And for my next adventure....

Tomorrow Gavin and I embark on our little trip to Scotland, Ireland, and England. We are super duper excited! No, we are not bringing the babies. This pains me. They would love the big open moors on which to scamper after tennis balls, the green leafy foliage everywhere on which to tinkle, the cheap and available alcohol... oh well. They will be staying at Chateau Northeast Animal Hospital and they'll be fine. I like that they stay with the vet, because if they were to get sick, they'd be ok.

Preparing for this trip has caused me to reminisce a little. This is actually my second trip to the UK (ahhh the Motherland). About 5 years ago I spent a summer over there as a student. I lived in a dorm at Oxford and took little weekend jaunts with a group of fellow students to Paris, London, Dublin, Belfast, and yes, Amsterdam. It was great!

I was so poor that I had to stay in cheap little hostels, but it was for the best because I met some really interesting people and got to experience that little subculture. I will be cruising this go-round, which will probably be much more relaxing, but I'm glad I got the chance to do it the other way while I was young and had the energy. Here are some pics from my previous trip to Ireland.

The gang at the Guinness Brewery:

Enjoying a "taste" of the local culture...

Touring Dublin on the big red bus (yes, we all bought matching green rugby shirts - you think people could tell we were Americans?)

So anyway, Gavin's family (his parents, his brother Garrick and Garrick's wife Tammy) is going with us on the trip, so this will be a great family vacation. I hope to have some really great pics to share with you along the way. I'll be blogging (there's a computer lab on the ship) so check back for updates!!

Taco jealousy continues

So, I want to chihuahua-nap my friend Mary's dog every damn day. Check this out. Is this not the cutest baby EVER (my babies excluded of course)??? I want to love him and squeeze him and call him George.

This is my little man in the car. Mary says he likes to sniff the air, look around every few minutes, to see how much progress they have made in their travels.

And this is my little man sleeping. No words are necessary.

Maybe someday I'll have a little Taco of my own... Gavin?

West Palm Beach to Tallahassee to Pensacola to Tallahassee

Hey! Well, I'm back from my adventure! Let me tell you about the last few days. On Thursday, my pal Mary and I flew down to West Palm Beach to take a test for work. On the way out to the plane I was confronted with something that looked a lot like this:

That is correct. It was probably the smallest plane I have ever seen in person. I wasn't expecting a 747 but this thing had maybe 10 seats. Anyway, I immediately freaked a little inside, because I guess I tend to equate big planes with safety and little tiny planes with fiery death.

Anyway, my general policy when faced with seemingly bad news situations is to promptly identify the silver lining. I turned to my friend Mary and explained to her how this will be fun, because the plane's diminutive stature would enable us to have a cozy and genuine flight experience - like how flying was meant to be. Riiiight. At this point our pilots boarded and they both looked to be about 21 years old. I could also see straight into the cockpit.

Anyway, we took off and I tried to study despite the alarmingly loud propeller noise. The flight was a little bumpier than normal, but I attributed this to plane smallness. Then it happened. We flew through a large fluffy white cloud (that I had been admiring just seconds before for its glorious fluff) and the plane started shaking violently and jerking up and down. This lasted for about 3 seconds. Now, I'm not wimpy when it comes to flying. Turbulence happens and I'm usually prepared for it, but WTF. The pilots apologized profusely after that but wow - I was so glad to land.

Anyway, after we landed, got our rental car (not an ugly-ass HHR this time), got lost a few times and then finally settled at our hotel, we went out to dinner and walked around downtown. It was really nice. Yay West Palm Beach! I thought I might see a celebrity, but no dice. Lots of old people though.

The test went great, and I was feeling good as we boarded the regular sized plane to Atlanta, where we had to stop over because we had missed out on the last direct flight to Tallahassee from WPB. Yada yada yada, it was 1 a.m. before I got home. Weather in Atlanta. If you know me, you know I am cursed and have spent hours upon hours in that particular airport due to delays. Blast! (fist in air!)

But my weekend improved greatly, since Gavin and I went to Pensacola on Saturday for my nephew Joseph's birthday! They had a big bounce house and fantastic food. Props to my sister Nikki and bro-in-law Jodie for throwing another great party! It was great to see everyone again.

So now I'm back in town and gearing up for another week of exciting legal wrangling. It's just like Boston Legal, really. Just like it. Ta!

Off to West Palm Beach

So today I am headed to WPB to take a test for work. I have only been down there once, and it has been a few years. It should be fun - I like to see new places and south Florida has never disappointed me in the "interesting place to people watch" category. It's basically a tropical city full of rich folks, old folks, and rich old folks. I'm going to rent a car again - let's hope it's not another HHR. My pride can't handle cruising down Worth Avenue in an HHR .

My friend and colleague Mary is also going so that will make this a fun trip, besides the studying and testing we'll have to do of course. Gavin is babysitting Taco the Chihuahua all by himself, so I'm quite sure that the adventures of Gavin and the three dogs will make for an interesting blog upon my return.

In the meantime, everyone wish us luck! See you later!

Weekend Recap

Well this was a fun weekend! On Friday we attended a nice get-together at our friends Mike and Leona’s new condo. We are so excited that they have moved here and bought a place so close to us - yay Mike and Leona! Also, our pal Daniel was in town from central Florida, so on Saturday we hosted a little impromptu smoky barbecue cookout at our humble abode. Gavin smoked the pork all day long and got rave reviews. (Way to go honey!) Maddie provided the entertainment, showing off her newly acquired jumping skills to our guests. Sugarbear showed off her natural good looks. It was a low-key get-together, but fun. I handled cooking the french fries and heating up the dip - go me!

Yesterday I got out my yard tools and got to work while Gavin did some deck maintenance. The warm weather and the rain has really made things grow fast. The neighbors even paid me a few bucks to trim their yard - I smell a side business! I also made my weekly trip to Wal-mart and got us all situated for the week, food-wise.

Anyway, today I’m back to work and trying to get everything done. I have a busy week ahead. On Thursday, Mary and I are headed down to West Palm Beach for work, and then on Saturday I’m headed to Pensacola for my nephew’s annual birthday blowout. I am really looking forward to that!

THEN, looking ahead, on April 22, Gavin and I are leaving for our trip to England, Scotland, and Ireland! More on that later - hope everyone had a great weekend!

Fun Fact Wednesday

Well, apparently the new blog thing to do is post an arbitrary number of fun facts about yourself. Some folks are doing 100, some 50. Since Maddie graduated I’m a little short on stuff to blog about so I’ll do 11 and call it a day.

1) I love cereal and eat it every day for breakfast and often for lunch too. I go through about a gallon of milk per week all by myself. My faves are raisin bran, honey nut cheerios, and rice chex.

2) We named our yellow lab mix Sugarbear Burgess because she is so sweet and as a puppy she looked like a fluffy little polar bear cub. Really, the name fits her perfectly.

3) I am a big hugger. I love to hug people. Usually I am pretty good about limiting myself to initiating hugging at the appropriate times and places, but I never reject a hug initiated by someone else. If you ever need a hug, you now know exactly where to go. I don’t even really have to know you, as long as you shower.

4) I like puns. My favorites are the subtle ones you don’t know are coming. If you hang around me enough, get ready for some serious word comedy.

5) I clean my house a lot. Lately I’ve been on a kick where I clean with environmentally friendly stuff like vinegar and baking soda. You would be surprised how well this works. Al Gore would be so proud – too bad he’s a Communist and I don’t care what he thinks.

6) I love to dip my food. I will dip various types of food in condiments that are not necessarily meant for this purpose. My favorite dipping agents are: salad dressing, ketchup, barbecue sauce, marinara sauce, and Dijon mustard. Gavin is not a dipper and frequently accuses me of “inappropriate dipping.” Well guess what, world. If dipping is wrong, I don’t wanna be right.

7) I am extremely frugal, and thank goodness Gavin is too or we'd have probs. I make a detailed family budget (the “Burget” – see #4!) at the beginning of each month, and I love to find ways to save money, like clipping coupons and getting my groceries at Wal-Mart instead of Publix.

8) I love to read and listen to audiobooks. I go to the library all the time! (see #7)

9) I went to Auburn for undergrad and FSU for law school and I LOVE college football. Gavin went to the University of Florida. As you may be aware, Auburn has reigned supremely over UF the past two years in a row, both in very close games. Gavin has informed me that we are no longer allowed to watch that game together because – get this – are you ready? I’m “obnoxious.” Whaaaaa?

10) I am the youngest of six kids. I love my family! I miss them – they live just a couple hours down I-10 in Pensacola but I don’t get to see them nearly often enough. I also have 13 nieces and nephews. We’re Catholic if that wasn’t obvious. My mom and dad are Jack and Ann, and the sibs are, in order of oldest to youngest: John, Bill, Andy, Maria, Nikki, and me.

11) I miss my friends from college – they are hilarious and I love it when we can all get together and reunite. We stay in touch through our own private blog, phone, and email. Love those girls – here’s your shout out!

Ok, that’s enough narcissism for one post – this is fun – if you’ve got a blog, go for it!