Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
twenty one and a half hours of driving: totally worth it!
I think I must have set some sort of record for most hours spent in traffic over three successive days! Last Wednesday, a colleague and I flew in to LaGuardia airport in New York airport and endured the infamous New York City traffic jams which took us about two and a half hours to travel 26 miles to the hotel!! On Thursday afternoon, we left our client at 3:30pm, and suffered the same fate.... arriving back at the airport just before 6pm! Good thing our flight was scheduled for 7pm! Unfortunately, the inconveniences didn't end there, as our connection from Philadelphia to Cleveland was delayed by an hour and a half, and instead of arriving at 11pm, our plane landed in Cleveland at midnight. By the time I got home, it was after 12:30am and I knew I had to wake up again in a few hours to embark on our drive up to Green Bay!
So on Friday morning we left at 7:45am and headed westwards toward Chicago, and then north to our destination. After about 6 hours of driving, we finally saw the skyline of Chicago, which got me all excited! Unbeknown to me, we would be getting plenty of close up views of Chicago's skyscrapers when we got stuck in their painful traffic jam which lasted a minimum of 90 minutes, of stop start driving on their highways :(
To make a long story short, it took us eleven and a half long hours until we pulled up in the Edgar's driveway! It was wonderful having the family come out and greet us! Nathan bonded instantly with the Edgar children, and I think that some lifelong bonds have been formed between him, JP, Liam and Clair! Together they had some great adventures and made many memories together. On Saturday, the McCarthy's spent the morning with the Edgar's at Heritage Hill, a State Park filled with history from Belgian settlers. Later that evening, after dinner, some of us went to go and kick a rugby ball (something I haven't done since High School days) at the local high school! This was a great way to work off the calories from the delicious meals that we were given! Once we returned to their home, Liesel's other aunt's family were picked up at the airport and the reunion was sweet! The house was filled with 15 relatives, each enjoying the company of the others!
On Sunday, we first headed to the Edgar's church, which was enjoyable. Then it was home for lunch, and later, off to Lake Michigan! The Edgars have a 3-person kayak, which we took out on to the beautiful blue lake. Nathan, myself and Uncle Terence went for a paddle down the coast line and back, and this was the highlight of my (and Nath's) weekend! The rest of our time at the lake was spent in the water, throwing a frisbee, or hitting a volleyball! Even Nathan got to try out some of his newly acquired swimming skills! Unfortunately all good things had to come to an end, and we had to return for dinner and our last night in Green Bay. Nathan was very emotional as we bade farewell on Monday morning, and started our long drive home. On the upside, I avoided Chicago completely, and the traffic flowed well for the majority of the trip! That, combined with Nathan's improved bladder control, cut our trip down by one and three quarter hours, arriving back home after only 9 hours and 45 minutes!!
Photos will be posted shortly!!!!
So on Friday morning we left at 7:45am and headed westwards toward Chicago, and then north to our destination. After about 6 hours of driving, we finally saw the skyline of Chicago, which got me all excited! Unbeknown to me, we would be getting plenty of close up views of Chicago's skyscrapers when we got stuck in their painful traffic jam which lasted a minimum of 90 minutes, of stop start driving on their highways :(
To make a long story short, it took us eleven and a half long hours until we pulled up in the Edgar's driveway! It was wonderful having the family come out and greet us! Nathan bonded instantly with the Edgar children, and I think that some lifelong bonds have been formed between him, JP, Liam and Clair! Together they had some great adventures and made many memories together. On Saturday, the McCarthy's spent the morning with the Edgar's at Heritage Hill, a State Park filled with history from Belgian settlers. Later that evening, after dinner, some of us went to go and kick a rugby ball (something I haven't done since High School days) at the local high school! This was a great way to work off the calories from the delicious meals that we were given! Once we returned to their home, Liesel's other aunt's family were picked up at the airport and the reunion was sweet! The house was filled with 15 relatives, each enjoying the company of the others!
On Sunday, we first headed to the Edgar's church, which was enjoyable. Then it was home for lunch, and later, off to Lake Michigan! The Edgars have a 3-person kayak, which we took out on to the beautiful blue lake. Nathan, myself and Uncle Terence went for a paddle down the coast line and back, and this was the highlight of my (and Nath's) weekend! The rest of our time at the lake was spent in the water, throwing a frisbee, or hitting a volleyball! Even Nathan got to try out some of his newly acquired swimming skills! Unfortunately all good things had to come to an end, and we had to return for dinner and our last night in Green Bay. Nathan was very emotional as we bade farewell on Monday morning, and started our long drive home. On the upside, I avoided Chicago completely, and the traffic flowed well for the majority of the trip! That, combined with Nathan's improved bladder control, cut our trip down by one and three quarter hours, arriving back home after only 9 hours and 45 minutes!!
Photos will be posted shortly!!!!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
The heat is on! (part IV??)
It's been another hot and crazy weekend in North East Ohio! Weekends are usually the time to relax and recharge, but not so in the McCarthy household.... Here is a summary of the weekend itinerary:
Saturday July 17 2010
08:00am to 08:30am Breakfast
09:00am to 10:50am Assembling Nathan's new desk that was purchased on Friday evening
10:50am to 12:45pm T-Ball (Nathan made another 2 runs and got 4 hits for his team!)
12:45pm to 01:15pm Lunch
01:15pm to 02:30pm Playing in the pool (part I - with only Nathan and myself while Liesel and Josh napped)
03:00pm to 04:00pm Bicycle ride in the French Creek Reserve
04:30pm to 05:30pm Playtime
05:30pm to 06:15pm Dinner (Delicious homemade pizza)
06:30pm to 07:30pm Playing in the pool (part II - this time with the entire family. Joshua wore arm-bands, and was gaining loads of confidence. We let him walk/run around the 2 foot deep pool by himself! Even with a couple of face-plants into the water, he loved being in the water with his brother!)
07:30pm to 08:00pm Bath time
08:00pm to 08:30pm Boys put to bed
08:30pm to 09:30pm Liesel and myself caught up on some TV that we had recorded earlier
Sunday July 18 2010
06:30am Alarm goes off for church
07:15am I actually roll-out of bed, shave, brush my teeth, get dressed and race to church for the 07:30am Prayer Meeting before worship practice!!
07:33am to 12:15pm Arrive at church in time for the prayer meeting and worship practice, and two church services
12:15pm to 12:45pm Lunch
01:00pm to 02:30pm Web-site design for work while the family napped
02:30pm to 03:00pm Had a good "catch-up" chat with my sister on Skype (I also chatted to my mom earlier in the day)
03:15pm to 05:15pm Had a great time with a friend and his son, who came over to play in the pool and throw a Frisbee. Nathan earned a bump and a bruise under his right eye for his efforts :(
05:15pm to 05:45pm Delicious grilled pork chops for dinner!
06:00pm to 06:30pm Bicycle ride around the neighborhood
06:30pm to 07:30pm Play time!
07:30pm to 08:00pm Bath time and bed time for Joshua
08:00pm to 09:30pm Family Fun night which consisted of watching the animated movie Planet 51! Nathan loved it, but don't ask me why, because I fell asleep!
10:00pm to 11:15pm This blog!
Usually my days at work are a lot quieter than my weekends, but this week is going to be the exception. With numerous deadlines looming, and a flight to New York City for 1.5 days, it's going to be even crazier than the weekend! Oh yes, next weekend the blog will be delayed by a couple of days as we will be traveling 10 hours north west to spend some time with family in Green Bay!
So how far off is my retirement???
Saturday July 17 2010
08:00am to 08:30am Breakfast
09:00am to 10:50am Assembling Nathan's new desk that was purchased on Friday evening
10:50am to 12:45pm T-Ball (Nathan made another 2 runs and got 4 hits for his team!)
12:45pm to 01:15pm Lunch
01:15pm to 02:30pm Playing in the pool (part I - with only Nathan and myself while Liesel and Josh napped)
03:00pm to 04:00pm Bicycle ride in the French Creek Reserve
04:30pm to 05:30pm Playtime
05:30pm to 06:15pm Dinner (Delicious homemade pizza)
06:30pm to 07:30pm Playing in the pool (part II - this time with the entire family. Joshua wore arm-bands, and was gaining loads of confidence. We let him walk/run around the 2 foot deep pool by himself! Even with a couple of face-plants into the water, he loved being in the water with his brother!)
07:30pm to 08:00pm Bath time
08:00pm to 08:30pm Boys put to bed
08:30pm to 09:30pm Liesel and myself caught up on some TV that we had recorded earlier
Sunday July 18 2010
06:30am Alarm goes off for church
07:15am I actually roll-out of bed, shave, brush my teeth, get dressed and race to church for the 07:30am Prayer Meeting before worship practice!!
07:33am to 12:15pm Arrive at church in time for the prayer meeting and worship practice, and two church services
12:15pm to 12:45pm Lunch
01:00pm to 02:30pm Web-site design for work while the family napped
02:30pm to 03:00pm Had a good "catch-up" chat with my sister on Skype (I also chatted to my mom earlier in the day)
03:15pm to 05:15pm Had a great time with a friend and his son, who came over to play in the pool and throw a Frisbee. Nathan earned a bump and a bruise under his right eye for his efforts :(
05:15pm to 05:45pm Delicious grilled pork chops for dinner!
06:00pm to 06:30pm Bicycle ride around the neighborhood
06:30pm to 07:30pm Play time!
07:30pm to 08:00pm Bath time and bed time for Joshua
08:00pm to 09:30pm Family Fun night which consisted of watching the animated movie Planet 51! Nathan loved it, but don't ask me why, because I fell asleep!
10:00pm to 11:15pm This blog!
Usually my days at work are a lot quieter than my weekends, but this week is going to be the exception. With numerous deadlines looming, and a flight to New York City for 1.5 days, it's going to be even crazier than the weekend! Oh yes, next weekend the blog will be delayed by a couple of days as we will be traveling 10 hours north west to spend some time with family in Green Bay!
So how far off is my retirement???
Sunday, July 11, 2010
All aboard the Lodi Train!
Another hot week has passed, with only Friday offering us a slight reprieve from the constant 90+ (32C+) heat that been basting Northern Ohio for the past 3 weeks. Thankfully, our pool provides us the perfect escape from the incessant high temperatures. Unfortunately, our pool's pump packed up on Thursday, so I spent a lot of time ensuring that the combination of chemicals will keep the water clear and algae-free until the replacement pump arrives later this week.
On Saturday, we hit the local Walmart for a few gardening supplies. Once home, I liberally applied some sunscreen, donned my cap and sunglasses and headed outdoors to fire up the lawnmower for the first time in two weeks. This was one of the first times that I could reward myself by submerging my overheated torso in our pool, which was sublime! So while Liesel and the boys napped inside, I was lounging on a few strategically placed noodles, in the refreshing 2 foot deep waters of the pool!
After the nap, Liesel wanted to head south to our nearest outlet mall to find some bargains. The incentive for the boys was that they had a new train that took its passengers for a 15 minute ride around and through the mall! After a 45 minute drive we arrived, as they were loading passengers onto the train. Liesel bade me and the boys farewell, as we embarked on train ride. This gave Liesel approximately 15 minutes to hit a few shops without any baggage or distractions. By the time we returned, she had not been able to find anything worthy of spending money on. So we all followed in tow as she and I hit a few more stores, with the same result. It was now getting close to dinner time, and Nathan wanted another ride on the train before we went home. So after buying some dinner, it was Liesel, Nathan and Josh's turn to ride the train! After they left, I took the opportunity to pack the stroller in the car and move the car closer to the train station, to make the transition from coach to car as quick and easy as possible!
On Sunday, Liesel had nursery duty, and left the supervision of the boys in my capable hands :P I got the boys to Church on time and afterward we headed to a public swimming pool to sign Nathan up for some more swimming lessons. Afterward, we headed home for lunch. Later that afternoon, Nathan and I enjoyed the pool again. I also fired up the grill and grilled some steak for dinner, which we ate outside in the beautiful summer evening air! Liesel again produced a delicious homemade frozen chocolate dessert! After dinner, I strapped the bikes to my car and we headed to Westlake for a post dinner cycle! Have I mentioned how I love summers in Cleveland??
On Saturday, we hit the local Walmart for a few gardening supplies. Once home, I liberally applied some sunscreen, donned my cap and sunglasses and headed outdoors to fire up the lawnmower for the first time in two weeks. This was one of the first times that I could reward myself by submerging my overheated torso in our pool, which was sublime! So while Liesel and the boys napped inside, I was lounging on a few strategically placed noodles, in the refreshing 2 foot deep waters of the pool!
After the nap, Liesel wanted to head south to our nearest outlet mall to find some bargains. The incentive for the boys was that they had a new train that took its passengers for a 15 minute ride around and through the mall! After a 45 minute drive we arrived, as they were loading passengers onto the train. Liesel bade me and the boys farewell, as we embarked on train ride. This gave Liesel approximately 15 minutes to hit a few shops without any baggage or distractions. By the time we returned, she had not been able to find anything worthy of spending money on. So we all followed in tow as she and I hit a few more stores, with the same result. It was now getting close to dinner time, and Nathan wanted another ride on the train before we went home. So after buying some dinner, it was Liesel, Nathan and Josh's turn to ride the train! After they left, I took the opportunity to pack the stroller in the car and move the car closer to the train station, to make the transition from coach to car as quick and easy as possible!
On Sunday, Liesel had nursery duty, and left the supervision of the boys in my capable hands :P I got the boys to Church on time and afterward we headed to a public swimming pool to sign Nathan up for some more swimming lessons. Afterward, we headed home for lunch. Later that afternoon, Nathan and I enjoyed the pool again. I also fired up the grill and grilled some steak for dinner, which we ate outside in the beautiful summer evening air! Liesel again produced a delicious homemade frozen chocolate dessert! After dinner, I strapped the bikes to my car and we headed to Westlake for a post dinner cycle! Have I mentioned how I love summers in Cleveland??
Monday, July 05, 2010
The heat is STILL on - and it's getting hotter!
Wow! This past weekend has been crazy busy, but also incredibly fun! Add 95 degree (35C) weather into the mix and you get some great summer days and long summer nights filled with exciting activities!
We kicked off the long weekend on Friday night when Nathan and I went to our local baseball stadium to watch Avon's baseball team in action. Nathan's Father's Day gift to me was a couple of tickets to the Lake Erie Crushers' baseball game. The tickets were only 3 rows from the field, so had some great views of the pitchers warm ups! Nathan was so well behaved for the 3 hour duration of the game, and we were rewarded with a phenomenal fireworks show at the end! During the show Nathan exclaimed, "This is the best night ever!!!!" :)
On Saturday, we were due to go on a bike ride with the some people form the church, but we had to cancel since Josh was running a low grade fever, and Nathan and I only got home around 11:30pm the night before, so we let Nathan sleep in a bit. Nathan and I had another outing planned for the afternoon, and while Liesel and Josh had their nap, we headed to the movies to watch Toy Story 3D. This was a great, feel good, family movie that we throughly enjoyed and we would definitely recommend going to see it! After the movie, we meandered through a carnival that had come into town for the Fourth of July weekend! It was at this carnival that I introduced Nathan to his first taste of cotton candy (aka candy floss)! He absolutely loved it! He obviously inherited the sweet tooth gene from his father!
The Fourth of July: Liesel and I were Nathan's Sunday School class teachers for the first service. There were only five boys there, and it worked out really well. Even the finger painting craft went off smoothly without any incidents or accidents! The weather was hot, and Nathan, Liesel and I all had some fun in the pool. Nathan's confidence improved significantly in the aqua and sub-aqua realms after I introduced him to my eye goggles! He is enjoying the pool and his newfound ability to explore the "depths"!
Liesel prepared a delicious roast chicken, and homemade French Silk Chocolate Pie for dinner! Soon after dinner, Nathan and I headed to some friends house, which is close to the Avon Baseball Stadium, the venue of the City of Avon's Fourth of July fireworks display. We had a great time of fellowship on my friends deck, and one friend took Nathan under his wing, and taught him how to catch fireflies, as well as his unique "techniques" in getting the flies to glow for longer...... This kept Nathan entertained until after 10pm when the fireworks display finally got underway.
Today, we had the day off and we definitely made the most of it! In the morning, we strapped the bikes to my car and headed to our friends house. They introduced us to a beautiful local park that had a great bicycle trail. Considering that today was the hottest of the weekend so far, the fact that the trail was mostly through the woods, under a thick canopy of leaves, made it even more pleasurable! After two circuits, we stopped and let the boys play on a playground and then sat down under a pavilion to enjoy a picnic lunch together! The morning tired Josh out and he fell asleep on the way home! It was definitely an action packed, fun and hot weekend, that we all thoroughly enjoyed!
We kicked off the long weekend on Friday night when Nathan and I went to our local baseball stadium to watch Avon's baseball team in action. Nathan's Father's Day gift to me was a couple of tickets to the Lake Erie Crushers' baseball game. The tickets were only 3 rows from the field, so had some great views of the pitchers warm ups! Nathan was so well behaved for the 3 hour duration of the game, and we were rewarded with a phenomenal fireworks show at the end! During the show Nathan exclaimed, "This is the best night ever!!!!" :)
On Saturday, we were due to go on a bike ride with the some people form the church, but we had to cancel since Josh was running a low grade fever, and Nathan and I only got home around 11:30pm the night before, so we let Nathan sleep in a bit. Nathan and I had another outing planned for the afternoon, and while Liesel and Josh had their nap, we headed to the movies to watch Toy Story 3D. This was a great, feel good, family movie that we throughly enjoyed and we would definitely recommend going to see it! After the movie, we meandered through a carnival that had come into town for the Fourth of July weekend! It was at this carnival that I introduced Nathan to his first taste of cotton candy (aka candy floss)! He absolutely loved it! He obviously inherited the sweet tooth gene from his father!
The Fourth of July: Liesel and I were Nathan's Sunday School class teachers for the first service. There were only five boys there, and it worked out really well. Even the finger painting craft went off smoothly without any incidents or accidents! The weather was hot, and Nathan, Liesel and I all had some fun in the pool. Nathan's confidence improved significantly in the aqua and sub-aqua realms after I introduced him to my eye goggles! He is enjoying the pool and his newfound ability to explore the "depths"!
Liesel prepared a delicious roast chicken, and homemade French Silk Chocolate Pie for dinner! Soon after dinner, Nathan and I headed to some friends house, which is close to the Avon Baseball Stadium, the venue of the City of Avon's Fourth of July fireworks display. We had a great time of fellowship on my friends deck, and one friend took Nathan under his wing, and taught him how to catch fireflies, as well as his unique "techniques" in getting the flies to glow for longer...... This kept Nathan entertained until after 10pm when the fireworks display finally got underway.
Today, we had the day off and we definitely made the most of it! In the morning, we strapped the bikes to my car and headed to our friends house. They introduced us to a beautiful local park that had a great bicycle trail. Considering that today was the hottest of the weekend so far, the fact that the trail was mostly through the woods, under a thick canopy of leaves, made it even more pleasurable! After two circuits, we stopped and let the boys play on a playground and then sat down under a pavilion to enjoy a picnic lunch together! The morning tired Josh out and he fell asleep on the way home! It was definitely an action packed, fun and hot weekend, that we all thoroughly enjoyed!
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