Get Simpsonized!

With all of the hype of the new Simpson movie coming out to theaters, there is a Simpson website. I went to the website to create my personalized Simpson character. She is named Martiel. You can also go to the site.

http://www.simpsonsmovie.com/main.html?cid=us&deeplink=avatar&deeplink2=undefined

Create your very own Simpson character and place the cartoon version of your self in a background of Springfield. See the avitar below (Martiel is walking down town Springfield) She is trying to find Moes Bar.

Here's The 411, To Get It Straight

I just found out about straight irons, and what a wonder it can do for straight hair! I know about curling irons for curling hair and straight irons for straightening curly hair, but I never thought to use a straight iron for straight hair. I love this "new hair tip." I was at the mall earlier this week and went to Regis Hair Salon to add some red low lights to my hair. The stylist finished my hair up with a straight iron and it made my hair shiny and smooth! All just by using this straight iron. I went to the store the very next day and bought a Straight iron. I plan on straighting my hair daily now to get that shinny, smooth look to my regularly frizzed out, straight hair.

Don't laugh now, this may be an old hair trick to some of my blog readers, but I just wanted to share with all of you about straight irons. It never occured to me to use a straight iron on straight hair. I am sharing the 411 to get it straight! (pun intended)

4th of July...

I better talk about our 4th of July festivities before it becomes AUGUST!

Our Fourth of July was a blast from the past! Our friends from Ohio drove out to St. Louis to visit us for the Fourth and see the firework show down by the Arch. We used my hotel discount to stay downtown and walked down to the Arch from there.

Starting around 3:30 we all decided to buy tickets to ride to the top of the Arch, which was a first for all of us, and was too cool! The St. Louis Arch is 630 feet tall as it is also 630 wide. The Arch is the “Gateway to promised lands” St. Louis was a breaking point or pit-stop before moving on closer to the West coast and making it to California to search for gold and fortune. People were migrating from the East coast in wagons and on horses to the West coast. Missouri marks the Midwest, and the Gateway Arch is like a giant doorway welcoming people across to the other side of the Mississippi River.

We all rode up to the top of the arch in these little, egg-shaped, pods with 5 seats in each. The egg-shaped pods reminded me of the Mork and Mindy TV Show, where Robin Williams’s character lands in a similar egg-shaped pod. We got to the top of the Arch; there are little, rectangular viewing windows to look out on the cities horizon and to the river side sky line. The views were beautiful. We even watched the helicopter rides land on the small concrete landing spot down by the river. I also took a photo of the Ariel view of the Bush Stadium, for the Cardinals.



After we explored the Arch we headed over to the festivities and bought some hot dogs with horse radish and a coke, totaling $6. Over priced vendor foods! Later we each had a $2 Snow cone, I wanted to get 3 flavors but it would cost an additional dollar!!! So I stuck to 2 flavors…Lime and Orange. Everyone else ate the solid red or solid blue flavors! The red and blue are what I call the “safe flavors” and not wanting to venture out.

We settled down into the crowd on the cement steps below the arch just before the free concert was about to start. Cindy Lauper was the guest singer, FREE! I might add. She sang her usual 80’s hit songs and some new songs as well. I tried taking a clear photo of her on stage, and also video taped her singing “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”
Cindy has short, lavender, hair and tiny as ever.

Here is a photo of Carly's oldest daughter, Amber and I during the fireworks show. She has pretty, long hair to play with and braid while rocking out to Cindy Lauper. I had a fun time hang out with her and the kids. I can't wait to have kids of our own soon. After the free concert of Cindy Lauper the firework show started up over the river. The fireworks reflected in the water beautifully. Andrew and I were watching the firework show and enjoying every moment of it.

MO Botanical Gardens

Once again, Mother Nature takes my breath away. I went to the Botanical Gardens here in St. Louis, Missouri with my friend Carissa. We took our cameras along and took beautiful photographs of the landscaping through out the Gardens. There is a pound section with sculptures, fountains to make a wish at, rose gardens, a garden maze to walk through, a Japanese garden, and so much more in between filled with beauty. The photos are taken by Martiel Hay, June 2007.

To pause the slide show move the computer mouse over the photo, this will also show a title for the particular photo.

I highly recommend a trip to the St. Louis Botanical Gardens, it is breath taking. Come out here and visit us and we will go together on a flower expedition!

Happy Birthday to You & You & You!

It is Summer Birthday season! Too many to try counting...I may have even forgot some, I am usually good at sending out a birthday card to my friends and family on thier B-days. If I forgot any of you, Happy belated birthday!


Starting with June 1 was Andrew's 29th birthday! We went out to Red Robin for dinner with our friends Marlon and Carissa. This is his last year of being "20 something". Next year with be the dreaded 3-0! I am not sure why so many people dread the big 30, even to an extent that they start fibbing about their age and say that they are 29, 28, 20 something. We will see what happens next year when we both turn 30 and find out what the fuss is all about. I am currious if I will proudly say that I am 30 or if I will join the group of fibbers and hold on to the age of 28/29.

A week later was our friend, Kim's Birthday. She lives out in Cali-for-nia, so we sent her a card with birthday wishes.

Then our friend April's birthday was at the end of June. Three of my coworkers had birthdays all with in one week!


Now it is July and both my dad's birthday and my cousins birthday are on the same day, July 3rd. There is the rest of July and all of August coming up for even more Summer birthdays. Including my own! I will be 29 this August the 19th. My brother ends the summer up with his birthday on September 1st turning 23. I can't believe how many birthdays there are this Summer.

Our Dog Has a Mullett!

It is summer time and the weather is getting hot and humid. Our dog, Duke has black, long, fur. I decided to take Duke over to Pet Smart for a grooming, when the groomer asked me how short I wanted his hair to be, I paused for a moment to think this through...I didn't want it to be too short, and I like his fluffy ears and long tail....I told her to trim down the hair for summer but keep the tail and ears alone. He also had long fur on the back of his legs, which I said to trim off also. In my mind I thought he would look good all trimmed up and he would also be less hot in the summer heat with out the long fur. Andrew picked Duke up from the groomers and I was at work, he text messaged me, "what happened to Duke? He looks so funny! all of his fur is gone." I could not wait to get home to see what he looked like and find out what Andrew was talking about.

With out the long fur on the back of his legs, they now look skinny, and with out the long fur on his body/torso his tail looks super fluffy...like a Mullet. His fur is short and then long, it is out of proportion like a mullet! We were calling him "Mullet Dog".

Here are some before and afters of our poor Duke, the Mullet dog.
BEFORE: With a long neck line, long fur, long tail, and furry legs.Duke has his "cigar" in his mouth. AFTER: No neck line, skinny legs, short fur, with a fluffy tail... Mullet Dog with his baby teddybear out on the deck! BEFORE: Long Neck line of fur. Duke hanging out in the rain.
AFTER: Short fur all over, no more neck line, and now he has the long furry ears remaining and it looks funny. The new Duke all trimmed back, chillin on his window seat in our living room.