2014 Reflection

I don't normally do a year-end reflection post, but this morning, I was just thinking about all the stuff that happened this year, and I felt like I wanted to share.

The year really started out no differently from 2013. Eric had already been at his job for awhile, as had I. There was nothing forthcoming, that we knew of, that was going to make the year 2014 one of those years to look back on. And honestly, until spring sprung, that was seemingly the case. But I think the year started to get more memorable after I won those Boston Red Sox tickets. So we knew an awesome trip was in the works. And that was on top of the two wedding that came to fruition, both of which were 'destination weddings' for us (IOW - we traveled). So the traveling aspect of the year became that of a lot of travel memories, which was interesting since Eric's job no longer had that as a component. Together, we traveled to St. Jo, MI; Houston/Austin, TX; NYC (x2); Boston; Yuengling Brewery; Chicago; and of course, FL. And only one of those trips was via plane (to Texas) - the rest were true roadtrips. Separately, Eric went to Lansing, MI; Nashville, TN; and Philadelphia, PA for work. I, of course, did my girls' Caribbean trip and a late fall trip to FL to see my family. Not too shabby for travel in one year.

Then there was one component of Eric's work life that impacted me more than I imagined it would. He opened a fashion store. And while he was really just the money guy behind the creative minds, it wouldn't have happened without his incubator idea that he had been dwelling on for awhile. This impacted me in the fact that I had no idea there was a local fashion scene in Indy and I, personally, became one of the stores repeat customers rather quickly. Plus, the people I've gotten to meet in this fashion world that I didn't know existed has been quite a trip. It's a world I never would have met without Eric branching out himself. And the people are of such a different mindset than what I'm used to in 'my world' of engineering and development.

I'm not even going to touch on things that have happened in the world or even in my own neighborhood (which has really 'grown up' a lot this year). If I did that, I'd be rambling on for quite some time.

Finally, and most recently, there was the shift in my own job. While technically, there have been murmurings since the summer about this happening, the jump back to the development world really didn't come until late November. And wow... this is setting up 2015 to be another hell of a year. I'm not going to lie - I'm a bit nervous getting back on this side of the arena... but I'm sure once I'm going, I'll be right back in the groove.

So here's to a spectacular 2014... and hoping 2015 will keep the awesomeness going.

Another Reason We Need Our Garage Done

So those who know me, know that I am desperately waiting the completion of our garage. We're fully designed and permitted... but the ground froze on us before the contractor could get started. Boo. Personally, I'm still hoping he can find a week sometime soon to get the foundation in - once that's in, it's a go, regardless of weather. But he has to have a few days to get the concrete to cure, not to mention the ability to dig in the ground, with the temperatures above freezing (ideally, well above freezing). Eric's not as optimistic as I am.

So, to add to our desire to get this done, when we got back from our trip early this morning, we notice something looked weird with Eric's car, which was parking directly in front of our house on Fletcher. Before we even got out to look, I said, "I think your car got hit!"

Sure enough, someone tagged the left rear side, making the tire, which was now tilted, making the car undrivable. WTF. So, instead of waiting, Eric decided to file a police report right then, and called it in. While it was the middle of the night, they still had an officer come out and fill out the report, and I simultaneously started a claim on my State Farm app on my phone - might as well get the process going. With New Year's Day a couple of says away (ie - another day of closure for businesses), it'd be good to get the car in for repairs before so the process could at least begin.

We only know it was a Volkswagen of some sort that hit him - they left a hubcap behind. But no note was left. We can't help but wonder how they got home... the damage left on Eric's car had to indicate their car was in pretty bad shape, too. So it kind of sucks that we had to go to our insurance with a hit-n-run. This is not a 'no-fault state' like Florida, where your insurance always pays. So this really sucks.

So now we are waiting to hear from the insurance company on the next step. I guess the silver lining is that my car is available (for the most part) this week since I don't have to go into work. But then that leaves me stuck at home. I'm sure he'll get a rental later this week... but for now, I get to mill around the house.

UPDATE: I talked to our neighbor and she recalls seeing a car with a broken axle and deployed airbags 'parked' at the end of the block on Sunday morning. I wouldn't have thought the damage to Eric's cars would indicate that much damage to another car, but maybe? Or there was another car involved and Eric's was a third? This new info doesn't nothing for us, regardless... but it's interesting.

My Florida Christmas

It's not a secret that I look forward to me 'green Christmases' every year. I never grew up dreaming of a white Christmas, and even living in Indiana for as long as I have, I still don't desire a white Christmas. I like seeing my palm trees decorated and breaking out shorts on Christmas Day. I like having an opportunity to go to the beach, even though it doesn't mean actually laying out in the sun. To me, that is home... that is Christmas.

Christmas Even, Eric and I headed down to FL. This year, we decided to give a go at driving straight down, with no overnight stops. We knew, in theory, it was very doable. We just hadn't tried it yet. So in similar fashion of our summer roadtrip easy, we got up and left really early in the morning - 5am. We actually wanted to leave earlier, but it was just too hard to get out of bed. I didn't make it too far down the road before I fell back asleep for a couple of hours... but Eric said he was okay, so I rested soundly. We just drove and stopped when we wanted to stop, and since we had no agenda, we took our time. I told my parents that if we got there in time to go by the house, we would, but don't plan anything around our arrival. Glad we did that, too, because we didn't get to our hotel until around 8pm. We still went over to say 'hi' to my parents and Nan, and deliver our gifts to the tree. But we didn't stay long - we were quite tired. SO back to the hotel we went to crash.

Since my sister and her family didn't come up until Christmas Day, we took that as a queue to sleep in and get plenty of sleep for the long day ahead. We actually barely made over to my parents before they arrived, which was no big deal, really... we ate breakfast at the hotel before we went over, so there was no delay in anybody's schedule. Once they arrived and everyone settled in, it was right to opening gifts. Even though they're teenagers, the kids still love opening gifts as if they were still six-years-old. Of course, the gifts are very different now. Did I mention how hard it is to shop for a teenage boy?? Darian started out difficult, but much in the way my list grew at her age, it was an ever growing list that made shopping for her very easy. I actually had a hard time shopping for everyone else, this year, too. Except for my Dad... my travels made his gift list easier, as I found all sorts of fun t-shirts for him. And actually, my travels helps with everyone, as everyone got at least one souvenir type things from my travels. But I still had to get things people wanted, too.

Eric is never easy to shop for, either. In fact, I'm finding none of the guys in my life are easy to shop for. Why is that? I know I'm not the only one with this issue, either... I think it's because if they want something, they just go buy it. So they never leave any hints on the table. But I digress.

The rest of our trip was a typical FL trip for me. Lots of family time, shopping with the girls (my Mom, sister, and niece), and even pierogi making this year! Eric got a little more antsy than usual this year - he just can't stay in one place for too long with an agenda in front of him. He wanted to go do something 'planned out' and unfortunately, that's just not how my family operates. At least not since we used to do the zoo day with the kids. (Which I miss) He couldn't even get the guys to go to lunch when us girls were out shopping. I felt bad for him, but yet, this was no different than any other year. Maybe next year, we can plan at least one day out with a full agenda to calm his nerves.

The trip home turned out to be another straight-thru drive. We initially planned on making a stop, but the timing of us leaving (noon) and where that put us at a good 'stopping point and time', it just didn't make sense. So we pushed through and arrived home closed to 2am. Made for a long, exhausting day, but I have to admit, it was nice to sleep in my own bed last night (this morning).

So another Christmas is in the books. Kind of hard to believe that this year is wrapping up already. It flew by way faster, it seems. But none the less, it was a great Christmas with family on both sides.

Two Christmas Parties and a New Job

'Tis the season for company Christmas parties... of 'Holiday' parties if you need to be politically correct. They can range from a potluck in the office, to a formal affair, all depending on how the company likes to do things. Or, sometimes, just due to who's in charge of it that year.

This year was kind of interesting. I got the whole range in two days... from two companies, obviously... but one of them was NOT where Eric and I currently work. That was part of what made it interesting.

But let's start with my A&F party. Since we're such a small company, Steve keeps things simple. Which is nice. We do more than a potluck... we figured it out last year she we took an afternoon off and went bowling with a nice lunch beforehand. It might sound corny, but since it's just the employees, there's good camaraderie and lots of just laid back fun. And yes, we get alcohol. So that was on Wednesday afternoon.

Last night, Eric and I crashed a party where neither of us work. But of course, there was more to it than that. So jumping ahead, I start a new job on Monday! (SURPRISE!) I'm getting back into the development world and I cannot wait! I've heard nothing but amazing things about the company I'm going to work for, and I think I got a preview of it at their party last night. Late last week, I got the invitation to attend, which surprised me, but I wasn't about to say no. I did, at least, know a couple of people already from previous places of employment. So it wouldn't be completely awkward.

Oh, and did I mention it was cocktail/formal dress? Yeah... so it didn't matter who I met... I won't recognize them on Monday. But it was a really nice event... quite a way to be introduced into a company culture! Eric and I sat down to eat and then another couple came and asked to sit with us. Turned out to be the COO. He talked to me quite a bit and was all sorts of excited about the company and me coming on. The CEO later touched base with me, as well - we had met during the interview process. And his wife was VERY pregnant with their 7th child! So family/work life balance... check! The whole evening was a casino them, so very social - actually a great way to meet people informally. I actually had a really great time!

So yeah... I start a new job on Monday. More to come on that, obviously. After last night, I have no doubt I made the right decision in making the move. I'm even more excited now!

Indiana Christmas

We celebrated our Indiana Family Christmas a little early this year... today. And it was a bit unconventional... but I couldn't have sake for a nice day.

It started very informal... Kelly and Kimber were coming up to see Tran-Siberian Orchestra and asked if we could watch the kids. Of course, that was no problem. But after these informal plans were made, we learned we weren't get to see them for Thanksgiving or Christmas! So that changed everything. We didn't want to necessarily do the full day, sit down dinner type of Christmas... but something. And then Eric suggested Lasagna. Perfect!

So the closer we got, the more I realized I wanted to make this a real Christmas celebration and actually get to see the kids open their gifts. So wrapping their gifts moved up the priority list (not to mention buying them).

Mind you, all this happened in less than a month, where for a week, I was out of the country! So there was a bout of craziness in there. But it was all worth it.

So today came, and I was busy in the kitchen, first thing in the morning. Since most of the adults were heading to the concert at 3:30pm, dinner had to be a little early, which was no problem. I haven't made lasagna in what seems like forever, so I was excited to make it. And it worked out perfectly. Everyone got to the house, just as I was putting the lasagna in the oven, and we ate with just enough time for them to let the food settle before walking over to the concert.

That left Eric and I with three kids, and the fourth on his way. Well, we initially figured we play games, but two of them fell asleep... and so did Eric. I Payton and I played Uno until Nolan got to the house... and then he joined in... and then Paige played some. Finally, everyone seeming to be ready to do something more, and the girls suggested going to look as some Christmas lights. Well, what better lights to see that the giant tree on the circle. So we all coated up and headed out... and managed to get there right before the concert left out. So then Les, Lytta, Kimber, and Kelly met us up there before heading back to the house.

We were all a little cold at this point,but it didn't take long to warm up. It was finally present time for the kids, too, so I'm sure that helped. I think we did alright with gifts (thanks to some ideas from Kelly) and everyone seemed happy. It all happened so quick, though... as kids and gifts often do. But that was not a bad thing, since Kelly and umber had to get back on the road to KY.

So it was a short but sweet visit. But I think it was a win-win as far a Christmas celebrations go... I love when everyone leaves happy.

Annual Girls' Cruise!

As most of you know, every year, a couple of friends and I take a cruise. Our annual girls cruise has become just three of us, though it started with a larger group. But Karla, Jen, and I just decided we travel well together and always have a great time.

This year was no different. We set sail on the Independence of the Seas from Fort Lauderdale last Sunday for a 6 night cruise (our longest yet!) through the western Caribbean. All three of us were SO ready for the cruise this year - I guess it's just been a stressful year for us all! That, and the early onset of winter just made us that more anxious.

We managed to get on board quite early (and easily) this year. They had a new system where they asked people to arrive based on their deck assignment. Not that they'd turn you away, but it helped spread the arrival times out and keep lines down. So we got on board and found ourselves some chairs by the pool until our room was ready and we had to do our muster drill. It was an absolutely gorgeous day - perfect to just be by the pool in waiting.

Our first day at sea was spent cruising to our next day's destination (so another day lounging by the pool, getting some sun), Georgetown, Grand Cayman. Karla and I had not been to this port, though Jen had and knew a few things. We actually signed up for an excursion at this port - a catamaran tour of Grand Cayman, complete with a swim with the ray at Stingray City. Alas, shortly after getting off the boat, they had to cancel it due to rough waters around the stingrays. So we had to make up our own fun at the spur of the moment. We decided to go to Hell.

Yes, you read that right... Hell. There is a town called Hell on Grand Cayman, though it's not so much a town as it is a few buildings built up around these odd rock formations. But how many people can say they've been to hell and back and actually mean it?? And not just because we were using the public buses on the island. After we took our pictures and had our fill of hell, we jumped back on the bus and went back to a little jerk restaurant called peppers that Jen had learned about from a local. That's one thing she's really good at... talking to locals to find out where to go and what to eat, locally. Can't help but admire her for being able to do that... I don't think I could! But off we went and the food was, indeed, quite good. The owner was there and loved to talk to his customers. Interestingly enough, he was from Jamaica (our next port)... part of the 10% of non-black people from Jamaica (no lie - a fact we learned the next day, phrased just like that). Jen promised him a good review on Cruise Critic and we were on our way to Seven Mile Beach. Which is just what it says... seven miles of soft, sandy beaches. It was quite overcast, so not the greatest beach day. We just chilled out for awhile, took a dip to get our salt water fix, and then headed back to the port area to do some shopping. We all agreed we'd have to try this port again, though, and actually go swim with the rays.

The next day we were in Falmouth, Jamaica. Well, our ship docked there, anyway. We ended up further east, past Ocho Rios, up in the mountains, jumping off rocks and playing in the waters of Blue Hole. The area is basically a series of small water falls and pooled water, going down the mountain side, that has become quite the attraction. Some locals act as guides down the series of jumps and swings, making sure you jump where it's safe and so on and so forth. And they do some crazy jumps of their own, for entertainments purposes, as well. We had a blast doing it! Afterwards, we hit another jerk place for lunch called Scotchies. Personally, I liked the place on Grand Cayman better, but I will admit, they had a killer sauce for their chicken! But then it was back to the port with just enough time to grab a few souvenirs on the way back to the ship. This port, by the way, was really nice. Somebody sunk a lot of money into it, just this year, to build a brand new port area that was more secure and tourist friendly. Jen was just here in February, and it wasn't done yet!

Port three was just another overnight sail to Haiti. Royal Caribbean has a private beach/peninsula on the north side of Haiti called Labadee. It's quite nice, actually, although you know it's nothing like the rest of Haiti. Royal Caribbean put a lot of money into this place, as it even has a dock - no tendering in here, anymore (apparently, they used to). This little private getaway is decked out to the extreme, complete with a long zipline and even a small roller coaster. There's a 'rough side' that has waves, and a 'calm side' toward the bay, so you get your choice of serenity. It was about the most perfect day we had in a port yet, which was a good thing, since there wasn't much here besides getting some sunshine (unless you wanted to do the adventure sports stuff). We started on the wavy side, but it got too crowded, so we ended up in a little area on the calm side that Jen had access to. So it was a little more quiet. I decided to explore a bit and take some pictures at some point, and went for a lap around the paradise. I managed to get some great pictures of some waves crashing on some rocks before heading to the end of the peninsula where it was all waves crashing into rocks. That was the draw, hence the little viewing point they set up on what they dubbed Dragon's Breath Point. The name comes from the 'hissing' you hear as the water pushing the air through all the holes in the rocks. It's pretty cool, actually. And it now brings a Segway to a story.

I almost died here. Okay, not really, but I did have a moment of life flashing before my eyes. I was wrapping up my exploration of Labadee, and this lookout point was one of the last places. They have a nice path with stairs that you walk along made of natural stones and cement... so it's an easy path to walk. With lots to look at as you go. I had my little waterproof camera with me, so I wasn't worried about some of the light spray that was coming up from the point. I had to follow the path up and over one rock formation, through a gate, and then back down and up to got to the little tower they built. I saw some RC person up there, taking pictures of guests and such, and there was a good stream of people going back and forth. So I took my time, snapping pictures along the way. I was working my way up the last part of the path to the tower when I saw a neat view back, where you could see the top of the ship. Then I hear a wave hitting the rocks behind me and think, "Ooh! Sounds like a good wave to catch crashing!" I turn around real fast and start to snap the picture and realize that the wave is not stopping. (yes - this is a picture of the wave that almost killed me) Next thing I knew, I was thrown off the path/steps into the rocks about three feet below. It all happened so fast and I was just sitting there in shock when the security guard from the lookout came running down to help me out of the hole. I walk up to the top with him and catch my breath, while those who saw it all happen kept asking if I was okay and seemed to be a little shocked themselves. Then they started pointing out my injuries... lots of little scratches which, just because, seemed to be bleeding a lot. But I looked at them and could tell it was all superficial. After the shock started to wear off and the security guy knew I was okay, he deemed the lookout point closed because the tide was coming in (so THAT'S why he was up there and why there was a gate further back on the path - so they could close the point during high tide!) One couple was almost scared to walk back down - they kept seeing more waves and thought they were all going to start coming in like that. Nah... that's just my luck.

So I get back to my girls and tell them my story. They have their own shock and awe moment and a second shock and awe moment hits me when I realize how much worse it could've been. I was thrown down onto sharp rocks, after all... yet, managed not to loose my camera, sunglasses, or hair clip... only lost my SeaPass card to get back on the ship, but that was easily fixed since this was a private port. And I didn't realize that was gone until about an hour later! By dinner that night, we were all laughing about my luck, likely because we all realized I was actually quite lucky it wasn't worse! My biggest injury was actually discovered later... a bruise across my butt that had more colors than I knew could exist in a bruise. I iced it that night. And then strategically took photos as to keep my injuries (lots of scratches!) out of the line of focus.

Thankfully, our last day was a cruising day... just another day to lay by the pool. I took a bag of ice up with me to sit on until it melted. It was actually starting to feel better - I actually think the ice may have helped. But the bruise will likely be around for awhile. The day, itself, was the perfect day to be cruising. The sun was the perfect intensity and there was just a few clouds. It wasn't until the ship turned more northerly that it started getting breezy and more clouds came into play. But it's was about time to head in, anyway.

All in all, it was another spectacular cruise. At least the ports. The three of us decided that the service on this ship wasn't up to par with what we were used to on Royal Caribbean... but I blame that on the fact that they just came back to the US and Caribbean circuit after being over in Europe for a long time. I just don't think the European cruising set expect or want the same things from the crew and staff that American's have come to expect. At least I'm hoping this is the case - I'd hate to think Royal Caribbean is losing it panache. I guess we'll see next year!