Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Memorial & Birthday Weekend
Weeks ago El had tempted me with a trip somewhere to celebrate my aging. Cool. Seattle, San Fran, Vancouver, Charlotte and Vegas were thrown out there as possibilities. They all sounded good to me. Lately on vacations I've been wanting to go places where we could get lost as tourists. I also had the idea of inviting my older brother Ricky to join in - it's very rare that we even get to hang out anymore and knowing he's been under a lot of stress as well I though it would be cool.
I wanted to take it easy his first day so it was just a day of running errands and chilling at the house. While we did that I took El to Totally Me Salon on Conroy to enjoy the last of her Mother's Day gift of a haircut and manicure/pedicure. We had lunch at O'Boy's barbecue where Ricky and Isa bonded and later in the evening El let me and him head out to the theater to catch the new Indiana Jones flick. I was looking forward to the film and while it didn't disappoint it did feel lacking in some respects. It's obvious Lucas and Spielberg tried to recapture the old spirit of the previous films, but let's face it...Indy is just too godd*mn old to do what he used to do. Still it had left me with good closure (Brody and Henry Sr. both passed away, Indy reunites with Marion - whom I felt was trying too hard to "act", and couple of other surprises). I think what I loved most about the previous films was despite incredible storylines they were always done in a believable, gritty way. Indy got banged up. Special effects were kept to a minimum. Now it seems every movie, including this one, has to use CGI somewhere and the film suffered somewhat from it. It was also interesting to see in the beginning the motorcycle scene that El and I watched firsthand at Yale while attending Lalaine and Joe's wedding
I had hoped to get to Moss Park to have a cookout and run the boat on the lake, but inclement weather canceled that. Instead Ricky prepared us some Udon Noodle Soup for breakfast and in the evening we cooked out at the house. El had prepared a Greek-inspired Beef Kebobs with Tzatziki Sauce and pita.
Sunday was sunny and beautiful. A perfect day for the beach, but Rick was looking forward to some down time before flying out the next morning so we spent a quiet evening at home. Rick helped me with a cable drop in the garage and hook up the extra TV in there amongst running a couple of small errands. Meanwhile Isa and mommy spent a couple of hours in the pool to relax in the water. After jumping in with them for a little while I prepared a dinner of Blackened Lime Chicken with Pommes Frites and fresh veggies sauteed in white wine and lime.
The kids capped off the night by watching Pixar's Ratatouille with Isa. I'm so glad that Isa got to spend real time with her Uncle. She spent a good part of the long weekend hugging and kissing him.
By 430am Monday morning I got up to drive Rick back to the airport for his 7am flight, but not before he informed me that he got me MarioKart for my little used Nintendo Wii in addition to the collectible Warcraft action figures he scored at the BlizzCon earlier in the year. Thanks man
By 430am Monday morning I got up to drive Rick back to the airport for his 7am flight, but not before he informed me that he got me MarioKart for my little used Nintendo Wii in addition to the collectible Warcraft action figures he scored at the BlizzCon earlier in the year. Thanks man
As soon as I got home I got more shut eye and got up at noon to get ready for our day at the beach. Rachel was off also and we were on the road by 4pm to head to Anna Maria Island for the day. Two hours later we were at the beach. Crystal clear water, bright sunny day and a cool breeze guaranteed a fantastic day
As soon as I got home I got more shut eye and got up at noon to get ready for our day at the beach. Rachel was off also and we were on the road by 4pm to head to Anna Maria Island for the day. Two hours later we were at the beach. Crystal clear water, bright sunny day and a cool breeze guaranteed a fantastic day
By 7:30 we packed it up and headed to dinner at Mattison's on Riverside. The food was just ok, the service was good and the atmosphere was fantastic. For dinner we sampled their appetizers of mussels, calamari and shrimp rangoon. The lobster bisque was good...spicy, but the key lime pie was killer. We finally hit the road at 10pm and home by midnight. A good end to a great weekend.
Tuesday morning El had prepared bed in breakfast for yours truly and presented me with my birthday gift - a much needed NEW wallet. Now it's back to work...
Tuesday morning El had prepared bed in breakfast for yours truly and presented me with my birthday gift - a much needed NEW wallet. Now it's back to work...
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Happy Mother's Day!
Despite the fact that I had to work early morning Sunday for Mother's Day I did what I could to honor Eleanor and make sure that the day was as special as I could make it. I planned out a simple cookout and invite Rachel and Clarence over to celebrate.
Typically I would make reservations to somewhere nice that we could dine at, but with my new schedule it would've been too complicated and pricey. I shopped out earlier in the week and picked up two racks of baby back ribs, some chicken, fresh corn on the cob and other veggies and fruits to make kebobs with. I had already purchased a nice gift for her earlier in the month so I was pretty much set to go. Saturday night I prepped out the food after my buddy Ray left town so I could get moving as soon as I got home from work Sunday evening.
Typically I would make reservations to somewhere nice that we could dine at, but with my new schedule it would've been too complicated and pricey. I shopped out earlier in the week and picked up two racks of baby back ribs, some chicken, fresh corn on the cob and other veggies and fruits to make kebobs with. I had already purchased a nice gift for her earlier in the month so I was pretty much set to go. Saturday night I prepped out the food after my buddy Ray left town so I could get moving as soon as I got home from work Sunday evening.
Turns out I was DEAD as soon as I got home and a quick cat nap later I was ready to roll. Rachel and Clarence arrived and the grill was stoked. As the day turned into evening the temperature dropped and a nice breeze made for a very relaxing dinner on the back patio. The
food turned out pretty good, although I could tell I was out of practice with grilling.
There will be plenty of opportunity this summer, especially with my bro coming for Memorial Weekend for my birthday. It's been a long, long time since we've hung out together so I'm looking forward to his visit. But back to the subject...
food turned out pretty good, although I could tell I was out of practice with grilling.
There will be plenty of opportunity this summer, especially with my bro coming for Memorial Weekend for my birthday. It's been a long, long time since we've hung out together so I'm looking forward to his visit. But back to the subject...
After dinner we spent time chatting in the family room and playing with Isa. She's started to warm up to Clarence which is cool since she seems to have a poor track record with guys other than me. We were going to take a drive to Celebration for dessert and a walk, but a light sprinkle of rain derailed us. It's just as well since the celebrant looked like she was ready for bed.
IMG_4644
Monday morning we were up early and I decided to play hooky from work and take the two ladies to Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios to let Isa play at the Seuss Landing. Kind of an impromptu extension of the previous night. The day was clear, warm and breezy and I wanted to take advantage of it. El was pleasantly surprised to not have to get right back to our weekly routine. We ate at First Watch, one of her favorite lunch places and then off to the theme parks.
Here she is with a monkey on her back. It was one of El's gifts (joke gift) and while we were skeptical about putting our child on a "leash" it made sense when we had a second baby and Isa running around, especially in a busy parking lot. We gave it it's test run and (A) Isa loved it and kept kissing it (B) It gave her room to feel independent and not always having to hold our hand and (C) worked as designed without any sneers from passerbys.
Here she is with a monkey on her back. It was one of El's gifts (joke gift) and while we were skeptical about putting our child on a "leash" it made sense when we had a second baby and Isa running around, especially in a busy parking lot. We gave it it's test run and (A) Isa loved it and kept kissing it (B) It gave her room to feel independent and not always having to hold our hand and (C) worked as designed without any sneers from passerbys.
Support Group.
El's mom recently was diagnosed with something that required her to have surgery. El wanted to spend a week in Charleston to be with her during this time. Unfortunately my work load wouldn't allow me to take time off for this so I bought a ticket for El and Isa only. Fortunately, all of El's siblings were able to go be there for their mom. I was also glad to hear that my mom and dad were able to be with her as well and shuttle her as needed to various appointments, cook food and offered her to stay with them while she rested.
Thankfully, the surgery was a success and didn't seem to require anything more than the few followup check-ups. At least Isa got to see her Lolas and Lolo again. I'm sure they enjoyed spending time. Lolo Rick even got to hold her without her screaming bloody murder.
Thankfully, the surgery was a success and didn't seem to require anything more than the few followup check-ups. At least Isa got to see her Lolas and Lolo again. I'm sure they enjoyed spending time. Lolo Rick even got to hold her without her screaming bloody murder.
Big Kids Get Bigger Beds.
In anticipation of having another baby on the way I went ahead and got Isa her first real bed. Lately, she's been trying to escape Alcatraz (her crib) in the morning and I've been scared she's gonna do it one of these days and fall on her butt. We did try a couple of times to see if she would be ok overnight with mixed success. So far she's fallen out of the bed (!), woken up confused as to where she was (guest room) and cried incessantly until we let her sleep with us on the guest room bed. But there are the occasions on the weekends that after running around with dad she'll fall asleep in the car and I can carry her here to nap. Doesn't she look crazy long? She doesn't even look like a baby anymore. Scary.
Easter
Wow! I AM behind in this blogger. I totally forgot to post these pics from Easter. It was one of those days where I literally had to dash out after Steve and family left to go back to Charleston after their weekend stay and I had to go to work. Immediately after work I ran home to change and get to church for mass. The mass went well, although we apparently missed seeing Joe and Jenny perform at Mary Queen of the Universe (they sang earllier in the day I think).
An Unexpected Visit.
Got a call earlier in the week from a buddy who I hadn't seen in maybe 8-10 years, Ray. It seems he was coming to the East Coast on business and was hoping to relocate from Orange County with his wife. Wanting to explore the housing market here in Orlando I offered
up my help to take him around the different neighborhoods to get an idea of what was for sale.
Definitely cool to catch up with him. Basically the same guy, but a little more reserved than what I last remembered - nothing a beer and lunch at Orlando Ale House with Captain Jack's Buried Treasure couldn't loosen up ("Eat that crap and you'll be making your own buried treasure later...").
After lunch I took him out to Lake Nona to see the area and then Celebration. Of course, I had to show him the other side of the tracks where I lived in Hunters Creek area. After a quick dinner in Winter Park Village we headed out to Baldwin Park, which used to be the Naval Base where his bro and cousin were stationed back in the day. Isa did soo well during our long drive in the car. She was incredibly well behaved for being out for so long with no nap and a light lunch. She made me proud.
Armed with some info on the area he had to head back to Georgia, but not without a bounty of hugs and kisses from Isabella. I was shocked to see how much she bounded with Ray. Maybe it was his soft spoken approach - not too threatening and casual. I guess it was good practice for him, too, since he and his wife Jamie are expecting their first child in two months. Congrats again and hope plans work out for Orlando man!
up my help to take him around the different neighborhoods to get an idea of what was for sale.
Definitely cool to catch up with him. Basically the same guy, but a little more reserved than what I last remembered - nothing a beer and lunch at Orlando Ale House with Captain Jack's Buried Treasure couldn't loosen up ("Eat that crap and you'll be making your own buried treasure later...").
After lunch I took him out to Lake Nona to see the area and then Celebration. Of course, I had to show him the other side of the tracks where I lived in Hunters Creek area. After a quick dinner in Winter Park Village we headed out to Baldwin Park, which used to be the Naval Base where his bro and cousin were stationed back in the day. Isa did soo well during our long drive in the car. She was incredibly well behaved for being out for so long with no nap and a light lunch. She made me proud.
Armed with some info on the area he had to head back to Georgia, but not without a bounty of hugs and kisses from Isabella. I was shocked to see how much she bounded with Ray. Maybe it was his soft spoken approach - not too threatening and casual. I guess it was good practice for him, too, since he and his wife Jamie are expecting their first child in two months. Congrats again and hope plans work out for Orlando man!
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
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