Sunday, April 29, 2007
See, Iowa is Cool!!
Have you ever seen the A-Team van while driving down the street in your town? I have!
Demolition and Cruiser Bikes
Though it was a very busy weekend, those were the big highlights. We officially became homeowners on Monday, hence the lack of any postings because there is stuff to do for the house every night after work! We actually camped out in the house Friday night and had a good time with that but I'm not too anxious to sleep on an air mattress again any time soon. We won't move in until the end of May because we are redoing the kitchen and who wants to live in a house without a kitchen? We're stuck with our apartment through the end of May anyhow so we're staying put for now and just working on things and getting the house ready to move into. This weekend we totally demolished the kitchen. It used to look like this:
It now looks like this:
These would be the old cabinets:
I think we both had a lot of fun swinging the big sledgehammer around and tearing all that out. We're definitely committed to doing a new kitchen now! I'm meeting tomorrow with an architect to go over our design and materials choices just so I will feel a little more comfortable with what we've decided on. After I do that, then we can put all our orders in for our flooring, cabinets, counters and appliances. A lot of it will be from IKEA and will be do-it-ourself so we'll be sure to keep you posted on the progress.
Even more exciting are the vintage cruiser bikes Rob and I picked up at a bike sale we found Saturday morning near our house. I wish I had taken pictures of them but mine is red with saddlebag-style baskets on the back and Rob's is black and white. We took them on a pretty good ride this morning and they did great! I need to get some white wall tires on mine and Rob's needs a little tuning up too but for how old they are, they are in amazing shape. And just in time for Bike to Work Week which, in Iowa, is May 12th-18th but I'm sure you have it sometime around then too!
It now looks like this:
These would be the old cabinets:
I think we both had a lot of fun swinging the big sledgehammer around and tearing all that out. We're definitely committed to doing a new kitchen now! I'm meeting tomorrow with an architect to go over our design and materials choices just so I will feel a little more comfortable with what we've decided on. After I do that, then we can put all our orders in for our flooring, cabinets, counters and appliances. A lot of it will be from IKEA and will be do-it-ourself so we'll be sure to keep you posted on the progress.
Even more exciting are the vintage cruiser bikes Rob and I picked up at a bike sale we found Saturday morning near our house. I wish I had taken pictures of them but mine is red with saddlebag-style baskets on the back and Rob's is black and white. We took them on a pretty good ride this morning and they did great! I need to get some white wall tires on mine and Rob's needs a little tuning up too but for how old they are, they are in amazing shape. And just in time for Bike to Work Week which, in Iowa, is May 12th-18th but I'm sure you have it sometime around then too!
Sunday, April 22, 2007
America's Sport
I took my wife to the best sprint car track in the world last night. It has been five years since my last trip out.
I tried to impart upon her the significance of this activity. Getting a pit pass to the infield of this place is on all sprint car fans and teams' to do list. I recently saw an advertisement for the Travel Channels "1,000 Places to See." I have not checked their list, but I am sure that Knoxville Raceway is on there.
While waiting for hotlaps to finish and get into the infield, we stood by the Turn 4 gate. My wife's simple, yet clear reaction to the cars running by was, "Holy cow, that's fast!"
To give you an idea of how fast the cars are moving at Knoxville, please look at the attached photos. I know we are not professional photographers, but just so you know, Shelby had the camera on the action setting. Those streaks in the photos over my shoulder are the cars running by. A couple of cars did not fare too well during the evening. I ran over to see if I could help get them back out on the track. Well, after surveying the damage, it was easier to inventory what was still straight on the car, rather than what needed to be replaced.
Track was slick with a cushion on the wall, and a narrrow band of moisture around the bottom. This equals great racing. I wish more tracks around the country would figure this out. I was jumping around and cheering on drivers that I did not necessarily care for, but the racing was great. It is fun to be a fan again...for now.
One other thing, there were 60 plus cars last night and the racing (C, B, and A for 360s & B, and A for 410s - including three red flags during the night) was done by 10:30.
I tried to impart upon her the significance of this activity. Getting a pit pass to the infield of this place is on all sprint car fans and teams' to do list. I recently saw an advertisement for the Travel Channels "1,000 Places to See." I have not checked their list, but I am sure that Knoxville Raceway is on there.
While waiting for hotlaps to finish and get into the infield, we stood by the Turn 4 gate. My wife's simple, yet clear reaction to the cars running by was, "Holy cow, that's fast!"
To give you an idea of how fast the cars are moving at Knoxville, please look at the attached photos. I know we are not professional photographers, but just so you know, Shelby had the camera on the action setting. Those streaks in the photos over my shoulder are the cars running by. A couple of cars did not fare too well during the evening. I ran over to see if I could help get them back out on the track. Well, after surveying the damage, it was easier to inventory what was still straight on the car, rather than what needed to be replaced.
Track was slick with a cushion on the wall, and a narrrow band of moisture around the bottom. This equals great racing. I wish more tracks around the country would figure this out. I was jumping around and cheering on drivers that I did not necessarily care for, but the racing was great. It is fun to be a fan again...for now.
One other thing, there were 60 plus cars last night and the racing (C, B, and A for 360s & B, and A for 410s - including three red flags during the night) was done by 10:30.
What Shelby thought of Saturday night at the racetrack
Okay, actually I had a lot of fun. I had originally planned on staying home while Rob went to the track. I thought I'd have a nice quiet evening at home, reading my book. However, it turned out that the neighbor next door was having a party- dang it! That nice, quiet, relaxing evening at home was just not going to happen and I decided I would have a better time at the racetrack with my husband. We took chairs and sat in the infield which was nice- you have a lot more personal space that way. I alternated between reading my book and watching the race and I had a great evening. Rob was running around the pit area a lot so it was nice that I had my book to entertain me while he was gone.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Prince is from there- it has to be good!
The only things I knew about Minneapolis prior to this weekend were: 1) Prince is from there and 2) the Mall of America is there. I don't know that much more about it now but I do know that I'd like to find out! It has professional sports teams for basketball, hockey, football and baseball- we almost went to a Twins game on Saturday night but decided against it at the last minute. Here's what Minneapolis looks like driving into town from the south:
I think it looks pretty cool and I would have loved to do a lot of exploring. Unfortunately, a breakfast stop on the road at a Perkins restuarant left Rob feeling a little less than perky so Saturday's activities were pretty limited. The big reason for the trip to Minneapolis, which is about 200 miles north of where we are, was to start looking at IKEA and picking out our new kitchen cabinets and designing those. We were also looking for ideas for the office area in the basement and wardrobes for the master bedroom and we found some things (shown below) that we really liked.
I had to work very hard to convince Rob that our 1957 mid century style Ranch house just would not look good with a farmhouse sink- even a cool one like this:
Here is a photo of what I would like the kitchen to look like- sort of.
I would love to get these desks and bookshelves for the office but that may have to wait a little while as there are more important things to get done first.
We spent most of the evening in the hotel, going over the kitchen plans we'd designed while at IKEA for 4 hours. We ventured out to a nearby Olive Garden for dinner but that was as much excitement as we had that night since Rob still felt yucky. Sunday morning it was time for...
The Mall of America! With its many stores and four floors, it was more than even I could handle. We made it through about 2.5 floors and then I had to say it was time to go- Rob was more than happy to oblige. I suppose next time I go I can start at the top and work my way down. I did pick up some new shorts at Gap and some cool mixing bowls that have a non-skid bottom on them and a cute apron at Williams Sonoma. Oh, and a super duper wallet at Macy's. Here we are in front of the amusement park portion of the mall. Due to Rob's still-upset tummy, we were not able to enjoy any of the rides :o(
I think it looks pretty cool and I would have loved to do a lot of exploring. Unfortunately, a breakfast stop on the road at a Perkins restuarant left Rob feeling a little less than perky so Saturday's activities were pretty limited. The big reason for the trip to Minneapolis, which is about 200 miles north of where we are, was to start looking at IKEA and picking out our new kitchen cabinets and designing those. We were also looking for ideas for the office area in the basement and wardrobes for the master bedroom and we found some things (shown below) that we really liked.
I had to work very hard to convince Rob that our 1957 mid century style Ranch house just would not look good with a farmhouse sink- even a cool one like this:
Here is a photo of what I would like the kitchen to look like- sort of.
I would love to get these desks and bookshelves for the office but that may have to wait a little while as there are more important things to get done first.
We spent most of the evening in the hotel, going over the kitchen plans we'd designed while at IKEA for 4 hours. We ventured out to a nearby Olive Garden for dinner but that was as much excitement as we had that night since Rob still felt yucky. Sunday morning it was time for...
The Mall of America! With its many stores and four floors, it was more than even I could handle. We made it through about 2.5 floors and then I had to say it was time to go- Rob was more than happy to oblige. I suppose next time I go I can start at the top and work my way down. I did pick up some new shorts at Gap and some cool mixing bowls that have a non-skid bottom on them and a cute apron at Williams Sonoma. Oh, and a super duper wallet at Macy's. Here we are in front of the amusement park portion of the mall. Due to Rob's still-upset tummy, we were not able to enjoy any of the rides :o(
Wedding Reception- The Party Continues...
Since Rob and I had a very small wedding when we got married (only about 15 people), we really still wanted to find a way to celebrate with our friends and family. So when we went back to California two weeks ago, we did just that. We were able to have the reception at a fabulous restaurant in Visalia, Fugazzi's , since it is typically closed on Sundays. I thought it would be outrageously expensive to rent out an entire restaurant but it actually was one of the best deals I found. The decor and food there is awesome so there wasn't much to do to plan it out. It turned out to be great! I would recommend it to anyone based on the food, service and the space. Rob and I had a great time visiting with everyone but we learned just how hard it is to be the bride and groom at a big wedding. At ours, we just got to talk and hang out with everyone all day and night but this time; in fact, most of our guests were with us for 2 or 3 days. But this time, we had to make all the rounds and, sadly, only got a short few minutes with everyone. It was so good to see so many people on our visit out to California even if I didn't get to spend nearly as much time with everyone as I would've liked. Here's some photos of the festivities.
Rob and I with some of our friends that we used to get to work with. I miss them all so much!
Me and Nanette, my matron of honor
People arriving at the party
Our cake, designed to look like a bigger version of our first wedding cake
Rob and I with some of our friends that we used to get to work with. I miss them all so much!
Me and Nanette, my matron of honor
People arriving at the party
Our cake, designed to look like a bigger version of our first wedding cake
Friday, April 13, 2007
Top Ten
This is a fun little game to play with your Ipod that I got from Whitney’s Pop Candy blog . You turn on the Ipod to the shuffle setting and see which 10 songs come up first. I got the following out of 3,519 songs:
Kenny Chesney- What I Need to Do (Live)
Genesis- Hold on My Heart
Beastie Boys- Girls
John Legend- Used To Love U
U2- Elevation
Foo Fighters- Times Like These
George Strait- What’s Going On In Your World
U2- Pride (In The Name of Love)
Diamond Rio- Now I Know How The River Feels
Coldplay- Twisted Logic
I have to say, I am rather proud of the list and also surprised that the following artists didn’t come up since I have quite a bit of their music on the pod and listen to them the most: The Killers, Barenaked Ladies, Chris Isaak and Keith Urban.
Well, Rob and I are off to Minneapolis this weekend to check out the IKEA there to get ideas for the house. Only 10 more days until it’s ours! The IKEA just happens to be right next to the Mall of America so I’m sure we’ll find our way over there to check that out. We weren't sure if we'd be able to make it since it's been snowing but it looks like it's going to be a nice weekend after all!
Kenny Chesney- What I Need to Do (Live)
Genesis- Hold on My Heart
Beastie Boys- Girls
John Legend- Used To Love U
U2- Elevation
Foo Fighters- Times Like These
George Strait- What’s Going On In Your World
U2- Pride (In The Name of Love)
Diamond Rio- Now I Know How The River Feels
Coldplay- Twisted Logic
I have to say, I am rather proud of the list and also surprised that the following artists didn’t come up since I have quite a bit of their music on the pod and listen to them the most: The Killers, Barenaked Ladies, Chris Isaak and Keith Urban.
Well, Rob and I are off to Minneapolis this weekend to check out the IKEA there to get ideas for the house. Only 10 more days until it’s ours! The IKEA just happens to be right next to the Mall of America so I’m sure we’ll find our way over there to check that out. We weren't sure if we'd be able to make it since it's been snowing but it looks like it's going to be a nice weekend after all!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
30's The New 20
That's what they say and I'm hoping they're right! Since my last post, I had my 30th birthday. We actually timed it so that we'd be in California for it so I could celebrate with our family. My parents prepared a wonderful dinner and had all the family over for my birthday dinner.
That's me with the hubby after I finished opening gifts and then my dad bringing over my yummy Coldstone ice cream cake. It was a pretty laid back day, which was nothing what I imagined my 30th birthday to be. I always thought I'd have a big blowout but since we were having our big wedding reception two days later, it didn't make much sense to do a big party for the birthday too. And we'd gotten into town at 3:30 in the morning the day of my birthday so we were pretty wiped out and not up for too much. I got some very nice presents and though it was nothing I always thought it would be, it was absolutely perfect.
I'm missing the warm weather now that we're back in Iowa. It's been raining for a good part of the day and now it's supposed to snow overnight and tomorrow. It's the middle of April- I didn't expect this! After talking those who've lived here a little longer than me, I've discovered that it's not all that odd. It's been cold ever since we got back here and now this. Despite the less-than-ideal weather, Iowa is still turning out to be a pretty great place to be.
That's me with the hubby after I finished opening gifts and then my dad bringing over my yummy Coldstone ice cream cake. It was a pretty laid back day, which was nothing what I imagined my 30th birthday to be. I always thought I'd have a big blowout but since we were having our big wedding reception two days later, it didn't make much sense to do a big party for the birthday too. And we'd gotten into town at 3:30 in the morning the day of my birthday so we were pretty wiped out and not up for too much. I got some very nice presents and though it was nothing I always thought it would be, it was absolutely perfect.
I'm missing the warm weather now that we're back in Iowa. It's been raining for a good part of the day and now it's supposed to snow overnight and tomorrow. It's the middle of April- I didn't expect this! After talking those who've lived here a little longer than me, I've discovered that it's not all that odd. It's been cold ever since we got back here and now this. Despite the less-than-ideal weather, Iowa is still turning out to be a pretty great place to be.
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