Friday, December 23, 2011
Christmas Letter 2011
It seems like 2011 has just flown by. I think having a little one running around the house seems to put everything into high speed. Anya celebrated her first birthday on June 4 with a big birthday party on what was probably one of the hottest days of the year. She got lots of gifts and enjoyed opening them. Anya started walking on her own at around 14 months and she has really taken off! Her vocabulary also now contains too many words to count. Though we can’t always tell what she’s saying, she seems to have a lot to say! Some of her favorite pastimes include doing her puzzle, riding in her toy car, serenading us at her toy piano, and telling poor Peanut Butter “No, no.” She is a busy little thing!
Eric and I have also been very busy. I completed my thesis in August which means that I am finally finished with my Master of Arts in Music Therapy. The bound copies of my thesis came in the mail in late November and it was so nice to see my name in print. I am still working part time at Deaconess Cross Pointe, though I have gotten more music therapy contracts over the past year and also have some other projects started that I’m hoping will amount to something this coming year. I will also be supervising music therapy practicum students from UE next semester. In addition, my piano studio has grown from one piano student to six students. Eric has now been working for Keller Schroeder for over three and a half years and has consulted on a variety of projects with various businesses around town. He is a Co-Leader for the SharePoint User Group and President of the Evansville Technology User Group. He is also taking an active role in working on the website for our neighborhood association.
Eric and I also both turned 30 this year. Eric had a 30th birthday/Halloween costume party and I had a travel-themed party followed by an adults-only game night at our house. I’m sure we would both rather stay in our 20’s, but I feel like we have accomplished a lot in 30 years. We have also both lost quite a bit of weight, making us the smallest we have been since we can remember, so that definitely makes turning 30 a little easier!
Things this year have been too hectic to get much done with the house. However, we did have new carpet installed in our bedroom, the upstairs hallway, the stairway, the family room, and the living room. It was a mess during the process but we were glad to get it done. We hope to install carpet in the other 3 bedrooms this coming year, as well as install a new countertop in the kitchen and a new kitchen floor.
With Anya being a little older, we were able to do a little more travelling this year than last year. In April, we took an extended weekend to St. Louis so we could visit the art museum and the zoo. Unfortunately, Anya got a cold that weekend and slept through most of the zoo, so we’ll have to go back another time. In July, we spent a week in Chicago seeing the sites, including a Food Tour, an evening boat tour, lots of Chicago-style pizza, the Lincoln Park zoo, the beach, the art museum, Shedd’s Aquarium, The Field Museum, and Navy Pier. We had a good time and Anya did really well. At the end of July, Eric and I had our first overnight without Anya and spent the weekend in New Harmony. We also spent a family weekend in Louisville in September and took Anya to the zoo, which she really enjoyed. In October, Eric and I spent a week in Jamaica at Sandals Whitehouse celebrating our anniversary, while Anya split the time with each of our parents. Though we missed her, it was really nice to get away. We did an evening sunset cruise, but the rest of the time was spent doing a whole lot of eating, drinking, and just lying on the beach. It was really nice to get away and we hope to go back someday. In early November, Eric got to go to a Colt’s game with his parents for his 30th birthday which he had a great time doing, though I’m sure he wishes the Colt’s would have played a little better. I also got the chance to go to the American Music Therapy Association conference in Atlanta in mid-November. I got to network and gather new ideas for sessions. Now that I’m finished with grad school, I am going to need the extra motivation! The weekend after Thanksgiving we also travelled to Cincinnati to see Eric’s dad’s family.
We are both looking forward to the new year and have a lot planned. Besides house projects, we are also planning another European trip and plan to take Ani with us. Our route this time will be Madrid, Budapest, Vienna (with a day trip to Bratislavia), and the Middle Rhine area in Germany.
Have a great holiday and a Happy New Year!!
Rachel, Eric, Anya, and Peanut Butter
Eric and I have also been very busy. I completed my thesis in August which means that I am finally finished with my Master of Arts in Music Therapy. The bound copies of my thesis came in the mail in late November and it was so nice to see my name in print. I am still working part time at Deaconess Cross Pointe, though I have gotten more music therapy contracts over the past year and also have some other projects started that I’m hoping will amount to something this coming year. I will also be supervising music therapy practicum students from UE next semester. In addition, my piano studio has grown from one piano student to six students. Eric has now been working for Keller Schroeder for over three and a half years and has consulted on a variety of projects with various businesses around town. He is a Co-Leader for the SharePoint User Group and President of the Evansville Technology User Group. He is also taking an active role in working on the website for our neighborhood association.
Eric and I also both turned 30 this year. Eric had a 30th birthday/Halloween costume party and I had a travel-themed party followed by an adults-only game night at our house. I’m sure we would both rather stay in our 20’s, but I feel like we have accomplished a lot in 30 years. We have also both lost quite a bit of weight, making us the smallest we have been since we can remember, so that definitely makes turning 30 a little easier!
Things this year have been too hectic to get much done with the house. However, we did have new carpet installed in our bedroom, the upstairs hallway, the stairway, the family room, and the living room. It was a mess during the process but we were glad to get it done. We hope to install carpet in the other 3 bedrooms this coming year, as well as install a new countertop in the kitchen and a new kitchen floor.
With Anya being a little older, we were able to do a little more travelling this year than last year. In April, we took an extended weekend to St. Louis so we could visit the art museum and the zoo. Unfortunately, Anya got a cold that weekend and slept through most of the zoo, so we’ll have to go back another time. In July, we spent a week in Chicago seeing the sites, including a Food Tour, an evening boat tour, lots of Chicago-style pizza, the Lincoln Park zoo, the beach, the art museum, Shedd’s Aquarium, The Field Museum, and Navy Pier. We had a good time and Anya did really well. At the end of July, Eric and I had our first overnight without Anya and spent the weekend in New Harmony. We also spent a family weekend in Louisville in September and took Anya to the zoo, which she really enjoyed. In October, Eric and I spent a week in Jamaica at Sandals Whitehouse celebrating our anniversary, while Anya split the time with each of our parents. Though we missed her, it was really nice to get away. We did an evening sunset cruise, but the rest of the time was spent doing a whole lot of eating, drinking, and just lying on the beach. It was really nice to get away and we hope to go back someday. In early November, Eric got to go to a Colt’s game with his parents for his 30th birthday which he had a great time doing, though I’m sure he wishes the Colt’s would have played a little better. I also got the chance to go to the American Music Therapy Association conference in Atlanta in mid-November. I got to network and gather new ideas for sessions. Now that I’m finished with grad school, I am going to need the extra motivation! The weekend after Thanksgiving we also travelled to Cincinnati to see Eric’s dad’s family.
We are both looking forward to the new year and have a lot planned. Besides house projects, we are also planning another European trip and plan to take Ani with us. Our route this time will be Madrid, Budapest, Vienna (with a day trip to Bratislavia), and the Middle Rhine area in Germany.
Have a great holiday and a Happy New Year!!
Rachel, Eric, Anya, and Peanut Butter
End of the Year Review
1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before? Completed a Master’s degree, finished a (real) research project
2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I’m not sure I made any strict resolutions other than just ideas in my head that I tried to keep in mind throughout the year, though I keep saying I’m going to make real ones each year…
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes! Holly, Abbie, Beth and several cousins…I’m sure I’m missing people…Also, Eric’s cousin and her husband are adopting a 7-year old little boy. I have several friends who are pregnant and will be giving birth next year as well.
4. Did anyone close to you die? Yes
5. What countries did you visit? Jamaica...We are hoping to increase this number in 2012
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? More free time, enough contracts to leave Cross Pointe, to not have to work weekends or holidays, to do another European trip
7. What date(s) from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
April 1-3 – Weekend in St. Louis
May 7 – SMWC Graduation
May 14 – Memorial for Brandon at UE
May 25 – Anya’s surgery (ear tubes)
June 4 – Anya’s 1st birthday party
July 10-16 – Vacation in Chicago
July 30 – First night away from Ani; weekend in New Harmony
August 31 – the day my MA was added to my transcript
August 31 – September 1
September 17-18 – Weekend in Louisville
October 1 – Graduation party at Turoni’s, then a night out!
October 16-22 – 5th anniversary trip to Jamaica!
October 28 – Eric’s 30th birthday
October 29 – Eric’s 30th birthday party
November 17-20 – AMTA conference in Atlanta
November 26-27 – Weekend in Cincinnati
December 10 – My 30th birthday party
December 12 – My 30th birthday
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Finishing my thesis/research study, completing my Masters
9. What was your biggest failure? Not doing enough to educate people about music therapy
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Not any more than normal
11. What was the best thing you bought? My used Seagull guitarJ, paying someone to clean my house a couple times a month
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? All the people who have made it a priority to spend time with me and make things special on days like my birthday, graduation, etc.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? People who didn’t find me important enough to spend time with me and/or just completely dismissed important days, like my birthday, graduation, etc.
14. Where did most of your money go? Vacations, (Jamaica and Chicago), new carpet
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Finishing my Master’s, Jamaica
16. What song(s) will always remind you of 2011? “Grace” by Kate Havnick
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier…the postpartum pregnancy hormones finally calmed down and I’m learning more and more about myself each day
ii. thinner or fatter? A lot thinner…thanks to Weight Watchers!
iii. richer or poorer? Maybe a little richer…I am working a lot more than before!
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? relaxing and just enjoying life (same as every year)
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Worrying (same as every year)
20. How did you spend Christmas? We are planning to spend Christmas Eve morning with my family, Christmas Eve evening with my mom’s family, Christmas morning doing our family Christmas, lunch on Christmas with my dad’s family, dinner on Christmas with Eric’s family, dinner on the 26th with Eric’s mom’s family, out to dinner on the 27th with another aunt on Eric’s dad’s side, probably out to dinner with an out-of-town friend on the 28th…it’s really true when we sing about “The 12 Days of Christmas!”
21. Did you fall in love in 2011? Fall in love? No, but still in love with my husband and my baby girl!
22. How many one-night stands? One year I’m just going to delete this question…
23. What was your favorite TV program? American Horror Story (love this show!), New Girl, Whitney, Modern Family, Parks and Recreation, Desperate Housewives, Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy, The Office, So You Think You Can Dance,
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No, just irritated with a few
25. What was the best book you read? Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult – it was cool to read about a music therapist; Travels by Michael Crichton – I never realized he’d had so many experiences abroad
26. What was your greatest musical discovery? Using my guitar more, finally started using Pandora
27. What did you want and get? To go to Jamaica, to finish my Master of Arts
28. What did you want and not get? more time to relax, to leave Cross Pointe
29. What was your favorite film of this year? Crazy Stupid Love, and I’m planning to watch The Music Never Stopped before the end of the year…I’ve heard it’s good!
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 30 this year, so we had a big party a couple days before my actual birthday. It was travel-themed and included foods from all the countries we have been to. My cake was a suitcase. Afterwards, we had an adults-only game night at our house.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? more relaxation, less worrying, a different job
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011? This isn’t really a “fashion concept” but this year, I got to wear clothes I never thought I’d wear – “skinny” clothes! I’m smaller than I’ve ever been (at least since I can remember) so it is nice to feel good in my clothes…
33. What kept you sane? Not really sure…
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? No clue…
35. What political issue stirred you the most? Healthcare…again.
36. Who did you miss? Friends that I don’t get to see often
37. Who was the best new person you met? Courtney
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011. I have three:
i. It seems that most people in “higher-up” positions in the workplace don’t go out of their way to recognize others who are doing a good job or ask them their opinions, so if you have accomplished something you’ll just have to “toot your own horn” and if you have an idea, you should just share it even if you aren’t askedJ
ii. You can’t control how other people act, and you can’t always control how you feel about how people act (I tell the kids I work with this all the time!), but what you can do is accept that you have no control over this. In other words, I am done inconveniencing myself for other people who don’t find it worthwhile to return the favor and go out of their way for things that are important to/for me. I’m slowly working through my frustration about this, but I’ve decided that from here on out, it’s not worth it to me if I’m not worth it to you.
iii. I’m starting to think it’s not a bad thing to be just a little “selfish.” Typically, people don’t have your interest in mind and they are too busy/not motivated enough to worry about your needs or desires, even the people you would most expect to do that for you. In other words, it’s important that you take care of you (physically, emotionally, and mentally) because, let’s be honest, no one else is going to do that for you. In the end, the only person you can truly count on is yourself.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. "Nothing comes easily, fill this empty space. Nothing is like it was. Turn my grief to grace.”
2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I’m not sure I made any strict resolutions other than just ideas in my head that I tried to keep in mind throughout the year, though I keep saying I’m going to make real ones each year…
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes! Holly, Abbie, Beth and several cousins…I’m sure I’m missing people…Also, Eric’s cousin and her husband are adopting a 7-year old little boy. I have several friends who are pregnant and will be giving birth next year as well.
4. Did anyone close to you die? Yes
5. What countries did you visit? Jamaica...We are hoping to increase this number in 2012
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? More free time, enough contracts to leave Cross Pointe, to not have to work weekends or holidays, to do another European trip
7. What date(s) from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
April 1-3 – Weekend in St. Louis
May 7 – SMWC Graduation
May 14 – Memorial for Brandon at UE
May 25 – Anya’s surgery (ear tubes)
June 4 – Anya’s 1st birthday party
July 10-16 – Vacation in Chicago
July 30 – First night away from Ani; weekend in New Harmony
August 31 – the day my MA was added to my transcript
August 31 – September 1
September 17-18 – Weekend in Louisville
October 1 – Graduation party at Turoni’s, then a night out!
October 16-22 – 5th anniversary trip to Jamaica!
October 28 – Eric’s 30th birthday
October 29 – Eric’s 30th birthday party
November 17-20 – AMTA conference in Atlanta
November 26-27 – Weekend in Cincinnati
December 10 – My 30th birthday party
December 12 – My 30th birthday
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Finishing my thesis/research study, completing my Masters
9. What was your biggest failure? Not doing enough to educate people about music therapy
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Not any more than normal
11. What was the best thing you bought? My used Seagull guitarJ, paying someone to clean my house a couple times a month
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? All the people who have made it a priority to spend time with me and make things special on days like my birthday, graduation, etc.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? People who didn’t find me important enough to spend time with me and/or just completely dismissed important days, like my birthday, graduation, etc.
14. Where did most of your money go? Vacations, (Jamaica and Chicago), new carpet
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Finishing my Master’s, Jamaica
16. What song(s) will always remind you of 2011? “Grace” by Kate Havnick
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier…the postpartum pregnancy hormones finally calmed down and I’m learning more and more about myself each day
ii. thinner or fatter? A lot thinner…thanks to Weight Watchers!
iii. richer or poorer? Maybe a little richer…I am working a lot more than before!
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? relaxing and just enjoying life (same as every year)
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Worrying (same as every year)
20. How did you spend Christmas? We are planning to spend Christmas Eve morning with my family, Christmas Eve evening with my mom’s family, Christmas morning doing our family Christmas, lunch on Christmas with my dad’s family, dinner on Christmas with Eric’s family, dinner on the 26th with Eric’s mom’s family, out to dinner on the 27th with another aunt on Eric’s dad’s side, probably out to dinner with an out-of-town friend on the 28th…it’s really true when we sing about “The 12 Days of Christmas!”
21. Did you fall in love in 2011? Fall in love? No, but still in love with my husband and my baby girl!
22. How many one-night stands? One year I’m just going to delete this question…
23. What was your favorite TV program? American Horror Story (love this show!), New Girl, Whitney, Modern Family, Parks and Recreation, Desperate Housewives, Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy, The Office, So You Think You Can Dance,
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No, just irritated with a few
25. What was the best book you read? Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult – it was cool to read about a music therapist; Travels by Michael Crichton – I never realized he’d had so many experiences abroad
26. What was your greatest musical discovery? Using my guitar more, finally started using Pandora
27. What did you want and get? To go to Jamaica, to finish my Master of Arts
28. What did you want and not get? more time to relax, to leave Cross Pointe
29. What was your favorite film of this year? Crazy Stupid Love, and I’m planning to watch The Music Never Stopped before the end of the year…I’ve heard it’s good!
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 30 this year, so we had a big party a couple days before my actual birthday. It was travel-themed and included foods from all the countries we have been to. My cake was a suitcase. Afterwards, we had an adults-only game night at our house.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? more relaxation, less worrying, a different job
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011? This isn’t really a “fashion concept” but this year, I got to wear clothes I never thought I’d wear – “skinny” clothes! I’m smaller than I’ve ever been (at least since I can remember) so it is nice to feel good in my clothes…
33. What kept you sane? Not really sure…
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? No clue…
35. What political issue stirred you the most? Healthcare…again.
36. Who did you miss? Friends that I don’t get to see often
37. Who was the best new person you met? Courtney
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011. I have three:
i. It seems that most people in “higher-up” positions in the workplace don’t go out of their way to recognize others who are doing a good job or ask them their opinions, so if you have accomplished something you’ll just have to “toot your own horn” and if you have an idea, you should just share it even if you aren’t askedJ
ii. You can’t control how other people act, and you can’t always control how you feel about how people act (I tell the kids I work with this all the time!), but what you can do is accept that you have no control over this. In other words, I am done inconveniencing myself for other people who don’t find it worthwhile to return the favor and go out of their way for things that are important to/for me. I’m slowly working through my frustration about this, but I’ve decided that from here on out, it’s not worth it to me if I’m not worth it to you.
iii. I’m starting to think it’s not a bad thing to be just a little “selfish.” Typically, people don’t have your interest in mind and they are too busy/not motivated enough to worry about your needs or desires, even the people you would most expect to do that for you. In other words, it’s important that you take care of you (physically, emotionally, and mentally) because, let’s be honest, no one else is going to do that for you. In the end, the only person you can truly count on is yourself.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. "Nothing comes easily, fill this empty space. Nothing is like it was. Turn my grief to grace.”
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
30!
This year Eric and I both turned 30, so we decided to have big birthday parties. I had a Halloween costume party for Eric at Burdette Park. Then, I had a travel-themed birthday party at La Quinta Inn that included food from the various countries we have travelled to. One of my birthday cakes was even a suitcase!
I know some people have issues with turning 30, and I guess if I were given a choice, I would choose to stay in my 20's, but I think I'm ok with being 30, especially when I think of all the things I've accomplished before turning 30, most of which happened in the past five years:
1. Finished my Masters degree (in addition to 2 Bachelors degrees)
2. Had 1 child
3. Got married (and have been married for 5 years)
4. Own a decent-sized home
5. Travelled to 11 different countries (including various countries in Europe twice, Jamaica twice, Mexico, and Canada)
6. Work full-time hours as a music therapist
I will have to work hard to top all this in the next 30 years!
I know some people have issues with turning 30, and I guess if I were given a choice, I would choose to stay in my 20's, but I think I'm ok with being 30, especially when I think of all the things I've accomplished before turning 30, most of which happened in the past five years:
1. Finished my Masters degree (in addition to 2 Bachelors degrees)
2. Had 1 child
3. Got married (and have been married for 5 years)
4. Own a decent-sized home
5. Travelled to 11 different countries (including various countries in Europe twice, Jamaica twice, Mexico, and Canada)
6. Work full-time hours as a music therapist
I will have to work hard to top all this in the next 30 years!
So Busy!!
Things have certainly been crazy around here. I went to the AMTA conference in Atlanta in mid-November and got some really great ideas for interventions. It was also great to network with other Music Therapists.
Then, the weekend after Thanksgiving, we went to Cincinnati to have Thanksgiving with Eric's dad's family. It was a great time but a very busy weekend.
Since December started, it feels like we have been going non-stop with trying to get ready for Christmas. There is lots to do: baking, Christmas letters and cards, Christmas pictures, Christmas parties, and shopping...
Then, the weekend after Thanksgiving, we went to Cincinnati to have Thanksgiving with Eric's dad's family. It was a great time but a very busy weekend.
Since December started, it feels like we have been going non-stop with trying to get ready for Christmas. There is lots to do: baking, Christmas letters and cards, Christmas pictures, Christmas parties, and shopping...
Monday, November 21, 2011
Conference!
I just returned from the AMTA (American Music Therapy Association) National Conference in Atlanta, GA. I'm hoping to blog about it as soon as I get a chance, though this week is crazy with work and Thanksgiving and then we are off to Cincinnati this coming weekend...
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Jamaica (Saturday, Day 7)
Because our flight was scheduled to leave a little after noon and our resort was a couple hours away from the airport, we didn't get to do much before leaving Jamaica. We got up early to get our luggage ready, because we were supposed to leave it outside our door to be picked up. We stopped by the Cafe and got some pastries for breakfast as well as some muffins and scones for snacks on the plane. Then, we headed to the lobby to wait for our shuttle.
The ride back to the airport was a little scarier than getting to the resort, just because this time we were driving on the side of the road nearest to edge of the mountain. Nonetheless, we made it to the airport with no problems. We ate at Margaritaville in the airport, just like we did the last time.
The flight back to Charlotte went without a hitch, but of course the customs area was so full that we had to wait on the plane for awhile after landing. This made us nervous because we only had an hour and 15 minutes between flights, and during that time, we had to get through immigration to get back into the country, get our luggage, go through customs, go through security again, and then board the plane before it left. It took so long to get through customs that we were really scared we would miss our flight. Fortunately for us, most of the people on the connecting flight were also in the customs line, so the flight took off quite a bit later than anticipated because there would have been very few people on the flight had they not waited. The funny part was that as we boarded the plane, we saw one of our bags being lifted onto the plane, so our baggage almost beat us there.
Speaking of baggage....when we got to Louisville, we found that one of our bags had made it (apparently the one we had seen) but the other did not, which made no sense, seeing that we had checked both bags at the exact same time. There were four couples that this happened to as well. Luckily, the airline made arrangements to deliver it to our house the next day, even though it was more than a two hour drive.
Once we got that mess figured out, we stopped at Culver's to grab some dinner to eat on the way and headed home. Eric's parents brought Anya to our house so we could just go home without having to stop somewhere else. We were so happy to see Ani and I think she was really happy to see us. She was up much later than normal that night, but I was okay with that because we definitely wanted to see her when we got home.
So the next question is: Where are we headed next? I don't know where we will go for our 10 year anniversary. Who knows how things will be at that point? For now, we are planning another European adventure in early May 2012 and this time, Anya will come with us. We are thinking Madrid, Budapest, Vienna (with a day trip to Bratislavia), and the Middle Rhine in Germany!
The ride back to the airport was a little scarier than getting to the resort, just because this time we were driving on the side of the road nearest to edge of the mountain. Nonetheless, we made it to the airport with no problems. We ate at Margaritaville in the airport, just like we did the last time.
The flight back to Charlotte went without a hitch, but of course the customs area was so full that we had to wait on the plane for awhile after landing. This made us nervous because we only had an hour and 15 minutes between flights, and during that time, we had to get through immigration to get back into the country, get our luggage, go through customs, go through security again, and then board the plane before it left. It took so long to get through customs that we were really scared we would miss our flight. Fortunately for us, most of the people on the connecting flight were also in the customs line, so the flight took off quite a bit later than anticipated because there would have been very few people on the flight had they not waited. The funny part was that as we boarded the plane, we saw one of our bags being lifted onto the plane, so our baggage almost beat us there.
Speaking of baggage....when we got to Louisville, we found that one of our bags had made it (apparently the one we had seen) but the other did not, which made no sense, seeing that we had checked both bags at the exact same time. There were four couples that this happened to as well. Luckily, the airline made arrangements to deliver it to our house the next day, even though it was more than a two hour drive.
Once we got that mess figured out, we stopped at Culver's to grab some dinner to eat on the way and headed home. Eric's parents brought Anya to our house so we could just go home without having to stop somewhere else. We were so happy to see Ani and I think she was really happy to see us. She was up much later than normal that night, but I was okay with that because we definitely wanted to see her when we got home.
So the next question is: Where are we headed next? I don't know where we will go for our 10 year anniversary. Who knows how things will be at that point? For now, we are planning another European adventure in early May 2012 and this time, Anya will come with us. We are thinking Madrid, Budapest, Vienna (with a day trip to Bratislavia), and the Middle Rhine in Germany!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Jamaica (Friday, Day 6)
Friday, Day 6
Friday was our actual anniversary and it was a perfect day. We got up a little early and went to The Bayside for breakfast. Then, we headed to the spa. We had wanted to book a couple’s massage but it seemed like the prices had doubled since the last time we were there, and we just couldn’t justify spending that kind of money for it. However, we kept running into a couple who were on our flight and found out that Saturday the spa was having a 2 for 1 deal (buy one, get one free). Basically, you could get a couple’s massage for half the price. The only problem was that we were leaving early Saturday morning and would not be able to do it that day. Eric went to the spa on Thursday and asked if there was any way we could get the deal on Friday because that was our anniversary. They weren’t going to give it to him until he said something about really wanting to get this certain massage treatment since it was the same one we had 5 years ago when we were there, and then the lady caved. So we ended up getting our couple’s massage for half price on Friday.
Our treatment was called the Champagne Celebration. First, we got probably a 50 minute massage and then a hot bubble bath in this really big bathtub. We also got a bottle of champagne and a fruit tray while enjoying the bath. It was really nice and calming, though I have to admit that I’ve had better massages here in the US. Nonetheless, we left the spa feeling very relaxed.
We spent a little time at the beach and then headed to The Bayside for lunch. We then treated ourselves to crepes at the Café de Paris. After lunch, we spent some time in the pool at the pool bar and then relaxed on the beach bed. It started to rain a little so we went back to the room and napped for a bit.
We decided to go to Neptune’s for our anniversary dinner. We had Fried Calamari and Lobster Bisque as appetizers. I had the Seafood Pot a Fue and Eric had the Lobster and Cheese Open-Faced Ravioli. Both were pretty amazing. We had some kind of raspberry chocolate bar for dessert. Dinner was nice and I especially liked eating dinner outside near the beach.
After dinner, we headed to the beach where there was acoustic music being played. We danced for a little bit and then went to Le Cabaret to listen to some authentic reggae music. We stayed for awhile but went back to the room early. We were exhausted after such a long day and we knew we would have to get up really early the next morning to leave for the airport.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Jamaica (Thursday, Day 5)
Thursday, Day 5
Thursday morning, we got up early to see the sunrise. We were exhausted but wanted to make sure that we saw it at least once while we were in Jamaica. There were a couple of other people on the beach doing the same thing. We went to the beach in our pajamas and sat on some of the chairs until we saw it rise up over the mountains.
We went back to the room and got ready to have breakfast at Eleanor’s again and it was a lot quicker this time. Eric had Custard-filled French Toast and I had Caribbean Toast, which was huge pieces of toast with warm bananas and chocolate syrup on it. We also had eggs, hash browns, and fruit. Then, we did a little shopping in the gift shops so that we could be finished. It is always kind of stressful to know what to bring back our families, but it didn’t take too long to do. After that, we hit the beach and spent pretty much the rest of the morning lying on the beach. We planned to get pizzas at Giuseppe’s this day but they don’t start serving them until 3, so we went to The Bayside for just a snack around lunch time, and then hung out in the pool for awhile.
At 3, we headed to Giuseppe’s. We wanted to eat on the patio, but it was a little rainy so we ended up eating inside. I had a pepperoni pizza and Eric had some kind of seafood pizza that was really good. 3 was kind of an inconvenient time to eat pizza (it would have been better at lunch), but it was definitely worth it! We were stuffed afterwards, so we ended up taking another nap in the hammock. Are you noticing a trend here?
That night we had dinner at Eleanor’s (yes, we went there twice in one day). Eleanor’s is the fine dining experience at Whitehouse and it is supposed to be the “nicest” restaurant. A lot of people said we should have saved it for our anniversary, but the menu didn’t look as good to us, probably because we aren’t big steak people or into fancy food. But it was actually really good. Eric had a Filet of Beef and Shrimp Cocktail and I had the Red Snapper Filet with Sweet Potato Mash. I don’t even like sweet potatoes, but it was actually really good. We actually ordered dessert there as well. We had some kind of ice cream with warm bananas and something called Magical Moment for Two, which was chocolate with some kind of raspberry drizzle I think. Whatever it was was really good!
After dinner, we headed to Le Cabaret to watch some couple games and the Cultural Show. They brought in a group that performed cultural music and dance, which was kind of interesting.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Jamaica (Wednesday, Day 4)
Wednesday, Day 4
I was exhausted Wednesday morning because I hadn’t slept much the night before, but I was able to get up and go to breakfast at The Bayside. Then, we spent the morning doing absolutely nothing on the beach, which was great, considering I was so tired. We had lunch at Bluefield’s. Again, we ordered the Bammie and the Ackie and this time, we also tried a Chicken Patty, though the “patty” was more like a dry dumpling instead of a “patty” like we know it. Eric had the Red Snapper Filet Sandwich and I had Curried Goat. Yes, I said goat. I had never had goat before, so I thought I would try it. The great thing about an all-inclusive resort is that if you don’t like what you order, you can order something else. However, the goat wasn’t bad, though it was spicy because of the curry. It tasted similar to beef. After lunch, we headed to the pool and then took a short nap on the beach bed. Then, we headed back to the room to get ready for dinner because we had been invited to the Returnee’s Dinner.
When you go back to Sandals after being there at least once, you are invited to a special dinner for only returning guests. We had debated going because we didn’t want to miss out on all the other restaurants but people on the forums insisted that this was the best meal they had all week, and I’m so glad we didn’t miss it. It was a 4-course meal and it was amazing. This is what we had:
South Coast Butter poach Lobster Medallion and Cheese Filled Ravioli with Lime Tarragon Beurre Blanc
Freshly nix Leaves of Lettuce accompanied with Charred Mango and Pineapple served with Vine Ripen Tomato and Red Wine reduction
Grilled rubbed Chicken Breast mounted on Pumpkin sweet Potato mash served with Coconut Shrimp Run-Down, seasonal Vegetables and Au-Jus
Spanish Flan with Peppercorn Biscotti and Strawberry Sauce
Blue Mountain Coffee or Tea
Of course, this was complete with wine! Even though I was still scared to eat as much as I wanted due to the previous night, I was still able to enjoy the meal. It was definitely the fanciest meal we’d ever had!
After dinner, we headed over to the Le Cabaret for White Night and the Chocolate Buffet. Each week, there is a White Night where people are invited to wear their best white clothes and there is a buffet of chocolate around 10 pm. It was supposed to be outside, but it had rained pretty hard earlier that evening, so they had to move things inside. The chocolate buffet was really nice but there wasn’t a whole lot left by the time we got to the buffet, but we probably didn’t need it anyway.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Jamaica (Tuesday, Day 3)
Tuesday, Day 3
Tuesday morning we had breakfast at Eleanor’s, which is the Caribbean restaurant that serves an a la carte breakfast. We had a fruit tray to start and then I had Eggs Ranchero (egg, sausage, and cheese in a tortilla), bacon, hash brown, and a pancake and Eric had Eggs Benedict, hash browns, and bacon. We had to wait a little bit for a table and the service was a little slow so it took awhile to actually do breakfast, but we didn’t have anywhere to be so it wasn’t a big deal.
After breakfast, one of the Sandals staff members took us out on the hobie cat. Last time we were in Jamaica, Eric and I took one out on our own, but this one was bigger than the others, so we assumed that staff took people out on this particular boat, which was fine with us. There’s no way we would have been able to have the kind of ride we had without the staff person there. When we turned in the hobie cat, we signed out a kayak and paddled our way down the beach. This gave us a nice view of the resort. Afterwards, we hung out on the beach for a bit and then headed to The Bayside for the lunch buffet.
At around 3 or so, we headed to our Catamaran Cruise. This was the only excursion we signed up for because we really just wanted to relax. There were about 6 or 7 couples total and our cruise included snacks and alcohol. So we cruised along the ocean and made one stop so that we could get in the water for a bit. Then we headed to what the Jamaicans call “The Barder” which is the border between Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth parishes. They took us to this neat-looking cove area where the two parishes meet. Then, we headed back out to the open ocean to see the sunset. After the sun had set, the DJ turned the music up and everyone did some dancing as we pulled back into the resort. The cruise was really fun (though more expensive than it probably should have been), but Eric and I both got a little seasick. We took a similar excursion last time and had no problems, so we’re not sure if the person driving the boat was going faster than normal or if the waves were rougher than normal, but we both had moments of nausea so we didn’t drink as much as we would normally have.
When we got back to our room, we cleaned up and headed to Giuseppe’s for dinner. For some reason, I wasn’t very hungry but I ate what I could. We had Bruschetta and Caprese for appetizers and then I had a Capellini dish and Eric had Penne Carbonara. Then we headed over to Le Cabaret for a fun game show and the staff talent show. Afterwards, we got some snacks from Café de Paris to go and ate them on a beach bed on the way back to the room.
Unfortunately, this was the night that my change in eating habits got to me. About an hour after we went to bed, I woke up feeling really nauseous and ended up being up most of the night either in the bathroom or lying in bed trying to ignore my nausea. I think I finally fell asleep around 3:30. I don’t know if it was something I ate or what, though I think the fact that I don’t normally eat the way I had been eating probably played a role in it.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Jamaica (Monday, Day 2)
Monday, Day 2
We woke up fairly on Monday, even though we had been exhausted the day before. I think we were up at like 6:30 or something crazy, but once we woke up, we couldn’t go back to sleep because the view of the ocean from our balcony was so wonderful. So we dressed for a day at the beach/pool and went to breakfast at The Bayside, which basically has a huge breakfast buffet of just about anything you could ever want for breakfast, including made-to-order omelets, which we took advantage of several times while we were in Jamaica.
After breakfast, we signed up for a 10am snorkeling trip. We had been snorkeling the last time we were in Jamaica and it wasn’t that great. For some reason, the reef isn’t very colorful and there isn’t that much to see, which isn’t always a bad thing, depending on the kind of things you might see in another area of the ocean. This time wasn’t any different. While it was fun to go snorkeling, there wasn’t that much to see. But it was included in our stay, so it was something to do.
After snorkeling, we did a little shopping. Because Sandals Whitehouse is so far away from any of the cities in Jamaica, every Monday they bring in local vendors to set up their goods on the resort. That way, people can do some shopping local-style, and this provides a few more options than the gift shops on the resort. We bought some wood carving decorations, a dress for Anya, and a doll for Anya.
By then, it was about time to eat, so we headed over to Bluefield’s, which serves Jamaican fare. We had Bammie (a type of fried bread) and Ackie (a fruit). This is actually the Jamaican national dish. The other appetizer we had was some kind of hushpuppy type of thing. Eric had Jerk Chicken with Rice and Beans and I had a Red Snapper Sandwich with fries. Then, we headed to the beach for a bit to lay out.
At some point in the middle of the afternoon, we went to the Café and got ice cream and some pastries for a snack. Then, we met up at the pool just in time for a reggae “class,” where they taught everyone some reggae dance moves. There were lots of people doing this and it was pretty fun. Afterwards, we ended up taking another nap in the hammock.
That evening, we decided to eat at the Beach Party on the beach. It was a beach party buffet. The food was alright but we probably would go to one of the restaurants if we had it to do over. There was a band playing during dinner and then we stayed for the show, which was a circus-type show that included a contortionist, jugglers, and fire dancers. After the show, we got some coffee at the Café and went to The Bayside for some evening snacks of cheeseburger and fries before heading back to the room.
I realize it sounds like we did nothing but eat while in Jamaica, and that is partially true. However, the portions are much smaller than we have here, so two people eating 2 or even 3 appetizers isn’t really much food at all. However, I kind of like it that way because it’s not so wasteful and then you can try a lot of things. Honestly, the portions are probably the right size. At our particular resort, there were 7 restaurants: Giuseppe’s (Italian for dinner and they also serve pizzas from 3 to 5 every day), Neptune’s (Mediterranean or Seafood, open for lunch and dinner), Jasmin’s (Asian, only open for dinner), The Bayside (breakfast and lunch buffet and international fare for dinner), Café de Paris (bakery, open all day), Eleanor’s (Caribbean fine dining, open for breakfast and dinner), and Bluefield’s (Jamaican fare, only open for lunch or early dinner). There were lots of options so we tried to eat at each place at least once over the course of the week.
We woke up fairly on Monday, even though we had been exhausted the day before. I think we were up at like 6:30 or something crazy, but once we woke up, we couldn’t go back to sleep because the view of the ocean from our balcony was so wonderful. So we dressed for a day at the beach/pool and went to breakfast at The Bayside, which basically has a huge breakfast buffet of just about anything you could ever want for breakfast, including made-to-order omelets, which we took advantage of several times while we were in Jamaica.
After breakfast, we signed up for a 10am snorkeling trip. We had been snorkeling the last time we were in Jamaica and it wasn’t that great. For some reason, the reef isn’t very colorful and there isn’t that much to see, which isn’t always a bad thing, depending on the kind of things you might see in another area of the ocean. This time wasn’t any different. While it was fun to go snorkeling, there wasn’t that much to see. But it was included in our stay, so it was something to do.
After snorkeling, we did a little shopping. Because Sandals Whitehouse is so far away from any of the cities in Jamaica, every Monday they bring in local vendors to set up their goods on the resort. That way, people can do some shopping local-style, and this provides a few more options than the gift shops on the resort. We bought some wood carving decorations, a dress for Anya, and a doll for Anya.
By then, it was about time to eat, so we headed over to Bluefield’s, which serves Jamaican fare. We had Bammie (a type of fried bread) and Ackie (a fruit). This is actually the Jamaican national dish. The other appetizer we had was some kind of hushpuppy type of thing. Eric had Jerk Chicken with Rice and Beans and I had a Red Snapper Sandwich with fries. Then, we headed to the beach for a bit to lay out.
At some point in the middle of the afternoon, we went to the Café and got ice cream and some pastries for a snack. Then, we met up at the pool just in time for a reggae “class,” where they taught everyone some reggae dance moves. There were lots of people doing this and it was pretty fun. Afterwards, we ended up taking another nap in the hammock.
That evening, we decided to eat at the Beach Party on the beach. It was a beach party buffet. The food was alright but we probably would go to one of the restaurants if we had it to do over. There was a band playing during dinner and then we stayed for the show, which was a circus-type show that included a contortionist, jugglers, and fire dancers. After the show, we got some coffee at the Café and went to The Bayside for some evening snacks of cheeseburger and fries before heading back to the room.
I realize it sounds like we did nothing but eat while in Jamaica, and that is partially true. However, the portions are much smaller than we have here, so two people eating 2 or even 3 appetizers isn’t really much food at all. However, I kind of like it that way because it’s not so wasteful and then you can try a lot of things. Honestly, the portions are probably the right size. At our particular resort, there were 7 restaurants: Giuseppe’s (Italian for dinner and they also serve pizzas from 3 to 5 every day), Neptune’s (Mediterranean or Seafood, open for lunch and dinner), Jasmin’s (Asian, only open for dinner), The Bayside (breakfast and lunch buffet and international fare for dinner), Café de Paris (bakery, open all day), Eleanor’s (Caribbean fine dining, open for breakfast and dinner), and Bluefield’s (Jamaican fare, only open for lunch or early dinner). There were lots of options so we tried to eat at each place at least once over the course of the week.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Jamaica (Sunday, Day 1)
Our trip to Jamaica was absolutely wonderful. We really hated to leave but having a beautiful little girl to come home to certainly made it a little easier. For this vacation, we spent 6 nights total in Jamaica, which we found to be an almost perfect length of time to spend. Of course, we had to spend an extra night away from Anya because the flight left from Louisville so early on Sunday morning. We ended up driving to Louisville late Saturday afternoon and got a “park and fly” room at the Sleep Inn near the airport. I think we must have gotten only 4 or 5 hours of sleep that night, if that, but it definitely beat getting up at 12 or 1 in the morning to drive to Louisville.
Sunday, Day 1:
We got up around 2:45 Sunday morning in order to get to the airport by 4. Of course, no one was at the check-in desk to take our luggage until after 4:30. I hate how airports insist on passengers checking in so early but then staff isn’t even present for this to even happen. Anyway, we did get our bags checked and through security with pretty much no problems. The only small glitch is that I was selected for a random security check that involved TSA swiping my hands with something to check for chemicals. I obviously did not have any chemicals on my hands and was waved through pretty quickly.
The flight itself was pretty uneventful, as was the flight from Charlotte to Montego Bay. The airport experience in Montego Bay was 100 times better than the last time. I remember waiting for what seemed like forever in the immigration line in no air conditioning the last time. This time was much simpler and the immigration line was completely non-existent until the passengers on our flight started to filter in. Also, the air was fixed, so it wasn’t as miserable as before.
After going through immigration and customs and getting our luggage, we quickly found the Sandals lounge. We were told the shuttle would be leaving for Whitehouse in 20 minutes, but we actually barely had time to grab a Red Stripe and text our families before they called us. Then we began the long (90 minute) journey to Whitehouse. The roads were much worse than before due to the potholes but we had a great driver and a much smaller shuttle than the last time, so it wasn’t anywhere near as scary. We made it to the resort in no time and were met with a welcome drink and a cool washcloth. Our room wasn’t ready yet so we grabbed some lunch at Neptune’s, the new Mediterranean restaurant. We had Seafood Tapas and Fried Calamari as appetizers and Eric had Mussels and I had a Chicken Caesar Wrap. While we were waiting for our food, we took turns running to the nearest restroom to change into our swimsuits and shorts. It felt so good to be sitting in summer clothes in warm weather!
After lunch, our room was ready and we were surprised to find that we had been upgraded. We had booked the lowest level room in the French village, which is the furthest away from everything, and ended up actually staying in a room in the Italian village, which was the closest to everything. We could also tell we had been upgraded by the kind of people we saw that were staying in that area. The room also actually seemed bigger, and like last time, we had a nice view of the ocean from our balcony.
Once we called our parents to let them know we were at the resort and to check on Anya, we went straight to the beach for a bit. When the sun started to go in, we relaxed in one of the hammocks on the beach. Then, we went back to the room to shower and get cleaned up for dinner. We had planned to go to the Italian restaurant but when we walked past the Asian restaurant, it smelled so good that we ended up eating at Jasmin’s. For appetizers, we had spring rolls, sushi, and a mushroom and wonton soup. Eric had a seafood stir fry in curry sauce and I had a beef stir fry that was really good. We don’t eat a lot of beef because it isn’t our favorite, but this was probably some of the best beef we’ve ever eaten. Instead of ordering dessert in the restaurant, we went next door to the Café de Paris for coffee, a crepe, and some pastries. We had definitely missed that place! It’s like a little French café that has coffee, ice cream, made-to-order crepes, and various pastries. The best part is that you can order as many as you want!
We then went to Le Cabaret, which is kind of like a little auditorium/theater type place where they have throughout the week. They did a newlywed game show with some of the resort guests which was really fun. After that, we stayed a little longer to listen to the band. Before heading back to the room, we relaxed on one of the beach beds near the whirlpool in our village.
Sunday was an extremely long day but it was great to be back in Jamaica. Sandals Whitehouse seemed almost exactly as it did before, though even more beautiful, as the landscaping has grown up quite a bit in the five years since we had been there. I will post about the rest of the week as soon as I get a chance!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Louisville Weekend, Day 1
Last weekend, Eric, Anya, and I decided to do a short weekend trip to Louisville. Originally there was a Music Therapy Skills Training workshop I wanted to attend early Saturday morning, so we decided to make a weekend of it once I was able to get out of playing at church on Sunday morning. Right after we got everything worked out to go, my Skills Training workshop was cancelled, but we decided to just go anyway.
We left Saturday morning and had planned to eat lunch at either Joe Huber's Restaurant or at Huber Winery and Orchard. However, when we arrive to Joe Huber's Restaurant, they were only serving a family style lunch in the dining room for $17.99 a person! No, thank you. So we drove down the road to find that the grill at Huber Winery and Orchard only offered things like $7 cheeseburgers. We were quite disappointed. We ended up buying some homemade wheat bread, peanut butter spread, and chive and onion cheese to have for lunch. It wasn't necessarily cheap but was at least something a little different.
After lunch, we walked around Huber Winery and Orchard. There, you can only taste 4 wines for free and we didn't like any of them. The regular wine tasting was $10 a person and with that you could still only pick 8 wines to try, but you got to keep your glass, which we didn't care about. So we opted not to do the wine tasting. Instead, we walked through the market and got some different kinds of squash and also some gourds for decoration. Eric and I had been to Huber several years ago and we were definitely not impressed with it then, and I can say that it hasn't changed for us. Every other winery we have ever been to in Indiana and Michigan, you can taste wines for free, so it feels kind of like a rip-off to pay $10 to taste wines. Plus, it seemed like everything was overpriced, which made us feel like we were being nickel and dimed with anything we tried to do.
Next, we went to Joe Huber's, hoping it would be better. They had a barnyard that was supposed to have lots of animals and games for kids. It was advertised at $4 per child, parents were free, and children 1 and under were free. Looking at this kind of advertisement would make one think that Anya would be free, seeing that she falls under that "1 and under" category. But when we got to the ticket booth, the lady asked if she was exactly 12 months, which is kind of a stupid question. Unless you go on a child's birthday, who is ever "exactly" 12 months. We told her that Anya was 15 months, but that she was also 1 year old. The lady said she would let us in without paying but really we should have had to pay $4, which kind of made us mad.
Once we got into the barnyard, the only thing Anya could really do was watch goats and feed them corn, though you weren't allowed to let them eat it out of your hand. You couldn't really touch them, and the pig that was advertised was nowhere to be found. They had lots of games for older kids, but they weren't things that Anya could really do. There were a few other things you could do for a little extra money, but seeing as how nothing advertised had been correct so far, we had no reason to believe those things would be worth the money. So we ended up leaving a little early and heading for the hotel.
We stayed at a Hyatt Place and if you have never been to one, we highly recommend them. You feel like you're staying in a really upscale hotel, but they are really cheap. In fact, they are cheaper than most Holiday Inns, Comfort Inns, Sleep Inns, or any other lower-priced hotel. I think we paid $80 for our night at Hyatt Place. With that price, we got free internet and free breakfast and the room was in a suite-style set up, so we had a sleeping area and a sitting area, along with a mini-refrigerator, kitchen sink, and coffee maker.
We ate dinner at Carrabas, which we had never been to. We were starving since we hadn't really had much lunch, and this place did not disappoint. After dinner, we went to one of the malls and did a little shopping. I ended up getting a pair of jeans on sale, and I was super excited that they were a size 5. I don't remember EVER owning a pair of pants that were a size 5!
Once we got back to the hotel room, we put Anya to bed and we watched a little TV and read our books. Anya had not been sleeping well, so we were hoping not to wake her up, but of course, when we were ready to go to bed, her little eyes opened and we had to take her for a drive to get her to go back to sleep. We have since done better with this, but we were still having trouble at that point. We had also decided that we were going to try some different techniques once we got home, but we didn't feel very comfortable letting her cry in a hotel room when other people might be trying to sleep.
I will post about the next day when I get a chance!
We left Saturday morning and had planned to eat lunch at either Joe Huber's Restaurant or at Huber Winery and Orchard. However, when we arrive to Joe Huber's Restaurant, they were only serving a family style lunch in the dining room for $17.99 a person! No, thank you. So we drove down the road to find that the grill at Huber Winery and Orchard only offered things like $7 cheeseburgers. We were quite disappointed. We ended up buying some homemade wheat bread, peanut butter spread, and chive and onion cheese to have for lunch. It wasn't necessarily cheap but was at least something a little different.
After lunch, we walked around Huber Winery and Orchard. There, you can only taste 4 wines for free and we didn't like any of them. The regular wine tasting was $10 a person and with that you could still only pick 8 wines to try, but you got to keep your glass, which we didn't care about. So we opted not to do the wine tasting. Instead, we walked through the market and got some different kinds of squash and also some gourds for decoration. Eric and I had been to Huber several years ago and we were definitely not impressed with it then, and I can say that it hasn't changed for us. Every other winery we have ever been to in Indiana and Michigan, you can taste wines for free, so it feels kind of like a rip-off to pay $10 to taste wines. Plus, it seemed like everything was overpriced, which made us feel like we were being nickel and dimed with anything we tried to do.
Next, we went to Joe Huber's, hoping it would be better. They had a barnyard that was supposed to have lots of animals and games for kids. It was advertised at $4 per child, parents were free, and children 1 and under were free. Looking at this kind of advertisement would make one think that Anya would be free, seeing that she falls under that "1 and under" category. But when we got to the ticket booth, the lady asked if she was exactly 12 months, which is kind of a stupid question. Unless you go on a child's birthday, who is ever "exactly" 12 months. We told her that Anya was 15 months, but that she was also 1 year old. The lady said she would let us in without paying but really we should have had to pay $4, which kind of made us mad.
Once we got into the barnyard, the only thing Anya could really do was watch goats and feed them corn, though you weren't allowed to let them eat it out of your hand. You couldn't really touch them, and the pig that was advertised was nowhere to be found. They had lots of games for older kids, but they weren't things that Anya could really do. There were a few other things you could do for a little extra money, but seeing as how nothing advertised had been correct so far, we had no reason to believe those things would be worth the money. So we ended up leaving a little early and heading for the hotel.
We stayed at a Hyatt Place and if you have never been to one, we highly recommend them. You feel like you're staying in a really upscale hotel, but they are really cheap. In fact, they are cheaper than most Holiday Inns, Comfort Inns, Sleep Inns, or any other lower-priced hotel. I think we paid $80 for our night at Hyatt Place. With that price, we got free internet and free breakfast and the room was in a suite-style set up, so we had a sleeping area and a sitting area, along with a mini-refrigerator, kitchen sink, and coffee maker.
We ate dinner at Carrabas, which we had never been to. We were starving since we hadn't really had much lunch, and this place did not disappoint. After dinner, we went to one of the malls and did a little shopping. I ended up getting a pair of jeans on sale, and I was super excited that they were a size 5. I don't remember EVER owning a pair of pants that were a size 5!
Once we got back to the hotel room, we put Anya to bed and we watched a little TV and read our books. Anya had not been sleeping well, so we were hoping not to wake her up, but of course, when we were ready to go to bed, her little eyes opened and we had to take her for a drive to get her to go back to sleep. We have since done better with this, but we were still having trouble at that point. We had also decided that we were going to try some different techniques once we got home, but we didn't feel very comfortable letting her cry in a hotel room when other people might be trying to sleep.
I will post about the next day when I get a chance!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Busy, Busy
I haven't posted in awhile because things have been so crazy around here...these are just a few things that have happened...
1. I finally finished my Masters degree...and with a 4.0:) My thesis has been printed and mailed in for binding, so hopefully I will have a bound copy of it soon. This program has been such a wonderful experience, both personally and professionally, and I think it will really impact my practice as a music therapist, even if it doesn't have much of an impact financially. At some point, I plan to have some kind of graduation party/get-together but I'm not quite sure what we're doing just yet.
2. I applied for a faculty position at UE. Though I did not get the position, it was a surefire way to motivate me to finish my thesis so that I could have my MA and be qualified to apply for it. The woman who got the position was way more qualified and I'm excited to meet her. She has lots of credentials behind her name, as well as a lot of experience. She is also a FAMI, which means that she has completed all three levels of GIM (Guided Imagery in Music) training, which is something I hope to do at some point. I'm looking forward to meeting her once she settles in. Though it would have been a great experience to have a job like this, it would have been a really stressful year and it is probably for the best that someone else got it.
3. We had carpet installed a couple weekends ago. We are still putting some of the house back together, but I love the new carpet. It was a really hectic week or two when we had the house torn apart, but it is getting better.
4. I am working on some possible contracts and other ideas. One of these is starting a Music and Wellness course for adults. I'm currently looking into venues and fee structures. I've also been emailing alternative medicine practitioners and other wellness facilities to gather any suggestions they may have. I'm hoping to have this figured out by the beginning of the year. I'm also hoping to be able to leave CrossPointe by then and be completely on my own.
5. We have decided to refinance our house. Because the rates have dropped so much, our loan will now be a 20 year loan, instead of a 30 year loan, for only $13 more a month. This will save us about $60,000 in the long-run.
In other news, Ani is now walking! She is still a little unsteady on her feet at times, but she likes to run through the house and get into things, so we've been pretty busy chasing after her!
So even though I no longer have homework, I'm still waiting for the extra time to show up...with everything else going on, it doesn't seem like there is that much extra time. I guess there is always something to fill it.
1. I finally finished my Masters degree...and with a 4.0:) My thesis has been printed and mailed in for binding, so hopefully I will have a bound copy of it soon. This program has been such a wonderful experience, both personally and professionally, and I think it will really impact my practice as a music therapist, even if it doesn't have much of an impact financially. At some point, I plan to have some kind of graduation party/get-together but I'm not quite sure what we're doing just yet.
2. I applied for a faculty position at UE. Though I did not get the position, it was a surefire way to motivate me to finish my thesis so that I could have my MA and be qualified to apply for it. The woman who got the position was way more qualified and I'm excited to meet her. She has lots of credentials behind her name, as well as a lot of experience. She is also a FAMI, which means that she has completed all three levels of GIM (Guided Imagery in Music) training, which is something I hope to do at some point. I'm looking forward to meeting her once she settles in. Though it would have been a great experience to have a job like this, it would have been a really stressful year and it is probably for the best that someone else got it.
3. We had carpet installed a couple weekends ago. We are still putting some of the house back together, but I love the new carpet. It was a really hectic week or two when we had the house torn apart, but it is getting better.
4. I am working on some possible contracts and other ideas. One of these is starting a Music and Wellness course for adults. I'm currently looking into venues and fee structures. I've also been emailing alternative medicine practitioners and other wellness facilities to gather any suggestions they may have. I'm hoping to have this figured out by the beginning of the year. I'm also hoping to be able to leave CrossPointe by then and be completely on my own.
5. We have decided to refinance our house. Because the rates have dropped so much, our loan will now be a 20 year loan, instead of a 30 year loan, for only $13 more a month. This will save us about $60,000 in the long-run.
In other news, Ani is now walking! She is still a little unsteady on her feet at times, but she likes to run through the house and get into things, so we've been pretty busy chasing after her!
So even though I no longer have homework, I'm still waiting for the extra time to show up...with everything else going on, it doesn't seem like there is that much extra time. I guess there is always something to fill it.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Sleepover
Anya had her first sleepover Saturday night. She stayed with my parents while Eric and I spent the weekend in New Harmony. Several months ago, we had gotten a coupon on Seize the Deal for the New Harmony Inn. For $75, you could stay one night at the inn, which actually had a $140 price value, so it was almost half-price. While both of us have been to New Harmony, this was the first time either of us had actually spent the night in New Harmony.
We dropped Anya off at my parents around lunchtime on Saturday and headed to New Harmony. The room was nice and very clean but nothing extremely special, which was totally fine. We were just so glad to get away with just the two of us! After checking into the hotel, we walked downtown to find lunch. We ended up eating at Pop's Grill on Main Street. We split a milkshake (I decided to drop the diet for the rest of the weekend!) and Eric had a burger and fries and I had a BELTCH (Bacon, Egg, Lettuce, Tomato, and Cheese sandwich) and fries. It was pretty good. Then, we walked down to the labyrinth. As many times as I have been to New Harmony for school field trips, I had never been to the labyrinth. so it was on our to-do list. On the way back from the labyrinth, it started pouring, so Eric and I ducked into some little antique shops on the way. We also stopped at a modern art gallery. Eric found a fish sculpture he wanted but I insisted that it was way too expensive to buy, especially with a small child and a cat who could knock it over and break it in a heartbeat. Before heading back to the room, we visited the Roofless Church.
When we got back to the room, the weather had cleared up, so we decided to borrow the inn's complimentary bikes and ride around town. We rode down by some of the historical buildings and the Atheneum. We started to hear thunder again, so we decided to head back to the room and swim for a bit before dinner since the pool house had a roof. Afterwards, we showered and got ready to go out for dinner. I wore a new little black dress I had found on clearance at Old Navy the night before. We walked downtown again and ate at Samuel's Place, which is a little Italian restaurant. There was a guy playing the guitar in the restaurant which was kind of neat. We split some cheesey bread and Eric got some rigatoni and I had a calzone. The food was really good and there was a lot of it!
After dinner, we walked to the Cathedral Labyrinth and to some other little areas near the inn. Then, we went back to the hotel to talk to Anya and my parents through web cam. We wanted to try it out because it will be an option when we are in Jamaica, as long as Anya doesn't get too upset at seeing us on the webcam but not being able to get to us.
Once it got dark, we decided to drive to Maple Hill Cemetery. Back in college, some friends and I had come to New Harmony in the middle of the night to check out some of the supposedly haunted places. The Maple Hill Cemetery is one of those places. It has a really high hill in the middle of the cemetery and driving through it at night is really, really creepy. It was Eric's first time, and he definitely agreed with me!
The rest of the night, we just relaxed in the hotel room with a bottle of wine we bought from Michigan last summer. We also ordered dessert to go from the Red Geranium and split it.
We got to sleep until 8 the next morning, which doesn't sound much like sleeping in, but it definitely is sleeping in when you have a child! The complimentary breakfast at the inn wasn't much so we decided to eat breakfast at the Red Geranium instead. The portions for the breakfasts were huge, so Eric and I split one of them and had plenty to eat. After checking out of the room, we decided to do a little light hiking around the lake and the Wabash River. Even though the trails weren't very long, it was nice to be able to get out and walk for a bit. We walked for about an hour and then decided to go pick up our girl.
Anya was very happy to see us, but it sounded like she had a lot of fun at Grandma and Grandpa's. They had toys that were new to her, so she really enjoyed playing with them. Overall, my parents said she did pretty well, and it was definitely nice for us to get some alone time. We will be doing the next overnight with Eric's parents in 2 weeks. This time, we will be staying at our house but we are planning to go out in Evansville that night.
We dropped Anya off at my parents around lunchtime on Saturday and headed to New Harmony. The room was nice and very clean but nothing extremely special, which was totally fine. We were just so glad to get away with just the two of us! After checking into the hotel, we walked downtown to find lunch. We ended up eating at Pop's Grill on Main Street. We split a milkshake (I decided to drop the diet for the rest of the weekend!) and Eric had a burger and fries and I had a BELTCH (Bacon, Egg, Lettuce, Tomato, and Cheese sandwich) and fries. It was pretty good. Then, we walked down to the labyrinth. As many times as I have been to New Harmony for school field trips, I had never been to the labyrinth. so it was on our to-do list. On the way back from the labyrinth, it started pouring, so Eric and I ducked into some little antique shops on the way. We also stopped at a modern art gallery. Eric found a fish sculpture he wanted but I insisted that it was way too expensive to buy, especially with a small child and a cat who could knock it over and break it in a heartbeat. Before heading back to the room, we visited the Roofless Church.
When we got back to the room, the weather had cleared up, so we decided to borrow the inn's complimentary bikes and ride around town. We rode down by some of the historical buildings and the Atheneum. We started to hear thunder again, so we decided to head back to the room and swim for a bit before dinner since the pool house had a roof. Afterwards, we showered and got ready to go out for dinner. I wore a new little black dress I had found on clearance at Old Navy the night before. We walked downtown again and ate at Samuel's Place, which is a little Italian restaurant. There was a guy playing the guitar in the restaurant which was kind of neat. We split some cheesey bread and Eric got some rigatoni and I had a calzone. The food was really good and there was a lot of it!
After dinner, we walked to the Cathedral Labyrinth and to some other little areas near the inn. Then, we went back to the hotel to talk to Anya and my parents through web cam. We wanted to try it out because it will be an option when we are in Jamaica, as long as Anya doesn't get too upset at seeing us on the webcam but not being able to get to us.
Once it got dark, we decided to drive to Maple Hill Cemetery. Back in college, some friends and I had come to New Harmony in the middle of the night to check out some of the supposedly haunted places. The Maple Hill Cemetery is one of those places. It has a really high hill in the middle of the cemetery and driving through it at night is really, really creepy. It was Eric's first time, and he definitely agreed with me!
The rest of the night, we just relaxed in the hotel room with a bottle of wine we bought from Michigan last summer. We also ordered dessert to go from the Red Geranium and split it.
We got to sleep until 8 the next morning, which doesn't sound much like sleeping in, but it definitely is sleeping in when you have a child! The complimentary breakfast at the inn wasn't much so we decided to eat breakfast at the Red Geranium instead. The portions for the breakfasts were huge, so Eric and I split one of them and had plenty to eat. After checking out of the room, we decided to do a little light hiking around the lake and the Wabash River. Even though the trails weren't very long, it was nice to be able to get out and walk for a bit. We walked for about an hour and then decided to go pick up our girl.
Anya was very happy to see us, but it sounded like she had a lot of fun at Grandma and Grandpa's. They had toys that were new to her, so she really enjoyed playing with them. Overall, my parents said she did pretty well, and it was definitely nice for us to get some alone time. We will be doing the next overnight with Eric's parents in 2 weeks. This time, we will be staying at our house but we are planning to go out in Evansville that night.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Chicago, Day 7: Saturday, July 16
On Saturday morning, we packed up all of our things and checked out of the hotel. Then, we decided to walk down by the Chicago River for awhile. It wasn't too hot and it was still fairly early, so it was a nice walk. We went to Big Bowl for lunch and ordered Chinese and Thai. Eric and I went to a Thai buffet in London several years ago, but we're not entirely sure what we actually ate that night. Other than that experience, this was the first time we'd ever had Thai, and it was pretty good. Lately, Anya has been wanting whatever we're eating and we typically try to give her what we're having unless she either won't eat it or it's not good for her to have. We decided to let her try the Kung Pao Chicken. It wasn't that hot - at first. Anya ate the first couple of pieces with no problem, but after a few minutes, she just started screaming. She refused to take a drink or to eat anything else on the plate. Instead, she started licking the plastic mat we use at restaurants to put her food on. I know it's not really funny, but we couldn't help but laugh. Finally, Eric pulled out some applesauce and Eric got her to eat some of that and she got better.
After lunch, we got our car and headed back to Evansville. On the way, we stopped by a daylily farm to feed Eric's addiction. In fact, it was the same farm we stopped at on the way back from Michigan last summer. Eric bought several daylilies and we got back in the car to head back. We stopped at Arby's in Terre Haute for a quick dinner and then got back around 9:15 pm. Anya was up late that night because she had slept in the car so much, but she eventually went to bed.
We had a great time in Chicago. Even though we spent 6 nights there, there is still so much to see. We would highly recommend our hotel (Comfort Suites). It was right in the middle of the city and the staff was excellent. It was also nice to have an actual bedroom, kitchen, and living room. It made it a lot easier for Eric and I to stay up and watch TV after Anya went to bed. We would also recommend the CityPass. It got us into most of the museums and attractions and the whole packet of tickets was half the price of what it would have cost to go to each of them separately. For the metro, it was nice to have a pass as well. The best choice we made was to park the car and just take public transportation. The traffic is stressful and I hated driving in it to and from the hotel when arriving and leaving. It is much, much easier to just hop on the bus or the metro to get to where you are going. We just took the umbrella stroller with us and carried a large backpack as our diaper bag. This made travel around the city fairly easy.
Now that our family vacation is over, Eric and I are counting down to Jamaica!
After lunch, we got our car and headed back to Evansville. On the way, we stopped by a daylily farm to feed Eric's addiction. In fact, it was the same farm we stopped at on the way back from Michigan last summer. Eric bought several daylilies and we got back in the car to head back. We stopped at Arby's in Terre Haute for a quick dinner and then got back around 9:15 pm. Anya was up late that night because she had slept in the car so much, but she eventually went to bed.
We had a great time in Chicago. Even though we spent 6 nights there, there is still so much to see. We would highly recommend our hotel (Comfort Suites). It was right in the middle of the city and the staff was excellent. It was also nice to have an actual bedroom, kitchen, and living room. It made it a lot easier for Eric and I to stay up and watch TV after Anya went to bed. We would also recommend the CityPass. It got us into most of the museums and attractions and the whole packet of tickets was half the price of what it would have cost to go to each of them separately. For the metro, it was nice to have a pass as well. The best choice we made was to park the car and just take public transportation. The traffic is stressful and I hated driving in it to and from the hotel when arriving and leaving. It is much, much easier to just hop on the bus or the metro to get to where you are going. We just took the umbrella stroller with us and carried a large backpack as our diaper bag. This made travel around the city fairly easy.
Now that our family vacation is over, Eric and I are counting down to Jamaica!
Chicago, Day 6, July 15
On Friday, we planned to be indoors a majority of the day because it was supposed to be really hot. We went to the Museum of Science and Industry for a good portion of the day. It was fun, but I think it will be more fun in a few years when Anya is old enough to enjoy more of the museum. However, she got to see baby chicks hatching from eggs, which was kind of neat. There were a lot of interesting exhibits at the museum, but we noticed that there were so many school groups there that it was hard to enjoy much of it. The kids didn't seem to be very well behaved. When I went on field trips as a child, I remember having to walk quietly in a line, but this wasn't the case with these groups. You could barely get through some of the hallways because the kids were running up and down the hallways.
After the Museum of Science and Industry, we had planned to visit the Oriental Institute, but we were exhausted so we just headed back to the hotel instead. After a bit of a rest, we went to Buca di Beppo for dinner and then stopped by Fannie Mae's to grab some ice cream to take back to the hotel. The three of us split the ice cream and if we weren't feeding Anya fast enough, she would just help herself with her little spoon. After Anya went to bed, Eric and I relaxed with yet another glass of wine. it was a fun day but I feel like the last full day of vacation is always the worst just because the fact that you are leaving the next day is always in the back of your mind...
After the Museum of Science and Industry, we had planned to visit the Oriental Institute, but we were exhausted so we just headed back to the hotel instead. After a bit of a rest, we went to Buca di Beppo for dinner and then stopped by Fannie Mae's to grab some ice cream to take back to the hotel. The three of us split the ice cream and if we weren't feeding Anya fast enough, she would just help herself with her little spoon. After Anya went to bed, Eric and I relaxed with yet another glass of wine. it was a fun day but I feel like the last full day of vacation is always the worst just because the fact that you are leaving the next day is always in the back of your mind...
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Chicago, Day 5: Thursday, July 14
Thursday we decided to do a little walking and shopping on the Magnificent Mile. We still had a few gifts we wanted to get. We had heard about this store in one of the nice malls on the Mag Mile called Vosges Haut Chocolat (don't ask me to pronounce it!. They had gourmet chocolate, meaning that the chocolate bar normally had unusual things in it. For example, one of them had hickory smoked almond, one had some kind of chili peppers in it, and one had plantains. We got some gifts for our families and then hurried to catch the metro to the Bucktown/Wicker Park area for a food tour.
The food tour was amazing and we would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Chicago. It was $45 a person but included lunch and it was a very good lunch. The tour lasted over 3 hours and also included history and information about the neighborhood. These are all the places we visited:
George's Hot Dogs - Here we had a true Chicago-style hot dog, which does not include ketchup. Instead, it had things like relish, onions, tomatoes, celery salt, peppers, and a couple of other ingredients. I don't typically like hot dogs but this one was actually pretty good.
Hot Chocolate - The chef at this location is world-famous and we got to try an iced hot chocolate with a homemade marshmallow. I have never had a homemade marshmallow, but it was really amazing. It made me want to learn how to make them.
The Goddess and Grocer - This place was owned by someone who used to travel with rock stars and cater the band's meals, so we knew it had to be good. We tried a grilled vegetable salad that had veggies (of course) with goat cheese and a vinagerette-type dressing.
Piece - Here we got to sample one of their beers (it was also a microbrewery) and a slice of New Haven-style pizza. Though Chicago is known for the deep dish, the deep dish pizza takes a good 45 minutes to prepare, so apparently a lot of Chicagoans still eat the thin crust pizza.
Sultan's Market - We got a chance to sample our first Falafel Sandwich, as we were each given a half of a sandwich which was still pretty good. Falafel is made of garbanzo beans and a few other ingredients. It was actually really good, so we've looked up all the places to get Falafel in Evansville.
iCream - This was our final stop. AT this ice cream shop, you could be creative and put together your own ice cream and they make the ice cream right in front of you, with liquid nitrogen and everything. First, you choose whether you want ice cream, milkshake, yogurt, etc. and then you choose the base (yogurt, soy milk, whole milk, fat free milk, organic milk, etc.) and then the flavor and the toppings. We sampled a small scoop of white chocolate ice cream made with regular milk. The mix-ins were cream soda and Nutella. It sounded kind of wierd but was actually pretty amazing.
We absolutely loved this tour. We met a lot of great people, including an Indian family from South Africa. They were touring parts of the US and their next stop was in Cancun for a week-long family reunion. We exhanged information with one of the guys and now we are facebook friends with him. Maybe he can help us plan our future trips to Africa and India! Even though the tour was over 3 hours, Anya did really well. She actually liked it because we got to stop and eat a lot, and she ended up sleeping in her stroller through the neighborhood tour part, so it worked out perfectly.
After the tour, we went back to a couple of the places and got some snacks for later because we had tour-exclusive coupons. Then, we went back to the hotel for showers. After that, we went to the Art Institute of Chicago since it is open later on Thursday nights and we weren't very hungry for dinner because of all the food we ate at lunch. We just did a short tour of the building and looked for only the must-see pieces of art, stopping at the interesting ones on the way. Even though we don't know much about art, we still enjoyed it.
After finishing up at the Art Institute, we went to The Billy Goat Tavern, which has apparently been made famous by a Saturday Night Live skit with John Belushi. We just had cheeseburgers and chips as a late dinner and then went back to the hotel to have our goodies. Unfortunately, my stomach was bothering me that night, so no wine for me!
I also forgot to mention that on Tuesday after the beach, we got a chance to walk around Millineum Park, which was fun. There are several sculptures, including the famous "bean" that you can see your reflection in, which is pretty cool. There is also a sprinkler-type sculpture that I can't remember the name of, but it has pictures of Chicagoans on either side whose facial expressions change and in the middle are sprinklers. It was really hot the day we were there, so lots of people were playing in the fountain. There is also the Lurie Garden which was meant to mimic a field of wildflowers. In addition, there is a huge outdoor auditorium that offered concerts. They had a lot of free summertime concerts and events going on in the park but we didn't get a chance to see any of these...maybe next time!
The food tour was amazing and we would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Chicago. It was $45 a person but included lunch and it was a very good lunch. The tour lasted over 3 hours and also included history and information about the neighborhood. These are all the places we visited:
George's Hot Dogs - Here we had a true Chicago-style hot dog, which does not include ketchup. Instead, it had things like relish, onions, tomatoes, celery salt, peppers, and a couple of other ingredients. I don't typically like hot dogs but this one was actually pretty good.
Hot Chocolate - The chef at this location is world-famous and we got to try an iced hot chocolate with a homemade marshmallow. I have never had a homemade marshmallow, but it was really amazing. It made me want to learn how to make them.
The Goddess and Grocer - This place was owned by someone who used to travel with rock stars and cater the band's meals, so we knew it had to be good. We tried a grilled vegetable salad that had veggies (of course) with goat cheese and a vinagerette-type dressing.
Piece - Here we got to sample one of their beers (it was also a microbrewery) and a slice of New Haven-style pizza. Though Chicago is known for the deep dish, the deep dish pizza takes a good 45 minutes to prepare, so apparently a lot of Chicagoans still eat the thin crust pizza.
Sultan's Market - We got a chance to sample our first Falafel Sandwich, as we were each given a half of a sandwich which was still pretty good. Falafel is made of garbanzo beans and a few other ingredients. It was actually really good, so we've looked up all the places to get Falafel in Evansville.
iCream - This was our final stop. AT this ice cream shop, you could be creative and put together your own ice cream and they make the ice cream right in front of you, with liquid nitrogen and everything. First, you choose whether you want ice cream, milkshake, yogurt, etc. and then you choose the base (yogurt, soy milk, whole milk, fat free milk, organic milk, etc.) and then the flavor and the toppings. We sampled a small scoop of white chocolate ice cream made with regular milk. The mix-ins were cream soda and Nutella. It sounded kind of wierd but was actually pretty amazing.
We absolutely loved this tour. We met a lot of great people, including an Indian family from South Africa. They were touring parts of the US and their next stop was in Cancun for a week-long family reunion. We exhanged information with one of the guys and now we are facebook friends with him. Maybe he can help us plan our future trips to Africa and India! Even though the tour was over 3 hours, Anya did really well. She actually liked it because we got to stop and eat a lot, and she ended up sleeping in her stroller through the neighborhood tour part, so it worked out perfectly.
After the tour, we went back to a couple of the places and got some snacks for later because we had tour-exclusive coupons. Then, we went back to the hotel for showers. After that, we went to the Art Institute of Chicago since it is open later on Thursday nights and we weren't very hungry for dinner because of all the food we ate at lunch. We just did a short tour of the building and looked for only the must-see pieces of art, stopping at the interesting ones on the way. Even though we don't know much about art, we still enjoyed it.
After finishing up at the Art Institute, we went to The Billy Goat Tavern, which has apparently been made famous by a Saturday Night Live skit with John Belushi. We just had cheeseburgers and chips as a late dinner and then went back to the hotel to have our goodies. Unfortunately, my stomach was bothering me that night, so no wine for me!
I also forgot to mention that on Tuesday after the beach, we got a chance to walk around Millineum Park, which was fun. There are several sculptures, including the famous "bean" that you can see your reflection in, which is pretty cool. There is also a sprinkler-type sculpture that I can't remember the name of, but it has pictures of Chicagoans on either side whose facial expressions change and in the middle are sprinklers. It was really hot the day we were there, so lots of people were playing in the fountain. There is also the Lurie Garden which was meant to mimic a field of wildflowers. In addition, there is a huge outdoor auditorium that offered concerts. They had a lot of free summertime concerts and events going on in the park but we didn't get a chance to see any of these...maybe next time!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Addendum to Chicago Trip, Tuesday
I forgot to add that on Tuesday of our vacation, we went to Willis Tower and took the elevator to the top, which is 103 stories. When you get to the top, there is a skydeck that is clear glass. You can literally step out over the street 103 floors up. Anya absolutely loved it. She kept wanting to stand at the window and look out over the city. Even though I knew it was safe, it was still kind of creepy to let her crawl around on it. If anyone visits Chicago, this is definitely a must-see!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Definitely too old for this...
This weekend was crazy, just like any other weekend. Friday after work we had planned to eat at the Manna Grill (it's in the old Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken on Lincoln Ave.) and then go to Target to pick up a few things. I ended up inviting a couple of friends from work to eat with us. The food was pretty good. I had Chicken Schwarma and Eric had a Falafel sandwich, and we split an order of the hummus and pita bread. We had Falafel in Chicago and wanted to try it here and that is one of the few places in Evansville to get it. I'm sure we will be going back.
The five of us (plus Anya) sat and talked through dinner for almost 2 hours and everyone was interested in getting margaritas somewhere, so we suggested that people come to our house and we could make margaritas and get in the pool. So we went home and Anya went straight to bed because she was so tired. We made margaritas using Hacienda's recipe and went swimming until after midnight. At about 12:30, we got the munchies and ended up ordering pizza and breadsticks that arrived around 1:15. At 2 in the morning, we were sitting in our living room playing the game Things, drinking, and eating pizza and breadsticks. Everyone left around 2:30 and we got to bed at 3. We were totally dragging all day Saturday but we had a great time Friday night. It has been a LONG time since we have stayed up hanging out with friends and drinking.
Saturday morning we got some things done around the house and I had to play for a wedding in the afternoon while Eric and Anya went to get more daylillies for the backyard and then the grocery. After the wedding, we went to 5 pm Mass and then came home because we were having more company. My friend Beth (from high school), her husband Michael, and her 19 month old daughter Lucy came over. They had picked up Turoni's pizza and garlic cheese toast and we had salad ready for dinner. It was fun to see the girls try to play together. After dinner, we went swimming. Even though it was dark, it was still hot so the water felt good.
This morning, I had to play at church and I'm hoping to get some things done with my comprehensive exam and thesis this afternoon. Though it was a busy weekend, it was still nice to finally have some time to hang out with friends.
The five of us (plus Anya) sat and talked through dinner for almost 2 hours and everyone was interested in getting margaritas somewhere, so we suggested that people come to our house and we could make margaritas and get in the pool. So we went home and Anya went straight to bed because she was so tired. We made margaritas using Hacienda's recipe and went swimming until after midnight. At about 12:30, we got the munchies and ended up ordering pizza and breadsticks that arrived around 1:15. At 2 in the morning, we were sitting in our living room playing the game Things, drinking, and eating pizza and breadsticks. Everyone left around 2:30 and we got to bed at 3. We were totally dragging all day Saturday but we had a great time Friday night. It has been a LONG time since we have stayed up hanging out with friends and drinking.
Saturday morning we got some things done around the house and I had to play for a wedding in the afternoon while Eric and Anya went to get more daylillies for the backyard and then the grocery. After the wedding, we went to 5 pm Mass and then came home because we were having more company. My friend Beth (from high school), her husband Michael, and her 19 month old daughter Lucy came over. They had picked up Turoni's pizza and garlic cheese toast and we had salad ready for dinner. It was fun to see the girls try to play together. After dinner, we went swimming. Even though it was dark, it was still hot so the water felt good.
This morning, I had to play at church and I'm hoping to get some things done with my comprehensive exam and thesis this afternoon. Though it was a busy weekend, it was still nice to finally have some time to hang out with friends.
Chicago, Day 4: Wednesday, July 13
Wednesday was the coolest day of the week and the high was only in the upper 70's. We thought this might be the best day to tackle the Lincoln Park Zoo, since it was so cool. We were hoping the animals would also be more active. The zoo didn't open until 10, but we hopped on the bus and went to Lincoln Park a little early to visit the Green City Farmers' Market, which was pretty awesome. We ended up buying some cheeses from this booth from Wisconsin. They had this cheese that you grill and it doesn't get really oozy like most cheeses. We bought some of that, as well as some raw white cheddar and garlic cheese spread, which was amazing. Anya liked tasting the different kinds of cheese and so did I! We also bought some pretzel bread and another kind of bread to eat with the cheese bread along with lunch. There was a booth from Michigan that had sweet cherries, so we decided to get some cherries as well. Then it was off to the zoo!
The zoo was very small but they had a lot of good exhibits. Even though it was small, it was a good size for a small child. We went to a sea otter show and then saw some big cats (lion, tiger, and jaguar), giraffes, monkeys, and gorillas. What we liked about the zoo is that usually it was glass that separated you from the animals so Anya could get right up to the glass and peer into the exhibit. The lions were actually sleeping right up at the glass so Anya was able to get super close to them, which she loved! We visited the gorillas after eating our picnic lunch. They had several of them, including one silverback gorilla who was huge! We happened to walk into the exhibit when they were doing a presentation about testing they do with the gorillas. Testers had computers rolled up to the gate and the gorillas were supposed to put things in sequential order and when they got it right, they got a treat. It was kind of neat to see. Unfortunately, Anya slept through most of this exhibit.
At that point, we headed back to the hotel to refresh ourselves. We decided to try a second pizza place, Lou Malnati's, which is way better than Giordano's. I had signed up for their online membership so we had a coupon for a free appetizer if we spent $20. We got calamari as an appetizer and treated ourselves to beer with our deep dish pizza. If anyone goes to Chicago, we would highly recommend this place!
After dinner, we went back to Navy Pier for a sunset cruise on the water, though we had some time to do a little souvenir shopping beforehand. Anya did not do so well on the cruise. For one thing, it was really cold and we hadn't expect it to be as cold as it was. But that didn't seem to bother her. She wanted to be down and crawling around but we weren't supposed to be up and moving while the boat was moving. We finally took her below the deck and let her walk around the benches and then she was happy. She would tap Eric on the knee and the scurry off, looking back to make sure he was watching her. She kept doing that, trying to get Eric to chase her. The actual cruise itself was alright but nothing special. We thought there would be at least a little narration (like there was in the sunset cruise we took in Saugatuck last summer), but there was nothing. The sunset was beautiful and it was neat to see the skyline from the water but the rest of the cruise was mediocre at best. Besides the lack of narration, they played really bad country music during the cruise. I'm not saying anything negative about country music, but I thought for a cruise like this, it should have been something bluesy, jazzy, or big band to reflect the bustle of a big city. There are tons of songs they could have used that are about "the city" or "night and day" or "sunset." I just thought their music could have complemented the tour with a little more planning.
After the tour, we headed back downtown to find a snack, but unfortunately, nothing was open that late except for Starbucks. We ended up getting a snack and a frappachino from there and headed back to the hotel. Anya was asleep in the stroller at this point, so we were able to get her to bed pretty quickly.
The zoo was very small but they had a lot of good exhibits. Even though it was small, it was a good size for a small child. We went to a sea otter show and then saw some big cats (lion, tiger, and jaguar), giraffes, monkeys, and gorillas. What we liked about the zoo is that usually it was glass that separated you from the animals so Anya could get right up to the glass and peer into the exhibit. The lions were actually sleeping right up at the glass so Anya was able to get super close to them, which she loved! We visited the gorillas after eating our picnic lunch. They had several of them, including one silverback gorilla who was huge! We happened to walk into the exhibit when they were doing a presentation about testing they do with the gorillas. Testers had computers rolled up to the gate and the gorillas were supposed to put things in sequential order and when they got it right, they got a treat. It was kind of neat to see. Unfortunately, Anya slept through most of this exhibit.
At that point, we headed back to the hotel to refresh ourselves. We decided to try a second pizza place, Lou Malnati's, which is way better than Giordano's. I had signed up for their online membership so we had a coupon for a free appetizer if we spent $20. We got calamari as an appetizer and treated ourselves to beer with our deep dish pizza. If anyone goes to Chicago, we would highly recommend this place!
After dinner, we went back to Navy Pier for a sunset cruise on the water, though we had some time to do a little souvenir shopping beforehand. Anya did not do so well on the cruise. For one thing, it was really cold and we hadn't expect it to be as cold as it was. But that didn't seem to bother her. She wanted to be down and crawling around but we weren't supposed to be up and moving while the boat was moving. We finally took her below the deck and let her walk around the benches and then she was happy. She would tap Eric on the knee and the scurry off, looking back to make sure he was watching her. She kept doing that, trying to get Eric to chase her. The actual cruise itself was alright but nothing special. We thought there would be at least a little narration (like there was in the sunset cruise we took in Saugatuck last summer), but there was nothing. The sunset was beautiful and it was neat to see the skyline from the water but the rest of the cruise was mediocre at best. Besides the lack of narration, they played really bad country music during the cruise. I'm not saying anything negative about country music, but I thought for a cruise like this, it should have been something bluesy, jazzy, or big band to reflect the bustle of a big city. There are tons of songs they could have used that are about "the city" or "night and day" or "sunset." I just thought their music could have complemented the tour with a little more planning.
After the tour, we headed back downtown to find a snack, but unfortunately, nothing was open that late except for Starbucks. We ended up getting a snack and a frappachino from there and headed back to the hotel. Anya was asleep in the stroller at this point, so we were able to get her to bed pretty quickly.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Chicago, Day 3: Tuesday, July 12
Because of the weather, we decided to change around our original plans for Tuesday. Also, since we had such a long day on Monday, it was nice to do something more informal. After breakfast, we went to North Avenue Beach. It is crazy to think that Chicago has beaches because we never really thought about it, but it is actually pretty nice. The water was really cold so we didn't get in much. Instead, we spent the time playing in the sand. Anya hated the sand at first but eventually played in it, though she wouldn't sit in the sand. We also had a little tent set up for her to sit in if it got too hot or sunny. She liked sitting in there eating her puffs. We brought a picnic lunch so we ate lunch on the beach and then headed back to the hotel to get cleaned up.
After spending some time resting in the hotel, we set out to take the brown line on the metro. It weaves in between office buildings and you are close enough to peer into the windows. While it was neat, it wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be and didn't seem any different from anything else we've seen while travelling in Europe.
Once we left the metro, we decided to look for somewhere to eat. We were really hungry and ended up settling for a place called Burrito Beach, though it wasn't quite what we were looking for. One nice thing about it, though, is that it was cheap. After dinner, we walked around the Magnificent Mile a little and ended up stopping at the Hershey store to get some treats. We got them to-go and then headed back to the hotel. Anya fell asleep in her crib so we got her right in bed when we got back and were able to enjoy our treats with a nice glass of wine:)
After spending some time resting in the hotel, we set out to take the brown line on the metro. It weaves in between office buildings and you are close enough to peer into the windows. While it was neat, it wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be and didn't seem any different from anything else we've seen while travelling in Europe.
Once we left the metro, we decided to look for somewhere to eat. We were really hungry and ended up settling for a place called Burrito Beach, though it wasn't quite what we were looking for. One nice thing about it, though, is that it was cheap. After dinner, we walked around the Magnificent Mile a little and ended up stopping at the Hershey store to get some treats. We got them to-go and then headed back to the hotel. Anya fell asleep in her crib so we got her right in bed when we got back and were able to enjoy our treats with a nice glass of wine:)
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Chicago, Day 2: Monday, July 11
We got up early Monday morning so we could get to Shedd's Aquarium as close to 8:30 as possible. While we were in Chicago, we used public transportation or walked 100% of the time, so we took the bus to the aquarium because it was the easiest and straightest shot to it. Of course, while we were on the bus, Chicago was hit by a really nasty storm. When the bus arrived, we ran to the covering by the bus stop to regroup and then ran in the rain to the entrance. We had a great time at Shedd's and I think Anya enjoyed it, too. We went to a dolphin show and there was a special Jellies exhibition that was really interesting. I've never seen that many kinds of jellyfish all in one place. I didn't even know there were that many kinds, either. We brought our own lunch and ate near the dolphin pool. There was a ledge that Anya could stand up on and stand right at the glass. She loved the dolphins and kept pointing at them when they swam past her. She also liked the beluga whales. After lunch, we took Anya to the play area where she put on a penguin suit, went down the slide, and crawled through tunnels. We didn't stay long because a lot of bigger kids eventually showed up and we didn't want her to get trampled.
After Shedd's Aquarium, we headed toward The Field Museum. While this was a good museum, it just wasn't as interesting as Shedd's. I don't know if it was because we were tired and Anya was a little fussy or if it just really wasn't as good. We went through several exhibits, including the Eqyptian tomb, the African animals (to see the Lions of Tsavo), and Sue (the T-Rex). What's kind of interesting is that Eric and I were both on family vacations in the western part of the US when Sue was being discovered and they were trying to figure out where she was going to go.
After going back to the hotel, we opted to go down to Navy Pier for dinner. We ended up eating at Bubba Gump's, which was a little expensive, but good. Then, we rode the bus back to the Mag Mile and walked to the Ghirardelli store for an ice cream brownie sundae. It was amazing!
Back at the hotel, Anya didn't take quite as long to get to sleep but she was definitely fighting it. It was like she knew we were on vacation and she was too excited to sleep. After she finally went to bed, Eric and stayed up a little later and had a glass of wine before bed.
After Shedd's Aquarium, we headed toward The Field Museum. While this was a good museum, it just wasn't as interesting as Shedd's. I don't know if it was because we were tired and Anya was a little fussy or if it just really wasn't as good. We went through several exhibits, including the Eqyptian tomb, the African animals (to see the Lions of Tsavo), and Sue (the T-Rex). What's kind of interesting is that Eric and I were both on family vacations in the western part of the US when Sue was being discovered and they were trying to figure out where she was going to go.
After going back to the hotel, we opted to go down to Navy Pier for dinner. We ended up eating at Bubba Gump's, which was a little expensive, but good. Then, we rode the bus back to the Mag Mile and walked to the Ghirardelli store for an ice cream brownie sundae. It was amazing!
Back at the hotel, Anya didn't take quite as long to get to sleep but she was definitely fighting it. It was like she knew we were on vacation and she was too excited to sleep. After she finally went to bed, Eric and stayed up a little later and had a glass of wine before bed.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Chicago, Day 1: Sunday, July 10
We got up before 6 am so that we could leave by 8 am. Eric and I were both able to get showers and get ready before Anya woke up. After loading the rest of the stuff into the car and eating some breakfast, we were off. Unfortunately, our GPS did not know about the construction and closures right outside of Chicago so we drove around in circles for awhile until we figured out exactly how to get into the city. We finally pulled in around 3 pm. We got the car sent to the valet for parking and checked into our hotel. The nice part about our hotel room was that we had a 1-bedroom suite, meaning that we could put Anya to bed in her pack and play in the bedroom and then we could hang out in the living room until we were ready for bed. We also had free breakfast and free internet. We were on the 11th floor and had wall to wall windows in parts of the room so that we had a great view of other buildings. While we were there, Anya loved standing up at the window and looking out at the city below.
Once we got settled in, we ventured out to explore the Magnificent Mile, even though it was pretty hot out. We stopped to see some street performers who were dancing in the street, which was pretty neat to see. We were also lucky enough to meet up with Tricia, a friend of mine from grad school who lives in Chicago. She, her husband, and her son met us downtown and walked with us for awhile. Tricia was 9 months pregnant and her due date was the following day. (She actually ended up having her daughter the day after meeting us.) When we got hungry, we headed for Giordano’s for some Chicago-style deep dish pizza. We had decided that we were going to try 2 different pizza places during the week we were there and we kept hearing about Giordano’s and Lou Malnati’s. We had stuffed mushrooms, garlic bread, and deep dish pizza. The pizza was pretty good but not quite as good as I had hoped, though overall it was a good meal.
After dinner, we walked around a bit longer but then went back to the hotel. Anya was up really late because she didn’t want to go to sleep. I think she knew we were on vacation and wanted to stay up with us so she wouldn’t miss anything. We ended up walking her up and down the street at like 10:30 in the evening to try to make her sleepy. We walked around for about 15 minutes before the people started to look kind of shady and then came back to the room. Anya wasn’t completely asleep, but she had at least calmed down a little and was able to fall asleep. It was a pretty good day, other than getting Anya to sleep, and we were excited for an entire week to spend in such a beautiful city.
More to come about our week as time allows…
Once we got settled in, we ventured out to explore the Magnificent Mile, even though it was pretty hot out. We stopped to see some street performers who were dancing in the street, which was pretty neat to see. We were also lucky enough to meet up with Tricia, a friend of mine from grad school who lives in Chicago. She, her husband, and her son met us downtown and walked with us for awhile. Tricia was 9 months pregnant and her due date was the following day. (She actually ended up having her daughter the day after meeting us.) When we got hungry, we headed for Giordano’s for some Chicago-style deep dish pizza. We had decided that we were going to try 2 different pizza places during the week we were there and we kept hearing about Giordano’s and Lou Malnati’s. We had stuffed mushrooms, garlic bread, and deep dish pizza. The pizza was pretty good but not quite as good as I had hoped, though overall it was a good meal.
After dinner, we walked around a bit longer but then went back to the hotel. Anya was up really late because she didn’t want to go to sleep. I think she knew we were on vacation and wanted to stay up with us so she wouldn’t miss anything. We ended up walking her up and down the street at like 10:30 in the evening to try to make her sleepy. We walked around for about 15 minutes before the people started to look kind of shady and then came back to the room. Anya wasn’t completely asleep, but she had at least calmed down a little and was able to fall asleep. It was a pretty good day, other than getting Anya to sleep, and we were excited for an entire week to spend in such a beautiful city.
More to come about our week as time allows…
It's Been Awhile...
I realize it has been a long time since I have updated this blog. I'm hoping to jump back into updating this more often, though I must admit it will be hard to find the time. With working full time hours (one part time job and several part time contracts) and trying to market my business, finishing up my thesis so I can be finished with my Masters degree, taking care of Anya, keeping up with the house, cars, etc., and dealing with all the little extras that come up, time is short most days, as it is for most people!
Anyway, there has been lots going on, including our recent family vacation to Chicago, our upcoming anniversary trip to Jamaica, getting ready to order new carpet for a good portion of the house, and working on finishing up my Masters degree. In addition, I've been trying to lose weight. I've been doing Weight Watchers since the end of January/beginning of February and have lost 31 pounds. I met my first long-term goal over a month ago, but decided to try to lose 7 more pounds. I am getting close to hitting that goal but I'm trying to decide whether or not to stop there or go on...As it stands right now, I am 22 pounds lighter than I was at my 8 week OB appointment, so I'm lighter than I was before I got pregnant. In fact, I think I weigh less now than I did when I met Eric. Regardless, I am just happy to be within the healthy BMI range, instead of the overweight range I was in before.
Anyway, there has been lots going on, including our recent family vacation to Chicago, our upcoming anniversary trip to Jamaica, getting ready to order new carpet for a good portion of the house, and working on finishing up my Masters degree. In addition, I've been trying to lose weight. I've been doing Weight Watchers since the end of January/beginning of February and have lost 31 pounds. I met my first long-term goal over a month ago, but decided to try to lose 7 more pounds. I am getting close to hitting that goal but I'm trying to decide whether or not to stop there or go on...As it stands right now, I am 22 pounds lighter than I was at my 8 week OB appointment, so I'm lighter than I was before I got pregnant. In fact, I think I weigh less now than I did when I met Eric. Regardless, I am just happy to be within the healthy BMI range, instead of the overweight range I was in before.
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