ABOVE THE TREE TOPS

oops

Don't mind the grammatical errors.  And NO i haven't had any today! hahahaha

Favorite Things #1

I LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE

Jack and Coke. I refer to it as "my man jack" when I talk about what I like to drink.

I have enjoyed this beverage fo over 20 years (we won't get very specific because I know my mom reads my blog) (sorry mom!).  But unlike other beverages I par-take in the enjoyment of, which on occassion have come back to haunt me, APPLE MARTINI'S, I never waiver from Jack.  That first cool,sugery sip is like haveing a taste of the best ANYTHING in the world on my taste buds.  I have even begun to collect the little "nip" bottles that i get to someday make a sting of lights for our bar.

 

Enjoy your favorite beverage today.

 

 

Definitions: Just a thought

Do you ever wonder why we use some of the "big" words that we do.

Do we even know the definitions of the "big" words we use. 

Do we use these words because we beleive we know what they mean, and they fit into what we are talking or writing about.

For example: 

 I like to people watch, at the mall, the beach, at a party.  When I drive down the road at night, as I pass by houses with lights on, I like to look in their windows and see how they decorate.  So because of this I tell people I am a VOYEUR.  I am not sure why I use this word.  Maybe I heard someone relate it to something similar to what I do. Non the less, I think how I am using it is correct.  BOY WAS I WRONG!

I got curious the other day, more because I had nothing to do, so I used www.merriam-webster.com  to look up Voyeur and this is the clean definition. 

2: a prying observer who is usually seeking the sordid or the scandalous.

My point being, if you are going to use "big" words, make sure you know the definition first before you say something you don't really mean.

Or maybe do a little research and find out the origin of the word, because sometimes the definitions don't make sense.

Etymology:

French, literally, one who sees, from Middle French, from voir to see

Just a thought!!!

 

Chicago 2

We went on an Architectural Boat Tour through downtown Chicago. It was really cool to see all the different styles of architecture that make up the skyline of downtown Chicago.  There was a lot of steel, glass and stone with so many geometrical designs.  There is one building that takes up several city blocks that is has it's own zip code!  It was especially neat to hear Matt say (many times) "my firm did that one".  We even went by the old post office, which was built a long time ago, that was used in the new film Dark Knight as Gotham City.  I added more pics to the album so check out the buildings.

Eventually, I think Chicago will be the most beautiful great city left in the world.”

Frank Lloyd Wright

I wish I could visit a new city every week.  We get so tied up in our everyday routines that we forget there is so much more to see in the world or just the united states for that matter.

 

We also took in a comedy show at the famous SECOND CITY.  This is where a lot of the major comedians that we all know got there starts, Martin Short, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Gene Wilder etc.  It was a tiny place, maybe 100 seats (if that).  We sat 2 rows from the stage.  I was a little scared about that, I didn't want to get picked on.  The cast consisted of 3 female and 3 male performers.  All the skits were based on "politically correct" situations.  Of course being so close to the stage one of us was bound to get noticed.  They were doing a set about getting people excited about voting, one character came out into the audience like a motivational speaker and was pumping up the rest of the cast about who has the right to vote, the "speaker" is going around the audience putting people on the spot about their knowledge of who has the right to vote.  I am glad I am not sitting on an end seat, but mom is........  The "Speaker" jumps next to her with the mic. and asks " That boy, who is 17, loves politics,  and knows who should be president, can he vote?"  uuuummmm NO, he's not old enough.  Good job Mom!  At the end they did and encore set of just ad libs.  I just love to laugh!!!

I would definitely go visit again!

 

Thanks mom for the Bday present!

Thanks Matt and Angie for letting us rest and refresh!

 

 

 

Chicago

While we were walking through Chicago, I wanted to visit a "famous" resturant that many may only associate with the very popular late night T.V. show SNL.  The Billy Goat Tavern.  I was very excited to see where John Belushi played an over bearing counter person, no matter what you wanted your order would be "cheezborger,cheezborger, chip,chip, coke, NO PEPSI!. (or something like that).  We found the resturant, it was located underneath one of the many "L" stations.  A dark place, not a place that I would say looked to inviting from the outside.  But I wanted to say I had been there and eaten on of those "cheezborgers".  Although the door was at street level, once you went in you had to walk down into this very small place, crowded with the counter, and kitchen and many small tables to eat at.  As soon as I walked in I knew I was in trouble.  You could FEEL the grease in the air, the smell was sooooo thick (those that know me well can understand that statement) I had to get out of there fast.  It was a walk-in walk-out.  Well at least I can say I was in the place!!!

I really like Chicago.  There is so much to see and do, and we were only in a small portion of it.  All along the lake there were open spaces, parks and walk ways.  Not condos and businesses.  It was relitivley clean, the traffic was no worse than Boston and I didn't feel closed in when walking through the city. 

Matt lives on a very busy street, so you are limited to where and when you can park in front of their Apt.  As luck chance would have it he found a spot about 4 buildings up, nice and convenient for leaving early on Sat.   We planned on just touring around with Matt showing us places of interest.  You take chances with parking on the main road, break-ins, vandalisim etc... well guess what Not too sure what happened.  It started out as a hole, like a bullet hole, except we couldn't find a bullet, bb, or even a rock inside the car.  I thought all glass on cars were tempered?  Apprently not, as soon as Matt shut the drivers door, that little hole turned into a HUGE mess!.  Needless to say, our tour guide was non to happy.  We salvaged what was left of the morning and walked to Wrigley Field.  (check later for pics.)

 

 

The "Windy City"

I took a trip the end of June with my mom to Chicago, "The Windy City".  Matt moved there last December with his girlfriend Angie, and for my birthday, I got a trip to visit him.

 Here's a fact:  did you know that Chicago did not   get it's nickmane because it is windy!.  Back in the late 1800's, when Chicago was competing with Cinn. for the right to hold the world's fair, a writer for the newspaper said that Chicago's politicians were so "Winded" with their speaches, hence the nickname "The Windy City".  I learned that on an architectural boat tour through the city. 

We had a great time. On Friday we walked all around Michigan Ave., down to Navy Pier, Millennium park (see side for pics.) I was sooooo amazed at all the buildings and their amazing architecture.  While walking to Navy Pier we ended up near the water.  I made a comment to my mom that "I was surprised that the people in the "Ocean" were wearing wet suits, it must be cold". Of course she got a laugh out of that one.  Lake Michigan is HUGE!

Size Statistics (Lake Michigan)

Length: 307 miles

Width: 118 miles

Depth: 925 feet maximum

Shoreline: 1,660 miles largely of sand & pebble beaches. 

 I seriously thought is was an ocean, there were waves and everything.

to be cont'.....

 

If peace could begin with Dancing......

You absolutley need to check out this site!  Dancing is UNIVERSAL!!!!! SO SHOULD PEACE BE!!!!

http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/videos.shtml?fbid=3VoI1

 

GET UP AND DANCE!!!!

They're moving on up!

Graduation finally came!  I am sooooooo glad this year is over.  I should actually say I am soooooo glad that middle school is over for Nathan.  5th and 6th grade were not too bad, but man, when he entered 7th grade I thought I would be sent away.  Some said it was the age, because he was a boy, they kept telling me "this too shall pass".  Let me tell you, THEY LIED!!!!   I know Nathan stuggles with school work, organization and study skills, but there was a plan in place. The school knew what was expected of them and they failed.  Plain and simple.  I had meeting after meeting and they tried to talk circles around me.  I had to trust that they "knew" what they were doing, and in the end they didn't.  Unfortunatly 8th grade was even worse.  I know Nathan had a lot to do with this, but he was there for 7.5 hrs a day, you would think that they could have put a little more effort into helping him.

Enough said:  NATHAN GRADUATED MIDDLE SCHOOL!!!!!!! (barely)  It is hard to believe he is going into 9th grade.  I just hope these next four have a little more sanity for me.

Eleigh also graduated!  She is finally out of Elementary school.  She is already like a Pre-Teen.  ALL ATTITUDE, but I think the next four years, for her, will definetly be an awakening.  Changing classes, co-mingling with the older kids and hopefully a more challenging curriculum.  Only time will tell!

It happens in (3)'s cont'

#2

Owning your own business is usally a good thing.  You can set your own hours, choose your customers (somewhat), and take long vacations.  But you also have to answer to the IRS!!! 

We recently received a letter from the IRS stating we owned THEM money! Go figure! This was a shock to us being we usually got money back.  It said we failed to file our 2004 taxes extension fee on time.  A fee, mind you, of $69.00. The statement we just received says we now own them $1128.95.

$617.25 in a late filing penalty &  $511.60 in accured interst.  Of course being that this was our (1) and only notice of this since 2004 is no excuse.  Now we have to prove we paid and then some.  Try arguing with the IRS sometime!

#3

My third and hopefully final (until I start counting again) was right in the middle of washing all my summer clothes from disaster #1, our DRYER BROKE!!  I had to keep in mind that it is 16 years old and gets used daily, but come on, after the cost of my ceiling repair and the lovely people from the IRS, I was in NO position to be replacing a dryer.  I called our trusty appliance guy and all it was in need of was a thermostate and fuse! YEAH!!!  I should start saving though, just in case.

So, the new count of (3) begins anew.  What could be lurking in the days to come?  Hopfuly (3) good and  profitable things happen this time!!!

It happens in (3)'s!

I am a firm believer that things, whether they are good or bad, happen in three's.  My (3)'s started on our first REALLY hot weekend in May. 

#1

 We had been running the central A/C all day on Sunday, I noticed a small leak coming down the back side of our brick chimney in the family room.  Called David, he said turn the system off and he would be home to check it later ** note; it was atleast 98 degrees outside**  A couple of hours later he comes home and finds that the condensate line that runs across  our attic to the outside of the house has a crack in it.  Probably happened over the winter.  He replaces  the cracked part and the system is off and running, non-stop!! 

 Monday is HOT HOT HOT and needless to say the system is running non-stop again all day.  I happen to go into our bedroom around 5:00 p.m. (which is at the end of the house where the condensate line comes out of the house) and there is a leak, drip, drip, dripping from my ceiling at the end of our bed.  Not only is it leaking, but the ceiling is starting to crack! I call David, who is at a Scout meeting and won't be home for a couple of hours (again) he tells me to shut off the system, and wait.  DRIPPING, CRACKING, DRIPPING, CRACKING.  I have placed 4 small waste paper baskets to catch the water at this point. 

At 10:00 p.m.  David finds more cracks in the line and replaces them.  I ask about the ceiling that has now begun to open to a huge hole with water and insulation and sheetrock threatening to fall upon my bed.  He says there is nothing to do until morning unless I want to go into the attic and move all of my "stuff" take up the flooring and scoop up all the wet, smelly insultaion.  I decide to wait.  Big Mistake, Big!.  (let me set the scene, ALL of my freshly laundred summer clothes, that I was getting ready to put away, are all over my bed.  I am a piler, so needless to say there are things all round my floor, bed, dresser etc..) 

 At approximately 10:30 -11:00 it fell! THE WATER, THE CEILING, THE NASTY,SMELLY 30+ YEAR OLD INSULLATION!!! All over the bed, my clothes, the floor, the dresser down the hallway in every crack and crevice called our bedroom. Check it out!

 

I had to jump into the bathroom just as it was starting to fall!!  All I could do was scream for David.  Now that hole may look small in the picture but it almost measures 6'x6'. 

 David had to drive down to the shop to get the industrial vacuum.  It took us until 1:30 a.m. just to vacuum up the insullation, then we had to remove everything but the furniture.  My clothes, the bedding, everything from the nightstands, dressers and floor. 

Thank goodness I have 2 couches in my livingroom.  This past week David relaced the sheetrock and we had someone come in and plaster the ceiling, now all I need is for someone to paint it all nice and pretty!

#2 tomorrow (I promise)!!!!