Thursday, May 26, 2011

Just Funny

Beer and a BallGame








I am not a beer drinker, but when they don't sell it at the ball park one must do what one must do! Yesterday was an AWESOME day to go to a day game. It was sunny and almost hot. Glad I took a visor. We had third row right field seats. I have an odd sunburn from my elbow to my wrist. Boston v Cleveland. Sadly it was a blowout! Boston had eight runs in the first inning, but....we were having beer, hot dogs and friendship.


Monday, May 23, 2011

Moving




Two years ago I ran my first 5K. Then I developed pre-patella bursitis and it was terrible pain and caused me to stop running. Once I stopped and let my knee heal I just got lazy, as is so easy to do, and now two years have passed.

I finally got to a place where I didn't want to be AND after hitting that "milestone" birthday I knew that I had to get back in the game. A friend told me about a program that she was using and it was all I needed for motivation! It is the "Couch to 5 K Program".

I looked it up online and found it to be quite simple. I am into my third week and getting back in the groove.
I take Cady with me and since she is still so young I hope to get her into a running with me routine.

The race that I ran, two years ago, will be this October and I plan to be ready.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

The Lamp Story














While hubby was in China we would talk on Skype. He usually sat in the same spot and in his room/suite there was always this crazy clock/lamp in the background. He even sent me some pictures of it after he first moved into the room.

It was the craziest/coolest thing. Garish and loud, but it was also unique. I loved it! They were buying him so many gifts that I joked that he should tell them that his wife loved the lamp and maybe they would buy me one. More and more we joked about getting the lamp.

I finally told him that if he could find one to try and get it.

His last day, in China, he asked someone to take him out to find the lamp. They went to a small mall that just sold lamps. There were about 11 shops and everyone sold nothing but varieties of lighting. He went to eight shops before finding out that the lamp in his hotel was a three year old style and that there was a "newer" version. He called me at 3:00AM, our time, to see if I still wanted it and naturally I said yes.

So, the lamp make sit back to the States, but I never thought about how it would make the 23 hour flight and get through luggage checking etc. Not only did he have three large pieces of luggage, but he came home with two VERY large boxes! He had put twine through the tops so he could wrangle them through the airports. The lampshade was so large that it had its own box!

Amazingly the shade made it here unscathed, but we will have to get a new table top. The glass was broken into many pieces. United may reimburse hubby. I think we are going to get Plexiglas. Safer. More so than the crazy Chinese wiring! Since there are no regulations there they just all hang out the bottom of the lamp. It is cheaper than even anything sent here.

Of course the directions were only in Chinese, but hubby knows how that kind of stuff works. After we both had cocktails and bought a transformer it was ready to light! I never even thought about the electricity difference!! Not only did I have to buy a transformer, but another plug to plug the lamp in to and then plug in to the transformer!!

I never thought about all the differences and problems we would come across, but I do love it and love the effort that the hubby put forth to make it all possible! I adore my tacky, kitschy Chinese lamp.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Road Trip













I hate to drive long distances. That being said I did drive my mom to Indiana over Mother's Day weekend. We went to our hometown of Michigan City which is just an hour and 20 minutes from Chicago and right on Lake Michigan. Cold and nasty in the winter!

Only a five hour drive, but I have trouble staying awake driving long distances. My mom sold her car last year and doesn't have insurance, so I had to do all the driving. Getting there was not bad, but it rained all the way home and my mom kept drifting off to sleep!

We had beautiful weather, as you can see from our trip to the lake, and spent a good deal of time outside. Aside from the lake we also went to an awesome outdoor shopping place called Lighthouse Place also on the Lake. Outlet stores, great deals! That night we went to the F.O.P for a fish fry. My cousin is a Michigan City cop and his daughter works there. I had an all - you - can eat Walleye in a delicious beer batter. Best fish I have had in ages.

My Uncle Mike has been a model, almost all of his life, and he came over to see us from Chicago. As did his best friend and our family friend Trevor. It was a good trip. Ate food, played cards and slept late. Wish I would have had more time off.