Hope everyone is doing well. It has been a very busy month so far and looks like we'll be pretty busy right through May too.
Sara has been back in her dry and almost new apartment for a couple of weeks now. She had a bit of a hiccup the other day when the apartment manager told her she owed them for 21 days of back rent but after appealling to the landlord, she was told that they were going to credit her for the entire month. She still gets a bit nervous when it rains so they are going to start looking for a new apartment that won't be on the ground floor.
Last weekend we had a combo birthday party for my Mom and for Sara. We went to a restaurant called the Back Room and their specialty is their coconut chicken tenders. That's what I got and they were delicious. It was a fairly quiet but nice evening.
At work, we got some interesting news that the company was being sold to a company called 3L Communications based in New York. Our CEO felt the time was right to sell but he plans on being a big part of the new company in one way or another. As a gift to his employees...we were given a rather nice bonus for all of our hard work. He is a very gracious boss...very big on profit sharing. It was the biggest bonus I have ever received and I have put it away for a rainy day. Maybe next year we can use it for a vacation.
I believe they closed the deal on April 16th so it will be interesting to see if anything changes in the near future.
George has been very busy at work, plenty of overtime for him these days. He likes being busy, that's for sure. He has also been spending whatever free time he has getting the tractor up and running down in the garage. Since I have moved in here, that tractor has been in numerous pieces all over one side of the garage so I am happy to see that finally he is doing something with it. I actually heard it start up this afternoon and maybe he will be able to drive it out of the garage this evening. He is down there now tinkering with it.
I am just about ready for surgery on my hip. My date has been set for May 3rd and I just have one more appointment this week to go so hopefully all will be fine and I can finally be rid of all this pain. I am expecting to be in the hospital for 3 days and then physical therapy and recuperation for about 4-6 weeks. Say a few prayers for a quick recovery...I am a bit nervous but thrilled to know that relief is near.
We have several college graduations and parties coming up not to mention Mothers Day and several birthdays. May is going to be a busy and expensive month for sure.
I know it has been awhile since I have blogged anything but I've just been really busy. Hope the weather has been nice in your area...it surely has been beautiful around here. Enjoy spring! More sooner than later...I hope. ;-)
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Monday, April 05, 2010
This and That
Happy day after Easter. I hope everyone had a wonderful and springlike day. It was a beautiful weekend weatherwise here and we had a very nice day yesterday with family. Great company and wonderful food...who could ask for anything more?
Well my poor daughter could I guess. After spending 2 weeks in a hotel while the maintainance crew at her apartment building replaced water logged walls and carpeting in her apartment, she and Brad were finally able to go back home last Monday. They had to rearrange furniture but got their place pretty much back to normal in the few hours they had after work and before bed. Sara woke up at her usual time to get ready for work the next morning only to find the entire kitchen flooded again and the water was running into their living room all over their brand new carpet. Several feet of carpeting were soaked through. It was raining very hard outside and we were in for several days of heavy rain so she knew this was not going to end quickly. She got on the phone with the apartment manager and they came right over. Unable to do much at that moment, they made arrangements for Sara and Brad to go back to the hotel until they could clean up the mess and dry out the carpeting and walls. It has been almost a full week and they are still at La Quinta. Last she heard they might be able to move back home on Thursday. On the up side, she hadn't unpacked their suitcases and their computers were still boxed up and in the car. That was one less thing to do before heading to work, but all of the clothes in the suitcases were in need of some laundering.
To make matters worse, last Friday the toilet in the hotel room broke and she had to move all of their things four doors down to another room. She was pretty much at the end of her rope last Friday but she is now seeing the humor in everything now. After all is said and done, she will eventually see it all as an adventure I suppose. It's just kind of hard to keep perspective at this point.
The good thing is they don't have to pay rent this month and their room is being covered by management for their inconvenience.
Otherwise, things are moving along. We have birthday parties galore this month and next month we have 3 college graduations to attend (shell out money for). Hopefully things will stay quiet for a few months until Eric and Jessie's wedding in August. Somehow, I doubt that.
We've had some really warm and beautiful days lately and that means spring is here. No more snow! Now, let's hope all the rain is behind us too.
Gotta run. Have a great evening!
Well my poor daughter could I guess. After spending 2 weeks in a hotel while the maintainance crew at her apartment building replaced water logged walls and carpeting in her apartment, she and Brad were finally able to go back home last Monday. They had to rearrange furniture but got their place pretty much back to normal in the few hours they had after work and before bed. Sara woke up at her usual time to get ready for work the next morning only to find the entire kitchen flooded again and the water was running into their living room all over their brand new carpet. Several feet of carpeting were soaked through. It was raining very hard outside and we were in for several days of heavy rain so she knew this was not going to end quickly. She got on the phone with the apartment manager and they came right over. Unable to do much at that moment, they made arrangements for Sara and Brad to go back to the hotel until they could clean up the mess and dry out the carpeting and walls. It has been almost a full week and they are still at La Quinta. Last she heard they might be able to move back home on Thursday. On the up side, she hadn't unpacked their suitcases and their computers were still boxed up and in the car. That was one less thing to do before heading to work, but all of the clothes in the suitcases were in need of some laundering.
To make matters worse, last Friday the toilet in the hotel room broke and she had to move all of their things four doors down to another room. She was pretty much at the end of her rope last Friday but she is now seeing the humor in everything now. After all is said and done, she will eventually see it all as an adventure I suppose. It's just kind of hard to keep perspective at this point.
The good thing is they don't have to pay rent this month and their room is being covered by management for their inconvenience.
Otherwise, things are moving along. We have birthday parties galore this month and next month we have 3 college graduations to attend (shell out money for). Hopefully things will stay quiet for a few months until Eric and Jessie's wedding in August. Somehow, I doubt that.
We've had some really warm and beautiful days lately and that means spring is here. No more snow! Now, let's hope all the rain is behind us too.
Gotta run. Have a great evening!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Yes I Am Still Alive
Hey all
Just a quick post to let you know I am still amongst the living. Hasn't been much to post these days. Just the usual work, home, sleep and eat. It's been fairly quiet around here which is a good thing.
Our weather has improved and all the snow is gone from our yard. The trees out front have buds on them so I think we have seen the last of winter. Ice Out was declared on Lake Winni yesterday (that's a big deal around these parts), so if anyone still had a bobhouse on the lake, I suspect it is now at the bottom of the lake.
Sara has had some bad luck the last couple of weeks. With all the rain we had, her apartment got flooded and her carpeting and a couple of walls were ruined. She and Brad had to move into a hotel room for the time being while the maintainence crew knocked down some walls and replaced them. They are painting today and should have the new carpeting down on Monday so they might be able to move back in by mid week. I think she feels like she is on vacation. :-)
Other than that, it's business as usual. I hope to catch up on all of your blogs, although I think it's going to take awhile.
Enjoy the weekend!
Just a quick post to let you know I am still amongst the living. Hasn't been much to post these days. Just the usual work, home, sleep and eat. It's been fairly quiet around here which is a good thing.
Our weather has improved and all the snow is gone from our yard. The trees out front have buds on them so I think we have seen the last of winter. Ice Out was declared on Lake Winni yesterday (that's a big deal around these parts), so if anyone still had a bobhouse on the lake, I suspect it is now at the bottom of the lake.
Sara has had some bad luck the last couple of weeks. With all the rain we had, her apartment got flooded and her carpeting and a couple of walls were ruined. She and Brad had to move into a hotel room for the time being while the maintainence crew knocked down some walls and replaced them. They are painting today and should have the new carpeting down on Monday so they might be able to move back in by mid week. I think she feels like she is on vacation. :-)
Other than that, it's business as usual. I hope to catch up on all of your blogs, although I think it's going to take awhile.
Enjoy the weekend!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Pics From Dad's Birthday
It's taken awhile but I finally got the pics from my Dad's 80th birthday party at the Outback Steakhouse. My Dad is not one who is usually surprised because he tends to be a little controlling and usually is on top of everything. But even he had to admit we got him and we got him good. He thought he was going out for dinner with my Mom and my brother Henry for his birthday but little did he know that all of the immediate family was going to be there too. It's been a month and he is still talking about it. I wish we could have captured the look on his face when he realized what the heck was going on. Enjoy!
My grand niece Kendal sitting on my brother Henry. That's Eric sticking his tongue out at the camera.
Kendal is pointing at her favorite Auntie. That's my nephew Jason in the center.
My brother Dave on one side of me and George on the other.
Sara with the guest of honor.
Kendal...love those blue eyes
Show us your french fries...
The caption under this pic should be "Typical"...my brother Dave enjoying his favorite beverage.
My Mom with her great granddaughter
Pepere and his sweetheart
Group shot...my niece Crystal beside my Mom.
So there you have it. Plans are in the works for my Mom's 80th birthday in April but we have already been warned to skip the surprise party. We won't get away with that anyway...she's not having that. It may not be a surprise but one way or the other, we are going to celebrate. You only turn 80 once.
My grand niece Kendal sitting on my brother Henry. That's Eric sticking his tongue out at the camera.
Kendal is pointing at her favorite Auntie. That's my nephew Jason in the center.
My brother Dave on one side of me and George on the other.
Sara with the guest of honor.
Kendal...love those blue eyes
Show us your french fries...
The caption under this pic should be "Typical"...my brother Dave enjoying his favorite beverage.
My Mom with her great granddaughter
Pepere and his sweetheart
Group shot...my niece Crystal beside my Mom.
So there you have it. Plans are in the works for my Mom's 80th birthday in April but we have already been warned to skip the surprise party. We won't get away with that anyway...she's not having that. It may not be a surprise but one way or the other, we are going to celebrate. You only turn 80 once.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Western Carribean Cruise 2010
Good Morning all. Hope you are all shovelled out from all of the record snowfall all over the US. Luckily New Hampshire was spared and we only got an inch or so yesterday and nothing at all from last weeks blast. We were also very lucky to not have our connecting flight home through DC like we did last year, although we did have a few concerns about Newark but managed to get home from our vacation without a whole lot of trouble.
The cruise was wonderful. 80 degree weather all week, mostly sun but we had a couple spells where we had rain and/or clouds. Still, no complaints from this lady. I was perfectly happy to be in the tropics.
We started out in Miami, which I found a little chilly.
The skies were overcast but the city was bustling due to the Pro Bowl football game and preparations for the Super Bowl game on the following Sunday.
We found our Stateroom to be cozy and we had a spacious balcony to watch the world go by. I got myself a fruity drink with an umbrella and let the festivities begin.
After unpacking and taking a quick walk around the ship we got ready for dinner. The dining room was beautiful.
We met our week long dining partners, Larry and Chris from Ohio. Very nice folks who helped make our week a lot of fun. As we got to know them over the next 7 days, we found we had a lot in common and we became fast friends. Even our head server thought we were long time friends and had trouble believing we had just met.
Speaking of our head server, Zuzannah is from Hungary and really made our dining experience on the Carnival Valor a wonderful experience. We had plenty of dishes to choose from such as lobster, prime rib, shrimp, baby back ribs, talipia, salmon, various pasta dishes, and George's favorite Flat Iron Steak with baked potato. I tried something different every night and my favorite meal by far was the ribs. Messy but delish. I also enjoyed the different desserts, one was the baked alaska and the other a rich and decadent chocolate espresso cake.
Here are a few pics taken from around the ship. Notice the exquisite art work.
First port of call was Grand Cayman. We woke up to a glorious sunrise and quickly showered and headed to the breakfast buffet.
Lovely area, clean and very nice and accomodating people. George and I walked around and shopped for a few hours. We ran into Big Black Dick and learned about his claim to fame. I thought it was hilarious and had to take pics to share.
Next stop...Roatan Hondurous. We couldn't dock at our original port because of the high winds so we had to dock at another spot. We were warned that the area might not be the most safe but there was lots of nice shops to enjoy as long as we stayed within the secured area. George and I also decided that with the storm clouds approaching, we weren't going to venture too far anyway. We did enjoy some of the native dances and did a little shopping.
I found that Santa even has a workshop in the Carribean.
We left Roatan around 6pm and George took these beautiful pictures of the sunset.
Isn't that a pretty sight?
In the evenings, after a wonderful dinner, we usually took in a show on board the ship. Unfortunately cameras aren't allowed in the theatre but we did see some really funny comedians, a magician and an awesome juggler. Imagine juggling on rocky seas. That poor guy had quite a challenge but he was really good.
Next stop...Belize. Lovely city and we visited my favorite store.
We sampled some rumcakes...yummm. Then stopped for a Belizian?? beer at Bandito's. This husband and wife entertained the crowd with some local music.
I really would have liked to have been able to spend more time in Belize. There is so much history there and I would like to be able to explore the ruins there one day. Several of the shore excursions that were offered to tour the ruins were 5-6 hours long and we had to pick and choose as to what we could fit in. We opted for a 1 hour tour around the city which just made me want to see more. Definitely plan to visit Belize again.
My favorite port of call though was Puerta Maya Cozumel. I really enjoyed my time there and would have enjoyed spending another day or two there. The beach was pristine, the water just a perfect shade of turquoise and the weather was perfect. We walked around and did a lot of shopping, we had a drink at the Three Amigos Bar and just enjoyed the day.
We left Cozumel on Friday and headed back to Florida. We had been hearing about all the snow being dumped on the mid Atlantic states and hoped we would actually be able to get into and out of the airports. As it turned out, we had no problems. Larry and Chris, our new cruise buddies, were not as lucky. They ended up landing in Indianapolis but had to stay at a hotel because the roads were impassible after 15 inches of snow. Several of the major highways were closed so their vacation continued for one more day. LOL
Anyway, we got back to cold New England and reality late Sunday night. Not sure when we will get away like that again so I made sure to enjoy every second of it. It was really nice and relaxing and spending our 1st wedding anniversary on a cruise was a wonderful second honeymoon. I hope you enjoyed hearing about our adventure and seeing the pictures. We took about 300 pictures so it was hard to pick and choose the better ones. I hope I did the whole trip justice.
On our last night on board, we managed to get a few nice sunset shots. Kind of makes me want to go cruising again real soon. On that note...enjoy.
The cruise was wonderful. 80 degree weather all week, mostly sun but we had a couple spells where we had rain and/or clouds. Still, no complaints from this lady. I was perfectly happy to be in the tropics.
We started out in Miami, which I found a little chilly.
The skies were overcast but the city was bustling due to the Pro Bowl football game and preparations for the Super Bowl game on the following Sunday.
We found our Stateroom to be cozy and we had a spacious balcony to watch the world go by. I got myself a fruity drink with an umbrella and let the festivities begin.
After unpacking and taking a quick walk around the ship we got ready for dinner. The dining room was beautiful.
We met our week long dining partners, Larry and Chris from Ohio. Very nice folks who helped make our week a lot of fun. As we got to know them over the next 7 days, we found we had a lot in common and we became fast friends. Even our head server thought we were long time friends and had trouble believing we had just met.
Speaking of our head server, Zuzannah is from Hungary and really made our dining experience on the Carnival Valor a wonderful experience. We had plenty of dishes to choose from such as lobster, prime rib, shrimp, baby back ribs, talipia, salmon, various pasta dishes, and George's favorite Flat Iron Steak with baked potato. I tried something different every night and my favorite meal by far was the ribs. Messy but delish. I also enjoyed the different desserts, one was the baked alaska and the other a rich and decadent chocolate espresso cake.
Here are a few pics taken from around the ship. Notice the exquisite art work.
First port of call was Grand Cayman. We woke up to a glorious sunrise and quickly showered and headed to the breakfast buffet.
Lovely area, clean and very nice and accomodating people. George and I walked around and shopped for a few hours. We ran into Big Black Dick and learned about his claim to fame. I thought it was hilarious and had to take pics to share.
Next stop...Roatan Hondurous. We couldn't dock at our original port because of the high winds so we had to dock at another spot. We were warned that the area might not be the most safe but there was lots of nice shops to enjoy as long as we stayed within the secured area. George and I also decided that with the storm clouds approaching, we weren't going to venture too far anyway. We did enjoy some of the native dances and did a little shopping.
I found that Santa even has a workshop in the Carribean.
We left Roatan around 6pm and George took these beautiful pictures of the sunset.
Isn't that a pretty sight?
In the evenings, after a wonderful dinner, we usually took in a show on board the ship. Unfortunately cameras aren't allowed in the theatre but we did see some really funny comedians, a magician and an awesome juggler. Imagine juggling on rocky seas. That poor guy had quite a challenge but he was really good.
Next stop...Belize. Lovely city and we visited my favorite store.
We sampled some rumcakes...yummm. Then stopped for a Belizian?? beer at Bandito's. This husband and wife entertained the crowd with some local music.
I really would have liked to have been able to spend more time in Belize. There is so much history there and I would like to be able to explore the ruins there one day. Several of the shore excursions that were offered to tour the ruins were 5-6 hours long and we had to pick and choose as to what we could fit in. We opted for a 1 hour tour around the city which just made me want to see more. Definitely plan to visit Belize again.
My favorite port of call though was Puerta Maya Cozumel. I really enjoyed my time there and would have enjoyed spending another day or two there. The beach was pristine, the water just a perfect shade of turquoise and the weather was perfect. We walked around and did a lot of shopping, we had a drink at the Three Amigos Bar and just enjoyed the day.
We left Cozumel on Friday and headed back to Florida. We had been hearing about all the snow being dumped on the mid Atlantic states and hoped we would actually be able to get into and out of the airports. As it turned out, we had no problems. Larry and Chris, our new cruise buddies, were not as lucky. They ended up landing in Indianapolis but had to stay at a hotel because the roads were impassible after 15 inches of snow. Several of the major highways were closed so their vacation continued for one more day. LOL
Anyway, we got back to cold New England and reality late Sunday night. Not sure when we will get away like that again so I made sure to enjoy every second of it. It was really nice and relaxing and spending our 1st wedding anniversary on a cruise was a wonderful second honeymoon. I hope you enjoyed hearing about our adventure and seeing the pictures. We took about 300 pictures so it was hard to pick and choose the better ones. I hope I did the whole trip justice.
On our last night on board, we managed to get a few nice sunset shots. Kind of makes me want to go cruising again real soon. On that note...enjoy.
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