Nov 18, 2009

~ Remember that time I went on a trip? ~

It's taking me forever to tell you about our trip. Stupid FT job. It takes up all my free time. And even stupider commute, if we're not working or sleeping...we're driving. 11 days until the move!!! It can't come soon enough. We're tired of feeling like prisoners in our own home.

So...to re-cap.

North Carolina

" Will m'lady be needing a box?"

Nascar
Metallica
Churches, churches, churches
Water Falls
So you think you can Dance
Chicken - really that's all they eat.

Next on the adventure was Phoenix. This was a welcome change in temperature. Charlotte was having it's coldest October on record. Of course they were, we were there. Layers layers layers were on tap in Charlotte. Never even looked at the shorts and flip flops.

Phoenix however, a glorious 30 degrees.

There wasn't a direct flight from Charlotte to Phoenix. We had to fly through Cleavland. I don't know much about US Geography...but it seems that Cleavland is not anywhere near Phoenix. I also didn't consider the time zones and all the nonsense. Flight from Charlotte to Cleavland is about an hour. No big deal. Cleavland to Phoenix....I wrongly assumed was about 2...uh, time zones told me otherwise. Flight was more than 4 hours.

Hello Terminator Salvation.

That's what we watched. I'm not a big Terminator fan...but I do appreciate the DNA of Christian Bale. He has a very reclusive manner about him. I'm not attracted to that at all, but in him, its appealing.

Then discovered the humor of The Adventures of Old Christine. I've added it to my list of watching.

Flight, our first one left at 6:00...AM. Those are never fun...you have to get up at like 4 am...that is not a time that I am awake. So I'm dead tired. Spend all of the first flight trying to sleep, but who really sleeps well on an airplane. Plus it was a smaller plane, so it was loud.

Cleavland plane was larger. Three seats, aisle, three more seats. The average size.

Okay, that's it about the flights, cause there was nothing exciting that happened.

Phoenix is the polar opposite to Charlotte. Practically no trees, and if there are some, they're Palm Trees. Crazy amounts of traffic, commerce and big box stores everywhere. Desert, cactus and luscious sunny days.

We got our rental car and headed out for another adventure, and got promptly lost. Now, this was neither intentional nor expected. The map was wrong. That's what I say....where the map showed us, and the GPS, and the signs....and where were actually were...well they didn't match up. Anyway, delayed start to fun in the sun.

Found our condo, couldn't get in. The day is just getting better and better. This was a gated community, which means there's a gate, with a code. It would seem that you need to enter the correct code in order for it to open. I was given a code...it was not correct.

So here we are, in a city that is not our own, loaded with luggage and anticipation...have our home away from home in our sights...can't get in. Call my friend/client/condo owner. No answer. Lovely.

Fortunately nice landscape man not only entered the right code, but told us what it was. It wasn't close to the code she had given us.

FINALLY, we get in. And it's fantastic. Not huge, but well decorated, right by the pool...and we have it all to our selves for the next 5 days.

Feels like 4:00 to us, it's noon.

Went to eat. In and Out Burger. Is the burger coming out of the closet? It was fine.

Put on our swim suits, loaded up on sunscreen, covered up...well I did cause there were 20 maintenance guys repainting the place...and as it was I was a spectacle in my white ness...never named my swim suited-ness.

Ready to lay by the pool, in OCTOBER, work on my tan...and enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

Can't open the gate. Is this sounding like a broken record??!?!? Is there a sneaky guy who thinks it's funny to tell you one code, but that's not actually the code you need....no, it's a completely different code.

So I walk back to the condo, under the watchful eye of the maintenance guys. Casey keeps trying the code, the wrong code, of course. I call friend/client/condo owner again. She gives me the code...it's not the code she originally gave me. This is becoming irritating.

Get back to the pool, Casey is already arranging the loungers and get ready to bask.

"How did you get in? That was the wrong code?

"I reached over the gate and turned the handle"

"Oh"

Rest of the day, basking, eating, and dead asleep by 8:00.

Nov 15, 2009

~ Water Falls and Cooking Craziness ~

The waterfalls in North Carolina.

This is the one from the movie The Last of the Mohicans


So....Saturday night.

Months ago I booked a cooking class. Casey loves to cook and I wanted to do a couples cooking class for his birthday. We were in Phoenix at that time, so last night was when it happened.

If you ever have the chance, it's so much fun. We took a Cookbook Company cooking class, down on 11 Ave. So great. It is a class of 10-12 couples who all cook different dishes and then all sit down to eat a 4 course meal. We made the soup.

We sat with a big table of sisters and their husbands. It was so much fun that we all went out after and laughed harder than I have in a long time. And, as only true friends do, we added each other on FB today...so now we're bonded for life.

Nov 13, 2009

~ Story time gone mad ~

What happens when you have 3 crazy kids, a Blackberry phone, and a mom that thought we'd actually read stories??

Craziness!!





Did you notice Mr. O's new trick?

LOL....hope no one smacks the back of his head...he might stay like that.

Nov 11, 2009

~ North Carolina ~

Since I'm at home today...where the pics are....here are some of my favorite shots from North Carolina.





Nov 4, 2009

~ Day 4 ~


I've been busy and distracted, sorry for the delay.

So Day 4 - We headed to the mountains of North Carolina where there are some amazing water falls. I'd like to show them to you, but it seems they are on my home computer. So pics to follow later. Drove about 2 hours and checked out Looking Glass Falls. Nice, water, falling...fine. Then went farther up through the mountains to see a bigger one. This one was featured in the movie Last of the Mohakians (no idea the spelling on that). You couldn't get really close, but it was still amazing. Over 400 feet high. Again, pics to follow. Daniel Day Lewis was not around, disappointing.

Then headed back, down through South Carolina.

This was Monday and we had tickets to So you think you can Dance. This was held at the same Time Warner Arena that Metallica had been at. Quite the contrast in events. It was okay. We are fans of the show. The live tour is re-do's of dances that were on the show. So, though it was cool to see the people live, and the dances that we enjoyed live, it wasn't screaming unbelievable or anything.