I'm not a big fan of Halloween. I just can't resist the candy. I don't like to pass out treats (pretzels this year) to the kids that ring the doorbell. It drives the dogs and cats crazy and Marcia isn't here this time to hand the treats out. She likes to see the little kids in their costumes.
When I was a kid I never really liked to dress up for Halloween either. We used to have to do it for school and have a parade around the playground. My mom was pretty creative in coming up with costumes, but I've never really liked to wear them.
Going trick or treat was okay, but we were only allowed to go to the homes of people we knew. Since we lived overseas (on base) when I was this age, that was pretty easy to do and mom and dad knew a LOT of people.
Going through the candy at the end of the night was interesting. Mom would get most of the ones with coconut (I never liked Almond Joy or Mounds) and she would steal a few of the Snickers. My brother and I would trade some of our candy with each other. Candy corn was (and still is) my favorite. I, of course, would eat my candy fairly quickly. My brother would parcel his out slowly and then when mine was gone he would bribe me with candy to play with him. I would take the candy and find a way to get out of playing as fast as possible. We were both bad.
Not my favorite time of the year, but always good memories. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
SINGLE MOTHERHOOD
Marcia left at 4am to catch a plane to head to Boston to visit her mother. Yes, I get along just fine with Marcia's family, but I leave in two weeks for Egypt and can't afford any more time off.
So I'm a single mother to seven babies for the next five days. The whole week before she left Marcia was giving me reminders about their feeding schedules, their medicines, their treats, their potty times, etc. Makes it sound like I never do anything with the babies doesn't it? I do things like buy the food, keep the food containers full, and keep us in a steady supply of kitty litter. I don't usually deal with all of these other items.
I had to set my alarm thirty minutes earlier so I can take care of the kitty feedings, get the dogs outside, pass out doggie medicine and treats, and give Grayson his medicine. Pee pee pads for the dogs are changed, one cat put on the patio to take care of her business, Tigger takes care of whatever the kitties left on their plates.
I just did the dinner run. Feed the dogs (with appropriate meds), clean the litter boxes while they are eating, and then take them outside separately to take care of business. Then the kitties wanted some treats and Joel is pestering his sister Bindi.
I really don't think we pay Laurel enough when she stays here and takes care of them when we are gone.
I still have the bedtime routine to do tonight as well--another potty run, fresh water, treats, more medicine for Grayson.
Marcia is sure I'm going to forget something, so I had to run down and list everything I did today to make sure I had it all covered.
Sigh, four more days to myself (sort of)...
So I'm a single mother to seven babies for the next five days. The whole week before she left Marcia was giving me reminders about their feeding schedules, their medicines, their treats, their potty times, etc. Makes it sound like I never do anything with the babies doesn't it? I do things like buy the food, keep the food containers full, and keep us in a steady supply of kitty litter. I don't usually deal with all of these other items.
I had to set my alarm thirty minutes earlier so I can take care of the kitty feedings, get the dogs outside, pass out doggie medicine and treats, and give Grayson his medicine. Pee pee pads for the dogs are changed, one cat put on the patio to take care of her business, Tigger takes care of whatever the kitties left on their plates.
I just did the dinner run. Feed the dogs (with appropriate meds), clean the litter boxes while they are eating, and then take them outside separately to take care of business. Then the kitties wanted some treats and Joel is pestering his sister Bindi.
I really don't think we pay Laurel enough when she stays here and takes care of them when we are gone.
I still have the bedtime routine to do tonight as well--another potty run, fresh water, treats, more medicine for Grayson.
Marcia is sure I'm going to forget something, so I had to run down and list everything I did today to make sure I had it all covered.
Sigh, four more days to myself (sort of)...
Friday, October 15, 2010
Friday
What a beautiful day today in Gainesville!!! Sunny but not hot, nice breeze. I'll take it.
I'm spending my afternoon being a domestic goddess. Don't laugh!! I'm on the third load of laundry and I made a triple batch of spaghetti sauce that is being canned in pints as I write. Makes for some easy dinners when we are busy.
Under 4 weeks until we leave for Egypt. I am so ready to go. The documents came by email yesterday and caused about 20 hours of anxiety. The flight to Frankfurt had been changed to three hours later than originally planned and there was very little chance we would make the connection to Cairo in only 30 minutes of layover. There was no way our luggage would have made it. We would have been put on a later Egypt Air flight and would have arrived in Cairo at 5am, after travelling for two days.
I get an email today telling me of a schedule change, but a different one than the one I discovered last night. Either Gate 1 or Lufthansa changed us to United and we leave at the same time and arrive at the same time (pretty much), but going through Dulles. We didn't want to have to change planes, as every time you change a plane your luggage has a higher likelihood of getting lost. I'm just going to pack a bigger carry-on to cover that possibility and think good thoughts instead.
The next problem was that the new reservation didn't have assigned seating. I took care of that by phone but all of the good seats (2 seats instead of the 5 across) were already taken. I owe Elaine big now as she will let me have the aisle seat and she will be the one squished next up to someone else on the other side.
Let's pray they don't change anything else!!
Now, for my Friday night...Marcia is going to an awards banquet and I'm staying home and doing research for the trip. I'm watching "The Mummy". I claim it is for research, but Marcia knows it is because I like to look at Rachel Weis for 2 hours. The things I have to sacrifice in order to be prepared for this trip! A bottle or two of the hard cider I found will also be available for my sustenance. Good thing I get to sleep late in the morning!
I'm spending my afternoon being a domestic goddess. Don't laugh!! I'm on the third load of laundry and I made a triple batch of spaghetti sauce that is being canned in pints as I write. Makes for some easy dinners when we are busy.
Under 4 weeks until we leave for Egypt. I am so ready to go. The documents came by email yesterday and caused about 20 hours of anxiety. The flight to Frankfurt had been changed to three hours later than originally planned and there was very little chance we would make the connection to Cairo in only 30 minutes of layover. There was no way our luggage would have made it. We would have been put on a later Egypt Air flight and would have arrived in Cairo at 5am, after travelling for two days.
I get an email today telling me of a schedule change, but a different one than the one I discovered last night. Either Gate 1 or Lufthansa changed us to United and we leave at the same time and arrive at the same time (pretty much), but going through Dulles. We didn't want to have to change planes, as every time you change a plane your luggage has a higher likelihood of getting lost. I'm just going to pack a bigger carry-on to cover that possibility and think good thoughts instead.
The next problem was that the new reservation didn't have assigned seating. I took care of that by phone but all of the good seats (2 seats instead of the 5 across) were already taken. I owe Elaine big now as she will let me have the aisle seat and she will be the one squished next up to someone else on the other side.
Let's pray they don't change anything else!!
Now, for my Friday night...Marcia is going to an awards banquet and I'm staying home and doing research for the trip. I'm watching "The Mummy". I claim it is for research, but Marcia knows it is because I like to look at Rachel Weis for 2 hours. The things I have to sacrifice in order to be prepared for this trip! A bottle or two of the hard cider I found will also be available for my sustenance. Good thing I get to sleep late in the morning!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Life is Expensive
Just a recap of our last week or so. Last Wednesday my car battery died. Tuesday we took Marcia's truck in for a tune-up and minor repairs. Then on Thursday we found that the washing machine was dead. I think the lightening from the storm on Monday fried the motherboard. It would be more to repair an 8 year old washer than to replace it, so we bought another one. While I was trying to call Marcia to tell her the news and get her approval, she was trying to call me because the "check engine" light came on in the truck. That turned out to only be a loose gas cap and they didn't charge us the $80 for the diagnostic. Then when they delivered the washer on Friday the drains backed up so we had to call a plumber. Since we had to pay him for a whole hour anyway we put him to work on some smaller stuff as well.
We are now officially broke for the month and it is only the 3rd. I look at the children and tell them they better not get sick because vet visits are expensive too. They don't really take me seriously for some reason....
We are now officially broke for the month and it is only the 3rd. I look at the children and tell them they better not get sick because vet visits are expensive too. They don't really take me seriously for some reason....
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Getting Ready for Egypt, Part 2
Sorry Elaine, but we are at 6 weeks and counting now until we leave. It's getting closer :) I'm doing some more research to cheer myself up after a very nasty headache today and a dead washing machine that meant we had to go buy a new washing machine. Oh well...
The first thing I did to research this trip was to find threads on Cruisecritic.com and on TripAdvisors.com that pertained to similar trips. Luckily I found a VERY long thread on each site that covered the exact trip we ended up choosing. I learned interesting things like the custom of "baksheesh" (tipping for everything) and what to use for the "mummy tummy". There were many links on the threads to different blogs with thousands and thousands of pictures of the different temples, pyramids, street sights, etc. There was information on what to buy and where to buy it and what to avoid, what we absolutely HAD to see and what we could safely skip if we are too tired, what food to try, where to find a McDonalds (for the souveniers), what the hotels were like, and hints on what to do to prepare and what to pack. I took pages and pages of notes.
Second step was to get a guidebook. I chose the Lonely Planet guide. I still have to study it some more and compare to my notes so I can see which tombs I need to try to see in the Valley of the Kings and where I need to head to in the Egyptian Museum. You have to have a gameplan for those places or you might end up missing something that you would have loved seeing. There are also helpful hints like the fact that some tombs have tons of stairs and some require you to climb a ladder. That's not going to work for me, so I'll make sure to avoid that one.
Next step was to get visual. Since Cathy and Evelyn talked us into joining NetFlix I ordered DVD's to be delivered to the house. The first ones were really pretty good--they were re-enactments of 3 different stories. Then another set that put me to sleep; I guess I need some of the drama and not just narration. Another set I watched on the computer and it was okay. I have three more to watch online and maybe one or two more to order. Most of them cover the same materials: the pyramids, the Valley of the Kings, King Tut, and Rameses the Great. Good stuff, but I don't need to go over it and over it again.
Then there is just the general reading. I have websites that I need to visit, including an interactive one designed for kids on being an Egyptologist and one on all of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. I've dusted off the coffee table books and have started to tackle them.
I don't think I can be over-prepared. We are covering a couple of thousand years, twenty or so dynasties, so there is a LOT to cover. I just don't want to be ignorant. I hate those tourists that end up somewhere and ask really stupid questions that show they don't have a clue about the history or culture of the place they are visiting. Research allows you to ask the more intelligent questions and fill in the gaps in your knowledge and tie it all together.
If you want to see our itinerary, go to www.gate1travel.com and click on Africa, then Egypt, then choose the 15 day Egpyt, Red Sea and 7 day Nile Cruise, and that will show you where we are going.
The first thing I did to research this trip was to find threads on Cruisecritic.com and on TripAdvisors.com that pertained to similar trips. Luckily I found a VERY long thread on each site that covered the exact trip we ended up choosing. I learned interesting things like the custom of "baksheesh" (tipping for everything) and what to use for the "mummy tummy". There were many links on the threads to different blogs with thousands and thousands of pictures of the different temples, pyramids, street sights, etc. There was information on what to buy and where to buy it and what to avoid, what we absolutely HAD to see and what we could safely skip if we are too tired, what food to try, where to find a McDonalds (for the souveniers), what the hotels were like, and hints on what to do to prepare and what to pack. I took pages and pages of notes.
Second step was to get a guidebook. I chose the Lonely Planet guide. I still have to study it some more and compare to my notes so I can see which tombs I need to try to see in the Valley of the Kings and where I need to head to in the Egyptian Museum. You have to have a gameplan for those places or you might end up missing something that you would have loved seeing. There are also helpful hints like the fact that some tombs have tons of stairs and some require you to climb a ladder. That's not going to work for me, so I'll make sure to avoid that one.
Next step was to get visual. Since Cathy and Evelyn talked us into joining NetFlix I ordered DVD's to be delivered to the house. The first ones were really pretty good--they were re-enactments of 3 different stories. Then another set that put me to sleep; I guess I need some of the drama and not just narration. Another set I watched on the computer and it was okay. I have three more to watch online and maybe one or two more to order. Most of them cover the same materials: the pyramids, the Valley of the Kings, King Tut, and Rameses the Great. Good stuff, but I don't need to go over it and over it again.
Then there is just the general reading. I have websites that I need to visit, including an interactive one designed for kids on being an Egyptologist and one on all of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. I've dusted off the coffee table books and have started to tackle them.
I don't think I can be over-prepared. We are covering a couple of thousand years, twenty or so dynasties, so there is a LOT to cover. I just don't want to be ignorant. I hate those tourists that end up somewhere and ask really stupid questions that show they don't have a clue about the history or culture of the place they are visiting. Research allows you to ask the more intelligent questions and fill in the gaps in your knowledge and tie it all together.
If you want to see our itinerary, go to www.gate1travel.com and click on Africa, then Egypt, then choose the 15 day Egpyt, Red Sea and 7 day Nile Cruise, and that will show you where we are going.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Getting Ready for Egypt, Part 1
Just a little over 7 weeks to go until Elaine and I get on a plane in Orlando and head to Egypt for a two week trip. Pyramids, mummies, King Tut, the Nile, hieroglyphics, tombs...all of these things say "Egypt". Egyptology was not offered as a class when I was in college so I never officially studied it. I have studied it on my own for many years now. I have coffee table type books on Egypt that I've had since high school. I've been to a lot of museums throughout Europe that have very good Egyptian collections, including the British Museum. (We will forget for the moment that most of their collection was stolen from the Egyptian people in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.)
Since I've already seen mummies and other archaeological finds, why am I going to Egypt? Mainly becase I can. I was reading a copy of "Budget Travel" magazine shortly before my birthday last year. I ran across a trip to Egypt that was described in the "DEALS" section and couldn't believe the price was so low. I showed it to Marcia, but she wasn't interested. I told Elaine about it at my birthday dinner shortly afterwards, and she was interested. Now, in all fairness, I did ask other people if they wanted to go with us, but everyone else that expressed an early interest changed their minds.
With an interested person to go with, I started to research. I looked at several companies and we ended up choosing Gate 1 Travel. We ended up saving a good chunk of money over the other company I originally was interested in. Then we had to pick a date. That's not as easy as it sounds. I could go just about any time, but Elaine has work and family responsibilities. October sounded like a good month, but it didn't quite work, so we ended up picking November 11 as a start date. We return on Thanksgiving evening two weeks later. A phone call to the travel company, a credit card number and other info and we were booked on a non-refundable airline ticket. Guess we are going! Final payment was made about six weeks later. My bank account looks pitiful by now, but this is a dream trip for me. I'll worry about starving later.
More info about the trip itself in the next entry...
Since I've already seen mummies and other archaeological finds, why am I going to Egypt? Mainly becase I can. I was reading a copy of "Budget Travel" magazine shortly before my birthday last year. I ran across a trip to Egypt that was described in the "DEALS" section and couldn't believe the price was so low. I showed it to Marcia, but she wasn't interested. I told Elaine about it at my birthday dinner shortly afterwards, and she was interested. Now, in all fairness, I did ask other people if they wanted to go with us, but everyone else that expressed an early interest changed their minds.
With an interested person to go with, I started to research. I looked at several companies and we ended up choosing Gate 1 Travel. We ended up saving a good chunk of money over the other company I originally was interested in. Then we had to pick a date. That's not as easy as it sounds. I could go just about any time, but Elaine has work and family responsibilities. October sounded like a good month, but it didn't quite work, so we ended up picking November 11 as a start date. We return on Thanksgiving evening two weeks later. A phone call to the travel company, a credit card number and other info and we were booked on a non-refundable airline ticket. Guess we are going! Final payment was made about six weeks later. My bank account looks pitiful by now, but this is a dream trip for me. I'll worry about starving later.
More info about the trip itself in the next entry...
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Want to Join Us on a Trip to Hawaii?
Everybody knows that I love to travel and will go just about anywhere if I can afford to make the trip. I'll write about my upcoming trip to Egypt soon, but I want to tell you about another trip we are planning.
Several years ago Marcia and I sat down and wrote out separate "Bucket Lists" and then compared notes. About 75% of the ideas were comparable, a few were our own unique ones (hence the reason I'm going to Egypt with Elaine and not Marcia). We ranked them and I went about making plans to get as many done as quickly as possible. You get to a certain age and you start to realize that you won't always be able to go back to someplace you have already visited, so you might as well do as much as you can when you are visiting someplace new.
One of the things on the list was Hawaii. That might seem a little surprising since neither of us are beach type people, but there were things we wanted to see there and we both love to cruise. An idea began to form...
Our favorite cruise line is Holland America. We've been on three cruises with them in the past and have always had a wonderful time. They have a 14 day roundtrip cruise to Hawaii that leaves out of San Diego. We were going to take this trip in February of 2011, but Social Security wanted some money back so we postponed it.
Our new date is Oct 22, 2011. This link http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruise-vacation/CruiseDetails.action?noOfFlexibleMonths=1&flexibleMonths=false&pageNumber=3&voyageCode=O170&destCode=H takes you to the specifics of the cruise. It is currently $1799 per person for an obstructed view room (on the upper promenade behind the lifeboats) with a tax of $84.19 per person. That is not a bad deal for a 14 day cruise. It is 5 days to get there, 4 days in Hawaii, and 5 days to get back. We happen to like the lazy sea days so this is perfect for us. We will also be going to San Diego on the Monday or Tuesday before the Saturday departure so we have a few days to explore the area as neither of us have ever been to San Diego before.
I like to research and plan, but I'm not a travel agent. If anyone wants to join us on this trip, let me know. We picked open dining and have an idea of what shore excursions we want to do. Marcia would enjoy the company--I think she is worried that I would have her all to myself for fourteen days :) The more the merrier on a cruise---everyone can do what they want and meet for meals or drinks and compare notes. We hope you can join us!!!
Several years ago Marcia and I sat down and wrote out separate "Bucket Lists" and then compared notes. About 75% of the ideas were comparable, a few were our own unique ones (hence the reason I'm going to Egypt with Elaine and not Marcia). We ranked them and I went about making plans to get as many done as quickly as possible. You get to a certain age and you start to realize that you won't always be able to go back to someplace you have already visited, so you might as well do as much as you can when you are visiting someplace new.
One of the things on the list was Hawaii. That might seem a little surprising since neither of us are beach type people, but there were things we wanted to see there and we both love to cruise. An idea began to form...
Our favorite cruise line is Holland America. We've been on three cruises with them in the past and have always had a wonderful time. They have a 14 day roundtrip cruise to Hawaii that leaves out of San Diego. We were going to take this trip in February of 2011, but Social Security wanted some money back so we postponed it.
Our new date is Oct 22, 2011. This link http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruise-vacation/CruiseDetails.action?noOfFlexibleMonths=1&flexibleMonths=false&pageNumber=3&voyageCode=O170&destCode=H takes you to the specifics of the cruise. It is currently $1799 per person for an obstructed view room (on the upper promenade behind the lifeboats) with a tax of $84.19 per person. That is not a bad deal for a 14 day cruise. It is 5 days to get there, 4 days in Hawaii, and 5 days to get back. We happen to like the lazy sea days so this is perfect for us. We will also be going to San Diego on the Monday or Tuesday before the Saturday departure so we have a few days to explore the area as neither of us have ever been to San Diego before.
I like to research and plan, but I'm not a travel agent. If anyone wants to join us on this trip, let me know. We picked open dining and have an idea of what shore excursions we want to do. Marcia would enjoy the company--I think she is worried that I would have her all to myself for fourteen days :) The more the merrier on a cruise---everyone can do what they want and meet for meals or drinks and compare notes. We hope you can join us!!!
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