I'm the Kinda Girl Who . . . A Linkup!

I just discovered Holly at Hey Hollywood and not only loved her idea for a linkup, I automatically love her because she lives in Columbus and is a Buckeye Fan!!

So I'm a day late on this, but it seemed appropriate since I really haven't written much about myself. 

*** over thinks EVERYTHING (and subsequently worries).

*** has to shower FIRST THING every morning.

*** is obsessive about my dental health.

*** puts shoes back in the box for storage (after every wearing).

*** can't sleep if there is anything on the floor of the bedroom (stuff that shit in the closet!).

*** would prefer to spend all day everyday with animals (especially mine).

*** will always watch Back to the Future (any of them) if I find them on TV.

*** misses swimming and the feel of the water more than anything.

*** is surprised where life has taken me in the past 30 years.

*** is a huge introvert, and must have my alone time.

*** swears way to much.

*** hates germs and sick people - to the point of not leaving the house during flu season.

*** will always hit the curb when going through the drive through at the bank.

*** is ready to join the "married couple" world, but refuses to settle for anything less than my soul mate.

*** needs to learn how to do cool things with my blog and apologizes for the lack of pictures in this post! 


So what kinda girl are you??

Family Weekend (The Detailed Version)

So Thursday afternoon I headed to my parents with a VERY fully loaded car. Once I arrived, my mom and I spent about 2 hours packing all of the food, dishes, utensils, etc. for the weekend. 

See part of the fun of this weekend is the eating and drinking together as a family. Plus, it's WAY cheaper to bring and cook stuff than go out to eat every meal. We had LOTS of good food and snacks, and enjoyed every min of that family time. But man is packing for it a bitch! This place was new for us, so I had no idea what to expect in the kitchen - I ended up packing many dishes/tools I didn't need, but always better to be prepared! (I still haven't unpacked those boxes - they are sitting on my kitchen table).

Friday morning we woke up, packed another 6 zillion things in the car, and started the 4.5 hour trek up north. It was old school family trip style. Mom and dad, sister and me, and dog.

Coop enjoying mom's lap on the ride up, with dad at the wheel.

We arrived, and proceeded to unpack the 6 zillion things (including 2 snowmobiles). Then my brother and his family arrived about 3 hours later, needing his 3 zillion things unpacked (including another snowmobile). Friday evening was spent eating pizza, and drinking, with a trip to the pool for the kiddos. 

Saturday began the real adventure - RIDING. 

If you have never gone snowmobiling, you really should try it! 

Saturday also included a trip to the sledding hill, a trip to the swimming pool, lots of eating, a few movies, and an epic game of Apples to Apples. 

My dad ended up winning. He had absolutely no idea what was going on. And listening to him be the judge was a hysterical. 

Sunday followed with more of the same, and it was absolutely amazing. I actually went out on a huge lake that was totally frozen solid. I've never even had the opportunity to do that before because the lake was never frozen solid. It was scary and exhilarating at the same time. Also very cool that you could hold down the throttle all the way and zoom around in the big open area. 

Dad and I in the top right, me with the lake behind me in the lower left. Beautiful scenery the whole weekend.

We wrapped up Sunday with more drinking and talking, along with some awesome popcorn, hot chocolate and a movie. Then Monday morning we were up and at em packing the zillions of things up again!


This trip was a first for us. I mean we have all gone snowmobiling before, but we had never gone together as a family like this. February has become the worst month for my Mom. Two years ago her sister passed, and then last year my Grandma took her fall that would send her in a downward spiral. We all wanted to get together with mom and surround her with love this weekend, and I'm 100% sure we succeeded. There were so many laughs, and just really good family time - something all of us needed. It's hard to get together and enjoy each other's company when you have busy lives and live hundreds of miles apart. This weekend we were able to do exactly that. I can honestly say I have never drank with my brother (other than a beer or two). Even Cooper had a great time - relaxing on the couch and getting extra attention.

I don't know if we will do this every year, but it sure was fun this year! So, have any of you ever gone snowmobiling??

Family Weekend

Hey Everyone - I'm back from my family trip. Sorry I didn't get my post up on Thursday - Kal-El is very upset he didn't get to tell his story. Something unexpected came up Wednesday evening and threw off my entire weekend. I was very upset I couldn't post his story, but you gotta roll with the punches sometimes. So Kal-El will have to wait for the next "Pets are People Too" linkup. 


I stayed off of all social media and all emails (work included!) for 4 days. I've got some catching up to do!! 


All in all it was a GREAT weekend. I'm going to leave you with a few pics, and will be back tomorrow with a full recap of the craziness. 

Snowmobiling is the main part of the trip. I mean we could gather as a family anywhere, but getting out on the sleds is the best! There was well over 3 feet of snow up there. The top right picture is of a groomer - they go over the trails so the ride is nice and smooth. My sister and I are on the top Left (I'm on the left), and my sister and nephew are on the bottom right. Everyone enjoyed the rides!

Family time was another main part of the trip. My mom wanted to spend quality time with all of her kids and grandkids. We played lots of games, watched movies, and told stories. And while we were all sledding, my mom stayed in by the fire, reading her book and drinking her wine. And if you didn't already notice, there is some rivalry in the family. . . unfortunately my brother is a M*ch*g*n fan, so his kids are too. My dad and I went to Ohio State, so we had to gang up on them.

I hope you all had a great weekend too!!

My Favorite Valentine's Day

Sorry I've been absent a few days. Visitors at work and prepping for a 5 day vacation has my schedule all thrown off!

So onto Valentine's day. . . 

I dated a guy for six and a half years - through the end of high school, all of college, and a year after - and I have no recollection of a memorable Valentine's day at all (sad, I know).

When I think of Valentine's day I think of 2 things. First, how I had either the flu or pinkeye for the school Valentine's day party 3 years in a row (I was a pretty sickly child). And second, the year my dad gave me a gift. 

A little background about my dad. He is what you would call a "workaholic." He worked long hours, and had a pager on him at all times. Every night after dinner he was on the phone in his office. He was, and is, a fantastic father, but he never was one of the dads who helped around the house, or coached the t-ball team. My mom was supermom - she did everything in the house, was involved in every school activity possible, and handled the gifts for all occasions. 

I have no idea how old I was, but I'm thinking 4 or 5. I woke up Valentine's day morning to a cosmetic bag with a bow sitting on my dresser. I vividly remember opening it up and revealing the treasures, including some awesome Tinkerbell perfume and makeup.

(source)

Remember this stuff??

And best of all, there was YELLOW nail polish inside! For whatever reason, I had been wanting yellow nail polish for a very long time. To my 4 year-old self this gift was everything I had ever wanted.

I bolted into my parents room and said, "Look what I got," immediately heading towards my mom to show her. I remember she was in the bathroom getting ready, and dad was still laying in bed. She inspected each thing and told me how lucky I was. Then she read the card that was in the bag, and said, "Stephanie, this is from Daddy!" 

Well that changed everything. I never got anything just from Daddy. I remember jumping on the bed and giving him the biggest hug, smiling from ear to ear. I remember laying there watching the news with him and telling him I was the luckiest girl to have a Daddy like him. It was perfect.

And about 20 years later, I was recounting this event with my mom, and she proceeded to tell me that she got that for me, and just signed the card from Daddy. I was crushed! I really thought he had the idea to get me something for Valentine's day many years ago. She responded with, "I don't think he had any idea I was doing it." Which obviously makes things worse. And as I told her she destroyed my memory of that day, she laughed and said, "Steph, this is your dad we're talking about. You should know better!" I agreed with her, and then told her not to tell me the truth about my memories anymore. 

What's your favorite Valentine's day? 



Do you have pets? Are your pets your babies like mine are to me? Join the linkup tomorrow for "Pets are People Too"  with Jackie. I will be posting about my baby Kal-El (I figured you have already heard a lot about Cooper). Be sure to link up and tell a story about your pet!

My Turtles

Did you know I have two aquatic turtles?? I do. Want to hear all about them?? Well even if you don't you are about to!

Somewhere along my childhood I decided I liked turtles. Anytime a friend went somewhere for vacation - they would come back with something with a turtle on it for me. When Finding Nemo came out I LOVED those turtles and the obsession grew. 

(source)

The summer of 2004 my sister had just graduated from High School and was dating a guy that was super outdoorsy. They were out on a lake all day (fishing maybe?) and she saw a bunch of turtles and insisted he catch one for me. 


It was a shock to come home from my summer job to find a turtle in a bucket on the front porch. I named him George and he was awesome. That first day, I had a friend loan me a small tank, and I made it look like an enchanted sea. I also (being overcautious of germs) decided he needed a bath. I took a toothbrush and scrubbed him until all of the algae came off (which also meant some of "shells" came off. I FREAKED out that I killed him, because I immediately dropped him into the grass and he didn't move for like 2 solid mins. But I guess they shed shells like a snake sheds skin. Bet you really wanted to know that huh?)


Just a couple of problems with George. . . I only had a 10 gallon tank and he was WAY too big for it. I would buy a dozen feeder fish every other day and he would eat them all in 3 mins. And he was a wild turtle, so he was generally unhappy in that tank. I kept him about a month and took a trip to our "creek" (really a 10 mile river) in the neighborhood, with my then 4 year-old nephew for a goodbye party. 


I thought that was it with my turtle owning. Fun but short and sweet. Then about a week before my sister and I were headed to Ohio State for the fall, her boyfriend showed up with 2 baby turtles for my late birthday present. They had the cutest bowl with cute accessories. I melted. They were maybe the size of a half dollar - if that big. 

A picture of them in 2010. I don't have any cute pictures of them as babies. 

I immediately knew they should be named Lois and Clark after my everlasting Superman addiction. But, since I lived in a sorority house, these turtles were going to have to live at my boyfriends, and he wouldn't let me name them that. The next best thing I came up with was Franklin (after the awesome turtle in the book that taught me not to be afraid of the dark). And I had to come up with something that went with Franklin. Being the American History buff that I was, I decided upon Theodore. 


So, fast forward 10 years this September, and I've had Franklin and Theodore for 10 years (holy shit!). In those 10 years I have learned a lot . . . . 


First of all, Theodore is a girl. And Franklin is a boy. And boy and girl turtles have sex and lay eggs:

This shouldn't happen. Turtles lay their eggs on land. Theo was stressed out because Franklin was beating up on her. They have since been separated. 

Second of all, turtles are expensive. When I bought my house I decided to "hook them up" with a nice tank and stand and filter and all the stuff. That was over $800. And then when Franklin started his domestic violence, I had to get another tank for him so they could be separated. (Don't worry - his isn't as nice - she has the best house between the two of them - it's his punishment for the abuse).


Third, turtles are gross. REALLY gross. And even though I have a $300 filter, I have to manually clean the tank once a month. 


Fourth, turtles do NOT make a good gift for someone. Trust me - I know.

But they are really fun to watch. 

I have thought of getting rid of them. I mean really thought about it - even went to a reptile show here in town to see if anyone there would want them. You see I'm a huge animal lover, and that includes all animals, even these disgusting things. I keep picturing me giving them away to someone who doesn't feed them, or doesn't clean the tank so they are living in their own filth. Even worse would be that someone just decides to let them go in a pond. They wouldn't make it - they have never lived in the wild and they struggle to catch fish when I put them in the tank with them!

Watching them run around in the backyard is fun too.

So to end my extremely long story of turtle ownership, I would recommend not going there if you are thinking about it. Turtles live a LONG time. Looks like these guys will be around for awhile. . . But the cat's sure don't mind. I think watching the turtles is their prime form of entertainment!

Anyone have any unique pets??  

Humpday Confessions

I'm linking up for another round of Humpday Confessions! If you haven't already go check Kathy out!

. . . No shocker here - I love the snow. Snow covered with about an inch of ice, I like very much less. I was pretty bummed that I couldn't stay in bed all day like most of the rest of Ohio today. And I'm very much not looking forward to shoveling the extremely heavy snow tonight.

. . . I've just discovered I'm poor. Cooper's vet bill last week was $450 and I just spent another $100 on medicine for him. He will be OK, but needs medicine to keep him strong. He is worth every penny, but I'm really going to have to watch my spending this month. Especially because I have to have his tests run again next month.

. . . I would KILL for a manicure right now (see above statement).

. . . I finally determined how I want my planner to work (only 36 days into the new year). I've printed off through April, but I don't have enough of the thick paper to print the rest of the year. There is a possibility there is more paper in my shed (art studio) but the fact that there is now 5 inches of snow and an inch of ice along the path to the shed, I think I'll just go buy some more.

. . .  I'm going to start packing for the snowmobile trip tonight. I've already made several lists, and will continue to do so until I'm in the car headed up north. I'm starting to get VERY excited for my trip!

So what are you confessing to on this fine humpday??

Roundabouts

I'm about to go on a rant about the proper driving rules and regulations to follow when you drive through a roundabout. If you never knew the rules you will learn today! But first, I want to talk about Bloggy Boot Camp. I found out yesterday that Royal and Holly will be attending, and this is all going down in St. Louis. I'm seriously considering going. St. Louis is only a little over a 6 hour car trip (since I can't do airplanes), and it sounds like an overall great experience. Anyone else planning on attending?? 


OK - onto roundabouts. Do you have these in your town? 

For whatever reason, central Ohio has decided to be the capital of roundabouts. The suburb I live in, and the next suburb over have about 12 combined, with more in the works (and these are not huge suburbs). And most recently, where I work has decided to put a roundabout at the exit/entrance ramp (not a clover or whatever, a straight up full roundabout).  

I actually really like them. If people use them properly, traffic flows through quickly, and you aren't left with the annoying line of the 4-way stop. The key point being that people have to use them correctly. 

I understand that many cities don't have them, and if you have never seen one before it can be overwhelming and intimidating. But, if you have them in your city (or within a 30 mile radius) shouldn't you look up the rules and inform yourself? 

Being the nice person that I am, I have posted an informative video below. But, if you don't have time to watch it, I'll give you a crash course (no pun intended). 


First, you do not have to stop! It's a yield, so if cars are coming, or pedestrians are crossing, yield and come to a stop if necessary. If there are no cars in the roundabout or anywhere even close, drive through it!! You really mess the car behind you up when you decide to come to a complete stop when there are no cars in the roundabout. 

Second, when you enter the roundabout you need to GO. Don't pull in front of someone and go 5 mph - you need to speed up and get through.

Third, once you are in the roundabout DO NOT STOP - you have the right of way! Don't hesitate because you think another car is going to come in, and please don't stop, because it will cause a huge pileup crash. If there is an emergency vehicle behind you, please exit the roundabout and THEN pull over. 

Fourth, don't change lanes inside the roundabout. This is a cardinal sin. If you are going to exit the roundabout on the wrong street, so be it - you messed up. You know what? You can turn around and get right back in the roundabout pretty easily. Don't change lanes. 

Fifth, don't sit and wait forever to enter the roundabout. Nothing is worse than you attempting to enter and then stopping, blocking half of traffic. You have to have confidence and GO. Like I said before, once you are in, you own it. 

And now for the helpful video:

Do you have roundabouts in your city? Do you find that when people use them correctly they are absolutely amazing and traffic flows smoothly? If you don't have them, or have never experienced one, I hope this helps!!