Mary

I went to bed at 9pm last night, a half hour or so after Josh, and didn't get up until 9am this morning.  I didn't feel rested before that (Josh tried to get me to go have "breakfast" with him at 6:30am because he was hungrier than he was tired, but I was too tired for that).  Josh kept me up some, with his sneezing and wheezing, but not that much.  I feel a lot better this morning, and so does he.  He fairly clearly had a fever last night... I should have realized immediately when I got home and turned down the heat because it was so beastly hot inside.  But it was pretty clear when I found him in bed under both down comforters with the bedroom temperature reading 71 degrees.  We've been sleeping under both down comforters lately, but the heat went on for the first time this season yesterday... so previously we'd been using both down comforters when it was like 59 degrees in the bedroom.  I finally got him to take his temperature at 6 in the morning, which in hindsight he thinks was actually after the fever broke (he'd already tossed off some of the covers), and it came in at 100.3.  Makes me wonder what it was before...  But anyhow, his temperature was all the way down to normal by the time we got up this morning.  I'm working on my fancy dress and I think we're on for the party tonight (yay!)... though I think perhaps we should refrain from bringing a potluck dish, just in case we are still contagious, beyond the big giant bowl of leftover candy. 

Anyway, I hope I really truly am better this morning.  I so don't want to come down with what Josh had... he was pretty miserable. 

Did I mention that Josh and I signed up to play Volleyball with people from work? Anyhow, our first practice was today, and driving over there I was thinking to myself, "Why did I sign up for this? I'm going to have a horrible time and then feel bad about quitting but worse about staying on the team," but instead I had a really really really good time. I'd forgotten how much I liked volleyball... and I don't suck quite as much as I remembered either. Also, I don't think I've ever played in sand before. I actually liked it because I'm so clumsy to begin with it wasn't that much of a hindrance... and it hurts a lot less to fall down on than I've imagine the gym floor would (and tried very hard to avoid learning about first hand). We also purchased a volleyball on the way home so that I can maybe get in some extra practice and learn how to sometimes make the ball go in the desired direction rather than a random direction when I hit it. That would be useful...

Yay volleyball! Yay socialization!

We had a busy weekend. I don't really recall what we did on Friday. Probably we tried to relax a little. Saturday we got up early (for the weekend), and drove down to Mandy and Ed's place. We arrived in time for lunch and enjoyed visiting with Mandy and Ed. Eventually the Hyde Park folks got out of bed and made their way out to Oak Park too, and we got to see them. Then we went to Newt's 30 birthday party and had a great time there too. Talked some, played some bridge, and got attacked by children who wanted to have tickle fights with me and other such things as needing me to play jumping games with them and do the hokie pokie. Afterward we had another nice visit with Mandy and Ed in the evening, and then in the morning over Mandy's yummy french toast. It was very nice to see everyone, and I'm really glad that my work trip half of this weekend's trip got cancelled and I didn't have to cut everything short by leaving at 8pm to go to my hotel to go to sleep so I could get up ungodly early.

Then we drove home... by way of Prime Outlets for a lid, and ended up taking forever while Josh tried on lots of pants and dress shoes. We eventually found a promising pair of potential dance shoes and bought them... a major accomplishment... the last time he found a pair of potential dance shoes that seemed likely enough to try to buy, we were also shopping for wedding shoes for him. Yes, our wedding. No, he didn't end up liking them as dance shoes. Then we continued on home, but stopped at Goodwill, where we took forever while I tried on pants. I found some good dress pants that I've been feeling a lack of for go-lives, and we also somehow brought home a nice pair of dry clean only dress pants for Josh... one of us put them in the cart for him to try on, and whichever of us that was forgot to do anything about them getting tried on. Didn't realize the mistake until the tag was off... but they do at least fit him very well... which is good, because they fit me like crap. However, the awesome purchase of the day was this beautiful painting of a sunset over a stream flowing out of a lake next to a little cottage surrounded by snow covered evergreen trees. Very pretty.

Then when we finally got home, there was a UHaul outside Chris and Mandy's townhouse. Mandy was over at their new house, and Chris was loading the UHaul. We helped load it and with some packing, then went over to the new house with him and helped upload. (Small loads because the new house is 1/2 mile away.) We got a tour of their lovely new house, then went back with Chris for another load while Mandy went to the grocery store and made some dinner. Chris and Mandy, who have been at this since Friday, were pretty beat and decided that since everything that wont fit in the car was moved, they were done moving for a little while. There's still a lot of stuff at their old place, but they have the old place until the end of June... so plenty of time for those remaining trips. We had a nice visit with them over dinner and ice cream. I think we would have become better friends with them during the past 5 months had they not been so busy with getting married and buying a house and all that. We are a little disappointed they ended up buying a house this summer... they'd been planning to wait until next summer because Mandy had a condo in Milwaukee that wasn't selling, but then they discovered they could get a bridge loan, and then they finally sold Mandy's condo anyway. Anyhow, like I said, they are only moving a half mile... so not far or anything. Hopefully they like us well enough already that the difference between next door and 1/2 mile wont matter.

Then we finally actually come home, and turned around and went directly to the grocery store, which was closed because it was 8:30. Then we came home again and did laundry, a little (not nearly enough) clean up, showered, and wrote this Livejournal entry. Now I will go to bed because it is late and tomorrow there is work. So much for getting out to Indiana Jones tonight, or working on my desk project anymore... maybe tomorrow. It's good to be busy though.

Jeff: Do you have a ride to lunch?
Me: I don't know. [to Lisa] Lisa?
Lisa: Sure.
Me: [to Jeff] Yep.
Jeff: [walks away, walks back] Wait, so you need a ride or you don't need a ride?
Lisa: She's riding with me.
Me: [to Jeff] You didn't get that from our two word conversation?

I'm really going to miss her...

Persons who take an interest in backpacking should read this, even those who have already turned me down for this weekend. Others may skip it.

Rachel, Ed, Mandy, Benj... please respond with a preference, or to let me know that you don't care. Otherwise I'll think you haven't seen this, and then will have to see about learning to use a phone.

( Read more... )

Also, had a nice chat with my dad tonight about his surgery yesterday and the bookshelf Josh and I are building.  It's not very often that I actually talk with him on the phone.  Sometimes I call home when he is home and my mom puts it on speaker phone and he listens in, but normally it's just me and my mom talking.  It was nice to have a long talk with my dad... and I think he had good input on the bookcase project. 

My mom has Scott Parker over. They are making adventure pants. Awesome.

As of the last version of Scott's adventure pants that I heard about, they were zip offs with lots of cargo pockets and stuff, and Kevlar in the seat of the pants to keep them from wearing out as quickly. I wouldn't be surprised if they also include such things as a special pocket for the GPS so it can be out and get good visibility to the satellites without needing to hold it in your hand (he used to have a hat for that). They are for wearing on Scott Parker Hiking Adventures.

This totally makes me sad I wasn't visiting my parents for Thanksgiving so I could be making adventure pants with Scott and my mom too.

I would have to say that hiking at Starved Rock seemed to be a success. We didn't cover as much distance as I expected, and it didn't take as long as I expected, but I think we managed to wear ourselves out... or at least wear many of ourselves out. It was pretty, and wooded, and the weather was just about as perfect as I could have asked for. There was only one waterfall that we went to, and it was tiny, but it was also kind of cool in that it was very accessible. It was rather a significant drive away, but I really enjoyed doing something different than what we normally do, and I got the impression that others felt similarly. Also, it was fun to see Benj for the first time in ages.

( Also, I took some photos )

Hiking... This Saturday, the 22nd... Starved Rock State Park...

Josh and I are planning on going. Anybody care to join us?

Also, there are mounds nearby at Buffalo Rock State Park, and aparently Matthiessen State Park is right up the road and has even more waterfalls, nifty bridges, and less people (but only a 2.2 mile loop trail). Probably there wont be time to do everything, but there should be plenty to choose from.

Anyway, it looks like it will be lots of fun.

Info about locations follows for interested parties (I also have a book from the library with more info on these):
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Info on logistics will be forth coming if anyone expresses interest in joining us.

Oh, yeah, and it's just under 2 hours from us... probably more like 1.5 hours from Ed and Mandy.

* May 19 (or sometime later) - "The Da Vinci Code"
* May 26 (or sometime later) - "X-men 3"
* May 27-29 - Camping in Wisconsin w/ Ed and Mandy
* June 13-18 - Anniversary Trip and E&M Wedding (tickets not yet purchased)
* June 20-July 25 - "Tennis Under the Lights" every Tuesday and Thursday evening (Des Plaines Park District - registration sent, awaiting confirmation)
* June 26-August 21 - "Beginning Yoga" every Monday evening (Des Plaines Park District - registration sent, awaiting confirmation)
* June 30-July 2 - Celebration Weekend Contra Dance in Indianapolis... likely with Micah and Ariel (?), possibly also Nick (?), maybe other people too, but I don't think we know anyone else in the area who contra dances. However, I'm not sure about us providing transportation as we are thinking of camping at the dance site and may continue on to Cincinnati afterward to see Josh's parents. (Register before June 15th if possible, http://www.indycontra.org/Dances/Celebration_Dance_Weekend/FullDetails.php)
* July 2-4 - Visit Josh's parents (?)
* Labor day - do something fun and exciting of some sort
* At some point (or multiple points) - Check out the water park down the street

This looks like it's going to be a fun summer.

This list should be especially useful to Rachel. She can use it to plan her trips to Chicago so that she is always here when I have other plans.