Big Screen TV

We aren't moved in enough for me to show pictures; instead I'll show off my picture taking "skills". (It was luck that the squirrel joined the photo). Needless to say, the kitties love the new expanded viewing windows to the outside world.

Staging

We are moving...down the street! For the remainder of our time in Toledo, we will be house sitting for some friends who are moving to Columbus for school. It's a beautiful home and I'd like to feel like we are helping them out, but I struggle with changes and I struggle with lifting things I don't want to. We still have quite a bit left to do, but we've been gradually packing up the house in prep for a big move coming next weekend. For those of you who are curious how the cats are helping:

She who must not be named

Phyllis....
just to update those who haven't heard my rant, I'm carless again, in a sense. See, I have Phyllis, but she's illegal to drive. I truly wish it was as exotic as it sounded. A week and a half ago, I drove downtown to the DMV to get the car registered. While waiting for Nate in the parking lot, some chic threw the door of her Cadillac open and hit Phyllis. I wanted it to be my turn to hit...something? I got out of the car, checked it out and fortunately there is no damage. It was also really nice to hear no words of apology from the culprit. Anyway...

So we first found out that Phyllis is a salvage car. Ask me if I care 3 weeks ago...no. Ask me if I care today, yes! Apparently, in Ohio, a salvage car is kind of the unwanted stepchild (I'd say red haired stepchild, but I happen to really like red hair). With a salvage car, one needs to first purchase a salvage title for the state we live in (car was originally from Wisconsin), then one must purchase an "inspection packet". In this case a "packet"=a receipt that says I've paid $50 for a highway patrolman to check out my car....in a month. I called and the soonest appointment available was September 16. Huzzah! So on top of all that, I'd been driving this car illegally for 2 weeks with no idea...the one time I'm totally risky, I don't even realize it; shameful.

I've been without a car for an additional 2 weeks, and I'm getting more walks in, and (hopefully) getting a bit more patient with waiting for rides. After a bit of time, I've come to terms with my resting car in the garage. I haven't come to terms with my feelings toward the DMV, but luckily I've got plenty of time to do so.

On the bright side of all of this, we took Phyllis in for a physical and she only needed a bolt and a back tail light replaced. I need to find more bright sides to this...I'll let you know when I think of them.

Introducing Phyllis

I'm happy about my new car. I am. I'm happy that, for the most part, my interaction with State Farm is now at a normal level. Hopefully, I'll never have to tell another claims adjuster that I want to file my claims through the other person's insurance. I won't have to remind them that the accident wasn't my fault ever again. Right?

A week and a half ago, we found a car that I liked and was in our price range. We bought it from a guy from Ann Arbor who seemed honest enough and very emphatic about political awareness. Since Nate and I are almost apolitical, our conversations were short...

So, without further ado, I introduce my 2001 Toyota Corolla, Phyllis!

She's a good car, and it's exciting to have my own car again. However, I don't trust her yet. I knew Carol's history, what I'd had fixed, what noises she made and approximately how much it would cost to get those noises fixed. With Phyllis, I don't know...there are noises, some are harmless enough, but honestly, I'm not really sure how harmless they are. According to my dream last night, the repairs (my car died on an imaginary road trip) would be anywhere from 1500.00 to 2000.00. I can't quite get those numbers out of my head, so I still feel nervous. I really shouldn't pay attention to my dreams though; if I did that, there's a 10 story high semi truck (made of bricks/cement) driving around downtown Chicago. I saw it!

I'm sure I'll get over my fears of a new car soon; welcome to the family, Phyllis!

Toronto!

Last weekend, Nate and I headed North to Canada to see what was so great about it. Turns out there's a lot. Here's a few of the pictures of some of the things we got to see/do.

My main motivation for the trip was to see Depeche Mode in concert. It had been rainy but cleared up in time for us to park it on a stretch of wet lawn (we came prepared). We were lucky enough to sit by some friendly/drunk Canadians. Turns out it's acceptable to toast the performing band with a half full cup of beer in Canada as well. The concert itself? Awesome.

If my smile looks strained, it's really fear. I'm sitting on the glass floor of the observation area of the CN tower. At that point, we are about 1135ft up. Heights freak Nate out, and I felt brave until we got to this floor. It's crazy looking that far down.

Horseshoe Falls, Canada side. The Canadians really got the better end of the deal on this, so I'm glad we entered from the Canadian side. Nate and I found ourselves saying "our side" in regard to the Canadian Falls. I'm not sure how we became so quickly superior to our own nationality, but it seemed like the right thing to do.

Niagara Falls, American side; Bridal Veil Falls. This picture is from our journey on the Maid of the Mist. If you look carefully, you can see the little ant people (in yellow) traipsing around the base of the falls. Silly Americans...

Nate and I after our journey on the Maid of the Mist. It should be called the Maid of the Possibly Ruining your Camera because of the Water or Maid of the Anxious Tourist Passengers. Or just the Maid of the Wet. My jeans were soaked* with water by the time this ride was over.

*how you know you are having a good time-eh Ruth?

Me looking down into the water below the falls. This stretch of water is purportedly some of the most deadly rapids in the world. While at the CN Tower, Nate discussed his fear of heights; here I realized the extent of my fear of water.

After our water looking, we took a break to rest our feet. It quickly became a celebration of one's feet drying. Eventually, I gave in (not in the same fashion) and let mine dry off a little.

We waited for it to get dark so we could see the falls at night. Our camera was dying, but we managed to get some really cool shots of the lights they project onto the falls.

Before we left for home, we walked back to Brookfield Place for lunch and a photo shoot. It's a great building and it was fun to pretend Nate was just taking a lunch break from his high rise office. Nah, that doesn't sound fun either...we were just in Sunday clothes.

Me checking out the outside of what we finally figured out to be a restaurant. I like a little Chihuly anytime, but I hoped their decoration didn't represent any of the food served there.

We love Toronto!

I'll take a cabbage duvet with the matching shams

Last weekend, Nate and I went to the Polish Festival on Lagrange street in Toledo. It was definitely something that we did.

Liz posing in front of a tiny Ferris wheel. Look at the guy behind me-he could totally grab the top if he jumped a lil.

The church that Nate was scoping out when a guy offered to take a picture with the two of us. I awkwardly ignored him and Nate eventually said "no, we don't look very good" (we were some of the best dressed festival goers). After comparing notes with each other, we came to the conclusion that we were both concerned about the dude stealing our camera.

Because we wasted/used some of our precious cash on the entrance fee, we had to be strategic with our dinner choices. I opted for a "pig in a blanket" because I loved those at Midvalley* and it carried the attractive sticker price of only $3. If the picture of my dinner looks more like fake/real Halloween organs, it's because it did when I ate it as well. I was afraid, but I lucked out and it was really quite tasty**. For the record, blankets =cabbage to this crowd, so careful when considering any bedding purchases next time you are in Poland, even if they are less expensive (say, $3 or so).

*I should've been afraid then as well

**what my mom says when something is good for you and tolerable

Poor Nate. Ever the adventurous one, he went for the big ticket item, the $4 kielbasa. Before he ordered, Nate asked the 14 year old girl taking his cash if the kielbasa was any good. "Sure", she said. That should've been his first clue. After finding a spot of grass the ants really found homey, we sat down and Nate dug in. After the first bite, he started eating faster, so I knew it was gross. He's eaten entire meals he's hated and I've never had a clue. Because I'm so impressed by his ability to lie with food*, I now make it a game to see if I can tell. One of the signs of hatred is speed eating. To top it off, the soggy bun was made with rye bread. Nate hates rye just about as much as he hates Winnie the Pooh. (that's a whole lot, I'm sad to say).

*Ruth once tried to tell me how good the jalepeno corn dogs that we bought at a gas station were. She ate all of hers and seemed more determined after I stopped at one bite. I assume she's learned her lesson by now.

As we were walking back to our car, we saw this guy. He was carrying a totally greasy funnel cake that I assumed he'd enjoy once he got home. I thought he was really cute and I was impressed with his reckless food choice.

The Toledo sunset we enjoyed on our way to Panera for a salad after we left the Polish Festival.

It's like a fun crash...

Nate in the birthday stocks

For a belated birthday celebration, Nate and I had planned to visit Cedar Point this past Saturday. My little neck injury (read: soreness) made me a bit nervous. PLUS, several of the attorney's brochures asked a valid question: "how do I k now if I've been hurt?". It's called a hospital. You visit. They check you out and tell you to take some ibuprofen. At least that's what I thought. Apparently, I could have waited a week after the accident, called an attorney's office and have one of their nurses on staff check me out. Shoot. Maybe next time.

My collection of options...

Anyway, we decided to follow through with our original plans and we weren't disappointed. The weather was great, we actually wore sunblock, and somehow managed to survive 12 hours in a roller coaster park that boasts the best rotating tattoo design collection in the state of Ohio. Impressive, guys.

Okay, you can't see the tattoo very well in the picture, but the guy has a bull ring in his nose. It must've been new, cause he kept smushing his face up against it-you can almost see that in the picture.

Speaking of bull rings, who doesn't love cows???

We visited Cedar Point last year and were excited to return to find rides we'd missed out on. One such gem is called "Mean Streak". "Mean Streak" is a horrible wooden roller coaster that should be burned (in a controlled setting) down. After the first hill, I wanted to jump out; my spinal column was jarred to the point of tears. My friend Lyndsay compared the roller coaster to being thrown down a flight of wooden stairs. My only question to her: how would you know.

I must've had a feeling about this one-this picture was taken before we got on the roller coaster

Because of a slushee and my motion sickness pills, I stayed hydrated and somewhat healthy. However, I noticed on some of the rides that I experienced extreme fear...like, "this may be my last moment, at least Nate is here" type of thoughts. I realized that a lot of roller coasters/rides feel much like a fun, controlled car crash. My (hopefully) temporary fear of collision hasn't gone away, and it may not for a little while. Monday I found out my car will in fact be totaled, so we'll be shopping soon. On the bright side, all this car business makes Cedar Point seem not so expensive...I mean, can State Farm offer me a $5 pretzel that includes cheese?

Although not a roller coaster, this ride freaked me out...but it was fun. :)