Friday, April 10, 2009
Livvi, Cover Me, I'm Going In!
Our iMPACT Youth Group hosted a fundraiser at Scallywag Tag on Sunday night. Livvi and I played Laser Tag for the first time. Man, is that FUN! Livvi had a blast as well! She had so much fun, she hinted she might like to do that for her birthday. Livvi stayed put the first game, but thereafter, she was running around with me shooting everything in site! We really had a blast and were disappointed it was over so "soon" (2 hours). While I did a lot of shooting, I got hit quite a bit, too! I got a whole new appreciation for our troops who are probably wishing all they had to do was shoot lasers at fancy vests!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
I gained a LOT of respect for Heather after childbirth (our kids, not mine). However, after Monday, I now have a whole new respect for her!
Monday morning, I'm nearly completely dressed for work, when Heather said she didn't feel well AT ALL. She could barely get out of bed. Realizing there was no way she would be able to take care of two kids in that condition, I decided to stay at home so she could rest. Little did I know what I was signing up to do.
Joie woke up entirely too early. She was cranky and not feeling well herself. She kept screaming, and it just made me madder and madder. After all, I was there to help Heather rest and Livvi was still sleeping. When Livvi awoke, we had breakfast, then got dressed. By this time, it was about 9:00 a.m. and Joie was looking pretty tired. I offered to get them a hot chocolate from Starbucks and chose one that was about 20 minutes away, to see if she would fall asleep. She finally fell asleep about 10:30 p.m. on the way home, about one minute from our house. I dropped Livvi off at home and made sure Jo was asleep before taking her up to her room.
Liv and I then started her school work. We only got through 2.5 subjects in about 3-4 hours! Between her being a little lethargic from having been sick herself, easily distracted, and me not completely knowing what to do, it made for a not-so-productive school day. All this despite the fact Jo slept between 3 and 4 hours (thank you, Lord)!
The girls and I then left for Tae Kwon Do, grabbed dinner on the way home, and wolfed it down. I then had to take Liv to American Heritage Girls. While she was there, I went grocery shopping, then back to pick Liv up to head back home.
This is a typical Monday for Heather and the girls, except that Jo usually only naps for 2 hours (if at all) and they get about twice as much school work in (or more). Not to mention there may be a load or two of laundry done as well. I don't know how she does it, but she does (and does it well)!
Monday morning, I'm nearly completely dressed for work, when Heather said she didn't feel well AT ALL. She could barely get out of bed. Realizing there was no way she would be able to take care of two kids in that condition, I decided to stay at home so she could rest. Little did I know what I was signing up to do.
Joie woke up entirely too early. She was cranky and not feeling well herself. She kept screaming, and it just made me madder and madder. After all, I was there to help Heather rest and Livvi was still sleeping. When Livvi awoke, we had breakfast, then got dressed. By this time, it was about 9:00 a.m. and Joie was looking pretty tired. I offered to get them a hot chocolate from Starbucks and chose one that was about 20 minutes away, to see if she would fall asleep. She finally fell asleep about 10:30 p.m. on the way home, about one minute from our house. I dropped Livvi off at home and made sure Jo was asleep before taking her up to her room.
Liv and I then started her school work. We only got through 2.5 subjects in about 3-4 hours! Between her being a little lethargic from having been sick herself, easily distracted, and me not completely knowing what to do, it made for a not-so-productive school day. All this despite the fact Jo slept between 3 and 4 hours (thank you, Lord)!
The girls and I then left for Tae Kwon Do, grabbed dinner on the way home, and wolfed it down. I then had to take Liv to American Heritage Girls. While she was there, I went grocery shopping, then back to pick Liv up to head back home.
This is a typical Monday for Heather and the girls, except that Jo usually only naps for 2 hours (if at all) and they get about twice as much school work in (or more). Not to mention there may be a load or two of laundry done as well. I don't know how she does it, but she does (and does it well)!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Quoting Joie
Quoting Joie
Yesterday, Joie was watching Diego and they were talking about how Baby Jaguar eats meat. Joie's response? "Hungry...meat!"
Later that day, Heather was showing Livvi and Joie a video to the music "Thy Word" by Amy Grant. There is a spot in the video that shows a majestic Jesus on the throne in heaven, with his arms out a little to each side. Joie sees this and the following conversation takes place:
Jo (with eyebrows crossed): Mad
Heather: Mad? Jesus isn't mad. Jesus loves you! He wants to hug you!
Jo gets a cute sheepish smile on her face and crosses her arms like she's hugging herself.
Jo: Tickle Jesus!
Heather: You want to tickle Jesus?!
Jo: Yes! Tickle, tickle, tickle! (visualize hands in close to her check with her fingers wiggling in a tickle motion)
Precious!
Yesterday, Joie was watching Diego and they were talking about how Baby Jaguar eats meat. Joie's response? "Hungry...meat!"
Later that day, Heather was showing Livvi and Joie a video to the music "Thy Word" by Amy Grant. There is a spot in the video that shows a majestic Jesus on the throne in heaven, with his arms out a little to each side. Joie sees this and the following conversation takes place:
Jo (with eyebrows crossed): Mad
Heather: Mad? Jesus isn't mad. Jesus loves you! He wants to hug you!
Jo gets a cute sheepish smile on her face and crosses her arms like she's hugging herself.
Jo: Tickle Jesus!
Heather: You want to tickle Jesus?!
Jo: Yes! Tickle, tickle, tickle! (visualize hands in close to her check with her fingers wiggling in a tickle motion)
Precious!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Gambling and Pulling Teeth
We gambled and lost. The cost to add the kids to our dental insurance cost more than us just paying for two visits out of pocket. Therefore, we made the decision to not add them until Jo was old enough for regular visits.
Well, at Olivia's 6-month visit last month, the dentist noticed one of her adult teeth came in, but slightly behind her baby tooth. He indicated the adult tooth could possibly move into place as she grew, but only if that baby tooth came out. We had Liv wiggle it off and on for a month, but it never came out on its own.
On Monday, Olivia had to have the tooth pulled.
She was pretty quiet when I met her, Heather, and Joie at the dentist near where I work. I could tell she was nervous (I was a little, too). The longest, hardest part was the sealants on her back teeth because the plastic thing that held her mouth open was a tiny bit too big for her tiny (but loud) mouth. That is what took most of the hour. The tooth pulling was only about 10 minutes at most. He just pressed her nose and it popped right into Liv's hand. The Novocain shot hurt a tiny bit, but the rest was easy. The dentist is so great, fun, and funny. So glad we decided to go there for the kids instead of Heather's or my dentists (whom we love for taking care of our teeth).
After less than an hour, Livvi was with one less tooth, and Heather and I were with 300 less dollars. But the important thing is Liv is doing well, is pain-free, and the tooth fairy left two gold George Washington dollars! Oh, and thank God for a health savings account!
Well, at Olivia's 6-month visit last month, the dentist noticed one of her adult teeth came in, but slightly behind her baby tooth. He indicated the adult tooth could possibly move into place as she grew, but only if that baby tooth came out. We had Liv wiggle it off and on for a month, but it never came out on its own.
On Monday, Olivia had to have the tooth pulled.
She was pretty quiet when I met her, Heather, and Joie at the dentist near where I work. I could tell she was nervous (I was a little, too). The longest, hardest part was the sealants on her back teeth because the plastic thing that held her mouth open was a tiny bit too big for her tiny (but loud) mouth. That is what took most of the hour. The tooth pulling was only about 10 minutes at most. He just pressed her nose and it popped right into Liv's hand. The Novocain shot hurt a tiny bit, but the rest was easy. The dentist is so great, fun, and funny. So glad we decided to go there for the kids instead of Heather's or my dentists (whom we love for taking care of our teeth).
After less than an hour, Livvi was with one less tooth, and Heather and I were with 300 less dollars. But the important thing is Liv is doing well, is pain-free, and the tooth fairy left two gold George Washington dollars! Oh, and thank God for a health savings account!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Business Out West
Our trip out west was fairly uneventful. We left Monday morning for Portland, OR via Denver, CO. When we got to Denver, we were ready for lunch, but they were only serving breakfast, still. But, for some reason, they were serving alcohol at the adjoining bar. I guess it is OK to serve alcohol at 9:30 a.m., but you'd better not serve lunch!
The flights to Denver and to Portland were pretty bumpy at times. I don't know how these pilots keep the planes under control, but I'm sure glad they do! We arrived in Portland to, you guessed it, rain! It was pretty much overcast and rainy the whole time we were there. About 50 degrees, though, so it was bearable. The Oregon Department of Insurance (DOI) was really nice and we were pleased with the answers to most of our questions. They were quick to let us know, though, that the proper way to pronounce their state is Oregun. With the meeting taking place in Salem (one hour south of Portland) and our time being around 7:00 p.m. (4:00 p.m. in Oregon), we decided to eat at a highly recommended, small restaurant there in Salem: Word of Mouth Neighborhood Bistro. It was in an old house and was, in fact, pretty good. We headed back to Portland for our hotel.
We had an early flight (7:15 a.m.) from Portland to Boise, ID the next morning, St. Patrick's Day. This was on Southwest. I personally love this airline and talked it up big to my traveling companions. We arrived at the airport around 5:30 a.m. to an pretty long line to get our boarding passes. The flight was great, though, as there were only 29 passengers on a flight that could easily hold 3-to-4 times that many. The crew was very nice, but they weren't funny or any different than any other airline. I still love Southwest (and hope they come to Cincinnati...perhaps to make us an eastern/mid-western hub), but my companions weren't overly impressed. The crew was decked out in St. Patrick's Day garb, though (green beads, green hats, etc.)!
The flight into Boise provided some great scenery. If you haven't been out west to see the mountains, YOU HAVE TO GO! Like a dork, I took several pictures from the plane. I could definitely see myself living out here (with acres and acres of land). The weather was pretty nice, too. The high got to about 60 degrees and the sun was shining! Our visit to the Idaho DOI was great and we then visited two of our agencies that afternoon. They all seemed like great guys (though that second agency could give us a lot more business).
We finished up around 4:00 p.m. local time and headed to Boise State University, which was close to our hotel, to try to get a glimpse of the smurf turf. In case you are not familiar, the school's football field is actually blue! We couldn't get in the stadium, but tried to take a picture anyway. We headed back to the hotel to change, then we went to a Hawaiian restaurant, Ono, which was fantastic! It was recommended by the last agency we visited and they got it right! We went back to the hotel to get some shuteye before heading back to Cincinnati (via Minneapolis) on Wednesday morning. In Boise, at the gate waiting to board the plane, we noticed three TSA agents scoping out all the folks at our gate. They eventually singled some lady out and asked to go through her carry on bag(s) again. A complete waste of resources, if you ask me. Then I saw this article in USA Today.
In leaving Minneapolis, the pilot drove the plane from the gate to the runway, like normal. However, either he got lost or the airport there is huge. It took him 15 minutes to taxi out to the runway. The guy next to me even asked if we were driving to Cincinnati! To top things off, when we arrived in Cincinnati, they couldn't get the passenger bridge (is that what you call it?) to work to connect to our plane to let people off. After about 10 minutes, they figured it out.
A good trip, but we are pretty tired from all the flying. I don't know how people can fly every day or every week for that matter! I think we are done traveling for the year, unless something comes up. OK with me!
Here are some pictures from our March business trips.
The flights to Denver and to Portland were pretty bumpy at times. I don't know how these pilots keep the planes under control, but I'm sure glad they do! We arrived in Portland to, you guessed it, rain! It was pretty much overcast and rainy the whole time we were there. About 50 degrees, though, so it was bearable. The Oregon Department of Insurance (DOI) was really nice and we were pleased with the answers to most of our questions. They were quick to let us know, though, that the proper way to pronounce their state is Oregun. With the meeting taking place in Salem (one hour south of Portland) and our time being around 7:00 p.m. (4:00 p.m. in Oregon), we decided to eat at a highly recommended, small restaurant there in Salem: Word of Mouth Neighborhood Bistro. It was in an old house and was, in fact, pretty good. We headed back to Portland for our hotel.
We had an early flight (7:15 a.m.) from Portland to Boise, ID the next morning, St. Patrick's Day. This was on Southwest. I personally love this airline and talked it up big to my traveling companions. We arrived at the airport around 5:30 a.m. to an pretty long line to get our boarding passes. The flight was great, though, as there were only 29 passengers on a flight that could easily hold 3-to-4 times that many. The crew was very nice, but they weren't funny or any different than any other airline. I still love Southwest (and hope they come to Cincinnati...perhaps to make us an eastern/mid-western hub), but my companions weren't overly impressed. The crew was decked out in St. Patrick's Day garb, though (green beads, green hats, etc.)!
The flight into Boise provided some great scenery. If you haven't been out west to see the mountains, YOU HAVE TO GO! Like a dork, I took several pictures from the plane. I could definitely see myself living out here (with acres and acres of land). The weather was pretty nice, too. The high got to about 60 degrees and the sun was shining! Our visit to the Idaho DOI was great and we then visited two of our agencies that afternoon. They all seemed like great guys (though that second agency could give us a lot more business).
We finished up around 4:00 p.m. local time and headed to Boise State University, which was close to our hotel, to try to get a glimpse of the smurf turf. In case you are not familiar, the school's football field is actually blue! We couldn't get in the stadium, but tried to take a picture anyway. We headed back to the hotel to change, then we went to a Hawaiian restaurant, Ono, which was fantastic! It was recommended by the last agency we visited and they got it right! We went back to the hotel to get some shuteye before heading back to Cincinnati (via Minneapolis) on Wednesday morning. In Boise, at the gate waiting to board the plane, we noticed three TSA agents scoping out all the folks at our gate. They eventually singled some lady out and asked to go through her carry on bag(s) again. A complete waste of resources, if you ask me. Then I saw this article in USA Today.
In leaving Minneapolis, the pilot drove the plane from the gate to the runway, like normal. However, either he got lost or the airport there is huge. It took him 15 minutes to taxi out to the runway. The guy next to me even asked if we were driving to Cincinnati! To top things off, when we arrived in Cincinnati, they couldn't get the passenger bridge (is that what you call it?) to work to connect to our plane to let people off. After about 10 minutes, they figured it out.
A good trip, but we are pretty tired from all the flying. I don't know how people can fly every day or every week for that matter! I think we are done traveling for the year, unless something comes up. OK with me!
Here are some pictures from our March business trips.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Quoting Livvi
Last night, Livvi was drinking hot chocolate and started coughing. She said "some hot chocolate must have gone down the wrong aisle". We had just left the grocery store, so not sure if there is a correlation or not...
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
New England Business Trip
As there is always something that happens on our business trips, I didn't expect this one to be any different. I wasn't disappointed.
About 9:30 p.m. the night before, our scheduled 6:50 a.m. US Airways flight from CVG to New Hampshire (through Philadelphia) on Wednesday was canceled. As they were not able to get us on another flight that would get us to NH in time for our meeting, we canceled that leg and took a flight (through Philly) to Portland, ME. I didn't sleep much that night as I came down with something. I'm still not sure what it is, but here it is a week later and my head is still spinning.
Our flights there were fine, but I stayed the entire evening/night in my room vegging/sleeping...trying to get up some strength for our meetings on Thursday.
Thursday morning arrived and I felt a little better. We drove up to our meeting, but my partner typed in Augusta, ME in the GPS in lieu of Gardiner, ME (which I told him) and, instead of being early, were about a half-hour late. The meeting went really well, though, and we headed to Boston for meeting number two.
Along the way, we stopped at a nice restaurant in Maine and were nearly poisoned by some nasty stuffed mushrooms. The chef even acknowledged something wasn't right.
We arrived in Boston for our next meeting and there were some interesting individuals in our meeting, one of which I thought was going to sprout fangs and fly around the room (a dude with one-inch finger nails filed to a point on each finger, a bright blue blazer, and long hair combed back).
After the meeting, we went back to the hotel to check in and change. I said I was willing to try to to go out to dinner with the team, but I didn't want to stay out too late. We drove around Boston for an hour, just to end up back at the hotel, where they ate and I went to my room to veg and sleep some more.
We met in the lobby at 5:00 a.m. on Friday to catch our 7:15 a.m. US Airways flight back to CVG (though Philly). At 5:30 a.m. at Logan Airport, we were advised our flight was cancelled (just a warning for anyone that wants to fly US Air...that is two now in two days). They were able to get us on a Delta flight later that morning that took us directly to CVG, which ended up getting us in earlier than we planned.
Oh, one more thing, Heather called me at 7:04 a.m. and said that US Airways just called to tell me my 7:15 a.m. flight had been cancelled. That's right, they not only called 11 minutes before the flight was to take off, but they called my number in CINCINNATI (Cleves) to tell me my flight from BOSTON was being canceled. Quality!
We go again on Monday to Oregon and Idaho. I'm sure I'll be writing something about that soon.
About 9:30 p.m. the night before, our scheduled 6:50 a.m. US Airways flight from CVG to New Hampshire (through Philadelphia) on Wednesday was canceled. As they were not able to get us on another flight that would get us to NH in time for our meeting, we canceled that leg and took a flight (through Philly) to Portland, ME. I didn't sleep much that night as I came down with something. I'm still not sure what it is, but here it is a week later and my head is still spinning.
Our flights there were fine, but I stayed the entire evening/night in my room vegging/sleeping...trying to get up some strength for our meetings on Thursday.
Thursday morning arrived and I felt a little better. We drove up to our meeting, but my partner typed in Augusta, ME in the GPS in lieu of Gardiner, ME (which I told him) and, instead of being early, were about a half-hour late. The meeting went really well, though, and we headed to Boston for meeting number two.
Along the way, we stopped at a nice restaurant in Maine and were nearly poisoned by some nasty stuffed mushrooms. The chef even acknowledged something wasn't right.
We arrived in Boston for our next meeting and there were some interesting individuals in our meeting, one of which I thought was going to sprout fangs and fly around the room (a dude with one-inch finger nails filed to a point on each finger, a bright blue blazer, and long hair combed back).
After the meeting, we went back to the hotel to check in and change. I said I was willing to try to to go out to dinner with the team, but I didn't want to stay out too late. We drove around Boston for an hour, just to end up back at the hotel, where they ate and I went to my room to veg and sleep some more.
We met in the lobby at 5:00 a.m. on Friday to catch our 7:15 a.m. US Airways flight back to CVG (though Philly). At 5:30 a.m. at Logan Airport, we were advised our flight was cancelled (just a warning for anyone that wants to fly US Air...that is two now in two days). They were able to get us on a Delta flight later that morning that took us directly to CVG, which ended up getting us in earlier than we planned.
Oh, one more thing, Heather called me at 7:04 a.m. and said that US Airways just called to tell me my 7:15 a.m. flight had been cancelled. That's right, they not only called 11 minutes before the flight was to take off, but they called my number in CINCINNATI (Cleves) to tell me my flight from BOSTON was being canceled. Quality!
We go again on Monday to Oregon and Idaho. I'm sure I'll be writing something about that soon.
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