September Update

I realized this week that it has been forever (over a month) since I posted a blog.  So I thought I would update my loyal readers (LOL) with some things that have happened in my life.

A.  I went on a terrific trip to NYC with my long time friend AL.  It was a great trip and I got to see and do many new things.
     1.  On our first day we took a cab to Harlem to have lunch at a Soul Food restaurant.  We gave the address to the cab driver and he had a general idea of our destination but he didn't know the exact location.  So...he dropped us off at the entrance of Columbia University and said we should walk to our right.  OK??  But,  we did have a nice walk through campus and then through a little park before we found the restaurant.  It was a good thing my GPS was able to give us directions otherwise we would have never found the restaurant.
     2.  We also walked through the infamous Hells Kitchen and AL had terrible dinner of fried octopus while I drank Sangria.
     3.  We visited Bloomindales and I gawked at the very expensive clothing.  BTW...the plus size clothing section was awful. 
     4.  The great plague started while I was on this trip.  Ugg...the sickness slowly descended upon me over the four days I was there.  The first major indication of being sick was that I was never hungry.  AL would go into a bakery and I would wave my hand and say I didn't want a cupcake or Cookie.  SERIOUSLY....when do I ever turn down a sweet?  A few months ago I would have said NEVER but now I say only when I get the great plague.
     5.  The best part of the trip was the musicals.  Basically, seeing multiple shows was our main objective in NYC.  We planned them all in advance and purchased them online.  Neither of us was interested in waiting in Times Square to get the cheap half price tickets as we both do better with a specific plan.  I made a list of my favorite to least favorite shows...but honestly the were all great.

          A.  Memphis
          B.  Billy Elliot
          C.  How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying
          D.  Catch Me if You Can
          E.  Phantom of the Opera

B.  I caught the plague while I was in NYC.  Sigh...basically I was really sick.  I cannot recall ever being so sick for such a long period of time.  I was seriously sick for a week, moderately sick for the next week and and mildly sick for two more weeks.  However, I don't really think I am fully recovered yet and the sickness started over the Labor Day holiday.  When DM picked me up at the airport she was hesitant to let me in her car because I looked so awful.  She told me that she sprayed the entire car down with Lysol as soon as she got home.  In week three of the plague I was in a meeting at work with three of our executives and I had to excuse myself twice because I began to cough so hard it sounded and felt like my lungs were trying to exit my body via my mouth.  Not cool.  After the second time I didn't even try to go back to the meeting. 


C.  I learned that Unicorns suck.

D.  Biking season is slowly winding down with darkness coming earlier and earlier each day.  The BGI weekly rides have ended and we had a great group dinner to celebrate.  About 12 people showed up for the dinner and it made me so happy to look around the table and realize how many new friends I made over the summer.  Not just acquaintances but new friendships that have grown beyond biking.  It was a good summer.

E.  I did some cool events in September.  I visited the Propylaeum and painted a picture with a good friend.  I went on a chilly but fun bike ride in Carmel.  I helped my brother move.  BTW...two story homes suck!  I attended my first baby shower in at least five years.   I made a new tradition of biking and eating dinner with friends every Wednesday night.  We often stay out to late talking and drinking beer.  Good times.  Also, I got another root canal.

F.  It is now October my favorite and least favorite month of the year.

G.  I am going to Europe over Christmas.  Woo Hoo!!!!  AL and I just made our lodging reservations for Dusseldorf and Paris.

Birthday(s) in July

I don't usually like to purchase gifts for birthdays for my nieces and nephews because I want to give them something to build positive memories of us doing things together.   I like to take them on an outing to do something they enjoy and spend time with them one on one.  I decided that since both Sarah and Paige's birthdays were in December (ummm...2010) it might be time I gave them their gifts.

Paige was up first.  She requested an evening of shopping and dinner.  Ugg..she is 8 and she LOVES to shop.  When I called her up to tell her of my plans I asked her where she would like to eat and she replied "Old Country Buffet".  Gag...disgusting.  I decided she had ZERO taste buds.  However, after further conversation she changed her mind to The Journey.  Still a buffet but it is a step up from OCB. 

I arrived at her house on Friday night about 5:30 and she was all dressed up and waiting for me.  She wore a cute little dress and heels.  OMG...she was so adorable and she made me feel so boring in my jeans and sneakers.  As soon as we got into the car she began to talk and talk and talk.  Apparently, she has lots of things to say and not enough people to listen.  FYI...the first 30 minutes of conversation was about fashion.  Shoes, dresses and styles.  Where did she learn this stuff?  At one point in the evening she asked me if she was talking to much.  I laughed and said that she is a girl and she talked a normal amount for a girl.  I think she was too young to understand the implied yes to her question.  But as I also like to talk it really didn't bother me.  Silence is much much worse.

We enjoyed our dinner together and she had terrific table manners.  She was polite and she even tried some new foods.  The buffet had a variety of sushi and I encouraged her to try several bites of mine and she liked them all.  It is nice to be around a kid who likes more than chicken fingers and fries.  After dinner we headed to the mall.  She was so excited.  She took me by the hand and lead me around to her favorite stores.  The first stop was the music store where she looked at DVD's and games for her DS.  Then it was Gamestop where she tried to get me to buy her a game. I said no as the purpose of the trip was to look at clothes.  Then she took me to a (horrible) pre-teen store called Justice.  Yuck!  I just didn't like the vibe of the store.  I let her walk around and look at stuff but I knew we were not going to be buying anything in that store.  After about 30 minutes I encouraged her to check out Macy's.  She has never been in that store so she was a bit reluctant to try it out.

When we found the little girls section her eyes got large and a giant smile was plastered on her face. She was VERY pleased with their selection of items and she was in dress heaven.  We walked around and she found several items to her liking and her little arms got very full with dresses.  By the time we were done combing the girls section I think she had picked out at least 20 dresses and two bathing suits to try on.  I went in the dressing room with her and helped keep her organized.


















 She found one dress she loved!  She was so happy but there was a second pants outfit that also was a great hit.  And...I ended up buying her both.  I tried to get her to pick a different dress because it was so long but her mind couldn't be swayed.  She wanted it and I thought what the heck...it was her birthday present and it didn't have to be practical.

The next stop was Claire's.  She wanted something pretty to matcher her new dress.  She found the friendship necklace section and she was hooked.  She found one that had 3 pieces because she has two best friends.  LOL.  We spent most of the ride home discussing who was going to get which section on the necklace.

I got her home close to 10pm and she was exhausted.  It was a great evening and I know she enjoyed the entire experience much more than getting a dress to open on her actual birthday.

Sarah was up the next day and she had a much different request.  Currently, her favorite TV show is Man Vs. Food.  They did a segment in Carmel at Bub's and ever since she saw that show she has wanted to go and try it out.  I decided I would take her for a bike ride on the Monon and then we would stop by Bub's at the end.  She was so excited when I came to pick her up on Saturday that she ran out to the car to greet me. 

Her bike was ready and waiting for me to load up in the driveway. She even asked if she could ride her step-mothers bike so she could "keep up" with me.  LOL.  I parked at the trailhead on Rohar road near 146th Street and we headed North.  She was excited because she had never rode on the new section of the monon.  We made it to the end in Westfield and we turned around and headed back south.  We rode about nine miles by the time we got to Bub's and she was famished and excited to check out the restaurant.  PS...when we arrived at Bub's she told me she thought I was trying to kill her...perhaps nine miles was a bit much for her.

I walked her inside and took her photo next to the big picture of the Man Vs. Food dude.  She acted a bit embarrassed but I know she loved the attention.  We only had to wait 20ish minutes and we got a seat inside.  Woo Hoo...air conditioning.  She wanted to try the Big burger but  I coaxed her into getting the smaller burger and we shared some fries.  Yummy!  She was in heaven after her first bite. 

While we were there I bought her an offical Bub's t-shirt and I know that made her day.  We topped off our burger lunch with some scrumptious ice cream and we were FULL.  The bike ride back to the car was painful and I couldn't wait for a nap.

Just like Paige...I think Sarah really enjoyed her birthday outing and hopefully they both thought it was worth the wait.