Y'all come back now, y'hear?

Packing up the boys to leave today... their flight out is at 10am tomorrow. Olive Garden tonight and just a bunch of family time and games. Gonna miss them...

Are Everyone's 30's So Expensive?

This is what I was asking myself as I watched money trickle through my fingers before it hit even eight o'clock on my birthday morning. When I say I know how to change a tire, I really know how to change a tire. My friend and I had the "luck" of having to change a tire three times in ONE evening due to various mishaps. However, I didn't expect to have a flat on the morning of my birthday. I didn't expect not to be able to get my tire off the car. I didn't expect the tire to be so stuck that we would have to call roadside assistance. I didn't expect to pay for four new tires for my car (that desperately needed it).... and I certainly didn't expect to do it all before I had even left for school on the morning of my 30th birthday. I have a feeling that this year, and the years to come, might be a wee bit expensive for me.

Art (With a little Star Trek thrown in)

To add some culture into our lives, we went to the Columbus Art Museum. For being a free little downtown art museum, it has a ton of neat stuff!

Dale Chihuly sculpture in a boat. The picture does it no justice. It is so gorgeous and vibrant up close.

Eric with his favorite art piece in the whole museum.

I'm pretty sure that this is Mom's favorite piece too. HA!

To prove that I was here when mom visited, I had one mandatory picture with her. :) You know how it is, I'm usually the one TAKING the pictures.

And lastly, an odd discovery that Deanna Troi was actually a 1890s model for some hoity toity artist. I laughed when I saw the resemblance, but then... she was in Star Trek... anything IS possible.

Feeling a little crowded anyone?

The mandatory picture

Scene: Atlanta GA aquarium

Plan: see some fish

Bryan touching some sort of fish... skate I believe

Beginning: after waiting 2 hours in line to get in (even though we got there at opening) we were allowed to come back at 2pm to be let in.

Trouble: I detest crowds, especially large crowds. There were thousands of people there; you couldn't even move without being hit or hitting someone.

View from inside the ocean tunnel

a shark

These are so pretty, I love the wavy tenticles

The aquarium, I'm sure, is a lovely place when you get to actually see the animals up close. I was standing on something to get a picture of most of this with only heads. It was like a kiddie mosh-pit up there.

END: tired and grumpy from being jostled all day, we threw in the towel and evacuated stage left. I just wish they would have said that going on a Friday was going to be a super crowded day. Maybe some day we'll go back when it's not crowded... but probably not.

A Little Civil War

Mom here makes me want to see museums again. Not sure why, but it is fun to take her there. On Monday afternoon Eric, Steve and I took her to the Civil War Naval Museum here in Columbus. It is a smallish museum, but full of slightly interesting (if a little dusty) boating artifacts of the Confederate side of the war.

Steve, Eric and Mom (I'm not in any pictures because someone has to take them)

Forced to pose as if looking at something interesting in the sky

A giant Confederate flag. The picture really doesn't do any justice to how large it really is.

Eric, pointing to the Enlisted Head on a boat, where he needed to go apparently.

Welcome Mom!

Mom has spent the past 12+ hours on a plane... well, after you calculate the time difference it is only 9 hours (with a two hour layover)... But still! That's a long time to fly just to see a grumpy son and daughter in law and their three... um... lovable kids. HA!

I'm excited that she's here... now I have someone to take with me when I go thrift store shopping, pedicuring (yes, that's a word), craft store shopping. In other words, I'm just happy to have another girl around for a while.

The boys did a great job cleaning the house (upon punishment of no food for the next two weeks), and the week's menus are done.

Yay!

Oh the Agony

My mother-in-law, dear sweet woman, has never had a pedicure. Her feet are not horrible in any way shape or form, but she just has neglected over her lifetime to enjoy that one girlie thing. (Yes, men get them too, but really.... come on.... it IS a girlie thing.) So, when she comes out for the two weeks I'm going to take her to get her very first pedicure.

Well, being me, I couldn't very well take her to a place that is foreign to me. I had to scope it out. Make sure the place was legit... had to try it all.

Today I opted to have that tedious task of going ahead and scouting out the nail salons.

 I forced myself to receive a 30 minute manicure and hand massage.

 I was blatantly subjected to a face massage while soaking my feet for a pedicure.

 I suffered through a foot and calf massage during my pedicure.

 And... of course, I endured it as they painted my toes a bright red.

Aahh, mother, the pains I go through for you as I try to find the perfect place to take you for your very first pedicure.