Michigan Trip

Five months ago, my parents gave Josh a birthday present of two tickets to a University of Michigan football game. Josh is a big U of M fan, and it just so happens that not only did many of my relatives attend the school, but my grandparents taught there in the past, and my Aunt Vivi currently works there. So my mom had me pick a game that we could attend, and she and my dad got tickets for Josh's birthday in May. I picked the October 13th game against Illinois, which ended up being Homecoming weekend for the Wolverines. So for the past 5 months, we have been eagerly anticipating our trip to Ann Arbor! With airline tickets being so expensive, we decided to drive the 8-9 hours instead. Josh and I have never taken a long road trip together, so I knew it would be a (hopefully) really fun adventure. On Thursday after work, we rented a car so we wouldn't have to put the miles on either of our vehicles, and Friday morning we left around 4:30am. We thought about leaving Thursday after work, but since we had never made the drive ourselves, we didn't want to make it at night for the first time. Plus, we were staying with my aunt, and I didn't think she would enjoy us showing up at 3:00 in the morning!  I've made the ride itself MULTIPLE times in my 28 years...almost every year we'd head up there for one of the holidays, ever since my brother and I were babies. With a set of grandparents, three uncles/aunts, and many cousins living in the area, it was a drive that we made constantly, and it was NOT always fun for me, as an 8-10 hour drive never is for a kid. And with my parents constantly hearing "Are we there yet?" it was probably not always fun for them! But now that I could share in the driving, I figured it would be much better. Parts of me that are STILL sore do not agree, but it ended up being an incredibly easy drive, not to mention GORGEOUS with all the green and red and orange leaves, and such a nice experience for Josh and me to make that drive together.

We reached Detroit around 1:30pm, and one request that Josh had made was to get a Coney dog, which are famous in Detroit. There are 2 restaurants next to each other that were featured on Food Wars, so Josh wanted to try at least one of them.....and it was definitely worth it! He said he has never eaten a hot dog that literally snapped when you bit into it. Now, I have never had a Coney dog, so I can't tell you one way or another what it was like, but my Greek salad with grilled chicken was pretty delicious!! After we left the restaurant, we went to visit my grandmother, whom we haven't seen since December. She recently moved into a new apartment, so we stopped to see her and take a look at her new place. We spent about an hour with her, then drove out to see my Uncle Rob and Aunt Rhonda, who live nearby and were leaving the next morning for a trip to Florida. So we were able to visit with them for about an hour and a half or so. We also wanted to visit my Uncle Peter and his family, but unfortunately schedules did not match up, so we'll have to try to get together next time! After we had made all our visits, we headed out to Ann Arbor to my Uncle Reyn and Aunt Vivi's house. We unpacked and had a yummy dinner (turkey meatloaf, which I never thought I'd try but it was amazing!), and then Josh and I headed into town to try to find U of M sweathshirts for the game. We weren't successful, but Josh got a hat and we got ponchos because there was rain in the forecast.

Saturday morning we had planned to wake up early and take a walk around campus before the game at 3:30pm, but we were so exhausted from the early morning and the long drive on Friday that we slept in a little later than planned. We ended up heading out around noon, and of course as soon as we got in the car, it started to rain. Friday was beautiful, and Sunday ended up being beautiful, but Saturday was of COURSE the one day with 100% chance of  "steady, soaking rain." Go figure, it started as soon as we headed out for the game. We tried to find the parking lot where my aunt had a pass, but they were all closed for the game, and cost $20 to park. So we somewhow ended up at the mall instead, and it turned out they offered shuttle rides to the stadium for $1.50 a person. Before catching the shuttle, we went into the mall and found our sweatshirts, which were really helpful considering how cold Michigan is in October, and the rain did not help lol! We got to the game, and even though the weather was not the best, the stadium was packed! And for their homecoming game, they definitely did not disappoint.....ended up scoring a touchdown in the first 5 minutes, and won the game 45-0! We were a little wet and cold, but definitely glad we went. The stadium was awesome...I would have loved to have taken pictures, but bags, including purses, aren't allowed in the stadium, so I had to leave my camera in the car since I didn't want to carry it in the rain without a bag. We're planning to take another trip in the future, and hopefully the weather will be nice enough that we can get to campus ahead of time and take pictures.

After the game, we went to a really cute restaurant called Karl's Cabin, and had a delicious dinner...followed by pumpkin cheesecake which I have never had, but I keep seeing it advertised everywhere and just had to try it. So we split a piece....amazing!!! Afterwards, we headed back to my aunt's house and went to bed early, since we were planning to leave at 4am Sunday morning. It was definitely a whirlwind weekend, but we had a great time and can't wait to do it again!! Maybe next time we will pick a September game so the weather will be a little warmer and hopefully drier!

Me and my grandma

My gloves!! Ignore the fact it's upside down...supposed to be an "M" lol...

My Birthday

Once again, that dreaded time of the year has come around! As glad as I am to have been around to celebrate another birthday, I wouldn't have minded at all celebrating it while staying the same age as before. I am not ready to admit that I'm 28 years old!!! I still haven't not gotten used to the fact that around 27 or so, you are officially in your late 20s, and adding another year to it has not made it any easier to accept it lol. BUT I do have to say I am one blessed girl...have a wonderful husband, great family, adorable dogs, a good job, good health, etc....other than the usual minor financial complaints and whatnot that we all have, I am definitely lucky and I do not take that for granted! So every year that I am able to count my blessings, is another very fortunate year for me, and this one was no exception.

Even though Columbus Day is considered a federal holiday, I don't actually have it off because I work at a 24/7 place, so I don't automatically get holiday pay like a lot of people do, including my husband. But my birthday happened to fall on the holiday this year, and I told myself, I'll be damned if I'm going to be at work all day on my birthday while my husband is home asleep!! So I took the day off and gave myself a 3-day weekend as a birthday present. Saturday we didn't do too much....Josh and Morgan went out to lunch, but I had a lot to do so I stayed home and took care of some things. Had a fairly relaxing day which was nice! On Sunday, my parents came up to take me out to lunch. My mom had asked if there was anything I wanted to do for the day, and since it's Fall and I love all things Fall, I suggested we go to a pumpkin patch; there is one nearby that we've been to in the past that has pumpkin picking and hay rides and a corn maze, and is a lot of fun. Plus, I went to my first pumpkin patch when I was 9 days old, so I figured might as well make it a sort of tradition! But, as luck would have it, the weather report called for rain all day on Sunday, so we ended up not being able to go. But we had a nice lunch at Ruby Tuesday, then went to a couple of different shops in the area which was fun. After they headed back to Beaverdam, Josh and I ran a bunch of errands and got that out of the way for the week, so we were able to have a somewhat productive day even in the gloomy weather.

On Monday, my actual birthday, Josh and I went to lunch at Tenderjack's, a salad/chicken/burger/wing place nearby that's really good. I had the grilled chicken which is delicious, but the best part was the Pinkberry frozen yogurt we had afterwards :). The day wouldn't be complete without that!! We spent the rest of the day relaxing before dinner...I couldn't have asked for anything more. As long as I'm surrounded by the people (and animals!) I love most, I'm a happy girl.

Lucy's Adoption Anniversary #2!

Two years ago, we decided to get a puppy friend for Toby...we adopted him from Eskie Rescuers United, and kept an eye out for any other dogs they needed to place in a caring home. We wanted him to have another dog to play with, and we really wanted to help out another dog like we were able to help him. So when Josh saw a 5 year old dog named Lucy on the website that needed to be adopted, we decided to take her in, even before we had met her. We had had such a great experience after adopting Toby that we figured why drive 3 hours to the foster mom's house more than once? Might as well drive up there, meet her, and bring her home all at the same time! We brought Toby with us, and had him meet Lucy at the same time we did. The adoption ad had said she was definitely a talker, and would let you know when she wanted something! It also said she loved rolling over for attention. When we met her, she was cute and sweet and seemed like a great dog for us! Josh, Morgan, Toby, Lucy, and I all piled back in the car and headed back from Pennsylvania. We stopped to have dinner on the way, and left the dogs in the car (don't worry, it was in the 50s/60s, we definitely didn't leave them in a hot car!). They seemed to do fine, Toby was loose and Lucy was in a crate. However, when we got ready to leave, we opened the door to the car, and Lucy, who had been asleep, woke up to the noise of all the cars and trucks on the freeway. Poor thing got so scared and freaked out!! She would NOT stop barking, and growled and snapped every time we tried to pet her. It went on for so long that I called Sharon, the adoption lady, and said I was considering turning the car right around and bringing her straight back LOL. But it made me so sad because she had been waiting to be adopted for 4 months, and most people don't have patience to deal with a dog that gets scared and growls and snaps. So we decided to give it a little more time. She had been living with a much older man who couldn't see very well, and he let her go to the bathroom in the house for 5 years. She had also never been around other dogs, so for people she didn't know to be bringing her into an unfamiliar house with another dog, where she was supposed to potty OUTSIDE, was probably terrifying for her! Josh stayed downstairs with her that first night and slept on the couch, and we discovered that putting the leash on her and leaving it there helped keep her under control... apparently a submissive thing. So we did that for awhile, and worked on the potty issue, and little by little she stopped barking and growling and snapping every time we entered or exited a room. She also fell in LOVE with Toby, following him everywhere he went. We slowly introduced her to our room, letting her having "slumber parties" with me and Toby for a few hours each night before she went in her crate for bed time. And now, two years later, here we are with such a sweet, loving, wonderful dog. She is still CRAZY full of energy, attacking me every time I sit on the couch or get into the bed, and she definitely talks....she will let you know every emotion she is feeling!! But she now wakes us up each morning by covering our faces with kisses, rolling over every time we come near her so we can scratch her belly, and cuddling up next to us. The poor thing was sick on her actual "anniversary," (we celebrate 2 days for each dog, one is their birthday and one is their adoption anniversary) which was this past Tuesday the 25th. I came home Monday and she had gotten sick in her crate, and continued getting sick all night, but Josh stayed home with her on Tuesday, and I stayed home on Wednesday, so we both got to spend lots of time with her, which I think she really enjoyed :). She is now feeling much better, luckily! So, happy "anniversary" Lucy, we love you!

The first days where she had to wear her leash:

Fall is Officially Here!

Fall is officially here, and not a day too soon! I look forward to this season as soon as it ends each year. We started it off yesterday with a day planned in DC, though it definitely still felt like summer at 86 degrees outside! We had tickets to the Nationals-Brewers game, after which Dierks Bentley was going to be performing a free concert. He is one of my favorite country artists, and he was originally scheduled to perform a few months ago but cancelled due to his father's death. We just happened to pick yesterday's game for our half-price tickets, and it turned out to be the day of the rescheduled concert. When we got on to the Metro, it was PACKED. Turns out everyone who wasn't headed to the game (which was QUITE  few people as the Nationals are in the running for the playoffs), was headed into DC for the National Book Festival. Turns out one of the authors that was there signing books was Patricia Cornwell, whose books I really like, and I would've LOVED to have gotten an autographed copy of a book for my mom, who loves them as well. Especially considering the books take place in Richmond, and my old hometown Beaverdam is even mentioned in there once or twice! But unfortunately I didn't know she was there (along with an old favorite R.L. Stine), until after it was over. Anyway, the Metro was definitely packed with those two groups of people! Luckily it was BEFORE everyone had spent hours sweating in the heat!! We got to the game with just a few minutes to spare, and by the time we were only a third into the game, the Nationals were killing the Brewers! Josh was ready to leave by the 3rd inning because it was turning into a blowout and he was already bored haha. We had planned to stay for the concert, then head further into DC to eat at Qdoba for dinner and FrozenYo for dessert, but we ended up deciding to leave halfway through the game in the 5th inning. I am a little bummed about missing the concert....but it was hot and Josh was getting bored lol, so we changed the plan and decided to head back to the metro, and stop at Pinkberry on the way home instead. We had eaten at the game for lunch, and Josh didn't think he would be hungry enough for dinner AND dessert, one right after the other. So we stopped at Pinkberry on the way home, and I was so excited about that because I love the Peanut Butter flavor with dark chocolate crisps on top. Last time we were there I got the chocolate crisps on the Chocolate Hazelnut flavor, which was pretty good but way too much chocolate, I prefer that sweet and salty mix from the peanut butter and chocolate. So we got there, parked, and went inside....only to find that they didn't have the peanut butter flavor anymore!!! Instead they had coconut, which I normally would've been excited about. I love coconut flavored things, and all summer I wondered why they wouldn't have had coconut, since it's a summery flavor. Now, for the first day of Fall they bring that in, and get rid of the peanut butter?? Bummer! But I'm never one to turn down Pinkberry, so I sucked it up and got the Chocolate Hazelnut instead. I think in the Fall they also have a Pumpkin flavor, if so I'll have to give that a try and see how it is :).

Since we didn't go as far into DC as planned, I don't have as many pictures as I normally would, but I have a couple below from the game:

Bryce Harper, my favorite player....and the reason I love lefties ;)

 

One of my favorite parts of the game...these wraps are delicious!!

9-0 before the game was even half over!

Fall Decorations, Part 1!

This weekend officially felt like the beginning of Fall! Although it doesn't start until next Saturday according to the calendar, the sunny yet windy temperatures of 77 degrees these past couple of days felt like we are definitely transitioning into the next season. Today was even cooler, around 70 or so, but still very nice! I definitely see the jeans and MAYBE long sleeve shirts making an appearance soon. I usually start decorating for Fall on Sept. 1 because it's hard for me to wait....although I love decorating for all seasons, the browns and oranges and golds are my favorite colors of all when it comes to the different seasons. And I love the ghosts and pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns making an appearance! So I did control myself for about 2 weeks, but couldn't wait until the official beginning of Fall; I went ahead and put out my outdoor decorations yesterday....I usually just do the general Fall ones, then wait until October 1 to start on Halloween, but I put most everything out already. But I am running into the problem now of having more decorations than places to put them! I need a couple more pots for some of the Halloween yard stakes, so for now I just took pictures of the Autumn ones, and next weekend I'll probably finish the rest. I do need to put out some new mulch too, which I'll probably do on Sunday. So keep an eye out for those pictures to come!

Goodbye Summer decorations!

Hello Fall decorations!

This lantern cover lights up at night when the light is turned on, I'll post a picture of that in my next update!





September 2012...so far

September is finally here! That means just a few more weeks until my favorite month of the year. And not just because October is my birthday....believe me, I am in no rush to celebrate my 10th anniversary of turning legal. But with October comes Halloween decorations and pumpkin patches and harvest candle scents. Granted, I usually start early, in September, especially with the Fall decorations, but October makes it all seem official. However, until October is here, we've had a pretty busy September so far, and it's just a week in! Last Saturday, we headed into DC for the Nationals vs Cardinals game. The Nationals scored 6 runs in the first inning alone (if I remember correctly) and we were sure it was going to be an easy win. It was a fairly slow game because it was televised so we had to wait for commercials and whatnot, but the weather was perfect. But we obviously spoke too soon because the Cardinals caught up and ended up beating us 10-9! I couldn't believe it...it was a neck and neck game though, that's for sure, and we had a great time. Afterwards, we took the metro for a couple of stops, then got off and walked about a mile and a half through DC to FrozenYo, a really yummy frozen yogurt place that we like to go to whenever we are in DC and have time. Not only is it delicious and NOT at all expensive (plus they have Deer Park water bottles for 29 cents!), but we are able to avoid the crazy crowds of people leaving the game. So it's a win-win situation. We loooove Pinkberry frozen yogurt, but I do have to admit that FrozenYo has a much larger variety of flavors. It was tough to choose, but I ended up going with Coconut with sliced almonds on top. I think next time I may go with Butter Pecan though, I tasted it and it was pretty delicious as well. Such tough choices in life ;). We spent the rest of Labor Day weekend just relaxing and looking forward to a short work week!

Fast forward to yesterday, which was the bachelorette party for my best friend Regina (Reg)! She is getting married next weekend down in Outer Banks, so we all went out to last night to celebrate her last week as a single woman! Around 3:00pm, the severe thunderstorm warning that was threatening to hit us definitely did, and it was an interesting drive down to Richmond! Torrential downpour, rain going sideways, trees and debris all over the place....and a couple of tornados spotted in Fairfax and Silver Spring. We were worried that the weather might affect our plans for the night, but luckily by 8:00pm the rain had stopped and we were good to go. We kicked off the night meeting at her sister Sarah's house until everyone arrived, then headed out to Reg's favorite Mexican restaurant, Casa Grande. I was planning to take some pictures at the restaurant but with the rain coming down, I thought it was best to leave the camera in the car. So no pictures from the restaurant, but definitely yummy food! Even if I do personally prefer El Azteca in Ashland ;). It was definitely a dividing topic between the group! After dinner, we continued down to Richmond where Sarah had booked a private boat ride around the canal for just our group. We had the radio playing and the Sangria flowing....add games and cake to that, and what more could you want?? We had great time, and hopefully Reg did as well!! Most of the group headed out to the bars afterwards; I unfortunately wasn't able to go but I know they had a great time (not sure how much of it everyone remember!), and I hope Reg had fun celebrating her final week of singledom with her friends!