Ohio State Fair

Michael and I went to the Ohio State Fair on Sunday. We saw a farm scene display carved out of butter- an impressive 1800 lbs. of butter!
We watched a comedian/magician performance, a retriever dog show, and pig races.

Despite all his talk, Michael didn't get any of the fried food he planned on trying (mac 'n cheese, mashed potatoes, pork chops). I did get deep-fried oreos though, which I've been meaning to try for a long time. They didn't live up to the hype, but they were pretty good. Seriously, what won't people batter and throw in a deep fryer? The afternoon was hot and sticky, and I couldn't wait to take a shower when we got home, but we had a great time while we were there. I'm glad I married someone who has the same aversion to stomach-churning rides that I do.

The Old Fashioned Way

I love getting mail, at least the kind of mail that isn't junk or a bill. Who doesn't, right? So, when a personally addressed envelope arrived yesterday from my grandma, I was quite excited. It's not even my birthday or anything! I opened it up, and inside was a newspaper clipping. It was an article from her local newspaper about redecorating in stages. I have to admit, I laughed out loud, not because I didn't appreciate the article or the thought behind it but because of how old school it is to send a person a newspaper article in the mail. I love my grandma, a woman who doesn't know what YouTube is. I am part of the generation that is killing print newspapers. I get all my news online, and if I want to share an article with someone, I email the hyperlink or post it to my blog or Tweet about it or post it on Facebook. I love that there are still people, like my grandma, who take the time to cut an article out with scissors, put it in an envelope, address and stamp it, and send it to a loved one. Hopefully, for her generation's sake, the print newspaper industry lasts a while longer.

Summer Weekends in Columbus

I think the interview last Wednesday went well, and I finished reading Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery and Cesar's Way by Cesar Millan (the Dog Whisperer for those of you who have heard of or seen the show) this week. Since Michael and I are going to get a dog once we're in the house, I'm trying to read a number of books about raising and training good dogs. Both books were really good.

While my weeks continue to be the same old, same old, the weekends have been fun. Two Saturdays ago Michael and I went to Columbus's annual Jazz and Rib Festival. Michael got ribs and I got a pulled pork sandwich from Willingham's, which is Memphis style BBQ based out of Minnesota.
With the live jazz music and the great crowd, it was a fun atmosphere, and we enjoyed being part of the community. The next day (Sunday), we went to the Parade of Homes. Each year numerous home builders bid for contracts, and the winners build these amazing custom homes that are then decorated by professional interior design teams. They are then opened to the public to come tour (tickets must be purchased). We went both to get ideas for decorating and painting our house and to admire these unique homes. Despite the grandeur, the most expensive house was still under a million dollars ($949,000). Try getting that in Phoenix, California, or New York. Ha!

The home above is from M/I Homes. It has 4 bedrooms, 4 full and 2 half baths, and a 3 car garage. With 4,700 square feet, it sells for $799,000.

It was crazy how many bathrooms each house had. And the basements! One of the basements had a full bar like what you might see in a restaurant and a home theater with leather chairs that had cup holders and beautiful HD projection. Michael would love a wine cellar like this in our basement some day.

This past weekend we went to the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational golf tournament and to the Dublin Irish Festival. Michael won free tickets for the golf tournament from work. They provided access to the Sky Box at the 18th hole and to the hospitality tent where we got free food.

I had never been to a golf game before, so it was very exciting just to be there. The Dublin Irish Festival is an annual event here in Dublin, OH where the whole city (or so it seems), plus people from other areas of Columbus, come to celebrate our namesake. It has a state fair meets Renaissance Festival feel to it. There is no end to the Irish food and beer vendors, and of course there is the staple funnel cakes and fried food available.

Pop?

Numerous stages are set up for a variety of dance and music shows. We caught an Irish rock concert, some Irish jig dancing, and a bagpipe performance.

I've got to say, taking part in so many of the events that are going on around the city makes it feel like we live in a pretty cool place.

4am wake-up

At 4am this morning, I was awoken by my husband screaming. Though I was quite startled, I right away realized he was screaming in his sleep. I turned over and nudged him (Is that the right thing to do? I don't know.) and asked if he was alright. Apparently he had some nightmare involving ghosts, but he was fine. I've been in the same room with sleepwalkers, sleep talkers, and snorers, but this is the first time I've experienced sleep-screaming. It's a bit scary, and I hope it does not happen often. I'm a pretty deep sleeper myself (I did not wake up when my husband accidentally elbowed me the other night though it woke him up), but a scream or shout seems to do it.

Thanks to the library

I have another job interview today, and I really hope I get it. Though I will have plenty to keep me busy once we move into our new house and get a dog, I get quite bored right now. I've made good use of the library by checking out books and DVD's that I now have plenty of time to read and watch.

After falling in love with Anne of Green Gables, I checked out Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island. L.M. Montgomery writes delightfully enchanting stories filled with fascinating and well-described characters. Anne Shirley will forever be one of my favorite heroines of literature.

Though I had previoulsy been daunted by the fact that The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is 500+ pages, I wanted to read it and figured now was the time. The story was rich in detail and character development. A beautiful coming-of-age American tale, Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski is enriching and enjoyable.

Now I'm reading Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace and Cesar's Way by Cesar Millan.

I tried watching The Caberet and Blazing Saddles, but didn't finish either of them. I wasn't a big fan. I did enjoy Sophie's Choice, To Catch a Thief, and Billy Elliot though. Watching last year's Academy Awards, I realized I had only seen two or three of Meryl Streep's movies (Mamma Mia! and The Devil Wears Prada). I wanted to see what many consider to be her best role ever, and I also like seeing movies or reading books that are frequently referenced, hence Sophie's Choice. And it was a really terrific performance. To Catch a Thief is an Alfred Hitchcock film starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. As far as classics go, I really liked it. There are some classics that I just don't get (Citizen Kane?), but this one was good. Billy Elliot I watched because a friend kept telling me that I should. There wasn't nearly as much ballet as I thought there would be. Instead, the story was much more about Billy's family, relationships, and life struggles. I would also recommend it.

Home Sweet Home

Michael and I are buying our first house!
After a month of searching and looking at nearly 30 houses, we finally found one we really wanted. It was the very last house we looked at. Go figure! We won't move in until mid-August, so I'm anxiously planning what to do with all the space. The only real furniture we have is for the bedroom, so we are starting completely from scratch. It's very overwhelming. Michael's going to start with the kitchen, and I'm going to start with the family room. This is what it looks like now with the current tenants' furniture. The first view is through the breakfast area, and the second is looking right over the railing.

I'm thinking of painting the brick fireplace. I really think it would brighten the room to paint it a light color. Of course, that means picking out a color, and I don't know where to start. We don't have any furniture or art or anything else to use as a jumping off point. I need to find something to use. I'll be sure to post some before and after pictures though.

4th of July in Dublin

Who knew little Dublin, OH would have so much going on for the 4th of July? Michael discovered that Boyz II Men would be here in concert with the Four Tops at Dublin-Coffman High School to celebrate July 4th. My very first concert that I remember going to was a Boyz II Men concert in Phoenix in (I believe) 1991 or 1992. They have had so many hits and were so popular that I had a hard time believing they would be coming to perform at a high school in this small suburb of Columbus. To top it all off, the concert was free! We were sure that the place would be packed, but we showed up about 30 minutes before they were to go on and found great seats in the bleachers. The stage was set up on the football field and people could buy tickets to sit at tables on the field, but everything else was fair game. We went with Matt (who is Mike's friend from IU and also got a job in Columbus) and his wife Kristen.

We were really impressed that after 20 years and being short one member of the original group, Boyz II Men was still quite good. We truly enjoyed the concert and felt rather nostalgic singing classics from our junior high and high school days. The Four Tops, who have replaced three of their original members, performed second, and though they are possibly a more classic Motown group, we all prefered Boyz II Men and thought they should have been the highlighted act instead of the openers. After both performances, there was a terrific fireworks display. Though it couldn't rival the New York fireworks on the East River that we watched last year, it was still a great show.