Is it just me or did November fly by?! We enjoyed a quiet Thanksgiving at home after a morning stop at a bar on the beach called Pete's. It's a yearly tradition for the street the bar is on to be closed and for everyone to gather and have fun Thanksgiving morning while the turkey is cooking! We threw ours in the crockpot this year and headed on out.....the street was crazy-crowded, but the sun was out and the weather was warm....great start to the holiday!
Black Friday started at 10:30 am for us this year.....a first for us to be starting so late!!! But in the wee hours of Thursday morning I was able to get all the BF sales online and finished all of my Christmas shopping except for one person......sleep-deprived, but a happy girl! We wandered around the mall Friday to see the crowds, enjoy the warm weather, and to scoop up some last minute deals (which we did!). Even the cats got a new bed on sale, so everyone was happy. After stopping back at home to eat some leftovers, we headed downtown to see the lighting of the Jacksonville Christmas tree......very lame indeed. We thought that we were going to see the lighted boat parade and great fireworks too, but apparently SOMEBODY read the website wrong and we were there a day early. We were not happy campers, but at least the forecast for rain held off.
We were able to put up all of our Christmas decorations and lights yesterday, so we'll get to enjoy them for a little while before we head up north. All in all we had a very nice, but very busy holiday weekend. Tomorrow it's back to reality with work and school. Bill has to travel for business this week to Ft. Myers, so he's hitting the ground running.
Hope that everyone had a happy and restful holiday!!!
(As soon as I figure out how to get pictures off my phone I will post them!)
Monday, December 1, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Long time, no write!
Hey all,
I realized today that it's been a month since we last updated the blog. Wish I could write more exciting things, but not a whole lot has changed here! Let's see....the end of October brought my birthday and a fun day with Bill. We engaged in one of my favorite activities, shopping, and then off to dinner at Ruth's Chris. The restaurant is downtown, right on the river, and we had a delicious dinner while enjoying the view of the boats and downtown lit up at night.
Halloween came and went with 97 trick or treaters! We ran out of candy and had to shut off the lights. Bill stated that we should have bought more, but I thought that with 600 houses in our neighborhood, the kids wouldn't be lacking just because we ran out. It looked like a block party with crowds in the street and the hayride that went by (we still have no idea where this hayride comes from every year....this year it was pulled by a very unsafe-looking 4-wheeler). For some reason, the big hit with the toddler crowd was the river rocks in the plant beds....they were more interested in putting those in their buckets than the candy. Gonna need another truck load delivered.
Not sure how it got to be November 20th so soon.....the month is racing by at a breakneck speed. Tomorrow night we are volunteering at a work event for my company to help raise funds for our programs. The clinic has a silent auction every year and this year should be our biggest yet (she says with fingers-crossed!). The money goes towards our autism and Down syndrome programs, with a portion directly paying my salary, so I figured I should go help these people spend their money! :) It really is a nice evening and a good way to thank all of the donors in person. If you have a minute, you can check out our website at: www.hope-haven.org and see what we're all about. I run the program called "Applied Behavior Analysis".
Looking forward to having a day off next week for the holiday! I know that Bill is too. One of us is ALWAYS sick for Thanksgiving (we've got quite the record), so start placing your bets now who it will be this year! And then, as always, my favorite holiday of the year....Black Friday. I have a new strategy this year....here's to hoping that it works.
I know that I'm the only one of the planet counting, but 20 days from today is my last class! Papers, presentations, projects, and finals in between now and then, but I think I have enough energy left to crawl across the finish line (I hope). Graduation is the 12th followed by 3 weeks of sleeping!
Can't wait to see everyone next month!
P.S. Frost on the rooftops and windshields here this week! Gettin' chilly!
P.P.S. Ask Bill about his new "purchase"....
I realized today that it's been a month since we last updated the blog. Wish I could write more exciting things, but not a whole lot has changed here! Let's see....the end of October brought my birthday and a fun day with Bill. We engaged in one of my favorite activities, shopping, and then off to dinner at Ruth's Chris. The restaurant is downtown, right on the river, and we had a delicious dinner while enjoying the view of the boats and downtown lit up at night.
Halloween came and went with 97 trick or treaters! We ran out of candy and had to shut off the lights. Bill stated that we should have bought more, but I thought that with 600 houses in our neighborhood, the kids wouldn't be lacking just because we ran out. It looked like a block party with crowds in the street and the hayride that went by (we still have no idea where this hayride comes from every year....this year it was pulled by a very unsafe-looking 4-wheeler). For some reason, the big hit with the toddler crowd was the river rocks in the plant beds....they were more interested in putting those in their buckets than the candy. Gonna need another truck load delivered.
Not sure how it got to be November 20th so soon.....the month is racing by at a breakneck speed. Tomorrow night we are volunteering at a work event for my company to help raise funds for our programs. The clinic has a silent auction every year and this year should be our biggest yet (she says with fingers-crossed!). The money goes towards our autism and Down syndrome programs, with a portion directly paying my salary, so I figured I should go help these people spend their money! :) It really is a nice evening and a good way to thank all of the donors in person. If you have a minute, you can check out our website at: www.hope-haven.org and see what we're all about. I run the program called "Applied Behavior Analysis".
Looking forward to having a day off next week for the holiday! I know that Bill is too. One of us is ALWAYS sick for Thanksgiving (we've got quite the record), so start placing your bets now who it will be this year! And then, as always, my favorite holiday of the year....Black Friday. I have a new strategy this year....here's to hoping that it works.
I know that I'm the only one of the planet counting, but 20 days from today is my last class! Papers, presentations, projects, and finals in between now and then, but I think I have enough energy left to crawl across the finish line (I hope). Graduation is the 12th followed by 3 weeks of sleeping!
Can't wait to see everyone next month!
P.S. Frost on the rooftops and windshields here this week! Gettin' chilly!
P.P.S. Ask Bill about his new "purchase"....
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Finally Fall
The weather here has been amazing this weekend.....most likely what all of you have experienced for at least a month now. Cool temps at night and mild during the day....perfect! We've been trying to get the house more fall-ish the past two weekends. Last weekend I went to buy pumpkins and mums. We don't grow pumpkins in FL so they have to be imported to roadside stands at intersections or in church parking lots....not exactly how you picture pumpkin picking. So standing in a grass lot next to the SuperTarget I retrieved my $9 pumpkin trucked in from an Appalachian grower......oh, and a bale of hay. My sister said that in Idaho they charge 28 cents a pound for a pumpkin.....so for $9 she can buy a 32 pound pumpkin. I'm moving.
Here's some fall pics:
Our "fat cat" pumpkin
The scarecrow won't cooperate and sit still for a picture
This scarecrow needs a new arm.....
Friday night we went downtown to the Florida Theatre to see a legend, Tony Bennett (alright people, stop your laughing). The evening started with dinner at a hip little burrito place downtown right around the corner from the venue....super yummy veggie burrito, although they were the size of our heads. There's a very small park across from the concert hall where we sat and enjoyed the beautiful weather while waiting for the show. The Florida Theatre was built in 1927 and still has all of the original architecture and decor of that time (except for the bar with the flat screen tv in the front....pretty sure that was new). In this part of FL we have a lot of old spanish influenced architecture (thanks to the spanish explorers) and this theater was no exception. What can I say about the concert? Phenomenal! Tony Bennett is one of those performers that sounds just as good live as he does recorded. At 82 he is still a cool cat! We had a great time and enjoyed every minute of the music and the stories he told.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Update since August
We lost touch for a while, but we're back with another update to the blog. In September we went to a conference in Bonita Springs, FL, about 30 minutes south of Ft Myers. Since we flew and needed a rental car, Bill rented us a convertible, which is lots of fun except in South Florida, where the sun is scorching. So needless to say, the top could only come down at dusk! Bill gave several lectures and also won "Best Poster" w/ a co-worker at the Poster session (you take your research and data and put it into a specific poster format for others to see and ask questions about while you stand next to the poster for an hour.....not terribly fun, but interesting). This year was my formal debut into the research world with a poster of my own; it outlined an experiment I had conducted this spring. Although I had several thoughts of crawling under the table my poster was standing on, I held my own and am happy that I did it.
The resort we stayed at was awesome. The first morning I watched dolphins from our balcony looking out into the Gulf of Mexico. Although we didn't get to partake in any of the amenities (several pools, boat tours, etc.), I did find time during an extended lunch break to hit the spa.......my first time! I enjoyed a massage (discount for conference members...yippee!) and the facilities in the spa. And seeing how it was a Thursday, no one was there and I had the place to myself! In the evening we found what we have dubbed "the best mall ever" and had a very yummy dinner. We would most certainly stay in Bonita Springs again!
After the conference ended, we headed north to visit Cheryl and Stephen in their new home in Cape Coral. It was weird to see many houses still with their hurricane shutters up since T.S. Fay; they weren't taking any chances with the other named storms out in the Atlantic. We took a tour of Cape Coral, stopped at a marina, and then headed down to Sanibel Island, the sea shell capital of the world. After lunch at the "Pink Flamingo", we headed across the street to search for shells of our own. The water was amazingly warm and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. The next morning we headed back to Tampa for our flight, sad that our visit was short, but eager to get home after so many days away. The bonus? It was overcast that morning, so it was top-down all the way to Tampa! Finally!
Not much going on since then.......school and football as usual. Bill is still searching for a new car....hopefully with things taking a downturn in the economy we can find some better deals. It better be soon too b/c our trade in is making some funky noises! I'm sad to see it go b/c it was a good little car and has served us very well. But I'm waiting for the day when Bill calls to say it's on fire.
Two months from today and I will be at graduation! Maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel! I know that Bill is counting down the days with me for sure. Then it's off to CT for Christmas! We hope that we will be able to see everyone during our visit. Bill has been lucky to be able to travel for business up that way and visit, but it's been a whole year for me and I'm anxious to get back. Pray for good weather! (I guess in the winter anything short of ice is good weather).
Off to study for Midterms this week......hope everyone is having a great fall.........Go Red Sox!!
Video of Bonita Springs resort....the audio is distorted from the waterfall noise, but the picture is pretty.
The resort we stayed at was awesome. The first morning I watched dolphins from our balcony looking out into the Gulf of Mexico. Although we didn't get to partake in any of the amenities (several pools, boat tours, etc.), I did find time during an extended lunch break to hit the spa.......my first time! I enjoyed a massage (discount for conference members...yippee!) and the facilities in the spa. And seeing how it was a Thursday, no one was there and I had the place to myself! In the evening we found what we have dubbed "the best mall ever" and had a very yummy dinner. We would most certainly stay in Bonita Springs again!
After the conference ended, we headed north to visit Cheryl and Stephen in their new home in Cape Coral. It was weird to see many houses still with their hurricane shutters up since T.S. Fay; they weren't taking any chances with the other named storms out in the Atlantic. We took a tour of Cape Coral, stopped at a marina, and then headed down to Sanibel Island, the sea shell capital of the world. After lunch at the "Pink Flamingo", we headed across the street to search for shells of our own. The water was amazingly warm and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. The next morning we headed back to Tampa for our flight, sad that our visit was short, but eager to get home after so many days away. The bonus? It was overcast that morning, so it was top-down all the way to Tampa! Finally!
Not much going on since then.......school and football as usual. Bill is still searching for a new car....hopefully with things taking a downturn in the economy we can find some better deals. It better be soon too b/c our trade in is making some funky noises! I'm sad to see it go b/c it was a good little car and has served us very well. But I'm waiting for the day when Bill calls to say it's on fire.
Two months from today and I will be at graduation! Maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel! I know that Bill is counting down the days with me for sure. Then it's off to CT for Christmas! We hope that we will be able to see everyone during our visit. Bill has been lucky to be able to travel for business up that way and visit, but it's been a whole year for me and I'm anxious to get back. Pray for good weather! (I guess in the winter anything short of ice is good weather).
Off to study for Midterms this week......hope everyone is having a great fall.........Go Red Sox!!
Video of Bonita Springs resort....the audio is distorted from the waterfall noise, but the picture is pretty.
The "Pink Flamingo"
Cheryl & Stephen's house
My "study buddy"...never leaves my side
Friday, August 22, 2008
Mickey and Fay in one week
Last Saturday afternoon started our weekend getaway to Orlando. Before arriving at Disneyworld, we stopped at the Orlando outlets. We scored some great bargains, but were happy to leave the very crowded stores. The majority of people there were foreign tourists and I'm sure they were loving the prices and exchange rate! We checked into the All Star Music Resort (read: Disney's version of a cheap hotel) and decided to take the shuttle over to Disney's Boardwalk for dinner (it's supposed to look like a boardwalk at the beach, but I wasn't buying it). We ended up eating at the ESPN Zone....Bill watched the Jaguars and I watched the Red Sox on NESN....gotta love lots of commercials for Dunkin' Donuts and Bob's Discount Furniture.
Sunday we went to Disney's two water parks....so fun! One of them had a wave pool that created 6 foot waves every 90 seconds (although I could go to the beach today and find the same thing w/ this storm!). The good thing about staying on the property is that in the middle of the day when it got really sunny and hot, we caught the bus back to the hotel for lunch and to relax out of the sun. The weather was pretty mild for August and the intermittent cloud covering really helped. The next day we hit the theme parks. We had a hopper pass, so we started at 8am and visited all four parks in one day. Since we've been to the parks before, we hit only the new rides or things that we really liked (sorry Mom, I skipped "It's a Small World"). It worked out well, but we were very tired at the end of the day. It poured twice that day, but we had ponchos to stay dry; the heat at times was oppressive that day, but the second rain really cooled things down....it really didn't feel like Florida in August! The next morning we headed home, just starting to experience the outer bands of Tropical Stom Fay.....good timing! We really did have a lot of fun and were glad to get away for a few days from work, cell phones, and computers. But because we have the stupidest camera in the world, we have no pictures to share! (Hence the long blog!)
So this storm is quite annoying! The only way it could move slower is if it went backwards. I most definitely have cabin fever as I have been stuck in the house since Wednesday afternoon. It's crazy windy today and the rain has been non-stop since yesterday afternoon. It didn't look like it was going to amount to much, but last night was so loud and started to make me a little nervous....the cats were definitely afraid! We have a small tree in the front that is starting to lean and I hope that it doesn't fall victim to the storm. But compared to the people in S. Florida, we have fared pretty well (at least in our neighborhood). We lose power every once in a while, but never for more than 30 minutes. Hopefully by Sunday we will see a little sun again!
Hope all is well with everyone and that you are enjoying summer as it winds down. School starts Monday for me, so my 3-week "summer" is officially over then. But it's my last semester, so I'm happy about that!!! Bring on the last 3 classes!! :)
Sunday we went to Disney's two water parks....so fun! One of them had a wave pool that created 6 foot waves every 90 seconds (although I could go to the beach today and find the same thing w/ this storm!). The good thing about staying on the property is that in the middle of the day when it got really sunny and hot, we caught the bus back to the hotel for lunch and to relax out of the sun. The weather was pretty mild for August and the intermittent cloud covering really helped. The next day we hit the theme parks. We had a hopper pass, so we started at 8am and visited all four parks in one day. Since we've been to the parks before, we hit only the new rides or things that we really liked (sorry Mom, I skipped "It's a Small World"). It worked out well, but we were very tired at the end of the day. It poured twice that day, but we had ponchos to stay dry; the heat at times was oppressive that day, but the second rain really cooled things down....it really didn't feel like Florida in August! The next morning we headed home, just starting to experience the outer bands of Tropical Stom Fay.....good timing! We really did have a lot of fun and were glad to get away for a few days from work, cell phones, and computers. But because we have the stupidest camera in the world, we have no pictures to share! (Hence the long blog!)
So this storm is quite annoying! The only way it could move slower is if it went backwards. I most definitely have cabin fever as I have been stuck in the house since Wednesday afternoon. It's crazy windy today and the rain has been non-stop since yesterday afternoon. It didn't look like it was going to amount to much, but last night was so loud and started to make me a little nervous....the cats were definitely afraid! We have a small tree in the front that is starting to lean and I hope that it doesn't fall victim to the storm. But compared to the people in S. Florida, we have fared pretty well (at least in our neighborhood). We lose power every once in a while, but never for more than 30 minutes. Hopefully by Sunday we will see a little sun again!
Hope all is well with everyone and that you are enjoying summer as it winds down. School starts Monday for me, so my 3-week "summer" is officially over then. But it's my last semester, so I'm happy about that!!! Bring on the last 3 classes!! :)
Sunday, August 10, 2008
GO JAGS!
Not much happened this week, just work and extreme heat. We have settled into a routine of watching the Olympics each night, starting with the opening ceremonies on Friday. Not sure if anyone also caught it, but we were amazed at how big a show it was. I read that the Chinese spent $300 billion just on Friday's show....it looked it too.
I scored free tickets from work, so Saturday we headed out to the Jacksonville Jaguars pre-season game against the Falcons. It was in the high 80's at game time (at 7:30!), so it was a hot, sticky night....not exactly football weather in the traditional sense, but it is August. Our seats were pretty good considering they were pretty high up (one section below the top). Since it was my first football game, I don't have another stadium to compare it to, but it looked good to me! The Jaguars won 20-17. And after another sweaty hike back to the car (in flip flops.....not recommended), we headed home for some more Olympics.
Bill was called into work unexpectedly today, but I think Target is calling my name, so off I go to browse. Next weekend we take a mini-vacation to Disneyworld, so we'll write more then!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
August in FL
Can you believe how fast the summer is flying by? Or is it just me b/c I've had my head stuck in a book all summer? Either way, I can't believe August is here already! Not that it means the cooler weather will be here any time soon....
My dad was here this weekend and just went home today. We drove EVERYWHERE around north Florida and were able to take in some beach time. Saturday took us to St. Augustine; we toured some new construction neighborhoods and ate at Bill Murray's "Caddy Shack" restaurant....yummy! It's in the World Golf Village and we also explored the official PGA store...it's 2 floors of nothing but golf stuff, including a putting green. Needless to say, I'm keeping my day job. It was in this store that I discovered that golf is an expensive sport.
Sunday was a perfect day for the beach. We got there early which was good b/c about 12:30 it got really hot. After a picnic lunch, we changed and headed out for the boys to look at cars (Bill needs a new car, so we're in the "researching" stage.....call it what you want, but I hate the whole process). Later on we went to a Japanese Steakhouse for dinner.....we sat at the grill where they cook right in front of you and put on a little show. This may be my new favorite restaurant!! The food was absolutely delicious and we had enough left over for lunch the next day, plus a little extra. Can't wait to take new visitors!!
We also went to this place near our house called the "Catty Shack Ranch". It's a big cat wildlife rescue and we went to a night feeding of their tigers, lions, jaguars, etc. It was SO cool! It's only 2.5 mi from the house.....I mapquested it b/c one night I heard roaring outside....wonder what it's like to live next door. They are always looking for volunteers to help out....I'm thinking about it once school is done.
Another trip to the beach, some more car shopping, and then just like that, Dad had to leave. It always goes to fast when people come to visit. Not sure when we'll have more visitors, but the guest room is ready!
On a final note, school ended last Friday and not a minute too soon. I'm pretty sure at some point last week I lost my mind, but I'm hoping that during this 3 week break I will find it again. It felt weird not having to do homework this weekend and I said to Bill that I didn't know what to do with myself! Tonight I'm going to "veg" before going back to work tomorrow.....and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it.
My dad was here this weekend and just went home today. We drove EVERYWHERE around north Florida and were able to take in some beach time. Saturday took us to St. Augustine; we toured some new construction neighborhoods and ate at Bill Murray's "Caddy Shack" restaurant....yummy! It's in the World Golf Village and we also explored the official PGA store...it's 2 floors of nothing but golf stuff, including a putting green. Needless to say, I'm keeping my day job. It was in this store that I discovered that golf is an expensive sport.
Sunday was a perfect day for the beach. We got there early which was good b/c about 12:30 it got really hot. After a picnic lunch, we changed and headed out for the boys to look at cars (Bill needs a new car, so we're in the "researching" stage.....call it what you want, but I hate the whole process). Later on we went to a Japanese Steakhouse for dinner.....we sat at the grill where they cook right in front of you and put on a little show. This may be my new favorite restaurant!! The food was absolutely delicious and we had enough left over for lunch the next day, plus a little extra. Can't wait to take new visitors!!
We also went to this place near our house called the "Catty Shack Ranch". It's a big cat wildlife rescue and we went to a night feeding of their tigers, lions, jaguars, etc. It was SO cool! It's only 2.5 mi from the house.....I mapquested it b/c one night I heard roaring outside....wonder what it's like to live next door. They are always looking for volunteers to help out....I'm thinking about it once school is done.
Another trip to the beach, some more car shopping, and then just like that, Dad had to leave. It always goes to fast when people come to visit. Not sure when we'll have more visitors, but the guest room is ready!
On a final note, school ended last Friday and not a minute too soon. I'm pretty sure at some point last week I lost my mind, but I'm hoping that during this 3 week break I will find it again. It felt weird not having to do homework this weekend and I said to Bill that I didn't know what to do with myself! Tonight I'm going to "veg" before going back to work tomorrow.....and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it.
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