Vacation Day??? April 15, 2008

I’m not even sure what day it is today. Tuesday I think? We had a great time at the zoo yesterday with our friends. I’ve got pictures, but most likely they are going to have to wait until I get home to get them all online. There are a couple in my flickr acct and on my facebook account (same pictures I think though).

Today, we’ll head out to have lunch with my best friend from high school. I’ve got lots of things to say about this and definitely not enough time. Through the wonder of the internet, we were able to reconnect after 12 years almost of not even talking to one another. I went away to school and then got married and left town completely and we just lost touch. We’re planning on making up for lost time today.

Then we’re going to connect with my mom and sister later. It’s my nephew’s birthday today - he’s 10. We’re going to go pick up a birthday present while we’re out. Thankfully he’s just a year younger than Elijah, so it’s not too hard to figure out what to get him. It’s going to be another long day and we’re hoping to make TONS of memories along the way!

And say a prayer for my knee.  I tweaked it yesterday at the zoo apparently, so not sure what we’re going to about it, but it is what it is. I’ll try and blog AI tonight, but just not sure that will be doable. I am on vacation after all! (and yes, Suzanne, still stealing internet access)

That’s about right… April 4, 2008

With the exception of Chip having a lingering cough, our family has finally all been well this week.

Until this morning.

When *I* woke up with the sniffles. I tried to play it off as just being allergies, but I’m fairly sure that I have a cold. A COLD! After making it all winter without any realy illnesses for me, I’m the one to finalize the season. The good thing about me being the one who is sick is that I’m a freak about washing my hands and covering my mouth with the sleeve and disinfecting anything I touch, so the chances of anyone else getting it are slim. I hope.

We’ve finally finalized the dates for our trip home. We’re going to Wisconsin on April 13th after church in the morning. I can’t wait! I haven’t seen my Gram in almost 18 months and I miss her dearly. And my other grandparents too! My Gram is going to be 80 at the end of the month. I know that time with her is short. Even if she lives to be 100, it’s still not going to be enough time. And my grandpa (on my mom’s side) isn’t in the best of health either. I’m very fortunate to have made it into my 30’s with three of my 4 grandparents still alive. And I intend to savor this trip because I really dont’ know how many more chances I’ll get.

We’re planning at trip to Chicago if it rains. Have I ever told y’all how much I *love* Chicago? (Only about a million times). We’re hoping the weather will be nice enough to go to the Lincoln Park Zoo. If not, we’ve got alternate plans for the Museum of Science and Industry or the Field Museum or something. We’re hoping to join up with friends while we’re there.

And I’m going to see my best friend from high school. Which is weird because we haven’t seen each other since my wedding. She was my maid of honor and she’s never met my kids. I’ve never met her husband. I try not to live a life with regrets and losing touch with her was one of the big ones. I’m glad to be able to put it behind me. We’ve got plans for coffee (well, she’ll drink tea - what is it with me and all these tea drinkers?). I’m looking forward to catching up on the last almost 12 years of life with her.

41m3s… December 31, 2007

That’s what my phone said when I signed off last night. After being on hold for 25 minutes and then talking to some guy in India our issue was resolved at no cost to us. I will use Travelocity again.

Signing off to go spend a great time with the family and friends. See y’all next year!

I am IRRITATED!!!! December 31, 2007

I have currently been on hold for 10 minutes after talking to a stupid computer for 5 minutes first. When we flew to Houston, we used Travelocity and were very happy with our experience. Tonight I’m getting more irritated by the moment!

I went online to book a reservation for a hotel room in BLOOMINGTON, Illinois for tomorrow night. We are going to be staying there with friends to celebrate the New Year. I went to Travelocity and did a search for hotels. I found a great price at the hotel our friend our stay at. Or at least I *thought* I did. I just assumed that the hotels they pulled up were actually IN the city that I typed up. While I understand that it’s my own fault for not looking a bit more closely, I’m still hoping they will make it right. I guess we’ll see how their customer service is - if I ever get to talk to a real person.

Why I blog… December 12, 2007

Chip got a call for an interview the other day about his blog. He was a bit puzzled because he doesn’t blog very regularly (although he is now) and somehow they managed to find his blog and not mine. Doesn’t really matter to me, but he gave them my blog address and told them I was the one to talk to.

I’ve been blogging for almost 5 years now. I started shortly after Noah was born (unfortunately, I lost quite a bit when I changed blog servers from Blogger to Xanga many moons ago). I was blogging before before blogging was cool…

The big question for the article was “Why do you blog?” I blog because I like to write. I blog because it’s cathartic for me and much cheaper than therapy. With 4 kids, I need somewhere I can just let it all go. As a pastor’s wife, I need somewhere that I can just let it all out from time to time. As a wife, I just like a place where I can brag on my husband. And to show off my kids. To stay in touch with relatives far off. To be real.

That’s the thing about my blog that is different from most - it’s me. My whole theory on life is that life is too short to pretend that I’m something that I’m not. I’m who I am - and if you don’t like it, that’s ok. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me. I don’t agree with everyone else. And from time to time I make people mad with things I say on my blog. Because I’m not into legalism when it comes to my relationship with Jesus. And if there is anything that will make people mad, it’s questioning what they believe - especially if they don’t have an answer!

I guess I just try to live an authentic life. I want people to see Jesus in me. Not because I’m trying to sell them anything, but because my love for Him pores from my very being. I want them to see that marriage really can be GREAT and FUN. I want them to see that raising kids is work, but it’s the most rewarding job in the world. I want them to see that you can adapt to small town life even if your heart is screaming, “But I’m a big city girl!” I want them to see me for who I am. Because that’s all I am. With all my faults and screwups. With all my accomplishments and hard work.

I am who I am. And this is why I blog…

Adventures in dining… December 11, 2007

*cracks knuckles* Definitely one of my favorite topics - FOOD!!!

Before boarding the plane in Indianapolis, we had lunch in the airport at Chik-fil-A. I’ve only eaten there twice since high school - both times in Indy. I think they need to put one in Decatur. YUM!

That night after landing in Houston and realizing the hotel didn’t have anything to offer for dinner, we went in search of food. NONE of the hotels nearby had a restaurant inside. It was really weird. We ended up in our room ordering Dominoes. Chip and I ate the whole pizza in less than 20 minutes I think! We were starving!

The next morning, we ate at the buffet at the hotel. Which we paid entirely too much for and was disgusting! Live and learn I guess.

We had lunch on Tuesday from the McDonald’s drive-thru. We just wanted something we could eat on the road. For dinner, we stopped at WhatABurger. Which I would liken to the McDonald’s of the south. They are EVERYWHERE!!! But so much better than McD’s. I couldn’t even finish my burger it was so big.

Wednesday morning we stopped at Ihop for breakfast. We were looking for a Shipley’s donuts (because those are everywhere too) but couldn’t find one. I love Ihop because it’s one of only a couple places that I can get boysenberry syrup. Mmmmm….

It was late when we ate breakfast, so we stopped at a Cracker Barrel in Vicksburg, MS for some chocolate cobbler for a snack. YUMMY!!!

But the real kicker, the thing that made me think that Jackson, MS is GREAT was when we were in search of something to eat. There wasn’t anything right by our hotel other than fast food, so we drove back down the highway towards Jackson from our hotel in Canton. That’s when I saw it - P.F. Changs!!!  It’s got to be my favorite place to eat. I had the Orange Peel chicken. (I’d get in the van and go right now if Chip came home and suggested driving to Indy for PF Changs). And I ate the WHOLE thing - rice included - with my chopsticks!  AND!!! This is huge - Chip WILLINGLY ate an onion!!! It was the green chivey part, but it was still an onion! That he knowingly put in his mouth! It was by far my favorite meal of the whole trip.

The next morning, we attempted to dine on the complimentary breakfast at the hotel, but it was gross. We ended up going through the drive-thru at McDonalds. I *love* their egg mcmuffins. 

For lunch, we stopped on Beale Street in Memphis. We ate at the Blues City Cafe. Chip had ribs and I had seafood gumbo. For the second time in two days, I wished my stomach was bigger because I wanted to eat forever. I told Chip it was a cacophony of flavors all bursting forth at the same moment to make a beautiful symphony in my mouth. Yes - it really was *that* good!

For dinner that night, we were in Nashville with Chip’s sister and at at Thompson Station. I had the Cajun shrimp salad. It was really good, but paled in comparison to the last couple meals I’d eaten. But they were a tough act to follow.

Adventures in ebay-motoring… December 11, 2007

Yes, we really did buy a car on eBay. We bought from a place in Houston, Texas called Texas Auto Direct and I would recommend them to anyone. They were friendly, helpful, and would have shipped our vehicle to us for about the same price we spent going down to get it (although they we wouldn’t have had *any* vacation this year).

They sent a driver to pick us up at the hotel on Tuesday morning, detailed our vehicle for us and let us test drive it. Which is good since there had been a mix-up of sorts with our bank on Monday before heading out of town and we’d been unable to get a cashiers check before getting on the plane. We used the handy GPS built into my phone to find the closest branch of our bank and got there and back without incident.

There were a couple minor things wrong, which they fixed before we left. One of them will have to be fixed again - the autogate on the rear liftgate doesn’t work, but it’s something that only a minor inconvience.

The van is GREAT! It’s a silvery-blueish-purlpley color depending on the light it’s in. It’s been in the south all of it’s life, so no worry about salt damage. Leather HEATED seats, VCR for the kids (we’ll upgrade to a DVD as a Christmas gift with some money they are getting), auto sliding doors, and a bunch of other perks. We got exactly the van we were praying for, with the mileage we wanted for the price we wanted.

Was it worth it? Yes. Would I buy off of eBay motors again? Definitely. It will probably be the first place we look when we buy our next vehicle.

Adventures in hotel-ing… December 11, 2007

Chip and I probably spent as many nights in hotels last week as we had in the past two years.

The first night, we stayed at a Holiday Inn by the airport. Big room, beautiful palm trees outside our window, lots of pillows and comfortable beds. No restaurant to eat in for dinner though - and after a walk, we realized none of the other hotels had restaurants in them either. It was weird.  And there was not enough hot water in the morning. For either of us. They did have a breakfast buffet (not-complimentary) the next morning. It was pretty good, although the eggs were bad enough to make me spit them out. I like eggs. But these were just nasty. *blech*

The second night, we didn’t have a plan for. Which is so against my nature that it’s not even funny. But, we couldn’t plan when we didn’t know where we’d be that night. We stopped in a town called Lufkin, TX and couldn’t find a hotel. We ended up in Nacodoches for the night. After stopping at a Holiday Inn Express with no vacancy, Chip saw a billboard for a hotel that boasted whirlpool tubs in every room. So, we found ourselves staying that night at the Victorian Inn. And we needed that whirlpool tub after sleeping on that bed. I really think sleeping on the floor might have been more comfortable. But by that point we really didn’t care. We were tired and just wanted somewhere to sleep that wasn’t in the van! After a painful night in that bed, we were a bit disillusioned when it came to the price that was posted at check-in. But when we checked out and the price was half what we were expecting, it changed our perspective a bit. Funny how that can happen, isn’t it?

The third night, we stayed at a Best Western. We attempted to stop somewhere just north of Jackson, MS and ended up in the next town up the interstate in Canton. At check in, Chip saw a sign that said they had jacuzzi suites available and asked how much they would be. The guy had a room open that night so he gave it to us for 25% off! SCORE!!!

But Thursday nights accomodations were the best by far! We stay at Chez Sloat in Nashville. It’s very exclusive and you have to know the owners personally to stay there. Which we do. So we did. Chip’s sister and her husband were most gracious hosts and it was by far the best bed we slept in the whole time.

All in all, we had some good experiences, some not-so-good, and by the end of the week, we were definitely ready to be home and in our own bed. Just call me Dorothy because when it comes to sleeping accomodations, there’s no place like home!

We’re home… December 8, 2007

We actually got in about 4pm last night. Picked up the kids and finally felt “normal” again. Man, I missed the kids! We were definitely ready to come home yesterday! We got in at 4pm and then at 6pm dropped them off with a friend so we could go to a Christmas party. By the time we were ready to leave the Christmas party, I was having a pretty hard time keeping my eyes open. We had a great time on our trip, we had a great time at the party and now we are happily enjoying our first morning at home after being able to sleep in our own bed last night. It was WONDERFUL to be able to wake up this morning to the sound of the coffee grinder as Chip got the coffee going. It was great to wander down the stairs and pour myself a cup of GREAT coffee (because hotel coffee is so *not* good). I’ve got a ton of stuff to say about the trip. We had a great time. Those posts will come over the next day or so.

But for now, just call me Dorothy because there’s no place like home!

Off on an adventure… December 1, 2007

In our family, when we go off and do something new, we call it an adventure. It started because when Elijah was about 4 or so, going and doing new things struck panic is his little heart. So saying, “We’re going someplace we’ve never been before.” was not a good thing. So, we started going on adventures. Because heroes go on adventures. Because adventures are fun and conjur up images in their minds of Frodo’s trip to Mordor or Luke’s missions in space. Adventures are something to be experienced. And that’s exactly what we want for our kids, for life to be an adventure.

And let me tell you, they are MAD they are not going on this latest crazy adventure with Chip and I. We finally bought a new van. On eBay. In Texas. We fly out of Indy on Monday early afternoon to fly to Houston. My mom is coming to stay with the kids. We got a great deal on the tickets (I’m talking both of us flying for like $225). We will fly down on Monday and pick the van up on Tuesday morning. Then we’ll start the trip home. *IF* I can figure out how to post to my blog from my phone (I can’t get my phone to log into WordPress), I’m sure you’ll hear all the adventures along the way. If not, I’m sorry, but only my Facebook friends (feel free to add me - I like new friends) will be able to see because I can add a note there.

Why is this such an adventure? Because it’s the first time in our married lives that Chip and I have gone anywhere by ourselves that didn’t involve going to visit family or going to some sort of meeting. We went on our honeymoon, but even part of that required us going down to his parents house for a second wedding reception (not that I’m complaining). And by the time we got home from our honeymoon and settled in at new jobs, we found out that Elijah was on the way and well, we popped out even more kids since then. It’s hard to get away without them. We enjoy spending time with our kids so we like to take them places with us. When Seth is 18, Chip and I will still be in our late 40’s so we figure we have a lot of time left to enjoy together! But we’re looking forward to our adventure. Right now the only definite stop we have planned is in Memphis for barbeque.

 Looking forward to the journey!