-YWx9VgNs5F9UbEkx0nH3U9iqsYUgvk-_PJS7HnFtWusfjYMIYSnzHvGu9mt1LtvieBir83Pu_0TgYtsKj2sPdpW7mTvHt8G6ieUj4xORhXBFl2WwIhKbypKq5sM4Lfw/s320/Team+Turkey+2.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"></a>The rest of Team Turkey:<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAK3IZxS4Suhr43tNycgcr210Zp41uL7LFbsh0nqUe0a6Jx6BNEHOEWbeTEI7ojspSY_dp5Fiude791QjF5NPN2PcLVHSTYgijaFhNbCpKJa8zr-6vk1i5_4X-1QFGjF1qSQIZ712DwU/s1600-h/Team+Turkey.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300321315758041234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAK3IZxS4Suhr43tNycgcr210Zp41uL7LFbsh0nqUe0a6Jx6BNEHOEWbeTEI7ojspSY_dp5Fiude791QjF5NPN2PcLVHSTYgijaFhNbCpKJa8zr-6vk1i5_4X-1QFGjF1qSQIZ712DwU/s320/Team+Turkey.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"></a>Home at last...<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJMOMY8Ya1CpZ3Iw2MsdA_NeatdEkoCLXi9zfU1WAvMo6tLTZdmqxQ1AkgTTK2puaWgG0fqj8C53Q18egcGls2HIueBOfQ4-rKAf-Mm2dLyB2NIzMiryVII3eTrY6a4AEOSS-jGwK4EBE/s1600-h/bags.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300321316728039842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJMOMY8Ya1CpZ3Iw2MsdA_NeatdEkoCLXi9zfU1WAvMo6tLTZdmqxQ1AkgTTK2puaWgG0fqj8C53Q18egcGls2HIueBOfQ4-rKAf-Mm2dLyB2NIzMiryVII3eTrY6a4AEOSS-jGwK4EBE/s320/bags.jpg" border="0" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-62030105290940756782008-12-10T19:49:00.003-11:002009-01-14T19:59:34.952-11:00Office Decorations<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-Kb7NYa2x3wr0XLRNmvdBYSwxvGjLAPHtJNiGHgu3vC9xvGrDPhfzBy7v30CkbuP0AdThuEH3TH36GgqlEu6LwAJMqOvD43EZSpuy8uaxLVoHOAOXf0DSSPJV1RfRbFWmh4Ywvo_awU/s1600-h/AG's+Office+Sign.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291410120551618034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-Kb7NYa2x3wr0XLRNmvdBYSwxvGjLAPHtJNiGHgu3vC9xvGrDPhfzBy7v30CkbuP0AdThuEH3TH36GgqlEu6LwAJMqOvD43EZSpuy8uaxLVoHOAOXf0DSSPJV1RfRbFWmh4Ywvo_awU/s320/AG's+Office+Sign.jpg" border="0" /></a> Everyone on the island gets into the spirit of the season and goes all out for Christmas. The Attorney General's Office is no exception. Here are a few shots of our office lobby all decked out. Above is our office sign complete with flashing lights and giant candy canes. Below is our reception area:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7MrHRwLJFTH9YNL4-dkBFVcBs7Iz3-6_ae-p6VE_xZYC79gmX8xvmB8FmEls-bmEndnw1sfpXvIXHIW9He-faAF-ntkBggCulg-hYeqbjDFMtojtD6-8fvDyEDatWJwY1ypakGPJaHQ/s1600-h/Front+Desk.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291410115883411778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7MrHRwLJFTH9YNL4-dkBFVcBs7Iz3-6_ae-p6VE_xZYC79gmX8xvmB8FmEls-bmEndnw1sfpXvIXHIW9He-faAF-ntkBggCulg-hYeqbjDFMtojtD6-8fvDyEDatWJwY1ypakGPJaHQ/s320/Front+Desk.jpg" border="0" /></a>And what office decorations would be complete without a Christmas tree...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3AoLjrSvnrobek1yGEccl5MFvcURFv3o3NxnP3L4IRKuMYYDC2PIzLbioOrEoj77h_qilh_Mwao3Bd0gD55n4_XQIut0XNfxT1JiwZMIuOah1kyEehnjj7lObczsn4oajGN4lJoUY9eM/s1600-h/AG's+Office+X-Mas+Tree.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291410118598882834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3AoLjrSvnrobek1yGEccl5MFvcURFv3o3NxnP3L4IRKuMYYDC2PIzLbioOrEoj77h_qilh_Mwao3Bd0gD55n4_XQIut0XNfxT1JiwZMIuOah1kyEehnjj7lObczsn4oajGN4lJoUY9eM/s320/AG's+Office+X-Mas+Tree.jpg" border="0" /></a>Look a little closer, and yes, those are full boxes of ornaments hung on the tree. </div><div align="center">Only in Samoa...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5RvNE1-4mYsUzO-7UgUDkBeIXxqg2-PWJnsPPoAMpu4kRZm_rzRFg3chKYq50Lm4rbCqOmH6dO8IM71asW4RiiLlRk0MC6DpKDyw-rWdbp4kVP88e6FfgbhCZu3hMobHyi9_gBpag2Bc/s1600-h/Boxed+Ornaments.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291410116921079410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5RvNE1-4mYsUzO-7UgUDkBeIXxqg2-PWJnsPPoAMpu4kRZm_rzRFg3chKYq50Lm4rbCqOmH6dO8IM71asW4RiiLlRk0MC6DpKDyw-rWdbp4kVP88e6FfgbhCZu3hMobHyi9_gBpag2Bc/s320/Boxed+Ornaments.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div>Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-23371013113446002742008-12-05T18:01:00.000-11:002009-01-12T18:51:41.887-11:00Humane Society Conference<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290639619732964386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPaW6duV7HrQUKEPuNw6m_yVcdv5VH_LCHVzfqvdY5Vh791Q0ZlvGFiafApf5UxYdwu6jXPtm5wILrQgxxe-tbvr1IpfzTp10eb7COEGNYsENXrPOe66oWlMuQe4hsqSa4zQCJvq3-QT4/s320/sign.jpg" border="0" /> A few months after I arrived on-island I was recruited to join the American Samoa Humane Society. As a member of the humane society I got to go to Western Samoa for the Commonwealth Veterinary Association Australasia/Oceania Regional Conference. It was actually pretty cool because in addition to the usual country reports and scientific papers, they had integrated a heavy animal welfare component into the program. We had various humane societies from all over Oceania and several vets gave presentations on the campaigns they had done in their own countries where they would go door to door in Australian Aboriginal villages or travel out to remote islands (like in the Cooks) to spay and neuter dogs and cats as well as provide desperately needed vet care. It was great to get to network with the other animal welfare groups and learn what they are doing to better their islands for companion animals.<br /><div align="center"><br />The Prime Minister of Western Samoa even came to speak: <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290639627505406418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijuJqxyFRnTwmtpX0fEvLb-senzR5NLQPbi_GjCNh3Ab6FikKSF1bTl9CXmMP3_xLhfUy-lmUy73OOvvvF32EyejYmIViOXaOYAIbjZM_Xj66bPXtEOhoAULSLg9wn9-vwDgnU14vylA4/s320/The+PM.jpg" border="0" /><br />The Reverend, however, wasn't as interested:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290639631949393170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlMHcIKINsx7ZEgW2_JI2sCbV7YLvAYNwUV3S8QcGgmbTy0Mvtfc2jr9yZn4YK-4c_kvJL2HXhzjBM4nfmGcxmUAN52vFS4QsqWNiJdwpbcDdqVpBSUkCAteNczaG_LBX0hUXG09a0mQ/s320/The+Rev.jpg" border="0" /><br />Here are Cheryl & Clif out on the balcony at our dinner banquet:<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290639633355587954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhScF8CBR2xmfEyHRubS7RW-faja2g6XB5noGwwdLiQN1T0s-MMahCyGGn27PkzH00zH1q8VdUajcAluwO5_8DLNBLLp2m5viy4rqRCwsrhUuhfF0Q11_hDP_jru1PVIKq-1tmgKqEnZK0/s320/Cheryl+%26+Clif.jpg" border="0" /><br />Me & Clif soaking up our last night in Western:<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290639636121338834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNcsTPC14cCsKYyRNUj-d1rTyBZ_81vhhzKFhZ8evmLjsXCq0D15b7k0HoRI8b-KirNM_p1EoEu5i4Gu5FcpEFanUZfammsRxk0ohOdeP1A31hBOOWGfPNbO14swDWCcAN5Rm4u749j84/s320/me+%26+Clif.jpg" border="0" /> <p></p></div>Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-32975365394965709832008-12-02T19:02:00.000-11:002008-12-23T20:40:22.402-11:00Golfing<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhlpo99PWxWMzdq3J8awEts_ZddUvd2wDr6T_DZZoUm4qZQoqc7zdHFdZ0tt01pkXNzWtINujMjSPzc33EhIMABVrY0wjO0brIbamsqVqrCoFn5I8wAyXC2ndwb45nTixlxUOqzUg5kU/s1600-h/Pu+%26+me+in+cart.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283254440450437186" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhlpo99PWxWMzdq3J8awEts_ZddUvd2wDr6T_DZZoUm4qZQoqc7zdHFdZ0tt01pkXNzWtINujMjSPzc33EhIMABVrY0wjO0brIbamsqVqrCoFn5I8wAyXC2ndwb45nTixlxUOqzUg5kU/s320/Pu+%26+me+in+cart.jpg" border="0" /></a>Every Friday afternoon, a group of ex-pats cut out of work a bit early and hit the links. A month or so ago, I decided to start going too. Here I am hanging out in the cart with Pu, our friend Doug's dog. Yes, Pu comes golfing with us. And while it's true that back home a round of golf can be quite expensive, here 9 holes will cost you a whole $3. That's right...three bucks. A cart is $7 split between 2 people, bringing the grand total to a whopping $7 per person. Wowzers. Because the sun sets around 6:30pm here, we try to move as fast as possible so that we can actually get through 9 full holes. As a result, we play a modified game where we all drop in and hit from the spot of the last best shot. I'm not sure if it's called a Scramble or Best Ball, but because we range in skill from fairly good to god awful crappy, it makes it so that we can all get through 9 holes without it taking 7 hours. We've also recently discovered that the golf course is the site of the biggest stakes gambling on the island. We wondered why many of the Samoans that we saw on the course were playing as if they were in a golf sprint, and now we know it's because the more holes they can get through, the more $ they can bet.<br /><div align="center"><div align="left"><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBclpwje1FzhemRytjJrEdF3iCJNCTil4HtBUVn_8AMLe0stOqREY-D0S5yAbDCKS7LwVf-tqtRcBnbPZdDM7WT06mIkRcrTXuHhTs8SNaqIlnRgSk90cP9OyJFaWkpjY9JGXn5AdiQ2s/s1600-h/LTM+in+tee+box.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283239246109107458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBclpwje1FzhemRytjJrEdF3iCJNCTil4HtBUVn_8AMLe0stOqREY-D0S5yAbDCKS7LwVf-tqtRcBnbPZdDM7WT06mIkRcrTXuHhTs8SNaqIlnRgSk90cP9OyJFaWkpjY9JGXn5AdiQ2s/s320/LTM+in+tee+box.jpg" border="0" /></a>Above you can see LTM teeing up. Notice the box markers...painted coconuts. <p align="center">Below is a closer shot. Gotta love this place.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgEYWmx1w5U9A3IzqDRqrY5cUz_ZrwGPVvFCtfiLB-tu-rvLoVnjZzZzgsf6x2ANNmEhnVxhMX69XckdyEOMjKo4M89aPAITW3SjZifKeSUpa0YnR96v_R7zTX_oxsHZOlNX3l09PTPo/s1600-h/Marker.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283239241491740914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgEYWmx1w5U9A3IzqDRqrY5cUz_ZrwGPVvFCtfiLB-tu-rvLoVnjZzZzgsf6x2ANNmEhnVxhMX69XckdyEOMjKo4M89aPAITW3SjZifKeSUpa0YnR96v_R7zTX_oxsHZOlNX3l09PTPo/s320/Marker.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The view from the course is absolutely beautiful.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpL_J6k_DqP2CaoHJeqfXVuXBf4qas4yFk6lLa-1cWAeiUxJeMTwDCHdHGOMjrRC4mnDRywdH_mdIz3XphAVWgu08-jZN90eobn-igwlorQTRRtYG-U3xV2q4aY1d1H_Qdhyzrf3n3vg/s1600-h/Course+Shot+1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283239243765958002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpL_J6k_DqP2CaoHJeqfXVuXBf4qas4yFk6lLa-1cWAeiUxJeMTwDCHdHGOMjrRC4mnDRywdH_mdIz3XphAVWgu08-jZN90eobn-igwlorQTRRtYG-U3xV2q4aY1d1H_Qdhyzrf3n3vg/s320/Course+Shot+1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGiBIPYuLaD6CyOXHuEjpDqsAxq4FiKrta4KrL9AMVx4SexRmx-61rLrQOG4B0xOay6ymt9HJrXXNjfxcIWBZuqc-0prg56EMs6acJpiF6DADRvpzUhA-RMBRwGbKrWdtCHXwRpYJ6HM/s1600-h/Course+Shot+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283239239107348418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGiBIPYuLaD6CyOXHuEjpDqsAxq4FiKrta4KrL9AMVx4SexRmx-61rLrQOG4B0xOay6ymt9HJrXXNjfxcIWBZuqc-0prg56EMs6acJpiF6DADRvpzUhA-RMBRwGbKrWdtCHXwRpYJ6HM/s320/Course+Shot+2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKU2FmcNgTEIxDgz0hkza417vvRm5Q3RGwf7n8B1Tr9VoTGL7VzxdgMcYkM3sLfWdQpGeTH0Fg33NmNpUXqse5WPDdtavVEZniexu9u-DeoGdu8DnSowVAs6-KY-DcevOfpHqfYR1CUaM/s1600-h/Fairway.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283239233032884930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKU2FmcNgTEIxDgz0hkza417vvRm5Q3RGwf7n8B1Tr9VoTGL7VzxdgMcYkM3sLfWdQpGeTH0Fg33NmNpUXqse5WPDdtavVEZniexu9u-DeoGdu8DnSowVAs6-KY-DcevOfpHqfYR1CUaM/s320/Fairway.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Pu likes to play too...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPCNBA7Qjfh0xtLa-N3JT7qwdHNBh6YJ4-4hMqH-ZRrlbV_qi5JQEJL2MJQzyjPta0_EcYd5L5BlTa3ZxasITH0rxv_kGlHd389G02uGA7u1pCAEWE5LR1p73-ho90IJNFGb7K3luOzk/s1600-h/Pu+on+the+first+green.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283238558084074274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPCNBA7Qjfh0xtLa-N3JT7qwdHNBh6YJ4-4hMqH-ZRrlbV_qi5JQEJL2MJQzyjPta0_EcYd5L5BlTa3ZxasITH0rxv_kGlHd389G02uGA7u1pCAEWE5LR1p73-ho90IJNFGb7K3luOzk/s320/Pu+on+the+first+green.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Here is Doug preparing to swing...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFZQ18niwKT6-hH2_-jBmyeaogCkK2lFtV0AEupuRjJOw-lPRy2J6Ahm7Nn7GkXKt20Zf-pnOW9A9TbVmZ8qYUP55eCm_cxYlBuzVSTHRASU1PuXHhOP_r4LVs_OogGCzUhTEGkD7ugQ/s1600-h/Doug+swinging.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283238559074873586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFZQ18niwKT6-hH2_-jBmyeaogCkK2lFtV0AEupuRjJOw-lPRy2J6Ahm7Nn7GkXKt20Zf-pnOW9A9TbVmZ8qYUP55eCm_cxYlBuzVSTHRASU1PuXHhOP_r4LVs_OogGCzUhTEGkD7ugQ/s320/Doug+swinging.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Aaron's legendary swing...watch out!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE1FsAcaLaOyxh2rBkoJSKUbl5YcDbuMKGqCbASDNPyd3SWDvhOKohyDh9foE-qgSCl0TLkKVDC_aqDZkJM58xVdxsKNtrK8KRJ5iIlG5RSr8NBgSyICrpkt0XTUFNgvxMerHD9ALW6zs/s1600-h/Aaron.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283238558763787698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE1FsAcaLaOyxh2rBkoJSKUbl5YcDbuMKGqCbASDNPyd3SWDvhOKohyDh9foE-qgSCl0TLkKVDC_aqDZkJM58xVdxsKNtrK8KRJ5iIlG5RSr8NBgSyICrpkt0XTUFNgvxMerHD9ALW6zs/s320/Aaron.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Doug in action...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikF4r5p1E5pqD9F8JQ-5DSPYiGkb6H0r1oY56VuMPAJK9ShnlNWKsHOwGHAiHrAotg42Y30JOfJAOWuFEUeB1JGZdRiEbyYBTaGGp-4KUUnyX91z_EZf_-Wx9KAjK9bpLVXZRlbklgE2U/s1600-h/Doug.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283238554090819026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikF4r5p1E5pqD9F8JQ-5DSPYiGkb6H0r1oY56VuMPAJK9ShnlNWKsHOwGHAiHrAotg42Y30JOfJAOWuFEUeB1JGZdRiEbyYBTaGGp-4KUUnyX91z_EZf_-Wx9KAjK9bpLVXZRlbklgE2U/s320/Doug.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Because we live on a giant lava rock, the course has it's own set of built in hazards. There are quite a few patches of exposed lava rock on the course and the fairways and greens aren't the smoothest, but that just adds to the fun. There are also other hazards that you don't often see on your typical country club course. For instance, the fire hazard:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFcvV06CCaNXoWFvIKUHVmtK43QaPf7azRsrIu3j-0UBVlBGCwY7pdIew9_WgJCasEeDvcS5iybRhUJpWpHRf-azAGNdjwOQ54PcJs9Oj7_hniYCQitcxKavWrgDqvcJ79gNZTTVynEjE/s1600-h/Fire+Hazard+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283236693745530178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFcvV06CCaNXoWFvIKUHVmtK43QaPf7azRsrIu3j-0UBVlBGCwY7pdIew9_WgJCasEeDvcS5iybRhUJpWpHRf-azAGNdjwOQ54PcJs9Oj7_hniYCQitcxKavWrgDqvcJ79gNZTTVynEjE/s320/Fire+Hazard+2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Here I am golfing for maybe the 5th time in the past 20 years. Awesome.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0TadN4A7LMXQeHEeiy1fKtFP6JBRq2dUIwHZgTNy_V5xaV8teRz9uitxcVkECetlj998dLd4DFkk_S_XbAAnyeq3T7w0h8Jq7v7hJSQLITmzfF2qy7PbpdIpPn-oOxsA8J8WyA79iy2g/s1600-h/Kelly.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283236691667366898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0TadN4A7LMXQeHEeiy1fKtFP6JBRq2dUIwHZgTNy_V5xaV8teRz9uitxcVkECetlj998dLd4DFkk_S_XbAAnyeq3T7w0h8Jq7v7hJSQLITmzfF2qy7PbpdIpPn-oOxsA8J8WyA79iy2g/s320/Kelly.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />LTM is still playing even as the moon begins to rise:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddH-JWoDatiIImi-HJtWg4Cl4ncwx3Sv2oOfUa3_LXfh6lKrlWSZkpoY18JsGJwt68YfgxF9a6NspGcCtw7fMJLlKymFIqkBLFkXMNzjJ23_lz4fZrWnRdUjWwxUpOMRdmCqS4zZgqaQ/s1600-h/Moon+Shot.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283236695412872466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddH-JWoDatiIImi-HJtWg4Cl4ncwx3Sv2oOfUa3_LXfh6lKrlWSZkpoY18JsGJwt68YfgxF9a6NspGcCtw7fMJLlKymFIqkBLFkXMNzjJ23_lz4fZrWnRdUjWwxUpOMRdmCqS4zZgqaQ/s320/Moon+Shot.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Not a bad place to end the week...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglFhtFGlM7gvNOkbPhZxqLV9vN76oFxRsVyY0EhPnCF69GdMg1WIpkC1HhL07yY0UlAOCrrsKq-wLe-CatShrGYVvpPZzp2GUfa_l_0axNoafsM1M1cxrnRx1f15Eh7NEAMAxYZ9emBqA/s1600-h/Setting+Sun.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283236698085253218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglFhtFGlM7gvNOkbPhZxqLV9vN76oFxRsVyY0EhPnCF69GdMg1WIpkC1HhL07yY0UlAOCrrsKq-wLe-CatShrGYVvpPZzp2GUfa_l_0axNoafsM1M1cxrnRx1f15Eh7NEAMAxYZ9emBqA/s320/Setting+Sun.jpg" border="0" /></a> </p></div></div>Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-84635224839315920912008-11-11T14:56:00.002-11:002008-11-15T18:31:51.454-11:00Natural Woman...Fafa StyleThis performance was at one of the fashion shows during the Pacific Arts Festival:<br /><object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fwOUP2qHr7Q"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fwOUP2qHr7Q" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object>Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-214376797600624872008-11-08T15:01:00.003-11:002008-11-09T12:38:12.399-11:00Ayla Dancing the AvaHere's a video of one of our friends, Ayla, dancing the Ava, a traditional Samoan dance. Ayla travelled to Japan with a polynesian dance group earlier this year and has recently left the Rock to go back to Peru before she starts college. She's going to be dancing and teaching some of the traditional polynesian dances there to make some money for school. Go Ayla!<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7KXMRRd6nrE&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7KXMRRd6nrE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-65914298081549886552008-11-08T14:46:00.002-11:002008-11-09T12:40:12.693-11:00Welcome to the RockFound this AmSam video on YouTube and thought it was fun:<br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aHZvxRNHs68&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aHZvxRNHs68&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-780390920127022692008-11-06T15:49:00.000-11:002008-11-09T16:02:43.797-11:00EeeewwwwwwwwwThe other night I was sitting in my living room when I noticed the dogs were unusually quiet. I found Suka underneath the end table in the corner eating something and when I went to see what she was doing, I saw that there were hundreds and hundreds of these little insects. Some looked like little worms wriggling around, but most looked like ants with white wings that were about twice the length of their bodies. They were swarming all around the table in the corner. I couldn't figure out where they were coming from, so I just got the Raid and started spraying. I must have emptied half the can onto the couch, table, floor and walls when I noticed that there were about 15-20 frogs gathering in my driveway. They were bellowing to each other and when I looked out the window, I noticed that an even bigger swarm of these winged insects were starting to gather around my front door light. In a matter of minutes there were thousands and thousands of them flying around the light. It was like something out of a horror movie. After about an hour, they disapated...to where, I have no idea.<br /><br />Cut to a few days later, I was having dinner at Dougs when I saw a couple of those things flying around in his house. WTF are they?!? According to Doug, they are termites...it's hatching time right now. Fan-flippin-tastic. I wonder where the THOUSANDS are that I saw at my place a few nights before? At least I don't own the house.Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-42128979754016852972008-11-05T16:19:00.004-11:002008-11-09T13:28:17.103-11:00Elections<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHdaVXFTX_8K5f7v5US7ZSiMyT1xCpfpsYyERYVSh9aJgwBdkUV4appHsTrmsG4OqAJj0qXTTosRyq1VutlX_7jE5Uih6UxY5iyAYPWQaCpPlhfKhSB-nsl0UAqQu2yKiYZMrWF8crwo/s1600-h/Obama+Wins.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266811722710108994" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 371px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHdaVXFTX_8K5f7v5US7ZSiMyT1xCpfpsYyERYVSh9aJgwBdkUV4appHsTrmsG4OqAJj0qXTTosRyq1VutlX_7jE5Uih6UxY5iyAYPWQaCpPlhfKhSB-nsl0UAqQu2yKiYZMrWF8crwo/s400/Obama+Wins.jpg" border="0" /></a>Yesterday a small group of ExPats crowded around a friend's TV in the middle of the South Pacific to watch Barack Obama be elected as the next president of the United States. I have never been so proud...way to go America! The sense of hope and optimism was palpable. Although I wish I could have been in the states just to experience the electric energy that we saw running through the crowds as we watched the coverage on CNN, I am nevertheless thankful that despite being nearly 6000 miles away from home, I was still able to vote in this historic election. I also loved this newspaper clipping that someone sent me back during the build up to the election. Pretty profound...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATmw2plXTla4etrRSW1nNEDtYX-bR60ClCp9uCtyvHTs3AIgfqPkfD3-6CLJNhoIMBntEa87jHOfDIadIew6_pKsVlxjFExeA8KM1P4yA1ZponQuIxK2VePmrQkjiE0CfAqfTDs8MXpc/s1600-h/Profound.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 383px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATmw2plXTla4etrRSW1nNEDtYX-bR60ClCp9uCtyvHTs3AIgfqPkfD3-6CLJNhoIMBntEa87jHOfDIadIew6_pKsVlxjFExeA8KM1P4yA1ZponQuIxK2VePmrQkjiE0CfAqfTDs8MXpc/s400/Profound.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266815525571482626" /></a><br />Here on the Rock, we had our own local elections, the biggest of which was for governor (basically like the president of AmSam). You can only vote if you've lived here for more than 2 years, which rules out most of the ExPats since for the most part we're here on 2 year contracts. On election day there were tents set up all over the island from the various candidates handing out free plates of food. In addition to all the races for representatives to the Fono (legislature), there were four tickets running for governor/lieutennant governor--the incumbant and three challengers. Since you have to get more than 50% of the vote, there will be a run-off in 2 weeks to determine the winner. It's down to Togiola (the current gov.) and Utu. We'll see how that goes. <br /><br />Eni Faleomavaega just got re-elected to his 11th term as the American Samoan representative to the U.S. Congress. He has been representing the territory in this capacity since 1989, so he's no stranger to the political scene. Here he is on The Colbert Report...awesome.<br /><embed name="comedy_central_player" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" align="middle" src="http://www.comedycentral.com/sitewide/video_player/view/default/swf.jhtml" width="332" height="316" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="videoId=183215" quality="high" bgcolor="#cccccc" allowscriptaccess="always" allownetworking="external"></embed>Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-56016324083173386962008-11-02T16:13:00.001-11:002008-11-09T16:44:04.280-11:00Everyone Loves A ParadeThis year, American Samoa played host to the Miss South Pacific pagent. Contestants from various pacific countries came to our island to participate in the week-long competition. Miss Fiji, Miss Tonga, Miss Samoa, Miss Nuie, Miss American Samoa, Miss Tokelau, Miss Cook Islands, and Miss Aotearoa Pacific all competed for the top honors. Our friend Jeremy got to play host to the beauty contestants as part of his job...not a bad gig, huh? As part of the festivities, there was a parade complete with floats made by the delegations themselves. We went to check it out:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKGZ6Qc6XIqTGA4p69fzAsJmH_olsRVOF5ejcb3_6GttcUVzzn2rH7EADVbCf6bFXWvZRG1BORbXNHB1tlLpwWUY4drL6ddi5nLgp6mrdC_n6V2PjlREBV0HjXZFrOEwN717EXV5feA8/s1600-h/Bisquick+Drum.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266862980266882466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKGZ6Qc6XIqTGA4p69fzAsJmH_olsRVOF5ejcb3_6GttcUVzzn2rH7EADVbCf6bFXWvZRG1BORbXNHB1tlLpwWUY4drL6ddi5nLgp6mrdC_n6V2PjlREBV0HjXZFrOEwN717EXV5feA8/s320/Bisquick+Drum.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpLfYmkCGwx1xWEvfds9ih9sEmGzU-9Rv_4NKWSG71g1wHKNXmBnT9vQiz0eSuQHJ5T9m34FAXJi0ix_BiFlpW2u_eqpsiXAajVNPEvnWwin_QJplfI035BQIz_6xrvD2oygTW7nsswQ/s1600-h/Cook+Islands+Shell+Float.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266862971224035858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpLfYmkCGwx1xWEvfds9ih9sEmGzU-9Rv_4NKWSG71g1wHKNXmBnT9vQiz0eSuQHJ5T9m34FAXJi0ix_BiFlpW2u_eqpsiXAajVNPEvnWwin_QJplfI035BQIz_6xrvD2oygTW7nsswQ/s320/Cook+Islands+Shell+Float.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQe5qQgMJwo5ioezdw_L3Scqq6PnrqTtY2iH-05lT4scUOFUNev7TSaujARtsPh3Eb4pbIq7MDfe1E-akXpz338Cet3kNPPXK6GvhbL4W4FObrbvoG4GBkWH28tZyENRnSi7I8q5SzJk/s1600-h/Kids.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266862968806655410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQe5qQgMJwo5ioezdw_L3Scqq6PnrqTtY2iH-05lT4scUOFUNev7TSaujARtsPh3Eb4pbIq7MDfe1E-akXpz338Cet3kNPPXK6GvhbL4W4FObrbvoG4GBkWH28tZyENRnSi7I8q5SzJk/s320/Kids.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSm30qCjb200z_GA0X4MX1R58J0YPoQprO4KJ6gqQd7-zRwc0A_hKH-lO4F9oNkpTTwcy6Rlxge8hKWGQQ68l5uUqWrK1YG0EjirulhjDz0S-aSNA-_VXMRd-o7UAKIDSmo1c0zlz6n2U/s1600-h/Black+Car+Float.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266862608853236722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSm30qCjb200z_GA0X4MX1R58J0YPoQprO4KJ6gqQd7-zRwc0A_hKH-lO4F9oNkpTTwcy6Rlxge8hKWGQQ68l5uUqWrK1YG0EjirulhjDz0S-aSNA-_VXMRd-o7UAKIDSmo1c0zlz6n2U/s320/Black+Car+Float.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiihOurhcJ7D8HI0bKd3PId3K5t0FauGiaTTQ74E0_Tt3hFYFFaqQeUd1iwj2b61LunRyp7IlRyG_3NPP8wT1Y2ergHUdB0HWhJM9X_8JfmBEjjuSqhiBeOY_NIaYIsJqrq2F-ZIW0RstY/s1600-h/Turtle+Float.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266862601943403106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiihOurhcJ7D8HI0bKd3PId3K5t0FauGiaTTQ74E0_Tt3hFYFFaqQeUd1iwj2b61LunRyp7IlRyG_3NPP8wT1Y2ergHUdB0HWhJM9X_8JfmBEjjuSqhiBeOY_NIaYIsJqrq2F-ZIW0RstY/s320/Turtle+Float.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi325BJrN5-BGanQ_EQM7vMwery35qK6y_U8Ql2YonZRNWkVbhhOtWo8uIp3A1GY2SmvnTxrESO7caE0KNePucxqaewT9-2aw0qwHYkuJ1nHaJG09TdFbuAUEc4o0PcdUk65z40Qoq7r3k/s1600-h/Sun+Float.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266862596182244754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi325BJrN5-BGanQ_EQM7vMwery35qK6y_U8Ql2YonZRNWkVbhhOtWo8uIp3A1GY2SmvnTxrESO7caE0KNePucxqaewT9-2aw0qwHYkuJ1nHaJG09TdFbuAUEc4o0PcdUk65z40Qoq7r3k/s320/Sun+Float.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUgXPJpBB_Ds_UdfzMixmgY7q6L7-KI_zTKT2kcgQbzCN4bKTJHfsTk1dOUuIjHOqQ_tYbpMo8WIhaZTy_C7VlrSmtbfNpGHUHc4KyA82Ytaz-CMteTaF79WZLkBNLx8XNUMgbxry1k8/s1600-h/Miss+Nuie.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266862587919418034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUgXPJpBB_Ds_UdfzMixmgY7q6L7-KI_zTKT2kcgQbzCN4bKTJHfsTk1dOUuIjHOqQ_tYbpMo8WIhaZTy_C7VlrSmtbfNpGHUHc4KyA82Ytaz-CMteTaF79WZLkBNLx8XNUMgbxry1k8/s320/Miss+Nuie.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-Zul20uMInjlZlxHNkgonkvaRkcDRBwZlUYR8DrwM_VCR8yaJZqZUhyphenhyphenbXMx7dlEzHWpjn785TmtjhG9h3oIcz3YRYbaC0fECdcYXIqkt9kZybIZHMomrJs3kAqbbur0eVX6QK9NeERg/s1600-h/Spectators.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266862584386332738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-Zul20uMInjlZlxHNkgonkvaRkcDRBwZlUYR8DrwM_VCR8yaJZqZUhyphenhyphenbXMx7dlEzHWpjn785TmtjhG9h3oIcz3YRYbaC0fECdcYXIqkt9kZybIZHMomrJs3kAqbbur0eVX6QK9NeERg/s320/Spectators.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Miss Nuie walked away with the top honors. She's the one in the last float picture just above the boys watching from the sidelines.Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-62754263291489316722008-11-01T13:31:00.009-11:002019-02-01T13:35:31.271-11:00Spooky, Scary<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKfzybODE9efLEK8JFWFS-5C_bncWFmwiWtM1dKN43IUHCvJZ9I4caOPKZZxDs_bMxwVFG8raZba6iXuliY9AXT6tlb1v5KsLAwDTkXBRjz8UCraXBUjeQeS6fLZjn5NcDGTHknUz224/s1600-h/Me+%26+Batty.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266850155418944322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKfzybODE9efLEK8JFWFS-5C_bncWFmwiWtM1dKN43IUHCvJZ9I4caOPKZZxDs_bMxwVFG8raZba6iXuliY9AXT6tlb1v5KsLAwDTkXBRjz8UCraXBUjeQeS6fLZjn5NcDGTHknUz224/s320/Me+%26+Batty.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a>If you're in Lions Park (where we live) on Halloween, you can expect swarms of kids to come trick-or-treating at your door. And when I saw swarms of kids, I mean HUNDREDS & HUNDREDS (if not thousands) of kids. They are bussed in from all over the island. Some are in costumes, others are not. Early on you get more of the little kids with their parents, but as the night wears on, you've got fully grown teenagers showing up without any costume on asking for candy or whatever else you've got to give. I was lucky in that we left Lions Park shortly after 6pm to go stock our friend Matt's house with food and supplies (he was having emergency surgery to remove his appendix on Halloween--actual surgery at LBJ...talk about scary!) so I didn't get overwhelmed with the full force of the invasion. But in the 20 minutes it took for me to get my stuff together and get out of the house, I had close to 70 trick-or-treaters and went through at least 1 giant bag of candy. For our Halloween fun, the Harty's threw an awesome pirate party over in Coconut Point. Julia spent the weeks leading up to the party collecting cool pirate paraphernalia and sewing costumes for her whole family. They were fan-flippin-tastic. Some people came as pirates, while others came in all sorts of other costumes. We didn't leave until after 3am and the party was still going when we hit the road. It was a great night.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tXvycokohPqq0Xmgylp2ciYF3TT_JTJFDHxaLDO4qs3BFymCQjqW4FOgGK-tOKhB-ve11FTwc9S2o-Gm3yLPnz_w592nxQ8VsuHJstdbMW00wu5kacZZm3zw0mJEeqPqTATrKwjAgAc/s1600-h/Pirate+Faces.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266849866396333538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tXvycokohPqq0Xmgylp2ciYF3TT_JTJFDHxaLDO4qs3BFymCQjqW4FOgGK-tOKhB-ve11FTwc9S2o-Gm3yLPnz_w592nxQ8VsuHJstdbMW00wu5kacZZm3zw0mJEeqPqTATrKwjAgAc/s320/Pirate+Faces.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZ_85E1StrJpXGujlFou4dZDYL_Tmj2DH9n1eRcIz27RJIZskaYxj4JKL-Cb4RA45epkydHDcJmS-VM5zBcnomrc9KDWA2n4nmfJjCnXm04hyphenhyphenDm6JaPo9sQQ1C3BS04fWNzxL9H4GS7I/s1600-h/Jurgens,+Pirate+Naomi+%26+LTM.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266849857575555330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZ_85E1StrJpXGujlFou4dZDYL_Tmj2DH9n1eRcIz27RJIZskaYxj4JKL-Cb4RA45epkydHDcJmS-VM5zBcnomrc9KDWA2n4nmfJjCnXm04hyphenhyphenDm6JaPo9sQQ1C3BS04fWNzxL9H4GS7I/s320/Jurgens,+Pirate+Naomi+%26+LTM.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsM-xQJOkiR5lBiXhS8DelpGOxp42EmBSuwnqm_lgUcdZYo-_9bJ2WL3AmlSynuLgcFbZDv1EmTvSkJIWdDhJ5ng48Rk8y57Zh-WQcupHNtkTdhCNXMRBvp0CbbyfsGsN5WeNkhH6NlEY/s1600-h/Chase,+Cap%27n+Jack+%26+Jurgens.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266849852145385314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsM-xQJOkiR5lBiXhS8DelpGOxp42EmBSuwnqm_lgUcdZYo-_9bJ2WL3AmlSynuLgcFbZDv1EmTvSkJIWdDhJ5ng48Rk8y57Zh-WQcupHNtkTdhCNXMRBvp0CbbyfsGsN5WeNkhH6NlEY/s320/Chase,+Cap'n+Jack+%26+Jurgens.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85ofGlvHnndSufSfLObSFzSOvGLTxPPhYHrZaAqT_gSnil1ULh8vCU3ICWXsj1Rg7LL8E76GwQPPq0Dx5OVtr2Xvqvimke1jsDQpIfpKu81261gjvGEM1Mzd3gdwQDBHTTPOm4bKmyFQ/s1600-h/Hanging+Out+4"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266849855780825010" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85ofGlvHnndSufSfLObSFzSOvGLTxPPhYHrZaAqT_gSnil1ULh8vCU3ICWXsj1Rg7LL8E76GwQPPq0Dx5OVtr2Xvqvimke1jsDQpIfpKu81261gjvGEM1Mzd3gdwQDBHTTPOm4bKmyFQ/s320/Hanging+Out+4" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 213px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7ySQTuzE2fL2_fc5hR2UveR0pFMA99-aCfK1NfoEfQXoSjrOiX4SkSL__90D8la_74AWE0veUSnafgiOIh79tuktbYZxb5cNxRGNTxmPHB9d54MmL3FegecVZlg2xtsPcSYB8_9_Dxo/s1600-h/Hanging+Out.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266848504848490018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7ySQTuzE2fL2_fc5hR2UveR0pFMA99-aCfK1NfoEfQXoSjrOiX4SkSL__90D8la_74AWE0veUSnafgiOIh79tuktbYZxb5cNxRGNTxmPHB9d54MmL3FegecVZlg2xtsPcSYB8_9_Dxo/s320/Hanging+Out.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20GYaeMeFutXs8ykwXE9vCWUjfRitH4DrNJ4FyE9itdJN6jgCuANbIm_VT23ls4_HOYkA2RNtw7vkt8q4qhNZLfzoDKpdqjRvIGuZQD-HATQ7-9UxzFyccLjXdVgGy6KFBBvRzJsdJFE/s1600-h/Hanging+Out+3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266848501012359954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20GYaeMeFutXs8ykwXE9vCWUjfRitH4DrNJ4FyE9itdJN6jgCuANbIm_VT23ls4_HOYkA2RNtw7vkt8q4qhNZLfzoDKpdqjRvIGuZQD-HATQ7-9UxzFyccLjXdVgGy6KFBBvRzJsdJFE/s320/Hanging+Out+3.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 227px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
A pirate fight broke out...even Peter Pan got in on the action:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjomgAxQndgDKcNFIJttSgp31SRaRVtFqdvjFTg65gtp4G8_9nDArIZbP9tvOauahTYo7mmtHKGUeZw7N_At4hqSEeuNC5OkMWVWwuCnwgqz1MnjjqhoiORc2TOvBwgEOB-83QcmXenGbg/s1600-h/2+Pirates+%26+Pan.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266848501063175794" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjomgAxQndgDKcNFIJttSgp31SRaRVtFqdvjFTg65gtp4G8_9nDArIZbP9tvOauahTYo7mmtHKGUeZw7N_At4hqSEeuNC5OkMWVWwuCnwgqz1MnjjqhoiORc2TOvBwgEOB-83QcmXenGbg/s320/2+Pirates+%26+Pan.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
LTM was Doug's House:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30CSnxBwQWCpALJ92OZoAJl9uhKqTWmIUqXKzuYuozSctQ1x8nlHv9ZIBgiO-3dx5OexDCd9gNnM08iDM29-ZPiT3Qz4yilxzVaQHNKihGD0Zi7kcsWmT7z1LsLid7kdTxVcfwLakgf4/s1600-h/LTM+Full+House.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266848498560289410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30CSnxBwQWCpALJ92OZoAJl9uhKqTWmIUqXKzuYuozSctQ1x8nlHv9ZIBgiO-3dx5OexDCd9gNnM08iDM29-ZPiT3Qz4yilxzVaQHNKihGD0Zi7kcsWmT7z1LsLid7kdTxVcfwLakgf4/s320/LTM+Full+House.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 218px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
I was LTM: True Hollywood Story:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj74T81GbE3QvTvt0qIIdVoJ1y8TnK4TSLicTBh-qCkDR0fgNglzY90WHmmUSl_LbcUDni91YEGblW-VnHgcRA-F4Cjecro65cRQnyAq_ysxH4A-jjyeF0zsAXvhe-Gp-DO06_mFDxeocQ/s1600-h/The+LTM%27s.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266848490959029618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj74T81GbE3QvTvt0qIIdVoJ1y8TnK4TSLicTBh-qCkDR0fgNglzY90WHmmUSl_LbcUDni91YEGblW-VnHgcRA-F4Cjecro65cRQnyAq_ysxH4A-jjyeF0zsAXvhe-Gp-DO06_mFDxeocQ/s320/The+LTM's.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Aaron as Dirty Doug...wow...just, wow.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0b3_zwa23Fn7x2U0CKPPK5fshoOlCK4EkKYjRAoQKYU3MKfsurgwjwfZGh_gxNdxYaP0ZONp_OXVc3Upjt48iDv3oUJ2kMSkWgd2mOlkNDhpldqW1CgRRyp8g0u6eE6meAu7t01Us_U/s1600-h/Jurgens+Pumping+Iron.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266846728728186450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0b3_zwa23Fn7x2U0CKPPK5fshoOlCK4EkKYjRAoQKYU3MKfsurgwjwfZGh_gxNdxYaP0ZONp_OXVc3Upjt48iDv3oUJ2kMSkWgd2mOlkNDhpldqW1CgRRyp8g0u6eE6meAu7t01Us_U/s320/Jurgens+Pumping+Iron.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
Yes, Nate is a douche bag:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBXmHq7A3Wr6FZ9-DfMHi9kJhz9fOql9GX89Ajp0pvf7Kc7y4UjvGYDlP6EokegQJsoJPisu7G674_ASCvv3H-voRyeuzGHDFRrxF57htWK0CXH79bbh__kWEENaR2B3Wn6qsQL118d8s/s1600-h/Douche.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266846722938015090" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBXmHq7A3Wr6FZ9-DfMHi9kJhz9fOql9GX89Ajp0pvf7Kc7y4UjvGYDlP6EokegQJsoJPisu7G674_ASCvv3H-voRyeuzGHDFRrxF57htWK0CXH79bbh__kWEENaR2B3Wn6qsQL118d8s/s320/Douche.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 273px;" /></a><br />
Pirate Chris (aka Captain Jack Sparrow) & Samoa Steve (aka Giant Pirate)<br />
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The clerks in their rockin' safari suits:<br />
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A couple of latino kings:<br />
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By far, the coolest part of the night was the Tongan fruit bat that our friend Alden brought to the party. It's just a baby, so it can't fly yet. Only in American Samoa would you be able to play with a real live bat at your Halloween party.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYGvXWujpCMEi52csR0gUoDZLqGVZ3zSEA0hib1c9msjjQT0Z1ZLXpPSg6zcH56pEZ7lO5uYu-At_SgtOJn8LEZAtIL6jxQ7pltG_ArHx6s4vAS40RHlQGSXTWeTrBYz-Mvot4lHJZiQ/s1600-h/LTM+%26+Batty.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266844835788685442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYGvXWujpCMEi52csR0gUoDZLqGVZ3zSEA0hib1c9msjjQT0Z1ZLXpPSg6zcH56pEZ7lO5uYu-At_SgtOJn8LEZAtIL6jxQ7pltG_ArHx6s4vAS40RHlQGSXTWeTrBYz-Mvot4lHJZiQ/s320/LTM+%26+Batty.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Y6ZD96kS6xMlWIOyBlE73zIsK1dI4wtAVr1cys6EUoBGXhkBEIYXW9O5_e7YArV7bzbRNe_th1zbRgshXI2ugFFpGoH2EXtcVzPWFR74jG_E1Xn7C072kCOGUv-okgOjAqLCrz4UY24/s1600-h/Me+%26+Batty+2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266844826215832290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Y6ZD96kS6xMlWIOyBlE73zIsK1dI4wtAVr1cys6EUoBGXhkBEIYXW9O5_e7YArV7bzbRNe_th1zbRgshXI2ugFFpGoH2EXtcVzPWFR74jG_E1Xn7C072kCOGUv-okgOjAqLCrz4UY24/s320/Me+%26+Batty+2.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeaMQwftc7K_bEBCPbaxsqS1zra6M509CN4sEHAk9H71ZzarjLPMH33QwTgMYlCL6haBIfLcVWqVSdtoNSWlzpFBCc4w4B4wsanHmzxujyaWmqDJfPvUIzNTIPLWQHpU6ulHgemad9-nw/s1600-h/Batty+in+my+mouth.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266843818891689730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeaMQwftc7K_bEBCPbaxsqS1zra6M509CN4sEHAk9H71ZzarjLPMH33QwTgMYlCL6haBIfLcVWqVSdtoNSWlzpFBCc4w4B4wsanHmzxujyaWmqDJfPvUIzNTIPLWQHpU6ulHgemad9-nw/s320/Batty+in+my+mouth.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31cBcvSo4tzIESHykAKkPrreMbfchQ021i_x-R-rjeyDh4NkkuBAByfkampB5805TveYpg9u8IrbrIAUAmWrp91wOlU1PrpVbXtu88wnXyh1f_xOcczDTfRJdQ6ZpwR4J0cSq7LosnRs/s1600-h/Pirate+Chris+%26+Bat.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266843816838600226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31cBcvSo4tzIESHykAKkPrreMbfchQ021i_x-R-rjeyDh4NkkuBAByfkampB5805TveYpg9u8IrbrIAUAmWrp91wOlU1PrpVbXtu88wnXyh1f_xOcczDTfRJdQ6ZpwR4J0cSq7LosnRs/s320/Pirate+Chris+%26+Bat.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKTdQiEyeYlg152QQKzx6PYKn5wG1b_yQfqVSO0TT3r65UDWL3Lu1xU7zgx4Z57lBnLpZzjczbGBytLCcQPp3yGdmtxa-IwMfob7FrYaGWF1XY226lmWQzHVHaz6ghJGjqKO7v_KHWNo/s1600-h/Julia+%26+Batty.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266843809983641090" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKTdQiEyeYlg152QQKzx6PYKn5wG1b_yQfqVSO0TT3r65UDWL3Lu1xU7zgx4Z57lBnLpZzjczbGBytLCcQPp3yGdmtxa-IwMfob7FrYaGWF1XY226lmWQzHVHaz6ghJGjqKO7v_KHWNo/s320/Julia+%26+Batty.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL613qsgkOH_2aG40r3M0t0ZohXHhGHwUYOYAjSeuQOnoLe3nt_xGaoejzuTLIC-3CjM2Y_Aswo1OEFvk5iSpxg12Fm4gBWI2OPvCq5RGEzkq4x6trS0xP-O55JqEfqO-F4e_1shlZ6gc/s1600-h/Batty+%26+Chase.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266843800153137906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL613qsgkOH_2aG40r3M0t0ZohXHhGHwUYOYAjSeuQOnoLe3nt_xGaoejzuTLIC-3CjM2Y_Aswo1OEFvk5iSpxg12Fm4gBWI2OPvCq5RGEzkq4x6trS0xP-O55JqEfqO-F4e_1shlZ6gc/s320/Batty+%26+Chase.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
As the night went on, we found more and more uses for Samoa Steve's awesome pirate sword. Here he is chopping Doug's cucumber with his sword. Don't ask why Doug has a cucumber in his shorts...long story. Check out Aaron as Dirty Doug doing his weights in the background and watch Jeremy's face after the chop is made...priceless.<br />
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Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-59562521963340319602008-10-26T22:34:00.002-11:002008-11-08T16:57:55.627-11:00Tisa's Tatoo Festival<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQerLv5YnxOnyDkh70LWLDWRRkAG0eAv6Bckano4gpraVuwOh_tNQL0N5J0FTf_SeQyLpqmKIV85hy8Ea2K6LGA1REsONICv7buwNRk_IaesHGd8sK6XxUYs8WMSym-KMprD0AS6IJi8/s1600-h/Sign.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261753435550718450" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQerLv5YnxOnyDkh70LWLDWRRkAG0eAv6Bckano4gpraVuwOh_tNQL0N5J0FTf_SeQyLpqmKIV85hy8Ea2K6LGA1REsONICv7buwNRk_IaesHGd8sK6XxUYs8WMSym-KMprD0AS6IJi8/s320/Sign.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div align="left">This weekend was Tisa’s Tatoo Festival, described as “the most completely unique tradition on the planet.” It was held at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/Tisa">Tisa's Barefoot Bar</a>, a South Pacific institution, located on a beautiful beach in Alega, on the eastern side of our fair island. All sorts of tattoo artists were on hand ready to lend their skills to those willing to become walking art canvasses. There were plenty of good times to be had—food, drinks, playing in the ocean, music, entertainment, and all around merriment. </div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br />Julia, me & Naomi: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV7pdo-Ti9tVOF2HJwgPckPrtHuRZu3Rlk885fJtz8XupF6R9R09ACfUpDe7Y2FjyBm-vfyFIuHBlvPKgcLUPPuy3dX1LKKIeI5mzTn0eiftD-yXnlzk8zL1vtbqivk69zXaB0n25Z8l0/s1600-h/Julia,+me+%26+Naomi.jpg"></div></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261746598997157810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV7pdo-Ti9tVOF2HJwgPckPrtHuRZu3Rlk885fJtz8XupF6R9R09ACfUpDe7Y2FjyBm-vfyFIuHBlvPKgcLUPPuy3dX1LKKIeI5mzTn0eiftD-yXnlzk8zL1vtbqivk69zXaB0n25Z8l0/s320/Julia,+me+%26+Naomi.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Here's the beach:</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgNYNrvNpgFiKmuw_xiwcCDmT02WOtuOsb9PMxNP_ToK-sChvQDhpc5gfM3ncpHqDxiG8wVqr3LNzWC5LflrYiZQ1NkxtmorZ8eBXRT2LAalJWy9dKC6xFV9W2B8A_ZbPsmuU5Pb9Sqg/s1600-h/Beach.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261745678981367266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgNYNrvNpgFiKmuw_xiwcCDmT02WOtuOsb9PMxNP_ToK-sChvQDhpc5gfM3ncpHqDxiG8wVqr3LNzWC5LflrYiZQ1NkxtmorZ8eBXRT2LAalJWy9dKC6xFV9W2B8A_ZbPsmuU5Pb9Sqg/s320/Beach.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"></a></p><br /><p align="center">Everett playing on the rope swing:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiH6LQwjOJaWt5krt0R7a6HL-4b1rtXJtItyzWVOZeYDT7lnjFUXy0aQ4aeKz2BOuzky2TiwbAWx6Ay628pPwBVXlaQoJMHpkoxMJSTJVY-pG98PM5q670k-oOC1k34rRVyKrVe5l9z1g/s1600-h/Everett+Swinging.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261746205815072562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiH6LQwjOJaWt5krt0R7a6HL-4b1rtXJtItyzWVOZeYDT7lnjFUXy0aQ4aeKz2BOuzky2TiwbAWx6Ay628pPwBVXlaQoJMHpkoxMJSTJVY-pG98PM5q670k-oOC1k34rRVyKrVe5l9z1g/s320/Everett+Swinging.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The stage was really cool: <div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73NDlFq1eX5C8Bs4bBRiQ3HOYoxOqrdz-ZF_gHZzB7Gy9uVLinvWL9L-Em-z2LTXqR5wG2uoXZOoQIwA2VL-DGB7mykFWQxmQ20HDSGVF6eZ-c0NTY7_CnygSguPE_TIETnjMARYSDkg/s1600-h/The+Stage.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261745685008024594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73NDlFq1eX5C8Bs4bBRiQ3HOYoxOqrdz-ZF_gHZzB7Gy9uVLinvWL9L-Em-z2LTXqR5wG2uoXZOoQIwA2VL-DGB7mykFWQxmQ20HDSGVF6eZ-c0NTY7_CnygSguPE_TIETnjMARYSDkg/s320/The+Stage.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The power cord in the water...not so cool:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPUfF5gISc8-BNMOR29fOOxkZaX89Hx3MNASH6yIMQ-dulLUyn1aYMnCsVPcuSokBwttCB_Vf5Npm29AbkYgvjLCfco8Swun5YXsdGT7-9cg2bieMLcyyDVxLKQyDXfUEP9WdTP4C8wXE/s1600-h/Water+Cord.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261745685348399826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPUfF5gISc8-BNMOR29fOOxkZaX89Hx3MNASH6yIMQ-dulLUyn1aYMnCsVPcuSokBwttCB_Vf5Npm29AbkYgvjLCfco8Swun5YXsdGT7-9cg2bieMLcyyDVxLKQyDXfUEP9WdTP4C8wXE/s320/Water+Cord.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Getting their groove on:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSLOTL5Wf1yOAesahanRcGchnKu9SoyyLawORo3ui9nabOmey3OmYQppnE6kYk5197_IL6yOrontUhw8QHC7z572tjqmlfDzaG2lDxTqZF-mqAVTYg65q1KowHqGfpykj3E4mIK5H-sls/s1600-h/Dancing.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261745686344754082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSLOTL5Wf1yOAesahanRcGchnKu9SoyyLawORo3ui9nabOmey3OmYQppnE6kYk5197_IL6yOrontUhw8QHC7z572tjqmlfDzaG2lDxTqZF-mqAVTYg65q1KowHqGfpykj3E4mIK5H-sls/s320/Dancing.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />LTM, Naomi & Barbara:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFG43Z3Uuzlvr71cnyREqUJLAG5g5b1dSBHs8F7O23cIoIKt9RGhzKPANdkOd146sdrrDBFeS1L4RRJZH_N00jAbCG8VHSMNtmpOyfQXMFBLjFGiW7kbgqc6Py3HAXajw9qp0R2uhRYk/s1600-h/LTM,+Naomi+%26+Barbara.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261746603625788450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFG43Z3Uuzlvr71cnyREqUJLAG5g5b1dSBHs8F7O23cIoIKt9RGhzKPANdkOd146sdrrDBFeS1L4RRJZH_N00jAbCG8VHSMNtmpOyfQXMFBLjFGiW7kbgqc6Py3HAXajw9qp0R2uhRYk/s320/LTM,+Naomi+%26+Barbara.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Inside the bar:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZiYMl1k_sMXZT-jOiT82l4wgfFzb0YVsPgoqhZQPVPOF4YxdcSUhbwQeoaWy5Cy2AV5GAq7-bd3s77HhSeaHh_cQFIsfTZI7gGJVSblvw5eThj9m4fMTf9w2DdOjYuqiRnNgQWwDxPHo/s1600-h/Inside.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261746212643443154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZiYMl1k_sMXZT-jOiT82l4wgfFzb0YVsPgoqhZQPVPOF4YxdcSUhbwQeoaWy5Cy2AV5GAq7-bd3s77HhSeaHh_cQFIsfTZI7gGJVSblvw5eThj9m4fMTf9w2DdOjYuqiRnNgQWwDxPHo/s320/Inside.jpg" border="0" /></a> Flags hanging from the ceiling:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfzXMzwdVmPBjbmJFjSt_h8AkT9wHfh4WA2zyoCfq6esJlkAUy8jBW9KgzqsdNWiNzMedbWB2FwH6418bKHSj3r7AdpGE6_BudTTWVlmlIaPOCPrHSvaqfeccUCMg3H2do_OkjPKpwSI/s1600-h/Flags.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261746203283650610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfzXMzwdVmPBjbmJFjSt_h8AkT9wHfh4WA2zyoCfq6esJlkAUy8jBW9KgzqsdNWiNzMedbWB2FwH6418bKHSj3r7AdpGE6_BudTTWVlmlIaPOCPrHSvaqfeccUCMg3H2do_OkjPKpwSI/s320/Flags.jpg" border="0" /></a>Drunk Clif made an appearance...which was awesome!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvS6vzzcx_QgBKzIEjluzhKDAI3knzcJLmt7AWPJ9vShxV16StfUOm2VmexjF-GKsVF800XG3KOGII7Clwtm9njjMiqOa8QFJ-JYoNvd0akC12c88oHES4DQ_CrVAVh0S67YZd0VX4oY/s1600-h/Drunk+Clif.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261746212344961874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvS6vzzcx_QgBKzIEjluzhKDAI3knzcJLmt7AWPJ9vShxV16StfUOm2VmexjF-GKsVF800XG3KOGII7Clwtm9njjMiqOa8QFJ-JYoNvd0akC12c88oHES4DQ_CrVAVh0S67YZd0VX4oY/s320/Drunk+Clif.jpg" border="0" /></a> Candyman & Tisa:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmMgRWC52OR8aSpyGsFLvliPMuHA227DKntCSIfD-ZgyaEwaKspgB8nKZnucQmt_jrOR-8SEdmFFRLvyJwgtktZz7Frx7eFHtyo7XBmq6H9pKf9B7bdy7HnW43tmS8o67x7i8vVtlQKw/s1600-h/Candyman+%26+Tisa.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261746200017237442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmMgRWC52OR8aSpyGsFLvliPMuHA227DKntCSIfD-ZgyaEwaKspgB8nKZnucQmt_jrOR-8SEdmFFRLvyJwgtktZz7Frx7eFHtyo7XBmq6H9pKf9B7bdy7HnW43tmS8o67x7i8vVtlQKw/s320/Candyman+%26+Tisa.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Tisa doing a traditional dance to close out day 1 of Tatoo Fest:<br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WIoHwV0o1cY"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WIoHwV0o1cY" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed> </object></div>Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-29262985771165936562008-10-26T20:04:00.007-11:002008-10-26T20:41:39.323-11:00Maps & Such...<div align="center">American Samoa is often referred to as the heart of Polynesia. Here's a map of Oceania so you can understand where we are in relation to the rest of the islands in the South Pacific:</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHP9BWUmYV1PfUsreUTscVxeLcrhDA6sgt6oXGgBLKH_O17SP3NobYmSVwh1eJFJbzsBa651026k0K9BdA1497WD6VlF7m1ege7A6-J0bnPbuhTeo8tzA0HQbbhVRrFU1FQ6v9buIpag/s1600-h/Oceania+Map+with+Globe.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261731860879344162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 246px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHP9BWUmYV1PfUsreUTscVxeLcrhDA6sgt6oXGgBLKH_O17SP3NobYmSVwh1eJFJbzsBa651026k0K9BdA1497WD6VlF7m1ege7A6-J0bnPbuhTeo8tzA0HQbbhVRrFU1FQ6v9buIpag/s320/Oceania+Map+with+Globe.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Here's a map of the islands of Am Sam (minus the Swains & Rose Atol):<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqEZTP1zbhwpW-SiFl6N_2EX2I0iKRGRWUrOSWr5_YrokNuap7aYk_11iuQh-TGPtFpGijYDvshKjigMD7PHGFbiG-zPtxf34yoEJv8pXogrBVvbVEJR2VeYjkmnCsVk2B1k_VbJY9dCU/s1600-h/Am+Sam+Map+3.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261731851079289426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 298px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqEZTP1zbhwpW-SiFl6N_2EX2I0iKRGRWUrOSWr5_YrokNuap7aYk_11iuQh-TGPtFpGijYDvshKjigMD7PHGFbiG-zPtxf34yoEJv8pXogrBVvbVEJR2VeYjkmnCsVk2B1k_VbJY9dCU/s320/Am+Sam+Map+3.png" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>This one shows how far away from stuff we are:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5LG6P2NEDYRMnkbWZtFkpYHWj4XdA8IcZU7QOGQrdD0ju1IBdyEvTDbX4k0KBH7gFV4wqnBbExkgVoblA8mVhB6waGLjSzMIQolnUtZmHAFHng5wywv88-vG8BjKAPID85VtZ1a3D_E/s1600-h/Samoa+Map+with+Distances.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261728898983345490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 185px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5LG6P2NEDYRMnkbWZtFkpYHWj4XdA8IcZU7QOGQrdD0ju1IBdyEvTDbX4k0KBH7gFV4wqnBbExkgVoblA8mVhB6waGLjSzMIQolnUtZmHAFHng5wywv88-vG8BjKAPID85VtZ1a3D_E/s320/Samoa+Map+with+Distances.gif" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>This map shows where we fall in relation to the International Date Line: <div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLZ69dASM5zCMNYmmDCLLyVyiOgyJi3QIJrrqWILJqeJP-O6lomEi3vH58ziWqUKp7fygPGmCcFarqa2tEOwHiWtM1QE8LRW0ScBK3KNvUZk0ubqrh6Vq2zWNNLpWl6qJFkBm9EtU1ps/s1600-h/date+line.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261728892970043442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 295px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLZ69dASM5zCMNYmmDCLLyVyiOgyJi3QIJrrqWILJqeJP-O6lomEi3vH58ziWqUKp7fygPGmCcFarqa2tEOwHiWtM1QE8LRW0ScBK3KNvUZk0ubqrh6Vq2zWNNLpWl6qJFkBm9EtU1ps/s320/date+line.png" border="0" /></a> And finally, here is the flag of American Samoa:<br /><div align="center"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CkI7I_oonC2EIjXD6WPZdPrS6lx0YKugWVgPUDzCK-3lj8WXzmipV0LEIHLdrTeL4xsHJCKzefOg2xISZbY8jt3YS2LpefoBNSpTMxnvsA7SdOJ9sEJfHKowe_rokRP5-MpinRUuSv4/s1600-h/Flag.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261731858051592418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 294px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 151px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CkI7I_oonC2EIjXD6WPZdPrS6lx0YKugWVgPUDzCK-3lj8WXzmipV0LEIHLdrTeL4xsHJCKzefOg2xISZbY8jt3YS2LpefoBNSpTMxnvsA7SdOJ9sEJfHKowe_rokRP5-MpinRUuSv4/s320/Flag.gif" border="0" /></a> </div>Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-67803269554256702742008-10-26T19:05:00.005-11:002008-10-26T20:00:20.988-11:00A House Full of Puppies<div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqHjI9lvpiPyBBHedqiyTRYc2c2V7_XXx9Vzjo6n4BXcdS37psxiymNo_nS0GRIwYq2R3OuvKxwFO7h6BcWJ-X4lUvdD0WKcJShGLMfVxw-aYhi1ql3zk94nt4VtdCQZzdqdK2r0RI8w4/s1600-h/Piglett+%26+Patch.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261713131347070386" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqHjI9lvpiPyBBHedqiyTRYc2c2V7_XXx9Vzjo6n4BXcdS37psxiymNo_nS0GRIwYq2R3OuvKxwFO7h6BcWJ-X4lUvdD0WKcJShGLMfVxw-aYhi1ql3zk94nt4VtdCQZzdqdK2r0RI8w4/s320/Piglett+%26+Patch.jpg" border="0" /></a>As I've mentioned before, there are alot of wild and roaming dogs that live in and around Lion's Park. A few weeks ago yet another one of those dogs was pregnant and had a litter of puppies. The mom had been coming around my house whenever I would take Suka & Meli out for several days and a couple of times I saw a little white puff following at her heel. Then, one day as I was taking the girls out to go potty one last time before I headed off to work, I saw mom with one of her pups. As I approached them the puppy ran right up to me--he was super friendly. In the picture to the left, he was the one with the brown patch over his eye. I picked him up and I could hear his brother yelping from behind the fence. You see, there is a fence that runs along the outer edge of our street and there are several holes in that fence that the wild/roaming dogs go in and out of. Alot of times the pregnant mom dogs go back behind the fence and dig out dens to have their puppies in. I found the other pup and was able to guide him along the fence to the hole. Once out, I was able to scoop him up too. Then it was back to my house to feed them and keep them safe until I could contact the humane society and see if we could get these guys fixed up and adopted out because the <em>last</em> thing we need in Lion's Park are more wild dogs. They had some skin issues, but nothing that couldn't be fixed and I gave them both baths (they were <strong>covered</strong> in fleas). For a couple of days I had 4...yes, 4...puppies in my house. </div><div align="center"><br />I couldn't believe how big my girls looked compared to the little ones.<br />Here's Suka playing with one of the puppies...</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZbEWSbDtn3MPIiKxcz5wetQyDSmL8unm-jX0lRbxKjkqy5A44LVXjw6JNe5GAGZR_RfXVWZtlEEOI4GRGPnZ_LdXHz0lCL32xP5j9GoFmsk67tTfoshUw2rr-ArbQlMuMMsMqskZX2Rc/s1600-h/Puppies+Playing.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261719552798403922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZbEWSbDtn3MPIiKxcz5wetQyDSmL8unm-jX0lRbxKjkqy5A44LVXjw6JNe5GAGZR_RfXVWZtlEEOI4GRGPnZ_LdXHz0lCL32xP5j9GoFmsk67tTfoshUw2rr-ArbQlMuMMsMqskZX2Rc/s320/Puppies+Playing.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>I called him Piglett:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGBqw0qn_5lFskCaD-1lN6PXOEk7bMBOMwrBjjJMiN0H2WUqkuIba6iRtMNaaEq697b4p1OMqdNCvEly8-Po_sax7YVrWj3IOqvO0vb6y2HtKlVTctLnDrZQIc627xGcDp5G15JfkXxo/s1600-h/Piglett+Walking.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261719552614659314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGBqw0qn_5lFskCaD-1lN6PXOEk7bMBOMwrBjjJMiN0H2WUqkuIba6iRtMNaaEq697b4p1OMqdNCvEly8-Po_sax7YVrWj3IOqvO0vb6y2HtKlVTctLnDrZQIc627xGcDp5G15JfkXxo/s320/Piglett+Walking.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>I called him Patch:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSdmhVmgUvw1Dd1TOWj__UKZhJpXXyHjp3faGL9kKu1t701ERt3tj71gtHbcPnGNcQMN5xNFvy-r8b-kr7NBIuqMsb5IJMCMxglgpVxTCkuqvKxXNSP_-bFgXjMAwVMBec3yeQE5UC1P8/s1600-h/Patch.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261719552442119138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSdmhVmgUvw1Dd1TOWj__UKZhJpXXyHjp3faGL9kKu1t701ERt3tj71gtHbcPnGNcQMN5xNFvy-r8b-kr7NBIuqMsb5IJMCMxglgpVxTCkuqvKxXNSP_-bFgXjMAwVMBec3yeQE5UC1P8/s320/Patch.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>As sweet as they were, there was no way I could keep them. The two that I have are plenty! So Cheryl came to get them and took them home to get all fixed up and ready to be adopted out. If you live in American Samoa and are looking for a good pet, these two pups are super friendly and are in need of a good home.</p>Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-86978923946981744492008-10-26T14:10:00.003-11:002008-10-26T14:33:45.088-11:00Marsik is Gone...<div align="center"> Michael Marsik recently left the Rock for good and returned to Hawaii. But before he went, we had a little send off for him. Good food, good friends, and of course some awesome T-shirts! Following his lead, we all got shirts that said simply "Marsik". Good times. </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">Here's LTM & Marsik:</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261638332488728514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyqKGfL3hYOwj-zM4FyS34K2XgNnHYOl0O7jhEcU2WmsZwFUkme8S3p6Vn75XGSqrZzOyNO1hjanK-u1uZRVhW0154PVHYWNoieR1z-DELgUl5eGhfNWzhwbFLEz2fNswDjsWvaHGVyPA/s320/LTM+%26+Marsik.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div align="center">Siri hearts Marsik:</div><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261638337458146034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcB4Bfp5Ah5nX_2kraueAZwu9DptH776K6ctd-651M2gkryJCqCW1TZSWN2GKi7IoV-Hl4VuqL6Q29VoXwVTndiJvmdwbbC31tzqxFDfydhbwWlLPdERJsQ1-1t5Pc1-P2zoHo0T8oPOw/s320/Siri+Hearts+Marsik+2.jpg" border="0" /> Jeremy & Naomi:<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261637869731829634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrz8UJB1LLG9hx1jSXWGyW_O2RlwLYCdhz72oD2uyEwggnXQ_js5rlHxyXDEfCWbPWO6UuH30Af1r2tCZFRtsXgW_pZqkh1NSczOPrIPrR3V1FkxG6UF8NB-S4bGGFAA1Mnd1FZa94tE0/s320/Jeremy+%26+Naomi.jpg" border="0" /><br />LTM getting her wine on:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tWISTDun93m6kJSQSifIMejtUSxIQwqYiLadkqGn4sH3ZWn7G6BgordpV8mSMwEjJcV5IMVDG2dDAdlPYHMwd_eZWGuYmNg9oaYcxCZbwVUziPaF0iwMx40Ip88aNHV-mEyQHmqMswg/s1600-h/LTM.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261638328247191474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tWISTDun93m6kJSQSifIMejtUSxIQwqYiLadkqGn4sH3ZWn7G6BgordpV8mSMwEjJcV5IMVDG2dDAdlPYHMwd_eZWGuYmNg9oaYcxCZbwVUziPaF0iwMx40Ip88aNHV-mEyQHmqMswg/s320/LTM.jpg" border="0" /></a>Barbara, Marsik & me:<br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkknFN5W2pxcdAYdGO0FT99IoftnEzBFh9LR8fEefMusw6JGyv48-tXC6k-BuRkUKZvrYC66zu-6rz5VUhyGZuYiK5n1NlKuZe9D9lgMOhwTeS8GHXL7lf8-B83cZjr6d5WMyL4LpssGs/s1600-h/Barbara,+Marsik+%26+Kelly.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261637863782188098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkknFN5W2pxcdAYdGO0FT99IoftnEzBFh9LR8fEefMusw6JGyv48-tXC6k-BuRkUKZvrYC66zu-6rz5VUhyGZuYiK5n1NlKuZe9D9lgMOhwTeS8GHXL7lf8-B83cZjr6d5WMyL4LpssGs/s320/Barbara,+Marsik+%26+Kelly.jpg" border="0" /></a>April (after coloring her hair with highlighters...yes, I said highlighters) & Marsik:<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8LK4ghtfi5bLN61rCycVMp04MEb16APl1GP93kYwONZZBRPSZltrclrXievZVqFv_BWEiY-2HJl-LpRrVrDvkpsCpq5DYaY5ZuK6WAh6YbRqUaRTOhgFp_IITFKqTo5t0mQKvfYwYss/s1600-h/April+%26+Marsik.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261637860711576130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8LK4ghtfi5bLN61rCycVMp04MEb16APl1GP93kYwONZZBRPSZltrclrXievZVqFv_BWEiY-2HJl-LpRrVrDvkpsCpq5DYaY5ZuK6WAh6YbRqUaRTOhgFp_IITFKqTo5t0mQKvfYwYss/s320/April+%26+Marsik.jpg" border="0" /></a>Amity, Doug, Jer & Naomi:<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWga-xSJuHYymLr0_d8QSJpB_HWvB7Ma8lC5WmpDWnIxwSj-pFMBu1jfuue9soKuPbjcPccRyVO1gDrdnwPXq0nLDm1ujB0r3ZCXpNdRaILH0WA2sKE5ttwNFwNI5Hh-mk3Y0p93NUD2Y/s1600-h/Amity,+Doug,+Jer+%26+Naomi.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261637857575536514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWga-xSJuHYymLr0_d8QSJpB_HWvB7Ma8lC5WmpDWnIxwSj-pFMBu1jfuue9soKuPbjcPccRyVO1gDrdnwPXq0nLDm1ujB0r3ZCXpNdRaILH0WA2sKE5ttwNFwNI5Hh-mk3Y0p93NUD2Y/s320/Amity,+Doug,+Jer+%26+Naomi.jpg" border="0" /></a>We (heart) Marsik!!!<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULbzlSMxGptGsQhFmHvezfDFuz-80l73U9SUHW4Xct37dye75cowLpz5g98xo40hXBIAvaES-WWPsKbEvm3sGe2Gha8qzTgknsxEoxA0Il7LxJNN_xV9CtSaf2Cczr7x6vWfNvxUbJ9o/s1600-h/Group+Pic.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261637857037551618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULbzlSMxGptGsQhFmHvezfDFuz-80l73U9SUHW4Xct37dye75cowLpz5g98xo40hXBIAvaES-WWPsKbEvm3sGe2Gha8qzTgknsxEoxA0Il7LxJNN_xV9CtSaf2Cczr7x6vWfNvxUbJ9o/s320/Group+Pic.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div></div></div></div></div><br /></div>Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043983515957944649.post-33769899726995540392008-10-26T13:47:00.004-11:002008-10-26T14:03:22.219-11:00Evergreen Store Fire<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9HhlijIKjuMrH_k9go3ef8lvGkf6SSUeLZNZIApMwfncl0LCoC65vS1kRF53iQg3ITiPsKeJ9ltmmH_JAHrkkC62uDzYS4w1CVI44b8eMudEXIymxb0nIjM1LRscY66YusaOp0fZN7g/s1600-h/Evergreen+Store+Fire+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261630308963624690" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9HhlijIKjuMrH_k9go3ef8lvGkf6SSUeLZNZIApMwfncl0LCoC65vS1kRF53iQg3ITiPsKeJ9ltmmH_JAHrkkC62uDzYS4w1CVI44b8eMudEXIymxb0nIjM1LRscY66YusaOp0fZN7g/s320/Evergreen+Store+Fire+2.jpg" border="0" /></a>A month or so ago as we were about ready to head home for the day, we got word that traffic was backed up for miles. Given that there is only one road, it made for a pretty long commute. For a good portion of the drive, there was a girl walking along side the road who was either keeping pace with my car, or actually moving further ahead...that's how slow it was.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMycRd3xc4iTW64TlpvbwgYZPUkgiTiScTSipHsRo1BGy2elr01fjfeXRNqOJeeUH-_HIeSEXFOknysdVedD4XrvuukZhliqy7XrJv444f08cOvrkz0CVmQcGVtLaZEsDm1EB2lll_vf4/s1600-h/Evergreen+Store+Fire.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261630300827763970" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMycRd3xc4iTW64TlpvbwgYZPUkgiTiScTSipHsRo1BGy2elr01fjfeXRNqOJeeUH-_HIeSEXFOknysdVedD4XrvuukZhliqy7XrJv444f08cOvrkz0CVmQcGVtLaZEsDm1EB2lll_vf4/s320/Evergreen+Store+Fire.jpg" border="0" /></a>The reason for the gridlock was a store in Nuuuli had caught fire and burned to the ground. As you got closer, you could start to see and smell the smoke. The fire started several hours earlier, but it was still burning. In fact, even the next day as we drove back past the store on our way into work, we could see the debris continue to smolder. Turns out, it was arson, and I've been assigned the case to prosecute. We'll see how that goes...Kelly Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183669464551857724noreply@blogger.com0