Time to Catch Up

Okay....be ready for a few posts back to back. Mom and dad were here so I have LOTS of things to talk about......see some of our adventures below.

Throw Momma From the Train....

No offense mom.....I wanted a catchy title and this was the first thing that came to mind.

While my parents were in town we traveled to the small town of Baraboo, WI where we found the Mid-Continent Train Museum. I was quite impressed by this museum.

This was more of a train stock yard. An outdoor museum filled with old locomotives, cabooses box cars and a renovated train depot. There was also an indoor train yard museum filled with renovated train cars. Most of which were quite nice and reflected on times gone by.

You could tour the grounds on your own and then every other hour a train would leave for a little trip down the tracks and then back to the museum. Jimmy and dad acted like little kids.

I took a lot of pictures in sepia and blk/white mainly because the overcast day was too much of a glare for my camera and I also think these camera settings are cool and fit the train yard quite nicely.

Jimmy and I waiting on the train to get going down the tracks. It was very hot!!!

This picture didn't turn out right b/c of the sun. But I like it anyway.
Okay, I love pictures and could not resist this shot!

This is an old snow blower for the tracks. It was HUGE and scary looking!!

North Freedom Train Museum.

Mom posing, while the boys played with trains.

Us on the train car.

Cool locomotive.

Posing for the camera.

Dad taking in the scenery.

For some reason I think of goodbye scenes with trains. This is mom and I saying goodbye to Jimmy and dad. (click on the picture to enlarge)

North Freedom Depot

Mom and Dad

Jimmy and Dad being conductors.

Good Times with Mom and Dad

Mom and dad arrived on June 18 and stayed until this morning. We had such a nice time. On our first weekend together we traveled down to Chicago and stayed the night. Here are some pictures from our trip....in no particular order.

Waiting for the river/lake tour to begin on Saturday afternoon. We had a great time. It was a 90 minute boat ride explaining the history and architecture of Chicago. We road down the river and also into Lake Michigan.

On Saturday night we went up to the Signature Lounge on the 96th floor of the Hancock Building. GO HERE!! If you go to Chicago visit the bar in the Hancock instead of the observation deck. Have a drink, relax and take in the view. I did not show up well in the picture but you can see how pretty the lights were at sunset.

Below: Champagne....yay!!

Of course I had to take a picture of it.....you know me.

Mom and I with our champagne...we were very excited about our drink with a view.

View from the river/lake tour.

Ordering a Chicago hot dog at a street vendor after our visit to the Field Museum.

A garden we found near Grant and Millennium parks.

Dad and I in the park on Father's Day for a picture!!

Mom, dad and Jimmy on Navy Pier.

Of course I can't miss a photo opportunity. Mom and dad with fellow farmers in American Gothic.

Horse on Michigan Ave.

Posing on the beach. After soaking our aching feet in the lake.

Dad soaking his feet in Lake Michigan.

No trip to Chicago is complete without seeing The Bean. I have seen this thing about four times now and each time I am still amazed......

Mom and Dad at Buckingham Fountain.

Above: Jimmy and I on Navy Pier.


Dad and Jimmy ordering drinks.

Picture of the Week

My parents are here. Over the weekend we went to Chicago and Jimmy took this picture. We are so proud....

(Water fountain/display on the Chicago River. Every hour it shoots out a stream of water across the river. Jimmy took advantage of the photo opportunity.)

Bring on the Cherries.....

Over the weekend we planted a tart cherry tree. I was very excited to have a fruit tree in our yard so here is a photo of the official planting of the cherry tree.

Sorry, Sara, I know your mouth is watering thinking about the cherries.......

Looking back.....

It was one year ago today that Jimmy and I made our journey up to the land of cheese and cows.

We have learned and accomplished a lot over the last year.

Top 10 highlights of the year....

1. Buying a House
2. Planning for Our Trip to Chile
3. Buying a Car
4. My 30th Birthday Party
5. Taking Golf Lessons
6. Starting a New Job and taking 2 months off before I started it. I loved my 2 month vacation.
7. Snowshoeing
8. Walking on a Frozen Lake
9. Having Visitors! We love company!
10. Girls Weekend in Jacksonville

and much more to come........

The Absent-Minded Couple....

I have come to terms with the fact that Jimmy and I are the absent-minded couple. For example when we park our car in a large parking lot like Home Depot or Target neither of us can remember where we parked. Luckily, if we drive the Subaru we have a keyless remote and we make the car beep until we find it. In parking decks I have actually jotted down the level and row number so we can find our car.

I know I am absent-minded. Like just other morning...Jimmy was wondering where the milk was that we bought the night before. "Great," I thought to myself. "It must be in the back of Subaru." It was. Hot milk that had been sitting in the garage overnight.

Another funny absent minded moment was discovered on Saturday morning. Friday I had gotten back from a work retreat and Jimmy and I had a social event at Capital Brewery for his work. So we got back late. I took my bag out of the back of the Subaru and both of us went to bed. Little did I notice that when I closed the door of the car a blanket got in between the door lock and the door didn't close all the way.

Of course we had LOTS to do on Saturday and needed the Subaru to haul mulch bags, a grill and other garden supplies to the house. Bad part.....the back door of the car won't open because it has a huge piece of cotton puff from the blanket in the door lock and the battery was dying from the door not closing.

We spent about an hour working on the door. We had tweezers, tried to take the door apart, took out the spare tire, the mats.....everything. We finally sprayed a ton of armor-all on the door lock and Jimmy pulled really hard and the door finally opened. YAY!!

well enough rambling.....just wanted to share our absent minded moments. hope you find them funny!! we sure do!!

In an Aldi Near You: Product Review

In trying to keep my skin moisturized and smooth I am always trying to find good products at affordable prices. I have used Clinique in the past and was getting tired of paying the price so I have been trying out a few new products.

The Lacura brand at Aldi is great! I have been using their night-time facial cream for about two months and love it. The best part is the price - $4.99. The entire Lacura line is very affordable and features, toners, night-time face lotion, day-time face lotion, lip care, eye care, make-up and nail polish. All at good prices!

Apparently, this brand has been in Europe for quite awhile (Aldi is from Germany....I think) and has received a lot of praise.

Since using the night cream my face has been smooth and soft. No dry patches or flaky skin. It also has not caused any break outs.

So far I have tried:
Facial Lotion (night)
Pearl and Shine Lip Care
Eye Shadow (opal color)

I have not tried their day time facial lotion because I want more SPF.

From what I have used so far, all of their products are quality and at a good price. If you go to Aldi please bring cash or debit card. They do not accept checks or credits cards.
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Another good brand if you are interested is Cetaphil. I LOVE their face soap!! The price is around $8-10 for a large bottle and it lasts a long time.

Around the House

Here are some pictures of flowers around the house. The family that lived here planted lots of flowers and now Jimmy and I are enjoying them.

Up, Up and Away

I feel like I have flown quite a bit these past few months. I have really wanted to travel alot so I guess I am. I have flown 3 times over the past 3 months.....that is quite a bit of air time for me since I get anxious on planes.

I am doing much better with my pre-boarding jitters and I think I have overcome most of my fear. My least favorite part of the flight is take-off and turbulence. On our flight back from Raleigh on Friday we went through a storm and had some "rough-air"....as they say on the plane. We must have hit a pocket of air where it felt like the plane dropped a little bit and people gasped....then it was over....thank goodness. Poor Jimmy....I held his hand so tight that I left it all red and wrinkly.

My next hurdle is a 9.5 hour flight to Santiago, Chile. Benadryl will be my friend. If you have any advice for anxiety please let me know???

My last flight Jimmy and I went to NC for a wedding and some much needed beach time with family at Emerald Isle. Which is why I have not blogged in over a week.

We had such a nice time seeing our NCSU friends. The wedding was beautiful and so was the bride!! The wedding and reception were at the Matthews House in Cary.

After the wedding we drove down to EI to spend a few days with my parents. And then had a few days to spend with Sara.