Thursday, October 29, 2009

Greece

That's right! Donkey's! We were certainly haulin' some ass! How could we pass up the chance to ride up the cliff on these beauties? That mean man was not very nice to those animals! This is Jeremy (Mike's bro) negotiating the turn.
Uh....yeah, I guess that's pretty.
I led the way with my ever faithful steed.
Goodbye Greece! You were exactly what I wanted you to be!

Pompei

Pompeii!! I studied about this place in College. It was amazing. So here is a little bit about our time there (and some history too, sorry!) This is a cast of a body preserved by the ash lava spewed (great word) by Mt. Visuvius. These are slaves. We know this because they all have belts, which categorized them as property. It is fascinating! They are shielding their faces from the oncoming waves of ash!

Fountain in a bath house with propaganda about the upcoming elections of the day. They had cold or warm water! Genius!
Another cast. You can see the teeth!
This is the original pier. The water is now about 3 miles away.

Grand entrance gates into Pompeii.


An ancient two-way road for chariots! They still had the wheel marks! This was a crosswalk for pedestrians. The streets were not only for travel, but also for sewage drains....yuk!
Some mosaics. I restrained from taking pictures in the brothel, where the mosaics above each "room" illustrated what exactly you should or could do in the room. Honestly people, will we ever be free from our hormones? These are some harmless ones.
A bakery! Those are some huge grain mills! Also an oven in the back. I have tons of pics of "pubs", houses, fountains and lead pipes running throughout the city. They were well advanced for their time. The lead pipes might have something to do with the low-age deaths!

I loved Pomeii! Thank you, you crazy, egotistical, power-craving ancient Romans!

Friday, October 16, 2009

I'm back

Here I am in Greece, one of the stops on our Meditteranean cruise, more to come on another post!




Family pics. A terrible headache afterward but worth every rub of the temples.
Beautiful Utah. Here are just some pics for you entertainment. What I really want to say is that macaroni and cheese from the box and TV babysitting are not beneath me, and........
IM BACK IN THE BLOGGING GAME!

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Indecisive.....who ME?!

Many of you know now about my crazy obsession.....dogs. So scratch that last blog because we aren't getting an aussiedoodle anymore.....actually, we sold Bree and made a $250 profit (I know, I'm awsome!) Okay, here's the deal. I have been doing tons of research and talking to many, many breeders. I have picked out my favorite pure bred dogs and have decided to breed them instead of breeding for mixed breeds, ie goldendoodle, labradoodle, aussiedoodle. So here are the greatest two breeds of dogs, in my opinion. Without further ado, I give you (drumroll, please)......The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier! Never heard of it? Neither had I. Here is the rundown...non-shedding coat, medium build (17-19 in at shoulder, 30-40 lbs)
As puppies they look like this little guy above. When they are full grown they have a lighter coat color like this gorgeous girl below. You have to clip them, but only have to comb them every other day.
I am really drawn to the medium size and also love the poodle, except for the fact that I think they are ugly. Well, after much thought and research I am getting a Klein Poodle. They are in between the standard and miniature in height and weight. Here is the sire (dad) of my soon to be pup.
Yes, ugly, but I have seen some okay looking poodles, it's all in how you cut them. I definitely will not give my dog a "top notch" or pom-poms for feet. Just one length all over for me, thank you. That style of cut is good looking and easier to maintain. Also the Klein has the temperament of a standard poodle, said to be the best pet, and most trainable breed (because it is only surpassed in intelligence by the boarder collie). Our Wheaten is coming July 22nd and our Klein is coming sometime in February. Here we goooooooo!!!!!!!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Patience....

I have a problem. I tend to get obsessed easily over certain things. I had two topics especially on my mind the last couple weeks. First, dogs....I can't get over that one. We are eagerly anticipating the arrival of our second dog, Lexi. She is an aussidoodle (Australian Shepherd/Standard Poodle).Cool, huh? Bree has been doing so well, that I thought we could try another. We'll see!
The other thing I have been obsessing over is where my family and I are going to end up. I am so excited to find a place we are going to be in for the rest of our lives. I want my kids to remember one place when they are growing up. I know it's a lot to ask, but still, I want it. So, I took to the internet looking at land. I found the greatest piece of property in Alpine (for those of you who don't know Utah, this is pretty desirable land). It was two acres for 80,000 (that is an excellent price here). I showed Mike the land and was so excited about it. I don't think I've mentioned that we just found out Mike is accepted to University of Utah's MBA program. There is a lot on our plate....anywho, we had stake conference on Saturday night and were reminded that the most loving caring words are "We can't afford it"and "We can afford it, but we don't need it"........darn!! I really felt humbled. I know that if we do what has been requested of us, we will not be sorry! So I have made a new and improved budget, new savings plan, and new frame of mind. Look out future land! My new obsession - SAVING MONEY!!
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Friday, June 5, 2009

Summer

Could there be a cuter boy?
The pool is open and Taycie's b-day bash has come and gone...
My kids are still resembling stairs....I wonder how long that will last?
Safety first in the Hammond house.
I took Taycie on a short ride in our other car (the one without carseats) and came home to find her like this.  Sheesh.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

BREE!!!

Golden Retriever/Standard Poodle cross.  Non-Shedding.  Easy to train.  Excellent with kids.  
Inside dog.  House trained in 1-2 weeks.  Cute.
MY KIND OF DOG!!
We can't wait to have you home on Sunday, Bree!!