Came across this article while perusing a friend's blogsite, friend's blog (friend of a friend). I won't say much about it, other than I find it very interesting how this has become the perception of non-Christians (and even Christians) of other Christians. I wonder if I fall into the group their discussing (I don't think so, but I know I could be better... couldn't we all, though?).
Anyways, I won't say more on it for now. Would like to hear what you all have to say. :-)
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Baby Registry Information!
Hi everybody.
As most of you know by now (as dedicated readers of our blog, that is...) Jeremy and I are expecting a new addition to our family in Dec/Jan this year. Yay! It's very exciting (17 weeks down, 23 or so more to go!) So! We've had quite a few people ask us if we're registered anywhere, and what we need. I figured this would be the best place to include that info (especially since not too long ago, we had our wedding registry listed here, too) So here it be. Don't forget to drop us a line sometime, whether by phone or email! We haven't heard from many folks in a while.
You can search for us by typing in either of our names--I think we're the only Wilcox's on there, but just in case, we're in Oak Hill, VA!
Registry # 58666391 or search by our names (if using Jeremy's, click on "search by co-registrant" if nothing comes up)
Target Registry
We do not yet know if it's a boy or a girl (hopefully we will by Aug 9th!), but will dress a girl in some blues, if you find something that is just too cute in blue. Also, we've got plenty of clothes/onesies for 0-3 mos, and a few for 3-6, however, we still need an infant coat (we're delivering in winter, after all!) and clothes for the older months, so keep that in mind. :-)
UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!! I guess I can share now that we're having a boy, so blue away! :-)
We do not yet know if it's a boy or a girl (hopefully we will by Aug 9th!), but will dress a girl in some blues, if you find something that is just too cute in blue. Also, we've got plenty of clothes/onesies for 0-3 mos, and a few for 3-6, however, we still need an infant coat (we're delivering in winter, after all!) and clothes for the older months, so keep that in mind. :-)
UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!! I guess I can share now that we're having a boy, so blue away! :-)
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
UPDATE 12/28/2007:
Chances are if you're reading this, you're either very nostalgic, curious, or nosy. :-) Whatever it may be, congratulations! You've figured out our little secret! Yes, we are preggers again--Jemiah's gonna be a big brother! Our due date is Sept. 1st, 2008. We have updated our registry information to reflect that, and yes, they are current, as far as what we're figuring we'll need to get this time around. :) We're not asking, but if you're feeling so inclined, we will thank you profusely! So thank you ahead of time! And keep an eye out for a 'major announcement' on the blog, coming soon.
Chances are if you're reading this, you're either very nostalgic, curious, or nosy. :-) Whatever it may be, congratulations! You've figured out our little secret! Yes, we are preggers again--Jemiah's gonna be a big brother! Our due date is Sept. 1st, 2008. We have updated our registry information to reflect that, and yes, they are current, as far as what we're figuring we'll need to get this time around. :) We're not asking, but if you're feeling so inclined, we will thank you profusely! So thank you ahead of time! And keep an eye out for a 'major announcement' on the blog, coming soon.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Yikes!
Wow. What an interesting past couple of days!
My laptop for work is officially on its way back to Sony HQ, to be swapped out, so I can get back in business. Right now, doing manual calls kinda stinks... It's just more work, and less thorough work, even though it takes less time for most of it. That, and I'm not used to it, so I'm constantly forgetting to have folks sign my sheet, and have to go back in the store to get it!
I'm tired.
I'm still waiting for this whole "burst of energy" to show up in the second trimester. At 4 months preggers, all I want to do is N-A-P! I got home today at a little after 5, and just been chilling ever since... At some point, I need to get up and make dinner... But I too tired... Oi.. If only Jeremy could cook. And we're sick of take out. So... I'll give myself a few more minutes, and then I guess I will get up. Blaaaah.
I parked in the preggers spot today at Kinkos. It's a busy shopping center, and there were no good spots within a reasonable distance of the store, so I said, "Ah, the heck with it..." and parked there. I felt kinda guilty, even though I AM pregnant. I guess I just think that because I'm not further along (or showing a lot), I don't deserve it yet. But it was a nice break.
Okay. Just thought I'd throw that down for all two of you who read this. :-) maybe someday, someone else will read my blog besides my husband and one friend.
OH! And one more thing--this is where the yikes comes in... I just found out that a really good friend of mine IS ALSO PREGGERS!!! They just found out yesterday morning--I think we were the first people they told! I feel so special. :-) They're awesome people! I'm super happy for them (of course, she's kinda stealin' my thunder a bit... I mean, hello! I was pregnant first, wait ur turn! ;-) Just kidding. I'm excited to have someone to hang out with who's also preggers. She'll be about 6 months by the time we deliver Jeremy Jr, so maybe she can come and hang out and help, get used to the whole baby thing (I've seen her handle babies before... she needs a lesson or two. ;-) love her, but yeah, definitely could use some more exposure! And by the time she delivers in April, she'll be a pro! If she's nice, maybe I'll let her even change a really nasty dirty diaper. Hee hee)
Just wanted to share. yay!
My laptop for work is officially on its way back to Sony HQ, to be swapped out, so I can get back in business. Right now, doing manual calls kinda stinks... It's just more work, and less thorough work, even though it takes less time for most of it. That, and I'm not used to it, so I'm constantly forgetting to have folks sign my sheet, and have to go back in the store to get it!
I'm tired.
I'm still waiting for this whole "burst of energy" to show up in the second trimester. At 4 months preggers, all I want to do is N-A-P! I got home today at a little after 5, and just been chilling ever since... At some point, I need to get up and make dinner... But I too tired... Oi.. If only Jeremy could cook. And we're sick of take out. So... I'll give myself a few more minutes, and then I guess I will get up. Blaaaah.
I parked in the preggers spot today at Kinkos. It's a busy shopping center, and there were no good spots within a reasonable distance of the store, so I said, "Ah, the heck with it..." and parked there. I felt kinda guilty, even though I AM pregnant. I guess I just think that because I'm not further along (or showing a lot), I don't deserve it yet. But it was a nice break.
Okay. Just thought I'd throw that down for all two of you who read this. :-) maybe someday, someone else will read my blog besides my husband and one friend.
OH! And one more thing--this is where the yikes comes in... I just found out that a really good friend of mine IS ALSO PREGGERS!!! They just found out yesterday morning--I think we were the first people they told! I feel so special. :-) They're awesome people! I'm super happy for them (of course, she's kinda stealin' my thunder a bit... I mean, hello! I was pregnant first, wait ur turn! ;-) Just kidding. I'm excited to have someone to hang out with who's also preggers. She'll be about 6 months by the time we deliver Jeremy Jr, so maybe she can come and hang out and help, get used to the whole baby thing (I've seen her handle babies before... she needs a lesson or two. ;-) love her, but yeah, definitely could use some more exposure! And by the time she delivers in April, she'll be a pro! If she's nice, maybe I'll let her even change a really nasty dirty diaper. Hee hee)
Just wanted to share. yay!
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Getting better...
Hullo.
So, this week turned out much better than when it started! My wonderful friends, and their wonderful friends came to my rescue Thursday night, and the place has never looked so good! Of course, it didn't last that long... I mean, it still looks great, but things got moved around a bit since a couple of those wonderful friends gave us a very nice entertainment center to hide all of our video game junk! Ah, it's very nice indeed (and from what I heard from them, kinda pricey, too...) So we've been very blessed this week! God is so good! And to everyone that helped out--THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!
Right now, we're kinda just taking it easy. Jeremy's playing XBox games on his brand spanking new XB 360 (our other one died... but we were smart, and bought the warranty... When it comes to expensive electronics, always buy the warranty! $40 is much better than $400). We picked up a couple of used games, cheap, and that's all he's been doing since we got home at 8 pm last night. I don't even know when he came to bed, I was asleep by the time he showed up. Oh well. What're ya gonna do...
24 weeks to go, on the baby front. I'm anxious.... I have a hard time being patient. But I think I'm doing alright, considering... Even though I wouldn't mind being home right now, work does help the time go by so much better. So that's a good thing. I can't believe July is almost over already. That's crazy. It was just the 4th, like, yesterday! Well... not quite, but you know what I mean.
Next Dr's appt is Aug 9. I'm hoping it's sonogram time again. Even though I wouldn't mind waiting until the birthday to find out if we've got a Jeremy Jr or a Jess Jr on the way, I'm kinda excited about finding out. Place your votes now! I'm guessing girl... Jeremy's guessing boy... But we'll be happy either way (one of us is right, after all!)
Okie dokie, I think we need to go pick up Stephin now... He's bored and wants to come over. I think he felt bad about leaving during the week last week, and so now he says he wants to help me work (he pulls my bag around, which is very nice, 'cause that thing gets HEAVY!) At least the house looks a little better. Once we get all the dvds and games unloaded, we'll have so much more room, and so many fewer boxes lying around. Ah, that'll be nice.
Byeeeee!
So, this week turned out much better than when it started! My wonderful friends, and their wonderful friends came to my rescue Thursday night, and the place has never looked so good! Of course, it didn't last that long... I mean, it still looks great, but things got moved around a bit since a couple of those wonderful friends gave us a very nice entertainment center to hide all of our video game junk! Ah, it's very nice indeed (and from what I heard from them, kinda pricey, too...) So we've been very blessed this week! God is so good! And to everyone that helped out--THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!
Right now, we're kinda just taking it easy. Jeremy's playing XBox games on his brand spanking new XB 360 (our other one died... but we were smart, and bought the warranty... When it comes to expensive electronics, always buy the warranty! $40 is much better than $400). We picked up a couple of used games, cheap, and that's all he's been doing since we got home at 8 pm last night. I don't even know when he came to bed, I was asleep by the time he showed up. Oh well. What're ya gonna do...
24 weeks to go, on the baby front. I'm anxious.... I have a hard time being patient. But I think I'm doing alright, considering... Even though I wouldn't mind being home right now, work does help the time go by so much better. So that's a good thing. I can't believe July is almost over already. That's crazy. It was just the 4th, like, yesterday! Well... not quite, but you know what I mean.
Next Dr's appt is Aug 9. I'm hoping it's sonogram time again. Even though I wouldn't mind waiting until the birthday to find out if we've got a Jeremy Jr or a Jess Jr on the way, I'm kinda excited about finding out. Place your votes now! I'm guessing girl... Jeremy's guessing boy... But we'll be happy either way (one of us is right, after all!)
Okie dokie, I think we need to go pick up Stephin now... He's bored and wants to come over. I think he felt bad about leaving during the week last week, and so now he says he wants to help me work (he pulls my bag around, which is very nice, 'cause that thing gets HEAVY!) At least the house looks a little better. Once we get all the dvds and games unloaded, we'll have so much more room, and so many fewer boxes lying around. Ah, that'll be nice.
Byeeeee!
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Chaaaaaa-oooooooossssss!
What a week--and it's only Tuesday!
It hasn't been a bad week, just busy, it seems, and non-stop. I normally thrive in non-stop, but the Jeremy Jr in me is forcing me to slooooow it dooooooowwwwwnnnnn.... Which makes coming home so discouraging. Normally, I'm happy to come home. But it's a disaster right now. And I just can't live like this anymore! But I have little energy to do much about it. Jeremy gets motivated to do stuff, but is easily distracted by "other" things, as in ANY other things that need to be done. So even though we had planned to have a productive weekend, we didn't. We got the couches set up, and the TV where it will stay, and, of course, Jeremy set up the computer (that was a bright, shiny #1 on his list! Well, at least he only has one #1-everything on my list is #1, so nothing gets started and nothing gets done...) Now, if we could just uncover my dining room table (or what we're using as such for now) without just moving stuff to another spot in the house, I'd be able to breathe easier!
Stephin-bunny came over Sunday and spent the night (another reason nothing gets done--Jeremy loves to hang out with "his buddy", so unless it was a video game, it was not conquered...) He then stayed home while Jeremy and I went to work, and played video games all.... day..... long..... If only everyone could have summer vacation....
Jeremy left for Boston today, and won't be back 'til Thursday night... :-( Makes things really quiet here... Just me and Big Fella... and a crockpot overflowing with chili (my first time making it in a crock pot... I made a chili base with the meat, spices and beer, cooked all that, and poured it over a huge mound of veggies and tomatoes... we'll see!) For the first time, I think my crock pot is too small. It's not tiny or anything, but I went in the kitchen and there was a puddle of chili juice on the floor... I was not happy, not because of the mess, but because all that good, yummy, chili flavor was going to waste. So I mopped it up with a towel, and squeezed it back into the crock pot..... ;-) Nah, I didn't do that. Now I've got the whole thing wrapped up, incase anything else should spill. I hope it doesn't do that all night.
Stephin went with me to work today. He lugged around my heavy bag, and did all the running back to the car for me. It was very nice--they should let us have full time assistants all the time! Maybe next week he can come back and do it again. I think he's pretty proud of his big sister--I know more about PS3 than most of the store associates I encounter! That makes me "pretty gangster", as Stephin would say.
We're 16 weeks today! Only 169 more days to go! I've definitely been feeling the baby move around this past week. It's very exciting. Every now and then, I'll feel a definitive kick, and all I can do is smile... I think I need to back off on the baby clothes buying, though. I only buy stuff on clearance, and gosh darnit, I've already got, I think 15 onesies, 6 gowns, and a couple of pairs of pants, all in Newborn size. And I'm starting to build up the 3-6 month collection now. Really, all I still want to buy for Newborn is a couple of nice little outfits, especially a coming home outfit. But, I may wait until we know if he's a he or a she. So if you're thinking about getting us anything for our little guy/gal to be, think 3 months and up! Unless it's not clothing related. Then go to town! :-)
Okay, gotta check on the chili. Have a splendid week!
It hasn't been a bad week, just busy, it seems, and non-stop. I normally thrive in non-stop, but the Jeremy Jr in me is forcing me to slooooow it dooooooowwwwwnnnnn.... Which makes coming home so discouraging. Normally, I'm happy to come home. But it's a disaster right now. And I just can't live like this anymore! But I have little energy to do much about it. Jeremy gets motivated to do stuff, but is easily distracted by "other" things, as in ANY other things that need to be done. So even though we had planned to have a productive weekend, we didn't. We got the couches set up, and the TV where it will stay, and, of course, Jeremy set up the computer (that was a bright, shiny #1 on his list! Well, at least he only has one #1-everything on my list is #1, so nothing gets started and nothing gets done...) Now, if we could just uncover my dining room table (or what we're using as such for now) without just moving stuff to another spot in the house, I'd be able to breathe easier!
Stephin-bunny came over Sunday and spent the night (another reason nothing gets done--Jeremy loves to hang out with "his buddy", so unless it was a video game, it was not conquered...) He then stayed home while Jeremy and I went to work, and played video games all.... day..... long..... If only everyone could have summer vacation....
Jeremy left for Boston today, and won't be back 'til Thursday night... :-( Makes things really quiet here... Just me and Big Fella... and a crockpot overflowing with chili (my first time making it in a crock pot... I made a chili base with the meat, spices and beer, cooked all that, and poured it over a huge mound of veggies and tomatoes... we'll see!) For the first time, I think my crock pot is too small. It's not tiny or anything, but I went in the kitchen and there was a puddle of chili juice on the floor... I was not happy, not because of the mess, but because all that good, yummy, chili flavor was going to waste. So I mopped it up with a towel, and squeezed it back into the crock pot..... ;-) Nah, I didn't do that. Now I've got the whole thing wrapped up, incase anything else should spill. I hope it doesn't do that all night.
Stephin went with me to work today. He lugged around my heavy bag, and did all the running back to the car for me. It was very nice--they should let us have full time assistants all the time! Maybe next week he can come back and do it again. I think he's pretty proud of his big sister--I know more about PS3 than most of the store associates I encounter! That makes me "pretty gangster", as Stephin would say.
We're 16 weeks today! Only 169 more days to go! I've definitely been feeling the baby move around this past week. It's very exciting. Every now and then, I'll feel a definitive kick, and all I can do is smile... I think I need to back off on the baby clothes buying, though. I only buy stuff on clearance, and gosh darnit, I've already got, I think 15 onesies, 6 gowns, and a couple of pairs of pants, all in Newborn size. And I'm starting to build up the 3-6 month collection now. Really, all I still want to buy for Newborn is a couple of nice little outfits, especially a coming home outfit. But, I may wait until we know if he's a he or a she. So if you're thinking about getting us anything for our little guy/gal to be, think 3 months and up! Unless it's not clothing related. Then go to town! :-)
Okay, gotta check on the chili. Have a splendid week!
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Can you hear me now? No? That means you're old!
I'm sure you've heard by now about this "Teen Buzz" or "Mosquito Ringtone" thing that's going around. If not, I will explain...
Basically, a while back, a British company called Compound Security developed a "sound" that could be played to dismantle groups of teenagers when they gathered where they didn't belong (i.e. anywhere!) Well, some smarty pants teen decided to put it to a teen's use, and recorded it as his ringtone. Many teens across the country have done the same, enabling them to receive text messages and calls while in classes, without the knowledge of their teacher.
I was curious, so I found a site online that has the tone available for download. Click here* for an MP3 version, which most folks can hear (lower quality audio makes for better listening). If you want to hear what you're NOT hearing, click here** for the .wav file. And for the record, I couldn't hear the .wav one... Guess I am old after all! Ha! Of course, the reports all seem to think that 20 is the cut off age for it. I plan on trying this out on my brothers the next time their over... I'll just keep playing it until they go nuts and beg me to SHUT IT OFF!!!!
What? I don't hear anything.... ;-)
*Thanks to the NY Times for providing this sample!
**Thanks to jetcityorange.com for providing this sample!
Basically, a while back, a British company called Compound Security developed a "sound" that could be played to dismantle groups of teenagers when they gathered where they didn't belong (i.e. anywhere!) Well, some smarty pants teen decided to put it to a teen's use, and recorded it as his ringtone. Many teens across the country have done the same, enabling them to receive text messages and calls while in classes, without the knowledge of their teacher.
I was curious, so I found a site online that has the tone available for download. Click here* for an MP3 version, which most folks can hear (lower quality audio makes for better listening). If you want to hear what you're NOT hearing, click here** for the .wav file. And for the record, I couldn't hear the .wav one... Guess I am old after all! Ha! Of course, the reports all seem to think that 20 is the cut off age for it. I plan on trying this out on my brothers the next time their over... I'll just keep playing it until they go nuts and beg me to SHUT IT OFF!!!!
What? I don't hear anything.... ;-)
*Thanks to the NY Times for providing this sample!
**Thanks to jetcityorange.com for providing this sample!
Friday, July 14, 2006
How 'bout this for depressing!
While perusing through the Baby Center website checking to see what's going on this week in development, I noticed they had a "Cost to raise a child estimate calculator". What the heck, so I plugged in the info (according to this site, VA is the "South"... Can't we just call the the East??) and omigosh, I don't think Jeremy's gonna wanna see this. I know what he'll say the when he does, "And you want to have 5 of these?!?! 'Jeremy Jr' alone is gonna put us in the poor house!" Here's the breakdown of the est. costs.
Expense Annual Cost (based on ages 0-18)
Housing $9201
Food 3711
Transportation 3478
Clothing 1551
Healthcare 1567
Education 3122 (this I think is high, because it would also include childcare, which we probably won't use...)
Misc 3138
College (18-22) 47623 (public)
Total amount needed to raise a child:
654,316
Yup, I still want 5!
On a lighter note, I've been trying to determine if our little guy is moving around yet, and I think that maybe, just maybe, I can feel him now. I first thought I felt something when we were watching fireworks in FL, but I don't know if it was or not. Then I thought I felt a couple of kicks while we were at small group Wednesday... Could have been! But now, just laying here, yeah, I think he's active. I don't know, could just be gas, I suppose. :-)
Okay, time to get ready for work. My first store doesn't open 'til 10, so I figured I had time to chill (the one morning I get up early, I don't have to. Grrr...)
Expense Annual Cost (based on ages 0-18)
Housing $9201
Food 3711
Transportation 3478
Clothing 1551
Healthcare 1567
Education 3122 (this I think is high, because it would also include childcare, which we probably won't use...)
Misc 3138
College (18-22) 47623 (public)
Total amount needed to raise a child:
654,316
Yup, I still want 5!
On a lighter note, I've been trying to determine if our little guy is moving around yet, and I think that maybe, just maybe, I can feel him now. I first thought I felt something when we were watching fireworks in FL, but I don't know if it was or not. Then I thought I felt a couple of kicks while we were at small group Wednesday... Could have been! But now, just laying here, yeah, I think he's active. I don't know, could just be gas, I suppose. :-)
Okay, time to get ready for work. My first store doesn't open 'til 10, so I figured I had time to chill (the one morning I get up early, I don't have to. Grrr...)
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Grumble grumble...
Why???? I really don't get this... I just don't understand why every single baby bedding theme has to be PASTELS!!! I mean, seriously, they must think that putting pastel everything in a nursery will somehow bore the baby to sleep! It sure is boring to me. And what's the point, really! It's just for ourselves that we do this--babies don't see those pale hued colors until their older. I doubt any of 'em will someday say, "I am who I am because I had a pastel froggy layette set when I was born..." Not that I expect my kids to be different because I want to have more primary colors, at least colors that they can kinda see!, in their room. But going to buy that is a completely different story! Forget Babies R Us... forget Buy Buy Baby. I haven't ventured any further than that, incase I find something I really like, only to realize it's $800 (umm... hello?! They're just sheets!)
Okay, I done now. Time for sleepy time. :-) Goodnight!
Okay, I done now. Time for sleepy time. :-) Goodnight!
Monday, July 10, 2006
Sunny FL!
Hello!
I thought I'd take a quick moment before I head back to work for the first time since the beginning of June (the back thing, remember?) and give ya a brief rundown of our trip to visit Todd and Paige.
We'll sum it up as fun, adventurous, tiring, pain inducing, and somewhat relaxing all at the same time! It was really great to see T&P, as it's been a while. And they've got a cute place right now--if you were familiar with their old place here in VA, they've got much more room, with a nice big kitchen (it's very nice!) So even though it's in FL, they're doing well.
We flew in on Sunday morning (those flights seemed to take forever!), met up with them, checked out their place, and then grabbed a bite to eat at a yummy Chinese Buffet (Chinese food is my thing right now, but I think I'm starting to get over that...) As it was getting later, and we had to get on the road again, we headed to Ft. Walton for a few days of fun in the sun (and on the boat!)
Spent some time along the way stopping to check out the sites--some little shops along the Gulf, a fruit stand where we got some yummy "Pluots" (an apricot-plum hybrid... really good!), before finally making it to Todd's parents' house. What a long day! After dinner that night, we fished for dinner for our prey for the next day off the dock behind the house. It was fun at first, but then they stopped biting, and it just got frustrating. Oh well. Luckily, plenty had found their way into the trap, so we were okay.
Monday was an early morning (early if you really could have used a sleep in day!) We were on the boat probably by 9, and bumped our way out to sea. Lemme tell ya, boat rides are only smooth if you're NOT going fast! Oi... by the end of the day, our butts were so sore that sitting without a cushion was just plain painful! As my brothers would say, though, "It's all part of the experience!"
Jeremy had better luck fishing than I did. The biggest thing I caught was more bait to use on the bigger fish. At least Jeremy caught a few bigger fish (like 18-20 inches), though they were still too small to keep. But at one point, he hooked what must have been a shark, because he and Todd fought that thing for at least 30 min, and it dragged us (well, we chased it, I guess) for over half a mile, before Todd lost it (way to go, Todd!) Oh well... I guess it was impressive it lastest as long as it did, considering the rod he was using wasn't designed to hold something so large!
Paige was the only one of us who suceeded in getting us some dinner--she caught a 25 lb cobia (I guess that's what it was). It was yummy, too. Just a white fish, nothing fancy, not to heavy. It was nice. So she won the prize as fisher of the day! Yay Paige!
Tuesday (the 4th) was far more relaxing. We went out to "Crab Island" (which isn't even an island, it's just a low bay area where a bunch of boats hang out, and you can walk around in the water) to just chill. The water was so warm, it was almost not worth it, until you got out and the air was cold on your skin.
Later that day, we went out again to catch some fireworks. That was fun--got to watch the fireworks in Ft Walton, and Destin, by just moving the boat a mile or so. It was pretty cool, and very relaxing.
Wednesday we had to leave. After leaving at 8 to drive back to Tallahassee, we go to the airport at 12:30, only to find out our flight was delayed (supposed to leave at 1) 'til at least 2:00. Boooo. They ended up re-routing us through Atlanta, and then our flight from there was delayed. To make it even better, once we were on the plane, we had to sit on the tarmac for an hour and a half. Crazy. So we arrived back in DC at 8:30 (instead of 5), tired, beat, and ready for bed.
What a trip, eh? It was fun, but it's good to be home again. Now it's back to work! I hope I can remember what I'm supposed to do! :-)
Oh, and we've got another pre-natal visit this afternoon--don't know if they'll do anything besides tell me (hopefully) "Everything's good, see you in a month!". I'll let ya know if they do. :-) Happy Monday!
I thought I'd take a quick moment before I head back to work for the first time since the beginning of June (the back thing, remember?) and give ya a brief rundown of our trip to visit Todd and Paige.
We'll sum it up as fun, adventurous, tiring, pain inducing, and somewhat relaxing all at the same time! It was really great to see T&P, as it's been a while. And they've got a cute place right now--if you were familiar with their old place here in VA, they've got much more room, with a nice big kitchen (it's very nice!) So even though it's in FL, they're doing well.
We flew in on Sunday morning (those flights seemed to take forever!), met up with them, checked out their place, and then grabbed a bite to eat at a yummy Chinese Buffet (Chinese food is my thing right now, but I think I'm starting to get over that...) As it was getting later, and we had to get on the road again, we headed to Ft. Walton for a few days of fun in the sun (and on the boat!)
Spent some time along the way stopping to check out the sites--some little shops along the Gulf, a fruit stand where we got some yummy "Pluots" (an apricot-plum hybrid... really good!), before finally making it to Todd's parents' house. What a long day! After dinner that night, we fished for dinner for our prey for the next day off the dock behind the house. It was fun at first, but then they stopped biting, and it just got frustrating. Oh well. Luckily, plenty had found their way into the trap, so we were okay.
Monday was an early morning (early if you really could have used a sleep in day!) We were on the boat probably by 9, and bumped our way out to sea. Lemme tell ya, boat rides are only smooth if you're NOT going fast! Oi... by the end of the day, our butts were so sore that sitting without a cushion was just plain painful! As my brothers would say, though, "It's all part of the experience!"
Jeremy had better luck fishing than I did. The biggest thing I caught was more bait to use on the bigger fish. At least Jeremy caught a few bigger fish (like 18-20 inches), though they were still too small to keep. But at one point, he hooked what must have been a shark, because he and Todd fought that thing for at least 30 min, and it dragged us (well, we chased it, I guess) for over half a mile, before Todd lost it (way to go, Todd!) Oh well... I guess it was impressive it lastest as long as it did, considering the rod he was using wasn't designed to hold something so large!
Paige was the only one of us who suceeded in getting us some dinner--she caught a 25 lb cobia (I guess that's what it was). It was yummy, too. Just a white fish, nothing fancy, not to heavy. It was nice. So she won the prize as fisher of the day! Yay Paige!
Tuesday (the 4th) was far more relaxing. We went out to "Crab Island" (which isn't even an island, it's just a low bay area where a bunch of boats hang out, and you can walk around in the water) to just chill. The water was so warm, it was almost not worth it, until you got out and the air was cold on your skin.
Later that day, we went out again to catch some fireworks. That was fun--got to watch the fireworks in Ft Walton, and Destin, by just moving the boat a mile or so. It was pretty cool, and very relaxing.
Wednesday we had to leave. After leaving at 8 to drive back to Tallahassee, we go to the airport at 12:30, only to find out our flight was delayed (supposed to leave at 1) 'til at least 2:00. Boooo. They ended up re-routing us through Atlanta, and then our flight from there was delayed. To make it even better, once we were on the plane, we had to sit on the tarmac for an hour and a half. Crazy. So we arrived back in DC at 8:30 (instead of 5), tired, beat, and ready for bed.
What a trip, eh? It was fun, but it's good to be home again. Now it's back to work! I hope I can remember what I'm supposed to do! :-)
Oh, and we've got another pre-natal visit this afternoon--don't know if they'll do anything besides tell me (hopefully) "Everything's good, see you in a month!". I'll let ya know if they do. :-) Happy Monday!
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Good Morning! (Muahaha... the wireless pirate strikes again!)
It's Saturday! Of course, it's been "saturday" for me everyday for almost a month now. But this time, it's my last "Saturday" until next "Saturday", at which time it will be "Saturday" once again. :-)
Jeremy's gone out to fetch us some breakfast--bagel sandwiches. At some point, we need to go grocery shopping, but for now, I'll take the take-out (it beats McDonald's, after all).
Today looks like it's going to be a fairly nice day. The sky is blue, with a few spots of clouds here and there. There's a nice warm breeze coming in off the balcony (the door is open right now so that Big Fella can go in and out of the house--I think he thinks he's back in the "wild", or what he thinks the wild is, when he's out side. That much be how male cats define their "manliness"; "Look at me, I can stay outside of the house for all of 5 minutes! Isn't that "manly"?" Anyways...)
Oh, Jeremy's back. Time to eat. Will write more later (I know, I know, gotta mention the Fl trip, still. We also have a funny store to tell about some Cape Cod Potato chips. But as I said, more on that later!)
Have a great Saturday!
Jeremy's gone out to fetch us some breakfast--bagel sandwiches. At some point, we need to go grocery shopping, but for now, I'll take the take-out (it beats McDonald's, after all).
Today looks like it's going to be a fairly nice day. The sky is blue, with a few spots of clouds here and there. There's a nice warm breeze coming in off the balcony (the door is open right now so that Big Fella can go in and out of the house--I think he thinks he's back in the "wild", or what he thinks the wild is, when he's out side. That much be how male cats define their "manliness"; "Look at me, I can stay outside of the house for all of 5 minutes! Isn't that "manly"?" Anyways...)
Oh, Jeremy's back. Time to eat. Will write more later (I know, I know, gotta mention the Fl trip, still. We also have a funny store to tell about some Cape Cod Potato chips. But as I said, more on that later!)
Have a great Saturday!
Friday, July 07, 2006
The Litterbox Dilema
While shopping on Amazon for a "privacy tent" for Big Fella's litter box, I came upon this review. For you cat lovers, look away. You will not like it. But I think this guys says it all, as far as how I feel about the whole thing!
Decent product, some flaws, April 22, 2006
Reviewer:
The Phantom Paddler "ChildBeat" (PaddleTown) - See all my reviews
Our cat Woogums, who had sustained a pellet wound to the rear flank (neighborhood sources claim that he was 'pinged in the ass'), was unable to remain in the cat privacy tent due to what we believed was claustrophobic paranoia as a result of acute traumatic stress disorder.
Our cats, unfortunately, were shot at by local anti-feline vigilantes acting against the common and widespread practice of cats being let out by their human servants to roam the neighborhood so they can maim and kill smaller animals, urinate on and leave their kitty footprints all over freshly washed automobiles and generally make malicious pests of themselves. We learned from the experience and no longer allowed our cats outdoors, as our practice of feeding them expensive foods in crystal goblets make their hunting instincts unnecessary and an annoyance to those who are not fond of cats.
We decided to return the expensive litter box and 'cat privacy tent' and have Woogums euthanized by a local farmer with a cheap pellet gun who had offered his services when we first acquired Woogums. We were pleased that he did not charge for the euthanasia.
As we discovered later, the farmer was a poor shot and only managed to despatch Woogums after one hundred and sixteen shots (most of which appeared randomly placed over Woogums' body, but we were assured that no pellets missed the cat entirely), the killing shot having been administered down and into the left ear.
We are grieving poor Woogums' demise now, but we feel it is important to inform other purchasers of this product that it is poorly made and extremely overpriced. It is much cheaper and infinitely wiser to simply have the cat euthanized by a skilled practitioner, thus obviating the need for further expenditures upon it.
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Decent product, some flaws, April 22, 2006
Reviewer:
The Phantom Paddler "ChildBeat" (PaddleTown) - See all my reviews
Our cat Woogums, who had sustained a pellet wound to the rear flank (neighborhood sources claim that he was 'pinged in the ass'), was unable to remain in the cat privacy tent due to what we believed was claustrophobic paranoia as a result of acute traumatic stress disorder.
Our cats, unfortunately, were shot at by local anti-feline vigilantes acting against the common and widespread practice of cats being let out by their human servants to roam the neighborhood so they can maim and kill smaller animals, urinate on and leave their kitty footprints all over freshly washed automobiles and generally make malicious pests of themselves. We learned from the experience and no longer allowed our cats outdoors, as our practice of feeding them expensive foods in crystal goblets make their hunting instincts unnecessary and an annoyance to those who are not fond of cats.
We decided to return the expensive litter box and 'cat privacy tent' and have Woogums euthanized by a local farmer with a cheap pellet gun who had offered his services when we first acquired Woogums. We were pleased that he did not charge for the euthanasia.
As we discovered later, the farmer was a poor shot and only managed to despatch Woogums after one hundred and sixteen shots (most of which appeared randomly placed over Woogums' body, but we were assured that no pellets missed the cat entirely), the killing shot having been administered down and into the left ear.
We are grieving poor Woogums' demise now, but we feel it is important to inform other purchasers of this product that it is poorly made and extremely overpriced. It is much cheaper and infinitely wiser to simply have the cat euthanized by a skilled practitioner, thus obviating the need for further expenditures upon it.
Was this review helpful to you?
YES! No
Bring me your tired, your weary, your weak....
Today, patience is, indeed, a virture.
I say this mostly because I'm working with a "borrowed" internet connection that I'm guessing belongs to one of our neighbors. And right now, it says I have no signal. Yet, I've been able to check my email, and log into Blogger so I can write this for you people. :-) Hopefully, it will keep up a little while longer.
So much has gone on since I've written last, I don't know where to start! I guess we'll go through it chronologically. Last week was "the big move". We spent all day Wednesday loading up the truck (well, James and Stephin and Jeremy did--I stayed inside and packed the remaining items we had waiting to pack). The goal was to be done packing by 4 pm so that we could get the keys to our new place and be ready to start unpacking before it was too late. Well, we ran out of room on the truck by 5, so we decided that was a good time to leave. Jeremy's co-worker, Michael, was awesome enough to skip small group to help us out (by this hour, we were all exhausted, and needed some fresh blood to take the edge off of things).
We got to the new place here in Tyson's Corner, got our keys, and found out that the rugs had just been washed earlier that day, so we wouldn't be able to move anything in... >:-( After much "hanging around" trying to decide what to do, my Dad, and friends Laurence and Katharine, showed up to help, and we were able to unload about half the truck. One of the things we couldn't yet unpack, though, was our bed. So then came the, "Hmm... where are we gonna sleep tonight?" Laurence and Katharine to the rescue! They have a two bedroom apt not far from us, in Falls Church, that just happens to have a guest room with a nice, comfy bed. Oh, and did I mention they also have a bathroom, with a nice, hot, soothing shower???? Yum yum yum! They're so awesome! So that's what we did, after a nasty dinner at On the Border (never again!) and one more trip to the house to get what we could loaded up again (and filled to the brim, again!) What a day. I think we ended up going to bed at 2 or 3 in the morning? Yikes!
The next day, Thursday, was my birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!! I had to get up before 7 so I could take Jeremy to work to make cold calls at 7:30 (good times, good times). That was good, though, because it gave me a chance to go to Giant and get some snacks for all the fine folks who were showing up to help that day. I was even able to hit the local bagel shop (not NY bagels, but still pretty good!) to get some bagels for 'em, so we had quite the little feast ready for everyone.
My family showed up a few min passed 9 with homemade pierogis for me (which has been my breakfast, lunch, and dinner this week, since Jeremy's been outta town), and we began unloading the truck. Shortly after, Katharine, and Jay's roommate Nate also showed up to help. Lemme tell you, unloading goes sooo much faster than loading! We were done within' the hour, I think. So we ordered chinese food for lunch, while furniture got moved into place, and most of the kitchen unpacked. Then we just pretty much chilled the rest of the afternoon. The Boyz found the XBOX (of course) and spent their time trying to crash into each other with Need for Speed. Later, we met up with Jaime and got some dinner at Brio (some schwanky italian place in Tyson's) and so on and so forth. Busy Days!
That was our move in a nutshell (a very large nutshell, huh?) I think that's enough for now. Will tell ya about our FL trip in the next post!
I say this mostly because I'm working with a "borrowed" internet connection that I'm guessing belongs to one of our neighbors. And right now, it says I have no signal. Yet, I've been able to check my email, and log into Blogger so I can write this for you people. :-) Hopefully, it will keep up a little while longer.
So much has gone on since I've written last, I don't know where to start! I guess we'll go through it chronologically. Last week was "the big move". We spent all day Wednesday loading up the truck (well, James and Stephin and Jeremy did--I stayed inside and packed the remaining items we had waiting to pack). The goal was to be done packing by 4 pm so that we could get the keys to our new place and be ready to start unpacking before it was too late. Well, we ran out of room on the truck by 5, so we decided that was a good time to leave. Jeremy's co-worker, Michael, was awesome enough to skip small group to help us out (by this hour, we were all exhausted, and needed some fresh blood to take the edge off of things).
We got to the new place here in Tyson's Corner, got our keys, and found out that the rugs had just been washed earlier that day, so we wouldn't be able to move anything in... >:-( After much "hanging around" trying to decide what to do, my Dad, and friends Laurence and Katharine, showed up to help, and we were able to unload about half the truck. One of the things we couldn't yet unpack, though, was our bed. So then came the, "Hmm... where are we gonna sleep tonight?" Laurence and Katharine to the rescue! They have a two bedroom apt not far from us, in Falls Church, that just happens to have a guest room with a nice, comfy bed. Oh, and did I mention they also have a bathroom, with a nice, hot, soothing shower???? Yum yum yum! They're so awesome! So that's what we did, after a nasty dinner at On the Border (never again!) and one more trip to the house to get what we could loaded up again (and filled to the brim, again!) What a day. I think we ended up going to bed at 2 or 3 in the morning? Yikes!
The next day, Thursday, was my birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!! I had to get up before 7 so I could take Jeremy to work to make cold calls at 7:30 (good times, good times). That was good, though, because it gave me a chance to go to Giant and get some snacks for all the fine folks who were showing up to help that day. I was even able to hit the local bagel shop (not NY bagels, but still pretty good!) to get some bagels for 'em, so we had quite the little feast ready for everyone.
My family showed up a few min passed 9 with homemade pierogis for me (which has been my breakfast, lunch, and dinner this week, since Jeremy's been outta town), and we began unloading the truck. Shortly after, Katharine, and Jay's roommate Nate also showed up to help. Lemme tell you, unloading goes sooo much faster than loading! We were done within' the hour, I think. So we ordered chinese food for lunch, while furniture got moved into place, and most of the kitchen unpacked. Then we just pretty much chilled the rest of the afternoon. The Boyz found the XBOX (of course) and spent their time trying to crash into each other with Need for Speed. Later, we met up with Jaime and got some dinner at Brio (some schwanky italian place in Tyson's) and so on and so forth. Busy Days!
That was our move in a nutshell (a very large nutshell, huh?) I think that's enough for now. Will tell ya about our FL trip in the next post!
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