Before Heading Off To Work.....

....Just wanted to say Go Buckeyes!!!!!

And by the way. It's 7:13 am...and Michigan still sucks....

Days Off Can Be Fun

Yesterday was my day off. And I did just that...I took the day off. I slept in until 9:30...yes, that's sleeping in. Then I got up and decided to take a walkabout downtown. It was a gorgeous day and I'm glad I got to get out. I had never taken pictures like that before. You know, it was always like, "okay you go over there and I'll take your picture." Or it had to have some sort of meaning. But I just started snapping away. There were times I thought to myself, "Nah, I'm not gonna take a picture of that, that'd be stupid." But those were some of the best pictures I took. That's one of the best things about digital cameras...point and shoot...if you don't like it, delete it. No film lost. Maybe a little battery life gone, but they're rechargable. I used to love taking pictures back in the day but so many came out crappy (of course I didn't really have a decent camera though). So I really like my pictures and I must say I want to do it again. I didn't know what to expect. I know they're not perfect but it's something I enjoyed doing and with most of my endeavours, something that I can work on to improve. You know I'm crazy like that, I don't just want to be great at one thing, I like to work on being good with everything. You never know, those might become things I'm great at someday. And yesterday I did no school work. Yeah, I know, I'm bad, but I figured I've spent the past 2 weeks doing straight up school work day in a day out, even at work on our down times. And I said, screw it. I'm ahead at this point and I'm taking the day off. I made a pot roast in the crock pot (easy!) and the 'rents came over for dinner. I even made one of those Jello No Bakes....very good! We've decided that we're going to try making Sunday family meal night, just like last week. Kind of like a pot luck deal, where we all contribute something. We've kind of already have been doing that, but we've been going out to eat. So instead we'll have it here and it'll be much cheaper. A new tradition for the Henry/Roth family. They have to be started in some way or the other. Hey, maybe I'll actually be able to learn how to cook by doing this! Yes, we're in out 4th year of marriage, and I can honestly say I'm not big on cooking. It's not hard to do because you just follow a recipe, but it's not something I like doing. In time. In time. Ahhhh, I'm dreading work today. Tbe boss is back in town. I'm going in with my head held high, but I dunno...it may be rough. Wish me luck!

Flickr

Hey! I just upgraded to Flickr Pro and am working on uploading some pictures, including some from my Walkabout in Sandusky this morning. Be on the lookout!

Vote For Mona!

Mona Rutger is an amazing individual. I've been to her facility and have met her personallly. By voting for her on the Animal Planet website she will be recognized for her efforts and receive a well deserved vacation.

Courtesy Of Animal Planet.com-
Mona Rutger, together with her husband Bill, has owned and operated a volunteer wildlife rehabilitation and nature education center, Back to the Wild, for 15 years in Castalia, Ohio. The center rescues over 2,000 injured or abandoned wild animals each year, and is able to return over 60 percent of them back into the wild. A nonprofit with no funding, the center relies on contributions by individuals and organizations to cover the cost of caring for the constant influx of "wildings." Mona consistently puts in long hours, especially while tending to the many baby birds and animals that require constant care. She says, "It's very demanding, but it's my passion." Her other passion is teaching future generations the great need to preserve and protect our natural world. She presents educational programs to over 50,000 students and members of youth groups and adult organizations each year, traveling all around the state as well as conducting programs and tours at the center several times a week. Fifteen Eagle Scout projects have been completed at the center by local youth. Three of Mona's young assistants have been inspired to attend veterinary school because of their work at Back to the Wild. Two are practicing veterinarians and the third will graduate soon. At least one other young volunteer has stated that she also plans to become a veterinarian. Mona takes part in volunteer studies with veterinarians on such diseases as West Nile virus and avian flu, and they are using the data gathered in national and international research.

Click on the link to vote for Mona Rutger and Back To The Wild

http://animal.discovery.com/convergence/hero_of_the_year/poll/poll.html

Crazy 'Puters!!!!

I went to work yesterday and the computer was working fine. While at work out internet starting acting kind of weird. Mostly Yahoo wouldn't load. Then I noticed Flickr wouldn't work either. I came home to find the same problem, in addition to the screen freezing up once I type in a new address. However, I could type in the Google search box in my task bar and search something and go to it through there. I called the 'rents and come to find out their stuff is working. Hmmmm....so I think to myself....crap! Did my page carry a virus? Since it was happening both there and here. You know me, thinking crazy things. So I was up last night trying to figure it out. I downloaded Internet Explorer 7 (by the way it's kind of weird and will take a few days to get used to) and ran all of my virus stuff (which runs on a daily basis anyway) and the address bar thing was fixed. Then Yahoo would finally load but if I clicked on anything on it it wouldn't move anywhere (for instance My Mail, etc). I kept searching online for answers, but of course any answers for Yahoo or Flickr were on their site....yeah, that won't work. And then there were people saying "go into this and do this" I'm one of those people that will just dig into the computer and do stuff but I have my limit. And I didn't want to screw myself over by totally jacking up my computer. So at about 11pm I game up and "went to bed". Before leaving the 'puter I turned it off and reset the modem in hopes that might help and just left it off all night. I tossed and turned all last night. Hardly sleeping a wink. You see, when I feel I have to do something either I can't sleep at all or I just dream about it. So I dreamt about it. And then I think to myself, it probbly won't work anyway tomorrow...so my mind is just reeling. I arose when my alarm went off. Came downstairs. Started the darn thing, left to make breakfast, came back, loaded Yahoo and it worked...say what? It worked, AND My Mail and Flickr did too. Thank you Jesus! Please continue to work, please, please. So it's worked so far this morning and according to Aunt Daleen's post she was having problems too....maybe it was the cable company. I dunno. But it works now. Isn't it crazy how something that should be so relaxing can cause you the most anxiety???

Help!

My Yahoo and Flickr won't work! Every other site does though....any ideas? I can't get onto the yahoo site at all....no mail, no news, it just won't load...and neither does Flickr. When I look at my blog my frame of the badge comes up but won't fully load....Help!!!!

Welcome Home!

Who Dat? Who Dat?

Who Dat Say Dey Gonna Beat Dem Saints????
Welcome Home Saints!

New Camera

Hello! As the weekend comes to a close and the new week starts I wanted to sit and write for a bit. We didn't end up going to CP this weekend. The weather was iffy and it just wasn't worth taking the chance of wasting the tickets. We still have several more weeks left in the season to be able to go. So of course we watched the Ohio State vs Penn State game. That was a little uneasy, but what I can I say, we're a second half team. Also, I must note, great job to Notre Dame, can't believe they pulled that one out. Whew! Since Ohio State won we had to celebrate. And as most of you know there's not much to do here in Santown to celebrate, so hey, we headed to Friendlys. Any excuse for me to get ice cream...works for me! Ya'll know we did more in the day than just that, but nothing really that exciting unless you want to hear about us running errands getting, getting dog litter, etc. Then Sunday comes and I become a football widow for one more day of the week. I used to be able to handle football two days in a row, but I'm sorry, I just can't do it anymore. And David's ALWAYS been a hardcore Vikings fan, so there's no tearing him away from that. He loves OSU, but if it came down to only being able to watch one, he'd choose the Vikings. I can't complain too much though because that's David's time with his dad and of course I keep busy with something, usually with mom, getting coffee, TJMaxx...you know, the usual. So that's what we did today and then we all had dinner tonight at our place. It was only the second time I've got to "entertain" since we've been married. Thie first was down in N.O. for Thanksgiving. Two other Marines came over. And ever since then we were never at home (on leave), our place was too small, or Cass and J had something. So it was nice. I finally got to do it. Our dining room table is still kind of tight with 6 people, but I just call that cozy. We had roasted chicken, potatos, gravy, and stuffing (gotta love the stuffing). And thanks to mom for all of your help. It was a good time, not to mention, much cheaper than going out and just as good. We have to do it more often. One last thing. We bought a new camera today. It's the Kodak Z650. After doing much research we felt this one would suit our needs best. I'm very excited and so far (in the 2 hours I've had it), it's what I had hoped for. Can't wait to take more pictures. Just wait until our Disney trip! It's going to be pictures galore (hopefully)!

Go Buckeyes!

We're Ready. Are you? Go Buckeyes!!

Puppers and Kitty Friends

Woohoo! It's Friday. I'll be leaving for work in a little bit. I can't say enough how much I love that my Friday schedule is the shortest day of the week and I can "sleep in" every Friday. Actually, Monday is my longest day of the week and everyday gets shorter and shorter. Much better than getting longer each day for sure. I was surprised today though. Usually I wake up way before my alarm but I slept until it went off then when it did I just laid there for awhile, enjoying my time with Viking and Lily. It's so fun just to lay there...they slowly come out of the covers, then they lay on me...Viking usually lays his head across my neck and Lily sits on my chest, then they turn into a playful stage...going after each other, Viking taking shots at me with his licker, and Lily chewing at my hands and blankets. It's a hoot, but I definitely cherish those moments and wish I could just lay there all day. And trust me, I have time with the cats too. Sometimes we let them in the bedroom in the morning and Jax plops (yes, all 14 pounds on him) on my head and Natchez rubs all over. And anytime I sit at the computer is cat time. Actually, as I write Natchez is on my lap making biscuits (kneading) on my belly. So anytime I sit down here, I get a kitty in my lap. As I stated above, I truly treasure those moments and I could be doing anything (school work, bills, etc), but I just stop, enjoy, and live in that moment. Even after those long crazy days at work dealing with animals all day long, my kids keep me sane and remind me of why I do what I do.

Am I Getting Old??

Is anyone else freaking out because of how fast this year is going? Or is it just me? I think I'm just getting older, and that's what happens. I just looked and I've been blogging since the end of April, and it just seems like just yesterday I started writing. Then we've been here for almost a year and in just one short month I'll have been at my job for a year. That's just crazy. And at work we sign up for Kennel Duty three months at a time. I swear I just signed up and yesterday I turn around and we're making a new list for October, November, and December....you know what that means....Christmas! Not to mention.....DISNEY! But I can't wish my life away, because once Disney arrives I have nothing to look forward to. I shouldn't say that, because I look forward to life, but I think you get what I mean. And when you think about it, there may not be something big after that right now, but as we have learned, things change. Okay I'm done with that. Just wanted to put that out there. Brrr...it's starting to get colder here. This morning it says it's 46 degrees. And guess what? Lily went outside with no problems....just keep going girl! You see, we're scared she may relapse with the colder weather coming, since she may not want to go outside with it being colder. We're just planning to continue letting her out as if nothing has changed and we'll see. Even so, just the other day she went into the litterbox and did her business without any problems. Good to go. We decided to start decorating for Halloween already. Yeah, I know, we're crazy. But I see it kind of like Christmas...if you spend all that time decorating, especially outside, you better enjoy it! And we thought we had tons of stuff. We do have a decent amount of stuff but having a larger house means everything is spread out. So we went out last night and got more. Including a black light. Gotta love those! We're focusing on our front enclosed porch. So I have a a feeling over the next month we'll continue adding things here and there. I don't want to over do it, but at the same time you don't want it to look chincy. Our neighbors probably think we're crazy for decorating this early, let alone decorating at all...and with our luck we won't have hardly any trick or treaters, but we like to do it, so we are. Even at Walmart a customer said, "oh, are you having a party?" We both looked at each other and said, "Nah, we just like to decorate for the trick or treaters and hopefully make it more fun for them." So I'll have to post some pictures when we're closer to being finished. I'm still hoping to go to Cedar Point ths weekend, even though rain is in the forecast. We still have those tickets form sita and alpa that we have to use. And it's the first weekend of halloweekends, which should make it fun. I'm not so worried about the rain, because even though we'll ride some rides, we go for the food. Funnel cakes and corn dogs...that's what I'm talkin' about! Hope ya'll have a great end of the week! Believe it or not Friday is coming....

Cassidy's Cheerleading Video

Here's the video clips that I uploaded. Once again the quality isn't the best, but you'll get the idea.....

Monday's Thought For The Day

More Pictures Posted

Hello Everyone! I hope you all had a good weekend. I just added some more pictures to our picture collection. Feel free to check them out. They are all from the past month...the pets, watching football, cookout, etc.

Cassidy, Our Cheerleader

Cassidy was a mini cheerleader yesterday at the Huron vs. Margaretta game. Ed even bought her a "retired" cheerleader uniform to wear, so she was the real deal. Although she was tired from a full day at schoo,l I think she still had a good time. Her favorite cheer was the Tiger Rumble! David, myself, and the 'rents met Ed at the game so we could see her cheer and take loads of pictures and video. Click on the link to see the pictures. I hope to be able to upload the video sometime this weekend. http://davidandheidi.shutterfly.com

Organizing Freak? Yeah, that's me!

Our fridge in now fixed. Actually it was fixed on Tuesday. We had one more glitch in the process before actually having it fixed. On Monday the company we were going with had a shipment problem with some parts they ordered, which set them back in their schedule. So there was one more day for us to wait. And at that point as I stated, we were at their mercy. The good thing is that it's fixed now and even though we had to spend money it wasn't a million dollars or anything. On another topic I feel as though I've been slacking with my blog. Sorry to those faithful readers out there. I totally understand because I check my round of blogs at least once daily...sometimes more...and it's no fun when no one has written. It's just been crazy at work and then when I get home I feel as though I can't sit down. I just keep going and going...kind of like the energizer bunny. For instance on Tuesday night I got home and just couldn't sit down. Needless to say tons of work got done from about 8:30 until midnight. I went through the entire downstairs wall closet (the one with many compartments that make up the entire wall in the downstairs bedroom). Everything is organized and sifted through and I had a pile of stuff to get rid off. There's everything in there...anything from candles, to games, dog clothes, photo albums, school books...you name it, it's in there. So that felt good, as I had been wanting to do it for awhile. I can't say I had the energy for it, but when my mind says go, my body must continue on as well. I even dusted the entire downstairs, changed the dining room tablecloth (more fall-like now!), and organized this shelf thing I have in the dining room. It used to have these baskets for storage but I figured I'd change it up a bit and take those out and put some knick knack types of things it there. I shouldn't say knick knacks...they're little collectible type of things. It looks nice and instead of going out and spending money I don't have on a curio cabinet at this time, it works just fine. And I'm not paranoid about the cats knocking anything over since the compartments are quite concave. Sweet! Then the dog clothes....Yes, if you didn't know, we dress our pets and I must say they do love it. But okay, I'll finally admit it. We're crazy! I couldn't believe how many dresses, sweaters, coats, etc. that our pets have. I had decided that it was time to organize a little more since we had grown out of the wall hanging "closet" David had made AND the sterilite chest of drawers also. We had a grocery bag filled of just their stuff too. So I got some smaller boxes that I could store in the wall closet (the one I talked about above). I switched out all the seasonal clothes on the wall, their outdoor coats are in the sterlite drawers and the other boxes have the opposite season (spring/summer) and things they've outgrown in them. And you know I couldn't get rid of the clothes that are too small....you never know when we may have another small one...not anytime soon! At this time I'm sure you're thinking "Heidi, I really don't care about what type of cleaning or organizing you did...and is this all you write about, since that's what most of your posts are about?" I know, I know. Sorry. And this might sound crazy but writing it out makes me feel as though I've accomplished something. It's kind of like when you have a list of things to do and you get to check them off as you do it. It feels so good when you've been able to check those things off. Doesn't it? Anyway, that's why I always write about this stuff. Stupid, I know. Let's change subjects. Tomorrow is Friday. That means the weekend is around the corner. Can't complain. Tomorrow night we're going to head out to the Huron came to see Cassidy cheer at the football game. It should be fun and if nothing else a great hoot! She's a ham and it's great seeing her have a good time. This Saturday is my week to work but with the owner being out of town we're not going to have practice hours. Just the clinic will be open to sell food, products, etc. No, we're not pulling the wool over the owner's eyes. It's normally his weekend to work and with him being gone the other doctor has been pulling some long hours/days so it's just fair that since she's not normally scheduled we shouldn't make her work an additional day. So I'll be working the desk so I can make my hours....which means I'll be working on school work. Oh yeah, one more thing. School started this week. Ya'll know I'm booking it to get my weeks done to get ahead. Since I had Wednesday off I worked all day and I'm just about finished with Week 3's assignments. Kick butt. Oh yeah, Jerry and Diana, if you're reading this, I got your video transferred. I just have to get it on DVD then I'll send it on down. I had an issue with it last week..it kept dropping frames from the video making it real choppy. But I got it figured out and we should be all set. Tomorrow's Friday....Tomorrow's Friday....

Days Like These

In working on my mom's photo story awhile back I had the opportunity to hear some of Janis Ian's music. You see, my mom used to listen to her all the time while she was a teenager and so I started finding some of her music in hopes of using one of her songs for the photo story. Although I didn't use one of her songs for my project I still got to experience her art for the first time. It is "folk" in my opinion, and actually something I would probably not listen to on a normal basis, but I must say that I respect her and her work and find it very calming and refreshing at the same time. And I find myself listening to her more and more.....calming and refreshing...that's a good thing.....The song below I also have posted to the left to listen to...it just touched me. Can't tell you why, but it does.

DAYS LIKE THESE
(Janis Ian)

ON DAYS LIKE THESE
WHEN THE RAIN WON’T FALL
AND THE SKY IS SO DRY
THAT EVEN BIRDS CAN’T CALL
I CAN FEEL YOUR TEARS
DISAPPEARING IN THE AIR
CARRIED ON THE BREEZE
ON DAYS LIKE THESE

IT’S YEARS LIKE THESE
THAT MAKE A YOUNG MAN OLD
BEND HIS BACK AGAINST THE PROMISES
THAT LIFE SHOULD HOLD
THEY CAN MAKE HIM WISE
THEY CAN DRIVE HIM TO HIS KNEES
NOTHING COMES FOR FREE
ON DAYS LIKE THESE

BUT YOU CAN’T REAP WHAT YOU DON’T SOW
AND YOU CAN’T PLANT IN FALLOW GROUND
SO LET US FILL THIS EMPTY EARTH WITH HOPE
UNTIL THE RAINS COME DOWN

IN LIVES LIKE THESE
WHERE EVERY MOMENT COUNTS
I ADD UP ALL THE THINGS
THAT I CAN LIVE WITHOUT
WHEN THE ONE THING LEFT
IS THE BLESSING OF MY DREAMS

I CAN MAKE MY PEACE
WITH DAYS LIKE THESE
I CAN MAKE MY PEACE
WITH DAYS LIKE THESE

Copyright © Janis Ian

The Fridge Isn't Cooling....

When I got home from my Florida trip, it seemed as though the refrigertor wasn't very cold, but the freezer seemed fine. David and I sat on it for a day thinking maybe since it's cooler outside it may not feel as cool. Then on Thursday I had the thought "there's no way...this just isn't right." When I ate my cereal the milk wasn't spoiled but it didn't have that crisp cold taste. So David made a few phone calls and set up for someone to come on Friday morning. David rushed through his day on Friday to make sure he was home in time and no one showed. Say what? Yeah, so he called the office and no one answered. We left a message and sat on a a non working fridge for the night. Then David stopped by the office on his way home from work on Saturday. Okay, it opened at 10am. It was before then that he stopped by, but surely they'll be there when we call at 10am. No, no one there. Finally about 10:30am, someone answers and says "yeah, we just got your message, let me call you back when I can figure out what happened." Okay, I said let's give him 15 minutes and then we'll call back. He never called, so we called and he says, "yeah, you didn't leave a number for me to call you back...." Say what, again?! We had left our phone number with the secretary yesterday and then also left BOTH of our numbers on the message the previous night. So we never got an answer why he didn't show but he says, "I can come Monday" I about hit the roof....Wait a minute YOU don't show up on your specified date and then you tell me it's going to be 2 more days?! But then I think to myself, we're at the mercy of these people. We need the fridge fixed and if we went to sears they won't get out here until at least the 19th and it will be way more $. But the guy tried helping us out at least by telling us to check certain things. So we did and found that there was ice blocking the tube to the fridge from the freezer. We took everything to david's 'rents and cleaned out the fridge, which needed to be done anyway. And we defrosted it. We checked it later that evening. Everything defrosted but the fan still wasn't working. We're not sure if the fan ceased and then caused the ice or maybe the ice formed and the fan was working too hard and ceased. So we think that we know the problem at least, let's just hope it's an affordable fix. This thing is only 2 years old for heaven's sake. I was way stressed out about this as you can tell. So I made a trip to the grocery store and got non-refrigerated foods. I think I can survive on oatmeal for breakfast and spaghettio's for lunch for a few days instead of cereal and lunch meat. Let's look on the bright side of things....at least we're saving energy....

Monday's Thought For The Day

Go Bucks!

I found this on You Tube. I'm not too crazy about the picture aspect of the video but the narrator and his comments make me laugh....

Justin and Cassie's Video

DW!

I got a great call yesterday evening. My brother called and told me that he just heard on the radio that David Wesley was traded to the Cleveland Cavs? Say what? Nah, you're joking! But guess what? He wasn't joking. I had to do the happy dance. You see, David Wesley was my favorite basketball player in New Orleans. He played for the Hornets while we were down there. I even have his autograph. On my birthday back in 2003 I was having my hair done in a mall so David was walking around and then all the sudden he he saw David Wesley out wandering to mall...David being the goober he is walked right up to Wesley and asked him for his autograph for me. Me, not knowing anything, walked out to the car and got in. We drove away and David surprised me with my Chihuahua purse for my birthday. I loved it! And then he said, "there's something better inside." So I looked in to find my card with a scribble on it. Of course I had no idea who it was and he told me. Hey, forget the purse, I had David Wesley's autograph! Looking back at the Hornets now, we know none of the players since the roster has changed due to trades, etc. I was totally bummed when he got traded to Houston and I just stopped watching basketball. My David told me awhile back about him being a free agent or something and I just had a thought..."hmmm, I wonder if he would come to Cleveland" But David said more than likely that he wouldn't so it was just put in the back of my mind and basically discarded. Well I don't have to do that any longer, becuase he's coming to Cleveland. Anyone up for a game of Cavs Basketball?!

Monday's Thought For The Day

Fun In Florida

WARNING - THIS IS A LONG POST! Sorry!
We had tons of fun in Florida and I think I'm ready for the work week. Not wanting to go, but I think I have everything in order at least to go back to work.
Things we did:
Wednesday - we had no problems with our flight and neither did Justin. Everything went off without a hitch. No delays, no crazy inspections, and no hurricane. Believe it or not we were actually in the air at the time our flight was to depart...never had that happen before. And for anyone that cares, I would definitely recommend USA3000 airline for future flights. It was great. The flight was cheap and in all honesty I was expecting a crappy plane, etc. But it was real nice. The crew was polite, the plane well kept. And hey, we even got a large bag of trail mix, beverage, in flight movie (sitcoms), and headphones to listen to on board music for FREE! Can't complain about that. Justin said if he wanted a snack on his flight with Northwest it would be $3. Ha! The crew member even offered the entire bottle of water (one of the huge bottles) instead of just the small cup. He asked, "if I give this to you, will you drink it?" Of course I said yes, especially since we had already threw out 2 bottles at the airport due to restrictions. Another cool thing on the way down is that we flew over tropical storm Ernesto. All the sudden the captain came over the loudspeaker and said, "if you look out your window to the left you will see Ernesto's bands" And there they were. Pretty neat. So obviously that part of the day went great. We got the the airport and Justin and Uncle Jerry were there waiting for us. We stopped by Boston Market for a quick bite to eat and then head to my cousin Chris' house to see him, his wife, and their 2 kids. It's been so long since we've seen them and I had never met Sam and Ben before. It was great fun and their new house is super nice and their kids are just dolls. They sure are keepers! I love their dog's Gator and Gracie too...you know I couldn't go through all of this and not mention the dogs. After that we went to Jerry and Diana's house and hung out for the rest of the night. We got to meet their dogs...Sammie and Angel....they're very sweet too!
Thursday - We woke up and headed to Grandma and Grandpa's new place with Jerry and Diana. After arriving at their new BEAUTIFUL villa we had lunch together at their place and soon began hanging their artwork. Actually I wasn't much help since three people hanging one picture is already too many. So Diana and I helped supervise and told them if it was crooked or not. We even got to tour the other models available in their new complex. You talk about nice....shoot, I'd take any of them. Their community is going to be really nice once it's developed (they're in the first phase that was built). We had a nice dinner, Jerry and Diana left, and then we went to the mall to look for shoes for me. I found a pair I liked but they didn't have my size.....keep looking.....
Friday - Grandma started my morning out just right with a dippy egg (once over easy). It was great and perfect just as they always were. We (justin, grandma, mom, me) then headed to Grandma and Grandpa's old place to clean, organize, and transfer things from there to the new place. Surprisingly it was pretty much empty. Grandma and Grandpa did WAY too much before we got down there. We expected to do more than we did but at least we got to help get a few more things out of the way and organized. And we had perfect timing...as we were finishing up we set the accumulated trash out and the trashman drove up. Sweet! Then it was time for the pool. Isn't it the best feeling in the world to be able to walk directly into a pool without freezing? It was almost like bath water but not too hot...just perfect. We spent some time there and then headed back with our loot we had collected. We dropped everything off and then decided to head back to their place again to pick up 2 pieces of artwork that had been left and that obviously still needed to be hung at their new place. Along the way we stopped to look at a few more shoes stores....still no luck. After arriving back at the new place I took a nap while mom had her special dinner of liver. Mom woke me up a little while later and then we went to our special dinner at Sonic! You got to understand, we had a Sonic in New Orleans and I loved it...and we have commercials around here for them but the closest one is in Indiana...say what? For those who are unfamiliar with Sonic, it's styled like an old car hop. You pull in, push a button, order, then they roller skate out to you with food. And they got awesome ice cream too! So Justin and I treated grandma to her first meal at Sonic....she loved it even though she ate her entire burger and was STUFFED! We love you grandma and we're glad you enjoyed it. By the way, anyone that hears of a Sonic going in around here, let me know. The rest of the night was uneventful and we just chilled at their place talking and just spending time with them. It was nice and I will definitely cherish that time.
Saturday - We spent half the day at grandma and grandpa's then headed back to Jerry and Diana's. Before we left I got to have some of grandma's homemade vegetable soup...yummy! And then we got back on the road and stopped at a few more places for shoes. Still no luck....at this point I had given up hope. We got to their house just in time for the OSU game. While the game was on mom and I swam while J watched the game...hey, I could still see and hear it with the sliding door open....yes, that is the life. OSU won, sweet. Then we headed to Chris's again for the Gator game. We had dinner from an awesome restaurant called Iguana Mia If you're ever in the Fort Myers/Cape Coral area of Florida, you gotta try this place. It was some of the best mexican food ever....and they have these great dinner "buffets" that you can order and take home. Needless to say we had tons of food left over (thanks uncle jerry). The girls (diana, mom, and I) decided to leave the guys while they watched the game. We stopped at a place called Outlooks which is part of the department store Bealls....and I found my shoes! I walked in, headed to the shoes, found a pair (I had tried them on while up and grandma's but they didn't have my size)...and I even found 2 shirts for me and pair of shorts for David. I had 15 minutes to look for and you know I still had 5 minutes left to spare. Can you tell I'm a power shoppper? After that we went back to their house, helped Uncle Jerry on the computer and spent most of the night in the pool, enjoying the weather.
Sunday - It was pretty uneventful. We woke up hung around the pool, ate some more chips and salsa (who needs breakfast when you have chips and salsa?) Then we headed to the airport. Justin dropped us off (our flight took off earlier than his), then he turned the car in....and both of our flights left on time with no problems.
So it was a great trip that you definitely didn't want to see end. Isn't it nice to get away and not have worries (at least too many of them anyway)? Thank you Jerry, Diana, Chris, and Courtney. And of course Grandma and Grandpa. It was the best feeling to see you and spend time with you. Thanks to mom and J for the fun times we had. I can't wait to do it again....maybe on a cruise someday...maybe with a few more people. Now I just got to brace myself for going back to work. At least I got my shoes and my Waterbed Willys shirt. That should help.....

Florida Pictures

We made it to Florida and back safely! I'll post more later, but here are some pictures...

http://davidandheidi.shutterfly.com