Omelets to Manicure to The Boat House - March 28, 2015

March 28, 2015

Saturday morning dawns. All were sleeping in. I was fending for myself in the morning. It took me quite a few minutes looking for the coffee. After opening several cabinets numerous times, I found some coffee to make. I read the directions and poured the water into the coffee machine. All was going according to plan. However, Kelly told me that the coffee that I used was old and that she grinds her own coffee now. Dump goes my coffee down the drain and waited for a new fresh cup. Yum! After awhile, Kelly made cheese omelets with salsa and sour cream plus bacon and toast. It was so good. I just love home-cooked meals.

The afternoon finds Kelly and I heading to get a manicure. It is about us. French manicure for Kelly and manicure with clear coat for me. All is done around 12:30 p.m. What is next? Another fun thing for me. We went to the Pandora shop in the mall. I had to find something that signified Tennessee. What did I chose? One charm that had music notes and a guitar plus a heart that says "I love music". So cute. I now have a new one for my collection. It just keeps growing holding significant things in my life. Our next stop was back to Bar Louie on the other side of the mall to have Pretzel Sticks with queso, cinnamon butter and honey mustard and with a beverage on the side while we wait for our next adventure. Our next adventure was something that I had never heard of before.

Our next stop? A gender reveal party. What is that you say? It was all new to me. Here is how that one goes. You walk into the party then write your name and what you think the gender of Baby A will be and the gender of Baby B will be when the twins are born. There is a table where you write a boy's name and a girl's name that you like. The soon-to-be parents were about to reveal the gender of the twins to a small group of family and friends. They had us all go outside across the street where they had these boxes marked as "Baby A" and "Baby B". The goal is to light each box at the same time to reveal the gender. After several attempts, there was blue smoke and blue balloons coming out of the box so that everyone finds out that the gender is a boy for each. I can say that I can mark this event off my bucket list and will probably never do it again. If someone asks me, I can say that I have been to one. The new parents were happy so everyone should be happy.

To reward ourselves, we headed to the Boat House for food and beverages. It was so nice sitting outside. Well, I should say that we were sitting in an area outside on the porch that had windbreaks and heaters. We could see the river. Kelly and I ordered margaritas with 100% Blue Agave el Jimador, Orange liqueur and a squeeze of fresh lime juice with a salted rim glass. You can just sit back and relax. Enjoy! This is the name for this part of the day. Our first appetizer selection to share was Truffle mushrooms Fried with rice flour crust. Okay. This was an amazing experience for the palate. I would so have this again. Absolutely. Definitely. Hugh finally arrived to join us for the dinner portion. He ordered grilled bread with olive oil and cheese. After everything so far, I really needed something light so I chose a grilled salmon salad. The vegetables were fresh and the salmon was cooked just right for me.

After dinner, we went our separate ways. Kelly and I in her car and Hugh in his truck. Kelly and I were cruising along and then Hugh all of a sudden raced passed us. He wanted to beat us. Vrooooom. There he goes! Hold on to your hat. We pulled up along side him and drove ahead of him once. He does not count that as passing him. Traffic was in our way. Oh well. We were happy with music blasting from the Hippie Station. An old familiar song - Draggin' the Line from the 70s. There were so many other great songs. It is my kind of music.

After arriving back home, it was time for Kelly to hit the treadmill and for me to write in my blog while we were watching the rest of American Idol and onto Nashville. I was never much into country music. I have a few country musicians in my CD collection - Tim McGraw and Keith Urban to name a few. I really like Nashville as a show. I do love the music. Actually, I love most music anyway. I also love watching Empire too. A really good music show. You can dance around or tap your feet. Just keep the music alive. It is good for the soul.

It is almost time for our nightly bonfire!

Ciao and Peace out!

Pizza to Ribs and Chicken Wings to Michigan State Basketball - March 27, 2015

March 27, 2015

Let me say this about that. I had a hard time functioning this morning trying to make the coffee with this new machine. My brain could not get in gear. I had to have Hugh help me. Is this what happens when you use either a Keurig or a one cup only coffee maker? Maybe it was just still sleeping? Or I was just still sleeping? Three cups of coffee down and brain began functioning after that time. Lexi was at my feet wanting more scratches and pats. The morning and afternoon was filled with drinking coffee and watching various televisions shows (Hugh likes to channel surf) as well as reading A Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. The highlights for today include eating in new locations for me:

(1) Hugh and I headed out around 11:00 a.m. to meet Kelly at Lupi's pizza. We loaded into the big truck to head in whatever direction we are supposed to be going. I have no idea where we are so I am at the mercy of whomever is driving. We pulled into the parking lot of where we thought we were supposed to go and could not find it. I googled the place so we choose one of two locations. We were following the navigation onto the highway and kept going. Kelly called and wondered where we were. Well...... We were in the wrong location. There was a new location that was not on the google application. We turned around and had to go back in the direction that we had been before. Come to find out we were about one block from where we were supposed to be. Oh well. We had Kelly order a pizza (her choice - Pepperoni and mushroom) so that it would be almost ready by the time that we got there. Lupi's is her favorite pizza place. She did have to go back to work so it was her choice.

(2) Hugh, Kelly and I loaded into the VW Beetle to head to Sweeney's for ribs and chicken wings. Oh and do not forget the beer. There was no Chattanooga Brewing Company beer so I settled on the Fat Tire that I had the other day.

The food was good for me but nothing exceptional except the ribs fell off the bone. So good. It was not one of those moments: "Oh my. I have never had this before." However, I will say this about that. Ordinary, normal and consistency is a good thing. If you always had amazing, you would never really know amazing. Just like the rest of today. Downtime and normal is good. It gives you time to regenerate to keep moving.

Prepping for any Michigan game is important to Kelly. She provided me with Michigan State Alto sweatpants and sweatshirt as well as a Michigan State hat. It is still weird to me because Kelly was a huge University of Michigan fan all her life until one of her sons went to Michigan State. She is still a Michigan fan too. However, today is all about Michigan State because they are in March Madness.

The game is not until around 10:00 p.m. In the meantime, Kelly is running on the treadmill and we are watching Boy George and all the contestants on American Idol sing the 80s songs. I have not watched this show this year. I can see some potential but the songs did not fit all the contestants.

Bonfire time! A neighbor was having a bonfire with Kelly and I joined him. AC/DC music playing. All is good. It brings you back. So fun! It is that time of year down here in Tennessee.

Louisville was playing before the Michigan game so Hugh stayed and watched Louisville win! Yay for Louisville. Michigan State game starts around 10 p.m. We are raring to go. We are on commercial break so I am signing off.

I hoped everyone enjoyed their day!

Volkswagen Tee Shirt to Bar Louie to Grey's Anatomy/Scandal - March 26, 2015

March 26, 2015 - Thursday!

This day finds me getting up around 8:30 a.m. I slept in. Wow! I hardly ever do that except if I am not feeling well. Anyway, I had to find the coffee. Kelly was nice and had it already made. I just had to add water. Kelly was at work so Hugh and I hung out until Kelly was out of work. Lexi was by my side for occasional pats here and there. It was a leisurely morning with three cups of coffee and television watching while I attempted to wake up. So nice. Kelly came home around 11:00 a.m. I got presents! A long sleeve Volkswagen tee shirt and hat. Woo Hoo!

Kelly and I pulled out of the garage with the top down in her Volkswagen beetle. Woo Hoo! Weather in the high 70s. So far from the type of weather at home. Old time rock and roll and wind in the hair. Perfect day. Rolling down the road without a care in the world. No work. No thoughts of work. Only now. This time. The "now". It is important. It is definitely important.

Lunch was on our minds. We found Tremont Tavern known for great burgers and beer. I chose a local beer from the Chattanooga Brewing Company called Chickbock that is a pilsner. Great beer. I hardly ever eat red meat anymore but will definitely eat one if it will be great. This burger is on my great list. Durly Gomez with beef and chorizo topped with avocado, queso fresco and roasted red pepper cream sauce with tater tots. I chose tater tots for Renee. I know she loves them. I can tell her that these are really great! I nice touch. A nice bartender who had just been to Portland for a microbrew event. Very cool.

After lunch, we headed downtown to the Arts District so that we could walk across the walking bridge and the art museum. It was a nice leisurely walk across the bridge. It is just a spectacular view. It is hard to describe. At the end, we walked across the glass bridge to the Hunter Museum to see history of the area as well an Eudora Welty photographic exhibit. The museum is in a nice old converted mansion. I love old mansions and houses. I love the architecture. There is a new section and the older section. Kelly tells me that she will be attending a wedding in October. Fabulous. This sounds fabulous.

After the museum, we walked back to the shops to peruse what there was to offer. We went into a frankfurter place that has 100 different varieties of hotdogs that had "Who Stole My Hotdog?" in German. We were not hungry but had a nice ice tea to cool off. This was a nice funky place. I thought of my friend Bruce while we were in this shop. We then wandered to All Thing Groovy for an eclectic mix of things. I purchased a little cloth wallet with a peace sign to stick in my pocket.

As the afternoon winds down, we find our way to the car with the top down again and on our way to Bar Louie for Kelly's Scentsy party with some of her co-workers. They had the Chattanooga beer. So good. We also ordered calamari. It was nice sitting in an outside area.

We finally made it home for another round of television shows - Grey's Anatomy and Scandal - while Kelly is on the treadmill and I am writing on the blog.

It is time for some shut eye and hitting the pillow. Peace out!

Portland to Charlotte to Chattanooga - March 25, 2015

March 25, 2015 - Wednesday!

I woke up before my alarm went off? Rise and shine. Well, not right away. Why? I could not get to sleep until after 2:30 a.m. Was it the coffee? Was it the excitement of travel. Good question. Coffee definitely required. I wandered down around 6:00 a.m. to get coffee. A sleep deprived walk through the renovations and windy hallway to my end destination. I found coffee as well as eggs, sausage and yogurt. One other woman was in the breakfast room. Her husband snores so her sleep was not great either. It is not the way to start the day but what can you do?

The airport shuttle was arriving around 6:30 a.m. so i had to eat and finish packing. After everything was packed, I checked out. Because I booked through AAA, they were not able to print out a receipt. Ok. Fine. The van driver was playing reggae music. I was hoping it would wake my senses. I could tell that it might take some time for the brain to function properly.

No problem checking in. I even got a TSA pre-check. However, I was randomly picked for a screening/walk through the machine, then a pat down and check my boots. All was good. Phew! I picked up my luggage and backpack and headed down to find coffee. Oh my. Coffee was definitely needed. I was walking in a sleep-deprived fog but found the Starbucks with no problem. Medium coffee with cream. Thank you very much. Boarding was to be around 7:30 a.m. so I waited until the time came. We boarded around 8:00 a.m. I waited until Zone 5 was boarded so there was not enough room for my luggage. Fine. Okay. My luggage was checked through to Chattanooga. It will be okay with no luggage to worry about in Charlotte. After I was walking through first class, I saw a former co-worker named Daryl sitting there. I have not seen him in years. It was a very cool and took me back around 5 years as to when I saw him last. Anyway, I found my seat at 7B. I had a middle seat. I prefer aisle seats but I will take what I got. I ha;sve a seat to see my friend Kelly. That is all that matters. I have a seat. I am traveling. I am on my way. My neighbor to the left had his headphones in so he was not in any mood for conversation. My neighbor on my right was reading so he was not talkative for awhile. I kept to myself and wanting to sleep but unable to sleep. After a good deal of time, I talked with my neighbor to my right. He was a retired gentleman who used to work at Chrysler and now lives in Huntsville, Alabama. His wife does not like to fly. He comes to Maine about 4 to 6 times per year to see his grandchildren. We had a nice conversation.

We arrived at Terminal C for US Airways. I took my time to walk to Terminal E and taking in the sights along the way. I walked into the Women's room and a woman was greeting everyone. "Welcome beautiful ladies. Clean restrooms here. Wait for next available opening. Come this way. Have a blessed day." She was making the most of her time doing her job with a pleasant voice and nice words to hear when you are traveling.

After I found my gate, I wandered back to find some place to eat lunch around 11:00 a.m. I found Whiskey River. It looked cool. Where did I put my reading glasses? I cannot read the little print on the menu. I had to ask the bartender what the menu said for allowable sides. I have not worn my contacts for awhile so I forgot to bring my reading glasses. Oh well. I am glad to have someone to ask. It is not like the time that I was in the Dominican Republic airport by myself and could not read the form and had to search for someone who spoke English. Anyway, I ordered a chicken sandwich with coleslaw. I drank water because I was so tired and dehydrated. I was having a better day than the man to my left. He missed his flight by a few minutes. He now had a 4 hour layover to get to Florida. I had a 3.5 hour layover but on purpose. Sort of. It is how I booked the flight. After having lunch and tons of water, I finally began to wake up. Wake up brain! Yay! I felt almost normal.

After having a leisurely lunch, I wandered down to my gate to find a nice place to hang out for a few hours. I found a seat next to the window. I put my coat and sweater against the arm near the window for cushion. I leaned back against the cushioned arm and slung my legs and feet up over the next seat to lean back and relax. I took out my Nook to find my blog page and wrote for the rest of the time until ready to board.

We boarded around 2:00 p.m., I found my seat at 13C. The plane had two seats on each side. I was seated in the back row next to a guy who watched The Hobbit and next to the restroom. Oh boy. No conversation. Just quiet. Sort of.

Around 3:30 p.m. we departed the airplane. I found my way to baggage claim just hoping that my luggage would be there. It was new Nautica bag for me in orange and dark gray but I spotted it right away. It was perfect. No time wasted. Hugh was outside waiting for me. I had not seen him in two years but he was still the same. It was comforting. It took us about 20 minutes to find our way home passed Harrison Bay that used to be the town but was flooded when they put the dam in. Another Harrison just sprung up later. Anyway, we arrived at the small subdivision and home. Lexi was a little intimidated to see me. I am new to her. She is rescue lab. It will take her awhile to get used to me. Kelly arrived home around 4:30 p.m. I was so excited to see her after all this time. It is like we had never been apart for so long.

Around 6:00 p.m., we decided to head to dinner in Chattanooga. We were going to go to the Boat House but could not find a parking space so we headed downtown in the Art District. We found Tony's to sit outside. It was nice to think that we could sit outside after the long cold snowy winter in Maine. Homemade pasta and bread with garlic inside with olive oil and cheese. Oh my. What more could I ask for? I had Spinach and roasted garlic homemade ravioli with sun dried tomato and artichoke cream sauce and chicken. I had the homemade ravioli in honor of my dad. I am sure it does not match Little Auntie's homemade ravioli but I can search for him. There was so much food so we had leftovers after we ate so much of the delicious bread. We discussed walking to the art museum and the walking bridge but I was too tired. Another day. Definitely. Another day. I love art museums.

We arrived back home after this lovely meal. Lexi was excited to see everyone but me. However, I won her over in no time. She eventually came to me and I could give her scratches. Around 10:00 p.m., I decided to hit the pillow for some much needed down time.

Good night all!

Pre-flight Activity - From Duck to Duck

March 24, 2015

Rise and Shine! It is a brand new day. What is in store? A trip to Chattanooga. What? What were you thinking? Flight, friends, food and fun. The four most important words in my lufe. Flight means meeting new people and adventure. Friends means people who love you for who you are now and always. Food means more than sustenance but an experience waiting to burst on your palate. Fun means what happens when all other thoughts of every day life are struck from your mind!

Russia and I were up early this morning. I had actually packed and was ready to hit the road for my adventure. It had been two years since i took a real vacation. Drum roll! Yay! Woo hoo! I am so excited go hit the road. As i am scooping dog food into my container, I realized that it was not big enough. A big ziplock bag to the rescue! One scoop, two scoops, three scoops and counting. No more dog food left in the big container. I cannot forget to buy more when i get home or i will have one very unhappy dog.

My car was on autopilot from Hallowell to Willow Run. I was not the only one excited. Russia paced back and forth between the back window to put his head out then to the other side of the car then up to see what i was doing and waiting for a scratch here and there. The car was quiet on the way to work. This is another kind of autopilot. The same drill each work day. This adventure will change that fact. A much needed break from the motions we go through. Please do not get me wrong. I love my family and friends. I like the consistency in knowing they are there. We have our good times with food and fun. It us just time to change it up.

As i was already packed, i decided to spend the night in South Portland at the Howard Johnson's on Main Street. I had no idea where i was going. I was so thankful that the navigation on my phone worked. I took Exit 3 then took a left. I thought "Where am i going? " I generally stay closer to the airport. Oh well. It is not that far awy. I parked the car and arrived at the check in desk. I gave him my name. No reservation. What??? Oh no. No worries. I gave my confirmation information to him. The problem? They had my first name logged in as my last name. No problem. I knew I was all set because i had confirmation. Very optimistic of me? You bet.

The elevator opened on the third floor. Ding! Oh boy. With suitcase and backpack in touch, we enter the room with the king size bed. No dog to greet me when i arrive. Such as a traveling life. I had always thought i would like a travelling life. Now? Not right now.

Jen found her way to pick me up so that we could have dinner and drinks. Thankful for navigation system because neither one of us had been in that area in between the hotel and the restaurant.

We arrived at Saltwater Grille before dark. Of course, we sat in the bar. Where else would you find me? I had a fabulous duck salad with a nice peak organic on the side. For dessert? Blueberry crisp because there was no creme brulee. Blueberries are my second favorite dessert. Oh and do not forget the nice strong coffee as a compliment to the dessert. Was this wise? Only time will tell.

We arrived back at the hotel around 9:00 p.m. I decompressed for about an hour then ducked under the covers to slumber away until my wake up call at 5:45 a.m.

Good night!