June 26th, 2007

5am…alarm…we slowly rolled out of bed and finished packing. By 5:30, we were on our way to the airport to pick up our rental car. That process went smoothly, so we were quickly on our way to Siesta Key!!! It took us 2 hours to get there..1 hour west and 1 hour south. We first stopped at a local drug store to pick up some sun tan lotion and snacks. (Note for later…Dave is Mexican; I am not. You’ll understand shortly.) Once we were all stocked up with Coppertone, popcorn, cookies and water we checked in to our room. Picture several small streets, almost like alleys, with small motel-like “resorts” on either side; ours was called Captiva Beach Resort. We got our keys, lugged all our suitcases in the room, changed into our swim suits and were out the door! The beach is only about a half of a block from the resort. It was still early, so we were easily able to find a couple of chairs with an umbrella. We laid down for only a few minutes before Dave convinced me to go in the water. If any of you know me well, you know that I am terrified of large bodies of water and of course sharks! I have only gone in the ocean twice (actually the Gulf) and have gone in to my thighs and no higher. However, both those times I was with friends; this time I was with my husband and I think it made a difference. Dave was able to coax me to go as far as my chin without too much of a problem! I only had a couple of rules….Dave was not to go far from me when I was that deep and he was always to be the one further out. This insured the sharks would get him first!!!! He, he, he. Dave was very accommodating; which I am sure was partially due to the fact that he felt a sort of accomplishment that he was the one who helped me get over my fear (not completely though – I’m still not ready for a cruise)! Anyway, the day was great! We relaxed on the beach, soaked up some sun and did a lot of swimming. One of my favorite parts was seeing Dave care free and child-like with his adorable goggles on!!! Oh, and did I mention we saw dolphins???? Yeah, we did! It was so awesome and may have to be my favorite part over the goggles (sorry Honey). There were at least a dozen or more of them about 200 yards away from us! They were porpoising like crazy, which made it look as if they were playing! Dave let me get on his shoulders for a better view! I will never forget that moment…it truly was amazing! We got cleaned up for an early dinner at Phillippe Creek Oyster Bar. Dave and his family used to come here a lot, so it was highly recommended. I was certainly not disappointed. I had some wonderful coconut shrimp and Dave had the gator meal. After eating, we went shopping in the village. It was filled with all your typical tourist gift shops. Although, no matter how typical; it is impossible to stay away. We saw lots of Siesta Key t-shirts (Dave bought one); many swim suits, sunglasses and sandals; tons of shot glasses, mugs and cups; far too many trinkets with parrots, lizards and shells on them; more postcards than anyone could ever want; and of course any item imaginable that could be personalized with your name! It was great fun! We then drove around the island and the main land for awhile gawking at houses, resorts and palm trees. We finished the night with some great homemade ice cream! I was told that Dave and Matt got jumbo jaw breakers there once and couldn’t even make a dent in them! Lucky me…I get to witness this event because Dave bought one and is determined to get further this time!

June 25th, 2007

Now that all the parks are done, we were able to spend one complete day at our resort. We spent time laying in the sun, swimming in the pool, soaking in the hot tub, playing in the arcade, walking the trails, taking pictures and more! We had a couple drinks by the pool and then went back to our room to get ready for dinner. We decided to get a little more dressed up this time, which was a nice change from t-shirts and shorts. We dined at a place called Artist Point. It was beautiful! We started off with a glass of wine and a cheese sampler plate. Now, it’s not what you are thinking…no spreadable cheese and crackers. It was a long rectangular plate with a small triangular slices of aged white cheddar, blu cheese and an aged parmesan. In between the slices was a small pile of dried cranberries and a golden raisins soaked in wine! The blu cheese made us want to throw up, but everything else was good. Shortly after, our main dishes came to the table. Dave ordered a pork chop on top of a bed of macaroni. I ordered a roasted chicken with russet potatoes and snap peas. Both our meals were excellent!!!! At $28 a plate, they better be!!! For desert we shared caramelized peach cake in a cinnamon sauce with a small scoop of peach sorbet. After another glass of wine, we went for a short walkairport by the lake and then headed inside for some sleep before our drive to Siesta Key tomorrow!

June 24th, 2007

Today was our last day at the Disney Theme Parks. We finished Epcot and MGM, but still had Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom to tackle. We began at Animal Kingdom. We were there right when it opened and quickly made our way to the Dinosaur Exhibit. We thought it would be a walk-through, park-like exhibit of animatronic dinosaurs, but we were wrong! It was a ride! It took us through a dark inside replica of an island in the time period of the dinosaurs. It was extremely dark, so there were many unexpected twists, turns and of course dinosaurs! We both decided it was our favorite ride!!! We then continued through the park seeing many other animals like tigers, siamangs, bats, birds and more. We went on one more ride and called it a day. We went back to the resort, took yet another nap and got ready for the next and final park…Magic Kingdom! We were both very excited to go back! Although, I already saw Cinderella’s Castle, I was still thoroughly impressed! We hit up two areas we didn’t go through last time including Tomorrow Land and Toon Time Land. The latter was mainly for kids and didn’t have much for us. We did get to go through Minnie and Mickey’s houses which was quite cute, but the majority of our time was spent in Tomorrow Land. We went on a ride based on Lilo and Stitch where Stitch escapes and is running through the audience (which is in complete darkness). You feel him breathing on you, running on the back of your seat and even burping on you, which stunk like chili fries!!! We also saw an interactive comedy show based on the movie Monsters Inc. and a 3-D show with tons of Disney characters! Both were hilarious and very impressive! Most of the rest of our time was spent relaxing and taking in all the sights. We enjoyed some homemade candy, some shopping and a great dinner at the Plaza Restaurant. The best part of the night (and the best night time show of the trip) was the fireworks display called “Wishes”. Although, I did really enjoy Fantasmic a couple nights ago at MGM, Wishes far surpassed that show! It was amazing! We wondered around for a little bit after the show, but then head out. Dave had to drag me towards the door, all the while reminding me that we will be back one day with our kids, so I didn’t actually have to say good-bye!

June 23rd, 2007

Today was an incredibly relaxing day! We were out the door by about 8:30 heading straight to the resort pool. It’s a gorgeous pool surrounded by rocks, waterfalls and even a geyser! We hung out in the pool for awhile and then switched to the hot tub. It was a perfect time to go to the pool because most people are still getting ready for the day or are off to a theme park. The pool is barely tolerable later in the day due to the huge crowds! After we laid out in the morning sun for awhile, we proceeded to the boat rental area were we found ourselves in a Sea Raycer, a 2 seater baby speed boat! It’s like a mix between speed boat, jet-ski and paddle boat. We were told that anything over 320 pounds would affect speed and we confidently shrugged our shoulders as if that didn’t apply to us. Once we left the dock we realized that it certainly did apply to us! So, although we weren’t able to go nearly as fast as we saw others going, it was very enjoyable! The little lake our resort is on, is very, very pretty and provides a great view of Cinderella’s Castle! Once we finished with the boat, we showered and got ready to head to the Boardwalk! The Boardwalk is actually another Disney resort on a different lake that has lots of little restaurants and of course ESPN Zone (the main reason for our visit)! We decided to eat at the ESPN restaurant and were quickly glad we did. When we arrived the Bears Quarterback, Rex Grossman, was there. Although, we are Packers fans, it was still cool to see! He went into this sound proof, glass room to do an interview which was actually live and being played on tv’s throughout the restaurant. As soon as he left, another celebrity came in…Michelle Kwan! It was so awesome to see her in person! Although I don’t watch ice skating as much as I used to, I always loved her and she’s without a doubt, the most well known figure skater around! I got a few pictures and she walked about 2 feet in front of me, but I couldn’t actually get a picture with her; she was quickly being ushered out. When we were done eating we walked the Boardwalk a little and then came back for yet another nap! Once we awoke from our nap we headed towards Fort Wilderness Campground. It’s a short distance away and we were able to ride a ferry to get there. Once we arrived we made our way to the middle of the campground where we anxiously awaited a campfire. Unfortunately, the campfire pits were really small and the 2 fires were lit without so much a word. The whole experience was very disappointing. Even though we could buy a kit to make s’mores and there was a movie to be played on a huge outdoor screen within an hour, Dave and I decided to leave. It may have been our least favorite and most disappointing part of the trip…we both expected the largest campfire imaginable. We then walked through the trails of the campground back towards the lake and sat down for awhile. We had dinner reservations at the Trail’s End restaurant, which is an all you can eat buffet. We were very pleased with dinner. We both felt like we’ve been surviving on French fries and sandwiches for days, so it was great to get a home cooked meal. The buffet was filled with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, macaroni, salad, skirt steak and much, much more! We ate like we’ve never ate before and then headed back to our resort for bed.

June 22nd, 2007

Well, today started a little different than the previous days. We got up at a decent hour and ate breakfast like normal, but luck wasn’t on our side this time. Our intention was to go to the Wide World of Sports, which we didn’t know anything about. Having “sports” in the title was enough for Dave. So, we excitedly hopped aboard a bus to MGM Studios, as no buses went directly there from our resort. Once there we thought we found the correct bus and away we went. However, when we got there and went inside, we discovered we were dropped off at the “All Sports Disney Resort”!!!! Although I did buy a cute shirt in their gift shop, they had nothing else for us. So, we found out that we should go to another central location to catch the right bus. This time we went to Downtown Disney. We stopped in a store to get a Christmas Ornament I wanted and then were back at the bus stops. We couldn’t find the correct bus, so we decided just to go back to MGM, which is where we intended on ending our day anyway. Unfortunately, they do not have buses that go from park to park so we had to take one to another resort, get off and get on another bus from there to MGM. This last part of the process took about an hour! By the time we got to MGM it was almost 1pm and we felt like we accomplished very little. Despite all this, we had a wonderful time at MGM because it was Star Wars Weekend! This was our main purpose for going, so we had no problem standing in the long lines for photos with famous Star Wars characters! We got pictures with a total of about 7 characters including, Luke, Chewy, R2-D2 (who I kissed), Storm Troopers and more!!! We also enjoyed lunch at the Sci-Fi Drive In, where we were seated in booths that were inside convertibles. The whole restaurant is made to look as if we were in a drive in movie, complete with a huge screen playing parts of classic movies and cartoons! After all this, we were once again pretty beat and although we found the correct bus stop for Wide World of Sports on our way out, Dave decided not to go. We went back to the resort for our daily nap. As we speak it is about 8pm and Dave is still sleeping! I’ll wake him up soon!

June 21st, 2007

Despite setting our alarm for 6:15 in the morning, we didn’t roll out of bed until 8:15. We were way too tired after traveling and our first day of parks to get up that early. After a quick breakfast we headed to Magic Kingdom, the ultimate Disney Theme Park. I was in awe when we walked up to see Cinderella’s Castle!!! The very venue you see on all the commercials, the Disney logo and all the merchandise. It was beautiful! And once again, we had great timing as we caught a cool dance show on the Castle stage right when we got there! We continued walking around the park enjoying the scenery and wandering in and out of shops. At this point, I was getting plenty of attention…yesterday, at MGM, Dave bought me Minnie ears with a veil! They are very cute and have provided Dave and I with a bit more attention than we anticipated! We also both were given "Just Married" buttons which provided us with even more attention! While hearing lots of “congratulations” Dave and I made it through about half the park. We rode the “It’s a Small World” and “Peter Pan” ride and saw A Tiki Show starring Zazu and Iago! We also were lucky enough to meet Timon and Rafiki and get a picture!!! Did I mention Dave got me a very, very large Princess balloon??? Yes, he did…and yes, I feel like I am 5 years old and I am loving every minute of it! We then went back to the hotel and planned the rest of our vacation with the concierge. We made reservations at several restaurants for the rest of our stay! We then proceeded to Epcot!!! We immediately went on the very cute “Nemo and Friends” ride and then worked our way around the "world"! Epcot circles a small lake and contains replicas of many historical buildings around the world. Each “country” has authentic shops, restaurants, grounds and even employees from the given country. We stopped at the Nine Dragons Chinese restaurant for our reservation! It was an amazing meal! After dinner we watched the incredible “Illuminations” light and fireworks show! It was one of the best fireworks displays I have ever seen! We ended the night with a ride on a Test Track with a super fast race car and another ride on Spaceship Earth with an entertaining look at the history and future of communication. With sore chins, feet and backs we said goodnight to Epcot which we finished in only one afternoon!

June 20th, 2007

Well, the day started early as we headed to Animal Kingdom, our first Disney Theme Park of the vacation. We were able to get in early due to the “Extra magic Hours” offered to Disney resort guests! We ran to the back of the park for the Kilimanjaro Safari! We were taken on an interactive “safari” in a large jeep through the African forest and savanna! We saw rhinos, giraffes, impala, lions, hippos and much, much more! Then we continued through the park stopping for other animal exhibits including gorillas. My favorite part was the “It’s Tough to be a Bug” 3-D show inside the beautiful Tree of Life! We tackled half the park and came back to the hotel for a short nap. We’ll get the rest done on Sunday. After our nap, we headed to Disney’s MGM Park. As we walked in the entrance, a parade had just begun…great timing! We saw characters like Woody, Buzz, R2-D2, Darth, the Disney Princesses and many more! We went to several shows including Indiana Jones, Muppet 3-D and Star Tours! We stood in line for longer than I can remember for the big show of the night…Fantasmic! Despite the long wait, this water, light and character show was well worth it! To my amazement, a Disney employee convinced Dave to try the Aerosmith roller coaster!!!! For someone who LOVES Aerosmith and roller coasters, this couldn’t be a better combination, but Dave doesn’t like roller coasters, heights OR Aerosmith!!!! I was very excited he gave it a try and survived to talk about it! He says it was bland and too short, but that he would do it again! WOW! Maybe I’ll get him on all the roller coasters now!

June 19th, 2007

We were on a plane by 6am heading to our honeymoon location…Orlando!!! Relaxation here we come!!! Once we arrived at the airport we were greeted by “Magical Express” employees who told us that we didn’t have to even worry about our luggage. It would arrive at the resort later in the day! Talk about convenience. We then took the Disney shuttle to the Wilderness Lodge resort! It is absolutely beautiful! Our room is on the first floor over looking a calm and very quiet little pond. We have a patio that leads right to the pond! We were visited by ducks very early in our stay! We have much exploring of the resort to do over the next several days. After a nap, we got ready for Downtown Disney! We started by eating out at Planet Hollywood. Our VIP pass lead us straight to a table, avoiding the half hour wait! We had a wonderful meal and took home 2 souvenir glasses and 2 t-shirts. We then proceeded through the rest of the shops, buying more trinkets along the way and stopping for many photos! We will be going back later in the week to experience Downtown in the daylight! The night ended with a bottle of wine, balloons and a congratulations card from Mickey and Minnie waiting in our room! It was a wonderful first day!

Our Wedding Day

All the planning...all the appointments, phone calls and fittings and it is all over in less than a day! The good news is that it was all I ever dreamed and so much more! Dave and I could not have been happier with the way our day turned out! Everything down to the smallest detail was perfect! We pray that all of you that were able to make it enjoyed yourselves! I can't begin to describe the amazing feeling of having all our loved ones with us for such an important event!

I am not going to go through all the details of the day; all I am going to say is that it was the best day of my life! I am so in love and will never forget the day I married my best friend!

First Day

Well, today is my first day in the primate department! I am very excited, but of course nervous too! It's like starting a whole new job! I already have good news though, and I haven't even stepped my foot in the door yet! I heard over my weekend that the Pied Tamarins had babies! Mom gave birth to twins! So, although I'm leaving my Pymgy babies behind (whom I will miss like crazy), I still have these new bundles of joy to keep me happy!!!! I'll let you know how the day goes! Wish me luck!

Laura

P.S. And yes, their heads are supposed to look like that! :)

A long time coming.

Man we suck at this whole "blog" thing. I'm sorry it's been a while, but things are getting intense down here with the wedding planning in full effect. I won't bore you with any of the details, I'll leave that to Laura, but I will catch you up on the happenings of late.

Nothing too new at work for me. Laura has applied for a position in another department at the zoo, and there is no doubt she will get it from what I hear. The move is long overdue since her department is going to hell in a hand basket if you ask me. Inept supervisors and cliques the likes you haven't seen since grade school are making it a truly unbearable place for her to work. When did it stop being about the animals and start being about the people?

FINALLY watched X-Men 3 the other day. I know it's been out forever, but I hadn't gotten around to it. All I can say is, as soon as I watched it I went to Target that night and bought the trilogy! I thought it was the best of the 3, and being an X-Men kid, I was very happy with the way it went. Even though there was a director change in X-Men 3 from 1 and 2, which usually spells disaster, it held its ground and I can't wait to see it again.

My dad will officially begin his retirement work this spring for the Milwaukee Brewers. Yup, he'll be one of the guys that stands in the stadium and tells you where to sit. Not a bad way to spend a couple of hours if you ask me, especially if the Brewers play to expectations this year!

24 is alive and well in our household. Some early observations:

1. Milo isn't that bad
2. Chloe looks good
3. Morris is a pansy
4. President Palmer is believable
5. No sign of Audrey (thank you)
6. Welcome back, Logan!
7. Nina is still dead ( yes dad, she is)

I think that's most of the big stuff. If I think of anymore I'll be sure to have Laura hop on here and talk about it. Until then, I hope you had an enjoyable weekend, and if you are watching the Oscar's tonight, enjoy!

Dave

A mommy again!

Well, great news! Many of you may remember when I blogged about being a new mom of twin Pygmy Marmosets (very small monkeys, for all non-animal people). We also have a second pair of Pygmies and they had a baby yesterday!!!! We were prepared for a birth, but had no hope anymore that she was actually pregnant. She looked pregnant, but stopped gaining weight about 2-3 weeks ago. This is unusual in the last few weeks of pregnancy. We were starting to worry that she had a health problem that had caused her to gain all that weight in the first place. Fortunately, we were proved wrong! I found the baby yesterday morning clinging well to Mom's back. Twins are very common, but she only had one. We are actually very happy about that because they are both first time parents; so, having only one will significantly increase the baby's chance of survival. Also, the baby is much larger than normal because it didn't have to share any of mom's nutrients with a brother or sister. In fact, it's so large that I'm not sure how mom lived through it!!! Both mom and dad (Botilda and Bobby) are doing very well. The first week or two is especially critical, so please cross your fingers that our new baby makes it! A baby monkey has 2 jobs...nurse and hang on for dear life! As long as the baby does that and mom and dad don't drop her, we should be in the clear! I'll keep everyone updated and pictures will follow soon!
Laura

And so it starts...

Realizing that we only have about 6 months until the wedding, Laura and I have decided we aren't too happy with the way things look, so we are both going on diets! Laura's diet is quite simple, in that, it is mostly fruits and vegetables that she can eat. It's called 'The Fat Smash Diet'. Mine, on the other hand, is the better-known 'South Beach Diet'. I can't stand vegetables, and couldn't live on just fruits alone, so I think this is the best for me. I can eat meat, cheese, and fudge pops...what's not to like! We are currently on Phase I of both diets. Laura's lasts 9 days, and is more of a "detox" (as they call it in the book), whereas mine is 2 weeks, and it's more of training the body to eat simpler every day. I'll let Laura fill you in more in a few paragraphs, because I have more exciting news.

Yesterday was my "Christmas"!!! You see, come the original Christmas Day, I had no presents under the tree. Only a letter that said I would receive my gift at a later time. Turns out, that time was yesterday. Laura somehow surprised me and was able to get a day off of work for me, even though I was on the schedule. Everyone knew but me! I then opened two gifts, one was a bucket of beer (I'll explain in a minute), and the other was golf balls and tees. Turns out Laura had made a reservation for her an I to go golfing! Granted, I did most of the golfing, but Laura took a few swings, and was my unofficial putter for the afternoon. I don't know, but if this zoo thing doesn't work out, she may have a future with this game.

Back to the "bucket of beer". Basically, when you go to certain 'establishments' down here, you can order what's known as a 'bucket'. They bring you a tin pale that is filled with ice, and usually six beer bottles. Why I wanted one I think is obvious, but I wanted one even more once I saw Kohl's had Miller Lite buckets. It came with four beer glasses and at least 2 dozen Miller Lite coasters, along with the pale that has the Miller Lite logo on it. Very good stuff!!! OK, here's Laura...

Well, apparently Christmas was a success! It was fun golfing, but I doubt I will have any type of future in the game! Thanks anyway, honey! My favorite part of the day was just being outside with no real distractions. No tv, no internet, no radio, no other people, etc, etc. We certainly talk openly, like any healthy couple does, but you never realize how much fun you can have with the other person until you remove all the external elements. Dave makes me laugh on a daily basis, but yesterday was different. I felt like I was on a first date with a life long friend! I got the whole butterfly in my stomach feeling more than a couple times. Without getting much more mushy...it was a wonderful day!

About the diet... I'm not sure what else to say that Dave hasn't. We both found diets that work for our lifestyles and taste buds and we are very determined to stick to them. Neither one is about losing weight quickly. It's about changing your eating habits which we certainly need to do! No more corn dogs and french fries for dinner, with a vanilla malt for desert! We will keep you updated on our progress!

Alright, off to watching more 24 on dvd. We are now half way through season 4. I am completely addicted and am counting the minutes til season 6 starts! If you have never watched it, start now! Then try to beat my record of watching 16 episodes in 2 days! It truly is that addicting!

Hope all is well with everyone!

The Year That Was...

Well everyone, another year has come and gone. I can't believe it's almost 2007 already! Is it just me, or do all of the 'elders' know what they're talking about every time they say, "As you get older, time moves quicker." Either way, it was a year filled with ups and downs, but for the most part, it was a year that made us appreciate everything we have. Let's take a look at what we had:

-Lost a grandparent (Late December of '05, technically)
-Almost lost a dad
-Had a 60th birthday party for said dad
-Finalized MOST of the wedding plans
-New TV and sound system
-PS3 arrived (hint, hint, Laura)
-Laura went to her first NFL game (sorry it wasn't a real team)
-Had our Christmas package stolen
-Got a digital camera
-Won an iPod (still trying to get it to work)
-Laura became addicted to 24 (more addicted than Jack was to heroin in Season 3)
-Visited our beautiful capital city
-Wedding rings!

I'm sure there is more that I am forgetting, and that will be filled in when Laura reads this, but those were a few of the highlights (and some lows), from our year. All in all, it was successful, stressful, and satisfying all in one, and realistically, what more could you ask for? What's there to look forward to in 2007 you say...well, only the biggest party of the century coming in June, but I'm sure everyone will be kept up to date on that! My final prediction as we close out 2006...Packers over the Bears 24-10. In case you don't like my pick, try this one on for size:

Packers (+3) over BEARS
For all you college kids reading this, we implore you, do not play ANY form of the "Let's drink every time Brett Favre gets mentioned" game on Sunday night. You will die.

We're not very good "bloggers"!

No excuses...It's been a long time...no good reasons why! :(

Wedding planning is going great! I've said that before, but really we have very little left to do. We got a lot done the last time we were in town...taste testing, cake ordering, tuxedo fitting, meeting with the officiant and my maid of honor to figure out ceremony details, meeting with florist, trial make-up done, meeting with the dj, etc. etc. etc. Anyway, a lot was accomplished. Last night we figured out the dates of our vacation/honeymoon, so we can get our requests off to our supervisors! Looks like a total of about 2 and a half weeks off! I don't think I've had that much time off since I started working at the ripe age of 14! I can't explain how excited I am! Everyone says this is so stressful, but Dave and I have really done a good job at keeping stress to a minimum! We are thoroughly enjoying the planning process!

Dave's parents were just in town over Thanksgiving! We had a wonderful time! I think the more they visit, the more relaxing the vacation becomes. Of course Dave and I find new tourist spots to show them or new places to eat at, but for the most part, we just relax! No schedules or itineraries. We watched movies, ate out, got lots of ice cream, went shopping, grilled out and simply just spent time together! Dave and Ron went golfing twice (once with Ruben-who did a great job I hear) and Yvonne and I shopped til we dropped (literally)! We also went to a Texans game-my first official NFL game! It was too warm for football and there were no cheeseheads, but other than that it was a great time! We tailgated afterwards which was also a blast! One of the most interesting things we did while they were in town was going to the Holocaust Museum. It's probably not something that most people would think of doing on a vacation, but it was incredible. You learn a lot more about the hardship and the killing, but you also learn about the strength of the human heart, the people who stood up and fought and the people who put their lives at stake in order to save complete strangers. It is a part of our history that I can only pray doesn't repeat itself.

Thanksgiving was wonderful! We went to Martha and Ruben's house in Crosby. There were about 30 people there! There was great food and great company...we couldn't have asked for much more. Although I deeply missed my parents, Michael and Traci, I am very happy that they were able to spend the holiday together in Champaign this year!

Well, that brings us up to today. Not too much going on. I'm getting together with some of the girls from work tonight for a Christmas cookie decorating party. I think we'll also be watching some movies and ordering pizza! And it just so happens that tomorrow night a different group of girls from work are having a girls night too! More movies and possibly more pizza! It'll be a great weekend! Sorry honey, but I was specifically told that "no intact males are allowed". Spoken like a true veterinarian...good work Dr. Lauren!

I hope all of you had a nice Thanksgiving! We will try to blog more often, so you don't have to put aside a half a day to read it!

Floating Away

Well, many of you have been concerned that Dave and I are flooded and floating away into the streets of Houston...you can be assured that we are safe, however, the damage is incredible. The other day, when talking to my brother, I told him that the news makes it look worse than it is. This is true, however, I found out right after the phone call, that 4 people have died!!! And just this morning a mom and her child died when they tried driving through a flooded street. It turns out that the water was 10 feet deep! Thankfully, most of these streets are far away from our apartment and both of our commutes to work. Although, I did drive through several streets that had maybe 6 inches of water across the whole width of the street! All the animals in the zoo now have pools in their exhibit, and being their caretaker is a muddy mess. But, all in all the flooding has only been a minor inconvenience to Dave and I. Hopefully, for the sake of all the people affected by this it will be over now. The only positive thing that this "tropical depression" has brought us, is cooler weather. Through all of it we've had humidity worse than I have ever felt, along with heat in the upper 80's/low 90's. Today, much to our relief, the humidity is gone and we will be having highs in the 70's and lows tonight will be around 55 degrees!!!

I will be spending this cool night in a huge line (no doubt) waiting for a Haunted House and a Haunted Maze with many of my co-workers! I can't think of a better place to be on a cool October night!

Oh Crap

Alright, so there are times in my life that I am not sure where my 20's have gone. I feel like I come home from work and collapse on the couch and whine about work, money or some other thing that is completely frivolous...well, at least right now it feels frivolous! Yes, you are correct...I am hungover. I'm actually not sure how I am able to write this right now. All I can say is..."oh crap". I am back in my 20's...I have to work at 7am (in 1 hour from now)...my job requires me to pick up animal poop, and I am not quite sure how I am going to do that without throwing up! Last night it seemed like such a good idea to drink as much as I did, but now...not so much! How is it that one second I am fine, and as soon as the guests leave the house I feel like I am going to die. Does your body really know when everyone is gone? It secretly waits and says, "I am not going to let you know you are drunk until everyone has left and you drank so much that there will be nothing you can do about it"! And then a measly 4 hours later, you wake up for work and feel like you're going to die and say the classic phrase in your head..."I will never drink that much again"! Yeah, right, until next time! Anyway, I am off to McDonald's, because nothing solves a hangover like greasy food in the morning.
To my family, (or Dave's family), I hope I have not disappointed you! In fact, if you can help me think of ways that I can sober up before picking up that monkey poop, I would be forever grateful! OK, bye...have a better day than me.
Laura

No more perm!

So, I think I finally got the last inches of my perm cut out of my hair last night!!! I have been disguising it for months now and am very happy not to have to worry about it anymore! Almost 2 years later...no more frizz! All I can say is anyone thinking of getting a perm...DON'T! I've gotten 3 in my life and hated 2 (for my family-remember 5th grade?). You would think I would have learned by now! Oh well.
Short and sweet blog, but for me a 2 year war has ended! :)

Zuma Family Crap

So, last night my co-worker Vicki planned a little fun night out for all of us. My supervisor's sister was in town from New York, so she wanted us to get a chance to hang out with her. We all decided it would be fun to go play mini golf. Vicki found a place that not only had mini golf, but also batting cages, bumper boats, go-karts and more video games than you could ever play! It was called Zuma Family Fun. And so our story begins:
We waited outside for our whole party to get there. That is when we first noticed the smell of dirty diapers. Sara quickly told me that if I want to use the bathroom I should use "this bush, it's much cleaner than the restrooms". Well, ok then, luckily I went before I left the house. Once we all arrived, we went inside. The first thing I went to do is find an ATM or try to buy tokens, etc. with my check card. The guy at the cheesy prize counter told me that their only ATM was broken, so if I wanted to get money I could go to the concession stand. OK, so I ask if I can get money to play the games from this 14 year old girl behind the counter and she says "no". But, I was just told to come over here! She said sorry, and I said, "so you're telling me I can't do anything at your facility because I can't pay with a check card and you don't have a working ATM as an alternative!" She then told me that yes, I could buy the tokens that I needed, I just couldn't get cash from her. Well, alright, you should have said that in the first place. So, Vicki and I played for our mini golf and I got enough tokens for the batting cages to ensure very sore shoulders in the morning. The young girl walked away and came back with 1 golf ball. She told us that was all they had. What!?!?! How is it possible that you only have one golf ball!? So, I said, "you're telling me that you can't get any more balls, so anyone who wants to play tonight, can't?" She then asked me if I wanted my money back. I started to say, "well obviously", when Sara asked if we could talk to a manager. She went and got him and when we explained the loss of balls issue, he handed some keys to an employee and said "go to the course and get some more balls". Wow, rocket science! What does the girl do when the register runs out of singles? I can hear it now, "I'm sorry sir, I have no change for you. You cannot have your money." So, 15 minutes later, we get a handful of balls and the rest of the group pays for their round of mini-golf. Besides the fact that all the balls were wet and dirty, we were ready to go.
We had 3 different courses to choose from. We chose "Cactus Junction" and began our game. The course was extremely dirty and not taken care of. It had a huge waterfall (a staple at any mini golf course), but this one was gray and we had finally found the source of the earlier dirty diaper smell. At around hole 10 an announcement came over a horribly poor sound system saying that they were closing in 20 minutes. WHAT!? The internet says they are open til 10pm! It was only 8:40. So, we hurried up the rest of our game and ignored the announcement that said they were "now closed". Once finished we went back to the building and walked in. Sure enough, the video games were all off and the staff was cleaning up. No Skeeball. No batting cages. No Go-karts. We once again asked for the manager, complained, and got our money back for all our unused tokens. We also got few passes to come back and play golf again. Great maybe I can master the hardest hole which consisted of a wagon wheel in front of the hole! Yeah, I can't wait! He also told us that he has never been to their website and he'd check it out to make sure the closing time was correct. As soon as we left, we laughed it off knowing we would never go there again! We ended the night playing almost 3 hours of Catch Phrase, a high paced, fun guessing game! A rum and coke and some good friends and a game that was not dirty, wet or smelled like diapers...the night was redeemed.

The Flu Sucks

So, my off days this week (Mon and Tues) were ripped away from me...the culprit? The flu! I'm not sure how it all went down, but to the best of my knowledge, this is how it happened:
It started with a sore throat and massive headaches and quickly led to me feeling like a 90 year old women going through menopause! Now, I am fully aware that this is not possible, but if it was, I know exactly how it would feel! I sit now on the computer chair with a pillow behind my "bad back". The fan is on high and my sleeves are rolled up as far as they can go, but I have no doubt that in a few minutes I'll be back in my sweatshirt and jogging pants under the down comforter. Believe it or not that was the scene about an hour ago despite our 90 degree weather outside and the 78 degrees inside! It is a highly confusing illness...am I hot, am I cold, am I young, am I old? Who knows! Yesterday I reluctantly called into work, leaving them short handed beyond belief! We just lost one of our employees to San Francisco, another one to college, and a third to a different department within the zoo! I felt very guilty, but in my field, it is much more important not to go to work, not only to not get any fellow co-workers sick, but the animals too! Primates can catch everything we can (obviously, since we too are primates), so we take that very seriously. I would not have been able to work in my normal area, nor would I have been able to touch ANY animal's diet, so what does that leave...not much! Feeling guilty of course, I tried to go to work today and they promptly sent me home. I was told I look like "poop" (I beg to differ, although it really isn't pretty) and I think the fact that I was sweating profusely was the other kicker. So, a half hour after I got there, I was on my home. More episodes of The View, Montell, and of course The Price is Right!!! Yipppeee! So, I had to break from those award winning shows (sarcasm) to type one of the most boring blog entries to date! So, be thankful you are not a 90 year old women going through menopause!

On a happier note, thanks to my Dave for taking such good care of me and for not getting too annoyed with my complaints and requests of the application of Icy Hot to my back! Thanks sweetie!

MUST READ!!!

Now, I don't usually endorse other people's writings, but this article you HAVE to read. For anyone that's been to Wisconsin and enjoyed anything the state has to offer, you are required by law to read the entire thing. It's an article from ESPN.com's Bill Simmons. Now, I love Bill because he, like I, is a die-hard Red Sox fan. Once I started to read this, I could not stop laughing, and remembering everything that made Wisconsin great. The beer, the brats, the weather...it's all there. So please, enjoy and take a look into what it's like in the Great North!

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060825&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab4pos1

What Could Have Been?

I always love watching golf on Sunday afternoon for many reasons. One, to me it is completely relaxing. Two, if you ever watch a golf match, there are some amazing commercials to catch. If you watched any of the PGA Championship, there were a number of commercials with kids playing golf and not exactly loving it. One girl says she hates the game, while an older man walking with her tells her to be calm and swing easy. The moral, hate never works on the golf course! It's a life lesson. Golf is a life lesson. It teaches people that no matter what happens on the previous shot, there is always another one to make up for a mistake. For others, it teaches them how to relax and enjoy the talent that they have. In my case, every round, every shot and every winner reminds me of what I could have done. Many people have said that I am extremely talented when it comes to golf, and maybe they're right. But for me, it was never about the competition. I never liked competing when I was on the golf course. For me, in later years, it was a chance to get away from the world. You see on the golf course, if you're good enough, you can make any shot go anywhere at any time. In life, you'd be lucky to have one thing go your way in any given day. But not golf. Golf turns men into children. Don't believe me? Go play golf with your friends, and watch as one of the chips in for an eagle or drains a 45-foot birdie putt that dipped left and right. Watch them jump up and down and shout until everyone else is done. Listen as they taunt you for the rest of the afternoon with every chip or every putt. Feel their emotions come pouring out for at least 10 minutes. The beauty of it all; it can all change with one swing. That friend of yours that just made the miraculous shot, well, he's also the one that just: lost a ball, hit a duck, missed a 2-foot putt...TWICE, broke his 9-iron on a sprinkler head and drove the golf cart into a sand trap. You see, it's not about winning or losing, it's about who comes away with the most balls after 18 holes. Bragging rights only go to a certain few on the golf course, and if you're one of those lucky few, than my friend, you deserve a drink. So if you haven't tried it yet, go play. Play all day and night, and who cares if you lose a few balls? Who cares if you shank a few shots here and there? Most of all, who cares if you've never even been out there? If people don't want to wait, let 'em play through. Enjoy every round, every shot and ever minute of the beautiful game. Trust me, what you learn on the golf course will stay with you for the rest of your life if you're lucky. If it doesn't, let the others play through.

-Dave

P.S. When you're ready, come talk to me and we'll see just how good you think you are. I mean, people think I'm talented for a reason!

Off to Cheese Land

Well, my bag is packed and I'm ready to go back to Milwaukee for the weekend! I am leaving poor Dave at home while I do some wedding planning and hang out with the family. I will miss him terribly! It's a short and busy weekend, so I have very little time to hang out with anyone, so if you are one of the people who have not heard about me coming into town, I'm sorry, but don't be offended. I am dedicating this weekend mainly to my parents. I miss them like crazy and can't wait to spend some quality time together. Michael and Traci are coming into town too, so I'll get to spend some time with them as well! It's a much needed little break from work, which has been very hectic lately.
Anyway, I'm off and will talk to you all soon! And for those of you in Houston...yes, I will try to bring some authentic Wisconsin Cheese Curds home! Hopefully they will let them on the plane. I don't think they will cause an explosion! :)

Random Acts of Mindlessness

Ok, I know it's been a while since you have heard from either one of us, but there is good reason for this. You see, there has been a serious blockage of interesting tales from H-Town. Really, nothing has been going on lately. Sure, sure, things have been happening with both of our jobs (most notably me staying at Citibank instead of jumping ship for more money and Laura just kicking butt with everything at work and getting no praise), but other than that we are living boring lives. No Buckcherry concerts, no birthday parties, no going to movies or TiVoing our favorite shows. Nope, nothing. Nada. Zip. ZILCH. Unless...

Unless you consider that a pack of blood thirsty wolves tried to attack me the other day. Little did I know that I had the uncanny power to morph into objects that would not only scare the wolves, but would ensure my survival. My weapon of choice...Velociraptor.

Or, maybe you would like to hear about how I carried Laura home from work in 50 feet of water. A massive typhoon swept through the city and Laura was trapped. Like mothers who have lifted enormously heavy objects off of their children, I summoned the strength of fifty men to walk 20 miles to get to Laura, and then 20 miles to get home...UP HILL...BOTH WAYS!!!

Or maybe you saw me on TV the other night playing in the WSOP. Yes, I was in the tournament. Taking on heavyweights like Norm MacDonald, Toby Maguire, Jennifer Tilly (still thinking about those scenes from Bound) and my all-time arch nemesis...DEAN CAIN. He wants to look like me, not the other way around. I will destroy him if one more person says that I look like him. Yes, I spent a very hot and sweaty night with Terri Hatcher, but that story is for another day.

Or when I made a very delectable apple struessel one night for myself to have for breakfast for a week. The golden goodness was unparalleled and the warm and soft core absolutely melted my insides. Yummy! It was to die for. Next time I'll make some for you...ok, pumpkin!?

Other than all of that, nothing has been going on. Really, I lead a normal life with my best friend and fiance down here. Hope all of you can enjoy your weekend. I'll be at work on Saturday for a little while, but after that, it's all about Dave. Good to hear from everyone, and in case I don't make it, DO IT FOR JOHNNY!!!!!!!

-D-train

Will it ever end?

So, after the death of the Pygmy Marmoset Mom, "Mia", the injury of my African Pygmy Falcon, "Zuri", and all the other horrible injuries and deaths that my area has suffered over the last year, you would think it should be over for a while, right? No...not so much! On Friday the Cotton Top Tamarins and the White Faced Sakis were on exhibit together and had a pretty bad fight. The Cotton Tops being the smaller of the two monkeys, received all the injuries. Both the male and the female had several bite wounds all over them. The male, "Mikey", had the most bites on his tail, which x-rays told us, was broken! The female, "Minnie", had the most around her ankle, but luckily it wasn't broken, probably just badly sprained. Needless to say this will be the last time those two species share an exhibit together, especially since this is the second fight. About 10 months ago there was a fight between them where "Mikey" suffered a broken arm from a bite wound! On the bright side, at least they are not in the wild where they would die from these injuries by way of an infection, starvation or as an easy snack for a predator. Here they get pain meds, antibiotics and the best possible care from our vet staff.

Alright, well I am off to work to take care of my injured sweeties! Have a good day everyone!

My Way!

Yes, yes, I know it's been a while since I have posted anything to our blog, but there has been WAY too much stuff going on for me to even get on this thing and write.

Let's recap:

1. Audit at the bank
2. Test for Life and Health Exam
3. Dinner with co-workers
4. Appreciation Station at the Galleria
5. Afternoon meetings with our Area Manager
6. Boss leaving
7. Starting vacation!
8. GETTING A NEW JOB!!!!

That's right. Yesterday I officially accepted a job offer from Capital One Bank to be a Relationship Banker. Not only is it a promotion for me, but it is also a much needed pay rise...and a very healthy one at that. So, August 7th I will be ditching the blue and red of Citibank for the light green and silver of Capital One.

Let's see, what else!? Ah yes, my parents are in town for the entire week. They got in late Saturday night, and will be leaving sometime on Monday. We've had a busy couple of days so far with shopping, playing golf, sight-seeing, and lots of eating and napping! Today we are going to Martha's house for dinner, and hopefully, weather permitting, we will be watching Ruben play tonight out at the Woodlands. Tomorrow; possibly more golf and Lakewood Church at night. Other than that, the only thing set in stone is the Astros game Sunday night (my birthday) against St. Louis. It certainly has been relaxing, and there is no doubt it will continue to be. It's good to have them in town, and it is certainly much needed for me.

Other than that, not a whole lot else has been going on. It's been raining off and on, but luckily enough it's the typical Houston rain (20 minutes and then back up to 85 degrees). Good luck for the rest of the week to everyone, and have a very happy 4th of July!!!

A single dad with twins

As many of you have read, my Pygmy Marmoset couple had twins back in April. Yesterday, the mom passed away completely unexpectedly. Her name was 'Mia' and she was only 5 years old! She never showed one single sign of being sick, or not eating, or anything. Of course, I was the one to find her which made things even harder! She was such a good girl and an excellent mother. Her death was especially hard, not only because we didn't see it coming, but also because it now leaves dad with twins to care for on his own. They are almost 3 months old, and are eating a lot of solid food, but they may have still been nursing on occasion. We did some research and things are looking positive. At this age, even if dad abandoned them too, they should be able to survive on their own. That was great news as I was extremely worried about the welfare of the twins! However, it does not change the fact that Mia is no longer with us and that dad is now on his own. He had such a sad look on his face yesterday. For people who think animals don't show emotion, you are so wrong. It's never seen easier than in the face of a primate. Hopefully we will be able to introduce another female into this family group, but it of course will not be the same. Mia you will be missed!

After all this occurred, I began reflecting upon the last year and realized that we have lost 4 animals (3 primates and 1 acouchi), had to send 1 primate to a different zoo due to her partner's death, and 5 animals have gone through serious injury in just the past year. This was the hardest year of my career so far. I told my supervisor yesterday as I was in tears, that "I don't want to love animals anymore". It's just so hard when you lose them. And her response was, "that's why you can never stop doing this job"...and I never will.

Good News and Bad News

Now that we are finally fully staffed my off days are changing. I've been the next person in line for several months now, but am just now getting the chance to switch. I am now going to have Sundays and Mondays off! This means that Dave and I will finally have a day off together every week! We're both very excited about this! It will be starting this week!
The bad news is that I did not get the supervisor position, but it's not all bad. As much as I wanted it, I am very happy where I am now, especially with adding the Sea Lions and Koalas to my daily routine. It's a new challenge, which I always need. And being a supervisor means a lot more time away from my animals, so I am fine with the decision and am just glad I had the opportunity to interview. Hopefully, my time will come!

A Quick Update

I have to go to work in T-minus 10 minutes, but I figured I could squeeze in an update for all my fans. :) Just kidding. Anyway, the Sea Lion department has been short handed for about 6 months now, which is the reason that Kristin and I have ben learning the routine over there and helping them with training the sea lions (like they had to twist my arm). But, they needed more consistency then the two of us just coming over when we had time. So, it has been decided that both Kristin and I will be spending 3 days a week over at sea lions and 2 days a week in our sections at Natural Encounters (rainforest for me, bats for Kristin). I'm very happy about the decision. I don't have to give up my primates and I get to add 5 more animals to my care (3 sea lions and 2 koalas). Oh, by the way I got to hold one of the koalas last week! Very cuddly! So, this new rotation schedule should start in a week or two! I'm very excited to get some more experience under my belt.
Alright, well that's all with me. I'll bug Dave to do an update, as I can't even keep up with all his activities lately...tests, dinners, parties...the list goes on! Hope all is well with all of you!

The Good, The Bad and The Stressful

Well, thank you to my honey for recognizing in the last post the hard work taking care of animals can be. I always laugh when people are surprised that I work weekends... the animals still have to eat... the zoo is still open (and in fact is busier than any other day)... and we still feed them on Friday, which means...well, think about it. :(
Anyway, it seems that the job I love is even more challenging lately. We have been short staffed for quite a long time now and we have 3 employees starting this week and next. We also have zoo crew starting! Zoo crew are teenagers who work a couple days a week throughout the summer with us. It's an amazing opportunity for kids who are interested in the animal field. Finally...some relief! Although, I am still nervously awaiting the results of the supervisor interview!!! I want the position so bad, I can taste it. Despite that, I am not getting my hopes up too far. There are outside candidates coming to visit this week. For me, that is not a good sign, but I am just grateful for the chance to interview and I know I will make it there someday, if not now. In addition, just when we have several animals getting over injuries for various reasons, there's another one. My baby, my little Pygmy Falcon "Zuri", broke his toe yesterday and had to have part of it amputated!!! I was off yesterday and today, so I have not seen him yet. My supervisor told me that they have no idea how it happened. She said he was in good spirits though. I can't wait to see him...I hate not being there for him.
Well, with all the above good, bad and stressful going on, I will end with something good! On Dave's beloved 3 day weekend he came to visit me on Sunday! I have been working with the Sea Lion staff to learn the training necessary to work with our 420 pound male Sea Lion "Roscoe". I finally have enough behaviors down to perform a pretty good show and I was so excited for Dave to come and see it! So included are some of the pictures that he took while he was there!
It's back to work tomorrow and I am ready!

Alas, the beloved Three-Day Weekend!

Finally it is here. MY three-day weekend. I would love to say it is OUR three-day weekend, but Laura just isn't that lucky. It really is a full-time job taking care of animals. Kudos to her!!!

The last couple of weeks down here have been a bit of a whirlwind for us, with work and everything else going on. Laura interviewed for a supervisor position, I signed up to take my Life and Health Insurance Exam for work, my sister went to Colorado with the kids for a mini-vacation. The weather is getting warmer, and the beach is sounding better and better. Only problem is, one of us isn't going to go alone, so we must both suffer in vain. Oh well, soon enough I will have vacation and I can do anything I want.

Speaking of vacation, my parents are officially coming to visit. I have no idea why they have decided to drive, but I have a feeling my dad is regressing to his younger days and wants to get out on the road with his new car and see what it can really do. Nevertheless, I am extremely excited they are coming down here. They haven't seen the new apartment yet, and I really think they are going to like things down here. We'll do a little sightseeing, catch a ballgame (most likely on my birthday), and of course, lots of golf for my dad and I. I hope there's enough left in the tank for me to beat my dad...not that I'm really all that worried.

Less Than Jake came out with a new album this week. "In With The Out Crowd" is by far there most introspective record to date, but not so much that it is depressing and somber. Instead, the usual crunching guitars and sing-along style lyrics are there, but with a depth to it that hasn't been there before. I highly recommend picking this album up and giving it a try. You will not be disappointed. For those of you who like to download music, I know the iTunes store is running a deal where you can download the album and get an exclusive art PDF as well as a bonus track. Why not at least check it out!!!!

Finally, on a sad note, 24 is over for the season. I have to say, while I was able to predict some of the happenings during the 2-hour season finale, the ending COMPLETELY shocked me. I was not ready for that one! All I know is, I really hope the rest of this year goes quickly, because the new season that starts in January is going to be a helluva good one!

To everyone that has a long weekend, I hope you are with one's you love and I hope you are safe. We will probably cook out tomorrow night just for fun, and enjoy the gorgeous nights that we have down here. Be good and have fun!!!

-Dave

Austin City Limits

Double Trouble!

Yesterday, as many of you know, Laura and I took a trip to visit our state capital, Austin. While the weather wasn't necessarily cooperating with us in the morning, it certainly turned out to be a gorgeous day. We left the apartment around 7:00 AM, and we arrived in Austin at about 9:30 or so. From there we started at the capital building, which as amazing! The grounds were beautiful, the layout was incredible, and the scenery was spectacular. From there, we went to a restaurant called The Oasis, which sits atop a "mountain", if you will, and had some lunch. The view was absolutely incredible, and can be rivaled only by that of the landscape in Colorado. Lunch was very filling, and the best part of all, it was only about 12:00! So far, we had driven to Austin, visited and toured the capital, visited the information center, eaten lunch at The Oasis, and gotten back into town.
From there, we went to the Texas State Cemetery. Now I know what you're all thinking, but just give me a minute. The reason we went there was because they have a monument to victims of the attacks on 9/11. There are two beams from the WTC Towers that are displayed as a memorial to those who lost their lives. I can only show a picture of what we saw, but I can never describe the feelings that Laura and I had looking at those two mangled beams. It is something that anyone who comes to visit Texas should go see, and I will do my best to take anyone and everyone there.
Moving on, we found out there was some sort of festival happening on 6th St., which is the equivalent of Water Street, only MANY more bars. Basically there is a bar every other door for about 4 blocks on either side of the road. There were little tents set up on the street and people peddling all of their merchandise. Kind of po-dunk to me, only because I never really enjoyed the whole "flea market" scene. But it was neat to see some of what people had to offer, and I know Laura enjoyed it, which is what was important to me. After walking up and down the street, we grabbed a quick drink at on of the bars, The Chuggin' Monkey to be exact, and decided to head home. Now, the trip home wasn't bad from a weather standpoint like the drive in, but we did get a bit lost, I hit a pigeon, and basically turned a 2 1/2 hour trip into about 3 1/2 hours. Oh well, we made it home!
All in all, it was a wonderful trip, a wonderful time with Laura, and hopefully a wonderful birthday for her. It was god to get out and do something different, and rest assured, we will be taking more trips once we find the time. Hope you enjoy the pictures, and I am going to try to get some posted online somewhere so you can actually see what I am talking about a little bit better than just these few!

The latest...

Well, it seems my brother and I are in the same boat. He just had a post about the fact that the time between posts keeps increasing. I guess the same is for us. Maybe the novelty of the blog has worn off, or we simply don't have that exciting of a life. Oh well.
We have decided to cool off the house search. After going to see one and really liking it, we took a closer look at our finances and feel that it may be best to save up a little more first. At least now we know what we can get and what the process involves. We will probably look again after the wedding. Right now we just want to enjoy the wedding planning process and save up money so we're more prepared.
My baby Pygmy Marmosets are doing great! They are going to be a month old on May 4th! They are getting so big, which for them is about 2-3 inches long now. They have not ventured around the cage yet, they are still enjoying being carried around by mom and dad. We got our first picture of them two days ago; it's the one above. Dad is the one carrying them. You can see the head of one baby and the back and tail of another! Could they possibly be any cuter? I certainly don't think so!
Well, that's about all I have. I hope everyone is doing well and I'll hopefully decrease the time between now and the next post.
Laura

Out of our league?

Well, tomorrow we meet with a realtor/friend who will be helping us decide if we are completely nuts for thinking we could own a home at this stage of our life, or if we indeed have hope. Houses here in Texas are incredibly cheap! We are currently looking at brand new houses in great communities for around $100,000. All of these houses are at least 3 bedroom, 2 bathrooms and 2 car garage. Many of them also include all appliances, blinds on all the windows (saves money on curtains), a fireplace and walk in closets. It blows my mind that we could get all we want and much more for this price. These same houses in Milwaukee would run at least $200,000 if not more. We are throwing money away every month for rent that could be going towards a morgage. The issues we're concerned about are taxes and insurance (based on our huricane experience last year, we'd be sure to get flood insurance)!!! Buying a house now could mean having it paid off by the time we're in our 50's or much sooner if we ever get some raises! :) If I learned one lesson from my parents about house buying...it's have the house paid off by retirement. So, here we go...wish us luck! We are very excited about this possibility. So excited in fact, that I have even mentioned giving up my truck. And for those of you who know me, I will have a very hard time even thinking about getting rid of my yellow baby...but, if it means a house, I'm happy to do it.
Well, we will keep you updated!

Our Vacation...Finally!

Alright, so here is the promised blog entry about our vacation! Sorry it took so long! The vacation was busy, productive and relaxing at the same time!
We got a lot accomplished for our wedding! We chose a photographer and a baker for the cake. We also saw our ceremony and reception site for the first time! It is beautiful! My mom and Dave's mom could not have picked out anything better!
Over the weekend we spent tons of time with family during several gatherings! It was a great time! I finally got to meet all of Dave's family as well. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. I'm honored to become a part of their family.
Then on Tuesday my mom and I drove down to Champaign to visit Michael and Traci! The drive was not nearly as hard as I anticipated. The time went fast and I never even got close to falling asleep while driving (a very bad habit of mine). I was so happy to see their house...it's gorgeous! It is cozy, but not small; modern, yet warm and welcoming. It was perfect! They have done such a wonderful job decorating, it looked like something out of Trading Spaces! So, we spent that day and the next going out to eat (we ate a lot), walking around downtown, driving through Champaign and visiting back at the house. We also went to Allerton Park!!!! Michael has had many entries about this gorgeous park, and he was right. It's huge and beautiful. We had a blast exploring the trails and checking out all the funky statues that filled the property! I got a chance to take some more artistic photos with our new digital camera, which I must say turned out pretty good! Of course the time came when we had to say good-bye, which sucks!!! I miss my brother and Traci a lot! At least when I lived in Milwaukee I got to see them several times a year and now we're averaging about once a year.
Dave spent his time hanging out with Jenny and Don and Lynn and Matt while I was in Champaign. He misses all of them like crazy and I know he highly enjoyed that time. Not to mention, playing with Nathan and Grace! By the time I got back from Champaign, Dave was back in Houston. I had 2 more days in Milwaukee which I spent hanging out with mom and dad and going out to eat lots more!
It was a wonderful time! We are both extremely glad we got to see so much of our family while we were there, but it was also good to get back home. Every time I refer to Milwaukee as "home", Dave corrects me and says"Houston is home now". And you know he's right, it does feel like home. Milwaukee will always hold a special place in our hearts. It is of course, where we grew up, but it does feel nice to get back to our lives; and that, for us, is here. Thanks to everyone for making our vacation so perect! Now, it's your turn to visit us! :)
Laura

If you could only be so lucky...

So for all of you that think I have this cushy, easy job...think again. Let me tell you about my Friday at work, and tell me if you still think the same! It started pretty normal; people yelling at me because there was going to be a hold on their check and they wouldn't be able to use the money this weekend, (to which I tell them to take their lazy butt to the check cashing place like all the other bums). After that it was the usual homeless woman coming in telling us she has $50,000.00 in her account and she wants all the money out. Oh, she also has an account at The Bank of the World!!! Have any of you been there before...well me neither. She then decided to hit the bullet proof glass we recently had installed and told us we were keeping her money, and that she is awaiting a wire transfer from her work, but she hasn't gotten it in the mail yet!? Yes, read it again if you need to. She is waiting for a wire transfer in the MAIL! To top it all off, after she "calmed " down, she very hastily said that we needed to change her address to HOMELESS! WHAT!? Basically picture a black Stan Laurel with no top front teeth and a few inches shorter...this is my nightmare. After that mess happened, we went on to our usual ritual of deciding what was for lunch, which, coincidently, is my favorite part of the day. In the end, it was chicken...and mighty fine chicken if you ask me. So, as I am getting back from lunch, there is a gentleman at one of the teller windows trying to cash a check. Only problem...the check is forged. YEAH! I'm not sure if he really knew what he was doing or not, but he sat down the entire time as we called the police and had him arrested. I actually think when he looked at me and our eyes crossed paths he stole a piece of my soul. Ever had that feeling? Not good. Turns out he said he had gotten the check from the company last week for work he had done...only problem, the check was dated for today! "I'll pay you on Tuesday for a hotdog today..." For those of you that remember that comic strip, it kind of sounded like the same scenario. Anyway, he was taken away, but then everyone and their mother decided to come in the the bank. It was nonstop from about 12-5, which is when I left. Ugh, I don't know why I put up with it, but there is something generally satisfying about my job. Sparing the lesser details of the day, that was it in a nutshell. Now the next time you want to ask me how work is going, keep this story in mind. If I say fine...don't ask any more questions, because there won't be a good story attached:)

I have twins!

So, I know I promised more entries about our trip...maybe I'll get to that later, but right now I must inform everyone of my good news! I am a new mommy of twin monkeys!!! Our pair of Pygmy Marmosets had twins about 36 hours ago! They are first time parents, so the first 10-15 days are critical! The dad pygmy marmosets carry the babies almost exclusively, until it is nursing time. Then, he will pass them to mom one at a time. This is a very difficult process. Many times the babies accidently get dropped to the floor and they are usually picked up right away, but with new parents you never know. We are keeping a very close eye on them and limiting our noise and activity around them. In fact, my supervisor, my fellow keeper Maria and I are the only ones even allowed in the room where they are being housed. They are a very important pair to the population in the United States and they are a very high profile animal for the zoo. Once we announce their birth, which won't be for at least 2 weeks, they will be all over the news (like many of our births and deaths at the zoo are) and we will have many requests to view them by potential donors to the zoo. A wish that may or may not be granted dependant upon their progress and health. Anyway, this is probably more information about these tiny monkeys than any of you ever cared about, but I am very excited! The fact that Maria and I have made these delicate primates feel comfortable enough to breed, give birth and accept their babies (thus far) is something that we are very proud of. This is one of the many reasons I have become a keeper.

So, the pictures included show adult pygmy marmosets. They weigh between 130-150 grams at full grown. The babies are about an inch long and weigh approx. 20-30 grams!

Reality

So, our vacation has come to an end and we are back to reality. Unfortunately, reality has found us no time to write on our blog. We had a great time with family back in Milwaukee, but are having a hard time getting back into a routine here in Houston. The temp has warmed to around 85 degrees daily and is only going to get warmer. Quite a change from Milwaukee's 40 and raining the day I flew out. Oh well. So, to our loyal blog audience, I promise we will have an entry or two real soon about our trip. For now, however, it is back to that previously mentioned "reality", which for me is the zoo.
Laura

One Shining Moment

What a spectacular time of year! Not only is getting nicer outside (I caution against using the word warmer), but it's March Madness! It doesn't matter if you are Duke or Duquesne, if you are in the tournament, you have a shot at winning. There is always a 12 beating a 5, and there is always drama with every game. To see the faces of the players, win or lose, is to look into their soul and realize what this game truly means to them. It's not about the money...yet, and it's not about the magazine covers or photo shoots and dinners at the 5-star restaurants. For most of these kids, the sheer enjoyment of being one of the 64 teams lucky enough to be invited to the NCAA Tournament will last them a lifetime. For most, there will be no more basketball after college, which is why there is so much more emotion for them. Even if you don't like college basketball, or even basketball in general, give it a shot. Watch all the smiles, the tears, and especially the heart that comes out in every game for the next 2 weeks.

Speaking of basketball, I met Rafer Alston at work the other day. Most of you may know him as "Skip to my Lou" from the AND1 mixtapes. He was a streetcourt "legend", and he's been on a couple of different NBA teams, most recently the Houston Rockets, which is who he plays for now. I remembered he played for Milwaukee a few years back, and I mentioned that to his sister, who was actually the one in the bank, and she ran outside and asked him to come in. Surprisingly, he was awesome. Very friendly, and he truly seemed appreciative. He gave me an autograph, and spent a few minutes talking with me. I don't know...kind of cool if you ask me!

While on the subject of sports, baseball is right around the corner. I love thinking about baseball because, for me, it really does remind me of Sunday afternoons with my dad. Now, we've only been seriously going to Brewers games for the past 4 or 5 years, but Sunday's were our days together. It didn't matter how good or bad the Brewers were doing. What mattered was whether or not the hot dogs were tasting good that day, or if we would have to get some brats or sandwiches to last us the afternoon along with our peanuts. No matter where I am or where he is, every Sunday during baseball season will always be our day!

Last, but certainly not least, we will be home on Thursday! We have a lot going on while we are home, but it is much needed, indeed. Things have been extremely stressful for me at work lately, and I really need to get away. A trip home will no doubt help heal the soul.

Less Than 2 Weeks!

So, Dave and I leave for Milwaukee in 13 days! We are both desperately in need of a vacation! The madness at my work continues, and everyone at Dave's work has had a vacation, but him! It'll be great to get back home and see family and friends! Although, how is it that vacations go so quickly? Dave and my mom have yelled at me for doing this in the past, but I'm already sad about it being over. It just goes so quickly! And this time, we have more planned than ever! We will not only be doing some homework for our wedding (like finally getting to see the ceremony and reception site we have booked), but we also have a wedding to attend! In addition, we have a baptism, a memorial service for Dave's much missed Grandpa, and I have a mini-trip within a trip to see my brother and sister-in-law in Illinois! It seems impossible that we will have time to do all of this, but I think we have it planned well and I know our families will help us to make good use of our time.
I am extatic to see Michael and Traci! My only trip down to Champaign is when I helped them move. Since then they've purchased their own house, which I hear is beautiful and I can't wait to see! I've convinced my parents to take the 4 hour drive with me. A big part of that decision was everyone's fear of me falling asleep behind the wheel. Anyone else ever do that? Well, if you have, you know how much it sucks. I actually went to the doctor recently about my sleep issues and she said if they don't improve after what she recommended than I would need to get a sleep study performed on me! A bunch of electric equipment stuck to my body while I desperately try to fall asleep knowing full well that I am being watched and am in a cold empty room...sure, that'll solve my problems! I don't know if I was more irritated at that, or what the doctor "recommended"... a cup of coffee in the morning (which I gave up a month before this appt.), no naps, exercise, go to bed at the same time every night, get up at the same time every morning and take 2 Tylenol PM caplets every night before bed. I will admit that the Tylenol has helped me get some of the best sleep I've ever had, but I'm still tired during the day and even the doctor can't motivate me enough to exercise! Oh well, at least I don't have to worry about falling asleep on the way to Illinois, or at least if I do, I won't be the one driving!
Laura

Posting, blogging, writing...whatever!

It's been a while since I've put anything on here, and I guess it may seem as if I have nothing to say. Well, I really don't. Very few things throughout the day stick in my mind, and therefore I have little or no reason to write about them. It's not that I'm boring or anything, I just like to play video games and watch movies a little bit more than trying to be cynical:) Alright, alright, here it goes:

Looking forward to getting a new book tomorrow. True, Don Quixote has been sitting on my shelf for a few months, and I still have every intention of reading it, but it takes time. Not a book you can stop and start night after night. I need to read it on a vacation when I can devote some time, and put myself into the story. Anywho, the book I will getting is called, "Why My Wife Thinks I'm An Idiot". It's by ESPN sportscaster Mike Greenberg, better known as one half of the hilarious duo from Mike & Mike in the morning on ESPN Radio. So, the book deals with his thoughts on an everyday basis, and why his wife basically disagrees with everything he says or does. Very funny from the excerpts I've read, and even Laura has laughed while reading some of them. Check this out:

But the doctor did have a great deal to say to my wife and, frankly, the language she used was absurd. Am I really supposed to know what a uterus is? I mean, does everyone? Apparently my wife thinks they do. “How in the world can you not know what a uterus is?” she asked. “Well,” I said, “I don’t have one.” “You don’t have a satellite dish, either. But you know what that is.” “Do you know what rack-and-pinion steering is?” I asked. “No.” “Well, you see,” I said, “I don’t make fun of you.” “I cannot believe you would compare rack-and-pinion steering to my uterus.” I realized there was no good end to this conversation. “Well, does anyone want to tell me what a uterus is?” I asked. Without blinking, the doctor pulled down a roll-up picture of a frontally nude woman with her abdominal cavity on display. And I immediately regretted not having pursued the rack-and-pinion line of questioning. By the time she finished, I needed a stiff drink.

Funny to me because at some point in time down the road, after the wedding, I see a conversation like this coming to fruition.

What else? Oh yeah, my sisters birthday is coming up. Very funny card I got for her. Even I impressed myself on this one. Her type of humor, my type of humor...it's all the same!

Maybe I make some "interesting" comments here and there, but I think they are all valid. Maybe not valid, but I think someone might find them useful. Now that I think of it, I don't really say many useful things. Maybe I should try this whole "thinking before talking" thing people keep harping me about. Huh, interesting.

Do I really need to work anymore? I mean, why can't I find a sugar-mama to support me and make things easier? No worries, and all I have to do is turn on the charm for a couple hours out of the day. Come to think of it, that's what I do at work anyway:) HAHA, BOOYAH!

Last but not certainly not least, baseball fans around the world lost one of the great players ever tonight. Kirby Puckett died at the age of 44 from a stroke he suffered a few days ago. Growing up in Milwaukee, I couldn't help but hear about Puckett and the Twins all the time, especially after they beat the Atlanta Braves to win the 1991 World Series...unfortunately I remember nothing of them beating St. Louis in 1987, so I can't comment on that. Nevertheless, one of the happiest and brightest stars of the game has been lost far too early. My condolonces to any and all family members or Twins fans out there.

Alright, I'm running out of steam here. I think we need to get Q-Tips or something for Laura. I always knew she had a lot of stuff in her ears blocking the inbound flow of information, and now my point has been proven. Alas, I will leave you all with words of wisdom that I learned once from a very wise man: Don't stop believin'...Hold on to that DREAAAAMMMMMMM whoa whoa!

Where's The Mosh Pit?

On Monday night we went to see Less Than Jake, and if you read the previous post you know how excited Dave was to see them! I too, was excited, but I only know a few songs and wasn't sure what to expect. So, we headed Downtown to The Engine Room where I found us in a crowd of people from 15 years old to 30 years old. We witnessed a variety of "punk"clothes that we thought had long gone out of style! Dave and I hung back for the first band and made cracks about the type of people that we were sharing this night with. We then snuck up among the first two rows and waited through 2 more bands before Less Than Jake came onto the stage. During the third opening band, a huge mosh pit opened up on the floor. Dave kept asking me if I have ever been to a concert like this and my answer was consistently no. We ended up on the outer rim of the mosh pit with sweaty, overly-excited boys stumbling into us. It was gross, funny and highly entertaining at the same time! I laughed pretty hard, but no, I won't be looking for any more mosh pits soon! When Less Than Jake came on the crowd went wild, including me! Oh my God do they have energy!!!! They were running and jumping all over the stage! They paid attention to the crowd like I have never seen before. They told us jokes, threw several things out into the audience, got us involved and never lacked the energy they had when they first came out! They played mostly old songs that everyone knew, including the 4 I had memorized! To Dave's surprise I jammed out all night, clapping, dancing and singing! I even screamed when the lead singer Roger came close to us! I think he looked at me!!!! Now, it wasn't quite as exciting as when Tim McGraw looked at me (I swear he really did) when I was in the fourth row of the Tim and Faith concert, but it was close! Anyway, I'm really not sure why these guys aren't more famous, but I won't complain, at least I kn0w who they are! So, if you haven't checked them out yet, I highly sugest you do so! Listen to "The Ghosts of Me and You", or "The Science of Selling Yourself Short"...my 2 favorites! Now I may never be as big of a fan as Dave is, but I am definitely on my way and you can bet we will be at the next concert here in Houston!