Vacation part 2...

DISCLAIMER: I HAD THE MOST HORRIBLE VACATION I COULD HAVE IMAGINED. I ASK THAT WHILE YOU READ THIS THAT YOU NOT JUDGE MY FRIENDS AS THEY WERE ALSO DRAGGED INTO THE HORRIBLE WEEKEND. IF YOU CAN'T DO THAT THAN DON'T READ ANY FURTHER.

This blog will have perfect illustrations to better allow you to feel how my weekend went...

3:15 AM Thursday morning... I turn off my alarm clock to hit the shower for my 5:12 AM flight out of Manchester. Yes, it is early but I wanted to get to VA as soon as possible because I was going to show Sherry, Beverlee and her son Johnathan how to go Geocaching. Sherry would be picking me up at the airport in Norfolk at 10 AM when my flight came in. The flying weather was absolutely beautiful! I took this picture to show you why I was staring out the window the entire flight to NYC. Well, that and to show you that I was flying on a tiny turbo prop (Dash-8 to be exact) and I loved it since I haven't been in a small plane for a few years. This picture was taken shortly after we took off... still making our way up into the great big sky. I was excited! Flying into NYC is a rare opportunity for me. I normally fly through Detroit or Philadelphia in my all out avoidance of Newark (how many times can a flight be on time or not canceled in that airport - not many from my experience). I was the only weirdo on the flight that wasn't trying to sleep... trying to take pictures instead.

This is what NYC looks like at about 5:45 AM from the sky. Still dark and hard to see in the picture, which is why I like it. We always see pictures of the city when it is either lit up by lights or by the blazing sun. I failed to mention that my carry on luggage (day hiking backpack) was too large to actually carry on to the plane so it had to be stowed in the belly of the aircraft... which was fine with me except for the fact that I didn't really have anything to put my stuff in - you know - cell phone, wallet, camera, gps. So, my lunch box was quite full of not only food, but electronics. When we landed and de-boarded the plane I waited for my carry on bag and headed into the terminal. I looked up to see which gate I should be heading to as my next flight was to be leaving in a few hours and I wanted to explore the airport. To my frustration this is what I saw. Yes, it says that my flight to Norfolk, leaving at 8:03 AM had been canceled. I found a ticketing agent who seemed less than happy to be there and he bumped me onto the next flight out - 11 Am ish so I would be in Norfolk at 1:10 PM. I asked why the flight was canceled and after he did some "research" it was due to "aircraft maintenance". So, at that point in time I thought my ritual prayer that I say prior to every flight I have ever taken (Lord, please let me get home safe and sound. I trust you and know that what ever happens is your decision.) had been answered. So, it was now about 6:30 AM and I figured that Sherry and Bev were up so I texted them to let them know what was going on and to make sure that someone could still pick me up at the airport for our hike. I think they were less than pleased at the time it was but thankful that they could sleep in instead of getting up to get me at the airport.

Oh wait! I failed to mention that this trip was supposed to be my "poor trip". I wanted to visit my friend and godson since I haven't seen them in 6 months. I only decided to go because I found a wicked cheap flight. I was not renting a car or getting a hotel. My friend's brother agreed to let me stay with them and I would use my friend's car while she was at work. I even packed enough food and snacks to get me through the hike (two PB&J's, trail mix, some rice cakes, and an apple). Please remember this part of the blog for the rest of the weekend update.

Well, seeing as it was time for breakfast and my meds I decided to purchase a bagel and coffee from Dunkin's to make my food that I packed last longer. I also decided to get a book to read seeing as I had about 5 hours to kill. Yes, I said a book. I never read. But, I got a book that had been advertised on the airport video monitor and it turned out to be a great book. I also did some work and called the store to see how the schedule was going for the following week and all that fun stuff that I normally do for the store. It was the first call I made to the store on my vacation - a new personal record.

Finally my plane arrived and we were in the air again. NYC was now fully lit by the blazing sun. I was on my way and back on track for a fun filled weekend visiting as many friends as I could!

This is Sherry, Johnathan (Bev's son), and Bev. Yes, more TRU friends! Sherry was kind enough to pick me up from the airport and drive me to get some real food once I got off the plane as I had eaten both sandwiches by 1 pm. We had been discussing Geocaching for over a year and Sherry was so excited to learn how to use her GPS. I had picked out a few that were hidden in First Landing State Park in Norfolk. Johnathan was also informed of the outing and asked his mom to come with us. Bev even got him a GPS of his own so he could learn how to use it and then Geocache with his dad, Schmidt.

I had been to this park before, years ago. I think it is absolutely beautiful. The moss hangs from the trees, making it look like the park has been there for ages, which is probably has. This is my favorite picture from the park. The following picture just shows the beautiful moss that hangs from the trees.
We completed the caches with out much incident. We even spotted what we thought was a cache that we didn't program into my GPS, but it was a letter box instead. It was lots of fun watching Sherry and Johnathan learning how to use their GPS units and the excitement that they showed when they found the caches.

Sherry dropped me off at the VA Beach store around 8pm so that I could check my store email and wait for Irina to pick me up after she got off of work. Yes, more time on vacation spent doing work stuff. I got to visit with Barb K. while I was there and we were talking TRU and about my recent remodel. I went to get some dinner at Atlanta Bread Co. - just like Panera but different. Irina came to pick me up and we went back to her place (her brother's house) to plan the rest of the weekend.

Irina's sister-in-law (we will call her K) is 9 months pregnant with their second child. Child number one is 1. We were all having a great time catching up, I was feeling K's belly when the baby moved (very freaky) and Tomas was finally asleep. Fast forward to about midnight when K get's a phone call from J, K's hubby's mistress. Yes, J decided to tell K everything that was going on and said that M, Irina's best friend in VA was seen at a club with K's hubby (remember that K's hubby is Irina's brother). Well, this is the start of the most horrible part of my horrible vacation.

K decided that it was in the best interest of us all (I am being sarcastic here to avoid getting worked up) to leave her crying 1 year old with us so she could take her 9 month preggo butt to the club to confront the situation. Yes, you are reading this correctly and this is what actually happened. Irina is beyond upset now because she thinks her friend M is involved with her brother. Well about half an hour later K comes home and right behind her is J and J's sister! I have never had any experience with domestic disputes. So, for those of you who are in the same shoes as me please not that this is how those scenes from Cops unfold.

Before I know it I am, with the help of Joe, Irina's cousin, attempting to hold Irina back from J. Long story short - I am actually scared for my safety and the safety of the kids in the house. So, after about 10 minutes I grabbed Joe and told him to get my godson and put him in the car. I started packing what ever clothes I could find that Irina and my godson might need for the rest of the weekend and I run back into the room where the "situation" is going on to yank Irina out of it and tell her to get her butt in the car because we are leaving. On my way out the door the person who started the whole thing by not holding his wedding vows - Irina's brother- thought it would be appropriate to apologize to me for what is going on. I have never in my life gotten in the face of someone. Trust me, I was in his face and told him that they all needed to end this now and that he needed to grow up. I then left the building.

This is where you need to remember that this is my "poor vacation". I am now driving around my sleeping 3 and a half year old godson, my friend, and myself - I am still shaking - looking for a hotel. I figure that I am never going to be coming back to VA after this so why not stay at the ocean front. We stopped at the cheapest place that I could find online... that was too expensive for my blood. So, we went to the Castle. You know those really nasty looking hotels at the beach that makes you wonder who would ever stay in a place like that... well, that is where we ended up that night. It was 1 am and I had been up for 22 hours now. I just wanted to sleep... well, at least attempt to. The motel room was everything you could imagine it to be. Here are the pictures of the bathroom to prove it.

Burnt out lights and half missing toilet paper holder...
7 am rolls around and I am marching myself to the office. Now, the girl at the office gave me a discount the night before but that was not good enough for me. The owner happened to be there and I explained that I was more than disappointed with the quality of the room compared to the price that I paid. He gave some excuse about how they just bought the place a year ago and that they were fixing it up. Ok, Dan (the owner), I can run to Home Depot and have this fixed in 30 mins. I didn't actually say that to him but I sure was thinking it. So, he offered me a discount at his other hotel for the rest of the weekend at the other end of the beach... the Flagship... ohhhhh.

Friday morning we went to the Zoo with my friend Janette and her 3 boys. I had planned this a while ago and I was not going to let the incident from last night ruin my day. The weather was gorgeous and the company was welcomed. I hadn't seen Janette since I moved home from VA about 4 years ago!
Later on that afternoon we go down there to check in. My godson is now napping and M, Irina's friend came to talk to Irina about what supposedly really happened at the club and to offer Irina to move in with her for a few months. I decided that I really shouldn't be there for the conversation and went to the beach. I continued to read my book and as the time passed I grew more aware that I was upset about this whole thing. I was also starting to feel under appreciated by Irina who is addicted to her phone. I was actually in tears on the beach because of all of this - though it hadn't fully hit me yet - and I just wanted to go home. I talked to a few people on the phone and tried to reach a few others. For those of you who know me well, you know that I go out into nature for my spiritual connection instead of going to church every week. So, I decided to talk to the big man upstairs for some guidance.
I decided to stay in VA for the rest of my vacation as planned and make the most of it. I had a talk with Irina about her not spending time with me but instead spending it with her phone and she confirmed that I was not the first person to tell her this and she and I were crying and all was ok. Back on track...

We went out for dinner and out for a walk. My godson is obsessed with going for walks, which is a good thing. We went down the main drive at the ocean front and peeked into some shops. We had great conversation and tried to figure out what she was going to do. I had put my phone on vibrate because I didn't want to get any calls from the store but all I missed was two phone calls from someone who I had been waiting to hear from for about 7 months!!

The rest of vacation turned out ok. We spent Saturday morning and early afternoon at the beach trying to even out my tan for my brother's wedding and watching Tomas play in the sand. He actually likes the water and I took him out to "ride the waves".
Saturday night we went out for Sushi. We ended up at a Japanese Steakhouse... you know the kind of place that has a cooking area right in front of you. It was so tasty! Tomas had never seen anything like this before, of course and I had my camera ready!
We went back to the hotel and then out for out nightly walk around the ocean front. Upon our return to the hotel that night I thought I saw something scurry. I thought I was crazy and convinced myself that nothing can fit where I thought the scurrying occurred. I grabbed my toothbrush case out the the ziplock bag I had stored my toiletries in off the counter in the bathroom only to discover a cockroach in the bag. Yes, a cockroach. I didn't make anything of it because Tomas was in there trying to prepare his tooth brush. I zipped my bag and marched over to the office looking for raid for my little friend. On the way out the door I hear Tomas scream and start to cry because he saw bugs in the bathroom.

Dan was in the office... the owner... from before... Great I thought this should go well. I showed him the critter crawling around my toiletries and asked for a can of raid for him and his buddies back in the bathroom. He didn't sound shocked and tried making up some story about how they just had it sprayed by XYZ company and that they must be trying to get away from the chemical. Uh huhhhh... so I head back to the room with no raid but with the promise that Dan will be right over with something to take care of it, which he did. But, we still had to kill a few roaches over the next hour.
Sunday was pretty relaxed. We went to the Botanical Gardens in Norfolk and saw lots of pretty flowers and sights. We spent lots of time in the butterfly garden looking at tons of butterflies and caterpillars. And of course Tomas was allowed to play in the kids' area for quite some time!

I was relieved to be home very late Sunday night. Nick stayed here the whole weekend to look after the cats and I repaid him by nearly killing him by backing into him with my car. He is ok, but he now knows not to walk across the drive way while I am backing up. My parents took Dutch. However, I did not run over my mom to thank her.

Yes, my vacation was full of drama and this might sound blown out of proportion, but in reality it is very understated. I love going to VA and I can honestly say that I am not sure if I will be going back.

Vacation part 1

A view of the lake from someone else's private property... the joys of trespassing...

Tomorrow I go to VA. That means my vacation is officially half over. It has been good so far! I went to the lake on Sunday. I haven't been up there much this year due to my icky work schedule. It was nice weather, mostly sunny. Not too hot, a nice breeze. Ahhh... relaxing. I ended up going to Wolfeboro for some shopping and just to go. I ended up finding a pair of earrings to go with the dress I will be wearing to my brother's wedding. And, I found a really pretty bracelet to go with it! Of course it is solid sterling silver (I love silver), has a nice swirl... makes my tan look more tan like. I love it! I will even wear it after the wedding!
Monday I convinced my dad to go kayaking down the marsh up by the lake. I never even knew there was a boat ramp there! It was so pretty. I saw a big snapping turtle, some baby fish, and lots of other turtles. Saw a beaver dam and a few beaver huts. We even saw a heron catch a few snacks! We were out for about 3 hours. I would go back again in a heart beat! After lunch I decided that I wanted to go for a hike. So, I got Dutch to put on his harness and off we went to explore our way up to Devil's Den. We didn't make it all the way as Dutch was very tired and dragging. It must be his aging body because his will was there. At one point I stopped to check my GPS to see how far we had gone (testing the "high quality" walkie talkies I got last year) and a Geocache was about 400 feet up the trail. Yay! We met a dirt biker on the trail who just moved there from Colorado. Very nice guy. Dutch was very upset that the guy had a helmet and goggles on and kept trying to "protect his mommy"... good boy!
Tuesday and Wednesday have been just putzing around the house, doing chores and preparing to go to VA tomorrow morning... very early morning (5 am flight).

Dutch found a comfy spot to sit.

Fall is upon us... the big maple in the front yard at the lake.

Me and my dad heading out on the marsh.

Pond at the half way mark between the lake and Devil's Den... a tiny bit away from my surprise Geocache.

So on the way to Devil's Den this book was not here. On the way back it was... freaky.
Ok, so this is hard to see... but this was some sort of structure. I found it in the woods off the trail. It has that opening you can see in the upper middle of the picture. The trench is square, is defined by the rock wall and goes all the way round the center island... perhaps something for water?

There are bricks under the tree roots in the above mentioned island. This had to be here for a while.

It finally might be dead...

I moved into my house 25 month ago. At that time I knew that a few things needed to be done to the house, such as a new roof (got money at closing for that) and the water heater would need to be replaced in a few years. Well, apparently it has been a few years - time creeps up on you faster than you think!

I have a gas powered water heater and it makes a distinct, yet faint, noise when it kicks on. I kept hearing that noise over and over again (every few seconds) last evening. So, I went to inspect the water heater. I found that the temperature of the water had gone down by 40 degrees and that the flame wasn't igniting. Super!

The sad part is that I knew this would be coming. Two days prior, while telling my room mate reasons why I needed to find another room mate, the water heater came up in discussion (that it would be needing to be replaced and I didn't have the money for it). Sometimes I really think that I have psychic abilities.

The repair guy is coming today to tell me the verdict. Either DOA or that is it worth reviving. I have the sneaky suspicion that it is too late for this water heater.

On a good note I discovered how much water you save when you boil a small pot of water to take a sponge bath instead of a shower! More to come when I get more info from the repair guy.

How could I forget?!?!

I started to blog about Katie's bachelorette party but never finished it! How could I forget such an evening?!?! It was a fun night had by all. No strippers, thank God! But, there was plenty of alcohol to go around for those who wanted it. We started our night at the Liberty Hotel (great choice Debby) where Katie had a suite for the evening. It was pretty!

We had some wine and sparkling wine at the hotel room and then ventured out to 75 Chestnut. Very yummy and very strong pineapple martinis. I had one and I was not able to butter my own bread (thanks for helping me out little sis). The food there was excellent so please give them a try if you are in Boston. We then went back to the hotel to change for a night out on the town. Well, they changed and I stayed in what I was wearing.

Alibi is a club in the Liberty Hotel. It is apparently very hard to get into so Debby made reservations. It was kind of stuck up for the kind of partying that Katie wanted to do (club dancing and karaoke). So, after one round we hit the pavement, the T (subway system in Boston), and the pavement some more and ended up at a bar in Faneuil Hall. Katie seemed upset that we were not at a club per say, but at a bar. But, she came around and was dancing and having a grand old time! I had a great night and I am so happy that Katie will be part of the family in only a few short weeks!

Meghan and I getting on the T near her place in Medford.

The group of women after dinner. We think Cousin Brett and the woman in the green on the left would make a good match. We will work our magic at the wedding.

I have been so bad!

I couldn't pass up a picture of me with jail bars. This is as close I will ever be to anything resembling a jail due to my sweetness and innocence.

We didn't go to a club, but Katie did end up on stage.

Take me out to the ball game!

For those of you who didn't know that I won the PSNH green seats for the Fisher Cats' game last night - I did. Thank you to George for nominating me for my efforts to make TRU a more earth friendly company and my work with Autism Speaks.

We had great seats. Now, when I say we I mean Dave (my boss), Matt (my co-manager), Sandy (a BRU store manager) and myself. I took them because they busted their humps for the remodel and I thought it would be a nice way to say thanks! The seats were right behind home plate! Dave took us out for pizza at Sal's before the game and we had some beer and snacks at the game. What fun! I have never been to a baseball game before - not including one in high school. It was pretty fun but I was distracted by different things going on - like the passing trains! It was a great time.

Chicken Man!

Pretty good seats!

Look, a Fisher Cat!

Sandy, Dave, and Matt... my guests.

Sandy with yours truly.

I am crafty!

It was my friend Anna's birthday last week. Our friend Jen had a great idea that we should go to a place where you make your own stained glass. I am not normally a creative/artsy person but this was so much fun and we had a great time helping each other complete their pieces. It was also BYOB so we could enjoy some wine to go with the crafty fun!

I made this for a special someone - I will get it to you when it is done, Mem.

The birthday girl and her masterpiece.
The crew that went to show off our artistic abilities.

After the fun at the glass shop we went back to Jen's beautiful house and watched a few movies and got to know each other a bit better. It was a ton of fun and I highly recommend this activity to any of you looking for something to do with a group of friends for any reason... such as a shower, birthday, or just because!