One of the perks of growing up in a rural area is the tradition of the county fair. This week is our local fair and Tracey and I have went the past two evenings to watch a couple of concerts there. Now I think all of us can agree that without a doubt the food is the best part of the fair. I mean you have cotton candy, caramel apples, dippin' dots, fried oreos, french fries, milkshakes, funnel cakes, hot sausage sammiches, fried pickles...and the list goes on and on. Of course one must plan out the eating schedule when attending the fair. For example, Tuesday night was burgers and funnel cake night. Last night was pulled pork subs and fried oreos. Saturday night will most likely be cheese steak sub, fries, and cotton candy night.
Looks like I need to join a gym this week......
One other weakness that presented itself at the fair this week....5 little black puppies who are rescue pups that need homes. All I'm sayin' is is that Tracey better not send me to the fair by myself on Saturday night or we will be sure to end up with yet another creature in the house. Next thing you know we will have to buy a farm to support our growing animal kingdom.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
5 Years, is that all?
Apparently I have a few updates to make in this one post. I’ll try to do this in order.
First, my 4th of July fireworks excitement. Several years ago I was banned from setting off any fireworks because we have a dog (Morgan, 12 years old) who gets absolutely petrified by the snapping and whistling and popping of fireworks. So I have been lighting sparklers the last few years, just to appease my firework addiction, and to make the rest of the family happy. It was a nice compromise for everybody. But this year, I found a fireworks tent that had their fireworks rated in regards to sound. A rating of 1 meant it was very quiet, no big noise or whistles or popping or anything, so I bought a few. WELL…
I came home, and that night (the 4th) I set off one of these fireworks. It was a cone thing that was just supposed to shoot pretty sparks in the air, but after the prettiness it started whistling, and holy crap, did Morgan start shaking, and needless to say, so did I. Fortunately the cone fell over and put itself out, so it stopped. I was in the middle of the driveway and I looked up to the deck where Alisa and Morgan were standing, and I could tell I was in trouble. I learned a very important lesson that night. Don’t believe a word the fireworks people tell you, they only want your money. After that fiasco, I went and got my sparklers and stood on the deck and swirled them. I looked so cool. I’m sure people driving by were thinking ‘wow, I wish I was her right now’.
Ok, so next on my list is our anniversary. Yesterday. 5 years. Hard to believe. Alisa says she can’t believe I’ve put up with her for this long, but I think the same thing about her putting up with me. She is right when she says we have both grown a LOT. We have learned what takes precedence, we have learned what needs to just roll off our shoulders, and we have learned what needs to be addressed. Basically we are an old married couple. I’m not complaining at all, by no means. Comfortable is one of the best feelings I have ever had. Knowing I will come home to someone, and not have to hide anything or pretend to be something I’m not, is absolute heaven.
We both sort of slipped on the anniversary gifts, but we managed to come up with something at the last minute. Alisa got me a 4 gig MP3 player, which I absolutely love. I’ve never had one so I’m an mp3 player dummy trying to learn how to download stuff to it. I did a little research online and found what the traditional and modern gifts were for the 5 year anniversary. Traditional is wood, modern is silverware. I decided to give her a regular gift (something Craftsman of course) , and also add my own personal touch of the traditional/modern gifts. Since traditional is wood, I gave her a firelog. If nothing else, it got a really good giggle out of her. For modern, I gave her a voucher that said I am officially giving the go ahead to pick out new dishes. She has been after me for a while for a new set of dishes, and since I’ve had my dishes for 15 years, I figured it’s time. She was pretty excited about that. Besides, I like things to have meanings. When we use our new future dishes, we’ll be able to say we got them for our 5th anniversary. What she doesn’t realize is we’ll have those dishes for probably another 15 years. Shhhhhhhhh, don’t tell her.
I still think our 2nd anniversary is the one that we’ll remember forever. That’s the year we officially exchanged rings in the guest room that I turned into a beach paradise. I keep bringing that up because I am damn proud of that day. Blown up picture of the ocean we took, a baby pool full of sand, and beach music playing in the background. I don’t think I have ever planned for something more than I did for that day. I guess it worked, because we’re still together, and we still talk about it. She wanted to exchange rings on the beach, and I was able to make that happen. WooHoo for me.
Life is good. Very good. My relationship with her mother is even getting better. Who knew. I think her mother is finally getting used to the fact that I’m not going anywhere, and I honestly believe she knows I make sure her daughter is well taken care of. The last few visits have been very nice, hardly any tension. I guess it’s true, it just takes time for some people to come to terms with their own feelings. Maybe 5 years is the magic number.
I have a feeling I'll have to come up with something pretty special for the 10 year anniversary. Alisa is petrified of ships, but she said we can go on a cruise for our 10th. I think I better get that agreement in writing. If anybody out there buys stock, buy stock in dramamine now, because it will only go up in the next few years.
Later :)
First, my 4th of July fireworks excitement. Several years ago I was banned from setting off any fireworks because we have a dog (Morgan, 12 years old) who gets absolutely petrified by the snapping and whistling and popping of fireworks. So I have been lighting sparklers the last few years, just to appease my firework addiction, and to make the rest of the family happy. It was a nice compromise for everybody. But this year, I found a fireworks tent that had their fireworks rated in regards to sound. A rating of 1 meant it was very quiet, no big noise or whistles or popping or anything, so I bought a few. WELL…
I came home, and that night (the 4th) I set off one of these fireworks. It was a cone thing that was just supposed to shoot pretty sparks in the air, but after the prettiness it started whistling, and holy crap, did Morgan start shaking, and needless to say, so did I. Fortunately the cone fell over and put itself out, so it stopped. I was in the middle of the driveway and I looked up to the deck where Alisa and Morgan were standing, and I could tell I was in trouble. I learned a very important lesson that night. Don’t believe a word the fireworks people tell you, they only want your money. After that fiasco, I went and got my sparklers and stood on the deck and swirled them. I looked so cool. I’m sure people driving by were thinking ‘wow, I wish I was her right now’.
Ok, so next on my list is our anniversary. Yesterday. 5 years. Hard to believe. Alisa says she can’t believe I’ve put up with her for this long, but I think the same thing about her putting up with me. She is right when she says we have both grown a LOT. We have learned what takes precedence, we have learned what needs to just roll off our shoulders, and we have learned what needs to be addressed. Basically we are an old married couple. I’m not complaining at all, by no means. Comfortable is one of the best feelings I have ever had. Knowing I will come home to someone, and not have to hide anything or pretend to be something I’m not, is absolute heaven.
We both sort of slipped on the anniversary gifts, but we managed to come up with something at the last minute. Alisa got me a 4 gig MP3 player, which I absolutely love. I’ve never had one so I’m an mp3 player dummy trying to learn how to download stuff to it. I did a little research online and found what the traditional and modern gifts were for the 5 year anniversary. Traditional is wood, modern is silverware. I decided to give her a regular gift (something Craftsman of course) , and also add my own personal touch of the traditional/modern gifts. Since traditional is wood, I gave her a firelog. If nothing else, it got a really good giggle out of her. For modern, I gave her a voucher that said I am officially giving the go ahead to pick out new dishes. She has been after me for a while for a new set of dishes, and since I’ve had my dishes for 15 years, I figured it’s time. She was pretty excited about that. Besides, I like things to have meanings. When we use our new future dishes, we’ll be able to say we got them for our 5th anniversary. What she doesn’t realize is we’ll have those dishes for probably another 15 years. Shhhhhhhhh, don’t tell her.
I still think our 2nd anniversary is the one that we’ll remember forever. That’s the year we officially exchanged rings in the guest room that I turned into a beach paradise. I keep bringing that up because I am damn proud of that day. Blown up picture of the ocean we took, a baby pool full of sand, and beach music playing in the background. I don’t think I have ever planned for something more than I did for that day. I guess it worked, because we’re still together, and we still talk about it. She wanted to exchange rings on the beach, and I was able to make that happen. WooHoo for me.
Life is good. Very good. My relationship with her mother is even getting better. Who knew. I think her mother is finally getting used to the fact that I’m not going anywhere, and I honestly believe she knows I make sure her daughter is well taken care of. The last few visits have been very nice, hardly any tension. I guess it’s true, it just takes time for some people to come to terms with their own feelings. Maybe 5 years is the magic number.
I have a feeling I'll have to come up with something pretty special for the 10 year anniversary. Alisa is petrified of ships, but she said we can go on a cruise for our 10th. I think I better get that agreement in writing. If anybody out there buys stock, buy stock in dramamine now, because it will only go up in the next few years.
Later :)
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Can you believe it has been 5 years....
So today is our 5th Anniversary....who knew she wouldn't strangle me by now...lucky me!!! Gotta give Tracey credit though as she manages to run the household and the animals while I am running off to here and there all the time. Yes I know...it is a miracle that she hasn't poisoned me, burnt the house down, or got us kicked out of the neighborhood, but I must say she has grown a lot in the last 5 years...actually we both have.
So what to get her for our anniversary. Now I must admit I am the Queen of airport gifts and yes I was traveling Monday and Tuesday and yes I did wait until practically the last minute to get her gift, but I think I done good. What is it you might ask....well right now I can't say because she hasn't gotten it yet. I am sure she will update y'all later on it. And for the record...no it is not arsenic...lol.
Happy Anniversary Pookie!!
So what to get her for our anniversary. Now I must admit I am the Queen of airport gifts and yes I was traveling Monday and Tuesday and yes I did wait until practically the last minute to get her gift, but I think I done good. What is it you might ask....well right now I can't say because she hasn't gotten it yet. I am sure she will update y'all later on it. And for the record...no it is not arsenic...lol.
Happy Anniversary Pookie!!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
The Whole Fandamly....
So we usually have one family picnic over a holiday and it is usually over Labor Day. This year we received a special request to have it over the Fourth...which we did. So Sunday afternoon was spent with my family feasting on burgers, dogs, and plenty of other yummies. I have to say each year the picnics and quality family time gets better and better. My Mom and Tracey are now swapping recipes...who knew that day would come. My Mom and Grandmother gave Bud Light Lime a try and I believe the funny faces they made sealed the deal that they definitely aren't into flavored beer. Luckily that just means more for me...lol.
Good food...good drinks...good music....good pool equals a good time had by all.
Next up...the first annual company picnic at Casa de TNT. If it is anything like the Christmas party we are in for a hellava good time!!!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
The Big Blog Combo of 2008
So I had this big ole blog typed up, but apparently my laptop has a button that should be labeled 'deletes all that was typed and never to be found again'. Nice. So I'm relegated to using the short and sweet version, which is too bad because I thought I was pretty brilliant in my previous never-to-be post. Damn.
Since we blog SO OFTEN (ha) we have decided to just combine our blogs and deactivate my blog, or de-blogivate it, or whatever you do to a blog. This way we can put all our pictures in one place, and we won't have to have a discussion over which one of us will blog about stuff. Last night Alisa asked me which one of us was going to blog about the new garage, and since she was poised at the puter with the blog site up and ready, I took the hint. Before I could say 'I think you should', her fingers got to tapping. So I'm moving over here now.
Who knows, we might get to be better at this blogging thing if we share it.
Since we blog SO OFTEN (ha) we have decided to just combine our blogs and deactivate my blog, or de-blogivate it, or whatever you do to a blog. This way we can put all our pictures in one place, and we won't have to have a discussion over which one of us will blog about stuff. Last night Alisa asked me which one of us was going to blog about the new garage, and since she was poised at the puter with the blog site up and ready, I took the hint. Before I could say 'I think you should', her fingers got to tapping. So I'm moving over here now.
Who knows, we might get to be better at this blogging thing if we share it.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Famous in a small town....
So today is the day we have been waiting on for a few weeks (maybe even a year)...the delivery of our new storage barn. Now for those of you who know me well, you know by now that I never do things on the small scale when it comes to tools and such. And this barn is no exception...336 square feet of storage heaven (12' x 28' to be exact)!!! We planned carefully, shoveled 16.5 tons of gravel, and were all set for the big day. I even took off from work early so that should really tell you how stoked I was about this.
Now Tracey being the worry wart got a bit nervous when the guy raised the barn into the air about 25 feet while placing it on the nice gravel pad we had worked so hard to prep over the weekend. Now granted we should have been a bit offended when the delivery guy goes "I don't know about takin' directions from women" as we were trying to help guide him into position, but it was actually funny to us. Even funnier was when we put the level on the building and it was perfect when all was said and done...take that!!!
We thought we would have no trouble filling up this extra storage with our stuff, but low and behold we have found ourselves carefully rethinking precise placement of four wheelers, a riding mower, and tools. Tracey's favorite part...the 6 foot storage loft we added in the roof. She didn't find it very funny when I said that she at least had a nice, new place to sleep when she is in the doghouse. Good thing I am cute otherwise I could have a nice shiner right about now...lol.
This day was exciting for us, but apparently we are now the talk of the town. People have slowed down driving by, gawked, and stopped on the side of the road to check out our new barn. Famous in a small town...who knew. Just wait till we get to church on Sunday...let the fun begin.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
New Hermans
So the pond became overwhelmed with algae, and no matter what I did, it didn't fix it. I ended up killing the last 2 Hermans. Apparently I put too much algaecide in the water and that did them in. Not a pleasant day in the TnT household. Alisa was upset with me for killing the fish, as she should be, and I wasn't happy with myself. I get attached to stupid stuff, even fish. No need to punish me because I punished myself enough with the loss of the fish. Silly to some, but not to me.
So I drained the pond, scrubbed it clean, and refilled it. Talk about a process. If that happens again, I vote to buy a new pond and scrap the old one. Too much work.
So today I went to a different pond store, and the owner schooled me in Pond 101. I bought more pond plants, and I also got new Hermans. I got a comet, a sarrasas comet, a butterfly koi, and a shebunken. I got the shebunken because of the name. It's just too funny. It belongs at our house.
The pond has now become my project, so I'm in charge of making sure I don't kill our new fish. I found out that when you put fish food in the pond, it can create algae, so we have the potential of starving our new Hermans. Hopefully they'll eat the algae off the roots of the floating plants. That's what they're supposed to do anyway. Maybe if we don't feed them as much, they will eat the algae. I'm willing to give it a shot because I really don't want to have to suffer the consequences of killing more fish.
So now the pond is clean and has 4 new inhabitants. And believe you me, I'll be keeping a close eye on that pond. No more dead fish if I have anything to say about it.
My Dad asked me if I named them yet. I told him I just named them Hermans 5,6,7, and 8. He said 'I think I would change their names, Herman doesn't seem to be a very lucky name'.
Thanks Dad.
So I drained the pond, scrubbed it clean, and refilled it. Talk about a process. If that happens again, I vote to buy a new pond and scrap the old one. Too much work.
So today I went to a different pond store, and the owner schooled me in Pond 101. I bought more pond plants, and I also got new Hermans. I got a comet, a sarrasas comet, a butterfly koi, and a shebunken. I got the shebunken because of the name. It's just too funny. It belongs at our house.
The pond has now become my project, so I'm in charge of making sure I don't kill our new fish. I found out that when you put fish food in the pond, it can create algae, so we have the potential of starving our new Hermans. Hopefully they'll eat the algae off the roots of the floating plants. That's what they're supposed to do anyway. Maybe if we don't feed them as much, they will eat the algae. I'm willing to give it a shot because I really don't want to have to suffer the consequences of killing more fish.
So now the pond is clean and has 4 new inhabitants. And believe you me, I'll be keeping a close eye on that pond. No more dead fish if I have anything to say about it.
My Dad asked me if I named them yet. I told him I just named them Hermans 5,6,7, and 8. He said 'I think I would change their names, Herman doesn't seem to be a very lucky name'.
Thanks Dad.
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