Inner Ramblings

Flying the Coop

Inner Ramblings of My Mind — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:01:21 -0400

Ahhhhhh..... I can't believe this is really going to happen! My good friend Kim and I are going away on a sort of "girl retreat" this weekend. We're going to head out on Friday and stay until Sunday. I think that a massage may be in order while we're there, as well as some time in the steam room. The pool-side bar will be a must-do as well, and I can't wait to take part in their bubble bar. The place we're staying is in Orlando (called The Fountains) so it's close by, but it's going to be like we're a world away. I can't wait!!!!!

Epcot

Inner Ramblings of My Mind — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:19:49 -0400

We did Epcot today. I thought that Ian would die of boredom, but it seems that he loved this park the most. I guess I didn’t think too hard about it because of course it would be great for him, considering his love of everything interactive.

When we got to the park the first thing he said was, “I want to go in the big goof ball!” We did the Planet Earth ride and played all the games, then went over to Innovations. Ian was in his glory playing all the games, and he adored the Pig game, which consisted of interactive games that teach kids to save money (not a surprise there). From there it was the Space Mission ride. It was raining and we found out that Roo couldn’t go on that ride, so she and I head to the gift shop. Ian and Sean came in about 5 minutes later because they felt badly for us, so we got a FastPass to return in about 30 minutes.

We head over to the countries then, and in the process Ian lost his right to the ride for being obnoxious (what is it with the smart-mouths of 5 year olds anyway?!), which he was devastated about. We told him he could try to earn it back, so he was mollified at this point.

We “did” Canada first where Ian made a mask in the Kid Zone, then we went to England where I got my first beer of the day. I don’t know if it was the heat or the fact that I haven’t drank in a while, but I was pretty tipsy by the time England was complete. We wandered through Japan (where Ian asked if he could try Snushy olls), Germany, Italy (where Ian watched an “Italian” street performer with rapt adoration, and America.

Somewhere in there we found Belle! I think I was more excited than Ian was; I could barely contain myself, LOL! He didn’t want to go near her at first, but she actually left her post and walked over to us. Ian hid behind me, but she was wonderful and spoke to me and Reilly first, so Ian was put at ease quickly.

As we wandered we also saw Jasmine and Mulan, but each time we went to get in line they were at the last family and we couldn’t get them to sign Ian’s book. I was disappointed for him, but he took it well because he knew that we were going to have lunch with the Princesses!

At 2pm we went to Mexico and rode the boat ride, then headed back to Norway and rode the Troll water ride before our 3pm lunch. That was fun, although it took a bit longer than anticipated, and then we go into line for the lunch.

It was fabulous!!!!! The first Princess was Belle, and this time she was all Princess! They were posing everyone with her, and we got some absolutely beautiful pictures of Ian with her. He was totally embarrassed by her kissing him, but I managed to get a picture of the lipstick that she left behind. We sat down after that and were able to “meet” Aurora, Cinderella, Snow White, and Ariel. Ian got his book signed and I got my girly childhood remembered for a short while. Reilly was fascinated by everything, but I think it was a bit early for her to be adequately impressed by the whole experience.

After lunch we saw Donald Duck so we posed for those pictures, then we head for the exit. We had one more side of Innovations left to do, so Ian and Sean did most everything there while Roo and I walked around and looked at stuff. Finally it was time to go- it was about 6pm by this time and Sean and I were d-o-n-e. However, there was no line for the Planet Earth ride, so Sean and Ian did that ride one more time while Roo and I sat outside and practiced clapping.

We got back to the room around 7pm, had showers, then had dinner. We got back to the room and both kids passed out pretty quickly after that, and Sean and I followed soon after.

I have to say how impressed I am with the kids. They have been (for the majority of the time), absolutely wonderful. We’ve gotten complements on what a sweet boy Ian is, how good his manners are, what a great big brother he is, and people are just swooning over Roo. There have been strangers taking pictures of her, and the park photographers have loved taking her photo too. Makes a mother’s heart swell with pride!!!!

Fattie

Inner Ramblings of My Mind — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:27:23 -0400

Sea World was HOT today! We had a good time, but man it was hot.

The only crimp in the day happened within the first 5 minutes we were there. Why do people think it's a good idea to handle wild animals? I don't get it. There was a guy at the stingray tank who was grabbing the poor things by their "wings" and lifting them out of the water for his daughter. I was furious! I watched him do it twice and, seriously, if an animal could look embarrassed this one did. So, being the loudmouth I am, I marched myself up to the staff and advised them of this guy's inappropriate behavior. I mean, really. What goes on in people's heads?!

After we checked into the hotel for the night we hit the Boston Lobster Feast for an all-you-can-eat lobster et al buffet. Ymmy! I ate 5 lobsters and am not embarrassed to admit it, LOL! I received a war wound for my efforts though and it is still not healed, but it was totally worth it. Ahhhh, I am SO FULL!

We strolled around Old Town after that and Sean got me a salt rock lamp. I'm pretty excited!

Day 1

Inner Ramblings of My Mind — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:11:31 -0400

It's been a long day.

We drove to Tallahassee last night were we stayed in an awesome hotel. I took one Tylenol PM and passed out until 6am this morning. It was the best sleep I've had in a while! I didn't have to worry about Roo waking up, or her needing me in the middle of the night...

We had our free breakfast and then headed to Chattahoochee. We saw 13 clients, then drove to MacClinney were we saw 2 clients. From there we drove here to Gainesville to this cute hotel that has FREE HAPPY HOUR for 2 hours, and free internet. There's a stone fireplace downstairs that I may go sit in front of, read, and sip my wine.

Not bad for a business trip!

Turbulance

Inner Ramblings of My Mind — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:14:32 -0400

This has been one very odd week. Monday I flew to Palm Beach to go to the State Hospital up there. Our flight out got delayed three times and finally got canceled. We got on the next flight out, and arrived in Palm Beach around 2pm after one of the worst flights I've ever been on. Weather was horrid and flying in a matchstick with wings was NOT pleasant. My co-worker was fine though; she ate enough Klonopin to make her drool.

We got the car with no trouble and headed up north about an hour to see 8 clients. By the time we got there it was 4:30pm and we raced through out meetings, then had to drive 2 hours down to Miami for our hotel. We were supposed to have gotten through 2 hospitals but since out plane had to be rescheduled we were far behind our original plan...

We got to the Embassy Suites and decided to have dinner. It was the worst service I have ever had. It took 20 minutes for a waiter to come over, another 20 for three salads, a baked potato, and a piece of chicken, and then another 10 for our desert. 10 minutes after that we get the bill, and then it took over 10 minutes just to straighten out paying! (When we got back to Tampa we also discovered we had been double billed on our three separate checks).

After that debacle I decided to go to bed and watch Medium. Since I had a whole suite to myself I was able to relax and enjoy the quiet... for about 40 minutes. I passed out, missed the last 10 minutes of my show, and was then awoken at 6am by banging pipes! I got up and went to the continental breakfast which was awesome, and then went back to bed for an hour.

We left at 10 am so that we could be sure we'd get both State Hospitals and back to the airport by 3:30pm. We drove about an hour to the new State Facility, only to find out that the people we needed to see were at the old facility back in Miami! I was so pissed off I wanted to cry, so we drove back, saw the one client at the civil hospital, and then took off for the Forensic facility.

We never made it. We ended up on Miami beach, were people were all of 15 pounds, and drove around trying to find our way out again. We drove through the ghetto, through some of the city, back on the highway, through another ghetto, and then figured we'd never make it to the airport in time if we kept going. (I would like to point out that we would have found it if one of my co-workers had actually read me the directions correctly so when I entered it in TomTom it would have registered it. NW 7th Ave Road is much different than 7th Street!!!!).

We returned the car, ate some lunch in the airport (ew!) and then waited by the gate. It was at this time that I discovered one of my coworkers wanted to lie and say that we saw the clients so that we wouldn't get in trouble by our funding agency. At first I was like, "cool", and then my gut just started churning and my heart started screaming "No!". I worried about it the whole flight (which was much better then the arriving flight, other than the stalling mid-flight and the alarm going off), and then decided I couldn't do it. I just couldn't lie.

Then begins all the weird(er) stuff. The turmoil with my co-worker over some work related things, my clients suddenly going off their meds and needing to be Baker Acted, my co-worker basically telling me what I "need" to do in my job, the meeting with my boss to tell him I'm pregnant and his really bizarre reaction, have an on-the-sly meeting with my big boss and co-worker to try and straighten some things out, and then today, an even weirder thing:

I got a certified letter notification on Tuesday but I didn't get to the post office until today because, lets face it, I have a full time job and can no longer get to the places I need to be. The letter ended up being a notice from a towing company saying that the vehicle registered in my name had been towed on March 28th at the request of the Sheriff's office and was impounded. If I don't come get it it's going to auction on May 5th, but I could pay to have it released. I couldn't figure out what the heck was happening since I happened to be sitting in the car I own at the very moment I was reading that letter, but when I found out what vehicle they were referring to, I discovered that they were talking about the Expedition that I traded in!

I can't figure it out! The only thing that makes sense is that it was stolen and left somewhere so they ended up towing it... But why am I the registered owner listed? The car dealership should be since I signed the title over to them... Funny thing is I can get the truck back for a mere $485! It would be fraud, but it's tempting since I still have an insurance card with the truck listed on it. I'd love to have that truck back. I miss it!

*sigh* There have been some neat things that happened this week too. I got a message from my friend who's on vacation this week calling to check in on me and my mom which made me all warm and fuzzy, I got to hear Bug's heartbeat on the Doppler a few times, Ian has said some amazing things, Sean is being great, and my Mom looks wonderful. It's just that sometimes the stressful things push the other parts aside because dealing with stress takes so much more energy than the happiness... I think I'm experiencing another "test" from the Universe and I'm getting tired.

Globetrotter's Logbook

Inner Ramblings of My Mind — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 07:31:29 -0500

Now that they're retired, my parents are world travelers! They've been to Turkey, Russia, and Paris, and now they're planning another big trip. They aren't sure where they want to go, but they're looking into a few different options.

I found a great book to get for them: Globetrotter's LogBook®. It's a 192 paged book that features 193 independent countries and their territories, detailed vaccination and flight registers, maps, conversion tables, websites to visit... It's pocket-sized, so it will be easy for them to carry around and keep handy when they're 'touring'. I think they'll love it and get great use out of it!

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Park West Art Gallery

Inner Ramblings of My Mind — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 11:16:54 -0500

Have you ever been to an art auction? I hadn't been to one until my cruise this past September and, surprisingly, it was exciting! There was no jumping up and down or anything, but there was this undercurrent of energy, like people were hopped up on the promise of getting a great deal on some wonderful artwork.

Truthfully, I think it's an event that is made either great or a failure by the auctioneer and the company running the event. I'm sure it's like any business; there are those that are good and those that aren't.

Take Park West Art Gallery. They host the largest collection of fine art in the world! They conduct fine art auctions throughout the United States and Canada. Their affiliate company, Park West at Sea, conducts cruise ship art auctions all around the world. Chances are if you've been on a cruise with an art auction, you've been a part of their event!

Trusted Tours and Attractions

Inner Ramblings of My Mind — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 18:02:41 -0500

When I took Sean back to Boston for a visit he loved it! We did all of the touristy stuff available and I found myself falling in love with the city all over again. We took a great tour of the city and I was able to see it through fresh eyes and I got to re-learn the history of such an amazing place

Now when I go on vacation I make sure to do all the stuff that’s available for tourists. I find that I appreciate the places I visit more when I learn about them, plus I don’t feel as if I’ve missed out on something. However; I have had some bad experiences and have found it hard to find reputable touring companies.

There is a company that I’ve looked into who’s name says it all: Trusted Tours and Attractions. They offer discounted tickets to some the best sightseeing tours in places like Key West, San Diego, and Savannah. With adventures ranging from the San Diego Zoo to city-wide excursions on famous Old Town Trolley tours, Trusted Tours is the best source for well planned activities for your getaway. Right now they have a special giveaway available: Anyone who signs up for their Trusted Travel e-Newsletter is automatically entered to win 4 free tickets to tours in a city of their choice! I love to win free stuff, and winning something like free tours would be fantastic.

I’d love to take a tour through Key West some day soon. Can you believe I haven’t been there? I’ve lived here almost 8 years and I still haven’t driven down there. Everyone I know who’s been says that it’s amazing; like a whole other world! White sand beaches, drinks on the deck, tropical plants… An oasis right in my own State! There are other things to do and see down there, other than the scenes at the beaches though. I’d love to see the aquarium there or take a bike tour, but I’d also love to take this ghost tour I found! Since I have the affiliation with the ghost hunting group here I like to see what sort of activity different places claim to experience. Maybe I could even schedule an investigation down there. Who knows?

Ski Vacations in Bulgaria

Inner Ramblings of My Mind — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 20:45:32 -0500

I miss winter. OK, not winter itself, but I do miss the things you can do in winter, like ice skating and skiiing! Sean's never been skiing and I'd love to get him on the slopes; it's probably the one sport I'd kick his butt in!

Holiday Rental has a huge inventory of ski accomodations in Bulgaria which can save a lot of money on a ski vacation. They can help you base your ski holiday from a villa in Borovets, or assist you in finding apartments, chalets, and/or villas in Borovets. Since the lodging they're booked directly from the owners you get the best value and service! They also have a "rent with confidence guarantee" so you know that you're getting a great deal.

As for Bulgaria itself: They have low resort prices, cheap resturants (and the all important beer!), and lots of entertainment in Sofia, which is only a short distance away! Sounds like a great, relaxing time for everyone.

Isn't this picture awesome! *Sigh* Sign me up!

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Free St. Augustine Artwalk

Inner Ramblings of My Mind — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 09:06:52 -0500

It's almost time for the First Friday Weekend Artwalk!

Have you heard about the St. Augustine Artwalk yet? During the first weekend of every month lies the chance for a self-guided tour through St. Augustine to look at all the great artwork. Galleries remain open and you can walk the streets looking at everything from photography, architecture, print work... There's live music to enjoy and snacks to eat, as well as the ever-popular people watching, LOL!

I haven't been yet but Sean and I are planning to go with Ian the first weekend of December. I want to do something different and this event seems to be something that all of us will enjoy! They offer free parking and free sightseeing trolley tours that I know Ian will love and, truth be told, so will I. The last time I went to St. Augustine I only got the chance to see half of the town, and that was just not enough for me! This time I hope to learn even more about its history and see some art from the Floridians in the northern part of the state!

I'm going to try and get my parents to come too. They love St. Augustine and the art, so this even will be perfect for them!