Well it's summer alright - our schedules are jam packed with things to do, people to see, and the poor house is suffering because of it. We haven't done anything in awhile... other than yard work.
Some good news - we are coming to grips with the loss of our neighbor. It's still sad... but I think we are going to use this as a big wake-up call to start living life and quit being couch potatoes. I have reached out to 2 couples in the neighborhood and extended an invitation to have a BBQ soon... and they both JUMPED at the chance to come over. I guess that means they too have been wanting to get to know us, just like we are wanting to get to know them! (Either that or they want to see what we've done to the inside of the house.)
Last weekend was my sister's High School graduation (yikes!) and we've got my cousin's wedding coming up in August. My Aunt has asked us to be Godparents to her newborn baby, so there is a Christening date pending... and in 3 days we leave for St. Thomas. HALLELUJAH! I can not wait to squeeze my flabby white ass into a bikini and lie on a plastic lawn chair with a frozen drink in my hand. Ahhhhhhhh heaven.
We've decided that once we get back, it's time to get crack-a-lackin on the master bathroom. That wallpaper taunts me everyday... It's like Mount Everest. It's going to be a huge task, and we just keep looking at that mountain and saying, "HHmm maybe we'll start that..... tomorrow."
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Sad Neighborhood News
WARNING: This blog will be intentionally vague to protect the family.
I've got some sad neighborhood news to share... One of our favorite neighbors died this past weekend. Apparently he died while we were on our baseball trip, which is why we missed the initial hub bub on the street. There were a ton of cars at his house on Monday, which I now know were people coming to pay their respects. But since I didn't know what was going on, I just assumed that they were having some sort of weird party on a Monday. I was actually peeved they were blocking my driveway. Of course now I have tremendous guilt that I ever jumped to that conclusion!
Last night Dave and I took a walk around the neighborhood and talked about the whole situation. We only knew him for about a year, but still we both felt really sad that he's gone. He always had a smile and a wave for us... a gardening tip... a little but of sports news to talk about... he was just an all around friendly guy. It's sad to think we won't see him anymore. What's even worse is he leaves behind 2 teenage kids and a wife. My heart just breaks for them. These kids won't have their dad at the high school graduation, he won't see them go to college, or get married. I don't know what I'd do if my father had died while I was in high school. Just surviving high school was bad enough!
I think one of the other really hard things to swallow was that we never really got to know him. We've owned this house since August of last year and we never once invited his family over for dinner! (Why didn't I invite him over when we had the chance??) The guilt was really hitting us hard last night. But I guess that's inevitable. The people who are left just keep thinking "what if" and look for ways to blame ourselves for the tragedy at hand.
I know there's nothing I could have done... but I just can't get past it. Am I letting time slip by us? Should we be doing more to live life to the fullest? Time just keeps ticking away while we move around in our own little routines, doing the same thing day in and day out. Maybe I should be contributing back to society more? Doing something to make the world better? Try to leave my footprint? If I died tomorrow... what would they say about me? What would Dave write in my eulogy? That I always had a beer in the fridge and the carpet was vacuumed once a week?
I've got some sad neighborhood news to share... One of our favorite neighbors died this past weekend. Apparently he died while we were on our baseball trip, which is why we missed the initial hub bub on the street. There were a ton of cars at his house on Monday, which I now know were people coming to pay their respects. But since I didn't know what was going on, I just assumed that they were having some sort of weird party on a Monday. I was actually peeved they were blocking my driveway. Of course now I have tremendous guilt that I ever jumped to that conclusion!
Last night Dave and I took a walk around the neighborhood and talked about the whole situation. We only knew him for about a year, but still we both felt really sad that he's gone. He always had a smile and a wave for us... a gardening tip... a little but of sports news to talk about... he was just an all around friendly guy. It's sad to think we won't see him anymore. What's even worse is he leaves behind 2 teenage kids and a wife. My heart just breaks for them. These kids won't have their dad at the high school graduation, he won't see them go to college, or get married. I don't know what I'd do if my father had died while I was in high school. Just surviving high school was bad enough!
I think one of the other really hard things to swallow was that we never really got to know him. We've owned this house since August of last year and we never once invited his family over for dinner! (Why didn't I invite him over when we had the chance??) The guilt was really hitting us hard last night. But I guess that's inevitable. The people who are left just keep thinking "what if" and look for ways to blame ourselves for the tragedy at hand.
I know there's nothing I could have done... but I just can't get past it. Am I letting time slip by us? Should we be doing more to live life to the fullest? Time just keeps ticking away while we move around in our own little routines, doing the same thing day in and day out. Maybe I should be contributing back to society more? Doing something to make the world better? Try to leave my footprint? If I died tomorrow... what would they say about me? What would Dave write in my eulogy? That I always had a beer in the fridge and the carpet was vacuumed once a week?
Monday, June 2, 2008
Babies and Baseball.
Ahhhhh.... summer. I love everything about it.
This past weekend we had a good ole-fashioned-spur-of-the-moment road trip to Tampa. Dave and I were practically giddy when we packed our bags and jumped into the car on Saturday morning. In between singing songs on the radio, we kept asking each other, "When was the last time we took a road trip?"
This used to be a common occurrence for us. The two years we were dating we drove anywhere we could get to on a tank of gas. It's such a great stress reliever to get out of town... and you don't have to go through the hassle of the airport, plus you don't have to worry about "making good time" because there's no agenda. You're just off exploring a new city!
Well we've been to Tampa before so this time we weren't so concerned with doing any of the cheesy sight seeing things... but we had 2 things to accomplish. To see the baby.... and to go to a Tampa Bay Rays game.
We took 301 and drove through Gainseville, and actually got to stop at the Orange Shop - which I have been dying to go to!! We pass it all the time and it's never open. Well this time it was! We stopped in and talked to the 2 little ladies that run the place... and apparently it's only open from November through June. No wonder! We always pass it in the fall when we are heading to a Gator Game. They were so sweet (no pun intended) we bought some orange blossom honey.
Once we got to St. Pete we got to meet Joseph Edward - the newest member to the McAndrew family. He's just as cute as could be and SO TINY!! He's 6 lbs which is about 13 lbs less than what Arnold weighs. (Sorry Arnie! But you are quite the fatty.) It so weird to think that me and this kid are on the same branch of the family tree, considering we're 29 years apart. I'm going to really have to squelch any "Aunt Kristen" talk.
Then we were off to the baseball game. It was "country night" and they apparently gave out free trucker hats, but we were too late getting there to snag one. That's OK because I ended up shelling out a few bucks to get a nice one.
The Rays won and we were happpy campers - feeling like we really got our money's worth. Well after the game all of a sudden they wheeled a stage out onto the outfield and BAM! Trace Adkins came out and gave an hour long concert - FOR FREE! That was very cool, considering the people in cheap seats now had concert tickets that they'd gotten for 9 bucks. Our tickets had cost 22 - but still quite a deal!
Well we had so much fun... we woke up on Sunday and decided to go to the second game! (Crazy - I know, but that's how we roll.) It meant we wouldn't be home until about 9pm... and we'd have to leave from the ballpark, but it was well worth it because it turned out to be a fantastic game!! They went into 10th inning tied 3-3 with the Chicago White Sox and they got a home run to win the game. The energy was so electric!! People were screaming and jumping up and down!
Including my husband... who high fived everyone in the row behind us and in front of us.
Ahh baseball.
Sweaty, tired, we got into the car and started the 3 hour drive home. I think that might have been the only moment where I went, "oh boy, this is going to suck." But we stopped at the Millhopper Cafe in Gainesville for some din din and it broke up the trip so we didn't feel quite as wiped out when we pulled into the driveway.
So... did we accomplish what we set out to do?
See the baby.... Check.
See a game.... Double Check.
Added bonus..... had ALOT of fun and didn't think about work/house repairs once.
Mission accomplished.
This past weekend we had a good ole-fashioned-spur-of-the-moment road trip to Tampa. Dave and I were practically giddy when we packed our bags and jumped into the car on Saturday morning. In between singing songs on the radio, we kept asking each other, "When was the last time we took a road trip?"
This used to be a common occurrence for us. The two years we were dating we drove anywhere we could get to on a tank of gas. It's such a great stress reliever to get out of town... and you don't have to go through the hassle of the airport, plus you don't have to worry about "making good time" because there's no agenda. You're just off exploring a new city!
Well we've been to Tampa before so this time we weren't so concerned with doing any of the cheesy sight seeing things... but we had 2 things to accomplish. To see the baby.... and to go to a Tampa Bay Rays game.
We took 301 and drove through Gainseville, and actually got to stop at the Orange Shop - which I have been dying to go to!! We pass it all the time and it's never open. Well this time it was! We stopped in and talked to the 2 little ladies that run the place... and apparently it's only open from November through June. No wonder! We always pass it in the fall when we are heading to a Gator Game. They were so sweet (no pun intended) we bought some orange blossom honey.
Once we got to St. Pete we got to meet Joseph Edward - the newest member to the McAndrew family. He's just as cute as could be and SO TINY!! He's 6 lbs which is about 13 lbs less than what Arnold weighs. (Sorry Arnie! But you are quite the fatty.) It so weird to think that me and this kid are on the same branch of the family tree, considering we're 29 years apart. I'm going to really have to squelch any "Aunt Kristen" talk.
Then we were off to the baseball game. It was "country night" and they apparently gave out free trucker hats, but we were too late getting there to snag one. That's OK because I ended up shelling out a few bucks to get a nice one.
The Rays won and we were happpy campers - feeling like we really got our money's worth. Well after the game all of a sudden they wheeled a stage out onto the outfield and BAM! Trace Adkins came out and gave an hour long concert - FOR FREE! That was very cool, considering the people in cheap seats now had concert tickets that they'd gotten for 9 bucks. Our tickets had cost 22 - but still quite a deal!
Well we had so much fun... we woke up on Sunday and decided to go to the second game! (Crazy - I know, but that's how we roll.) It meant we wouldn't be home until about 9pm... and we'd have to leave from the ballpark, but it was well worth it because it turned out to be a fantastic game!! They went into 10th inning tied 3-3 with the Chicago White Sox and they got a home run to win the game. The energy was so electric!! People were screaming and jumping up and down!
Including my husband... who high fived everyone in the row behind us and in front of us.
Ahh baseball.
Sweaty, tired, we got into the car and started the 3 hour drive home. I think that might have been the only moment where I went, "oh boy, this is going to suck." But we stopped at the Millhopper Cafe in Gainesville for some din din and it broke up the trip so we didn't feel quite as wiped out when we pulled into the driveway.
So... did we accomplish what we set out to do?
See the baby.... Check.
See a game.... Double Check.
Added bonus..... had ALOT of fun and didn't think about work/house repairs once.
Mission accomplished.
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