Extreme Home Makeover!

I am guessing most, if not all, of you have heard of the TV show on ABC, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." It's a reality show where a team of designers, led by Ty Pennington (formerly a carpenter on the cable show Trading Spaces), scouts for and chooses a family to build a new home for. Their aim is to choose families who are deserving and in need, and complete the house in 1 week.

For example, the Hamptons. The mom & dad both work, and are involved in various things like a rodeo association. They have kids, but one day not long ago, Social Services called them and said, you have one hour to decide if you'll take in your nieces/nephews or else they go to foster care. And they took them in. The family- now of 8- had to share the one bedroom farmhouse, so every room was filled with stacked tubs of belongings, they shared beds, and the older kids had to take their meals on the floor.

Extreme Makeover decided to redo their home, so they came to Ash Grove, MO to surprise them.....about 30 minutes away from Springfield. And here's the kicker: the local builder selected for the project is a big client of Meek's- a hardward store down here. A hardware store that is a big client of Young & Company advertising. So I wrote a press release to promote our client's involvement with the show! :)

My boss & I got passes to enter the Media area on-site one of the days during the build, so we paid a visit!
A construction sign gave us a heads up that we were close (the screen flipped to give directions to the parking area). My boss stopped at the side of the road so I could take a picture- haha!

Inside the Media tent- I took a picture of anything that proved I was at the actual site.

Mom encouraged me to sign up as a volunteer so we could hopefully see me in a hardhat on TV. I was too late for the sign-up, but I got a picture in a hardhat at least! The house is in the background- Day 3, and already the frame and most of the exterior is complete.


I didn't see any celebrities, but this volunteer woman (the one who let me wear her hardhat) had autographs on her shirt, and her husband emerged from the inside of the house to show her he got autographed photos from Ty & Paige (one of the designers).

Even though I didn't see any national celebrities, I saw local ones. Here's a husband & wife anchor duo from KSPR news (the Springfield area ABC). They were practicing their update as the camera crew set up.

I think the show is set to air in September or October if anybody wants to tune in. It's sure to look very different from the actual process I heard about and/or witnessed, so it'll be interesting for all of us MO folk to watch!

Canoe trip on the Buffalo

These are out of order, but we don't care. We assume you enjoy reading about our nearly exciting lives. If not, there's a blog about skateboarding here that you can read: http://deeperthanyouraverage.blogspot.com/.

The weekend before climbing (June 26/27) we joined Pat, Jackie, Chris (Jackie's brother), and Brittany (Chris' girlfriend) for a whirlwind trip down to the Buffalo River for an overnight canoe trip. Atalie took a sick day on Friday and we all drove down in the afternoon to AR to get some miles in and find a place to camp. When we got on the river, the temperature was up in the mid-90s, so the water was a welcome relief. We floated for a few hours, swimming off and on, and found a large gravel bar to call home for the night around 6:30. Sleeping was miserable- it was about 80 with no breeze until 4 am- we averaged 3.5 hours of sleep with 2.5 hours of dozing and wiping sweat off our brow.

The next morning was nice- it was cool (about 75) and slightly overcast. None of that lasted long. It was back in the 90s by about 10am and the sun was relentless. Luckily, there were plenty of gravel bars to stop and go swimming at along the 5 miles we floated. We took out in the early afternoon and then headed home. It was a short, enjoyable trip!

Pat, Jackie, and Barley

Eddy (the dog), Brittany, and Chris.

Atalie and I jumping off a (maybe) 12-foot ledge into the water. Lots of fun!

The 4th

We had a treat for the 4th of July this year- Mike came down! To celebrate his arrival, we went rock climbing down in AR at Sam's Throne. He got in really late Thursday night (or really early Friday, whichever you prefer) after making the long drive down from MI after work. We (Pat, Jackie, Derek, Kat, Atalie, Mike, and I) set off from Springfield around 1pm. Before getting outside the city limits, however, Doris (the Taurus) decided to blow a tire on the highway. Good times. It was obvious that Mike and I wouldn't be making a NASCAR pit crew team any time soon. By the time we swapped for the spare, the hazard lights had drained the battery. Did I mention that we stopped at the end of the on ramp at the start of the 4th of July weekend? By this time, Pat and Jackie were on their way back to meet us in case we had to have the car towed. Right after Pat and Jackie arrived we realized that Pat couldn't jump with his car because he was facing the wrong way with nowhere to turn around. Up pulls a State Trooper. He says "I can probably turn around" and then does the crazy u-turn with lights flashing and tires squeeling- awesome. Jumped the car from his then took off back for the apartment. We then switched everything over to Mikes car and set off (again) for AR around 2:30pm. By the time we left, Derek and Kat were already at Sam's Throne setting up camp. We rolled in around 4:30 and commenced setting up camp as well. After all was set up and refreshments were in hand, we decided that we'd try and get one route in before sunset. We, minus Atalie and Jackie, attempted a route that was above our skill set and none made it to the top. Oh well, there was always the next day! We pulled the rope once everyone had thoroughly exhausted themselves and called it a day. Dinner was served (hot dogs) an hour and a half later. We sat around the campfire the rest of the night chatting, setting some fireworks off, and then headed to bed REALLY late.

The next day was rough. Climbing was made harder by the fact that the majority of us were "sick" (I won't elaborate because I'm sure you get the idea and if not, don't bother asking). Despite this, climbing was great. I'd forgotten how much I love it. Unfortunately, we could only get 2 routes in before the rain forced us to call it a day. In our haste to leave camp that morning, we all left our tents wide open, our backpacks out, chairs out, etc. So everything we own got wet and we were forced to pack up camp in the rain. Other than that, it was fun!

The ride back was uneventful (thankfully) and after some nice, hot showers, Mike and us went out for dinner. Sadly, Mike had to leave the next morning.

The group (minus Atalie) the first night following our attempt at the really hard route.

Atalie attempting the "Posion Ivy" route.

Mike also attempting the "Posion Ivy" route.

The three of us sitting under an overhang trying to wait out the rain.

James River Float- June 20

Too bad Patrick missed this canoe trip while he was in NC (that's ok though- we went on another, more extended one like a week or two later). It was a beautiful day, and I kayaked for the first time. I was a bit wobbly at first and ran into a branch which knocked a TON of little black bugs all inside the kayak and on top of me, but before long I got the hang of it and really enjoyed myself. Wouldn't mind having one of my own and going more often! Here's some pictures of the group and the river:

Jackie, Barley & Pat

Derek & Erin


Dave was being trailed by Pat & Jackie's canoe until the rope got caught on some fallen trees and they cut him loose. It took him longer to drift down the river than us, but he didn't seem to mind- he looked pretty relaxed!


By this point, I felt pretty comfortable in Derek's kayak. Patrick and I think we'd like one similar to this if we got one.

This is a really good picture, but its also funny since Pat looks naked!


Both Derek & Jackie took a quick dip and grabbed on to the ends of their respective canoes to literally hang out for a bit.

Barley looked like he was seriously contemplating joining Jackie for a swim!

June 18- An Awesome Day

At the ripe age of 25 now, you might think my memory would be having a difficult time conjuring up a description of my birthday a month later. But, it was a memorable day. I was truly spoiled, with lots of little surprises that made the day so cheerful and fun!

I started the day off by spoiling myself with one of my fave drinks- a vanilla latte! I had told myself I must hold off my craving until my birthday morning so it would be more special. And when I got to work, I had yummy things to eat with it- Shirin and Pam bought donuts in honor of the day! We found it amusing how many treats we'd have to eat- remember, I made cupcake cones to bring in too!- but we laughed out loud when one of our reps stopped by to tell me happy birthday and brought a huge cheesecake/fruit filled danish pie as a gift! I ended up saving that and taking it home, but I thought it was very kind of our rep- and I have no idea how she found out it was my birthday either, which made it even more of a surprise.

That wasn't my only special delivery to the office that day. My family sent a package with sweet cards and gifts, that was scheduled to arrive the day prior, but was delivered fashionably late, for better birthday timing. And later, when I went up front to sign for FedEx, I was thrilled to find it was a beautiful bouquet of my favorite flowers- gerbera daisies in all sorts of vibrant colors!- sent to me by Patrick. He was out of town in NC at the time, but he was still more than successful at treating me. I didn't get much work done that day with the flood of phone calls and deliveries, but I can assure you- I didn't mind at all!


More perfectly timed mail was awaiting me at home, filled with birthday wishes and surprises from my Aunt Cheri and Grandma, and a delicious dinner awaited me @ Pat & Jackie's where a group of our friends had gathered for grilling and a smorgasbord of five star food options. Although it was a hot day, things cooled down for a beautiful night of lounging in their backyard.

I flipped on the tube when I got home, and tuned in to Conan for just a bit of TV before bed. Although I often periodically laugh during his show, there's few times I crack up laughing for an extended period of time. Which is why even that tiny segment of TV added to the perfection of the day. "Twitter tracker" = hilarious. I chuckled like crazy, and went to bed smiling.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/75638/the-tonight-show-with-conan-obrien-twitter-tracker

http://www.hulu.com/watch/76852/the-tonight-show-with-conan-obrien-twitter-tracker (the one from my bday)

http://www.hulu.com/watch/83686/the-tonight-show-with-conan-obrien-tonight-show-twitter-tracker#s-p1-st-i1

So I want to thank everybody for a whole day of awesomeness. Really, everyday in my life is more awesome because I have all of you!

A little Essence of Atalie preceding the Celebration of Atalie

On the eve of my birthday, I was reminded of what the epitome of "Atalie Albin" is characterized by: clumsiness and cooking craziness. It started out with grilled cheese sandwiches. Rather than dirty a new knife, I figured I'd use the giant bread knife already on the counter to take slices of cheese off the block. And in addition to it being an over-sized utensil, I was talking on the phone (meaning I didn't have the utmost precision). So my 1.5 sandwiches were filled 1/2 a big block's worth of slices that were super thick, and it oozed all over the pan.

Later on, I baked cupcakes in ice cream cones to share the following day for my birthday treat. I got a little overzealous and put too much batter in them. They baked on top but overflowed and were soup in the middle. I hoped with cooling they might solidify, but instead they collapsed on themselves and sunk. After trashing the first dozen, I put some dishes away while I waited for take 2 to cook. In the process, a ceramic bowl toppled to the ground, made a noise that gave me a headache, and broke into pieces (we have 2 of that particular bowl, and go figure- the 1 that is chipped is not the one that broke).

The night isn't over yet though!

After pulling out a successful second batch (yay!) I decided to watch some TV while I let it cool. On way way to sit down, I trip on a cord, stub my toe (ow!) and fall forward onto the futon. After recovering, frosting the cupcakes and cleaning up, I notice there were fruit flies hovering around my vase of flowers. Those little suckers had been invading the house all week, so at that point, I had a mini fit of rage hit me and I swung at them. Did I kill my victim? No- but that doesn't mean I missed....the vase. I knocked it onto the cupboard, spilled the semi-dirty water all over my freshly cleaned cupboard, and a small chunk of glass was chipped from the upper inner edge of the vase. It was the first bouquet that vase contained since I resumed ownership of it too! (Don't tell Grandma- that was my bday present from her, and besides, my handyman has since repaired it!).

Luckily the evening wasn't a taste of the next day. Not that it was a bad night- I've had these things happen enough that I find them amusing most of the time now. But I escaped any incident on my birthday other than fun surprises and thoughtful doting. I'll tell you all about my awesome 25th anniversary on Earth in the next entry though- I've already engaged your eyes enough with my rambling! (more essence of Atalie, I suppose) :)

More Jamaica

A storm rolling in over the bay.

YS Falls- 7 waterfalls with a pool you can swing over and plunge into the water 12' below (lots of fun)

Incised bank of the river showing how high the banks are.

Rastaman with his bowl and bag of ganja hanging from his canvas kilt-thing. Plus, he was singing. Quite the character.

The front of Sunset Cottages where we stayed.