I didn't take a pre-trip pic!!!!

Since I didn't snap a pre-trip pic, I thought I would paint you a word picture.

Celia does not like her cat carrier.  Probably because the only time I take her anywhere is to go to the vet...and her last vet visit was slightly traumatic for her.  Poor thing had to have her teeth cleaned and her nails clipped.

Today I got her in her carrier (by sitting on my knees, straddling Celia, and pulling the carrier opening toward her so that she had no other option but to enter the carrier) and we traveled 285 miles to Hudson, Michigan.

She did such a good job in the car!!!  The vet was right - once Celia realized she was crated and not going to be released, she laid down and sulked for 2 hours.  The other 2.5 hours she slept. 

Since arriving at Bryan's, she has remained under his bed.  What a silly feline!!!!

Labor Day weekend...Kinda plan B

My brother's birthday is September 4th.  When I inquired about what he wanted to do - which was a text saying, "Want me to bring SugarJones cupcakes and Boggle?" - he was noncommittal and not really wanting any company.

And then Friday happened and my top secret informant let me know that perhaps Bryan's noncommittalness (which is a word, right?) was totally a cover. 

Plan B commenced.

Friday night to throw Bryan off of my plans, we played online Boggle.  Meh.  We had two uninvited people join our game which would not have happened in REAL life.  *sigh*

Mom called Bryan and asked if she could come up and see him for his birthday.  He liked that idea so she rented a car in Georgia and drove up on Saturday.

Meanwhile, yours truly connived out of Bryan that what he really wanted to do for his birthday is go to the Toledo Zoo.

Saturday night at 7 pm there's a knock-knock-knock on his apartment door and his charming sister announcing she is here for the birthday shenanigans.

Mom rolled in around 11ish.

Sunday dawned a lovely day for a birthday.

We headed to T-town around 10ish.

Spent the day at the zoo...then went to Red Robin for lunper (lunch + supper).  We hit Costco and Meijer so Bryan could get groceries while we already in town. 

We returned to Bryan's around circa 9 pm.

The following morning Bryan got up bright and early to go fishing with his work peeps...this meant I had to arise from my slumber to bid him farewell.

I left Michigan at 6:03 CST and arrived back in the 'hood at 10:49 CST.  Traffic moved along nicely and I really only NEEDED one coffee break.  :)

What a fun whirlwind weekend.  Bryan loved it and that is ALL that mattered.

Sunday School Life Lesson

SS student:  "Coffee is gross.  It taste gross and smells gross."

Me:  "Well just be sure then that you don't ever listen to your college roommate when on a roadtrip and she says, 'You should really mix some cappuccino with some hot chocolate' because it's a slippery slope!!!"

The beginning of September

I was perusing my blog yesterday afternoon because, truth be told, I couldn't remember my last post.  Tragic, right? 

Cards.  Stamping on Labor Day. My last post was 9 days ago.  N-I-N-E days ago!!!!  It doesn't feel like it's been nine whole days since I blogged but it has been.

Sooo....what have I been doing for the last 9 days?

Well.......last week I managed to finally get my act together and get back to the gym which felt grand.  I am not much of a fan of slacking when it comes hitting the gym and the after-work-out endorphins.  :)

Friday night I met Rhonda for a MUCH NEEDED girls' night.  We met at Salvation Army where we laughed about circa 1980 bad sweaters and jumpsuits.  Unless you are one of Charlie's Angels, walk away from the jumpsuits.  Our evening ended with Chipotle and then a run thru TJ Maxx.

Saturday (backup - Thursday was my brother's birthday) Bryan and I met in Mishawaka, Indiana on Saturday.  It took me 4.5 hours to get to him because Chicago decided to keep the express lanes closed which meant what was normally 5 lanes wide was only 3 lanes wide.  Imagine bumper-to-bumper cars with glaring red brake lights.  It was just lovely (heavy sarcasm).  On a happier note ~ the trip home was sans Chicago traffic.  From the exit off the Skyway onto the Dan Ryan thru the City, it was an 18 minute trip.  Eighteen minutes compared to 125 minutes.   

While in Mishawaka, Bryan and I hit their mall.  (We're not really mall shoppers...we really went there because I wanted to get the diary of Anne Frank from Barnes & Nobles.)  I did, however, find a most fabulous birthday prrsent at Gloria Jean's for my friend Rhonda.  An Audrey Hepburn travel mug.  It's a picture and a quote from Breakfast at Tiffany's.  Delightful. Absolutely delightful.

Bryan is quite a thrifter so when he mentioned finding the Goodwill, I was all in.  We found it!!! And BONUS - they were having an all day / all items 50% off sale.

We both left with sweaters galore.  My amazing find was two J. Crew cashmere-blend sweaters marked $5 each and sold to the girl with curly hair for $2.50.  Cashmere!  I have never owned cashmere.  I am completely smitten with its texture.  I wonder if I could find some cashemere-blend yarn to make a scarf.

After sweater procurement, I read a Facebook post to Bryan regarding our upcoming harsh winter.  And we both were extremely thankful for our sweater finds.

Bryan has wanted a single-brew coffee system for some time.  It seems we have talked at great length about the machines out there.  On Saturday,  we found one for him. I was the go-between....bought the b-day gift for mom and dad.  Bryan was thrilled...nearly giddy about his new coffee brewing contraption.  If he could've, I think he would've brewed a cup right there in the Meijer's store.

Two hundred ninety miles separate us...so spending the day with the big guy was such a treasure.

Visitors...

On Saturday, I arose from my slumber, prepared for my day, and then flipped a trip from Rockford to Michigan and back again.  I went to Michigan to attend a graduation open house and fetch my mom & brother.

It was a looooooooooooooong day.  Thankfully on the way back to Rockford, I had amazing conversationalists who did not judge my fits of late night laughter.  Infact Bryan even encouraged it. 

570+ miles in one day is a bit much.   We survived...but our sanity was shot.

On the First day of Christmas...

All I wanted was a cup of Gloria Jean's coffee...instead...well, here's what happened.

Last night I hurried to get to the Gloria Jean's coffee at the tollway travel plaza.  Upon arriving at said coffee establishment, I noticed the black cord was draped across the entrance.  The barista behind the counter was closing up shop. 

Me:  "Hi.  Are you closed?"
Gloria Jean's Barista:  "Yes."
Me:  "I called yesterday and was informed that you were open until 8 p.m."
GJB:  "That is correct."
Me (glancing at my watch):  "But it's only 7:20."
GJB:  "8:20 actually."
Me:  "DRAT!!!!  This Eastern Time Zone gets me EVERY time!!!  Stink!"  (Smallish pause...)  "Merry Christmas!"

My spectacular Saturday :)

Yesterday (June 30th) Bryan and I decided to meet in the middle.  Originally our plans were to go the airshow in Battle Creek, Michigan...however once I confirmed that my travel time would be right around 4-1/2 hours, the airshow plans got terminated.  Four-and-half hours is my travel time to Hudson, Michigan to my brother's apartment (aka:  MANCAVE!).  Nine hours of travel in one day is too much...soooo we opted for plan B -- meet in the middle.


Michigan City is approximately 130 miles from Rockford and 140 miles from the mancave.  I figure I get to save 10 miles because I have to deal with the Windy City.  Sounds good, right?


Because of poor planning, I had to delay my departure time.  I had to stop in Belvidere at the Secretary of State's office and hand-over $99 for one of those cute license plate stickers.  I must say, however, the line was super-speedy.  I was in-and-out in less than 10 minutes.  [Note:  This particular branch opens at 7:30 on Saturdays and the clerks were very helpful!  I hope I remember this for next year.]


By the time I fueled-up, I believe I left Belvidere around 8:30.  I was sitting in Michigan City at 11 a.m. (Central).  For Bryan, it was 'noon and lunchtime.  I introduced Bryan to my new favorite restaurant (my old favorite still is Panera)...Chipolte is my new favorite!  It's gluten-free -with the exception of the tortillas which you can easily bypass by ordering a Burrito bowl!!!  Also, all of the employees have been trained in gluten-awareness.  Not only do they wash their hands, but they will also change their gloves.  I think it's fabulous that they are aware of the potential for contamination.  Bry opted for tacos and I chose the burrito bowl.  We sat outside on the shaded patio and conversed and laughed...  It was wonderful and an hour later...we were at Lake Michigan.


The Lake was lovely.  A little crowded but not nearly as crowded as what I imagine it will be on the 4th of July.  What intrigued me the most was how the lake and the horizon sort of ran into one another...the blues were soo similar.

We found a nice place to spread out our towels.  Snapped a few pictures.  Chit-chatted some more.  After an hour or so, we meandered down the Cat Walk (we only know it was called this because of a sign :)) to a lighthouse.  It was a lovely stroll.  Bry stopped and talked to a fisherman and as we walked away, Bry said, "Wanna go back and get a picture with him?  You can blog about your new boyfriend."  I love my brother's sense of humor.  He's cute.  Notice there is not a picture of my new "boyfriend."  :)


By the time we left Lake Michigan, we were both parched.  Our first choice was a Mango Freeze from Panera.  Note to self:  The nearest Panera is 25 miles away.  Our second choice was a lemon-icy-thing from Culver's.  


We found Culver's.  We ordered 2 icy drinks...and then we sat and chatted.  Bry told me funny stories about his work.  I interspersed stories about the poop plant.  The beauty of the icy drinks from Culver's....they use real fruit in them!  I ordered mine with raspberries and they used actual raspberries!!!  Bry ordered the blackberry and we saw chunks of blackberries.  


All in all, we had a lovely day!!!  

Upon delivering me back to Rosie, Bryan and I concurred to meet up like this again.  It's nice that it's halfway between our two places of residence.  

The Dan Ryan Expressway (Interstate 90) was not bad either way (coming/going).  I did have a couple more slow downs on the way back.  I love how once you get through the "tunnel" that there's a sign that reads "Left Lane Ends" and then several more feet "Left Lane Ends 1,000 feet" and then as a final warning "LEFT LANE ENDS X"  (the "X" is red).  Even though they were well-warned, I still had individuals cutting me off.  I should probably confess that while I was getting cut off, I said outloud NUMEROUS times, "I'm nice...must you really cut me off?"  :)  And then, so as not to elevate my blood pressure, I concluded the speech with "Angie Good, it's all they know.  They did not have a fabulous driving instructor like you had.  Let them cut you off and you drive nicely.  You love Jesus."

You know what I wish -- I wish car makers would make different horn-styles.  I figure they could put them on the steering wheel with pictures to differentiate between the horn types.  A smile face -- kind of a "beep-beep" sound.  An angry face -- "HOOOOONK!."  And lastly an irate face -- maybe with machine gun noises.  :)  It's just a thought...


Once outside the Windy City, I stopped at the Randall Road exit and treated myself to a bag of freshly washed and cut raw green beans...OH HAPPY DAY!  I love veggies.  When Bry called to check on me, he laughed outloud when I replied to his inquiry about my whereabouts, I said, "I'm blissfully chomping on raw green beans, about to enjoy a bottle of water, and getting back on to I-90 headed to Rockford."


Confession:  I love raw green beans.  When I was a child, I received many-a-reprimand for eating the green beans straight from the garden. 

Pull out the big guns!!!!!

Sooo I am about to embark on a 4-1/2 hour journey to Michigan to spend the weekend with my brother.  We are celebrating his birthday a week early -- as I don't like to travel over Labor Day weekend.  The thought of sitting on the Sky Way for hours and hours does not bring me one ounce of joy.  Since my brother is a rockstar, he is totally fine with celebrating a week early!  I mean -- HELLO - BIRTHDAY PRESENTS BEFORE YOUR BIRTHDAY!  WHO DOESN'T LOVE THAT???

Rosie is all packed.  My list is checked off.  The last thing I need to do before departing is paint my fingernails...which will take a couple minutes.  Nothing major.  Then I will be off for three days of fun in Michigan.  I'm hoping to connect with my friend Shelley & her delightful daughter and maybe sneak over to Flavor Fruit Farm -- the apple orchard of my youth.  Apple cider......THERE ARE NO WORDS!!!!

CONFESSION:  I have the Sound of Music soundtrack in my car.  It's one of the three big guns that helps me get through the drive...okay, not literal guns.  The first - prayer!  The second - "These are a few of my favorite things..." :)  The third - coffee.  Caffeination + singing + Jesus.  A perfect trifecta for my roadtrip.

I hope you have a lovely weekend!!!

Tootles!

~ Fun Angie