Monday, December 31, 2012

House Hunting

Woo Hoo we were pre-approved for a mortgage!!!

You see with the Husband's job we need to eventually live within 25 miles of his work location so we will need to move when our lease is up.  This time we have decided to settle in and buy a house, as he plans on staying in this position for awhile and in the area.

This will be my first home purchase.  It is very exciting and scary at the same time.  Exciting because we are starting on a new chapter in our married life and scary because it is a HUGE responsibility.  One that we do not take lightly.

Our lease is not up until May so we have some time.  Ideally it would be nice to close on a house towards the end of March or sometime in April.  However, if we do not find something that we are interested in by that point in time then we have the option to go month to month on our lease.

So the house hunt began on Saturday.  We were originally scheduled to see three houses, as our Realtor could not get a hold of the residents of the fourth house that we were interested in seeing.  That morning she called us and said that one showing had cancelled because their little one was sick.  Okay, I thought to myself, maybe the kid is throwing up.  Funny thing is that the Husband and I drove by the house to get a look at the outside and all of the lights were off, they were not home.  Don't worry we were not looking in the windows or anything.  That was a bit frustrating, come on don't you want to sell your house?  Maybe they had to take the child to urgent care or something.  Although my dad, a retired Realto,r said that happens, some people are just like that.

Onward we go, let the house hunt begin...

House # 1:  This house was an older home, a little over 100 yrs. old.  The problem with older homes is that in theory the Husband and I love them, with all of the little details.  However, many times the bedrooms are very tiny.  We looked at the pictures and we thought it looked nice, there was some wallpaper but we could deal with changing that.  Little did we know...When we arrived at the house the renter was still there, actually they were in the process of moving in.  Kind of weird but we went with it.  He was so excited to show us around the house, I suspect he thought that we were buying it as a rental property.  Let me tell you if he was not there, showing us around we would have walked right out.  This place smelled TERRIBLE and it was falling down.  Literally, the Husband went down to the basement and the foundation was crumbling.  The whole house was in disrepair ..talk about money pit...seriously have you seen the Tom Hank's movie?  This house was out!

House #2:  We pulled in to the neighborhood and I really loved it!  There were only about 15 homes, they all look different and it was sitting on about a 1/2 acre. lot and it was on a cul-de-sac.  We walk up to the house and there is this cute little courtyard on the patio.  Even better we walk in the house and it does not smell.  We walk around the downstairs, it is cute.  The kitchen is small, almost like an after thought, something to think about but I think we can re-face the cabinets and add new counter tops.  There was a four season porch, loved it!  There was a partially finished basement, which was a bonus!  Problem:  There was a smell down there that they were trying to cover up big time.  Was it a dead body?  Just kidding about the body, not about the smell.  Something that we would need to look in to and ask an inspector about, if an offer was made.  Then we made our way up to the 2nd floor.  Loved the fact that they had converted the 4th bedroom in to a sitting room in the master bedroom.  The Husband however was not impressed with how tiny the master bathroom was, he felt claustrophobic.  I promised to keep my makeup and all in the sitting area.  I was a bit disappointed that there was not a jacuzzi tub but at least there was a bathtub.  Then a light bulb went off.  We could put a large jacuzzi out on the four seasons porch, we were getting more and more excited about this house.  The larger issue was that there are transmission lines behind the property and this could be a hard home to resale.  The Husband thought it was neat because he works in power delivery, others would not agree.  Honestly, you could not see them but people would know they were there.  So I would not pay what they are asking, I would offer much lower.  That is just how it is.  If we do go back and make an offer they could tell us to take a hike.  We will keep it on the list for now.

House #3: Looking at this house was spur of the moment.  It was actually one of our Realtor's listings.  Don't worry she did not push us in to looking at it.  I mentioned my feelings on kitchens and she thought that I would love this kitchen.  It was over our price range but she said the seller was motivated and willing to negotiate.  So we thought why not.  The neighborhood was okay, not bad just not like the other one.  We loved the size of the house, the bonus room, the bumped out garage and the hardwood floors in the dining and living room, the were gorgeous!  The love pretty much stopped there.  She talked it up like it was a gourmet kitchen, which it was not.  The redo was not bad and the size of the kitchen was great.  The cabinets were on the cheaper end and it showed and the granite was the one with blue specks, which is very pretty but is very taste specific.  Not sure it was our taste, although it was neat how she incorporated it in to the floor.  Back splash had birds on it, taste specific as well.   The rest of the house had TONS of wall paper, lots of old and different colored carpets.  I know wallpaper can be removed but it was in EVERY room.  The carpet would need to go.  The upstairs had not been updated, you could barely fit in the shower in the master bathroom.  Really nothing to love upstairs.  So considering the price and what we would need to do to make it feel like our home, we just did not feel that it was doable or anything that we were interested in.

This is just the beginning more house should come on the market as we get closer to Spring.  So praying that all goes well, we should be in a home sometime in 2013.  Keep us in your prayers!

We are very excited to start this adventure and move on to the next chapter of our lives.

We will keep you updated on the process.  Until next time, happy almost New Year!





Thursday, December 13, 2012

Saturday Classes: Week Eight

On Saturday, I ended up waking up early.  My darn internal clock thinks it needs to wake me up early on the weekends!  So I thought to myself, why not drive over to my parent's house and make my mom go with me to Dunkin Doughnuts before she has to go to work.  Not sure how excited about this she was but she did end up going with me.

So off to work my mom went and I looked at my Dad, he looked at me, I asked him what he was doing before he had to go to work. Apparently the golf shop was having a big sale and he wanted to use his league credits to purchase some items.  Seemed like a good idea, so I tagged along with him. It ended up working in my favor because he bought me a purple hat.  No, I don't golf but I loved the color and I can use it at the shooting range.

Now it was time for him to get ready to leave for work soon.  Hmmmm....what to do with myself.  Well, of course, I went to a do a little bit of Christmas shopping.  I sure will be glad when these classes are over because I have been spending wayyyyyyy to much money!

After that I stopped by to take my favorite leasing agent a diet coke, she is an addict.  I know I should not support this habit but I do. :-)

Then I figured I would be productive and get some laundry, ect. done.

So that was my day.  Not all that exciting but I did keep myself busy!  Thank goodness there is only one more class left.  I see a massage in my future for Saturday...Shhhh don't tell the Husband.

Until next time, keep on adventuring!

Friday, December 7, 2012

Saturday Classes: Week Six and Seven

Wow am I off my game for blogging about what I have done while the Husband is attending Saturday classes.  I started this so I need to finish it.  Now let's see if I can remember what I did...Heck I have a hard enough time remembering what I ate for dinner the night before!

Ah yes...

WEEK SIX:

This was Thanksgiving weekend.  One would think the Husband would not have class due to the holiday.  Well, originally he WAS supposed to have class but then they ended up cancelling it. I had already scheduled a massage for the day, sorry no deals this time, so I decided to go ahead and keep my appointment because after all a happy wife, makes a happy life, right?

The rest of the day we just spent cuddling and relaxing together.   Awwww...aren't we cute?  No really, aren't we?

WEEK SEVEN:

The Husband returned to class.  Thank goodness, I was missing having mu Saturday adventures with out him.  Just kidding!

I started off my morning with using one of my deals from LivingSocial for a 25 minute foot massage.  It was only $12.00 so I figured that I would give it a try.  Honestly, it was not that great.  I should have saved my $12.00.

Oh well, now that my feet were somewhat relaxed it was time to hit the pavement with my mom and do some Christmas shopping.  Fa-La-La-La-La....Somehow she ended up taking a really good coupon from me but I can't talk about it because I might have to kill you.  Okay, not really, I don't want the Husband to read about it, since it pertains to some of his Christmas gifts.

So those were the two weeks in a nutshell.  I think I two more weeks of this...

Until next Saturday! Oh crap that is tomorrow.  

Keep on adventuring!

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Introducing The Husband

So I thought that I would tell you a little bit about the Husband.  Since he is one of the main characters in my blog.

The Husband is about a year and a half younger then me, yeah I know I robbed the cradle.  Trust me I have heard all of the jokes about this, especially from him.  At first it really bothered me that he was younger but now not so much.  I think the main thing that pisses me off is that I am going to be thirty before him and I am not sure I am going to do thirty well.

He is the youngest of five boys.  Yep, that is right, five boys.  His poor mother!  So not only is he the youngest but he was mostly an only child, since the next youngest is ten years older then him.  Hmmmm...two only children together, married, kind of a problem at times.  Sharing is not my thing he should want to share, he had siblings.  This can be problematic at times.

Photo


He currently works for a utility company and has aspirations of one day becoming a lineman.  I try not to think of him up there climbing on poles.  Kind of freaks me out a bit but I support him in his dreams and am proud of his accomplishments.  He has been working on his associates degree to help him get in to this line of work.



He recently posted this on my personal FB wall, I am glad that he understands....

Photo: True! ~ Belinda.

Especially since he has a problem recognizing what this is...

Target Home Natural Seagrass Hamper

In all seriousness though the Husband is a great guy and I love him to pieces!  He is a kind and compassionate man and he loves with his whole heart.  He would walk to the end of the earth for me and I would do the same for him.

I am proud to call him the Husband, even though he is an overgrown man child. ;)

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Saturday Classes: Week Four and Five

Okay, so I am playing a bit of catch up here and have fallen behind on blogging about how I keep busy while my husband is attending his Saturday classes.  So I have combined week four and five in one post.

Week Four:

I had every intention of waking up early getting out of bed and getting some things done around the house.  You know how that goes.  I was even up by 8:30 a.m., thanks to my mother who called. Mom:  "Oh I thought you would have been awake already." Me:  "No, I decided to sleep in today."  Mom:  "Oops!"  Am I in high school again, where my mom is always trying to get me up on the weekends?  In her defense, I am usually up and moving by this time.  I digress.

Like I said, I did have every intention of making it a productive Saturday.  However, after laying in bed playing a game on my phone, I felt sleep calling my name.  So back to sleep I went.  I actually did not end up waking up until around 1:30 p.m.  Wow, I have not done that in awhile!

After waking up and trying to rush around and get ready, which included shaving my legs.  Yes, I just mentioned this, keep reading. It was time to leave for my massage (do you see now why I had to shave my legs?)  So off I went to some electrolysis /permanent makeup place, that does massages as well.  I was a little skeptical but who can resist a deal for a 90 minute hot stone massage for $49.00, typically a $120.00 value there.  Certainly not me!  In fact I had never had a hot stone massage so I was eager to try it out.  People supposedly either love it or hate it.

I arrive for my appointment and the massage therapist was waiting downstairs for me.  It is in a small office building so apparently the doors are locked on the weekends.  Kind of odd but onward we went. I go in to this small little suite and there is another woman in there with her husband, filling out a bunch of forms.  I finish with my forms and she said "You must be able to see better then me."  I respond with, "I think my forms were shorter than yours, I am here to get a massage."  Turns out she was there to have permanent makeup tattooed on her face.  Who does that?  It kind of, no it really CREEPS me out.

Okay, forms are filled out and it is time for my massage. Turns out it is a dude that is going to be doing my massage, now there is nothing wrong with men massage therapists but as a woman I am much more comfortable with a woman doing my massage.  It is just how I feel but I sucked it up and put my big girl panties on, who really cares about the gender of the masseuse as long as it is relaxing and enjoyable.

Ohhhh sweet relaxation....or not.  The massage starts and the therapist starts talking some, I don't mind a little talk but he starts talking A LOT.  He starts talking about how he does not really like giving hot stone massages, how he is a therapist and has his own business as well.  Then he starts talking about dating and how he always has to ask how they feel about him giving massages to women, are they jealous type?  Okay, this is a little weird.  He goes on to talk about how he wants to make sure that they know that it is an intimate thing, don't think this is the word he was looking for, he then changes it and how they have to be comfortable with what he does.  Makes sense but, dude I am laying here half naked on your table, could you not use the word intimate, it weirds me out a bit.  Apparently he brings this up during speed dating.  Now, he did not talk the whole time and I did get to enjoy some silence.  He actually did a pretty good job and was able to get a lot of the kinks out of my upper back, they were bad!

As far as a hot stone massage goes, it felt fine but it is not something that I would pay more for.  In the future I will just stick to my standard massages.  Also, I will probably not go back there again, he did a good job but they are farther away from where I live and their prices are higher, plus I like my regular massage therapist better.  I did tell my mom that when she schedules hers she should use him, she had been there before with another deal and had some one she did not enjoy.  I had purchased this one for her so she needs to use it and I think she will enjoy his massage more, just not the talking portion.

Once the massage was done I met up with a friend, her husband and two little girls for dinner at O'Charley's.  We had a great time, the little ones always make me laugh.  Heck, so does she and her husband.

So, that concludes week four.

Week Five:

So we arrive at week five, which was this past Saturday.  We are over 1/2 way there!  I woke up at about 7:30 a.m. and started to call my husband.  I hear his phone ringing.  Oh crap, did he leave his phone at home?  Nope, apparently his tire had gone flat, so he decided to skip class for the day.  Remember he has a two hour drive, so by the time he would have gotten it taken care of and on the road, it just would not have been worth it.

Yay!  I get to spend the day with the Husband.  Hmmm....how can I fit him in to my Saturday plans?  I know...I will convince him to take me out to breakfast to get some pancakes.  Success!  He agrees to take me out to breakfast.

Next on my schedule for the day is a deep conditioning treatment and haircut.  Yep, you've got it, I bought another deal.  This one was off of LivingSocial.  $24.00 for a conditioning treatment and haircut.  Can't beat that price!

It has been so long since I have had my hair done.  The last time was before we moved.  Now if you know me, then you know that I have SUPER thick hair and that it grows out and not down.  My hair was badly in need of a cut, it was quite embarrassing.  So the Husband dropped me off at the hair place while he went off to explore.  Ahhh...so much better!  My hair felt lighter and looked great!  Props to the hairstylist and the salon   I have scheduled an appointment to return the end of December for another trim and for highlights. You have won my business for now.  See deal sites can help you attract customers!  Keep the deals coming people.

After that I looked at the Husband and informed him I was hungry and I knew just where I wanted to go. Destination: On The Border.  Boy, do I love their chips and salsa.

After lunch it was time for the Husband to get his hair cut.  He had sprouted wings and looked like he was about ready to fly away.  Yes, I believe that there was some squawking involved. Okay, maybe it was me doing the squawking.

The Husband goes to this place called Sports Clips.  They have TVs that they can watch, in front of each station while they are getting their hair done.  Sports of course but none the less a neat concept.  Then I learned something about the Husband, not only does he get his haircut while he is there but he also upgrades to get his hair washed, with the steam towel over his face and finishes off with a short neck massage.  No wonder his haircut bills have been more expensive!  His secret has been discovered.

So that was Saturday number five, only this one included the Husband.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Wine and Canvas

She had me at wine.  Wait....what is this canvas thing?  You want me to paint on that?  Actually, you want me to paint at all?  I have never painted on canvas before or really painted at all.  Unless you can count painting by number, which I did as a child.

So what am I talking about?  My friend and I were planning a night out without our husbands and her kids and she suggested Wine and Canvas.  She had been before and said she had a great time.  She assured me that anyone could do it because they walk you through it.  Now, if you have met me then you know I am not at all crafty or artistic.  I wish that I was...I wish really hard sometimes but unfortunately I am not and never have been.

I was willing to give it a try.  I knew that I could will myself to be artistic.  I put my big girl panties on, took a big gulp of wine and started to paint.  The time flew by and before you know it I had a picture that resembled the photo below.



I did it, I actually painted something that looked somewhat decent and on canvas to boot!  I was so excited. Apparently when I told my friend I could not paint she did not know that I had NEVER painted before.  She was impressed at how well I did for my first time, or so she said.  Maybe she was just being nice.  Either way I am making my husband hang it up in our hallway.

So if you are interested in trying this then check out www.wineandcanvas.com.  They have multiple locations, not just in Indiana but across the U.S.  I plan on going back and making my husband go to do the couples session.

For now I will dream of one day becoming a world famous artist.  Hey, I did say dream!


Monday, November 5, 2012

Saturday Classes: Week Three




Well we made it through week three of Saturday classes.  The Husband's class that is.  Actually his class ended up going about an hour later this Saturday and remember his class is about 2 1/2 hrs. away.

Don't fret though I had plenty to do this Saturday and my parents took it upon themselves to entertain me.  Hey it is like I am not even married and I am living with them again.  I know how much they miss me (typed with sarcasm.)

I actually spent the night at my parent's house Friday night, see I am slowly moving back in.  Shhhh don't tell them, they might move.  Okay, I am not really moving back in.  My grandma had an MRI scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Friday night so I met my mom at my grandmas and went with them to her appointment.  Then they didn't get her back until about 7:40 p.m. to do the actual MRI and then it was another 1/2 hr. or so for them to do the MRI.  So by the time we got my grandma back to her place and settled in it was a little after 9:00 p.m.  and since I was hungry and kind of cranky my mom went with me to Outback so that I could get a salad to eat.  Being the nice daughter that I am I even bought her an appetizer.  By that point in time I was tired and since I had already planned on going to their house the following day I figured it would just make more sense to stay there the night.

Then on Saturday morning my mom decided she wanted to go for early voting, just in case my grandma has to have surgery on Tuesday.  So she asks me if I want to go with her, after I heard my dad talking about how they said you could be standing in line to vote for two hours.  No thank you!  If I was going to stand in line for two hours then I might as well go ahead and do early voting where I live.  Did I mention that I was a good daughter?  I ended up changing my mind and went with her.  At least it was only 1 1/2 hrs...Like that is so much better.  Don't worry she rewarded me with a trip to Dunkin Doughnuts afterwards.

Later we went to lunch with my dad.  While we were at lunch he mentioned it was a good thing that I went with my mom this morning.  Apparently after I told her no when she asked if I wanted to go with her she started complaining to my dad.  Mentioned something about how if I had asked she would have gone with me.  REALLY??????  Didn't I go and help you last night?  Then she mentioned how after I was cranky and hungry and how SHE went with me to get something to eat.  Score one for mom.

After lunch we went to a flooring store with my parents, since they are in the process of getting ready to redo  their bathrooms, flooring, ect. in their house.  I mean I need to be involved in this process since I will one day inherit their home.  I was introduced as tag-along.  Nice!  Here is our late twenty something daughter who had nothing better to do today.  Oh well.  I don't think they are going to go with my choices either.

When we were done I really wanted to go to McNamara and look at their holiday stuff.  Their stuff is awesome but super expensive.  Who pays $170.00 for a wreath???  I really do want one but wanting and buying are two very different matters.  None the less I still love to go in there and look at everything. I will wait till after Christmas when everything goes on clearance.

Look what I did end up purchasing and it lights up!  I think we embarrassed my dad, especially since my mom ended up buying one and plans on wearing it to work on black Friday.  hers has snowmen on it though.


So that was pretty much my day!  I also ended up dozing off at my parent's house and then my mom and I went to dinner.

Overall I was kept pretty entertained!  

I may be almost 30 but I do enjoy spending time with my parents.  They really do crack me up!

Friday, November 2, 2012

Conversations In The Husband's Head

Do any of you ever have your husband tell you that he told you something and you swear he never said anything about it?  I swear my husband does this, he says he has told me something and I know that he does not.  Then he accuses me of not listening.  I think to myself am I going crazy?

Case in point, we had recently had a conversation that he needed to go and attend one of his union meetings.  He did not specify when he was going, just that he needed to attend one.  Yesterday afternoon we were on the phone and I said something along the lines of I could not find my glasses and since I could not see I needed him to help me find them when he got home.  He laughed and said "oh that might be a problem since I will not be home until late."  Huh?  "Yeah, I am going to the my union meeting."  I think to myself, nice I wish I had known this so that I could have made plans or something.  Not that there are not some things, okay a LOT of things that I need to do around the house but I could have gone to my parents for dinner or out with a friend.

He goes on to say that he told me he was going to go.  Nu-uh, he did not tell me.  I know I am NOT going crazy.  Our conversation only consisted of he needed to attend a meeting sometime, not that he was going to this meeting.

Oh well, at least I did not have anything planned for dinner and I did manage to find a friend to go to dinner with.  Luckily I was able to send Turtle a text message to see if she had plans for the night. I was lucky that she did not.  My friend Turtle is a life saver!

So do you ever feel this way?  Does your husband or boyfriend swear up and down that they told you something?  I know that I am not the only one that this happens to.

Just another day in a typical Midwest marriage. :-)


Thursday, November 1, 2012

Adult Only Weekend

So a couple of weekends ago the Husband and I took a weekend trip to Cincinnati and we were joined by some good friends of ours.  This weekend was for adults only or was it?  There were times where I think we acted like teenagers or like we were in our early twenties but it was all in good fun.  For example the Husband attacked my friend with play dinosaurs, then there was the cave where we tried to lose our husbands.

In all seriousness though we had a great time.  This was our first trip that we took with another couple, not including my parents.  Although, I think I was called a funpire at one point in time during the trip, don't worry it was in jest.

It was nice to get away with another couple our age, with no worries and to be able to just relax and have a good time. We would definitely go away with them again!

Cincinnati is such a wonderful city and there is so much to do there.  We took our first trip to an IKEA store (the Husband enjoyed the carts, he thought that he was supposed to drift with them),  visited Jungle Jim's (this store is on steroids or something) and went to some of the museums.

All in all it was a great weekend!  If your looking for a great weekend get away then I suggest visiting Cincinnati.  There is so much to do there, I know the Husband and I will return sometime in the future!

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Saturday Classes

So do any of you out there have significant others or spouses in school?  I have probably mentioned in past posts that the Husband is currently back in school working on his degree.  This semester he has been taking an online class and now he has just started a Saturday class that lasts for 8 weeks.  The Saturday class he attends is all day and is about 2 hrs. and 15 min. away from where we live.  Poor guy!

So since he has this class on Saturday I have been trying to find things to do to keep me occupied.  Not that I need the Husband to entertain me but the weekends are when we get to spend time together and since I am cooped up in the house all week, working from home, I like to get out and do things.

I have found some Groupon, LivingSocial deals, ect. that I have been purchasing so that I can schedule some appointments for some pampering.  A nice way to have some me time!

So what have I been doing to keep myself busy?  As you saw in a previous post, one Saturday my mom came over to hang out and help me get some things done around our place.  This Saturday though I took myself out on a date!

I started the morning off with a massage (unfortunately no Groupon was used for this, I bit the bullet and paid full price).  I really needed one, I was getting cranky and it had been awhile since I had one.  Then it was back home to drop off a diet coke for Turtle and talk for a few minutes.  Then I was off again to take myself out to lunch.  Destination Buffalo Wild Wings, I was craving some of their popcorn shrimp.  The Husband is not a huge fan, kind of messes with his stomach, so I figured this was the perfect opportunity to go.  Then it was off to Kohl's to spend some Kohl's cash (Shout out to Turtle for giving me the Kohl's cash to use).

After all of that I was going to come home and work on some laundry, I heard it screaming my name, instead I plopped down on the couch with a good book to read and relax.  Then I thought about working around the house some more, I mean really why can't this stuff get done on its own?  However, the Husband called and was on his way home, so he wanted me to meet him about 1/2 way to have a dinner date at Olive Garden.  How could I refuse the man I love right?  My hottie husband wanted to have a date night and tell me about his day at class.  Off to Olive Garden I went, dang GPS system got me lost too but that is okay I finally found my way to the Husband.

I guess I did not get much down around the house but I did have a great day by myself!  Now just to figure out what I am going to do for the next six Saturdays that he has class.

No plans yet for next Saturday.  Any ideas or suggestions?


Monday, October 29, 2012

Things That Go Bump In The Night

Are you afraid of the dark?  Boo!

As Halloween is fast approaching there are so many activities and things that you can go and do.  Have you visited a haunted house this year?  I did.  My friend  Turtle and I went to visit one on Friday.

I saw a deal on MyPerks for multiple haunted houses one day and asked the Husband if he wanted to go and he said no, why don't you ask Turtle.  So I asked Turtle and she was in!

Friday we decided to have a girl's night out and go and visit FEARgrounds.  It is located at the Hendricks County 4-H fairgrounds in Danville, IN.  Now I was not sure how scary or great this haunted house would be but I figured why not give it a try.  Turtle and I were not disappointed!  This thing was huge and was scary.  They did an awesome job!  There was some hand holding, some screaming and a little dance (sorry Turtle).

So are you up to the challenge?  Are you afraid of things that go bump in the night?  Will you be visiting a haunted house this season?  I dare you!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Awesome Weekend

This weekend was awesome!  I really had a great weekend!  Lately I have been feeling stressed with work, things that I need to get done and just life in general.  I am not sure why I have been feeling this way but this weekend I enjoyed myself and tried to relax.

It was a busy and fulfilling weekend.  I will break it down for you.

Friday - My parents and I bought a DealChicken for $23.00 per person to go and see the Fever (Indiana's WNBA team) play at Conseco Field house in their third game of the playoffs against the Lynx.  The deal included tickets, a hot dog, Pepsi and a t-shirt.  Not a bad deal!  The Husband is not really a basketball fan and since he had an all day class the next day, which was a 2 1/2 hr. drive away, he decided not to join us.  So off my parents and I went on Friday night to attend the game.  And what an awesome game it was.  The Fever slaughtered the Lynx!  Our seats were fantastic!  I really enjoyed going to the game.  If you have never been to a Fever game or a WNBA game, I suggest you go.  These ladies are really good and I think I enjoy watching them more then I do the men!  Since I knew the game would end late I had already decided that I would stay at my parents house that night.  After the game we headed home to their house and then watched and episode of Law and Order: SVU.

Saturday:  Since the Husband had class on Saturday and my mom was off of work we had decided to have a mother/daughter day.  Originally we had thought about going to one of the covered bridge festivals but since the weather was crummy and we knew that it would be super busy on Saturday we decided to forgo that plan.  Instead we went to a small craft fair (it was not that great) and then headed to my place to work on some things.  Yes, I am still unpacking some boxes!  We got a couple of misc. boxes unpacked and some stuff put away.  We actually had a very productive day and I felt so much better about getting some things done.

Sunday:  Originally I was going to babysit for some friend's two little girls but they ended up not needing me to watch them.  So I ended up making spaghetti with my husband for lunch and watching a bit of tv with him. I was going to do some more housework but since he was working on some homework I actually ended up falling asleep and taking a nap.  It was nice to be able to relax and do that!  When I woke up he was still working on homework so I decided to leave him in peace and head over to my friend's house (where I was originally going to babysit) and hand out with her and Ladybug (her three year old daughter).  Ladybug is so adorable and entertaining.  We planted rocks, yes I typed rocks, drew on the driveway with chalk and blew bubbles.  After that I met the Husband at my parents house and we went with my parents to dinner at Apezza, we had purchased a Groupon. The food was excellent there, no complaints.  It is somewhere that we would go back to.  Then it was back to my parents house.  The Husband headed home and I stayed to watch the fourth fever game with my parents.  Hoping that they would win.  It was a close game, I think my blood pressure spiked but the ladies did not disappoint and it was a win!  They won the playoffs.  Then it was back home.

So I am glad that I am feeling very relaxed, even though it was a busy weekend!  Of course I am sure you noticed there were some deals in there.  You know how I love my deal sites!

Watch for a post soon about our Cincinnati trip from a couple of weekends ago.  I am falling a bit behind on my blog posts. :-)

Hope that everyone else had a wonderful weekend!

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Weekend Recovery, Please Apply Here


Whew!  I think that I am still recovering from the weekend.  I believe that I need a weekend of relaxation after the busy weekend that we had.

First I am going to start off by saying I had an awesome weekend, even though I am still recovering.

I started Saturday off by picking up my mom at her house and driving over to my grandmother’s retirement community.  You see it was family day at her retirement community.  Now often, in a loving way I refer to my husband as a five year old.  That afternoon was my day to act like a child, I mean after all I do not have kids to do some of these things with so why not do them on my own.  I guess I should explain.  For family day there were many activities going on, some of which I did not get a chance to partake in.  My highlight of the afternoon was the balloon lady who was making different balloon items like Elmo, Cookie Monster, flowers, ect.  My choice, yes I wanted something, was a flower corsage.  And a flower wrist corsage I got and I wore it proudly on my wrist.  My next favorite thing was the photo booth they had there, once I discovered the photo booth I promptly took pictures with both my mother and my grandmother.  Yes, I did stick my tongue out in some of the pictures and I might have given them bunny ears too!   

Fun times were had by all, including my aunt, uncle, cousin, cousin’s wife and their two little ones.  Then around 2:00 p.m. it was time to leave, I needed to take mom home so I could get home and get ready for our next event.

On my way home the Husband called and said he had a surprise for me. He had booked a hotel room downtown Indianapolis at the Omni Sevrin .  Sweet!  I could get ready at the hotel and then we could walk over to the Gleaner’s Food Bank Fall Harvest Gala.  

When I got home we quickly packed a bag and we were on our way downtown.  We checked in and got ready.  Man, does the Husband look good in a suit!

Every year one of my good friends purchases a table at this event.  Gleaner’s Food Bank is a wonderful resource for those that need food in the state of Indiana.  Not only do they support food pantries, but they are also very involved in having food pantries in the schools and a backsack program for students.  Words really cannot describe how awesome they are and how awesome their volunteers are.

We had a wonderful time there and it was so nice to catch up with my friend, as it had been awhile since I had seen her.  We really appreciated her inviting us to attend with her. 

Then it was time to go back to the hotel.  Did I mention the fact that my shoes were KILLING me?  I was not sure how much farther I was going to be able to walk.  So the Husband, being the awesome man that he is, walked back to our hotel, waited to get the car out of valet and drove over to get me.  I love this man!  Afterwards, we decided to change, me in to some more comfortable shoes and we took a walk over to Buffalo Wild Wings.  The Husband was like, there are all of these places downtown and you choose to go to Buffalo Wild Wings.  <Shrug> what can I say, I really wanted some popcorn shrimp and it was 11:30 p.m.

The next morning, Sunday, we decided on checking out later to avoid all of the Colts game traffic.  So we were able to relax for a bit.  It really is a beautiful hotel!

After that, it was not home bound we were headed.  Nope, we were headed over to mom and dad’s to pick them up to go and use our Groupon to get some pizza, tokens and to miniature golf at Ben & Ari’s in Fishers.  We all had a great time; you would have thought that we were a bunch of teenagers.  Mom ended up winning by one point, Dad and I tied and the Husband lost.  He kept saying that he won because he had the highest score.  Ha!  I actually think his golf lessons hurt his miniature golf game.

So do you see now why I said I need a weekend after the weekend? 


Monday, September 24, 2012

My Husband, My Hero


On Saturday afternoon a friend and I were having a conversation about marriage about the ups and the downs, ect.  Now this conversation is not verbatim but this is the gist of it.  She said that my husband and I seem to be really happy and get along very well, joking around with one another ect.  I responded that yes we do, I love my husband very much but that we have been through a lot in the short span of our marriage, death of family members, sickness, ect.  but that this has only made us stronger. How my husband and I had just discussed how we try to let the little things go that annoy us about one another, it is not worth fighting over.

My friend and I discussed how sometimes it is hard to remember that marriage is between two people, not to take sides in a disagreement between a friend and their significant other, but to just step back and listen.  You see, many of us are guilty of complaining about our spouses, as am I at times.  We do not always praise our spouse when we are talking with our friends/family members but instead we are calling to vent about something that they did that annoyed us. Now, I am not saying to praise your significant other if they have not done anything to be praised for or saying that it is wrong to vent.  I am just pointing out that many times we forget to do this, like I said I am guilty as well. I am always here to listen to my friends/family and will not judge.

My husband is my hero and my best friend.  I love him so much and praise the Lord every day that he brought him in to my life, even when he may annoy me.  My husband is my hero because he loves and supports me in whatever I may want to do.  He listens to my fears and holds me when I am sad.  He thinks of romantic ways to surprise me and things to put a smile on my face.

My husband was also someone else’s hero on Saturday night.  That night we were attending the Gleaner’s Fall Harvest Gala, at the J.W. Marriott in downtown Indianapolis.  At the table next to us a man started choking.  People started shouting is there a doctor or a nurse here.  My husband had already leapt out of his chair because he noticed that this gentleman was choking.  You see, my husband has first responder training and he is certified through the state.  He ended up having to perform the Heimlich on this man and was successful.  My husband saved this man’s life.   As he was thanked and people were praising him, there was a slight blush on his face.  This man, my husband did not want thanks or gratitude, although it was appreciated, he did what he knew everyone who is trained to do should do.  I was so proud of him.

So with that being said my husband is the love of my life and my hero.  I love you sweetie!

Friday, September 21, 2012

My Bucket List

What is a bucket list?  Many people mention they can cross that trip, item, ect. off their bucket list but do they really have one written down or typed up.  I am one of those individuals that will say, oh I can cross that off of my bucket list or add that to my bucket list but I don't really have one written down (or in this case typed) anywhere..

I think it is finally time that I type up my bucket list.  Most of my items contain places I want to go but there are other items on there as well.  I am sure that I will also add to it over time.

I have actually been very blessed in life, I was able to travel to many different places with my parents when I was growing up.  I have been all over the U.S, not to all 50 states but to many of them.  I have also traveled to Canada, Mexico, France and Spain.

I was recently able to cross one item off of my bucket list.  Buying/owning a Mustang.  When I was a teenager I always said that I wanted a yellow Mustang GT convertible.  Well, as I got older I just wanted a Mustang and now I have one!  I call her Mustang Sally.





BUCKET LIST

  1. Own a Mustang. (09/12)
  2. Travel to Greece
  3. Travel to Barbados
  4. Travel to Alaska
  5. Visit Savannah, GA
  6. Take a cruise
  7. Swim with the dolphins
  8. Buy a house (03/13)
  9. Celebrate My Dirty Thirty in Style (01/13)
  10. Visit Las Vegas  (01/13)

So as time goes on I will be adding to my list.  If you have heard me mention anything I really wanted to do, that is not on my list.  Hit me up and let me know.  I might add it.

So what is on your bucket list?

Thursday, August 16, 2012

The Night The Lights Went Out...

So a couple of weeks ago the Husband decided that he wanted to get away for a night.  He didn't want to go far, he just wanted a night away.

So he planned a last minute get away for a Saturday night and decided that we would go to Merrillville, IN. Since we are still disgusted with Holiday Inn (see a previous post) we decided to use our points to stay at the Residence Inn, which had great reviews and was recently renovated at the beginning of this year. Of course his selection of the area and hotel had nothing to do with the fact that Portillo's is across the street.

So we took off on Saturday morning for our nice relaxing and romantic weekend.

We stopped in Lafayette on the way up.  First stop was Rural King, which we do not have near us anymore, since we have moved and this is the place that they sell the jeans at, that the Husband wears to work.  Lucky for us, it was buy two pairs, get one free.  We had to dig for his sizes to find the 2nd and then the 3rd pair but alas we were successful.  Our second stop was at Four Guns, a gun shop.  I had purchased a Deal Chicken for my husband to use there, on accessories, ect.  Honestly, I was kind of disappointed in the store, they did not have a lot of inventory.  So it is not somewhere you want to make a special trip to but he was able to use his coupon.  Third and final stop was at Game Stop, are you getting the picture yet that the Husband is spoiled?  Notice none of these stops were for me?  You would think that HE was an only child and not the other way around, where I am the only child.  I digress, so he had a couple of old games to trade in and you got more money towards a game for the weekend, plus he had received a coupon for his birthday.  I kept telling him that this was not an authorized purchase (smiling as I type this).  He said it was his birthday.  Dude your birthday was like three weeks ago! Anyways, he purchased a game and we were on our way.  Final destination, Merrillville, IN.

So we had arrived and upon check-in there were flowers waiting for me.  Isn't the Husband so sweet, maybe I should take back the spoiled comment.  Nah!  We went up to the room to relax for awhile.  Which by the way the room was super nice!  Upgrades/renovations they made were wonderful.

So around 4:30 p.m. we were getting ready to head over to Portillio's to grab some food to bring back to the room, then we thought that we might go for a swim and if it cooled off maybe miniature golfing.  THAT IS WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT OUT.  A big storm and I mean big rolled through and we lost power, in fact much of Merrillville and Northern Indiana were without power.

Of course this happens to us.  We plan a night away and the power goes out!  It is always an adventure with us.  However, I was optimistic, maybe the power would be back on shortly, no reason to worry.  So we went downstairs to hang out, talk to some other guests and the hotel staff.  We finally decided to see if we could go and eat dinner somewhere, as we suspected that Portillo's had lost power as well.  We spoke with the manager and asked if we decided to leave would our points be refunded.  He said no problem, just let us know.

So off we went. We drove over to Portillio's and of course they were the only place without power right there.  Go figure!  One of the employees was outside though and told us that the Portillio's in Crestwood, IL had power and it was only about 45 min. away.  We thought why not?  Let's drive on over to Illinois.  $1.50 later we were over the border and had located Portillios, we enjoyed our dinner and then decided to head to Hammond, IN to Cabella's, again for the Husband, since he, nor I had been there before.  It was a neat store but I think Bass Pro is better.

Back at the hotel, the power was still off, it was around 10:00 p.m.  The manager called us over and told us that we could stay the night and he would refund our points.  I thought that was super nice of him since the storm was not his fault.  We will stay there again for sure!!!

The next morning the power had come back on.  We checked out and headed to Michigan City, to the outlets there.  I sure do love it there.  I like Edinburgh as well, in Columbus, IN.  I kind of like the Coach store better in Edinburgh but overall I like Michigan City better.  We will not discuss how much was spent there and do not fret ladies, of course I treated myself to a new Coach purse!  Now who is the spoiled one? Let's just say we were both happy with our purchases for the day.  The weather was also nice, so it was a great day to walk around.

It was time to leave.  Goodbye outlets, until next time.  We were headed back home and of course we had to stop in Merrillville on our way back home to eat at Portillo's again!  On our way back there, in Hobart, IN I made the mistake of pointing out a candy factory.  The Husband made a quick u-turn.  Was that legal?  And pulled in to the lot.  I had no idea that place was even there.  In case you are interested the name of it is Albanese and they have a HUGE candy store.  I made the mistake of walking away from the Husband when I was looking for some candy for my parents and he had a handful of chocolate candy, ect.  when I found him.  As we were checking out, I heard a mother telling her son only two items.  Next time I am going to tell this to the Husband.  <Sigh>

So it may not have been the romantic night we originally planned on but it was still romantic and it was an adventure, that is for sure!  It is one of those stories we will be telling in our old age, about the night the lights went out...So we are planning a new adventure somewhere else, to use our hotel points at.  Keep watching for that adventure and hopefully the lights will not go out!


Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Indiana State Fair - $2 Tuesdays

Well, last the night the Husband and I went to $2.00 Tuesday at the State Fair.  Yep, you read that correctly, $2.00.  It was $2.00 to get in to the fair, with a coupon and many of the vendors had sample size food portions that were $2.00.

The Husband decided this was something he wanted to go and do.  He said he was going to eat his way through the fair and that is what he and I did.

At first I was not sure if I wanted to go, after all it was during the week and I was super tired by the end of the work day.  Usually, it is the other way around the Husband does not want to go out during the week since he has to be up very early for work.  However, I put my big girl panties on and agreed to go.

Boy am I glad we went!  We had a wonderful date night together, eating our way around the fair, as the Husband put it.  It was a beautiful night, with great weather, not something that happens often in Indiana in the middle of August.  Every time I have ever gone to the fair I remember it being hot!!!

In fact the Husband keeps asking if we can go back to the fair on Saturday for Mazda day.  I swear sometimes he acts like a five year old (I am typing this with affection).  I reminded him that it would not be $2 Tuesday and that we had other plans on Saturday, which include me taking the cat to get groomed (if the vet ever sends her records to me) and a wedding reception that night.

Unfortunately if you are looking for a deal at the State Fair this year, you have missed it.  There will be no more $2 Tuesdays, since it ends this weekend.  However, I believe that they do this every year, so you can catch it next time.

If you do go to the fair sometime this week or weekend just a reminder that they charge $5.00 for parking as well.

Keep on adventuring and enjoying life!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Hello Again

I guess I have not blogged since around the Fourth of July.  Ughh...where does time go?  The Husband and I have just been super busy with trying to get things done around the new place and lots of summer activities, birthday parties, catching up with my parents, ect.  So we have been doing things, not just sitting home like bumps on a log, I just have not blogged.

Can I blame some of it on the heat?  I mean what is up with this super hot summer????  You walk outside and the humidity just smacks you in the face. I wish I could be a bump on a log, a bump on a log that just sits in the air conditioning all day and all night. Well maybe not, then I would go stir crazy but in all seriousness could we please just get a little break from all of this heat!!!

So I promise to try to do better and blog more.

Until next time try to stay cool and keep hydrated!

Friday, July 6, 2012

Did We Just Have a Holiday????

Wait a minute was that the Fourth of July that just passed us by?  Hmmmm...it did not feel like a holiday, partly because it was smack in the middle of the week on a Wednesday and then because it was SO HOT out.  Seriously, I wonder if this is what Hell feels like?

Usually the Fourth of July is spent doing things like going to a cook out and watching fireworks.  Not this year though.  Nope this year we spent the day inside, relaxing in the nice air conditioned house.  I am not saying that I had a bad holiday, it was just different.

Sadly the fireworks in town were cancelled (dry conditions) and in all honestly we did not feel like cooking out, as previously mentioned it was HOT out.  I did however catch the fireworks that were set off downtown Indy on the TV.  So I felt a little bit like I was celebrating the Fourth of July.

Hopefully this heat will dissipate some soon and I will feel like adventuring a little more.  So if you are brave enough to brave the heat then keep on adventuring.  I meanwhile will keep the adventuring outside to a minimum and will try to come up with some neat and interesting things to do indoors.  Adventures in the Family Room?  Adventures in the Kitchen?

Until next time!  Make sure to hydrate and stay cool.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Feeling Very Relaxed

Your body is a temple and you should treat it right.  Unfortunately I do not always do this.  I do not always eat healthy and do not exercise like I should.  However, when it comes to de-stressing and relaxing I know how to treat myself.

While living in Southern Indiana I found a Spa, CC Spa, which I miss very much.  It was just across the street from where we lived and I was a VIP member, which meant I received 50% off of services.  Because of this I usually would go and get a massage every other week and occasionally would throw in some other services as well.  I learned that massages really relaxed me and I also felt and still do feel that it has helped to increase my platelet levels.

The relationship with your therapist is very personal, they come to know you and your body.  They know where you knot up the most and what needs to be worked on.  So when you move away it is one of those things, like finding a doctor (on my list of things to do), a new hairstylist,ect. that is hard to do.

Yesterday my back and neck was killing me.  I tried treating it with Tylenol and heat, it helped some but by the morning and this afternoon I was in so much pain.  I knew that I needed a massage and I needed one stat.  However, I was not sure who to call or where to go and I had not seen any Groupons, ect. that interested me.  Plus I did not really want to part with $65 - $75 plus tip to get a massage.  You know me, I like my deals and I had become accustomed to paying much less.

I could not ignore the pain, so I hopped on the internet to try to locate somewhere that I could go.  I found Lumiere du corps Resort in Lebanon, IN.  I called and explained my situation and they were able to fit me in.   I was so relieved.

Meanwhile, my mom was like, you need to find a doctor too, remember I have that whole platelet issue.  Relaxation first!  In my defense I did try to call a doctor today to try to schedule an appointment in the near future but they were closed.

So off to the spa I went tonight, to be pampered and to heal this terrible pain.  They were super friendly there and give you a complimentary foot soak when you arrive.  Then it was time for my massage. Ahhhhh...it was very relaxing and afterwards I could actually move.  I felt so much better.  At the end of it she recommended that I come back soon.  You think?  Poor lady had a lot of work to do on my back and all of the kinks are still not out, not her fault.  She did a very good job and I enjoyed it but I do miss my old massage therapist.

I did schedule another appointment because if I scheduled one I could receive a 90 minute massage for the price of the 60 minute massage.  So of course I had to schedule one!

I am not sure how often I will go in the future or if that is where I will end up going but for now I am one happy and relaxed lady.

So I will continue to watch for Groupons, ect. for massages and will remember to de-stress more often not necessarily with a massage but just by relaxing.

Always remember it is good to treat your body right and if you can treat yourself to a massage, facial, manicure or whatever relaxes you then do it.

Until next time try to relax and enjoy life and some adventures!


Sunday, June 17, 2012

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all of you fathers out there!  I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend or day with your family.

We actually celebrated Father's Day on Saturday.  My dad is retired now so he works at a gold course.  I know many people are jealous but not me.  Anyways, since golf is obviously a popular way to spend Father's Day he was going to be working today so we opted to celebrate on Saturday.

We were hounding him for a couple of weeks leading up to Father's Day to see what he wanted to do.  He finally came up with a list and brought it with him to the baseball game on Tuesday.  I was very impressed with some of the items he had on his list.  Just to name a few he had canoeing, zip lining, segway tour, Wright Patterson Air Force museum (Dayton, OH), Men In Black III in 3-D, dinner at Mississippi Belle, ect. and of course golf (not impressed with this).  I was impressed because usually we go mini golfing or bowling and then cook out.  The Husband's vote was for the museum, mom thought this sounded like a good idea as well and I said whatever made dad happy, I would be good with.  So it sounded like we were going to the museum.

Then towards the end of the week Dad decided that the museum would probably be to busy.  The Husband was crushed but Dad said he would take him sometime this fall.  Mom figured since it was supposed to be so hot out and she did not want to spend the day out in the heat, that he would choose the movie and dinner.  She was wrong.  Drum roll please...he chose golf and dinner at Mississippi Belle (Soul food).  <Shaking my head.>  I had been so impressed but golf .  Really?  Come on Dad you golf almost everyday and work at the golf course, you have this awesome list and you choose golfing?  Not to mention the fact that I do not golf, I have no interest in the sport.  Dad tried to get me interested, I even took lessons in high school.  Sadly I was a disappointment and just never took to the game.

So like a good daughter I sucked it up and went to the golf course with them.  However, I was told I could just ride in the golf cart and watch.  Yay!  At least they were only playing at a nine hole, three par course, not the course my Dad works at.  Thankfully I had gotten a library card the day before and had checked out some books (remember we just moved.)  So off we went in the carts, on an extremely hot day.

Now I said I would suck it up but I did not say that I would behave entirely.  I of course had to make some comments throughout the game.  I mean come on, I had to entertain myself somehow.  Needless to say I think they learned a lesson and I will be left at home next time <evil laugh.>

Now what I failed to mention was that during the golf game the Husband's pants split in the front.  Hilarious by the way and not towards the end of the game but on hole #3.  We definitely had some good laughs at his expense.  Since we were going out to dinner after this we had to stop at Kohl's to buy him a new pair of pants, meanwhile he had duct taped the old ones.  He was very expensive that day, new pants and new shoes (tires) for Zippy.

Well the Husband was finally dressed and ready to go to dinner so we headed out to Mississippi Belle a restaurant in Indianapolis that serves Soul food.  I was in love, I was in grease and butter heaven.  Man was this some of the best food I have ever had.  I could hear my arteries choking.  The Husband announced that he wanted to come back for his birthday (in July), although today he mentioned that he wanted to go to Fast Times go karting, so who knows.  As if we had not had enough to eat on the way back to my parent's house we stopped at Handel's to get some ice cream.  By the time we arrived back to their house I think we were all pretty much in a food coma so we decided to stay the night.

On Father's Day, since Dad was working, Mom had decided that she would come over to our place to hang out and help with a little more unpacking.  No we are still not finished unpacking everything, it is a process.  The original plan was for her to drive out and follow us but then we decided she could just ride with me and Dad could come and get her later.  This way we could grill out and they could eat here.  So we did end up spending a little bit of time with Dad today.  We and by we I mean the Husband grilled out some very delicious steaks, while Mom and I got the sides ready and Dad watched golf.  I am beginning to think he needs to go to a golfer's anonymous group.

So I think my Dad had a great weekend and the Husband and I enjoyed ourselves as well.  I just want to know when it will be my turn to do something that I want to do.  Maybe next weekend, oh crap, that might not happen either since I think the air show is that weekend and I know the Husband would love to go. I will just say this, when it is my turn they will all pay!!!

Happy Father's Day!  Until next time keep on adventuring!


Thursday, June 14, 2012

Take Me Out To The Ball Game...

Ahhh summer...brings the joy of being able to go to a baseball game, minor league that is.  I am not a huge baseball fan, never really found the game all that exciting but I do enjoy going to a minor league game every once and awhile.  It is great for people watching and enjoying the outdoors.

Tuesday night the Husband and I went to an Indianapolis Indians game, at Victory Field with my parents.  You know how I love a deal and my parents had picked up some coupons for a Tuesday night game, where you could buy one ticket and get one free.  Even better they paid for ours!  Now if the food was not so expensive at games it would have been perfect.  However, I did promise the husband if we went we could eat there, so that he could get a hot dog.  I can always lure the Husband anywhere with the promise of food.

So we went and enjoyed the game.  The weather was perfect and you could feel a breeze.  It was definitely a great middle of the week outing or I guess beginning of the week.  I have always enjoyed going to a game at Victory field but I do have to admit that the Slugger Stadium in Louisville is a bit nicer.

So if you are looking for something to do this summer either while in Indianapolis or Louisville think about going to see a minor league game.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Worse Hotel Ever!!!



Traveler beware.  Do not, I repeat do not ever book a room at the Holiday Inn in Clarksville, IN.  I would have to say this is by far the worst hotel I have ever checked in to and by checked in I mean, we checked out right away.


I guess I should start at the beginning.  The Husband's birthday is coming up soon and he decided that for his birthday gift this year he would like to attend the KYSCCA Autocross Driving School in Louisville.  The cost would also include the entry fee for the autocross event the next day. So I thought to myself, well why not make a weekend out of it.  So I contacted my BF, I Miss Your Face, to see what her plans were for that weekend.  I Miss Your Face was available so I decided to search and book a hotel room.  I scored the rates, ect. to see what our best option would be and wouldn't you know, there was a point break for the Holiday Inn in Clarksville, IN.  This meant it was only going to cost me 10,000 points for two nights.  I was super excited and quickly booked a room for two nights.  BIG MISTAKE!


So off we went on the Husband's birthday adventure.  We arrived there probably a little after 10:00 p.m., he ran in to check in and then we darted over to Chuy's for dinner before they closed.  When we got back I stopped in the lobby to see if we could get a tube of toothpaste, since I did not bring any.  Now keep in mind we had not seen our hotel room.  As I am standing in line, in the lobby, I am trying really hard not to stare at the two ladies in front of me, that are checking in.  It was really hard not to stare, I am 98% positive that they were hookers, prostitutes, working girls, what ever you want to call them.  I was beginning to wonder what I had gotten us in to.  However, I just rolled with it, I mean I guess working girls have to stay somewhere too.  So I got our toothpaste, hopped back in our car and we drove around to the back of the hotel.   Gulp, it looked really run down, the lighting was terrible and I am not going to lie it was a bit scary.  I thought to myself, appearances can be deceiving, everything will be just fine.  Finally, we have made it to our room, we our both so tired, all we want to do is fall asleep, especially since the husband was going to have to be at the driving school at 8:00 a.m. the next morning.  We walk in and there is this overpowering flowery perfume smell, you can't breathe...These type of scents really effect my asthma and it was so strong that it was even bothering the Husband.  So he called down to the front desk, they said they would check to see if there was another room available and would call us right back.  Five minutes goes by...then ten minutes...finally they called back.  They only had one more room available, it was a handicap accessible room, so it would not have a tub.  Whatever, no problem, we will take it, maybe we will be able to finally breathe.  They told him that someone would be up to bring us our new room keys shortly.  Five minutes...ten minutes...fifteen minutes...come on, how long does it take to bring us a new room key.  They call and say that someone is on their way now with the key.  Finally it arrives, we grab our stuff and head to the new room.  Ewwww...this one smells like mildew, musty and a strong minty smell (like they were trying to cover something up.  The Husband says he wants to leave, I say let's deal with it tomorrow.  Then I look at the bed...gross!!!!  We will not discuss what type of stains are on the blanket but let's just say not the type of stains you want to see.  That is it we are leaving.  We grabbed our stuff, hopped in the car, pull around to the lobby and the Husband calls Priority Club.  He had to explain the issue to two people, they wanted us to check out and call back.  He refuses and says that he will check out while on the phone with them.  We check out, the points are refunded and they have found us the last hotel room at Candlewood Suites, in Clarksville, IN.  The hitch is, I now have to use 30,000 points <sigh> and someone else wants the room but if we can get there in 20 min.  it is ours.  I get on the phone with the woman to confirm we want to reserve the room, of course her accent is strong (really it is after midnight, I am exhausted and I have to deal with this), I am having a hard time understanding her but I get the gist that the 30,000 points have been used to reserve the room but if we don't arrive by 12:45 a.m. we will lose it, since someone else wants it.  SERIOUSLY???!!!???  We arrive in time and the front desk clerk was so nice and understanding.  Apparently this is a common issue that they have, with individuals flocking from that Holiday Inn.  We get checked in and in to our room.  Of course the only one available was a handicap access room with a queen bed, so no bathtub for me and no king bed but at least we had a room and it was clean and wonderful. So I highly recommend this hotel to anyone who will be in the area, Candlewood Suites that is, not Holiday Inn in Clarksville.


The rest of the weekend was wonderful!  The Husband enjoyed his lesson on Saturday and took 2nd place in his class in the autocross race on Sunday.  I got to see I Miss Your Face on Saturday and Sunday, which was great because I missed her face.  Then on the way home we stopped at Edinburgh outlets and went shopping.  So over all the weekend was great, except for the scary hotel.


So that was our adventure for the weekend.  I think I am done with hotel adventures for awhile or at least bad hotel adventures.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Cooking Goddess????

So in the past I have blogged a little bit about not being a domestic goddess and that I do not really cook.  Well I think I might just turn out to be a cooking goddess, there is still hope left.  Yes, that is right I have been cooking since we have moved and this week I tried out two new recipes <insert pat on the back here>.

One night I made southwest lasagna rolls for dinner.  The Husband is not a huge fan of ricotta cheese.  How could you not like ricotta cheese cooked in things.  Well he doesn't, fortunately for him he was saved by my parents surprising us with Portillio's, on their way home from Chicago.  He was saved and did not have to eat it for dinner.  I simply packed it up, sent some home with my parents for them to eat as leftovers and saved some for me to eat for lunch.  The Husband did try it and declared that it had to much ricotta in it.  As far as my thoughts on the recipe, it was not bad but it was a little bland.  So next time I will need to add something to it, not sure what but I will figure it out.

Tonight I made Cantonese beef.  It was a hit and we both liked it!  The Husband was a very happy husband.  Darn, now he is going to expect me to cook more.  Hmmmm....must make more recipes with ricotta cheese.  This was the first time that I had cooked with a dutch oven and I was impressed. I might just have to keep my parent's dutch oven, shhhh don't tell them.  My dad made me promise that I would return it.

The other nights we did not eat out, in fact I do not think that we have eaten out for dinner this whole week <insert another pat on the back here>.  One night the Husband cooked (I love you dear!), another night we ate at my parent's house and last night was fend for yourself, which means the Husband ate leftover ham from my parent's dinner and I had some bread and butter, I was not feeling very well last night.

So there might be hope for me yet!  I am already planning what I might make next week.  Ricotta, ricotta, ricotta...


Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Moving is Expensive With a Capital E

I know, I know, you are sitting there saying, "duh, well of course moving is expensive!"  I guess it was one of those repressive memories of mine; something that I did not want to think about.  So as I sit here typing this I feel a lot lighter and not in the I have lost weight or spiritual way but in the way that hits your pocketbook.

I could list out all of things that are so costly about moving but that would be boring and does anyone really care?  Probably not.  There are just all of those big and small expenses that add up and make you groan.  So folks let this be a lesson for you, DON'T MOVE, even if your husband is transferred.  Okay, that is not really realistic.

I guess the Husband and I will be eating ramen noodles for the next month or so.  Nah, just kidding.  I have been learning to meal plan.  I am on this kick that we are going to stop eating out as much and start eating at home and so far we have been doing pretty good with this.  We have had a couple of slip ups but we are on our way.  Tonight was something easy, sloppy joes and tater tots because I thought that we were going to be putting furniture pad things (whatever) on our chairs and kitchen table and then the new rug underneath (this is a whole different story but long story short, our kitchen chairs do not like the vinyl flooring in our kitchen).  However, the Husband came home from work today and announced, "golf hurts" (he went golfing with my father yesterday).  So, I knew right then and there that this project would not be accomplished tonight.  No problem I have lots of other things to do, the boxes keeping yelling things at me like, "unpack me".  Maybe those are just the voices in my head, I am not really sure.

So tonight's lessons are moving is expensive and "golf hurts".  With that being said I think many of our adventures in the next coming weeks will involve getting settled in.  

Monday, May 21, 2012

Goodbye Kentuckiana

Wow two blogs in one day.  Don't worry, I will not make a habit of this.  :-)  I just feel like I should write a goodbye message to Kentuckiana, since I spent almost 2 1/2 years of my life there and the first part of my marriage.

Time sure did fly by while we were there.  I had mixed emotions about this move, part of me was excited because it would be a new adventure and we would be closer to my parents.  Then there was a part of me that was nervous because we would have to settle in somewhere new and make new friends, although I am not that far away from old friends, from when I lived in Central Indiana before.  Then part of me was sad because there are many things, places and people that I will miss in Kentuckiana.

Some of the things, places and people that I will miss...

1. Living near my cousin, his wife and their three girls.  The Husband and I will really miss seeing them on a regular basis.  Those girls sure do have the Husband wrapped around their little fingers.

2. The ladies at Bible study/book group.  I learned so much from all of them and enjoyed spending time and studying with them.

3.  Calvary Christian Church (Sellersburg, IN)

4.  CC Spa (New Albany, IN) - Wonderful place where I spent every other Saturday getting a massage, Melanie was a wonderful massage therapist and I will miss her.  I will also miss my membership where I received 50% off all services. They no longer offer the 50% but I think they have a 35% off all services membership plan now.

5.  My hairstylist Emmy.  She was great!  She did work at Design Images but they have recently closed so she is lined up to go to a new salon, I just do not remember the name right now.

6. Downtown Louisville - There is just so much to do there, lots of museums, activities, the waterfront, ect.

7.  Lights Under Louisville - The Christmas light exhibit at the Mega Cavern in Louisville, KY.

8.  Zaytuns - A wonderful Mediterranean restaurant on Bardstown Rd. in Lousiville.  Their Gyros and Tribal Fries were to die for.

9.  Chuy's - A Tex - Mex restaurant in Clarksville, IN and Louisville, KY.  Their fajitas are melt in your mouth delicious.

10.  The rent we were paying at the apartment complex we lived at.  Please do not mistake this as missing the apartment because I will not miss that, just the price we paid in rent.

11.  My best friend, her husband and their dog, who just moved down to the Kentuckiana area from Central Indiana.  We were like ships passing in the night.  I was so excited that she was moving down and would be closer to us but then we were transferred.  We had some good times together before Kentuckiana and while in Kentuckiana and there will be more good times to come.

There are other individuals and places I will miss about the area but the above is a list of some of them.  So goodbye Kentuckiana.  You will be missed but I will see you soon and I am ready for the next adventure that life brings (please don't let it be a bad one).

I Hate Moving

I think the title of my blog about sums it up.  I hate moving!  No matter how organized you think you may be not everything always goes as planned and anyone who tells you differently is lying.  They have blocked the memory of their moves from their minds.

Yes, folks that is right we have moved.  We are no longer in the Southern Indiana/Louisville Indiana area, we are now located in Central Indiana.  The Husband's job transferred him so now we are in a new area. I will also need to change the title of my blog page.

So I am not going to lie, I was not as organized as I could have been this move but I do think it was better then some times in the past. I think what made it most difficult was that the Husband was on a job assignment somewhere else 7-8 weeks (I lost count, it was way too long) leading up to our move.  Which meant that he was only available on the weekends to help, including us finding a new place to live.  However, my mom, who is one of the most wonderful women on earth took some time off right before the move and during the move to help.  Bless her!

Moving day arrived on Wednesday and I had to go in to work, so mom and the Husband went to pick up the truck, waited on the movers to load the truck and were loading the rest of the odds and ends.  When I got home from work there was still a lot to do.  The movers had come and gone but there were so many misc. items that needed to be loaded or thrown away.  It felt like the longest day ever!  I am not sure I can even describe it, by the end of the day I think we all wanted to kill one another. Finally around 11:30 p.m. everything was loaded up in the cars, the truck and the apartment was cleaned.  We were all so exhausted and we did not want mom to have to drive the Husband's car up that late so we dropped it off, where the Husband had been working, prior to the transfer, for us to come and pick up later.  Mom and I took turns driving and drove to their place, we finally arrived there a little after 2:00 a.m. The Husband drove the moving truck straight on to our new place since the movers would be there to unload that morning.

On Thursday the truck was unloaded but since we had not completed painting (we still need to finish painting) bedroom furniture, ect. are in the middle of the rooms.  Much of the kitchen was unloaded and the family room put together, minus painting.

Of course, issues still arose.  On Saturday I went to pick up the router for our internet connection at mom and dad's place (we had it shipped there).  I ran a couple of more errands and then it was back to my new home.  We were unable to get our computer chairs on the truck or in our cars, so we went out to search for a new computer chair for me.  I found one and we went back home.  That night the Husband was trying to get the router set up and could not get an internet connection, he decided to put the chair together.  There was something bent on it and it was crooked, so he knew we would have to exchange it.  He then resumed with calling AT&T and troubleshooting, they went through the whole spiel and then said it would cost us $55.00 if they sent a tech out and it was on our end.  Which is their standard answer, by this time it was after midnight so he gave up.  On Sunday morning he called back to see if we could get a tech out to take a look (keep in mind we still needed to go and pick up his car in New Albany).  They said they had figured out the issue was on their end and they would send a tech out between 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.  At this point I am sitting there thinking please be closer to noon.  Well what do you know the tech showed up at 11:30 a.m. (fist pump).  Turns out the issue was that the boxes on the side of the duplex were not labeled and the previous tech had a 50/50 chance of hooking it up to the right unit, he chose wrong.  So the new tech hooked everything up correctly and we were online.

Now to figure out the chair issue.  Since we did not want to dismantle the chair we loaded it up in the car as is, hoping that we could get it in there and head straight down to New Albany to pick up his car.  No such luck, the chair fit but it meant that I would not fit.  So the husband went to exchange it, they only had one chair left in stock.

We finally were able to head down and get his car.  We arrived home about 9:00 p.m. and boy were we exhausted.

So like I said, I hate moving.  I am glad to finally be in our new place.  We still have lots of unpacking to do but it is a process.  The main thing is we are here, safe, healthy and settled.  Plus I am all set up to work from home now.

So watch for our next adventure.  Maybe I should rename it living in box land and unpacking.  :-)

Friday, April 13, 2012

Feeling Sassy

Yes, that is right folks I am feeling SASSY.  Why am I feeling sassy?  Well I am feeling sassy because I now have some read streaks in my hair.  Yes mom, they are red.

Last night I went to get my hair done and decided that we would add some of the streaks where you could see them and my hair stylist did an amazing job.  So much so that she decided she just might do that to her hair as well, her and I have very similar hair, in color and in curl (oh how I wish I had straighter hair).

So I am now sporting red streaks, at first I thought that maybe it was a little much in the front but I have been assured by multiple people that it looks great and this was without me asking.  Plus red does not always hold well with blond, so it will fade a bit.

Now we just need to see how the Husband feels about it.  So excited that he will be coming home tonight and that we will have a couple of days to spend together!  The honey do list keeps getting longer and longer.

So keep it SASSY folks!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Missing My Husband

Well I am feeling kind of sad tonight and blah.  I am missing my husband something terrible!  I just have that overall blah feeling, I am sure you know what I am saying.

The day did not start out bad and I guess overall it has not been a bad day.  The work day went by fast and I got a lot done, which is always a good thing.  Then the work day ended, I got in my car and I felt lonely, knowing that I would be going home to an empty apartment, so I decided to stop and a get a small pepperoni pizza with extra cheese from the New Albanian.  So home I went with my little pizza and I sat down to watch Smash (love this show).  Nope, I was still feeling lonely.  Off to the computer I went to download some songs from itunes, thinking to myself if I have some new songs on my ipod then I will be motivated enough to clean the bathroom.  Yeah, that is not working out so well for me, considering that I decided to start listening to my songs on the computer and then moseyed on over to my blog and thought, well hey, I might as well blog about missing my husband.

I guess I should explain why I miss my husband.  He is on a six week job assignment right now, so I only get to see him a couple of days a week.  Now if you knew my husband you would be like, why do you miss him?  No I am just kidding, you would not say that unless you were a family member.  Kidding...kind of.

So here I sit missing him and feeling sorry for myself.  Bad me!  In my defense though since we have been married we have not really spent that many nights a part, so I kind of got used to having him around.

So dear, this blog is for you, I miss you and love you!

Well I hear the bathroom calling me, it is saying clean me...I think the laundry is screaming at me to.  See what happens when the husband is gone?  Just kidding. :-)

I will try to blog more often, until next time.  Hope everyone is having a better night then me!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Three States, One Weekend!

So this weekend we visited three states.  I know, I know that is not always an accomplishment, especially if you live on the east coast or if you are taking a road trip.  However, it can be an accomplishment in the mid-west. Right?  Maybe?  Okay, we do live in one of the states but we did actually do activities in all three states.

What states did we visit this weekend?  Well we visited Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. It was a very busy weekend!

It is always nice to take a mini vacation and get away for a little bit.  This weekend the Husband had something to do for work on Saturday afternoon in Covington, KY. Please note this is not something that his company was paying for us to stay overnight, ect. and  we had already been planning on visiting the Cincinnati area sometime in the near future since, 1.  We had been wanting to take a trip to Cincinnati (I have not been since I was little and went to Kings Island.) 2. We had purchased two admissions to the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY off of DealChicken (I know, I know, me and my deals right?  Seriously this was a good deal!) And since we had not seen my parents in a little bit we decided to invite them along for one of the nights that we would be staying there.

Since the Husband's work thing was being held at the Holiday Inn (Cincinnati-Riverfront) hotel in Covington, KY, we decided to go ahead and book our rooms there.  Which worked for me because if you have read any of my past posts then you will know that I am a Priority Club Member (I love to earn points) or we have a friends and family discount that we can use for the Holiday Inn family brand.  Of course, you can not use both. :-)  This time since there was a points promotion going on and the friends and family discount would only save me about $30.00 w/taxes included in this figure for two nights, so $15.00 a night, I decided to spend the extra money so I could get the points.  This was a much better deal for us.  The Holiday Inn that we stayed at was on the older side and in an older section of town, maybe a little rougher at night but it was not to bad.  The rooms were updated and clean, the staff was friendly and we had a view of the river.  So I was a happy camper.

We arrived later on Friday night, checked in and then headed across the street to try out Skyline Chili.  Yuck!  That is what I have to say about that.  Sorry to all of you Cincinnati folks who love this place but I thought it was disgusting.  I will stick to Steak N' Shake's chili in the future.

The next morning we slept in a little bit and took our time getting ready, you can do this when you do not have children. Well I do have the Husband and he can be very difficult to get up in the mornings, on the weekend.  However, we were up and ready and decided to grab an early lunch before his work thing, which was at one.  We walked across the street to try out Riverfront Pizza, oh urbanspoon, you let me down.  This place had good reviews and was cheap so we figured we would give it a try.  I think I will use the phrase I used above, Yuck!  Their meatball sub was pretty good but their pizza was terrible.  It tasted like a cheap tombstone to me.  At this point in time we were batting a zero on the restaurant front. After lunch it was back to our room while the Husband prepared for his work thing and I waited for my parents to arrive.

The Husband went off to his work thing and my parents arrived.  Now, if you have ever vacationed with my Father, you would know that you need a vacation after the vacation.  He will wear you out!  First stop was the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption.  It is free to tour but donations are accepted.  I was very impressed.  The pictures we took do not do the stained glassed windows or the church justice.  I think that this Catholic Church was even more beautiful then many of the Churches that I saw in France.  It was breathtaking.






Next, were were off to Loveland, OH to visit the Chateau Laroche (Castle).  Now, I admit I was not very impressed with this destination.  I just did not think that it was that neat but it was only $3.00 dollars to get in so at least there was not a lot of money spent.  You tour yourself and there is not really that much to see.  The story surrounding it is neat but that is about the only thing I thought was impressive about it. So moving on.

The next destination was to Graeter's Ice Cream shop.  Now, I had been to a Graeter's Ice Cream shop around where I live and I had not been impressed but my parents had been to one in Cincinnati before and wanted to go and get a snack. Well, I am glad we went, I got a frozen coffee drink that was to die for, so maybe it is just the Graeter's around me that is not that great.

Now the time to meet back up with the Husband had come.  Did I mention the fact that his work thing had finished while we were gone, so he went over to Cincinnati to visit a computer store and a couple of gun shops?  How did he get out of sightseeing with my parents?

We had reservations that night to eat at the Bonefish Grill.  Now, I realize this is a chain but I have to admit I love their fish.  If you can't have fresh fish on the east coast, then I am happy with the Bonefish.  This worked out perfectly because my parents had a gift card and we did too!  So all we basically owed at the end of our meal was the tip.  What a way to save money and have a nice and enjoyable meal!

The night was over and it was time to retire to our rooms for the night.  I knew my Dad would be up early in the morning and ready to go and do things.  So early we rose and packed our stuff.  It was time for breakfast, we can't miss the most important meal of the day can we?  The Husband got to pick where we went.  Mom and I were really hoping he would choose well or Dad would take his choosing privileges away in the future. So his choice, drum roll please...First Watch.  Phew, he picked a good one, Dad will let him choose places in the future. Urbanspoon, you did not let us down this time!  After breakfast was done we killed a little time before heading to the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY.  This is where my DealChicken coupon comes in to play. DealChicken was doing a promotion that if some one signed up from your link they would get $5.00 of their purchase and once they made their purchase $10.00 would be deposited in to your account.  Since the Husband did not have an account I made him sign up so we would get $5.00 off the tickets and $10.00 in my account.  So total purchase price $20.00, not to bad!  Since the tickets are usually $25.00 a person, I think we got a good deal.

So we arrived at the Creation Museum.  The staff there is super friendly, I was very impressed.  The exhibits were interesting but I am not sure I would want to spend $50.00 for the both of us to go.  The tour of the museum took about 2 1/2 - 3 hrs.  I think The Husband and Dad enjoyed it more than my mom and I did. :) Unfortunately we did not get a chance to go to the petting zoo, I know I am such a kid at heart or to tour the beautiful gardens.  I was really sad about this but everyone was getting hungry and we did not want to eat there, so maybe another time.  The gardens really did look amazing!




So our next stop was how we ended up in Indiana, the closest town with some restaurants was Lawrenceburg, Indiana.  So we headed over the state line to grab something to eat.  We ended up eating at this place called Lawrenceburger.  It was a really small hamburger place and it was pretty good, if I was in the area I would eat there again.  Ironically I did not order a hamburger but I did take a bite of the Husband's burger and it was good.  I would not order the chili cheese fries again though because they were kind of watery.

Well our weekend adventure had come to an end.  It was time for my parents and the Husband and I to go our separate ways.  Them back to their home and us back to ours. It is always sad when a vacation has to come to an end, of course that is if you are enjoying your vacation and we were enjoying ours.

So until next time, when I post again!