And the Winner Is....

Last night was our friend Chas's annual Halloween party... It was SOOO much fun!! There were a bunch of people there, tons of food, and a lot of really great costumes. Chas totally out did himself this year... as he does every year!

I spent a couple of days this week trying to find something that I could use to make Beth's "girls". I bought the biggest bra I could find and tried stuffing it, but that didn't look right. I got a couple of styrofoam balls at Michael's, but those things HURT!! I didn't know what to do. Steve and I went to Meijer the other night to look and we found exactly what I needed... 2 large foam Nerf balls! They were perfect!!

I got off work at 4:00 yesterday Steve was done at 5:00. We met up at my place to get everything ready before going to Chas's house. I think Steve had it pretty easy. All he had to do was throw on some clothes, a wig, and some sunglasses and he was pretty much good to go. I on the other hand had to put on a boatload of make-up, wiggle into a pair of fishnets, zip on the "hooker boots", glue on some fingernails (which Steve had to help with), and somehow attach a couple of Nerf balls to my chest. It really took some work!! After about an hour and a half... we were ready to go!

Like I said, Chas goes all out for Hallween each year. His basement looked like a morgue... body parts laying on the floor, disected people laying on tables, etc. It was completely disgusting and really cool all at the same time. He also had all kinds of food and drinks for everyone, games and movies set up, and prizes for the costume contest.

For the costume contest, everyone was asked to vote for Scariest, Funniest, Cutest, and Best costumes. The award for Scariest went to fellow dispatcher Robin Seib who was dressed as famous porn star Ron Jeremy. His costume was hilarious and revolting! Cutest costume went to another dispatcher friend of ours Matt Witherspoon and his wife Heather who came as Shaggy and Scooby Doo. Funniest costume went to my friend Ilene Onieal and her husband James who came as the comic strip characters Beaker and Bunson. And Best costume went to......... drumroll, please ......... "Dog" the Bounty Hunter and Beth! WE WON!!!

Steve and I won a $25 gift certificate to Damon's, so we'll probably be heading out for dinner sometime in the near future!

All-in-all, it was a great night. We had a really fun time at the party, the "girls" got all kinds of compliments and inappropriate squeezes, and everyone loved Steve's hair (except Steve). We had a great time and we're already looking forward to next year's party!!

"You're so Vain"...

Steve and I are going to a Halloween party this coming Saturday at our friend Chas's house. Chas is a fellow NetJets Dispatcher and he goes all out for Halloween. This year, he is turning his basement into a morgue and he and his roommate are hosting their annual costume party. It's a HUGE hit every year... We are really looking forward to it!!

Steve and I are going as the (semi) celebrity couple... "Dog" The Bounty Hunter and his wife Beth. Watching their show is one of our guilty pleasures, so we thought it would be a good costume idea for this year's party. For those of you who have not seen the show... Google them to get an idea. For those of you who have seen the show... You'll understand that it's quite a stretch (to say the least) for Steve and I to pull this off. Challenge #1... Steve is just about bald (which, by the way, I LOVE!). "Dog" has this long, wavy, rock-n-roll/surfer dude looking hair... Steve has none. Challenge #2... Beth has the biggest... um... "girls"... I've ever seen in my entire life!! While I'm not completely lacking in the "girls" department... this Beth lady has some HUGE cups to fill. It's really going to take some work!!

Steve and I have most of what we need for the party. We both got blond wigs, fake tattoos, black boots, black sunglasses, etc. The only thing I'm lacking right now is the enormous "girls"... but I have a few ideas. (If any of you have any ideas on how to make a pair of those... PLEASE let me know!!) So tonight, I pulled out all my goodies and tried putting everything together to see how it looked. I put on the wig, played in my make-up, and even tried out the fishnets and boots. I haven't played dress-up since I was a kid... It was really kinda fun!! At the same time, I was praying that none of my neighbors saw me... they'll think I'm a total fruit loop!

Anyways... I have one of those full length mirrors in my room that I use in the morning when getting ready for work. I pulled it out and set it up on the ottoman in my living room so that I could get a good idea of what the whole get-up is going to look like. Well just as I was putting on the final touches, Steve called. He was on his way to his house, so we talked for about 10 minutes or so and then hung up. I ran back into the bathroom to put in the last earring and then headed into the living room to catch a look at myself in the mirror. This is what I saw instead....

... Little Miss Cookie Monster was totally checking herself out in the mirror!! I immediately thought of the song "You're so Vain" by Carly Simon. The first verse is very fitting of my little Monster...

"You walked into the party

Like you were walking onto a yacht

Your hat strategically dipped below one eye

Your scarf it was apricot

You had one eye in the mirror

As you watched yourself gavotte"

I just thought it was hilarious and I had to share it. She's so much like a little person... It's almost scary! She's such a girly girl!! I think that's the reason she's such a perfect little companion for me... I'm a pretty girly girl myself. I think I'm going to have to stop telling her how gorgeous she is all the time... It's obviously starting to go to her head! I sure love her though... big head and all!!

P.S. I'll post pictures of us in our costumes next weekend after the party... It should be entertaining!

Pumpkin Carving...

Since moving to this part of the country, I've discovered that fall is by far my favorite time of the year! I love that the weather cools off, I love watching the leaves change, and I LOVE carving pumpkins!!!

Last year, Steve and I went to Circle S Farms and searched through the pumpkin patch to find our pumpkins. We were hoping to hit another pumpkin patch last Thursday since we both had the day off (which doesn't happen often), but Mother Nature had different plans for us. Steve had a meeting for work until about noon, and at noon the rain moved in. So instead of waiting to get our pumpkins, we decided to skip the pumpkin patch this year and pick our pumpkins at the grocery store a block away from my place. Yeah... we cheated...

I think we did pretty well. Steve and I each picked out a pumpkin, and we even picked out a little one for the Monster. After we got them home, we washed them off and got ready to carve. Steve had to leave for a couple of hours, so I thought I'd begin on my own. I thought it would be easiest to start with the Cookie's. It was small... No problem, right? WRONG!! I messed it up so bad I had to throw it away and head back to the grocery store for another one. My girl wasn't going without a pumpkin! While I was at the store the 2nd time, I decided to grab another little pumpkin for Tootse. She didn't need to be left out of the festivities either.

I got my pumpkin done first. I knew what I wanted to put on it so I pulled out the pattern and started in. Let me just say... I LOVE the pumpkin carving kits they have in grocery stores!! They always have neat patterns, they come with lights, and the tools are awesome! I can remember carving pumpkins as a kid and always being afraid that I was going to cut my fingers off. It's SOOO much easier now! I wasn't really sure about my pumpkin while I was carving it, but once I got it cleaned off and put the light in it, I liked it.

Shortly after I finished mine, Steve got back and decided that he wanted to start on his. The problem was that he couldn't decide what he wanted to put on it. He searched and searched on the computer and finally settled on a pattern. It was perfect!

While Steve was working on his, I grabbed my girls' pumpkins and got to work. Since I messed up the first one I had... I knew that whatever was going on them had to be small and it had to be simple. I found part of a pattern that had a cat and a moon on it, so I decided to use that for Cookie. Tootse's pumpkin was even smaller, so hers ended up with just a few bats carved into it. I did get a picture of Cookie in her Halloween costume with her pumpkin... She looks rather proud of it...

At the end of the day... even though I was a little bummed that we didn't get to go to the pumpkin patch to pick our pumpkins... we had a great, MESSY time! The best part of the night was at the end when we lit them all up. They always look so neat!!

I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!!!

Inner Harbor...

After our fun-filled (and exhausting) day and night in Washington D.C., Steve and I decided to make the drive back to Baltimore. Our flight home the next day left at about 2:30pm, and we figured if we were already there, we might have a little time to do some sight seeing before we had to head to the airport. The drive from D.C. to Baltimore was only about an hour, but it felt like forever... I was exhausted!! I kept fighting to stay awake so that I could make sure Steve was staying awake, but it was so hard. He kept seeing me do the head bob, so he told me to just lean back and go to sleep... so I did. We got to the hotel around 1:30am and immediatly hit the hay so that we could get up and play the next morning.

The hotel we stayed in was in what's knows as the "Inner Harbor" area of Baltimore. It's basically a historical seaport that has been developed into quite an attraction. We'd read that there were restaurants and shops galore, hisitoical sights to see, and even an aquarium (which I really wanted to see!!), so it sounded like fun. We were up and out of our hotel at about 9:00am to see what we could find.

Steve and I walked about two blocks and were right at the tip of the harbor. It was absolutely beautiful! I could have taken pictures forever! Everywhere we looked there were shops to go in and things to see. We knew we were short on time, but didn't really know where to begin!

We saw a couple of really cool old ships sitting out in the harbor, so we decided to check those out. I thought we would just be able to take a few pictures and maybe read a little history about them. Little did I know we could actually tour them. We decided to get tickets and check them out. The two ships we toured were the Chesapeake and the USS Torske.

The first thing I noticed when we stepped on board the Chesapeake was the smell... The next thing I noticed was the motion of the boat. The two mixed together were a little hard for me to handle at first. I really didn't like the feeling. Steve suggested that I not stand still and he said to not stay focused on one thing. I really did seem to help if I kept moving and after a few minutes I was fine.

The USS Torske was fun because it was a submarine. I've always thought that it might be kindof fun to spend a couple of days on a submarine... but after being on this one, I changed my mind. I was trying to keep in mind that not all submarines are as small as the USS Torske is, but I could not believe how cramped it was! Just waking around without smacking into something was a challenge. There were dials, switches, levers, knobs, and handles EVERYWHERE!! Somehow... in the middle of all of those... they managed to squeeze in beds, bathrooms, a kitchen, and a dining area. It really was a sight to see. I've never really considered myself to be a claustrophobic person, but being on this submarine was testing my limits. It was really cool to read the history of the ships, look at old photographs, and to experience a tiny bit of what it was like to be on them. I don't think I ever would've lasted long on one of those things!

After touring the ships, we looked at the time and both decided that it would probably be a better decision to skip the aquarium. I was a little disappointed, but tickets were $28 a piece and we wouldn't have had much to enjoy it. Instead, we decided that we'd try to find some lunch and if we had enough time, hit some shops!!

For lunch, we had a hard time deciding what to eat. We'd heard about the amazing seafood in the area, but we were running short on time and didn't really have time for a long, sit-down lunch. So instead, we found a great burger place called Five Guys. They are actually known for having the best burgers in Baltimore and anyone who knows me knows that I am not one to pass up a good burger. They were SOOOO good! I wish I could've bought a few extra to bring home with me.

After eating lunch, we stopped at a couple of the shops that were in the shopping center there to pick up a few souvenirs and then we headed back to our car to head to the airport. On the way to the airport, Steve and I decided that this was definitely a place we wanted to come back to sometime soon. There was just to much to see and do... We need more time there!

Visiting Our Nation's Capital...

Steve and I visited the beautiful city of Washington D.C. this past weekend. We were actually in the area for the wedding of one of Steve's long time friends, so we thought we'd take a few extra days and make a mini vacation out of it. We only had a couple of days for sight seeing, and there is SOOOO much to see in the Washington area, so we made the most of it. It was an exhausting trip, and we got lost a few times thanks to my not-so-fabulous "navimaguessing" skills. But, we lived through all of it and we had a blast. I can't wait to go back!!

Our first stop on our list of things to see was Arlington National Cemetery. We got lost and it took us about an hour to get to where we needed to be, but we finally made it. And let me tell you... It was worth every single second of being lost! It was such an amazing place.

The thing I really wanted to see while there was the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Changing of the Guard, so that was the first place we went. The Tomb is guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year... rain or shine. The guards change every 30 minutes in the summer and every hour in the winter. We were lucky enough to get there just a few minutes before the Changing ceremony.

I was in absolute awe watching the Changing take place. Every step was precise, every movement was sharp. When the relieving Guard came out to take his place, he as well as his uniform and firearm were thoroughly and ceremonioiusly inspected. Every uniform was perfect, every medal in it's place. If you look closely at the picture of the guard walking in front of the Tomb, you can see rust colored stains on the concrete. These stains have been left by the taps on the shoes of the men who guard the Tomb. The darker brown spots you see are where the three guards (during the changing ceremony) have tapped their feet together in perfect unison. It was amazing to watch!

I think the best part about visiting Arlington was that you see people of all ages, from every corner of the world... and they're all there to pay their respects to those who rest there. It's a very peaceful place.

After Arlington, Steve and I headed to the Air and Space Museum. Since the Natural History Museum had been closed for renovations, many of their displays were moved to the Air and Space Museum. We kindof had the best of both worlds! Among the things we saw were Abraham Lincoln's hat, Thomas Edison's light bulb, the original Kermit the Frog, and my favorite... the ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore while filming the Wizard of Oz! I LOVE that movie and seeing those ruby slippers was at the top of my list of things to do!

After leaving the museum, we headed across the street to the National Archives where the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are all on Display. I was a little bummed when we saw the signs that said that flash photography was not allowed, but when we got to see the documents, I understood why. They have been meticulously preserved and kept in very dim lighting... but they are still extremely faded and very difficult to read. I'm definitely glad we got the opportunity to see them when we did!

Our next stop was by far my favorite thing we did the whole trip. Steve and I took a guided segway tour of the city and it was a blast!! The tour group met up at 6:00pm, and after about 30 minutes of practicing on our segways, we were off and running! Our tour guide was very knowledgable and was able to give us some interesting stories as well. Our tour included stops at the Capital building, White House, Supreme Court, Washington Monument, FBI Headquarters, and even Ford's Theatre... just to name a few. It was great!

We were with a group of about 10 people and they were a really fun bunch. Steve made fast friends with a man by the name of Mike Winn who is the president of a bank in Oklahoma City. He and his wife, Patty were so much fun! Poor Patty took nasty spill off her segway at one point, and ended up in the bushes once too. But she was a real trooper and just hopped back on both times and kept on going. They were hilarious!!

Steve and I have decided that any city we travel to, we're going to see if there's a segway tour. They are so much fun, and if you can do them at night you can avoid all the crowds of people. They're totally worth it!!

Our segway tour ended at about 9:30pm, so Steve and I made a trip to a local pizza place called "Matchbox" for some amazing pizza, and then we decided that we still had a couple more monuments to visit. So, we headed over to see Honest Abe. Talk about an impressive monument!

Our last stop of the night was the Vietnam Memorial. I was really hoping to get to see it during the day, but we just didn't have time. It was really dark and the wall was hard to see, so I couldn't get any pictures. But at the same time it was kinda cool because we were the only ones there. I could get as close to the wall as I wanted and read the poems that had been written and see the pictures that had been left there. It was very humbling to look at all the names that were on that wall. I couldn't believe how many there were.

It was such an amazing trip! There was so much to see and we had so little time. I really hope that we are able to go back another time to see more sites and learn more about our nation's history!

Flight Support Picnic!

This past Saturday we had a picnic for the Flight Support Department at work. This picnic is something that a group of us have been working on for quite a while as part of the Events Planning Committee and I have to say... It was a huge success!! The Flight Support Deparment includes the Dispatchers, Meteorologists, Slot Coordinators, Raft Coordinators, and the Next Day Flight Review Team for Netjets. We had a great turnout and the weather was gorgeous!!


The park we had the picnic at was in Pickerington, Oh which is about a half an hour drive from where I live. It's a very nice area and the park was absolutely beautiful! Steve and I got there at about 10:30am to set up the volleyball net we brought and to help finish setting up the food and tables. We had people arriving to eat at about 11:00, so it was a good thing we got there early!

There really was a lot to see and do at this park. There was a baseball field, soccer fields, a skate park, a playground, a walking trail, soccer fields, and a really neat covered bridge area with a creek that ran under it. We had the volleyball net set up, a football game going, and of course... a game of Cornhole to play! A lot of people who came brought family, friends, and pets... It was nice that there was something for everyone to do.


Since football is such a huge deal here in Ohio, we knew we had to have a way for people to watch the Buckeyes game. Luckily, a co-worker volunteered to bring his TV and set it up so no one would miss it. We took Cookie with us too the picnic and she was in full Buckeye spirit as well, thanks to Steve. He bought her a little OSU jersey to wear and she looked SOOO cute! It's funny... she usually throws a fit when I put something on her, but she had no problem whatsoever with the Jersey. She had it on all day long and we never even heard a growl out of her. She was definitely the bell of the ball... and she knew it too!