We Got Tagged!

Our blog has been tagged by our friends, the Zeltwangers from Aberdeen, SD. Their own blog is at stroozwanger. We now need to supply 8 random facts on our blog along with the RULES...-Players write a post with eight random facts/habits about themselves.-At the end of that post, they "tag" eight bloggers to write similar posts, including the rules. (Our blog-sphere of influence is very small, so we'll do our best to tag some of you who have yet to be tagged). The players then leave a comment to tell the "tag-gees" about the game. So here it goes, 8 random facts about the Carpenters...

1. During Kelly's time working with Dr. William Gray at Colorado State University on predicting rapid intensification of hurricanes, she was able to spend a week at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. While there, she was able to fly on a P-3 hurricane hunter aircraft into a developing tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico.

2. Scott carries a small photo of his grandfather, Dayton Reeves, and his plow-horse "Pat" plowing a potato field in Michigan in 1939 to remember Dayton and to remind him how lucky he is every time he gets tired of work.

3. When Nolan was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the state of Hawaii planted a tree for each new baby born in the state. So, somewhere on the Ala Wai Golf Course in Waikiki is a tree planted to celebrate his birth! We just hope he gets a native discount when we take him back there sometime!

4. Our dog, Reba, was "overflow" from the Cheyenne, Wyoming animal shelter in 1998 and was sent to the Humane Society in Fort Collins, Colorado. We were living there at the time, while Kelly finished up her M.S. degree at Colorado State University. So, while the rest of us found a new home in Cheyenne this year, it was a homecoming for Reba!

5. My favorite book is Following the Equator, by Mark Twain. This is his journal during a journey around the world. Another favorite book is the one put together for my Grandma Mary Carpenter's 100th birthday in 2004. She is 103 and going strong, and an absolute treasure to our family. If you have an elderly grandparent, please take this time while you can to get them a grandparent book, or just spend a few days with a video camera asking them questions about the past. I am so grateful to my cousin Tammy and to my father for doing these two things, respectively. The ficticious works of Tom Bodett, Patrick McManus, and Jimmy Buffett are also some of my favorite books to pick up at any time.

6. All of our boys ended up with names that somehow relate to Texas and family. Nolan-from Hall of Fame baseball great Nolan Ryan. Barrett and Travis-from William Barrett Travis who was the Commander at the Alamo. Actually, this was not really planned but we just liked the names in general. Nolan's middle name is my first name, Barrett's middle name is from Kelly's paternal grandfather, and Travis' middle name is from my paternal grandfather.

7. Although Scott and Kelly first met at the 1996 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting in Atlanta, we did not start dating until we both worked as Summer Interns for the Tulsa company which eventually sent us to Kwajalein for our time in the Marshall Islands.

8. I learned to sail near Little Point Sable on Lake Michigan in a family friend's 12ft Snark sailboat, and continue to love sailing my parents similar sailboat every time we can get out on Lake Huron at the family cottage in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Sailing was one of my favorite outdoor activities during our time living on Kwajalein and the sailing community was fantastic about teaching me some of the finer points. My father taught me to sail, but before doing so, he had to spend many hours repairing the sail with the handyman's secret weapon, Duct Tape (here's to you Red Green fans!). You see, we were the only folks to use that sailboat and the sail spent all but one week a year in the rafters of the garage! So far, our sail for the boat in the U.P. is holding up much better!

Tagging:
The Rees'
The Mullens'
The Scheels'