Home AT LAST

I am home at last. Chel is home at last. We are both very happy to see each other.

My travels home were smooth. It was a little foggy and we were delayed for about 15 minutes in Sacramento, but it was smooth sailing after that. I was up and out today for an 8AM soccer game - which was a real struggle. My throat was burning like it was my first game of the season...jeez! After that, I spent most of the day running around like a nut case. The most important stop? The kennel...to recover the children. I told the people in there - I need three trips, one for each dog and one for all their CRAP. The little labbies were WOUND up...they were trying to climb all over me as I was driving, one butting the other out of the way. El's daddy was waiting for her at my house, and she ran out and jumped right in the car. Chel is a little restless and is absolutely exhausted, it will definitely take us a few days to get back into the swing of things..starting tomorrow when I get up and go to work...

Glad to hear everyone seems to have had a great thanksgiving and has made it home safe. Have a great week!

Happy Thanksgiving

My blessings and things to be thankful for are too plentiful to count. When constantly searching the path for greener pastures, I always remind myself my little patch of pasture is a nice lush, green (maybe because of my irrigation system?)

Happy thanksgiving to all of my readers. I am truly thankful and blessed to have each and every one of you in my life. Enjoy this special day of thanks!!!

Safely Arrived in No Cal

After spending the weekend in Reno with the Tuckers, I have finally arrived in my final destination of Vacaville. For those of you unfamiliar with where exactly that falls on the map, it is 50 east of SF and 35 west of Sacramento. The weather here uis UNSEASONABLY WARM thank god, so I will have the next 6 days to thaw out..literally.

My uncle and brother drove out to Reno to pick me up, because he wanted to go to this sporting goods store called Scheels...Jodi, can you even calll it that? This place is INSANE, you could wander around for hours - and we did, for about 2. I got an OSU sweatshirt for $20 (STEAL), some training bumpers for my bug a bean...and most importantly, FUDGE!!!! Yes people, they make their own fudge. Jodi and I got 6 squares and halved them and took them home...on the way to Scheels, Jods took me to In N Out Burger...omg was it good.

The drive thru the mts was spectacular. We came thru in the daylight and it was pretty clear and it was just awesome. We arrived home to a yummy taco dinner (and fudge for dessert!) and just hung out all night. Signs welcoming me to California were waiting...Amanda has graciously given up her bed and room for me. Today, my other cousin and her 2 kids are coming, and we are just going to have a big old hang out fest here for the whole week. Exactly what the doctor ordered.

I will take some pix and post them later in the week...Amanda (age 12 - remember my very pregnant cousin that sat in the bleachers when we played in Sacramento? Yeah, that baby!!) is CLEARLY taller than I am...Jen age 10 is not quite there yet but not far behind...so good to be here...

Hanging out w/ Dolan

So my month of insane travel is concluding with a trip to Reno to visit the Tucker's before heading over to Sacramento to spend Thanksgiving with my aunt and her family. I got in on Friday and we hung out all day...it was a rough night in the Tucker household because little Dolan James has croup (see thetuckers.blogspot.com) He is doing much better today, Saturday than he was yesterday. Poor little guy was definitely having some breathing issues, but was in SUCH a good mood for feeling so crappy. It may be hard to believe, but he is cuter in person than in pictures - and his pictures are pretty darn cute.

Getting ready to go to dinner...and getting ready for the big game with his "poop on Michigan" onesie.

He pulls himself up on everything. I was sitting on the recliner and he was moving between the couch and the chair.

Bonding with Dakota, who is currently laying on his mommy's lap in the recliner napping.

Playing shy...I love this picture.

We are in business out here...the score of the game is 42-7 and we are quite happy. Up until a few minutes ago, watching this game was its annual nerve racking experience. It was awesome to see Boeckman come in and fire off a touchdown. The score also contributes to our opportunity to win some money, as we sent James to the local casino to place our bets. The rest of our day will consist of PSU vs MSU (GO SPARTANS!!!) and then Texas Tech vs Okla. Perfect in our mind...it is so good to be here and hang out with Yodi...

Where in the world is NP???

...in Reno, visiting James, Jodi and little Dolan! Poor little Dolan does sound awful, but for a sick baby, he is in a really good mood. We are just hanging out...just catching up. I am sure there will be pictures coming. I am so excited to be here!

Most importantly...GO BUCKS!! BEAT MICHIGAN!!! We will be up bright and early to watch!!!

Sad morning....

This morning, I said goodbye to my very beautiful and gorgeous baby angel...for nearly 2 weeks!!! Uncle Joey was taking grammie and grampie to the airport this morning, and will be by to pick her up on his way back to Marysville as I leave for the lovely metropolis of Pittsburgh in the morning, and then head out west for turkey day on Friday morning (more so like the middle of the night on Friday, given my flight is at 7AM or something ridiculous like that) . She watched very closely last night as I put together nearly 30 bags of food, packed up some toys and brought her bed up from the basement. I put lots of instructions in her bag for the people at the kennel - including a brand new jar of peanut butter, 12 plastic knives and 2 freshly washed kongs out of the dishwasher...I mean, everyone needs a treat, right?

I have again avoided being the "bad guy" who drops the doggies off at camp - I love how I shove the dirty work off to other people (mainly my mom and brother) and then get to be the hero when I pick them up. I hope she behaves herself...when we went to Myrtle Beach last summer, she barked herself hoarse - came back and she had this really pathetic bark. I will have the camera handy when I get back, because it is pretty funny and sad all at the same time. I know she will be fine, but still hate leaving here there...my little velcro dog. It will be very strange not to have her there with me tonight.....

Maybe I can start a biodegradable waste bag movement at the kennel???

How have YOU gone green?

Long post...sorry. But I think it is important - and I hope you all respond with lots of other things for me to do as well!

I have seen a lot of posts lately about going green...and have definitely been making an effort to go green myself - however, I do draw the line at biodegradable waste bags given their cost and the amount of you know what I clean up after you know who...

So....I am interested in knowing...what have all you out there done to become more green? Here is a list of some of the things I have done...

1) Programmable thermostat - easy as pie. Warm/cool when you are home, consistent use of HVAC. Program it once and forget about it - all you have to do is flip the switch from hot to cold based on the season. Bottom line can be seen in utility bills.

2) Reduce bottled water consumption - Not to say I don't have any bottles in my house, but I purchased a few rubbermaid bottles and have been using those. They work great - they fit in my lunchbox (barely) and I keep 2 in my refrigerator so I always have cold water. In addition to helping the environment, it also helps the wallet.

3) Recycle - Unfortunately, Columbus has not yet reached the "green" phase yet. I pay for my own recycling and recycle everything I can. Boxes of all kind (mostly of granola bars, cereal, frozen meals) cans, glass, all the junk mail after I shred anything with my name on it...you get it. I pay something like $20 every three months, so it is not too bad. Makes a big difference in the amount of garbage I have, no doubt about that!!

4) Installing irrigation system - now, this may be stretching it...however, keeping the curb appeal of my house at top notch requires watering. The irrigation system is on a timer, and comes on literally in the middle of the night, when it is best for the grass. Less water is wasted than before I had it installed because they are positioned to more effectively water the grass and not the sidewalk - seems like a "duh", but I always felt bad about how much water was being wasted to get to certain spots in the yard. A luxury, I know, but there is definitely less water on the sidewalk than there was before. I gotta do what I gotta do to keep my property value as high as possible...

5) Light timers - I have set the light timer on the microwave so I do not have to leave lights on for Chelsie all day now that it gets dark at 5PM. It is set to come on at 5PM and go off at 11. Additionally, I have installed a timer switch for my porch light to have it come on at 5PM and go off at 7AM, for safety reasons. I intend to install the same switch for the back deck light as well.

6) Solar light - installed on in my guest bath, it has no window. The solar light lights not only the bathroom, but the entire hallway - it lets in so much light that it is not necessary to turn the light on while in there during the day. In the spring, I will be treating myself to another one in the pantry - it is pitch black back there because I have poor lighting in the kitchen, so I am hoping this will help with the light in the kitchen as well.

7) Turning off lights when I leave a room - just more aware and making a better effort to be better about it.

8) Insulated garage/insulation in general - makes a big difference, esp in the winter. Helps keep the rest of the house warm as well. I also discovered in the whole termite mess that the insulation in the basement was not great, so being as there is already 6 feet of drywall missing from the office, I will rip down the remaining drywall in my office that covers walls to the outside and properly insulate it. I also replaced the basement windows, which has made a big difference as well (and is another safety thing - anyone that tries to kick one in will only succeed in breaking a limb)

Also, with the cool weather coming in, I keep all the blinds closed so as not to let too much air in from the outside. Replacing the sliding door has made a huge difference as well - the doors that were there when I bought the house allowed a serious draft to come in. Not this thing...this is a custom made, double paned door - custom made not my choice, but because a std door is 6 feet and my other door was 5 1/2 feet. Go figure. I will spare you all the heartache of what that translated into from a $$ perspective. Anyone who tries to kick this in will also end up with a broken limb. The orchid room has one more little insulating factor - one of those things you put by a door to stop the draft on the window in that room. The blinds have to stay open for light, so that long, sausage-y looking thing is on the window in front of them to soak up the cold.

9) Funky light bulbs - not crazy about the light they emit all the time, but I am sure technology will help with that eventually. Not ready to put those in my ceiling fans yet. :)

10) Running Errands - so I do have a big SUV (Pilot) and love it. I did not love $70 to fill it up over the past few mos, so I have worked on being much more efficient with my schedule/errand running. For example, our night at Dodd typically coincides with agility because we are already halfway there by going to OSU and then on to agility. During the summer, Wed night soccer was the same way - it was halfway to Gahanna, so we just did it all in one night. A lot in one night, but it saved about 45 miles round trip - a lot of miles when you get about 350 to the tank.


I am sure I can do lots more little things...so help me out. Hopefully, I have helped you out with some easy ideas to be nicer to mother earth!