Roller Coaster Trip!

What a great weekend!  This trip was talked about for awhile and then became a reality which is always wonderful.  Our friends invited us to go to Cedar Point.  A place for roller coaster enthusiasts from everywhere to visit at least once.  Doug's parents live near Toledo and were our hosts for the weekend.  That was a big savings since we didn't need a hotel room. 

His parents were wonderful hosts and so gracious.  Beautiful home.  It was cool to see where my friend grew up.  I've not visited Northern Ohio before.  Lovely neighborhoods up there.  We drove out of Indy in the rain and at times didn't go over the speed limit due to it.  It was a safe drive though so we are grateful.  We loaded up on pizza and chips for the road, made a pit stop or two and arrived in about four hours. 

Saturday morning we were up about 7:30am and Doug's mom made a great breakfast.  We took our time getting ready and then it was off at 11am for the park.  Cedar Point was open 12-10 that day.  Erik and I have season passes and the promotion that weekend was bring a friend for $14.99 plus our passes paid for parking.  A great savings for our friends.  Plus it was $1 32-ounce soft drinks for card holders as well. 

Weather was beautiful, chilly at first but it got to a very comfortable temperature in the afternoon.  We rode the Raptor first and it was awesome, slinging our feet above our heads as we rode.  We walked to the back of the park at least twice.  I wish I would've had on my pedometer to log the steps because I'm telling you it felt like miles!  Not to mention the steps taken to get to some of these rides. 

We bought some of the souvenir photos as we don't know for sure when we'll get back and it was fun to pose for those, as you can see from this example. 

We called it quits after riding all the major coasters we could.  We don't do things that just spin and no Farris wheels.  It was a great day in that you could walk up and get on almost any ride.  The longest wait we had was 30-minutes, most were 15-minutes or less. 

We decided to get dinner outside the park to save some money.  We collected our furry friend who had been in the kennel for the day ($15).  We stopped at Casa Real and it was really good food.  Would stop there again if given the chance.

Doug's parents were asleep when we got home.  We were not awake for very long either.  The next morning we slept later and needed it!  Doug's mom and dad made breakfast again and Doug's brother and family came over to visit.  We left out about noon heading to Michigan.

We stopped in Dundee, MI to shop at Cabella's, a huge store and they had some great sales going on but alas I left empty handed.  Next up was the Grand Traverse Pie Company for cherry crumb pie.  I gained 5 pounds looking at the menu!  We got those to go.  I brought mom a small pie, brownie and I ate the cookie!

Next we went into Ann Arbor, MI to visit the famous Zingerman's Deli, as seen on the Food Network.  The line wrapped to the side of the building but moved quickly.  They have a great variety of cheeses, meats, mustard, olive oils and so much more from around the world.  I got the Ruben on Jewish Rye with Russian dressing.  It was good, but Fat Dan's in Broad Ripple is still better!  I'm glad we stopped.  Zingerman's has this funky vibe, not unusual for a college town. 

We hit the road and made the long drive home to Indy.  It was a great weekend in general.  I couldn't stay awake on the way home and later felt bad that Doug did all the driving.  Erik and Danielle did their share of napping as well so I wasn't alone.  Even Biscuit slept and luckily didn't gas bomb the car on the way home as he did several times on the way up!

Hope to get back to Cedar Point again next year!  Thanks to our hosts, The Scotts, and our friends for driving and entertaining us!

Ride on!

Wow, it's been awhile since I was here.  Life is great and busy and crazy.  I've thought many times I need to sit down and post something but the time and need for rest hasn't allowed for it.

So what's kept me so busy?  In no particular order of rambling, mind you.  Fountain Square Art Squared event.  I love being part of this event.  I serve on the FS Arts Council and am a co-chair of this one day event.  Gathering artist to sell their work at our art fair, gathering participants to walk in our art parade, gathering volunteers to help pull this even off.  It's a lot to do and so rewarding.  Knowing we are reaching a broader base of people, getting new participant, celebrating the return of past participants.  Involving our community partners is a bigger push this year.  It's going to be a great event and the hard work will all be worth it.

Other volunteer activities have had to be reduced so I could enjoy my summer and not suffer from high anxiety and lack of sleep.  I have to watch or I'll over-commit myself.  I love doing my volunteer work but one person truly can't do it all.

We've been to Kings Island a couple of times this summer.  Love the roller coasters!  We bought season passes and that's been a big help as we've been able to share some discounts and benefits with our friends.  We'll all be hitting the road next month for Cedar Point - the mecca of coasters!  Also I hear some very awesome Michigan cherry pie will be obtained on the way home.

We've seen buckeye beefcake on the way to KI and back the last trip.  Some people look at out of state license plates, we watch for butt crack and play slug bug.  It was fun that last KI trip doing a Chinese fire drill at the stop light so Erik and I could drive both cars in and use our season passes to cover the parking fees. 

We've had some weekends at Heritage Lake where in June we watched our wonderful friends get married on their deck with the lake as a beautiful backdrop.  You gotta love a casual wedding.  We were in the water all day swimming, tubing, floating, and then get out of the water to get ready for the wedding and an hour later they are married.  After some picture taking (I never changed out of my swimsuit!) we were back in the water again.  Simple, lovely, happy. 

Gained a new pet this week.  My neighbor passed away, after suffering with diseases for a long time.  We had promised long ago we'd take care of his dog if anything happened.  We've known Buster since he was a pup and my dogs have known him since they were pups.  It's been a good transition.  Buster is a 12-year old chow/shepherd mix.  Older dogs have a hard time being adopted but have so much to give in what time they have left. 

Erik and I have been collecting vacation options for the next two years.  Planning bigger trips for 2013 (last half).  Thank God I found someone who likes to travel.  New experiences are awesome.  We hit Vegas on September 30 for a 5-day, 4-night stay.  We can't wait.  Ready for some alone time and relaxation with my baby.

We're also heading to Phoenix in November for a long weekend at my brother's place.  Hoping to catch a ball game, hockey game or a Nascar race.  We can't do it all but two outta three ain't bad.

Thunder Over Louisville

Thunder Over Louisville is an event I've been interested in for many years.  It is the kick off event for the Kentucky Derby Festival that begins two weeks prior to the derby itself.  It is billed as the largest fireworks show in the Midwest.

I presented the idea of going to Erik and supplied weblinks for his research.  He agreed it would be cool and a good opportunity for his photography interest.  So we had some debate over scheduling and gas prices (ridiculous!).  In the end we determined we could make this happen.  By the time we did make that decision no hotels in that immediate area were available at a reasonable rate.  We decided to drive back afterwards and stop somewhere in Indiana if we were too tired.

The trip started off with us sleeping in later than planned.  I had had a super busy week and was just exhausted.  I was so excited about our trip though - we love our little getaways.  We packed a cooler, lawn chairs, lawn blanket, camera equipment, my backpack with a 2nd shirt, hoodie and a wool blanket. 

We had a really good drive down I-65.  Expected more traffic than we actually ran into.  We noticed somewhere below Shelby County that signs were up stating I-65 would be closed at 8pm for Thunder Over Louisville.  As we drive into Louisville we can see the great lawn and it isn't too crowded yet.

Now, in our research for this event we found a limited amount of info that helped us.  For instance, no clear directions given for getting off the interstate (yes, we figured it out easily enough).  We did find info on parking in garages near the waterfront.  The fireworks were to be set off west of I-65 and the 2nd Street bridge was closed.  We saw advice about packing patience, bringing coolers, toilet paper for the Thunder pots (their term not mine), food vendor info, and several other things.

Most important, I think, was that the Thunder website suggested waiting to leave the area due to heavy traffic.  That was so right!  We walked around the carnival area that was set up and operating all day so Erik could get pictures of the rides (one of his favorite things to do) and then slowely made our way back to the garage, which was a reasonable distance, not too far at all. 

I was frozen from the winds coming off the river.  We sat in the car for I don't know how long trying to warm up and waiting for traffic to die down.  We left roughly around 11;30pm and had no problems getting out and back to I-65 to come north. 

The fireworks were truly the most amazing display I've ever seen.  I highly recommend going just watch the weather because we froze!  It was worth it overall. 

We didn't make the drive back home that night.  About Scottsburg, IN we were just too wiped out and spent that night there.  All in all it was a great road trip.  We'll consider going again next year, with better planning, like a hotel room in Louisville!

dreaming and planning

So my boyfriend says to me that maybe we can go to England in 2013 and visit my friend Tracey. Some time passes by and I get a message asking what I think about taking the rail from London to Paris for a day-trip, it's fairly inexpensive and we can do it in a day.  My response:  the only obstacles are money and time.

A little more time passes and he sends me a message saying maybe we should stay overnight.  Again, time and money are the only constraints.  You can see where this is going.  Now we are up to possibly two full weeks to visit London, my girlfriend who lives on Sompting, West Sussex, and a couple of nights in Paris. 

Now, mind you, we aren't doing this trip until 2013.  This is February 2012.  I'm a Certified Travel Planner (at least I will be by the end of April, on my last class!) and researching  trips is a fun activity for me.  Erik is very detailed and we are both excited over the possibilities. 

My first thoughts are the the airfare will be ridiculously high and then the hotels will be high priced in London and Paris.  We start toying around with sample dates to get an idea of what those accommodations will cost.  We need to create a preliminary budget.  We need to make sure we can financially do this.  Erik gets so excited researching this possible trip he is seeking additional freelance work to supplement his income to put towards making this trip a reality.

We spent Valentine's evening researching places to stay.  We discovered a site called AirBnB.  It is a site that lists rentals (rooms, flats, houses, etc).  We found that we can probably stay in a BnB (bed and breakfast type) as much as some hotels or in some cases, cheaper.  Cheaper is good.  We don't have stacks of cash lying around waiting to be spent. 

The idea of getting to experience a local's residence/neighborhood and not the commercial treatment of a regular tourist would be a bonus.  I had the pleasure of staying with Tracey and with Alison in Germany so I know staying with someone who lives in an unknown area is vastly different than the traditional tourists experience.  I loved it and valued it.

We are also looking at sites to see and places to go and trying to get an idea of what that will cost us.  My goal has always been to get the most for my travel dollars.  Again, I'm not rich, just a working girl.  We had even thought of staying in hostels in order to afford this trip.  Staying at a BnB will be so much better.  What's interesting is that we are seeing such a wide range of choices in terms of locations, prices, amenities (if they exist).  One BnB offered cooking lessons with the hostess and they published a Paris blog with all sorts of advice for their guests.  They truly love their city and are proud to show it off.

Dealing with the facts and figures of this trip could possibly over shadow the fun and excitement if we let it.  With careful planning we'll get the most for our dollar and be happy in this experience.  The idea of traveling to the most romantic city in the world with the one I love is worth the time it takes to plan.

Super

Well, I survived Super Bowl 46.  It was an incredible experience.  Not perfect in many respects.  It was the biggest event I've been involved with and that includes events such as the FFA Convention and the Indy 500.  The energy level was so different than those events.  The amount of energy required to pull this off was outstanding. 

The best parts for me were when I was with my guy out taking pictures, attending the stadium tours, NFL Experience, watching the Here Come the Mummies show (awesome!)  and just hanging out with the crowds on Georgia Street and Monument Circle. 

I've got more events on tap for the year - Mutt Strut, Fountain Square Art Squared, Big Ten Basketball tourney, BMW Golf Championship, 500 Festival and that's all I can think of right now.  I've reduced and a couple of these are for shorts amount of time.  I love being involved in my community and I'm meeting some really great people.  I'm learning a lot about communication, organizing, and management.  I'm actually reducing my options, believe it or not, so that I can enjoy some of the other great things that happen in the city - Irish Festival, Brickyard 400 Weekend, Greek Fest, etc. 

I have a tendency to over commit to things.  My enthusiasm gets the best of me.  I'm trying to find more balance in my life.  Work and play are equally important.  Serving my community has been not so much an act of selflessness but a way to satisfy my own needs.  I now need to relax a bit and enjoy life.  I need to enjoy the time I have with my wonderful boyfriend and my family.  I'm also down to working two jobs instead of five (one full-time, four seasonal) so that's a help.

Have a Super Day!

Ok, it's cheesy at best, but it's what us volunteers are suppose to say to the people we meet during the Super Bowl festivities.  After waiting almost three years I can't believe it's almost here!  I foolishly thought I'd take off of work to volunteer for this event and well, going to Las Vegas out ranks the Super Bowl for vacation day usage. 

It's going to be crazy busy downtown and I have to manage to get to work at the theater and to school during the week before the big game.  We plan to be in the middle of the excitement as fans too.  I mean, we may never get the chance again to be this close to Super Bowl action.  (Although I'd really like to be New Orleans for next year's big game!)  I believe in experiences and while I write this blog for those to read, by no means, do I expect or want anyone to live virtually unless there's no other way.  I mean, the internet is a tool for knowledge and entertainment but nothing beats using all of your senses to experience something like this.

The internet can't give me the sounds of slot machines going off or the smell inside the casinos in Las Vegas.  The internet can't give me the feel of gravel under my feet or the cold breeze from the English channel. 

Find your adventure shoes and go for a walk into new territory, it's so worth it!

I love coming back to this blog and my scrapbooks and Facebook to document my adventures and keep a record of what I've done so when I'm like 80 or 90 and can't remember I can go 'wow, I had some fun times'. 

After the Super Bowl is gone some people will talk about the economic impact, some will talk about the traffic problems and not being able to get where they wanted without traffic restrictions, they'll talk about how they didn't care because the Colts didn't make it and so on and so on.  I hope the people who visit talk about what fun they had, the memories they made - not just at the game but in our city.  I would want the same if I were in their shoes.  That is what I'm going to be thinking of as I volunteer for the Super Bowl:  helping people make memories and have some fun.

loss

Two days after my last post, my father passed away.  It was not unexpected and yet still a bit of a surprise.  Hope for a bit more time still lingered until the end.  He slipped away slowly and what I thought was a peaceful state.  He went to the hospital on the evening of October 20, 2011.  He passed at 4:30pm October 21, 2011.  His kidneys had failed.  He was in a physical and mental state of mind to decide not to take actions what would've prolonged his life by possible days but would've left him hooked up to equipment he did not want.  He never liked to be tied down physically - freedom of movement was most important to him. 

So many people have graciously asked how we are doing and what we'll do now.  We being my mother and I.  I tell people that we'll go back to the lifestyle we had when he was on the road as a truck driver for most of my life.  We lived one lifestyle while he was on the road and another when he came home on weekends or maybe twice a month sometimes.  We watched what we wanted on television, we went to eat at restaurants he didn't like, we will go shopping for hours and cleaned the house more thoroughly.  The major difference this time is that dad's not going to call home every night nor is he going to come home and take over the remote and demand this, this and this.

My brother and his family are feeling dad's loss in their own way.  What I noticed immediately was my sister-in-law and my brother standing at my dad's chair at the dining room table, where he was always found, and they were reflective and tearing up. 

Dad was one of kind.  While my brother and I have his DNA and various other traits that can't be denied, there was only one dad.  I won't miss the cigarette smoke and the smoker's hacking that goes with it.  I'll miss the big kid inside we all recognized. 

We didn't have the ideal parent in dad.  I used to say mom had three kids including him.  Sometimes I felt more mature than he was.  He had a hard life, some of that self-inflicted.   What we got was a man who had known a lot of pain and hopefully, through us, a lot of love.  My experiences with dad growing up definitely prepared me for a challenging life and helped make me a better person. 

What I've learned from both of my parents is to keep moving forward.  Life does go on and you might as well go with it.  So while I cry at times and don't expect that to stop for awhile, it all comes from love.  Loss should be given it's due but it I won't let it slow me down.  Dad didn't want people to cry over him, literally, at a funeral service, and he didn't want tears as he lay in the hospital bed dying.  His last words were of love and that's all I could have asked for.