O Canada

My Mom, Stepdad, Scott, and brother, James, are all moving to Ottawa, Canada for three years at the end of August, so Brian, Jack, and I headed to Maryland for a visit home before they head north!  Fortunately, Brian was in Maryland for work all week while Jack, Bun, and I held the Columbus, OH fort down, so Jack and I drove to Maryland on Friday and spent the rest of the weekend with our wonderful family!

There's something so special about going home.  I grew up in Maryland, and 90% of my family still lives there.  We miss them dearly living in Ohio, so it is so nice to be able to see them when we can.  We always have so much fun together!  We are never short on laughs, hugs, moments, and inside jokes, and it makes the time that we can all spend together so meaningful. 

This weekend was too short as usual, but we packed our moments in to relish in each other as much as we could before our visits are in our home away from home in Ottawa.  We had dinner at Frisco Grille, we had sleepovers, we headed to Wockenfuss (this is the candy shop where I worked the majority of my high school career, and they have things that you can't get anywhere else in the world!  We had to stop and get a quick fix!), we got our nails done, played ball (of course), [some of us] saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, [while the other part of us] partaked in one of the greatest sporting events FedEx field has ever seen - the Manchester United versus Barcelona game, and enjoyed just being at home - where nothing else matters.

We drove back on Sunday reminiscing about the lovely weekend, the change of moving to Canada, the visits we can't wait to make, the family that we hold so close to our hearts, and the special moments we were able to share.  (Though I don't have a ton of pictures, I have more than I did the weekend we had to hand draw our pictures!  Check them out below, if you'd like!)

Interviewing in 2011

Times are a changin', folks.  Things are not how they used to be.  This is evident, not in the rising costs of milk, eggs, bread, etc., but in the extensive, arduous process of searching and interviewing for a job.

It's 2011.  Paper resumes no longer get you anywhere.  We are in the era of technology, of information.  Where if you want something, you get it.  Where news travels faster by social media then it ever has before.  Where if you want a job, a paper resume won't cut it.  You've got to upgrade to the video resume.  Yes, the video resume. 

I went to a recruiting office today looking at some opportunities there.  (For those of you that don't know, my job situation is not the most ideal situation, so I've been keeping my options open for a while...a long while... and this recruiting center was just another step along the 'open option' way.)

I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  I figured a face to face interview, a paper resume review, a discussion, perhaps a little insight into a potential opportunity.  Riiiighhht.  (Obviously I'm still thinking it's 1999.)  What I got was an intelligence test, a Microsoft Office test, a Microsoft Excel test, a typing words per minute test, a drug test, AND a video resume, in addition to the face to face interview, paper resume review, and discussion.  I was not expecting all of that.  Talk about throwing you for a loop.

I passed all of my tests, I answered my three video resume questions, I did everything the recruiter asked me to do, and I left, for the first time in my life, feeling like the times have caught up to me and left me behind in the dust.

It's 2011.  I'm 29.  Good old fashioned paper resumes just won't cut it.  It's time to upgrade to the video resume.  It's time to adapt to the changing times.  It's time to catch up to the speed of the rest of the world, folks.

Welcome to Interviewing in 2011...

Livin' The Life

We inherited this old, leather couch from one of Brian's friends who is moving out of state.  And when I say 'old', I mean - vintage, comfy, classic!  Old in a very good way!  Though we have not yet 100% settled on an exact location for said couch, we are not the only ones who have been content with the addition.  Jack has also enjoyed having the extra, ample space in our living quarters.  (I'm sure the cool leather really makes his day after endless games of ball tossing in the heat and humidity!)

We witnessed first hand how much Jack enjoys this couch tonight.  We have even caught him sneaking downstairs to sleep on the couch while we are upstairs getting ready for bed.  Usually he follows us wherever we are.  This couch must have a stronger pull!

What a lucky puppy!  He is certainly livin' the life!

Happy Birthday! Here's a Door.

Let me explain.

Brian asked for help hanging a new storm door for his birthday.  (The one we previously had didn't even shut all the way.)  However, I know nothing about hanging a storm door, or any door for that matter, so I wasn't going to be much help with that, but Gangsta Tom has 'Storm Door Hanging' as one of his specialties.  (One of his many specialties, I should add.)  And today, Gangsta Tom and Brian hung his birthday present - his new storm door.

And, if I do say, it's the best storm door (and storm door installation) you have ever seen!

So, Brian, Happy Birthday, again!  Here's your new door:

Stick Figures

Ladies and Gentlemen, I forgot to bring my camera this weekend.  Therefore, I have documented our weekend by a three part series of hand drawn stick figures.  (Tom, I wasn't kidding when I mentioned that we may have to do this...)

Please enjoy 'Our Weekend in Stick Figures':

Hot Dog!

Mary and Tom joined Brian and me for a post 35th birthday lunch at Dirty Frank's Hot Dog Palace.  (You recall this place, don't you?!  It has quickly become a fav!) 

Ahhhh, the treeeeeee!

We then headed to Trapper John's for a canoe trip!  It may appear that we are obsessed with hot dogs and canoeing, and maybe we are, but we had a blast!  By the way, if you're wondering why Brian is sitting so low in the canoe, it's because he actually was sitting at the bottom of the canoe at one point!  When we ran smack dab into the middle of this tree, the shear force of our collision scooted him off of his seat right into the bottom of the canoe!  (I would just like to state for the record that the person in the back of the boat is supposed to steer, and I was sitting in the front...)  It was so hilarious and kept us all laughing for quite a while.  We left soaked to the bone, but all in good fun, of course!

Splish splash!

Last, but certainly not least, we joined our family for our first 'Sunday Family Dinner' at Kevin and Brooke's house. There was ball throwing, fishing, jumping off the dock (by Jack), swimming (again, by Jack), shish-ka-bobs, apple pie, and wonderful company!

It was a lovely summer weekend!

Stick Image #1 Disclaimer:  Tom doesn't normally look so "gangsta", but for some reason I have drawn him multiple times and every time he's got quite the swagger.  (Especially in our 'Hot Dog' picture.)

Stick Image #2 Disclaimer:  I am no arteest, and my lack of drawing stick figure skills is not meant to offend anyone in any way.  This is really not what you look like...

Stick Image #3 Disclaimer:  To all of our blog readers, I can assure you that I did pass 5th grade art class.  I can assure you that I passed 10th grade art class.  I can also assure you that I won't be heading into 'art' anything with my next career change...

Birthday Bonanza

Presents, presents, and more presents!  We celebrated Brian's 35th birthday yesterday with 35 'birthday surprises'!  Is it just me, or are guys just really difficult to buy for?!  After racking my brain...since Brian's 34th birthday...I still didn't have very many ideas on what I could get Brian.  Sure I could pick out some clothes, sure I could pick out some shoes, but I've done that before.  I wanted to do something else, something originial.

On Sunday night, it hit me, on Monday I worked out the details, and on Tuesday and Wednesday I spent the rest of my time racking my brain again on 35 gifts.  (At one point I considered just doing this next year, being that I was cutting it relatively close on time and all and thinking of 35 'birthday things', without spending $500, is not the easiest thing you've ever done, but I remembered that if I did wait until next year, I'd have to think of 36.  And any year that I didn't do this, I'd just be adding on.  If I could barely get 35 notes done, I wasn't going to tempt 36 or more!  This was definitely the year to do this, and I'm so happy I did!)  I created 35 individual cards for his 35th birthday (get it?!) - each with a little note on the back.  The notes ranged from birthday gifts, birthday coupons, birthday jokes, there was even a birthday wish protection plan, but they were all for him!  I then attached numbers to the gifts that I had purchased so that when he did read a card that directed him to open a gift, he would have the right one to open!

I had a ton of fun coming up with the little notes and once my creative juices are flowing it's hard for me to get them to stop!  I know Brian enjoyed his birthday gift(s) as much as I enjoyed making them.  Now, I've got to start thinking about what the heck I'm going to do for his 36th birthday...!

Happy Birthday, Brian!  ♥

Love Always,
Your Wife for Life

Dog Days of Summer

By the calendar, summer arrived 21 days ago.  By my acute summer senses, summer arrived this weekend!

While we were out and about in our backyard, probably throwing the ball to Jack or moving the sprinker to water another 'new grass' area, we heard a couple of cicadas in the trees surrounding our backyard!  I don't know about you, but to me the sound of cicadas just screams summertime, and it was none to early because for the first time this summer we've got a heat index of 100 degrees today!  (Actually, that may be a slight fib.  While we were away in Europe, we were told that there was an extreme heat wave that raised temperatures for a few days here, but since we didn't experience it and the 'summer' days since we've been back have been simply lovely, this is our first time experiencing 100 degree temperatures this summer!)  But we are not complaining!

I absolutely love the sound of cicadas.  If you could bottle that sound up with a few fireflys, a light pinkish blue sky and a little bit of heat, you'd have a little dose of summer year round!  And when I hear them during the day, I can't help but daydream about a glass of cold ice tea, a chair, and a shady porch to sit on!

In addition to the summer serenading cicadas, we also noticed that we have a wonderful Rose of Sharon blooming behind our shed.  Our yard continues to surprise us!

I think we can all agree that summer is officially here!  Welcome, Summer!  Welcome!

(Can you picture a sun smiling with sunglasses on right now!?  I can!)

Bouncy Balls

Jack found this bouncy ball in our basement right before we started our quarantining. How can you not play with such a cute puppy?!

Watch Me!

(Playing on the Steps Disclaimer: Allowing our puppy to play on the steps may suggest that we are not responsible parents. We can assure you that we took all the necessary precautions to promote safety and safe step playing and, since we've figured out that Jack uses our house as his personal jungle gym anyway, we figured why not give him a little step challenge! We are careful and responsible, and no animals were harmed in the making of this video.)

Attack of the Greenish-Black Mold...

BEWARE! 

OOooooohhhhh!  (That's a ghost sound...)

Duh dum...   Duh Dum...  Duh DUM. DUH DUM. DUH DUM DUH DUM... (That's the Jaw's theme song...)

It's slimy!  It's gooey!  It's gross!  It's absolutely, positively putrid!  AND, it's in our basement.

It's mold... Ahhhhh!

When Brian and I bought our house we were amazed at how clean and tidy the basement was.  After all, you'd figure after 75 years of being a basement you'd be a bit rusty, dirty, perhaps have a few cobwebs in your corners too, but not this basement.  It was spick and span...until we moved in...

Despite smelling a bit musty and damp (we figured that's what old basements smell like...), we were pretty content with our basement.  Sure it could use a little work, sure we could probably utilize the space a bit better (it ended up as the store-all for everything we either a.) didn't unpack, or b.) didn't know where to put), but for the most part, our basement is ... a basement.  Neither of us were overly concerned about the smell or the disorganization until we noticed that we were being taken over by a really, REALLY  disgusting mold.  (So gross that I won't even show you pictures close up.)

We're not quite sure how or where it started, or if it was there before we moved in, but it had to be taken care of, so we spent this weekend quarantining our basement items that were salvagable, getting rid of all the items that weren't, and sanitizing everything.  I'm talking face masks, gloves, scrubbing on hands and knees from floor to ceiling and everything in between sanitizing.  I'm not going to lie, it was not the funnest thing we've ever done but it had to be done, and so, we did it.  (But not without burning a few nose hairs off in the process thanks to the 1:4 bleach to water solution that we mixed.)  Plus, it was a good excuse to actually go through all the junk that we just threw down there when we moved in November!

We are now living amongst our clean basement items and are in the middle of determining our next plan of action to destroy the mold and prevent the growth of any new mold.

Stay tuned for the Attack of the Greenish-Black Mold Part II - When Humans Attack...

...Coming soon!

Red, White, and BOOM!

What is that, you ask?  Only the largest, brightest, loudest, most spectacular fireworks display in the midwest, of course!  And, yes, Brian and I braved the crowds and the heat and made our way to downtown Columbus, OH making this our third year in a row!  (For the record, the crowds weren't that bad, parking was easy, and the temperature was perfect!)  When we arrived downtown, we moseyed around for a bit, people watched, and scoped out a few areas where we could sit until we ended up in an area with our new pal, Bobby.

Bobby, you see, staked out a huge area on Tuesday, June 28 for his family and friends.  Once Friday, July 1 rolled around, he still had a ton of open lawn space available for passersby.  And, being that Bobby is a very friendly and generous fella, when we asked him if we could sit in a small spot on 'his' lawn, he willingly obliged and even offered us some hot dogs and beer out of his own personal stash!  Ahh, life in the midwest.  When you're here, you're family!

We enjoyed Red, White, and Boom this year much like years past - in the center of all the action, but unlike years past, we were showered with bits of firework dust as the wind blew the ash in the air, and nine minutes before the start of the show we saw the international space station go across the sky, smack dab in the middle of our viewing area.  It was all incredible!

We've decided that while we've not really planned on attending Red, White, and Boom for the past three years, that we will have to start making it an annual tradition!  And now that we know we've got a spot saved with Bobby and crew, we will most definitely be planning to attend!