So as 2016 draws to a close, I will also, unfortunately, be indefinitely going on hiatus with this blog. As evident in the fewer postings over the past couple of years, the time just isn't there like it used to be. Nor is the excitement (both in my life events and in my desire to blog).
That said, if I find time again, and/or something major happens that I want to share, I'll blog about it. But the era of regular blogging is done for now. I figured what better time to do such than at the end of a calendar year.
I'm still on other forms of social media, and I encourage you to follow me there.
My favorite social media is Instagram, where I have three accounts:
fl_girl - this is my main account
my_view_up_here - my shots from my time on a plane
its_a_shoe_win - my personal shoe collection
I'm on Facebook, of course: auburn.flgirl
Twitter is becoming a go-to for me more than it used to be: FLgrrl
And I am also on Redditt, though infrequently, and I'm still trying to figure it out - but I'll throw it on here, in hopes I'll start using it more: auburn-flgirl
So there you have it... I'm still out there. And of course, if you actually know me, you have my email. I can always be reached that way, too.
So peace out and love to all! Thank you to all that have kept up with me through this blog over the years - I apologize I died off the way I did, and wish I could keep it up like I used to. Maybe one day, I can get back to that. But then, there may be a whole other form of communication that takes its place, by then!
Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Girls' Cruise 2016!
I always look forward to this time of year, because I get to go on a cruise with my girls! This was the 6th year, for the three of us (Jen, Karla, and I), and the first year Brandi joined us (though she has cruised before). 
And we kept it short this year, mainly due to what was available during the time we wanted to cruise - only a four-nighter. Fun, none the less!
Our set sail date was last Monday, December 5th. No 'at sea' days, but rather, we were going to be in a port every day. If I was a new cruiser, I'd of been excited about that. But more on that later.
We left out of Miami, and it happened to be a gorgeous set sail sunset behind the Miami skyline! Truth be told, we had great weather for the whole cruise - wish all cruises could be so perfect!
Our first port of call was Nassau. All four of us have been here before, but we each wanted to go into port for something or another. Karla was on a mission for some 'authentic' gifts, as was Jen. Brandi and I were anxious to go get some authentic conch fritters. I think all of us wanted to enjoy a little sunshine... but yet, I don't think any of us got the full amount of sun enjoyment we wanted - our other odds and ends kept us busy!!
But I think we still all left port happy... especially since we were in port until almost midnight! But no... we did not party with the locals. This time.
Our second port was Royal Caribbean's private island of Coco Cay. We were supposed to this six years ago, but the weather prohibited it. We got a day at sea that year, but this year, the weather was perfect! We rented a cabana, which was nice, but probably unnecessary, as it wasn't overly crowded.
We started the day with some snorkeling in the private cove area, where they have set up some good snorkeling spots, including a small plane and a couple parts of a ship (or ships?). We then had some yummy lunch, and I went off to explore a bit on my own (because that's what I do!). Not as many great scenic spots as Labadee had, but a lot of areas where you can have a quiet time to yourself. Though I do feel like there was more area to cover here... but maybe that was just me, since the entire island is not as developed as Labadee. Either way... I think I liked Labadee a little better. But Coco Cay was still cool.
Our last port of call (before going back to Miami) was Key West.
All of us had been to Key West at some time or another, though I think it had all been by driving, not boat. While we didn't plan on spending the whole day in port, we just about did, by the time we walked around, and had lunch and such. We just kind of took our time. And again, it was a beautiful day!
I think we all agreed we wished we had a day at sea somewhere in there. We only had a partial day on the pool deck, and that was the day we boarded in Miami. We all *thought* we'd happily stay on the ship for at least part of that days we were in familiar ports, but we ended up in port most of the time, just chilling out and walking around. No regrets in that, just didn't feel like we had enough time on the ship.
When we got back into Miami on the 9th, we had a good portion of the day, in which we got to explore Miami. Once we finally got our rental car, we drove into Miami and got a gourmet donuts at The Salty Donut. Then we wandered over too the Wynwood Walls, which the other three of my entourage had not seen. We made a good day out of the extra time here, I think.
So all in all, another very successful, very fun, Girls' Cruise is in the books! This is one tradition I hope stays around for a very long time! I think no matter where we are in our lives, or in the country, this is an easy way to meet up, and have some fun!
And we kept it short this year, mainly due to what was available during the time we wanted to cruise - only a four-nighter. Fun, none the less!Our set sail date was last Monday, December 5th. No 'at sea' days, but rather, we were going to be in a port every day. If I was a new cruiser, I'd of been excited about that. But more on that later.
We left out of Miami, and it happened to be a gorgeous set sail sunset behind the Miami skyline! Truth be told, we had great weather for the whole cruise - wish all cruises could be so perfect!Our first port of call was Nassau. All four of us have been here before, but we each wanted to go into port for something or another. Karla was on a mission for some 'authentic' gifts, as was Jen. Brandi and I were anxious to go get some authentic conch fritters. I think all of us wanted to enjoy a little sunshine... but yet, I don't think any of us got the full amount of sun enjoyment we wanted - our other odds and ends kept us busy!!
But I think we still all left port happy... especially since we were in port until almost midnight! But no... we did not party with the locals. This time.Our second port was Royal Caribbean's private island of Coco Cay. We were supposed to this six years ago, but the weather prohibited it. We got a day at sea that year, but this year, the weather was perfect! We rented a cabana, which was nice, but probably unnecessary, as it wasn't overly crowded.
We started the day with some snorkeling in the private cove area, where they have set up some good snorkeling spots, including a small plane and a couple parts of a ship (or ships?). We then had some yummy lunch, and I went off to explore a bit on my own (because that's what I do!). Not as many great scenic spots as Labadee had, but a lot of areas where you can have a quiet time to yourself. Though I do feel like there was more area to cover here... but maybe that was just me, since the entire island is not as developed as Labadee. Either way... I think I liked Labadee a little better. But Coco Cay was still cool.Our last port of call (before going back to Miami) was Key West.
All of us had been to Key West at some time or another, though I think it had all been by driving, not boat. While we didn't plan on spending the whole day in port, we just about did, by the time we walked around, and had lunch and such. We just kind of took our time. And again, it was a beautiful day!I think we all agreed we wished we had a day at sea somewhere in there. We only had a partial day on the pool deck, and that was the day we boarded in Miami. We all *thought* we'd happily stay on the ship for at least part of that days we were in familiar ports, but we ended up in port most of the time, just chilling out and walking around. No regrets in that, just didn't feel like we had enough time on the ship.
When we got back into Miami on the 9th, we had a good portion of the day, in which we got to explore Miami. Once we finally got our rental car, we drove into Miami and got a gourmet donuts at The Salty Donut. Then we wandered over too the Wynwood Walls, which the other three of my entourage had not seen. We made a good day out of the extra time here, I think.So all in all, another very successful, very fun, Girls' Cruise is in the books! This is one tradition I hope stays around for a very long time! I think no matter where we are in our lives, or in the country, this is an easy way to meet up, and have some fun!
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Thelma and Louise QUACK Me Up!
So It's been 6 months since we picked up Thelma and Louise from Rural King. And I've learned SO much! Besides the fact that they are cute.
First off, they grow SO fast! They were nearly fully grown at one month - they lost all their yellow fuzziness, for sure! I had no idea ducks grew that fast - they are not true ducklings for long!
But on the flip side, as they grew, their personalities came out! Who knew ducks could have such personalities - the two are so different in nature! Louise is a bit more of a mama's girl - she doesn't freak out if I pick her up and seems to enjoy being petted, once she settles down from being picked up
(she squirms a bit, before she realizes she's going to get spoiled). She was also the first to come eat treats out of my hand. Thelma is a little more guarded... will run (waddle) as fast as she can to keep from being picked up. But it's never fast enough. So when she is picked up, she kicks her little feed, and starts breathing heavy (purposely, like she's pissed). It's actually adorable, and just makes me want to pick her up more.
And the interaction between them is quite interesting, too. I *think* Louise is the dominant one, most of the time. She, literally, will talk down to Thelma. But then I'll see Thelma, occasionally, push/prod Louise with her bill. Regardless, if they get separated, it's like you took away the other's heart! Loud quacking and panicked scurrying around. They are always side by side, even when they are 'running' from one corner of the yard to the other.
Thelma was my egg layer first, about 2 months earlier than I expected (started two months ago). But Louise was only about a week or so behind. And they are quite consistent layers, both in location (in their little hutch within their giant pen we built), and in timing. Every morning. Sometimes, one won't lay, which is normal. We'll see how it goes as we get into the winter. I've read different things on if they lay or not. 
Eric refuses the eat the eggs, though - not sure why. They taste similar to chicken eggs - maybe a tad richer, since the yolk is bigger. But I like them. I am keeping a few people at work supplied with them, as well. Might as well, since there is no way I can go through 14 eggs a week!
So if noting else, ducks are very much creatures of habit and routine. I love that, even though our backyard is not completely fenced-in, they never leave the back yard. They love their pool... but are hesitant to go to it if it's anywhere but in their pen or in the corner by the house. They quack loudly when I come home (especially if I take too long to come out of the garage). Kind of like a dog that gets excited. When I first let them out of their pen, they run/waddle across the yard, and try to 'take flight' as best they can... it's more like just a lot of wing flapping. 
Then they run back and jump in the pool or, if the pool's not out, they will settle into their routine of foraging around the yard, starting by the holly bushes by the garage, almost every time starting in the same place and following the same route.
They love berries. All berries, so far. Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries... and grapes. They will attack me over grapes. But even some basic romaine lettuce is a treat for them. They come running to the backdoor as soon as they hear the fridge door open/close(usually we just have the screen door pulled closed). They can be clear across the yard when they hear it - good ears! They just assume they're getting treats.
And did you know that ducks do yoga??? It's really just their typical stretching routine, but some of it looks like some yoga poses I've done.
All in all, it's been a fun six months! I never thought I'd own ducks, let alone any sort of farm animal. But they're a lot of fun, and pretty easy to take care of! I'm a little nervous about their first winter - everything I've read says, 'they have built in down coats, so they can handle it.' But I still worry - those same stories talk about their little feet getting cold. But they do love the slightly cooler temps we're getting now. Throw some rain in the mix and they're happy as, well, ducks! Rainy days equal quality mud time for them - I now understand the term 'muddy duck', as well.
Ducks! Who knew?!?
First off, they grow SO fast! They were nearly fully grown at one month - they lost all their yellow fuzziness, for sure! I had no idea ducks grew that fast - they are not true ducklings for long!But on the flip side, as they grew, their personalities came out! Who knew ducks could have such personalities - the two are so different in nature! Louise is a bit more of a mama's girl - she doesn't freak out if I pick her up and seems to enjoy being petted, once she settles down from being picked up
(she squirms a bit, before she realizes she's going to get spoiled). She was also the first to come eat treats out of my hand. Thelma is a little more guarded... will run (waddle) as fast as she can to keep from being picked up. But it's never fast enough. So when she is picked up, she kicks her little feed, and starts breathing heavy (purposely, like she's pissed). It's actually adorable, and just makes me want to pick her up more. 
And the interaction between them is quite interesting, too. I *think* Louise is the dominant one, most of the time. She, literally, will talk down to Thelma. But then I'll see Thelma, occasionally, push/prod Louise with her bill. Regardless, if they get separated, it's like you took away the other's heart! Loud quacking and panicked scurrying around. They are always side by side, even when they are 'running' from one corner of the yard to the other.
Thelma was my egg layer first, about 2 months earlier than I expected (started two months ago). But Louise was only about a week or so behind. And they are quite consistent layers, both in location (in their little hutch within their giant pen we built), and in timing. Every morning. Sometimes, one won't lay, which is normal. We'll see how it goes as we get into the winter. I've read different things on if they lay or not. 
Eric refuses the eat the eggs, though - not sure why. They taste similar to chicken eggs - maybe a tad richer, since the yolk is bigger. But I like them. I am keeping a few people at work supplied with them, as well. Might as well, since there is no way I can go through 14 eggs a week!
So if noting else, ducks are very much creatures of habit and routine. I love that, even though our backyard is not completely fenced-in, they never leave the back yard. They love their pool... but are hesitant to go to it if it's anywhere but in their pen or in the corner by the house. They quack loudly when I come home (especially if I take too long to come out of the garage). Kind of like a dog that gets excited. When I first let them out of their pen, they run/waddle across the yard, and try to 'take flight' as best they can... it's more like just a lot of wing flapping. 
Then they run back and jump in the pool or, if the pool's not out, they will settle into their routine of foraging around the yard, starting by the holly bushes by the garage, almost every time starting in the same place and following the same route.
They love berries. All berries, so far. Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries... and grapes. They will attack me over grapes. But even some basic romaine lettuce is a treat for them. They come running to the backdoor as soon as they hear the fridge door open/close(usually we just have the screen door pulled closed). They can be clear across the yard when they hear it - good ears! They just assume they're getting treats. And did you know that ducks do yoga??? It's really just their typical stretching routine, but some of it looks like some yoga poses I've done.
All in all, it's been a fun six months! I never thought I'd own ducks, let alone any sort of farm animal. But they're a lot of fun, and pretty easy to take care of! I'm a little nervous about their first winter - everything I've read says, 'they have built in down coats, so they can handle it.' But I still worry - those same stories talk about their little feet getting cold. But they do love the slightly cooler temps we're getting now. Throw some rain in the mix and they're happy as, well, ducks! Rainy days equal quality mud time for them - I now understand the term 'muddy duck', as well.Ducks! Who knew?!?
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Birthday Weekend in Chicago!
Every year, without fail, I feel the need to do something significant on or around my birthday, even though I don't necessarily want to actually celebrate my actual birthday. Just do something significant... concert, ballgame, general travel. Whatever.
This year, is was a pretty standard trip to Chicago to see the Cubs. In case you haven't heard, the Cubbies are actually doing good this year. Fingers crossed.
But keeping the 'hopes' in check. We left yesterday morning for the afternoon game. If it's one thing I've learned from all the games I've gone to, it's that you want seats under the upper deck, not in the sun. However, with lake winds sometimes blowing in, being in the shade can get chilly, even on a warm summer day. As was the case yesterday. Eric did a double-check before we left, and the temps were the low 80's, which was low enough to adjust my apparel for the day to jeans. And I was glad I did. Everyone around us was either covering up in a blanket they brought, or running to the souvenir shop to buy a sweatshirt. So good call on that!
This was inter-divisional play against the Texas Rangers, so while the game didn't count, it counted. Clear as mud? LoL It was actually a well matched game on paper, though the Cubs ultimately dominated. Made for a good game to watch, with an even better outcome. Once of the better games I've been to in a few years (not that any were bad games). And the win was a nice birthday present.
After we checked into our hotel, we walked down to Eataly for dinner. If you can't tell by now, we love that place. Good for dinner, good for shopping, good just to visit for inspiration. I had some stuffed shells that I hope they have on the menu next time I go. Ah-Mazing!!
Funny how all of our other normal go-to dinner spots have fallen off the radar since we discovered Eataly... and they were all equally as amazing. But they have other locations is cities we like to visit, where Eataly only has NYC.
This morning, we had a quick bite at the hotel and then walked out to the 'beach' of Lake Michigan. (I will always have problems considering this a beach w/o saltwater and consistent waves) No sooner did our feet hit the sand, did it start to drizzle on us. So we went back to the hotel and got inside just in time for a torrential downpour. It didn't last long, and we probably could have went back out to the beach for a bit, but we decided to head back to Eataly and do a little shopping before heading back home. Of course, the thought being that we'd get some good food to make some good dinner tonight. Which we did, and we made and ate, since we got home so early (relatively). And a happy birthday to me, it was.
This year, is was a pretty standard trip to Chicago to see the Cubs. In case you haven't heard, the Cubbies are actually doing good this year. Fingers crossed.
But keeping the 'hopes' in check. We left yesterday morning for the afternoon game. If it's one thing I've learned from all the games I've gone to, it's that you want seats under the upper deck, not in the sun. However, with lake winds sometimes blowing in, being in the shade can get chilly, even on a warm summer day. As was the case yesterday. Eric did a double-check before we left, and the temps were the low 80's, which was low enough to adjust my apparel for the day to jeans. And I was glad I did. Everyone around us was either covering up in a blanket they brought, or running to the souvenir shop to buy a sweatshirt. So good call on that!This was inter-divisional play against the Texas Rangers, so while the game didn't count, it counted. Clear as mud? LoL It was actually a well matched game on paper, though the Cubs ultimately dominated. Made for a good game to watch, with an even better outcome. Once of the better games I've been to in a few years (not that any were bad games). And the win was a nice birthday present.
After we checked into our hotel, we walked down to Eataly for dinner. If you can't tell by now, we love that place. Good for dinner, good for shopping, good just to visit for inspiration. I had some stuffed shells that I hope they have on the menu next time I go. Ah-Mazing!!
Funny how all of our other normal go-to dinner spots have fallen off the radar since we discovered Eataly... and they were all equally as amazing. But they have other locations is cities we like to visit, where Eataly only has NYC. This morning, we had a quick bite at the hotel and then walked out to the 'beach' of Lake Michigan. (I will always have problems considering this a beach w/o saltwater and consistent waves) No sooner did our feet hit the sand, did it start to drizzle on us. So we went back to the hotel and got inside just in time for a torrential downpour. It didn't last long, and we probably could have went back out to the beach for a bit, but we decided to head back to Eataly and do a little shopping before heading back home. Of course, the thought being that we'd get some good food to make some good dinner tonight. Which we did, and we made and ate, since we got home so early (relatively). And a happy birthday to me, it was.
Saturday, April 2, 2016
100 Women Strong
I haven't ever really talked about this, and I'm not sure why. But for a little over two years now, I'm been part of a really cool program, 100 Women Strong, which is an Auburn Engineering Alumnae subset to help recruit, retain, and reward female students in engineering at Auburn. Being in Indiana, I haven't been able to do much but donate some money. But on Friday, I was finally able to take part in one of the events down at Auburn.
It was a quick down and back trip for me, but as soon as I stepped foot on that campus, I felt at home... even if it has changed a ton since I was there probably 5 years ago! There's a new Engineering building now, which is very prominent on campus - almost looking over the campus from where it sits.
Beautiful building! I spent the say there, starting with the annual meeting for the 100 Women Strong members. It's really cool to see that many female engineers in a room, all with the connection back to Auburn. After the meeting, we headed to a lunch, which was the beginning of a Leadership Development conference for girls on campus. We had an Alumni keynote speaker from NASA (yes, a women engineer form Auburn), and it was even inspirational for me to hear. From here, there were some break-out sessions, depending on the year the girls were in school (anywhere from class choices to networking for a job) and then a 'speed mentoring' session, where for an hour, the girls rotated around to different alumni there, and asked whatever questions they wanted in a five minute period of time. These girls... wow. I don't know if I was thinking like that when I was in school. But it's great to see the next generation coming up like this.
After the mini-conference was done, I had some time to walk around campus a bit. It was a drizzly, dreary day, but nothing an umbrella couldn't handle. I checked out the new student center, visited Toomer's corner to see the new trees, and, in general, just wandered to see what all had changed. My little corner of the campus is pretty much the same... but so much of the rest of the campus has changed.
But it's still home to me. And the changes, while some of them shocking (both on campus, and off), I know are for the betterment of the experience at Auburn. As I drove back to ATL to catch my flight home, all I could think about was the fact that I just need to get back to Auburn more. And this trip made me realize that it's doesn't even have to be a game weekend. So maybe, just maybe, I can get Eric do do a detour with me on one of our drives south. Then he, too, can fall in love with Auburn.
It was a quick down and back trip for me, but as soon as I stepped foot on that campus, I felt at home... even if it has changed a ton since I was there probably 5 years ago! There's a new Engineering building now, which is very prominent on campus - almost looking over the campus from where it sits.
Beautiful building! I spent the say there, starting with the annual meeting for the 100 Women Strong members. It's really cool to see that many female engineers in a room, all with the connection back to Auburn. After the meeting, we headed to a lunch, which was the beginning of a Leadership Development conference for girls on campus. We had an Alumni keynote speaker from NASA (yes, a women engineer form Auburn), and it was even inspirational for me to hear. From here, there were some break-out sessions, depending on the year the girls were in school (anywhere from class choices to networking for a job) and then a 'speed mentoring' session, where for an hour, the girls rotated around to different alumni there, and asked whatever questions they wanted in a five minute period of time. These girls... wow. I don't know if I was thinking like that when I was in school. But it's great to see the next generation coming up like this.
After the mini-conference was done, I had some time to walk around campus a bit. It was a drizzly, dreary day, but nothing an umbrella couldn't handle. I checked out the new student center, visited Toomer's corner to see the new trees, and, in general, just wandered to see what all had changed. My little corner of the campus is pretty much the same... but so much of the rest of the campus has changed.But it's still home to me. And the changes, while some of them shocking (both on campus, and off), I know are for the betterment of the experience at Auburn. As I drove back to ATL to catch my flight home, all I could think about was the fact that I just need to get back to Auburn more. And this trip made me realize that it's doesn't even have to be a game weekend. So maybe, just maybe, I can get Eric do do a detour with me on one of our drives south. Then he, too, can fall in love with Auburn.
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Duck, Duck... in the City?
So... we did something crazy over the weekend. And no one who knows us well will believe it, so there is photographic evidence here. But, here's the crazy thing we did... we bought a couple of ducks.
No... not to eat. To raise. As pets. Just because. Maybe we'll get eggs. Maybe not. But for now, they're just damn cute!!
So here's how it went down. Eric started going to Rural King a couple of months ago because he found out they sell things he needs for work (the maintenance side), in bulk form, pretty cheap. Think weed killer, grass seed, etc. I guess they like to keep things low cost for farmers, which makes sense (not to stereotype). Of course, he makes these runs on the weekend, so he takes me with him 'for company' on the drive. I never mind, really. Some of these trips to wherever he goes can be interesting.
So back to Rural King. If you've ever been there, or a place similar (like Tractor Supply Company), you know they sell baby chicks and ducks, as well as rabbits on occasion. As you walk through the store, you can hear the chirping. So naturally, the first time we went, we had to check it out. The chicks and ducks were so cute!! (I don't think there were bunnies this first time we went) We didn't think much, but after cooing over them for a few minutes, Eric dragged me away to finish getting what he needed.
We went back a few more times, and it seemed like the routine was for us to check out the baby animals before doing our actual shopping. Well, this past weekend, not he way down, Eric said, "Let's get a duck." I thought he was joking. Turns out, he wasn't. We talked to the 'bird keeper' on shift, and he said we really needed two duck -they're very social animals and need someone (or another duck) to interact with constantly.
So, we bought two ducks. We couldn't have a lonely duck, now could we?!?
While this generally seemed spontaneous, we did, at least, gather supplies take care of them. Turns out, ducks are pretty cheap, in general - way cheaper than dogs! Each duck was $7, and a 50lb. bag of food was only $15. Which will likely last for months! We got them a little bins to bed them in until they get bigger, but it should do for awhile. I've been reading all about ducks since we got them - it should be interesting. Won't know the sex for awhile (unless I want to take them to a vet), and apparently, predators are everywhere.
But they sure are cute!!
Stay tuned for this adventure!
No... not to eat. To raise. As pets. Just because. Maybe we'll get eggs. Maybe not. But for now, they're just damn cute!!
So here's how it went down. Eric started going to Rural King a couple of months ago because he found out they sell things he needs for work (the maintenance side), in bulk form, pretty cheap. Think weed killer, grass seed, etc. I guess they like to keep things low cost for farmers, which makes sense (not to stereotype). Of course, he makes these runs on the weekend, so he takes me with him 'for company' on the drive. I never mind, really. Some of these trips to wherever he goes can be interesting.
So back to Rural King. If you've ever been there, or a place similar (like Tractor Supply Company), you know they sell baby chicks and ducks, as well as rabbits on occasion. As you walk through the store, you can hear the chirping. So naturally, the first time we went, we had to check it out. The chicks and ducks were so cute!! (I don't think there were bunnies this first time we went) We didn't think much, but after cooing over them for a few minutes, Eric dragged me away to finish getting what he needed.
We went back a few more times, and it seemed like the routine was for us to check out the baby animals before doing our actual shopping. Well, this past weekend, not he way down, Eric said, "Let's get a duck." I thought he was joking. Turns out, he wasn't. We talked to the 'bird keeper' on shift, and he said we really needed two duck -they're very social animals and need someone (or another duck) to interact with constantly.
So, we bought two ducks. We couldn't have a lonely duck, now could we?!?While this generally seemed spontaneous, we did, at least, gather supplies take care of them. Turns out, ducks are pretty cheap, in general - way cheaper than dogs! Each duck was $7, and a 50lb. bag of food was only $15. Which will likely last for months! We got them a little bins to bed them in until they get bigger, but it should do for awhile. I've been reading all about ducks since we got them - it should be interesting. Won't know the sex for awhile (unless I want to take them to a vet), and apparently, predators are everywhere.
But they sure are cute!!
Stay tuned for this adventure!
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Valentine's Weekend... Oy!
Eric and I seem to always have issues when we try to do things for Valentine's Day. If we stay in, we're usually okay. But if we try to do anything outside of out house, we seem to fail. Well, in the practical sense, anyway. This year was no different. Our plan this year was to go too our favorite place in Chicago, Eataly, for a nice dinner they were doing, and try to have a relatively easy weekend up there. We should've just went back to bed, instead.
It started out with us getting on the road late Saturday morning because Eric had a hiccup to take care of at the office 'quickly' in the morning. Well, wasn't so quick. We got no the road, with time to spare to make our dinner reservation, at least, and the hits just kept on coming. In the literal sense. It was really windy, and as I was driving (the rental car) up I-65, I was passing a semi when a piece of hard plastic debris shot out (from the wind) from under the truck. I had no where to go, it hit at a weird angle, but I kept driving. Didn't feel like a tire was damaged, or anything much, for that matter, and we were getting off in a couple of exists to grab a drink, anyway, so I drove another 20 miles or so. We get into the parking lot, and check to see if there was damage... there was.
Shattered lower grill (damn plastic cards!) and punctures radiator. Awesome. With it being a Saturday afternoon, all the Hertz Local Editions were closed, so Hertz had to get us towed all the way back to Indy to the airport (almost a hour away) to exchange the car. Plus, the wait time for the tow truck to even get to us. There went us making our dinner reservation.
But we pushed on, anyway, figuring we'd make the best of it. We'd do a later dinner somewhere and still have a chill evening at the hotel, since we had that all set up. So we get there, and while we didn't get the special dinner we made reservations for, we still had a good dinner at Eataly. We were finally calming down a bit... well, Eric was calming down. I was over the mishap before we were even half-way to Chicago. Meh. Life happens, right? Our hotel was right around the corner, so we went to check-in. They couldn't find our reservation. And to top it off, Eric couldn't find a confirmation email. So now we're in Chicago as, like 10pm, with no hotel. Awesome. This just sets Eric off again, and he's ready to drive home. But he saw the thought of that upset me, so we jumped on the Hilton Honors site to see what we could find. As you can imagine, there wasn't much. But there was the Waldorf Astoria... and we could get in with points Eric had. So, with few choices, we went with it.
Well, turned out to be the best thing we could've done. Because it's located off the main drags through Chicago, it was quite peaceful. And if you can believe it, Eric was actually able to calm down and relax, and we both got a great night's sleep! We woke up the next morning completely refreshed, and over the tragedy that was Saturday. And even though some nasty, snowy weather was on the way, we were ready for it. But first, the other reason to be in Chicago this weekend... the Chicago Auto Show.
Eric has talked about the Chicago Auto Show quite a few time. He'd go with his dad when they lived in Laporte, and it was always just a memorable day for him. So I was looking for ward to it. And it was quite cool, actually!
There were concept cars, next year's new model cars, test tracks inside, test drive outside... I can see how you could spend an entire day here... but we were only there for a few house. We did do one of the test tracks, and I gotta say, even if I couldn't be the one to drive, it was still really cool! I would've loved to stay longer, honestly - I feel like we only got to see about 1/3 of what was there to be seen. I'd love to go back up there next year maybe... hopefully not on Valentine's Day.
So as we headed out, the snow really started to come down for our drive home. Thankfully, there were no more fubars for the weekend, and we got home safely. Even with time to return the car on-time. So we salvaged the weekend, I guess. But just nothing planned went well. Maybe that's the trick... don't plan. Or maybe just stick to what we know works, which is don't leave the house for Valentine's!
It started out with us getting on the road late Saturday morning because Eric had a hiccup to take care of at the office 'quickly' in the morning. Well, wasn't so quick. We got no the road, with time to spare to make our dinner reservation, at least, and the hits just kept on coming. In the literal sense. It was really windy, and as I was driving (the rental car) up I-65, I was passing a semi when a piece of hard plastic debris shot out (from the wind) from under the truck. I had no where to go, it hit at a weird angle, but I kept driving. Didn't feel like a tire was damaged, or anything much, for that matter, and we were getting off in a couple of exists to grab a drink, anyway, so I drove another 20 miles or so. We get into the parking lot, and check to see if there was damage... there was.
Shattered lower grill (damn plastic cards!) and punctures radiator. Awesome. With it being a Saturday afternoon, all the Hertz Local Editions were closed, so Hertz had to get us towed all the way back to Indy to the airport (almost a hour away) to exchange the car. Plus, the wait time for the tow truck to even get to us. There went us making our dinner reservation.But we pushed on, anyway, figuring we'd make the best of it. We'd do a later dinner somewhere and still have a chill evening at the hotel, since we had that all set up. So we get there, and while we didn't get the special dinner we made reservations for, we still had a good dinner at Eataly. We were finally calming down a bit... well, Eric was calming down. I was over the mishap before we were even half-way to Chicago. Meh. Life happens, right? Our hotel was right around the corner, so we went to check-in. They couldn't find our reservation. And to top it off, Eric couldn't find a confirmation email. So now we're in Chicago as, like 10pm, with no hotel. Awesome. This just sets Eric off again, and he's ready to drive home. But he saw the thought of that upset me, so we jumped on the Hilton Honors site to see what we could find. As you can imagine, there wasn't much. But there was the Waldorf Astoria... and we could get in with points Eric had. So, with few choices, we went with it.
Well, turned out to be the best thing we could've done. Because it's located off the main drags through Chicago, it was quite peaceful. And if you can believe it, Eric was actually able to calm down and relax, and we both got a great night's sleep! We woke up the next morning completely refreshed, and over the tragedy that was Saturday. And even though some nasty, snowy weather was on the way, we were ready for it. But first, the other reason to be in Chicago this weekend... the Chicago Auto Show.
Eric has talked about the Chicago Auto Show quite a few time. He'd go with his dad when they lived in Laporte, and it was always just a memorable day for him. So I was looking for ward to it. And it was quite cool, actually!
There were concept cars, next year's new model cars, test tracks inside, test drive outside... I can see how you could spend an entire day here... but we were only there for a few house. We did do one of the test tracks, and I gotta say, even if I couldn't be the one to drive, it was still really cool! I would've loved to stay longer, honestly - I feel like we only got to see about 1/3 of what was there to be seen. I'd love to go back up there next year maybe... hopefully not on Valentine's Day.So as we headed out, the snow really started to come down for our drive home. Thankfully, there were no more fubars for the weekend, and we got home safely. Even with time to return the car on-time. So we salvaged the weekend, I guess. But just nothing planned went well. Maybe that's the trick... don't plan. Or maybe just stick to what we know works, which is don't leave the house for Valentine's!
Monday, January 11, 2016
A Great Man
I wasn't sure how to title this blog, or even how to really start it. My blogs are typically upbeat and about happy adventures and such. But this one... not as much, though there are good parts. So I guess I'll just start.
Just before Christmas, Eric and I found out a good friend and mentor we used to work with down in Naples, FL passed away. He had been battling cancer for about two years. His name was Reed Jarvi and, in my opinion, he was an amazing man. My own experience from the time meeting him was always looked upon fondly - I always looked forward to that after work happy hour, or dinner with he and his wife, Darlene. He was just one of those guys that always had a great outlook on life, and always had a story to tell. Which from his robust life, was not surprising. He was a Navy Academy alumni, a civil engineer, and a rugby enthusiast, so his circles of friends reached far and wide.
This was very apparent when we attended his Celebration of Life 'party' this past weekend. It was standing room only, until the staff and the club opened a partition wall to completely fill an adjoining room. It was amazing to see, yet not so surprising that he impacted this many people. They expect about 150 people or so, and it was easily double that. We learned that Reed was planning to do this celebration as a sort of roast of himself before he died, giving him a chance to say goodbye to everyone in person. Unfortunately, he fell just short of being able to attend his own party. I'm thankful Darlene continued with the plan, though, and allowed everyone to gather to celebrate him for the man he was. Even his oncology doctor was there to speak - he made an impact on his own doctor enough for his to attend this event. Have you ever seen a doctor speak a eulogy, so to speak, on one of his own patients? I haven't.
Both Eric and I walked away with thoughts of our own lives - where we've been and what we can still do. You can't help but wonder if you'd have a turn out even close to that if you passed. I think it just made both of us want to do more with our love, both in making an impact on others, and just living the moment you have now to the fullest extent.
After the luncheon (I really can't call it a 'service' because is was so not that), Eric and I drove across Alligator Alley, back to our hotel.
That night, we decided to get out and enjoy life. Reed would've wanted that - don't sulk, live. We found the Winwood Walls in Miami, which we've heard about. Eric knew more about it than I do, and I'll admit, it was pretty cool. If you're down there, find them and go. Even after sunset, the amount of people exploring the area was amazing. From there, we went to one of our favorite restaurants in Miami Beach, SushiSAMBA. We enjoys a great dinner and reflected on things we learned from Reed.
Reed will be greatly missed. I feel honored that I was able to know him, even if is was just a blip compared to his Navy buddies. I can only hope to make an impact like that.
RIP Reed.
Just before Christmas, Eric and I found out a good friend and mentor we used to work with down in Naples, FL passed away. He had been battling cancer for about two years. His name was Reed Jarvi and, in my opinion, he was an amazing man. My own experience from the time meeting him was always looked upon fondly - I always looked forward to that after work happy hour, or dinner with he and his wife, Darlene. He was just one of those guys that always had a great outlook on life, and always had a story to tell. Which from his robust life, was not surprising. He was a Navy Academy alumni, a civil engineer, and a rugby enthusiast, so his circles of friends reached far and wide.This was very apparent when we attended his Celebration of Life 'party' this past weekend. It was standing room only, until the staff and the club opened a partition wall to completely fill an adjoining room. It was amazing to see, yet not so surprising that he impacted this many people. They expect about 150 people or so, and it was easily double that. We learned that Reed was planning to do this celebration as a sort of roast of himself before he died, giving him a chance to say goodbye to everyone in person. Unfortunately, he fell just short of being able to attend his own party. I'm thankful Darlene continued with the plan, though, and allowed everyone to gather to celebrate him for the man he was. Even his oncology doctor was there to speak - he made an impact on his own doctor enough for his to attend this event. Have you ever seen a doctor speak a eulogy, so to speak, on one of his own patients? I haven't.
Both Eric and I walked away with thoughts of our own lives - where we've been and what we can still do. You can't help but wonder if you'd have a turn out even close to that if you passed. I think it just made both of us want to do more with our love, both in making an impact on others, and just living the moment you have now to the fullest extent.
After the luncheon (I really can't call it a 'service' because is was so not that), Eric and I drove across Alligator Alley, back to our hotel.
That night, we decided to get out and enjoy life. Reed would've wanted that - don't sulk, live. We found the Winwood Walls in Miami, which we've heard about. Eric knew more about it than I do, and I'll admit, it was pretty cool. If you're down there, find them and go. Even after sunset, the amount of people exploring the area was amazing. From there, we went to one of our favorite restaurants in Miami Beach, SushiSAMBA. We enjoys a great dinner and reflected on things we learned from Reed.Reed will be greatly missed. I feel honored that I was able to know him, even if is was just a blip compared to his Navy buddies. I can only hope to make an impact like that.
RIP Reed.
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Girls Cruise 2015
Sometimes the years goes by faster than I'd like. This has been one of those years. But with a fast year comes a quick departure for my annual girls cruise! And I cannot complain about that!
This year we switched things up a bit, as we added a fourth to our crew (Sabrina), which led us to book a suite on the ship (Brilliance of the Seas) so we could all still do the fun rituals of getting ready together and such. We were able to get a good deal on the suite, too, as we didn't book until 6 weeks out! Not recommended for those who like to plan way ahead, or those who get nervous about 'the back-up plan' if Plan A doesn't pan out... but it worked quite well this year.
Our itinerary included just two ports, with two days at sea. Kind of the best of both worlds (in theory) to give everyone a little of what they wanted. We left of December 14th out of Tampa, with the first full day (the 15th) being at sea. We made the most of what turned out to be about an absolutely perfect day at sea, and were at the pool side nearly the entire day! Surprisingly, we all did a good job with sunscreen on this first day, and no one go too much sun. Usually, at least one of us missed a spot or two, or just went to long between applications. That made it good for the rest of the cruise.
Our first port was back in the Grand Cayman Islands! Last year we missed out on our swim with the stingrays and were very bummed about it. We were determined to make up for it, and getting back to the islands was one of the reason we chose this itinerary.
We found a local tour company that took us out to Stingray City on a catamaran, which on its own was cool, since it kept the number of people on the tour to a minimum. The water was still a little rougher than I think any of us would've liked, but it was still workable to get in there with the stingrays. And it was amazing! They were everywhere!! I almost got knocked down a few time by them trying to swim between my legs. Well, that and the waves pulling me off the ground and me, overcomplicating things, by trying not to come back down on top of one! We were able to feed them, too, and I had one gnaw on my knuckle when he took the fish from me. Didn't hurt - just felt weird! It was a really cool experience, and I'd love to do it again, if the water was a little calmer so we could maybe enjoy the rays a little more without the added complication of the waves. But at least we got to do it once!
After the stingray swim, we got to snorkel over some reefs for a little bit. Again, because of the slightly rougher waters, we couldn't go to the major reef area, but since our tour guides were local, they were still able to get us to a good area where no one else really was. it wasn't as exciting as the stingrays, but of course, we weren't feeding the fish, either. Still some pretty cool snorkel views.
Our second port was Cozumel, which has become a regular stop. Of our five years of doing this girls cruise, we've stopped at Cozumel three of hose years! Of course, we don't do much at this port, either. Literally. We go to a private beach club that's all inclusive, lay on the beach all day, have a good locally prepared lunch, and just completely relax. Which is probably why we keep going back - it's a day of guaranteed relaxation. Not that the entire cruise isn't relaxing, but it's just nice to have some semi-private time to relax.
Finally, on to our last day cruising at sea. It sucked. First time since our first cruise that we had a non-sunny day that the captain couldn't find us some sun.
We did, however, get to go tour the bridge of the ship, which was really pretty cool. But beyond that, as the day progressed, the seas got rougher and rougher, as we heading directly into a weather front. By dinner, only about half the passengers actually made it to dinner, and ginger ale was being served as if it was water. It was like that well into the night, and likely until we got back into Tampa Bay, which was in the early hours of the morning. But we had three solid days of vacation fun, so really no complaints.
It's hard to believe we've been doing this for five years. Not sure if we'll keep it at four or if that was a one time celebration for Sabrina, but I think Karla, Jen, and I are content to keep this going as long as we can handle cruising.
This year we switched things up a bit, as we added a fourth to our crew (Sabrina), which led us to book a suite on the ship (Brilliance of the Seas) so we could all still do the fun rituals of getting ready together and such. We were able to get a good deal on the suite, too, as we didn't book until 6 weeks out! Not recommended for those who like to plan way ahead, or those who get nervous about 'the back-up plan' if Plan A doesn't pan out... but it worked quite well this year.Our itinerary included just two ports, with two days at sea. Kind of the best of both worlds (in theory) to give everyone a little of what they wanted. We left of December 14th out of Tampa, with the first full day (the 15th) being at sea. We made the most of what turned out to be about an absolutely perfect day at sea, and were at the pool side nearly the entire day! Surprisingly, we all did a good job with sunscreen on this first day, and no one go too much sun. Usually, at least one of us missed a spot or two, or just went to long between applications. That made it good for the rest of the cruise.
Our first port was back in the Grand Cayman Islands! Last year we missed out on our swim with the stingrays and were very bummed about it. We were determined to make up for it, and getting back to the islands was one of the reason we chose this itinerary.
We found a local tour company that took us out to Stingray City on a catamaran, which on its own was cool, since it kept the number of people on the tour to a minimum. The water was still a little rougher than I think any of us would've liked, but it was still workable to get in there with the stingrays. And it was amazing! They were everywhere!! I almost got knocked down a few time by them trying to swim between my legs. Well, that and the waves pulling me off the ground and me, overcomplicating things, by trying not to come back down on top of one! We were able to feed them, too, and I had one gnaw on my knuckle when he took the fish from me. Didn't hurt - just felt weird! It was a really cool experience, and I'd love to do it again, if the water was a little calmer so we could maybe enjoy the rays a little more without the added complication of the waves. But at least we got to do it once!After the stingray swim, we got to snorkel over some reefs for a little bit. Again, because of the slightly rougher waters, we couldn't go to the major reef area, but since our tour guides were local, they were still able to get us to a good area where no one else really was. it wasn't as exciting as the stingrays, but of course, we weren't feeding the fish, either. Still some pretty cool snorkel views.
Our second port was Cozumel, which has become a regular stop. Of our five years of doing this girls cruise, we've stopped at Cozumel three of hose years! Of course, we don't do much at this port, either. Literally. We go to a private beach club that's all inclusive, lay on the beach all day, have a good locally prepared lunch, and just completely relax. Which is probably why we keep going back - it's a day of guaranteed relaxation. Not that the entire cruise isn't relaxing, but it's just nice to have some semi-private time to relax.Finally, on to our last day cruising at sea. It sucked. First time since our first cruise that we had a non-sunny day that the captain couldn't find us some sun.
We did, however, get to go tour the bridge of the ship, which was really pretty cool. But beyond that, as the day progressed, the seas got rougher and rougher, as we heading directly into a weather front. By dinner, only about half the passengers actually made it to dinner, and ginger ale was being served as if it was water. It was like that well into the night, and likely until we got back into Tampa Bay, which was in the early hours of the morning. But we had three solid days of vacation fun, so really no complaints.It's hard to believe we've been doing this for five years. Not sure if we'll keep it at four or if that was a one time celebration for Sabrina, but I think Karla, Jen, and I are content to keep this going as long as we can handle cruising.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Birthday Weekend
I feel like that, even though it's early Sunday, I can say my birthday weekend is done. There's nothing planned today, so let's write about what I DID do!
My birthday was on Friday, of course, and my plans were made months ago for the night of... Dave Matthews Band!! And I got some amazing seats this year through Warehouse. I was SO excited when I saw I was in the lower pavilion at Deer Creek (Klipsh, or whatever it is 'officially') for the first time in all my years of going.
And the excitement only continued as we showed up and saw how great they were! I was just a few rows behind the pit area - it was awesome!
And the show, itself, matched the seats - awesome! I think Eric even enjoyed it. Of course, a lot of that probably was due to the seat location. When you're that close and can actually hear what they're saying much more clearly, and even see expressions or interaction between some of the band... SO much better close up (go figure). This DMB show definitely ranks up there as one of the best I've been to.
Saturday was a complete flip... my company picnic. And it was a hot, humid day to be outside. I think one of the hottest days to date this summer. We had our picnic at Conner Prairie. In all my years in Indiana, and even within a 10 minute drive when I lived in Fishers, I've never been to this place. Except for a couple of Symphony on the Prairie concerts. But that was a completely different experience, which didn't include the 'theme park' part of Conner Prairie.
Unfortunately, it was almost too hot to really enjoy any part of the park... we walked through the historical areas, but it was just too hot to stay outside for too long. There was no breeze to even help with the stagnant humidity. It was fun to meet a lot of coworkers' families and such, though... it amazes me how much the company has grown since I just started back in December - I don't think we'll be able to have our picnic here, again - we were almost at capacity! But it was fun.
And that was it, really. That was my birthday weekend. In a nutshell. Now today, the hope it to just relax and prepare for the week ahead!
My birthday was on Friday, of course, and my plans were made months ago for the night of... Dave Matthews Band!! And I got some amazing seats this year through Warehouse. I was SO excited when I saw I was in the lower pavilion at Deer Creek (Klipsh, or whatever it is 'officially') for the first time in all my years of going.
And the excitement only continued as we showed up and saw how great they were! I was just a few rows behind the pit area - it was awesome!And the show, itself, matched the seats - awesome! I think Eric even enjoyed it. Of course, a lot of that probably was due to the seat location. When you're that close and can actually hear what they're saying much more clearly, and even see expressions or interaction between some of the band... SO much better close up (go figure). This DMB show definitely ranks up there as one of the best I've been to.
Saturday was a complete flip... my company picnic. And it was a hot, humid day to be outside. I think one of the hottest days to date this summer. We had our picnic at Conner Prairie. In all my years in Indiana, and even within a 10 minute drive when I lived in Fishers, I've never been to this place. Except for a couple of Symphony on the Prairie concerts. But that was a completely different experience, which didn't include the 'theme park' part of Conner Prairie.
Unfortunately, it was almost too hot to really enjoy any part of the park... we walked through the historical areas, but it was just too hot to stay outside for too long. There was no breeze to even help with the stagnant humidity. It was fun to meet a lot of coworkers' families and such, though... it amazes me how much the company has grown since I just started back in December - I don't think we'll be able to have our picnic here, again - we were almost at capacity! But it was fun.
And that was it, really. That was my birthday weekend. In a nutshell. Now today, the hope it to just relax and prepare for the week ahead!
Monday, July 6, 2015
4th of July 'Holiday' Weekend
Normally, long holiday weekends are associate with relaxation, travel, and family time. And quite often (more often than not), that is the case for Eric and I. But this past holiday weekend, it was the furthest thing from that. We were in the trenches of yardwork. Literally.
We've been talking about doing 'one last big project' in our backyard for awhile now... the goal? Installing 4" conduit for an underground power feed to our house. The hurdle? Installing 4" conduit for an underground power feed. Yes... the goal and the hurdle were one in the same. With the garage in place now, we had to rent slightly smaller equipment to fit in our yard - just a mini-excavator this time. But it still tore up our entire yard with the dirt pile and trying to turn the thing this in was on treads. So we were left with just one small patch of decent grass left. And we were just getting our backyard to look nice.
So Project #1 (the conduit installation) took all day Friday. Nearly from sun-up to sun-down. We were literally returning the excavator to Home Depot at 10pm. Gotta love those long summer days... lots of daylight to do things like dig up your backyard. We didn't quite get everything we wanted done - two particular area were left open for some additional tie-ins with the conduit, so those hole would be filled in later, by hand. Which would turn out to be easier said than done. And Project #1 would lead to the necessity of another project... redoing the backyard. Again, easier said than done.
Saturday was spent taking care of the trench along the property line next to our neighbor's, so as to not leave a huge hole for them to fall into. The dirt turned out to be a very sticky, heavy clay that was anything BUT easy to shovel into the hole. So we took a break and ran out for supplies that we deemed necessary for the upcoming Project #2. We were both so worn out from the first day and were just moving at a slower pace Saturday. I guess we should've planned for that... but we did manage to get most of the trench filled in and even managed to freshen up and join the neighbors to actually watch the fireworks. It was the only social time we really gave ourselves all weekend.
Sunday was spent on Project #2 - trying to get the backyard to look, well, like a backyard again. We bought mulch, topsoil, grass seed and matting on Saturday to try to get to that point. The first half of the day was spent just finishing the sideyard next to (and in) the neighbor's - the mini excavator tore up their area more than we thought it would. Then, with what little energy we had left, we attempted to re-grade out the backyard so it was a little smoother, and put down grass seed. Again, we were wrapping up around 10pm. The yard still didn't look like much, and still wasn't done (we ran out of energy and matting to put over the seed). But hopefully the seed will take soon enough.
I have muscles in my body that haven't ached since I was doing my Insanity workouts. And I have more scrapes, bruises, and bug bites than I can count. Oh... and the kicker? On Friday, Eric snagged our cable conduit. It didn't break the line, that we could tell, but it pulled from the junction box, we're thinking - we've been without phone, cable, or internet since Friday afternoon. We'll know more when AT&T makes it out. Thank goodness we both have our cell phones. At least the weather cooperated all weekend - never got overly hot and never rained on us. Didn't stop the sweat from pouring our of both of us... but hopefully, it'll all be worth it when we have a nice backyard to chill in... next year.
We've been talking about doing 'one last big project' in our backyard for awhile now... the goal? Installing 4" conduit for an underground power feed to our house. The hurdle? Installing 4" conduit for an underground power feed. Yes... the goal and the hurdle were one in the same. With the garage in place now, we had to rent slightly smaller equipment to fit in our yard - just a mini-excavator this time. But it still tore up our entire yard with the dirt pile and trying to turn the thing this in was on treads. So we were left with just one small patch of decent grass left. And we were just getting our backyard to look nice.
So Project #1 (the conduit installation) took all day Friday. Nearly from sun-up to sun-down. We were literally returning the excavator to Home Depot at 10pm. Gotta love those long summer days... lots of daylight to do things like dig up your backyard. We didn't quite get everything we wanted done - two particular area were left open for some additional tie-ins with the conduit, so those hole would be filled in later, by hand. Which would turn out to be easier said than done. And Project #1 would lead to the necessity of another project... redoing the backyard. Again, easier said than done.Saturday was spent taking care of the trench along the property line next to our neighbor's, so as to not leave a huge hole for them to fall into. The dirt turned out to be a very sticky, heavy clay that was anything BUT easy to shovel into the hole. So we took a break and ran out for supplies that we deemed necessary for the upcoming Project #2. We were both so worn out from the first day and were just moving at a slower pace Saturday. I guess we should've planned for that... but we did manage to get most of the trench filled in and even managed to freshen up and join the neighbors to actually watch the fireworks. It was the only social time we really gave ourselves all weekend.
Sunday was spent on Project #2 - trying to get the backyard to look, well, like a backyard again. We bought mulch, topsoil, grass seed and matting on Saturday to try to get to that point. The first half of the day was spent just finishing the sideyard next to (and in) the neighbor's - the mini excavator tore up their area more than we thought it would. Then, with what little energy we had left, we attempted to re-grade out the backyard so it was a little smoother, and put down grass seed. Again, we were wrapping up around 10pm. The yard still didn't look like much, and still wasn't done (we ran out of energy and matting to put over the seed). But hopefully the seed will take soon enough.
I have muscles in my body that haven't ached since I was doing my Insanity workouts. And I have more scrapes, bruises, and bug bites than I can count. Oh... and the kicker? On Friday, Eric snagged our cable conduit. It didn't break the line, that we could tell, but it pulled from the junction box, we're thinking - we've been without phone, cable, or internet since Friday afternoon. We'll know more when AT&T makes it out. Thank goodness we both have our cell phones. At least the weather cooperated all weekend - never got overly hot and never rained on us. Didn't stop the sweat from pouring our of both of us... but hopefully, it'll all be worth it when we have a nice backyard to chill in... next year.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
I'm a Giver
This weekend turned out to be something of a charitable weekend for me. Wasn’t planned this way… well, the events were planned, but I never looked at the calendar close enough to see how it fell together. Makes for a warm fuzzy inside.
Friday night was the Make-A-Wish Big Wish Gala. I’ve been volunteering at this event for a few years now, and I love it! Just like I love Make-A-Wish! The Gala is always something spectacular and it grows every year – about 800 people were in attendance this year. Last year, we raised over $500k, and I’m sure this year, we raised even more. There was one ‘anonymous’ donation of $150,000 (I say it like that because the guy stood up and donated it). Very few people knew about that coming, so it got a lot of applause. They did a few things differently, on the operating side of it this year, so it made for more down time for the volunteers, believe it or not. But that made it possible for us to actually enjoy part of the program, which was nice for a change. Always cool to hear the stories.
Saturday morning was the SGK Race for the Cure. I’ve been doing this for many years, now, but it’s never fallen on the morning after the Gala. So it was a late night, followed by an early morning. But, since I wasn’t partaking in the drinking side of the Gala (since I was volunteering at it), it really wasn’t that big of a deal. It was the perfect morning for the event this year, too – the past few years have been cold and/or rainy. I think the weather helped the crowd turnout, too, though we still haven’t gotten back to the peak we were at a few years back (before the ‘controversial’ remark the CEO made about something). But I still support it because of what the root cause is – people say things, but that’s their right. This nation has become too PC sensitive. But that’s a rant for another day.
So all in all, a good weekend to this point. It’s just a rainy day, today… but as much as I want to be lazy, I can’t seem to get to my lazy state. Oh well. I still consider it a good weekend.
Friday night was the Make-A-Wish Big Wish Gala. I’ve been volunteering at this event for a few years now, and I love it! Just like I love Make-A-Wish! The Gala is always something spectacular and it grows every year – about 800 people were in attendance this year. Last year, we raised over $500k, and I’m sure this year, we raised even more. There was one ‘anonymous’ donation of $150,000 (I say it like that because the guy stood up and donated it). Very few people knew about that coming, so it got a lot of applause. They did a few things differently, on the operating side of it this year, so it made for more down time for the volunteers, believe it or not. But that made it possible for us to actually enjoy part of the program, which was nice for a change. Always cool to hear the stories.
Saturday morning was the SGK Race for the Cure. I’ve been doing this for many years, now, but it’s never fallen on the morning after the Gala. So it was a late night, followed by an early morning. But, since I wasn’t partaking in the drinking side of the Gala (since I was volunteering at it), it really wasn’t that big of a deal. It was the perfect morning for the event this year, too – the past few years have been cold and/or rainy. I think the weather helped the crowd turnout, too, though we still haven’t gotten back to the peak we were at a few years back (before the ‘controversial’ remark the CEO made about something). But I still support it because of what the root cause is – people say things, but that’s their right. This nation has become too PC sensitive. But that’s a rant for another day.So all in all, a good weekend to this point. It’s just a rainy day, today… but as much as I want to be lazy, I can’t seem to get to my lazy state. Oh well. I still consider it a good weekend.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
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.
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.
Monday, December 29, 2014
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.
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.
Sunday, December 7, 2014
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!
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!
Sunday, November 16, 2014
The Mouse
I'm not going to say I grew up a sheltered life, but I was lucky enough to almost always live in a new house. Not just 'new to us', but actually 'new', as in, we watched it get built. I didn't know about living in old houses, and what comes with living in an old house, until I moved in with Eric into his 100+yr-old house.
Recently, I discovered a true negative to the old house, with the creaks and slanted floors and drafty windows... the ability for vermin to get in (especially when it gets cold outside). A mouse. I've never seen a 'wild' mouse before. At first, I didn't know what I saw. It was a blur across the floor, and I jumped. Eric shrugged it of and said, "yeah.. I thought I saw a mouse earlier, too. If you think you saw one, then you did." About this time, he darted again, this time a little too close to comfort for me (still halfway across the room, mind you). I screamed this time, and curled up into a frantic ball. Eric just laughed at me. But he finally humored me and got up to see if the mouse was hiding behind a foot stool, and thought it was gone. I was still on edge. Then I saw it again, and by this time, I'm freaking out so much I'm near tears! And I have no idea why it freaked me out so much - I just never had a mouse in my house. I felt so... violated!
We didn't see him again and, in fact, Eric was convinced it left the house, since it warmed up a bit, again. Then, I came home to find what I thought was to be a perfectly fine loaf of bread in the garbage. I just assumed it was Eric being Eric about bread - he throws it out when it's just close to the expiration date. But then he told me he thought a mouse got to it. Uh oh.
Now, we are not dirty people, by any means. We have some clutter, just like anyone, but I'm OCD about dishes in the sink or leaving any plates around, let alone food out. So this really kind of got to me... where did this little sh*t come from and why our house??
Other than putting EVERYTHING in the fridge or high cabinet, we didn't change anything about our routine, at this point. We had no idea where he was 'living' and where to try to trap him. Then last weekend, I was cooking standing at the sink, washing a plate off, when I swear I felt something scurry past my toes along the kickboard. I looked and saw nothing... but was now on high alert. About 10 minutes later, I see him scurry under the fridge. And I saw him, in full mouse view, this time. For some reason, truly seeing him and just not a blur made me ready to mouse hunt... I was going to get the sucker. Or so I hoped/thought. I texted Eric and told him to bring home traps. In the meantime, I stood guard so he couldn't get out from under the fridge.
Oh, and he tried! He's poke his little head out, and I'd jump at him, knowing it would only scare him and there was no way I'd catch him by doing that. We played this game until Eric got home. He threw out a couple of the sticky traps on either side of the fridge and we left the kitchen.
Alas, no mouse. He was too smart for that. So we positioned the two traps a little better around the kitchen in hopes he's get stuck overnight. But again, no mouse. So I looked up some mouse traps online and found a simple and seemingly effective (and humane) trap. Put some peanut butter on the inside, bottom of a small glass, balance it upside down, with one side of the rim on a nickel, and let the heavy, easily off-balance glass do the work. I set up my trap (even with the sticky traps still out) and waited. I thought surely he's knock this over within a day.
A few days later (Friday), and the glass was unmoved. But wait... I looked a little closer. The peanut butter was GONE and the nickel was rotated 90 degrees so it couldn't roll with the weight of the glass. WTH?? Did this mouse take physics??
Yesterday, I was in the living room and heard a noise in my fish tank cabinet. I knew it had to be the mouse. Either that, or one of the fish got out. So I briskly opened the cabinet... but didn't see him. I shuffled stuff around, but still no mouse. An hour or so later, I heard the noise again. I ran over and opened the door, and there it was, just sitting in the cabinet. It darted out the back (there's no back on these cabinets) and I ran to get one of the sticky traps. but again, no luck. So I proceeds to investigate what he had found in the fish tank cabinet. Wow... the little sh*t found old fish food I had long forgotten about. So that was quickly removed and put in the trash. Now he had nothing to go after there.
Then I heard a noise behind the couch... where I was sitting. This freaked me out a bit because I couldn't see it... hopefully, it was just the same mouse. And just a mouse. So I cautiously looked over the back to see a bag of candy that had fallen back there some how... it definitely matched the crinkling sound.
I should mention that every time I removed a food source, I'd hear the mouse, again, in the same vicinity, squeaking up a storm. I think I was pissing it off.
That was the last straw. Eric decided it was time for the old school snap traps. I told him I didn't want to know where he set it, and it couldn't be anywhere I'd see it before him (so he could check it). Basically, there was no way I'd be able to see the dead mouse in the trap. So he set it before we went to bed last night
This morning, Eric woke me up by nudging me and tell me the mouse is dead. He was all excited because he heard it go off just a few minutes earlier, and continued to go into detail of what the whole thing sounded like. I tried to get him to stop - I didn't want to know. I just asked him to please make it all go away before I came downstairs. And he did.
So now comes the fun task of complete disinfection. That's been fun today... and gross, because the damn mouse left a trail of where he'd been. I've cleaned out the fish tank cabinet and all the counters in the kitchen (we had done the floors after the first round with this damn mouse). But I think I might have to go a second round of cleaning here shortly, for my own sanity. Here's hoping that is was, indeed, just one mouse. I really hope the next time I see a blur, it's my mind playing tricks on me.
Recently, I discovered a true negative to the old house, with the creaks and slanted floors and drafty windows... the ability for vermin to get in (especially when it gets cold outside). A mouse. I've never seen a 'wild' mouse before. At first, I didn't know what I saw. It was a blur across the floor, and I jumped. Eric shrugged it of and said, "yeah.. I thought I saw a mouse earlier, too. If you think you saw one, then you did." About this time, he darted again, this time a little too close to comfort for me (still halfway across the room, mind you). I screamed this time, and curled up into a frantic ball. Eric just laughed at me. But he finally humored me and got up to see if the mouse was hiding behind a foot stool, and thought it was gone. I was still on edge. Then I saw it again, and by this time, I'm freaking out so much I'm near tears! And I have no idea why it freaked me out so much - I just never had a mouse in my house. I felt so... violated!
We didn't see him again and, in fact, Eric was convinced it left the house, since it warmed up a bit, again. Then, I came home to find what I thought was to be a perfectly fine loaf of bread in the garbage. I just assumed it was Eric being Eric about bread - he throws it out when it's just close to the expiration date. But then he told me he thought a mouse got to it. Uh oh.
Now, we are not dirty people, by any means. We have some clutter, just like anyone, but I'm OCD about dishes in the sink or leaving any plates around, let alone food out. So this really kind of got to me... where did this little sh*t come from and why our house??
Other than putting EVERYTHING in the fridge or high cabinet, we didn't change anything about our routine, at this point. We had no idea where he was 'living' and where to try to trap him. Then last weekend, I was cooking standing at the sink, washing a plate off, when I swear I felt something scurry past my toes along the kickboard. I looked and saw nothing... but was now on high alert. About 10 minutes later, I see him scurry under the fridge. And I saw him, in full mouse view, this time. For some reason, truly seeing him and just not a blur made me ready to mouse hunt... I was going to get the sucker. Or so I hoped/thought. I texted Eric and told him to bring home traps. In the meantime, I stood guard so he couldn't get out from under the fridge.
Oh, and he tried! He's poke his little head out, and I'd jump at him, knowing it would only scare him and there was no way I'd catch him by doing that. We played this game until Eric got home. He threw out a couple of the sticky traps on either side of the fridge and we left the kitchen.Alas, no mouse. He was too smart for that. So we positioned the two traps a little better around the kitchen in hopes he's get stuck overnight. But again, no mouse. So I looked up some mouse traps online and found a simple and seemingly effective (and humane) trap. Put some peanut butter on the inside, bottom of a small glass, balance it upside down, with one side of the rim on a nickel, and let the heavy, easily off-balance glass do the work. I set up my trap (even with the sticky traps still out) and waited. I thought surely he's knock this over within a day.
A few days later (Friday), and the glass was unmoved. But wait... I looked a little closer. The peanut butter was GONE and the nickel was rotated 90 degrees so it couldn't roll with the weight of the glass. WTH?? Did this mouse take physics??
Yesterday, I was in the living room and heard a noise in my fish tank cabinet. I knew it had to be the mouse. Either that, or one of the fish got out. So I briskly opened the cabinet... but didn't see him. I shuffled stuff around, but still no mouse. An hour or so later, I heard the noise again. I ran over and opened the door, and there it was, just sitting in the cabinet. It darted out the back (there's no back on these cabinets) and I ran to get one of the sticky traps. but again, no luck. So I proceeds to investigate what he had found in the fish tank cabinet. Wow... the little sh*t found old fish food I had long forgotten about. So that was quickly removed and put in the trash. Now he had nothing to go after there.
Then I heard a noise behind the couch... where I was sitting. This freaked me out a bit because I couldn't see it... hopefully, it was just the same mouse. And just a mouse. So I cautiously looked over the back to see a bag of candy that had fallen back there some how... it definitely matched the crinkling sound.
I should mention that every time I removed a food source, I'd hear the mouse, again, in the same vicinity, squeaking up a storm. I think I was pissing it off.
That was the last straw. Eric decided it was time for the old school snap traps. I told him I didn't want to know where he set it, and it couldn't be anywhere I'd see it before him (so he could check it). Basically, there was no way I'd be able to see the dead mouse in the trap. So he set it before we went to bed last night
This morning, Eric woke me up by nudging me and tell me the mouse is dead. He was all excited because he heard it go off just a few minutes earlier, and continued to go into detail of what the whole thing sounded like. I tried to get him to stop - I didn't want to know. I just asked him to please make it all go away before I came downstairs. And he did.
So now comes the fun task of complete disinfection. That's been fun today... and gross, because the damn mouse left a trail of where he'd been. I've cleaned out the fish tank cabinet and all the counters in the kitchen (we had done the floors after the first round with this damn mouse). But I think I might have to go a second round of cleaning here shortly, for my own sanity. Here's hoping that is was, indeed, just one mouse. I really hope the next time I see a blur, it's my mind playing tricks on me.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Ding Dong the Pole is Gone!
So after about six months of bugging the crap out of AT&T (it started with IPL), the guy pole that was in our back yard is GONE!
I know this sounds like a trivial thing to all of you that have never had to deal with this... but you have no idea how huge this is! This means we have no excuse to NOT start our garage finally! There can't be any foundation issues, now.
Except that our permits haven't been issued yet. They're in for approval, but not yet. And since we in a historic district, we have the added step of having a pre-con meeting with an IHPC person. Bleah!
It's weird, though.... the pole took up very little space, and the guys, themselves, have been gone for months. (The picture shows where the pole once was...) But when I look out back, our yard seems bigger, somehow. It was just a pole... and, at one time, a wire.
Of course, that 'big feeling' will be short lived, as the garage will quickly close our backyard in. But it'll be worth that sacrifice.
I know this sounds like a trivial thing to all of you that have never had to deal with this... but you have no idea how huge this is! This means we have no excuse to NOT start our garage finally! There can't be any foundation issues, now.Except that our permits haven't been issued yet. They're in for approval, but not yet. And since we in a historic district, we have the added step of having a pre-con meeting with an IHPC person. Bleah!
It's weird, though.... the pole took up very little space, and the guys, themselves, have been gone for months. (The picture shows where the pole once was...) But when I look out back, our yard seems bigger, somehow. It was just a pole... and, at one time, a wire.
Of course, that 'big feeling' will be short lived, as the garage will quickly close our backyard in. But it'll be worth that sacrifice.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Long Overdue Visit to FL
So ever since my life at Kite, and even somewhat through Eric's time with Kite, traveling to FL to visit my family was not an unusual thing. It was almost par of course... you know... expected at some point throughout the year, if not even multiple times. But now that neither of us travel for our job on a regular basis, the thought of getting on a plane for just a basic visit has become almost foreign.
Last month, Eric suddenly finding two different conferences on his schedule. The first one was just down in Nashville, TN - no big deal. Even though there were more days to it than the second one, which was in Philadelphia. Which meant a flight. Now Eric may have been initially joking around, but at one point, he said, "you should go down to FL and see you family and fly out the same time I do." Umm... okay!
Of course, when I go to book my flight and start asking abut his, he conveniently forgets this was his suggestion. But it was still a go. So I looked at flights and ended up having to book flights on 'off days' in the realm of travel to keep prices reasonable, which meant it would be a short trip, or a longer trip than anticipated. I opted for the longer trip. I had the PTO that needed to be used by the end of the year, anyway. So I proceeded to book things... and decided to keep it a surprise for the niece and nephew. Just for fun. They're teenagers... don't get to have fun like this as much as I used to.
So last Wednesday morning, well before the sun rose, I was up and on the way to the airport with Eric, whose flight left just fifteen minutes before mine. Still before sunrise... (saw that on the plane!)
Of course I had to go through ATL... which has a runway closed for construction... which means delays. This concerned me a bit, only because I had a tight connection. I just didn't want to spend hours in the Atlanta airport. Who does?? But, even with the hold at IND, we still made it in time... I just had no time to do anything else besides get to my next gate. But it was worth it to be in FL well before noon. And the vacation truly began.
Now mind you, I had absolutely no agenda. None. Nothing was on my radar of things I wanted to do, other than just relax with the family, and maybe a little shopping for Christmas. Yes, Christmas shopping. It is just over two months away, so why not?? Quite frankly, I think my 'no agenda' agenda worked out just fine.
The rest of Wednesday was spent catching up with my parents, and then we went out to dinner. I crashed pretty early, then, since I was up so early for my flight. Thursday, my Mom and I went shopping out at St. John's Town Center... nearly all day. Easy to do, there, and a good day to do it, since it was a weekday. Didn't actually buy much, but it made for a nice long day of walking.
Friday, we ran some errands and got ready for the Pitts' arrival that evening, including a new recipe for dinner from Publix Aprons (Asparagus Shiitake Chicken with Sesame Rice). it was absolutely amazing! I will be cooking that again, soon! And the kids were surprised to see me... thought it wasn't nearly as exciting as it was when they were younger. Teenagers...
Saturday, my Mom and I were actually able to talk BOTH kids into going out shopping so we could get ideas for Christmas. They were both reluctant, at first, giving us no ideas. It was looking to be a frustrating day... but the second stop, they got more into it and actually found some ideas for us. Yay! So after a bit more shopping and a nice lunch a Panera, we had a successful afternoon with them. This was doubly good since they had to leave right after breakfast the next morning. But we even kept it short since one of them had homework to do.
So Sunday, after the Pitts left, the house seemed all too quiet. My Mom and I decided to go down to the St. Augustine outlet malls, since she had something to return. So we did some more shopping there, and got a little more done for Christmas. I like this early Christmas shopping deal... I used to do this all the time! On Monday, after one more quick trip with my Mom, I wrapped up those Christmas gifts so they're all set for the tree when it goes up. Then I packed for the trip home.
My flight got in LATE last night. Sure... I've gotten home later, but it's been awhile and I've been wiped out all day. Not used to this travel thing anymore. But I still miss it. It was great to see all my family down there, and it was way overdue. I'll be back down in a couple of months... but for now, I've had my family fix and that makes me happy.
Last month, Eric suddenly finding two different conferences on his schedule. The first one was just down in Nashville, TN - no big deal. Even though there were more days to it than the second one, which was in Philadelphia. Which meant a flight. Now Eric may have been initially joking around, but at one point, he said, "you should go down to FL and see you family and fly out the same time I do." Umm... okay!
Of course, when I go to book my flight and start asking abut his, he conveniently forgets this was his suggestion. But it was still a go. So I looked at flights and ended up having to book flights on 'off days' in the realm of travel to keep prices reasonable, which meant it would be a short trip, or a longer trip than anticipated. I opted for the longer trip. I had the PTO that needed to be used by the end of the year, anyway. So I proceeded to book things... and decided to keep it a surprise for the niece and nephew. Just for fun. They're teenagers... don't get to have fun like this as much as I used to.
So last Wednesday morning, well before the sun rose, I was up and on the way to the airport with Eric, whose flight left just fifteen minutes before mine. Still before sunrise... (saw that on the plane!)Of course I had to go through ATL... which has a runway closed for construction... which means delays. This concerned me a bit, only because I had a tight connection. I just didn't want to spend hours in the Atlanta airport. Who does?? But, even with the hold at IND, we still made it in time... I just had no time to do anything else besides get to my next gate. But it was worth it to be in FL well before noon. And the vacation truly began.
Now mind you, I had absolutely no agenda. None. Nothing was on my radar of things I wanted to do, other than just relax with the family, and maybe a little shopping for Christmas. Yes, Christmas shopping. It is just over two months away, so why not?? Quite frankly, I think my 'no agenda' agenda worked out just fine.
The rest of Wednesday was spent catching up with my parents, and then we went out to dinner. I crashed pretty early, then, since I was up so early for my flight. Thursday, my Mom and I went shopping out at St. John's Town Center... nearly all day. Easy to do, there, and a good day to do it, since it was a weekday. Didn't actually buy much, but it made for a nice long day of walking.
Friday, we ran some errands and got ready for the Pitts' arrival that evening, including a new recipe for dinner from Publix Aprons (Asparagus Shiitake Chicken with Sesame Rice). it was absolutely amazing! I will be cooking that again, soon! And the kids were surprised to see me... thought it wasn't nearly as exciting as it was when they were younger. Teenagers...Saturday, my Mom and I were actually able to talk BOTH kids into going out shopping so we could get ideas for Christmas. They were both reluctant, at first, giving us no ideas. It was looking to be a frustrating day... but the second stop, they got more into it and actually found some ideas for us. Yay! So after a bit more shopping and a nice lunch a Panera, we had a successful afternoon with them. This was doubly good since they had to leave right after breakfast the next morning. But we even kept it short since one of them had homework to do.
So Sunday, after the Pitts left, the house seemed all too quiet. My Mom and I decided to go down to the St. Augustine outlet malls, since she had something to return. So we did some more shopping there, and got a little more done for Christmas. I like this early Christmas shopping deal... I used to do this all the time! On Monday, after one more quick trip with my Mom, I wrapped up those Christmas gifts so they're all set for the tree when it goes up. Then I packed for the trip home.My flight got in LATE last night. Sure... I've gotten home later, but it's been awhile and I've been wiped out all day. Not used to this travel thing anymore. But I still miss it. It was great to see all my family down there, and it was way overdue. I'll be back down in a couple of months... but for now, I've had my family fix and that makes me happy.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Living the Single Life
Eric went away on a fieldtrip with the mayor on Sunday. And doesn't come back until tomorrow night.
I know... a weird start to a blog. But this is the first time I've had the house to myself for this long since before he quit his job a Kite, when he travelled ALL the time. Quite frankly, it's kind of weird to not have him here at night. I mean, he still works a lot, so sometimes I only see him for dinner and then when he comes to bed... but I'm not used to have the remote control to myself. And the couch. And the bed.
Though I gotta admit, it was nice to veg in front of the TV for a couple of nights, without someone griping about the stupid comedies I like to watch. I love some mindless TV (usually sitcoms), which drives Eric nuts (he picks apart everything from plot lines to character flaws).
On the down side, I didn't cook at all. Which some would say is not a bad thing. I had some leftovers tonight, and last night I had cereal. Yes, cereal. I love cereal and have considered making it my three meal-a-day diet. But I kind of missed making some 'real' food, even if some of what I cook is pretty mindless, too. Cereal is just SO much easier! And, sometimes, tastier.
But alas, this little experiment is done tomorrow night. Even if his work schedule and quirks drive me up a wall some days, I still love him. It'll be good to have him home.
I know... a weird start to a blog. But this is the first time I've had the house to myself for this long since before he quit his job a Kite, when he travelled ALL the time. Quite frankly, it's kind of weird to not have him here at night. I mean, he still works a lot, so sometimes I only see him for dinner and then when he comes to bed... but I'm not used to have the remote control to myself. And the couch. And the bed.
Though I gotta admit, it was nice to veg in front of the TV for a couple of nights, without someone griping about the stupid comedies I like to watch. I love some mindless TV (usually sitcoms), which drives Eric nuts (he picks apart everything from plot lines to character flaws).
On the down side, I didn't cook at all. Which some would say is not a bad thing. I had some leftovers tonight, and last night I had cereal. Yes, cereal. I love cereal and have considered making it my three meal-a-day diet. But I kind of missed making some 'real' food, even if some of what I cook is pretty mindless, too. Cereal is just SO much easier! And, sometimes, tastier.
But alas, this little experiment is done tomorrow night. Even if his work schedule and quirks drive me up a wall some days, I still love him. It'll be good to have him home.
Monday, September 15, 2014
You Just Never Know What You'll Find...
I think most everyone who reads this knows that I live in an old house. Like, really old house... 100+ years old. It's not my dream home, but it was more ideal than my former home up in Fishers, for Eric and I, when we got married . It's a way better location and much bigger. It was also the one hobby Eric had going - working on an old house. This is his third.
Thankfully, he had most of it done before I ever brought one box down. He kind of had to, with the condition is was in when he bought it. It had been in the same family for decades, and it the later decades, it had been divided up from a single family home into three rental apartments. The plus side to that was nothing was ever painted, so most of the original woodwork just had to be cleaned up. The bad side of that was the fact that you had weird walls build and more kitchens then you needed. So that's what Eric spend the first few years doing - turning it back into a single family home. He had a few surprises along the way, both pleasant and unpleasant. For example, the original wood floors were still mostly intact... just buried under multiple layers of vinyl. Probably the coolest discovery was that he had a true parlor in the front of the house, complete with a knee wall and columns that had been enclosed into studs and drywall at some point. While they weren't pristine, he was able to restore them pretty well.
To date, not much had been done outside. He has redone/repainted about half of the siding, which is a feat on all it's own (I'm trying to convince him to hire someone to do the rest). The front porch was rebuilt by his old contractor, with a finish upgrade to the floor itself (from painted wood to stained wood). But the backyard... aside from putting in a vegetable garden, nada. We're working on getting a garage started, and knew there was a smaller garage or carriage house (literally) at some pint, since the foundation was still in place. But it didn't seem as if they did much else out back.
You may remember the backhoe we had to trench in utilities over the 4th of July weekend. That was fun. Well, we never fully filled in the trench because Eric wanted to make sure a few connections were made, first. With the impending winter upon us, we spent this past weekend filling it in by hand and, also by hand, leveling out the other remaining mounds of dirt so we could reseed and not have a huge mudpit all winter.
Eric had just started throwing in dirt when I noticed some bricks along the edge of the trench. They were too perfectly straight to be remnants from the old cistern that was removed. So we did some exploratory dirt moving and found a brick path. At this point, I was excited, and took it upon myself to find out how far this thing went. Well, turns out it likely led from the back porch to the old garage, because we uncovered quite a length of it. Judging from the amount of dirt on top of it, I would say they just threw sod on top of it at some point. Why would you do that??
So now I have a solid path to walk on most of the way to my car (since I park out back). It still needs to be cleaned up a bit, but that's the easy part. Maybe. We also might explore some more and use it and/or modify it to use when our garage is done. Maybe. Since we still have no idea how we're going to finish off our backyard next year, this idea might not be feasible. But for now, I'm just excited to not have to walk through mud.
Thankfully, he had most of it done before I ever brought one box down. He kind of had to, with the condition is was in when he bought it. It had been in the same family for decades, and it the later decades, it had been divided up from a single family home into three rental apartments. The plus side to that was nothing was ever painted, so most of the original woodwork just had to be cleaned up. The bad side of that was the fact that you had weird walls build and more kitchens then you needed. So that's what Eric spend the first few years doing - turning it back into a single family home. He had a few surprises along the way, both pleasant and unpleasant. For example, the original wood floors were still mostly intact... just buried under multiple layers of vinyl. Probably the coolest discovery was that he had a true parlor in the front of the house, complete with a knee wall and columns that had been enclosed into studs and drywall at some point. While they weren't pristine, he was able to restore them pretty well.
To date, not much had been done outside. He has redone/repainted about half of the siding, which is a feat on all it's own (I'm trying to convince him to hire someone to do the rest). The front porch was rebuilt by his old contractor, with a finish upgrade to the floor itself (from painted wood to stained wood). But the backyard... aside from putting in a vegetable garden, nada. We're working on getting a garage started, and knew there was a smaller garage or carriage house (literally) at some pint, since the foundation was still in place. But it didn't seem as if they did much else out back.
You may remember the backhoe we had to trench in utilities over the 4th of July weekend. That was fun. Well, we never fully filled in the trench because Eric wanted to make sure a few connections were made, first. With the impending winter upon us, we spent this past weekend filling it in by hand and, also by hand, leveling out the other remaining mounds of dirt so we could reseed and not have a huge mudpit all winter.
Eric had just started throwing in dirt when I noticed some bricks along the edge of the trench. They were too perfectly straight to be remnants from the old cistern that was removed. So we did some exploratory dirt moving and found a brick path. At this point, I was excited, and took it upon myself to find out how far this thing went. Well, turns out it likely led from the back porch to the old garage, because we uncovered quite a length of it. Judging from the amount of dirt on top of it, I would say they just threw sod on top of it at some point. Why would you do that??So now I have a solid path to walk on most of the way to my car (since I park out back). It still needs to be cleaned up a bit, but that's the easy part. Maybe. We also might explore some more and use it and/or modify it to use when our garage is done. Maybe. Since we still have no idea how we're going to finish off our backyard next year, this idea might not be feasible. But for now, I'm just excited to not have to walk through mud.
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