Whenever Joe leaves town I get these HUGE kicks of motivation. Maybe it's because I feel like I'm not having to share my time, but whatever the case I always get a lot done. This time, however, was a little more intense than usual. Between Wednesday night and Friday night I worked one day, did my boot camp class, did laundry including clothes, sheets, towels, bath mats, and Snoop's stuff, ironed, dusted the whole house where I actually remove items from shelves, hardcore kitchen scrubdown including inside refrigerator, inside stove and microwave, vacuumed whole house, wetjetted tile and wood floors, cleaned bathrooms, cut coupons, picked up dog poop in yard, reorganized some stuff in the closet, cleaned fans and blinds, painted my nails, decorated front door for fall by switching out the mat and wreath and adding some pumpkins, trimmed the bushes, mulched a third of the landscaping, potted some flowers, cleaned all our trash cans, gave Snoop a bath, went shopping twice, and took a bath to cure this aching body. I swear whenever Joe leaves town I become Superwoman.
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Friday, October 22, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Befores & Afters
As I reflect on some recent events I came to the realization that everything has a before and after. It's a pretty basic concept and of course nothing can have an "after" without a "before," but when I got my hair chopped off, which is an obvious before and after, I started thinking about bigger befores and afters.
So starting with the small hair event that got me started on this thought train, here is my before and after. Joe loves long hair so I've been growing it out for a couple years now, but every time it gets to a certain length, it just stops growing. And it looks nasty. It always gets to a point where it looks like I put the ends into a toaster and fried it. I would love to have long luscious locks but without any curls or natural character, it just ends up looking like a dog chewed on it. Here is me on Wednesday, the last day of the long hair.
So starting with the small hair event that got me started on this thought train, here is my before and after. Joe loves long hair so I've been growing it out for a couple years now, but every time it gets to a certain length, it just stops growing. And it looks nasty. It always gets to a point where it looks like I put the ends into a toaster and fried it. I would love to have long luscious locks but without any curls or natural character, it just ends up looking like a dog chewed on it. Here is me on Wednesday, the last day of the long hair.
I don't think I can get any mousier looking than that. I got brave and for the first time ever went into the salon and said 'you can do whatever you want!' I think the stylist got pretty excited. My only requirements were she take at least 4 inches off and leave it long enough to pull back. So here is the new style. I definitely like it and have gotten a lot of compliments on both the cut and color.
Not the greatest picture to show it off, but she went a little darker and put in a lot of layers. I'm definitely relieved to have that mop chopped off. If you'll notice our plant in the background is growing out of control. It's like that plant from Little Shop of Horrors where it eats people. That tall leaf is growing like one blind per day. It'll be to the ceiling by the end of the year.
Moving on to a much bigger and more important topic, last weekend was the 9 year anniversary of 9/11. I pretty much got stuck on the History channel that day. Every time I watch documentaries about that day I learn something new or remember something I forgot about. It's amazing how many stories there are out there because of how many people witnessed it first-hand. I watched about five different shows, the last one being a new documentary for the year that was a collection of amateur video called 102 Minutes That Changed America. From the beginning to the end was people's recordings from their apartment windows, on the streets, from tops of buildings, from inside the towers, etc. It was very moving and made it all feel much more real. The morning of 9/11 I was a sophomore at Indiana University. I was actually still sleeping when the first plane hit, but my boyfriend at the time called to wake me and tell me to turn on the TV. I sat there dumbfounded in my single dorm room by myself watching my 13-inch TV in disbelief. The entire day was quiet, people walking around like zombies, going to class and not able to pay attention. Student union, dorm lobbies, and the like all had TVs on surrounded by crowds of college students. It was so early in the school year that I hadn't had a chance to get to know everyone on my floor very well, but there was a girl at the other end of the hallway who I had briefly met who lost her dad in the towers. They actually lived in Ohio, but he was in NYC on a business trip in which he had a meeting in one of the towers that morning. If I recall correctly he was possibly on one of the floors that the first plane hit so I can only hope it went fast for him. I couldn't believe that on a campus of 45,000 students, where 2 of them lost a parent in the attacks, one of them actually slept a few yards from me. She took the rest of that semester off to be with her family, but I remember a few of us threw her a little going away farewell in our hall's lobby and she was the strongest one there. Here is a 19-year old girl who just lost her dad unexpectedly in one of history's most horrific events and she was the only one in that room not crying, telling all of us that things were going to be okay, that her family is going to get through it, and for all of us to have a great semester. I don't remember her name, but she will always be a part of my memory of that event.
Because that has played such a huge role in the aftermath of everything, it's hard to imagine what life would be like had that not happened. Vicitms would still be in people's lives, security wouldn't be so strict, the twin towers would still show up in movies of the past decade, every little accident that happens wouldn't be looked at as a possible terrorist attack. I hate when I hear about something fairly small happening and the government's first instinct is a terrorist attack, therefore it gets plastered all over the news that way, only to find out it was an accident or malfunction of something. The attack has forever changed how this country lives.
Recently I have chosen to do a couple things that only have a before at this point. The after is yet to come. I have always wanted to learn how to play guitar, but didn't want to spend a lot of money on one. Conveniently, a coworker recently sent out an email that he was trying to sell a lot of stuff cause he's moving into a smaller place and one of the items listed was "a random guitar." I jumped on the opportunity and found out it was a 6-string acoustic which is what I wanted. It even came with the case, so I got my old, used, cheap guitar to start practicing on. I think it's from Brazil and is about 40 years old, but the sound is good. Just need to dust it off and have it re-stringed. I don't even know if that's the correct term, that's how little I know about guitars. I even downloaded a free app on my iphone that gives a few lessons and has the chords listed out with charts of what strings and frets to play. I'll be a pro by next year. HA! Doubt it.
I also thought of a really good storyline idea a few months ago and thought about trying to write a book. I sat down back then and wrote a couple pages, but the hardest part is always the beginning and I don't know if I like how it starts. It's totally a story that could be a movie and the other day I was thinking to myself why am I trying to write a novel when I know so little about books, yet watch movies like it's a necessity? I even have practice writing scripts from college courses, so I've decided to write a screenplay with my idea instead of a book. Look for it in 2017. ;-) Yet again, an idea is born. You have to wait for the after.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
August Happenings
Yikes! I've been slacking on this blogging hobby I'm trying to pursue. Here I say I wanna blog cause I like to write, but then I can't find time to write!
Now that I think back, a lot actually happened this month.
On 8/7 Joe and I celebrated our 8th anniversary since our first date. I guess I can't really say we celebrated. Neither of us even mentioned it. I only know because it's written on my calendar each year, but each year as that number gains a digit I can't help but think how time flies. Seems like we were just in college when we met, but I've already been out of college for almost six years. Doesn't seem possible!
Two days later our first nephew was born! Aaron Dean Scherf was born on a very cool date - 8/9/10. He weighed 7 lbs, 13 oz and was 19.5 inches long, born at 5:49 pm. For those of you that don't know, this is the son of Joe's sister and her husband, Christy and Eric. This is child numero 2 for them and I know they're thrilled! Hoping we can meet him sooner than later, however they're way off in Arizona. I wish everyone I knew lived within 30 miles of us. That would be awesome!
Meet Aaron!
So the big 2-9 came around this year for me. Not too thrilled that I'm only a year away from 30, but can't do anything about it. My birthday fell on Friday the 13th this year and although I planned on working, Joe told me to take the day off. I had no idea what he had planned, but my work allows one paid day off the month of your birthday, so why not use it on my actual birthday if it's going to give me a 3-day weekend. So I granted Joe's request. First of all Joe had been spending the previous weekend and that Thursday before my bday making the house squeaky clean. That right there is like one of the best gifts a girl can get. Then at about 10pm that Thursday night the doorbell rings and I'm thinking who the heck is that?! None other than my parents! I hadn't seen them in about 3 1/2 months and Joe talked them in to driving down for the weekend! And then the next morning he sent me off to get a 1 hour massage. So basically my husband is awesome and got me the 3 best gifts I could have asked for. Joe still had to work on Friday so after my massage I spent the day shopping around with my parents and then Joe met up with us for dinner at Firebirds. We finished the night off with gifts, games, a movie and strawberry/funfetti cake covered in homemade strawberry frosting that Joe made. It was delicious!
Moving on to work-related news, my company's traditional media department has previously done a 3-day media presentation where they bring in lunch and for about an hour each of those 3 days they gave a presentation about what new shows are coming out in the Fall on the main networks. It's always entertaining and a great way to see what new shows you might like. Well this year they decided to up it a level, combine it into a full morning and hold it in a lecture hall at Samford University allowing clients and vendors to come and watch as well. They had a red carpet with cutouts of TV stars and "papparazzi" taking our pictures. They then had breakfast food to eat while mingling until the presentation started. Our group of presenters did a great job! It was extremely informative and entertaining. Intermission sent us back to the lobby where little bags of popcorn were available and we all entered for the second half of more new show trailers and information! I really thought having that take up our whole morning would make the day go by fast but for some reason the second half of that day felt like 2 full days.
Here we are with Kyra Sedgwick from The Closer watching us walk the red carpet. As you can see I got Joe to come along and enjoy the festivities.
So moving on to this past weekend...a good friend of mine from work got married! They had the wedding in Atlanta and it was beautiful! The ceremony was outside the Hilton in the extreme southern heat of August, however their programs were also fans! What a brilliant idea! Darien looked stunning and Josh looked happy, although you couldn't tell their sweat from their tears. Luckily the ceremony was short and sweet because those blue skies started dropping tons of rain about 10 minutes after we went inside for the reception. The food was really good, the decorations looked awesome and the bridal cake was beautiful. They did a really good job. And apparently they got the hookup with our Krispy Kreme client cause the grooms cake was a pile of donuts. haha
And in completely unimportant news I should have a new wreath to add to my Facebook Wreaths Page soon that is for sale. And our dog likes to sit with his long arms in twisted and stretched out positions like this quite often...we've just never been able to get a picture of him doing it until now.
Now that I think back, a lot actually happened this month.
On 8/7 Joe and I celebrated our 8th anniversary since our first date. I guess I can't really say we celebrated. Neither of us even mentioned it. I only know because it's written on my calendar each year, but each year as that number gains a digit I can't help but think how time flies. Seems like we were just in college when we met, but I've already been out of college for almost six years. Doesn't seem possible!
Two days later our first nephew was born! Aaron Dean Scherf was born on a very cool date - 8/9/10. He weighed 7 lbs, 13 oz and was 19.5 inches long, born at 5:49 pm. For those of you that don't know, this is the son of Joe's sister and her husband, Christy and Eric. This is child numero 2 for them and I know they're thrilled! Hoping we can meet him sooner than later, however they're way off in Arizona. I wish everyone I knew lived within 30 miles of us. That would be awesome!
Meet Aaron!
And here is baby Aaron with big sister Maura and mommy!
So the big 2-9 came around this year for me. Not too thrilled that I'm only a year away from 30, but can't do anything about it. My birthday fell on Friday the 13th this year and although I planned on working, Joe told me to take the day off. I had no idea what he had planned, but my work allows one paid day off the month of your birthday, so why not use it on my actual birthday if it's going to give me a 3-day weekend. So I granted Joe's request. First of all Joe had been spending the previous weekend and that Thursday before my bday making the house squeaky clean. That right there is like one of the best gifts a girl can get. Then at about 10pm that Thursday night the doorbell rings and I'm thinking who the heck is that?! None other than my parents! I hadn't seen them in about 3 1/2 months and Joe talked them in to driving down for the weekend! And then the next morning he sent me off to get a 1 hour massage. So basically my husband is awesome and got me the 3 best gifts I could have asked for. Joe still had to work on Friday so after my massage I spent the day shopping around with my parents and then Joe met up with us for dinner at Firebirds. We finished the night off with gifts, games, a movie and strawberry/funfetti cake covered in homemade strawberry frosting that Joe made. It was delicious!
Moving on to work-related news, my company's traditional media department has previously done a 3-day media presentation where they bring in lunch and for about an hour each of those 3 days they gave a presentation about what new shows are coming out in the Fall on the main networks. It's always entertaining and a great way to see what new shows you might like. Well this year they decided to up it a level, combine it into a full morning and hold it in a lecture hall at Samford University allowing clients and vendors to come and watch as well. They had a red carpet with cutouts of TV stars and "papparazzi" taking our pictures. They then had breakfast food to eat while mingling until the presentation started. Our group of presenters did a great job! It was extremely informative and entertaining. Intermission sent us back to the lobby where little bags of popcorn were available and we all entered for the second half of more new show trailers and information! I really thought having that take up our whole morning would make the day go by fast but for some reason the second half of that day felt like 2 full days.
Here we are with Kyra Sedgwick from The Closer watching us walk the red carpet. As you can see I got Joe to come along and enjoy the festivities.
So moving on to this past weekend...a good friend of mine from work got married! They had the wedding in Atlanta and it was beautiful! The ceremony was outside the Hilton in the extreme southern heat of August, however their programs were also fans! What a brilliant idea! Darien looked stunning and Josh looked happy, although you couldn't tell their sweat from their tears. Luckily the ceremony was short and sweet because those blue skies started dropping tons of rain about 10 minutes after we went inside for the reception. The food was really good, the decorations looked awesome and the bridal cake was beautiful. They did a really good job. And apparently they got the hookup with our Krispy Kreme client cause the grooms cake was a pile of donuts. haha
One good thing about things happening in Atlanta is we always have our good friends Nick and Kate to stay with. Nick was a good friend of mine in college. And what made this visit even more special was we got to meet their 2 month old twins, Jack and Harrison! They were such good babies and the two nights we were there were the two nights they had slept the longest ever...like 8 hours or something crazy like that. Both of them!
They loved their boppies. They were so calm sitting in those things. I believe that's Harrison in the front and Jack in the back.
And here I am holding Harrison. Sweet babies!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Prom 2010
A friend of mine from work is turning 40 this week and she had the BRILLIANT idea of doing a prom-themed party this weekend to celebrate. Our office just happens to have bleachers so it was the perfect fit for the party giving it a gym feel. I'm so mad my phone doesn't have a flash. I would have taken a bunch of pictures of the decorations but everything was turning out black. Melissa really outdid herself and it was much more "prommy" than I expected. Coming up the stairs you saw 3 tables with balloon centerpieces that were blinking with colored lights.
Once you rounded the corner there were disco balls, strobe lights, christmas lights and rotating color lights filtering the room.
Music was pumping through the speakers and she even transformed some tall cabinets into lockers. Hanging from them were pompons, band posters and a letter jacket. There was even a balloon archway for picture-taking! She did an amazing job! Melissa provided pizza and drinks and Marcie and I pitched in on a cake.
That gray blob is supposed to be a disco ball. Can't really make a mirrored image with icing. Melissa had collected some of our old prom pictures and had them displayed on the wall. She put a sign outside one of the think pods that said "7 Minutes in Heaven" just in case any of us wanted to take a makeout break. Marcie and Travis even brought roses so people could have corsages. All the details were in place! Here are some pictures of the amazing time we had!
Me and the birthday girl!
Melissa opening her gifts.
Jazz hands
Not being completely held up
Apparently neither one of us is listening considering we're both talking.
Gettin' our booties slapped!
The amazing powder blue suit...
...and the shoes that went with them.
You talking to me?
Dancing middle school style.
Me, Joe and Mandi
The bleachers
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Once you rounded the corner there were disco balls, strobe lights, christmas lights and rotating color lights filtering the room.
Music was pumping through the speakers and she even transformed some tall cabinets into lockers. Hanging from them were pompons, band posters and a letter jacket. There was even a balloon archway for picture-taking! She did an amazing job! Melissa provided pizza and drinks and Marcie and I pitched in on a cake.
That gray blob is supposed to be a disco ball. Can't really make a mirrored image with icing. Melissa had collected some of our old prom pictures and had them displayed on the wall. She put a sign outside one of the think pods that said "7 Minutes in Heaven" just in case any of us wanted to take a makeout break. Marcie and Travis even brought roses so people could have corsages. All the details were in place! Here are some pictures of the amazing time we had!
Me and the birthday girl!
Melissa opening her gifts.
Jazz hands
Not being completely held up
Apparently neither one of us is listening considering we're both talking.
Gettin' our booties slapped!
The amazing powder blue suit...
...and the shoes that went with them.
You talking to me?
Dancing middle school style.
Me, Joe and Mandi
The bleachers
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Past couple weeks
Well it has been quite a while since I last wrote. We've been a busy couple and decided to postpone this weekend's trip so we can keep our sanity.
Joe's mom's side decided to have a family reunion during the 4th of July weekend. Thinking it was only 5 hours away it was a no-brainer, but not until 2 days before we had to leave did we actually check the distance. It was 8. That's sort of a game changer...but there were too many reasons to go so we left Friday. My boss was cool to let his whole team leave at 1 so Joe was at my work at 1 sharp to pick me up. We drove 5 hours to his parents house and finished the other 3 the following morning to his aunt's. I'm definitely glad we went cause the whole weekend was spent lounging either in or around their pool.
I was completely passed out here.
With dad/mom in-laws
Joe getting his beer.
This along with 3 italian sisters cooking yummy food lead to a very relaxing weekend. Our trip back on Monday consisted of a chick-fil-a lunch and an Ikea stop to return something. And we even got back with half the day to spare! Ironically we never saw or heard any fireworks that weekend.
Fast forward 4 days and we are up at 2:45 am to catch a 5:30 flight to Orange County CA. Josh, a high school friend of Joe's and one of our groomsmen, was getting married to Lori. It's a little odd that in 28 years of life I've never been to California, but I've been twice in the past 4 months. And I'll tell you, I could live there. I love the laid back feel that place has. Once we got there we went down to the pool bar to see Josh and Lori and met some others that were chillin' with them. We eventually took off to eat lunch with some people and explore Huntington Beach and walk the boardwalk and pier.
It was quite cold there...like mid 60s. Wasn't expecting that. When we went back to our room we passed out without setting the alarm. It had been a long day for us. We were supposed to meet all the guests for drinks at Billy's at the Beach at 7 and we woke up at 7. Oops! Even though we got there late we were definitely not the last to show up. Met a lot of great people (mostly from Arizona) and had a lot of drinks...maybe one too many. I definitely felt it the next morning. So the wedding day was supposed to start with beach activities hosted by the groom. We headed out and played some ultimate frisbee and I eventually fell asleep on a big beach blanket. It was so relaxing bundled up in my sweatshirt with the cool breeze. Unfortunately I was woken up surrounded by about 8 guys looking at me, one being Joe with blood all around his eye.
He was bodysurfing and a wave smashed his head onto the ocean floor giving him sandburn. Of course this happens 4 hours before the wedding. So we fix him up and get ready for the wedding. He had a good sense of humor and let me write Josh and Lori on the two band-aids he was wearing. He was definitely noticed that night. While I was writing on them he wouldn't stop talking and inevitably I got permanent marker on his face. You can see the "S" has a little tail.
The wedding took place on a yacht that went up and down the harbor of Newport Beach.
It was definitely a different experience and a great way to keep guests at your wedding! Can't leave when you're on a boat in the middle of water! Haha. The top floor is where the ceremony took place, the middle floor had the bar and buffet and then the top floor became the dance floor. The bottom floor was just a bed/bath. The wedding was beautiful and I loved her dress! I found out it's not even a real wedding dress! She got it at BCBG!
The captain drove the boat from the top floor and he had an open door policy so we could help steer the boat if we wanted. Considering we were only going about 2 miles an hour, it was pretty hard to mess it up.
They finished the night with a personal touch - cheese fries for everyone which was something they enjoyed together on their first date. The next day was cabana and bonfire day. Joe and I first went to CVS to get more bandages and stopped at IHOP for breakfast. Holy crap they serve large portions! We got out to the group on the beach around 2 and enjoyed a few hours of sun. It finally got warm this day. All the kids had fun burying the best man.
Around 6 we moved our stuff to a personal group bonfire on the beach but unfortunately we had to leave before the hot dogs got there.
We took the redeye home which was a very bumpy ride and I felt like I was the only person on the plane that wasn't sleeping. At one point not a single reading light was on. So I sat there with my turbulence anxiety alone.
Because of all the traveling I missed kickball game 4, but I found out we lost anyways. I probably wouldn't have been much help. We are now 1 win, 1 tie, 2 loss. Four more games to go!
So we were supposed to travel yet again for the 3rd weekend in a row to Fair Hope, AL to visit some friends this weekend, but we decided to postpone. We are tired. And I think Snoop misses us cause he hasn't been able to go with us. Summers just get so filled up! I think this weekend we will just relax and go on a nice dinner/movie date. :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Joe's mom's side decided to have a family reunion during the 4th of July weekend. Thinking it was only 5 hours away it was a no-brainer, but not until 2 days before we had to leave did we actually check the distance. It was 8. That's sort of a game changer...but there were too many reasons to go so we left Friday. My boss was cool to let his whole team leave at 1 so Joe was at my work at 1 sharp to pick me up. We drove 5 hours to his parents house and finished the other 3 the following morning to his aunt's. I'm definitely glad we went cause the whole weekend was spent lounging either in or around their pool.
I was completely passed out here.
With dad/mom in-laws
Joe getting his beer.
This along with 3 italian sisters cooking yummy food lead to a very relaxing weekend. Our trip back on Monday consisted of a chick-fil-a lunch and an Ikea stop to return something. And we even got back with half the day to spare! Ironically we never saw or heard any fireworks that weekend.
Fast forward 4 days and we are up at 2:45 am to catch a 5:30 flight to Orange County CA. Josh, a high school friend of Joe's and one of our groomsmen, was getting married to Lori. It's a little odd that in 28 years of life I've never been to California, but I've been twice in the past 4 months. And I'll tell you, I could live there. I love the laid back feel that place has. Once we got there we went down to the pool bar to see Josh and Lori and met some others that were chillin' with them. We eventually took off to eat lunch with some people and explore Huntington Beach and walk the boardwalk and pier.
It was quite cold there...like mid 60s. Wasn't expecting that. When we went back to our room we passed out without setting the alarm. It had been a long day for us. We were supposed to meet all the guests for drinks at Billy's at the Beach at 7 and we woke up at 7. Oops! Even though we got there late we were definitely not the last to show up. Met a lot of great people (mostly from Arizona) and had a lot of drinks...maybe one too many. I definitely felt it the next morning. So the wedding day was supposed to start with beach activities hosted by the groom. We headed out and played some ultimate frisbee and I eventually fell asleep on a big beach blanket. It was so relaxing bundled up in my sweatshirt with the cool breeze. Unfortunately I was woken up surrounded by about 8 guys looking at me, one being Joe with blood all around his eye.
He was bodysurfing and a wave smashed his head onto the ocean floor giving him sandburn. Of course this happens 4 hours before the wedding. So we fix him up and get ready for the wedding. He had a good sense of humor and let me write Josh and Lori on the two band-aids he was wearing. He was definitely noticed that night. While I was writing on them he wouldn't stop talking and inevitably I got permanent marker on his face. You can see the "S" has a little tail.
The wedding took place on a yacht that went up and down the harbor of Newport Beach.
It was definitely a different experience and a great way to keep guests at your wedding! Can't leave when you're on a boat in the middle of water! Haha. The top floor is where the ceremony took place, the middle floor had the bar and buffet and then the top floor became the dance floor. The bottom floor was just a bed/bath. The wedding was beautiful and I loved her dress! I found out it's not even a real wedding dress! She got it at BCBG!
The captain drove the boat from the top floor and he had an open door policy so we could help steer the boat if we wanted. Considering we were only going about 2 miles an hour, it was pretty hard to mess it up.
They finished the night with a personal touch - cheese fries for everyone which was something they enjoyed together on their first date. The next day was cabana and bonfire day. Joe and I first went to CVS to get more bandages and stopped at IHOP for breakfast. Holy crap they serve large portions! We got out to the group on the beach around 2 and enjoyed a few hours of sun. It finally got warm this day. All the kids had fun burying the best man.
Around 6 we moved our stuff to a personal group bonfire on the beach but unfortunately we had to leave before the hot dogs got there.
We took the redeye home which was a very bumpy ride and I felt like I was the only person on the plane that wasn't sleeping. At one point not a single reading light was on. So I sat there with my turbulence anxiety alone.
Because of all the traveling I missed kickball game 4, but I found out we lost anyways. I probably wouldn't have been much help. We are now 1 win, 1 tie, 2 loss. Four more games to go!
So we were supposed to travel yet again for the 3rd weekend in a row to Fair Hope, AL to visit some friends this weekend, but we decided to postpone. We are tired. And I think Snoop misses us cause he hasn't been able to go with us. Summers just get so filled up! I think this weekend we will just relax and go on a nice dinner/movie date. :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Everywhere
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Power outage
Last night was interesting. Joe was out of town on business so I was doing my thing...chores, my tv shows, dog-sitting, etc. At 8:30 I'm emptying the dishwasher when all of a sudden the power goes out. Not a flicker...it was out dead. Coincidentally I had just picked up the sharpest knife in the dishwasher to put away when this happened. I stood there for a second in complete darkness waiting for it to come back on, but it didn't. So I looked out the back door to see if all power was out but everyone's lights were still on. Now I was scared. Why would power go out...in my house only...at night time...when Joe is gone? There must be a murderer in my house, right? So naturally I kept the knife in my hand. If anybody saw me I probably looked straight out of a horror movie...all power goes out with that horrid power outage sound of everything shutting down, me looking out the window and seeing lights streaming out of other houses, holding a knife, and 4 dog eyes glowing in the darkness. Not being able to see ANYTHING I rifle around the drawer where we have a lighter but can't feel it. I then remember we have a flashlight under the kitchen sink so I rifle through there until I feel it. I'm now holding a flashlight and my phone in my left hand and a knife in my right hand. I then walk to a front window to look out the other side and it appears as though my street is all in the same boat as me...complete darkness. Whew! A sense of relief came over me and now I'm mad I'm missing the last 30 minutes of my 2-hour show. So at this point I call my backyard neighbor Mark, who I also happen to work with to ask him if his power went out, even though I can clearly see it didn't. Just wanted reassurance that somebody nearby knows I'm alone in a dark house just in case there was still an attacker in my house. My mind runs wild...I'm thinking maybe an attacker fried the whole street's power so I'd let down my guard and think I'm not in danger. Being a gentleman, he offers to have me over if I don't feel comfortable in my house or if I get bored. Now my dilemma is I'm wearing a practically see-through tank top and I've already taken my over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder off for the night. This means I would have to go upstairs to get my under-thing before going to his house...but I don't wanna trap myself upstairs. I then start thinking that if there are 2 dogs in my house, clearly they would be barking their heads off if a stranger was in the house so I gain some confidence and head upstairs with my flashlight, phone and knife to change clothes. I look in the washer that had been running to see at what part of the cycle it stopped, and of course the power went out right when it was filled to the brim with dirty water and now my clothes were going to soak in this nasty water until the power comes back. Gross. At this point I'm much more at ease with the situation so I decide to be a big girl and stay home. I paint my nails by flashlight and when I call the power company they said it will come back on by 5:15am! I'm like what the crap! So at 11 I decide there's not much to do except go to bed so me and the doggies head up for the night. At 12am I get woken up by the dogs barking. I could hear a really big truck turning onto our street, then some men's voices, then some clicking sounds. Clearly they came out to fix the problem. Fell back asleep easily. At 1am I get woken again by the over-powering sound of everything turning back on, including the washer right outside my bedroom. Those clothes had been soaking in nasty, dirty water for 4.5 hours. Gross. Fell back asleep easily. At 4am I wake up to an excrutiating charlie horse cramp in my calf. Fell back asleep easily. At 6am my alarm goes off. Reset it for 630 and fall back asleep easily. Alarm goes off again at 630. Turn it off, don't reset it, and fall back asleep. Luckily my body woke me up in time to not be that late to work. I re-washed those clothes by the way. Gross. Glad I was dog-sitting because my dog is a wimp. Roo stayed with me the whole night wherever I went, but Snoop was cowering in hidden places all night. He ran off the second the power died. Sure glad Joe is back home today! :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:My house
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Hawaii Day 8
Today is our last day. :( Joe requested a late check-out of 2pm so we at least get to stay a little longer. Our flight isn't til 5:00 anyways so we wouldn't have really known what to do with all that time in between. We went and got our breakfast buffet for the last time (we actually made it there every day) and then went to watch the dolphins at the resort get their morning check-up and breakfast.
Decided to not be outside today cause my scalp is so burnt. I think someone should make SPF shampoo and conditioner. That would be brilliant.
So we're now at the airport waiting to leave the island. It was a very eventful trip! The only thing that disappointed me was that neither the airport nor the hotel greeted us with a lei. I thought that was customary, but I guess it's not to be expected anymore. The rest of today should be uneventful (hopefully).
I've posted more pics on facebook and more videos on utube.
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Decided to not be outside today cause my scalp is so burnt. I think someone should make SPF shampoo and conditioner. That would be brilliant.
So we're now at the airport waiting to leave the island. It was a very eventful trip! The only thing that disappointed me was that neither the airport nor the hotel greeted us with a lei. I thought that was customary, but I guess it's not to be expected anymore. The rest of today should be uneventful (hopefully).
I've posted more pics on facebook and more videos on utube.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Big Island of Hawai'i
Hawaii Day 7
Yesterday was our 5-year anniversary! This trip has been an amazing way to celebrate it.
We started off the day with our catamaran ride and coral reef snorkel. We actually left our rings in the room so they couldn't fall off while snorkeling. Sorta funny that we don't wear our rings on our anniversary. Some irony for the day. Unfortunately today was the one overcast day we've had here, but at least it stopped raining before we left on the boat.
The boat ride to the reef was about 45 minutes and they served fruit and muffins on the way. Once we arrived to the monument where the snorkeling took place, we got on our gear and went out. Because it was morning and overcast the water was freezing, however once we were all the way in it wasn't too bad. I personally preferred the snorkeling at the resort's lagoon cause we saw more. This trip was cool to see the coral reef, but as far as fish there weren't too many.
And there weren't any sea turtles like we got to swim with in the lagoon. I got out a little early and just enjoyed relaxing on the boat.
We got some underwater pictures but will have to post those later after we get them developed.
They called everyone in about an hour later for a cookout. The hot captain and other boat workers grilled up some burgers and dogs, along with beans, fruit and chips for a great lunch. Why are guys who work on boats in tropical places always smokin' hot? Maybe cause they're super tan and ripped. Joe and I stayed on the boat for the second half of snorkeling and the sun finally started coming out right before it was time to go.
As they were calling everyone back to the boat, a group of about 60-100 spinner dolphins made their way to the catamaran! We got to watch them go crazy spinning in the water. It was very cool. Too bad they came over too late cause they got so close that we could have actually swam with them.
On our boat ride back I actually fell asleep cause it was so relaxing.
Shortly after we got back it was time for our anniversary dinner! We asked the valet how often the shuttle comes by for the Kings/Queens shops (where the restaurant was at) and some people who just had their car pulled up overheard us and offered to take us. Such nice people here. So they dropped us off and they continued on to their 25 year high school reunion. Once we were seated at the restaurant we were baffled to open our menus and see this.
Our orientation lady made our reservations so she must have told them. We had nice indoor seats overlooking a lake behind the restaurant and ordered a bottle of wine.
Joe's sister and brother-in-law had given us a gift card for this place so we went all out. We got an awesome "canoe" appetizer which ended up being my favorite part.
I got the 75% lamb meatloaf and Joe got shatome fish.
We then finished it off with a pineapple upside down cake a la mode which ended up being on the house for our anniversary!
We were even greeted with a "Happy Anniversary" on our way in and our way out. These people were good! We then walked back to the resort after a long and fulfilling day.
There have been very few times in my life that I have felt this tired. And it's obvious I have used many muscles on this trip that I never use cause I can feel every single one of them. I'm so happy Monday is a holiday.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
We started off the day with our catamaran ride and coral reef snorkel. We actually left our rings in the room so they couldn't fall off while snorkeling. Sorta funny that we don't wear our rings on our anniversary. Some irony for the day. Unfortunately today was the one overcast day we've had here, but at least it stopped raining before we left on the boat.
The boat ride to the reef was about 45 minutes and they served fruit and muffins on the way. Once we arrived to the monument where the snorkeling took place, we got on our gear and went out. Because it was morning and overcast the water was freezing, however once we were all the way in it wasn't too bad. I personally preferred the snorkeling at the resort's lagoon cause we saw more. This trip was cool to see the coral reef, but as far as fish there weren't too many.
And there weren't any sea turtles like we got to swim with in the lagoon. I got out a little early and just enjoyed relaxing on the boat.
We got some underwater pictures but will have to post those later after we get them developed.
They called everyone in about an hour later for a cookout. The hot captain and other boat workers grilled up some burgers and dogs, along with beans, fruit and chips for a great lunch. Why are guys who work on boats in tropical places always smokin' hot? Maybe cause they're super tan and ripped. Joe and I stayed on the boat for the second half of snorkeling and the sun finally started coming out right before it was time to go.
As they were calling everyone back to the boat, a group of about 60-100 spinner dolphins made their way to the catamaran! We got to watch them go crazy spinning in the water. It was very cool. Too bad they came over too late cause they got so close that we could have actually swam with them.
On our boat ride back I actually fell asleep cause it was so relaxing.
Shortly after we got back it was time for our anniversary dinner! We asked the valet how often the shuttle comes by for the Kings/Queens shops (where the restaurant was at) and some people who just had their car pulled up overheard us and offered to take us. Such nice people here. So they dropped us off and they continued on to their 25 year high school reunion. Once we were seated at the restaurant we were baffled to open our menus and see this.
Our orientation lady made our reservations so she must have told them. We had nice indoor seats overlooking a lake behind the restaurant and ordered a bottle of wine.
Joe's sister and brother-in-law had given us a gift card for this place so we went all out. We got an awesome "canoe" appetizer which ended up being my favorite part.
I got the 75% lamb meatloaf and Joe got shatome fish.
We then finished it off with a pineapple upside down cake a la mode which ended up being on the house for our anniversary!
We were even greeted with a "Happy Anniversary" on our way in and our way out. These people were good! We then walked back to the resort after a long and fulfilling day.
There have been very few times in my life that I have felt this tired. And it's obvious I have used many muscles on this trip that I never use cause I can feel every single one of them. I'm so happy Monday is a holiday.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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