My friend, Christie, and I made our annual trek down South to the glorious city of Adel, Georgia, to visit our great friends, Chad and Tracy Todd. If I could swing it, I think I'd go once every three or four months, if Hotel Todd didn't grow weary of my visits. Going to visit the Todds is always loads of fun and I think every year it gets better. There was lots of laughter and more things to talk about then one blogpost can hold (or post for public consumption). On our visit there two years ago, Tracy wanted to know if I was writing a blogpost, and I did. And have each year. This year we all came up with this blog idea during the trip and I took copious notes to make sure I captured the moment. Without further ado, straight from the home office in Adel, Georgia, tonight's top ten list...
10. "Call 511" - You may have noticed these signs on the side of the highway to access traffic information. During our trip down, we encountered a major backup in Chattanooga and a few more slow-moving spots in Atlanta and shortly before Tifton. Every time we'd come to a stop, I'd proclaim "Call 511" thinking our tax dollars are going to pay for a great service. It's not that exciting. We never really got correct information (much like your morning traffic report) and the voice activation menu never understood me and almost connected me to a live representative 2 times. Typically "Call 511" followed Christie's comment, "Brake lights as far as the eye can see!"
9. "I see another cop" - We counted 27 cops on the way down and 10 on the way home. It's a nice way to spend your time in a long car ride if you run out of games. It's either that or count the "See Ruby Falls" signs (we've counted those before). Shortly before arriving in Adel, cop #26 caught us off guard and Christie's comment when pondering the possibility of us getting a ticket in the tenth hour of our trek was, "Now that would put a damper on the evening." Thankfully, no ticket.
8. "So, you aren't bringing any Peanut M&Ms?" - Our road trip snack of choice has been a big ole bag of Peanut M&Ms. Usually we wouldn't finish the whole bag and Tracy would get the benefit of munching on the rest during our stay. Since we're all on diets this year, the M&Ms were replaced with 100-calorie snacks and granola bars. But, that didn't stop Tracy asking us if we were still bringing them. Around Tifton we stopped to take a bio break and decided to buy Tracy a bag of her own M&Ms. But we couldn't leave Chad out! So we bought him some boiled peanuts from the Chevron. Yeah, that's the deep south....boiled peanuts at the gas station next to the microwave in a crock pot. Chad and Tracy loved the gifts.
7. "Jones, get the chart!" - As I mentioned, we're all on diets of some sort. I'm doing a six-meal a day plan and Christie is doing Weight Watchers. Tracy, the ever-accommodating hostess, had made notes about the homemade food she prepared with the calories, fiber and fat so Christie could calculate her points. Each time we got ready to eat, Tracy would say, "Jones, get the chart!" and we'd figure out points. Tracy's engineering mathematical mind loved the constant calculation. To support our cause, Tracy even introduced us to her video exercise routine. We did a 45-minute Hi-Def Sculpt one morning. As we were sweatin' like pigs, Tracy would say, "It's almost over." I think we heard that six times before it was actually over.
6. "We could look that up if the computer would come on." - Shortly into our stay, the Todds computer died. You don't know how dependent you are on these machines until they don't work. More than once we all uttered this statement. On Saturday, our trip to Valdosta included a visit to Best Buy to procure a new laptop for them. We all had our roles (assigned by Tracy)...Christie's role was to distract unwanted assistance, which she did well by causing an alarm to go off near digital cameras. My role was to tell them if the sales rep was being honest since I just went through this drill a month or so ago. I'm happy to report our plan worked marvelously.
5. "Will we be home by 10pm?" - It was Phelpsmania at Hotel Todd! We were privileged to watch history in the making as we cheered on the gold medals Michael Phelps brought home for the USA. Chad was well-informed on the times of his competitions and most occurred around the 10pm hour, so we had to ensure that we were in position for the witnessing of history. We even got to experience one of the gold medal victories with the Bradfords, a wonderful family that we've been privileged to get to know through the Todds.
4. "I'm my own man." - Chad, being the great husband he is, did the grocery shopping for Tracy before we arrived. But, he did veer off the detailed list a bit, to which he responded, "I'm my own man." This statement was a recurring theme throughout the weekend. One example was Chad's need for a new pillow. He said, "I need a pillow for $5" Tracy rolled her eyes and Chad would reply, "I'm my own man." Priceless. And, Chad found his $5 pillow at Wal-Mart.
3. "Never lead a 10" - The game of choice this weekend was Rook. I've played before, and Christie has too, but not enough to retain the rules. Well, we weren't the star pupils of Rook training. Although aspects of the game are similar to Spades, the strategy is much different, which caused us both mental blocks. "Never lead a 10" was one of their Rook tips along with "Bleed trumps." Christie and I plan to play some rounds of Rook at our Senior Adult game night before next year to stay fresh. Of course, we'll probably get beat horribly by our seasoned senior Rook players.
2. "I still taste the broccoli" - For Sunday's lunch, Tracy made steamed broccoli to continue her support of our healthy eating. She would prefer broccoli with cheese and Ritz crackers, but wouldn't we all? She decided that the steamed broccoli wasn't her favorite and most of Sunday afternoon she'd say, "I still taste the broccoli" Maybe she was weary from shelling the 5-gallon bucket of peas that was a sweet gift from one of their church members. Hopefully she's not still tasting broccoli....and thanks to our pea-shelling skills, she's not still shelling peas either.
1. "Don't blog about that." - Periodically throughout our stay, Tracy would say "don't blog about that" to indicate that was off limits for public consumption. Believe me, there are enough funny moments, comments, and experiences to fill another blogpost. Since I "didn't blog about that" hopefully Tracy will approve of this blogpost.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Sunday, August 03, 2008
"Is Your Refrigerator Running?"..."Um, No"
A week ago Wednesday, I came home from church (ironically from a Bible study I'm leading on contentment, no less) to hear a funny noise from my fridge. A "buzzzz, click, buzzzz" (insert your sound effects here) noise was coming from my fridge. I'd heard this noise before and remembered a couple of years ago it was caused by a bad switch that needed replacing. Due to my sky-is-falling tendencies, I decided to empty the ice bucket, just in case it was the ice maker overflowing or some such issue.
The next morning I called my Dad aka best man on the planet to ask him if I should call a repairman or what I should do. My Dad is a perfectionist, and a handyman...he can fix anything, so I always consult him before seeking outside help so that I'm not over-reacting. He said to let him come and take a look and he'd call a repairman if needed.
While I headed on to work, Dad checked out the situation and decided to call a repairman. I don't keep Yellow Pages at my house anymore because, well, there is the internet, so I found it funny when Dad called me to find where my Yellow Pages were hiding. I told him "let me Google it" and in five seconds I had a list of possible repair facilities. Dad is pretty computer savvy for his age, but hasn't given up the phone book just yet.
After a visit from the repairman, it was decided the fridge was dead. The compressor died and was beyond repair...and out of warranty. Dad called to consult on the situation and I told him I trusted his judgment...pick one out for me that can be delivered the fastest. What money I'd save on shopping for a bargain I'd lose in the spoiled food. Plus, this is a "boy job"...a job solely created by God for men to do. I wasn't created to figure out what fridge I needed, I was created to take all the goodies in the fridge and whip up a luscious meal. As long as I have a freezer part and a fridge part, I'm good.
The next day, I was blessed to be able to work from home so I could be there for the delivery and installation. I didn't open the fridge except once or twice before I emptied it to transfer everything to the new icebox. Thankfully, I didn't lose any food. Athough I discovered through all of this that I don't do well with major disorder in my life, I was thankful that I was able to get a new fridge so quickly. I hope this is the last thing to break down in my life for a while. First my computer, then my car, now this. They come in threes right?
In looking for humor in every situation, I had hoped somebody would have played the phone prank on Thursday "Is your refrigerator running?" so I could accurately respond..."No, it's not." Nobody did, but just thinking about that made me chuckle amidst the chaos.
The next morning I called my Dad aka best man on the planet to ask him if I should call a repairman or what I should do. My Dad is a perfectionist, and a handyman...he can fix anything, so I always consult him before seeking outside help so that I'm not over-reacting. He said to let him come and take a look and he'd call a repairman if needed.
While I headed on to work, Dad checked out the situation and decided to call a repairman. I don't keep Yellow Pages at my house anymore because, well, there is the internet, so I found it funny when Dad called me to find where my Yellow Pages were hiding. I told him "let me Google it" and in five seconds I had a list of possible repair facilities. Dad is pretty computer savvy for his age, but hasn't given up the phone book just yet.
After a visit from the repairman, it was decided the fridge was dead. The compressor died and was beyond repair...and out of warranty. Dad called to consult on the situation and I told him I trusted his judgment...pick one out for me that can be delivered the fastest. What money I'd save on shopping for a bargain I'd lose in the spoiled food. Plus, this is a "boy job"...a job solely created by God for men to do. I wasn't created to figure out what fridge I needed, I was created to take all the goodies in the fridge and whip up a luscious meal. As long as I have a freezer part and a fridge part, I'm good.
The next day, I was blessed to be able to work from home so I could be there for the delivery and installation. I didn't open the fridge except once or twice before I emptied it to transfer everything to the new icebox. Thankfully, I didn't lose any food. Athough I discovered through all of this that I don't do well with major disorder in my life, I was thankful that I was able to get a new fridge so quickly. I hope this is the last thing to break down in my life for a while. First my computer, then my car, now this. They come in threes right?
In looking for humor in every situation, I had hoped somebody would have played the phone prank on Thursday "Is your refrigerator running?" so I could accurately respond..."No, it's not." Nobody did, but just thinking about that made me chuckle amidst the chaos.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Table Topics - TV Crushes
Growing up as an only child, I watched a lot of TV. Thankfully, in my younger days, television was much more suitable for family viewing than it is now. One of the things that I remember as a young girl was those silly crushes I'd get on the latest TV heartthrob. You know what I'm talking about (if you are willing to admit it). You'd watch a show and find some guy so dreamy (long before the days of "McDreamy") and then when you accompanied your Mom to the grocery store, you'd slip the latest Tiger Beat in the basket so you could cut out all the pictures of your "man" and plaster them on your bedroom walls. Ladies, I know you are nodding and giggling right now. And, men, don't tell me Farah Fawcett didn't find her way on your bedroom wall.
I had multiple crushes. But, I'd have to say my main one, the man that garnered the most wall space in my bedroom was Scott Baio. Now, my crush occurred during his Happy Days era, not his offbeat "Scott Baio is 45 and still single" VH1 era. The moment he walked on that show as Chachi Arcola, I was smitten. And his "Wa-Wa-Wa" flirtatious proclamation made me swoon. Sigh. I grew up with Scott Baio and sadly pined after him into his Charles in Charge years. Next in line was Donny Osmond. I believe my love of purple began during my Donny crush. And, of all my crushes, Donny still looks the same.
The list goes on.....Gary Sandy, who played Andy Travis on WKRP in Cincinnati. Wesley Eure who played Will Marshall on the Saturday morning series, Land of the Lost. Christopher Knight who played Peter Brady on The Brady Bunch. (Why did all my crushes seem to end up on crazy VH1 reality shows?)
So, that brings us to today's question.....
Did you have a "TV Crush"...if so, who was it? Or who were they?
I had multiple crushes. But, I'd have to say my main one, the man that garnered the most wall space in my bedroom was Scott Baio. Now, my crush occurred during his Happy Days era, not his offbeat "Scott Baio is 45 and still single" VH1 era. The moment he walked on that show as Chachi Arcola, I was smitten. And his "Wa-Wa-Wa" flirtatious proclamation made me swoon. Sigh. I grew up with Scott Baio and sadly pined after him into his Charles in Charge years. Next in line was Donny Osmond. I believe my love of purple began during my Donny crush. And, of all my crushes, Donny still looks the same.
The list goes on.....Gary Sandy, who played Andy Travis on WKRP in Cincinnati. Wesley Eure who played Will Marshall on the Saturday morning series, Land of the Lost. Christopher Knight who played Peter Brady on The Brady Bunch. (Why did all my crushes seem to end up on crazy VH1 reality shows?)
So, that brings us to today's question.....
Did you have a "TV Crush"...if so, who was it? Or who were they?
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Ka-Boom!
I work in the downtown area of Louisville, Kentucky. If you don't live here, you may think of that as the hip, urban place to be, but we're not quite your New York, Atlanta, or Chicago. The town is definitely trying to become more "metro" but we still have some miles to go before that happens. To rejuvenate the downtown area, the University of Louisville is planning a new home for their basketball team, set to open Fall 2010. This swanky new arena has been the talk of the town for a while, but those within blocks of the construction are ready for its completion.
My office building is located about a block from the arena site which sounds glorious, but the area surrounding the new location is, how shall I say, somewhat depressed. Across the street from my building is a huge hole in the ground next to a row of buildings that have been standing since the early 1900s but empty long enough that we're convinced unknown mold is growing inside and various wildlife call it home. Thankfully that will all be demolished and rebuilt as a luxurious retail facility to complement the arena up the street.
We've encountered extended road closings and other peripheral obstacles as the area becomes prepared for the new arena. This morning at 7am, one of the current buildings that has to get out of the way was imploded. I love that word...implosion. It sounds exactly like what it means. To prepare for the impending implosion, my company had to take special precautions....first step, shut down our air conditioning system to avoid soot invasion. Since our building would have no air during the hottest part of the summer, all of our computers had to be shut down to protect them from overheating and having their own implosion party.
Even though the imploded building isn't very tall, the idea of watching a building intentionally collapse was intriguing to me. Not intriguing enough for me to be downtown at 7am, but I was up to watch it live on the local stations. I could have watched it all from the roof of my parking garage, where the media was headquartered, about two blocks away, but the television coverage was probably better. Although it lasted only a few seconds, it was cool.
At the end of this post is one of a ka-zillion videos on YouTube. This one was my favorite as a Daddy took his child to the new Humana building to watch it happen. As the video ends, you won't see my building, but it's just below the bottom right hand corner, if you'd like to visualize where I spend my Mondays-Fridays. If you want to see more videos (or if you are just that bored), go to YouTube and search "louisville implosion." There is one that shows the Mayor's SUV parked illegally. Good times. In other local Louisville news, while half our city was glued to watching a building disappear in a puff of smoke, the rest of our city was standing in line for the American Idol auditions. Man, I love my hometown!
My office building is located about a block from the arena site which sounds glorious, but the area surrounding the new location is, how shall I say, somewhat depressed. Across the street from my building is a huge hole in the ground next to a row of buildings that have been standing since the early 1900s but empty long enough that we're convinced unknown mold is growing inside and various wildlife call it home. Thankfully that will all be demolished and rebuilt as a luxurious retail facility to complement the arena up the street.
We've encountered extended road closings and other peripheral obstacles as the area becomes prepared for the new arena. This morning at 7am, one of the current buildings that has to get out of the way was imploded. I love that word...implosion. It sounds exactly like what it means. To prepare for the impending implosion, my company had to take special precautions....first step, shut down our air conditioning system to avoid soot invasion. Since our building would have no air during the hottest part of the summer, all of our computers had to be shut down to protect them from overheating and having their own implosion party.
Even though the imploded building isn't very tall, the idea of watching a building intentionally collapse was intriguing to me. Not intriguing enough for me to be downtown at 7am, but I was up to watch it live on the local stations. I could have watched it all from the roof of my parking garage, where the media was headquartered, about two blocks away, but the television coverage was probably better. Although it lasted only a few seconds, it was cool.
At the end of this post is one of a ka-zillion videos on YouTube. This one was my favorite as a Daddy took his child to the new Humana building to watch it happen. As the video ends, you won't see my building, but it's just below the bottom right hand corner, if you'd like to visualize where I spend my Mondays-Fridays. If you want to see more videos (or if you are just that bored), go to YouTube and search "louisville implosion." There is one that shows the Mayor's SUV parked illegally. Good times. In other local Louisville news, while half our city was glued to watching a building disappear in a puff of smoke, the rest of our city was standing in line for the American Idol auditions. Man, I love my hometown!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Musings for the Week - Staycations, Dean Denny, and Sax Players
1. Last week I had what is now called a "Staycation," defined as vacation time where you "stay" at home. I'd highly recommend them. Even though I may not have whisked away for an out-of-town venture, I was able to spend some time with friends I'd not seen in a while and very good friends I don't get enough quality time with regularly. I caught up on my DVR watching, caught some movies and enjoyed a low key week. Although I have an actual vacation planned for August, this July staycation was simply glorious. Yep, I'd do it again.
2. During my Staycation, I saw Get Smart. I went in with low expectations but truly enjoyed the movie. I've concluded that any movie with Steve Carell, I'm going to love. Some movie snobs may find many things to gripe about with this movie, but it made me laugh out loud and if a movie can do that, it gets five popcorn boxes in my movie rating scale. To continue the Carell love fest, I just read this week that he's signed on for three more seasons of The Office. By far my favorite comedy, I know I'll go into mourning the day it ends. For those keeping score, the movies out I'd like to see....WALL-E and the upcoming epic, The Dark Knight.
3. This week brought news that made me happier than I can describe. I think I need medicine. Denny Burk was named Dean of Boyce College, the undergraduate school at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. I'm not a seminary student, nor have I ever attended Boyce, but I know Denny and his wife, Susan. They were active members of our church while Denny pursued his PhD and then left as he accepted a teaching position at the prestigious Criswell College in Dallas. What a sad day. I remember my friend, Christie, and I having dinner and coffee with Denny and Susan shortly before they left. Bittersweet. Denny is a guy who can talk about theology and politics so far above my head that I can't reach it on my tippy toes, but can boil it down to something I can understand in the next breath. And, all this while being hip to the newest pop culture-ism out there. He taught the college class at our church while they were here and the students loved him. Even more than Denny, the love for Susan seemed larger. Every girl wanted a piece of her. I still apply wisdom I learned from Susan to my life today and share it with other women. So often we say good-bye to seminary students we love and never cross paths with them again, aside from our virtual connections, this side of Heaven. A rare treat of having such a great couple back in town is like Heaven on earth.
4. I love the Hallmark channel. I think this may add years to my biological age or decrease my cool factor, but in either case, I'm proclaiming it. Each night at 9pm, Hallmark Channel shows a movie. I can always count on this movie to be clean and maybe even have a sweet romantical story that doesn't scream R rating. Sure, I may shed a few tears, but I've been able to enjoy two hours of no profanity and family-friendly entertainment. I am my Mother's daughter. Man, I feel old.
5. Periodically at the corner outside our office buiding a guy plays his saxaphone. Sometimes it's at lunchtime, and other times it's all day. There is no rhyme or reason to his schedule. My cubical home is positioned by a window above this musical corner, so the minute he starts, we all can hear him. Here in the Infield (what we affectionately call our cube pod) we get serenaded by the smooth jazz tunes of Mr. Sax. At first it was a bit annoying, but now it's like Muzak to our ears.
2. During my Staycation, I saw Get Smart. I went in with low expectations but truly enjoyed the movie. I've concluded that any movie with Steve Carell, I'm going to love. Some movie snobs may find many things to gripe about with this movie, but it made me laugh out loud and if a movie can do that, it gets five popcorn boxes in my movie rating scale. To continue the Carell love fest, I just read this week that he's signed on for three more seasons of The Office. By far my favorite comedy, I know I'll go into mourning the day it ends. For those keeping score, the movies out I'd like to see....WALL-E and the upcoming epic, The Dark Knight.
3. This week brought news that made me happier than I can describe. I think I need medicine. Denny Burk was named Dean of Boyce College, the undergraduate school at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. I'm not a seminary student, nor have I ever attended Boyce, but I know Denny and his wife, Susan. They were active members of our church while Denny pursued his PhD and then left as he accepted a teaching position at the prestigious Criswell College in Dallas. What a sad day. I remember my friend, Christie, and I having dinner and coffee with Denny and Susan shortly before they left. Bittersweet. Denny is a guy who can talk about theology and politics so far above my head that I can't reach it on my tippy toes, but can boil it down to something I can understand in the next breath. And, all this while being hip to the newest pop culture-ism out there. He taught the college class at our church while they were here and the students loved him. Even more than Denny, the love for Susan seemed larger. Every girl wanted a piece of her. I still apply wisdom I learned from Susan to my life today and share it with other women. So often we say good-bye to seminary students we love and never cross paths with them again, aside from our virtual connections, this side of Heaven. A rare treat of having such a great couple back in town is like Heaven on earth.
4. I love the Hallmark channel. I think this may add years to my biological age or decrease my cool factor, but in either case, I'm proclaiming it. Each night at 9pm, Hallmark Channel shows a movie. I can always count on this movie to be clean and maybe even have a sweet romantical story that doesn't scream R rating. Sure, I may shed a few tears, but I've been able to enjoy two hours of no profanity and family-friendly entertainment. I am my Mother's daughter. Man, I feel old.
5. Periodically at the corner outside our office buiding a guy plays his saxaphone. Sometimes it's at lunchtime, and other times it's all day. There is no rhyme or reason to his schedule. My cubical home is positioned by a window above this musical corner, so the minute he starts, we all can hear him. Here in the Infield (what we affectionately call our cube pod) we get serenaded by the smooth jazz tunes of Mr. Sax. At first it was a bit annoying, but now it's like Muzak to our ears.
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