Trying Pure CBD Oil For The First Time

Pure CBD Oil Really Worked For Me

cbd oils for tension relief

I am usually pretty skeptical when it comes to buying into the latest craze, there are diets that surface that all my girls rave about, workout routines that are the end all for weight loss, and carbonated probiotic drinks that guarantee to keep you healthy during flu season.

When my mother-in-law started using CBD Oils for her fibromyalgia, we had a long talk about it. I was super skeptical, I had not heard enough about CBD to have an educated discussion about it with her, I just knew that it came from the cannabis plant and I was hesitant about her using it. She insisted though that she had felt relief from using the product and wanted me to try it for my tension headaches. As a mom that is constantly on the go, shuttling kids around, and busy at home, I suffer from tension headaches. Friday nights is fine, a glass of wine usually relaxes me enough to relieve the strain in my neck, but Monday through Thursday it’s just not something I can do and still function all day.

I bought 750MG of pure CBD oil from Medicinal Essentials to start out, a few drops a day is what was recommended to me by my mother in law and so I figured I would start there. I started by taking a droplet full in the morning when I woke, in the afternoon around lunch time, and again about an hour before bed. At first I wasn’t sure if it was doing anything, then I CBD Tincturerealized that the time the kids got home from school I was pretty tension free. Again, being skeptical, I made the excuse that it wasn’t the CBD oil providing relief for my tension headaches, it was just a better day. Well, I followed the same dosage schedule and found the results to be similar. For me, a glass of wine is never enough, I’m a full bottle girl and that usually is enough to relieve me of most of life tensions. With the CBD Oils I decided to take a little more than my mother in law had suggested, she is a little older and is usually more sensitive to things. OMG! I increased the dosage amount to six full droplets, that was double what I had been taking. The sense of calm that came over me was unreal, and my mind was completely clear and normal. I had reservations about CBD, I thought that there may be a chance that it could get me high, but there is no THC in pure CBD Oil.

So much for my skepticism, I’m a new fan of CBD oil and will continue using it until I have a reason to stop. Anything that is plant based from the earth and relieves pain and discomfort without impacting my mind is welcome into my life. So many of the muscle relaxers I have been prescribed for tension relief just left me feeling groggy with a cloudy mind. That was not the case with CBD Oil, it brought relief to my neck and shoulders without the nasty side effects you get from prescription meds. I have since told my mother in law that she needs to up her dose also to get even better results, she didn’t think twice. I bet we both take 6 full droplets daily.

I love cbd oils

One last thing before I check out of here, I would approve of a small trace amount of THC in mine. I’m not gonna lie, me and my husband have smoked weed at every concert we have attended, I like the vibe when the music is on and the sun is out. A small trace amount in my CBD Oil would be the perfect combination for this girl, and if you live in a state that has legalized marijuana for recreational use, you should be able to find yourself some edibles with a nice CBD to THC ratio that is perfect for mellowing out, but doesn’t launch your mind to the moon and back. Thanks for swinging by, if you have thought about using CBD oils I would consider just doing it. It’s legal in most parts of the country, and can be shipped to your home. It’s worth it. Bye!

Chemistry Supplies

Does Target Sell Chemistry Dye?

dyes used in chemistry I already know the answer to this one, it’s no! What in the hell is chemistry dye? School starts in August here in Arizona and one of the kids is taking Chemistry… yay! Another topic I know nothing about, nor does anyone living under our roof! So when my son came home after the first week of school and said he needed some chemistry supplies so that he could run some experiments at home. I thought that sounded normal, we could go get a beaker, a lighter, some goggles, and a lab coat and he could do chemistry stuff in the backyard. Come to find out, that is not what he had in mind, nor is it even what kids these days are doing in the science lab. Not that I’m some expert, not sure I paid attention much in science, but I know enough to be dangerous at science trivia (not really).

So he brings me this list of stuff he needs and I have no clue what I am even looking at, seriously, who has ever hear of Alexa Fluor 488, Alexa Fluor 594, carboxyfluorescein, NHS-Fluorescein, alexa fluor 488 phalloidin, 5-carboxyfluorescein, carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester, Alexa Fluor 488 NHS Ester, nhs-fluorescein pierce, and fluorescein nhs ester???? What the hell does that stuff even mean? When he handed me the list I thought they might be ingredients to make a nuclear bomb or something, I was not about to buy any of it until I spoke to his chemistry teacher. I sent the chemistry teacher an email and replied pretty quick (I love the Kyrene School District). Turns out that fancy list of dyes he needs for experiments are just dyes. Like something you would dye your shirt with I guess? Once I started calling around I realized real quick that nobody knew what these chemistry dyes were. I dug around further and found a website (https://fluoroprobes.com/) that sells this stuff.

After looking at the price tag on some of these chemistry dyes, I reached back out to the teacher to discuss alternate options. He replied back that the purchase wasn’t mandatory and that my son was just doing it for extra credit. Sorry Charlie, not dropping $500 on a bunch of chemistry dye so you can get some extra credit! He’s going to need to find another way to do it that doesn’t cost me a bunch of money! Chemistry is beyond me, and dropping 5 bills on chemistry dyes is not in my budget at the moment.

Health And Wellness Tips For Expecting Moms

Every expecting mother hopes and prays that after nine months they will be delivering a healthy and strong baby. It’s vital to eat well, practice appropriate exercises, tend to one’s mental health, and practice self-care. There are a lot of considerations related to preparing your home for your baby, but it is of the utmost importance to make sure you and your baby are healthy and ready for the birth and everything that comes after.

Good health starts with good eating habits. It’s called an eating habit because consuming certain types of food becomes an effortless and regular part of your life once you’re used to it. Shifting eating patterns might take a little time, but you’ll find it’s easy to avoid craving junk and processed foods packed with sugar, salt, and preservatives once they’re out of your system. These foods are all addictive and you can break the habit. Gaining weight is a normal part of pregnancy and it’s important to not be too hard on yourself. However, giving into cravings every time isn’t wise, either. There’s always a healthier version of what you want that will satisfy. Be sure to eat lots of plant-based foods like veggies, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Definitely check which foods to avoid while pregnant!

Expecting mothers need to stay active to maintain their health as well as baby’s. This will also aid with stress-reduction, mood-boosting, blood circulation, and quality of sleep. Swimming, prenatal yoga, and walking are wonderful activities that won’t put too much strain on you. Always check with a doctor before starting or changing any exercise regime. Jumping into something new after you have been sedentary for awhile has an increased risk of injury for everyone, regardless of a baby in the belly.

Seek advice from your doctors, other medical practitioners, and certified herbalists regularly. Access experts in pregnancy who are up-to-date with their research and practices. When you purchase books, look at the credentials of the author and take their advice with a grain of salt. Ask friends and family about their anecdotal experiences with help for every day care and what they found worked and didn’t. If you don’t know any parents, a local baby and parenting trade show is an excellent place to meet and talk to other parents and expecting mothers about their stories and fears. To learn about The Baby Show which is a biannual trade show with top brands, handcrafted and artisanal products, and seminars with top industry experts, follow that link. A trade show has everything that you need to prepare for baby and pick up some health and wellness tips for yourself. Check out classes that are offered at your community centre or local college, as well.

Keep a close eye on any changes in your health, contact your doctor, or call an ambulance if you suspect anything might be wrong. Sudden swelling of joints, difficulties breathing, leaking of fluid, bleeding, constant and unrelenting nausea, and vomiting are some signs that something could be wrong. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Call a cab or get a friend to drive you to a hospital if you’re suffering. It is likely unsafe to get behind the wheel.

Expecting a child is an exciting and stressful time all at once. Make sure to take care of yourself with healthy eating, exercise, and by seeking advice and learning opportunities in your community.

Finding A Plumber In Toronto

Our Toronto Air BnB Shower Drain Ordeal

air bnb rental

Hey everyone, I wanted to share this experience we had at an Air BnB in Toronto over the summer. I have been meaning to post more about our summer adventures, but have been busy with getting the kids ready to go back to school and life stuff.

We took a trip up north to Toronto, Canada this summer to explore the great outdoors and check out some of the local attractions in Toronto. I was amazed at how clean everything was up there, driving through the states there just seems to be more trash and litter scattered about that we took notice and were impressed with the cleanliness of the area. museum in torontoWe got ourselves an Air BnB for the week and started our adventure at the Royal Ontario Museum. The museum was full of culture and nature exhibits, we all enjoyed our time there (including the kids) which was a major bonus for us. The next day we headed out and explored High Park and hiked through the trails there, it was absolutely stunning, the landscapes and natural beauty that exist there are stunning. Wish I was a better photographer. A day spent hiking through High Park requires a nice warm shower and a glass of wine. We got back to the Air BnB and everyone proceeded to get cleaned up when I heard my daughter yelling obnoxiously through the bathroom door that the shower wasn’t draining. She’s a bit of a drama queen, so I took the yelling with a grain of salt as I went to investigate what all the drama was about. Honestly, I had assumed she stepped on the drain plug and closed it off but that wasn’t the case.

Time To Call A Plumber

This shower drain was seriously clogged, and she was standing on 6 inches of water which had her completely grossed out. Fortunately there was another shower in the master bedroom that she was able to use, but I didn’t want her getting too comfortable in there because the two of us sharing a bathroom is a recipe for disaster, besides we were paying for trying to unclog bathroom draina two bathrooms at the Air BnB and the shower drains should be working. My husband tried unclogging the drain with a coat hanger but was also grossed out and that led to an unsuccessful attempt at getting the drain to open up. We didn’t know if there was a year worth of hair stuck down there, a kids bath toy, or what…. we just needed the drain unclogged asap! We reached out to the property owner but didn’t get a call back in any reasonable amount of time. I wasn’t going to wait for this guy to call me back before I reached out to a local plumber to get this drain fixed. I jumped on my trusty smartphone and started my search, and this was almost as much about getting my daughter out of my bathroom as it was about fixing the drain. I found a plumber in Toronto that had the availability to get out to the property that day and fix the drain.

Later that afternoon he showed up with some liquid concoction like Drano Fluid and a drano fluid massive snake. He dumped a gallon of the liquid Drano in the drain, waited 1o minutes then ran the snake down the drain and through the plumbing. The clump of hair and debris that was removed from the drain was enough to make me want to vomit. I didn’t let my daughter see what was pulled from the drain because she probably wouldn’t have taken another shower in there. After the plumber removed the clog, water drained perfectly.  Before I let her back in the shower though, I bleached the heck out of it.

After the drain fiasco, we were back in business for the week. The rest of the Air BnB held up fine with all of us living there. The washer and dryer functioned fine, BBQ had enough propane, dishwasher worked, and they had the place stocked with plenty of amenities to keep us busy in the evenings.

Bellwood's brewery in Toronto

After a few days exploring the city, museums, restaurants, and of course, some local breweries (http://www.bellwoodsbrewery.com/) Bellwoods Brewery was our favorite. We decided it was time to get some sunshine and lounge by the water. We ventured out to the Toronto Island park where we lounged by the water for the day, swam, and hiked around. After a day of swimming and lounging around on the beach, we were all thankful to return to the Air BnB and take warm showers, thankfully the guest shower was draining properly or I would have had another drama moment on my hands!

All in all, the trip was fun. Toronto is absolutely beautiful and I can’t wait to return. The Air BnB was a decent place except for the plumbing issue. The city itself was really nice and the tourist attractions offered plenty for us to explore. Next time we visit Canada, we want to head over to Victoria, there is the Victoria Clipper we can take to Seattle for the day, we want to take a ride on that and also the Butchart Gardens we want to explore.

I also came across this video for unclogging drains.

Solar Water Heater Repair

Getting Our Solar Water Heater Repaired Was A Must!

solar water heater repairIf you live in Arizona there is a good chance you have converted some of your home’s utilities to solar. When you drive through Arizona it’s common to see the rooftops of homes covered in solar panels. Well, we have yet to convert our power supply to solar, but last year my husband bought into the idea of converting over to a solar hot water heater. You wouldn’t think that in AZ we would need a hot water heater during the summer, I mean seriously, is there any cold water anywhere around here other than in the fridge? Even when I take cold showers during the summer, the water isn’t necessarily cold, it’s just cooler than the hot water. When it comes to laundry and dishes, we are still in need of hot water during the summer months. Going solar with a hot water tank made sense, the sun is always shining here and we can always afford to save a few bucks on our SRP bill. So when my husband converted to the solar water heater, we were both enthused about the idea. It was also a bit of an introduction to solar for us, we know we want to eventually convert our power to solar, but have yet to really make the move. We are still not sure if we are staying in this home for the next few years. We both want to move, get a larger piece of land, and get out of the city. If that were the case and we could make that move, we would definitely buy a home with solar panels in a heartbeat. Anyway, this water heater was our introduction to solar and we have absolutely loved it. Last week the kids went back to school, here in Arizona schools start back up in August, this meant consecutive showers being taken first thing in the morning from all of us. Well, on Wednesday we notice that the shower water wasn’t getting very warm. I prefer cooler showers, so we could have gone two months before I noticed the hot water heater being out. My daughter oddly enough takes warm showers year-round and was the first to complain. Sure enough, the solar hot water heater was not producing hot water. We knew there was enough sun, we knew it was hot as hell out, but we did not know why our solar water heater wasn’t heating the water. If you have teenage kids (especially teen girls) then you know the drama that can come from disruptive events like losing hot water.

 

Her drama alone was enough for me to jump on the phone and find someone that specialized in solar hot water heater repair. I came across http://pacificwestsolar.com/ online and gave them a call. The guy I spoke with was pretty cool, spoke to me professionally, and offered some over the phone help to troubleshoot. The problem ended up being bigger than a power reset and they came out to repair the solar portion of the water heater. Within an hour our tank was heating water again and my teenage daughter was finally able to back off on all the drama. You would have thought she hadn’t showered in two months! I went into the bathroom after she got out of the shower and the place felt like a steam room, it’s 110 degrees in Arizona, why the hell would you take a shower that hot? I don’t get it, but the solar water heater is working now and life can resume. Thanks for stopping by and checking out my site, if you found me randomly then bookmark my site for more fun blog posts. If you are here from the newsletter that went out, thanks for being a part of my micro-community, I should have more time to blog now that the kids are back in school. See you soon!

Visiting Redmond Washington

Our Drive To Redmond Washington

driving the Oregon coast

Hey everyone, sorry I have been so quiet this summer but we have been super busy traveling and getting the kids to sports camps and various events and activities. As I noted in one of my last posts we had picked up a new vehicle this year so we can travel more in comfort and more importantly we can travel safe with the kids. This summer was full of driving, but I don’t think any of it was as beautiful as our drive up to Redmond, Washington. My husband has a really good friend up there that had his first kid this year and we wanted to visit. There is also some family that lives there on his side so we wanted to make the rounds and see everyone, especially his grandmother as she is getting older. We took a scenic route and drove into San Diego and then up the PCH into Northern California, Oregon, and then Washington State. We made a few stops in Oregon where we hung out at the beaches in Seaside for a few days and enjoyed those coastal winds. The beaches up north are very different from the beaches in Southern California or even in Rocky Point where we frequent.

Visiting Seattle

former EMP museum

Once we made it into Washington State we drove straight to Seattle and visited the main attractions there. We went to the Seattle Center and went to the top of the Space Needle. We also visited the MoPOP and Pike Place Market. If you have never been to Pikes Place, you gotta go because it’s a complete experience. The fish market is amazing, and if you love fresh fish you will be in heaven here shopping for lunch or dinner. There were also little restaurants there that had amazing clam chowder, fish and chips, and fresh grilled fish plates. Pikes Place was amazing!

Visiting Redmond

inside red hook brewery

After spending some time in the city we were ready to go visit our friends in Redmond. Redmond is East of Seattle and used to be a small farming town. It’s now a tech hub thriving in one of the more expensive areas in the State. Next to Redmond is a town called Woodinville, we visited the Columbia Winery and the Redhook Brewery there. It’s like Washington States version of Napa valley. A very foodie experience with large wineries and smaller boutique wineries. There is also a Whiskey distillery there called Woodinville Whiskey. We did the tasting and my husband loved it, we grabbed a few bottles to bring back to Arizona with us.

With all the boozing out of the way it was time to visit my husbands buddy. They have the most adorable little boy with the brightest blue eyes you have ever seen. We went back to their house and the boys grilled why the girls drank wine. There were a few other families there with kids and everyone got along pretty good. No injuries and the kids played well with each other for the most part.

the mechanic that fixed the Durango

We made our rounds through Redmond, visiting various family members and old friends. It was an amazing experience for the kids to see the Great Northwest. Everything was perfect until the water pump on our 2018 Durango went out! Yes, seriously!! The water pump on the Durango went out the day before we were going to start driving back to Arizona. Fortunately my husbands buddy is a mechanic in Redmond and owns a repair shop close to where we were staying. We were able to get the car towed to the shop and they had the pump replaced that day, they did an after hours special for us. My husband was down there with them and they hung out and got it fixed. Wish we had a mechanic like that in Arizona!

I gotta admit I was a little nervous as we embarked on our drive back to Arizona, having a car part go out on you while you are traveling is not something that makes the trip less stressful. With a car full of kids, the last thing you want to do is get stranded on the side of the road somewhere. We have AAA but there are some areas on this drive home where the road stretches for hours without seeing any civilization. If the car does breakdown, I just hope it’s near a city and an on-ramp. Well, it didn’t and we made it home in one piece thankfully.

We will be hitting Vegas in a few weeks, I’ll get on here and blog about that soon. Thanks to everyone that replied to my last email, I wanted to know who was still reading these and who wasn’t. I’m glad to say that I still have almost 100 active readers so that’s enough to keep me going. 

Thank you all!! Love you!!

2018 Dodge Durango

Bought A New Dodge Durango For Our Summer Trips

Summer is here and it is hot as hell! Arizona shows no love for its residents during the summer months. Our electric and water bills go up with the temperatures. Not cool, literally and figuratively.

Every summer we plan a little vacation to get out of the city and up into the hills in Northern Arizona where the temperatures will drop 10-20 degrees. What a retreat that’s become for us and the kids! We were planning on driving up to Purgatory in Colorado to have some outdoor adventures at their facility but the raging wildfires spoiled that trip so we will resort to hitting Sedona for a week.

Sedona is beautiful, if you have never been you need to go! There is something spiritual about the place that creates a vibe for free thinking and living, except that nothing there is free… Not even close.

Last year when we went up to Flagstaff our AC unit went out in the Yukon and we had to have it repaired up in Flag. The vehicle was aging and I hate driving around with a car full of kids in an unreliable vehicle. So, I did what any sane mother would do – I took some money from savings and bought a new Dodge Durango. My husband was really wanting a new truck, but he has a truck and isn’t the one playing Uber with the kids Monday through Friday. He then complained that I got such a small vehicle, and insisted we take it back and trade it in for a Suburban. Well, again, he isn’t the one driving it through the city like I am, navigating a full sized Suburban with a car full of kids is not appealing. The Durango gives me the seat count I need to shuttle the kids plus a few friends, has a V8 engine and is an extremely comfortable ride.

 

 

We will be heading up to Sedona this year on comfort and without worry that the AC will fail us half way through the trip. Sometimes you just need to spend the extra money, to get the extra things, that relieves you of the extra stress.

I have had the Durango for about a month now and it’s already taken a beating on the inside. With the kids being out of school for the summer, I have been their personal taxi driver, shuttling them all over town for birthday parties and playdates. I hate fast food and will trash talk it every chance I get, but if you were to pull out the car seats you would probably find a happy meal toy and a few fries. It drives me nuts, and yet somehow I still allow for it. I swore there would be no eating in the new car, no drinks, no chocolate, no messes period! When you have a litter of children it becomes next to impossible to stay true to your word. When you are constantly on the go, you have to transport the children from location A to location B and find a moment to feed them in-between… Except there is no in-between! This is why fast food becomes so convenient! Whatever, don’t judge me.

So now I have a brand new car that needs a deep cleansing before we make our trip to Sedona. The last thing I need is for my husband to climb into the driver’s seat of the car and smell a rotten Big Mac that’s been tucked under the back seat for a week. I pulled all the car seats out and headed over to the self-serve car wash to detail the Durango myself. They have everything I need there to do a good job, I would have rather hired a professional car detailer but I was in the mood to dig in and clean it myself. Before I hit the road though I jumped online for some tips on cleaning my car. I’ll be using a microfiber cloth to detail the Durango like a boss, plus some streak-free cleaner for my windows and leather upholstery. The tip I liked most though was about detailing my car rims! With all the dirt kicking around on the roads in AZ your rims get filthy quick. Add some break dust to the mix and you have some dull looking rims that need attention.

The trip to the self-wash was successful and the Durango is detailed and ready to make the trip to Sedona. Hopefully, we can squeeze one more road trip in before school starts in August. My husband just notified me today that school will be starting the first week in August, that is F’ing unreal! I’ll be back for another blog post before August kicks off, maybe to showcase our 4th of July BBQ. Not sure yet, but I’ll be back soon. Bye!!!

Finding A Senior Retirement Community For My Parents

Best Retirement Community in New York

55 and older retirement community

I have spent the last month dealing with some life changing realities. The sad truth is that my parents are at an age where they will need constant attention over the next 10 years and they will need to find a place that can provide them with both the medical attention they need and a sense of community where they can enjoy a quality of life that is rich with friendships and activities for seniors. My folks have a lot of associates back in Long Island and would like to spend the next 20+ (hopefully) years there. I pushed for them to find a retirement community here in Arizona but neither of them felt like growing old through Arizona summers. I’m not sure Long Island winters will be all that comfortable, but that’s the dream they sold themselves on and I’ll be damned if my input is of any value. Mom is pretty stubborn, has always been a strong woman and made her own money. Dad is a little more laid back and pretty much went along with anything mom ever wanted to do. The guy had a ton of spine outside the home, in business, and among friends, but when he walked through that front door that woman had the final say and I think that is why Long Island is their retirement destination. So far The Amsterdam At Harborside appears to be the best retirement community

Enriched Living

My dads situation has been a little tough to deal with, while mom is aging pretty gracefully, dad has been the one to take on all sorts of health issues. Dad was always athletic, ran everyday, didn’t drink much, and was always in amazing shape. My mom was never into exercising, also didn’t drink, and was never in amazing shape. It was so unreal when my dads health started declining and a lot of what was impacting him were physical ailments. How does a guy who has been so healthy his entire life fall victim to chronic fatigue? I don’t have the answer and neither do the doctors that have treated him. Nobody can explain what is really wrong, how it came about, or how to even treat it. He is on meds and sleeps more than he is awake. If he does anything real active while home it will run him down. He gets run down and sleeps for two days straight. It’s crazy! I need to find a facility with a Gym so he can try and get back into an exercise routine.There is that small voice in the back of my mind that wonders if my mom has had anything to do with it. Something like munchausen syndrome by proxy in the adult form. Could my mother be at an age where she cared for all of us kids for so many years that after we moved out she felt the need for my father to need and depend on her like a child? It sounds crazy even writing, but this is my blog and I get to do WTF I wanna do. I won’t touch on that any more then the mention I just made, but I will be curious if his health rebounds after moving into a senior retirement community. The medications and chronic fatigue has impaired some of his speech, memory, and at times it seems to have given him dementia. Sometimes he remembers details of every story, other times he can’t remember my kids name. So it’s weird, it seems to come and go. Whatever ends up happening I know that he will need enriched living soon to support his memory and dementia issues.

Hospice Care

hospice

This isn’t something I like talking about, but hospice could be a reality in the next few years depending on how things go. It could be three years or it could be thirty years, at some point it is going to be another harsh reality I will need to figure out and except. Finding a long term care facility for them that offers all these things and more is ideal. They need a sense of community, places to congregate and be social, and at the same time a place to receive the medical attention they need so that life continues to be something they enjoy. I’m not sure right now if I can make more than one trip a year out to visit, and I’m not sure how many of us can afford to go. It might be me and one kids the first year, then another kid the next. Fortunately we have video streaming and they are savvy enough on their devices to video chat. I’m not sure they thought of all these things prior to making the decision to move out to Long Island, but that’s where they are going so I must except it and work around the inconveniences of family travel and long distance communications. Hopefully hospice care isn’t a discussion for another 20 years, it’s on my mind though.

Thoughts Concluded

I hate even writing about this, but it’s consumed me for the last two months. I felt the need to get this out there and start writing again. It’s a nice form of stress relief for me and I need to do it more. As soon as I can figure out how to enable comments I’ll get it set up so we can chat here on the blog. For everyone sending me emails I appreciate the support and love of my blog, I’ll be more proactive with my writings this summer than I have been. Thanks for swinging by my site. Have a great summer!

Visiting Our Chiropractor Friend In Huntersville NC

Summer Time – Huntersville Here We Go!

Huntersville vacation propertyOMG! Where did this school year go? Here in Arizona, we are about a month out from summer, minus the teachers strike that’s taking place, summer should be on schedule. We have already planned a few vacations that seem fun. We are definitely going to spend time in Northern Arizona. The heat gets to be too much here during those few months and we don’t want anything to do with it.

Northern Arizona is the perfect mix of outdoors and medium to high temperatures. Depending on where you go, you can find some areas that stay below 100. We have talked about Colorado, California, and Washington State. Anyone that follows my blog knows those are my go-to states when traveling. This year though, we are trying something very new! We are going to make the trip to Huntersville, North Carolina.

This may seem like a total random trip but it’s not. My husband’s friends with a Chiropractor out there and we have a family week planned for a summer rental we hooked up through an Airbnb. I have never really been to the Carolinas and am looking forward to the visit. The water attractions seem beautiful, and North Carolina has no shortage of scenic opportunities for us to capture photographs and turn moments into memories.

kids playing outside

My husband and his buddy will probably fish and do some boating on the waters, while us ladies will take time to relax, soak up some sun, and have a lemon-drop or two. The kids all get along great for the most part, the last time our families got together the kids were young, so we will see how well they all play together this time around. It’s nice having a Chiropractor with us on vacation, I’m not joking, one of the kids hurt their back boating and was able to receive a few slight adjustments that got him through the rest of the day. It’s amazing what a back adjustment can do for your body. I had never been a fan of anyone cracking my back or neck, but have grown comfortable having it done. It’s like this feeling of relief comes over you, relief from pain and stiffness you didn’t know you ever had.

officially on vacation Anyway, not to ramble on about that nonsense but I am excited to hang with everyone. It should be a fun trip and I expect it will create memories for the kids that they will carry with them into adulthood. Summer is here, the vacations are being planned, and this is one I wanted to talk about real quick. Come back by my blog in the near future, I will be sharing some more vacation destinations as well as pictures of our experience.

Oh, and check out this blog post titled “homes for sale with solar panels.” if you are thinking about lowering your energy bills this summer in AZ, this is a great article to read and enjoy. Till next time everyone, have a great week!

Worst Man Made Disasters of All Time

The Worst Man-Made Disasters

bridge collapseThe world is Frick’n disaster, humanity is constantly disappointing me and while there are some really good people doing really good things, there are plenty of A-Holes doing A-Hole things. So many of the biggest catastrophes in history were created by man, from atomic bombs and wars, to the world trade centers. Humanity can be awesome, and it can suck at the same time. Here are some things that have gone on in history that were caused by our fellow upright walking humans. It’s easier to say looking back on these events that they all could have been prevented, especially the structural failures. We know some guys in OKC (https://tcdexpert.com/) that own a construction defect inspection company, they do this for a living. This stuff can be prevented! Enjoy the read though, it’s tragic, but interesting.

Disaster can strike at any time, and being prepared is often what saves lives. However, when the disaster is man-made, preparation may not be possible. Despite our best efforts, human beings make errors, and sometimes those errors cost lives. From collapsing buildings to crumbling bridges, commercial construction disasters occur all too frequently.

The most recent disaster was a bridge collapse in Florida, on the campus of Florida International University (FIU). The pedestrian bridge, collapsed and trapped several cars, killing six people. One of the bridge’s main structures was changed, causing the project to fall behind schedule and millions of dollars over budget. Cracks were found two days before the collapse by an engineer, and the investigation that followed by the National Transportation Safety Board noted that the day of the collapse that a stress test was being conducted. Cars were crushed under the weight of the bridge; six people were killed.

Another major catastrophe involved a suspension bridge that connected West Virginia and Ohio. In 1967, the Silver Bridge, named for its silver paint, collapsed during rush hour traffic, killing 46 people. It was determined that the then-50-year old bridge had a tiny defect in a suspension chain, and that the bridge had been supporting loads heavier than it was initially built to hold. After the Silver Bridge collapsed it was replaced by The Silver Memorial Bridge, named to honor the lives of the people lost in the bridge disaster.

August 1, 2007 was the date the I-35W Highway Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota failed, killing 13 and injuring over 100. The bridge, built over the Mississippi River, was undergoing construction work on the day a portion of it collapsed, falling over 100 feet into the river below. Thankfully, four of the eight lanes on the bridge were closed due to the construction, otherwise, the death toll might have been even worse. One hundred eleven vehicles were involved in the collapse and seventeen were pulled from the river. The disaster was attributed to a design flaw.

Not all man-made disasters involve bridges. In 1978, at the site of a cooling station being built at a power station in Willow Island, West Virginia, fifty-one construction workers were killed. Concrete was being hoisted up the tower using a new processed that had not been given the engineering okay. The concrete, along with wood and metal, came crashing down on the scaffolding holding the workers; they all died in the fall.

dance hall collapseA dance at a Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, turned into a catastrophe, costing 114 people their lives, and injuring another 200. Folks had gathered at the hotel for a dance contest when the structure collapsed, trapping people under the concrete. The suspended walkway’s beam wasn’t built to support the weight of hundreds of people, causing the disaster. Back in the early 1980’s this was the largest construction disaster at the time.

Twenty-eight construction workers were killed while working on a 16-story residential building in Bridgeport, Connecticut when the partially built structure collapsed. A method called lift-slab technique was used where slabs of concrete are lifted on settled on the floors above; the concrete slabs, hoisted by a hydraulic lift, slipped, and the entire building came down trapping the workers.

Baseball fans were not expecting disaster to strike during a day at the ballfield, but unfortunately, 12 people lost their lives and 200 plus were injured when the bleachers at Baker Bowl, the first home of the Philadelphia Phillies, collapsed. The makeshift bleachers were erected after a fire destroyed the original set. To ensure there would be seating for fans when the Phillies returned from a road trip, the stands were hastily built. Two men started an altercation which drew the attention of more fans, and the weight of the additional people caused the bleachers to buckle.

The St. Francis Dam was a structure built to house a reservoir just above Los Angeles, basically where the city of Santa Clarita stands today. Built between 1924 and 1926, the dam failed in 1928, killing approximately 400 people with its floodwaters. An investigation followed, it was determined the dam had defective foundations, causing it to crack, crumble, and eventually give way.

While the United States has had many terrible accidents but none has been as devastating as the collapse of the Savar Building in Bangladesh in 2013. The building was a garment factory, as well as a bank, other businesses and apartments. Cracks were found in the building and the owners chose to ignore the problem; garment workers were ordered to show for work even though the warning was given that the building was unstable. Even though the other businesses and apartments had been evacuated, the garment workers were threatened with docked pay if they did not show up for work. The building collapsed killing over 1100 people. In addition to substandard building materials, the structure had three extra floors that were not permitted, causing the building to crack under the undue pressure.


Of all the disasters that could have been avoided, the failure of the Banqiao Reservoir Dam in a Chinese providence is the most destructive and catastrophic of them all. Built in the 1950’s, a series of dams were built on the River Ru to control flooding and to harness electrical energy. Typhoon Nina roared into the area in 1975 and the dams were not equipped to receive the amount of rainfall that accompanied the storm. Evacuation notices were not relayed to people, due to downed communication lines, so when the series of dams subsequently failed, the water rushed down, killing thousands. It was estimated that a six-mile wide wall of water, approximately nine feet tall and travelling at speeds of 30 miles an hour, came crashing down on unprepared villages. In all, over 117,000 people died from the flooding, disease and famine created by the catastrophe.

While structures made by human beings are never disaster proof, oftentimes, the structures fail as a result of humans taking shortcuts to save time or money. Sometimes, they are haphazardly built, causing fundamental issues that will eventually lead to disastrous consequences—the loss of human life.