Welcome to Fall!

Spiced pumpkin scent, crunchy leaves, mountain sides in full color of reds, oranges, and golds, corn mazes, hot cider, turkey, big chunky sweaters, and much more. These are some of the things that I look forward to every year to the fall season. 

Like many...I am one who enjoy the transition from summer to fall. This year especially. It has been quite a hot summer and so I am really looking forward to the cooler weather. I love watching the trees turn from green to the vibrant red, orange, and gold colors. This is one thing that I am going to miss for not living in the New England area. One has not experienced the full meaning of fall until you have seen a whole mountain side in full amazing color! I know...I have said that for the past several years...but if you have seen what I am talking about, then you understand. I will miss that this year since I am now in Ohio. I am sure I will find something here in Ohio to admire for this fall season.

Have you all went into Yankee Candle lately?? Well they have some good fall scents that are smell really yummy. I was good and didn't get any only because I have several scents at home that need to be burned before new ones can come into the house. I did buy a new scent from another candle place last month when I was out in Vermillion. The scent is a coffee scent. Smells real yummy. This candle is a soybean candle. It burns to liquid just like the other good candles.

So what your favorite part of Fall??

Busy Summer comes to an end....

Well like everyone else is saying...summer is coming to an end. What a busy summer Rob and I had this year!! I know it seems like every year I am saying that...but we really did have a busy summer, from moving to spending time with his family to attending various events that we both wanted to do.

Late June started the big move to Ohio. I am glad that after four trailer loads full of stuff, we are finally all moved into the house that we will call home for a year. For those of you who don't remember, Rob and I are in a western suburb of Cleveland until next summer. Rob has a one year visiting professor position at Cleveland State University. He was told to pretty much keep his bags packed, as he will not be there next year. *sigh*

This past month, Rob and I have been busy running around. I have been busy seeking employment and I have not had too much luck. Gotta love moving to a state where the unemployment rate is around twelve percent. But I hope to have something by the end of this month. We have been busy exploring the west side of town and even parts of Cleveland that Rob has not been to since he was little. We went to several county fairs, tractor pulls, baseball games, and even an NFL football game. By the end of this month we will have added a couple other county fairs, an Octoberfest, and another baseball game before the season is over. I have to say that I am truly blessed with what all I have gotten to do. 

I will admit that sometimes I forget all the things that I do and then get into a jealous mood when I find that other people are doing something cool. I have to thank my own mom for putting this all into perspective for me this past weekend. I really did have a hard time this weekend when I read the status updates over on facebook of all my friends back in Oregon headed out for one last camping trips and bbq's. I guess I was just feeling down and out since I don't really know anyone here in Ohio that is my age to hang out with. So I just had a bad attitude. I really miss being around people who actually enjoy hanging out with me. There is only so much that I can handle with spending time with Rob's parents. It's just not the same.

But I am looking forward to this fall. I love the color change of the leaves and the cooler crisper weather. So overall I had a good summer. Fall time for me equals to football, Octoberfests, and the start of the rainy seasons (well that is if you live in Oregon like where I grew up). I am sure I will have yet an eventful fall. :) Only time will tell!!

Meetup.com

Ever moved to a new area and not known anyone? Ever lived in the same location all your life and wanted to meet other people who share the same interests?? Ever just wanted to let loose or learn something new?? If you answered yes to any of these questions then I have the best site for you. It's called Meetup.com. 


Since moving to the Cleveland area, I have joined this great website that I just mentioned above. Rob came across this site and started looking around. He found a couple groups that I may be interested in, and so he sent me the links. One of them was called "The High Tea Society". It is a group devoted to tea!! The main purpose of this group is meeting other people who share your interest in learning new teas and visiting different tea houses in the area. I am really enjoying this group. I signed up last month for a tea event and loved it!! We all met at The Ashley Place which is a tea room located in Medina, Ohio. Four other women showed up for that one and we had a lovely conversation over some tea and food. I tried a raspberry flavored tea and found it to be ok...I am not too sure if I would get that one again. Today was another event with the Tea Society. I met up with four other women in Vermilion, Ohio which is about thirty minutes west of my house. We met at this small little tea shop called Decidedly Different. I tried a new flavor of tea again. This time it was a tea called Scottish Breakfast. If you are a black tea drinker who enjoys the Breakfast teas, then this is a must try! It is a bit strong and a bit bitter, but after putting two packets of sugar in my cup, I thought it tasted pretty good. 


Another group that I found is a Movie & Book lover club. They are a group well that views movies together and then also reads a book together as well. Last month, I met up with this group to see the movie Inception. After the movie we then went over and had a bite to eat and discussed how we liked or disliked the movie. I was in hopes of going to the event tomorrow to see the new movie Eat, Pray, and Love, but due to the time the movie is, it is a conflict with something else that Rob and I had planned. The book part of this club is just the same as the movie part. The current book is To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I read this book back in middle school and so I was excited to hear this was the next book the club was going to read. I went out and bought the book at a half priced bookstore. I have started reading the book (ok, so I am just 3 pages in), so I need to get going on the book since the book discussion is in about a month. I have heard from other group members is that if you have read the book as a child, then when you are reading this book as an adult you tend to understand more of the adult roles in the book. I will let you know once I finish the book. 


Rob has found a couple social groups on Meetup.com as well. He found a hiking group and a couple others. He has yet though to attend any of the events that have had. He is hoping to try and go to one of the hiking ones soon. 


So I encourage you to go over to Meetup.com and check it out for yourself. It is completely free to sign up and you never know...you may find a great group just for you!!! 

Cleveland Orchestra!

String instruments, brass instruments, woodwinds, and percussion all make up an orchestra. I am sure I am missing something but it is late and so I am not thinking completely clear. I love the orchestra and have a passion for listening to good orchestras. I guess the passion started when I was in fifth grade and started to play the violin and it grew to what it is now. I was blessed in elementary and high school with some wonderful music teachers and I tend to silently thank them everyday.

Tonight, Rob and I went to a Cleveland Orchestra performance at Severance Hall. They were putting on a free performance and live recording of Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 in C minor. I figured since the tickets were free we would go. I am so glad that I did go!! I don't think I have ever heard any of Bruckner's music and I am now a fan!! This symphony is broken into four movements. Each one has their own personality and thoughts of Life and Death. I thought I would share them all with you since I found them over on YouTube. My favorite movement was the second movement and I felt like the third movement was never going to end. I did still enjoy all of it though. 

So if you have a bit...click on each one and take a listen and experience Bruckner for yourself!! 

Movement 1 - 

Movement 2:


Movement 3


Movement 4

New Phone!!!

Yesterday was the day I had been waiting for in a long time. It felt like Christmas as I knew I was finally getting what I have wanted for four weeks. Rob and I finally got our new phones that we ordered about a month ago. Which ones did we get?? We got the new HTC Incredible by Verizon.

Rob and I started talking about getting new phones sometime last year. We heard that Google was trying to buy some cell towers to offer their own cell service. Well that came and it never went, and so we were still sitting with our old phones. Then the latest craze of the smart phones and the androids started to appear on the market. Quite a few of my friends started getting these type of phones and so it was cool see what all of these different phones would do.

Right around my birthday we decided that we would get the Incredible. When we tried to go get one we realized that everyone was sold out and that we had to order them. When Rob made his first trailer load of stuff out to Ohio he checked with one of the Verizon stores and found that we still had to order them, so he went and put in an order for two phones.

This phone is very cool. Rob said, "You are basically holding a mini computer in your hands that just has a phone option." I laughed, but yet that is exactly what it is. It is fast, the picture is great, and it can sync to just about any email account. I just love it. I am still trying to get use to it, and I will tell ya...it is very addicting!!! The one thing that I will have to get really use to is using the touch screen.

You know you are eating out too much when...

• You know you are eating out too much when you get annoyed at the server who is trying to do their job.
• You know you are eating out too much when you feel like you are constantly being seated in the screaming child section of the dining room. 
• You know you are eating out too much when you have the local pizza place on speed dial of your cell phone. 

I am sure I am not the only who has had these thoughts!! Anyone else brave enough to raise their hands?? Well since Rob and I have moved to Ohio, we have realized that we need to cut back on eating out. When we lived in Connecticut we would average eating out (fast food, take out, or sit down restaurant) about 5 times a week for either lunch or dinner. This didn't count my "breaks" that I had at work where I would spend money on my 30 minute break for a snack. So yes we did eat out A LOT. We will both admit that, too. So now that we are in a new place we are going to work on eating at home A LOT more. :) 

So far we have done pretty good. This past weekend was a bit rough since he went to Connecticut with his dad to pack up the rest of the house where there is literally no food or cooking items left at the house. This last week though we did good. We had went to the store and purchased quite a bit of meat that could be frozen and then thawed out when needed. It has been nice cooking at home again. I may not be the greatest cook, but I am at least willing to try, though. Since his mom has been staying with me for the weekend, we did good about trying eat at home as well! Since Saturday, she and I have only ate out twice. Once for lunch on Saturday and then tonight for dinner. The other nights I have been creative on trying to fix meals here at the house for her and I. I was able to make a meal that she and I would enjoy that I would not normally be able to make when Rob is around since he does not like shrimp. 

But Rob and I have decided that we can not just completely cut the whole eating out thing. I see it as kind of like going on a diet or budgeting. While on a diet or a strict budget you still have to leave some give room or some reward room so that you do not fail. If you are use to eating out all of the time then trying to quit cold turkey it will fail every time. We have decided that we will eat out twice a week. Once a week we will treat the dogs to a car ride and dinner at a fast food place like Sonic and then once a week he and I will go out and have a meal at a sit down place. This way it feel more special than, "well where do you want to go tonight?" I know it is easy right now, but the real test will be when both of us start working. I am hoping that we can have a routine down before then, but it will be a struggle for awhile, I am sure. 

So for all of you lovely friends who cook...send me your favorite EASY meals that you like to cook. I am a picky eater, but I am trying to broaden my palate a bit. Rob and I tend to cook on a weekly basis: Chicken, Pork, and Beef. So feel free to send me anything with these meats in it. I would love to try some of your dishes!! 

85% moved in...

Since things are starting to kind of get back to normal, I feel that I can start blogging again. I have missed my daily blogging and I am going to do my best to start blogging more. We will see how this goes. I am out of sync of the daily blogging routine, so please give me a bit to get back into the groove of things. 


Well I am about 85% moved into the new house in a western 'burb of Cleveland. It is a little bit smaller house than what we had in Connecticut, but we are going to make it work. :) The bedroom I wanted to use as a "master bedroom" had to be changed, as our queen size bed will not fit up the stairs in the house. *sigh* So the two bedrooms with queen beds are on the main level of this new house and then the twin bed that we have will be upstairs in one of the bedrooms. I will have my own hide away room as well where I can set up a place just for me. I already have my books upstairs as well. I may move them over to the other bedroom, I have not fully decided yet. Besides the house though, I love the area that we are at. 


Why do I love the new area? Well I am about two miles from every shopping store you can think of that you would need on a daily basis and then if you want more of an upscale shopping experience drive about five minutes the other way and you will be there for those stores, too!! I have not walked through the upscale outdoor mall yet, but I will get to it! Maybe when the heat and humidity is lower I will go and have the energy to walk around outside. 


Rob and his dad are currently at the Connecticut house. They are in the process of packing up the remaining things and loading them into the trailer. They are thinking that they will be coming back to Ohio on Wednesday but I have been told that they may come back on Monday. I don't know. Why didn't I go? Welllll....since Rob told me that I needed to find a job as soon as possible...I have a job interview this coming week. So there! I guess this is one of the consequences of looking for a job while still trying to get fully moved in from one state to another. 


Here is a slide show of one of the moving trips and the first time I saw the new house in person. I hope that you all enjoy!! I am sure a lot of you have seen these pictures over on my FB page. If not...then please, enjoy!!