Travelblog #3

Last Saturday night, we all took a riverboat cruise along the Mississippi. We had a great dinner and then we went up to the top of the boat to see the lights from the city.

This is a picture of all of us on the top of the boat. I'm sorry it's so blurry, I had my camera set to the night setting and didn't think about it when someone offered to take our picture. Notice how clear Audi is - she was holding still. Notice how blurry Beemer is (and this is the clearer of the two pictures taken).

Beemer, Ahenobarbus and I at dinner.

Mom and Steve

The best part of the night came when we all wandered back downstairs to get ready to disembark. There were two men playing the banjo and piano throughout the night and as we came down stairs Beemer asked her Dad to dance with her. Above is a picture of them dancing. I thought that was cute. But it got better! A group of highschool girls were also on the boat and when the musicians began playing the chicken dance they jumped up to participate. They all welcomed Ahenobarbus and Beemer into the group and the fun continued through the Hokey Pokey too!

But my favorite moment was during the last song of the night. Ahenobarbus was at the table getting ready to go and the girls had gone back to their tables to gather their things. That left Beemer on the dance floor by herself. This video shows what happened. Its a bit long and dark, but well worth watching! (The flashes going off in the background are people on the boat taking pictures of Beemer).

Travelblog #2

On Saturday we took Mom and Steve to Grant's Farm. Beemer enjoyed feeding the baby billy goats (pictures later) and seeing the animals she loves, but most of all she LOVED jumping and dancing in the puddles from the (seemingly unending) rain!

Travelblog #1

Last week my mom and her friend Steve came to visit us. Although their trip was their own series of unfortunate events (from a missed flight to a flat tire) we were SO glad they were able to come out. Not only because we love visitors (hint, hint) but also because their trip gave us a chance to spend some quality time with them and play too! While they were here we fit in visits to the zoo, the Arch, Nauvoo and Carthage, Grant's Farm, Laumeier Sculpture Park, the World Bird Sanctuary and take a Riverboat cruise.

The trip to Nauvoo and Carthage was a highlight of their visit. Ahenobarbus and I hadn't been yet, and (despite the rainy weather) we had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back and see more. Nauvoo was a beautiful, inspiring place and standing in the jail at Carthage touched each of us. The pictures above are from our time in Nauvoo.

On a side note: my sisters have always felt that Beemer runs like Phoebe from "Friends." The last picture is just for them.

The Latest Adventure

We took Beemer for a train ride on Saturday. It was so cool! Check out Ahenobarbus' blog for the story and pics.

9 years

Today is our 9th anniversary!

In honor of the day, I thought I would share with all of you nine of my favorite things about Ahenobarbus:

1. He makes me laugh - even when I don't want to.

2. He gets up with Beemer and lets me sleep in almost every morning.

3. He knows me and understands my needs (sometimes before I do).

4. He makes fun a priority for our family.

5. He is an amazing father to our girls.

6. He kills spiders for me.

7. He challenges me to be a better person and supports me along the way.

8. He is brilliant (a description I stole from his professor).

9. He still calls me during the day just to tell me that he loves me.

I love you, honey!
Happy Anniversary!

Where A Kid Can Be A Kid

Last night we took Beemer to Chuck E. Cheese's for the first time. She loved it! She went from ride to ride in awe, pulling Ahenobarbus and me along. When she discovered the tickets, she talked Ahenobarbus into helping her win "a whole lot" (54) so she could get a prize. Unfortunately for her, 54 tickets weren't quite enough for the 2-foot princess doll. Unfortunately for me, they were enough for a 3-inch glow-in-the-dark spider!

Here a Car, There a Car

We now have two different cars than we did a month ago. How you may ask? Well, most of you are familiar with our 2002 Grand Prix. When we moved we sold our Jeep to Ahenobarbus' family and came with just one car. We survived well enough on one car, until the option for a second one came along.

In January, our friend, Matt Zebarth, told Ahenobarbus that he was ready to sell his 1994 Geo Prizm. Ahenobarbus was thrilled - it was the perfect car for his daily commute to school. Ahenobarbus went to Madison to pick up the car in the middle of April, which is why I went to the ER with Beemer without him. The car is in great shape and, thanks to the great way Matt takes care of cars, will last awhile. Besides, we had our "reliable" Grand Prix for longer road trips with the girls.

Then, the week after Ahenobarbus got home, warning lights started coming on in the Grand Prix. We had been toying with the idea of trading in the Grand Prix for about 6 months. It was getting to the point of constant repair and we were facing the question of how much money in repairs the car was worth. So when the lights started coming on and the repair list was growing our decision was quickly made for us. Luckily, we had been doing research and while we debated copying both Wildbound/Wildman and Desertbound in their vehicle of choice, we decided that this one was best for us right now.

It's a 2004 Honda Accord. It only had 13,000 miles on it which, along with gas mileage, was the deal maker for us. Beemer's favorite feature is the moon roof (no, I don't know the difference between a moon roof and a sun roof). I love to drive it (it handles much tighter than the Grand Prix) and I love how cute it is (I know, I know, I'm such a girl)! This picture doesn't really do it justice. I keep waiting for a clear day to get better pictures. Still waiting.

In the mean time, we are up to two cars again, and both of us are enjoying the freedom. Hopefully, as our insurance agent put it, we can "stop buying cars for awhile" and enjoy the ones we have!

Tagged

How to play this game of tag: Post these rules on you blog. List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions, 3 random surprising facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

3 Joys:
1 - My family. I have the most adorable girls and amazing husband (he’s adorable too, but prefers me to use adjectives like "manly" and "ruggedly handsome" for him instead of adorable). I love spending time with them and just listening to them laugh!
2 - Being able to stay at home with my girls. It’s wonderful to let them be my sole focus rather than being torn between them and my staff/residents.
3 - “Me time.” The few minutes a day in which I can read, watch TV, cross stitch, or heaven forbid, go to the bathroom, alone.

3 Fears:
1- Spiders. I’ve been afraid of them since I was little, and it isn’t changing anytime soon, regardless of Ahenobarbus’ “interventions.”
2- Driving in heavy traffic in big cities, especially cities I am unfamiliar with. I prefer to let Ahenobarbus drive while I navigate.
3- The dark. Yes, I am a 30-something adult who is still afraid of the dark.

3 Goals:

1- To raise confident, loving, self-aware girls.
2- To read all of the books on the Modern Library’s “100 Best Novels” lists (both the Board’s List and the Reader’s List).
3- To read enough on the 4th Crusade/Medieval European History that I can have intelligent conversations with Ahenobarbus and his colleagues as they progress through the program.

3 Current Obsessions:
1- Ben and Jerry’s Crème Brule ice cream - a very dangerous obsession.
2- My new-to-me car: a 2004 Honda Accord with a moon roof. Beemer and I have both become attached to driving around town with the windows down, the roof open and the radio turned up.
3- Numb3rs. I’ve been hooked since the first season and still wait anxiously for my weekly dose.

3 Random/Surprising Facts about Myself:
1- I love to clean and organize anything and everything (I know this isn’t surprising for those of you who know me well, but it is random).
2- I can remember contextual elements of conversations (where I was, general points of the conversation, emotions involved, etc.) but not word for word sentences, unless I write them down immediately. This makes me a horrible joke teller.
3- I love artichokes. I had never had one until Ahenobarbus and I got married. Now, they are my favorite veggie and I never turn down artichoke hearts in ANY form!

I tag Rachel, Tracy, Lajuana, Kate, Carolyn and anyone else who wants to share!