Well, we spent the weekend in Bloomington-Normal for our 6th anniversary. It was really fun to get away for the weekend and explore another nearby city.
We left Saturday morning for the hour drive to Bloomington. It was nice to have some time to just talk and not have housework or homework to think about. Once we got to the Bloomington-Normal area, we drove around and explored the Illinois State University campus and surrounding area. Then we had breakfast at a tasty place called "The Coffeehouse & Deli." It reminded us of a coffeehouse one might find in the Bay Area or Portland. I had the Organic Granola with Yogurt and a Soy Latte to go along with my Bay-Area-Healthy-Hippy vibes. Nathan was excited to have a big omelette and toast. Boy loves his breakfast foods.
We saw a used bookstore across the street and went to check that out after breakfast. It was really cool. Different then others we had been in because they had more rare and obscure books. We took a stroll down the street to check out the Children's Museum but realized it was NOT adult friendly (which made us feel creepy), so we quickly left. During this stroll, we noticed a protest going on across the street. Both sides of the healthcare debate had parties present. They were chanting and shaking signs, but there were only about 30 people on each side and they were standing pretty close to each other on a small street which made the whole thing pretty funny to us. Of course, we had to take pictures.
We continued on our walk to explore some stores and found a place that sold some interesting action figures (see pictures for the details). Then we drove down the street to a Library Book Sale we had passed earlier. It turned out to be kind of a bust, but I did hear a humorous exchange. Now, just to clarify, there were a MILLION signs stating this was a SALE, and the sale books were all in the basement, pretty far from the actual library.
Woman to clerk (after observing someone buying books): "So do you have to pay for these books?"
Clerk: "Yes, all these books are for sale."
Woman: "Well, I can't find anything I want."
...
Well.... Then... I don't know what to tell you
We got back in the car and drove through downtown Bloomington and up to the two shopping malls in town. I made Nathan go to Hobby Lobby with me, since he had never been inside of one. While he doesn't hate it as much as Michael's, he would still rather go just about anywhere than a craft store. Oh well.
When we walked around the mall, we happened upon a Boy Scout toy car racing competition. It was pretty awesome. We stayed and watched for a while and smiled at the anxious boys (and their overly competitive fathers). Wholesome American fun.
Finally, we drove to our bed & breakfast to check in. We stayed at the Vrooman Mansion (http://vroomanmansion.com/). It's a historical home that has been beautifully restored. The exterior of the house isn't all that appealing, but the interior was really pretty. The furnishings and stained glass and old fixtures. It was like going back in time, a little bit.
After checking in we went out to dinner at Baxter's American Grille. We had wanted to eat at Destihl, another well reviewed restaurant, but the wait was over an hour. While we have waited over an hour for good food before, the idea that we would wait for over an hour for food in Central Illinois was just plain silly (to Nathan), so we moved on to Baxter's. Eating at Destihl is now on our "stuff to do on our next day trip to Bloomington" list.
Funny thing happened on the way to the restaurant... My boss has mentioned that she has done some modeling and acting in film and commercials, but I hadn't seen her in anything. Well, there I am chatting away, when there SHE is on a billboard! I squealed with excitement and made Nathan turn around so I could take a picture. I can be so annoying sometimes. But it was fun.
Baxter's was delicious and filling, and then we were off to the movies to see Alice in Wonderland. Then we braved the windy weather and returned to our suite in the Vrooman Mansion after a long day of fun. The next morning was one of the best parts of our stay. The breakfast they served us was wonderful. We came downstairs to the dining room. There was fresh orange juice and coffee waiting for us. We were served (along with all the other guests) a fresh fruit cup of bananas, kiwi, pineapple and oranges. Next we had a spinach bacon souffle, sausage patties, and cream cheese crepes with cherry & blueberry compote. Way beyond our expectations!
We finished off our relaxing weekend with some time spent reading in a local cafe, then a nice long nap upon our return to Peoria.
I'm really glad we found another city close by with some different things to do. There are a couple more bookstores there we would like to go back and check out. They have antique shops and an arts festival/street fair coming soon. There are several restaurants we want to try as well. And of course, there is the Shakespeare Festival in the summer that I can't WAIT to go to.
In addition, there is an ostrich farm near Bloomington that sells eggs starting in May, so Nathan might finally get to make that ostrich omelette he's been dying to try. We shall see.
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Sunday, March 21, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
I spoke too soon...
So in my last post I definitely spoke too soon. Nathan and I were only germ free for about another 24 hours. We were then sick AGAIN for another week. Since then, spring has sprung in Peoria, bringing the temp to a balmy 50-some degrees. It's awesome ... pass the kleenex.
As far as my neighbor goes, the birthday display came down, but she left up a quickly rotating mini-display of winter snowflakes for a few days in its place. This week she started the St. Patrick's Day display. Wondering if the Easter display with be more Jesus or Easter Bunny focused. I'm giddy with anticipation.
This weekend Nathan and I will be celebrating our 6th anniversary, so stay tuned for updates on our weekend getaway to Bloomington, Illinois. It should be fun!
As far as my neighbor goes, the birthday display came down, but she left up a quickly rotating mini-display of winter snowflakes for a few days in its place. This week she started the St. Patrick's Day display. Wondering if the Easter display with be more Jesus or Easter Bunny focused. I'm giddy with anticipation.
This weekend Nathan and I will be celebrating our 6th anniversary, so stay tuned for updates on our weekend getaway to Bloomington, Illinois. It should be fun!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
About time for another update...
So I figured it was about that time...
Life is continuing to get more and more normal for us. We have almost entirely assimilated to the weather. Nathan still chatters his teeth in the morning, but I think he's just doing it for dramatic affect.
Unfortunately, we've been sporadically ill over the past few weeks. Nathan got a terrible eye infection and a cold, and I had a couple sick days too. But this week has been pretty germ free, which is a nice change of pace. Knock on wood.
A couple of stories I wanted to share from the adventures of a preschool teacher.
I was interviewing my class the other day and asked them a couple questions which yielded adorable answers.
What's my name? "Mid-Aw-bone."
How old do you think I am? (Sideways glance at one another, then an emphatic response) "TWO!!"
But wait, I thought I was your teacher? (they giggle)
Am I your teacher? "Nooooo" (said like that was the silliest assumption of all)
So... Am I your friend? (another emphatic response) YES!
Apparently, I am a giant, genius of a 2-year-old who just gets to chill with my friends all day. Pretty cool.
The other day I was interviewing a 5-year-old at my school, and we had a conversation about a girl in his class. He was very nonchalant, not embarrassed at all, and shrugged a number of times, as if to say "No big deal. Whatever." He's quite the ladies man. I can't paint enough of a picture of how cool he was during this conversation, so his words are in quotes and his demeanor and reaction is in parentheses.
Me: "So... is she your girlfriend?"
Him: "No" (scoff)
Me: "But I thought you said she was"
Him: "Not since I was 4" (get with it, lady.)
Me: "So she used to be your girlfriend"
Him: "Ya. A couple weeks ago." (No big deal.)
Me: "Do you have a girlfriend now?"
Him: "Ya." (Whatever. I always have a girlfriend.)
Me: "Does she know she's your girlfriend?"
Him: "Well, her was playin' with me today." (shrug.)
Me: "So your girlfriends are just whoever you are playing with that day?"
Him: "Ya." (it's not exclusive or anything.)
Me: "Do you pretty much have a new girlfriend every week?"
Him: "Ya, I have a new one every week." (I like to mix it up)
Me: "How do they know they aren't your girlfriends anymore? I mean are you going to tell her that it's over?"
Him: "I tried to tell her today but her didn't listen" (Women. Sheesh.)
Me: "It's hard to break up with people when they just won't listen"
Him: "Ya" (You got that right)
Other than interviewing children, it seems everyday brings its own interesting experiences at this new job, though a number of them have been poop related. Nathan has instructed me that I need to reduce the number of poop related stories in my life, so I will remain silent on the subject for now. Besides everyone knows, a good poop story is better told in person.
As for the two of us, we have no shortage of our own adventures. For example, it has now been firmly established that we are destined to live in homes with hyperactive smoke detectors. And no, my cooking is not that bad. Every place we have lived together, we have had ridiculous smoke detectors that went off whenever either of us cooked anything. Peoria is no exception. Both smoke detectors on our main floor go off every single time we cook or bake. It's maddening. More reason to go out and get some maple bacon ice cream.
We also have a funny neighbor across the street that has brought long running discussion and hypothesis into our marriage. We have only met her once, the day we moved in. That was back in December and we noticed, after dark, that (in addition to the regular Christmas lights) she had a projection system set up. This system projected rotating holiday images on her garage, such as Santa saying "ho,ho,ho", the nativity scene, a pile of presents under a tree, etc. There was also a separate, faster rotating projection of stockings floating over the larger projected image. We were amazed. How fancy. Then we came back from our holidays in California to see she was greeting us with a "New Year" themed display. How festive! A couple of weeks later, I noticed it had switched to a Valentine's Day theme. Wait a minute. Boardering on creepy. Last week, I came home to find a new display. "Happy Birthday!" What is going on? Nathan wasn't home yet, but first thing I said when he arrived was, "Did you see the neighbors new pictures outside?" He ran to the front window. We continued to discuss whether or not this was a cheap attempt at a President's Day celebration? Can she keep this up all year? I mean, August is sort of a wasteland for holiday themes. I'll keep you posted.
Life is continuing to get more and more normal for us. We have almost entirely assimilated to the weather. Nathan still chatters his teeth in the morning, but I think he's just doing it for dramatic affect.
Unfortunately, we've been sporadically ill over the past few weeks. Nathan got a terrible eye infection and a cold, and I had a couple sick days too. But this week has been pretty germ free, which is a nice change of pace. Knock on wood.
A couple of stories I wanted to share from the adventures of a preschool teacher.
I was interviewing my class the other day and asked them a couple questions which yielded adorable answers.
What's my name? "Mid-Aw-bone."
How old do you think I am? (Sideways glance at one another, then an emphatic response) "TWO!!"
But wait, I thought I was your teacher? (they giggle)
Am I your teacher? "Nooooo" (said like that was the silliest assumption of all)
So... Am I your friend? (another emphatic response) YES!
Apparently, I am a giant, genius of a 2-year-old who just gets to chill with my friends all day. Pretty cool.
The other day I was interviewing a 5-year-old at my school, and we had a conversation about a girl in his class. He was very nonchalant, not embarrassed at all, and shrugged a number of times, as if to say "No big deal. Whatever." He's quite the ladies man. I can't paint enough of a picture of how cool he was during this conversation, so his words are in quotes and his demeanor and reaction is in parentheses.
Me: "So... is she your girlfriend?"
Him: "No" (scoff)
Me: "But I thought you said she was"
Him: "Not since I was 4" (get with it, lady.)
Me: "So she used to be your girlfriend"
Him: "Ya. A couple weeks ago." (No big deal.)
Me: "Do you have a girlfriend now?"
Him: "Ya." (Whatever. I always have a girlfriend.)
Me: "Does she know she's your girlfriend?"
Him: "Well, her was playin' with me today." (shrug.)
Me: "So your girlfriends are just whoever you are playing with that day?"
Him: "Ya." (it's not exclusive or anything.)
Me: "Do you pretty much have a new girlfriend every week?"
Him: "Ya, I have a new one every week." (I like to mix it up)
Me: "How do they know they aren't your girlfriends anymore? I mean are you going to tell her that it's over?"
Him: "I tried to tell her today but her didn't listen" (Women. Sheesh.)
Me: "It's hard to break up with people when they just won't listen"
Him: "Ya" (You got that right)
Other than interviewing children, it seems everyday brings its own interesting experiences at this new job, though a number of them have been poop related. Nathan has instructed me that I need to reduce the number of poop related stories in my life, so I will remain silent on the subject for now. Besides everyone knows, a good poop story is better told in person.
As for the two of us, we have no shortage of our own adventures. For example, it has now been firmly established that we are destined to live in homes with hyperactive smoke detectors. And no, my cooking is not that bad. Every place we have lived together, we have had ridiculous smoke detectors that went off whenever either of us cooked anything. Peoria is no exception. Both smoke detectors on our main floor go off every single time we cook or bake. It's maddening. More reason to go out and get some maple bacon ice cream.
We also have a funny neighbor across the street that has brought long running discussion and hypothesis into our marriage. We have only met her once, the day we moved in. That was back in December and we noticed, after dark, that (in addition to the regular Christmas lights) she had a projection system set up. This system projected rotating holiday images on her garage, such as Santa saying "ho,ho,ho", the nativity scene, a pile of presents under a tree, etc. There was also a separate, faster rotating projection of stockings floating over the larger projected image. We were amazed. How fancy. Then we came back from our holidays in California to see she was greeting us with a "New Year" themed display. How festive! A couple of weeks later, I noticed it had switched to a Valentine's Day theme. Wait a minute. Boardering on creepy. Last week, I came home to find a new display. "Happy Birthday!" What is going on? Nathan wasn't home yet, but first thing I said when he arrived was, "Did you see the neighbors new pictures outside?" He ran to the front window. We continued to discuss whether or not this was a cheap attempt at a President's Day celebration? Can she keep this up all year? I mean, August is sort of a wasteland for holiday themes. I'll keep you posted.
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