GROSS! WHAT IS THAT SMELL?

I am not a good secret keeper.  If you have something you don't want told...don't tell it to me.  Oh, I don't tell the secret...my face does.  But...today I have to let you in on a little secret on me!  Anyone who has read my blog over the past couple of weeks knows about my big adventure to Michigan with Mary, Kat, and Mandy ....well what you don't know is the crazy thing I did.  In fact no one knows....except my across the hall buddy, Trina, I told her yesterday and she laughed til she cried...so I thought I would come clean today.  My sweet husband, Frank, spent some of his growing up years in Germany(military father)....and while he was there he fell in love with a cheese called Beer Kaese.  The only thing I can liken it to is Limburger cheese.  To put it simply....it stinks to high heaven.  Well....when we were in Frankenmuth...I found a Cheese Haus....and guess what they had?  You got it....Beer Kase.  I was so excited....so I spent five dollars on a small wedge.  When we got to the car, I put it in a double zip lock bag, and put it in the ice chest to keep it cool.....BIG Mistake!  We drove to Ann Arbor....and somewhere between Ann Arbor and Beavercreek, Ohio...a strange and funky odor began infiltrating the van.  The warmer it got outside...the worse the smell inside was.  None of us could figure out what that smell was...it was kind of a cross between wet, moldy carpet....that a cat had urinated on.  I mean...it was a gaggy smell.   It was time for a fillup and we stopped at a gas station....while the other three went in to go to the bathroom...I went on a search for the smell....I carefully lifted the cooler....and the carpet underneath was bone dry....not even a drip.....then....then it happened.  I opened the cooler and that smell was everywhere.  I stood beside the van, gagging and pumping gas...trying to figure out what was that noxious.   I am sad to say...the culprit was the five dollar wedge of cheese.  I took the bag out of the cooler and threw it into the trash can beside the car.  I then took fabreze and sprayed the van until it was odor free.  When the girls came back to the van....and walked past the garbage can...they all agreed that that was the smell and where it came from...and it was nasty.  I was to embarassed to let them know that it was my fault....and was awfully glad the smell was gone.  Poor Frank...his only souvenir from Frankenmuth was going to have to be a mug with his name on it.  I tried.....but there is only so much of THAT smell I can stand. EEEEWWWWWW!  I am a cheddar kind of girl....so those of you out there who like the more fragrant cheeses....this one is for you.  Happy Wednesday!

Like The Mice

“If you get lonely in Korea, and I’m lonely over here at the same time, we should totally sing Somewhere Out There! Like those mice in An American Tail,” I said the night before Tom left.

Tom gave me a Look. “Um. No. I’m not singing.”

“Oh come on, it’ll be fun.”

“No.” Tom looked at his suitcase that was filled with a bunch of his clothes and uniform items. It was hard to watch him pack. And is it sad that he can fold better than I can? I guess it’s that military training. In basic training they had to fold neatly and if not, well, all hell broke loose. I guess if I had some guy screaming in my ear I’d learn to fold real quick. (Now I’m picturing a guy in a uniform screaming at me to fold dammit, fold, and I’m shouting back with tears running down my cheeks, “I’m trying, scary old man, I’m TRYING!”)

The drive to the airport was a little hard. I kept thinking, “Wow, this is it.” And then I’d think, “Man, I hope I don’t cry too much. I don’t want Tom’s last memory of me to be with a blotchy face and snot bubbling from my nose.”

Because I am not a pretty crier. I seem to have liquids coming out all over my face whenever I burst into tears. I look like a fountain gone wrong.

Tom flew out of our tiny local airport. Normally when we fly we have to drive to Denver but the military paid to have Tom fly out there. It was so small that they didn’t even open security until right before the flight left. This gave us time to talk.

Oh, and take pictures.



Natalie didn’t fully understand what was going on. She got that her Daddy was leaving—but she kept saying, “See you tomorrow!” This means it’s going to be a long year for me.



In this photo Natalie was singing, “Daddy, my Daddy!” (It’s going to be a LONG LONG YEAR!)



“I yuv my daddy!”

To Tommy, Tom went, “You’re the man of the house now. Don’t be messy,” and I went, “Mrs. Doubtfire!” and he went, “What?” and I explained, “That’s the line that Robin Williams tells his son before he left.” Tom just blinked at me. He is so going to miss my random statements.



And anyway, I hope Tommy knows that being the man of the house doesn’t mean much in this household. The women usually take charge and the men sort of just go along for the ride. Sorry kid.



Then we got a family photo and I started to tear up so I look constipated here because I kept thinking, “Holy crap, in a few minutes Tom will be gone,” and weirdly enough, the theme song to Growing Pains popped into my head.



Before Tom left, Natalie wanted one last hug (long year), and Tom was reminding her to be a good girl and to not be mean to Mommy (which she totally was like five minutes later.)

And then Tom gathered his things and went through security.



This was the last photo I took of him before he walked off towards his plane.

This good news is he made it to Korea safely.

The bad news is, well, he’s not here with us.

The Art of Being an Optimist

Today was our first day back at work for the year and we always get some great motivational speakers to come and get the ball rolling.  This year is no different....our motivational speaker was one of my all time favorites.  I have heard him speak countless times.  His name is Coach Billy Coleman.  His son Wes and daughter-in-law, Kristen both teach in our system.  Today, of all he said....and he said some pretty powerful things....there was one thing that just stuck in my head.  He told a story about a set of twin boys of five or six. Worried that the boys had developed extreme personalities -- one was a total pessimist, the other a total optimist -- their parents took them to a psychiatrist. First the psychiatrist treated the pessimist. Trying to brighten his outlook, the psychiatrist took him to a room piled to the ceiling with brand-new toys. But instead of yelping with delight, the little boy burst into tears. "What's the matter?" the psychiatrist asked, baffled. "Don't you want to play with any of the toys?" "Yes," the little boy bawled, "but if I did I'd only break them."  Next the psychiatrist treated the optimist. Trying to dampen his out look, the psychiatrist took him to a room piled to the ceiling with horse manure. But instead of wrinkling his nose in disgust, the optimist emitted just the yelp of delight the psychiatrist had been hoping to hear from his brother, the pessimist. Then he clambered to the top of the pile, dropped to his knees, and began gleefully digging out scoop after scoop with his bare hands. "What do you think you're doing?" the psychiatrist asked, just as baffled by the optimist as he had been by the pessimist. "With all this manure," the little boy replied, beaming, "there must be a pony in here somewhere!"  I want to be an optimist this year....so whenever something goes wrong, I plan on remembering to be sure to say, "There must be a pony in here somewhere.'"  For those of you who are parents...and just waiting for that first day...it will be here before you know it.  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to shape your child.

An E-mail to Tom

Dear Tom,

I miss you even though it’s only been a couple of hours since we’ve said goodbye. I’ve probably missed you ever since you found out that you’d be going to Korea for a year.

At the airport I was trying to be strong. I didn’t want your last memory of me to be that of a sniffling mess. When I hugged you that last time I shut my eyes and breathed in your Old Spice scent. Whenever I smell it, I think of you.

It was hard to stand there as you walked through security. A part of me wanted to call out, wait, stop, it’s too soon, you can’t go now. But the other part knew I had to be strong, that breaking down would just make things difficult for you. And so I put a smile on my face and watched as you walked away from me.

Driving home I felt numb, as though I couldn’t fully believe what had just happened. When we got home I walked in the bathroom and it hit me all at once that you weren’t coming back for a long time. The spot where your razor once sat was empty. Your toothbrush no longer rested against mine. I ran my finger along the spot where your wallet would usually sit when we didn’t go anywhere.

I grabbed the shirt that you had worn yesterday and held it to me and there it was, Old Spice. Maybe I’ll always hold the shirt when I really miss you. I don’t know. I suppose that it would be a bit strange but as I stood there, your shirt cradled against me, it gave me a sense of comfort.

You take care of yourself.

We’ll be okay.

I promise.

I love you,
Amber

Thanks for the Memories

We left Mackinaw City at 3:00 and headed to Frankenmuth.  Frankenmuth is a little Bavarian/German town in the Eastern part of Michigan.  Once again sweet Brian got us some information so that we could have a room ready and waiting when we arrived.  We were going to be staying at another Marriot/Fairfield Inn place and to be honest...I was ready.  We checked in and took all our stuff up to the room.....and the room stunk.  This was our first bad room experience.  It smelled like an ashtray that had been wet.  It was gross.  Kat and I both began to start clogging up.  Mary phoned downstairs and asked if they could move us....the sign said that it would cost us an additional 250.00 if smoking had occurred in this room.  I didn't want to pay the extra money for something we did not do.  The lady at the front desk was most apologetic....but there were no other rooms like ours.  She would notate that we reported the smell.  Then she came up with a great plan.  There were two king-sized bedrooms...and she would give them to us....for the same price as the room we had.  Sounded like a plan to me....and they were right across the hall.  We went from having a room with the view of the parking lot....to a room with a view of the top of the building next door.  We moved in, went to eat and explore a bit before bedtime. We ate at a charming little restaurant...I had the blue plate special....and guess what...it was served on a Blue Willow plate.  Cute huh?

Our explorations were to Bronner's CHRISTmas (and I spelled it right) Village.  It is the mega store for Christmas decorations and gifts.  It is like 2 - 3 SAMS clubs put together...huge....we were there about 1.5 hours the first night.  I thought the little sign was cute so I took a picture of it.  I also took pictures of several wreaths....I was not about to pay 75.00+ dollars for something I can make myself if I want to.  There in lies the problem....I can make it....but will I?

The girls went to the hotel next door to swim and get in the hot tub....I went to the room and caught up on my reading and my emails.  It was also nice to take a shower without having to worry about somebody waiting for me.  The next morning we ate breakfast....and returned to Bronners.  We would spend 5 hours of our lives in this place before we left.

We did visit the Silent Night Chapel first thing and it was neat.  It is a replica of the real Chapel where Silent Night was first performed.

Outside the chapel on little plaques are the words to Silent Night in many languages.  Their goal is to have it in every language known to man.  Did you know there is actually a language called Karen?

Inside the chapel there is a shadow box that is filled with the materials it took to make it and many other historical information.  It was a beautiful experience.  On Christmas Eve the Bronner family invites anyone who wants to come to be there for the singing of Silent Night. 

As an old ASP'er I thought this was pretty neat.  I am going to share this with Jimmy Yates when I get home.  It would be something fun for them to remember past ASP trips.

After five hours at Bronners we thought we were going to have to put Mandy and Kat on the roof to get home.  The car was very full.  We checked out the town, there was a Glockenspiel, a Cheese Haus, and lots of other fun stuff.  We ate lunch at Tiffany's bar and then headed on to Ann Arbor to see the Michigan Stadium....impressive.

The story that the clock tells is of the Pied Piper of Hamlin.  Very sad children's story for sure.  You know...most of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales were scary.

Aren't our little Hansel and Gretel cute.  You should have heard us making up the most horrendous Germanic sounding language.  Do you think we might have been tired?

Outside of the restaurant where we had supper...was a chicken bush....yep...you got it....see

See the EDBD beak?  We left Frankenmuth, got some Tim's Nuts (donut holes at someplace Mary knew) headed for Ann Arbor...and then we made a quick stop at Cabela's.  We spent the last night on the road in Beavercreek, Oh.  We are exhausted for sure....but we would be home on Friday.

Almost 2500 miles later....we returned home....road weary....but still alive.  It was a great trip...and if you ever get a chance to make this trip....I would say...."Go for it!"  It was a great experience.  Next year we are going to Niagara Falls.....I can't wait.

What I Did This Week

Since Tom is leaving, I decided that I’d be nice to him.

I mean, okay, I’m not MEAN to him. But my patience can wear thin and I find myself snapping at him if I find his empty wrappers around the house. Especially when the trash can is RIGHT THERE.

These are the things where I swallowed back my annoyance:


Finding his trash around the house (ie, soda cans, wrappers...)

What I’d normally do: Ask if he thought our home was a giant trash can and was it so hard for him to remember to throw his stuff away.

What I did this week: “I’ll get it, sweetie, don’t worry about it.”


When he wants to ‘do it’ constantly

What I’d normally do: “Again? Didn’t we just do this last night? You do know that squeezing my boob isn’t really a turn on, right? I’m not a piece of dough.”

What I did this week: Bow chika bow bowed whenever he wanted.


When he’d play his computer game for hours leaving me to tend to the kids

What I’d normally do: “Do you not hear the screaming going on? I’d love to just sit in front of the computer for hours, that must be nice. Here, take her.” And then I’d just plop Natalie on Tom’s lap and go upstairs and read.

What I did this week: Kept quiet. Came over, massaged his head and went, “Oh, looks like you’re doing well on your game!”


When he’d complain about what I made for dinner

What I’d normally do: “I’m not a short order cook, you should be grateful that I cook at all. If you complain one more time I’m going to cram this bread down your throat.”

What I did this week: “I’ll make whatever you want.”


When he’d constantly switch the TV to The Military Channel

What I’d normally do: “This again? Didn’t you watch this program like 5 times? Are you trying to memorize it?”

What I did this week: “What cool airplanes! I like the women they painted on the side of them! And the narrator’s voice isn’t monotone at all, he sounds like he’d be a friendly friendly guy.”


When he’d snore at night.

What I’d normally do: Kick him and shove him on his side while yelling, “People are trying to sleep for God’s sake.”

What I did this week: Um. Still shoved him on his side. I’m not a TOTAL saint and I need my sleep.

Day 4 - Mackinac Island - A Fudgie is Born

We got up early, grabbed breakfast, and headed for the docks to get on one of the earliest ferry's to Mackinac Island.  We have been so excited about today and cannot wait to get there and begin exploring the place.  One thing you need to know about Mackinac Island is that there are no cars allowed.  If you want to get around while you are there....you have three choices of transportation.  You can walk, you can ride a bike, or you can take a horse drawn taxi.  We opted for the later and paid our 34.00 at the dock so that we would be covered when we got to the island.  There are two companies that ferry from Mackinaw City to the Island.  We chose Sheplars. While we were waiting at the dock for the ferry to arrive I noticed a Coast Guard Ship docked in the slip across the way from where we were waiting.  I asked one of the deck hands what it was and he told me that it was a ship used to break up the ice when the lake freezes in the winter.  I was in awe.  I live in the south...our lakes don't freeze.  I can remember a couple of times when the edges of the lake got a little frosty....but about January...this lake freezes so much that they call it the Ice Bridge.  The residents take their old Christmas trees and stick them in the holes that the Coast Guard has cut to test the ice...so that if someone comes home late...they will have a path to follow.  How cool is that?

Our ferry came and we loaded up.  We sat on the top deck.  I cannot believe I am saying this...but it was really cold while we were going across the lake.  I wished I had worn a jacket....but when it got warmer later in the day....I was glad I didn't.

One of the first things we saw before we actually saw the island was the Mackinac Lighthouse.

The island from the water was breathtaking.  Sitting high on the ridge to our left was the governor of Maine's Island house and the Grand Hotel.  It was amazing and no picture would do it justice.  We landed and hopped on up to the horse taxi stand to get our time for our tour.  We were lucky.  We did not have to wait at all and we were introduced to Kayla, our driver.  Our first leg of the ride consisted of a cart pulled by two Belgain draft horses.  Kayla's mike did not work...but that was ok...she had a booming voice.  She took us around the township of Mackinac Island.

There are only three motorized vehicles on Mackinac Island, two fire trucks and one ambulance.  The rest of the town gets around by bike, walking, or by horses.  In the winter the horses are ferried across to St. Ignace and work on farms.  Only about 10 horses actually winter on the island.

The Grand Hotel drivers wore tuxedoes and drove black fancy carriages.  Even the trash is picked up by horse drawn buggies.  Halfway through our tour we stopped at a stable, were able to get refreshments, visit the restrooms, and were then loaded up on a three horse taxi for the remainder of our tour.  We were then taken into the Mackinac State Park.  Our driver for this leg was Gene and he was soooo funny.

Our first stop here was at Arch Rock.  It was an amazing view and great photo op.  I have a gazillion pictures of this area.  It was so pretty.

After we saw Arch Rock and the trails that were there we went by Fort Mackinac.  During the summer the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts take turns manning the area.  They are the guides for all the museum buildings, fort, the governor's mansion, et al.  While we were there it was Girl Scout Week.

At the end of our riding tour we were excited to learn that is was a special Wednesday.  It seems that on Wednesday, when the governor is not in residence, her home is opened up for touring from 9:30 - 11:30.  There is a huge porch across the lake side of her house and the picture below was made from that porch of the harbor.

After our tour was over we walked back down into the township to begin our fudge experience and eat some lunch.  The island is so full of lush vegetation and it was so hard to to photograph every single plant we passed. I thought this Queen Anne's lace was so pretty...and the ants on the top of the flower made it that much more appealing.  Yes, we have them in Alabama.  I have just never seen a garden of them.  Around here they just grow on the side of the road.

The first site we saw coming down the hill was this cute little church.  It was sitting right at the base of the drop from the governor's house to the town.

We ate lunch at the Pink Pony Bar and Restaurant.  We were hoping to sit out on the deck...but it was full so we ate inside.  The food was good and it was abundant....our next stop was fudge tasting.  We did not know it but we were about to enter the world of fudgies.  We stopped at four of the best known fudge places, talked to them about the process they use to make the fudge, tasted Chocolate at all of them, and then....when we had chosen what we thought was the best....we all bought some. 

The Murray Hotel Fudge was the best.  Everyone we had talked to in Mackinaw City told us to be sure and go to Ryba's.  We were not impressed with hers....but what do we know...we are from the South.  After lunch and the fudge sampling, we separated and scoured the island.  We agreed to be back on the docks at 2 p.m. so that we could get back to Mackinaw City and forge on to Frankenmuth.  Frankenmuth would be our next stop.  We got some cute pictures of the shrubs at the Grand Hotel, the bike parking lot, and some of the shopping areas.

Mackinac Island is a wonderful place to visit.  If you are thinking about somewhere cool to spend an anniversary, or get married, or honeymoon....this is the place.  I want to come back again with Frank.  I would have to say that it is the Nantucket of Michigan.  A friend of mine, Samantha, got married in the State Park last summer.  I can see why. 

Mackinac Island on Dwellable