Almost there...

We drove 11 hours yesterday before stopping in Brunswick, GA. We reserved a stay at La Quinta Inn, a dog friendly hotel. I am not sure why I thought Bailey would be ok in a hotel - at home she wakes up and barks at the slightest creak of the house. Talking or walking outside of our bedroom would not be tolerated by our guard dog. We knew La Quinta would not appreciate the extra security she provided.

Anyway, we slept from about midnight until 5 when someone threatened us by walking by our room. We decided to hit the road. We are only an hour away now and very much looking forward to out arrival!

Hocking Hills

The annual Hahn family reunion took place in Hocking Hills for the second year. We arrived yesterday afternoon and had a nice evening filled with appetizers, wine and catching up. A highlight was playing Telestrations - a mix between telephone and pictionary. I highly suggest it!

Joe and I have now started our journey south to Fort Myers. We are driving. Yikes! We wanted Bailey to be able to come this year and you all know her aversion to crates... flying was out of the question. This will most likely be the only time this spoiled dog gets this kind of trip.

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas yesterday! Ours was a little different this year - usually Joe and I are staying at my parents' house and so the festivities start first thing in the morning. Since we live so close now, we stayed at our new house and came over in the morning. It may not seem that odd but it was! Anyway, we had a nice breakfast and then opened gifts.

In other news, I am very excited to announce on Suzi's behalf that she is ENGAGED! Suzi, her family and Jon went on a cruise just before Christmas which is where the proposal took place. I'm very excited for her!

Gingerbread Houses.

I found the following when I was using the web to brainstorm rules for the upcoming gingerbread house contest. I thought it was adorable and I would share.
If you have time to do this or were just curious, I found this at Not Martha.

A reindeer!

Poor thing. I really shouldn't torture her like this...

Well hello there!

We've been busy.

We had our year end audit at early this year which has made for a hectic week or two of work - I get home and the last thing I want to do is look at a computer screen again. Here's a quick recap:

I got my hair cut.

Here in snohio we are getting buried by blizzard after blizzard it seems.

Suzi and I went with my parents to pick out their Christmas tree. Suzi bought her first real tree - a four foot beauty!

She decorated it nicely for her ugly Christmas sweater party. People said my sweater was not ugly enough and Joe's looked like it was a Valentine's Day sweater.

Otherwise, we are still settling in to the new house. We really need to get a kitchen table one of these days. Or at least some stools for the counter - I'm tired of always eating on the couch.

Thankful Weekend.

After our nice few days in Florida, Joe and I were not thankful to be back in the cold weather of Cleveland. However, we were thankful for the wonderful turkey dinner my mom made for us on Thursday. We were also thankful for the remainder of this weekend to unpack more items (a seemingly never-ending project) and relaxation. Not thankful to be going back to work tomorrow...

Fort Myers.

Joe and I have been in sunny Florida the past few days. We arrived late on Friday night and will be headed home tomorrow morning. The weather has been perfect for the time we have been here - sunny and in the mid 80's. We are really appreciating the warmth since winter is right around the corner.

Zap!

We had Bailey's new invisible fence installed on Wednesday of last week. Since then we have been practicing approaching the little white flags forming the perimeter while on leash. The collar was set on the lowest setting so only a small zing would follow the warning beeps. She quickly learned to give a couple feet cushion between herself and the flags.

The trainer came back this afternoon and upped the voltage to a level 4 (out of 7). Then, she took Bailey off the leash! We walked around the yard and Bailey did well not to approach the line. The trainer wanted to challenge her with a distraction so she threw a stick into our neighbors yard. Bailey ran and ZAP! She yelped and ran back into the yard. My poor thing.

We even got more practice when a dog walked by and Bailey, back on her leash, was tempted to head over and say hello but was jolted twice to stay back in the yard. I feel bad for her but I think she will enjoy being free in the yard rather than having a stake and cable.

Yardwork!

We had a big day yesterday! There was a lot of yardwork to be catch up on. Joe and I bought out first lawn mower and a leaf blower and got to work by late morning. My mom and dad came over to help, which we were very much appreciated. We collected the 6 inch deep layer of leaves covering our backyard, trimmed bushes, raked and weeded the beds, and mowed the lawn. The result:


A pretty nice looking yard in my opinion!

We finished in time to watch the PSU v. OSU game. It looked good in the first half for us Nittany Lion fans! Oh well.

Then Suzi, Jon, Nicole, Adam, Chris, and Megan came over for some pizza and a Call of Duty session. Joe will be buying that game very soon!

New Home Footage.

Here is a video tour of our new house:

Provided to you through iPhone and iMovie. iEnjoy

First Night.

After the long day, the Patricks and my parents went out to eat at Blue Canyon. The beer was very refreshing! Afterward, we came back to our new home and were ready for an immediate coma. We got quite a few hours of sleep in before Bailey vomited at 4:00 am. She threw up 3 more times after that. We got her to the tile for two of the times but she hit our carpet twice as well. We need to get that cleaned anyway.

I really wish she could just associate the mulch that she eats at 3:00 in the afternoon is the thing that is causing pain coming back up about 12 hours later. She just doesn't get it...

The Move!

Well it wasn't the ideal moving conditions today, but we got it done! Yesterday afternoon, Joe and I headed to Pittsburgh where we packed up everything we had remaining there. It was surprising how much stuff we had left behind! This morning we packed up the car and I drove it to Twinsburg. Joe stayed behind with his dad to pack the Uhaul full of furniture. We even had security, Internet and direct TV set up! Lots of unpacking to come.

Thanks to Joe's and my parents for all the help!

Look...

...what we got today!

Prickly and cute.

I'm a sucker for anything small and baby. My mom sent me a forward that had this picture of a baby porcupine.

I would like one for Christmas please!

Dog Days.

And no, this does not pertain to Bailey.

Happy Halloween!

Delayed move.

Joe and I have been trying to close on our new house for over a week now. The underwriting for the loan took longer than they thought. We are nearing the end though, we signed all the paperwork yesterday and it will all go through on Monday. We are hoping to move in the following weekend - November 6th!

Hunger Games

We are in California for another meeting for Joe and his Dad. We didn't have a direct flight so I had the flight from Pittsburgh to Charlotte then Charlotte to San Francisco to read! I started and finished the Hunger Games. Katie had told me to read this book a long time ago and it was an excellent suggestion. It's imaginative and very entertaining! This is me passing on my sister's suggestion.

Looking forward to the next book in the series for the flight back.

Sold!

We finally received an offer and came to an agreement on our Pittsburgh house last night! After over a year on the market, we are very excited to sell. Especially before winter. And it coincides nicely with purchasing our new house! Great news for us!

Urbanathlon Photos:

These speak for themselves...

Urbanathlon!

We did it! Suzi, Katie and I all conquered the 10 mile Urbanathlon! Here are some pictures from the website so I can share the obstacles we faced:

Obstacle 1: Balance over the Jersey Barrier, climb over the monster tire, then high knees through the tires.

Obstacle 2: Under, under, over, over...

Obstacle 3: Without a doubt, the hardest of the obstacles - the army hurdles. The bars are about 5 feet tall. These caused me quite a few bruises.

Obstacle 4: Army crawl, monkey bars, another army crawl.

Obstacle 5: Soldier Field - ascending just over 500 stairs. This actually ended up being easy since it was a bottleneck in the race and we pretty much walked the entire time.

Obstacle 6: Slide over the cabs, climb up the net, over the bus and down the other side. I would not have made it over the 8 foot wall if a nice man hadn't given me a stepping stone with his hands.

Chicago

Suzi, Megan, Joe and I made it safely to Chicago today. Suzi, Katie and I are running the Urbanathlon tomorrow. Do I feel ready? Not so much. I am pretty nervous for the obstacles - in particular, the ones that involve upper body strength. I know I can handle the running, it's the completion of the obstacles without hurting myself that makes me worried. Wishes of good luck are welcomed and needed!

Mailbox Blunder.

My parents' mailbox was hit on Friday. I couldn't believe this hit and run happened on my watch! The door was completely off its hinges and you could see the tire mark in the mulch. Luckily the post was still pretty sturdily placed in the ground so the only thing that would need replaced was the box itself. I decided to hold off replacing it since my dad can sometimes be particular when it comes to these sorts of issues. And I'm glad I did! Today a school bus driver came by to tell us he was the culprit. And then he put a new mailbox up for us. I think it looks alright so my dad should be happy.

Remember me?

Has it really been almost 2 weeks since my last post? I guess things have been busy. Here is a quick synopsis:

This past week my parents went to Europe. My dad is the speaker for a series of educational sessions. It's a group that puts together continuing ed seminars for vets and they hold them in different locations each year. It's my dad's first time doing this, and after a lot of presentation preparation, he is now in Greece delivering them. My mom and older sister, Katie, came along to keep him company. I'm sure they're all enjoying their time!

While they are away, Joe and I have been staying at their house. It's been nice to get a preview of how life in Ohio will be when we move next month. We have enjoyed our stay in Solon, except for Joe's allergy to cats.

Cedar Point!

Joe and I had a fun weekend in Solon! We had a tasty dinner at Panini's on Friday night with Nicole, Adam and Chris. We drove past and admired our house-to-be and hung out with my parents. On Sunday, Joe headed back to New Castle for his usual Sunday-"funday" of poker and football. I went with Suzi and her two friends to Cedar Point! We rode on all of the roller coasters, my favorite being Millennium, Maverick and Top Thrill Dragster! And although at certain points Suzi was certain we weren't going to live (ie, in line before boarding the Dragster) through the day, we did!

Gaslight Anthem.

Joe and I came into Cleveland last night to see Gaslight Anthem play at the House of Blues. Suzi and Jon came along to enjoy the concert!

Today...

we bought:

a house!

We made an offer yesterday, they countered, we countered...and then today, they accepted! Since the people have already moved out, we should be able to close quickly. We should be moving in before Halloween!

Puppy Latte!

The "puppy latte" aka whipped cream. This is her second time having it and she loves it!

Who doesn't love a little Starbucks?

Dos anos.

Joe and I two years ago today:

Here we go!

We have tickets to the Steelers' home opener against the Falcons today. We are ready for the season!

Race for the Cure.

My mom and I went headed downtown to Cleveland this morning to partake in the Race for the Cure. It's great to see so many people dressed in pink that have come out to support such a cause. It made me feel good to be a part of it. We enjoyed our fast pace 5k walk and best of all, I got another free T-shirt to add to my wardrobe!

Melting Metal.

Last week, Joe went to a melt shop to watch a heat of our material being processed. We shipped scrap material to them which they then melt (turn into molten lava!). Then they pour the molten metal into cold water which turns the material into small round balls of metal, called shot. I didn't go so he brought this video back to share with me:

The Barkley

Bailey is at the Barkley today while Joe and I are working at the Chemical plant in Wickliffe. They have a webcam so I can watch her play.

There she is! Can you find her below? (It's like where's waldo...but easier).

Carmel-by-the-sea pics.

The village has a lot of small alleys with boutique shops. You could spend a lot of time exploring.

The "by-the-sea" part.

Joe was very excited about the Pebble Beach golf course in the distance.

Wine tasting - the view from Hahn Winery!

Wine!

We started the "pleasure" part of our business trip yesterday evening by heading to Carmel-by-the-sea. It is such a boutique town. Most all the lodging, restaurants and shopping are unique to the area. We ate at a delicious restaurant (only 10 tables available) called Flying Fish Grill upon arrival to Carmel.

Today, we went to some wine vineyards southeast of Carmel-by-the-sea. I enjoyed this area more than Napa and Sonoma! I believe it was the fact that it was less touristy and more one on one attention that made this experience more enjoyable.





Of course, it could be the wine tastings speaking too...

Grand Opening!

The grand opening went very well for AQT! All of the speakers did a great job and the attendance was more than they expected! The press was there too - the local NBC and FOX both did segments on their 6 o'clock news. Here is one article I liked because it has pictures - I'm all about the photos!

(Mr. Patrick cutting the ribbon)

AQT.

We are in San Jose! Today is the grand opening for AQT Solar. Mr. Patrick invested in this solar company a few years back and it has been growing rapidly. It's very interesting even though quite a bit goes over my head. I learn a lot by listening though.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was supposed to be coming to make the keynote speech but canceled due to a budget crisis. Pshhh. I had been pretty excited about it - I was gonna give him one of these:

What do you think about that, Arnold? Impressed? I guess I won't get my chance to show off.

Lunchtime.

Joe thought it necessary to have a full rotisserie chicken for lunch. The question is, will he finish it all?

Sweet Disposition.

I have liked this song for awhile and was surprised when I saw I hadn't shared it yet.

A move...?

I have been lacking on the blogging front as of late. The biggest news is that we may have found a house in Solon that we like. One that we like enough that we are planning on putting in an offer! Most of my thoughts have been circulating the topic of remodeling - there would be a lot we would have to do in order to update the house. I don't think much has been changed since 1970. Retro.

The yard is beautiful; it is just under 2 acres and has a pond. This is a positive but the yard work that comes along with it is a drawback. We are taking our time and discussing the pros and cons before moving forward with such a large investment.

Chicago pics.

Finally I have gotten around to posting some pictures - all of which I did not take! I shouldn't take credit where I don't deserve it...thanks to Jessie and Rach for the following:

(Tara, Jessie, Rachel & me!)

Airport Woes

Well I am stuck in the airport waiting for my flight that was supposed to leave at 9:39 pm central time. The estimated departure time is now 11:35 which puts me in Pittsburgh at 2:00 am. Oye. I will be exhausted tomorrow and most likely will need an entire pot of coffee to get me through the day. Details/pictures of the Chicago trip are still to come...stay tuned.

It's perfect weather and a very neat experience!

Airport People Watching

I have always been in awe of those who can drink alcohol in the morning. I just don't think I could do it. Coffee please. That's why I am always surprised when I walk by an airport restaurant at 8:30 AM and see its' patrons lined along the bar - bloody marys and glasses full of beer! No thank you! My caffeine is all the pick up I need.

Chicago.

I am off to Chicago this morning! Three of my Spain friends are meeting me there for a Sevilla reunion. I'm really happy we have continued to keep in touch through emails and these get togethers over the past 3 years. It's pretty impressive since it would be easy to let long distance relationships like this dissolve our friendship over time. I think our love of travel has kept us meeting up in new locales.

House Hunting Let Downs.

Joe and I were back in the Solon area looking for a house that called out to us to be our home. We looked at 5 houses in the charming Chagrin Falls area but nothing struck us. I suppose we are picky, which we have the time to be. Search on!

We went to the Melting Pot with Suzi and Jon last night. We ordered the "big night out" which is the grand daddy of orders: four courses consisting of cheese fondue, a salad, the main meat fondue and, my personal favorite, the chocolate fondue! We left full and content.

Water dog.

It has been awhile since I have posted a video or even just a picture of this thing that is so important in my life, Bailey!

Suzi's cackle almost seems a little too evil. Don't leave her alone with your pets...

Anyway, our goal was to slowly introduce Bailey to the water so that she might learn to like it. I've gotten to the point where she will walk down two steps into the water on her own. I of course used food to lure her in - the smell of a liver flavored treat is too pungent for her to resist! Soon she'll be doing laps!

Urbanathlon.

Suzi has convinced me, yet again, to do another challenge: The Men's Health Urbanathlon. It's a nine mile race with obstacles every few miles. A few of the obstacles are monkey bars and going up and down the stairs at Soldier Field. Here's the full list. Even though the challenges seem like fun now, I'm sure I'll be kicking myself for signing up for this while I'm crawling under a cargo net or scaling an 8 or 9 foot wall. Anyone else looking for a challenge?

Weekend.

I have been begging Suzi to come visit me in New Castle and she, Jon and PJ the pug finally did on Friday! Bailey was especially excited to have PJ to play with. While Bailey chased PJ around, Suzi and I made dinner while Joe and Jon played Boom Blox on the Wii. We went for a walk where PJ peed about 10 times in a half mile and then went and got some ice cream. The black raspberry was delicious.

On Saturday, we went to Volant, a small amish town with lots of eclectic stores. Suzi and I both bought some loose tea after trying a sample of it. After some more wandering about we headed back to New Castle. We stopped at a fresh produce stand along the way where Suzi and I bought sweet corn, fresh bread and homemade jam. Jon was off taking pictures of the country side:

New Castle.

Bailey and I picked Joe up from the Cleveland airport around 7 last night and headed straight home to New Castle. Joe hadn't been home for six weeks! It had been about three weeks for me. We are looking forward to getting back to our normal routines for awhile!

Porthouse

I went to the Porthouse Theatre with my parents last night to see a play called The Foreigner. It was a little slow to start out but got funnier along the way and was hilarious by Act II. The Porthouse is a neat place to watch a play since it is an open air theatre. Fresh air and a cool breeze add to the experience.

Separation.

Once again, Joe is staying out in Vegas for a few days longer while I'm back in Ohio. Joe's friend, Bobby, is having his bachelor party in Vegas this weekend. What happens in Vegas... Bob is a poker player and didn't get to play in the World Series this summer so I think he is looking forward to playing some live games. Joe will fly in to Cleveland on Monday and we will head back to New Castle.

Out!

Joe was knocked out yesterday. 7,319 people entered, 747 get paid and Joe was knocked out in around 990th. After over 3 days of playing, it was pretty disappointing to make it so far and not make the money. Maybe next year...

Time for me to head home tomorrow.

Down to one.

Joe was the only one to survive Day 2 - with 73k in chips, he will resume play on Monday. In the meantime, we are getting ready to golf at the South Shores golf course. Hopefully we won't melt in the 100 degree heat and unyielding sun.

Photo Booth

I had to share our photo booth photos from Nicole and Adam's wedding. We had a lot of fun doing these: