Baby, I'm baaaaaackkkk!!

I guess I'm back from a lot of things.  I'm back from a busy summer hiatus.  I'm back from a mommy escape weekend to Portland, Oregon with my bestie Ann.  I'm back to work from just two days off (Portland was a long weekend) and I come back to 6 angry voicemails from people who didn't pay their bills over the last three years and 45 emails.  This is not normal for me.  I guess I was just missed.  And this morning?  You know what I came into this morning?

I'll give you a hint.

I'll give you another hint.  It's 4 feet of not supposed to be here.  Welcome back to work!  

It's always exciting around here.  I am living through the first of hopefully not so many experiences of having to go against my personal morals on a project due to higher-ups.  I am sure it is not the last time and that's a bitter pill to take.  I have a lot of freedom to do what I think is best for the City so I have to just keep doing things that I think make a positive difference and keep working for the greater good as best I can.  

Want to see some photos from Portland?  Course you do. 

McMenamins Crystal Hotel.  

 

Ann and Clarice in our room. Don't look at me like that, Clarice...

Waterfall at the Japanese Gardens by the Rose Test Gardens (which we didn't go to)

Ann at the Japanese tea gardens

Then we went to the Chinese Tea Gardens, it was a tea garden battle royal!

But the Chinese tea gardens actually had teas to drink so they win.  

Ann got the maple blunt and I got the gay bar. 

Then we went to Voodoo Donuts.  They were intense.
Not as intense as the line to get the donuts, though...

Foo Dog in Chinatown

Food carts everywhere.  Seriously, these were the places that I ate the best.  So good....

It was seriously the best food on my trip, and the best pic of the trip.  The best pic, me stuffing my face.  But so happy. 

Treat yo'self!!!!

Just keeping it weird. 

And the kids, holding down the fort at the Cleveland Zoo while mama was out.  

Photos not listed...our kick ass night at the gay bar Silverado.  It was an excellent time.

Thanks Ann for an awesome mama getaway treat yo'self weekend!

You can be a coffee achiever, you can sit around the house and watch leave it to beaver

So, this weekend was pretty awesome.  Took Asher to Brandywine falls on Saturday where we saw the falls then hiked down into the valley to search for salamanders.  We didn't find any of the fire breathing kind (which is probably for the best) but we did find one black and brown one.  I was so concerned with being able to have Asher see and touch it before it scuttled off that I didn't get a photo of it but I was pretty happy we even found one.  I was getting nervous for a minute.  This weather is amazing.  I keep feeling like it's going to go away like a big April fools joke...



Bottom of the falls

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Daddy and Asher

Mama and Asher's funny faces

It's so much fun to throw rocks in creeks!

Overdramatic action shot!

Sunday we took Asher to Buzzard Day at Hinkley Reservation.  He had a blast.  Give a kid a free pair of binoculars and he is happy for days.  I'm serious.  He wore them all day yesterday and would have worn them to bed if I hadn't made him take them off.  Then, first thing this morning he does is get up and put them on again.  So cute. 

It's been a long time since I've rock and rolled

Wow, I've really been slacking.  I've been super busy at work lately.  Why, you may ask?  Well, because I just got promoted!  Woo-hoo, right?  That's what I said.  I applied for the job but I just thought I was making it a slight bit harder for the other guy (I couldn't just give him the job that easily, could I?).  But it ended up that we both got promoted.  I wonder still if there was only on position if I would have been promoted but I won't dwell on it too long.  Either way you are now reading words typed by a Watershed Supervisor.  Awwww yeaaaa.....

 It's been a busy half a month already.  Ry is leaving today to go out of town for a few days so Asher and I will be entertaining ourselves.  I'm really starting to look (and feel) pregnant.  My friend Jen is in the hospital right now as we speak having her first little baby boy, Charlie.  Hugs and kisses to her and Chuck, I'm about to cry I'm so happy for them right now!

We took Asher to fun and stuff over the weekend for Katya's 8th birthday party.  We have created a monster.  He had a great time, though.  And he was a pretty decent air hockey player, I was surprised to find out. 

We also went to a members only night at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium.  It was nice, not so crowded.  Asher told us that he "just wants to stay at the aquarium all day long" in the whiniest voice ever.  It was kind of cute. 

We still don't have a name for baby #2 yet...Maybe we are trying too hard?  I don't know. 

And I finally got my taxes done.  I usually don't wait this late but with the trip to California and being pregnant and all sorts of little things going on we just let the time slip by us both.  But, they are done now and I'm paying the state (just doing my part as a good citizen). 

You know what?  Have a freaking phenomenal day. 

Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair if you're going to San Fransisco

So, vacation...

Like I said, it was pretty awesome.  We arrived on Jason's birthday (what bad friends, I know, not bringing any gifts)  and just chilled out for the afternoon and then we walked to Castro Street and had dinner.  It was nice.  Ann got to buy some girl scout cookies from a girl walking down the street with a wagon, so that made her pretty happy, too. 

Sunday we went to the farmer's market which was cool.  I wish our farmers markets were like that around here but...I have the CSA so that's pretty cool too so I'm not too jealous.  (sign up for the summer, it's that time of year and spots fill up fast!)  We also took a train from Mountain View to Palo Alto, which almost blew Asher's mind.  He thought it was the coolest, especially it was double decker style and we sat on the top. 

On Presidents day we went to the Exploratorium, a pretty cool museum right in the bay in San Fran.  Seriously, our kids loved it, we aren't just imposing our own love of science and cool stuff onto them.  Asher asked to go back to the museum for the rest of the trip, I kid you not.  He also had a massive meltdown there over a cheese sandwich (welcome terrible twos...), but over all it was pretty awesome.

Tuesday we went to Pinnacles National Monument and had a wonderful picnic lunch prepared by Ann, then we hiked up hill to some caves which were pretty cool.  I'm pretty sure Athena ran the entire time, perilous cliff faces be darned.  She is so daring...Asher made us carry him most all of the time.  Athena touched coyote poop and immediately got her entire upper body disinfected, then we saw the coyote that pooped it out, which was cool (not the touching part and I'm assuming it was the actual coyote and not another, grant me some liberties here).  On the way home we ate in the garlic capitol of the world, Gilroy, California.  The fries weren't as garlicky as I'd like, which was a little disappointing since we were in the garlic capitol of the world, but you know, they weren't bad, either.  Maybe they could tell we were out of towners and toned it down for us.  Maybe they are just tired of garlic...maybe the garlic is just weak because it's out of season and not fresh. 

Wednesday we played it a little more chill and went to Happy Hollows Kiddy Park in San Jose.  A good time was had by all, the place is kind of a mini zoo, a petting zoo and a kiddie amusement park all rolled into one.  And, awesome news was....Cleveland Zoo pass got us in for free!  Rock on, right?  Awww yeah.   Asher and daddy and Jason and Athena all rode the roller coaster.  Did I mention it was like 72 degrees and beautiful?  What a nice day.  And we ended up going to a Japanese noodle house where I got to have the best Kitsune Udon I've had in years.  Even if Asher threw another giganto-tantrum there, I don't care because the food was so good. 

Thursday we chilled at the park in the morning and then the Morrisons delivered us to the airport.  Then our flight got cancelled.  Then we got rerouted to Pittsburgh instead of coming home (snow cancellations in Chicago) but that flight didn't leave for another 3 hours.  So, Ann, being the awesome person she is, came back and got us and took us to San Bruno to a park so Asher could burn off some extra energy.  What a hero, seriously.  Ryan was freaking out massively, too, so getting out of the airport for a while and hanging out with Ann just a little bit more was really nice for everyone involved (I hope I'm not overestimating Ann's enjoyment levels here).  Did I mention it was another beautiful sunny 72 degree day? 

Finally we boarded our flight which was a direct flight so that was nice.  And they put us in economy plus, so that was nice, too.  Asher slept the entire time which was amazing and really really nice for both Ry and me, I watched The Big Year in flight movie, which was okay but not great.  We get to Pittsburgh at 12:42 am, get our rental car and discover our luggage has been lost...well, not lost but it went to Chicago anyway.  So now we need to pick it up tomorrow at Akron-Canton.  Yippie...well, at least we have to go there anyway to get our car, so it's not horrible.  I drive us the whole way home.  It was a little eerie, there were almost no other cars on the highway at 2 am, go figure.

We get home around 3 am, then get up at 8:30 so Ry can get ready for his interview (which went pretty well, considering how tired he was).  I dropped Asher off at granny's house (where he immediately contracted pink eye from Katya) and Ry met up with me and we got an ultrasound (as I mentioned yesterday, a girl).  Then we drove our car back, picked up our luggage and tried to relax for the rest of the weekend. 

Overall, a pretty great trip. 

Non stop fun weekend...I'm still tired.

So, this weekend was filled with fun and excitment, at least if you are nerd family like us.  So, I'm guessing, since you are reading this, you probably are.  First off, this weekend was the 37th annual Scienc Fiction Movie Marathon at Case Western Reserve University.  Wow, that's a mouthful of typing. My first marathon was #25, if that tells you how old I am getting.  I haven't missed a marathon yet, but I had to leave a few and had to miss some movies here and there (having a baby and once I had a job interview and once I had to take the shig home because he had the stomach flu).  This was Ryan's 17th marathon.  That's impressive. 

Anyway, I didn't go to the whole marathon this year, I have been having bad tummy troubles with this baby so I stayed home with Asher on Friday and went all day Saturday.  The marathon was great and I had a lot of fun.  The parking situation was about a mile away from the auditorium this year but...the weather was actually okay this year (for the first time in years this wasn't the coldest weekend of the year) and so the walk wasn't too bad.  But, due to the walk, no one left for food this year, and that was different but not bad. 

Also, I ate a fruit leather that technically didn't expire until 2043, although all the rest in the package expired next year.  I think that it's a sign.  What, you don't believe me?  Here's your proof:

Yeah, that's what I thought! 

So, we had a good time with that.  I am excited for the day when Asher is old enough to go with us.  I hope he likes it and doesn't think it's lame.  I mean, he probably will when he's a teenager, because all teenagers think the stuff their parents like is lame, but what can you do?

Due to a little bit of guilt and a whole lot of excitement over having gotten season passes from the inlaws for Christmas we decided we would go to the new Greater Cleveland Aquarium on Sunday.  

We were aiming to get there right at 10 when they opened since this would be only the second day they had been open ever, and we figured they'd be packed.  But...we forgot about little gym, which starts at 9:15 am.  So, we got to little gym in just the nick of time.  It was Asher's mid year showcase where pretty much everyone comes and the room is super packed with people who don't always come to class and they do a refresher course of all of the stuff they have learned so far this year.  Here's some photos of Asher doing his professional level bear crawls.  I think they are his favorite thing to do at little gym.  

After little gym and a minor melt down about leaving little gym we got on our way to the Aquarium.  It's a little difficult to find since the bridge that google maps told us to take had a road closed sign on it and we had to go the long way around but...we found it.  I think it sucks you have to pay $5 for parking even if you have a season pass.  That is a bit of a deterrent...you should at least get a parking discount...

It's in the old Powerhouse, which is a pretty cool building on it's own.  Theyd did a really cool job of transforming it into an aquarium, I mean, before it was an all male review, which can be classy as well, but I don't know that you'd want that many toddlers in the all male review. 

I want you to keep in mind, I would have lost my child if I had tried to take photos there, so all the pics I'm posting are from the Cleveland Insider's website.  Thanks guys!  Really, I think everyone should go and see it, though I'd suggest waiting a little while so that the masses can move through and you can enjoy it at your leisure.  It's hard to take things in pace when there are a million people everywhere kind of pushing the pace for you.  So, just my highlights...

I really liked the accordian guy who seemed to hang out in the arched tunnels (Which were super cool but kinda creepy at the same time) and the costal room.  Here's a photo of the coastal room:

Although when we were there there was only one girl and she was overwhelmed and didn't have time to really educate people on what animals she was putting in the boxes for us to touch (those yellow ones).  The lady beside me picked up a sea cucumber, took it out of the water and squeezed the bejezus out of it, so that water squirted out of both ends.  I told her that that was a living creature and she freaked out and put it back.

They also had a big section dedicated to local fish, rivers, streams, Lake Erie, it was pretty cool.  A lot of the aquarium wasn't finished yet, though, with missing fish, plants, plaques telling you about the fish, that kind of stuff.  But I can only expect it will get better. 

The last part of the aquarium is the huge walk underneath it shark tank.  Here's a photo, once again, not mine.

It was pretty cool but it made me a little dizzy, maybe the length combined with the amount of people there?  I don't know...Still, pretty cool. 

This is a smaller aquarium than some of the other ones that I've been to, but it's a good aquarium and I hope that it does well here.  I know we will go back again.  :)

Summer Nerf Wars....Finally. Betcha thought I forgot!

Asher says "Let's get ready....to RUMBLE!!!!!"

Say hello to my little gun...

Do you think he has enough guns?

Tom watches the skirmish with longing.

Choose your weapon, but choose wisely...

Practicing his war cry.

He can't decide if his beer or sword would be more effective.  It's nice they gave him the time to choose, instead of cutting him down where he stood.

A battle to the death between two fierce warrior women.

Action Shot!

Forsaken, Last Cleveland area haunted house review for 2011

Oh, I am sad.  Another fun season of haunted houses is over with.  But, it was a good one.  Lots of good houses and fun with friends. 

And they took our photo for free!

This week we went to Forsaken in Mentor.  And we had coupons again! Talk about a discounted halloween, I think we had coupons for like half of the houses we went to this year.  Score.  Anyway...

This one was really good.  For a first year haunted house, they have really dumped a lot of money in this one.  It's all indoors (even the waiting in line, except for the buying of tickets) and the atmosphere is super awesome from the first step into the houses.  It boasts a larger size than it should, saying it's got 30000 sq ft of scariness, but they are counting the big open courtyard where you can mill about, buy snacks or wait in line.  It was nice, that at this house you could choose which order you wanted to go into the houses.  I think this really helped the flow of people through the houses, instead of corralling people like the herd of cattle to slaughter that they are.  We barely had to wait in line at all.

Also, there were lots of actors working and they were all pretty good.  The props and decorations were high class, I don't think we saw a production value this high in any other house (though the factory of terror was a close second to atmosphere). 

This isn't my favorite of the season but I think we all agreed it was the best house we went to this season, except maybe for Conneaut Lake Park.  But that was so far away it lost some points from the crew. 

This is a house I hope sticks around, we will be coming again next year!

Forsaken gets 9 out of 10 headless statues.