Madison on Memorial Day

As a last minute decision this weekend, Lee and I decided to head to Madison, Indiana for a couple of days. I have wanted to go to Madison for quite some time, but Lee had been there before several years ago. It is a quaint little town. Above is a panoramic picture we took with our digital camera of the Ohio River from the Madison Riverfront.

As you can see, Madison sits on the Ohio River, much like Evansville, where I spent 4 1/2 years of my life. Madison has the Regatta whereas Evansville has Thunder on the Ohio, both are hydroplane races over July 4th weekend. Evansville's Riverfront has recently been redone and is absolutely beautiful. Madison's Riverfront is very nice, but it is not quite as long. Madison sits up on a hill. Evansville tends to be fairly flat. Although Evansville does hold a special place in my heart, Madison is quite a charming town.

While in Madison we walked Main Street and the downtown area which has antique shops, historic mansions, and lots of history. We walked into a few antique shops but didn't purchase anything. We did take many pictures though. We also drove to Hanover College, which is quite a bit different than I imagined. It has a private drive curving through the woods, and it sits on a bluff overlooking the Ohio River. On Sunday night, we just sat by the river and enjoyed the scenery.

On Monday, Lee and I also visited Clifty Falls State Park. We walked to three of the four waterfalls. The lookout points and waterfalls themselves hold amazing natural beauty. All in all, it was a very good trip.

When we got back to Bloomington, we also celebrated Memorial Day by visiting Lee's grandpa's grave. This was only the second time since we have been together that we visited it. On Memorial Day, it only seemed fitting. Lee also drove me around Lake Monroe. We haven't spent a lot of time there, so he showed me around a bit.

We thought we would take some time to enjoy this long weekend. By July 4th, we should be homeowners, and the work on the house will begin. Before we know it, summer will be over, and I will be back in school. This summer is going to fly by! We hope everyone has a healthy and safe summer!

The Cultural Side of Us

Yes, we do have a cultural side as well. I know this may seem like an odd topic to bring up, but we have recently been discussing musicals to see during the 2006-07 IU Auditorium season. We have seen many productions there including Cats, Stomp, Rent, Smokey Joe's Cafe, Les Miserables, and Mamma Mia. But this upcoming season is not particularly "tickling our fancy". However, we are planning on heading to Chicago this fall for a 3 or 4 day weekend getaway. During that time, we hope to see Wicked - the musical about the witches of Oz before Dorothy dropped in.

We also enjoy art - to a very certain extent. For instance, Lee loves Van Gogh. He began liking Van Gogh back in the mid-1990s. At that time, he didn't know that Van Gogh was believed to be epileptic. But now that makes him enjoy his work that much more since Lee also has epilepsy. Lee's favorite painting is Starry Night which is pictured above. When he began his administrative job at Baxter, I bought him several Van Gogh paintings which he has at his desk.

I, on the other hand, love Seurat. I have been interested in pointalism since I was much younger in art class, although I never had an artistic bone in my body. My all-time favorite painting is Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte which is the first picture in the blog. Yes, you may say, "That is the painting in Ferris Bueller's Day Off." And, yes, it is. However, this painting lives at the Art Institute of Chicago, which is where they visited in the movie. I first saw it live and in person when I was on a junior high school trip. Never before had a painting had that effect on me. If you've ever been to the institute, you know what I am talking about. The painting is in a huge room on a very large wall. It is much bigger than you would expect. The moment I saw it, I was amazed. I hope to take Lee there when we visit Chicago. Although I have been to Chicago several times, Lee has never been to visit - only to drive through.

Since my sister also works at the Indiana Repertory Theater in Indianapolis, we also tend to see a play now and again. We've seen several plays including The Red Badge of Courage and the Tale of the Allergist's Wife.

Well, that about covers our cultural side. It is a side I am so grateful my husband has. Few men will go to see musicals, plays, and art, so I consider myself lucky.

I hope you all have a good Memorial Day Weekend! Enjoy the time off of work!

House Update

Well, all of the paperwork (purchase agreement, inspection responses, addendums, etc.) is finally signed. Barring any unforeseen problems with the bank, title company, or seller, we should be closing on our house on June 30!!!!!

We are planning to stay in our apartment through July so that we can tear down wallpaper, repaint, fix the roof, etc. So by the end of summer, we should be moved in and halfway settled.

I must say we certainly do feel like grown-ups now. I've been telling my family and friends that this seems more "final" than marriage. It definitely seems more stressful. I think it is just the financial commitment. But in the long run, owning a home will be worth it. We'll keep you updated if changes occur.

Thank you all for your support!!!

Okay I Conformed - I got a Blog!

Okay, so as the blog title states, I have finally conformed and gotten a blog. I feel as though I am surrounded by them on a day-to-day basis and finally here I go. This is the best way I know to keep up with friends and family. This is much better than the yearly Christmas letter that tends to be a little long; however, we will probably still do the letter :-).

So what's new with us?? Well, Lee and I are working on buying our first home. We signed the purchase agreement at the end of April, and we are now working with the seller who wants to extend the closing date because he can't get his stuff out of the house in time. Thank goodness for our realtor who seems to be great at what she does. Hopefully by the end of the summer, we will be homeowners.

We've also bought a new riding mower for the house, and we now have a place for our guests to sleep. I am slowly going through all of our stuff and selling some stuff on Ebay, giving some to Goodwill, and we may still have a garage sale. It is going to be a crazy summer.

Lee just finished a certificate program for Managing in the Life Sciences through IU Continuing Studies. It is an award winning program, and I think he really enjoyed it. I am still studying for my Master's degree. I have two more years to go.

This weekend was Mother's Day, and I was lucky enough to receive a few Stepmother's cards. I thought that was very sweet. I definitely don't consider myself a Mommy because Taylor already has a Mommy, but I sure can't wait until I get to be one. This was the first weekend we got asked when we will start to have kids. Not yet - I can tell you that. I want to get through school first, and we definitely have to get into a house. We also got to see my mom and Lee's mom, who came up from Louisville. Definitely a good family weekend!

We also celebrated my niece's birthday this weekend. Sabrina is now 12!!! I can't believe it. Brandi (my other niece) turned 10 in March. She was just a little over 1 when I graduated high school. If that doesn't make a person feel old, I don't know what will. Yikes!!! Well, Taylor will be 7 in August. She had just turned 2 when I met her. My the time sure flies!!

Lee and I cancelled our vacation to Vegas so we could have more money for the house. Although this was to be a family vacation with the Chappell's and the Kordes', it just made more sense for us to use the money towards the house. We definitely want to paint and do some cosmetic things, and we are replacing the roof. Fun Fun!!

Other than that, we are doing well. Taylor and the kitties are also good. Taylor always keeps us on our toes, and we can't wait until we see her again. The kitties enjoy watching the birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and other kitties out our back door.

I'll update this as best as I can as things happen. If nothing else, this will also be an online journal for Lee and me. It's like Doogie Howser, just 15 years later -- Again, I feel old!!