Root Beer

I have forgotten how fun it is to drink root beer, particularly IBC Root Beer from a brown glass bottle.  This is a sure sign of growing old.  Thank God I have younger sisters to help me defeat the onset of old age.  

You see, this weekend after chopping up a downed tree at my parents house and then subsequently stacking it at our house for use this winter, we decided to hit up The Heartbreak for a late supper.  I have dined here twice and both times came away completely impressed with the culinary skill of their chef.  My dad and I ordered the beef filet with blue cheese butter and garlic mashed potatoes, Justin of course had chicken parm, my mom enjoyed Shrimp Scampi, Becca had spaghetti and meatballs, and the twins ordered personal size pizzas.  However the star of the evening was the IBC Root Beer.  The kids were so excited to appear to be drinking an adult beverage with dinner that they even asked our waiter if they could keep the bottles.  Too cute.

What are some simple things in life that you remember enjoying as a child?

Vapor

Last Friday night we went to Vapor with friends.  Dunkin Donuts croissanwiches, lemon drops and white russians make for a bit of a belly ache but fortunately staved off a hangover.  I don't know why I don't order white russians more often.  They are like alcoholic chocolate milk on steroids.  I was also enjoying my lemon drops until one round came made with salt. Epic fail.

At any rate, we were quite enjoying ourselves despite the sodium shocker. So much so that references from The Ringer and toasts ending in "f*&%# Megan" ensued.  Megan was one of the evening's giveaway winners who was unfortunate enough to win a men's watch as opposed to the $10k grand prize engagement ring.  I won a t-shirt, which btw was large enough to join my nightshirt collection.  Hey, at least its soft.

Our evening was not without another "white pants" ensemble, although this time the pants were worn by an adorable Asian-American gentleman whom we decided to adopt along with an older black man who was a fun time, Hip-Hop Grandma, and Thing 1 and Thing 2 (gender unknown but great dancers).However I am leaving out the star of the show: Dolly Parton's twin sister who was rocking 4 inch periwinkle stilettos which perfectly matched her cocktail dress and large feather earrings. They accented her double-d frame well.

It's at this point in the evening that I decide to start writing things down on a napkin so that all the fun from the evening is not forgotten and can be shared on the blog. See how I think of you? Well it was a good idea but proof why I don't actually order white russians more often...they go down too smooth and make fodder for songs like Katie Perry's "Last Friday Night".

Well Hello Irene

Sunday we were hit pretty hard by hurricane Irene.  I can most definitely say I was surprised.  We're pretty far inland in upstate NY and somehow she still managed to wreak havoc.  The wind and rain started pretty early in the morning and continued right through until we went to bed.  This made for an interesting day to say the least: 

Rain, when coming down inches at a time, can fill an entire basement with 8-10inches of water in less than an hour.  Note that said basement was already equipped with a sump pump capable of 3150 gallons per hour.  Needless to say we had to purchase a second sump pump just to keep up.

Generators, for whatever reason, are hard to come by when you need them.  We had to travel forty minutes in the storm to purchase a generator to keep our sump pump running when the power went out.

Flash floods are a freak of nature.  They can make a previously tame road a raging river in a matter of minutes.  Our post office learned how to stand its ground in one such flash flood.

And lastly, dachshunds do not like rain even when donning a stylish red raincoat.

I find it so bizarre that yesterday could be so God awful and yet today it's absolutely beautiful out (aside from the residual water puddles and rushing rivers/streams, of course). I was able to successfully make it into work today, however my husband could not.  Travel going east and southbound in NYS was near impossible with many road closures due to flooding and downed trees and power lines.  Word on the street is the main routes he'd need to take may still be closed through 6pm tomorrow!  I guess I'll just have to leave him a nice long honey-do list to keep him busy.  He's already mopped the floors for me today... I could really get used to this.

Anwho, how did you fare through Irene?  I hope you all manage to stay safe and dry!

Furry Friday: Relaxation

Well hello blog world!  How have you been?  I must apologize.  August is by far the most trying month for me at work.  I work at a college and there is a lot of hustle and bustle to get ready for the new school year.  There's many a late night and an early morning that you will find me still at my desk entering transactions.  I pretty much don't have a life until the semester starts to wear in, which means missed blog postings and even absences from family dinners.  Fortunately for me, my boys are understanding.  Without them, this time period might actually set me over the edge.

Just in case you didn't know, there are several documented health benefits to having a fur-child (visit WebMd) the likes of which include allergy reduction, less instances of depression, lower blood pressure, and less chances of developing heart disease.  Not to mention they are great conversation starters (I know I always bring up my dog when meeting new people).  Well in times of stress I can most certainly attest to the calming feeling that comes over me when I hang out with little Rye-guy.  He's always all too happy to see me and when I'm feeling wiped out and just want to relax, he's okay with that too.  There's nothing better than chillax' on the couch with my fur baby and a good book, especially in the month of August.  There's just something about his mannerisms that bring me back to the present and help me to appreciate the little things and forget the stresses of work.  

Now if I could only bottle that up and sell it, I could retire with him while we're both still young...

Maki Combo

Today I am at a seminar on Managing Emotions and Thriving Under Pressure.  Topic is ok. Timing is not so great seeing as how I am insanely busy at work, but I'll manage.

I skipped breakfast this morning thinking some sort of pastry, fruit, etc would be served.  Wrong.  So by the time our lunch break rolled around I was STARVING.  Say it with me now: star-ving!  Well, apparently lunch is not served either. Not really sure at this point what I was charged for...but out for lunch I go.  Being that I know noone here and there hasn't been any opportunity to network, I am flying solo.

I contemplated drive through but I have an hour to kill.  There are plenty of places like TGI Friday and Ruby Tuesday, but they would be awkward to dine at alone.  Enter Mr. Fuji Sushi Restaurant.  I debated going in, having never been but then I let my love of sushi get the best of me and decided to treat myself. Boy was I glad I did. I was seated at the bar in front of the two chefs, so single seating was not only acceptable but allowed for me to watch them create my meal.  I ordered the maki combo lunch special: soup and a house salad along with spicey tuna and spicey crab rolls.  All I can say is it was like heaven on a plate.  I restrained myself long enough to take a photo before all the rolls were gone. 

A Dog's Life

We spent this weekend in Clayton, NY aboard "The Misty Lady," a 36 foot Carver yacht.  I am happy to report that this boat floats unlike our Searay submarine.  Unfortunately Misty is not ours, but gives us something to strive for in retirement some 30 years from now.

Furry Friday: Well Groomed

Today Rye-guy is none too happy with Justin and I.  He is at the vet's office getting groomed and having his #2 tested for parasites (standard once a year thing, nothing to get alarmed about.)

The ladies at the vet's office just adore Riley. He always gets an A+ on his report card even though going there is one of his least favorite experiences.  This morning when Justin dropped him off our little love-bug was trembling with his tail tucked and sad eyes on display.  So much for his tough guy reputation.

Anywho, he needed it. He was starting to resemble a stinky little Chewbacca.  It's amazing how different he looks after a haircut.  It seriously takes years off.  Not to mention that today they gave him a necktie. What a little stud muffin.

Moves Like Jagger

Have you missed me??  Sorry for the no-show on 8/16, things got a little hectic.  We're prepping for the return of students and faculty so my days have been jam packed.  All I can say is thank god for www.pandora.com.  It really helps in crunch times like this.  "Moves Like Jagger" has been playing quite a bit and I think it's a real pick-me-up.  I feel energized when listening to it.  It could easily be the top song of 2011's summer.

Here are some of my favorites from past summers:

• 2010 - Bulletproof, Meet Me Halfway, and California Girls.  These songs make me think of our trip to Ocean City, NJ.  
• 2009 - Calle Ocho & Party in the USA.  Anything by Pitbull makes me think of my friend Danielle and as much as I don't want to admit I liked Miley's song, it was a fun summer-type song.
• 2008 - Don't Stop the Music, Paralyzer, and Summertime.  Who doesn't like a NKOTB song??
• 2007 - Beautiful Girls, Last Night, and Bubbly. I think Justin still has Sean Kingston's cd in his car... may have to swipe it from him and jam out to it.
• 2006 - Buttons and You're Beautiful.  I was in love with James Blunt for that entire summer.  It just spoke to my heart.  What can I say?  I'm a hopeless romantic.

Ok, I think that's enough.  I can't think much farther back (sucky part of getting old...memory loss). What are some of your favorite songs from prior years?  Do you prefer to work in silence or with some form of music on?

Blog Swap: Summer

Today I’m participating in the 20 Something Bloggers Blog Swap. You’ll find me posting over at "Huh Say What?" about my thoughts on Summer and I’m pleased to welcome Brittany of Louisville, KY to  Gidget's Two Cents:

"I'm really excited to participate in the Blog Swap with Christy! I originally started my blog to be able to write about personal stuff, away from the news stories I wrote about in my journalism classes, and surprisingly, I've kept it up for over a year! Read more at itallfallsdwn.wordpress.com and follow me on twitter @britters_43. Happy reading!"

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Summer. It's a special time of the year because of all of the memories that I have from previous summers. I fell in love for the first time during summer. I fell out of love during summer. My dad was diagnosed with cancer during summer. My dad died during summer. I have memories of riding down the streets of Louisville during summer. Top down, music loud, short shorts on (back in my tiny days, lol.) 

I was looking forward to this summer, I needed to have a season of fun and since I lost my dad last summer, I wanted to create some good memories in 2011. 

Instead, I worked. And in the process I learned a lot about myself. I learned that I am very lucky to be in my right frame of mind. See, I work in an emergency psychiatry unit, and I deal with a lot of sad cases on a daily basis. It's not "fun" work, but it's meaningful. With that being said, I also learned that this is not the career for me. I love healthcare, but since I have no plans to move into a more clinical role, there is no growth for me here.

I also spent a lot of time with my mother this summer. She's all I have left and I'm really learning how to enjoy her company as an adult. We attended a concert together, and we try to have dinner together a few times a week. I'm proud of our adult relationship. 

And despite my non-stop work schedule, I had time to have a little summer romance. I don't think it's going to last much longer, but it's been fun while it lasted. I spent the last three years with one guy, and it took me a while to get over my anger about the break up. And this was just the bit of fresh air that I needed :-)

So tell me, did you do anything new this summer? Did you learn anything about yourself? Do tell!

Recapitulate

Did you know recap was short for recapitulate?  I didn't either until I right clicked on the word and checked out synonyms.  It's just a fancy way of saying "summarize."  I guess you really do learn something new everyday.

Anywho, let's recapitulate my weekend activities in short form:

• Saturday morning:  let's just say it's amazing how much grass a 17lb dachshund can consume and puke up between the hours of  3am and 7am.  My poor little guy was so sick and I'm almost positive the full moon was to blame.  On the upside, in having to change out our bedding I am happy to report I am finally using one of the new bedding sets we got for our wedding. Yes, I know, it's almost been two years.  LOL.
• Saturday day was Justin's company picnic which is traditionally held at Great Escape in Lake George, NY.  This is one of the first years it didn't rain on us, however many of the rides were closed (not sure why) and for whatever reason Great Escape has lost its luster to me.  Maybe it's that we do it every year.  Maybe it's that I'm getting old.  Maybe it'll be more fun when I have kids.  Quoteables from the day:  Jeff (in reference to being larger than your normal rider on the kiddie train with Kylee) "the attendent CPR'd my stomach."   Kylee, who's three, (upon entering the wave pool) "wow, this is better than I thought." 
• Saturday evening we enjoyed some bbq, alcoholic beverages and adult humor fireside at our friend Nicole's.  There were many moments where I am positive I couldn't have laughed any harder without peeing myself.  A good time was certainly had by all.  We didn't end up getting home until 3am and surprisingly I didn't turn into a pumpkin.
• Sunday was spent with family.  My cousin Cathy was visiting from Long-guy-land with her three daughters Jordan, Madison, and Caiden and also her niece Haylee.  So we hosted a bbq at the house and the kids played with the slip-and-slide, water guns, Twister Hoopla, and anything else they could get into.  Some laughable moments from the day: Haylee shouted out at one point that Caiden called her a F---er (rhymes with Trucker) when really she was using toddler talk to say Tupper (a cat's name I guess??); one of the kids clogged the toilet and it overflowed everywhere; many Disney princess band-aids were administered with or without the presence of blood; Caiden was provided a windex bottle full of water to squirt people with; and, somehow the bathroom ended up locked with no one in it.  When they left my house was very quiet...which made me depressed.  I miss them already.

What did you do this weekend?  

Furry Friday: Superstition

They say dogs bite grass for one of three reasons:

1. They have an upset stomach from the heat or illness.  Totally believable.
2. It's going to rain.  Pure superstition.
3. They want more fiber in their diet.  I don't know, apparently they are connoisseurs now.

Riley has bitten grass on occasion and generally because he needed to throw up.  He has also bitten grass for a fourth reason the scientists haven't yet listed: Spitefulness.  If I am not paying attention to him or if he doesn't really want to be outside he decides to start biting grass like it's his J-O-B.  Not biting it to swallow it, just being all out destructive.  Similar to when he decides to shred tissue or toilet paper.  And to think he's just a fur-child.  I can only imagine what's in store for me when I decide to have real children.  JOY.

Top Secret

Ok.  I've done a lot of thinking and I believe I have formulated the recipe for my dad's macaroni salad complete with measurements.  He and I just kind of go about it haphazardly and it comes out right.  It's all by taste.  This stuff is good, I would not steer you wrong. Dad used to be a short-order cook at Howard Johnson's way back in the day.  That's how he met my mother.  Six months later they were engaged.  Six months after that they married.  Nine month's later there was me.  True Hojo romance right there.  Anywho, enjoy! 

Dad's Top Secret Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:

• 8 oz box elbows, shells, etc
• 1 can tuna, drained
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• Handful shredded carrot
• 1 cup Hellmann’s Mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp Vinegar
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Pepper
• A few good shakes of onion powder

Instructions:

• Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water until completely cool.
• Combine Hellmann's Mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, onion powder, salt and pepper in large bowl.
• Stir in macaroni, red pepper, tomato, carrots and tuna.
• Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Veggin Out

One thing I can say that I love about summer is the over abundance of fresh vegetables.  Justin and I are growing our own tomatoes, peppers, butternut squash, zucchini, asparagus, and rhubarb.  I've given away a majority of the rhubarb.  I just haven't gotten adventurous enough to make anything with it yet.  I have had a lot of fun experimenting different ways to prepare the rest of them though: 

Asparagus:

1. Grilled in a foil pocket.  Tear off a decent size sheet of aluminum foil.  Rinse asparagus and place into the center of the foil.  Drizzle olive oil over the asparagus stalks.  Sprinkle generously with Lawry's Lemon Pepper Seasoning.  Optional: sprinkle with minced garlic or garlic powder as well.  Fold foil around asparagus to create a nice little pouch.  Throw on grill (medium flame) while you have burgers or whatever else cooking.  Flip once. Total time: 10-15 minutes and you are good to go.
2. Sautéed. Chop asaparagus into two inch pieces.  Chop zucchini into bite size hunks, skin and all.  Throw into a large skillet or wok type frying pan.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Add about 1/2tsp to 1tsp of minced garlic.  Sprinkle generously with Mrs. Dash and lightly sprinkle in some Lawry's Seasoned Salt.  Optional: add four tablespoon hunks of salted butter to the pan as well for additional flavor.
3. Oven roasted.  Lay out fresh asparagus on any baking pan/sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with minced garlic and salt-n-pepper.  Cook at 375 for about 20-25 minutes depending upon thickness of stalks.  Just keep an eye that they don't get too crispy.

Squash (zucchini, butternut, etc):

1. Grilled in a foil pocket (see above).
2. Sautéed on the stove with olive oil and seasonings (see above).
3. Kabobs! I like to cube up chicken, various squashes, and large portobello mushrooms into slightly larger than bite-sized hunks and marinate for an hour in a mixture of equal parts Italian dressing and Franks Red Hot BuffaloWings sauce.  For the same period of time I have the kabob sticks soaking in luke warm water.  Assemble in whatever order you desire on the kabob stick and grill on the bbq over low to medium heat turning occasionally.  YUM!

Tomatoes:

1. Kabobs (see above.)
2. Sautéed on the stove olive oil and seasonings (see above).
3. Slice thin on a big, juicy burger.
4. Diced up in pasta salads.  Maybe one day I'll share my dad's top-secret macaroni salad recipe. He and I don't use measurements though, so I really have to think about how to put it into recipe format.
5. Open faced sandwich. Coat a slice of white or wheat bread (or whatever bread you prefer) with mayo, sprinkle with salt and pepper, put a thin slice or two of tomato on and top with a slice of american or provolone.  Toast in toaster oven until cheese is all melty.  Enjoy, rinse, repeat. You get the picture.
6. Chicken roll-ups.  Take some boneless, skinless, thinly sliced chicken breasts and layer on thinly slice tomato and any form of shredded cheese.  Roll up gently, so as not to lose your filling.  Hold with a toothpick or two.  Coat outside with a thin layer of mayo.  Sprinkle with italian seasoned bread crumbs.  Bake for about 35 minutes at 375. 

Now that I'm good and hungry for a veggie filled dish, I will go attempt to enjoy the Special K Vanilla Almond cereal I packed for lunch.  Bon appetit!

Dangerous

There are two three dangerous times to go grocery shopping:

1. When you haven't yet eaten. Everything ends up looking good and before you know it you are toting around two carts and your bill is $400+.
2. Late at night.  Yes, the lines may be shorter but the types of folks who crawl out of the wood work between 9pm and 3am are not the type of folk you want to encounter in the parking later on while trying to load groceries into your car.
3. When there is a two-for-one special on Freihofer cookies.  Enough said.
   

War Heads

Lately there have been a lot of "You know you're from <<insert home town here>> when..." postings on Facebook.  I particularly like the "Long-guy-land" ones, well, because I am originally from Long Island.  I do notice all of these posts have commonalities though: respecting your elders, playing outside, street lights for curfew, etc.  It does make me a little sad to think what the youth of today will remember from their childhoods.  Playing indoors all summer on the PS3, family road trips that involved Hannah Montana on DVD as opposed to playing "I Spy," family reunions where instead of playing volleyball and socializing they  were lost in their own little world playing Nintendo DS... it's sad, really.  

In reminiscing on my childhood there are major things that stand out.  Yes, we had a Nintendo but there were TV time limits and if it was daylight and not raining Mom forced us to play outside.  I had to wear a watch (not a digital one) to make sure to check back in at the house every half hour or so.  I wore out the tires on my ten-speed (boy was I cool with my gray and pink Huffy ten-speed) and my cousins and the local kids played man-hunt, H-O-R-S-E, cops and robbers, stick ball, touch football, and anything else we could come up with until we had to go home for dinner.  We loved the ice cream truck (I think Italian Ices were like $0.50 back then) and War Heads were the candy of choice.

Does anyone remember War Heads? Lemon was my favorite. We used to trade them on the bus like currency.  We would double-dog dare each other to try to eat more than one at a time and not make a face. We would check out each others tongues to see if there was any burn marks because we couldn't believe such a lethal tasting hard candy didn't in fact do so.  For a while there, War Heads were more popular than Bubble Tape bubblegum.  Can you believe these two candies are practically considered antique?  Seriously, when I searched Bubble Tape the first site it was listed on was "www.oldtimecandy.com."  Insane.  When I think of "old time candy" I think of root beer barrels, rock candy on a stick, and shoe string licorice.  What has the world come to??

For "old time's sake" leave me a comment and let me know what you remember from your childhood and what was so great about it.

Furry Friday: Red Guy

Apache Chief Krueger

"Dog's are color blind."  I have a hard time believing this.  Since Riley was a puppy he has gravitated towards items which were blue or red.  Mostly red.  So we got him a collar, a harness, a leash, a chew bone, and a myriad of other items in red.  We refer to his toys by their color too.  You'll hear "Go get Red Guy" a lot in our house, and Riley knows just what we are talking about.  "Red Guy"  is Riley's favorite toy.  They have been inseperable since we'd cleaned out Justin's Dad's truck and found him in there.  So technically "Red Guy" is Apache's (Jay's parent's dog's) but Apache doesn't mind.  Apache is a mild mannered Golden Retriever who is three times the size of Riley, but lets Riley boss him around anyway.  

Napping with "Red Guy"

So, back to "Red Guy."  Where ever Riley is, "Red Guy" is not far from reach.  If Riley is hiding out in his fort, aka under the dining room table, "Red Guy" is there too.  If Riley is taking a nap... you guessed it, "Red Guy" is napping too.  And when I say to Riley "ready for bed?" he immediately picks up "Red Guy" and goes running for the bedroom.  It's adorable really.  "Red Guy" however is beginning to smell so he's going to be going through the wash shortly and no doubt Riley will be sitting in the back room waiting until he comes out of the dryer.

Off to the Races

Today I am off to Saratoga Race Track.  It has become an August tradition for a few friends of mine to spend the day together at the track.  We start with the breakfast buffet, wear sundresses and hats, and try our best to pick a winning horse each race.  We also consume a few Corona's out of cans since we're not permitted to bring glass bottles into the park.

I can pretty much sum up my betting principles into two three categories:

1. The horse has a cool name
2. The horse decided to take a #2 just before the race
3. The horse is #9 or #12 (both were jersey numbers of mine in school)

Although I don't bet big money (I take the safe route with Quinella Box bets), the last few times I have gone I have at least come home with the same amount I left with.  And breaking even is good enough for me. It's all about the experience.  The weather is usually gorgeous, the horses are fun to watch, and the time spent with friends is priceless.

Are you a gambler?  Have you gone to the races up in Saratoga?  Do you have any tips or tricks for me? 

Stir-Fry

No, this is not a foodie blog.  However, I threw together a meal last night "Theresa-style" and think it's worthy of discussion. (Side note: "Theresa-style" refers to Justin's grandmother who likes to experiment in the kitchen.)  I got home last night and I just wasn't feeling another night of bbq.  I know I'll regret saying that when we have three foot of snow on the ground, but I just couldn't endure another hamburger or hotdog.  Enter Stir-Fry.

I had probably half a pound of purple string-beans and another half a pound of asparagus in the fridge which I wanted to use up.  I got the frying pan out to saute the two together with butter and garlic when the idea for Stir-Fry hit me.  So I pulled two chicken breasts from the freezer and put them on auto-defrost in the microwave.  I got some minute brown rice going on the stove.  Then I got fancy and swirled some soy sauce and honey in with the veggies and covered them to steam a bit on low.  I cut the chicken into strips and fried them up separately with some olive oil, salt-n-pepper, paprika, and a glob or so of sweet and sour sauce.  The end result was a dish even Julia Child would be proud of.  You'll have to forgive me as it was an afterthought to take a photo, so it's not plated fancy and there is in fact no rice in this photo.

Would you rather...

Friday night's round of Pizza Hut's "Would You Rather" questions was a lot of fun.  Although at 9:00pm after a long day of slush puppies and carnival rides I'm fairly positive anything would seem comical.  I figured it was worth posting a few "Would You Rather" scenarios on the blog to see what kooky responses you could come up with:

Would you rather...

• Eat a bar of soap or drink a bottle of dish detergent? 
• I would probably go with the bar of soap.  Not sure I could handle the liquid version. 
• Have three eyes or webbed feet?
• Webbed feet.  They are a little less conspicuous.
• Kiss a jellyfish or step on a crab?
• Step on a crab.  I've heard jelly fish stings are a force to be reckoned with.
• Get free chocolate for one year or free potatoes forever?
• This is an easy one... CHOCOLATE.
• Be rich with an unhappy job or make less money with a job you like?
• There are benefits to both - more money makes things a little easier outside of work, however you spend 8 hours a day at work so it might as well be enjoyable.  This is a toughie...
• Be the sand castle or the wave?
• The wave. Although I have nothing witty to say here.
• Forget your sunscreen or your sunglasses?
• Because I'm mostly Irish and my skin rebels, I'd have to go with forgetting the sunglasses.
  
• End hunger or hatred?
• Hatred.  We're all obese anyway.
• Forget who you were or who everyone else was?
• Forget who I am.  Everyone else can help me piece things back together.
• Go to an amusement park or to a family reunion?
• Oddly enough I'm going to go with family reunion.  I actually had a little pros and cons list going in my head about this, but family reunion won out.  As crazy and hectic as some family gatherings can be, I have a lot of fond memories of family get-togethers.  

(Questions found at: www.bzoink.com)

Fair Season

I'm going to start this post off with a big "Yaaawwwnnn."  Boy am I pooped.  This weekend we spent two days at the local County Fair in the glorious sunshine, but it took a lot out of me!  Whew!  So let's recap:

Friday night I picked up my Edge.  From prior posts you'll know that my Edge had been making a bit of a racket and stumped technicians.  I am happy to report that she is back in working order and no longer sounds like she belongs in a mariachi band.  So after paying for what wasn't covered under warranty, I headed out to pick up my sisters since we were taking them to the Fair first thing Saturday.  It's sort of become our tradition.  This year was especially exciting for them because they are finally tall enough to ride all the rides. Saturday we were at the fair from 12:00pm until 8:30pm.  We enjoyed truck pulls, fair food, a circus show and of course a lot of rides.