My Current Read.

I am 85% complete (according to my Kindle) with Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. I wasn't sure what I would think of the book when I first chose to read it - I'm not usually one who will jump for a historical fiction, but I have really enjoyed the romantic novel and it may change opinion of the genre. It has an interesting perspective jumping back and forth between 1942 and 1986. I'm no book critic, but would suggest reading this one.

Looking for a New Home.

Joe and I are going to start the process of looking for house plans online again. It's nice that we are able to filter by certain criteria in order to narrow down the many options. It's a lot of fun to look at it!

For Haiti.

Bride?

I received a 'Bride' magazine in the mail today...been there done that! I have no idea how they got my name and address and I hope they don't expect me to pay anything...

I'll still enjoy looking at it.

An early spring.

I forced some bulbs inside this winter and they have bloomed!

We've been tagged.

Joe, his father and I went to our Pittsburgh to check up on and clean our house. First thing we saw that needed attending to was the graffiti on the side of our house. Not nice things were written in black marker on our brick - luckily they sell a very effective graffiti remover at Lowe's so it cleaned up well. There has not been a lot of action on our house recently but hopefully things will start to pick up as spring comes.

Wild Dog!

Well, it seems as though we can't confine Bailey anywhere! We left her in her crate again for about 4 hours yesterday morning. I had reinforced the collapsible sides with duct tape but when I came home, she had managed to pop two more brackets that hold the cage together off. Given a little more time I'm confident she would have freed herself.

Joe and I went to dinner with his dad and some friends and we decided to leave Bailey in the basement weight room at the Patrick's. We had done this before and were successful until one time we came home and she had wood-chipped the top step. Since the step was already ruined we decided to keep her there while we were out for dinner.

And...she greeted us at the garage door upon our homecoming. She mulched the top step even more and learned how to use the door handle to let herself have free reign of the house. We are just about out of ideas.

Un-crated.

I came home from work today and was surprised that Bailey was there to greet me... uhh, aren't you supposed to be in your crate? Prison Break! She broke down one of the walls of our collapsible crate. There was no damage to be seen. Phew.

I don't know how she did it? This is a crate that I have asked Joe to collapse and he has had trouble! I'm asking Bailey to do it from now on I guess...

Crated.

Our dog-sitter, Mrs. Patrick, went to Las Vegas this week, leaving us with only one option for Bailey: the crate. We have not had success leaving Bailey alone in the past. Whether it was in an enclosed room or in her crate, she panics and starts to destroy! So this week has been interesting. Joe and I rush home during our lunch to feed and let her out as well as try to tire her before crating her again. I skipped lunch one day so that I could come home early from work. This dog controls our life!

New Bar!

Joe and I needed to find something to fit where the dining room in Jono's condo is supposed to be. We figured a nice dining room table would not fit the bachelor pad that we are creating for him. So...we bought a bar! Party at our house...


P.S. Jono, the wine does not come with the bar.

Running again.

Suzi has done it again. She has somehow convinced me that running the Cleveland Marathon with her this spring would be a good idea. Let the agony begin...

Michigan.

Olivia is picking me up shortly so that we can start heading toward Traverse City for Grace's funeral. We will be picking up Jessie, Ashley and Tara at the Grand Rapids Airport along the way. Bad times like this tend to bring people together - we will celebrate and remember Grace's short but sweet life.

Let go.

Too Young.

I found out today that one of my friends that I studied abroad with died in a skiing accident. Grace was an energetic girl, always full of life - she will be greatly missed by many. Here she is on our trip to Portugal (in the purple shirt):

Rest in Peace.

Kindle Review.

Since Amy asked me what I thought of the Kindle I received for Christmas, I decided to make a post giving my thoughts:

I love it! At first it was a little odd - I tried to turn a page but it wasn't there...

Anyway, it's light weight and easy to take with you and it's not like reading on a computer as I thought it might be. Only downside I see is not being able to share books with others after I'm done reading. A lot of upsides: being able to get a book on the kindle where ever you are and at anytime, no pages fluttering while reading on the beach, automatic bookmarks, you can get the books cheaper on the kindle than you can in the store, can have multiple books on one kindle in case you're reading more than one...I'd suggest getting one for the avid reader!

Sunburn to Frost Bite.

We are headed to the airport in a half hour to start our trip back - hopefully there won't be any delays on the way back. However, if there are, I am prepared with the Christmas gift Joe got me, the Kindle! I'm almost done with the first book I bought, The Help - a good read in my opinion - and am now looking forward to purchasing a new one!

Do you like Pina Coladas?

Day 2 of Poker.

Day 2 didn't end up well for Joe or Jono. They both busted the tournament before reaching the money - a tough feat with 1500 entrants and only 200 making the money. At least they got to enjoy our last day in the Bahamas which has ended up being the only nice weather day we have had too! Tomorrow we will be headed north...hopefully we won't freeze.

Two years ago today...

Joe proposed here in the Bahamas!

Poker.

The underlining reason for us coming to the Bahamas the past 3 years is for the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. Today was Day 1A which Joe, his dad and his brother all played. After the many hours of playing only two out of the three remain - Joe and Jono. Mr. Patrick unfortunately ran into some big hands that knocked him out.

Paradise Island.

After a delayed flight, we arrived on Paradise Island yesterday. The weather here is not quite as nice as we wish it was but it is still making for a nice vacation. Especially after hearing of all the snow and the cold snap happening up north! I'll take the overcast 60-70 degree weather over that no problem.

Bahama Mama!

We are on our way to the Bahamas tomorrow. We are driving to Miami early tomorrow morning to make it for our 11:30 flight. Then Atlantis here we come! It has actually been kind of cold in Florida for these southern standards and we are hoping the weather will be warmer on the island!

2010!

New Year's Resolution: Never drink again...