Tour of Toledo

I hope you can see all of the words on his bold billboard. Nate will try to get an internship with him next summer so he can learn how a "bald eagle" that breaks bricks interprets law.


Just down the street from the YMCA. I don't know, it's just jazzy-the turquoise lights, the solid compliment within the title, etc. I could see this as a hair joint up off of President's Circle, the big cheesy U and all...we'll give them time to branch out.

Tell me why Jon is confused. Is he ready for the 4th season? Does he understand what that means? Can he punctuate? My favorite part: The annual "X-Mas Party" and subsequent Super Bowl party annoucements were listed on the marquee until about early May. Sorry we didn't catch it on camera until now.

Liars...

If they look embarrassed, it's probably because they are. Kathryn likes to fight Mal at least every 30 minutes, yet I found them playing nice when I came home for lunch one day. I was anxious to gather any evidence hinting toward friendship. Yes Ruth, they appreciate the craftsmanship of the blanket.

Impatient

I don't know if mine and Nate's sleep schedule could be more different. Saturday morning I woke up around 8:30am, alone. Worried something had happened, I quickly got out of bed and found Nate washing the dishes...hooray! (Dish washing isn't uncommon, I was just relieved everything was okay). Excited at the prospect of being awake at the same time, we went to the YMCA, picked up the house a little bit, then later in the evening ran errands and went out to dinner. In the midst of all that, Nate took a nap to catch up for the morning.

So last night, by the time we got around to watching a movie, I was completely ready for the day's end. I think my body gets frustrated that movies aren't about 25 minutes in length, cause that's usually as long as I last. Surprisingly, I fell asleep before a plot could be established, and I padded off to bed sometime after midnight. I'm not sure when Nate came to bed, but my REM cycles had long since began. Because this disparity in our sleep times is always present, I compromise and normally let Nate sleep in on Sunday mornings even though I want him to be awake when I am. This morning, I'm impatient. It's his birthday, and already he's missed out on so much. So far, I've wrapped his present, messed up a perfectly good banana bread recipe, and watched a cat expel her breakfast. Doesn't he realize all of these things are for him?

Happy Birthday Nate.

Belated Cedar Point News

I get motion sickness. Every year that goes by, it seems to get worse. When Ruth and I went on our cruise to Bermuda, a friend suggested Bonine for said motion sickness (thank you Sylvia). It worked like a charm, but somehow I forgot about it.
Since we have moved to Ohio, Nate has made it clear that he would like to visit Cedar Point. As exciting as it sounded to visit a semi-famous roller coaster park, I imagined a $45 ticket to nausea. Inspiration hit and I found some Bonine at Wal*Mart, so I felt prepared for our Memorial Day trip to Sandusky, Ohio. We left on a Friday night, planning to arrive around 8:30 or 9:00pm. Thanks to my inattention to detail and low blood sugar, we got to the hotel around 10:30pm (yes, one exit too soon can make a difference). Nothing much was open, so Nate and I toddled over to the local Mickey D's and started our weekend away off right.
Nate and I decided Sandusky/Huron Ohio would be lovely areas to live, if one could find a job. I guess I would feel the same about Toledo, except we'd have to find really good jobs and an exclusive neighborhood.
The first full day we were in Sandusky, we headed for Cedar Point. I hadn't heard much about the place, just something from the travel channel*. We managed to get stuck hanging half upside down (and not in any danger), but my mind was tempted to wonder if it would happen later, at a less opportune moment and on a more frightening ride. It didn't and it turned out the most traumatizing event of the day would occur in the line for an indoor roller coaster, complete with black lights and fluorescent "decoration" (that's how it always happens, right?). Anyway, although my stomach was more sound than I had hoped for, I still got a bit nauseous after too many quick lines, so by the time we made it in to the hot, dark line for the Disaster Transport, I was feeling crazy. A group of "14 year old boy" smelling boys behind us didn't help much either. I kept covering my face, leaning on Nate, and looking for, then considering the nearest exit for my escape. In retrospect, I couldn't have been much more fun that a crying toddler (or 14 year old boy), but I guess it's a great test for later on, right?
I ended up surviving the entire day and we stayed right until the park closed; we rounded off the evening by jump starting a German guy's German car and eating at...McDonald's. Embarrassing, but I did choose something different from the menu.

The next day Nate and I took lots of naps, and discovered other sights around town; that evening we went to TGI Friday's near Cedar Point. We arrived, and watched while 4 hostesses dug around in someone's makeup purse and chatted. Nate asked how long the wait was. Hostess: 25 minutes. Nate: Okay Hostess: Do you still want to be on the list?? We were called five minutes later, so I decided a smug look was in order as we passed the Clinique counter. My dinner was tasty, Nate's was not, so we decided that dessert would act as the equalizer. I ordered a piece of oreo cake. The waitress decided it would be a positive selling point to add: "Do you know how many calories that has??? EIGHT HUNDRED". I'm not a violent person, but I suddenly wondered if my feelings were close. (Sorry to ruin it for everyone else, but I figure you make as well share my pain). I laughed and smiled politely...and ordered my cake.


*The availability of this channel in a hotel room is half the vacation for Nate

Breaking my rule...for Ruth

My sister Ruth has asked me to clarify and introduce the cats. The last few weeks we've unfortunately been through a few cats and even more names, so here's the final word...for now.

This is Maleficent, the newest addition to our family. She is about 2 years old and tiny; she meows a ton as if she is a bit disgruntled; maybe it's because I often feel the same way, but I'm a fan of her vocal complaints. My friend Jessica is responsible for her name; we call her Mal for short.

This is Kathryn, the survivor from our original pair. She was originally Thomasina, so I've called her Thom for the last 2 weeks. Nate found it creepy to pick up and nuzzle a female animal with the same name as my brother (Tom), so we made a switch. Before we even decided on Thom, we had called her "cat" for a while, so we figured Kathryn was pretty close.

So...there you go. Tom and Stacey, send over your favorite kitty cross stitch, we are ready. :)

Christmas in July

Christmas in July at the Wal*Mart Fabrics and Crafts department was a special time... freight suddenly consisted of : cinnamon and apple scented potpourri in regular and liquid form, cheesy red/green/gold traced fabric bolts, and if we were lucky, snowmen and santa dolls one could put on the piano and bookcase. While I enjoyed the variety, it helped me realize I was that much closer to the beginning of the school year. And while today I have the benefit of working a low paying job once again, I don't really ever have a school break, therefore don't require a change-up at work to help me adjust to the imminent year of classes ahead.

The last six heavenly weeks I've been taking a class online. Not as much $4.00 gas to buy, no Michiganites to mix with-it's been great. This bit o heaven was expected to continue until at least mid-July. I was informed last week that there was a miscommunication with my classes, and while I will still earn credit for my last course taken, I now have the opportunity to drive to Michigan and hang with the locals once more. Sigh. Nothing could be done, yet I became the student I always hated anyway..."are you sure there isn't anything else we can do...please??" I've attended my first week of Family, Couple, and Child Counseling. I have been looking forward to this class for a while, so I'm not complaining (completely), but I'm still not ready to respect an instructor with the first name of "JoMo". I keep wanting to say "MoJo", and while this should seem worse, I am about equal with the names. MoJo is a good instructor, but way intense about APA writing style; he also verifies comprehension by repeating his last sentence, but leaves a few words out; kinda like a MadLib, but more like a repetitive, not funny MadLib. Example-MoJo: "Okay, so the headings should be spaced 3 inches apart. So, the ________ (class fills in) should be _______(yep, we're on) inches _______ (not exaggerating too much)". I must give him credit, because it forced me to remember items, yet later I found myself wanting to speak the same way. I really ______ my current class, cause it's _______. So there.

Witches sailing through the sky...

After our downer of a week, we set out yesterday afternoon to find Thom a friend. So back to the Humane Society we went. We were in our church clothes because we had just returned from the Columbus Temple, so I was a bit nervous to get too involved with cats (my skirt has a lot of uneven edges that could've been tempting). Luckily, we found one we liked quickly, went to the play room (future owners are required to be alone with the cat...for an interview?), and watched a black cat chase a fly with impressive accuracy. We were sold on her, but not the name (Boo Boo), so we took the cat and left the name. Last night after we got home, we learned what having a black cat means...in the course of a couple of hours, our friends' bikes and our car were locked in a garage we can't open, Thom escaped to the basement and sustained a scratch wound (we think of her own doing, but it was still a bit scary), and I chipped yet another mug. The last incident was hardly devastating; however, since being in Toledo we have made quick work of breaking all of our glasses and at least one mug, so our drinking vessels are becoming endangered. The bikes and car are still locked in, Thom's wound has been cleaned and dressed, and the mug is resting in our cupboard, safe from harm's way. Because she is a bit riled by the newcomer, Thom has taken to hiding under a table, waiting to attack either an unsuspecting ankle or an innocent gato negra. Nate mentioned all of our issues could be due to the hue of our new Halloween cat...we will be holding a trial next week.

Fallen Soldier

I have internally made a solemn promise to not devote my blog to cats, but I must update a few matters. My last entry introduced Paddington to our family. Unfortunately he wasn't doing well (he wouldn't eat) so he had spent a while at the vet while they watched him. He didn't ever improve, so he was put to sleep last week. How can one get attached after a few days? Well, we did and we miss him. :(