And We're Back.

Not even 3 hours back in the state and my cracked radiator gushes coolant all over the newly-paved driveway. Not the ideal homecoming.

Here are some of the highlights from our trip to Minnesota!

We all went to the Gausthaus to celebrate my In-Laws' 40th Wedding Anniversary on Sunday. Friends of theirs were playing out on the lawn so we sent out invites for people just to come and listen to the band and congratulate the couple. It was a beautiful day and lots of friends and family showed up to celebrate.

Then we headed of to visit the niece and nephew for a bit. Sara's brother and his family live in Stillwater, MN and we went to spend sometime with the family. Moraya is a charming little girl with a beautiful smile and Nathan is a whirling dervish. We giggled, we colored, we decorated the driveway with sidewalk chalk, and just enjoyed seeing each other. We went down by the river and enjoyed a small lunch, cotton candy ice cream and then rinsing off in the river.

On Tuesday, it was my Mother-In-Laws birthday. We met up in White Bear Lake and went to the beach. The lake apparently is losing water every year and the water level is drastically reduced. I didn't know. We waded out in the water, chased minnows, chased Nathan and had a mini-picnic on the beach.
Thursday we hit the state fair. The Minnesota State Fair! We wandered the fairgrounds for hours people-watching, snacking on fried foods, visiting agricultural attractions, thrill rides, and ate more food. It was quite the experience. Fried cheese curds are every bit as good as I have heard!
The rest of the time in Minnesota we hung at the Patsy family home/resort. I am a big fan of the pool/hot tub/sauna combination they have going on. We visited with family and friends as much as we could. Unfortunately we still missed a few here and there. We tried to jam as much into the week as we could. I always enjoy visiting the Land of 10,000 Lakes, and I will miss seeing that side of the family. We will try to make it back as soon as possible.

Off To Minnesota!

Sara and I fly out tomorrow to go up to the St. Paul/Minneapolis area. We're visiting the In-Laws for a Wedding Anniversary and a Birthday. I have not been back in awhile. Unfortunately, next week is the 1st week back to school for teachers. I'm supposed to be setting up our classroom and sitting through countless meetings before the kids come back. Instead I will play with the niece & nephew, steam in the sauna and float around in the pool. 1 last getaway before the school year starts.

Does The Head Count As A Killshot?

I think it does. In paintball, I mean. Today I tried paintball for the 1st time ever! It was a blast.

Friends of mine are getting married and in addition to all of the Wedding Events they decided to run a paintball game on Saturday morning. Matt, manages a Summer Camp and so has access to their facilities. I couldn't tell you the square yardage of the course, and I forget what kind of 'markers' (GUNS) we were shooting... um 'marking' with but I was running through the woods, and laying down a steady barrage of paint-filled capsules. The course was divided into 4 sections with various types of cover; tarps, wooden stick barriers, plank walls, and the canoes/tires area. The canoes/tires area was the toughest to penetrate, and always ended up being the defensive zone.

Now I have never served in the military but I've gone to a firing range or 2 in my day. I've never played paintball or even Laser Tag for that matter. I did play "WAR" when I was a kid - running through neighbors' yards, making ratatat noises with my mouth, and capturing enemy troops. It's not the same.

Today I was playing with some paintball veterans, plus the dude that designed the course, and then there was me and a few other newbies. I got a few kills. I took a few hits. I was shot in the head several times. (Thank you the creator of protective masks.) There was 1 shot in particular when I had a player pinned and was maneuvering for a better shot when he panicked stuck his muzzle in my general direction and fired off a volley of blind shots! I took a shot right between the eyes of my goggles. My whole world went yellow with a muffle splat!

I was on the losing side more than I was on the winning. I loved every second of it. Tonight at the rehearsal dinner 1 of the groomsmen came to chat me up, and he complimented me on my game play. He said I was a very 'brave' player. Translation = I don't have a shit ton of patience and got shot a lot for making brash decisions!

Passports Cost $, Don't They?

Here I am, 2 days into my 2nd week of vacation, or as I like to call it 'school is out but I have nowhere to be or go, and no money to get there anyway'. As I previously stated, money is tight. I've been sticking pretty close to home; walking the dog, watching some movies on DVD or netflix.com, reading a book or 2, and cleaning the house little by little. The days are starting to bleed together, the house resists my cleaning efforts at a more vigorous pace than I can keep, and the cabin fever is setting in.

This morning I cued up my netflix and watched The Motorcycle Diaries. Bad movie choice. EXCELLENT MOVIE! Unfortunately, it has just made me feel like more of a lump on a bump on a log. 2 men travel across South America on a crappy old motorcycle, on foot, boat, and even raft while I sit on my porch counting loose change so I can buy cheap beer. How very depressing? These young adventurers repeatedly wrecked, went with out food, walked many miles, and even spent time working at the San Pablo Leper Colony. They kept on going. They persevered. I get overwhelmed when it's time to pay monthly bills, or figure out how we're going afford to move closer to our jobs.

I should be on a motorcycle wandering the Andes. I should be actively struggling against adversity -

SHIT! I just overcooked some boiled eggs because I wasn't paying attention! I forget boiling eggs on the stove top all the time.

Where was I? Oh yes, feeling sorry for myself.

The truth is that I have traveled. I've been abroad on a few trips, out of the country even. A few weeks ago we took a road trip to Chicago. In a few weeks we'll be in Minnesota. It's not the same. I watch a movie like this and it makes me long for 'adventure'. It makes me want to broaden my horizons. Horizon broadening, at least when it comes to travel, cost more money than we currently have.

I get jealous when I see friends on Facebook posting pictures of their travels to Thailand, or Jamaica. I am envious when my best friend announces he'll be spending 6 days in England... that guy doesn't even like to fly! When my brother and his wife go to Peru to stay with her family I wish I could hide in his suitcase.

For years now we, Sara & I, have talked about going to the United Kingdom. I've always wanted to go back to Europe especially Spain. I hope one day to be able to take my wife traveling to exotic locals, bear witness to unbelievable sights, and meet interesting people but for now I am going to walk the dog, pay the rent, and make myself an egg salad sandwich.

Vacation So Far.

I've been on a hiatus from school for a few days now. Here's what has happened so far.

I'm broke as a joke. No joke. I haven't left the neighborhood in several days just because I am trying to conserve gas money. It sucks.

My landlords have hired a guy to do some repairs around the house. So far this week he's shown up each day and needed to be in my apartment for one odd job or the next at some point during the day. I don't like strangers in my space. I don't like home repairs when I'm trying to relax. 2 years ago my landlords chose my Spring Break to have the siding replaced. They're timing is uncanny, and extremely frustrating.!

I was able to, after a few set backs, access my writings on my computer and have begun trying to dust off some of the works in hopes of submitting them sometime in the next few weeks. I am trying to peck away on the keyboard as my computer limps along. I'm afraid it is not much longer for this world.

Whoo, vacation rocks!

I Have This Friend, Right?

He's separated and headed for a divorce after 14 years of marriage. Now, I know this isn't exactly unheard of but this case upsets me so because he is the nicest, most caring, and genuine person I know. We were college roommates many years ago and even though our lives took us down completely different paths we've tried to keep in touch. Whenever we chat on the phone or swap emails it is always abundantly obvious that he is still the same caring person I roomed with back at ECU. It also seems like we are able to just pick up where we left off last time.

A few days ago this very friend came to stay with Sara and I for an evening. He was visiting the Annapolis area on his 1st leg of a journey; a trip in which he tried to reconnect with old friends, and people that slipped by the wayside when he was trying to make his marriage work. He'd been in Naptown for a few days but had managed to split his time between several friends so as not to 'burden anyone too much'. Nice guy, right? He was so concerned with being a nuisance, and just wanted to spend some time with some people he cared about and vice versa.

Through the course of the evening - dinner, brief stop by a karaoke bar, and back at my house for a late night chat - he filled me in on his perspective of the marriage, and what life's been like for the last several years. I can't even imagine. I found myself getting worked up and angry at the way I perceived my friend to have been abused during his married life. Here's is someone who came to doubt his own self worth, and constantly blamed himself for the shortcomings in his relationship but the whole time the problem wasn't him. It was frustrating to hear how such a loving, accommodating person was neglected.

It was a good visit. We remembered old times, talked hopefully of the future, and just appreciated getting to hang out with each other again. We sent him on his way Saturday morning on his 2nd half of the trip. He ended up sitting in traffic for close to 9 hours for a trip that should've taken half the time. He'll spend some time with family on the coast of NC and then head back home to his 3 children, busy job, and newly single life. I hope one day he finds someone who will be worthy of his affection. He deserves it.