19 posts tagged “eddie”
This is a photo for a waymark I posted this evening in the Church of the Nazarene category. Taking the church pictures was the only time I used my digital camera today. The rest of the time, I was preoccupied with black & white 35mm experimenting. I'd share it with you, but I have to use the whole roll, then drop it off for developing, then wait for it to be developed, then pick it up, then scan it, and then upload it. Is "outdated" technology worth it?
The rotten experience that I've had thanks to a couple of waymarkers (one in particular) in trying to manage the first category I created has really soured my spirits on waymarking. It takes a few deep breaths to remember why I waymark - going back to the very mission statement I wrote just a little while ago - and remember that there are good people willing to have the argument for me, even if just for the sake of plain ol' good sense, and I don't have to pull my hair out over a spoiled brat's noise! My category is fine.
Bailey and Eddie have Field Day tomorrow, Eddie has a Field Trip on Wednesday, Michael has Field Day on Thursday, and then there's Picture Day for all three on Friday. It's a big day. I won't be buying the pictures this year... not when I can do my own at a much lower cost.
Bailey outgrew her old sneakers and needed a new pair. My baby girl is in a girls size 13. I don't believe it!
Dinner this evening was meatloaf and french fries. The kids loved it but it was too greasy for me and has hurt my tummy. I've felt better since taking a nice, long hot bath... the universal cure for many aches! I spoke with Tom, who has been managing very well at boot camp. I'm going to relax in bed and read.
We ran two hours behind schedule since my ex-husband decided to play games to an extent where the police had to help return the boys. It's both fortunate and unfortunate that this happens so often that the boys aren't intimidated by the police. It's just a regular thing for them. I thank God that the police in my ex-husband's town have always been very helpful and concerned.
We left at 5:30pm Eastern time. We stopped in Murfreesboro, Tennessee at 11pm at the Days Inn. I had a heck of a time trying to find a hotel with a double room. A Holiday Inn north of Nashville tried to sell me the same suite we ended up in at the Days Inn for over $100 (before tax). The room we had was still expensive and over-budget but I got it for $80 so hey.
We left the southern Nashville suburbs around 10am and got home at 11:30pm with an eighth of a tank left. It rained from southern Georgia all the way down to North Port. Traffic ran smoothly, for the most part, and we didn't have any of the delays that we had traveling north.
Fuel was more expensive. In northern Florida, it cost me $3.55/gal. That's the most I've ever paid in my life.
Food costs for the return trip total $25; Hotel cost: $92; Fuel: $160; Total Return Trip: $277
Total Travel Expenses: $497
Total Trip cost with expenses during the week, including top-up cards: $902
If I didn't have to top-up my phone twice to deal with the problems my ex-husband caused, I would have been below $850.
Tom's taken Michael and Eddie to the Florida International Air Show again this year. They'll be gone all day as long as the weather cooperates.
We left Cave City, KY at 8am and arrived in Rensselaer at 1pm. The time zone fluctuated between Central and Eastern so my times are all Eastern.
We had time to run back to Sayler Makeever Cemetery to get the micro geocache hidden there, run some audio and take photos. It was cold and the wind made it worse, but the road was solid and the ground was firm enough. The cemetery is amazing.
We got to McDonald's at the same time as my mother and she bought us lunch. She's also giving me $100 when she brings the boys back so I can make it home. I said I was short. I won't worry about getting home now but I look forward to losing some weight this week!
The hotel I'm staying at is a small, family-run operation that's clean and reasonably priced. I'm across from the big cemetery and a mile down the road from Rensselaer's historic district. I didn't feel like doing anything today after I'd done the Sayler Makeever Cemetery. I want to rest and I'll get to waymarking and photography tomorrow after Mass. I have until Friday.
My mother is taking Michael and Eddie to see Horton Hears a Who and she's spoiling them as usual. I told them not to take advantage of my parents since my kids tend to ask for the moon and, being proper grandparents, my parents will give it to them. Their father should pick them up tomorrow at noon and drop them back to my parents' house on Friday at noon. Here's hoping it's all uneventful.
My father-in-law is a piece of work. That's all I'll really say about that since his huffing and puffing doesn't change anything, but it's just irritating. I'm thankful that Tom is handling all that now.
The totals for this leg of the trip:
Yesterday's total of hotel, food and fuel: $187
Today's expenses: food - $8, fuel - $25; Total travel expenses for today: $33
Total northbound trip: $220
My six-day hotel stay cost $285 and food will average $25. I've already eaten today at 0 cost, thanks to my mother.
Yesterday, Michael, Eddie, Bailey and I geocached and had some fun with that. Our first DNF was a true DNF in that we couldn't find the nano. But it was a nano and unless they managed to hide the cache on the orange spot of the ladybug we spotted, we didn't find anything that could be a cache. Then, we found a regular cache in Butler Park, which was really fun for the kids. Our final DNF was because the whole area had been levelled and covered in construction equipment.
Michael, Bailey and I did some waymarks today until it was time for Bailey's CCD. Then, Michael and I took photos of the sanctuary while we waited. Bailey's class was being taught the Stations of the Cross this week so they came into the Church while we were in there to examine the art on the walls. I was very proud to watch Bailey and how she really does know all the answers and pay attention. The teacher had already told me that she was the best student, but it was very nice to see it in person.
While we were out waymarking, it was Bailey who spotted this little guy:
I really love that the kids have an interest in these hobbies and enjoy them just as much as we do.
Eddie turned eight on Saturday. He got his Transformers birthday party. The only part that wasn't covered in Transformers was the cake. The Transformers cake didn't come in ice cream so I opted to get him the most festive chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream with buttercream icing cake they make. Stepdaughter2 joined us this weekend and got to enjoy the party, too. We had chicken with cold salads for his birthday dinner. I think the kids' favourite part was the pinata. MIchael had knocked off a leg but it was the birthday boy who smashed it open. Here's some images from the party:
Playing with the macro:
Taking portraits of the children who can sit still for a minute:
One picture of the child who cannot sit still for a second:
The baby and I stopped by St. Maxmilian Kolbe Catholic Church off Spears St. in Port Charlotte to take a few pictures this morning. Here's a few more pictures:
The children having cameras is one of the best things to have happened to this family. They love to capture and be creative, and they have something tangible for their efforts. There are times when Michael and I can just walk around the neighbourhood and shoot whatever we see.
In personal news, I've spoken with my attorney today and feel more comfortable. Wednesday should go as planned, although I'm still not entirely clear on the details but I'll work with it all when I get there. St. Valentine's Day is Thursday and planning for Eddie's birthday party next Saturday begins tomorrow. He's given a final answer on a theme, Transformers, so I start shopping and making commitments. I snagged a wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens for my camera off eBay and am looking forward to their arrival.
Squirrels just don't sit still for a picture!
The kids came home with their second quarter progress reports (aka. report cards) today and I'm happy to say that all three have performed admirably! I have to make calls to Eddie's and Michael's teachers tomorrow to ask a couple questions and respond to a request for conference. I've touched base already with Bailey's teacher via email on a single concern I've had.
While Bailey was in CCD, I happened to find Charlotte County Fire/EMS Station No. 15 in North Port Charlotte. I grabbed some images and coords for waymarking. I have several fire stations to waymark but cannot complete the Waymark applications without information that Tom has. I may have to email Station No. 15 for the information, anyway, since it seems relatively new. I also captured the following image of a secluded residential area that wasn't developed much:
Dinner was a slow-cooked pot roast that I'd cooked for eight hours since 10am this morning. My slow-cooker pot roasts always turn out flavourless so this time I tried something beyond tossing in beef stock, spices and veggies. I fried some cured pork in a tablespoon of butter in a frying pan, removed the cooked pork, then browned the sides of the roast in then butter/pork fat before adding it to the crockpot. Then, I added the remaining frying mixture from the pan, tossed in the bacon, and added the remainder of the veggies. It turned out to make a big difference in flavour and I received many compliments. I added an additional side of brussle sprouts, which Michael and Ed can't get enough of.
Tomorrow is an alternatively scheduled day of rest for me, because of medical reasons. I have a few calls to make and then to drop off an electric payment but other than that, I'm keeping my day limited to tending to Tommy and maintaining the necessities.
We left two hours behind schedule at 8:30am. This means we crossed the Florida border into Georgia at 12:30pm and finally crossed into Tennessee at 5:30pm. Tommy napped in the morning, in the afternoon and for an hour in the evening. When he woke up at 7:30pm, we stopped here at the Days Inn in Whitehouse, TN. I love the free wi-fi. Fuel has been more expensive, ranging from the low $3/gal area to the high $2/gal area. The hotel was a savings but not enough to compensate for the fuel increase. Food has also been a little more but not considerably so.
After so much napping, Tommy is wired and refuses to settle down in the room. It's much more exciting to open the same night-table drawer repeatedly, play in the curtains, try to open the door (!!!), and turn the a/c on and off. It's freezing outside and I know he'll have us freezing by morning.
Recently, I tried to list the various police departments who have stopped me for traffic violations. Not only did I completely forget a few but I also misplaced one department as being in northern Florida when it was in southern Georgia. Add this to realising that Martin Springs Baptist Church, a little church with a little cemetery that I photographed last week, was in unincorporated Marion County, Tennessee and not in Georgia. I conclude that I don't know where I am half the time!
No stops last trip and so far no stops this trip. The Georgia state patrol was heavily watching the Macon area again, but weren't biting at anyone going 80-90mph, which was my average speed through these three states.
Michael and Eddie should be returned to my mother at my parents' house tomorrow at noon Central time. Even though I'm two hours off schedule today, I have been meeting all my timeline goals and should be able to set things right on tomorrow to meet as the appropriate time.
Tonight was the Christmas play at the kids' school. Michael played percussion and was stuck way back where I couldn't get a good shot of him. We heard him, though! Eddie was in the chorus and did very well. I'm proud of both of them! It was a fun evening!
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