Too early for me to endorse this book series? Probably, and yet...

Looking for some summer reading?  Of course you are.  After much provacation from a few people I know, I finally broke down and bought the Millennium Trilogy.  You might know it better as "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and The Who Kicked the Hornets Nest".  I'm only about 1/3 of the way into the first book, and already know I'll be zipping through all three of these in a row.  Be prepared for this series to start out slow, but it's necessary as it provides quite a lot of background.  After chapter 3 you won't be able to put it down.  I guarantee.  You might be asking  yourself, "But Lindsey, this book doesn't appear to be about vampires, zombies, witches, wizards, ghosts or any other supernatural beings...and you're reading it?".  Shocking, I know.  It's a crime thriller and believe it or not I have read some other crime thrillers.  (Another great favorite is Deception Point by Dan Brown of the DaVinci Code fame...I actually like Deception Point better than DiVinci Code) 

The American version of the movie comes out this December and stars Daniel Craig as the lead character Mikael Blomkvist.  The book is a Swedish translation so you have to get used to all of the locations, proper nouns, and names to be Swedish.  The author, the late Stieg Larsson, does a fanstastic job of bringing those locations to life, even for the American reader who might not be familiar with those places.  The trailer looks pretty awesome, and it helps that a Led Zeppelin song is the theme music:

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1464638745/

This post suddenly makes this motivational poster come to mind...Oh well, it's Friday. 

A little hiccup, but we are back on track.

The residence in question.

This house stuff is all so very stressful!  The appraiser came out yesterday and determined that there is no access to the crawl space under a portion of the house.  This, this seemingly minute little detail deemed the house unable to be financed.  I opened my email and low and behold - "Inelgibile Property".  Uh.....what?  Come again?  Sorry?  Enter heart attack, stage left.  After a pretty stressful afternoon and going back and forth with our (amazing) realtor, the seller is going to get things fixed this weekend...putting us back on track with hopefully no delays on our original close date.  See, my neurotic nature of having all of my ducks in a row way ahead of time still has us on track, even with this week setback.  There is something to be said for being neurotic. Michael makes fun of my House Binder, complete with a spiffy cover, labels, three hole punched papers and tabs.  Let's not forget the tabs.  It's just how I stay sane. 

Future site of destruction

I've been having conversations with the pets about their new house.  I think they're pretty excited about it too.  Well, except for Spencer.  Last time I moved he was under the bed for about 3 months.  Poor little guy...doesn't really take change well.  He must get that from me.  Probably gets his OCD from me too...if something is new, an inch out of place, has a new smell on it, or is foreign to the house he is all over it.  Sniffing, pawing, rubbing all over it.  I guess it just to have his personal stamp of approval.  Fergie is very excited about the sun room.  She is planning major cat naps back there in the warm sun rays.  I know this because she told me.  Rigby is happy anywhere and has intentions of messing with my koi fish out back...I can see it in her beady little eyes.  She's so clumsy she'll probably fall in.  Then there is Pete.  As long as he has his dog bed, he most likely won't even realize we've moved. 

O hai.  I can haz sunroom 'stead of dis box?

Whut iz dis ting?  Wuz not heer before.

I dun't care if we moves, as long as I haz mah bedz. 

And there you have an update on the house process.  I am expecting more hiccups, and still trying not to be too excited.  Anything can happen to make something else fall through.  Just gotta stay positive!

Dr. Jack M. Oliver

The world lost a great man on Sunday June 5th.  My uncle Jack passed away after complications from cancer treatment a few years back.  I have very fond memories of going to my Aunt Martha Lou and Uncle Jack's in Knoxville, Tennessee as a kid.  My favorite thing was that they had a pool table.  I couldn't even reach it at the time, but I do remember he would take the time to let me knock some of the balls around.  We would take a day trip to the Smokies, and it was always something I looked forward to.  I always wanted to be a veterinarian as a kid and was excited in 6th grade when I got to write a report about what I wanted to be when I grew up.  He was kind enough to take the call from that excited 11 year old, and go through with the interview. Those are just a few memories I have as a child of my uncle Jack. 

My cousin Kevin wrote some beautiful words about him as well:

 "Sorry to report we lost our Dad on Sunday to heart failure at the age of 72. Jack Oliver was an intelligent and gracious man, well loved by colleagues and family alike. He left the family farm to earn four degrees at Purdue in the 1960s, helped start a new Vet School at Tennessee in 1976, and was honored this spring for 35 years on the faculty. Dad was a college sports fan who loved his Vols and Lady Vols, and anyone winning in his native Indiana. He enjoyed spending time in the Smokies with friends and family, and managed to get us to just about every national park in the system, instilling a great love of the open road and outdoors. He was preceded in death by his parents Helen and Levi of Ellettsville, Indiana, one brother, and our Mom, Marty. He is survived by two sisters, one brother, his second wife Suanne, two sons, a daughter-in-law, two grandsons, four step children, and seven step grandchildren. This is Dad's last photo, taken just three weeks ago at First United Methodist in Maryville. You will be missed!"

As an educator, father, uncle and person he had a positive impact on many peoples lives.  You can read comments from his students, friends, family and colleagues here on this online guestbook. 

A great history of accomplishments:

OLIVER, DR. JACK M. D.V.M. - age 73 of Maryville, passed away Sunday, June 5, 2011, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville. Dr. Oliver (B.S. 1960, M.S., D.V.M., Ph.D.) Was in the fourth graduating class at Purdue's Vet. School. He held Assistant Professorships at Colleges of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue (1969/70), Texas A&M (1970/71) and Ohio State (1972 to 1975). He has been an Associate professor (1975 to 1982) and Professor at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville for 35 years (Pharmacology and Endocrinology). He currently served as the Director of Clinical Endocrinology Service at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. The Service specializes in adrenal disorders, and Dr. Oliver and co-workers did the initial studies that led to the concept of an adrenal syndrome that is now recognized as "Atypical Cushing's Syndrome", where the sex steroids are increased and cortisol levels are normal. Dr. Oliver and his co-workers also developed the usage of adrenal steroid profiles in the diagnosis of adrenal disease (cortisol, sex steroids and aldosterone).

Aunt Martha Lou and Uncle Jack - 1981

Family Trip to the Great Smokey Mountains - around 1986

Memorial Day 2011 and good news!



Abbey Road 2011



Memorial Day kicked off with its usual bang of Abbey Road on the River.  A 5 year running tradition that Dad and I have to celebrate none other than the worlds greatest band.  This year we  had some colder weather...which was unusual since it's typically so hot you can't drink the beers fast enough.  I was bundled up in multiple layers, but still had a great time listening to Beatles tunes from various bands from around the world.  It's always such a great time.  This year a first timer to the festival was a band out of Nashville, Tennessee called Sixty-Four.  They were amazing.  Their lead vocalist/guitarist did a solo at the end of "Come Together" that brought the entire crowd to our feet.  Great stuff. 



The "Pond Prowler"



The next day we headed up to the farm for some fun in the sun.  Mom and Mike purchased a new boat for their pond (small lake? what's the difference?) and Michael was pretty excited to try that out and do some fishing.  I was just along for the ride.  It turned out being a scorcher but I was happy to relax, read a bit and catch some rays.  I don't think Australian Shepherds were cut out for the heat because Rigby was all too eager to remain in the A/C.  Have I mentioned she's ginormous?  Because she is.  She is listening much better and actually coming when called instead of just looking at  you and thoroughly testing your patience.  She's growin' up!  She and Pete still managed to do their fair share of running around.  Pete always does  his "big laps" which he basically just takes off and runs in huge circles all over the yard and she chases him.  She is quicker on the straightaways, but has nothing on the little guy when it comes to agility!  Pete can corner like he's on rails!  Here is a video I caught of the action. (It wouldn't upload the video, so here is the YouTube link)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mdiTi54CYE

Well....home inspection over and we've received some great news!  Nothing major!  A few minor fixes, and older A/C than we'd like, but nothing preventing us from moving forward with the house.  We'll just ask for some repairs and hopefully be on our way to closing pretty soon!  Still cautiously optimistic...but feeling much better now.  Now the realization of having to pack and move again has set in.  Oh well, moving is always a great opportunity to ditch all of the stuff you don't need.  I'll try and clear some closet space for Michael, but no promises!



On the "yacht"



View from boat



Clematis and Koi Pond







Offer: ACCEPTED! Now, cautious optimism.

The search for the perfect home is never easy…and with it being a buyer’s market I was able to be even pickier than the first time I purchased a home.  Oh how things have changed since 2004.  Apparently they now require your first born along with every piece of your financial history from that pack of gum I bought last week to investments, 401K, etc.  I do think changes needed to be made with foreclosures running rampant, however I think they went from one extreme to another.  2004:  “So….you wanna buy a house?”  I picture a guy opening his trench coat in a dark alley…  2011:  “Ok, we’re going to need not only your complete financial history, but also your dogs, your mother’s, your first cousin on your father’s side…oh, and a piece of that gum that we know you bought last Tuesday at 3:42pm”.   But, enough negativity…the perfect one was found after looking at over 30 houses and after negotiations yesterday…Offer:  ACCEPTED!

It’s just lovely.  I don’t want to get too excited because I know that many many things can go wrong during a home inspection.  Let’s just cross our fingers that that doesn’t happen.  So, we’ll just take the optimistic route and assume things will be A-OK.  The style, Cape Cod.  The inside, awesome.  I will include some pictures from the online listing, and  hopefully this will provide some nice “before” and “after” for later posts…again, with the optimism.  You could be reading something a few weeks from now that has us back on the hunt after discovering evil fairies are living in the attic…but let’s hope not!  Cautiously optimistic.  I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.  Oh, and one last thing!  This house was listed by “Mike and Lindsay”.  (Ok ok, so not exactly Michael and Lindsey) A sign?.....No pun intended.   It's tiny, but you can see it on the bottom abovo the phone number.

TGIF. The week goes by pretty slow when you're eating cardboard.



Grill master making healthy food

 As indicated by my blog post title, a new diet started last weekend.  Bikini season is almost upon us people!  Nothing radical, no crazy pills or drops or hormones.  Just good ol' fashioned low fat/low carb/ low calorie.  It must be working to some degree because the clothes do seem to fit a little looser, and I'm feeling a little lighter in my step on this Friday morning.  Still, I'm more than ready for my cheat day on Saturday!  I am fantasizing about nachos, cheeseburgers, and maybe even steak.  The world is my oyster....but trust me I'm not wasting my cheat day on oysters.  That's just silly. 

Aforementioned meal

Michael being the terrific cook he is, can make anything taste amazing!  I think my favorite meal on this week 1 of dieting was the grilled tilapia with homemade salsa.  The salsa consisted of pineapple, red peppers, cilantro, jalapeno, and lime juice.  Deeelicious.  A side of fresh green beans with our very SECRET seasoning (can't give away trade secrets) and an amazing healthy meal came together. 

In other news, house hunting is stressful.  I think I've seen about 30 houses, and ultimately liked 2 of them.  I'm truly able to see potential beyond someones hideous wallpaper, or poor taste in wall color but come on!  Can the perfect one just pop up on the market, soon, please?!  And if it does can I please be the only person that's interested in it?  And, can it please not be located in a flood plane? I'm not asking for much here.  Is it or is it not a buyers market?  



Orchid

 Lastly, I got flowers at work sent from the best boyfriend in the world.  A very pretty pink orchid (I LOVE orchids) and when I inevitably kill it, there is a pink coffee cup and saucer to hang around.  Anyone know how to keep these guys alive?  It came with some pretty rigorous instructions...and can only tolerate a 4 degree temperature change.  I'll enjoy it while it lasts!

An Excellent Derby Weekend.





Allyson and I



At the track



This Kentucky Derby weekend was non-stop!  From Oaks on Friday, to Derby, to Mother's Day it was indeed an action packed weekend.  We attended Oaks on Friday and had an amazing time.  Despite the weather forecast it truly turned out to be an amazing day.  We kicked off the day at a pre-Oaks party filled with Mimosa's and shrimp cocktail...does it really get better than that?  The mint juleps and lady oaks ran plentiful at the track, and the people watching was phenomenal.  I just love the pageantry of it all...everyone is dressed in their best and the creativity of the hats is an entity all itself.  I got my hat from Macy's, however spiced it up with a vintage broach I purchased the day before (and my first experience with the clip on earrings that matched - ouch!) and some feathers I picked out at Dee's Crafts.  That place was a madhouse to say the least.  I guess that's what I get for going the day before.  After Oaks we returned home, let the doggies out, and then headed to Cafe Lou Lou for some Jambalaya.  We closed the day with a fire in the fire pit and drinks on the patio.  It was a pretty great day!





Twin Spires!



Irises along the house

Saturday was full of recovery and an all out Euchre brawl with Mom and Mike.  (For those non-Indiana folks, Euchre is a game similar to Spades, but way better)  I'm so proud to report the ladies pulled through with a 4-1 victory!  It was heated and lots of fun. 



Roaming Rigby

Mother's Day itself was full of good old fashion farm fun.  Fishing - I caught two!  Soaking up some rays outside, and letting the dogs stretch their legs with plenty of fetch.  Rigby only fell in the pond once this time...about an hour after she'd had a full bath.  Why can't she be prissy?  I even bought her pink bows for her hair.  I guess I'll never get my foo foo dog.