All The Other Places

Is this thing working?

Would you like to know a little bit about me? Get a feel for who Leanne really is? Well, say no more! Now, I'm not offering to have lunch with you and talk to you face to face like they did in the good ole days, but I will offer up a slew of links to my other social media, and webpages where you can investigate on your own. Because like you, I too am in all the other places.


Pinterest is pretty cool. I have a bad habit of deleting my boards if I change my mind about where I want to live or go next...like, I allow my RV board to remain because I still plan to do that one day but my Dreams of Oregon had to go bye bye because I'm not sure I REALLY want to live there. OCD, I know. If you want to see my boards anyhow, you can find them at http://pinterest.com/leanneandmark/.


Let's see, I've mentioned Dreamcatcher in a previous post. If you like that kind of thing my dreamcatcher is http://dreamcatcher.net/nightpiper.


Now that we are all professional photographers and can put groovy filters on all our selfies, I'm sure you'll want to look at my Instagram too. I am http://instagram.com/lmj14.


You like books? Me too! Check out my Goodreads page...http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/20015862-leanne-mark.


Movies? I've got you covered with Getglue...http://getglue.com/MarkAndLeanne.

Fashion? Polyvore is where it's at...http://leanne-et-mark.polyvore.com/.


Of course, like every good American, I have a Facebook page. My privacy settings are like Fort Knox though so you won't see much without being on the friends list. If you think we should be friends through FB you can follow me on my writers page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Leanne-Jernigan/448601211902947?ref=hl.


The place I spend the MOST time online would probably have to be Tumblr. I can scroll for days. If you would like to view my collection of Beautiful Things, they can be found at http://infinityserpent.tumblr.com/.


Now for the places I visit less often, because really? Ain't nobody got time for that!


I have an ETSY shop but it is currently empty. I'm planning to add items in the next week or two so do drop in from time to time...https://www.etsy.com/shop/GypsyBooksAndThrift.


Twitter. I think I've tweeted twice. I really only signed up to follow Amanda Bynes but now that she is in the looney bin I think I need more friends or nest mates or whatever it is called on Twitter. I'm here...https://twitter.com/LeanneAndMark.

And I'm a stumbler at StumbleUpon...http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/ljourneyagain.

I'm also on Cinemagram and Vine but really just to see what other people are doing. I'm less comfortable with the video thing.

A few apps are worth mentioning as well. Mark and I just started using MapMyWalk. My sister Sara and her husband Scott tipped us off on this one. If walking is a part of your routine this is a fun way to track your miles and calories burned. My favorite app of all is a language learning tool called MindSnacks. I am using it to get a grasp on some Spanish but you could use it to learn German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Chinese or Japanese. Putting the learning process into a game format makes things stick better for us right brained people.

Hmmhm. That should be enough ME to make anybody sick. If you spend time at any of these sites I hope we can connect. Photo sharing and blogging can't give you the true sense of who a person is but it sure is fun! I'll see you guys around in all the other places.

How do I turn this off?

~ Love & Light ~

Riverside Bridge Reopens

Riverside Bridge Ozark, MO.

Historic Riverside Bridge over the Finley River was closed three years ago after engineers deemed the structure unsafe. Many people in Ozark and the surrounding area couldn't bear the thought of the old bridge being torn down, so money was raised by citizens and tax payers in Christian County to do the $250,000 in repairs. 

The bridge was re-opened to traffic on Friday August 23rd. Mark and I hopped into our Subaru and went to see it for ourselves. We had never gone very far up Riverside Road before - only to get to the park on the other side of the river. It is a pretty drive and the bridge really is worth seeing.

Crossing the bridge

 It's nice to know that enough people in the community cared to work towards the preservation of this historic site. Unfortunately, it is only a temporary fix. After seven years the bridge will need to be replaced by a new one. The tricky part is that much of the area surrounding the bridge is a federally owned flood plain. Short of rerouting the existing roads and buying up personal property, the current location seems to be the most logical place to put a new bridge...which of course would mean tearing the old one down. Something preservationists and long time citizens of Oz would hate to see done.

Only time will tell the fate of the Historic Riverside Bridge, but for now why not come enjoy a piece of history, and the surrounding beauty which is The Ozarks. 

~ Love & Light ~

We Love Best Friends Animal Hospital!

Yesterday we took Penelope to the vet for a few routine vaccinations.  She is easily upset and taking a ride in the car is one of her least favorite things to do. Best Friends Animal Hospital is a short five minute drive from our house and the main reason we chose them as Penny's health care providers. That might seem like a terrible way of deciding on a veterinarian but you haven't had to ride in the car with Penny, have you? The truth is, we couldn't have asked for a better animal hospital, it just happens to be good luck that they are so close to our house. 

The facility is newer and very clean. The ladies at the front desk are talkative and friendly and every time we have been there we are taken to an exam room upon arrival, no waiting in the lobby.

Mark and Penny in the exam room.

The first order of business was to weigh Penny. An assistant helped Mark keep Penny on the scale. The last time they had weighed her (a year ago) she was 14 pounds. Now she is 42.9 pounds!

Weighing Penny

Next it was time to take her temperature, which was normal. A second vet. tech. came in to do this job.

Checking Penny's temperature

Just one more thing before the doctor arrives. A manicure! 

Getting her nails clipped.

After the girls had made Penny look pretty, Dr. Germeroth came in to administer the vaccinations. C. Jack Germeroth, DVM is such a kind person. Penny is very comfortable with him and so are we. He gave Penny a good once over, checking her ears, eyes, teeth, and listening to her heartbeat. 

Dr. Germeroth examines Penny's teeth.

Listening to her heart.

Then it was time for her shots. Two by needle and one sprayed in the nose to protect against respiratory infection. I don't think Penny even knew what happened, she was enjoying the attention.

You might feel a pinch!

In addition to health care, Best Friends Animal Hospital also provides boarding and grooming, I highly recommend them to anyone with a companion animal in or near Oz. After all, when it comes to your best friend you want a veterinarian you can trust!

Best Friends Animal Hospital

903 W. South Street

Ozark, MO. 65721

Hospital: 417.581.DOGS (3647)

Grooming: 417.581.KLIP (5547)

Fax: 417.485.2154

www.bestfriendsanimal.net

~ Love & Light ~

The Lost Archives or Too Embarrassing For Facebook or The Longest Blog Post Ever!

Here they are folks! These are the photos and videos previously thought to be too embarrassing to share with you guys. I have been out trying new restaurants and other places here in Oz but nothing has been blog worthy...so you get this instead. :D

A visit to the Dickerson Park Zoo. His tongue was a long as my waist is wide.

Girls night out with my best friend, Alicia. This is the phone that she carries in her bag.

Insane look in my eyes as I watch my niece, Mallory, open a gift.

If you watch Breaking Bad you MIGHT understand what is happening here.

Never enough weird selfies. 

A day out antiquing with my youngest sister, Dallis. 

Another awkward selfie.

Penny opens her present, epic fail.

Shopping at Lowe's in a pony tail.

Penelope "hiding" under the coffee table.

Mark looking into a bag at the karate studio, and me in the mirror documenting this ever so important moment.

Example of what Mark and his brother, Phil, do on guys nights.

My mom doing a cheer for us on the porch.

Because Mark needed a selfie of me while I was putting gas in the car.

It thrills me to no end to make Phil wear my cat hat.

How we spend our time in fancy hotel rooms.

No words.

They keep getting better, no?

In the dressing room, forcing Mark to try on clothes he hates.

More clothes he would never wear in public, yet I feel perfectly okay about posting this on my blog.

Awkward video during our trip to London.

Is it better if he tucks it in?

Shopping is so much FUN!

Trying on boots and sending pictures of them to Mark.

Phil's girlfriend, Carrie, mowing the lawn.

A nice man offered to take a picture of us riding the elephant (we are behind the tree).

That's better...wait, where is the elephant?

Ah, the hillbilly life!

Sleep cannot be attained unless all the breathing holes are covered.

Penny walks in on daddy in the bath.

There ya have it! I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into life with the Retanas! Until next time.

~ Love & Light ~

Look To The Sky: Perseids Meteor Shower 2013

Perseids 2013 is upon us! The perseids meteor shower is at its peak viewing today and tomorrow. (August 11-12). Upwards of 60-100 meteors will pass through the sky per hour! You can watch these bits of comet ice and dust with the naked eye - no telescope necessary. The farther away from city lights you can get the better.

Perseids meteor shower is the debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle. Every August as the Earth orbits the sun, it passes through a field of dust and rock, some of which will burn up in the atmosphere as meteoroids. Perseids also produces fireballs - the really big meteors!

Perseids is best viewed in the early morning, pre-dawn. The meteors will appear to be coming from the constellation Perseus, so look to the northeast.

The moon is currently a waxing crescent moon, and will make it all the more easy to view the shower. Can't get out of the city? You can still watch the shower live from the SLOOH Space Camera. Next year the Persieds will occur during a full moon, making viewing conditions less than ideal, so this really is the year to take in the magic if you can! 

~ Love & Light ~

About August

A summer scene at the Finley River Dam. 

Summer will be but a memory in several weeks and we will welcome Autumn, my favorite season. Soon the children will be back in school and season premiers of our favorite television shows will be airing. Summer isn't gone yet though, and we plan to squeeze in a few more sunny days of fun before the leaves begin to fall from the trees. 

This Thursday the 8th is the 125th birthday of the City of Ozark! A celebration will be held at the downtown square from 5-8pm complete with activities, free cake, t-shirts, a classic car show, music by Jake Rogers, and of course the Farmers Market.

Jake Rogers as seen on America's Got Talent.

Charming downtown Oz.

Another fun thing we intend to do in the upcoming weeks is to visit Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO. and ride the new wooden coaster, Outlaw Run, the worlds only wooden coaster to twist upside down! 

What adventures do you have planned for the tail end of summer? 

~ Love & Light ~