Adventures in Life

We are back in Illinois. We left the hotel for the airport at 10:00 a.m. Spain time. Our GPS system was stolen during the trip. It really sucks since we had purchased the maps for Europe (includes walking directions) and we were never able to use them. Anyway, we managed to stay busy at the airport. We watched The Black Dahlia (and The Illusionist last night). We thought that we had plenty of time for our connection in London. Well, it turns out we did not. We literally ran through the airport like you see on the movies. I told Gabe that I need to start running more. He made a good point that it is more difficult to run with luggage. I was just going to use the excuse that my shoes were not tied since exiting security. We barely made it onto the plane. We watched a lot of movies on the plane (Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, Sally Lockhart: The Shadow in the North, and Elizabeth). Hey, when I am on a plane I watch movies that I ordinarily wouldn't watch. Once we arrived in Chicago Aaron picked us up from the airport. Now we are back home and the first load of laundry is in the washing machine. I think that we might go to the grocery store. Neither of us are hungry right now, but I would like to have some food in the house for tomorrow...I am really sick of eating out.
Before we left I finished the book Alone by Lisa Gardner. It is okay, but I prefer Patterson. Gabe and I watched Vacancy. A couple checks into a hotel when their car breaks down and figures out that the cheap slasher movies that are on their T.V. were filmed in their hotel room. They spend the rest of the time trying to escape. I watched Year of the Dog with Molly Shannon. It was a great movie about a woman's life after her dog dies. It isn't the funny movie that I expected, but it is worth the watch for any animal lover.

Posted by at 10:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This morning we got up, relaxed in the room, and headed out for lunch. After lunch we went to the Thyssen-Bornemosza Museum. It is enormous for a private collection. I liked that the art was arranged in chronological order. It was interesting to see the evolution of the art over time. Next we went to the Prado. We were ready to pay the admission fee, but we were pleasantly surprised when we found out today was a free day. While there we saw the Maids of Honor by Diego Velázquez. This painting is considered by some to be the best painting ever painted. I am not one of those individuals. It was nice, but there are others that I prefer. We headed out to the market and purchased some more olives. Then we came back to the hotel room and watched a couple of episodes of Grey's Anatomy while relaxing. Then we headed back out and walked through the city. We ran into a protest. We have run into a couple of other protests on different occasions, but this one was much more organized. There were also a lot more police out for this protest. After dinner we walked around some more and headed into a bookstore. I purchased a Spanish copy of Harry Potter. We came back to the room and watched the rest of the first season of Grey's Anatomy. Now CNN is on. We need to pack our bags since we leave tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. for the airport.

Posted by at 3:56 PM | Permalink

This morning we took a bus to Segovia. The ride was pleasant and we were able to see a lot of the Spanish countryside. When we arrived in town we walked to Roman Aqueducts. They were huge...a true engineering marvel. The Aqueduct can still carry a stream of water and they were used as recently as the 19th century. Next, we walked through the narrow city streets and went to the cathedral. After that we went to the Alcazar and walked around. We grabbed lunch and looked through some of the little shops. I actually found a pretty good deal on a damascene bracelet (in Madrid it is 3X the amount that I paid in Segovia). Once we came back to Madrid we walked around the city. We listened to several street performers and perused through a few bookstores. We attempted to find an outdoor market, but it is currently closed for renovation. So, we went to a supermarket and picked up a few items for dinner in the hotel room (we are getting tired of eating out). We had some very delicious olives. I want to go back tomorrow and buy some more. We watched a little CNN, an Italian show, and a German show. The German show proved to be the most interesting tonight. It was about uncontrollable kids. They would stay the night in the desert in an attempt to reform them. I make my own commentary (I don't know how to speak German). We are about to start watching Grey's Anatomy.

Posted by at 2:38 PM | Permalink

Today we were up early to catch the high speed train to Toledo. We arrived at the train station and took a bus to the Plaza de Zocodover. Public executions were once held here and individuals were burned to death until the townspeople complained. Then it was moved to the edge of town. We headed out to the Santa Cruz Museum. It is currently free since they are not "officially" open. They are remodeling. The collection was small but nice. They house 15 El Greco's. There is also a tile museum that compares tiles across the different regions of Spain. The cathedral was large. The treasury has a glass sculpture from Toledo, Ohio (sister city). Thanks to Rick Steves' guidebook we found a sword shop that is family owned. I asked them if they were currently making swords. The guy took us in the back and showed us the guy making them. The final thing that we did in Toledo was take a city tour. The city walls seem well preserved.
We are watching CNN and I they are talking about the snow in Chicago (with 2 hour airport delays). It is in the 60's here. I guess I will be back to the snow soon enough.
Back to our trip...when we came back to Madrid we went to the Plaza de España. There is a statue of Don Quixote, Sancho Panza, and Cervantes in the plaza. I last read Don Quixote several years ago in Spanish class in Spanish. I am really tempted to pick up the English version and read it on the plane ride home. From what I remember I enjoyed the book. The Temple Debod was next on our list. It is an actual Egyptian Temple that was brought to Spain piece by piece. It is a gift from the Egyptian government to Spain for their assistance in saving several monuments when the Nile rose above the Aswan Dam. They were closed when we arrived, so we went to El Corte Inglés and had lunch. Then we went back to the Temple. It was a lot of fun walking through the temple. I really enjoyed all of the hieroglyphics. I have always wanted to go to Egypt...I have been to a temple so I guess that puts me one step closer. J Dinner tonight was at a buffet that reminded me of Sweet Tomatoes. We had churros con chocolate for dessert. I don't think that I will be having them again, but I wanted to try them. We walked around the city for a little bit and now we are back at the hotel room watching CNN. The big news is that the New York Philharmonic played a concert in Pyongyang, North Korea. The story comes on about every five minutes.

Posted by at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We headed out for the Puerta del Sol this morning. We stopped along a few plazas along the way. Puerta del Sol is the geographical marker for the center of Spain. There is also a statue of the Carlos III and a bear (the symbol of Madrid) reaching for a strawberry tree...yes, I know that strawberries grow on bushes. I think that something might be lost in the translation (it is a madroño tree). We went to the oldest restaurant in the world (according to the Guinness Book of World Records). We went to the Playa Mayor. We stopped off at the Museo de Jamon. The next stop was the Palacio Real (Royal Palace). Compared to some of the other palaces/castles that I have been in, this one is in spectacular condition. My favorite thing here was the Stradivarius Room. If you are lucky enough to play for the queen, then you are lucky enough to play a Stradivarius. If you are looking for a complete quartet of Stradivarius' instruments, this is the only place that you will find one. After leaving the palace we walked trough the Plaza de Oriente. There are statues of Felipe IV and early kings. The statues of the early kings were originally meant to sit on the roof the palace, but they were too heavy.
Next, we went to Parque del Retiro (Retiro Park). We walked the length of the park. Some of my favorite things were the monument of Alfonos XII, the artichoke fountain, and the wonderful weather (everything was green and the flowers were in bloom). We also saw the statue of the fallen angel. I think that this is the only statue of Lucifer.
The Centro de Arte Reina Sofía was next on our list. We looked at a TON of art by Picasso and Dalí. I was really excited about seeing Picasso's Guernica. It was much larger than I had anticipated. The museum is huge!
In order to get a head start on our trip for tomorrow we went to the train station to purchase our tickets to Toledo. Gabe saw a KFC and wanted to eat there for dinner. He had a chicken sandwich that they called a "Kentucky Supreme Hamburger". In fact, everything that they called a hamburger was a chicken sandwich. I can just imagine a lot Spaniards ordering a hamburger in the United States and being very surprised when it is not chicken. (It is probably their term for a type of sandwich regardless of meat.) Now we are back at the hotel and we just finished watching a Spanish game show. It was very entertaining. I am watching a German channel now and I don't like it as well. I think that I am going to go back to a Spanish Channel.

Posted by at 2:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This hotel does NOT have free internet, so this may be my last published entry for a while. Of course, I will officially publish all of them when I get home at the very least. Gabe finally "fixed" the DVD player enough to finish watching The Prestige. It was a decent movie, but it could have been because I was stuck in an airport. We flew to Madrid and checked into our hotel. We are staying at the Best Western Atlantico. Best Westerns here aren't like they are at home. They are actually really, really nice. Some of the common rooms are amazing with all of the marble as well as our bathroom. I will attempt to post pictures sometime. We went to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. I ordered my Twisted Mac and Cheese. We took the Metro to get there since we were leaving so late at night. The Metro here is very clean, especially compared to The El. By the time we made it back to our hotel it was 12:25 a.m. here, and we were both very tired. So, we went to bed. Gabe was apparently up before me, showered, and purchased internet to really fix the computer. So, no more movieless waiting in the airport. Well, I don't know how much time I have left on the internet, so I am going to end here. I need to get ready to head out anyway.

Posted by at 5:01 AM | Permalink

Happy Birthday Melissa!

Posted by at 5:00 AM | Permalink

We are currently sitting at the airport in Granada waiting on our flight to Madrid. This morning we went to the Alhambra and walked around. Actually, hiked to the Alhambra is probably a more accurate statement. The 30 minute hike was up a very, very steep hill. We walked around for quite some time before we found the ticket counter (we arrived at the opposite end). The length of the entire grounds is about half a mile. We had to walk the length at least four times before we figured out where we were going. FYI: if no one is taking the "short cut", you probably shouldn't either. The palace was very interesting with very intricate carvings and tile work. We climbed up the Alcazaba and walked around the wall. The walk down the hill and through the town was little more enjoyable than the journey up. We hung out at the Plaza Nueva until we grabbed a taxi and headed to the airport. We had our fingers crossed that by arriving at the airport a few hours early we would be able to take the earlier flight to Madrid. We actually could have if we were willing to pay a change of ticket fee of about $300...per person! We decided to hang out at the airport and watch DVDs. The laptop is on the fritz and doesn't want to play any m movies. So, we are part of the way through The Prestige. Hopefully Gabe can get it working before our trip back home.

Posted by at 10:27 AM | Permalink

I forgot to add this to the entry from last night. On the way back from dinner, we walked through the Albayzín (the Moorish quarter). It reminded me of what Morocco street vendors would look like. Gabe said that it was like his trip to Morocco, but in a safe area :)
We passed a Hookah bar while walking through the streets. Take a look for a funny story on Smiling Through It All. Now I REALLY need to pack!

Posted by at 2:09 AM | Permalink

Happy Birthday Brandi!

Posted by at 2:05 AM | Permalink

We are getting ready to leave this hotel and head out to the Alhambra. We have already been downstairs for breakfast and now we just need to pack out our stuff. I had a banana from the Canary Islands. They are a little different than the bananas at home (smaller, uglier, and sweeter). I also had something that they just call melón. I think that it is similar to a Crenshaw melon, but not the same. After the Alhambra we will be heading to the airport to fly to Madrid. Well, time to get packing!

Posted by at 1:54 AM | Permalink

We arrived in Granada via the bus. The ride was about 2.5 hours. We checked in our hotel and headed out to see some sights. Our first stop was the Capilla Real (Royal Chapel). Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand's tombs are in the Chapel. Isabel's head makes a significantly larger dent in her pillow than Ferdinand's head. It is attributed to the size of her brain in relation to Ferdinand's...at least that's what her fans say. The treasury at the Chapel was on of the best ones that I have seen yet. It didn't have a huge volume of items, but the quality was spectacular. Of course, there were items like Isabel's crown (adorned with pomegranates), her scepter, and Ferdinand's sword. However, the items that interested me the most were relating to Columbus. When the king and queen ran out of cash, they gave Columbus jewels to sell in order to finance his voyage. The very ornate chest that housed the jewels was there. Queen Isabela collected the first sizable art collection by a woman. It is also located in this room. The collection used to contain 200 works of art, but after Napoleon the collection contained only 30. Still, they were impressive and included Botticelli as well as other artists. Fun fact: granada is the Spanish word for pomegranate.
Next, we headed to the Cathedral. It is huge! An interesting tidbit is that the 18th century, the bishop had the interior of the church painted with lime. This was done to help decrease the spread of disease. People liked the white, and the color stuck. This is a Renaissance church. There is only one other located in Spain and it is found in Córdoba. For dinner we ate at a Turkish restaurant and had kebaps. They remind me of a giro or schwarma. I think that I am getting ready to go to bed. We are going to the Alhambra tomorrow.

Posted by at 6:13 PM | Permalink

We left at 8:45 a.m. (1:45 a.m. CT) to catch our train to Córdoba. The train ride was really short (less than an hour) and pleasant. Once we arrived, we deposited our luggage in the bus station lockers and started out walking toward the Mezquita. The stroll took us through la juderia, the Jewish Quarter. It has a lot of narrow winding streets with white-washed buildings. We ended up finding finding Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos (Castle of the Christian Kings) first. We paid our admission and wondered through the palace and gardens. We climbed Las Torres for views from the top of the fortress walls. We stopped off for lunch at a sandwich shop. We each had a delicious sandwich with Serrano ham and Manchego cheese. Gabe also ordered us a tapa of olives. We continued our tour of Córdoba by heading to the Mezquita. There, we saw amazing double arches over the red and blue marble columns. There are 850 of these columns. Again, another Arabian Nights feeling. The Mezquita started out a Christian Church, then a Mosque, then a Christian Church again. We started the walk back to the bus station and stopped off at a shoe store that was going out of business...I didn't buy anything. Actually, we haven't bought much on this trip. So far we have purchased three postcards and an oil painting from a street artist (in Sevilla). We continued our journey by taking the 2:00 p.m. train to Granada.

Posted by at 4:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The weather here has been pretty good...in the 60's. Anyway about it, it has been much warmer than where we came from. We went to a flamenco show tonight. It was pretty entertaining. After the show we went out for dinner. We had tapas. Now we are back in the hotel room getting ready for bed. Our train leaves at 8:45 a.m. tomorrow morning for Córdoba. Time to repack the bags!

Posted by at 4:30 PM | Permalink

We have been up since 9:00 a.m. (2:00 a.m. Central Time). We started today off by wandering around the Barrio Santa Cruz (Jewish Quarter). Some of the buildings are so close to one another that they call them "kissing buildings". Both pedestrians and cars zip through the very narrow passages. However, some are so narrow that cars cannot fit. We stopped off at a cafe for breakfast...a chocolate filled croissant. We headed off to the Cathedral and the Giralda Bell Tower. The Cathedral is the third largest in Europe and houses what they claim to be Christopher Columbus' remains (the Dominican Republic makes the same claim). The climb to the top of the bell tower provided some pretty unique views of the city. Next we went to the Alcázar. It is a palace built in the 10th century by the Moors. It is the oldest royal palace in use in Europe. The tile work was amazing and made me feel like I was in Arabian Nights (or Morocco in Epcot). There are orange trees everywhere around here. We had lunch at an outdoor restaurant. I had paella. It was really good and very filling. We are back in the hotel and we made a couple of quick calls home. We are going to watch Flamenco tonight...we might head out again shortly and do some more exploring.

Posted by at 8:05 AM | Permalink

We are at our hotel in Sevilla. Our hotel has free internet! So, I can actually post for the next couple of days. Initially the hotel room that we given was for Steve someone. Gabe thought it was a really good idea that he purchased the upgrade considering the size of the room. Come to find out, it wasn't our room. So, Gabe went downstairs and came back up with the correct room key. We are staying at the Hotel Amadeus and they don't speak English here...I am lucky to have a translator. After arriving in the correct room (it is larger than the first) I jumped in the shower. I had been wearing the same clothes for a really long time. After my shower I started researching places to watch Flamenco. We still haven't decided if we are going to watch a show tonight or tomorrow.

Posted by at 4:12 PM | Permalink

We have arrived in Spain. Now just for another short stay at the airport and we will be on our way to Sevilla. There is a LOT of security here...and in London too. In London there were police walking around with semi-automatic machine guns. Three of them went up to a guy that was standing in the line next to us while we were getting our boarding passes for Sevilla. It all seemed to end ok. We have been through security three times so far. Every time that we landed we were filtered through to the unsecured area and thus, we had to pass through security each time. At least the airports are secure...I hope. So far nothing too exciting has happened...other than I am finally in Spain. I am ready for my third flight. Actually, taking three flights in a row hasn't been as bad as I thought that it would be...I am sure that I will not complain when we finally reach the hotel though.

Posted by at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We are waiting for our flight to Madrid in Heathrow currently. Last night Aaron dropped us off at the airport. Our flight left on time and we made it to London a little early. After passing through security, again, in London we purchased the British version of the Half-Blooded Prince. I will get the final book once it is available in soft cover. So, I guess that means we will have to take another trip through LHR. Yes, Brandi, if you are reading this I purchased a copy of the book for you too. Once we get to Madrid, we have one more flight until we reach our final destination of Seville. We left around 10:00 p.m. last night (on the 20th) and it will be around 10:00 p.m. on the 21st before we make it to Seville...a lot of traveling and time spent in the airport.

Posted by at 6:58 AM | Permalink

I played Guitar Hero III much longer than I should have last night. I am on level 31 out of 42. If I didn't have a list of things that I have to do by specific times, then I would play it tonight. I might still play it, but probably not nearly as long as last night.

Posted by at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Gabe and I went to Morton's for dinner on Thursday. I felt like crap, but the food was great. It is not the type of place that I would go every week (too pricey), but every once in a while would be fine. The bread was just ok and so was my appetizer (crab cake). I should probably note that I don't really like seafood. Gabe liked the crab cake and his appetizer (jumbo shrimp). The salads were alright. We both had the filet and it was delicious. We shared the veggies (baked potato and broccoli). For dessert we each had the molten chocolate cake. The best item of the night was by far the steak. So, go for the steak. All of the items at Morton's are a la carte (a baked potato is $8 with steak up to $96) unless there is a special going on. The special will save you about $100 for two people.
Friday I still was not feeling too hot. I went to the library with Aaron and I returned something to Macy's. After that I was worn out and came back home and slept for about four hours until Gabe called and woke me up around 6:00 p.m. The sleep helped me feel a little better. Gabe and I stayed in and watched the back episodes of season seven of Scrubs. Now we will be ready when there are new episodes.
Saturday I was feeling so-so until work. I was completely drained after work and felt about 10 times worse when I left as when I started. So, Saturday night we started watching Grey's Anatomy. We have the first season on DVD.
Today I am feeling a little better. I still tire out pretty easily and I am still congested, but I am slowly getting better. I will be feeling better and then after a day of work I feel like crap again. I have to work tomorrow and Tuesday, but then I have Wednesday off. Hopefully Wednesday will help in my recovery.
On a fun note, we purchased Guitar Hero III. I rock! Well, at least on the easy level. It is a really fun game.

Posted by at 9:58 PM | Permalink

Happy Birthday Barby!

Posted by at 6:33 PM | Permalink

I am currently hanging out at home watching Georgia Rule. It isn't the exact type of movie that I expected. I am going to leave it at that.
I went to the doctor today. I have a sinus infection, an ear infection, and fluid behind my ear. I was given some medication...hopefully it works before our trip.
Gabe should be home shortly. We are going to Morton's to eat. We aren't really going because it is Valentine's day, but more just because we both want to try it. I will let you know how it goes.

Posted by at 4:56 PM | Permalink

Happy Valentine's Day!

Posted by at 12:32 PM | Permalink

Happy Birthday Bree!

Posted by at 12:32 PM | Permalink

Thank goodness I get a day off tomorrow! I am still sick and I think that I am a little worse. I made an appointment with the doctor for tomorrow. Ordinarily I would just wait it out, but my ear still feels weird and I want to enjoy my vacation, so I made the appointment. I guess I will see what happens.
Tonight we watched American Idol...and I must say I am very excited that the "real" show will be on next week.
We went to the store to buy more Kleenex, well actually my current favorite is Puffs with Vicks. I love the menthol smell.
Currently, we are watching The Longest Yard. It is a much better movie than I expected. I would recommend it. It is funny and Adam Sandler does a good job. For those of you that aren't familiar with the movie, Adam Sandler plays an ex-NFL quarterback (Crewe) that is serving a three year sentence. The warden's guards play a team of convicts lead by Crewe. This is a remake of the 1974 movie where Burt Reynolds plays the ex-NFL quarterback. He plays the coach in the 2005 version.

Posted by at 11:02 PM | Permalink

Happy Birthday Jessica!

Posted by at 6:31 PM | Permalink

Gabe is feeling much better. He has been sick the past few days. He isn't completely well, just a little stuffy. I have had a sore throat since yesterday. I hope that I am not catching whatever it is that he has. I don't feel sick, just exhausted. I slept for 8 hours, so I should be well rested. If I am not better by Thursday, I am going to attempt to get an appointment with the doctor. I do not want my trip to Spain ruined by illness. I think mine might just be allergy related though...at least that is what I am hoping. At least my schedule isn't too busy today at work, so I can relax between patients.

Posted by at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It has been pretty cold today. Before the windchill factor it has been around 0 to -3. With the windchill it has been around -25 to -30. Despite the cold temperatures, we still ventured out TWICE today. The first time we ran a few errands including going to the library. We picked up a few travel guides for our trip. Tonight we went to Taco Bell. We were the only people in the dining area. Inbetween the trips, we watched Night Listener. It wasn't at all what I thought it was going be like. Robin Williams sets out to determine the validity of a "relationship" that he has with an adolescent. I don't even think that I would call it a renter. FYI...if you are thinking of watching the movie the relationship wasn't inappropriate...you will understand why it is in quotes if you watch the movie.
Currently, I am watching the Grammy's. The Foo Fighters were my pick for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and well, let's face it in any category that they were nominated.
I made myself a chocolate cake shake tonight. It sounds a little odd, but it is really good. I got the idea from the chocolate cake shake at Portillo's. I think that I need to add malt to mine to get one more like Portillo's, but I am convinced that mine was healthier (I used fat free ice cream and skim milk). The milk and ice cream obviously countered the chocolate cake. The chocolate syrup that I added just doesn't count :)

Posted by at 9:53 PM | Permalink

Currently we are watching The Heartbreak Kid (my choice). It isn't as good as I expected, but parts of the movie have been pretty funny. Malin Akerman reminds me of Cameron Diaz. That's it...I still haven't managed to do the laundry. Maybe I will get to it after the movie is over.

Posted by at 10:11 PM | Permalink

There have been so many things that I have been doing this week that I don't actually remember all of them. We watched Perfect Stranger. It was a different type of role for Halle Berry, but it was good movie with several twists and turns. A temp (Halle Berry) tries to expose her employer (Bruce Willis) as her friend's killer.
Right now we are watching 300. I really wanted to see the movie, but it isn't really holding my interest right now. Gabe seems to be into it more than I am...obviously, I am sitting here writing a blog entry.
Wow, I don't really have lot to write about. Gabe has been sick lately, but he is doing much better. I know that I have done more than watch two movies these past few days.
Oh, on Thursday I met a friend from school and we had lunch at the Claim Jumper. The food was pretty good. She will be filling in for me while I am on vacation. I am really looking forward to my vacation...look for some more interesting blog posts.
Well, I guess that there wasn't a lot to catch up on. I am going to do some laundry.

Posted by at 7:09 PM | Permalink

One more day until a day off! I have not been keeping up with my to do list today though. I have been getting up earlier in the mornings to get a few things done. Today I managed all of the laundry and picking up a few rooms.
Clara has not been the best dog lately. This past weekend, while my parents were visiting, Clara decided to eat the food left out on the counter in the kitchen. We have left food on the counter before and she always left it alone. She basically had to stand on her hind legs to reach the counter with her head and front legs. She managed to eat about two dozen cookies, an entire package of valentines candy (including aluminum foil), Godiva chocolate covered raspberries (I bought them for Gabe for our anniversary) , and some other things that I can't remember. She threw it all up in a pile, red aluminum foil and all, that my dad described as "a three inch tall pile". We hoped that she had learned her lesson. So, today when I went to work I decided to give her another chance and let her roam free around the house. That was my mistake. When I came home tonight, Gabe informed me that Clara ate a package of chocolate covered blueberries, fudge, oatmeal cookies, sugar candy, and a cookie from Ron Paul. She must really like chocolate, cookies, and chocolate covered fruit. Somehow she managed to stand up on her hind legs enough to remove a bowl with batter out of the sink and then proceed to lick the batter out of the bowl.
We just finished watching American Idol. I am getting tired of the auditions. I think that they are getting on with the "real show" next week...at least I am hoping. Currently we are watching Welcome to The Captain. It is different. I will probably give it another week.
I just finished P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern. It is about a girl named Holly and her ability to cope when her spouse is taken from her by an illness. She must put her life back together. It is not my normal type of book, but it wasn't terrible. I will probably watch the movie to see how it compares to the book. It will probably be a renter since I doubt that Gabe will be too interested in watching it. Cecelia Ahern is also one of the creators of Samantha Who?, a show that I like. Well, maybe I should get back to my list.

Posted by at 8:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I guess it was only a matter of time before airlines start charging for baggage. RyanAir, which services Europe, has extremely cheap airfare, but charges for all luggage. If It helps to keep ticket prices down I guess it is okay (but they aren't as cheap as RyanAir)...I will look at it as a pay for your own jet fuel charge.

Posted by at 10:43 PM | Permalink

My parents went back home today and I left for work. Only two more days until I get a day off yippee. Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my days off? I will be meeting a friend for lunch and then running a few errands here and there. I have started making a detailed list of things to take on our trip maybe I will finish that on Thursday as well.
We watched the Superbowl last night and the game was great, but I felt that the commercials were lacking. There were a handful that I felt were actually Superbowl worthy. One of them was the Planters Cashew commercial. It cracked me up. I am sure that you will be able to find it on YouTube if you missed it last night.

Posted by at 10:29 PM | Permalink

Happy Birthday Duane!

Posted by at 10:21 PM | Permalink

Friday evening my parents came up. We went to Islamorada Fish Company, the restaurant at Outdoor World. I had a steak and a baked potato. The steak was pretty good (especially after I salted it). We walked around the store and then headed to the supermarket. Afterwards we came back home.
I had to work on Saturday, but they came up to the office and once I was home we relaxed for a little while. We had reservations at Meson Sabika for dinner. Yes, this has been quite the Meson Sabika week. I love the dates wrapped in bacon, but anything probably tastes better wrapped in bacon. My nephew came over (he attends a college about an hour and a half away) and we ordered pizza. I think that he left sometime between 2 and 3 a.m. Gabe and I went to bed after he headed out.
Today has been quite the shopping day. We went to Marshall's and I found a pair of shoes. I am going to take them with me to Spain...they are really comfortable. Gabe and my dad dropped my mom and me off at Ikea and then they went home. Now Gabe and my mom went to get the pizza and White Castles. Dad and I are watching the Superbowl. I am pulling for the Giants...I like the underdog. They should be back soon from their food run. It has been a busy and fun weekend. Back to work tomorrow.

Posted by at 4:43 PM | Permalink

Happy Birthday Jennie!

Posted by at 6:30 PM | Permalink