Archives March 2008 - Travels - CA and Southeastern Trip

Before I started blogging, I kept a family journal in a Word document. The following excerpt is from last Spring. I'm finally figuring out how to insert pictures in the correct spot!

The Traveling Continues!

March 2008:

Palm Springs Trip:


Jackson and I took a trip to go visit Grandma and Grandpa in Palm Springs. After being stuck inside with snowy and frigid temps for three months, we were ready to warm up a bit. Upon arriving in Palm Springs, Jackson informed me that: “Palm Springs is the best place in the world!” I agreed. The weather was gorgeous and the flowers were blooming at the airport.

We had a wonderful time at the resort. Jackson would swim consecutively for about 5-6 hours a day. He met some wonderful friends at the pool including Sophie, Sienna, and a nice boy named Charlie. Charlie and Jackson spent time throwing hot water on the ants on the tree and doing cannon balls off the side of the pool. Since I'd been gunning to have our baby named Charlie, I made sure Brian knew that Jackson had met a friend named Charlie and he really liked the name. Believe me...I'm not above using my children to try to get what I want!

In the evening, we’d cook out with Grandma and Grandpa and Jackson would talk and talk and talk. Jackson got to play tennis with Grandpa, watch movies, and go on walks with us in the morning.


Jackson dyed Easter Eggs with my mom and also made special cookies, which he shared with his friend, Charlie, at the pool.

We also got to take a trip up to Disneyland, where we had fun at the Haunted Mansion, Tom Sawyer’s Island, Fantasy Land, Toon Town (despite the roller coaster debacle), and our new favorite Buzz Lightyear ride where you get to try to shoot targets! We ate hot dogs and ice cream sundaes. So much fun!



The weather was absolutely gorgeous. It was just what we needed after a long cold winter. When we arrived home we had another surprise! Brian had fixed up the nursery while we were gone. He painted the top 1/2 of the guest room yellow and put white wainscoating on the bottom 1/2. He put together the crib and all the bedding...and he agreed to name the baby Charles Walker! Charles is the name of my dad's favorite Grandpa (Grandpa Charlie) and Walker is my late Grandpa Frank's middle name. I was very touched by Brian's agreement and effort on the baby's room.


I got busy putting away all the baby clothes and hanging them up in the closet.


Southeastern Trip:

We left the Friday before Easter bright and early to head out east (after another midnight barfing episode by Jackson). We drove down through Illinois, which was extraordinarily boring. Brian and I have decided that all the eggs were put in one basket in Illinois -- Chicago. Not much else is redeeming about the state. We did, however, discover Metropolis, Illinois. Their claim to fame is that they are the ONLY city in the U.S. named Metropolis, and therefore, can sell a lot of Superman crap.







We reached Nashville around 6:00 p.m. The weather was nice -- 75 degrees. We headed downtown to a rib joint where they played live music (too loud, according to Jackson). The food was good. Dry rub ribs, baked beans and cornbread shaped like a pancake. http://www.famousdaves.com/




On Saturday, we hit Sam Davis' home - a confederate spy. http://www.samdavishome.org/. They hosted an Easter Egg hunt on the premise, and had a bunch of other activities for the kids. We got Jackson's face painted, did a cake walk, looked at a cotton gin, and enjoyed the spring flowers, which will not arrive in Peoria perhaps until next spring.

After Davis' home we traveled to Andrew Jackson's home -- The Hermitage. http://www.thehermitage.com/. We toured "Old Hickory's" estate by foot and by horse-drawn carriage ride. The weather had cooled considerably, so we all huddled under blankets while guided along the back end of the property. Although a Democrat, Andrew Jackson still achieved some rather nice goals while in office. They also sold some of the Presidential China in the gift shop. Andrew Jackson's pattern is blue and yellow/gold. We bought one plate to display in our china cabinet at home.




That evening, Jackson got sick again. He threw up all over himself in the hotel room after enjoying pizza. We showered him off and prepared for the Easter Bunny's arrival the next morning.

After finding all the Easter Eggs, we headed downtown to an Episcopal Cathedral for Easter service. http://www.christcathedral.org/. It was a beautiful church, and all the little boys and girls (and their parents) were dressed to the nines. Jackson actually fell asleep in the pew during the service, which was nice for us!

The rest of our Easter day was uneventful. We drove through the Smokies, the Appalachian and Blue Ridge mountain range. We drove past Knoxville, TN, which looks like a pit. Upon arriving in NC we the landscape dramatically changed (for the better). Asheville, NC looks beautiful. We weren't able to stop off at the Biltmore estate, but plan to do so on the way home. The trees are blooming in the Carolinas, and it is very pretty. It will be a let down to head back through TN and Illinois this weekend.

North Carolina is the furniture capital of the U.S. We saw countless furniture discount stores along the freeway. It would be a fun "adult only" trip to come here to shop for furniture, china and Oriental/Persian rugs. They also have the store Replacements LTD - where they sell discontinued china patterns etc.

We spent the night in Greensboro and then made our way to Raleigh/Durham. We made our way to a store called "A Southern Season" and toured the Capital. We are hoping to see Duke University this afternoon/evening, along with the University of North Carolina.


After Raleigh, we all headed south to Charleston, SC. The weather was gorgeous and even had me thinking Charleston would be a nice place to retire until I started thinking about the Palmetto bugs, snakes and alligators. Then I decided being a tourist in April or September would be just fine.

We arrived Wednesday evening and I was relieved of parental duty long enough to go out and hit a few stores by myself before hitting the town with the guys. The shopping is so fun there!

We stayed at the Mills House, a cute little pink hotel, which has recently been renovated. http://www.millshouse.com/. They give you free drink coupons and appetizer coupons every night. We enjoyed baked brie, wine and diet coke respectively for three nights before touring the city.

On Thursday Jackson and I walked down Meeting Street to the Market where every Tom, Dick and Harry was trying to sell you a carriage ride. Being Spring Break, the place was packed. I'd done my research before and decided to give my $$ to the Palmetto company. After buying the tickets we got some coffee and walked around through King Street and the Old Market. The street pushers were still trying to sell me carriage rides offering such tempting lures as: "The best pre-natal carriage ride in town!" Ha ha! Those boys sure got a good laugh out of me. We walked past some beggars, one of which was missing a leg. Of course, Jackson had to yell to me (because being right next to me isn't close enough) "Look mom! That guy is missing a leg! Isn't that funny?" Oh yeah. Lots of fun. I'm sure that guy laughs about it every day. Geeze kiddo! Trying to get me killed!

The carriage ride was cute. We learned a lot about the city. While we waited our turn to go out, I saw a guy carrying a bucket. It was full of grease. He goes store to store picking up the grease b/c they aren't allowed to keep it in their stores b/c laws declare you can't store grease below sea level and most of Charleston is below sea level. Interesting. Our tour guide was great -- when Jackson allowed him to do his job. Jackson kept yabbering away asking questions and pestering the poor guy. When our guide discussed the steel posts used to help in case of earthquakes, Jackson promptly asked very loudly: "How do you know?" Not long after his comedic debut, Jackson fell asleep for the rest of the hour-long tour. Thank goodness! In the afternoon we spent three or four hours walking around town in hopes of tiring Jackson out.

On Friday, we drove around town, toured Ft. Sumter and the Middletown Plantation. http://www.middletonplace.org/. It was a beautiful day with temps in the low 80s. We even saw dolphins swimming around the port!

Apparently Brian and Jackson missed the 15 thousand announcements on the boat ride to Ft. Sumter to stay off the bricks, cannons and other historical artifacts. http://www.nps.gov/fosu/. While being given a 20 minute lecture on the history of Ft. Sumter I watched Brian get chewed out for allowing Jackson to climb up a bunch of bricks. Jackson of course, informed me later that it was "daddy's idea" and he wasn't really the one instigating the problem. It would have been a cute picture though. Good idea with bad execution.

We left the next day to head home. Originally we had planned to spend the night in Knoxville, TN, but after getting a sneak peak at Knoxville on the way to the Carolinas, we toyed with passing up Dollywood and other crappy tourist traps.

We hit Knoxville around 2:00 and Brian and I started to do the math in our head. We decided that if we pushed it we could make it back to Peoria before 11:00. We decided to go for it. Stupid? 7/8 month pregnant woman, 4 1/2 year old kid and one LONG drive??? Yup. I'd say it sounded stupid. However, we stopped off at a Walmart just outside Spartenburg, SC and had gotten two new Leapster cartridges so we had "bought some peace and quiet" for at least three hours. We pushed on through and hit Lexington, KY around 4:30ish -- Louisville before 6:00, Indianapolis right around 7:00 and Peoria at 9:45. 13 hours actual drive time with two plus hours of stops here and there and one 45 minute nap from Jackson.

By the end, we all started to get a little giddy. Jackson and I started singing the Tiki Room song, and then a bad smell came from the back seat. Jackson announced he had to go #2 "really badly -- I mean it". So I changed the words of the song to "In the stinky, stinky, stinky, stinky room -- in the stinky, stinky, stinky, stinky room". Not only did that elicit tons of laughter from Jackson, but when Brian took him to the potty in McDonalds near the Indiana/Illinois border, apparently that was an older man making quite the stink in the bathroom and Jackson decided the new song would be appropriate to sing. I'm sure that man needed some more humiliation.

Needless to say, Jackson was disappointed that we were home. He wanted to stay in another hotel. Brian and I have decided Jackson has two speeds: On and off. He goes and goes and goes until he is forced to sleep. After all the traveling, Jackson still woke us up at 6:30 asking us how to spell this and that and wanted someone to pour milk on his cereal.

We had a great time. I doubt we will attempt this sort of trip for a few years-- say when Charlie is around 4 1/2.

Archives - February 2008-- Roadtrips and Syrup

Let the Travels Begin -- Or...Season of Roadtrips.

February 2008:

On Valentine’s Day I asked Jackson if he wanted to call Grandma and Grandpa and wish them a Happy Valentine’s Day. Jackson was in a foul mood and apparently didn’t want to do it. After cajoling him a bit he relented and said: “Fine – just make it quick.” Roger that!

First Weekend:
Brian surprised us with a quick trip to Timberridge Lodge in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. There is a huge indoor water park there. Our suite had a kitchen, and a fireplace. Very cute! While sitting in the tub with mommy, Jackson said: “This is what I was dreaming about!”

Jackson, Brian and I spent our time on the lazy river and slipping down the slides. It was a nice resort, and a great escape from the cold. I particularly liked the fireplace in the room and Jackson had a blast at the build-a-bear type workshop they had for kids. He made a penguine. Fitting for the Midwestern winter weather.

Second Weekend: Valentines’ Weekend.
Apparently not done with his bag of tricks, Brian surprised me with a romantic get-a-way trip to Chicago. We dropped Jackson off at our friends, the Shanahans, and drove up to Chicago to stay at the Intercontinental Hotel. http://www.icchicagohotel.com/. We had dinner and drinks at the top of the Hancock Tower in the Signature Room, shopped, relaxed, and even had spa treatments! Of course, we hit our favorite hot dog place -- Pippens. chicago.metromix.com/bars-and-clubs/sports_bar/pippins-tavern-river-north/134965/content - We had an awesome time. The drive up and back was peaceful. However, soon after, Jackson and I wound up sick.

Third Weekend: Parke County Syrup Festival/Midwestern Tri-State Tour:

Armed with every medicine known to mankind, we loaded into the rental car and headed north up I-39 toward Prentice, Wisconsin. The highlight of our trip was marked by our halfway pit stop in Madison, Wisconsin. It was literally so cold, that we opted not to eat lunch there and suffered through one or two pictures in front of the Capital.

Back in the car, we made our way up...and up...and up North to Prentice, WI. As Jackson said: "I think we're in the North Pole!". Apparently the town is quite cute once the layers of snow and ice melt away. There are a bunch of little lakes and inlets -- none of which I could see as it all looked like a frozen tundra to me. We stayed at a cute little log house/cabin for the night. It was a three bedroom place with a little "hide-a-way" cave/fort in the room for Jackson. We had a kitchen, a cedar shower, bath tub, t.v. and kitchen area. There was also a sun porch, which you can imagine we used a TON. Interestingly, there was no fireplace. The house must see more visitors in the summer than in the winter.

After Prentice we made our way to Milwaukee. Four hours and 5 tissue boxes later, we arrived. We stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel and had dinner at Bennihanas. Jackson was mesmerized by the guy chopping up his food in front of him. He ordered shrimp - a bad idea, but Brian got a double portion. The next day, we shopped around a bit while our cold medicine worked. It was cold here too -- and ugly. The snow is old, dirty and piled high up against the side of the roads. No wonder they drink so much in Wisconsin!

We switched hotels that afternoon and stayed at the Pfister - a very nice hotel in Milwaukee. http://www.thepfisterhotel.com/. We took my parent's to the bar at the top of the Pfister when we were first married and living in Wisconsin. The highlight was that Jon Bon Jovi was also staying at the hotel as he was performing somewhere in Milwaukee that night. We didn't see him, but that's our "brush with fame".

Onward! Back to Illinois! Only a two hour drive this time to Chicago. Thank goodness! Jackson and I toured the Field Museum for a few hours and in the evening we had dinner at a cute little Italian place called "Carmines". Jackson and I shared some pasta while he practiced his "gentleman" manners he learned in Pre-K during their Knights and Princess lessons. He held my chair for me, opened doors, and helped me with my coat! Wow! What a night. Only to be topped off by a late night barfing after taking some cold medicine (Jackson, not me).

Parke County Covered Bridge Tour and Syrup Festival:

On Saturday we geared up for what we'd been preparing for--literally for weeks -- The Parke County Syrup Festival!!!!!!!!!!!!! http://www.coveredbridges.com/. I had read about this festival in Midwestern Living. http://www.midwestliving.com/. Apparently this festival was not to be missed. We waited with baited breath as we drove four hours through the South Side of Chicago and Gary, Indiana -- some of the most depressing landscape I've ever seen. But...we knew there was liquid gold at the end of our quest -- Maple Syrup and a festival!

After checking into the Terre Haute Holiday Inn (each room prominently equipped with a bible – Jackson wrote: “I love the Bible” on the notepad), we traveled up through the farm/Amish County of Indiana looking - searching-for the Syrup Festival!!!!! We were in a hurry, as it was rapidly approaching three o'clock and the festival ended at 4:00. Looking everywhere for signs to point us in the right direction, we passed several horse and buggy contraptions and made our way through the windy roads of Western Indiana (or "Illiana" as one sign called it). We thought the festival was at the Turkey Run State Park, but alas...we were a few miles off. Instead, the festival was at the 4H fairgrounds. We learned that from the Park Ranger with a thick Indiana accent. Thank goodness we had Brian to translate the language! I would have had NO idea she said "4H". It didn't sound anything like that! But, as Brian likes to point out: "Indiana is a good place to be from" -- instead of heading to.

Rushing on towards the 4H fairgrounds I searched for the long line of cars or the big banner that would say something to the effect of: "Welcome Syrup Tasters!" I found no lines. I found no banners. I found nothing but a sign smaller than a campaign sign that simply read: "Syrup Festival".

Not to get sappy, but what we found was a bittersweet disappointment. The "festival" was nothing more than a pancake supper at the local 4H building. And when I say "local" referring to this place, I mean the 100 population "local". About four-five stands sold syrup and a few local artists were selling their crappy knock-off paintings of the covered bridges. Stuck in this sticky situation, I was forced to find the positive -- at least there were pancakes and syrup! So we ate, and I do have to admit the syrup tasted sweeter than Aunt Jemima's from the grocery store-- okay, I'm pouring it on right now. This really could have been an Eastern Star/Masonic Temple event in Olympia! I was waiting to run into some of Grandma and Grandpa's friends. I kept thinking of how Grandpa Frank would have really been in his element at this festival.

After 45 minutes at the "festival" (not to mention the 4 hour drive to get there) we drove through the covered bridge trails. Jackson had passed out in a sugar/cold medicine coma in the back seat of the car, so Brian and I were able to meander through the "red trail route" in relative peace and quite. The bridges were really cute, and the weather was clear and sunny. We also saw a hawk, an owl, and several deer.






We also drove through a myriad of dilapidated little towns peppered with double-wides and junk yards. In one town (of about 50 people), we passed the "DNA Daycare". I thought it odd to have to have a DNA day-care, as one man probably fathered all the kids there! Still, we laughed so hard it sent me into a coughing fit again.

Jackson stayed awake long enough on Sunday to join us for a tour of the "yellow route" featuring the "Jackson" and the "Marshall" bridges. As he eloquently put it: "Not another bridge!" when we approached the 5th bridge of the day. I have to admit, at this point, I was sharing his sentiment.

It was a cute fun little trip, but not something we will repeat anytime soon.

Summer 2007 - Summer of the Hoola Hoop King

June 2007: Grandma’s visit and Birthday party:

Grandma came to visit us again in Peoria. This time the weather was better and we did not put her to work shoveling. Instead, she helped prepare for Jackson's birthday party complete with jumpy toy in the backyard and pirate ship pinata. Brian outdid himself this year. He made homemade treasure maps complete with burnt edges and wax seals. I'm sure the details went unnoticed by the children, but I will always remember the love he poured into every detail. We enlisted the help our our babysitters to help corral the kids from one activity to the next. Little did we know how involved they'd be! They showed up wearing pirate attire! Nice! We had so much fun and hope that Jackson remembers the fun parties when he grows up. After the party, Brian, mom and I recovered on the porch with some cheese, crackers and a nice glass of wine.


Our normal days in Peoria during the summer consist of the lazy days at the club pools. A great payoff for suffering through the cold long winter. The pool opens at 11:30 and we show up with our cooler and stay until around 4:00 or 5:00 - just in time to clean up a bit before Brian comes home. Jackson adores the pool and I am so glad to be able to give him the freedom and fun of a great childhood summer. He flits from one pool and group of kids to the next. He's not afraid of the water anymore and his swimming lessons seem to be helping him.

Washington State:
Jackson and I headed off to Washington on July 19th. After a delay in Peoria, and another delay in Atlanta we finally arrived in Seattle around 2:00 a.m. We waited and waited for our bags until it was clear that they were missing. After filing our missing bag claim, I headed out to the car where dad was entertaining Jackson. Leaving the car doors open while waiting for me to get the bags drained the battery, and we sat in the car for another hour waiting for God to miraculously start the car, or until Jackson exclaimed: “I’m tired of this!” Dad finally sought help in jumping the car and we made it back to Mercer Island around 4:00 a.m. – just enough time to get about three hours of sleep before the Nordstrom Sale.

The weather in Seattle was dreary, but Jackson’s family birthday party was a success. Little boys dressed as pirates is too much fun. After the party, Grandma and Grandpa took Jackson and Brandon to the Lake Fair Parade. Grandpa Eldon was being honored, so they braved the rain to watch the parade.

Bend, OR:

Just as we settled into the Lake House, we were off to Bend, OR to visit Stephanie and the kids. What a whirlwind! The trip down with Jackson, Brandon, and Hailey was a real nail biter. Every Semi-truck on 1-5 seemed to be on the road that day, along with terrible drivers.

Once we finally arrived, we had a blast playing with the kids, horse-back riding and playing at the pool.

The trip ended too quickly, and we were back on the road. This time, we were NOT going to take 1-5 with all the Semis. Instead, we were going to head North up through Yakima etc. However, that plan didn’t work well, and we found ourselves taking a scenic route past Mt. Shasta. It was pretty, but with small children pretty isn’t enough to get you through.

Lake House -- Olympia, Washington:

Back at the lake, Jackson took swimming lessons and played in the lake with mommy and Grandma and Grandpa. He took his first inter tube ride, and was cautiously excited.

Alyssa and Kevin’s wedding was just days away, and we got Jackson ready with his tuxedo and pictures at Falls Terrace in Olympia. On Friday, the Hicks family arrived, along with Brian, to join us at the rehearsal/tailgate party and wedding. The kids had a blast.

At the lake house, Jackson asked Grandpa for some Kool-aid when they were at the grocery store. After getting back to the house, Jackson experienced this new refreshing drink for the first time out on the deck. He opened the door into the kitchen, held up his drink towards Grandma and Grandpa and said: “This is damn good Kool-aid”.

Walking through the mall in Olympia, Jackson asked Grandma “why don’t people know my name”? As if he’s extraordinarily famous and EVERYONE should know his name.

Some of Jackson's memorable moments were asking Great Grandpa Eldon why his teeth were messed up. Grandpa Eldon, replied: “You’re teeth aren’t so great either” in reference to Jackson’s missing tooth.

Jackson also began his fearless statements of the obvious, yet not so tactful remarks such as commenting on a person's age, weight etc. He informed me that Great Grandma was “really old”.

Being close to the bible belt apparently paid off. We caught Jackson and Brandon outside one day at the lake praying to God. Hilarious. I'm not sure what they were praying about or for...but I can only imagine that it had something to do with candy.

During our stay in Washington and at the Lake House, Jackson mastered the art of the hoola hoop. The boy can swing those hips! Not only is he adept at swinging one - but he can swing two at a time whilst jumping up and down. Grandma would cheer him on by chanting: "How low can you go!" I think we have some video of this -- I certainly hope so!

August 2007-- Peoria:

Returning home from Washington was nice – nice and HOT that is. Temps reached the mid to high 90’s as we watched the news reports of other areas of the Midwest getting hit with flash floods.

Jackson started his Joy Kids class, and we geared up for back-to-school activities. With a travel ban in place from CAT, we were looking forward to spending some quality time together as a family.

Door County Wisconsin- Labor Day 2007:

When living in Wisconsin, Brian and I traveled to Door County, Wisconsin. We instantly fell in love with it. We spent Labor Day 2002 in Door County, and our first year anniversary there as well. Now that we were back in the Midwest, we decided to take a quick trip up to Door County again.

Driving north to Door County took about 5 hours. After crossing the Wisconsin boarder, I made sure we stopped off at an old favorite: The Mars Cheese Castle. That's right! It's great! Right off the freeway, the Mars Cheese Castle sells every type of cheese imaginable - sometimes in the shape of cows, the state of Wisconsin, Badgers...whatever. They always have samples, which we are not shy about testing out. We stocked up on some cheese, crackers and mustard and continued "forward" (that's a little Wisconsin joke...). We passed Milwaukee, pointing out where Brian use to work and some other highlights. We also took a small detour and drove through White Fish Bay and looked at all the Grand homes along Lake Michigan.

Past Greenbay and off to the East is the peninsula known as Door County. No chain restaurants etc. are allowed up there. Only local stores, boutiques and restaurants. We stay in Egg Harbor this time. The previous times we stay in Fish Creek. The hotel was great -- until we figured out they screwed up our reservations. We stayed there one night and then moved to another place, which was nice as well.

Door County is known for the cherries. We shopped around Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, Ephraim and Sisters Bay. The antiques are cute up there and it is quaint and charming. Over Labor Day, Sisters Bay has a big Swedish festival. They have water skiing out on the Lake, and all the other fare that goes along with festivals. We grabbed hot dogs, a beer and sat on the rocks watching the water skiing.

Later that night we headed off to the White Gull Inn in Door County for their famous Fish Boil. http://whitegullinn.com. The White Gull Inn is beyond charming. Brian and I stayed there in 2002 and 2003. This time, Jackson was with us and loved watching the Fish Boil. He pestered the guy doing the fish boil by peppering him with a million questions. We enjoyed the show -- and the resulting meal. I especially loved the dessert -- homemade cherry pie.

As with all good vacations and summer - it came to an end all too quickly. We headed back to Peoria in time for Jackson to start pre-K.

New Year's 2008

The End of 2008

Brian and I were able to spend the night out on the town in Seattle on New Year’s Eve 2008. We had a blast. We checked into the Crown Plaza around 5:00. Brian managed to upgrade us to a corner room with views of the Space Needle and Lake Washington. We truly had a perfect view of the Needle and we’d be in a prime location to view the firework display at midnight.

Rather than going out to dinner, Brian and I decided to get the most bang for our buck…so to speak and do a “progressive dinner”. I think we made the best choice.

We started off at Tulio’s for a small antipasti platter and a glass of wine. Romantic cozy little place with an upscale Tuscan feel– perfect to start the evening. After, we headed to the Wild Ginger, a favorite for Seattle locals. There, we noshed on spring rolls and pot stickers while we enjoyed their famous Mango/mint mojitos. We soaked up some people watching and reveled in the buzz around us.

From the Wild Ginger, Brian wanted to take a trip down memory lane and we wound up in Pioneer Square. Immediately sensing we’d outgrown this scene, we took a picture in front of the Merchant Café and ducked into the J&M to use the bathroom. Let’s just say that the “grunge movement” is alive and well in certain parts of Seattle.

After some debate about the location of the Owl and Thistle (I won!), we decided to take a cab because I didn’t wear appropriate cobblestone walking shoes. The cab driver was an idiot, and after a quick detour to Vancouver, BC (or so it seemed) we made our way into the little bar.

Lively Irish music was playing and we snuggled up to watch the singers and the violin player. Brian shared a few childhood memories of whacking a kid with his sling shot in a corn field and throwing a stick in another kid’s tire spoke before leaving Indiana. It was nice to hear the stories and his eyes twinkled with delight – especially relishing the story of the kid on the bike. I think I may have a tiny glimpse of what’s in store with the two boys!

As the crowds started to pack in, we wound up thrown together with a motley crew. One guy at our crowded table had piercings on every imaginable place on his face, and tattoos peeked out from the sleeves on both his arms. We expected that in Seattle. What we didn’t expect, however, was a reasonable and logical response to the asinine environmental regulations that plagued the Seattle area during Winter Blast 2008. The guy with the piercings is a METRO driver and couldn’t believe that the city didn’t want to use salt on the roads. “Wow”! I thought to myself. I thought all mass transit, tattoo and pierced Seattlites were supposed to embrace all the environmental regulations without question. However, the stupid policies of Seattle not only shut down the entire city for a week, put people’s lives in danger and simple folks like my new friend out of work for a week, but the policies also severely curtailed the economy of Seattle and no doubt put a damper on a few kid’s Christmas mornings.

I digress…back to the progressive dinner. We made our way back up towards the hotel and decided that our noshing wasn’t complete. So…we popped into the Palomino – Brian’s old bartending job. I was graced with hearing about where Brian worked and how much fun it was “back in the day.” We enjoyed our favorite Margarita pizza before running back to the hotel five minutes before midnight.

We made it up to our room just in time. We barely had our coats off before the fireworks started. It was great! We had an amazing room, and shared a quiet moment as we said goodbye to 2008.

2008 was a great year for us. We did a lot of traveling, experienced the birth of Charlie and are blessed with a good job, health and a wonderful family and friends.

We look forward to 2009. Even though we know the economy may not be great, we have so many things to look forward to. We heard exciting news of long anticipated pregnancies and births from various friends today, and are hopeful for a healthy and successful year.

Cheers!