sweep!

We went to two of the Rays/Sox series games for my birthday. Let me tell you, major league baseball with first-place implications is not for the faint of heart. It certainly rivaled any UT or FSU game I've ever seen in Ben Hill Griffin in terms of excitement.

And when Rays fans drowned out Red Sox fans' cheers with "Let's Go Rays," well, that was the best part of the evening. I hope the fans keep turning out, even without sweeps.

priorities

The Countryside Publix in Clearwater's definition of a storm basic. You can tell they've been through a few hurricanes.

vacationing by the numbers

Number of days gone: 13
Number of beds slept in: 12

Number of miles driven: 2460
Number of miles driven by me: about 500

Number of miles walked in new heels to meet friends for dinner in downtown Cincinnati: 1 1/2
Number of blisters gained from said walk: 6
Number of times we walked/ran across the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge going back and forth from Cincinnati to Covington, Kentucky: 7







Number of weddings attended: 2
Number of dresses for weddings left hanging in a closet on the other side of the state: 1 (the one I needed!)

Number of flights of stairs climbed to do laundry in Cincinnati: 6
Number of times we had to climb them: 3 (mercifully)

Number of baseball games attended: 4
Number of baseball games attended where the home team was celebrating both youth recreation day and senior citizens day: 2 (really, what are the odds?)
Number of Jimmy Buffet cover bands performing after a baseball game: 1
Number of fans who stayed to watch the Jimmy Buffet cover band: about 600 (yes, including us)




Number of homemade lemon meringue pies eaten by each of us: 1/2
Number of ice cream-based desserts eaten by each of us: 5
Number of pounds gained by each of us (despite running): 5 1/2

Number of times finding a great song on the radio changed our mood: 4
Number of books on tape I fell asleep listening to: 2
Number of times a five-lane interstate full of traffic was stopped for a funeral procession: 1 (that was one brave cop!)

Height (in feet) of the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: 6,643
Number of miles we climbed to get there: 1/2
Height (in feet) we climbed to get there: 330
Angle of said climb: unknown, but very, very steep





Number of times I wanted to come home: 0

We had an amazing trip. More pictures should be up by the end of this weekend.

room with a view

The downtown Cincinnati skyline as seen from our friends' terrace. I know I make fun of Ohio, but this city's skyline is gorgeous. We stayed across the river in Kentucky a couple of nights ago and had similarly breathtaking views that included both the Bengals and Reds stadiums.

brrr

We've had a busy several days filled with family and friends. And lots and lots of driving. Through it all, I have been proud of myself for maintaining the discipline to run every other morning. But this morning presented a true test. I woke up, threw on running clothes, and stepped out into a 50-degree northwest Ohio morning. Yikes! I decided I was tough enough to handle it. By the time I got back, I couldn't feel my fingers and my nose was runny.

*sigh* I packed exactly 3 short-sleeved shirts and 7 tank tops for this trip. Will I ever learn that summer does not mean the same thing in all parts of the country?

Update: The edge of Lake Erie across the street from Tim's grandmother's house near Cleveland. It's easily 50-some degrees before wind chill. I owe Tim's mom Jane a huge thank you for loaning me the sweatshirt. It saved our vacation.

corduroy chicken

Well there it is, my new summer bag. I like the green corduroy, but not nearly as much as I love, love, love the pink chicken fabric.


Hmm -- funky lighting in this picture. Anyway, the bag is deeper and wider than the last bag I made. I customized the pockets again to fit my cell phone, camera, and various other things.

*yawn* It is almost 1:30 in the morning. I think I'm finally ready for Ohio.

procrastination queen

I am supposed to be getting ready for our trip to Ohio. I should be doing laundry, cleaning the house, packing...


Instead, I stayed up until 2 this morning working on my latest great idea -- coordinated travel shoe bags, lingerie bags, and laundry bags. There are 5 bags total -- 4 shoe/lingerie bags and one laundry bag -- all with drawstring ties. I've been using a Winnie the Pooh pillowcase as a laundry bag since I was in high school -- I figured it's time for something new.


I also finished the laptop bag I've been wanting to try. It didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to (a little tight and not roomy enough for other stuff like cords and chargers) but it will suffice for this trip. And don't even get me started on the hell that was putting in the zipper (I think I ripped it out about 4 times before being marginally content with it.) At least I won't have to rely on clothes in my suitcase for laptop protection anymore.


The entire impetus for going into the craft room was the desire for a new summer tote bag. That was only started at 1 this morning. Hopefully I'll finish before our departure tomorrow at 8am. I'll post pics on my way out the door.