In the USA, there is a saying that Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer. Well, if that holds true, we are in for one heck of a hot summer, considering the weather we have been having over the past 7-10 days! Each day easily made it in to the 80s (27C +), which finally forced us to turn on our central air conditioning! A friend commented that since we are from Africa, we should be used this heat. True, in South Africa we had many days like these, but it was also uncomfortable there - without having the luxury of air conditioned homes! At least here in the USA, most modern houses have been built with central air. So if you have it, use it! Otherwise it's like driving around in first gear all the time, even though your car is equipped with 4 other gears... (that's my theory anyway!)
So what did the McCarthy's get up to on this warm long weekend?
On Saturday morning, I took Nathan to his second T-Ball match, where he had a great time, AND scored another run for his team. His team played better than in their previous game, but I don't think it was enough to secure the win. In Nathan's words: "It doesn't matter if we win or lose, as long as we have fun!" Pretty mature for my 5 year old :) His mother must have taught him that, because those that know me well, know I have this competitive streak in me that I struggle to subdue at times :P
After the game we came home, and a friend arrived to drop off their above ground pool for us. They had recently upgraded to a better, bigger model, and offered us their old pool. Of course we jumped at the chance, and soon we were filling up the pool in our backyard! This pool will definitely make our summer more bearable as the mercury rises past that 80 degree mark! Unfortunately it wasn't yet full enough to enjoy after I mowed the yard, but at least now I have an incentive the next time I cut the grass!
Josh enjoying a friend's antics in the old pool, while we are assembling the new pool
On Sunday, it was Liesel's turn to "play" with a new "toy". We had recently bought a carpet cleaner, and Liesel was determined to get the entire house's carpets spotless before the end of the long weekend! So what better time to get carpet cleaning, than when the 3 boys are out of the house for a few hours. At 8:45, I got the boys ready, and buckled into my car, and we headed to church, leaving Liesel to spend some quality time with her Hoover. Church was great, with an excellent preacher, and absolutely phenomenal worship set, led by my good friend, Ian. Afterward, we made a detour past a store to pick up more carpet cleaner for Liesel! Nathan's afternoon involved petting an alligator, and playing with some snakes at a classmate's birthday party. The friend's parents had arranged an animal trainer to bring some of his animals to entertain the kids! Nathan had so much fun, that he wasn't keen to leave when Liesel picked him up 3 hours later!
While Nathan was cuddling up to some reptiles, Liesel, Josh, a couple of our friends, and myself went for a leisurely bike ride at a local recreation center. It was a perfect afternoon for a ride, and a great way to spend time with our friends. Once we had made a couple of laps of the rec center, we headed back to our house for dinner, which consisted of salmon on the grill, corn and salad! The evening presented us with the some more great weather, and we enjoyed the food and fellowship on our patio. After our company left, and Josh headed inside for his bath, Nathan and I initiated our pool with the first swim! It was soooo refreshing! I know we are going to be enjoying this pool for a LONG time!
Monday morning was a lazy one, with the boys only getting out of their pajamas around 10am. Once the boys were presentable, I rallied them together again and headed to some more stores, giving Liesel the freedom to clean carpets again without interruption. We visited three stores before returning home for lunch. After lunch, Nathan spent most of the afternoon in the pool, while Josh spent most the afternoon looking for objects to go and drop into the pool! Liesel even ventured into the pool with Nathan after spending an hour and a half in the sun weeding! For dinner, I grilled some pork chops that Liesel had marinaded, and it was one of the best pork chops I had ever had. What a great way to end a long weekend. Now if only every weekend was a long weekend......
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
From San Francisco to Summer and Seasonal Allergies
Wow - such a lot has happened since last weekend, that I am not sure how to fit it all in one blog. I will do my best....
On Tuesday, I left the rainy weather in Cleveland behind as I flew out to one of my favorite places in the USA, San Francisco. Unfortunately it was not for pleasure, as I was attending the annual Google IO conference held in downtown San Francisco. But, since it was Google's conference, there was definitely some pleasure thrown into the daily programs!
The plane landed at SFO Airport at 11:30am, and I made my way to the train station at the airport. I caught the 11:55 train to downtown San Francisco. Once in the heart of the city, I managed to make my way to my hotel by 12:45pm. I checked in, freshened up and then headed straight to conference center down the street to register. The conference kicked off at 1:45pm. From that time on, I attended various sessions until 6:15 when a light supper was served. By this time I was ravenous, considering my last meal was the sugarless cornflakes that I was served on the plane that morning :(
On the second and third days of the conference, breakfast was served at 7:00am with the main keynotes starting between 8:30 and 9:00. The early breakfast fitted in perfectly with my schedule, considering that I was wide awake around 4:30am thanks to the under-rated phenomenon known as Jet-Lag. I was really impressed with the the way Google catered for the 5000+ attendees, and the food was fantastic. Each morning, breakfast consisted of your choice of bagels, doughnuts, croissants, muffins, fresh fruit, fruit juices, Starbucks coffee and teas! The lunch menu's were equally impressive! Did I mention that they also had candy stations available, where one could help his/herself to a variety of candy for that extra burst of energy, at any time of the day. Soft drinks, water and fruit juices were also freely available! And of course, Google kept our sugar levels soaring, with cookies, rice crispy treats and brownies for mid morning and afternoon snacks!
The highlights of the conference to me were the keynote speeches, where Google made numerous announcements and launched new products. I think I am most excited about Google TV coming in the September/October time-frame! Google (together with Sony and Logitech) will web enable your TV, making it so much more useful. This will allow you to look-up current programming, or any content that is on the web, such as youTube clips or archived episodes from hulu.com etc! Picture in Picture also enables you to surf the web, while keeping your eye on the TV! It will turn your television into an entertainment station, where you will be able to stream your holiday photos from your favorite online photo sites, or play music from sites such as Pandora during the day. The possibilities are infinite!! At least I have more than 3 months to come up with a decent justification as to why we need another TV in the house :P
The other highlight of the conference was when Google announced that they were giving every attendee the latest cellphone by HTC, which comes complete with an 8 megapixel camera, and HD video recorder built into it! This is over and above the free phone they sent us 4 weeks prior to the conference!!!
My last highlight (yes, I had many) was being taken out to dinner, by one of our business partners, to the Fisherman's Wharf. We had a delicious seafood meal, which was served to us within 5 minutes of us actually placing the order! I had the Chef's special, which consisted of shrimp on a skewer and some Ahi Tuna grilled on a Mesquite fire grill, which added a unique and delicious flavor to the entree! After the dinner, my colleague and I walked around the Wharf, taking in the sights and the San Francisco skyline before making our way back to the hotel.
On Friday evening, after surviving a very turbulent 4 hour flight, I landed at Cleveland's airport and was reunited with my beautiful family again!
Saturday saw Liesel and myself attending our first wedding here in the USA, which was everything we thought it would be. The bride was beautiful, the flower girls, adorable, and the ceremony touching. The reception was held at a Country Club, and our table overlooked the beautiful green golf course and huge trees lining the fairways. The food was simply incredible, and full of flavor. It was also nice to sit down and chat with some friends enjoy the afternoon together!
Sunday, was Nathan's favorite day of the week. He started out by going to Sunday School (like a regular Sunday for the McCarthy clan). But shortly after church, we went to the annual Sunday School Teacher's Appreciation Picnic, where our church thanks the teachers(of which Liesel is one) for their commitment and dedication throughout the year. It was held at a local playground, and Nathan had a blast playing with a number of his friends. Once the food was ready, Nathan and I polished our hamburgers, and he invited to a classmate's birthday party which started at 1pm. After dropping him off, Josh fell asleep in the car, and I headed back to the picnic to pick Liesel up. At 3pm, I fetched Nathan, and he was beaming from ear to ear, and when asked how the party was, he replied "Awesome!" The weather that day was hot and the skies were blue and only a gentle breeze tickled the foliage. It was the perfect evening to sit outside and enjoy the supper of chicken kebabs which I cooked on my grill. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and I had to embark on my 90 minute workout routine of cutting the grass :P
Now that my yard had been brought in line with the high standards set by my neighbors, I decided to reward myself with a home made coffee shake, and I put my feet up on my favorite couch, laid back and enjoyed the very last epic episode (150 minutes) of the Lost series! It was an excellent, and fitting close to the 6 season run of the series, and it will definitely be missed :( Now I have to find something else to fill up the void that now exists on a Tuesday night!
On Tuesday, I left the rainy weather in Cleveland behind as I flew out to one of my favorite places in the USA, San Francisco. Unfortunately it was not for pleasure, as I was attending the annual Google IO conference held in downtown San Francisco. But, since it was Google's conference, there was definitely some pleasure thrown into the daily programs!
The plane landed at SFO Airport at 11:30am, and I made my way to the train station at the airport. I caught the 11:55 train to downtown San Francisco. Once in the heart of the city, I managed to make my way to my hotel by 12:45pm. I checked in, freshened up and then headed straight to conference center down the street to register. The conference kicked off at 1:45pm. From that time on, I attended various sessions until 6:15 when a light supper was served. By this time I was ravenous, considering my last meal was the sugarless cornflakes that I was served on the plane that morning :(
On the second and third days of the conference, breakfast was served at 7:00am with the main keynotes starting between 8:30 and 9:00. The early breakfast fitted in perfectly with my schedule, considering that I was wide awake around 4:30am thanks to the under-rated phenomenon known as Jet-Lag. I was really impressed with the the way Google catered for the 5000+ attendees, and the food was fantastic. Each morning, breakfast consisted of your choice of bagels, doughnuts, croissants, muffins, fresh fruit, fruit juices, Starbucks coffee and teas! The lunch menu's were equally impressive! Did I mention that they also had candy stations available, where one could help his/herself to a variety of candy for that extra burst of energy, at any time of the day. Soft drinks, water and fruit juices were also freely available! And of course, Google kept our sugar levels soaring, with cookies, rice crispy treats and brownies for mid morning and afternoon snacks!
The highlights of the conference to me were the keynote speeches, where Google made numerous announcements and launched new products. I think I am most excited about Google TV coming in the September/October time-frame! Google (together with Sony and Logitech) will web enable your TV, making it so much more useful. This will allow you to look-up current programming, or any content that is on the web, such as youTube clips or archived episodes from hulu.com etc! Picture in Picture also enables you to surf the web, while keeping your eye on the TV! It will turn your television into an entertainment station, where you will be able to stream your holiday photos from your favorite online photo sites, or play music from sites such as Pandora during the day. The possibilities are infinite!! At least I have more than 3 months to come up with a decent justification as to why we need another TV in the house :P
The other highlight of the conference was when Google announced that they were giving every attendee the latest cellphone by HTC, which comes complete with an 8 megapixel camera, and HD video recorder built into it! This is over and above the free phone they sent us 4 weeks prior to the conference!!!
My last highlight (yes, I had many) was being taken out to dinner, by one of our business partners, to the Fisherman's Wharf. We had a delicious seafood meal, which was served to us within 5 minutes of us actually placing the order! I had the Chef's special, which consisted of shrimp on a skewer and some Ahi Tuna grilled on a Mesquite fire grill, which added a unique and delicious flavor to the entree! After the dinner, my colleague and I walked around the Wharf, taking in the sights and the San Francisco skyline before making our way back to the hotel.
On Friday evening, after surviving a very turbulent 4 hour flight, I landed at Cleveland's airport and was reunited with my beautiful family again!
Saturday saw Liesel and myself attending our first wedding here in the USA, which was everything we thought it would be. The bride was beautiful, the flower girls, adorable, and the ceremony touching. The reception was held at a Country Club, and our table overlooked the beautiful green golf course and huge trees lining the fairways. The food was simply incredible, and full of flavor. It was also nice to sit down and chat with some friends enjoy the afternoon together!
Sunday, was Nathan's favorite day of the week. He started out by going to Sunday School (like a regular Sunday for the McCarthy clan). But shortly after church, we went to the annual Sunday School Teacher's Appreciation Picnic, where our church thanks the teachers(of which Liesel is one) for their commitment and dedication throughout the year. It was held at a local playground, and Nathan had a blast playing with a number of his friends. Once the food was ready, Nathan and I polished our hamburgers, and he invited to a classmate's birthday party which started at 1pm. After dropping him off, Josh fell asleep in the car, and I headed back to the picnic to pick Liesel up. At 3pm, I fetched Nathan, and he was beaming from ear to ear, and when asked how the party was, he replied "Awesome!" The weather that day was hot and the skies were blue and only a gentle breeze tickled the foliage. It was the perfect evening to sit outside and enjoy the supper of chicken kebabs which I cooked on my grill. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and I had to embark on my 90 minute workout routine of cutting the grass :P
Now that my yard had been brought in line with the high standards set by my neighbors, I decided to reward myself with a home made coffee shake, and I put my feet up on my favorite couch, laid back and enjoyed the very last epic episode (150 minutes) of the Lost series! It was an excellent, and fitting close to the 6 season run of the series, and it will definitely be missed :( Now I have to find something else to fill up the void that now exists on a Tuesday night!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Crazy, Busy, Non-stop, Fun!
Those four words sum up our weekend pretty accurately. There was no recovery time built into this weekend, and we all just had to keep pushing to make it through unscathed!
The action started on Friday evening, as friends hosted a "Lost" fanatics party at the church. This was the perfect opportunity to brush up on our "Lost" trivia, and share our theories on what the upcoming final episode will reveal.
Our Saturday schedule consisted of shopping, planting, T-Ball practice, hamburger grilling, bicycle ride at the Westlake Rec, and the some delicious ice cream and frozen yogurt at Mitchell's (my choice for Family Fun night). Oh yes, after the boys went to bed, I installed some new blinds in the playroom!!
Sunday did not offer us any rest either. Liesel took Nathan to have his official T-Ball photographs taken with his team before church, and then later joined Josh and me at the service. Afterward there was more shopping, a quick lunch, and then Nathan and I participated in Avon's Little League Opening Day parade! Nathan was especially elated to see Avon's Fire Trucks leading the parade, and the police who had blocked off the roads for us! He also had great fun throwing his lollipops at the children lining the parade route! The parade ended at the Avon Little League field, where all the teams sat on the field, and listened patiently as the president of the league and the mayor of Avon gave their inspirational speeches!
Once we returned home, I mowed the lawn while Josh slept! So all in all, it was a hectic, but enjoyable weekend!
The action started on Friday evening, as friends hosted a "Lost" fanatics party at the church. This was the perfect opportunity to brush up on our "Lost" trivia, and share our theories on what the upcoming final episode will reveal.
Our Saturday schedule consisted of shopping, planting, T-Ball practice, hamburger grilling, bicycle ride at the Westlake Rec, and the some delicious ice cream and frozen yogurt at Mitchell's (my choice for Family Fun night). Oh yes, after the boys went to bed, I installed some new blinds in the playroom!!
Sunday did not offer us any rest either. Liesel took Nathan to have his official T-Ball photographs taken with his team before church, and then later joined Josh and me at the service. Afterward there was more shopping, a quick lunch, and then Nathan and I participated in Avon's Little League Opening Day parade! Nathan was especially elated to see Avon's Fire Trucks leading the parade, and the police who had blocked off the roads for us! He also had great fun throwing his lollipops at the children lining the parade route! The parade ended at the Avon Little League field, where all the teams sat on the field, and listened patiently as the president of the league and the mayor of Avon gave their inspirational speeches!
Once we returned home, I mowed the lawn while Josh slept! So all in all, it was a hectic, but enjoyable weekend!
Sunday, May 02, 2010
McCarthy Tree and Shrub Removal Service
With the great weekend weather that we were blessed with, it was time to get into the garden for an "Extreme Makeover: Landscaping Edition". Well to be honest, we were just getting started, and it will take a number of weekends to get our desired results. So Liesel and I removed 2 shrubs, and a tree from some of the beds (Sorry Mother Nature, they will soon be replaced!) The shrubs came out pretty easily, unlike the fir tree that put up a pretty good fight!
Josh has been hit with the stomach flu for the last few days, so we stayed at home as much as possible. This meant that we had to get take out from Moe's for Nathan's Family Fun Night. Actually it worked out well, because it was the perfect evening to eat outdoors on our patio, for the first time this season! But it also meant that Liesel had to stay at home on Sunday, when Nathan and I went to church. The highlight of the church service was the song performed by our Children's choir, the full orchestra and the Providence One Voice Choir. It was beautifully arranged and the children's pieces stole the show! See the video clip below!
This weekend, we also went driving many miles in search of the elusive bike rack for our car. The two local Sears stores did not have any, so we eventually just ordered it online. Until it arrives, our bicycle adventures will be confined to our neighborhood. This is not a bad thing, and we cycled around the neighborhood numerous times on Sunday, even in the refreshing drizzle!
I leave you with some photos of Nathan and his art! Liesel went to Nathan's Preschool's Art Show on Thursday night, and we were so proud of Nathan and his beautiful creations!
Josh has been hit with the stomach flu for the last few days, so we stayed at home as much as possible. This meant that we had to get take out from Moe's for Nathan's Family Fun Night. Actually it worked out well, because it was the perfect evening to eat outdoors on our patio, for the first time this season! But it also meant that Liesel had to stay at home on Sunday, when Nathan and I went to church. The highlight of the church service was the song performed by our Children's choir, the full orchestra and the Providence One Voice Choir. It was beautifully arranged and the children's pieces stole the show! See the video clip below!
This weekend, we also went driving many miles in search of the elusive bike rack for our car. The two local Sears stores did not have any, so we eventually just ordered it online. Until it arrives, our bicycle adventures will be confined to our neighborhood. This is not a bad thing, and we cycled around the neighborhood numerous times on Sunday, even in the refreshing drizzle!
I leave you with some photos of Nathan and his art! Liesel went to Nathan's Preschool's Art Show on Thursday night, and we were so proud of Nathan and his beautiful creations!
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