dog days of summer

welcome home to "josie" (as in) and the pussycats

literally she adopted us 

we were lurking the whs 4 the perfect terrier 

maya n i went in to check out a few

but the line of families wanting terriers was deep

...then named "hester" was hangin with volunteers

who gave us the thumps up through the window

we sat with her for about an hour and she stole r hearts

we convinced jaonie over the phone cuz she was groovin @ michyfest

n now we r on a staycation

at least we won't be spending much on gas!

i'm secretly hoping she likes to camp

see the local news here that broke my heart:

last straw

the wi humane society

n opened our cathouse to r new 3 year old mamma to many 

pomeranian-mix of what we are not certain

she's got a really bad shelter hair cut

no worms or fleas tho!

is thin and dainty but tall n sturdy

weighs in at ten pounds and 

loves to prance around the block but prefers

nappin in the hammocks with one of us!

we had our first shy dog class last night

where josie came out of her shell and danced and rolled all over

she obviously had fond memories of whs and is lover of all four legged things

the cats on the other hand r timid n uncertain

and very happy 2 see this new thing in a crate!

we have been visiting doggy friends and can't wait to share her with the number one canine connection in r lives my uncle as soon as we know she loves the car ride!

a few tried tips 4 stretching ur summer vacation dollar....

amazing how fast the calendar flipped forward to august!

we still have a few more weeks off b4 school starts up
altho i'm planning a last minute trip in our very fine state....
we haven't decide between Pictured Rocks or Spring Green and would love to hear from anyone who has been to either area recently!

if you are looking to hit the skies or road to the four corners
here are some of the places we recommend from our recent trips:

for flights we check kayak first usually tues-tues are the cheapest
however lat minute bargins can be had on other days of the week too
nwa has been running many trips from the midwest for under $200 bucks
of course u have to add on for luggage fees or pack lightly in a carry on starting this month ughhhh!

one of our frugal tips is to save a target 10% pharmacy cards to catch a great deal on bulky items or groceries when we reach our destination
we haven't found a rental place for family tent camping equipment but we have been know to ship bulky light stuff like sleeping bags, pillows, jackets, sweats and beach towels so our baggage can handle the heavy junk like cots and cooking gear

of course if there's a big city in your travel plans and ther's no big convention in town chances r very good you can score a great deal like $25-$55 per night on a very nice (3 or 4 star level) hotels
start at biddingfortravel for recent bid reports from other travelers...i always say look at your own or a familiar city first because priceline is like an auction and you can over bid or end up in the armpit of a city so be careful ad do ur research b4 bidding

when we aren't camping we look for places that have grills or kitchens
when a week at a condo won't do start with a few library books we love these:
Let's Go
Lonely Planet
Rough Guide

then hit this frugal Frommer site

here are some of the places we discovered and highly recommend from r travels this summer:
Sante Fe Suites
The Jolly Rancher
Morris' Last Resort

we plan r trips with loads of options and look ahead to city calendars and museum free nights
look for reciprocity for admissions to zoos or science museums and get year round fees waved at home
we have these memberships that really take us places see each site for the links to 1000's of waived entrances:
Chicago Botanic Garden
Discovery World
http://www.aza.org/ForEveryone/SpecAdmissions/index.html
Milwaukee County Zoo

we also stretch our national park annual pass so it can give us two summer's worth of travel
buy in august of one summer and use in june and july of the next

i could write a book about frugal family travel
but these links should help anyone who still has some
wanderlust time n energy but is low on cash

my mantra has always been i have more time than money
and i have 2 confess planning a trip can be as much fun as taking it!

oh n take loads of pix...upload to flickr and add wimomz as a contact!

happy travels!

not all who wander r lost

move over dust bunnies

kari's home for a spell

been on the wanderlust circuit

4 a while now

school ended with a bang up series of field trips

we headed west for family ties and then again

4 family fun

see the flickr picture diary under wanderlust collection

i apologize in advance 4 the sonic slush porn!

r long weekend in door county was relaxing and cr8tive

and hanging out at home is proving to be good 2

but it won't last long!

r summer map
BigHugeLabs.com">
http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/map.php

ok where did april go?

the familiar sound of the ice cream truck just penetrated our living room

maya says: that's a sign of SUMMER

so where did april go?

well we had a great spring breakout see my 300 pix on flickr

we celebrated maya's 13the year

with a live clue game 

a reunion party with her cast from 

12 days play 

and four solid weeks of school

n joan's 44 closed the month last night

we spent some time in chicago

we caught a few movies

for those of you who  love good documentaries that include personal account

this one does that and a whole lot more

The Rape of Europa

spring fever

a sure sign of spring is that the canada geese have returned

and the melt has begun but the snow lingers as we get dusting's every now and again

r plans for spring breakout r coming together

we are leaving the tent at home n thanks to an old camp buddy

aka Arbi/RB (rowdy banana?!) we've been hooked up

old friend catch-up evening and

a guest bedroom in raleigh along with a condo deal!

I'm hopping we r not gonna b couped up in a moldy first floor

but j warned me if i complain she will park my butt in a hammock at the state park!

looking forward to some flickr meet ups too!

at least the condo will have wifi so i can keep my flickr addiction going!

Ellen DeGeneres Discusses The Recent Tragic Death

endh8
do not treat me a second class citizen
vote with your heart to
endh8

the strike is over! new rules r back!!!!

lw will get the well deserved dinner break but ahhhh i get my new rules back! and these were worth the wait enjoy
warning: not rated for family viewing!