Birthmother's Weekend - Charlotte, NC

27 women, 27 unique stories, less than 5 hours of sleep each night, 3 days in 1 city all combined together creates a very exhausting weekend. Sound like fun?? Well I was one of the 27 women doing exactly that, this past weekend!!



For some of you who follow me on Facebook will know that I went down to Charlotte, North Carolina this past weekend for the Birthmom Buds Birthmother's Day Celebration. Birthmother's day is the day before Mother's Day. Since a lot of birthmothers may be parenting children as well, Birthmom Buds put on the retreat the weekend before. This was my first year to be able to go. I had been wanting to go for several years but could never figure out how to go. I was given an amazing opportunity to go this year and I took it. Thank you to the person who gave me this opportunity!! I flew out early Friday morning and met Lani at the airport as her plane landed just about thirty minutes after my flight. We then shared a taxi ride over to the hotel. I met up with a couple other birthmoms who were sitting in the hotel lobby eating some breakfast. I sat for a few minutes while my room was being straightened out as our party was all suppose to be staying on the 10th floor. Once I got my room I went up and took a shower to try and wake myself up as I knew it would be a long day and probably a very late night.

Once I was ready, I heard a kock on the door and it was several other ladies wondering if I was ready to go. I grabbed what I needed and made sure I had my camera. Our hotel room was just across the street from the brand new NASCAR Hall of Fame. Two other birthmothers were already inside of the Hall of Fame and so Coley called them to see how far into the exhibit they were. They were not very far and so I embraced my inner redneck and excitedly walked up to buy a ticket for admission. If you are a NASCAR fan, please take an entire day and spend it at the Hall of Fame if you are ever in or very near Charlotte. Completely worth it, and discounted tickets can be found through your AAA membership!! After spending the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon at the Hall of Fame, we went back to the hotel to rest for a bit. I went back to my hotel room to get dressed for dinner as we were headed to a nice Italian place.

Ladies at dinner - Friday Night

Friday evening was spent with 19 other birthmothers and a few of their mothers. I shared an entree with someone as the entrees were huge!!! So yummy and I have found a place to eat at again when I go back to Charlotte! Friday night some of us ventured out to a bar called Howl at the Moon where there was some dueling piano playing going on. I didn't know what to expect, but found myself singing along to songs like "Brown Eyed Girl" and "American Pie". When we got back to the hotel a small group of us sat in Coley's hotel room telling each other our placement stories. I has been awhile since I have verbally told my story and it was great to hear other women their placement stories. It was amazing the bond that was really felt in that room. Women who were all like each other in so many ways young and older. 2:30a rolled around and it was definitely bedtime.

Saturday came quickly and I found out that I should probably share a room with someone next year. My alarm went off, and I thought I had hit the snooze button. Well the snooze never went back off and I woke up 40 minutes before the actual Birthmother's event started!! Talk about a rude awakening!! I took a very quick shower and tried to look as presentable as I could. I skipped any eye makeup as I figured it would be a pretty emotional day. I am a sympathy crier at times and didn't need to end up with burning racoon eyes!! The morning consisted of sitting through two different break-out sessions. The first one I chose was on close adoptions. Now before you say anything, "Yes I do have an open adoption, but I wanted to learn something new and I find the closed adoption world very interesting!" The session was on what to expect if a reunion happens and it goes wrong, or if a reunion never fully happens and how to cope. Most of the women who gathered around the table were all from the era of closed adoptions. Myself and another woman were the only ones who had an open adoption. I am just in awe at the women who were not given a choice of why type of adoption they wanted due to the time period of when their placement was. The other breakout session that I chose to sit through was how to deal with the shame and guilt one may have when dealing with adoption emotions. Once again very interesting and some got very emotional with this session. I am at peace at where I am for the most part in my adoption decision and so even though I may have some shame and/or guilt...I have been able to process a lot of these emotions already.After session number 2 we all ventured over to a different room and created a fun little craft tht was extremely easy. I will make sure to blog about that later this week!!!

Katrina - one of the speakers who was a birthmother and an adoptive mom

After lunch came a pretty emotional afternoon. Speakers that ranged from all sides of the Adoption Triad that had different walks of life and how they have dealt with the emotions from being in that part of the adoption triad. Once the speakers were done we did a balloon release and then watched the annual slideshow. I am one who can only watch the slideshow once a year and then I am done with it. I love viewing it each year but it is something that I can't watch over and over.

2011 Balloon release

 After the slideshow came probably the most emotional part of the day which was the Birthmother Candle Ceremony. Once the actual event was over I went back to the hotel room and took a nap before the next set of evening festivities would start. I was dragging and full well knew it could be another very late night. Dinner was spent at Rock Bottom Brewery and then we all headed over to an 80s/90s dance club. Some of us dressed up in 80s/90s clothing and jewelry. I left early as I was just needing some time to sit and be alone. It had been a long day and I was looking forward to going back to a quiet room.

The dance club had glow glasses!!

 Yesterday I woke up and got ready to head on out. I didn't know what time check-out was and so I wanted to be prepared that it may be an early checkout right after breakfast. I said "see you later" to some of the women who had early flights to catch or were headed back home by car sooner than some of the rest of us. I l and 6 other women who all had late afternoon or evening flights spent the afternoon together exploring a little bit more of Charlotte. I fell in love with everything that Charlotte has to offer and I was sad when I was in the airport having to say goodbye to such an awesome city and the amazing women who I met over the weekend.

Pam, one of the ladies who I hung out with Sunday afternoon

I am looking forward to next year as I am definitely going back. I have already made plans that the day after I get back from my trip next year I am not doing anything but staying home and sleeping if I can. The retreat/girls weekend or whatever you want to call it was completely worth loosing sleep. I made friendships that I feel will last a very long time. I look forward to getting to know some of these women a little bit better (on their adoption life and their non-adoption life) over the next year and hopefully see some of them in person before next May!!!

Melanie and I who share lots of things in common!

Travel, Fashion, Cookies, Yoga, Writing and Jewlery?!

If you are an avid blogger, like me, you probably follow a ton of different blogs. Ever wondered who some of your friends are following?? Thought I would give you a list of a few bloggers who I tend to follow on a daily/weekly basis depending on the time I have to sit and read!!! I hope that you will follow some of my fellow blogger journey's and see what you can learn from them, too!

1. Adventuras en Espana: This blog is my friend Nicki who I use to work with at AMC Theatres. She is studying abroad this spring in Barcelona, Spain!!! She tries to post a couple times a week about the life she is living as a student and trying to take in the city, food, and sounds of what Spain is. I love reading her postings as she is very down to earth. You will find yourself laughing and thinking, "Wow...I am sure I would have done that too!" Follow Nicki and show her some blogger love!

2. Need some Fashion Advice? Well check out Pick Pocket Molly and Missus Smarty Pants! Both sites are perfect for anyone who needs a little refresher course on help in the fashion department. I went to church with Alice who is Pick Pocket Molly. No one can go wrong with Missus Smarty Pants, especially if you are over the age of 30. My mom introduced my sister and I to Missus Smarty Pants, and I can not thank her enough. Missus Smarty Pants will actually tell you which design shape you are and what to buy to make yourself look great for any occasion!!

3. Love baking creative looking cookies? If so, don't look to Martha Stewart, look at The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle! I just stumbled upon her blog yesterday as she is the niece of one of my birthmom friends. Her post from yesterday was extremely cute. She made cookies, fruit, and fruit dip. You ask, "What is so creative about that?" The cookies were made to look like tortilla chips, fruit was your salsa, and yup you guessed it, the guacamole was the fruit dip. Check out the photo!! I instantly had to start following her!

4. We all want to be fit right, but don't have the time or energy to go to the gym?? Now you can do Yoga at home with Fit2Bmama! My dear friend, Bethany, is the creator behind this blog. Read along with life as she blogs about being a wife, a mom of two, fitness enthusiast, and one who loves to go as organic as possible. You will laugh and see that even fitness people have their days were they just want to sit and consume a whole medium pan crust pizza alone due to a stressful day. You though will also find inspiring little notes to keep you going and pushing forward with your fitness goals and being encouraged to take one day at a time!

5. Want to know what it is like to being a writing student who has a passion for film and television? My high school friend, Megan is just that. She is one who I love reading her thoughts for the latest television show and or movie that she may have watched. She is an aspiring writer who would love to move to Las Angelos one day and be a writer for film or television. Great goals!!  Follow Megan over at Musings from the Farmgirl and see what she has to say! 

6. Lastly, I am sure I have posted about another classmate of mine who make jewelry, but if not, I will post about ~Pamela Susan~ again. Pam is awesome with her creations and I love reading to see what she has made next, espcially now that her Etsy store is open only a couple days a month. In addition to the jewelry that she makes, she is always making little things for her adorable little girls. This week she is doing a necklace give-away so go and check her out! I bet you will not be disappointed!! I wish I had just half of the creativity as she has!! :)

So there you have it, I gave you several different blogs you can follow and share with others as well!! Have a wonder week my friends!

East side vs West side

Living in any large city there is a debate: Which side is better? East Side or West Side?? You see this in NYC, Cleveland, and even Portland. I find it comical now when people make statements of "I will only go to functions on the west side of town." or "I have lived here all my life and have never been to the other side of town!"

Growing up, I didn't really know about this debate as I lived in a Southern Suburb of Portland, Oregon, I went to church on the NE side of town, but yet my family would also go to the west side of town for dinner. I never really gave it a thought which side of Portland was better. I just knew that I preferred the mall on the east side of town, but only because it was a larger mall that had a movie theater attached to it. I also knew that some of the nicer neighborhoods were on the west side of Portland. Now days though each side has its amenities with nice and rough areas. As an adult, there was a time where I lived on the east side of Portland but worked on the far west side, so I was still breaking the rules. 


I have found that this "East vs West" mentality is very prominent in Cleveland. I live on the west side of town, but work on the east side. No big deal right?? Well to some people this is a huge deal and do not understand why I would drive back and forth everyday. I first explain to them that I did look for a job closer to my home and the only thing I could find was out n the east side and then I explain to them that I have always driven quite a ways to and from work even when I lived in Oregon. I have met people here in Cleveland who have lived on one side of town their entire life and have never went to the other side. I just am in shock at this!!! People in Cleveland treat Interstate 77 like the Berlin Wall. It is what could be the divider between each side. People even joke about how one needs to have a passport to get to either side. What people do not understand is that there are great things on both sides of town!!! I just wish people would suck it up and drive to the other side and try the different restaurants, parks, and outside markets.

I fully believe, though, that if one lives in a large city, one must experience ALL of the city and not just a 7-10 mile radius from one's house. If people only went only 7-10 miles from their home they would never fully experience what the whole city has to offer. Now granted, there are spots in each large city (in any area) that may not be the safest, but you get that. So you have to know the good and bad spots and which spots are ok to go to in day and night. I know that here in Cleveland there are places that are acceptable to go in only the daylight and not have to really worry about anything, but if I am in that area of town after dark I tend to be a bit more on guard. There were parts of Portland where I would rarely ever go because it just was not really that safe any time of the day! 

I know I can not make one get out of their comfort but when someone asks me how I know about the cool little tea house way out on the east side of town, I will smile and tell them that I am not afraid to drive an hour to an hour and a half experience something new.

My challenge to you this year, break out of your comfort zone and explore the opposite side of town that you live on at least once a month. You might be surprised in what you will find!!

What a Wild Ride

I am finding that this summer it is hard to sit down and type out blogs. I guess I have too much going on and so when I finally find some time to sit and type out something I would rather just go to bed.

Rob and I are back in Connecticut. We got back early this week (on Tuesday) from Ohio. Our trip home was delayed by five days due to well my car getting submerged into about two feet of water while driving back to my inlaw's house from a day of rental house hunting in Cleveland. A big thunderstorm came through and flooded parts of the highway that do not normally flood. This is something I kept hearing over and over from Rob and his parents. I was kind of tired of it after awhile because it didn't help the situation of my car. The thunderstorms kept coming for close three or four days in a row and just dumping more and more water. I have included a slideshow from my Picasa album of the aftermath on my car and what the area looked like after so many days of rain and a small tornado coming through.



We finally set home on Tuesday though since I had to be back in Connecticut for a Safety & Security Seminar at work. Yes I have sat through this same meeting three times but it is mandatory for everyone to go. And hey...it was a good excuse to get back to my own house.

I have enjoyed pretty much an easy laid back week for the most part. I am just trying to get caught up on sleep and start to feel normal. I uploaded all of my Florida road trip pictures as well. Slide shows will be included as well for you to see. I just love how this is an option now on Picasa! I hope that you enjoy!!

Florida Trip Part 1


Florida Trip Part 2

Ding dong! Look who is kind of back!

Yes, I have been busy and going batty. Figure I should fill you in on where I have been lately and update you on how everything is going!! I have tried sitting down and typing this blog out several times...and I do not get very far. 


First, lets talk about the camping trip over the week of my third wedding anniversary (May 19th). Camping is suppose to be fun, relaxing, and enjoyable?? Right? Well the first day and a half it rained and rained and rained. Oye!!! In addition to all the rain, our camp site was full of goose poop. Yuck! That stuff is just as bad as dog poo or worse. Before even setting up our tent and all we had to de-poop the site, in the rain. Finally by the afternoon of our anniversary, the rain stopped and the sun came out. My inlaws told Rob and I to leave camp and go enjoy the afternoon doing something fun. Since we were only 30 minutes from Berlin, OH we drove over there to a local cheese company and walked through some tourist type of shops. We found lunch at a place called Chalet in the Valley which is a Swiss/German place. It is known down in the area and Rob thought it would be nice to take me to a place that he liked when he was a kid. The food was ok...but I was really hoping for something else. Oh well. The rain did stop that afternoon and the sun came out to play for the rest of the day. We drove back to the camp-site and hung out with my inlaws until it was dinner time. For dinner we drove over to Pizza Hut and picked up a couple pizzas, stopped at a grocery store to pick up more bottled water and also picked up some lighter fluid in hopes that the lighter fluid would get the camp fire going since a lot of the wood we had was wet from the rain. The next day of camping it was warm, sunny and just awesome. I had to actually change into shorts because of how warm it was. I loved it! The next morning we woke up to twelve Canadian geese honking and fighting at 6am!! I was not pleased. I had one more hour to sleep before the alarm went off. Needless to say since we were all up we started to pack up camp and get back to Rob's parent's house. Over the weekend while still at his parent's house we met up with our dear friends who were also in Ohio visiting family. We had not seen them in about two summers and so it was great to catch up with them!


Now to the good stuff. Monday (May 24), Rob and I left our three dog-children in Ohio to start our travel to Florida. We stopped off in Nashville, TN for a couple of days. I was hoping that the water damage buildings would be open but we found out that still not the case. I chose a hotel outside of the city since the Opryland Hotel is still closed. For dinner...we went downtown though and ate at The Old Spaghetti Factory and then walked around downtown. I was hoping that the Wild Horse Saloon would be open, but nope...it was still closed do to water damage. The next day though we spent exploring the rest of TN and went to the Jack Daniels distillery. What a cool and free thing to do! If you ever get a chance...you all should visit the little town of Lynchburg, TN! After doing the tour we drove another thirty minutes to the TN/AL border, and ended up eating dinner at Sonic over in Alabama. I had never been to Alabama...and so now I only have a couple other states to color in. 


Wednesday we got up super early and left the little town of Nashville to head down to St. Petersburg, FL. What a fun day, despite the twelve hour drive south. I finally got to see the city of Atlanta (before this...I had only been to the Atlanta International Airport)!!! Rob drove through Atlanta for me, so I didn't have to deal with the crazy drivers. You all think that Californians or New Englanders all drive fast...well you have not seen people drive in Atlanta!! All you can do is keep up with traffic and you will stay alive. If everyone around you is driving 85 mph...well you better do the same or you will run off the road. The highlight of that afternoon was driving through Macon, GA. If any of you are big country fans...then you will know about Macon, GA. 


Thursday was Rob's interview down in St. Petersburg. We will see if he got the job very soon. I seriously could live in the St. Petersburg area. It is so pretty!!! I spent the afternoon exploring the bay front shopping area of the city which was near the hotel. I didn't want to take the car out of valet and then have to fight for parking around the city. I walked down to the famous Pier that was well recommended by many different travel sites. I saw pelicans up close, ate lunch, and enjoyed a trolley tour of the city! I then went back to the hotel where I first attempted to type out this blog. Later on once Rob got back to the hotel, we enjoyed an evening of baseball at Tropicana Field where the Tampa Bay Rays play. The Chicago White Sox were in town and the Rays ended up winning that night. 


Yesterday we got up and drove down to Naples which was about two hours south. Such a beautiful city!! Rob didn't care for it as I think it was too upscale for him. I for one would go back there in an heart beat. The sand over at the beach feels as if you are walking in brown sugar!!! We didn't have a beach front hotel, but after dinner we drove over to yet another popular pier to watch the sunset. I played in the warm 85 degree F. Gulf of Mexico water for a bit. The sunset was pretty but not as pretty as some sunsets I have seen in Arizona. I have a feeling that if I came back in the winter time...the sunset would be better. The winter time is when you see the amazing sunsets in Arizona and so I am predicting that it would be the same there, too. I did enjoy it though. 


Today we drove up to the east side of Orlando. My good friend, Liz, who I went to high school with lives up here and so I was able to spend the day with her. She and I went shopping and then picked Rob up for dinner. Shopping was a good to me today, though!!! I found three pairs of cropped denim pants, and three tops. Lane Bryant was having a deal where selected capris and pants were buy one get one FREE!!! For all of you big girls out there....this is the time to go shopping at LB!!! Dinner was amazing though...as it was at Sonny's BBQ. When my parents were in Florida a couple years ago they stopped at this place and now this is their favorite bbq place. When Rob and I were driving down to Naples yesterday we actually stopped at Sonny's for lunch. Yes...it is that good that we went to one up here in Orlando for dinner. If you like pulled pork...this is THE place to get it. Sooooo yummy!!! 


So that is where I have been lately. Like I said, I have been busy. Tomorrow we will drive to Savannah, GA and stay the night there. Then Monday we will drive back to Ohio and head back to Connecticut on Friday. I am starting to miss my house, bed, and space!! I am loving this road trip and can not wait to share the pictures that we have taken over this two or three week period. The camera cord was left at home so that is why there are no pictures posted here!!! I promise I will get some posted as soon as I can when I get back to the Connecticut house.

Who is ready to be off the Power Grid?

Tent: CHECK, Sleeping Bags: CHECK, Small Camping Grill: CHECK, Dog Bones: CHECK, Warm & Cool clothes: CHECK! This is just a small portion of what is crammed in the trunk of my car!! We still have a few little items to put in the car tomorrow before we go. 

So where we going?? Well, tomorrow we are headed out to Ohio for a week or so. We are driving ten hours to Rob's parents house. The four of us and the five dogs are going camping this week starting on Tuesday. This should be fun, I hope. I have not been camping in a very long time and I have not yet had a major negative memory from camping. We will be camping at a camp-site (sorry, I am not one who camps out in the middle of the woods). The camp site is about an hour west from his parents house. 

I say that I am going off the grid, since I will probably not have cell service while camping and I will not be online until we get back from camping. In today's society...if you don't have these two items that you are considered off the grid. Rob though is taking his laptop with us to the camp site since he is in the middle of a job search. I though will be good and not use the computer to check my mail or even facebook. I have told Rob that he is only allowed to check his email twice a day and he is not allowed to be on facebook. 

Once we come back from camping which will be Friday...we will go back to my inlaw's house and get everything all washed up. A couple days later, Rob and I are taking a road trip down to Florida! I am excited about this as we are going down there so that Rob can have an on-campus job interview. Yay!!! **Everyone cross your fingers for this to go well!!!** Anyways...since this will be my first trip to Florida we are going to spend most of Memorial Day weekend down there. I booked hotel rooms today and everything is all set. 

When Rob is done with his day of interview, then we will drive down to Naples, Florida and spend the night there. I have heard there is lots of shopping there and it is just very pretty. I am hoping to spend some time on different beaches while I am in Florida as well. Then the next day we will drive up to Orlando and hopefully spend the day with my high school friend, Liz. She lives just outside of Orlando and we have not seen each other for about three years. The last time I saw her was on my wedding day in Oregon. After sleeping in Orlando we will then leave Florida all together and drive the two hours up to Savannah, Georgia! Yay!!! We will spend the day and then sleep there, then drive back to Ohio on Memorial Day. Then depending on everything, we will drive back to Connecticut that week. 

I am pretty excited though. So after tomorrow evening, you will not be able to reach me by cell phone. Where Rob's parents live there is no cell service. I will try and check my mail on Monday which will be the last day before heading out camping!! 

It's official!!!

Rob and I are going camping for our anniversary. Not what you all thought this message would be about, huh? Some of you thought, "Gasp! She's pregnant!" or "Gasp!! Rob got a job!" No on both of those! But camping it is!

We had loosely talked about going camping for our anniversary, but nothing had been set in stone. We could not decide on where to go until yesterday. We were driving back from Southbury and were talking. I asked the dogs if they would want to go next week to Ohio to see Grandpa and Grandma Schumaker since they got back from Arizona just a couple weeks ago. *My in-laws are "snow birds" and spend the winters out at our house in Tucson with my sister-in-law. They came home in late April this year.* After I said "Go to Ohio..." Rob asked me if I would want to go camping with his parents for next week and I said sure! So he called up his parents to see what their take was on it. His dad said that he would not mind, but Rob would have to convince his mom to go. Rob's mom gets on the line and Rob asked about camping and at first she didn't know, but a little bit of talking and she was on board. She asked about the dates and we said next week, but then the more I thought about it, the more I thought that a couple weeks away would be better. This would give Rob and I some time to pick up the little stuff that we are still looking for, like crank/battery powered LED lanterns, dog ropes and stuff like that.

By the time we got off the phone with his mom, the dates were decided to go camping over the week of our third wedding anniversary, which is in two weeks. Not what most people would probably do, but hey...who said anniversaries have to be about candle-lit dinners at some quiet little corner frilly restaurant? Ok...now that I just wrote....I may be eating my words for years to come...but every couple really has their own way in celebrating. So this year I will spend it with my inlaws out at some camp site in Ohio that is an hour from their house. We will be camping during the week so that it is not so busy. The guy said he was going to charge us the Spring rates!! Sweet!! Anything to save just a little bit of money. In addition to that...our camp sites are right next to each other and right along the river!! Pretty cool huh??

So with Camp Sites reserved, now I need to work on a menu. I figure since I am a picky eater...I would help my mother-in-law with the food for the couple of days that we will be camping. I know she will appreciate this. Then we can make a list of food that we will need. His mom told me that there are a couple little grocery stores near by and so we will drive to the camp sites, get set up and then she and I will go over and pick up the food for the couple of days.

I am very excited. I have not been camping in years and I am sure we will all walk away with stories to tell for years to come.

Pictures from North Dakota

Ok...I am finally getting around to posting pictures from the North Dakota trip. Since most of you probably have seen my pictures from my Facebook page, I will only post a few here, so it is not so much of a repeat. I hope you all enjoy!

This is a picture of the new Grand Stands at the North Dakota State Fair. The white wall is where the dirt track is for the sprint car racing. 

Rob at the hotel working on some stuff for the following the next day. 

Me relaxing on the bed. My wrist was killing me and so that is why I had to wear the brace. Sucks getting old. ;) 

Headed west! On the last full day that we were in North Dakota we drove over to the eastern state line of Montana. Rob had never been to Montana and so why not drive the 3 hours. :) 

One of many oil drilling sites in North Dakota. The oil is really booming right now and oil companies are buying up hotels just to be able to house all of their workers! 

Bainville, Montana: population under 200 people. We had stopped at a park and walked around. We came around a corner, looked to our left...and the above picture is what we saw. How pretty, I tell ya. Most people would ask why we took a picture of this or how I can say "How pretty"? I guess I recognize the hard work that communities go through if they are in a farming community. 

Most of the town in Bainville had dirt roads. 

Back in Minot, ND. This is the view of the city from our hotel. 

Where I have been...

Since I like to travel, I like to keep a map of the states and countries that I have visited. Since I had not been to North Dakota, I had to update my map. I just have a couple more states in the USA to visit!! Road Trip anyone? 

Back from North Dakota!

Rob and I had a nice 4 days up in Minot, North Dakota. Where is Minot? When looking at a map of North Dakota...look way up north about 40-60 miles south of Canada and you will find a dot labeled Minot (My-Not). It is a town of about 36,000 people and is the fourth largest city in the state.

Rob and I flew in on Tuesday afternoon and found that their international airport to be only two gates, but only one is used. Good times! We both laughed at each other and said, "Well we wanted an adventure!" I got the rental car while Rob went over to the only baggage claim and picked up our checked luggage. Yes we pay for checked luggage because I hate having to scramble for the correct ounces of liquids to get through security. Just easier for me to check the bag and see it at the final destination. Anyways...we went out and tried to find some lunch. Drove around for a bit and ended up at the mall hoping that they had some type of food court. They did and we had a few choices. I should have went with the Chinese place rather than the Japanese place that I went to. Oh well...I didn't matter. I knew we were having dinner later on with the hiring committee. We drove around for a little bit more and then headed over to the hotel.

The hotel room was nice and we both ended up taking an hour nap, as the day was really catching up to us since the alarm went off at 3:30am. An hour after sleeping and getting ready for dinner we were downstairs waiting for the hiring committee. We met the three gals who were there for dinner and were seated at our table. Now I am always a bit leary eating at a hotel restaurant, unless I at at a Hilton or some place like that. We were told though that everything on the menu is good. I went with a dish that was kind of like a Chicken Parm. Rob chose a salad where some of the other ladies went with a Chicken Stir-fry or Shrimp pasta. We were first given bread with some garlic infused olive oil for dipping the bread in. Let me just say that I am craving this again!! So yummy! Dinner went well and when we walked back to the hotel room I told Rob that I am feeling real good about this interview process for this school. He agreed!

Wednesday morning came around and the department head picked Rob up at the hotel so that I would have the rental car to explore and get to know more of Minot. Well I kind of just hung out at the hotel to relax and just be me for a while. I had lunch down at the hotel restaurant just because I didn't feel like driving out to find something. Around 245pm or so, I met Rob down on campus and we had a campus tour of Minot State. Such a lovely campus. I was able to meet up with one of the Social Work professors and get some general information about their program. I will talk more with whatever school we end up at as the time gets closer. After the campus tour, the department head took us over to a real-estate agent. the real-estate agent showed us around town and the different houses that may be up for rent or even for sale. She told us more about the city and made us just feel like we could really live there. :) We then had another dinner with the department head at a place that did Italian and American food. Good food, but just kind of odd that they market the place for more Italian food, but yet you could order steak and ribs if wanted. After dinner, Rob and I drove over past the state fairground and saw the dirt track where they race sprint cars on. One of the drivers that my dad tends follow on the World of Outlaws circuit was born in Minot and made his start there. The family still lives there where the driver resides in Fargo.

Thursday, Rob had only a couple hours at the school and was back at the hotel by 11am. We went and found some lunch (at Hardee's) and after a couple more trips back to the hotel we were on the road for the rest of the day. We drove over to Bainville, MT which is one of the closest eastern towns in Montana that is near the Western North Dakota state line. Rob had never been to Montana before and so we thought a 3 hour drive one way would be fun. It allowed us to see what else was on the northern western part of North Dakota. Not much except for tons and tons of Oil digging machines!  North Dakota right now is on a boom for work! If you are looking for work, North Dakota is the place to be!! Oil companies are buying up hotels just to house their workers! I kid you not! Also you better be good about peeing on the side of the road if needed because there are not any rest areas available and only a handful of gas stations. One with a weak bladder, I had contemplated a couple of times on that three hour trip one way. You all laugh now...but you would do the same if you were in my situation. We ended the day with dinner at a no so bad Mexican restaurant back in Minot. The service was poor, but the food was pretty good for being that far north!

Friday morning we woke up early and packed everything up. Our flight didn't leave until 115pm, but we wanted to get breakfast, drive up passes the Air Force base and see some of the other areas of Minot before leaving. Breakfast was at Perkin's. Oh how I have missed Perkin's! If we move to Cleveland or Minot I would have Perkin's around. Perkins is kind of like a Denny's or an Ihop, but I think it is better than any of those! Well not as good as Chip's here in Connecticut, but no one could compete with them! After exploring a little bit more and wasting off some more gas in the rental car we headed back to the airport. Rob and I were both sad that we were leaving and said, "I would come back here, even though there is hardly anything around!" So call me crazy...but it is true! Next time we come back we will bring the passports so that we can go up into Canada. :)

Our flights were less than desirable...but hey who said that flying would be the best thing in the world back in economy! When we got to Minneapolis we did try to pay for a first class upgrade but since there were already so many Delta Elites waiting for an upgrade we were turned down. We were back in economy both squeezing in middle seats. Bleck! Why make a middle seat?! I mean really! And if you are going to have a middle seat...can you make it just as big as the window and aisle seat with the arm rests down?! I always realize how "big" I am when I fly and have to sit in the middle seat. *sigh* I know...it is a sign...I should get back down to a weight that is more desirable to the US standard. That will be for another blog posting! We arrived back at JFK International airport and pulled up to the driveway of our Connecticut house pretty late. The dogs were excited to see us but so tired as they had been sound asleep with Andrew. The two girls ended up staying downstairs with Andrew where the "old man" Sparky went upstairs to his own bed with us.

Today, Rob and I are taking it easy. I will get some pictures posted in a day or so. I have pictures posted over on my facebook page that some of you have seen already. Anyways...it is good to be home to sleep in my own bed, wear my comfy sweats and not have to worry about impressing anyone. ;)

Photos from Oregon

Here are some photos from my recent trips to Oregon. 

I hope that you enjoy!!

 

Renee and I after a day of eating, shopping, and coffee!

Christy and I...don't we just look Hot?! Ok...so this was taken after only getting about 4 hours of sleep. Oh how I missed our conversations!!! Went to sleep around 4am and woke up around 8am to head back to my mom's house to get ready for the rest of a busy day!

Kaylee and I. When I go to Oregon, I always make it a priority to go visit my lil miss Kaylee. Hard to believe that she is 6 years old!! We had a great visit! Thank you again, Naedean and Kaylee for having my mom and I down for a couple hours!!

My small portion of Clam Chowder at Mo's in Taft, Oregon. My family loves this stuff...but I could go either way. I am glad that I tried it again...but I think I will stick to my grilled cheese! 

Even though it was cold and a bit misty rain...I had to get out and get my picture taken at the beach. The waves were huge the day we were there. Didn't go down onto the beach because of the weather. We did see some people in the freezing cold pacific ocean though. 

My dad and I. 

And last but not least, the family cat - Freddy. He is close to 17 years old. He is getting pretty cranky and really only likes being around my brother. 

Headed out again!

One would think that all I have been doing is living on an airplane or anywhere but my own house lately. Well one would be correct. Rob and I just bought tickets for Northern North Dakota today. Rob has a job interview up there and I had really thought about staying home for this one, because I have been gone so much. Then when Rob told me that the school is wanting to do a two day interview in addition to meeting with a real estate agent to show us some rental properties and the area, I changed my mind. Plus...I have never been to North Dakota! One more state to color in on my map!!

So we are headed out next Tuesday (4/13) from JFK Airport. We could have flown from Hartford, but we would have been routed from Hartford, Atlanta, San Antonio, Minneapolis, and then Minot! As much as I have been flying lately...I am still not a fan of it! So we opted out of that flight! Flying up to Minot, we will just have to change planes one time in Minneapolis. Coming home on the 16th is a different story! We could not find any fun and easy flights. Good thing I now have Xanax for my flying anxiety!! I will need it for coming home for sure!! We will leave Minot and fly to Minneapolis, then change planes and fly to Atlanta, and then back up to JFK. Oh joy! Oh did I mention that the only seats available from Minneapolis to Atlanta are middle seats?! yup...I am not kidding. Maybe we will be able to change seats when we get checked in, but I am not holding my breath. I am not too fond of sitting in the middle...but I am use to it. I will just make sure I take some good books to keep me occupied! :)

Relaxed and Refreshed...

So it has been a couple days since I have been home from Oregon. Figure I should fill you all in on how the rest of my trip went. Normally when I am in Oregon I am running from one place to another then stop at my mom's to sleep for a few hours and then back up and run again. This trip was very different. I am sure I upset people because I was not calling everyone to set up meetings and get together's with them. I figured...people knew I was in the state since I had posted it on facebook and they all had my number. So if they wanted to see me...then they knew how to get a hold of me.

So Wednesday like I had said, I had one of the most amazing hour full body massages with a focus on my upper back. I really did need that. I didn't realize how much tension I had built up in my muscles. I think I will be scheduling another one out here. I have just a little bit of money left on a gift card that I was given a couple years ago. :)

Thursday was spent with one of my best friends, Renee. She and I went to lunch, did some shopping, and then spent a couple hours sitting at Starbucks. I always know when I am around a true best friend. How?? Well, two friends or even a group of close friends...they can be separated for a year or even more, but then once they are back together in person things pick up as if no one was apart. That is how Renee and my other best friends are with me. I miss that...and I love it! Thursday evening I went to dinner with my parents and brother.

Friday was spent with my Grandma Schneider. We ate lunch at Old Spaghetti Factory, and yes I had meat sauce with Mizithra cheese over spaghetti. Grandma even tried it and thought it was good. Rob is a bit upset that he can not find this type of cheese at Whole Foods. I just laugh at him. Friday evening was spent over at my other best friend's house. Christy and I ordered a pizza and watched a couple movies. Before that Friday, she had never seen the movie "The Hangover". *GASP, I know!* She laughed through it just like I thought she would. We then watched "Zombie Land". What a dumb movie!! I don't get it...how was this movie suppose to be drop dead funny? (No pun intended?) After that we just at and talked and talked...I kept looking at the clock and finally at 3:45am I asked Christy if I could just sleep at her house. I know the back roads to Canby, but it was late and I was tired. So I slept a couple hours at her house before I headed back to my mom's house. I hated to leave so quick from Christy's in the morning...but I had to run home and get ready to see Kaylee!

Saturday afternoon was spent down in Albany having a visit with NaeDean, Kaylee, and my mom. Kaylee is getting so big, and she is very creative. She had made me a poster that said, "I love Amy" and it had two hearts on it because she loves me a lot she said. We had a good visit. She is still very much into Barbi, princess stuff, but she enjoys playing soccer as well. Saturday evening, I went to church with my parents. It had been awhile since I have been to church. I can not wait to get into a new area and get connected with a church that I actually like or feel connected, too.

Sunday was spent at the beach!!! Yes it was cool, a bit rainy and windy...but that is the Oregon Coast. We had lunch at Mo's, went shopping at the outlet mall, and then get some taffy at the taffy shop that my family always stopped growing up. I went in and grabbed a couple handfuls of each flavor. Well not every flavor, just the flavors that I grew up enjoying. We took the long way home from the beach as traffic was pretty hectic going the way that we would normally would drive. So we drove down through Corvallis and then up I-5.

Monday I spent several hours up at the mall with my friend Sarah who just got back in the states. She spent the past five months in Vietnam. She looks great, and we had some awesome conversation over lunch and then coffee. It was a perfect setting since it was a typical Oregon spring rainy day. I was thinking that I was going to hang out with another friend for dinner, but she never called and so I drove back to my parent's house.

Tuesday was spent doing absolutely nothing. What an odd feeling it was, but yet something that was needed. I caught up on some of my shows that had been posted online and just sat at home doing nothing. When my mom got home, she asked if I wanted to run with her over to Grandma's house and then go pick up my dad from the bus stop. So I got my shoes on and we were off. After we picked up dad we decided to go get some dinner and ended up at The Ram. The Ram is a brewery that is in Portland as well as just a couple other locations through out Washington and a few out east. Well Indiana is the most east they get, so far. They have good beers and very yummy ribs!

Wednesday I spent sleeping in late and then having lunch with my mom. For dinner we went downtown to my dad's office. We went to dinner at this place that was a block over from his office. He thought it was just some bar and grill...well it was more of a uppity bar and grill. You know one of those places that has one sheet for the menu and you just really want a burger but there is no burger on the menu. Ya it was one of those places. It was good to try something new, but would probably not go back to that place. We then walked down to Voodoo Donuts, but they were too busy. I really just wanted to get a tshirt...but realized I could get a donut and a tshirt on my next trip to Portland. :)

Thursday, I had to fly back to Connecticut. I finished my Confessions of a Shopaholic book and wished that I would had another book to start, but it was ok to just sit and do nothing. If I would have had Rob's Sony Reader, then I could have had several books to read, but that is ok. I am one who likes to hold the actual book rather than a device and "turn the page" on the screen.

So now I am home and back to the same old busyness. Work is not as busy as what I thought it would be with it being Easter weekend...but maybe that is because it is almost eighty degrees outside and sunny. I am not complaining!!

So there ya have it. Once I get the pictures off loaded from the camera I will share them with you!!

Late postings...This is for Thursday

So my postings will be probably late compared to normal...only because my Blogger is set up as east coast time setting. Where I am on the west coast right now...I am three hours behind. I was going to post something earlier today, but I just got busy.

My trip here in Oregon has been just perfect. I can not believe that on a normal trip, I would be pretty much flying in on a day like today and then flying home on either Sunday or early Monday morning. eeek!!! I am learning that I need to take more time for myself and not try and do these super short trips. Yesterday was spent alone for the most part. I just sat at my mom's and watched tv and got caught up on what I needed. Then I went over and got an hour massage, which was just amazing!!! I carry my stress in my upper back...and all on my left side of the most part. it was amazing...and totally what I needed!!

Today was spent with my best friend, Renee. We went to lunch at Olive Garden and then walked through the mall...then ended our afternoon at Starbucks back in town. Time like these are when I miss being so far away from my close friends and family. Dinner was spent with my parents and brother at Red Lobster. Yummy...oh yes indeed!!

Friday will be spent with my grandma and hopefully my best friend, Christy. So that is what I have been up to so far. :)

I have made it!!

Yup...even with my fear of flying...I have made it to Oregon. But with the help of some xanax I was able to fly with out any anxiety or feeling that the plane was going to crash and kill us all. *I am just real pleasent to fly with, really. hahaha*

When I checked in at the airport, I was given a seat assignment for Hartford to Minneapolis, but then a "Seat Request" for Minneapolis to Portland. (Yay!! I was put on stand-by!! Just what I wanted to deal with!) My flight from Hartford to Minneapolis was pretty smooth. There was a few bumps but nothing drastic...and why is it that it gets bumpy just when the flight attendants decide to come through and pass out some drinks? Never fails! Anyways...the flight was not extremely full, which was nice for a change! I had a window seat right on the wing (my favorite spot to sit in a plane because it is the most stable place inside the plane), and then there was a guy in my row on the aisle. it was nice to not have someone sitting in the middle seat!!

When we landed in Minneapolis I checked the screens to see where my next gate was. I was in terminal G and I had to go to terminal F. No worries...I had an hour and a half, so I went to find my gate then went and found some dinner. I was not super hungry but thought I should eat something so that I am not starving on the airplane!! When I got back to the gate, I was hoping that there would be a gate agent at the counter so that I could get a seat assignment. Well a gate agent didn't arrive to the gate until probably 15 minutes before the plane was suppose to board!!! Talk about annoying!! But I was given a seat and I was happy. OOh....Row 5A. Sweet...I will be nice and close...and oh is this first class? Well no...it was not first class but it was the row right behind first class. So I was given lots of leg room! Yay! I felt like the flight was not ever going to end. I was getting restless and just wanted to be out of the plane. I could feel the meds wearing off...but didn't want to take another pill as I knew I only had an hour or so left. So I just put my nose back into my "Confessions of a Shopaholic" book. btw...if you are looking for a fun fast paced book...you need to read that book!! Such a funny story!!

I arrived in Portland a little bit early, but had to wait awhile for my bag. This is the disadvantage of being able to get off the plane so quickly. I even took my time getting down to the baggage claim. *sigh* anyways...I found my bag and went back upstairs for my parents to pick me up at the curb.

So now I am here in Canby. I slept amazing!! I tell you there is nothing like sleeping in your childhood house. Maybe it is just me. I was wide awake around 630am...but then I ended up falling back asleep. Guess my body is still kind of on the east coast time.

Hope you all are having a fabulous Wednesday!

Going home to the City I love!

In about 5 hours I will be boarding a plane that will be part one of two for my trip to Oregon. I am so excited and this trip is long over due. Ok...so it has not been a full year...but that is a very long time for me to be away from my beloved state. :) I will be home with my parents for about nine days. Well less than that since it takes pretty much a whole day to fly and all. I guess that is better than driving or taking the train which would consist of a week or so. Oye!! 

I am looking forward to this trip. Like I said in an earlier post about my trip...this will not be a trip to be driving all over the state or city and back to see as many people as I can. It is a time to just sit and breath. I can not wait to see some of my closest friends and family, as well as the beloved pacific coast. My mouth is watering now about the thought of having a grilled cheese sandwich at Mo's over in Lincoln City and some fresh salt water taffy. yummy...yummy!!

I hope to blog everyday and keep up on my blogging while I am away. :)

Taking a Break...

Yes, you read that correctly...I am taking a break. I need a break from a lot of stuff and I am going to take care of myself. I had a break down a couple weeks ago on the phone with my mom. Her response was, "It sounds like you need to start working on you rather than trying to be superwoman!" I guess I needed that "ok" from my mom to really sit and look at everything. So with that being said, I have done a few things already!

I have put my schooling on hold until Rob and I get to the new school. I just hated going down to Iona fully knowing that it was my last semester. I felt overwhelmed, over worked, and getting nothing out of what I was doing. "But Amy, you dropped our classes in only the second week of classes!" Yes...I know I did! I just couldn't do it anymore. My classmates were driving me nuts and when I was in class I was counting down the minutes until I was able to leave. "But Amy, what about your internship?!! You can not just up and leave something like that!" I feel awful that I left my internship. It was good for me to just cut ties from everything that was part of Iona. I am hoping that the hours that I put in will count when I transfer into the new Social Work program at the new school. "But Amy, by doing this you are going to be behind when you go to your next school." Yes I may be a little behind, but I will go in with a good GPA from the Social Work Program from Iona. I didn't want to continue the classes, do poorly and ruin my GPA. I am hoping to get down to school on Monday afternoon to officially drop my classes. I would have done it all when I was down on campus this past week, but due to a large rain & wind storm that came through the NY/CONN area over the last weekend, the Arts & Sciences building was closed due to having no power. If I do not get down to campus on Monday then it will have to wait until I get back from Oregon. 

Yes, that is the second thing I have done. The same night after I got off the phone with my mom, I booked a flight to Oregon. I leave on Tuesday (March 23rd) for nine days!!!! Yes, I am very excited to see my family, a few best friends, and of course Kaylee. It will be a week of relaxation, rejuvenation, and evaluation. This trip will not be me driving all over the place every day to try and fit everyone in before I leave. I have kept my trip on the "DL" as I didn't want to fill up the week and running myself ragged when that is not what the trip was intended for. 

Another thing that I did is started searching for a counselor that I can talk to on a weekly basis. I am hoping to find one that is covered my insurance so that I am not paying out of pocket. I was hoping to call a few people this past week, but time got a head of me, I guess. 

So this is me. I am here to take care of me...and if you don't like it...well tough. My social work professors have all said, "You have to take care of you, before you can help someone else." I have heard that from other people as well, and so now I am getting off the train and doing what I need to do.

What a weekend...

What a weekend!! I had fun, but I am glad to be home for a little bit. Figured I should update my readers on what I did on the trip. As I mentioned...Friday I spent the day walking around the city on my own. Where I left off was for what happened Saturday.

Saturday was spent at the Mall of America (MOA). Rob and I got up early to get ready for the day. I wanted to get over there early to try and beat the crowds. We walked over to the light rail and unfortunately missed the first train. We caught the next train though and was down to MOA thirty minutes later. I was starving by this point and so we ate at Cinnabon. Ok...so shoot me...not healthy for breakfast..but I was on a mini-vacation. So leave me alone...ok?! Anyways...after eating a delicious Cinnabon, Rob and I decided we needed to get a game plan together on how we were going to do the MOA. We decided we would take one level at a time. We walked clockwise around the mall as it was easier that way. I didn't have any major stops that I wanted to make except for Lane Bryant and then a tourist type of shop to pick up a few things. Once I stopped at both of those which didn't take long, we just walked the mall. By lunch time the mall was picking up quite a bit and we tried to avoid the food court. It was extremely hard to even walk through the food court and decided to just eat at one of the many sit down food places that would be away from the food court. So no Chipotle this trip! yes...I was bummed too. The place we ate at though was pretty good. Yes spendy for what we would normally spend on lunch...but worth it to be away from so many people. After lunch we walked the top level of MOA and then decided to head back to the hotel. So what did I think about MOA?? I am glad that I went, but I don't know if I would go back. It had the same stores that you would see in any major mall through out the country. Yes, there were some specialty stores that are for only Minnesota people...but I don't understand how you could spend a week there.

Once we got back from the mall we ended up just relaxing. Walking so much tired me out, and it was nice to just sit and do nothing. For dinner we walked over to The Old Spaghetti Factory. We had ate there on Thursday evening with some of the interview committee, but I wanted to eat there again before we left. Plus the area that we were in, we didn't have many choices for food that was reasonably priced. Thinking it was 8pm and a Saturday night, I thought we would have a long wait for a place like this. I was surprised when the hostess told me that it would only a twenty-minute wait!! Really?! On a Saturday evening?! Where does everyone go on a Saturday evening for dinner in Minneapolis?? Just nuts, if you ask me! After dinner we didn't take a direct path home. We ended up walking over by the Mill City Museum again. There was a special event going on, so even if it was open, we would not have been able to go through it. That's ok, though.The rest of the night at the hotel we sat and watched LA Ink on TLC.

Sunday morning was spent packing everything up and getting out to the airport. Our flight was on time, and overbooked. We though were not on stand-by and was thankful as the next flight to Connecticut was not for another eight hours. eeek!!

I slept pretty good last night. I always sleeping in my own bed! There is the sense of security. I have not uploaded my pictures yet to Facebook or Picasa. I am hoping to get that completed tonight.

Just a tease...

Here is a tease of what my photos from my trip look like. 

I will post one picture....will blog about everything later. 

I am too tired. :) 

Looking down from the Flour Tower at the Mill City Museum.

Best place to eat?

Oh how I have missed this place!!! I will miss it tomorrow when I leave Minneapolis.