The week after vacation is kind of sad because all of the excitement is exchanged for day-to-day chores and duties. This week was "pack up, prepare for leaving, finish House Manager responsibilities, train for 5 mile race, eat food so it isn't wasted, answer emails galore" week.
When I got back I had lots of emails to catch up on from Phi Mu girls, so I started there because a lot of their questions and requests needed to be answered in a timely manner. I've also been finishing up the parking list and trying to figure out who is moving in on what days, it's been very hectic! I think I have the majority of everything under control now from this past week. Now I just have to prepare for NEXT week! Aaaaaaaah! lol
On Wednesday I was very proud of myself because I ran 5 miles down "Matthew's part of the trail" and I did it all without stopping, at a faster pace, and I wasn't even that tired! I had FUN! I know it's an unusual concept, having fun while running, but I promise it actually happened! For the first time in a awhile my legs were tired instead of just my lungs being tired, and it felt good. :) Hopefully that means I'll do well at the "Flat 5" race this weekend (which is also a 5 mile run) because this is my first race with Mommy and Daddy where I've actually been somewhat in shape! Mommy has gotten a LOT better, and Daddy has a heart rate monitor to keep his pace steady, so it should be a very interesting competition! ;)
As far as packing goes, I had no idea I had so much stuff! I had to pack up my stuff first so that I could get it out of the way and then pack up the rest of Anand's stuff (he's still out of town :( ). Last night I somehow managed to stuff it all into my car, it seriously was like a jigsaw puzzle! I brought all the unfinished food home with me because I couldn't stand seeing it get thrown away after I had to pay for it! I had a Walmart styrofoam cooler thing behind my seat as I was driving home and every bump made it do that "squeaky" sound which was ooooh so much fun on highway 70!
When I got home I was welcomed by two very happy doggies, Sassy and Zazoo. They were both groomed while they were at the kennel for our vacation, and now Zazoo smells nice (for once!) and Sassy has a new haircut. They trimmed away Sassy's "mane" and fluffy fur so now Mommy calls her "softball-head," Christy thinks she looks gorgeous, Daddy makes fun of both opinions, and I think she looks funny but still cute. Her new haircut has given her quite the confidence though! Apparently she and Zazoo were playing tug of war, and Sassy won! Usually Sassy is wimpy and gives up when he growls but now she's acting like a true Alpha dog! Maybe she feels cuter, maybe her hair was holding her back, maybe she has better peripheral vision, or maybe she just feels like shes on an even plane with Zazoo. Either was she is much braver now and is finally standing up for herself!!! I'll still spoil Zazoo of course, so he doesn't feel left out :)
Tonight we have Rama's daughter's Arangetram (an Indian ceremony). Rama works with Mommy and she knows I am dating Anand, so she thought it would be a good experience for us to experience the Arangetram. I'm going to wear a pair of my new sandals and a new long dress, I'm so excited! I just hope we don't do anything that is embarrassing! It should be lots of fun!!!
I'll keep you updated :)
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Chicago numero "hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm CUA-TRO!"
The title of this post is actually a family joke that occurred during our trip! There is a song by Pitbull called "Calle Ocho" that has a large spanish section, and as a Spanish minor I like to know all of the spanish parts! I looked it up late at night and was playing the song on YouTube so I could sing along with the Spanish parts, and apparently everyone in our family had the song stuck in their head! As we were trying to go to sleep, Daddy all of the sudden started humming the chorus and the "one two three four uno dos tres cuatro" part over and over and over. The funny part was that he didn't know any words besides cuatro, andhe knew that word had an accent, so he ended up humming "hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm HMM-HM!" with the last part being cuatro. At some point he started losing tack of his "hmm"s so he would simply pick a time that felt right to go "HMM-HM!" and it was ridiculously entertaining!
On the fourth day we went to Shedd Aquarium and to an outlet shopping mall in a Chicago suburb. When we walked into the aquarium the first thing we saw was a giant tank called the Caribbean aquarium! It was my favorite exhibit of all of them! Inside there was a sea turtle by the name of Nickel due to a lodged nickel they found in her throat when she was rescued. Nickel swims funnily with her behind constantly floating upward because her buoyancy was disturbed when she got hit by the propeller of a motor boat. If Shedd hadn't rescued her she never would have survived, but now she lives happily and healthily in the aquarium. She had a wonderful rescue story, plus she was pretty cute too, so she was my favorite!
Christy took lots of artistic pictures of the fishes too! At one point we had a tragedy and somehow all of the pictures for the day got erased, but it was early enough in the day that she was able to go back and take new pictures to restore them all! I was also amazed by the brave preschool teachers who thought bringing 30 four-year-olds to the aquarium was a good idea. I swear there were little mini children running around everywhere! It was a bit annoying since their parents weren't around to keep a closer eye on them, but our family survived at least!
Later in the day we went to the outlet mall which has over 200 stores. Incredible huh? We found out that I look absolutely beautiful in "long dresses" and at one particular store we went to, every single one I tried on fit so well to the point that Mommy told me to stop trying them on or she was going to have to buy the whole store! Hehe. It was fun finding my style! Daddy also went on a search for "gladiator sandals" because we had seen a tooon of girls in Chicago wearing them and we were definitely intrigued! After asking a lady in one of the stores where she got her sandals she directed us to a shoe store that had the cutest ones ever! We got two pairs and I can't wait to show them to everyone :) It was definitely a successful shopping trip, and a great way to end the vacation!
Especially considering our time constraints we had an awesome mini vacay with lots of fun family time! Chicago, you know you'll miss us!!! ;)
On the fourth day we went to Shedd Aquarium and to an outlet shopping mall in a Chicago suburb. When we walked into the aquarium the first thing we saw was a giant tank called the Caribbean aquarium! It was my favorite exhibit of all of them! Inside there was a sea turtle by the name of Nickel due to a lodged nickel they found in her throat when she was rescued. Nickel swims funnily with her behind constantly floating upward because her buoyancy was disturbed when she got hit by the propeller of a motor boat. If Shedd hadn't rescued her she never would have survived, but now she lives happily and healthily in the aquarium. She had a wonderful rescue story, plus she was pretty cute too, so she was my favorite!
Christy took lots of artistic pictures of the fishes too! At one point we had a tragedy and somehow all of the pictures for the day got erased, but it was early enough in the day that she was able to go back and take new pictures to restore them all! I was also amazed by the brave preschool teachers who thought bringing 30 four-year-olds to the aquarium was a good idea. I swear there were little mini children running around everywhere! It was a bit annoying since their parents weren't around to keep a closer eye on them, but our family survived at least!
Later in the day we went to the outlet mall which has over 200 stores. Incredible huh? We found out that I look absolutely beautiful in "long dresses" and at one particular store we went to, every single one I tried on fit so well to the point that Mommy told me to stop trying them on or she was going to have to buy the whole store! Hehe. It was fun finding my style! Daddy also went on a search for "gladiator sandals" because we had seen a tooon of girls in Chicago wearing them and we were definitely intrigued! After asking a lady in one of the stores where she got her sandals she directed us to a shoe store that had the cutest ones ever! We got two pairs and I can't wait to show them to everyone :) It was definitely a successful shopping trip, and a great way to end the vacation!
Especially considering our time constraints we had an awesome mini vacay with lots of fun family time! Chicago, you know you'll miss us!!! ;)
Chicago numero tres
Today was Mommy's day so we went to Long Grove and The Second City. Long Grove is a place that's like a little restored village and it has lots of shopping, similar to down town St. Charles, although Long Grove has a lot more quality! The Second City is a comedy place which is a stepping stone to Saturday Night Live with a team of comedians who specialize in improv!
We went to Long Grove in the morning, and the first store we went to was the confectionery. They were making their own special chocolate dipped strawberries (which were AMAZING!) and a lot of their truffles and candies were specialties of their store. When we went in the first time (we had to go back to buy stuff so it wouldn't melt) I was pretty much hypnotized by all of their yummies, especially anything that was chocolate dipped and their truffles! We each had a little sample (I got a strawberry and a truffle :) ) and then we headed to the next store.
The next place we went was called the Mill Pong Shop (I think!) and it was definitely my favorite of all of the stores! They has such unique pieces of art like teacups that almost looked like birds and wire creations that looked like real animals. My favorite however was the jewelry station where there were necklaces and pendants that actually looked like berries, leaves, and vines. Mommy liked a necklace that had a raspberries pendant, and I fell in love with a necklace that had a pea pod pendant with two pearl peas in it :) I thought about that necklace all day long!
There was a really cool antique store that had lots of stuff that reminded me of the things Grandma Maupin has in a display case in her bedroom. Lots of special china, figurines, jewelry, and paintings covered the store! As soon as I walked in I was on a mission to find a quatrefoil plate (my dancers had broken one we had at the house and I still feel guilty that we can't replace it!) so I looked for quatrefoils in every nook and cranny I could find! Unfortunately I found a lot of "almosts" but nothing that was a true Phi Mu quatrefoil...I decided to search for quatrefoils at every store we went to from that point on!
We went to an Irish store next, and we did find lots of quatrefoils! The only problem was that they were Celtic symbol quatrefoils and tended to be surrounded by clovers and whatnot. Although I love an Irish symbol here and there, they just wouldn't fit with the decor of the house!
For dinner we went to a restaurant recommended by one of Mommy's coworkers that we thought was going to be like a 40's diner, along the lines of Steak n Shake. Turns out it ended up being a 40's restaurant (we even had a water server!) and so we might have been a little under dressed in our jeans, but they didn't turn us away! Yay! The skirt steak that Mommy and I shared was delicious, and I was also thankful they split our au gratin potatoes in half, they were very courteous!
At nighttime we went to go see The Second City comedy club. Incidentally, the name of the club came from a nickname for Chicago itself, the first city is New York. The comedians were absolutely hilarious, and it reminded me a lot of "Whose Line" which we all really enjoy watching! Some of their alumnae include Steven Colbert from Comedy Central and Tina Fey who is famous for doing Sarah Palin impressions for Saturday Night Live. The show was a surprising 2 hours long and in it there were many sketches (rehearsed comedy scenes) and even lots of sections where it was completely improvisation! I've always been amazed by people who are creative enough to be that funny on a moment's notice, they must be extremely intelligent people! At one point they did an entire song about an audience member's occupation as a "Hospital Supplies Orderer" and even had set parts they repeated together, like a formula where they just needed words to fill! I was amazed :) I think it takes real talent to be funny without being overly vulgar. At the end of the show one of the comedians said "If you think what we're doing is something you think you could do...stop being so arrogant because this shit is hard! But seriously, we do offer classes to see if you've got what it takes! :)" So so funny, they definitely kept us on our toes!
Overall it was a very fun day!
We went to Long Grove in the morning, and the first store we went to was the confectionery. They were making their own special chocolate dipped strawberries (which were AMAZING!) and a lot of their truffles and candies were specialties of their store. When we went in the first time (we had to go back to buy stuff so it wouldn't melt) I was pretty much hypnotized by all of their yummies, especially anything that was chocolate dipped and their truffles! We each had a little sample (I got a strawberry and a truffle :) ) and then we headed to the next store.
The next place we went was called the Mill Pong Shop (I think!) and it was definitely my favorite of all of the stores! They has such unique pieces of art like teacups that almost looked like birds and wire creations that looked like real animals. My favorite however was the jewelry station where there were necklaces and pendants that actually looked like berries, leaves, and vines. Mommy liked a necklace that had a raspberries pendant, and I fell in love with a necklace that had a pea pod pendant with two pearl peas in it :) I thought about that necklace all day long!
There was a really cool antique store that had lots of stuff that reminded me of the things Grandma Maupin has in a display case in her bedroom. Lots of special china, figurines, jewelry, and paintings covered the store! As soon as I walked in I was on a mission to find a quatrefoil plate (my dancers had broken one we had at the house and I still feel guilty that we can't replace it!) so I looked for quatrefoils in every nook and cranny I could find! Unfortunately I found a lot of "almosts" but nothing that was a true Phi Mu quatrefoil...I decided to search for quatrefoils at every store we went to from that point on!
We went to an Irish store next, and we did find lots of quatrefoils! The only problem was that they were Celtic symbol quatrefoils and tended to be surrounded by clovers and whatnot. Although I love an Irish symbol here and there, they just wouldn't fit with the decor of the house!
For dinner we went to a restaurant recommended by one of Mommy's coworkers that we thought was going to be like a 40's diner, along the lines of Steak n Shake. Turns out it ended up being a 40's restaurant (we even had a water server!) and so we might have been a little under dressed in our jeans, but they didn't turn us away! Yay! The skirt steak that Mommy and I shared was delicious, and I was also thankful they split our au gratin potatoes in half, they were very courteous!
At nighttime we went to go see The Second City comedy club. Incidentally, the name of the club came from a nickname for Chicago itself, the first city is New York. The comedians were absolutely hilarious, and it reminded me a lot of "Whose Line" which we all really enjoy watching! Some of their alumnae include Steven Colbert from Comedy Central and Tina Fey who is famous for doing Sarah Palin impressions for Saturday Night Live. The show was a surprising 2 hours long and in it there were many sketches (rehearsed comedy scenes) and even lots of sections where it was completely improvisation! I've always been amazed by people who are creative enough to be that funny on a moment's notice, they must be extremely intelligent people! At one point they did an entire song about an audience member's occupation as a "Hospital Supplies Orderer" and even had set parts they repeated together, like a formula where they just needed words to fill! I was amazed :) I think it takes real talent to be funny without being overly vulgar. At the end of the show one of the comedians said "If you think what we're doing is something you think you could do...stop being so arrogant because this shit is hard! But seriously, we do offer classes to see if you've got what it takes! :)" So so funny, they definitely kept us on our toes!
Overall it was a very fun day!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Chicago numero dos
Today was my day to plan what we were going to do! I had seen a lot of friends' pictures with the infamous "shiny peanut" and I was determined to go see said peanut today! We were on our way to Millennium Park (the home of the shiny peanut) when all of the sudden there were LOTS of bicycles all around us! Turns out there was some sort of international bike race in Grant Park, so we got to see lots of really good bicyclists go fast and in big packs!
On the way to my shiny peanut, Christy and Daddy were taking lots of "artistic photos" of flowers and sculptures. I think there are more photos from today than most people take in an entire week ;)
Finally we found the magnificent Shiny Peanut (Chicago thinks it's called "The Bean"...they are so sadly mistaken!) and we took lots of cool pictures of holding up the peanut, reflections, distortions and all sorts of fun stuff! The Peanut was all I hoped it would be and I loved it!!! After the peanut we continued through the park looking at the theatre and the art institute. Eventually we called a cab and then went to Navy Pier.
Navy Pier was a lot more fun in the summertime than I remember it being in February! There were tons of seafood places and little touristy shops with people EVERYWHERE. We ate lunch at Bubba Gump's which was absolutely delicious, and then Mommy and I continued exploring while Christy and Daddy went back to the hotel to recuperate (Christy's tummy hurt). Mommy and I then went on a skyline boat cruise and got lots of wonderful pictures :) Afterwards we went shopping for little knick knacks which was fun! We then walked all the way back to the park and ultimately to the hotel, getting some great pictures on the way!
For dinner we went to Gino's East pizza place, authentic Chicago pizza! I got to hail the cab driver and he somehow managed to cut across 3 lanes of traffic within 20ft!!! His name was Vlad and he liked techno so he must be European. He got us to the restaurant very quickly! We then got to eat our delicious deep dish pizza and sign the walls, booths, and whatever other free space we could find to prove we were there! Ironically enough as soon as we exited the restaurant a taxi pulled up, and as we were getting in I noticed that the drivers name was Vlad! I was pretty sure it wasn't a coincidence, and sure enough when we tried to tell him where to go he said that actually he knew where to take us because he was the same cab driver as before! I thought this was very cool, and he got an extra good tip!!
I just let Anand know I had to go to bed after finishing this post because we have to wake up early tomorrow to go to Long Grove tomorrow. He then informed me he is getting up at 5:45 (EST) and asked when I had to get up...........7:30 central. I felt like a wimp!! At least he's good natured about it all :) He and his family have a 14 hour drive tomorrow, so they need to start early!
Now, however, I will go to bed and feel lucky to only have to wake up at 7:30 ;)
On the way to my shiny peanut, Christy and Daddy were taking lots of "artistic photos" of flowers and sculptures. I think there are more photos from today than most people take in an entire week ;)
Finally we found the magnificent Shiny Peanut (Chicago thinks it's called "The Bean"...they are so sadly mistaken!) and we took lots of cool pictures of holding up the peanut, reflections, distortions and all sorts of fun stuff! The Peanut was all I hoped it would be and I loved it!!! After the peanut we continued through the park looking at the theatre and the art institute. Eventually we called a cab and then went to Navy Pier.
Navy Pier was a lot more fun in the summertime than I remember it being in February! There were tons of seafood places and little touristy shops with people EVERYWHERE. We ate lunch at Bubba Gump's which was absolutely delicious, and then Mommy and I continued exploring while Christy and Daddy went back to the hotel to recuperate (Christy's tummy hurt). Mommy and I then went on a skyline boat cruise and got lots of wonderful pictures :) Afterwards we went shopping for little knick knacks which was fun! We then walked all the way back to the park and ultimately to the hotel, getting some great pictures on the way!
For dinner we went to Gino's East pizza place, authentic Chicago pizza! I got to hail the cab driver and he somehow managed to cut across 3 lanes of traffic within 20ft!!! His name was Vlad and he liked techno so he must be European. He got us to the restaurant very quickly! We then got to eat our delicious deep dish pizza and sign the walls, booths, and whatever other free space we could find to prove we were there! Ironically enough as soon as we exited the restaurant a taxi pulled up, and as we were getting in I noticed that the drivers name was Vlad! I was pretty sure it wasn't a coincidence, and sure enough when we tried to tell him where to go he said that actually he knew where to take us because he was the same cab driver as before! I thought this was very cool, and he got an extra good tip!!
I just let Anand know I had to go to bed after finishing this post because we have to wake up early tomorrow to go to Long Grove tomorrow. He then informed me he is getting up at 5:45 (EST) and asked when I had to get up...........7:30 central. I felt like a wimp!! At least he's good natured about it all :) He and his family have a 14 hour drive tomorrow, so they need to start early!
Now, however, I will go to bed and feel lucky to only have to wake up at 7:30 ;)
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Chicago numero uno
Yesterday after Mommy got off work and we immediately left for Chicago for our mini family vacation! Since we were driving the integra and not a rental car I was able to drive for awhile (EXCITING!) however then my excitement got curbed when it started monsooning rain and made it very difficult to even see the road I was driving on! We pulled onto a side road and Daddy and I somehow managed to switch spots (me into the back seat and him back into the drivers seat) without getting out of the car! That was quite an accomplishment! Mommy and Daddy said they were proud of me though for driving well and not freaking out when the weather got bad :) We arrived in Chicago at half past midnight and all fell asleep quickly after such a long drive.
Today was "Daddy's Day" to plan what we wanted to do, so we went to the museum of Science and Industry. There were lots of interesting interactive exhibits, and of course I always had fun pressing buttons here and there! I took pictures of all the things I found to be interesting. We also had tickets to the Harry Potter exhibit which is apparently on it's *international* tour right now! How exciting that we got to see it! The exhibit consisted of lots of props from the movies and well as movie clips, little hands on games, and even moving photographs! The attention to detail was incredible!! I really enjoyed getting to see everything, but I definitely was not a "fanatic." I couldn't answer the special trivia questions such as which spells were invented by Snape and what Dumbledore's brother's name was, oh well. At one point an older man bumped into me and started apologizing profusely and added "Now I have to be extra nice or you might use a spell or a potion on me! Haha!" ...Yea I'm definitely not THAT big of a fanatic! ;)
After the museum we came back to the hotel to rest for a bit and then we went to a restaurant with lots of personality called "Dick's Last Resort." On the way to the restaurant we took a real taxi (Daddy even 'hailed' it!) which was a new experience for both me and Christy. The food was pretty tasty and the clientele was pretty "colorful." There was a bachelorette party nearby and we had fun watching them throw things, dance crazy, screech in their "we're cute and tipsy!" voices, and hit on guy who were creeping closer and closer to the party to try to get some attention. Very interesting to say the least! I really enjoyed sitting outside on the balcony because we could see the Chicago river and watched lots of boats and even a couple kayaks go by. It was a gorgeous view!
After we got done at the restaurant we decided to explore the city a bit and walk back to the hotel. Supposedly it was over 2 miles but it definitely didn't seem like it! There were lots of interesting store fronts and there were plenty of people walking around too so that we still felt secure. Christy got to carry Mommy's "coconut head" that her last drink was in at the restaurant, and we did our best to not look TOO touristy although it was still probably easy to tell we were. I thought it was lots of fun to just survey the city, and especially at night the lit up buildings were beautiful.
Tomorrow is Shiny Peanut Day! I can hardly wait!!! Goodnight for now. :)
Today was "Daddy's Day" to plan what we wanted to do, so we went to the museum of Science and Industry. There were lots of interesting interactive exhibits, and of course I always had fun pressing buttons here and there! I took pictures of all the things I found to be interesting. We also had tickets to the Harry Potter exhibit which is apparently on it's *international* tour right now! How exciting that we got to see it! The exhibit consisted of lots of props from the movies and well as movie clips, little hands on games, and even moving photographs! The attention to detail was incredible!! I really enjoyed getting to see everything, but I definitely was not a "fanatic." I couldn't answer the special trivia questions such as which spells were invented by Snape and what Dumbledore's brother's name was, oh well. At one point an older man bumped into me and started apologizing profusely and added "Now I have to be extra nice or you might use a spell or a potion on me! Haha!" ...Yea I'm definitely not THAT big of a fanatic! ;)
After the museum we came back to the hotel to rest for a bit and then we went to a restaurant with lots of personality called "Dick's Last Resort." On the way to the restaurant we took a real taxi (Daddy even 'hailed' it!) which was a new experience for both me and Christy. The food was pretty tasty and the clientele was pretty "colorful." There was a bachelorette party nearby and we had fun watching them throw things, dance crazy, screech in their "we're cute and tipsy!" voices, and hit on guy who were creeping closer and closer to the party to try to get some attention. Very interesting to say the least! I really enjoyed sitting outside on the balcony because we could see the Chicago river and watched lots of boats and even a couple kayaks go by. It was a gorgeous view!
After we got done at the restaurant we decided to explore the city a bit and walk back to the hotel. Supposedly it was over 2 miles but it definitely didn't seem like it! There were lots of interesting store fronts and there were plenty of people walking around too so that we still felt secure. Christy got to carry Mommy's "coconut head" that her last drink was in at the restaurant, and we did our best to not look TOO touristy although it was still probably easy to tell we were. I thought it was lots of fun to just survey the city, and especially at night the lit up buildings were beautiful.
Tomorrow is Shiny Peanut Day! I can hardly wait!!! Goodnight for now. :)
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Mid-Week Visitors :)
This week there was a concert in CoMo that included bands named "Sick Puppies" and "Hurt"! The show headliners might sound a little depressing, but it was anything but! I went to the concert with my friends Clayton and Alex. I had seen each of the bands once before at a Pointfest back in the day, and I especially love Sick Puppies. Last year for Homecoming I had our sorority's dancers dance to a song by Sick Puppies :) It was awesome and we did really well! Even got nominated for best choreography ;) I, however, was not their number 1 fan at the concert...there were some true fanatics there who had tattoos of the band's motto and signs and all sorts of stuff. Wow!
At the concert we saw two of our friends, Pinto was at the head of the line waiting to go in and Darren wasn't very far behind! Darren is one of Matthew's good "rock friends" and so I've known him ever since I went to the Pointfest where I first saw Sick Puppies and Hurt. He wasn't here for the bands' music but rather to take pictures of the bands, he's a bit of a pro photographer nowadays. That meant he got to be right up by the stage the whole time! There were also two girls from my sorority who were at the concert, and since I was front and center in the pit I was able to get them to come up front with me! They were so excited it was ridiculous! :)
Today I pack for Chicago, the family and I are going on a mini-vacay to the Windy City this weekend (plus 2 days). That means besides packing I have a lot of prep work to do for leaving the fishies alone and for making sure I take care of Anand's responsibilities while he's away. I think I'm going to go ahead and start making a list of stuff to do so I can make sure I don't forget anything! 'Til next time!!
At the concert we saw two of our friends, Pinto was at the head of the line waiting to go in and Darren wasn't very far behind! Darren is one of Matthew's good "rock friends" and so I've known him ever since I went to the Pointfest where I first saw Sick Puppies and Hurt. He wasn't here for the bands' music but rather to take pictures of the bands, he's a bit of a pro photographer nowadays. That meant he got to be right up by the stage the whole time! There were also two girls from my sorority who were at the concert, and since I was front and center in the pit I was able to get them to come up front with me! They were so excited it was ridiculous! :)
Today I pack for Chicago, the family and I are going on a mini-vacay to the Windy City this weekend (plus 2 days). That means besides packing I have a lot of prep work to do for leaving the fishies alone and for making sure I take care of Anand's responsibilities while he's away. I think I'm going to go ahead and start making a list of stuff to do so I can make sure I don't forget anything! 'Til next time!!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Apartment Time
Now I'm back at the apartment because I still have to take care of the fishies and take care of the responsibilities Anand had. Over the weekend I gave the fishies a food tablet that was supposed to release food slowly so that they would be fed in my absence. Even though the tablet was supposed to last 5 days, it was completely gone by the time I came back! I'll have to be very careful when giving them a tablet while I'm in Chicago because I need to make sure they actually stay fed!
Achilles has been much more adventurous lately because the last time he molted one of his claws grew back bigger, and he feels like he can defend himself again against the fishies! Last night as I was trying to go to sleep I saw him attempting to climb the glass walls of the aquarium and even climbing on plants to get higher up. He's a little stinker, and I think the fishies were scared of him because they stayed in the back of the aquarium as much as possible. When I turned off the lights I could hear him walking on the rocks and climbing, making little clicking noises with his claws on the glass. Luckily he hasn't figured out how to climb the colloseum or the heating tube or I worry he'd actually escape with his new bravery!
Yesterday, when I got back, Matthew and I went to go eat lunch at Pickleman's as the beginning of the "get Matthew accustomed to special Columbia food places" mission. We got the usual asiago chicken pizza, and it was delicious as always! I was worried that Matt wouldn't be full off just the pizza, he eats a bit more than I do, but to make up for it I took him to Andy's ice cream and then that filled him up while giving him two special CoMo experiences :) Eventually he needs to go to HuHot (of course), Okii Mamas, Heidelburg, etc! Until he does he won't be a real CoMo kid! I'm sure the guys will have no problem teaching him though!
I finished my book and was VERY pleased with the ending! I found out that apparently there's a "sequel" (it can be read either before or after) that involves the descendants of the characters I just read about! I'm intrigued and may possibly have to add that to my book list! Although I'm glad I finally know everything that happened and how everything worked out, I still am starting to kind of miss the characters. I've never been one to read books multiple times, but with this one I just might! Of course that's also what I said about Twilight...and I haven't done that yet. (Although I did go back and reread my favorite parts ;) )
This week I plan on trying to run/elliptical as consistently as possible so I can keep getting fit. I was a bit discouraged today when the weather was predicted to be thunderstorms all day long though. I hope they forecast wrong, but it looks like I might just have to use the indoor gym thingy at the apartment complex. We'll see, wish me luck!
Anand is officially in Disney World, today he got to see the "Anandapur" section that I found last year! I was so excited to "find Anand in Disney World" since he wouldn't be with our family, so I took tons of pictures and even ate the "Anandapur duck" at the "Anandapur restaurant." (It wasn't very good though, but at least the thought was there!) Anand keeps in touch when he can, and I'm glad he's having a good time! Maybe some of my experiences from last year will help him and his family figure out what they want to do this year!! (Miss you!)
I think if I write anymore my fingers will fall off, so I'll be done for the day...
Achilles has been much more adventurous lately because the last time he molted one of his claws grew back bigger, and he feels like he can defend himself again against the fishies! Last night as I was trying to go to sleep I saw him attempting to climb the glass walls of the aquarium and even climbing on plants to get higher up. He's a little stinker, and I think the fishies were scared of him because they stayed in the back of the aquarium as much as possible. When I turned off the lights I could hear him walking on the rocks and climbing, making little clicking noises with his claws on the glass. Luckily he hasn't figured out how to climb the colloseum or the heating tube or I worry he'd actually escape with his new bravery!
Yesterday, when I got back, Matthew and I went to go eat lunch at Pickleman's as the beginning of the "get Matthew accustomed to special Columbia food places" mission. We got the usual asiago chicken pizza, and it was delicious as always! I was worried that Matt wouldn't be full off just the pizza, he eats a bit more than I do, but to make up for it I took him to Andy's ice cream and then that filled him up while giving him two special CoMo experiences :) Eventually he needs to go to HuHot (of course), Okii Mamas, Heidelburg, etc! Until he does he won't be a real CoMo kid! I'm sure the guys will have no problem teaching him though!
I finished my book and was VERY pleased with the ending! I found out that apparently there's a "sequel" (it can be read either before or after) that involves the descendants of the characters I just read about! I'm intrigued and may possibly have to add that to my book list! Although I'm glad I finally know everything that happened and how everything worked out, I still am starting to kind of miss the characters. I've never been one to read books multiple times, but with this one I just might! Of course that's also what I said about Twilight...and I haven't done that yet. (Although I did go back and reread my favorite parts ;) )
This week I plan on trying to run/elliptical as consistently as possible so I can keep getting fit. I was a bit discouraged today when the weather was predicted to be thunderstorms all day long though. I hope they forecast wrong, but it looks like I might just have to use the indoor gym thingy at the apartment complex. We'll see, wish me luck!
Anand is officially in Disney World, today he got to see the "Anandapur" section that I found last year! I was so excited to "find Anand in Disney World" since he wouldn't be with our family, so I took tons of pictures and even ate the "Anandapur duck" at the "Anandapur restaurant." (It wasn't very good though, but at least the thought was there!) Anand keeps in touch when he can, and I'm glad he's having a good time! Maybe some of my experiences from last year will help him and his family figure out what they want to do this year!! (Miss you!)
I think if I write anymore my fingers will fall off, so I'll be done for the day...
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