Weekend with the Wavras!

The last weekend of April, the Wavras ventured to the Northeast! They arrived, and we started our fun-filled, jam-packed weekend. Dave's birthday was April 26, so we started with a small celebration of sorts. I made him a birthday cake that was multi-tiered and multi-colored. Not only was it sugar packed with icing, but M&M's topped off our sugar quota for 11 PM at night!!

It was the first time that either had met Marlee... resident ADHD dog of the complex. She was very excited to see them... Max growled a little at first, then he realized that there were two extra laps to sit on and 4 extra hands for morning, noon, and night-time pettings! They were really sweet and were very sad to see our company go!!

Our trip around Philly was so much fun. We started out the day with a tour of Bala Cynwyd (where I work)... then we headed into town. We parked in the Old City by the Liberty Bell, gathered our cameras, and headed out. We were all a bit famished for none of us ate breakfast, so Troy and I took them for a six-block stroll through the outskirts of Chinatown to Reading Terminal Market. It's a market place with many, many vendors that sell both fresh and prepared foods. Very local, very cultural, but nothing compared to the look on Dave's face after Troy found us a place to sit and eat and the little ladies of the local red hat society took over! We walked up, and he said... they just sorta sat down... I wasn't going to tell the little old ladies they couldn't sit down!? After squishing in like sardines, they realized they were unwelcomed guests, and we all enjoyed our lunch... except for Dave. He wasn't too keen on the local atmosphere... Teresa seemed to like it, but the experience turned into a joke by saying "we'll take you back to Reading Terminal!" They did end the lunch outing with pumpkin whoopies from the Amish bakery, Bailer's. I think that from the "oohs" and "aahhs", and "we shoulda gotten a dozen of those" sounds, they were so yummy!!

We then continued the day to the Liberty Bell where Dave stood in line to see the actual bell; Teresa and I attempted to read a map by twisting it, turning it, and standing on our heads to determine our location! It was quite funny... about 30 minutes later, Dave joined us... we headed into the Visitor's Center to the gift shop. Dave got a replica bell... however, it wasn't up to quality standards because they looked very cheap, but what else do you expect from "Made in China" when buying a replica American history artifact!? We then were treated to tickets for the Philadelphia Big Bus tour and decided to visit the US Mint. The sign that read "Pardon our mess... we are under construction" really meant, "we aren't working today... Please enjoy the self guided tour through the US Mint of Boredom. You can see more pennies in action at the arcade than here, and run to an exit if you start to suffocate because we're not going to circulate air for you today!" We then got on the Big Bus... it was a nice day out, so we decided to ride up top on the double decker... after settling in, we started to roll... we went down quaint streets that used to be driven over by horse-drawn carriages by men of Ben Franklin's like; but here we go, barreling down in our tour bus on the top deck that was so loud, we couldn't hear the tour guide in the microphone. One other thing we didn't prepare for was tree branches... yep... almost got decked by one or two of those, too! But it was fun. I enjoyed my Snickers bar and Gatorade as we rode down the streets of Philly. We got into the museum district and hopped off at the Rocky stairs. We made our way to the top; Dave did his best Rocky run; and I climbed on Rocky like a monkey and luckily, Dave was able to get video footage of my time with the statue. He didn't seem to be too conversational, but then again, I was stepping on his toes!! After our museum visit, we hopped aboard the big brown bus and headed... well, I'm not really sure. We went back toward the Old City and the Delaware River where we got up close and personal with Camden, NJ and got a glimpse of the Battleship New Jersey. It was a very, very nice afternoon, and we really enjoyed seeing the city from a tourists perspective... I suggest the big bus tour to everyone!

We headed out of the city and got a bite to eat at McKenzie's Brew House. The food is so good, and they brew their own beers. After our very astute waitress got our food ordered and to the table, we enjoyed our dinner. Next stop... well, you'd think it would be home, right?! Uh-uh... nope... we headed to Genuardi's for fresh flowers for the late Mrs. Wavra's grave site and Starbucks... Teresa had to get the fix for the day (she's one of those black card carriers... LOL)!!! Now... we headed home.

The next morning started out just as you would have imagined... it was crisp and cool... and otherwise, cloudy! The forecast called for the hottest day of the year so far, so I decided to give my right index finger a taste of how my nose, ears, neck and forearms would feel later that day by cooking the pad of my finger on the blade of my Chi. Now this flat iron doesn't just get hot... it gets to about 405 degrees Fahrenheit and would make a grown man cry if he touched it at it hottest point. So, I jumped up and down and held my finger under cold water until it was time head out, but the quest to keep my finger cool and my pain under control didn't stop there. I filled a baggie with ice, pressed the burnt metatarsal on the bag, and headed out the door. Let me tell you... eating a donut and drinking chocolate milk is quite a feat when one hand is otherwise occupied trying to keep a finger from falling off!

So... away we went... the wrong way. Troy missed the exit to 95 South, so we headed toward Philly only to turn around and head the right way 5 minutes later! Equipped with enough map devices sure to get a person lost, we started our day toward the Baltimore-DC area with the Garmin on the dash, the paper map open on Dave's lap, and Inga (that would be my iPhone) tracking the way. Between the three devices, we were going no where fast!! We finally made it over the Potomac and made it to Arlington National Cemetery. We stopped, got our pass and found our way to Dave's mom's grave site. We found her head stone and placed flowers at its base and took some pictures. It was a very nice visit.

Next stop... the parking garage, potties, and yes, another big bus tour. So... on we go! Back across the Potomac where we hopped off at the Lincoln Memorial and saw the Reflection Pool and Washington Monument... I didn't realize it was only "this big! (reference photos for laugh). We walked over to the Vietnam Memorial and then waited for the bus at Constitution Ave. We went from there to the White House visitor's center and walked the 7 blocks to ESPN Zone for lunch and then one more block for a glimpse of Ford's Theatre. As we headed back toward the White House, we walked by the Old Post Office and the Reagan Building. We then proceeded to head to the pedestrian viewing area that was (just our luck) roped off for an indefinite amount of time. Teresa was convinced that Sasha and Malia were having a party on the South lawn, and Troy was looking overhead to see Marine One land.

We then rode around the National Mall, around the Capitol Building, Union Station and then down the North side of the Mall to the American History museum. We stood in line for quite a while to take our tour of the First Ladies exhibit. Once again... we stood in another line. We then exited the museum. We rode our bus back to the cemetery and got on yet another bus to tour Arlington. It was late in the afternoon, the breeze was blowing, and looking out over the rolling hills of the former plantation was quite serene. We stopped at Kennedy's Burial Ground and the Tomb of the Unknowns for changing of the guards, and then we made our way back to the parking garage where we started the journey home. And by journey... I really mean trek!

With Inga's map device enabled, the map folded precisely on Dave's lap, and the GPS pointing us in another direction, we headed out! We got somewhere and realized we were headed into downtown DC... not just anywhere in downtown DC but to Dupont Circle... the proverbial Dupont Circle, on which we got stuck. The GPS was stuck... it wasn't communicating with it's satellite, so I whipped out Inga, found our way off Dupont Circle. When it caught up, it told us to take the second right when Inga said the first, so Troy followed the GPS. We went through the ghetto, the slums of DC, and the otherwise unlabeled, undesirable neighborhoods! As Teresa was redistributing her bag, she pulled out a Ziploc bag of very unhealthy snacks... M&Ms, mini Kit-Kats, chocolate chip cookies... and yes, we all devoured these like hyenas over a fresh kill. Keep in mind, all we had to eat was donuts and hamburgers (chicken for me) all day. Our 2.5 hour trip home turned into about a 4 hour quest for civilization! All in all, it was a very nice trip!

We got up the next morning and got them to the airport... or should I say, TB got them to the airport. I, of course, was riddled with an allergy attack from Friday afternoon that left me under the weather until the following Saturday, so I stayed home with our pups.

We can't wait to do it again... maybe not ALL of it again, but the four of us have never gone on a boring trip! We can always find something to get into!!! Check out our pics on the Picasa site!

No Time to Say Hello, Goodbye!!

I'm so sorry!! I've been so busy... I still even have a winter background on our blog! Whatever will I do with myself?!

Seriously! It's been a while since a post has been written, and I'm sorry for that. I know that my readership has declined (kinda like the readership of the Enquirer), but that's OK. I'm getting back on track!

Dave and Teresa are coming to visit this weekend! We have such a great weekend planned... a little Philly tourist stuff, and then we're headed to DC on Saturday! Sunday is Dave's birthday, so we have a few things planned for that, but we are so excited the weather will be phenomenal!!! Their visit and good weather is more than we could ever ask for in one weekend!

I've been frantically preparing, and the furbabies are excited about their company. They are freshly bathed (I'm pleased to report that mom and pups were both soaked to the bone!)... the bathroom still hasn't recovered... that's on the list of things to do tonight!

They've never met Marlee... our 60 lb. wild animal! Max has been around a while, so they've had plenty of time to bond with him. Marlee won't mind... she'll bust her way into their laps without invitation, cause, or other thought! Boy... I'm glad they are dog people (we'd be in trouble!!)

I'll post about our fun filled weekend on Sunday! I'll have pictures and all kinds of fun stories, I'm sure!

Things that have been happening in our lives... I had friends visit from MS the first weekend of April. We did the Philly Phun stuff and just hung out. It was nice to have them here with us. We had a baby in our house for a weekend, and although sweet and lively, we were glad to have the highchairs, strollers and car seats out! We love our nieces and friend's babies and will do whatever we need to do to accommodate them, but we're not there yet! It's overwhelming!!

We attend the opening night of the Phillies season... it was the night they raised the pennant. I have video and pictures... I'll upload them to http://picasaweb.google.com/mandyeblack soon!

Other than that, we've been pretty low key and just waiting for warmer weather. It's coming... slowly but surely, and we are soooo happy!!

Hope you enjoyed the post... more to come! Stay tuned.....

The Time Has Come My Little Friend...

Hi, all! Well... we had our first taste of spring this past weekend... sunny days, warm temps, nice breezes... the works! It was wonderful. We had the patio door open and enjoyed the fresh air. The pups loved being outside for their walks and not having to wade through inches upon inches of snow.

This time change has gotten us all messed up... and by all, I mean me. It hasn't seemed to effect Troy or the pups, but I can't seem to get it in gear. That's my only complaint with spring--other than all the pollens that tickle my nose--is the time change. I think I wanna live in Arizona!!

We did a weigh in last night. We noticed that little Max was looking a little pudgy... well, that little rascals has had one to many beggin' strips! He's 15 pounds!! I was hoping that it was just the extra fur, but nope. He's a little chunk! I guess Max will be on a diet now... poor little guy. He can diet with his moma!

Marlee weighed in at a whopping 60 pounds. She's up 2 pounds since Halloween and is sheer muscle. She can easily buckle your knees if she runs at you from the back and you're not expecting it, but she's such a sweetheart. We couldn't have chosen a better pup... her personality is fantastic.

So, I guess with our extra time, we will be to give Max a good shave and lose a few extra milkbones from around the middle. Poor little guy... he gained the freshman 15 (he's about 17.5 years old in human years)!!

We don't have many plans for this month... I'm in the process of painting the apartment and getting a few new items for our visitors in April... woo hoo!! We do exist... people are coming to see us!!

Hope everyone is doing well!!

Buried Alive!

I've joked about Nor'Easters since we moved to the northeast, but I'm done... finished... I've retired that joke! It's not funny... not funny at all. We were even predicted to possibly have thunder snow today... yeah. You read it right... thunder snow. That's when it thunders and lightenings while snowing... yep. A new one on me, too... don't worry... I was just as confused.

In like a lion, out like a lamb... Well... that's exactly what happened. I knew before the winter was over that there was a good chance that I might lose my mind, and last night, I came pretty close. We had enjoyed a couple of days around 50 degrees and one over 60, and then it happened. Action Weather predicted 8" - 12" of snow for our area. I started laughing and couldn't stop. Troy and KC thought I was crazy, and I kinda felt that way, but the thought of that much snow overnight sent me into hysterics!

We did get up to 11 inches in areas. My poor truck is stuck in the garage... I've been snowed in! It is pretty, but I am up to my ankles in snow whenever I step out on the patio. Poor little Max sinks all the way down, and Marlee has taken it all in stride! She has ripped and snorted all morning in the flaky, frosty stuff.

It's still snowing a little but nothing like what it was snowing earlier. We are geting a flake here and there whereas this morning, the visibility was only about 1/2 miles because of the blowing snow. I must say that even with more snow than we've had this winter, I'm still not a fan. We are holding steady at 26 degrees outside and are looking about possible below zero temps tonight and tomorrow morning. I'm gonna look like the Michelin man when I venture out to work tomorrow morning.

I've uploaded some pics to Picasa Web. They are labeled the March Nor'Easter 2009. There aren't many pictures because it's too cold to go out and take a bunch. I'll add more if I can get some.

We are still pulling moisture from the ocean, so the radar shows another batch of snow headed our way. Southwest has cancelled 66 percent of their flights today and a load last night. We will see... hopefully, it won't be a repeat of last night, but from the looks of it, we may get some more wintery weather.

TV or no TV.... TB thinks TV.

In the past few weeks, we have been on the move! Yep... that's right... we moved, yet again! This time, it wasn't a drastic as the July 2008 post... it was actually just down the stairs. We moved from 8303 to 8101, and we love the new place! Our first night here was February 15, and I already have a green kitchen!

KC and I painted the first night we had the keys... it is nice to have color on the walls... the vanilla milkshake we were living in upstairs just wasn't cutting it anymore. This apartment is on the first floor and has a door that leads directly to grass... the pups couldn't be happier, and neither could their mom and dad. WE LOVE OUR NEW HOUSE!!

We got so tickled when the Verizon tech came out to install our cable. I didn't like him much from the start because he so kindly told my Max to "shut up, mutt" because he was a little yappy. So, from about 5 minutes after he arrived, I didn't participate in his mission. I left that up to Troy. About 3 hours into the endeavor, he needed to go to his truck for coax cable. He started patting his pockets for his keys and.... this is where it gets funny... he says, "I guess I left them in the truck. I've lost more trucks that way." I just looked at Troy... and when he walked out, I asked, "does he feel that vehicles are disposable? Does Verizon just turn their heads when a technician "looses" a truck because they left their keys in it? This should have been our first clue. This debacle continued for another 2.5 hours, and at the end, we still didn't have cable. Joe, as his name was, called at 8:30 PM that night to make sure we were satisfied with the outcome... oh, yes, Joe... yes. Completely satisfied. NOOOOOOO... what makes you think we are satisfied with you wasting 5 hours of our time, 3 hours of our cell phone minutes, and an outcome of no TV or Internet. Now, I didn't say that, but I did say, "no, Joe... we aren't satisfied. Troy made that perfectly clear when you left this afternoon, and that hasn't changed. Thanks for calling."

Yesterday, eight days later, yet another Verizon tech came out and did 3 hours worth of work, only to find out that it was nothing inside our apartment but a breaker in the telecomm room outside. AUGHHHHH... 8 days without a DVR or guide in the bedroom and no guide in the den for a breaker? Wouldn't you start with the easy stuff... cause let me tell you... the tech yesterday, replaced ALL the coax cables, the splitter, gave us a new router, ran tests on the coax, etc, etc, etc... and it was a breaker. In the end, we have all our options and Internet... 20 up and 5 down... oh, what a beauuuuuutiiiifulllll morning... oh, what a beauuuuuutiiiifulllll day... Internet and FiOS TV... everything's going our way!

Other than the FiOS TV and Internet tug of war, the new place is perfect. I don't mind living in an apartment anymore. It's been a challenge, but it's so much nicer. Our new address is 8101 Arment Drive, Glen Mills, PA 19342.

Don't forget to spring forward in 11 days! I can't wait for sunny afternoons... that means we can take the pups for walks! Yippee!!

Happy almost March!!

And... weeeee're back!!

Oh, my... what a new year!! I was so excited to start our full year in Philadelphia... mainly because January is the middle of winter, so spring can't be that far away!! But January did prove to be quite a good month. Of course, we celebrated Carlie and Shannon's birthdays (my sis and brother in law), and we went to several basketball games.

The other Blacks (Todd, Kelley, and the girls) gave Troy tickets to see Villanova play Louisville at the Wachovia Center on January 10. We had such a great time. I was a little under the weather, but it was so much fun to be back at a college game. It's been too long since we were in that atmosphere! I think that is the biggest part of college that I miss... cheap tickets, mediocre seats, but good games and good friends! There are pictures on the Picasa site at http://picasaweb.google.com/mandyeblack/VillanovaBballGame11008.

That day, we just made the rounds. That night, we had the Philadelphia Christmas party. It was downtown and was fun. Other than trying to walking on freezing rain and sleet in heels, it was a good time. We ate and mingled and laughed and watched other people dance! Troy and I don't' have much rhythm, so it's better if we are spectators when it comes to breaking it down on the dance floor! See pictures on the Picasa site... there aren't many, but a few!

Then, the next week, we went to see the Sixers take on the Spurs. I just LOVE Tony Parker... he's so hot! Haha!! It was a good game... granted we were among stars that night--World Series Champions, Jimmy Rollins and Jason Werth and actor Jamie Foxx was sitting court side. We had seats 7 rows from the Sixers bench, and the action was phenomenal!! It was a lot of fun... I've never been much of a pro basketball fan, but I'm kinda getting into it! Of course, there are pictures on the Picasa site.

The last fabulous event in January was my early birthday party!! We gathered our group of friends up here and had happy hour and a half and dinner at On the Border followed by a little bowling. It was so much fun. My friends, Laryssa and Melissa, from New York came down, and we all hit Philly in 20 degree weather to see the sites. Of course, we violated Rocky... you can't come to Philly and not take advantage of having your picture made with, by, on Rocky!! There are some fun pictures on the Picasa site. There are good pictures of the entire night. KC and I made the cake... it was the first fondant cake we've ever made, and it turned out terrific!! Of course, being the dorks that we are, the plate and forks matched the cake!!

My birthday was Sunday, February 8... I am now only 3 years from 30, and I think I'll go into mourning next year... Right now, I just want to enjoy the last years of youth before I really have to think about being an adult!! I had a good Sunday birthday... Troy and I relaxed and went out for lunch and then to a movie. Everyone called and sent their birthday wishes. I thank you and love you all!!

With a new age comes a new me! I decided on Monday of this week that I wanted to change my hair. I don't stop at a cut and a refreshing highlight... oh, no. I went all out and colored it dark red!! It is quite a change, but I really like it. Troy seems to like it, too... actually, I haven't had anyone tell me that it's not for me!! I've enjoyed the new, non-traditional color, and I hope you do, too.

I promise to do more when it comes to blogging from her on out. January was really busy, so I didn't have much free time with our outings and events, work, and then we both fought the cold disease that was going around. I'll end here for now... I think you've had quite enough! Later, gators!!!

Happy New Year!!

Hi, all! Well... the new year rang in here in Philadelphia without a hitch!! Troy, the pups, and I celebrated by staying in and cooking dinner. We watched a little football and called it a night... wow. Aren't we living on the edge?!

Not much is happening here. We are predicted to have a little ice tomorrow with snow to follow Tuesday and Wednesday. It snowed a bit on Friday, but only for a second. No accumulation reported, but when it melted and dropped below freezing, there were patches of ice that I found as I gracefully land square on my behind in the parking lot of our apartment!! Thankfully, I wasn't hurt, and I was glad to get the first fall out of the way. I was just happy to have Troy around to help me up off the ground!! Next time, I'll be more careful... :)

Well... we are about to start our Sunday. We are both working today, so gotta call it quits on relaxing today. Have a great rest of your weekend!!!