It's official! Matt and I closed on our first house on Friday, exactly one year to the day after we moved to Florida! Great deal, great interest rate, and a tax credit = great timing for us.
We're pretty tired after our first day of painting, but we thought we'd post a few pics as a preview. Enjoy!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Kentucky in the Spring
Last weekend, Matt & I took a fabulously exhausting trip home to Kentucky. The excursion was jam packed with early birthday shopping, the infamous Derby Day party, and Lindsey's baby shower! It took us several days to recuperate, but it was great to see all of our favorite people & celebrate for 3 days in a row. Here's the slideshow recap:
Saturday, April 11, 2009
New Car... her name is Flip
When you're driving and you apply the brakes, your car should never complain, "I don't feel like stopping." But for the last week, that's exactly what our '99 Ford Explorer had been doing. We took it to the repair shop and the mechanic, who we really like by the way, said something along these lines when he called:
"Uh, this car looks like it's been driven up North... like New York. You're looking at about $1000 in brake work. I don't want to worry you, but this will be a lot easier to explain when you come in to the shop. I can show you exactly what I'm talking about."
Up on the lift, with the tires removed, the brakes looked as though we had driven through wet cement and parked for about, I don't know, a thousand and one years. The mechanic couldn't rotate the front driver's side rotor without a pry bar for leverage. We laughed nervously and asked, "Is it safe enough to drive home?"
"How far is home?" he asked.
Well, we drove it home. And then, we drove it 119 miles more to trade it in at a Toyota dealership, with Whitney clutching my arm anytime the distance between us and the car in front of us shrank beneath the length of a football field. Her anxiety wasn't entirely unfounded. You could literally hear the rusted rotors grinding as the break pads made contact. People were staring.
Now for the happy part. We arrived safely, obviously, and purchased our newest family member. (Wow, that sounds awful!) Meet Flip. She is a 2009 Toyota Yaris 3-door hatchback. The pictures say everything...with help from the captions.
"Uh, this car looks like it's been driven up North... like New York. You're looking at about $1000 in brake work. I don't want to worry you, but this will be a lot easier to explain when you come in to the shop. I can show you exactly what I'm talking about."
Up on the lift, with the tires removed, the brakes looked as though we had driven through wet cement and parked for about, I don't know, a thousand and one years. The mechanic couldn't rotate the front driver's side rotor without a pry bar for leverage. We laughed nervously and asked, "Is it safe enough to drive home?"
"How far is home?" he asked.
Well, we drove it home. And then, we drove it 119 miles more to trade it in at a Toyota dealership, with Whitney clutching my arm anytime the distance between us and the car in front of us shrank beneath the length of a football field. Her anxiety wasn't entirely unfounded. You could literally hear the rusted rotors grinding as the break pads made contact. People were staring.
Now for the happy part. We arrived safely, obviously, and purchased our newest family member. (Wow, that sounds awful!) Meet Flip. She is a 2009 Toyota Yaris 3-door hatchback. The pictures say everything...with help from the captions.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Random updates
As you can tell, we're not religiously posting to our blog. But for those of you wondering about the random happenings chez nous, here's a brief update.
Today, Matt got the usual 12-18 month itch to shave his head. It's ridiculous, but it's pretty much a night of free entertainment for us. I use the clippers to cut off most of the length and we laugh hysterically at the thought of me as a barber. Next, Matt finishes the job with a razor, head fully lathered in shaving cream. The rest of the night is filled with horrible Go Army! jokes and references to his baldness in years to come. We are sooo easily entertained. Feel sad for us.
Still, we are not completely hopeless. Two weeks ago, our good friends, Matt & Molly, came to visit. We had an awesome three-day weekend riding Soarin' at Epcot, sunbathing and picnicking on Clearwater beach, and catching up on inappropriate stories over beer and board games. It was legitimate fun. Yay! There are some amusing stories about kamikaze seagulls on the beach, but I think I'll leave that for the real story-teller to write about. -Whitney
Clearwater beach is beautiful. White sand, blue skies, the serenity of the surf...and those mother f#@%ing seagulls! One minute, you are munching on a sandwich and, the next, you feel wings beating over your shoulder and the pinch of beak on your finger. Your sandwich falls to the sand and is immediately fell upon by 10, 15, the entire flock. You curse at them, run at them, throw shells, frisbees, some passing kid at them, but they don't surrender. They laugh at you, gain altitude, measure the wind direction and speed, and take aim for a second dive. This time, they attack the unsuspecting guy who just wondered onto the beach with a hotdog in his hands. Here is his reaction, verbatim:
What the!?! AHHH! Get the hell away from me! It's my hotdog!
He then collapsed, curled into a ball, and tried to stuff the entire hotdog into his mouth. But, when the gulls started diving and striking his body, he threw a piece of the hotdog and ran in the opposite direction, shouting obscenities over his shoulder. Sharks eat with greater reserve than these birds.
Clearwater is great! We'll have to take you when you visit. -Matt
Today, Matt got the usual 12-18 month itch to shave his head. It's ridiculous, but it's pretty much a night of free entertainment for us. I use the clippers to cut off most of the length and we laugh hysterically at the thought of me as a barber. Next, Matt finishes the job with a razor, head fully lathered in shaving cream. The rest of the night is filled with horrible Go Army! jokes and references to his baldness in years to come. We are sooo easily entertained. Feel sad for us.
Still, we are not completely hopeless. Two weeks ago, our good friends, Matt & Molly, came to visit. We had an awesome three-day weekend riding Soarin' at Epcot, sunbathing and picnicking on Clearwater beach, and catching up on inappropriate stories over beer and board games. It was legitimate fun. Yay! There are some amusing stories about kamikaze seagulls on the beach, but I think I'll leave that for the real story-teller to write about. -Whitney
Clearwater beach is beautiful. White sand, blue skies, the serenity of the surf...and those mother f#@%ing seagulls! One minute, you are munching on a sandwich and, the next, you feel wings beating over your shoulder and the pinch of beak on your finger. Your sandwich falls to the sand and is immediately fell upon by 10, 15, the entire flock. You curse at them, run at them, throw shells, frisbees, some passing kid at them, but they don't surrender. They laugh at you, gain altitude, measure the wind direction and speed, and take aim for a second dive. This time, they attack the unsuspecting guy who just wondered onto the beach with a hotdog in his hands. Here is his reaction, verbatim:
What the!?! AHHH! Get the hell away from me! It's my hotdog!
He then collapsed, curled into a ball, and tried to stuff the entire hotdog into his mouth. But, when the gulls started diving and striking his body, he threw a piece of the hotdog and ran in the opposite direction, shouting obscenities over his shoulder. Sharks eat with greater reserve than these birds.
Clearwater is great! We'll have to take you when you visit. -Matt
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Must see!
If you're looking for a new movie to watch, Slumdog Millionaire is it. A dramatic, action-packed, critically acclaimed love story with stellar performances and beautiful settings. You couldn't ask for more. Go now.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Christmas & New Year in Florida
Happy New Year! The Conner-Taylor apartment was super busy over the holidays as my parents, Matt's mom, and my sister and brother-in-law came to visit for a week. I thought I'd do a quick Q&A post about their visit.
Question: What is the perfect Christmas gift for three sisters in their late twenties?
Question: What is the perfect Christmas gift for three sisters in their late twenties?
Answer: Coloring books and crayons, of course!
Thanks Aunt Sue! You should be receiving refrigerator art in the mail :) Katie and I cropped our picture because there should be no evidence of "bed head" floating around the web. But Lindsey was looking cute enough for an un-edited pic. PS. We also loved the cards filled with money! Thanks everyone!
Question: What locale conjures that warm Merry Christmas feeling better than any other?
Question: What locale conjures that warm Merry Christmas feeling better than any other?
Answer: Sun and sand at Cocoa Beach!
While the fam was visiting, we took a day trip to the beach to walk along the pier and eat delicious seafood. I vote for lobster and shrimp over turkey every year!
Other fun moments included: watching ultra-sound videos of Lindsey's baby (yay!), "girls day" pedicures, tanning by the pool, shopping, trash-talking games of euchre, and eating a ton of food! And after all of that, I think it's time for a nap.
Question: How do you entertain 8 people for 4 hours in a 1,000 sq ft apartment?
Answer: Jenga on a glass-top table.
The glass table top is key as it makes for a spectacularly loud crash when the tower finally topples!
Other fun moments included: watching ultra-sound videos of Lindsey's baby (yay!), "girls day" pedicures, tanning by the pool, shopping, trash-talking games of euchre, and eating a ton of food! And after all of that, I think it's time for a nap.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Lazy post
We had a fabulous Thanksgiving with Katie and Robby! But Katie already posted pics on her blog, so I'm just going to point you in that direction ;-)
We also enjoyed some delicious food at Animal Kingdom... and again, I point you to Katie's blog ;-) This is the only way to post!!
We also enjoyed some delicious food at Animal Kingdom... and again, I point you to Katie's blog ;-) This is the only way to post!!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Just for Katie...
We haven't done a post in a while... and other than working and going to the Disney parks almost every weekend, not much is new. However, after a visit to the fabulous MouseGear shop at Epcot (think the Disney Store on crack), Matt and I brought home this lovely new throw... and Katie's been giving us Hell ever since. So you tell us... have we gone overboard yet? Oh, and speaking of overboard, I've got to go check on those Disney Cruise Line deals! :)
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Disney Daytrip
When Whitney, Katie, and I got the mail this past Saturday, Saturdays equal group-adventure-to-the-mailbox-day, we noticed one envelope stood out from the others. It had an aura of happy and it giggled a little when you shook it. It was our Disney passes! Our keys to the Kingdom...Magic Kingdom of coarse, and Animal Kingdom and Epcot and Hollywood Studios...they all had arrived! So, what do you do with such power? You decide at 4pm to take a trip to Epcot and experience the International Food & Wine Festival...ON A WHIM!!!
We took showers, hopped in the car, and were in the park by 5:30. That gave us only one and a half hours to hit Future World, the rides portion of Epcot. Luckily, Whitney was on top of her game. She had Katie reading our options to us from Frommer's Walt Disney World & Orlando 2008. From the backseat, Katie spat options like a rabid Tasmanian Devil while Whitney navigated the back lots. (That whole Tasmanian Devil thing was a bit of dramatization. Katie is a lady and probably doesn't even know how to spit.)
We decided on Living with the Land and Soarin', two informative rides. Yeah, we know we're nerds...what of it? Living with the Land started out slow, but proved well worth it once we got to the future of horticulture section. It was unbelievable. Seriously, I'm not sure I believe it. They were growing nine pound lemons. Crazy! Next, we headed for Soarin' to enjoy a simulated glider ride over various California landscapes. Beautiful...I imagine. It was a 55 minute wait. The Seas with Nemo and Friends was only five. We likes 'dim numbers! Again, things started out slow, but became totally gnarly when an animated Nemo, along with other memorable characters from the beloved movie, were, somehow, projected into actual aquariums and swam with dolphins, sharks, and varius other marine life. But, by far, the highlight of the ride was watching kids, and their parents, talk to Crush, the surfer sea turtle. The animated turtle selected auidence members to ask him questions, which he then answered in his own way... Duuuuuuuuuuude, it was totally swwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetttttttttttttt!!!
We took showers, hopped in the car, and were in the park by 5:30. That gave us only one and a half hours to hit Future World, the rides portion of Epcot. Luckily, Whitney was on top of her game. She had Katie reading our options to us from Frommer's Walt Disney World & Orlando 2008. From the backseat, Katie spat options like a rabid Tasmanian Devil while Whitney navigated the back lots. (That whole Tasmanian Devil thing was a bit of dramatization. Katie is a lady and probably doesn't even know how to spit.)
We decided on Living with the Land and Soarin', two informative rides. Yeah, we know we're nerds...what of it? Living with the Land started out slow, but proved well worth it once we got to the future of horticulture section. It was unbelievable. Seriously, I'm not sure I believe it. They were growing nine pound lemons. Crazy! Next, we headed for Soarin' to enjoy a simulated glider ride over various California landscapes. Beautiful...I imagine. It was a 55 minute wait. The Seas with Nemo and Friends was only five. We likes 'dim numbers! Again, things started out slow, but became totally gnarly when an animated Nemo, along with other memorable characters from the beloved movie, were, somehow, projected into actual aquariums and swam with dolphins, sharks, and varius other marine life. But, by far, the highlight of the ride was watching kids, and their parents, talk to Crush, the surfer sea turtle. The animated turtle selected auidence members to ask him questions, which he then answered in his own way... Duuuuuuuuuuude, it was totally swwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetttttttttttttt!!!
After the brief exposure to rides, we proceeded towards the International Food & Wine Festival for yummy drinks and snacks. We sampled fare from Canada, Poland, and France, leaving us only 27 countries. The food was exquisite, the drinks expensive/tasty, and the scenery was ethereal. Seriously, look at those skies!!!
So, to summarize, naah-nah-naah-nah-naah-nah (sing-songy)!!! :-P
And we're going again this weekend. How much do you hate us?
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
First days of work!
Last week, Katie started her first day at Heery International and together we wrote a post on her blog about "First day" traditions. Today, I'm reposting that blog with my own "First day" of work pics. Enjoy ;-)
"First day" traditions- originally appeared on Katie's blog last week:
The glorious legacy began 22 years ago at a McAlpin's register. Whitney was in line with mom and grandma Peggy when she spied a red Rainbow-Brite umbrella. The purchase would inform her fashion, and sense of humor, for years to come. While the umbrella was memorable, the purpose of the trip was Back-to-School shopping, and resulted in many outfits of Spumoni, Osh-Kosh-Be-Gosh, and Khaki-cuteness. After this successful and fun day, Peggy declared it a tradition, topped only by Derby Day.
In the next two and three years, respectively, Lindsey and Katie received their prestigious invitation to join The Event. It didn't stop there. Luckily our family was blessed with seven granddaughters, each of whom was initiated into the yearly retail ritual before the first day of school.
The first stop was always McAlpins, as Aunt Susan worked there and could scout the newest styles and deals. As youngsters, we were easy to please, however, as we matured so did our personal styles.
Whitney:
Princess and the Pea Complex- no itchy fabrics like wool, no tight turtle necks, and no sleeve rolling (although she did tight roll her pants in middle school-ha!). In high school, she was a Total Bitch. Nothing pleased her. She refused to try anything on unless it was brown or black. She had that flannel-grunge-thing going for her, or against her. Later on, she improved. She added reds and pink to her repertoire. And she started to take advice from her fashion forward family.
Lindsey:
Lindsey liked it all, the shopping and the clothes. Consistently classic, she liked stripes, solids, denim and khaki. She despised Whitney's inevitable rummage through her closet to find the newest (unworn) addition to her wardrobe, stealing her thunder and wearing it first. But she did get a nice superiority boost by bitching Whitney out ALL the way to school.
Katie:
At an early age, like 3(!), Katie had developed her own style. She didn't want the gray pea coat that mom picked out and bought, she wanted the purple one. Distraught by the pain of betraying the purple coat, she burst into tears when modeling it for great-grandmother Sara Newt. (Sara Newt remedied said situation by demanding that mom exchange the coat for the appropriate color. More to come on "The Spoiling of the Grandchildren" by Sara Newt in a coming post.) From then on, Katie was not afraid to voice her opinion on fashion choices. As a result, Katie could be found in the best wears, with her eclectic-before-the-trend style, which gave her that "unapproachable look."
With our shiny new wardrobes in closet, we would spend an hour, minimum, getting ready for The First Day. We chose the outfits based on majority votes, men excluded, followed by hair styling, shoe picking, and later, bad make-up application. We were ready by 6:30 am when Aunt Robin would pick us up and drive us to the end of the lane to wait for the bus. There we were, seven groggy, yet beautiful and dressed to the nines, granddaughters huddled together at the end of VanDeren Lane. At the butt-crack of dawn, we waited. Aunt Robin got out her camera, and snapped the first picture. Beginning to dismantle, Robin would flail, "Megan had her eyes closed!" Rolling our eyes and making snide comments we always had to take at least five photos before she was satisfied. :-)
We never escaped the dreaded "First Day of School" picture, even when we went to college at UK. There she was, with her camera, waiting eagerly for us to drop by Funkhouser Building (where she worked) and where she would take at least five photos.
And so, this post is dedicated to all of the wonderful women who enabled our addiction to shopping, and saying cheese. Here is my "First Day of Work" picture, complete with new outfit and new haircut, highlighted by a classic vogue pose. My "Day Two" pic illustrates my new Disney look- with name tag, company ID, and Mickey trading pin! Also, I'm wearing the cutest new navy, patent leather open-toed shoes, which unfortunately are not very visible. Perhaps I will devote a future post to the shoes ;-)
"First day" traditions- originally appeared on Katie's blog last week:
The glorious legacy began 22 years ago at a McAlpin's register. Whitney was in line with mom and grandma Peggy when she spied a red Rainbow-Brite umbrella. The purchase would inform her fashion, and sense of humor, for years to come. While the umbrella was memorable, the purpose of the trip was Back-to-School shopping, and resulted in many outfits of Spumoni, Osh-Kosh-Be-Gosh, and Khaki-cuteness. After this successful and fun day, Peggy declared it a tradition, topped only by Derby Day.
In the next two and three years, respectively, Lindsey and Katie received their prestigious invitation to join The Event. It didn't stop there. Luckily our family was blessed with seven granddaughters, each of whom was initiated into the yearly retail ritual before the first day of school.
The first stop was always McAlpins, as Aunt Susan worked there and could scout the newest styles and deals. As youngsters, we were easy to please, however, as we matured so did our personal styles.
Whitney:
Princess and the Pea Complex- no itchy fabrics like wool, no tight turtle necks, and no sleeve rolling (although she did tight roll her pants in middle school-ha!). In high school, she was a Total Bitch. Nothing pleased her. She refused to try anything on unless it was brown or black. She had that flannel-grunge-thing going for her, or against her. Later on, she improved. She added reds and pink to her repertoire. And she started to take advice from her fashion forward family.
Lindsey:
Lindsey liked it all, the shopping and the clothes. Consistently classic, she liked stripes, solids, denim and khaki. She despised Whitney's inevitable rummage through her closet to find the newest (unworn) addition to her wardrobe, stealing her thunder and wearing it first. But she did get a nice superiority boost by bitching Whitney out ALL the way to school.
Katie:
At an early age, like 3(!), Katie had developed her own style. She didn't want the gray pea coat that mom picked out and bought, she wanted the purple one. Distraught by the pain of betraying the purple coat, she burst into tears when modeling it for great-grandmother Sara Newt. (Sara Newt remedied said situation by demanding that mom exchange the coat for the appropriate color. More to come on "The Spoiling of the Grandchildren" by Sara Newt in a coming post.) From then on, Katie was not afraid to voice her opinion on fashion choices. As a result, Katie could be found in the best wears, with her eclectic-before-the-trend style, which gave her that "unapproachable look."
With our shiny new wardrobes in closet, we would spend an hour, minimum, getting ready for The First Day. We chose the outfits based on majority votes, men excluded, followed by hair styling, shoe picking, and later, bad make-up application. We were ready by 6:30 am when Aunt Robin would pick us up and drive us to the end of the lane to wait for the bus. There we were, seven groggy, yet beautiful and dressed to the nines, granddaughters huddled together at the end of VanDeren Lane. At the butt-crack of dawn, we waited. Aunt Robin got out her camera, and snapped the first picture. Beginning to dismantle, Robin would flail, "Megan had her eyes closed!" Rolling our eyes and making snide comments we always had to take at least five photos before she was satisfied. :-)
We never escaped the dreaded "First Day of School" picture, even when we went to college at UK. There she was, with her camera, waiting eagerly for us to drop by Funkhouser Building (where she worked) and where she would take at least five photos.
And so, this post is dedicated to all of the wonderful women who enabled our addiction to shopping, and saying cheese. Here is my "First Day of Work" picture, complete with new outfit and new haircut, highlighted by a classic vogue pose. My "Day Two" pic illustrates my new Disney look- with name tag, company ID, and Mickey trading pin! Also, I'm wearing the cutest new navy, patent leather open-toed shoes, which unfortunately are not very visible. Perhaps I will devote a future post to the shoes ;-)
First day of work- Vogue Style
Second day of work and covered in Disney!
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