You Dropped a Bomb on Me

Can someone explain to me why change can't occur one thing at a time, and why you have to get thrown into a slew of change, instead?

So big news! Well, what turned out to be Part #1 of big news. Eric got a new job! He officially gave his notice at Kite yesterday, after being there for 12 years! This was not something he was looking to do, necessarily... an opportunity was presented to him, and he had to take it. The news was bittersweet to the people he's worked at Kite with for all those years, but it was well received with lots of words of encouragement. Probably couldn't have gone better.

So, the new job. Something he knew he wanted to do for a long time, but didn't think he'd be doing it until about 10 years from now. He accepted a position of Executive Director at Riley Area Development Corporations (a non-profit). Personally, I don't explain what a CDC is very well.... I call it a non-profit neighborhood developer, but it's not really that. Let's just say that Riley is actually the board he was on that spurred his interest in development to begin with and what, ironically, led him to his job at Kite Realty Group.

So what does that mean for me? Well, I've been doing what we call "permanent part-time' at my job for two years... basically, I'd work 30hrs/week, but my boss new he could count on me for more if needed (or less if things weren't looking good). It started that way because my boss, Rich, and I started a brand new site department at my company, and we weren't sure what the workload would be. Well, it turned out to be really good and we've grown to 6 site employees among the 20 person firm. Not too bad. I just never transitioned to full-time because, well, I was kind of comfortable with the part-time thing, coming and going as my schedule saw fit. But this new job for Eric, being that it's in the non-profit world, is effecting the bottom line, so full-time is needed.

But wait, there's more!

Two days ago, my boss, Rich, gave his notice! NO ONE expected that bomb! Especially the owner of our company (and a good friend of Rich's). But just like Eric, an opportunity was presented to him, and he had to take it. He wasn't looking, and even tried to blow them off, but alas, his last day is a week from today.

So what does this mean for me?? Well, my just going full time, still doing the same thing, is no longer an option. Now I'm going full time, into overdrive, and taking on a lot more responsibility. I just got thrown into management, essentially. To what extent, I'm not sure yet, and we may not know for awhile. But, I have to look at this as my opportunity, I guess. I can't say it's going to be an easy road, and this fork in the road sure was covered by a lot of brush... but it could be a good road for me. I guess well see. Here's hoping Eric and I don't do a total stress role reversal... that would just be counter productive. I guess we'll just take it one day at a time.

Memorial Day Weekend

For the first time in three years, Eric and I stayed home for the entire Memorial Day weekend. Well. meaning we didn't leave the Indy area.

Not that we didn't enjoy our travels and seeing friends and family... it was just nice to not be traveling by car with all the business that comes with this holiday weekend that often represents the beginning of summer.

Granted, after my Friday, traveling anywhere this weekend wouldn't have been very fun.

So Saturday was a day of recapturing my lost Friday. Did the shopping I wanted to get done BEFORE the crowds of Friday (therefore, we got caught in the crowds on Saturday morning). I was still recovering a little bit from Friday, so we didn't do too much more, honestly. We did go check out a new brewery's grand opening. It's called Indiana City Brewing Company. It was pretty cool, actually, but busy since we went on the grand opening. Worth going back to, though. Came home and threw some burgers on the grill after that and had a low key evening at home.

Sunday was still low key. The big event, if you want to call it that, was a BBQ at a friends house. They attempted to listen to the Indy 500 on the radio (can you believe they black it out every year in Indy, regardless if it's considered sold out??). No one was really all that interested though. At least it didn't seem that way. We ended up staying there for most of the afternoon, though, just chatting it up with friends.

Oh... I forgot to mention that... when I was home on my deathbed all day Friday, someone came into our backyard and stole our mower our of our shed. Granted, it was my original mower I bought the spring I moved into my house in... when was that... 2002? So an eleven year old mower. But it was a Toro and it was still awesome. But it had it's quirks. Like the front wheels didn't roll unless the mower was on and the self-propel mechanism was engaged. I don't think I ever changed the oil (though I did ADD oil a few times) and I KNOW I never changed the spark plugs or air filter. Changed the blade once. So basically, I did little to it, but it still ran like a boss. So while whoever stole it got a good mower, I saw it's worth in the eleven years I had it.

Back to Sunday. We bought another Toro. Found a surprisingly good deal on one at Home Depot, and Eric had to try it out as soon as we got home. He said it was better than the old one (go figure). When we got home, I turned on The Coca-Cola 600 race ON TV which, in my opinion is was more exciting that the Indy 500. I threw some ribs on the grill and after Eric mowed, he showered, ate, and then proceeded to meet some friends out (who were in from out of town), which gave me some of my own down time. I actually just watched the rest of the race.

Today was much of the same. We did some things around the house, mainly, and a few things for his apartment building.  The weather finally warmed up to feel more like Memorial Day and not the middle of April, so it was a good day to do some things in the yard, too. But really, the overall weekend just stayed low key. And local. That's what I liked. Enjoy the times at home when we can.

Sick

I am lucky to not get sick too often. At least to where is debilitates me. Maybe that's me being stubborn and 'not letting' myself be sick... but I really don't think I get sick too often.

If you're not into TMI, you might want to stop reading now... or at least skip the next paragraph.

So last night, when I woke up with stomach pains in the middle of the night, my first thought was "it's just gas" and I curled up into fetal position, and tried to go back to sleep. When that didn't help, I got up and went to the bathroom. Well, that still didn't help. I tried again a little bit later, still no help. After a few times, I knew the only way I'd feel better was to vomit. I wish I could say I patiently waited, but I was up and down multiple times, hoping it would come, and it never did.  Almost grabbed a pillow to just lay in the bathroom and wait.  But finally... it happened. Oh, and it was painful, tears and all. I knew my stomach had to be empty... but I still wasn't feeling good. I went back to bed and I tossed and turned some more, knowing more was to come. Well, at least the physical action... not sure how much more would physically come out. Finally, as a last ditch effort, I laid on my stomach. That did it. One more run to the bathroom. Mostly dry heaves this time, which might have been worse, actually. What a miserable night. But I felt I was finally on the road to recovery.

Looking back, I should've known something was up. I had a few nauseous sweats earlier in the evening. Didn't think much of it at the time - thought I was just hot. So for that reason, I think it was a virus verses food poisoning. Not that one is better than the other. I spent most of today with some slight nausea still, but nothing else came out. At least on the top end. I stayed home from work, so between my dozing off, I had a lot of time to let my mind wander. One of those places was the difference between when guys and girls get sick. Why are guys so much more dramatic when they get sick??

One thing I didn't mention was that Eric slept through my whole episode. Or rather, episodes. He had no idea until he woke up in the morning and started asking my plans for the day. I told him what happened and that I wasn't going anywhere but the couch today and he was surprised. I was surprised he never felt me get up or heard me running down the hall! I'm not faulting him. But if roles would have been reversed (and they have been before), I would have been up with him, all worried and trying to do what I could. He said I should've woke him up... but why? So neither of us has sleep?

I also thought about the difference between when you're sick as a kid and sick as an adult. As a kid, it sucks... but you get over it and often enjoy a day off of school, even if you are bedridden. As an adult? All you can think about is the lost time! There was so much I wanted to do today, and it all got nixed. To me, that was the worst part! Aside from the dehydration and sore throat I now have. I tried to stay hydrated today, but it was hard! Saltines and water weren't even sitting right early on!

I finally had a peanut butter sandwich for dinner tonight. It actually tasted and felt good. That and half a bottle of Gatorade... I think I'll sleep good tonight.

Sweet Home Chicago

If there's one thing I actually like about living in the Midwest, it's being close to Chicago. I really like Chicago. Maybe not enough to live there (gets WAY too cold for me in the winter!), but it's great to have such an awesome city so close - close enough to do a day trip, but always better to stay overnight and take more of it in.

This past weekend was one such trip. Eric and I rolled out of Indy Saturday morning to head up to Chicago for a Cubs game. We couldn't have asked for better weather, not to mention we were leaving crappy weather behind. Made it even more gratifying to be leaving. Since it was a noon game, we drove up into Wrigleyville and parked on Clark to walk to the game - no time for the Redline. Timing wise, it worked out perfectly.

The game itself was awesome! We had great seats, just barely down he 3rd base line. We were in the shade for the game, and it was almost chilly with the breeze blowing off of the lake. But when the breeze was lacking, it was the perfect temperature, and in the sun, it was gorgeous! It was actually a good game to watch, too, both in the amount of action, and the fact that the Cubs beat the Mets, 8-2! Go Cubs!

After the game, we lulled around a bit before going back to the car. From there, we went back to the hotel to freshen up and relax a bit before killing time on Michigan Ave. before dinner. We didn't really need to do any shopping, but it's always fun the walk the Magnificent Mile!

For dinner, we ended up at one of our favorite spots, SushiSamba. You can never go wrong, there. We kept it light, since it was later than our normal dinner. Plus, we were also heading over to Chicago Cut, afterwards, where Eric's cousin, Travis, is the executive chef. We hadn't seen him in a few years and just learned, somehow, that this was one of his restaurants. So we figured a late arrival there gave us a better chance to actually see him.

Again, timing worked out well. Right after we sat down in the bar area, we happened to see Travis come out of the kitchen, so Eric grabbed him to say "hi" and he came over and we chatted for awhile. We ordered just a couple of appetizers to go with our previous meal (which led us to decided we really need to just eat here next time!). Travis came back out after he wrapped a few things up in the kitchen and we chatted for while more. It was really great to catch up! He even showed us around the back of house, which was cool to see - there's a lot of people is a small area putting out some amazing food!

We headed back to our hotel to crash for the evening. Before leaving, though, we decided to meet Travis, his girlfriend, Melissa, and Eric's other cousin, Courtney, for brunch in the morning. They lived just west of downtown, which was easy to do as we left the hotel. We walked from their house to a local brunch spot call Carriage House, which had an array of unique items on their menu. It was quite good, actually! And again, it was really great to catch up. I'm really not sure why we never met up with them in previous Chicago trips.

But alas, it had to end and we had to head back to Indy. Eric wanted to get back and do some yardwork, since he was actually home. I was beat, myself - could barely keep my eyes open for the first part of the trip home! it was a good weekend, though. Chicago always seems to be a good time for us. It's no wonder I love it!

Just Another Wednesday in May

One of the first things I learned when I moved to Indiana is that May is a big deal. Ironically, I put off moving here for a week way back in 2001 because I didn't want to get stuck in the hustle and bustle of the Indy 500 weekend. Granted, I was moving clear on the other side of the City, but I didn't quite know that at the time. And I had NO idea that the Indy 500 impacted the City for nearly an entire month!

The day started out great. A few hours at work, where I wrapped up a submittal and finished a proposal. Then it was off to our company outing that was at the ballpark (Victory Field). We had a suite for the afternoon to watch the game, complete with food and a great view. Rowdie even came to visit us, which was pretty cool. (I don't know why, but I love mascots - I think it's cause I had Aubie in college) We couldn't have asked for better weather and the Indians were kicking the Bisons' butts! So after soaking things in until about the 7th inning, Rich, who announced yesterday he was offered passes to the racetrack for Happy Hour, got some of us together to head out to the Indy Motor Speedway to finish out the afternoon.

While we were having an unseasonably warm day for mid-May, there was a warm breeze to compliment the afternoon. We got out to the track and met one of our hosts inside the gate, where we walked to yet another suite off of the garages. After a little cooling off (and a cold beverage to assist in that), we walked around the garages to see what cars or drivers we might be able to catch. By this time, it was nearly 5pm, which meant "Happy Hour" at the track. This isn't what you would think of as "Happy Hour" when you hear it on a normal day, any other time of the year. It's May at the track, after all... happy hour here meant the time during practice at which the most number of cars would be circling the track.

And they did not disappoint! We hung out in the stands, watching the cars circle the tack for about an hour - things end surprising prompt, right at 6pm. They even announce when there was 90 seconds left. And just like that, the day was done. We just had to get back downtown. It turned out to be a great mid-week decompression - we've had A LOT of deadlines over the past couple of weeks, so I think we all needed this.

Just another Wednesday in May in Indianapolis.



It's Just a T-Shirt

So one of the latest 'aghast moments' in the media is the CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch stating in an interview that they don't sell sizes above 10 or size Large for girls/women in their stores... because they don't want fat girls/women wearing their brand. That's not the image they want associated with their brand. They want to be on the 'cool kids' in school.

To this I say, "So what's new about this?"

Now, maybe he shouldn't have come out and explained the 'why' part of not selling above those sizes in such detail... but what Abercrombie is doing is nothing new. Remember the chain 5.7.9? They only sold up through size 9, and started at 00. They called themselves a 'specialty' store for the smaller girls out there. I shopped there a bit when I was younger. Did anyone ever interview their CEO and ask "why?"

There are other brands that are out there currently that have much the same in the way of size availability... are we going to go after them with pitch forks and torches, too? Did you ever think that maybe if you can't fit into those sizes, then maybe you shouldn't be shopping there - maybe it's branded for the younger crowd? Sure, they show these 'older' models in their clothing, but let's be real - those models are always unrealistic in their size, so matter what store they do advertisements for.

If you so stuck on the actual style of the clothes, I can almost guarantee you can find it somewhere in a size that fits you. If you're just mad cause you can't fit into sizes at that store, then maybe you're just stuck on that brand. Because you want to be one of the cool kids?

Let's back up. He did mention in one of the interview recaps that I read that it was supposed to be worn 'by the cool kids in school'... the keywords there are "kids in school" and that further backs the point that if your in your mid-20's or older, maybe the brand isn't meant for you. So instead of griping that their spouting off demeaning interviews, just go somewhere else. I can tell you this - he likely doesn't care since you're not the demographic he's selling to. So all these rants and posts about not shopping there or spending anymore money there... who cares. And if your thought is not buying your kids' clothing there - good luck keeping them out of the store when they go to spend their own money.

This all goes back that we really need to do; a 180 in our society with the way we shelter our kids, and we need to kick the politically correct horse in the mouth and just stop all that bullshit! The first generation of heavily sheltered kids who had helicopter parents are hitting the job market, and quite frankly, that's what puts me aghast! They expect to walk onto the job scene, immediately get put in management with six-figure salary, and don't know what to do when told "no!" They don't know what the hell responsibility is and it really scares the hell out of me that this is the generation that will 'lead the county' in about 15 years. Where the hell are they going to lead us? THAT'S really what scares me!

Bottom line... who cares what the CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch said. It's a blip on the social media scene for the week, and next week the angry villagers will find something new to be upset about. Everyone's getting way too upset about something that is NOT unique. Just another case of putting the earmuffs and blindfolds on kids nowadays.

A Trip Back to Longboat Key

Sometime last month, Eric and I got to talking about going back to Longboat Key, where we got married, just to have a little decompression and down time. That has always been one place Eric can seem to relax. So I started looking online, and came to find out that the hotel we found a little over three years ago at and got married at will be closing for a year, starting this summer, for a full on renovation! Wow. So if we wanted to see our quaint little hotel, as is was when we got married, we'd better get back there soon! And that's what we did this weekend. Not quite an anniversary trip by date, but one by element of reminiscence.

It wasn't a long trip, but a much needed one, none the less. We left Friday afternoon, after Eric actually went into the office for a bit and had a few meeting - all the more reason he needed this weekend getaway!

It was an easy trip, and after a slight detour along the way, we made it through Sarasota and to St. Armand's Circle! This became a quick favorite of ours when we first found this area of FL a few years ago. With all the restaurants and shops, you can easily kill a few hours with good food and great people watching! By the time we got there, though, it was nearly 9pm, so for our Friday evening, it would just serve as a place for some drinks and light noshing before going to the hotel.

We decided to check out the Shore Diner, which opened about a year ago. It's above a little boutique surf shop that I came to love (called Shore) and from reading about it, sounded like it'd be our kind of place. And it definitely was. Very modern and sleek, yet simple in design. Had a bit of a South Beach vibe to it, without it being too trendy. And our first impression of the food and drink? Awesome! We got these Maine Lobster Roll Sliders and a Cool Quinoa Salad with cranberries and pistachios in it - it was SO good! All of it! The cocktails fit well with the scene, as well. We were really glad we chose this as our stop on the way to the hotel!

Finally, on to the hotel. It was still the same Hilton Longboat Key Beachfront Resort as it was when we first fount it. But at the same time, we could see why they wanted to do a little renovation to it. As the weekend progressed, we learned that while the building with the guest rooms was staying (though they would be renovated), everything else would be demolished and replaced with a couple of new buildings, including new reception/check-in building, about 85 additional rooms in another building, and a new wing of 'special event space' for all the weddings they have. So our little hotel would be losing some of its 'boutique' like qualities. Sure glad we decided to go now!

Saturday we woke up and fell right into the low key routine that this area of FL causes you to do. We wandered downstairs for breakfast and ran into our old friend, the egret. I don't know if anyone's really named him, but he's been hanging around the hotel for years - he was there the first time we ever went to the hotel! It's kind of sad... where's he going to go when the hotel is under construction??

Anyway, after breakfast, I hit the beach for a couple of hours while Eric took care of some things on the computer. I don't typically like him working when we have these rare weekend outings, but in this case, it worked since it gave me some time on the beach without him getting bored (he's is very anti-beach!). But then we headed out to lunch, back down on St. Armand's Circle. We hit a different place, though, call Terrace on the Circle - it had a Mediterranean flare to it. We had Kibbeh and Babaganoush to try something different - it was really good and quite a nice change! It also worked well as a nice, light lunch. Afterwards, we went back to the Shore Diner for a couple of drinks. We were there long enough that we ordered their truffle fries, which were addictive! But then we ended up going downstairs and doing a little shopping. I think Eric was the one that really made out, though - I think he likes the place as much as I do.

After we were finally done on the circle, we went for a little drive north of the hotel, just to take in the scenery. We really didn't go too far, though... the weather, while still nicer than Indiana, was getting overcast and windy. The waves were even picking up on the beach, which is unusual for this area of the coast! So we went back to the hotel and hung out on our deck, enjoys the breeze we had (we were on the side of the building that the wind wasn't hitting) and the warm weather, just reading a paper Eric picked up and surfing on the iPad.

We went to dinner a little after 8pm. While it's later than I like to eat, it suited the weekend's schedule. We went back to a place we found during one of our previous trips, called Venezia. It's an Italian place with really good pizza. Really good! We split their prosciutto, which had arugula and good mozzarella on it. Yum! But that was it - we called it a night after dinner. It was a good way to end a relaxing day.

Sunday, even though we were heading back to Indiana later, was spent with some more relaxing at the hotel. I even watched the sunrise! (yeah - you read that right... sunRISE, not sunset!) We had a light breakfast at the hotel because we were planning on doing brunch at the Shore Diner - we heard it was yummy! After breakfast, though, we took a walk on the beach then just relaxed before packing up to leave the hotel. One last look at the hotel as we knew it. And we headed back to St. Armand's Circle, one more time!

The brunch as Shore Diner was worth it! I had these scrumptious buttermilk pancakes with blueberries and lemon curd and Eric had a pulled pork skillet scramble, essentially (the eggs were over-easy, though, not scrambled). We were really glad we decided to stop by one more time. It was a great way to leave the island.

One the was to the airport, we detoured with a quick stop to Ikea. Just because. We still even managed to get to the airport early. I kind of like flying out late afternoon/early evening - there so much less stress! And just like that, our little weekend getaway was over. But it was just about as perfect as you can have for a relatively last minute trip.

Finally...

Okay... so hopefully you won't see anymore venting weather blogs from me. I think Spring has finally sprung. Permanently and for real,this time. While I know you'll miss those blogs, I won't. I really don't like complaining about weather - I just don't like cold weather! I'd rather it be super hot than cold!

The past few days have brought us temperatures in the low-to-mid-80's. While that it above average for this time of year, it's welcome, in my eyes. Sunshine and 80's is about as perfect as you can get! To me, 70's don't quite put me in a comfort zone (though that's better than anything less than 70!). I guess once a FL girl, always a FL girl. Granted, with these warmer temperatures brings more rain... but it's spring. You expect that, right??

Though I have to admit, I don't like the whole 'rain all day' weather that we get in Indiana. I always loves the afternoon storms we'd get growing up in FL. It'd cool things off and get enough moisture to keep things green. I really have come to appreciate that after a few droughts I've been though since moving to Indiana. Unfortunately, with droughts in Indiana, comes stupid-crazy heat that just sits on you. Another plus to FL (at least on the coastal areas), you have that incoming breeze about 95% of the time, even if it's minimal. So in FL, it may get hot, but it doesn't get stagnate hot as often as Indiana.

I guess we'll see what this summer brings. Hopefully, not another drought. I think as long as there isn't a drought, it'll be fine. I might post about a really hot temperature, but that'll be more because I get a kick out hitting near record temperatures. It's kind of like, "How hot can you handle?" I'm just happy if I can put away my socks for a few months.