We stayed at the Comfort Inn in town on Monday and Tuesday. It was better than the Holiday Inn Express (except for the breakfast bar but who really cares?) because of free HBO! I watched a Harry Potter movie-the fifth one-and we all watched Family Guy.
The electric box got fixed and we were reconnected with our electric, cable, and phone. The tree guys are still working but they are doing good. We saved most of the food from the refridgerator and freezer and worked up stuff for the insurance. I didn't pay much attention to that part.
Everything is pretty much back to normal...except the scenery is a little different.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Vacation: Day Seven (Getting Answers)
"So, do you have cable or power?"
"Noooo....but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night."
I got to stay in a motel/hotel. This isn't my first time staying at one, but it is the first that I can remember. It was okay...but the air condtioner made the room freezing with, like, arctic temperatures.
Monday morning, we went back to see the house and see what needed what first. I wasn't really part of the whole money and insurance discussions but I do know that the tree guys came and got the pine tree out of our driveway. The electric guys came and looked at the broken gooseneck on our electric box and started to fix it.
We were making progress.
"Noooo....but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night."
I got to stay in a motel/hotel. This isn't my first time staying at one, but it is the first that I can remember. It was okay...but the air condtioner made the room freezing with, like, arctic temperatures.
Monday morning, we went back to see the house and see what needed what first. I wasn't really part of the whole money and insurance discussions but I do know that the tree guys came and got the pine tree out of our driveway. The electric guys came and looked at the broken gooseneck on our electric box and started to fix it.
We were making progress.
Vacation: Day Six (The Damage)
The pine tree in front of our home snapped about twenty feet up, falling across our driveway and snapping our electric, cable, and phone lines. There were scattered branches fallen all around the front and side of our house and garage. The nursing home next door was flooded and evacuated. The reports say the water from the storms was at three inches in forty-five minutes.
When you walk around to the back yard you can see our maple sorta kinda split in half with branches twenty feet up laying on the garage threatening to fall at any moment. The partial trunk laying in the yard clipped the guttering and the deck but, thankfully, there were no holes in the house.
No one was home when this happened, not even our dog. No one was hurt. We kept having to tell ourselves this.
When you walk around to the back yard you can see our maple sorta kinda split in half with branches twenty feet up laying on the garage threatening to fall at any moment. The partial trunk laying in the yard clipped the guttering and the deck but, thankfully, there were no holes in the house.
No one was home when this happened, not even our dog. No one was hurt. We kept having to tell ourselves this.
Vacation: Day Five (Early Morning)
I was alarmed by the sound of crying about forty minutes after I went to bed. It was my mom who had just gotten a call from my dad. While he was at work, a tornado went through and knocked down quite a few trees and snapped all of our electric lines. He needed us home ASAP. Somehow we all managed to get through about four more hours until we called Megan's dad (my uncle). We went over there and he said 'of course I will take you home.' Perfect example of family always being there for family. We packed up in the next hour and left.
We stopped at a Denny's and ate. I wasn't very hungry andd I didn't like the hashbrowns but the eggs were good as were the biscuits. After Grama nazied the Strawberry Jam away from my uncle, we left. We were home in record time because we took an alternate route.
We got there...saw the damage...and were shocked.
We stopped at a Denny's and ate. I wasn't very hungry andd I didn't like the hashbrowns but the eggs were good as were the biscuits. After Grama nazied the Strawberry Jam away from my uncle, we left. We were home in record time because we took an alternate route.
We got there...saw the damage...and were shocked.
Vacation: Day Four
I woke up Saturday morning and went to Meg's house. It was pouring down rain so we didn't swim...boo...but we stayed inside and helped my aunt make a cake for the cookout. My mom came to get me soon after that to take me to a completely different uncle's house (I have a very big family on that side, btw) and talked. Well, mom talked...I sat there...more talking...talk,talk,talkity talk, talk...okay done. Mom and Grama went off to go to church (catholic...I have baptist views and didn't want to go) and I played video games with my other cousin, Logan.
My other uncle (Meg's dad) came and picked me up, picked up my aunt and Meg, took Meg to the Subway where she works, and then we went to the store. We looked around and then I met an ex-boyfriend of my mom's...that was...interesting. After we got out of the store, we went to a restaurant where my aunt, uncle, cousin, his girlfriend, my great aunt, Grama, and Mom all ate. We got done there and went back to Grama's. I read while watching TV and then we all went to sleep...
for about 40 minutes...
My other uncle (Meg's dad) came and picked me up, picked up my aunt and Meg, took Meg to the Subway where she works, and then we went to the store. We looked around and then I met an ex-boyfriend of my mom's...that was...interesting. After we got out of the store, we went to a restaurant where my aunt, uncle, cousin, his girlfriend, my great aunt, Grama, and Mom all ate. We got done there and went back to Grama's. I read while watching TV and then we all went to sleep...
for about 40 minutes...
Vacation: Day Three
Meg and I woke up and got ready to go to my aunt's house to see my little cousin, Nathan. He used to call me Cukoo because he couldn't say Cortny. But now he doesn't because he so grown up. I played a Wii for the first time EVER and SUCKED. Then Grama, Mom, Meg, Nathan and I all went to Megan's house for a swim. Nathan doesn't like to get his face wet, but he did this time which is apparently a first. We swam for a while and then everyone kinda fell asleep. My aunt got home and rushed my mom, Megan and me off to turn in 4-H stuff again. On the way home we got pizza and all of us (including my uncle, now) ate.
Nathan and his parents were leaving as we pulled in the drive with the pizza. We ate and then all the adults watched 'Man of the Year' with Robin Williams. Meg and I went upstairs and played Cranium...with only two people...difficult, but not impossible.
I went home (aka, Grama's house) alone, ready for the cookout that was supposed to happen in two days but never got to see it...
Nathan and his parents were leaving as we pulled in the drive with the pizza. We ate and then all the adults watched 'Man of the Year' with Robin Williams. Meg and I went upstairs and played Cranium...with only two people...difficult, but not impossible.
I went home (aka, Grama's house) alone, ready for the cookout that was supposed to happen in two days but never got to see it...
Vacation: Day Two
So when we woke up on the second day, the first thing we did was send dad off towards home. He left early with the hopes of avoiding the construction. We then waited for someone to wake up (cough, cough, Grama...) and when they did, we left for the Honeycreek Mall. First we had to stop so my grandmother could get her hair done. It's a nice little shop right out of a home and it's cozy enough to read the whole time. Grama also had some shirts to return and I wanted to look at books. I ended up getting some stuff from Bath and Body Works. It was lotion and body wash called Butterfly Flower that smelled really good in the store but after you get it home and use it, it just smells like citrus and banana peel...grrr. I also got the book Shadow Kiss by Rachelle Mead and this Harry Potter wristband with the Hogwarts crest on it. Did you know that the motto etched across the bottom of the crest means 'Never tickle a sleeping dragon' in English? Well, it does...my dad looked it up. As we were getting ready to leave (through Sears) my grandmother and mom saw some swimsuits so I obviously veered off towards the clearance racks in the juniors section...I love distractions. Well, I found this awesome shirt. It's all black with some sort of gray lacy pattern on it and the logo is a rainbowish colored peace sign with the word 'Peace' written above it...regular $19.99...I got it for $7.99! Yay! Cuz' I loved it!
So after the mall was food, Burger King. Always an adventure because when Grama orders she says 'hambooger' in stead of 'hamburger' and I always mumble the correct word under my breath while she orders. It's funnier when it's a big order and someone else is in the backseat with me. After we ate, we went to my uncle's house and I got to see my cousin, Megan. We laughed, we cried, we swam, we ate. I stayed there while my mom and grandma went to this school thing of Grama's. Megan had 4-H stuff to turn in and I went with her to do that and then we spent the night at Grama's. Which was funnier than usual because I pretended to be her while texting two friends of hers. They didn't know till I told and one is just so paranoid about it now.
All in all, it was a very good day. I had fun and promises of things to do while we were there...grrr to tornadoes for ruining everything...
So after the mall was food, Burger King. Always an adventure because when Grama orders she says 'hambooger' in stead of 'hamburger' and I always mumble the correct word under my breath while she orders. It's funnier when it's a big order and someone else is in the backseat with me. After we ate, we went to my uncle's house and I got to see my cousin, Megan. We laughed, we cried, we swam, we ate. I stayed there while my mom and grandma went to this school thing of Grama's. Megan had 4-H stuff to turn in and I went with her to do that and then we spent the night at Grama's. Which was funnier than usual because I pretended to be her while texting two friends of hers. They didn't know till I told and one is just so paranoid about it now.
All in all, it was a very good day. I had fun and promises of things to do while we were there...grrr to tornadoes for ruining everything...
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Vacation: Day One
So we ended up leaving at around six o'clock on Wednesday evening. We were able to change our plans and leave earlier than what was previously thought. The five to six hour trip was promised to be fun--mainly by me. The first half of the trip was kinda bland, to be honest. We listened to the Reds game on the radio (they ended up losing, of course...stupid Reds) and talked a little. But then we drove through Dayton...let me tell you; Dayton is AMAZING! Cuz' one thing's for damn sure--Dayton is not a Fishbowl Town.
Apparently, we had unknowingly picked the night when all the construction was going on to leave. We finally made it after the sky turned all dark and mysterious, only stopping to use the bathroom and for construction (once-a miracle by anyone's standards).
Grama was happy to see us. I slept fitfully for four hours on the couch and stared at the clock as it meshed into Day Two...
Apparently, we had unknowingly picked the night when all the construction was going on to leave. We finally made it after the sky turned all dark and mysterious, only stopping to use the bathroom and for construction (once-a miracle by anyone's standards).
Grama was happy to see us. I slept fitfully for four hours on the couch and stared at the clock as it meshed into Day Two...
Monday, July 6, 2009
The Horrors of Vacation Preparation
Well...happy happy joy joy to me because I go on vacation in three days. My mother and I will go to Indiana to visit her family while my dad stays back here in the Fishbowl Town to go to work. I am unusually excited for this trip not only because I will be leaving with my folks at around two in the A.M. on Thursday and travel to Indiana for six hours, but also because I miss my Grama. We stay with her at her unbelievably amazing house in the rural area right outside of Terre Haute and the whole family lives around her. So, as usual, I am packing now hoping that my eagerness to go will speed up the time till we leave. So far, my plan is failing...
Preparing for this trip really takes a toll on my sanity because so many things end up being more difficult than it should be. I got this awesome new rolling suitcase and I have more clothes than what the suitcase will fill. So I grabbed my old Winnie the Pooh backpack (yes, I am fifteen and still have that--don't be jealous that I am still in touch with my inner child) to stuff all the bulky jackets and books and extra crap in. Well, of course I accidentally read all the books that I have put back for the trip so I must buy new ones. And, I have to wash all the clothes I am taking. Get to the horror story in a minute. While I am buying the books I realize that there are so many other things I need. Like: shampoo and conditioner, hair heat spray stuff, film, batteries, a swimsuit, a new hat, new sunglasses and flip flops. Don't have enough money and my mother ends up buying most of it (God Bless her ever-sweet soul). Then I sort through the mountain of clothes I want to take on this seven day trip. I realize then that taking my white capris would be disastrous because my pail legs would blend right in with them...I then get depressed about that and eat about five pounds of carbs to feel better. So I narrow down the mountain to a big hill and wash them. I have to go to my basement to get to the washer and dryer which I don't like, especially when I am home alone, because we have a little lizard down there. Not like a pet, like a lizard that got into our basement and we can't catch. Normally I like lizards and other reptiles of that sort but have you ever seen a lizard move? It move really fast and squiggly and just doesn't bother to utilize the legs that it has. It's weird...but I went down there to get my clothes to the dryer and almost stepped on it! That would have been horrible! (Hence the use of italics) So I run to the dryer and get everything settled and run back upstairs where I sit, hyperventilating, and try to calm down. I then try to shove all my bathroom stuff into this little overnight case. It doesn't quite work so I'm going to have to put my hair straightener and brush and makeup in the already overstuffed suitcase. That should be fun.
So, vacation preparation is not only stressing, it's also a horror story (at least for me). One thing's for sure...this better not be a sign of what the vacation to come will be like!
Preparing for this trip really takes a toll on my sanity because so many things end up being more difficult than it should be. I got this awesome new rolling suitcase and I have more clothes than what the suitcase will fill. So I grabbed my old Winnie the Pooh backpack (yes, I am fifteen and still have that--don't be jealous that I am still in touch with my inner child) to stuff all the bulky jackets and books and extra crap in. Well, of course I accidentally read all the books that I have put back for the trip so I must buy new ones. And, I have to wash all the clothes I am taking. Get to the horror story in a minute. While I am buying the books I realize that there are so many other things I need. Like: shampoo and conditioner, hair heat spray stuff, film, batteries, a swimsuit, a new hat, new sunglasses and flip flops. Don't have enough money and my mother ends up buying most of it (God Bless her ever-sweet soul). Then I sort through the mountain of clothes I want to take on this seven day trip. I realize then that taking my white capris would be disastrous because my pail legs would blend right in with them...I then get depressed about that and eat about five pounds of carbs to feel better. So I narrow down the mountain to a big hill and wash them. I have to go to my basement to get to the washer and dryer which I don't like, especially when I am home alone, because we have a little lizard down there. Not like a pet, like a lizard that got into our basement and we can't catch. Normally I like lizards and other reptiles of that sort but have you ever seen a lizard move? It move really fast and squiggly and just doesn't bother to utilize the legs that it has. It's weird...but I went down there to get my clothes to the dryer and almost stepped on it! That would have been horrible! (Hence the use of italics) So I run to the dryer and get everything settled and run back upstairs where I sit, hyperventilating, and try to calm down. I then try to shove all my bathroom stuff into this little overnight case. It doesn't quite work so I'm going to have to put my hair straightener and brush and makeup in the already overstuffed suitcase. That should be fun.
So, vacation preparation is not only stressing, it's also a horror story (at least for me). One thing's for sure...this better not be a sign of what the vacation to come will be like!
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