The Cape July 3, 2008

For every Fourth of July, we come up to the cape to spend time with John’s family (well, we didn’t come up last 4th, but that was due to circumstances beyond our control).  And it is great - a little nutty with all the kiddos and just sheer amount of people around, but always a good time.

Whenever I see all the huge, beautiful hydranga bushes, I know we have arrived.  I love them!  The flowers clusters are just so lovely and plump.

And I have been really surprised at how much I am enjoying the nieces (well, technically my niece-in-laws, since they are Boom’s sister’s kids, but whatever…).  I am not around kids that are 9 and 8 very much, and really didn’t know what to expect.  But I really am enjoying them!  They are so much more self-sufficient and talkative (very talkative) and can walk down to the beach and back with me (I was afraid they wouldn’t be able to walk that much, and their mom laughed at me!).

Meg is the oldest (L), Ash is 8 (M) and C is probably around 7 (R).   (Meg and Ash are Boom’s oldest sisters kids; C is his middle sisters kid)  Aren’t they adorable?!

We are taking Meg and Ash to see the Chatham A’s play the Harwich team tonight.  We’ve been to 1 game before, many years ago, and I just remember that it was seriously chilly.

Which is another reason I am really enjoying our visit this year - the contrast in weather to H-town is huge!  And I don’t mind the break from the heavy humid and hot air.  We went for a run today around 9am, and it was still fairly cool!  and post run, there was a great breeze, so we just hung out on the driveway and enjoyed it.

Since Boom’s parent’s house backs up to conservation land, this is the scenery I enjoy from the back porch.  Can you hear the wind whistling through the trees?  Can you feel the cool breeze?  It is awesome.

Boom’s oldest sister that currently lives in Chicago just bought a summer home about 15 minutes away from Boom’s parents.  I am pretty sure Boom’s mom really wants us to do the same some day, but that would be many moons from now.  We’ve got to get our R house sold and then get the new house furnished…  That could be her consolation prize, since we are now in Texas and not moving away anytime soon.  And who wouldn’t love that - to get away from the oppressive heat each summer?  All in good time, I suppose, and it is always nice to have a pipe dream..

San Diego, cont. June 24, 2008

Check out our first night activities here.

The next day, we went to La Jolla to check it out.

Dolphins frolicking in the ocean!

It was really quite beautiful! and the weather was unbelievable!

Boom got into town and we went to the Hotel del Coronado (or “the Del” as it is known), out on Coronado island.

Very glamorous! We then headed to an early bird dinner, as we thought Kandy A’s flight was getting in around 9pm. But there was some miscommunication and that was actually when the 2nd leg of her flight was leaving! So eventually Kandy A and Gretty got into SD - yay!

The next morning, for the 2nd morning in a row for Cubs and I, we went to the Mission for bfast. So delish! Everyone was starved, so it really hit the spot!

This is where we overheard other marathoners talking about wanting to go to the Olive Garden for dinner that night, but how the OG doesn’t take reservations… too funny! Gretty and Kandy A had the best tofu ever as part of their meal!

Then onto the race expo…

Here are the excited runners!

Since I didn’t have time to make my own sign, I at least was able to find the place where I could write on a sign. This side is for Boom, the other side (pink) was for Kandy A.

Then we met up with Gretty’s excellent friend, Kurt, who is a Navy SEAL! We headed back to The Del to let the others experience it and have some more lovely drinks.

Kurt was the instigator of getting fruity drinks… Twist our arms!

He was also kind enough to pay for all the drinks with a gift card that had been re-gifted to him. Niiiiiiice!

Cubs and Gretty stayed out that night with Kurt and his SEAL buddies - and hung as VIPs in a bar with bottle service! Those gals know how to live it up!

The next morning, I think they were hurting just a little bit. But they were good sports and got up early with me to go see Kandy A and Boom at the half way point.

Here we are on the trolly to get to the half way point. The trolly system there was very odd - buying tickets seemed to be optional, as there was no system that ensured that only people with tickets boarded the trolly.

Kandy A at the half way point - she zoomed by us really early on! (I guess that is what happens when you run a 3:25 marathon).

After that, we were waiting, and waiting, and waiting for Boom! So many green shirts - but no Boom. I was really getting worried, and rightly so.

When he gets to us, he can’t breath and really needs his puffer for his ashtma. Poor guy, ran 4 miles barely being able to breath!

After seeing him, Cubs and I dropped Gretty off at the 24 mile mark so she could run the last couple miles with Boom. We also go to see Kandy A at this point.

She definitely seemed less chipper, but who wouldn’t be?

Then Cubs and I proceeded to walk the rest of the marathon so that we could get to the finish area. This is slightly painful, as we were in jeans and flip flops and it had really warmed up. But what was worse was when we would pass folks on the course. I know how they feel and it just stinks!!!

We got to the finish area (Marine Corps recruiting depot - much nicer than we had expected!) and it was PACKED! Throngs of people. We finally wedged our way onto a fence that lined the course - and also met up with Kandy A. Kandy A and Cubs headed back to the hotel (as we needed to be checked out by noon - highly annoying), and I waited to see Boom and Gretty…

When I saw them pass me, I then made my way back to the actual finish line area. It was so crazy! So many people everywhere! I thought there would be no way in a million years that I would be able to find them. I saw them in the runners coral and I screamed and yelled to get their attention. Nada. So I then ran to where I thought they might come out, and they did. Thankfully, otherwise there would have been no way to find them!

I think that is a smile of relief, to be done! Good job, Boom! We took the trolly back and actually beat Kandy A and Cubs to the hotel room!

A post-race victory photo!

After checking out of the hotel, we headed to a beachy place called South Beach for lunch. Kurt met us there later… It was crowded and reminded us a lot of Sidewalk Cafe in Richmond.

We ate our fill, drank a little, Kandy A got picked up by her friend to spend the rest of the day together, and Boom and I needed to head to the airport. Kurt led us in a sneaky little shortcut, and Cubs and Gretty returned the rental car early (for a rebate of $100! Woot woot!).

When Boom and I landed in H-town, he said to me, “The gals haven’t even gotten on their redeye back home.” Crazy. It was a great trip with great friends. I hope we can do it again soon! I know some of the ladies are gonna sign up for the Houston marathon, which Boom is planning on doing. I may do the half or just be the cheerleader again!

Drapes live again! June 23, 2008

Sometimes home improvement projects at our house can turn into not so fun hours of cursing and a battle of Man Vs. Manmade.  So I always hesitate to ask Boom to undertake any home improvement project - and when I do ask, I am usually filled with dread and fear - and I always have my “Don’t worry, honey, we can get the handy man to do it” line ready to blurt out.  But our new handy man down here is not like our awesome handyman in RIC - he just isn’t as good, so it ends up taking a lot more time and thus costing more.

So that is why I asked Boom to put up a drapery rod I got in anticipation of our first “real” out of town (state, really!) visitor coming on Thursday.  (There is nothing better than someone coming to visit or throwing a party that will really spur me onto getting the house into order, or at least more order).  And this, our first home improvement project here in H-town, was relatively not too painful!  I was really proud of Boom and how well he did.

Prep stage - Boom always like to be prepared and plan out the task, almost a little too much, for my taste.  But that is why he always has all the tools he needs and if it were me, I’d have to make 5 trips to the garage for different items.

Nearly done!  Looks good - and not too many curses came out of his mouth.

Voila!  The finished project.  As a side note, Boom ordered the drapes from someplace like Pottery Barn about 10 years ago!  He used them in ATL when he lived there for a year, but then we just moved them around with us - they went from ATL, to Arlington, VA (3 different apts), then to C’ville then to RIC and now they are finally up again in H-town.  When we were in RIC, I wanted to cut them up to use them in craft projects - good thing Boom was smart enough to say, let’s wait until we get down to H-town.  I think they are just  stop gap drapes, but maybe I can line them and spruce them up… they literally are like new.

Team Sea Lion May 29, 2008

I am headed to San Diego today for the marathon this Sunday! Boom and Kandy A will be running. Cubby, myself and Gretty will be spectating (well, Gretty may run the last few miles with Boom). Kandy A will likely be running a 3:15 - 3:20. Boom, who really stopped training a while ago, says the writing is on the wall and that there is nothing else that he can do… so he’s shooting for a 4:00 time. Will just be great to take a little trip and see some of gals and hang out.

I had grand plans of making a sign and t-shirts for all of us, but being in flux has been much harder than I thought it would be. So none of that stuff this time (unlike Austin) - perhaps next time. I think Boom is going to sign up for Houston (which I did back in 2006) - it is a good one, and since we live here, it will be easy, in terms of logistics. I hope some of Team Sea Lion decide to sign up for it as well!

I haven’t been to SD since I was in lower school - going to Sea World and that sort of thing. With all the stuff that has been going on with the move, I really haven’t had time to do any research or plan anything out. Luckily, Cubby has been on the ball about that stuff. And Gretty has a friend who lives there that may be taking us around to the local spots.

Likely I won’t be able to post until I get back home on Sunday night, so wish Boom luck (Kandy A doesn’t need it) and ciao for now!

This is How Funny Boom is… May 28, 2008

A comment from my last post from Boom, but I thought it hilarious enough to bring in as a guest blog:

It is time to “Pull the Plug” on the myth that Peanut Butter and Cheese are not natural snacking compatriots. Recent archealogical findings support the combination of cheese and peanut butter all the way back to the stone age. Rudimentary cave drawings and handtools indicate the wooly mammoth milk was churned into cheese and combined with a milled peanut based past to create a tasty snack used to help the neanderthal man survive the long cold winter seasons. It is believed that this snack was also used by the Norse warriors and trappers to help survive the long treks across Iceland and Greenland on big game hunts.

It was not until the late 1800s early 1900s that the two staples took inexplicably different paths when peanut butter was combined with jam/jelly/bananas and other sweet fruit flavored products while cheese was combined with salty meats.
Theorists believe that it was the invention of the ice-box that was the driving force in the separation of these products.

The cheese and peanut-butter sandwich made a strong come-back in the late 1960s when NASA combined this tasty snack with a sweet orange drink TANG as the primary food source for astronauts training for the “moon misssion.” if you watch closely you can actually see that Neal Armstrong has a cheese and peanut-butter sandwich in his hand just prior to emerging from the space capsule to set foot on the moon.

The snack has ebbed and flowed since with the tide of numerous faddish American diets that have swept the nation.
A few noble individuals, such as Boom Boom, have made efforts to make sure that this treasure is not lost and will be enjoyed for generations to come.

We should all take a minute to show our appreciation for these individuals (cowboys/pilgrims/enablers/patriots/barrons/financiers) whatever you might call them!

A Meal that will Plug You Up May 27, 2008

Unfortunately, we didn’t eat before our cultural excursion on Saturday night, so by the end of the Pink Martini set, I was starving. And really, I couldn’t enjoy them as much as I wanted to since I was so hungry, and I feel bad, since I am sure they are great on a full stomach. We tried to go to a local quick serve place (Taco Milagro) that was supposed to be open until midnight, but by 1030pm when we got there, there was no more food being served and it was just a scene (live music, all the hoochies out in full force, the usual).

So we came on home, assuming at most places are 1) closed or 2) mainly bars by 11pm. I toasted up some very hearty 12-grain bread that we had to make some PBJs for us. Boom told me he just wanted PB, no J. Then he proceeded to make his signature PB and cheese sandy.

I had totally forgotten about that fav of his. I’ve never tasted a PBC, despite Boom’s repeated badgering of me to do so. He’s all like, You like peanut butter and you love cheese. The combo of them together is delish - how could it NOT be?!

The Real Reason Boom wants me down in H-town ASAP May 9, 2008

Boom’s other co-worked down in H-town is somewhat of a partier.  And Boom gets brought into all of his plans of going out.  Last night they went to Rich’s - the largest dance club inside the loop!  And were out until 3am!!!

Boom called me before they left the hotel - he thought that it might be a gay club (but I hadn’t heard of it from Yarbs) so he thought he might run into Yarbs and Josephine.  Turns out it is not a gay club, he thinks there were likely some gay men there, but there were also a lot of ladies and straight peeps as well.  He said it was packed.  and totally crazy.  So his new fav spot

So Boom is hurting this morning - in part of his moaning, he was all like, I can’t wait for you to get down here to save me from going out!  My body can’t handle it anymore!

Ha, so now I know the real reason he is so anxious to get me down… somehow I don’t think that he will be exempt from all forays into Houston nightlife, but definitely think the wife card can get him out of at least a few.  As long as he doesn’t try to drag me out with him and his partying co-worker…

So that’s where they hang out… May 6, 2008

Saturday night, after dinner at Reef, we decided to check out what midtown had to offer in terms of bars. We asked our server and he recommended Pub Fiction (which Boom had been to on a Thursday night) and Howl at the Moon, a dueling piano bar. Since they are around the corner from each other, we thought it would a good area, ’cause if we didn’t like one, we could go to the other.

When Boom went to Pub Fiction last time, on a Thursday night, it was packed!  He said there was barely any room to even get a drink.  Well, I guess they start up a bit later than 9:15pm on Saturday nights, as it was empty!  We saw nary a soul on the patio nor in the bar itself.  So we headed over to Howl at the Moon…

The bouncer commented on Boom and I’s matching flip flops (Rainbows), there was a $7 cover (whatever) and when we walked in, it  was all ladies!  Boom and I looked at each other and were just laughing.  He was like, Is this a lesbian bar?  Literally, there were maybe 4 other men there besides Boom.  And there were at least 4 bachlorette parties there!  Finally, we’ve found the H-town bar where all the bachlorettes go!  HA!

We figured out it was not a lesbian bar, but just attracts lots of women, with the dueling pianos - and the duelers sing and entertain.  By the time we were finishing up our beers, there were more people and men there, and even more bachlorette parties.  It was very odd - we kind felt like we were in the Twilight Zone or Punk’d or something.

At least we can say we’ve checked it out (though I don’t think we should let many people know), and I don’t think we’ll be going back any time soon (but if you are a single male, that is where you would have some good odds).  At least not unless I am attending a bachlorette party…

High Roller May 3, 2008

As we headed to the hotel yesterday, I joked with Boom that the Four Seasons is my home away from home in H-town. And wondered if any of the hotel peeps would recognize me. Sure enough, as one of the valet guys opens my door, he is all like, Welcome to… (the recognition sets in), I mean, Welcome back to the Four Seasons. It was hilarious! Not that really expected them to remember me, though there was one day I got the car out of the garage no less than 3 times (so perhaps I am infamous).

The last time we were here, Boom got a really great room. It was HUGE! and I really enjoyed it - good old 1201. This time, he warned me, his new company had negotiated a new rate with the Four Seasons, so that I should expect a crappy room close to the elevators. I wanted Boom to ask to see if we could get the same room as last time, and he refused. So, when we were checking in, I decided to take matters into my own hands:

Do you think we can get the same room as last time? - me to the guy behind the counter

(Guy squints at his computer screen) No, you guys are in a better room - a suite! - at a better rate!

Hmmm - Ok great. - Me, thinking, I will be the judge if it is indeed a “better room”…

We are in a suite, and it is just fine, but I do think I liked room 1201 better. 1201 was just so large, and in a corner, and the bed was really far from the door. But it will do…

Anyway, we get a card slipped under our door, asking us to call this number for our “Private Service amenity” to be delivered to our room. Boom calls, and literally 20 seconds later there is a knock at the door. A lady comes in (I am in the bed, just resting) and sets up a bottle of water, towel, 2 apples and a flower with a note on our table. Totally random. And the note is from the Front Desk Manager, welcoming Boom back to the Four Seasons, and how it is difficult to be away from friends, family and the comforts of home for “long periods of time”, blah blah blah… I guess when you stay at the Four Seasons for 17 days over 4 weeks, you are a VIP!

El Tiempo and beyond May 2, 2008

Last night we went to El Tiempo - a very yummy mex restaurant here in H-town.

I had fish & crab tacos - which were SO good!  (Much better than the ones I had a Cont Divide just the night before in C’ville)  They came with queso that had a little kick in it - and that was just delish.  It is kinda weird for me to put cheese sauce on fish, but it really worked and tasted very good.  They also had a Tres Leches (Three Milk) cake that we ordered to see how it compared to the tres leches cake at Kuba Kuba in Richmond.  Honestly, I liked the Kuba Kuba tres leches better, but Boom claimed to like the El Tiempo tres leches better.

He is a funny one - now that we are nearly moved into our new home town, everything here (in H-town) clearly must be better than what was in RIC.  But really, the tres leches at ET tasted just like a strawberry shortcake - it had pieces of strawberry on it and in it.  It was good, but not as good as the tres leches at KK.  Boom just liked that the ET tres leches did not have those little silver balls (dragees) that the KK tres leches has on it (they are rather hard).

Anyway, it was a delicious Tex Mex meal - I think my first on in H-town so far!  I think Houston will be going against me in my quest to lose weight and eat less.  There seem to be lots of good restaurants that we want to try out!  I guess I just need to keep my wits about me and focus on just having a little taste of things, and keeping portions under control and skipping dessert (both of which are my downfalls!).

Afterwards, we met up with Yarbs at Cova, a wine bar across the street.  Since her hubby Josephine hates us, he did not come with her.  (Just kidding - hopefully he does not really hate us… he was out with the gays at some gay bar).  It was like a meat locker in Cova - so freaking cold!  I guess that is what happens in H-town, since it is so hot and humid outside, inside is always freezing.  I got a flight of champagnes - but really only liked the Brut from Spain.

It was great to see Yarbs and hang out for a bit - she is out of town this weekend (blah) for a work retreat in Ohio (very random).  But we’ll be down here full time pretty soon, so there will be much hanging out in our future!

P.S.  The weather has started getting much warmer and steamier compared to last visit.  By the time we are fully down here, it will be hot and humid, for sure.  Ruby won’t know what hit her!