MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
I PRAY THAT BOTH YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON, AND THE YEAR TO COME WILL BE BLESSED.
I PRAY THAT BOTH YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON, AND THE YEAR TO COME WILL BE BLESSED.
(and yes Amy, these are the Santa hats that I made.)
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Merry Christmas
I know it is a few days late, but here is the official Christmas greetings from our family to yours...
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Happy Christmas Eve
It is a cold, wet, and dreary day in Tennessee. However, it is cheerful inside because Matt and I are at his parents house getting ready for Christmas.
We some how were able to get a vacation over the Christmas time where we were able to spend 12 days visiting and relaxing with Steve and Sue. The vacation is now half way over, but it has been wonderful and I can not thank our wonderful "hosts" enough.
In part, this was a blog to say why I have not been blogging recently, to let you know where we are, and to say.....
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!!
We some how were able to get a vacation over the Christmas time where we were able to spend 12 days visiting and relaxing with Steve and Sue. The vacation is now half way over, but it has been wonderful and I can not thank our wonderful "hosts" enough.
In part, this was a blog to say why I have not been blogging recently, to let you know where we are, and to say.....
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Busy
Tell you what...GE is keeping Matt and I hopping!
Christmas at GE is a busy time.
On Saturday we got up early and went to a warehouse in Salem to do "food" "baskets." All of the quotations are because more than food was put into them, and they were not baskets, they were large boxes. It was fun, and here is a bit more of an explanation of it. There is a long assembly line, each person or "stop" has to put an item in the box. The bottom of the box was filled with bags of flour, sugar, and canned goods. Then noodles, spices, bread, and produce went on top. Matt and I were in charge of the Olay body spray and the toy train engine that was also to be included. It was a wonderful way to spend 2-3 hours of a Saturday morning. I hear that next year we should sign up to deliver some of these 90 lb boxes and see where and who they are going to.
On Monday we had the GE Christmas party. This party or dinner was in the Hotel Roanoke. The food was wonderful and the company was good. We stayed for quite awhile just chatting with the people at our table (which we did not know very well before we sat down). Before leaving for the dinner I mentioned to Matt that I remember going to this thing last year. I was thinking...wow, this guy really must be serious about me to want to introduce me to all of the people that he works with...and now we are married! That still amazes me :)
Monday night after we left the party we quickly drove to Walmart to buy some gifts for a four year old boy that was part of a family that GE decided to provide Christmas gifts for. I am glad that I had Matt with me, because we were to buy action figures for this boy....I would have been fairly clueless.
Tonight (Tuesday) Matt came home and soon we were off once again. This time we went to the Salvation Army Warehouse and we helped many other GE staff and family to build little red wagons and trikes for the Salvation Army to hand out as they wish. These wagons and trikes were so cool. They all had all-terrain, air-filled wheels, and the trike had a little hitch. Certainly not the wagon or trike I grew up with. Matt, another man, and I built five trikes and fixed two wagons. It was quite fun, but over too quickly. All of the volunteers had finished all of the building in about 1- 1 1/2 hours.
It is great to see a company give back to the community as this. I look forward to, when we have children, continuing to do these charity events to have one way of reminding them that not everyone has as much as we do.
Christmas at GE is a busy time.
On Saturday we got up early and went to a warehouse in Salem to do "food" "baskets." All of the quotations are because more than food was put into them, and they were not baskets, they were large boxes. It was fun, and here is a bit more of an explanation of it. There is a long assembly line, each person or "stop" has to put an item in the box. The bottom of the box was filled with bags of flour, sugar, and canned goods. Then noodles, spices, bread, and produce went on top. Matt and I were in charge of the Olay body spray and the toy train engine that was also to be included. It was a wonderful way to spend 2-3 hours of a Saturday morning. I hear that next year we should sign up to deliver some of these 90 lb boxes and see where and who they are going to.
On Monday we had the GE Christmas party. This party or dinner was in the Hotel Roanoke. The food was wonderful and the company was good. We stayed for quite awhile just chatting with the people at our table (which we did not know very well before we sat down). Before leaving for the dinner I mentioned to Matt that I remember going to this thing last year. I was thinking...wow, this guy really must be serious about me to want to introduce me to all of the people that he works with...and now we are married! That still amazes me :)
Monday night after we left the party we quickly drove to Walmart to buy some gifts for a four year old boy that was part of a family that GE decided to provide Christmas gifts for. I am glad that I had Matt with me, because we were to buy action figures for this boy....I would have been fairly clueless.
Tonight (Tuesday) Matt came home and soon we were off once again. This time we went to the Salvation Army Warehouse and we helped many other GE staff and family to build little red wagons and trikes for the Salvation Army to hand out as they wish. These wagons and trikes were so cool. They all had all-terrain, air-filled wheels, and the trike had a little hitch. Certainly not the wagon or trike I grew up with. Matt, another man, and I built five trikes and fixed two wagons. It was quite fun, but over too quickly. All of the volunteers had finished all of the building in about 1- 1 1/2 hours.
It is great to see a company give back to the community as this. I look forward to, when we have children, continuing to do these charity events to have one way of reminding them that not everyone has as much as we do.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Realization
Yesterday I came to the painful realization that Matt and I need to once again go church shopping.
About three months ago Matt and I went to a church and found it to be wonderful and exactly what we needed at the time. But slowly over the months I have been having my concerns about different parts of the church that are vital for me, that I have not been seeing or getting. Let me explain:
1. Matt and I are the only young married couple that regularly attends. For Sunday school they did not know whether to put us with a Sunday school class for marrieds that have children ages 5 and older or to put us with the college students. Yes, those are the only two options... We chose the one for the married couples, but still did not feel like we fit in. The pastor was considering trying to get us to move to the college area, but we do not see that we would fit in there either.
2. One very important area that I am looking for is a good childrens program at church. When beginning to attend I saw that the pastor's and the music director's families made up most of the childrens program. That made me happy since I could see that with the children belonging to those who are "highest" in the church, it would not go away. However, that also means that there are only about 10 children in the youth program from the ages of 2-12. All in all, that is ok, but since there are no young married couples and no real evident source for children that would eventually be the same age as ours, our child would not have any peers their own age.
Don't get me wrong...
I love being in handbells.
The church is nice.
The pastor is wonderful.
We enjoy the services.
But, I see myself as part of the handbell choir and not part of the church (since we do not truly have fellowship there). And since I do not work at a particular job (I am a substitute teacher at the moment) church would be the best place for me to find friends and fellowship, and this church is not providing it.
We have met a few really good people at this church, and we will miss them. But between the age differences, and where they are in life - they really seemed to be more like aunts and uncles, rather than close friends. Happy to bring us a cake or a good word when we're in trouble, but not close enough to stay and chat.
So off we go to another church-hunting expedition. It is painful since we have really enjoyed this place so much, but I think that in the long run...we may eventually find what we need somewhere else.
About three months ago Matt and I went to a church and found it to be wonderful and exactly what we needed at the time. But slowly over the months I have been having my concerns about different parts of the church that are vital for me, that I have not been seeing or getting. Let me explain:
1. Matt and I are the only young married couple that regularly attends. For Sunday school they did not know whether to put us with a Sunday school class for marrieds that have children ages 5 and older or to put us with the college students. Yes, those are the only two options... We chose the one for the married couples, but still did not feel like we fit in. The pastor was considering trying to get us to move to the college area, but we do not see that we would fit in there either.
2. One very important area that I am looking for is a good childrens program at church. When beginning to attend I saw that the pastor's and the music director's families made up most of the childrens program. That made me happy since I could see that with the children belonging to those who are "highest" in the church, it would not go away. However, that also means that there are only about 10 children in the youth program from the ages of 2-12. All in all, that is ok, but since there are no young married couples and no real evident source for children that would eventually be the same age as ours, our child would not have any peers their own age.
Don't get me wrong...
I love being in handbells.
The church is nice.
The pastor is wonderful.
We enjoy the services.
But, I see myself as part of the handbell choir and not part of the church (since we do not truly have fellowship there). And since I do not work at a particular job (I am a substitute teacher at the moment) church would be the best place for me to find friends and fellowship, and this church is not providing it.
We have met a few really good people at this church, and we will miss them. But between the age differences, and where they are in life - they really seemed to be more like aunts and uncles, rather than close friends. Happy to bring us a cake or a good word when we're in trouble, but not close enough to stay and chat.
So off we go to another church-hunting expedition. It is painful since we have really enjoyed this place so much, but I think that in the long run...we may eventually find what we need somewhere else.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
So Long...
is something that I had to say to our TV service today. Matt and I have not had TV service for quite awhile. We decided to get cable service installed for the month of November/December so that our parents (mostly our dads) could watch TV as they spent their holiday here.
I am not ashamed to say that, yes I did get hooked to having TV. But I think that it is a good thing that it is gone.
Now...
more things will be done around the house
more music will be listened to
more books will be read
etc.
So, Good Bye TV.
I am not ashamed to say that, yes I did get hooked to having TV. But I think that it is a good thing that it is gone.
Now...
more things will be done around the house
more music will be listened to
more books will be read
etc.
So, Good Bye TV.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Cookies
Orange cookies, Snickerdoodles, Asbury Cookies, Chocolate Covered Peanutbutter Balls, and more....
Above is a picture of last Saturday at my parents' house. The "Kiser" (in quotations since only one of us is really technically a Kiser) women got together for our annual cookie day.
Cookie day has been happening in our family for about 10 years (I think). It is a day between Thanksgiving and Christmas where all of us get together for a weekend and bake, and bake, and bake, and bake,..... And the cookies are supposed to last through the holiday seasons....hmmmm, note the word SUPPOSED.
Usually we start on Friday night and make up the dough. That chills for the night, then around 8:00 or 9:00 am we are up and starting to get the cookies and candies made. The boys (my four nephews) are sometimes wanting to be little helpers in making the cookies, but more than anything they are wanting to be taste testers (well I guess that also goes for the big boys of the family...my father, my brother-in-law, and my husband).
It is a great day of stories, Christmas music, lots of sugar, and many laughs. I am glad that we have this tradition. I think I will now go and get an Orange Cookie, YUM!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Thanksgiving
Our Thanksgiving table
I am so very thankful for so many things this year, but I guess I will have to start with the most obvious....FAMILY
Matt and I...Our First Thanksgiving
Matt and I are our own little family for our first Thanksgiving together and it was wonderful. We even hosted Thanksgiving this year!
Sue and Steve (Matt's parents) in front of the Christmas tree that Sue and I put up and decorated (we also did the outdoor lights along the poarch....brrrrrr it was cold!)
Matt's parents drove from Tenn. on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving to spend some time with us. His brother and sister-in-law could not make it due to commitments at work and with the other family. But it was so special for us to have Matt's parents here, to see our house, to see how we live, to enjoy a vacation and just spend time together. They were able to stay until Sunday morning.
Glen and Betty (my parents)
Many card games were played
Many Wii games were challenged
Many stories were told
Many laughs were had
Many items of food were prepared
Many stomaches were always stuffed!
It was a wonderful time....
"This was a triumph. I'm making a note here: 'Huge success.'"
Qapla!
Friday, November 21, 2008
May it live long and prosper
Hi Everyone,
Well, once again I have commandeered my wife's Blog to bring you this special announcement. She is awesome. Okay. On to the show.
For Christmas this year, Lana decided to get me a present. Not just any present, but a wish long hoped for. I've had a Star Trek (The Original Series) caricature poster for years now. It has lived quietly rolled up and in a dank, dark and musty trunk. I've pulled it out to show to friends and family over the years, and I've always wanted to have it preserved somehow. Well, my wife finally took me up on it. Not only did she frame it for me, she found a place here in the valley that can do archival-quality framing. The poster now has some fancy UV protective glass (98% I believe) and some tender loving care from the staff. Pictures of this amazingly preserved
piece of history are shown below.
Quiz for you - name the main characters above - extra points if you know the actors names too. Mom - You probably know the actors birthdays, so you are exempt from this pop-quiz. (answers below)
Now, this picture may or may not do the thing justice. There are 79 original series episodes - and this picture has a caricature (or three) of almost every single one. You can see a very large "Harry Mudd" in the lower left of the full picture, and the original cast in the picture above.
Every time I walk by this picture, I either focus on a favorite episode and the memories associated with it, or I notice something completely new. For instance, there is a klingon bird-of-prey at the very top. "Really? Where?" says Lana. (She's looking over my shoulder...) I never noticed, but it has a sign on the back of it. This poster is full of such details. Most of it is humorous on its own - but some of it you have to have seen the episode to really get it.
Well, Lana framed this picture as a (BIG and Early!) christmas present to me. It was a great secret until wednesday night when we went to pick it up. We met after work in a parking lot. Of course I couldn't find her car (the honda Fit is in Harrisonburg), so it took me a minute to find her. She found me, hopped in the car and off we went. I had no idea where we were going. I was expecting maybe a Fed-Ex pickup location or something. She had told me how much she had spent beforehand, so I knew it was big. So, we were driving. It was dark, cold, and I didn't know where I was going. Lana was squinting off into the distance trying to find the one little shop. Finally, after a few "Maybe... No. Keep going"'s, she saw it. All I saw was a tiny little parking lot, and an open sign. "Okay" says I. I parked, and saw that it was a framing shop. "Framing shop? What did she frame? Are we patrons of this store? I don't want to get towed. Or maybe she just knows someone here." So, in we went. That confirmed the 'patrons' theory, so I stopped worrying about the car. But what did she frame? My diploma? No, Mom & Dad framed that for me. Hmm... The lady behind the counter greeted Lana and I heard a great big "DONG" in my head. "She didn't...." And here it comes. A 4' x 5' framed picture. I just saw the back and knew what it was. Lana got kissed. I think her toes curled up a little. It was beautiful. And of course, being the geek-ish trekkie that I am, I immediatly started asking her what kind of glass it was, and looking at the small blemishes that I knew were there. This is a thing of beauty.
After going over the details with her, I started to hear the story behind the framing of the Matt - or is it conspiring? Anyway. Lana had walked into the framing store with a rolled up poster and a question. Before long, the entire staff was helping her out. They had the poster spread out, and everyone - even some of the customers - were examining this thing. I found out that the lady who did the work was a trekkie, and her son was fascinated by the poster. He'd apparenlty stare at it for long stretches of time. He was sad when he found out that Lana would be picking it up soon.
So now, my well-wrapped treasure (Yes, Lana, it is now wrapped in 98% UV protection - and I had to un-wrap the plastic-bag off of it) is now hanging in the living room above the entertainment center. It looks really good, and is ready for lots of guests to enjoy and admire. And examine minutely for their favorite episode's representative.
Well, Lana is making noises like she wants her computer back, so I'll sign off.
Until next time!
-M
Ack! I forgot to give the answers to today's quiz!
From left to right:
Dr. "Bones" McCoy played by DeForrest Kelley,
Christine Chapel played by Majel Barret,
Mr. Spock played by Leonard Nimoy,
Captian James T. Kirk - Captain of the Enterprise played by William Shatner,
Yeoman Janice Rand played by Grace Lee Whitney
Sulu played by George Taki
You can sorta see Scotty's head in the first picture - played by James Dohan (R.I.P.)
Sitting on the Nacelle's in the bigger picture is Uhura played by Nichelle Nichols
and Pavel Chekov played by Walter Koenig - Bonus points if you got the character's middle name: Andreievich.
The one sad thing about this poster, is the one person who is missing. Anyone guess his name? He is very important in Star Trek.
Bye!
Well, once again I have commandeered my wife's Blog to bring you this special announcement. She is awesome. Okay. On to the show.
For Christmas this year, Lana decided to get me a present. Not just any present, but a wish long hoped for. I've had a Star Trek (The Original Series) caricature poster for years now. It has lived quietly rolled up and in a dank, dark and musty trunk. I've pulled it out to show to friends and family over the years, and I've always wanted to have it preserved somehow. Well, my wife finally took me up on it. Not only did she frame it for me, she found a place here in the valley that can do archival-quality framing. The poster now has some fancy UV protective glass (98% I believe) and some tender loving care from the staff. Pictures of this amazingly preserved
piece of history are shown below.
Quiz for you - name the main characters above - extra points if you know the actors names too. Mom - You probably know the actors birthdays, so you are exempt from this pop-quiz. (answers below)Now, this picture may or may not do the thing justice. There are 79 original series episodes - and this picture has a caricature (or three) of almost every single one. You can see a very large "Harry Mudd" in the lower left of the full picture, and the original cast in the picture above. Every time I walk by this picture, I either focus on a favorite episode and the memories associated with it, or I notice something completely new. For instance, there is a klingon bird-of-prey at the very top. "Really? Where?" says Lana. (She's looking over my shoulder...) I never noticed, but it has a sign on the back of it. This poster is full of such details. Most of it is humorous on its own - but some of it you have to have seen the episode to really get it.
Well, Lana framed this picture as a (BIG and Early!) christmas present to me. It was a great secret until wednesday night when we went to pick it up. We met after work in a parking lot. Of course I couldn't find her car (the honda Fit is in Harrisonburg), so it took me a minute to find her. She found me, hopped in the car and off we went. I had no idea where we were going. I was expecting maybe a Fed-Ex pickup location or something. She had told me how much she had spent beforehand, so I knew it was big. So, we were driving. It was dark, cold, and I didn't know where I was going. Lana was squinting off into the distance trying to find the one little shop. Finally, after a few "Maybe... No. Keep going"'s, she saw it. All I saw was a tiny little parking lot, and an open sign. "Okay" says I. I parked, and saw that it was a framing shop. "Framing shop? What did she frame? Are we patrons of this store? I don't want to get towed. Or maybe she just knows someone here." So, in we went. That confirmed the 'patrons' theory, so I stopped worrying about the car. But what did she frame? My diploma? No, Mom & Dad framed that for me. Hmm... The lady behind the counter greeted Lana and I heard a great big "DONG" in my head. "She didn't...." And here it comes. A 4' x 5' framed picture. I just saw the back and knew what it was. Lana got kissed. I think her toes curled up a little. It was beautiful. And of course, being the geek-ish trekkie that I am, I immediatly started asking her what kind of glass it was, and looking at the small blemishes that I knew were there. This is a thing of beauty.
After going over the details with her, I started to hear the story behind the framing of the Matt - or is it conspiring? Anyway. Lana had walked into the framing store with a rolled up poster and a question. Before long, the entire staff was helping her out. They had the poster spread out, and everyone - even some of the customers - were examining this thing. I found out that the lady who did the work was a trekkie, and her son was fascinated by the poster. He'd apparenlty stare at it for long stretches of time. He was sad when he found out that Lana would be picking it up soon.
So now, my well-wrapped treasure (Yes, Lana, it is now wrapped in 98% UV protection - and I had to un-wrap the plastic-bag off of it) is now hanging in the living room above the entertainment center. It looks really good, and is ready for lots of guests to enjoy and admire. And examine minutely for their favorite episode's representative.
Well, Lana is making noises like she wants her computer back, so I'll sign off.
Until next time!
-M
Ack! I forgot to give the answers to today's quiz!
From left to right:
Dr. "Bones" McCoy played by DeForrest Kelley,
Christine Chapel played by Majel Barret,
Mr. Spock played by Leonard Nimoy,
Captian James T. Kirk - Captain of the Enterprise played by William Shatner,
Yeoman Janice Rand played by Grace Lee Whitney
Sulu played by George Taki
You can sorta see Scotty's head in the first picture - played by James Dohan (R.I.P.)
Sitting on the Nacelle's in the bigger picture is Uhura played by Nichelle Nichols
and Pavel Chekov played by Walter Koenig - Bonus points if you got the character's middle name: Andreievich.
The one sad thing about this poster, is the one person who is missing. Anyone guess his name? He is very important in Star Trek.
Bye!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Play
Look closely, you can see a swing set. That single swing set was all that there was of this structure before Matt, Mike and Dad got a hold of it. Now let me make sure that you know taht this is not at my house, this is at my mom and dad's place.
Mike and Matt acquired these playground pieces one weekend. Two weekends later they were out there with Dad and Mike's friend Brent to build this playground. This was completely the brain child of all of the guys, and it is AMAZING!
I think that the guys had a great time playing while building this. And I know that the kids (my nephews, and my kids...eventually) are going to have a great time playing on it too.
But I am so amazed at what they were able to put together, I just had to share.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Happy Ending
I just finished all 200 hours that are needed to volunteer for my librarian "student teaching." Time to jump up and down and celebrate! :)
Sad Ending
We just finished Star Trek: The Original Series (all three seasons!)
Now for the movies.... :)
Now for the movies.... :)
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Fall
I love the colors of fall. And I especially love it since we live in between two (or more) mountain ranges. This top picture is of Read Mountain. It was taken from our back yard. We actually live at the base of Read Mountain though it looks very far away, but we are actually close to the mountain and we have just discovered there are hiking trails up there.... :)
This is from the front yard. I have recently learned that this is "Stewart Knob". It is nice to look out of our house and see the beauty of fall.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Trick-Or-Treat
Happy Halloween (a few days late) Everyone! Matt and I decided to host a dinner party for Halloween. We were originally expecting about 12-15 people and everyone in costume. What actually happened was...well, life happened. One person was able to make it, but we did not know that till about two hours before the party (so all of the food for 15 was made). But we had a great time with Matt's co-worker.
While waiting for Paul (Matt's co-worker) to come. I had fun carving the first pumpkin that I remember carving...and I did it mostly by myself! I think he is very cute :)
Then Matt and I sat on the front porch with hot cider, and vegetable soup waiting for both Paul and all of the about 100 children that came to our door that evening.
Paul finally found our house and the pumpkin bread was not quite done, so Matt and Paul carved their pumpkins while I handed out candy and talked with the neighbors. Paul did the top on in the picture above, and Matt did the lower one. I think they both look great! Oh, this was also the very first time that Paul had ever carved a pumpkin. I think he was a bit unsure about it all, but he had a good time doing it.
Great food. Great conversations. Great friends.
It was a nice evening. I just hope that our next party has a few more people.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Paris
Well, not quite. But we do now have the Eiffel Tower in our living room. Mike (by brother-in-law) had purchased this lego set a long time ago. But he got another very large set recently so this was dismantled and he let us borrow it.
We decided on Saturday night to start putting it together. We made this decision at 7:00 pm on Saturday. We did not finish till 3:00 am Sunday! (and that is not counting for day light savings time). We worked straight for all of those hours, but we finished the set in one night. And might I say that was a very fun time working on a set with Matt.
We decided on Saturday night to start putting it together. We made this decision at 7:00 pm on Saturday. We did not finish till 3:00 am Sunday! (and that is not counting for day light savings time). We worked straight for all of those hours, but we finished the set in one night. And might I say that was a very fun time working on a set with Matt.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Who Would Have Thought
At this moment (yes, around 5:30 pm) one year ago I remember sitting on a sidewalk reading a book called Whales On Stilts (a crazy book, but fun....I needed to read it for my library). I was in a city I did not know very well (Lexington) and I was waiting for a guy I did not know very well either (some random guy named Matt).
I had met him online, we had talked on the phone, but a first date is something completely different. So here I am trying to read for work, not remembering much because I am anxiously waiting for this guy to arrive and see what might happen.
Just as I was starting to be able to calm my nerves a bit and get into my reading my cell phone began to ring. It was Matt! I did not see him because he was across the road by the door of the restaurant. And he did not see me because I was on the sidewalk and his view of me was being blocked by my car. The book was quickly closed, thrown into the car, and the date began....
(to read of the first date, please see my first blog)
Who would have thought that on our one year anniversary of meeting we would also be celebrating almost 4 months of married life? It is amazing how wonderfully and quickly life works!
I had met him online, we had talked on the phone, but a first date is something completely different. So here I am trying to read for work, not remembering much because I am anxiously waiting for this guy to arrive and see what might happen.
Just as I was starting to be able to calm my nerves a bit and get into my reading my cell phone began to ring. It was Matt! I did not see him because he was across the road by the door of the restaurant. And he did not see me because I was on the sidewalk and his view of me was being blocked by my car. The book was quickly closed, thrown into the car, and the date began....
(to read of the first date, please see my first blog)
Who would have thought that on our one year anniversary of meeting we would also be celebrating almost 4 months of married life? It is amazing how wonderfully and quickly life works!
Making it our own
Matt and I have been somewhat busy working on little parts of the house. And the funny thing is that the parts of the house that we worked on are usually the very first things that I do to a new house that I move into. So it is amazing to me that I have lived in this house for about four months and I finally got window dressings made and up for the dinning room....
And I made wonderful window dressings for the living room. They are actually out of the same pattern of material just one is in a red print and one is in a black print. I need to thank Amy for giving me a reason to go through my material and by chance finding these that I had purchased years ago.
I also need to thank Laura for the beautiful fabric that is now a wonderful piece of art in the entry of our house.
Our house is coming together slowly. And we are making it our own. But right now I need to make it very clean for a party that we are having tomorrow!
And I made wonderful window dressings for the living room. They are actually out of the same pattern of material just one is in a red print and one is in a black print. I need to thank Amy for giving me a reason to go through my material and by chance finding these that I had purchased years ago.
I also need to thank Laura for the beautiful fabric that is now a wonderful piece of art in the entry of our house.
Our house is coming together slowly. And we are making it our own. But right now I need to make it very clean for a party that we are having tomorrow!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Mowing
As I was mowing today, in the corner of my eye I saw something fairly large moving in the grass. However, when I actually looked I did not see anything because it all looked green and ready to be cut. But, I knew that I had seen something. So I kept looking and to my surprise I finally saw this beautiful Preying Mantis. I think that I scared it half to death, but I gave it a large area around it that I would not mow in. So now I have a spot of the back yard that is not mowed. I will try to get to it tomorrow, maybe it will have moved by then.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
It Takes A Village
It all began with a soccer tournament. Carol's boys were playing in a soccer game in Roanoke last weekend so she asked if they could stay at our house. Of course we said yes. Then Mom and Dad wanted to come down, so we suggested the same weekend as Carol. Then we decided to buy a shed for our back yard. Mike and Amy were interested in helping to build it. So once again we had a family vacation at our house for the weekend. We went from 2 people in our house to 11! And it was great fun. Well I guess it was great fun because on Saturday I was gone from 6:00am to 6:00pm for class. But when I came home I found.....
Some monkeys on top of the roof of our brand new shed (which was just a huge block in the garage when I left). Though it looks like Mike and Matt were having fun.
By Sunday afternoon we had all of the shed done (except for shingles and some fancy work around the door). So we all posed in front of it because as I said it takes a village. It took cooks (mom and Amy), cleaners (Carol), supervisors (Dad), entertainers (Adam, Austin, Shannon), Gofers (Eamon), and hard laborers (Matt, Mike, and me...for a bit). Amy is standing in front of our newly plowed up garden which was the chore mom and Amy accomplished on Saturday. Thanks! I look forward to using it in the spring.
Since this picture was taken Matt and I put on all of the shingles. We also have painted most of it to match our house. That is not done. I am sure that there will be a picture of it when it is complete.
Thanks to all who helped last weekend. We could not have done it without you.
Some monkeys on top of the roof of our brand new shed (which was just a huge block in the garage when I left). Though it looks like Mike and Matt were having fun.
By Sunday afternoon we had all of the shed done (except for shingles and some fancy work around the door). So we all posed in front of it because as I said it takes a village. It took cooks (mom and Amy), cleaners (Carol), supervisors (Dad), entertainers (Adam, Austin, Shannon), Gofers (Eamon), and hard laborers (Matt, Mike, and me...for a bit). Amy is standing in front of our newly plowed up garden which was the chore mom and Amy accomplished on Saturday. Thanks! I look forward to using it in the spring.
Since this picture was taken Matt and I put on all of the shingles. We also have painted most of it to match our house. That is not done. I am sure that there will be a picture of it when it is complete.
Thanks to all who helped last weekend. We could not have done it without you.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Picture Of My Cat
I am now showing Amy how to upload pictures. I thought that the one with my cat, Tinker, and I would be a very nice to use as an example.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Bells
Since Matt's blog, we have not had a chance to attend the church that we visited that day again. But we did have a chance to attend two handbells practices and one choir practice.
Matt certainly has been able to display his knowledge and talent on the handbells. You should ask him about playing the melody on 8 chimes while the rest of the 8 or 9 of us played the back up chords. I was so proud of him. And it made me smile to see how happy playing handbells again made him.
Yesterday we were late to the practice. We walked in and they were shocked, then they stated that we could sign a card that they had going around. So we grabbed the card and were about to sign when we realized that the card was to US! To say that they missed us at practice and hoped we would come back...little did they know we were just late.
I think we might just stay at this church for awhile..... :)
Matt certainly has been able to display his knowledge and talent on the handbells. You should ask him about playing the melody on 8 chimes while the rest of the 8 or 9 of us played the back up chords. I was so proud of him. And it made me smile to see how happy playing handbells again made him.
Yesterday we were late to the practice. We walked in and they were shocked, then they stated that we could sign a card that they had going around. So we grabbed the card and were about to sign when we realized that the card was to US! To say that they missed us at practice and hoped we would come back...little did they know we were just late.
I think we might just stay at this church for awhile..... :)
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Birds
Yes, this is a picture of our house. It is located here for two reasons.1. To show to those who have not yet had a chance to see the house in person.
2. To have you notice the trees on the left.
I love this time of year. It is cool at night so the windows are cracked a bit to let in the cool breeze. But the additional benefit of that would be that the birds in the trees (which are located right outside of our bedroom window) wake us up in the morning. So in addition to the harsh alarm clock, I also get to hear bird songs as I try to drag myself out of bed.
In addition to the trees out in the front, the birds seem to love our garden and yard out back.
It seems as if every time I step outside in our backyard, I see at least two to three birds just hanging out in our back yard (as you can see there is not much to entice them here, but they seem to like it anyway).But the best bird story that I have at this moment, is one afternoon recently I was in the garage with Matt and to our shock (and also the bird's) we found a bird very confused and flying around in our garage. We quickly shooed it out, but for the next minute or so I kept seeing feathers floating around.
I am enjoying this as much as I can at this moment because I know that soon the weather will turn colder and the birds will no longer be around.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Southern Trip
This past weekend Matt and I went to Charlotte, NC to attend a Renn. Festival. I did not take any pictures, but all you have to do is look at the other pictures of when we went to a Renn. event and we looked just like that again. The event was very fun, and hot, and crowded (it was opening weekend). We decided that in the future we are going to wait till later in the season when it is cooler to go. I have a feeling that this is going to be a yearly event for us because it has some sentimental meaning to us....it was where we went for our second date :) Our favorite events were a spoonerism story told by Zilch, and juggling by The London Broil. Sue...I was told that I should tell you about a shirt that we found, that is in regards to one of your past comments. We were very tempted to buy it, but in the end decided not to. But the shirt said "LADY BY DAY, WENCH BY NIGHT" We just had to laugh considering what you had said about me earlier.
After the festival wound down a bit we headed out and went farther south. We had planned this trip to Charlotte for about a month ahead of time, but it was not until Thursday before the trip that we realized that we were going to be only 45 minutes away from Matt's Uncle Gary and Aunt Donna. So we quickly called his Uncle and Aunt and told them we would be in the area, and they told us to come on down and stay with them (which is very kind since they are in the midst of rennovating!) We got to South Carolina and found their house only to be greeted by: A wonderful host and hostess, two very friendly dogs, a cat who was unsure about us, a lovely dinner, wondeful converstaion, and a very inviting bed after such a long day. We woke the next day and spent the next morning talking and walking around the properity with Uncle Gary. Then we met Aunt Donna for lunch at Fatz Resturant. If you ever find one - get the Cajun Firecracker Appetizers. Amazing!!
I think that the thing that shocked them the most is that we are (at most) four and a half hours away from them. I hope that with that realization they will take us up on our offer to have them come and visit us sometime. *That goes for all you other friends too....just give me a bit of notice to prepare the house a little*
It was a quick trip, but certainly a worthwhile one. And one we will probably do again!
After the festival wound down a bit we headed out and went farther south. We had planned this trip to Charlotte for about a month ahead of time, but it was not until Thursday before the trip that we realized that we were going to be only 45 minutes away from Matt's Uncle Gary and Aunt Donna. So we quickly called his Uncle and Aunt and told them we would be in the area, and they told us to come on down and stay with them (which is very kind since they are in the midst of rennovating!) We got to South Carolina and found their house only to be greeted by: A wonderful host and hostess, two very friendly dogs, a cat who was unsure about us, a lovely dinner, wondeful converstaion, and a very inviting bed after such a long day. We woke the next day and spent the next morning talking and walking around the properity with Uncle Gary. Then we met Aunt Donna for lunch at Fatz Resturant. If you ever find one - get the Cajun Firecracker Appetizers. Amazing!!
I think that the thing that shocked them the most is that we are (at most) four and a half hours away from them. I hope that with that realization they will take us up on our offer to have them come and visit us sometime. *That goes for all you other friends too....just give me a bit of notice to prepare the house a little*
It was a quick trip, but certainly a worthwhile one. And one we will probably do again!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Happy B-Day to Me!
Greetings all,
I have absconded my wife's blog-sphere to bring you this series (of really long-winded and full of specially selected verbage) - special announcement.
Today is my Birthday.
As if you didn't know. Anyway, I've gotten all sorts of congratulations (and tribute!) for surviving another year. And what a year it was. A wedding, a new job, a bumper harvest of goodies from the garden, a Brand New Car!, a huge house, and of course - an awesome new woman (Insert obvious joke here).
Well, this year for my birthday, we decided to have a good day. Come on, who doesn't want a good day for their birthday? And what a day it was.
We were originally planning to make this a wonderful weekend. We had made plans to go to "Peaks of Otter" on the Blue Ridge Parkway and camp for the weekend. Unfortunately, we made our arrangements right in the middle of a tropical depression. But, our spirits were undaunted. We went out friday night right when the rain started. We found the place easy enough. The parkway was beautiful. We couldnt see very far ahead due to the clouds and fog, but it was still beautiful - and wet.
We got the tent set up, and dinner cooked, and the dining fly up, and had a blast the entire time. And yes, it was still raining. We were dry, and happy. Camping still is fun. But we called it a day saturday after lunch. The rain didn't look like it was letting up, and you can only do so much around a camp-fire in the rain. We walked around the campgrounds (yes, in the rain) to look around and see what was there. We found a few other good sites, and a family of deer (who apparently don't mind the rain). After that, we packed up and came home. And it was still raining when we left. But we kept to our meal plan anyway and had chicken and italian dressing HOBO's on the grill. They were tasty, but a little charred. Oh well. We re-set up our stuff in the garage to dry out and called it a night.
Sunday was a new day. We started out with a classic flapjack recipe on the huge griddle. Tasty start to a good day. Then, off to a new church.
Let me tell you about this church. It was the Central Church of the Bretheren (in Roanoke). I didn't know much about this church before I heard about it last weekend. But seeing is believing. This church seems to be the absolute perfect combination of Episcopalian and Mennonite. They were missing a central altar (true to M), and had an Acolyte Torchbearer (true to E). Thinking back, we probably should have kept score to see which this church was more like. But anyway. It was a really good service. The congregation is on the small side, but they were very friendly. At least a quarter of the members said 'Hi' to us - I only really remember two people's names. We were invited to join the handbell choir, the chancel choir, the pastor for lunch on wednesday, and to a spaghetti dinner. It was a dramatic change from a church we visited recently where two (TWO!) people reluctantly said 'Hi'. I don't know if this will become our home church or not, but it is certainly a contender. Sunday school was interesting. Full of people who wanted to know us (and wanted us to join hand-bells too). Very friendly. Lana got to show off her knowledge of the new testament - and I was very proud of her. She even made the teacher pause for a minute. He was even surprised at her thoughtful, intelligent, insightful, and otherwise astounding answer. I'll say it again: awesome woman.
Let's see. after church we came home - putted around for a bit - and then went shopping for dinner. Half of the items Lana picked up for my birthday feast were un-pronounceable: Co-co-nut? what are those? Pea-cans? And something that sounds really gross: Feta. Is that foot cheese or something? I don't know. it came in a tub and was kept cold. Anyway. For fun, I picked up some stuff to change the oil in my truck (or is it a car? I still don't know). We came home, and began.
Began what? you ask? Well, the FEAST. And no, the oil-change stuff isn't on the menu. Lana must have spent about three hours putting around the kitchen. I tried to help, but even with my years of experience with a knife and a wooden spoon, she was concocting something truly obscure. But, I'll attest that it was wonderful and utterly deserving of seconds. She called it Mannacoti, but i've never seen manacotti (how do you spell it, anyway?) with meat in it. I fully recommend this recipe gets a gold star, and a place of honor in our cookbook. We charge $4.00 plus postage for a copy of the recipe. Or you can try bribing my wife for it. We also prepared a greek salad. This I knew was tasty, but besides the lettuce, and the olives, and having had it once before, I still couldn't tell you what was in it - but it was yummy. We broke into a bottle of "Rioja" wine - although it wasn't the best I've ever had, it was pretty good. I'm told there is a very authentic "German Chocolate Cake" in the kitchen. Lana baked it from scratch this afternoon. I know it has a bar of german chocolate in it so it must be good.
We've watched a few episodes of Star Trek : The Original Series today - second season (Thanks Ma!) I've read four chapters in "Brisingr" (Thanks Lana!) and tried really hard to get the oil plug out of my Murano (Thanks Glen - nice grip!). All-in-all, this was a wonderful weekend.
Well, that's all from me for now. I probably should let Lana have her laptop back.
Bye for now!
-Matt
I have absconded my wife's blog-sphere to bring you this series (of really long-winded and full of specially selected verbage) - special announcement.
Today is my Birthday.
As if you didn't know. Anyway, I've gotten all sorts of congratulations (and tribute!) for surviving another year. And what a year it was. A wedding, a new job, a bumper harvest of goodies from the garden, a Brand New Car!, a huge house, and of course - an awesome new woman (Insert obvious joke here).
Well, this year for my birthday, we decided to have a good day. Come on, who doesn't want a good day for their birthday? And what a day it was.
We were originally planning to make this a wonderful weekend. We had made plans to go to "Peaks of Otter" on the Blue Ridge Parkway and camp for the weekend. Unfortunately, we made our arrangements right in the middle of a tropical depression. But, our spirits were undaunted. We went out friday night right when the rain started. We found the place easy enough. The parkway was beautiful. We couldnt see very far ahead due to the clouds and fog, but it was still beautiful - and wet.
We got the tent set up, and dinner cooked, and the dining fly up, and had a blast the entire time. And yes, it was still raining. We were dry, and happy. Camping still is fun. But we called it a day saturday after lunch. The rain didn't look like it was letting up, and you can only do so much around a camp-fire in the rain. We walked around the campgrounds (yes, in the rain) to look around and see what was there. We found a few other good sites, and a family of deer (who apparently don't mind the rain). After that, we packed up and came home. And it was still raining when we left. But we kept to our meal plan anyway and had chicken and italian dressing HOBO's on the grill. They were tasty, but a little charred. Oh well. We re-set up our stuff in the garage to dry out and called it a night.
Sunday was a new day. We started out with a classic flapjack recipe on the huge griddle. Tasty start to a good day. Then, off to a new church.
Let me tell you about this church. It was the Central Church of the Bretheren (in Roanoke). I didn't know much about this church before I heard about it last weekend. But seeing is believing. This church seems to be the absolute perfect combination of Episcopalian and Mennonite. They were missing a central altar (true to M), and had an Acolyte Torchbearer (true to E). Thinking back, we probably should have kept score to see which this church was more like. But anyway. It was a really good service. The congregation is on the small side, but they were very friendly. At least a quarter of the members said 'Hi' to us - I only really remember two people's names. We were invited to join the handbell choir, the chancel choir, the pastor for lunch on wednesday, and to a spaghetti dinner. It was a dramatic change from a church we visited recently where two (TWO!) people reluctantly said 'Hi'. I don't know if this will become our home church or not, but it is certainly a contender. Sunday school was interesting. Full of people who wanted to know us (and wanted us to join hand-bells too). Very friendly. Lana got to show off her knowledge of the new testament - and I was very proud of her. She even made the teacher pause for a minute. He was even surprised at her thoughtful, intelligent, insightful, and otherwise astounding answer. I'll say it again: awesome woman.
Let's see. after church we came home - putted around for a bit - and then went shopping for dinner. Half of the items Lana picked up for my birthday feast were un-pronounceable: Co-co-nut? what are those? Pea-cans? And something that sounds really gross: Feta. Is that foot cheese or something? I don't know. it came in a tub and was kept cold. Anyway. For fun, I picked up some stuff to change the oil in my truck (or is it a car? I still don't know). We came home, and began.
Began what? you ask? Well, the FEAST. And no, the oil-change stuff isn't on the menu. Lana must have spent about three hours putting around the kitchen. I tried to help, but even with my years of experience with a knife and a wooden spoon, she was concocting something truly obscure. But, I'll attest that it was wonderful and utterly deserving of seconds. She called it Mannacoti, but i've never seen manacotti (how do you spell it, anyway?) with meat in it. I fully recommend this recipe gets a gold star, and a place of honor in our cookbook. We charge $4.00 plus postage for a copy of the recipe. Or you can try bribing my wife for it. We also prepared a greek salad. This I knew was tasty, but besides the lettuce, and the olives, and having had it once before, I still couldn't tell you what was in it - but it was yummy. We broke into a bottle of "Rioja" wine - although it wasn't the best I've ever had, it was pretty good. I'm told there is a very authentic "German Chocolate Cake" in the kitchen. Lana baked it from scratch this afternoon. I know it has a bar of german chocolate in it so it must be good.
We've watched a few episodes of Star Trek : The Original Series today - second season (Thanks Ma!) I've read four chapters in "Brisingr" (Thanks Lana!) and tried really hard to get the oil plug out of my Murano (Thanks Glen - nice grip!). All-in-all, this was a wonderful weekend.
Well, that's all from me for now. I probably should let Lana have her laptop back.
Bye for now!
-Matt
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
What Now?
Matt and I have now finished Star Trek The Original Series season 1. The local library does not have season 2 or any of the other Original Series....
Where do we go with this now?
Where do we go with this now?
Monday, September 22, 2008
Two New Additions
I was at class on Saturday from 9:00am to 4:00pm. When I got home I was welcomed to a few new additions. Matt had gone shopping. During the time I was gone, he had bought and planted two new blueberry bushes to join the one that was left for us by the previous owners of the house.
I think that the blueberry bushes will be very happy beside our three grape vines from my sisters (Amy and Carol...thanks by the way!)
Between all of the fruit bushes, and fruit vines, and the plan to make our garden about four times what it was this year. Our yard next year will hopefully be very busy making food :)
I think that the blueberry bushes will be very happy beside our three grape vines from my sisters (Amy and Carol...thanks by the way!)
Between all of the fruit bushes, and fruit vines, and the plan to make our garden about four times what it was this year. Our yard next year will hopefully be very busy making food :)
Friday, September 19, 2008
Chess
Matt and I went to the Belmont yard sale in Harrisonburg one of the first weekends of September. It was rainy that day so there was not much to look at since not many families braved the rain. But we did manage to find a glass chess set that we willingly shelled out $5.00 for (it was brand new, the tape on the box had never even been removed).
Now, I know how all of the chess pieces move. But I have only played one or two games. And during those two games I lost so badly that I did not even know what was happening. So, when Matt decided one night this past week that we should play chess I proceeded hesitantly. He began by reviewing all of the movements of the pieces. Then we got into the game. We talked through the first few games with comments of "why did you do that?" "did you really mean to move that there?" etc. That really helped me understand the game.
By about the fourth game I was ruining some of his plans! (yes, I am happy about that) And the last game that we played I actually got him in checkmate!!!!! Yes, I got a bit of help from him, but I still had my very first checkmate of my life (maybe my only one...) so I am going to enjoy it.
I am learning that chess is a lot of fun if you have a good teacher and a fun person to play against.
Now, I know how all of the chess pieces move. But I have only played one or two games. And during those two games I lost so badly that I did not even know what was happening. So, when Matt decided one night this past week that we should play chess I proceeded hesitantly. He began by reviewing all of the movements of the pieces. Then we got into the game. We talked through the first few games with comments of "why did you do that?" "did you really mean to move that there?" etc. That really helped me understand the game.
By about the fourth game I was ruining some of his plans! (yes, I am happy about that) And the last game that we played I actually got him in checkmate!!!!! Yes, I got a bit of help from him, but I still had my very first checkmate of my life (maybe my only one...) so I am going to enjoy it.
I am learning that chess is a lot of fun if you have a good teacher and a fun person to play against.
Monday, September 15, 2008
The Vest
A while back in one of my blogs I mentioned that I was working on a vest for Matt. Here is the story. On our second date we went to a Renaissance Faire. At that event Matt found a vest that he loved that was a bunch of strips of material that were connected by lacing. So he asked if I could make him one. I had no pattern or real idea of what he wanted, but through many drawings and guessing I came up with this.
Which thank goodness is almost exactly what he wanted. We have already decided on some alterations that need to be made for the next version.
And it even looks good with a back view! Piece of trivia: There are about 300 metal eyelets, that had to be hammered in, holding it together.
I finished the vest at 12:00 midnight on Friday. Just in time to go to a Renaissance demonstration at 10:00 am Saturday.
Where were were both able to show off our garb (yes I made my dress too!)
We met a few people at the demonstration that I think we will see more of. Matt met a few people that will help him get back into fencing (I might even try that sometime). And I met some contacts for dancing (which, yes, Matt will go to also).
However, if the pictures indicate anything...no matter what we do...we will be looking good!
Which thank goodness is almost exactly what he wanted. We have already decided on some alterations that need to be made for the next version.
And it even looks good with a back view! Piece of trivia: There are about 300 metal eyelets, that had to be hammered in, holding it together.
I finished the vest at 12:00 midnight on Friday. Just in time to go to a Renaissance demonstration at 10:00 am Saturday.
Where were were both able to show off our garb (yes I made my dress too!)We met a few people at the demonstration that I think we will see more of. Matt met a few people that will help him get back into fencing (I might even try that sometime). And I met some contacts for dancing (which, yes, Matt will go to also).
However, if the pictures indicate anything...no matter what we do...we will be looking good!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
A Day At Home
Today was a wonderful day at home. We managed to do a lot of chores around the house (and in between each chore we got to watch an episode of Star Trek :)
'
I was able to repaint and polyurethane our headboard for our master bedroom. It is almost ready to be reinstalled. Matt wants to make it very high-tech and wire it for many uses. So it might be awhile before we use it.
We installed our knife magnet finally. They have been laying on the cabinet since we moved in. The above picture is of our nice, clean counter top and knife magnet. Yes, we had you in mind when we did this Amy. You will no longer have to fear putting your hands in our cabinet drawers.
We ordered a shed. We also almost finished wiring up our grape arbor.
Houses are so much work, but it is also so much fun!
'
I was able to repaint and polyurethane our headboard for our master bedroom. It is almost ready to be reinstalled. Matt wants to make it very high-tech and wire it for many uses. So it might be awhile before we use it.
We installed our knife magnet finally. They have been laying on the cabinet since we moved in. The above picture is of our nice, clean counter top and knife magnet. Yes, we had you in mind when we did this Amy. You will no longer have to fear putting your hands in our cabinet drawers.
We ordered a shed. We also almost finished wiring up our grape arbor.
Houses are so much work, but it is also so much fun!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Set The Night To Music
I just had to use that title since we had just seen Starship do that song in concert a few weeks ago.
But we did set the night to music, that was so that we could learn how to Foxtrot and Tango.
Yes, last night was the first of our ballroom dancing classes and we learned the very basics of Foxtrot and Tango. It was fun, but I think that we finally got into our groove and really started enjoying ourselves when we got into Tango.
There were a total of 5 couples in this class. There was not much talking between couples but there was a lot of bumping and "excuse me" going on since it was a fairly small place for dancing (well for 10 people dancing). The only down side that I can see to this is that we only have three more classes. I just have to remind myself to enjoy what I am doing while I am doing it and not dread the end.
But we did set the night to music, that was so that we could learn how to Foxtrot and Tango.
Yes, last night was the first of our ballroom dancing classes and we learned the very basics of Foxtrot and Tango. It was fun, but I think that we finally got into our groove and really started enjoying ourselves when we got into Tango.
There were a total of 5 couples in this class. There was not much talking between couples but there was a lot of bumping and "excuse me" going on since it was a fairly small place for dancing (well for 10 people dancing). The only down side that I can see to this is that we only have three more classes. I just have to remind myself to enjoy what I am doing while I am doing it and not dread the end.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Musicals with Hanna
I am one who loves musicals of almost all kinds. In fact the first CD I ever owned was Cats, the second was Phantom of the Opera. I have music from Chicago and Into the Woods on my running iPod. I love musicals (and I am happy to say that so does my husband :)
So needless to say, when I find a musical that I know of and have desired to see I try to get tickets. I lucked out recently when I was randomly looking on the internet I found out that Wolf Trap (a performance center near DC) was playing Les Miserables. I did not know much of this play other than it is one of Matt's favorites. So after discussing it a bit, we got tickets.
Fast forward a few weeks and Matt and I were driving on 81 and 66 with Tropical Storm Hanna pounding the car. We made it to Wolf Trap in good time and got drenched walking from the parking lot to our seat (even with an umbrella). The seats were wonderful, not so close that you could see the actors make-up, but close enough that we could see details on costumes and hear actors if their mic was not working at the time (thanks Hanna). The seats were also on the right side of the stage which was a great blessing. Let me explain: This arena has a stage, and a roof and partial walls on the right and the left side. During the show there was constant rain and mist drenching the left side of the audience.
The show its self was WONDERFUL! Even with the stage hands coming on to the stage with blue towels to wipe up the many puddles that were on the stage. It was beyond words. It caused shivers down my spine, and brought us to tears. If you have a chance I can only say...you should go.
I look forward to our next musical adventure, whatever it might be. I just hope that Hanna will decide not to attend this time.
So needless to say, when I find a musical that I know of and have desired to see I try to get tickets. I lucked out recently when I was randomly looking on the internet I found out that Wolf Trap (a performance center near DC) was playing Les Miserables. I did not know much of this play other than it is one of Matt's favorites. So after discussing it a bit, we got tickets.
Fast forward a few weeks and Matt and I were driving on 81 and 66 with Tropical Storm Hanna pounding the car. We made it to Wolf Trap in good time and got drenched walking from the parking lot to our seat (even with an umbrella). The seats were wonderful, not so close that you could see the actors make-up, but close enough that we could see details on costumes and hear actors if their mic was not working at the time (thanks Hanna). The seats were also on the right side of the stage which was a great blessing. Let me explain: This arena has a stage, and a roof and partial walls on the right and the left side. During the show there was constant rain and mist drenching the left side of the audience.
The show its self was WONDERFUL! Even with the stage hands coming on to the stage with blue towels to wipe up the many puddles that were on the stage. It was beyond words. It caused shivers down my spine, and brought us to tears. If you have a chance I can only say...you should go.
I look forward to our next musical adventure, whatever it might be. I just hope that Hanna will decide not to attend this time.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Dance Class
Thursday was supposed to be our first Ballroom Dance class that we were going to have through the Roanoke Parks and Recreation Center. We were so excited about going. Matt and I both love to dance but have not had any real way of fitting or finding the dance scene in Roanoke (at least the kind of dance that we like...swing, contra, salsa...)
Matt came home from work at the usual time and we rushed around to get ready and be at class by 6:30. I had never been to this location so I did not know what to expect but I figured "I have googled the address and got a map, what could go wrong..." That should have been my first warning sign.
We got to the area that the google map said was the location of the dance class at 6:30 exactly. The location looked kind of like the standard set of any movie about a haunted mansion. It was a very old, very large building that needed a lot of care taken to it. But it had the right sign in the front so we decided to take a chance on it. We drove in the drive way only to find no other cars! We decided to keep going (now that I think of it, this is staring to sound like a script for a haunted mansion movie too). All of the doors were locked. We tried calling all of the numbers that we had that were in relation to Parks and Recreation but it was after hours and we got answering machines. I was starting to get very upset at this moment, mainly because I could not figure out what went wrong.
Finally I found an address for the headquarters for Parks and Recreation. We quickly drove there in hopes to find someone and some answers. We drove in the parking lot just as two people were about to leave. We caught both of them and found out that they were staff members who were at work late. We told them of our troubles and had to reassure them over and over that: Yes we were signed up for the class and Yes the class did start today.
They did some asking around and found out that the class was postponed till next week. And that I was supposed to have gotten a call (I didn't). But at least we did not miss anything. In addition we met a very nice lady Marion (she was one of the Parks and Recreation staff) who not only invited us out to a meal with her husband also invited us to visit her church. She was a blessing to meet while I was so frazzled because I could not figure out where we were supposed to be.
Can't wait for next week to actually be able to go to the class.
Matt came home from work at the usual time and we rushed around to get ready and be at class by 6:30. I had never been to this location so I did not know what to expect but I figured "I have googled the address and got a map, what could go wrong..." That should have been my first warning sign.
We got to the area that the google map said was the location of the dance class at 6:30 exactly. The location looked kind of like the standard set of any movie about a haunted mansion. It was a very old, very large building that needed a lot of care taken to it. But it had the right sign in the front so we decided to take a chance on it. We drove in the drive way only to find no other cars! We decided to keep going (now that I think of it, this is staring to sound like a script for a haunted mansion movie too). All of the doors were locked. We tried calling all of the numbers that we had that were in relation to Parks and Recreation but it was after hours and we got answering machines. I was starting to get very upset at this moment, mainly because I could not figure out what went wrong.
Finally I found an address for the headquarters for Parks and Recreation. We quickly drove there in hopes to find someone and some answers. We drove in the parking lot just as two people were about to leave. We caught both of them and found out that they were staff members who were at work late. We told them of our troubles and had to reassure them over and over that: Yes we were signed up for the class and Yes the class did start today.
They did some asking around and found out that the class was postponed till next week. And that I was supposed to have gotten a call (I didn't). But at least we did not miss anything. In addition we met a very nice lady Marion (she was one of the Parks and Recreation staff) who not only invited us out to a meal with her husband also invited us to visit her church. She was a blessing to meet while I was so frazzled because I could not figure out where we were supposed to be.
Can't wait for next week to actually be able to go to the class.
The Race
On Sunday Matt and I woke up at 5:30 am to get into our racing corrals by 6:30 am. One might ask why we are getting up and around so early on a holiday weekend? It is because we were going to run a half marathon. Which leads to the next question "Why would you want to run 13.1 miles?" Well all I can say is that it is fun.
I am not one that does local 5K races or anything like that. The only race I run each year is in fact this half marathon. Each year (for the past 4 years) I have gone to Virginia Beach on Labor Day weekend to run this race. It is a nice race. It is a flat course (it is at the beach...how much flatter can you get?), and this is called the rock and roll half marathon because there are bands at almost each mile playing for the racers.
Matt and I started out together, then quickly he got ahead. We met up twice during the race. I finished in 3 hours and 9 minutes (not too bad since my best time of all is 2:55). Matt finished somewhere around 3 hours and 30 minutes (very good for him since he did not get to run half as much as I did before the race).
Matt and I before the race.We wanted to take an after shot, but were too tired!
Another of the joys of the weekend was that the race was not the only event that was happening at the beach. It was also the weekend for the American Music Festival. This meant that at any point in the evening there were about 6 concerts that you could attend. So on Friday we got to see Starship (or Jefferson Starship), Saturday we got to see Billy Idol, and Sunday we went to a swing concert.
We had a great time. It was a wonderful weekend.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Labor Day Weekend
This week has been filled with:
1. Homework
2. Working on Matt's Renn. vest that I am making without a pattern (you will see a picture of it soon)
3. Training for the half marathon.
Yes, Matt and I are leaving at noon today to go to VA beach to run (walk) 13.1 miles. It is going to be a lot of fun. I hope to have pictures of that too (us at the finish line :)
The other item in our life that has begun is that Matt has begun my Star Trek education. I personally had never watched Star Trek before, and Matt wanted to share that experience with me. So we checked out some of the first season in order to watch the show in order. We are now up to episode 4 of the first season. I am enjoying it a lot more than I ever thought that I would. I think it is because I have a wonderful person next to me to answer all of my questions about the show. It might rain at the beach this weekend so we are taking a DVD player and the Star Trek shows so that we might get an episode or two in.
Pictures to come...of a wonderful ( I hope) weekend!
1. Homework
2. Working on Matt's Renn. vest that I am making without a pattern (you will see a picture of it soon)
3. Training for the half marathon.
Yes, Matt and I are leaving at noon today to go to VA beach to run (walk) 13.1 miles. It is going to be a lot of fun. I hope to have pictures of that too (us at the finish line :)
The other item in our life that has begun is that Matt has begun my Star Trek education. I personally had never watched Star Trek before, and Matt wanted to share that experience with me. So we checked out some of the first season in order to watch the show in order. We are now up to episode 4 of the first season. I am enjoying it a lot more than I ever thought that I would. I think it is because I have a wonderful person next to me to answer all of my questions about the show. It might rain at the beach this weekend so we are taking a DVD player and the Star Trek shows so that we might get an episode or two in.
Pictures to come...of a wonderful ( I hope) weekend!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Busy Week
I know that it has been a while since I blogged. It has been quite a week. Involving, but not limited to: a company picnic at GE, much homework for the graduate class that I started on Saturday, and working around the house.
Today we finally got an additional 4 pictures and one fire extinguisher hung up. It is starting to feel like an organized and complete home (rather than a home with many random boxes stuffed into every nook and cranny).
The class that I was in yesterday went from 9-4 and drained me completely, so I think I might go get a small nap and end the blog here. I will try to add more pictures and events soon.
Today we finally got an additional 4 pictures and one fire extinguisher hung up. It is starting to feel like an organized and complete home (rather than a home with many random boxes stuffed into every nook and cranny).
The class that I was in yesterday went from 9-4 and drained me completely, so I think I might go get a small nap and end the blog here. I will try to add more pictures and events soon.
Monday, August 18, 2008
The Joys of a House
Sore hands + Sore back = the joys of owning a house (aka : weeding the yard)
Tonight after dinner Matt and I spent a few hours pulling up weeds around our garden and also the back door. I am sure we will feel this tomorrow!
Tonight after dinner Matt and I spent a few hours pulling up weeds around our garden and also the back door. I am sure we will feel this tomorrow!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
New York
It has been awhile since the last blog. I am sorry. Matt was sent to Schenectady, NY on business and since I was able...I went with him. I spent a lot of time wandering around downtown Schenectady, window shopping in all of the little stores, and reading books in the bookstores around there. We had a really great time and following are some of the highlights:
1. I ran about 41/2-5 miles on Wednesday.
2. We went to The Cheesecake Factory on Wednesday.
3. We discovered many wonderful restaurants like Ferraries.
4. We went to Niagara Falls!
At Niagara Falls we parked on the US side and walked over the bridge that will take you to the Canada side. So now I have driven, flown, and walked into Canada.
The falls were so beautiful, beyond words so I will try to show a few pictures.
One of my favorite things though was that we were welcomed into Canada by many, many gorgeous gardens (which were the front of The Secret Garden Restaurant). Here are a few shots.
Matt took about 300 pictures, so I am sure that there will be more to follow!
1. I ran about 41/2-5 miles on Wednesday.
2. We went to The Cheesecake Factory on Wednesday.
3. We discovered many wonderful restaurants like Ferraries.
4. We went to Niagara Falls!
At Niagara Falls we parked on the US side and walked over the bridge that will take you to the Canada side. So now I have driven, flown, and walked into Canada.
The falls were so beautiful, beyond words so I will try to show a few pictures.
One of my favorite things though was that we were welcomed into Canada by many, many gorgeous gardens (which were the front of The Secret Garden Restaurant). Here are a few shots.
Matt took about 300 pictures, so I am sure that there will be more to follow!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Food
It might sound silly, but today was a very special day in our household. We just picked our very first tomato from our garden. We have many more that are almost ready, but we finally got to pick one :) I just had to share a picture of it. I also added in the cucumber that I picked at the same time as the tomato.
I love having a garden.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
The thousand mile afghan
This past weekend my side of the family had a family vacation at our house. We went from 2 people in our new house to 11 people. It was quite an adjustment but very fun. As we were spending the weekend together my sister noticed that I had one of the blankets that we got as a wedding present on our couch.
This blanket has a bit of a story to it, so I will take a minute and tell you the history.
I have a cousin in Alberta, Canada who is a truck driver. He drives all over Canada and the US. When he heard about our wedding he asked if he could be scheduled to be in Harrisonburg during the time of the wedding. His boss arranged it so my cousin and his wife (who came along for the ride) could make it to my wedding. Some time around the day that they left (which was two weeks before the wedding) my cousin's wife, Candace, began crocheting an afghan for our wedding present. In the two weeks of traveling she managed to almost finish it. She was finishing it as we were visiting before the wedding. During this time I was commenting on how beautiful it was. I had no idea that it was to be our wedding present.
We were completely shocked to see that it was actually going to be ours. I began to notice that the colors would go really well with our couch and walls in the living room. Well, to get back to the beginning of the blog, my sister saw the afghan and how well it matched. She tried to take a picture of it to send to Rod and Candace, but we had been having many problems with cameras that weekend. Here is a picture in hopes that Candace can see how wonderfully the blanket matches with the couch, the walls, and even my pillows from France.
Thanks.
This blanket has a bit of a story to it, so I will take a minute and tell you the history.
I have a cousin in Alberta, Canada who is a truck driver. He drives all over Canada and the US. When he heard about our wedding he asked if he could be scheduled to be in Harrisonburg during the time of the wedding. His boss arranged it so my cousin and his wife (who came along for the ride) could make it to my wedding. Some time around the day that they left (which was two weeks before the wedding) my cousin's wife, Candace, began crocheting an afghan for our wedding present. In the two weeks of traveling she managed to almost finish it. She was finishing it as we were visiting before the wedding. During this time I was commenting on how beautiful it was. I had no idea that it was to be our wedding present.
We were completely shocked to see that it was actually going to be ours. I began to notice that the colors would go really well with our couch and walls in the living room. Well, to get back to the beginning of the blog, my sister saw the afghan and how well it matched. She tried to take a picture of it to send to Rod and Candace, but we had been having many problems with cameras that weekend. Here is a picture in hopes that Candace can see how wonderfully the blanket matches with the couch, the walls, and even my pillows from France.
Thanks.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
The Question
The last entry told about our first date (which happened on Oct. 30). Now I am going to skip a few months and tell of another milestone in our relationship.
On March 28th Matt and I decided to celebrate our 5 month anniversary. To celebrate it was decided that we would go back to the Bistro On Main where we first met. When getting ready I noticed that he decided to forgo his usual Polo shirt and brown pants for nice slacks, a button up shirt, and a tie. That is when I began to wonder what might happen that night.
We arrived at the restaurant and were seated at a very small table right beside the door. We ordered and began to enjoy the wonderful food, conversation and company. During this time, I noticed Matt was a bit nervous or distracted but I decided not to draw attention to it. Finally after the meal was over and we were lost in conversation we began to talk about how wonderful the past five months have been. At which Matt quickly replied...
"Yes, and I would like to ask for an extension."
"An extension? You know that I will be with you always...unless something really bad happens."
"I meant this kind of extension." As he pulls out the ring and drops to one knee beside the table. "Will you marry me?"
At this moment I believe that I squealed, grabbed him, and kissed him. Maybe all at once. Oh, and I said "YES" many, many times.
Then he asked me if I liked the ring as he put it on my finger. I told him that I loved the ring, and it was perfect. Then he proceeded to tell me why he liked the ring and went into this explanation of the chemical make up of the ring. That is an engineer for you.
By this time the rest of the restaurant had kind of figured out that something was happening at our table. Silence covered the restaurant (except for me) then everyone burst out clapping when they realized what was going on. Our waitress came back to our table about three minutes later asking "Are you the couple that just got engaged?" We responded that we were, and she came back with two glasses of champagne to celebrate. The rest of the evening we were flooded with well wishes and stories as each of the guests left the restaurant (we were at the front door).
The ride home was a flurry of phone calls to our family members. I do not think that I stopped smiling for about two days.
14 weeks later we were married!
On March 28th Matt and I decided to celebrate our 5 month anniversary. To celebrate it was decided that we would go back to the Bistro On Main where we first met. When getting ready I noticed that he decided to forgo his usual Polo shirt and brown pants for nice slacks, a button up shirt, and a tie. That is when I began to wonder what might happen that night.
We arrived at the restaurant and were seated at a very small table right beside the door. We ordered and began to enjoy the wonderful food, conversation and company. During this time, I noticed Matt was a bit nervous or distracted but I decided not to draw attention to it. Finally after the meal was over and we were lost in conversation we began to talk about how wonderful the past five months have been. At which Matt quickly replied...
"Yes, and I would like to ask for an extension."
"An extension? You know that I will be with you always...unless something really bad happens."
"I meant this kind of extension." As he pulls out the ring and drops to one knee beside the table. "Will you marry me?"
At this moment I believe that I squealed, grabbed him, and kissed him. Maybe all at once. Oh, and I said "YES" many, many times.
Then he asked me if I liked the ring as he put it on my finger. I told him that I loved the ring, and it was perfect. Then he proceeded to tell me why he liked the ring and went into this explanation of the chemical make up of the ring. That is an engineer for you.
By this time the rest of the restaurant had kind of figured out that something was happening at our table. Silence covered the restaurant (except for me) then everyone burst out clapping when they realized what was going on. Our waitress came back to our table about three minutes later asking "Are you the couple that just got engaged?" We responded that we were, and she came back with two glasses of champagne to celebrate. The rest of the evening we were flooded with well wishes and stories as each of the guests left the restaurant (we were at the front door).
The ride home was a flurry of phone calls to our family members. I do not think that I stopped smiling for about two days.
14 weeks later we were married!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
One Month!
Today marks a very special day. It has been one month since Matt and I got married.
I guess if this is the beginning of the Blog, then maybe I should start at the beginning.
The title of this blog is It Began At The Bistro. I guess that is kind of true, but not quite. Sometime in the middle of October Matt and I just happened upon the profile of the other in eHarmony. We talked on the internet for about two weeks before deciding to meet face to face. This is where the Bistro comes in. We decided that the Bistro On Main in Lexington would be a nice in-between spot for us to meet for the first time.
The dinner was a typical first date. We were both a bit unsure of the other person and not quite certain of what was going to happen. But we had a great time talking, so we decided to go for a walk after dinner. Trying to be cute for the date, I wore some high-heel black boots. They looked good, but they were hurting my feet very badly during the walk. So I asked Matt if he would be willing to sit on a retaining wall that was on a church property that we were passing at the time. He was willing, so we flopped back onto the grass and looked at the stars while we talked. That was when the tension of the first date left. The talking did not end for a long time. We went back to the Bistro to get dessert and talk some more. We were actually told to leave the restaurant because they wanted to close for the night. At that time we decided it was best to end with a good night kiss and part ways in hopes of seeing each other again.
I will not be writing about each of our dates, but I thought that since this is a blog about our married life that I would start at the beginning.
I guess if this is the beginning of the Blog, then maybe I should start at the beginning.
The title of this blog is It Began At The Bistro. I guess that is kind of true, but not quite. Sometime in the middle of October Matt and I just happened upon the profile of the other in eHarmony. We talked on the internet for about two weeks before deciding to meet face to face. This is where the Bistro comes in. We decided that the Bistro On Main in Lexington would be a nice in-between spot for us to meet for the first time.
The dinner was a typical first date. We were both a bit unsure of the other person and not quite certain of what was going to happen. But we had a great time talking, so we decided to go for a walk after dinner. Trying to be cute for the date, I wore some high-heel black boots. They looked good, but they were hurting my feet very badly during the walk. So I asked Matt if he would be willing to sit on a retaining wall that was on a church property that we were passing at the time. He was willing, so we flopped back onto the grass and looked at the stars while we talked. That was when the tension of the first date left. The talking did not end for a long time. We went back to the Bistro to get dessert and talk some more. We were actually told to leave the restaurant because they wanted to close for the night. At that time we decided it was best to end with a good night kiss and part ways in hopes of seeing each other again.
I will not be writing about each of our dates, but I thought that since this is a blog about our married life that I would start at the beginning.
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