unemployed...

well...i haven't been unemployed since i got out of college and was looking for my first teaching job...yesterday i called my principal and the athletic director and resigned...so i was offically unemployed...i had an interview today with the superintendent of the school district that i had already had 2 interviews with...lincoln community school...i had found out wednesday night that i was one of their finalists to meet with the superintendent...i wasn't really that nervous to be honest...i mean i was in the fact that if i didn't get this job the fact was that i would probably be subbing most of the year looking for a long-term sub spot...but in terms of the interview..i wasn't that nervous...i figured that all i could do was be myself and be true to what i believe and who i am...what is meant to be will be...and i had a lot of people praying...so i spent the morning packing and getting ready because regardless of the outcome we were going to be driving most of the way to michigan and finishing tomorrow...i headed to the interview...with good lucks from everyone at the house...
when i got there i had to wait because she was with someone...i thought 'oh good now i can see what my competition looks like' haaaaaaaaaaaaa...but no one walked out except for the superintendent...she was very nice...she actually kinda reminded me of my grandma rene...such kind eyes...anyway...
we sat in her office for a good 30-40 min talking and her interviewing me...then she asked if i had any questions for her...my one and only question was 'what is your timeline for hiring because i know you are going out of town for 2 weeks' this was her response "well, you came highly recommended by the interview committee at lincoln...actually you were their only recommendation...so i would like to get this sorted today if possible"
well i just about needed a pull-up on or something because i almost peed my pants...i had just been offered the job...not only that but i had been the only finalist...haaa they made me sweat that one out...i was thrilled...of course i accepted...i will be teaching a 3/4 multi-age class this fall in a school that has a total of 120 students in it...(odd to think that just last year there were more kids in just the 3rd grade...50 of them being in my room)...i am very excited for the small village type school experience...
thank you to all those that were praying and for all the well wishes...it worked...
the day just got better as well as the cubs made a come from behind win 6-5 over the brewers...well dom was excited for that...we listened to the game...
we are in new york on our way to michigan...we are staying a 2-star...i know...the big time now that i have a job...hotel in london canada...then up early to get to pappa's as early as we can...i guess we are going to the beach in the afternoon (which should be interesting since im not sure if my swim suits still fit??? yikes....)
til the next post
oh yeah we saw a trailer home that was painted like a black and white cow...haaaaaaaaaaa will post pic later

apartment photos

im just putting a bunch of pics of our apartment up here...it is what they call a 'green building' which means it is environmentally friendly...

and the beat goes on...

and on...i had my interview tonight...i didn't leave it feeling good about it at all....i left thinking that i didn't get the job...i felt good about the interview and that i was myself...i was told when i left that the finalists would be interviewed by the superintendent of the district on friday...either way i was going to get a call tonight letting me know if i needed to stay in vermont another couple of days or if we could leave for michigan tomorrow (thursday)...
8pm tonight i got 'the phone call'...the principal started off by thanking me for coming and meeting with them...i thought well here we go...and then she said we would love for you to interview with the superintendent on friday....i just about peed my pants...i was soooooo excited....especially since it was not the way i thought the phone call was going to go....
sooooooooooooooooo...keep the prayers going....
had grilled salmon and caesar salad for dinner....was really good then dominic and i walked down to the gas station in town and got slushies for jen, him and i...it was nice out...after a 99 degree day...there was a concert in the park tonight...i guess there's one every wednesday night at 7...kinda cute and quaint...
oh yeah...expect a picture of the one and only stoplight in town soon...haaaaaaaaa

here's the town of bristol

http://www.midvermont.com/area_info/bristol.shtml

take a look at this...the 4th of july events look like a blast!! haaaaaaaaaa

not going to be homeless

well we got the apartment...sooooooooooo excited!!...one thing sorted now i just need a job...got the interview tomorrow...keep praying...we went and got the materials needed for 2 marshmellow guns...dom and seth got to work on them soon after we returned...they are as i am typing sitting on the front porch shooting marshmellows at a pop can...crack me up...it is 11pm here...
we grilled steaks and corn on the cob tonight...trying to keep the heat outside...steaks were great...nice job dominic...after dinner dom and seth played a game on polish horseshoes...google it...quite interesting especially in the dark...
anyway...about to head to bed...got a big day ahead tomorrow...

view from near the top

These are the views from near the top of the mountain behind the beck's place...we hiked up there today...these photos are from awhile ago...it is a steamer today...95 and very humid!! the bugs seemed to like both dom and i...this is a great hike...(dad and shar you might want to train on ser largo(sp?))...can't wait to take people up here...the town you see in the pics is bristol...my soon to be new home!
after we got down the mountain we went to the creeme shop (that's what they call ice cream here...odd huh?) had a couple of corn dogs and headed back for home...
think we are heading to williston for some supplies...(dom might be creating a marshmellow gun?)
catch ya later

housing options

well as much as we liked this house both dominic and i have a weird feeling about the guy...he is very nice but just something doesn't feel right...he was going to check our references and let us know by the end of the week...i didn't have a good feeling about us actually getting it so we started looking at other places...we looked at a place right in town...it was ok nothing special...would do in a fix...but didn't really love it...
for those of you that don't know what towns/villages are like in vermont (which i didn't) they don't have apartment complexes like the suburbs do in minnesota...most people rent a room out of a house here...or rent a house...there are 2 buildings in town that have been converted to apartments...not a complex...one building is full and the other has 1 apartment open...dom and i went to look at that one...the building we were looking in only has 4 apartments...
the place we looked at is awesome!!!...we both loved it right away...it is a 1 bedroom that is 1200 sq. feet...the floors are cork and it is all open...it has 1.5 bathrooms...the shower has slate tiles on the floor and walls...very excited about it...the landlord designed the building...he is very cool and down to earth...we told him we wanted it and he just needed to check with the people that rent out the bottom level (phoenix yoga)...they had talked last week or so wanting to maybe rent it out but the guy doesn't think they are ready to take that on quite yet...
soooooo are really long story short...we are meeting the guy again today and will find out if we get the apartment...
might actually get our butts off the couches and go hike up the mountain behind the beck's place...

lazy day

this was by far the laziest day we have had so far this trip...we slept in until about 10am...made it downstairs for some coffee...did some searching online for places to live...walked to one in town and looked at it...not bad but needs to get rid of all the wallpaper...honestly...strips and checks...yuck...still waiting to hear from that other place...will let you know when we hear...came back and messed around on internet then walked to the bakery for lunch...had a cesar salad..it was ok...walked back to house and have been messing around on computer since...i am bored!!! but at the same time can't be bothered to do anything..very tired and worn out from the weekend....

weekend whirlwind

ok so last i left you i had just finished the run...and had a night out on the town in bristol...we did not get up and leave the house by 9...as you found out in my last blog...we ended up leaving for new hampshire around 4 or 4:30...we got there after our mcdonalds stop...(cuz greasy mcdonalds fries sound sooooo good when hungover)....which sounded good before i had actually consumed it...my stomach still hurts (and it's sunday night)...we got to seth's friends place and we chilled there for the night...we slept in tents and woke up bright and early at 6:45am...(i hate mornings...for those of you that know me)...we got in the car about 11 to head home to bristol...we rolled into bristol around 2:30...(i slept most of the way...shocker)...we watched taladaga nights (sp?) and took a nap...we woke and i got our references ready for the guy that is renting out the place that dom and i are hoping to get...and dom and seth played a game of wiffle ball...you might hear about seth's big over the house homer on cnn...sorry dom (the pitcher)...then seth's friend john came over and we went and got a beer while our pizza was being made across the street...haaa...came home and made some shell mac and cheese...love that kind...just sitting around and chilling now...honestly not sure how long im going to make it...long nights...you know you are getting old when you can tell your body can't do 2 late nights in a row..haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...
well it is 9:45pm here and i think i might be heading to bed soon...chat later...
ps...oh yeah went over to give the rental guy our info and he told us that there are 2 other people wanting his place as well...and that he would let us know by the end of the week...great just want i needed...my mind is already going crazy with getting a job that i really was hoping we wouldn't have to worry about a place to live...? fingers crossed and a lot of prayers please....

greasy food after night on town

last night we went into town...(ha that sounds funny especially since 'going into town' consists of walking less then 3 blocks)...we at dinner at the bobcat...jen was working...carrie and her boyfriend jeff met us there...we stayed there drinking beer and chatting til jen was done with work...then we headed to reggies...(a little dive bar in town)...we closed it down and made our way back to the beck's house...carrie and jeff had brought a bottle of absente with them and everyone proceeded to have a shot or two...this is not something that i can or will do because i don't like being sick...bed followed shortly after the absente...
woke up this morning with a slight headache..(nothing like margarita night) haaaaaaaaaa...we were all in desperate need of some food...we went to snaps for breakfast...well most of us did...carrie decided that her best option would be to hug the toliet...and seth was still in bed with no signs of moving...
breakfast was good...i had 2 pieces of french toast...wow the maple syrup here is amazing!!!
we were supposed to leave this morning for brent's birthday party in new hampshire but as you can probably guess...we haven't left yet...we are going to head that way around 3 i guess...we'll see if people are up and ready for a 3 hour car ride....
it is a beautiful day here sun is out and there is a slight breeze...perfect...of course for me it can always get a bit hotter...haaaaaaaa

i hate hills

just got back from a run...and i had told dominic the other day that i wanted to try running from seth and jen's up past our new place and back into town...a big loop...his comment was ok are you going to run up that hill?...i figured yeah of course...but whatever...started out on run...1.65 from beck's place (seth and jen) to our new place...there was a pretty big hill on plank road (the road our house is on)...it was tough but i did it and thought no big deal...ran down to 17 and turned left to head back into town and i saw the hill....i was determined not to let it beat me...so i kept trucking on...i got about halfway up and to my horror the road turned to the left and the hill continued...aarrrrggggghhhhh.....(of course it would have to be a windy day as well)...anyway the hill didn't beat me...wasn't going to let it...ran the whole way...turns out that the loop is 4 miles that felt like 10..haaaaaaaaaaaaa...at least hills are good for the butt and thighs...haaaaaaaa...oh yeah i was proud of the fact that even with all the hills and wind i was still able to run it in just under a 9 min mile pace...(i try to stay around 9 min miles if i can)
off for a shower....
ps. thinking about trying to start a running/walking group here in town...we'll see??

day of ups and downs

i was woken up this morning by a phone call telling me that i didn't get the job in williston...the principal told me that i was 1 of 5 people interviewed out of 108 applicants and that everyone was very impressed with the way i presented myself and they were impressed with my qualifications...it just turned out that someone else was a little bit of a better fit...
i was bummed out that i didn't get the job..i really would have liked working there but on the other hand everything happens for a reason and it was nice to know that i didn't mess up in the interview and that it had nothing to do with me making a mistake it just wasn't the right fit...
so i had to move on and start looking at the interview that i had that night...dominic was super supportive...which was great to have...we got up and spent the day looking for a place to live...yikes...we drove past a few places to rent and they looked pretty decent but they were way out of any type of town or village...and neither of us want a place that far out (especially me since dominic will be gone quite a bit with ge) and we all know what im like in the dark alone!! haaaaaaaaaa....we looked and actually went into a house in bristol...just on the outskirts of town...(about a mile from the main drag in town)...it is a 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath, 2 living rooms, office/den place...very nice inside...has a massive backyard that is very private...including a hot tub...and it is about $1000 to rent...we jumped on it...and told the guy that we would get our stuff together...yeah...im very excited about this...only bummer is that we can't have a dog there....which is probably good since dom will be gone a lot and i won't have time with work...
anyway that was a nice upper from the mornings downer news...now i had to start focusing on the interview i had that night....
i met with the principal of a school in a town just a few miles away...it went great....she showed me around the school and the grounds and then interviewed me...she asked if i was going to be in town this upcoming wednesday and i said sure...she wants the interview committee to meet me...so we are staying in vermont at least til next wednesday evening...i felt great about it...
i have found it very interesting to learn how small schools are run...this is the only school in the town and it has just over 100 students which is so hard for me to imagine after having 50 kids in my class last year....but i do feel very fortunate for all the training and experience that i have had at pearson because it has given me the knowledge that the schools out here are looking for....so we'll see...the next interview is this upcoming wednesday...stay tuned...haaaaa
we didn't do a whole lot on thursday...jen and i went for a run/walk while dominic and isadora made dinner...lol that would have been a sight to watch...
today is friday and dominic and i are making a run to home depot for some supplies to put up a backsplash that jen wants in the kitchen....it's raining here again...not sure i do with all this rain...really hoping it stops...might try going for another run today...tonight carrie and her boyfriend are coming over (seth used to work with carrie) and we are going into town to the bobcat (where jen will be working)...should be a good time...

miss you all look forward to seeing you soon...we might be in minnesota towards the beginning of july....stay tuned....

back to vermont

monday morning we were headed back to vermont...i had another interview scheduled for wednesday night...we got back to bristol and spent the day just hanging out with seth, jen and isadora...
tuesday was our day to babysit isadora...jen had a dr. appt in southern vermont so dom and i said we would watch isa...wow...kids are a lot of work...and she was super well behaved...but again back to that 'why' stage...i didn't know i could be so creative...haaaaaaaaaaa...we went for a walk with her and bob the dog...that was an adventure in itself...bob's not the best dog on a leash...(dom got to hold him while i pushed isa in the stroller)...we went to look at a house in town that is for rent...we got to it and felt sick...it was painted peptobismol pink...this was the first thing that put us off...the yard (or what there was of a yard) was overgrown and running wild...we went inside and i think i might have thrown up in my mouth a little bit...it was completely filthy...not in move-in condition at all...and it was soooooooo small....the wood floors had been painted pink and green...it was unbelievable...especially since the lady wanted $1000 plus utilities...what????
we left there wondering what we were going to be able to find that was within our price range...yikes....
we stopped for corn dogs and ice cream on the way home....then time for naps...the afternoon was just hanging out...very relaxed
still no word about the job in williston that i had interviewed for...

salem witch trials and father's day

we thought it would be nice to get out of boston for a day and go somewhere that dad hadn't been so we took him to salem...the little known town famous for the salem witch trials back in the 1600's...thought this would be interesting town to visit based on all the history there...well so we decided to go to the Salem Witch Museum...which when you hear museum you would think that there are pictures and things for you to look at and read about the history of what happened and how it all came about...WRONG...we paid $30 to sit in a room and hear a voice tell the accounts of what happened...as the story progressed different sections of this room would light up to show what was being described in the story...it was amazingly bad!!...we didn't even do the 2nd part of the 'museum'...we walked around town a bit found a restaurant to have lunch...after lunch we headed back into boston on out way back into town we stopped at bunker hill...not a lot to see here but we did climb to the top of bunker hill...(i do have pics of this but need to get them from dominic)...
i swear...ill have one post that is going to be all pics...haaaaaaaaaaaaaa
that night we went to dinner at a great italian restaurant...we were having such a great time that dominic and i decided to stay another night in boston...we sat in dad and shar's hotel room and hooked the computer up to the tv and watched our videos and looked at our pictures from the weekend...it was so fun and relaxed....then it was off to bed...

watch out for the whales....

saturday came bright and early...we were on our way to the whale watching boat...it was beautiful out...high 70's low 80's and lots of sun...we joined the rest of the crowd as we were herded onto the boat...we chose the top deck (out of 3) in the middle so as to try and avoid getting sea sick...(shar and i took dramamine as well for added reassurance)...it took just over an hour to get out to the bay where whales had been spotted...we were fortunate enough to see 3 humpback whales...the boat stayed out for about 45-50 min getting pretty close to the whales at times...(we got as close as 50 yards)...it was amazing!!! we have video footage but i need dominic to show me how to put it onto my computer and then link it to my blog...stay tuned for that...
on the way out to the bay we were hitting swells that were 4-6 feet...it was cold and windy because we were moving pretty quick...the four of us were in the clear as far as being sick..but there were others that weren't so lucky...there was a french guy with his girlfriend and a group of other people that was not feeling well and he quickly went from bad to worse...he was standing at the front of the boat on our deck puking into a sick bag that had been provided to him...he filled it and leaned back against a pole that was behind him...during all this his girlfriend was by his side...(that didn't last long)...he then proceeded to fill another bag...(as mean as it sounds the 4 of us were cracking up...he looked horrible and none of his friends were helping him)...he slid down the pole and was now sitting on the floor of the deck...he then while being sick tipped over to the side and basically passed out...at this point all of his buddies were taking pictures of him and his girlfriend had moved herself away...far away and was sitting on a bench...not looking so good herself...needless to say the staff came up and moved him down to a lower deck and he did not see any whales...
there was also this family of 4...dad, mom and 2 daughters...one of the daughters got sick and was puking in her bag...soon the whole family was puking into bags except dad...he was taking care of them...then when we stopped and were looking for whales the dad got sick...the entire family had done this big whale watching trip and none of them got off the bench to see any whales because they were all sick...bad idea for a family outing....
anyway back to the whales...as i said there were 3...a mom, her calf and her male escort as they are called...that made me laugh...it was so amazing...can't wait to be able to show you the video...
we made our way back to the shore...i was so excited by what we had seen because i honestly didn't think we were going to see anything...
we ate lunch at a place called legal seafood...very good...then we walked around the aquarium for an hour or so...i thought of jake a lot during this because they have a ton of penquins...of all different kinds...and these are jake's favorite animal...love you jake!!
we then headed back to the hotel for a nap...woke up and went to a local grocery store and got some snacks...we sat out by the pool and ate...then to bed...had a big father's day trip planned for my dad the next day....

walking, walking and more walking

well...it has been almost a week since i last posted and a lot has happened...ill start where i left off...
the interview on thursday went great!! i felt really good about it...i was myself and felt very relaxed...the people conducting the interview were great as well...after the interview we drove to boston for the weekend...we got into town about 8pm or so...checked into our hotel and then went to dad and sharon's hotel for some dinner....we ate in the hotel restaurant...which was a trip...dom said it right when he said we walked into the looney bin...the lady who waited on us looked as though she had walked through a wind tunnel...and spoke as though she had lost her marbles years ago...dinner was good and it was fun to catch up with dad and shar...
friday brought with it a lot of adventures...

we got our coffees on our way to the far side of boston common...we met ann and maggie (friends from bonaire that live on the cape)...ann had the whole afternoon planned out for us...we started walking the freedom trail...clifford loved it...

we didn't do the whole freedom trail...(thank goodness it is a lot of walking)...we stopped and saw where paul revere and mother goose are buried...(funny thing is that their bodies are there but probably not under the stone that they should be because a long time ago they moved all gravestones and put them in rows so they could mow the lawn easier)...i think that is so funny!!!


we finished our tour and ate lunch at a cute little italian place in the north end...very good food...after lunch we walked around boston...we said goodbye to ann and maggie (they were heading back to the cape)...the rest of us headed back to the hotel for a nap...we went to dinner at Cheers bar...it was fun...the inside doesn't look anything like the show...the food was good...

this ended our first day in boston...

baa haa baa

or as anyone that speaks english bar harbor was our next stop...we left roxbury maine mid-morning on sunday...we drove along the coast which would sound really pretty but in all actuality i think we saw the coast a handfull of times along the way...we rolled into bar harbor maine around dinner time...we found a place to stay which was nice enough...we had a perfect view of the ocean but as we stepped inside we were taken back to the 1950's...
this was the view from our motel...(i have noticed that there are a ton of motels up here and not a lot of hotels...hmmmm interesting)
we grabbed dinner and watched the cubs play...monday brought with it new adventures...i went for a 5 mile run...which was ok...the knee is still giving me a decent amount of pain...but i tell you what...the 'hills' we have in minnesota are nothing compared to the 'hills' in maine...the run kicked my butt...which i guess is good...maybe some of it will disappear? (i can hope)...then we walked through town for awhile...got some great ice cream...then we headed into acadia national park...this was amazing...it rained off and on but not hard enough for us to not be able to enjoy the views...

we got out and hiked around as well...this was amazing...i will add photos of the cave that we went into down by the ocean...the tide was out...after our adventures in the park we went back to town for dinner...tuesday was another day...we were planning on going back into the park and hiking from the summit of one mountain to the summit of another...but alas the rain was still with us...we decided to make our way south...the further south we went the better the weather...we got to sam and alyce's house around 4 in the afternoon...(dom and sam met in training for ge years ago)...we had a nice relaxed night chatting with them...oh yeah i forgot to tell you...i got a phone call around 6pm asking me if i could be in vermont thursday for an interview...yikes...i said i didn't think so and the lady said she would get back to me...after talking with dominic and discovering that we really aren't that far from vermont (4-5hours) he said we could get me there for a thursday afternoon interview...stay tuned...as we went to bed tueday night the plan was for sam, dom and i to go fishing in the morning...we were going to try a couple of different places...the marsh, the rocks along the ocean, and off the beach...weeeelllll...we woke this morning and it was raining...shocker there...the bad weather seems to follow dom and i..(hopefully not to boston this weekend)...well the fishing was still on because don't fish always bite best in rain...(yeah right)...there were only enough supplies for 2 people to fish...bummer...i went for my 9 mile run instead...it was fine...better then i thought it would be...i ran out 2.5 miles and had to pee right from the get go...but of course there wouldn't be a porta potty anywhere around...i was on the 2.5 miles back when i couldn't take it anymore...i had to pee...so i figured...what the heck im in the middle of the woods...no one around...im already wet from the rain so it wouldn't be sooo bad...so i copped a squat...i was able to run much faster after that!...haaaaa shhhhhhhh don't tell anyone...haha...well the boys were VERY cold by the time i made it back to the start of my run and they wanted to go get into dry clothes and get full rain gear on before heading back out...this said and done we went to the beach...i finished the last 4 miles there...wow...these hills still kicking me...ha...but legs felt ok today...hip and knee hurt after the run (could really use an adjustment lisa...:-))...anyway the boys had no luck with fishing so dominic made his wings and jalapeno poppers and corn on the cob for dinner...very good well done dom!!....we have spent the rest of the night watching episodes of planet earth from the discovery channel...off to bed now...have a big day tomorrow....oh crap that's right i forgot to keep you updated...i talked with sid...the lady that called about the interview again today and im all set to interview tomorrow (thursday) at 3:30...so here we go...ive also had interaction with other contacts for a couple other jobs...i think i am meeting with one of them next week...ill let you know how the interview goes...quoting dominic...'stay tuned'

my first lobster

this is the first lobster i have ever eaten...it took some getting used to...not going to lie...i had to get past the beady little eyes staring at me and the fact that i was ripping this odd creature apart...i was told i was lucky because when i pulled the tail off the meat stayed attached and just the shell came off...(i think this also helped me because i didn't really have to dig much meat out)...i have also discovered that i am a big fan of melted butter!!!...add that to the list...haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...clifford also had his own lobster...he had a tough time getting past the fact that he had met and made friends with the lobsters before they met their fate...
this is where clifford jumped into the cooler with the lobsters to bide some time...(thank goodness he got out before the lobsters 'left')...but as the circle of life goes...the lobsters lives ended and clifford was left with eating his friends from maine...









here he is with lucky the lobster

the day of the lobster

this was by far the most interesting day for me...sorry about the underline...not sure how to get it off?? we woke to thunder...which didn't excite me very much being as we were in a tent...we joined some folks over by their rv and grill...we ate venison, bacon and more moose for breakfast with a mango juice and rum to wash it down...not a bad combo actually (it was after 11am)...the fire from the night before was still going...moe and his brothers were tending it...sitting 2 cider blocks high were these thin metal plates...as

soon as the plates were warm they put fresh seaweed covering the plates..then they took the lobsters out of the cooler and put them on the seaweed along with corn on the cob in the husks...then another layer of seaweed...more lobsters and corn...then a final layer of seaweed...they then put a canvas tarp over it all...there is a slit cut in the tarp where they put in a couple of raw chicken eggs...when the eggs are hard boiled the lobsters are done...here are a bunch of pics showing what i have just described...including me putting a lobster on the fire...

change of pace...

we arrived in roxbury, maine friday afternoon...the house was the size of a double-wide trailer and the yard the size of a football field (the house sitting in the middle)...it sits along side an amazing brook and across the road from a beautiful river...we pulled into the driveway and up onto the back lawn...surveying the yard and you would see about 10-12 rv's parked around the outskirts of the lawn...the garage has massive tarp tent connected to it so as to extend it another 10-15 feet...there were people everywhere snacking on food and drinking whatever quenches their thirst...it was about 75 degrees and sunny...we put off pitching out tent for awhile...we joined in the festivities...
i had no idea what i was in for and neither did dominic...most of the people there were people that had worked for this guy moe at ge at some point in time...so i met a bunch of people that dom has worked with and some that he hadn't...in this process we had some beer, heard some great stories, and i even ate moose!! i know, i know....don't fall of the chair...kaela ate moose...it was really good...tasted like venison...as the night went on the music started (there were a bunch of musicians there)...not going to lie it was the most country western music i have been around for years...and im not talking the garth brooks kind of stuff...im talking songs that whine about being your own grandpa and wife is your daughter...strange but was fun to have music going...some of the guys got up and sang with the guitars...
the night carried on until 4am...dominic and i only made it til about midnight...(guess we're getting old)
there is so much more to tell but im getting tired...it's almost 11pm here...im off for now...will write more later...
remind me to tell you about fran, lobsters, clifford, rain, fires, smelt, crepes, mosquito bites, welts, kick in the face, smores, throwing rocks, foreign languages and anything else that comes into my head...haaaaaa
well not anything else....
night

on the road again...

we left this morning for maine...(which means we got to honk the horn 4 times since we went through new hampshire and into maine)....dom's even getting into he honked for maine!! haaaaaaa
we stopped for gas and lunch at a little hole-in-the-wall place in NH....little subs were decent...
got a great picture of a sign telling us to brake for moose...haaaaa will share pic as soon as i learn how to upload them...
well we're about to stop for beer to bring to the lobster fest...wow...im going to be sleeping in a tent tonight...don't remember the last time i slept in a tent apart from the 3-day walk...loads of fun and stories to come im sure...

ps. i got my first mosquito bite yesterday...will need to break into 1 of my 4 bottles of bug spray..

why....why....but why....

kids are so funny and right now isadora is in that stage of 'whys'...so it would seem that for the past week or so seth has been prepping isadora for meeting me...(she adores dominic...very cute)...i have been labeled dominic's special lady friend to her...seth and jen wanted her to use it while we were here...before our walk yesterday we were all in the mudroom getting our shoes on and i ran out to the car for something and isadora asked "where is dominic's special lady friend going?"...i didn't hear it all go down but needless to say seth had a proud dadda moment...haha

later that night she would only refer to me as "that girl"...while dom was refilling our glasses she followed him into the kitchen asking what he was doing and why...he told her he was getting more beer because he was thirsty and when she asked why he was filling the 2nd glass he responded with...because my special lady friend is thirsty too...she was quick to remind him..."her name is mikaela...(or as she usually says...akaela)...it was so cute...we have been having a great time answering her questions....

she is also learning how to poop on the potty...she has been told that she will get a lollipop when she poops on the potty....at dinner last night she asked "how come that girl hasn't pooped on the potty"...my response was of course..."i did and my lollipop was greeeeaaaat"!!

she is a very sweet and intelligent little girl...very fun to be around....

vermont...

ok...so i knew vermont was beautiful and scenic but i still wasn't positive as to how i would feel about it...not sure if you can understand but i will try to explain...sometimes when you go somewhere it just feels like home as if you are supposed to be there...you are so comfortable in your skin and it just feels right...up to this point bonaire is the only place i have had that feeling...like the island is just part of me...well i feel that same way here in vermont...i am in awe of the beauty around me...it is such a great feeling being here...let me back up

when i last left you we were just rolling into town about 1:30am...seth (dom's friend) was waiting up for us...we finished off the beers he had, moved on to the actually pretty good boxed wine after this i stuck to water while dom and seth polished off a bottle of purple champange...we finally went to be around 5am...only to wake up about 5 hours later...

dom and i took a stroll into town...this being the first time i had seen it in daylight...very cute and welcoming...we had a great BLT at the bakery before taking a walk around town with seth and isadora (his little 2 1/2 year old daughter)...we had a great time looking for mud...(isadora decided to wear her mud boots hence the search for mud)...

the afternoon wore on and seth and dominic started their games of horseshoes...close match...jen (seth's wife) and i played with isadora and bob (the mutt rescued from conn.)

it was a great relaxing first day in vermont...

day 2 led dominic and i on an adventure...we went on a hike up the mountain behind seth and jen's place...it was a beautiful hike...(we have both discovered that we are out of shape being as our legs were shaking on the way down)...the hike led us up to a ledge where on a clear day we have been told you can see a long way..it was hazy today...but the view was amazing...(pics will follow once dom shows me how to do it)

we split a great pizza and took a nap...finished the day up with dinner at the bobcat...the local bar/restuarant...jen works there on the weekends...fun atmosphere and good food...the beer is mainly local so very good as well...

right now as i sit here catching you up on the latest...jen is putting isadora and baby bug (isa's baby) down to sleep and seth and dom are tied a game a piece from horseshoes today and are playing the tie breaker while finishing the high lifes off...

we are off for maine tomorrow for the lobster fest...hope the rain holds off and that i like lobster...haaaaaaaaaa

what to do in a car for 15 hours....

wow...this has been my challenge...for those that know about my VERY short attention span..haaa that might be a bit of an understatement...
i got this internet card from sprint which is amazing!!! honest...we are able to be online all the time...this came in handy this afternoon...we were moving along and i had not long posted my first entry of the day when i decided to go online again and see if i had gotten any emails from the schools i have applied to....just as my computer was logging me into yahoo messenger i am sent a notice that jake barlass has logged on...i instantly started writing to him...we were able to chat for an hour...he also had a webcam on his computer so i was able to see him too...i started to cry...it was so amazing...he looks good...i am so proud of him! what an amazing brother we have!! he says hi to all and he loves us...
we stopped for lunch after he had to get offline...we ate at burger king...im not a big fan of their burgers but thought i had found one that i would like...double stack with bacon is how it was advertised...took my first bite and was overwhelmed with a strange taste...i peeled away the bun to discover they had slathered it with thousand island dressing (not something that should be on a hamburger in my opinion)...long boring story short...i ate the bottom burger and bun...which was fine i was full with that...
i took over the driving duties at that point...we were just on the west side of cleveland...i drove for a tank and a half of gas...haaaaaaaaa not sure how many miles...i think we figured somewhere around 350....this is the point where i was starting to go loopy...i suggested to don that we do a crossword together...i thought this was a good idea when i thought that i would just read the clues to dom and write down his answers...but roles were reversed...and i stink at crosswords...so dom read the first couple of clues and i had nothing but blank expressions on my face so he proceeded to work on the puzzle without my 'help'....after doing this for a bit dom took a nap for a little while and then played around on his computer...(check out badcolonies.org to see his blogs)...i put my ipod on shuffle and told myself i was going to listen to every part of the songs that came up...this idea didn't last long...i got bored with the songs that i didn't know the words to and then bored with the songs that i knew too well...hard to find a balance...
there were a lot of cops out as well in new york...we passed a deer that had just been hit and was twitching...i had to look away quick...was so sad...don't tell bambi...
dom took over driving right before we got off the main drag of I90 that we hadn't left yet...neither of us shed a tear as we finally made our way off of it...we have spent the last hour or so making our way through little villages in northern new york on winding roads...i think it is a beautiful trip but hord to tell when it is 12:30am...
well that's it for now...stay tuned as dom says

traditions

traditions are those things that remind us that we are a part of something bigger...family...as i am taking this road trip with dominic i am realizing all the 'traditions' that have been a norm in my life while on road trips...i have been given curious looks by dom as he is introduced to the traditions...the first induction came when we crossed from minnesota into wisconsin at the beginning of our trip...i was driving as i drove past the "welcome to wisconsin" sign i honked the horn twice...this registered a look of confusion across dom's face...i then had to explain that honking the horn twice as we pass into each state is just 'what we do'...he took to this really well and actually let me know today as we were passing into ohio...good guy this dominic...
the 2nd less well known tradition is listening to chicago and singing your heart out (joy you're with me on this!)...i proceeded to do this everytime a chicago song would shuffle through my ipod...the look i got from dom was one of amusement (probably because i'm such a great singer and he is amazed that i didn't make it onto american idol...NOT) i have been known to call my sisters and leave them voicemails of me singing the songs that remind me of them...
the 3rd tradition has yet to be brought into this trip...going to save it for trip to maine...the alphabet game...where you are in a contest with the other people in the car to find all the letters of the alphabet first...(i have never been very good at this game...might leave this tradition as a memory)
number 4 is something that we loved to do as kids...wave at the truck drivers and see how many of them will honk their horn or even wave...this actually got a laugh out of dominic...as i like to think...you never know what a smile or wave will do for someone's day..

i am also enjoying the fact that we get to start our own traditions...clifford riding on the dashboard...stopping for french fries at least once a day seems to be one that is developing...(watch out butt)...listening to a W I D E variety of music from my r&b/rap/pussycat dolls to gypsy kings, jj cale etc...

oh yeah...me driving for more then an hour at a time is also taking shape..haaaaaaaaaaa

gary, indiana...stinks

well we are on our way out east...we spent a day in chicago getting errands done...i bought a camp towel (didn't even know such a thing existed!)...kinda excited to give it a try...got to be patient will have plenty of time to use it...
anyway...this morning we were up before 6 and moving...dom's back is slowly getting better...(the wine and advil seem to wear off somewhere between 5 and 6 in the morning) so up and at em...dom finished packing (doesn't seem to be as tough for him...hmmm i should observe more closely next time...might help me)
After our necessary stop for coffee at starbucks we were off and rolling...left chicago about 9am and arrived in gary indiana a short time later...yikes...driving through gary brought back memories of road trips as a kid and the jokes we used to make about who farted because the air in gary is very ripe....haaaaaaaaaaa
that's all for now...

oh yeah for those of you that know or have met clifford...he is riding on the dashboard bobbing his head enjoying the ride...pics will be taken and shared at a later date

first leg...

as some of you know dominic and i were planning on leaving for our trip on saturday morning...this plan was delayed a day for 2 reasons...the main one being that dom threw out his back moving the keg for the party on friday...and the 2nd...weeellll because i hadn't even started packing as of noon on saturday...no big surprise there for anyone that knows what a tough time i have packing for a week...let alone a couple of months...i always think 'well you never know...you might want to wear this..or it might get warm enough to wear this' makes packing a tough task...that and the fact that i have a tough time focusing haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
anyway, back to the story...
i spent most of saturday packing and getting things sorted around the house...we finished things up on sunday morning...we stopped by mom's on the way out of town for last goodbyes and her famous sourdough bread and choc. chip cookies...(thanks mom)
since dominic threw out his back (which has gotten better thanks to lisa for her amazing chiropractic skills...go see for adjustments if you have never been!!!) i drove to chicago...this is good for me on many levels...1. i usually fall asleep within 10 min. of being in a car (as a passenger obviously)...2. i get bored very easily so driving for 6+ hours teaches me patience (and dom too :-) )...3. i only got a couple hours of sleep due to the fact that i hadn't finished packing so my mind was busy thinking about that...so worried that i was going to forget something...(more on that later)...who knew kev that i was capable of driving more then 1 hour at a time...sorry about that...ha
we got about an hour or so into our trip and my mind was buzzing with all the things i could have forgotten to do or bring with me...
i knew i had ample supply of shorts, t-shirts, underwear, socks, and 4 bottles of bug spray (dad, shar...you know how the mosquitos love me ha)...and then it hit me like a mac truck...i had left the only pair of jeans that fit me in the dryer...arrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhh....they were still damp this morning so i put them in the dryer for 20min to finish drying...and left them there....so i made frantic phone calls to both roommates and text messages asking if either of them could overnight ship my jeans to vermont (we'll be there tuesday night) for me so i have something other then sweats to wear out...LOVE my roomies...the jeans will be there tuesday when i arrive...
my mind began to calm down a bit...i started to enjoy the beauty of wisconsin...we were surrounded by dark, looming clouds but the sun was shining down on the impala...as we got onto I90 the clouds seem to form in front of us...before i knew it we were in a downpour...i could barely see out the windshield...we were going about 30 miles an hour...people were pulling over onto the side of the road...(which dominic and i decided was not a great plan since they were still going to be travelling in the direction of the storm anyway)...15 min. later or so we emerged on the other side...the rest of the way was smooth sailing...
we got to chicago about 7:30 tonight and are now just about to fill our bellies with some thai food...yum...