We're back! Again! I bet it seems like I'm always going places, huh? Like I have some sort of fabulously exciting life & all. Yeah. You keep thinking that, will ya?
We went to Ocracoke Island - pronounced "Okra Coke". Sounds kinda gross, doesn't it? Perhaps a recipe for okra stewed in a big vat of Coca Cola. Eew. I prefer my okra fried, thankee. Anyway, we played in the surf & I ate local shrimp & took photos. Good times, of which you'll hear more later.
Favorite roadside signs from the trip (gotta love advertising):
"Try My Nuts"
"Have an ice cream or something"
"Nahunta Pork Center: America's Largest Pork Display!"
"Eat Here! Get Gas!"
And my favorite bit of graffiti - "START CARING!"
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Randomness
Ya know, it is sad when I post more often than george. Really really sad. I think she needs to do something about that. Yup.
So remember that post I made about my parents' anniversary party? And remember those pics I posted of me and Tim on the back porch? One of my friends said that we look like we belong in a J. Crew ad in those photos. She meant is as a compliment (in fact, we've gotten tons of compliments on those photos which is sweet!) but it got me thinking. Maybe all of that worrying that the BMW would turn us into yuppies is all for naught because maybe we already are yuppies!!!!
Noooooo!!!!!
How did this happen?! I mean, I know we're not extraordinarily edgy or fierce or whatever, but we're at least kinda cool ... right? Tim makes video games for a living. And I've stood on stage and said & done things in front of hundreds of strangers that would make yo momma blush. So that's cool, right? Maybe? But maybe now we're not so cool. Because now we have a mortgage & spend a lot of time debating whether we should get a sporty two-seater or the luxury sedan with the moon roof.
The last nail in the coffin is Tim's footwear in that photo. Look carefully, children, and you will see that he is wearing (1) man sandals and (2) socks. At the same time. Tim is somewhat dismayed that this image is now displayed on the internet. I told him that he has a good excuse because he had been walking around Disney World for days and his swollen feet needed a little extra cushioning. Our friend Clair said, "At least he isn't wearing white socks." But sadly Tim feels that he has lost the last shreds of his punk, combat-boot wearing street cred. The days of him wearing head to toe black on the streets of Sheffield are long gone. At least he can still listen to his angry, ranting-man music in his swanky car.
And speaking of cars, he's starting to look at Saabs. Again. Heaven help me.
Hmmmm ... what else.
My internet connection has been crappy which is why I'm not posting photos again. It has crashed on me 3 times today - once while I was writing a blog entry. I took that as a sign. Bah.
I finished Harry Potter & was not as strongly moved as other people. I liked it, but I didn't loooooove it. And I didn't cry like everyone else on the planet. It makes me wonder if I'm a horrible, unfeeling, emotionally stunted person who should seek counseling. Tim insists that I'm lovely & that I was just too smart for the book. Corey tried to make me see that the parts of the book that annoyed me weren't really meant to be so annoying because of X, Y, & Z. I'm not totally convinced.
Janine is in the hospital! I'm not sure which one, but I suspect it's the Pink Palace. She should be giving birth any time now. Unfortunately, she had to go in because she developed a terrible bladder infection that she couldn't kill. That happened just before she gave birth last time, so she's trying to see this as a good sign.
Veronica was not hurt in the big explosions in Dallas. However, she has been suffering from a terrible cold and the explosions caused her ears to pop, so she can hear again for the first time in 4 days. So that's good! Also, she just realized that sometimes we talk about her in our blog entries, so it only seemed right to, ya know, mention her.
Lastly, Tim and I decided on a whim that we're going to leave town for a couple of days. We booked a room at a cute little B&B on the outer banks. Now we just have to throw some clothes in a bag & pack up Tim's fancy telescope. Hopefully we'll get in some good star gazing since we're staying far away from the cities.
So that's where we'll be! Toodles!
So remember that post I made about my parents' anniversary party? And remember those pics I posted of me and Tim on the back porch? One of my friends said that we look like we belong in a J. Crew ad in those photos. She meant is as a compliment (in fact, we've gotten tons of compliments on those photos which is sweet!) but it got me thinking. Maybe all of that worrying that the BMW would turn us into yuppies is all for naught because maybe we already are yuppies!!!!
Noooooo!!!!!
How did this happen?! I mean, I know we're not extraordinarily edgy or fierce or whatever, but we're at least kinda cool ... right? Tim makes video games for a living. And I've stood on stage and said & done things in front of hundreds of strangers that would make yo momma blush. So that's cool, right? Maybe? But maybe now we're not so cool. Because now we have a mortgage & spend a lot of time debating whether we should get a sporty two-seater or the luxury sedan with the moon roof.
The last nail in the coffin is Tim's footwear in that photo. Look carefully, children, and you will see that he is wearing (1) man sandals and (2) socks. At the same time. Tim is somewhat dismayed that this image is now displayed on the internet. I told him that he has a good excuse because he had been walking around Disney World for days and his swollen feet needed a little extra cushioning. Our friend Clair said, "At least he isn't wearing white socks." But sadly Tim feels that he has lost the last shreds of his punk, combat-boot wearing street cred. The days of him wearing head to toe black on the streets of Sheffield are long gone. At least he can still listen to his angry, ranting-man music in his swanky car.
And speaking of cars, he's starting to look at Saabs. Again. Heaven help me.
Hmmmm ... what else.
My internet connection has been crappy which is why I'm not posting photos again. It has crashed on me 3 times today - once while I was writing a blog entry. I took that as a sign. Bah.
I finished Harry Potter & was not as strongly moved as other people. I liked it, but I didn't loooooove it. And I didn't cry like everyone else on the planet. It makes me wonder if I'm a horrible, unfeeling, emotionally stunted person who should seek counseling. Tim insists that I'm lovely & that I was just too smart for the book. Corey tried to make me see that the parts of the book that annoyed me weren't really meant to be so annoying because of X, Y, & Z. I'm not totally convinced.
Janine is in the hospital! I'm not sure which one, but I suspect it's the Pink Palace. She should be giving birth any time now. Unfortunately, she had to go in because she developed a terrible bladder infection that she couldn't kill. That happened just before she gave birth last time, so she's trying to see this as a good sign.
Veronica was not hurt in the big explosions in Dallas. However, she has been suffering from a terrible cold and the explosions caused her ears to pop, so she can hear again for the first time in 4 days. So that's good! Also, she just realized that sometimes we talk about her in our blog entries, so it only seemed right to, ya know, mention her.
Lastly, Tim and I decided on a whim that we're going to leave town for a couple of days. We booked a room at a cute little B&B on the outer banks. Now we just have to throw some clothes in a bag & pack up Tim's fancy telescope. Hopefully we'll get in some good star gazing since we're staying far away from the cities.
So that's where we'll be! Toodles!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Happy National Harry-Potter-Reading Weekend!
Yesterday evening I got a text message from Corey.
"And now I can sleep," it said.
This meant that he had finished the final Harry Potter book. The man had apparently chosen to stay up all night and read the book in one fell swoop.
Oddly enough, he is not the only person I know who chose this path. I have a lot of on-line friends who stocked up on caffeine-infused foods and beverages on Friday in preparation for the book's release & the long night of reading that awaited them. Ever head of "disco naps" - the naps that people take on Friday or Saturday evenings before heading out for a long night of drinking and dancing? These people all chose to take brief naps but, of course, they chose a more sedentary way to wile away those late night hours.
But not me.
No, I have decided to savor this final installment. I am not cramming the words into my brain as fast as I can. Instead, I am lingering over paragraphs, taking breaks between chapters to bake or do some laundry. Or watch an F1 race.
(By the way, that race? Holy crapulence, peeps. I had to take some Tums halfway through the thing ... and I never have to take antacids.)
So anyway. Feel free to mock me for participating in Potter Mania, but I actually read the first book before it had garnered much attention and, so help me, I gotta see this through to the end. I'm thinking I'll be done with the book on Monday afternoon - 48 hours after everyone else on the planet. In the mean time, I'll be avoiding spoilers as best I can.
"And now I can sleep," it said.
This meant that he had finished the final Harry Potter book. The man had apparently chosen to stay up all night and read the book in one fell swoop.
Oddly enough, he is not the only person I know who chose this path. I have a lot of on-line friends who stocked up on caffeine-infused foods and beverages on Friday in preparation for the book's release & the long night of reading that awaited them. Ever head of "disco naps" - the naps that people take on Friday or Saturday evenings before heading out for a long night of drinking and dancing? These people all chose to take brief naps but, of course, they chose a more sedentary way to wile away those late night hours.
But not me.
No, I have decided to savor this final installment. I am not cramming the words into my brain as fast as I can. Instead, I am lingering over paragraphs, taking breaks between chapters to bake or do some laundry. Or watch an F1 race.
(By the way, that race? Holy crapulence, peeps. I had to take some Tums halfway through the thing ... and I never have to take antacids.)
So anyway. Feel free to mock me for participating in Potter Mania, but I actually read the first book before it had garnered much attention and, so help me, I gotta see this through to the end. I'm thinking I'll be done with the book on Monday afternoon - 48 hours after everyone else on the planet. In the mean time, I'll be avoiding spoilers as best I can.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Ouchie wah-wah
We've all heard of fertility gods, but I am more and more convinced that there is some sort of infertility god as well ... or actually, a thank-goodness-I'm-not-pregnant god. The only problem with worshiping at the alter of the god of Thank-Goodness-I'm-Not-Pregnant is that s/he is very fond of blood sacrifices. And if I attempt to abandon one of the official sacred alters (which look mysteriously similar to the couch & the half-bath), the god of Thank-Goodness-I'm-Not-Pregnant feels that it is appropriate to give me an invisible kick to the gut. Just to remind me who's boss, ya know.
Suuuuu-huuuuucks.
But I'll get over it. And when I do, I'll post more pics from our vacay.
Other happenings this week:
1. Last Saturday was our first dinner party at the new house! The ladies loved the house & I distinctly heard Shawna hinting to Kevin that they should buy a house in our neighborhood. Hee.
2. We saw Ratatouille. It's basically an animated foodie movie ... which is another way to say that I liked it. Now I really want to try making ratatouille.
3. We also saw the new Harry Potter movie. Hot damn, that was good!!!! Tim was still a bit confused (while discussing the finer points after the movie, the man said, "Wait a minute ... who's Snape?") but that's to be expected since he has not read any of the books and has only seen the last 2 films. Must fix this.
4. Tim briefly considered abandoning the Audi TT for the Infinity G35. But only briefly.
5. Now Tim is considering abandoning the Audi TT for a BMW 3 Series SomethingOrOther. The car can seat 4 adults, which is good. But owning this car will officially ensconce us into the realm of Yuppiedom. Hmmmmm.
6. Tim started a new job at work. There's no raise involved, but he's back to programming in C++ which is very good for his career. Plus, the company is very very picky about who they put in this area of the company, so it's a great compliment to Tim that they basically handed him the job as soon as he hinted that he was interested in it. So yay!
7. As of tonight at 6pm, Tim has a whole week off from work! Woot!
Hmm. That all seems very Tim-centric.
What else.
Ummmm ...
I bought some cream cheese.
That about covers it.
Suuuuu-huuuuucks.
But I'll get over it. And when I do, I'll post more pics from our vacay.
Other happenings this week:
1. Last Saturday was our first dinner party at the new house! The ladies loved the house & I distinctly heard Shawna hinting to Kevin that they should buy a house in our neighborhood. Hee.
2. We saw Ratatouille. It's basically an animated foodie movie ... which is another way to say that I liked it. Now I really want to try making ratatouille.
3. We also saw the new Harry Potter movie. Hot damn, that was good!!!! Tim was still a bit confused (while discussing the finer points after the movie, the man said, "Wait a minute ... who's Snape?") but that's to be expected since he has not read any of the books and has only seen the last 2 films. Must fix this.
4. Tim briefly considered abandoning the Audi TT for the Infinity G35. But only briefly.
5. Now Tim is considering abandoning the Audi TT for a BMW 3 Series SomethingOrOther. The car can seat 4 adults, which is good. But owning this car will officially ensconce us into the realm of Yuppiedom. Hmmmmm.
6. Tim started a new job at work. There's no raise involved, but he's back to programming in C++ which is very good for his career. Plus, the company is very very picky about who they put in this area of the company, so it's a great compliment to Tim that they basically handed him the job as soon as he hinted that he was interested in it. So yay!
7. As of tonight at 6pm, Tim has a whole week off from work! Woot!
Hmm. That all seems very Tim-centric.
What else.
Ummmm ...
I bought some cream cheese.
That about covers it.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Mom & Dad's 40th Anniversary Party
Thursday was the big day - Mom & Dad's party. Mom had been planning this thing for months, so it was nice to see her hard work come to fruition. It took place at Leu Gardens near downtown Orlando.
http://www.leugardens.org/
It was a lovely summer evening in the south, so Tim and I took a moment to enjoy the rocking chairs on the screened porch.
There were 18 people there:
Mom & Dad, of course
My two brothers, Mike & Ray
Tim & myself
Tim's mom, Sylvia
My Uncle Buster & Aunt Fay
Cousin Tiffani (who is actually the daughter of my cousin Damon, so I guess she is my first-cousin-once-removed or something?)
Mom's best friend, Helen
Helen's daughter, Tracy, her husband Greg, & daughter Sam
Helen's daughter (and my sissy!) Ashlie & her son G'Rae
And two of Mom's old friends who now live in Florida, Jackie & Mike
First we had a little pseudo-ceremony outside. Since Tracy is an ordained minister, she ran the show. My parents stood underneath what appeared to be one tree, but was actually two trees that had grown into one another - wrapping around eachother over the years and basically becoming "one". Isn't that romantic?
Tracy started out by talking about how sweet and loving and generous my parents are & how they are a living testiment to what love can be. That got us all crying right away!
Then Tracy asked Ray to step forward and he talked about all the sacrifices our parents have made for us over the years & how they've always shown us nothing but love and support. More tears!
Then Mom and Dad spoke about the fact that they married just 3 months after they met & how they wer practically strangers at the time, but they would do it all over again. Aaaaaaaaw!
Next: drinks! And fun stories! Mom and Dad recalled the more ridiculous aspects of their wedding day.
For instance, Mom hadn't met Dad's mother before the ceremony, so she ended up meeting her mother-in-law for the first time in the receiving line after the wedding ceremony. My grandmother's first words to her new daughter-in-law?
"You must be Beverly."
Ummm ... ya think? :D
After drinks (non-alcoholic, I should add), it was time for dinner ...
... and laughs ...
... and perhaps a touch of insanity.
Oh no! It's catching!!!
The flowers in the centerpieces are daisies (which my mother carried on their wedding day) and yellow roses (which my father gives to mom on special occasions). Oh, and there was cake, too!
After we ate, Helen had some of us play a Newlywed-&-Not-So-Newlywed Game.
The Newlyweds: Me & Tim (2 years) and Tracy & Greg (2 years)
The Not-So-Newlyweds: Mom & Dad (40 years) and Buster & Fay (50 years)
Tim and I tied for last place ... with my parents! But we were just one point behind the winners, so that's okay.
We finished out the evening on the patio, watching the sun set over the lake.
In my family, card games are an important part of almost every family gathering. Luckily, my darling husband LOVES card games and was sure to bring his poker kit with him. So a bunch of us got together and stayed up late playing Texas Hold 'Em. Good clean family fun!
The happy couple ... and their growing pile of chips!
http://www.leugardens.org/
It was a lovely summer evening in the south, so Tim and I took a moment to enjoy the rocking chairs on the screened porch.
There were 18 people there:
Mom & Dad, of course
My two brothers, Mike & Ray
Tim & myself
Tim's mom, Sylvia
My Uncle Buster & Aunt Fay
Cousin Tiffani (who is actually the daughter of my cousin Damon, so I guess she is my first-cousin-once-removed or something?)
Mom's best friend, Helen
Helen's daughter, Tracy, her husband Greg, & daughter Sam
Helen's daughter (and my sissy!) Ashlie & her son G'Rae
And two of Mom's old friends who now live in Florida, Jackie & Mike
First we had a little pseudo-ceremony outside. Since Tracy is an ordained minister, she ran the show. My parents stood underneath what appeared to be one tree, but was actually two trees that had grown into one another - wrapping around eachother over the years and basically becoming "one". Isn't that romantic?
Tracy started out by talking about how sweet and loving and generous my parents are & how they are a living testiment to what love can be. That got us all crying right away!
Then Tracy asked Ray to step forward and he talked about all the sacrifices our parents have made for us over the years & how they've always shown us nothing but love and support. More tears!
Then Mom and Dad spoke about the fact that they married just 3 months after they met & how they wer practically strangers at the time, but they would do it all over again. Aaaaaaaaw!
Next: drinks! And fun stories! Mom and Dad recalled the more ridiculous aspects of their wedding day.
For instance, Mom hadn't met Dad's mother before the ceremony, so she ended up meeting her mother-in-law for the first time in the receiving line after the wedding ceremony. My grandmother's first words to her new daughter-in-law?
"You must be Beverly."
Ummm ... ya think? :D
After drinks (non-alcoholic, I should add), it was time for dinner ...
... and laughs ...
... and perhaps a touch of insanity.
Oh no! It's catching!!!
The flowers in the centerpieces are daisies (which my mother carried on their wedding day) and yellow roses (which my father gives to mom on special occasions). Oh, and there was cake, too!
After we ate, Helen had some of us play a Newlywed-&-Not-So-Newlywed Game.
The Newlyweds: Me & Tim (2 years) and Tracy & Greg (2 years)
The Not-So-Newlyweds: Mom & Dad (40 years) and Buster & Fay (50 years)
Tim and I tied for last place ... with my parents! But we were just one point behind the winners, so that's okay.
We finished out the evening on the patio, watching the sun set over the lake.
In my family, card games are an important part of almost every family gathering. Luckily, my darling husband LOVES card games and was sure to bring his poker kit with him. So a bunch of us got together and stayed up late playing Texas Hold 'Em. Good clean family fun!
The happy couple ... and their growing pile of chips!
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Disney con't: Day 2 & 3
It has taken me over a week to download all of the photos from Disney into my photobucket account.
Okay. That's only partly true.
I also took a break to host a dinner party. And I went out & took some more pics from around our neighborhood, but then I had to download those, too, ya see? And that took, like 1,337 hours. Fer reelz, y'all.
So where were we? Oh, that's right.
Day 2.
On our second day we arrived at Magic Kingdom shortly before it opened. We rode Space Mountain first thing (yay!), but our energy flagged soon afterwards. Too bad it was blazing hot.
Apparently, disco dancing is not allowed at Disney. But Rebellious Raymond cannot hold back! Somebody find a themometer because I think he has ... Disco Fever!!!!!!
This, dear friends, is why I have so few pics of my brother, Mike. Ask him to pose & he'll just give you the "Duh" face ... or worse.
I dare you to ride the monorail and NOT sing the Monorail song from The Simpsons. It's nearly impossible. At least it is for me & Tim.
See? Oodles of fun. [insert eye-rolling smiley here] Shortly after noon it was determined that we (Ray, Tim, Tiff, & myself) should go to a water park. Typhoon Lagoon was fabulous! Too bad I can't offer proof with pics. Did I mention that Typhoon Lagoon was fabulous? Because it was. I swear, I normally hate water parks (being as pasty as I am), but this place kicks much ass. So much lush vegetation, so much shade, and so much fun. Whenever we come back to Florida I think we'll be spending a lot more time there.
After the water park, we went back to Magic Kingdom, snuck out during the electrical parade, & went to Uno's for a late dinner. Mmmmmm ... deep dish pizza ...
Day 3
Early in the morning on Day 3, I woke up feeling horrendously ill. Unfortunately, this means that Tim and I left the condo long after everyone else. We got to MGM Studios at lunch time, so we got to meet up with my parents, brothers, & Cousin Tiff for a while. Unfortunately, though, we didn't do very much. I was still sickly and grumpy and suffering from shin splints. About 2 hours after we arrived we sent Tiff a text message asking if she was bored yet. Turns out that she wanted to go swimming at the pool at our condo. Sounded good to us! So we met up with the fam again, participated in about an hour's worth of group shopping, and then Tim, Tiff and I took off.
It took us a while to get to the pool. First we went to the Downtown Disney Marketplace because Tiff wanted a Finding Nemo towel. We found one of those R2-D2 postal boxes, which was super cool!
Then we had to stop and get Tim his daily root beer float. He ate one of these almost every day of the trip.
Tiffani is texting her friends back home. Tiffani is CONSTANTLY texting. The girl is going to get carpal tunnel before she goes out on her first date. Mysteriously, she still manages to participate in conversations with us while texting. Oh, these kids today ... amazing!
Okay. We've bought a souvenir towel. We've eaten ice cream. We've even pretended to put mail in the R2-D2 post box. Is it time to swim yet? Of course not!!!! Because we need ... goggles. Apparently. So we went to Target. I think we finaly got into the pool at around 7pm - approximately 5 hours after we decided it would be a good idea. But in those hours inbetween we played a few fierce rounds of 20 questions & had a grand ol' time.
Coming up next time ... Party Pics!
Okay. That's only partly true.
I also took a break to host a dinner party. And I went out & took some more pics from around our neighborhood, but then I had to download those, too, ya see? And that took, like 1,337 hours. Fer reelz, y'all.
So where were we? Oh, that's right.
Day 2.
On our second day we arrived at Magic Kingdom shortly before it opened. We rode Space Mountain first thing (yay!), but our energy flagged soon afterwards. Too bad it was blazing hot.
Apparently, disco dancing is not allowed at Disney. But Rebellious Raymond cannot hold back! Somebody find a themometer because I think he has ... Disco Fever!!!!!!
This, dear friends, is why I have so few pics of my brother, Mike. Ask him to pose & he'll just give you the "Duh" face ... or worse.
I dare you to ride the monorail and NOT sing the Monorail song from The Simpsons. It's nearly impossible. At least it is for me & Tim.
See? Oodles of fun. [insert eye-rolling smiley here] Shortly after noon it was determined that we (Ray, Tim, Tiff, & myself) should go to a water park. Typhoon Lagoon was fabulous! Too bad I can't offer proof with pics. Did I mention that Typhoon Lagoon was fabulous? Because it was. I swear, I normally hate water parks (being as pasty as I am), but this place kicks much ass. So much lush vegetation, so much shade, and so much fun. Whenever we come back to Florida I think we'll be spending a lot more time there.
After the water park, we went back to Magic Kingdom, snuck out during the electrical parade, & went to Uno's for a late dinner. Mmmmmm ... deep dish pizza ...
Day 3
Early in the morning on Day 3, I woke up feeling horrendously ill. Unfortunately, this means that Tim and I left the condo long after everyone else. We got to MGM Studios at lunch time, so we got to meet up with my parents, brothers, & Cousin Tiff for a while. Unfortunately, though, we didn't do very much. I was still sickly and grumpy and suffering from shin splints. About 2 hours after we arrived we sent Tiff a text message asking if she was bored yet. Turns out that she wanted to go swimming at the pool at our condo. Sounded good to us! So we met up with the fam again, participated in about an hour's worth of group shopping, and then Tim, Tiff and I took off.
It took us a while to get to the pool. First we went to the Downtown Disney Marketplace because Tiff wanted a Finding Nemo towel. We found one of those R2-D2 postal boxes, which was super cool!
Then we had to stop and get Tim his daily root beer float. He ate one of these almost every day of the trip.
Tiffani is texting her friends back home. Tiffani is CONSTANTLY texting. The girl is going to get carpal tunnel before she goes out on her first date. Mysteriously, she still manages to participate in conversations with us while texting. Oh, these kids today ... amazing!
Okay. We've bought a souvenir towel. We've eaten ice cream. We've even pretended to put mail in the R2-D2 post box. Is it time to swim yet? Of course not!!!! Because we need ... goggles. Apparently. So we went to Target. I think we finaly got into the pool at around 7pm - approximately 5 hours after we decided it would be a good idea. But in those hours inbetween we played a few fierce rounds of 20 questions & had a grand ol' time.
Coming up next time ... Party Pics!
Friday, July 06, 2007
Pics: Epcot
I am terrible about taking photos when I am around other people. I'll click away when I'm alone, but when I'm with people, I get wrapped up in spending time with others & I tend to forget about my camera. Also, I usually don't like asking people to pose! So sadly, there are TONS of things I did not record for posterity with my camera. I just don't have nearly as many pics from Disney World as you'd expect. Oh well! I'll still share what I have.
We decided to go to Epcot on our first day. We rode everything & went everywhere, but took less than a dozen pics. Guess I was having too much fun. Or sweating too much. Or something.
Here's Ray about to board Test Track - the car-based pseudo roller coaster at Epcot. Ray will pose for anything!
We really enjoyed the Living Seas (which I think is called something differnt now, but I can't remember what). Tons of great fish, sea turtles, and even dolphins & manatees. Skip the Finding Nemo ride, though.
"Frogfish do not swim, tending to 'walk' or 'gallop' through the water instead."
"Frogfish have the ability to change their colors to blend in with their surroundings."
Cuttlefish! Mike was obsessed with these babies & captured some really cool videos of them swimming & changing color.
A living conch! This thing was simultaneously cool and gross. And it was covered in lots of tiny little shrimp-looking things. Or could they have been baby conches?
I tried to take pics of the sting rays and sea turtles and lots of cool fish in the ENORMOUS 30-foot tall wrap-around aquarium, but nothing turned out. Just believe me when I say it was fabulous!
Later we went on Mission: Space. In case you hadn't heard, some people with heart conditions have died on this attraction/ride/thingy. Now we know why. The G-forces were much stronger that I expected. It was fun, but frankly I feel less queasy on your average loopty-loop roller coaster. Seriously. Ray was so overwhelmed that he forgot his hat
Next we went on Soarin', a new attraction that is the highest rated in all of Disney World. I took a few pics while we waited in line. Seen here are Ray, Tim, my cousin's daughter Tiff, & me.
Soarin' was great! You know those films that are projected over half of a dome & are meant to make you feel like you're flying? Well, this was like that only MUCH better! We sat down on chairs that lifted way up off the ground! And a breeze was blown through the screen so it really felt like we were flying! And to top it off, subtle scents were caried on the breeze to complete the experience (pine while flying through a forest, orange while flying over an orange grove, etc). When it was over, everyone applauded! Good times.
And just so ya know, Soarin' is located inside "The Land" - one of my favorite parts of Epcot. I like how it's decorated & the food offerings are quite nice since the whole building is dedicated to agriculture & such.
Now is the point where I truly failed you, dear reader. For I failed to take one single photo of the world pavilion. All of those cool countries & great food & not one pic. How could I have done this?! Bah!
Epcot is actually the larges of all of the Disney amusement parks, so it's no surprise that we were all exhausted long before the fireworks that night. Tim, Tiff, and Mike all chose to go back to the condo to rest. Ray & I stayed behind with our parents & the entire Davis clan to enjoy the evening's festivities. It wasn't as good as in years past (I've been to Disney World 5 times, so I would know!), but we still had a lovely time together. Yay!
We decided to go to Epcot on our first day. We rode everything & went everywhere, but took less than a dozen pics. Guess I was having too much fun. Or sweating too much. Or something.
Here's Ray about to board Test Track - the car-based pseudo roller coaster at Epcot. Ray will pose for anything!
We really enjoyed the Living Seas (which I think is called something differnt now, but I can't remember what). Tons of great fish, sea turtles, and even dolphins & manatees. Skip the Finding Nemo ride, though.
"Frogfish do not swim, tending to 'walk' or 'gallop' through the water instead."
"Frogfish have the ability to change their colors to blend in with their surroundings."
Cuttlefish! Mike was obsessed with these babies & captured some really cool videos of them swimming & changing color.
A living conch! This thing was simultaneously cool and gross. And it was covered in lots of tiny little shrimp-looking things. Or could they have been baby conches?
I tried to take pics of the sting rays and sea turtles and lots of cool fish in the ENORMOUS 30-foot tall wrap-around aquarium, but nothing turned out. Just believe me when I say it was fabulous!
Later we went on Mission: Space. In case you hadn't heard, some people with heart conditions have died on this attraction/ride/thingy. Now we know why. The G-forces were much stronger that I expected. It was fun, but frankly I feel less queasy on your average loopty-loop roller coaster. Seriously. Ray was so overwhelmed that he forgot his hat
Next we went on Soarin', a new attraction that is the highest rated in all of Disney World. I took a few pics while we waited in line. Seen here are Ray, Tim, my cousin's daughter Tiff, & me.
Soarin' was great! You know those films that are projected over half of a dome & are meant to make you feel like you're flying? Well, this was like that only MUCH better! We sat down on chairs that lifted way up off the ground! And a breeze was blown through the screen so it really felt like we were flying! And to top it off, subtle scents were caried on the breeze to complete the experience (pine while flying through a forest, orange while flying over an orange grove, etc). When it was over, everyone applauded! Good times.
And just so ya know, Soarin' is located inside "The Land" - one of my favorite parts of Epcot. I like how it's decorated & the food offerings are quite nice since the whole building is dedicated to agriculture & such.
Now is the point where I truly failed you, dear reader. For I failed to take one single photo of the world pavilion. All of those cool countries & great food & not one pic. How could I have done this?! Bah!
Epcot is actually the larges of all of the Disney amusement parks, so it's no surprise that we were all exhausted long before the fireworks that night. Tim, Tiff, and Mike all chose to go back to the condo to rest. Ray & I stayed behind with our parents & the entire Davis clan to enjoy the evening's festivities. It wasn't as good as in years past (I've been to Disney World 5 times, so I would know!), but we still had a lovely time together. Yay!
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Pics: Jekyll Island
Happy Independence Day, my fellow Americans! As I believe I mentioned last year on this blog, July 4th is a strange day in our household. Yet again, Tim has the day off of work so that he can celebrate a holiday that he doesn't celebrate. So we've spent the day sleeping in and watching an Eddie Izzard marathon on BBC America. Later tonight we'll watch televised poker while eating Indian food.We figure that there's no need to go out in search of fireworks displays because we saw TONS of fireworks while in Florida. The display at the Magic Kingdom nearly blinded me! Wowza! Good stuff, though.
So. Ummm. Yup. Sitting around. Watching TV. Pretty exciting times for us.
And that brings me to my next point. The fact is ... well, life is pretty quiet around here now & will remain quiet for the forseeable future. So I'm going to use this personal lull as an opportunity to FINALLY post some photos that have been lingering on my memory card collection for a while now.
Today I'll start off with some pics from our recent trip down south. We decided to take 2 days to make the drive down so that we could arrive in Orlando nice & early. We stayed the night at a hotel right on the beach on Jekyll Island in Georgia. I woke up before Tim & his mum, so I slipped out & took some pics of life on the beach in the morning.
So. Ummm. Yup. Sitting around. Watching TV. Pretty exciting times for us.
And that brings me to my next point. The fact is ... well, life is pretty quiet around here now & will remain quiet for the forseeable future. So I'm going to use this personal lull as an opportunity to FINALLY post some photos that have been lingering on my memory card collection for a while now.
Today I'll start off with some pics from our recent trip down south. We decided to take 2 days to make the drive down so that we could arrive in Orlando nice & early. We stayed the night at a hotel right on the beach on Jekyll Island in Georgia. I woke up before Tim & his mum, so I slipped out & took some pics of life on the beach in the morning.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
Optimism & lightnin' bugs
Good news: I'm starting to get happy about the trip to Disney World.
Yesterday (Thursday, as I'm typing this late on Friday night) I was feeling incredibly intimidated by this trip. It's been a decade since I've been to WDW and, believe it or not, things can change there rather quickly. And since my beloved husband has never been to WDW, I was all the more concerned. So Sylvia (the mum-in-law) and I headed over to a bookstore to gather information.
Have you been to the travel section of your local bookstore lately? Have you noticed the SHELVES of books dedicated to Disney World? It's unreal! There's the offical guide, the unofficial guide, there's the guide for grown-ups and the guide to "the best of the best" (AKA the most expensive stuff). There's the Top 10 guide & the Zagat guide the interesting planne in a spiral bound notebook with tabs and on and on and on. And that's before you even start to consider other non-Disney options like Universal Studios or Sea World or a thousand other things. It's frightening! At one point, the mum-in-law sat down in a comfy chair with a book and let me do my research on my own, but before long I just felt dizzy from information overload. So I wandered over to her with 4 books in hand & said, "I just don't know what to do. It's so overwhelming!"
And then Divine Providence stepped in.
"Excuse me," a voice said. "Are you going to Florida?"
The question came from the man sitting across the way from my MIL.
"Yes," we said. "In fact, we're leaving for Disney World in just a few days for a family reunion. But we've been too busy with other things to plan our trip and now we don't know what to do!"
"Well," said the kind man, "I used to be a travel agent. Maybe I can help."
And help he did. He gave us handy advice and even told us which books to ignore and which are actually helpful (and luckily, the helpful books are smaller and cheaper than the not-so-helpful books). This man was fabulous! After chatting with him for 10 minutes, he went about his way. He never even told us his name. But ever since I spoke with him, I've been feeling much much better about this trip. Yay. :)
In other news, I am tipsy. Tonight is the mum-in-law's last night in NC, so we decided to have a bottle of wine with dinner. The others gave up early, so I ended up drinking about half the bottle on my own. As a result, I am making TONS of typos and I am trying my best to fix them as I go along. I hope I'm doing an excellent job and when I come back to re-read this post tomorrow I'll be supremely impressed with my own Tipsy typing skills.
Anyway.
We decided to eat dinner in the breakfast nook so we could enjoy the beautiful view of our wooded back garden. While we were eating dinner, Sylvia noticed some small flashes of light. And for a moment she was concerned that maybe there was something wrong with her! Maybe the alcohol was affecting her vision. What else couled explain these tiny flashes of green light?!? Luckily, she said something to us and Tim explained that what she was seeing were fireflies ... or "lightnin' bugs" as we call 'em in my neck o' the woods. She had never seen them before! Can you imagine? It was then that I realized that during the past week, we'd always been out shopping at dusk so Sylvia had been missing this every night. How glad I am that we started dinner later tonight and she was able to catch our own, miniature electric light show. Yay. :)
Yesterday (Thursday, as I'm typing this late on Friday night) I was feeling incredibly intimidated by this trip. It's been a decade since I've been to WDW and, believe it or not, things can change there rather quickly. And since my beloved husband has never been to WDW, I was all the more concerned. So Sylvia (the mum-in-law) and I headed over to a bookstore to gather information.
Have you been to the travel section of your local bookstore lately? Have you noticed the SHELVES of books dedicated to Disney World? It's unreal! There's the offical guide, the unofficial guide, there's the guide for grown-ups and the guide to "the best of the best" (AKA the most expensive stuff). There's the Top 10 guide & the Zagat guide the interesting planne in a spiral bound notebook with tabs and on and on and on. And that's before you even start to consider other non-Disney options like Universal Studios or Sea World or a thousand other things. It's frightening! At one point, the mum-in-law sat down in a comfy chair with a book and let me do my research on my own, but before long I just felt dizzy from information overload. So I wandered over to her with 4 books in hand & said, "I just don't know what to do. It's so overwhelming!"
And then Divine Providence stepped in.
"Excuse me," a voice said. "Are you going to Florida?"
The question came from the man sitting across the way from my MIL.
"Yes," we said. "In fact, we're leaving for Disney World in just a few days for a family reunion. But we've been too busy with other things to plan our trip and now we don't know what to do!"
"Well," said the kind man, "I used to be a travel agent. Maybe I can help."
And help he did. He gave us handy advice and even told us which books to ignore and which are actually helpful (and luckily, the helpful books are smaller and cheaper than the not-so-helpful books). This man was fabulous! After chatting with him for 10 minutes, he went about his way. He never even told us his name. But ever since I spoke with him, I've been feeling much much better about this trip. Yay. :)
In other news, I am tipsy. Tonight is the mum-in-law's last night in NC, so we decided to have a bottle of wine with dinner. The others gave up early, so I ended up drinking about half the bottle on my own. As a result, I am making TONS of typos and I am trying my best to fix them as I go along. I hope I'm doing an excellent job and when I come back to re-read this post tomorrow I'll be supremely impressed with my own Tipsy typing skills.
Anyway.
We decided to eat dinner in the breakfast nook so we could enjoy the beautiful view of our wooded back garden. While we were eating dinner, Sylvia noticed some small flashes of light. And for a moment she was concerned that maybe there was something wrong with her! Maybe the alcohol was affecting her vision. What else couled explain these tiny flashes of green light?!? Luckily, she said something to us and Tim explained that what she was seeing were fireflies ... or "lightnin' bugs" as we call 'em in my neck o' the woods. She had never seen them before! Can you imagine? It was then that I realized that during the past week, we'd always been out shopping at dusk so Sylvia had been missing this every night. How glad I am that we started dinner later tonight and she was able to catch our own, miniature electric light show. Yay. :)
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Orlando - T-minus a couple days or so
Tim's mum arrived on Monday evening. Poor jet-lagged thing! But she is recovering nicely and we've been very lazy together for a few days and plan on continuing the laziness until the weekend. Because it aaaaaaaaall comes apart after that.
Ya see, next week is the final week of June. The week I've been dreading for nearly a year now. Because next week I have to be in Orlando.
UUUUuuuuuuuuuuuggggggggghhhhhh.
Now don't get me wrong. I've been to Disney 4 times. The place is great fun! Love it! Unless, of course, I'm there during the heat of summer when, coincidently, the parks are the busiest. It is HELLISH!!!!!! But this is what Mom wanted to do. This, for some ungodly reason, is the way that my mother wants us to celebrate the 40th wedding anniversary of my parents. So I and 15 other loved ones will be down there together, burning and sweltinging and melting and suffering from heat stroke, all for the love of my parents.
Seriously, Mom. You want proof that you and Dad are loved? This is your proof. Because this is the closest approximation to "going to hell and back" than can possibly be conceived of while we are still living. You're welcome.
The good news is we'll be around loved ones, of course. That will be fun. But other than that, I have no earthly idea what we're going to do with our time. Tim and I have been totally consumed with house stuff for so many months that I have not spent even 5 minutes planning this trip. So that is my goal for the next couple of days: research Disney & Orlando, find out what sort of weather is ahead of us, & maybe possibly make some decisions about something.
Or I'll just sit around and eat grapes with Tim's mum. One or the other.
Final kvetch: It's steamy hot in this part of the country. High of 97 two days ago with humidity to match. I wish I were in Seattle!!!!!
Ya see, next week is the final week of June. The week I've been dreading for nearly a year now. Because next week I have to be in Orlando.
UUUUuuuuuuuuuuuggggggggghhhhhh.
Now don't get me wrong. I've been to Disney 4 times. The place is great fun! Love it! Unless, of course, I'm there during the heat of summer when, coincidently, the parks are the busiest. It is HELLISH!!!!!! But this is what Mom wanted to do. This, for some ungodly reason, is the way that my mother wants us to celebrate the 40th wedding anniversary of my parents. So I and 15 other loved ones will be down there together, burning and sweltinging and melting and suffering from heat stroke, all for the love of my parents.
Seriously, Mom. You want proof that you and Dad are loved? This is your proof. Because this is the closest approximation to "going to hell and back" than can possibly be conceived of while we are still living. You're welcome.
The good news is we'll be around loved ones, of course. That will be fun. But other than that, I have no earthly idea what we're going to do with our time. Tim and I have been totally consumed with house stuff for so many months that I have not spent even 5 minutes planning this trip. So that is my goal for the next couple of days: research Disney & Orlando, find out what sort of weather is ahead of us, & maybe possibly make some decisions about something.
Or I'll just sit around and eat grapes with Tim's mum. One or the other.
Final kvetch: It's steamy hot in this part of the country. High of 97 two days ago with humidity to match. I wish I were in Seattle!!!!!
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Shut the damn windows!
Once upon a time, my mom's best friend, Helen, lived in a haunted farm house in Pennsylvania. That's right - haunted. Helen & her family believed that the ghost was a woman because some members of the family had seen her silhouette from afar. Also, the ghost had a habit of moving Helen's jewelry around and rearranging the china in the hutch - typical girly stuff. The only bad thing about this ghost is that she had a habit of opening the windows and the front door and just leaving them open. It didn't matter what the weather was like outside; she just kept opening the windows! Well, one cold and snowy winter's night, Helen and the family drove home after an evening out to find the windows WIDE open & snow blowing into the house.
Helen had had enough.
She stormed into the house & yelled, "Listen. I don't mind that you move the china. I don't even mind that you play with my jewelry. But will you PLEASE shut the damn windows!!?!?!?!!!!!"
And the ghost obeyed. From that day on, the doors and windows were never mysteriously left open.
I love that story. I often think of it whenever I'm closing windows, be they the windows on a house or even the internet windows on my computer.
The problem is ... well, I have a nasty habit of leaving windows open for a loooooong time. Internet browser windows, I mean. I just keep finding good stuff! Not great enough to add to My Favorites, but still really good, ya know? Plus I like to have a lot of windows open at once. A LOT. For instance, I have 13 pages open on my browser right now & that's actually a fairly small number for me. This isn't good because, inevitably, Internet Explorer will crash from my over-enthusiasm & I'll lose all of those precious windows that I had kept open. This always breaks my heart.
So I think occasionally I will post links to interesting things here on my blog so I can shut some damn windows and still be able to refer to them later. And if any of you feel like following the links & enjoying my finds, so much the better!
Bake & Destroy blog: nataliecakes.wordpress.com/
Married ... With Dinner blog: marriedwithdinner.com/
Recipe for ice cream in a bag: www.kidsdomain.com/craft/icecream.html
Paris Daily Photo blog: www.parisdailyphoto.com/
"Durham: The Making of an Image" article: www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A31990
And here's a simple recipe I like. I found it at one of my very favorite blogs: Posie Gets Cozy.
(Bis)Quick Applesauce Muffins
2 c. Bisquick
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. applesauce
1 slightly beaten egg
2 T. vegetable oil
Melted butter
Cinnamon sugar
Mix ingredients together for 30 seconds. Fill muffin pans 3/4 full. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. Cool slightly, then dip top lightly in melted butter, then in cinnamon sugar. Makes a dozen.
PS: Yes, I know I should be posting the 400 photos I have saved on my camera. It's just such a hassel & I can't get things to look the way I want on the screen and blah. If anyone has some tips, I'd appreciate it.
PPS: One more link. This one is for george.
NPR/Marketplace story: "What's an escrow?"
Helen had had enough.
She stormed into the house & yelled, "Listen. I don't mind that you move the china. I don't even mind that you play with my jewelry. But will you PLEASE shut the damn windows!!?!?!?!!!!!"
And the ghost obeyed. From that day on, the doors and windows were never mysteriously left open.
I love that story. I often think of it whenever I'm closing windows, be they the windows on a house or even the internet windows on my computer.
The problem is ... well, I have a nasty habit of leaving windows open for a loooooong time. Internet browser windows, I mean. I just keep finding good stuff! Not great enough to add to My Favorites, but still really good, ya know? Plus I like to have a lot of windows open at once. A LOT. For instance, I have 13 pages open on my browser right now & that's actually a fairly small number for me. This isn't good because, inevitably, Internet Explorer will crash from my over-enthusiasm & I'll lose all of those precious windows that I had kept open. This always breaks my heart.
So I think occasionally I will post links to interesting things here on my blog so I can shut some damn windows and still be able to refer to them later. And if any of you feel like following the links & enjoying my finds, so much the better!
Bake & Destroy blog: nataliecakes.wordpress.com/
Married ... With Dinner blog: marriedwithdinner.com/
Recipe for ice cream in a bag: www.kidsdomain.com/craft/icecream.html
Paris Daily Photo blog: www.parisdailyphoto.com/
"Durham: The Making of an Image" article: www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A31990
And here's a simple recipe I like. I found it at one of my very favorite blogs: Posie Gets Cozy.
(Bis)Quick Applesauce Muffins
2 c. Bisquick
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. applesauce
1 slightly beaten egg
2 T. vegetable oil
Melted butter
Cinnamon sugar
Mix ingredients together for 30 seconds. Fill muffin pans 3/4 full. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. Cool slightly, then dip top lightly in melted butter, then in cinnamon sugar. Makes a dozen.
PS: Yes, I know I should be posting the 400 photos I have saved on my camera. It's just such a hassel & I can't get things to look the way I want on the screen and blah. If anyone has some tips, I'd appreciate it.
PPS: One more link. This one is for george.
NPR/Marketplace story: "What's an escrow?"
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Quirks of marrying a Simpson's fan (who also happens to be a foreigner)
Scene: Mary and Tim are sitting on the couch, looking at the Falkland Islands on Google Maps. After much hunting, they finally find a city.
Tim: That must be Stanley.
Mary: Stanley? They have a city called Stanley?!
Tim: It's the capitol.
Mary: [stunned with confusion & awe]
Tim: What. It's a perfectly cromulent name.
Mary: I've never heard anyone use the word "cromulent" in ordinary conversation before.
Tim: And that's why you love me.
Indeed.
Tim: That must be Stanley.
Mary: Stanley? They have a city called Stanley?!
Tim: It's the capitol.
Mary: [stunned with confusion & awe]
Tim: What. It's a perfectly cromulent name.
Mary: I've never heard anyone use the word "cromulent" in ordinary conversation before.
Tim: And that's why you love me.
Indeed.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Tony or Tony?
So which did you watch: Tony Soprano & the series finale of "The Sopranos"? Or did you watch the Tony Awards? Honestly, I have never seen a single solitary episode of "The Sopranos" (yes, really!) and since I don't have HBO, it didn't bother me one bit that I was missing the big finale. Probably a good thing, though, as I hear that tons of fans are seriously pissed off with the lame ending to the show.
Oh well!
Good thing I was watching the Tony Awards. :D
The only problem, of course, is that there are now all of these shows that I desperately want to see! I have spent a LOT of time today watching footage of "Spring Awakening" on YouTube, so I have "Bitch of Living" playing on repeat in my brain (complete with stomping and jumping around). And oh how I looooooong to see "The Coast of Utopia"! I don't care that it's 9 hours long. I want to see it! Or at least read it. The very very best part of the night, though, was when David Hyde Pierce won his Tony for "Curtains". Oh my god. When they were listing the names of the nominees, you could see the blood draining out of his face, as he realized that there was no possible way he could beat the competition. He was heartbroken. I felt ill just looking at him because I was so sure that the kid from "Spring Awakening" was going to win. But then .... but then! ... They called his name! And the man was so shocked I thought he was going to pass out. You know how people say, "You could have knocked him over with a feather"? I think that was literally true in this case. It was amazing. He started to cry a bit as he walked towards the stage & it was so clear that this meant the world to him. Loved it. LOVED IT!
So of course, the down side of this is that I find myself REALLY REALLY missing the world of theatre today. It's been a year and a half since I've been on-stage. It doesn't feel like that long, but there you have it. I've got to fix this. Really. I know that this is a new town and they do things differently here and I'll have to start from the bottom, but I really need to start. This is just too big a part of me to let it die.
The only problem? I got to put together a resume. I can't remember half the stuff I've done, let alone when I did it! Eep!
Oh well!
Good thing I was watching the Tony Awards. :D
The only problem, of course, is that there are now all of these shows that I desperately want to see! I have spent a LOT of time today watching footage of "Spring Awakening" on YouTube, so I have "Bitch of Living" playing on repeat in my brain (complete with stomping and jumping around). And oh how I looooooong to see "The Coast of Utopia"! I don't care that it's 9 hours long. I want to see it! Or at least read it. The very very best part of the night, though, was when David Hyde Pierce won his Tony for "Curtains". Oh my god. When they were listing the names of the nominees, you could see the blood draining out of his face, as he realized that there was no possible way he could beat the competition. He was heartbroken. I felt ill just looking at him because I was so sure that the kid from "Spring Awakening" was going to win. But then .... but then! ... They called his name! And the man was so shocked I thought he was going to pass out. You know how people say, "You could have knocked him over with a feather"? I think that was literally true in this case. It was amazing. He started to cry a bit as he walked towards the stage & it was so clear that this meant the world to him. Loved it. LOVED IT!
So of course, the down side of this is that I find myself REALLY REALLY missing the world of theatre today. It's been a year and a half since I've been on-stage. It doesn't feel like that long, but there you have it. I've got to fix this. Really. I know that this is a new town and they do things differently here and I'll have to start from the bottom, but I really need to start. This is just too big a part of me to let it die.
The only problem? I got to put together a resume. I can't remember half the stuff I've done, let alone when I did it! Eep!
Friday, June 08, 2007
Good-bye Friday
So what does one say after neglecting one's blog for a while? I know it is customary to apologize, but that's boring. So forget that mess. ;)
It's been a week now since we walked away from the old house. That was a sad day for me. I really grew to love that house. I enjoyed the colorful walls. And I will desperately miss the enormous bathtub.
And of course, Dinosaur Duck, the bizarre bit of statuary in the back garden that (at least, in our eyes) looks more like a brontosaurus than a bird.
There are oodles of things I like better about our own place, but ... well, it's always hard to say goodbye to something. So last Friday when I shut that door for the last time, I got a little misty-eyed. Plus, the old owner of our new house stopped by one last time before flying out to Italy. And then my mother flew back to Tulsa that evening. So it was just one good-bye after another last Friday. No wonder I've been feeling low since then!
Luckily, before Mom left, we found a little time to visit a tea shop in Raleigh. The place is called V's and it is located in a Victorian house that, oddly enough, is laid out almost exactly like the house where my mother grew up. It was the perfectly, girly way to end her visit. The food was soooooo good. Tim likes a nice cream tea, so I'll have to take him there sometime.
So that was last week. And I've felt a tad low this week as a result, but I'm starting to perk up a bit. I have plenty of projects lined up in my mind. And I'm meeting a potential new girlfriend Saturday morning! So now that things are starting to happen in my life, maybe I'll actually start posting a few times a week again. Ya never know ...
It's been a week now since we walked away from the old house. That was a sad day for me. I really grew to love that house. I enjoyed the colorful walls. And I will desperately miss the enormous bathtub.
And of course, Dinosaur Duck, the bizarre bit of statuary in the back garden that (at least, in our eyes) looks more like a brontosaurus than a bird.
There are oodles of things I like better about our own place, but ... well, it's always hard to say goodbye to something. So last Friday when I shut that door for the last time, I got a little misty-eyed. Plus, the old owner of our new house stopped by one last time before flying out to Italy. And then my mother flew back to Tulsa that evening. So it was just one good-bye after another last Friday. No wonder I've been feeling low since then!
Luckily, before Mom left, we found a little time to visit a tea shop in Raleigh. The place is called V's and it is located in a Victorian house that, oddly enough, is laid out almost exactly like the house where my mother grew up. It was the perfectly, girly way to end her visit. The food was soooooo good. Tim likes a nice cream tea, so I'll have to take him there sometime.
So that was last week. And I've felt a tad low this week as a result, but I'm starting to perk up a bit. I have plenty of projects lined up in my mind. And I'm meeting a potential new girlfriend Saturday morning! So now that things are starting to happen in my life, maybe I'll actually start posting a few times a week again. Ya never know ...
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