Monday, March 31, 2008
Tuesday was another nice day. We decided to go visit Boca Grande, a nice little ritzy town about 1/2 hour away. I always like walking around the village and this year we went to the lighthouse at their public beach but it was too windy to hang out there.
We really weren't dressed for lunch at the place that Bill wanted to try so we headed back and stopped at an old favorite, Prime Time. They were closed so we happened upon Barnacle Bill's. Now, this is a place that Bill Legg, not Barnacle, always made fun of but it always has a line. It's a tiny place but they had one table left and lots of seafood specials. I had some great peel and eat shrimp and chowder and everyone else got seafood related dishes, except Bill. He ordered a beef sandwich, kinda like a philly steak, and it was huge. Humongous. He seemed to enjoy it and says he'll go back for it.
Since we had a late lunch, we planed to visit Zydeco a bit later but KC ended up deciding she didn't want to go. I think she was a bit worried how the kids would be with a late supper since they hadn't napped. So Sarah and I ended up walking to Vino Loco, a new wine and tapas bar in downtown Englewood. It was very nice, we ended up splitting five or six small plates and was full. We both hope they make it, its a new place and a lot of little restaurants struggle in the off season.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Monday in Florida. We headed to the beach Monday morning, it was a beautiful day for a St. Patrick's Day. You need to get to this beach early; its a state park and parking fills up quick. But first we had to stop by a beach shop and get Henry a bathing suit, someone forgot to pack his and hers. We walked to a nice spot, dug a hole for the umbrella and settled in. Going to the beach in March isn't like the summer, you really don't go in the water and swim. It's more of getting your feet wet, walking and building sand castles. Henry likes the beach but doesn't love it. Jack was a little hesitant about the sand. But we had fun.
Bill, Sarah, Henry and I went back to the Tiki Bar that afternoon for a couple cold ones. That evening, we celebrated St. Patrick's Day by visiting Kelly's in downtown Englewood. Henry got some cool beads and we sat outside at the one table. Perfect for a family with two little ones.
Sarah and I have been talking about retirement lately. The real estate swoon has really made us consider buying something somewhere. I don't know if that's in Florida or buying a bigger house here but we have some time to kick it around this year.
My dream is actually to buy a sailboat and sail around the Caribbean during the winter months in my early retirement. In the summer months, we could live on it in Key West or take it up the east coast and visit places there. I'm not sure what we are going to do with Sarah retiring with me or at a later date. My goal is to retire at 62 and Sarah will only be 49 years old then. Plenty of time to decide those issues. Who knows, by then I might not want to sail.
My dream is actually to buy a sailboat and sail around the Caribbean during the winter months in my early retirement. In the summer months, we could live on it in Key West or take it up the east coast and visit places there. I'm not sure what we are going to do with Sarah retiring with me or at a later date. My goal is to retire at 62 and Sarah will only be 49 years old then. Plenty of time to decide those issues. Who knows, by then I might not want to sail.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Braces are on. The procedure was quick and pretty painless. It feels weird to have something essentially glued to your teeth connected by a wire but its not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Pain got worse as the day went on but Advil is helping some. I go back to the orthodontist in a month for a new wire or tightening or something, the assistant says I might see a change as recent as then.
I will say that the stories about food getting stuck in your braces are true. It's really disgusting, rinsing after a meal and seeing everything that is still in there.
I will say that the stories about food getting stuck in your braces are true. It's really disgusting, rinsing after a meal and seeing everything that is still in there.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Fire Ants. Monday morning we woke up and headed to the Placida Seafood Festival. We had always just missed it in past years so I was looking forward to going although Bill said it wasn't much. We parked in a grassy field and waited for the cars to go by on the street near the festival. That's when Henry started screaming. I was holding his hand and looked down to see ants all over his feet and shoes. Unfortunately he was wearing Crocs and if you have ever seen a pair you know they have holes in them. I started swatting the ants away and Sarah worked on the other foot. Henry was yelling bloody murder and crying and then I started getting bit. Not a pleasurable experience.
We went to the First Aid tent and the lady there told us that he should be taken to the emergency room. They didn't have anything for ant bites or stings but several people walking by did. Henry was kinda in shock at this point but he wasn't crying any longer. A guy with the EMS came by and I was walking back to take Henry somewhere to get some strong salve when he told me not to get too worried about it. He said to watch him to make sure there were no allergic reactions and to put some ice on his feet to keep down the swelling. So we stayed at the festival. The ice and sting wipes kept the bites from swelling but Henry wanted to be carried the rest of the time.
We walked around a bought a couple crabs in the crab race. Unfortunately we didn't win but I bought a nice sailor's flag belt for $15. Henry eventually walked, albeit on his tiptoes. It was hilarious, he was tiptoeing around looking for more ants.
A few days later, I counted the red marks and there were over 40 bites. Henry was really a brave little boy in the end though, I was proud of him and relieved that he wasn't allergic to ants. Had Sarah been bitten, we would likely have been at the hospital with her low threshhold for pain.
On the way home, we stopped by the Stump Pass Grille, or the Tiki Bar as we call it (Henry calls it the Tinki Bar). It's on Lemon Bay and is nice, live music, pitchers of beer, etc. They had a ring game that Henry loved playing, a ring on the end of a fishing line that you swing and try to hook on a hook. Our last day in Florida, Henry hooked it 15 times. I registered a total of 2 and we went to the Tiki Bar four times. http://www.stumppassgrille.com/
I'm off to the basketball game tonight (9:00 p.m....ouch) and get my braces on tomorrow morning. Should be a fun 12 hours.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Tonight I had a vodka and caviar tasting event at Mortons. Oh la la. I'm not too into caviar but it was a fun event with other great food. So, the fire ant story will have to wait until tomorrow night. Although tomorrow I'm going to the Ohio State v. University of Dayton basketball game in the AT&T loge. I might wear my UD hat and a OSU shirt... Here's a few photos from Florida:
Monday, March 24, 2008
We were supposed to leave Columbus at 7:00 a.m. the Saturday before last to head to Florida. That's an early wakeup call, especially for two little ones. I knew we were in trouble when I saw the fog, think as pea soup and worse then I had seen it in a while. My Durango has fog lights but I've probably only turned them on 3 or 4 times but they were on that morning.
Security is a pain with two kids, car seats and a stroller. Plus the carryon bags we had. Henry wondering why he had to take off his shoes, me having to take the DVD players out of its case, etc. It was pretty apparent that no planes were taking off or landing once we got to our gate. The waiting game began. Once I knew we were going to miss our connecting flight out of Baltimore to Tampa, I started calling Southwest. I eventually got us on a 2:45 out of Columbus to Orlando and jumped on it, even though Sarah's upgrade cost $75. Henry and I were flying on frequent flyer tickets. Our flight to Baltimore ended up leaving at 10:30 or so but SW was telling me that we would have to fly standby there to get to Florida. With Spring break, I didn't want to chance it.
As luck would have it though, the 10:30 direct flight to Tampa was delayed too so I got on the standby flight for it. Then we waited. We ate at Chili's. I had a beer although I had wanted to wait until Florida. At that point, we had been at the airport six hours.
The flight left at 2:00 and the Briggs family was on it. Someone had to give up an aisle or window seat so that Henry and Sarah (holding Jack) could sit together. When we landed in Tampa, I canceled our car in Orlando that I had ordered and called Payless in Tampa and told them we had arrived late. They told me they had canceled our car. I was furious but couldn't do anything, I hadn't put down a credit card or anything. I guess that's why you Payless. So we lugged our stuff to rental car row, I picked Avis and they rented me a 3 row SUV for the same price as the minivan was going to cost, plus it was onsite and we didn't have to take a shuttle. Deal.
We arrived in Englewood at 6:30. Not too bad considering our previous ETA was 2:00. But they day was shot, we were exhausted and it was pizza for dinner. The Briggs family slept soundly on Saturday night.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Interesting thing happened tonight as I was checking my American Express bill online. There was $2395.99 of fraudulent charges on Sarah's card, all in the New Orleans area, over the last week. We aren't liable for any of it but it still is upsetting. Sarah used her card twice in New Orleans in January but she still has it, someone must have copied her number at Arnauds or Pat O'Briens and somehow replicated her card because a lot of the charges were small, McDonalds, etc. Places that you would have to produce a card. Strange but thanks to American Express and good luck tracking down the gal who is impersonating Sarah at the Jazz Casino and other places.
We are back from Florida. We ended up staying until Sunday afternoon instead of Saturday morning and it gave us almost two extra days. Oh the stories I have to tell, beginning with a fog at Columbus airport which delayed our flight to fire ants to fishing. But they'll have to wait, I'm tired after a long day and need to do some other stuff on the computer.
Friday, March 14, 2008
We are off to Florida tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. I'm sure the weather in Ohio will continue to get nice, that usually happens. So there will be no posts for the next seven days and then probably a flood of photos and stories when we return the following Saturday.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
I just returned from IL again, 3 hours later than I was supposed to arrive. Considering I flew Southwest and they've been all over the news for not doing inspections, I guess I'm lucky I'm here at all.
My day began with the alarm in the next room going off around 6:00 a.m. I could hear it clear as day. They guy hit the snooze button, once, twice...six times in total. And I heard the alarm every time. One thing about hotels, people really need to be considerate of their "neighbors". I thought of that as I slammed my elbow into the headboard to make sure he was awake after that sixth snooze button...
My day began with the alarm in the next room going off around 6:00 a.m. I could hear it clear as day. They guy hit the snooze button, once, twice...six times in total. And I heard the alarm every time. One thing about hotels, people really need to be considerate of their "neighbors". I thought of that as I slammed my elbow into the headboard to make sure he was awake after that sixth snooze button...
Monday, March 10, 2008
Sunday, March 09, 2008
I have some photos to post tonight. Not too much going on this weekend, we were snowed in like most people this weekend. Church was even cancelled today and I was supposed to go to a baptism class. Of course, Sarah's trip to Chicago was also cancelled. Henry and I did some science experiments yesterday, it was fun. It's a winter wonderland out there. Jack has a little cold and Henry is probably tired of being inside although we did go sledding today.
Friday, March 07, 2008
We just got a new computer and I'm very happy with it. It runs Windows Vista and along with my Xbox has some neat streaming options. It obviously can stream all my cds which are on my computer and the 20 or so videos I have put on it. That's a great feature that allowed us to pack away our actual cds in the basement and use the computer as a "jukebox". But the new cool thing on it is you can stream video from the internet through the computer through the xbox to your tv. So there are all kinds of options, movie trailers, sports highlights, concerts. It'll be a fun thing to play around with. I just wish I would have gotten a tv tuner in my computer because you can use it as a DVR and record tv on your hard drive and then access it through the tv in another room. Oh well, next time.
We got 5 or so inches of snow today and Sarah's flight to Chicago was cancelled today. Almost all flights were cancelled today and Southwest isn't even booking for tomorrow. We are supposed to get hammered tonight and tomorrow morning so we'll see. I went out to pick up some dinner tonight and the roads were okay. Certainly no reason to close Tuttle Mall but they did.
We got 5 or so inches of snow today and Sarah's flight to Chicago was cancelled today. Almost all flights were cancelled today and Southwest isn't even booking for tomorrow. We are supposed to get hammered tonight and tomorrow morning so we'll see. I went out to pick up some dinner tonight and the roads were okay. Certainly no reason to close Tuttle Mall but they did.
I met with the orthodontist this morning. 8-10 months and I'll be done. Seems like a small price to pay. Speaking of prices, that doesn't seem small. $4400 for everything. I'll actually pay for it out of my FSA so it'll be pre-tax dollars so I figure the actual cost is about $3000. Of course, then I'll need some work with my regular dentist, who knows what that will cost.
All in the name of a nice smile...
All in the name of a nice smile...
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Well, I don't have a lot to write about. Sarah is in D.C. and the kids are in bed. I'm getting a much needed break. We leave for Florida a week from Saturday. That can't get here soon enough.
I did go to the dentist today to get a filling replaced. I told him it was time to fix my teeth. He said he thought I would have to wear braces for 6-8 months. I wasn't happy because if I had known it was going to be such a small time commitment I would have done this years ago. So I'm headed to the orthodontist on Friday. Then back to my dentist on Monday to get a GOLD filling in the back of my mouth. I didn't even know they still did that; I've been getting all my old fillings replaced with a white polymer but my dentist said he prefers to use gold in that location since no one will see it. Too bad, I really wanted the rapper look.
Sarah is headed to Chicago this weekend. She's had two friends recently get engaged and another pregnant. I'm sure they'll have a crazy time there but she's not drinking so who knows. It's been 8 weeks since we quit.
I did go to the dentist today to get a filling replaced. I told him it was time to fix my teeth. He said he thought I would have to wear braces for 6-8 months. I wasn't happy because if I had known it was going to be such a small time commitment I would have done this years ago. So I'm headed to the orthodontist on Friday. Then back to my dentist on Monday to get a GOLD filling in the back of my mouth. I didn't even know they still did that; I've been getting all my old fillings replaced with a white polymer but my dentist said he prefers to use gold in that location since no one will see it. Too bad, I really wanted the rapper look.
Sarah is headed to Chicago this weekend. She's had two friends recently get engaged and another pregnant. I'm sure they'll have a crazy time there but she's not drinking so who knows. It's been 8 weeks since we quit.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
I'm really proud of Henry's reading ability. We have been reading the "First Reader" books now for a couple of weeks and he's really getting good at recognizing words. It's going to be really hard to keep him out of kindergarten this fall but both Sarah and I are committed to starting him later. I'm not even sure we have a choice in the matter with a Sept. 5 birthday. Regardless, he'll be reading by the time he starts and probably ahead of 50 percent of the other kids.
