Half-Way Home

Friday, February 20th -

After a 10 hour drive, we are finally in Chattanooga, TN. Overall the trip went well. We left at 9:30 this morning which was a little later than expected but for us I thought that was good. We said our good byes to Sara and family. Robert was very enthusiastic about his good byes and gave us huge hugs and said "bye!" I'm not sure he really understands good-bye means we're not sticking around =) Oliver on the other hand got the idea and wasn't happy we were leaving. He wanted to finish the roller coaster and was sad we had to go before it was finished. He told me he would work on it while I'm gone and also recruit Leon from home to help him with the motor. I am to ride the finished product with him the next time we come down to Florida.

The drive was pretty smooth with only a few heavy traffic areas. We stopped a few times for breaks and to switch drivers. We had lunch at "Ye Old Buffet" which wasn't too bad for a small town diner. We went with buffet since we didn't want to stay long and I didn't want to have fast food. We arrived at our hotel around 8 p.m. and checked in. We put our bags in the room and then went to dinner right away. We had plans to go to a movie or out for a drink afterwards but half-way through dinner we both were falling a sleep in our chairs. We wussed out and returned to the hotel right away.

Luckily our hotel is much nicer than our first one from last week. We never know what we'll get with the Hotwire deals but we lucked out this time and got a very nice king-sized bed with a very soft mattress and fluffy pillows. Of course we could just be more drawn to it after sitting very uncomfortably in a car for so long =P Mike is testing out the softness as I type and I'm relatively certain once I'm done blogging he will be out. It's been a long day.

We're hoping to be out of the hotel by 8 a.m. tomorrow. We passed some caves on the way down which looked really interesting and we want to try to see one before we get home. Plus, I want to make another stop in Muncie to try for my Thai food again! Even if we eat dinner before that I'm taking home a large order of take out! I miss that Pad Thai...

We hear the weather in Michigan isn't great and we'll return home to snow. Not really looking forward to that but I suppose we had to realize vacation was over sometime =) We'll be careful and assume we'll be home later than originally expected.

Trip Down Memory Lane & Roller Coaster Creation

Wednesday, February 18th -

Today Mike and I slept in a bit and then got ready to visit my old high school town - St. Cloud. Sara and family were planning to spend the day at Disney so we had some time to ourselves. First, I'm not as familiar with the area anymore since it's been over 10 years since I lived here. We decided to program the GPS to find my old High School since it was an easy location to find. I used to be somewhat familiar with the Kissimmee/St. Cloud when we lived here but the way the GPS took us I had no clue where we were. Finally, when we reached the town of St Cloud I started to recognize some land marks. I thought it really strange I didn't notice anything before the town but then Mike looked at the map and we discovered why. Strangely enough, the GPS is programmed to automatically takes the shortest possible route - no matter how much it doesn't make sense. We took this ridiculous detour that cost $4 in tolls only to find out if we had remained on the road we started on, we would have reached the same destination approximately 2 minutes later. Seriously!?!?!?

Anyways, my old town was pretty much the same but only with a few areas built up considerably since I left. My old High School looks the same with a few newer buildings. Mike was amazed we had hallways completely outdoors and took several pictures of it. We also drove by my old house and my old Middle School. We began to look like stalkers driving by at slow speeds through the school parking lots taking photos out the window and smiling at anyone who happened to see us. Luckily we weren't questioned by anyone but I had my concerns!

After wandering around town for awhile we headed back to the Villa for lunch. We watched a bit of TV and then took off for Mike's tee-time at 3 at a local golf place. We met up with two different couples who were golfing at the same time. They were both nice and it was good for me to have someone else to talk to since I don't golf and after awhile watching Mike play gets very boring. Unfortunately the course was very busy so we were constantly waiting for the people in front of us to finish playing. We only made it through 9 holes before Mike called it a night.

When we returned to the Villa we arrived at the same time Sara and family were returning from Disney. They were all tired and tried to get the children to bed quickly. Mike and I ate dinner and then chatted with the family until 9ish. We decided we wanted to see a movie so we went to see "He's Just Not That Into You." We really enjoyed it and laughed often. It's a chick flick for sure but it's not so bad you can't bring your date with you =) Since we didn't go until late, the movie was over after midnight and we went straight to bed once we got home.

Thursday, February 19th -

Today we really slept in... until 11 a.m. We were tired and I did wake up earlier but Michael (Sara's husband) had repair people and the manager of the Villa coming to discuss business and various things with him. I thought it wouldn't take long so I stayed in bed. They took longer than expected so finally at 11 I stopped snoozing and got breakfast. Mike followed my lead and got up soon after.

After breakfast or lunch however you view it, we went swimming with the boys and Sara. It was raining but overall wasn't too bad and just created a misty sensation with their screened in pool. We were out there for a few hours and got some great pictures of the boys having fun. Robert has finally decided Mike is actually Mike but sometimes gets confused and calls him Mark anyways =) When we were done swimming, Robert went up for a nap, Mike, Michael and Wilf went to the community center for a round of ping-pong and I stayed back to build a roller coaster with Oliver.

We didn't get very far with the roller coaster. Since Robert was sleeping we couldn't get all the "supplies" we needed to build, Oliver said. However, we did improvise and got a good start on the motor but unfortunately I won't be here long enough to help him finish it. Mike and I brought out the Hot Wheels racing set we bought at Wal-Mart to make up for the Mr Potato Head mistake and that seemed to go over very well. It was a bit of a mess making it but once it was up Oliver enjoyed playing with it.

After building the roller coaster motor and playing with the cars for awhile, Mike and I had to leave to meet up with my college roommate, Nikki. She's working in Tampa and we arranged to meet up with her and her boyfriend Sandy for dinner. We had a really nice time with them and ate at a pretty authentic Mexican restaurant. Unfortunately we couldn't talk too long because they had to work the next day and Mike and I needed to drive back and start packing for the trip home tomorrow.

Packing really isn't fun... overall we got most things packed but there are a few odds and ends we still need in the morning. Our plan is to get up at 7, get ready and hopefully be out the door by 9 a.m. Sara and family are going to Disney again so they will leave around 8:30 a.m. if all goes well. Hopefully we can catch them in the morning before they go! It's always hard working around two busy schedules =) We'll drive straight to Chattanooga, TN again and then on Saturday we'll be home pretty late in the evening.

Mike and I have had a great time here but we're ready to go home. We'll miss the warm weather but it's nice to be in your own environment and home. We especially miss our pets... how sad is that? =)

Experiencing the Magic is exhausting!

Tuesday, February 17th -

Today we woke up very early to have a full day trip at Disney World Epcot and Magic Kingdom.
Mike and I were very excited to see Disney together. We purchased a Hopper Pass so we could visit more than one park in one day. Sara and her family all came along for the morning with us. Since she and her family come often they knew a lot of tricks and short cuts for having a good time. For example, we sprinted across Epcot to sign up for Fast-Pass tickets to Soaring, a newer ride at their Land exhibit. We got there 5 minutes after it opened and our Fast-Pass was for 1 that afternoon! Crazy how fast they fill up and I'm glad they knew that trick or otherwise we wouldn't have waited the 2+ hours to ride it.


We spent the time waiting for our Fast-Pass by going to other exhibits around. Mike and I liked the race track ride and the Mission Space. I especially liked the Mission Space thing. It was a mission to Mars and has simulations for taking off from a space craft and traveling through space. Very cool. After wandering around for awhile looking at everything it was already almost 1 and we needed to go to catch our Soaring Fast-Pass ticket. Everyone but Sara, Robert and Clare were able to on the Soaring. For those of you who don't know, it's like a giant IMax screen with a bit of a ride attached to it. Oliver did a great job on it. He wasn't scared and even thought to raise his feet when Soaring went over water. When we asked if he thought he would get wet he replied, "No, I didn't want to lose my shoes!"

There were many very cute statements by the kids over the morning. First, Robert is attached to Mike and likes him very much. Unfortunately he keeps calling him Mark and has no progressed to correcting him when Mike tries to tell him that's wrong. He says, "Uncle Mark!" And Mike will say "No, I'm Mike." Robert replies, "No, you're not. You're Uncle Mark." Robert helped Mike buy a pretzel and drink and when we all sat down to eat it, Robert took a sip of our diet coke and exclaimed to Mike, "That is NOT juice!" Mike and I thought that was so cute =) Then, while we were in line for Soaring Robert watched our drink cup with pride. When we got back the straw was gone, the cap was pushed in and Robert told us he "dropped" it while we were gone =)

Oliver is very bright and questions many things intelligently. When I told him the race track ride took his picture while he was on it and he could buy a copy if he wanted he told me that was impossible. He's thinking of his digital camera and how when he takes a picture he has to have the actual camera to take the photo off. He said if the camera was on the track they could not have a copy without the camera present! For the past few days we have also been discussing building a roller coaster and his imagination and ideas are all very smart and well thought out. When I told him I have to leave on Friday he said that was not enough time for us to build a roller coaster and it will be up to him to finish the task!


After Soaring we sprinted again to catch our lunch reservation in Italy. The wonderful thing about Epcot is they do a great job of having very authentic foods in their various countries around the world theme. The food at the Italian restaurant was very delicious and Mike and I ate much more than we needed to. We weren't hungry again until well past 9 that night =P After lunch Mike and I broke off from Sara and the family to head to Magic Kingdom. We spent the rest of the day running around on the all the rides. We managed to make it on the all rides I cared about - Tea Cups, Haunted Mansion, Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean and the New Stitch ride. Overall Mike liked looking around more than rides so he was fine with riding just what I wanted to ride. I did get some pretty funny pictures of us on the Tea Cup ride - we had ourselves spinning at a nauseated pace!





By 8:00 Mike and I were exhausted... we made our way out of the park and to our car back at Epcot. By about 9 we were on the road the heading to a restaurant for dinner. We had a really great time at the park and after dinner we headed back to the villa and crashed.

Today we're heading out to visit St Cloud, my old high school town, and find a golf course for Mike to play half a round at. This afternoon we're hoping to swim with the kids and maybe Oliver and I can work more on our roller coaster!!!

Meeting Uncle Mike & Aunt Debra

Monday, February 16th -

Today Mike and I finally met my nephews Oliver and Robert. We met my niece Clare the week of our wedding but over the years there just hasn't been an opportunity to meet the other two children. I heard rumbling around at about 6 a.m. but I was too tired to drag myself out of bed. Finally around 8 a.m. I got up and ran into the bathroom to make the best of my hair and find my glasses before I introduced myself to my nephews.


Robert was the first one to see me emerge from the bathroom and gave me a friendly "Hello!" Oliver was slightly shy about meeting me but soon warmed up once I gave him a big hug and told him I was happy to meet him. Both boys were very active with their toys in the morning and for them it was much later in the day because of the jet lag. Mike woke up soon after me and came out to meet the boys. Robert is slightly confused by this new Uncle we produced. He solved the problem by continually calling Mike "Mark" who is actually his OTHER uncle on his father's side. Over the day the name flip flopped from Mike to Mark but we imagine by the end of the week he'll have it right.

We brought gifts with us for the children. I got Oliver a "Mr Potato Head" which was unfortunately a little too young for him once I actually saw him with it. He was very polite but we could tell he likes his trains better =) Luckily Robert liked it and the duck we bought him that waddles when you drag it with this string. Robert really liked him and the three balls that fit in his mouth. He would sometimes pull the duck too fast and it would tip over spilling all the balls across the room. Robert is very neat for a 3 year old and refused to play further until all the balls were properly placed back in the duck's mouth. Clare was more interested in the cardboard box holding her 5-new teething balls. They're kind of neat little balls with different designs and movements so babies can look at the different colors, insides, etc.



After the gift opening session Oliver, me and Ann all worked to set up these train tracks like a roller coaster. Unfortunately we didn't have enough track and it wasn't designed to do what we wanted. Our cars met nasty fates of running into walls or falling from tall structures. We had a great time but now Oliver has the idea that we will build our own roller coaster as soon as possible. He has an incredible imagination and it's fascinating to hear how he wants to build his indoor roller coaster that starts from his bedroom upstairs.

Trains soon were boring and the kids went to the local club house to watch "Wall-E" with Ann. Sara took Mike and I around the Villa to see the sites and attractions. It's a very beautiful place with many things to see and do. On another visit we'll have to take in more the opportunities.




We discussed roller coasters and swimming at lunch at TGI Fridays. We all enjoyed a big lunch and headed back to the house afterwards for Robert and Clare to take a nap and Oliver to swim with his new "swim clothes" in the pool. Mike and I headed to Downtown Disney to look around and buy our Hopper Pass for tomorrow.


I am amazed how much the land has changed in just 10 years. Open fields are now filled with shopping plazas, apartments, hotels, grocery stores and incredibly tacky advertising schemes like giant mermaids spread across a blue building advertising what I can only assume is tacky souvenirs. Disney Downtown has expanded but for the most part stayed the same. I made Mike take me to several stores to look around and we tried on some pretty cool hats. I got him to try on a Captain Jack hat from Pirates of the Caribbean but he wasn't as thrilled as me. I was also very happy to find Stitch hats! For anyone who has seen my desk at work, you will know how much I love Stitch and how excited I was to find the hats. I had Mike take a picture since the hat itself was too expensive to justify buying =P






Once the sun went down, the temperature fell about 20 degrees and Mike and I were ready to quit walking around. We headed back to the Villa and met up with Michael and Sara for a shopping trip to Wal-Mart. Mike and I bought a few things and picked up another toy for Oliver since our first one was such a flop =P This time we think we have it right - a racing car track with loops and cars designed to stay on the track! I feel better about this gift. At least it's in the right age bracket!

Right now we're getting ready for bed. We have a long, exciting day planned for tomorrow. We bought Hopper Passes for the day to visit the 4 Disney World theme parks. I'm preparing my walking shoes and sunscreen for an early morning and long day in the sun. Mike has never been and even though I still remember the lay out of all the parks, I'm anxious to see the new updates!

Travel'n South

Thursday February 6th through Thursday February 12th

About the only exiting thing to happen during this time period was the delivery of our dining room table and a night in with our friends Scott, Sandy and their girls Haylee and Alexis.

On Tuesday Mike's parents were kind enough to come to our house to wait for the delivery truck with our table. We had a set window in the afternoon for delivery but with our vacation coming up the following week, we didn't have the spare time to wait around for it. We were very grateful his parents were available since Tuesday is the only day the furniture company delivers to Kzoo! Our table is even more beautiful finally set up in our dining room. It looks like a proper dining room. Unfortunately we don't have the china cabinet yet but it will be delivered this coming Tuesday. I will post pictures soon!

Our Saturday evening with Scott, Sandy& girls was very fun. We had pizza and played games late into the night. The kids are great and I donated every coin I could find in the house to Haylee for a fundraiser. I was amazed I had as much as I did. Apparently we don't use coins often any more =) I'm sure it wasn't more than $4 but that amount in pennies looks impressive!

The rest of the week was pretty same old, same old. We worked, went to the gym, watched TV and generally kept busy doing nothing.

Friday February 13th -

On the eve of our vacation to Florida I had a lot I wanted to accomplish and squeeze in before taking off. Mike and I dropped the car off for an oil change in the morning and I worked half a day to clear up some last minute things at work. I made a smart remark to Mike that Valentine's Day was Saturday and I hoped he bought me flowers. Mike said I could display my dining room table if I wanted to show off something. Ha! Well I went to work and funny enough, a coworker asked if I had received flowers yet from Mike. Apparently he has a bit of a reputation for doing such very nice, public displays of love. I told her not this year because of our slightly expensive purchase of a dining room set. She said she totally understood and I went back to my desk. Not two minutes later, I had a delivery of a dozen roses sent to my desk from my wonderful husband =) I made sure to swing by my coworkers desk to show off my new gift and we both gushed over the beauty of my bouquet.

In the afternoon we picked up the car and Mike dropped me off at home so I could start my projects. I managed to clean the house, finish laundry, clean up a bunch of stuff out the garage and take up some junk I want to sell this summer from the basement to our spare room. After all that I made a list and did some shopping for miscellaneous things we needed before we left.

Our new pet sitter arrived in the evening to go over what needs to be done. With Anya now on several medications now we hired one of the vet techs for our vets office to come over and do the job. I may have overwhelmed the poor women with my endless instructions and suggestions on what we do for our babies. Poor Anya has had a rough week - First we had another blood test done on her only to find out our latest dose of medication was too much and we'd gone from overactive to under active and the poor cat was sleeping her days away. We switched to a lower dose but it takes awhile to fix. Then our lovely water bowl gift to Louis reactivated her severe allergy to plastic and she developed large acne welts on her face. I thought one of the other cats punctured her cheek while we were at work before I realized it was my own d*mn fault for thinking the allergy wouldn't flare up so bad. Thankfully the problem has solved itself now that we took away the plastic bowl but the scabs from our folly are still on her poor little face.

Anyways, by the time the night was over, it was 2 a.m. and Mike and I were exhausted. We slept for about 5 hours before getting a later than expected start on Saturday morning.

Saturday, February 14th -

Happy Valentine's Day! Unlucky for us we had a 9 hour drive ahead of us and this horrible white stuff was all over the ground again. It slightly delayed us more only because we had to drive slow but by the time we reached Fort Wayne the snow as all but a dusting. We stopped off briefly in Muncie, Indiana where I went to college to have lunch at my favorite Thai restaurant. I told Mike I would have this place ship food to me by mail if I thought it would taste the same by the time I got it. I had quite hyped up the place by the time we were in town. To my utter disgust and horror, they were not open for lunch on Saturday. I wanted to cry. We had to settle for a Chinese buffet instead but I have the promise we can stop there again on our way back.

After one addition stop in Kentucky for gas and a quick break, we drove through the mountains in the dark and stopped for the night in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Mike was smart enough to book early on Hotwire.com and we ended up getting a room at a pretty sweet hotel. It was a former train station that they turned into a hotel. Super unique and very interesting. I regret we didn't get into until 10 so we didn't see much in the light. Our room wasn't special but for $50 we couldn't complain! We recommend booking through Hotwire =) Great deals!

After getting all our stuff in the room we made a quick dash to change from travel clothes into some nicer clothes for dinner. We lucked out and found this fabulous restaurant just across the street from the hotel. The food was the best I've had in a very long time and the atmosphere was soft and romantic.

After a long, tiring drive, it was a welcome relaxing hour. We went straight to the hotel afterward and crashed for the night once again making a later than expected start the next day.

Today, Sunday (well, Monday I guess now so I'm writing this at 12:30 a.m.!) February 15th -

The drive from Chattanooga was pretty uneventful. Except for one spot in Georgia where I almost got pulled over. I tell you, Georgia is the worst for speed limits. First, it's 70 for a long stretch then it switches quickly to 55 - than 65 - than back to 70. It was terrible. I stuck at 65 hoping that was about the middle. Well at one point I must have been going a little over trying to pass a slower car and I guess it was in the 55 stretch because a cop on the other side of the road whipped around as soon as he could and sped up to catch me. Obviously I slowed down to 55 once I saw him swing. I was so mad because we weren't in a hurry so I wasn't trying to speed but the signs were so inconsistent! I was planning my arguments and pleas in my head when the cop finally caught up to me. I waited for the lights to turn on and even headed toward an outer lane. Then... a miracle happened. He backed off, pulled over and took out his radar gun I assume to catch someone else. My only thought is he didn't have my clocked going over the speed limit and by the time he caught up I wasn't speeding anymore. Lady luck was totally on my side!

Around 8 p.m. we finally arrived at my sisters house. Their house is so beautiful. My sister and her family, including her in laws, had all just arrive themselves and were trying to settle in. They had ordered a pizza for dinner so we were just in time to join them for food. We didn't talk about much more than travel and the kids were already in bed by the time we arrived. We did have a bit of an adventure pushing together the two twin beds Mike and I are sleeping on for the king-bed feel. To set your mind at ease - right now I am blogging and Mike is sleeping in his travel clothes. Not really your typical romantic atmosphere =)

I will do my best to keep up on the blog now that we'll actually have something exciting each day to right about. We have many plans of what we want to do and I only hope we can find the hours in the day to do them! We are very excited to start our vacation now that the traveling is over and I am SUPER excited to meet my nephews tomorrow!!!

Louis's Birthday & A New Dining Room Set!

Tuesday, January 27th - Wednesday January 28th

Mike decided Michigan is not cold enough so he traveled to Quebec. Well, not entirely true - he went for work. Stryker has a division in Canada and Mike and a few other employees needed to go up there to help with a project. I'm not sure on the details (not that Mike can tell me anyways - most stuff he does is confidential and protected by Stryker's privacy policy - blah) but there was some reason Stryker Canada needed them to come up for a few days. Either way, Mike was up there Monday - Wednesday. Overall he said the trip was a success and they accomplished a lot. He mentioned they were very fortunate to have a former Canadian resident with them who spoke French so they could communicate in the town. I'd forgotten Quebec is mostly and older French town and they don't have many English speakers. I just think Canada and I think second America =) Shows what I know... Mike said he'd love to take me back sometime for vacation. Obviously when it's warmer - the weather was much colder when he was there as you can see by the picture he took of the thermometer on their rental car (-23) =) I will also post a few other picture he took while he was there. Unfortunately since he was there for work he didn't get a lot of photos in the day time.

Monday night I think I sat on my behind and watched TV. Tuesday night I went to my parents house where they were kind enough to make me dinner and I gave them a tutorial on using their On Demand system. I can't believe they haven't utilized the free movies and options before! Somehow I imagine they still haven't and are waiting for me to come over again before they try it on their own =)

Wednesday morning I received a call from Mike telling me that his flight had been cancelled. They were supposed to fly from Quebec to New York and then to Grand Rapids. Unfortunately we were having bad weather that Wednesday in New York so no flights were leaving or landing. Mike and his coworkers really wanted to come home to the "warmer" weather (heh) and their spouses so they booked this crazy flight to Toronto I believe and then they rented a car and drove home from there. It took over 5 hours and Mike was home very, very early on Thursday morning. I could not wait up =) I remember him coming in but I think I went back to sleep...

Thursday, January 29th -

Mike sleeps in - Deb goes to work. Granted, he deserved the sleep. After such a ridiculous trip from Canada, I figured he'd want to sleep in. We arranged it so he slept until lunch and then I picked him up on my lunch break and took him back to work. After work we made a trip to Adam & Jessica's house to bring over a coffee cake I had made them and Maya's baby gift. We had a really nice time but didn't stay long. Jessica's mother was in helping them with the baby and Hannah and Mike was exhausted from his trip. Maya is growing and Hannah is a doll =) We had a great time and left with Mike drooling over Adam's new TV in the basement. I believe a new TV is on Mike's list of things to buy when we win the lottery...

Friday, January 30th -

After work I met up with Mike and some of his coworkers at Wings Etc. We didn't stay too late because Mike had plans to go with some friends from work to another coworkers house to watch a movie in his home theater. Apparently this is quite a pimped out location. There's a giant TV and some button that brings down a screen for movies. Oh, and of course the new movie furniture you see in stores now days. Mike really enjoyed it. He's already measured our basement for future modifications when we win that lottery I mentioned earlier =)

Of course this was a boys night in with pizza. beers and some crazy movie so I didn't want to go. I enjoyed my evening alone at home watching a new phenomenal series On Demand called Rome and eating Chinese. Rome is great - I'd never seen it before but I am absolutely hooked. I made it through 7 episodes before I realized On Demand only had half the series available now. I won't be able to watch the rest of it until next month!! I need to go to Blockbuster and just rent it but I"m too cheap... Sigh. Now I"m getting into The Wire's first season. I watched the last season with Mike but it's neat to see it from the beginning. I watch too much TV...

Saturday, January 31st -

Today was great - it's the day I finally got my DINING ROOM SET!!!!! What started out as just chatter at our weekly breakfast out - this time at Uncle Ernie's - turned into a casual drive to some furniture places in town, and then out of town. Mike's mom suggested we try this new place up the road from them. So we drove to GR and gave it a shot. At first, I was highly discouraged and ready to leave at once. The very first table we saw was $18,000.00 JUST for the table and then an additional $1000-$1500 for the chairs. (faint) I immediately realized this store was beyond any budget we can dream of on our salaries. Mike, however, thought this was a great game and wanted to see if the store had anything MORE expensive just for the fun of it. I did not enjoy this game so I wandered around looking at other ridiculously expensive furniture. I was attracted to this very unique coffee table (just $3000 - a steal!) that was made completely out of pebbles and glass. I can't find an exact replica on the web, unfortunately, but it looked kind of like this but much classier and more coffee table like:

Anyways, while I was admiring this awesome table, Mike found me and asked about a dining room set near where I was. I told him it was nice but probably too expensive. Thank goodness he looked anyways because apparently it was a floor model and they had slashed the price way, way down to get rid of it. We were so excited we sat at the table until a sales person wandered by so we can stake our claim. We found out it had only just gone on clearance the night before and we were the first to catch the sale. We ended up getting a dining room table, china bench and two extra chairs for a very, very reasonable price and much better quality than we originally planned. I will post pictures below.

The table and 6 chairs will be delivered this coming Tuesday. The rest is on order and should be here within 6 weeks. We're so excited. It only took us a year to get a decent table =)

After our successful shopping trip, we came home and celebrated Louis's first birthday with tuna and gifts. No, this is not something we do all the time but we don't have kids obviously and our cats are the closest thing =P Plus, it was fun. We bought him a new feather toy and I guess really a gift for all - a new fountain water dish that also purifies water. It's a glorified fountain really. Louis loves water but hasn't really used the water dish as we thought he would. Oh well. I did get some great shots of Mike with Louis and his tuna birthday cake and reaction to his new water dish. The pictures are priceless!

Sunday, February 1st -

Superbowl Sunday was spent cleaning the house and clearing off the drive. After that very exciting work, we invited Melanie, Bruco and their son Ethan over for boardgames, pizza and an occasional Superbowl comical. I can't say I watched any football but we had a very close game of Taboo. Unfortunately Mike and I lost =( The rest of the night I spent doing laundry and Mike had to get ready for another business trip - this time to Kansas City.

Monday, February 2nd -

Mike's gone again and I'm home with the cats. I did have a productive evening. I hammered out the last of the ice at the end of the drive and shoveled slush until my arms ached. Then I picked up some dry cleaning, returned a book to the library and took out some CDs to burn, then went grocery shopping so the pets could eat. By the time I got home I was just in time to watch an episode of "17 Kids and Counting" before heading to bed.

Tuesday, February 3rd & Today, Wednesday February 4th-

Tuesday I ran a mile! Mike and I are training for a 5K which really means we're trying hard at the gym. I was so exhausted but proud of myself. I think I pushed a little too hard because today my muscles ache. Not a bad ache but just overworked. I will try again tomorrow and hope it works out better. Running is hard work... Mike's much better at it than me =P

Mike got home pretty early last night for a business trip - around 11 p.m. I was pretty much in bed again but I at least could wait up for him this time. We crashed early and went to work as usual today. Mike's catching up on some more work (geez, he's starting to sound like a workaholic but I promise he's not - completely...) while I finally have some time for my blog.

Writing this blog is more challenging each time. First, I have to find time to sit down and think about all I've done in the past week. Second, I have to fight for my spot at the computer because Louis believes the mouse on the compute screen is his own personal laser toy and insists no matter how many times I put him down that it's a game we need to play every time I'm at the computer. I have no idea how to change his mind since he has the concept right but the wrong location!