Happy Spring?

So I slacked off quite a bit, but you gotta admit, we all knew the 3-a-week updates would only last so long. Things that have happened since March 5:

March 8, 2011 (I almost typed 2010, yikes!) Running water was restored to The Trust Tree. Around 8:45 that morning I was awakened to the "BEEP-BEEP-BEEP" of large machinery in reverse. That large machine was a backhoe, and it was either putting in a very awkwardly shaped in-ground pool, or digging up my water line. Turns out it was the latter. I went to work at 10:30 (sans shower, bleh. They took away my water hose so they could dig.) and when I got back, there was STILL no water. It was ok, though. I just ate a hot pocket and went on my way. Claws, the ever-vigilant-window-watcher that he is, informed me that they were taking a lunch break and would be back later. I went to Brian's around 5 to work on our online Music Appreciation class and when I got back that night, WATER!!! I let it run for a while, because there was air and some nasties in the line, then I showered. And cleaned my stovetop.
[Note: my water went out on February 8, so this was after exactly— one month since the water initially died; 2 weeks and 2 days after I got the water hose; one phone call from my cop-friend who put in a complaint with the city. Maybe now's the time to tell the landlord that I wasn't kidding when I said the caulking in the shower was crap. Those leaks won't fix themselves...)
Anyway,
March 7-11 was spring break. Brian and I got back to Bowling Green on Monday morning just in time to go to work and bring home the bacon. Ooh, bacon.
We mostly worked in the Office of Admissions and worked on our online class. We had planned to do fun things and visit parks, but it was cold and rainy the first half of the week! So much for SPRING, huh? Things we did do included:
Going to Aldi: it's a really simple, very small, and incredibly cheap grocery store. You have to bring your own bags or boxes to carry your groceries out of your buggy (which requires a quarter to release from 'buggy prison.' You get your quarter back when you lock your cart back up.) which means I need to go to Office Depot to get some more because this place is GREAT! Not that I'll need to go back for a while, my freezer is PACKED, but $2 bacon and a gallon of milk? Heck to the yes. We grilled steak the same night we shopped, I've since made ranch pork chops, and I'm looking for good tilapia or salmon recipe (cough MOMMA cough.)
Friday afternoon, ok night, we left for Alabama to go see Bubba and Amy and Quinn and Zander and Riley. The puppies peed all over the place when Brian and I got to the house, so we cleaned that up and when we were done, Clark came home from work. we chatted for a bit then went to bed.
Saturday, not only was it GORGEOUS outside, but I got to spend time with Allie (and Mason) and Savannah. We went to an Athens Bible School soccer game since Allie had helped coach the team for a bit. A girl on the opposing team played with a broken arm. What a trooper. We tried to go to a consignment shop since Mason has outgrown all but two pairs of shoes, but it was closed, so we went to Zaxby's for lunch. I got the "Betty White sandwich," the chicken parmigiana wannabe thing, and it was really good. Incredibly greasy, but good. I dropped them off and headed back to Clark's for some quality photo time. (side note: I drive like a grandma with a baby in my car.)
We went to a small town in Alabama whose name I still do not know, but we took pictures on a caboose, on top of a caboose, inside a condemned building, at the old train station and on an old wagon. We got some nice golden hour light, used our strobes, and a stray beagle peed on our lighting bags right before the black lab got attacked by the fluffly cat and almost got blood all over Brian. It was indeed eventful. We went for Mexican downtown afterward and it was AWESOME. For the first time in my mexican food life, I did NOT order a quesadilla. I got some burrito dularjo thing. But it was good, too.
Sunday was church, helping Cindy and Allie with the 2 and 3 year old class, jambalaya, Blokus, and more pictures! This time we included Quinn and Zan-man for a bit, then ditched them and headed to another small town with railroad tracks. Clark really, REALLY wanted pictures with a train, and boy did he get his wish.
We anticipated the train wouldn't be moving very fast. We were wrong. Part of me thinks we shouldn't have been standing so close, and the rest of me knows that the conductor thought so, too. But I some some really great pictures. I WILL post those...maybe tomorrow?
Anyway, we got back Sunday night, went to bed, woke up and went to work. Brian sent me a text asking me to give the second tour, which I did....in the rain. I can no longer say I haven't given a tour in the rain. At least the group was great—they didn't complain any more than I did =)
Today I had class. And then more class. And then another, and that's where I still am right now. Chihuahua has the highest homicide rate in Mexico.
You've now learned as much as I have from this class.

pictures later, promise!
-Cat


aaaaand here they are!
This is Brian hopping off the top of the caboose where he was shooting C&A


This is the building that was probably about to fall over


This is Clark holding a buttercup for Amy (sometimes I am so proud of what my brain thinks of for pictures. I love it!)


On the wagon outside the train station


And the field across the street from Bubba's house


Anticipating the arrival of the train


And yet they survived the passing train anyway


Sunset that night (we just pulled over in some random field to take pictures)


After the color was gone from the sky, I played around with some of these


AND! I'm finally finding ways to get back at Clark after roughly 13 years of torture