Just the two of us

Well Duane is on his way to China, and so it's just Jordan and me...the gruesome twosome! I have quite a few things planned for the next little while to help get our minds off missing Duane. I also have some "home" projects that I am going to try and do while D is gone. (You know the kind that wives love to think up, but husbands go nuts over...rearranging furniture, etc.) Anyway, enough about our plans. I'll be updating the blog a lot so that D can see what we are up to, so stay tuned. You'll probably get to hear more than you want to for the next little while.

In the meantime, here are a few more pics. I couldn't resist snapping these of Jordan last weekend. He was sooo tired, but didn't want to nap. So I set him up in the high chair to have a snack, and before he could even eat anything, he was asleep!

This one is great because you can see the drool on his chin!

I tried to wake him up, but he just moved a little and went back to sleep. Then it was off to the crib for a real nap!

After the nap, he was sure feeling happy. Here he is "helping" Duane on the computer. Those two are pretty much inseparable, so it's going to be interesting.

I sent Duane off with a little "care package" of EZ Mac and Ramen noodles (that one's a little ironic) so that I can know he will at least have something to eat in the apartment when he gets there. I know there's water and a microwave, so it had to be something that would work with those limited ingredients. Unfortunately for him, there is no Dr. Pepper in China, so he is gong to have to find another way of staying hydrated. Hey honey, it's called bottled water, just a hint! (**See my rant below about Chinese soft drinks). I also put together a little photo album of me and Jordan, and a voice recorded "message" of Jordan talking/laughing (Thanks Mom for helping me get that recorded!) We'll be looking forward to seeing him on the web cam once he gets to Xiamen. Love you and miss you already!

**I don't think I've ever talked about the fact that MY favorite soft drink is actually found in China, but I can't get it here. I'm speaking of...wait for it...... Coca-Cola Light. It's the "equivalent" of Diet Coke in China, but for some reason tastes even better. According to wikipedia: "In other countries, where cyclamates are not banned (as they were in the U.S. and the United Kingdom in 1970), Diet Coke or Coca-Cola Light may be sweetened with a blend containing cyclamates, aspartame, and acesulfame potassium, which may account for the noticeably different taste of Coca-Cola Light, compared to Diet Coke." So basically it's probably way worse for me than Diet Coke, which is why of course it tastes even better. Well, since I highly doubt it will be Diet Coke that kills me, I'm going to have Duane try to get some shipped home. If that happens, I'll alert you all through the blog and we'll set up a taste test so you can see for yourself.

Food Fun

As promised, here are a few pics of Jordan and the great time he always has when eating messy foods. The watermelon wasn't too bad, but the black beans were not my brightest idea! (In more ways than one). But what can I say, he loves them.

We're getting ready for Duane to head back to China. It's been quite a whirlwind at our house lately. My work schedule has changed, but it is good because I am able to spend more time with Jordan. It will be hard while Duane is gone, but thank goodness for Skype and web cams. We'll have to see what Jordan thinks of talking to his dad on the computer. I am really excited about our trip to Michigan next month to see Chris and Kara. It's always fun to travel with Jordan, he is such a good baby. It probably helps that we have actually flown quite a few times with him since he's been born. It continues to be an adventure as he gets more and more independent though...we'll see if he's as great of a passenger as he was a couple of months ago.

We had an interesting 4th of July weekend this year. Our A/C went out on the night of the 3rd, and we spent 2 nights in a very hot house. (Turns out it is VERY expensive to have a repairman come to you on the 4th, so we opted to tough it out until the 5th). With Duane's quick thinking and the purchase of some large fans we actually got the temperature down to 76 at night...but the day was a different story. Luckily the repairman was there early on the 5th and after a short time (but many $'s later) it was fixed. Then we had my parents over for a BBQ and to do a few fireworks. Jordan loved them! He didn't like the loud ones (like the illegals that the next door neighbor had) but he liked the fountains and loved the big ones that Centerville was doing. We could actually see them really well from home.

Oh, speaking of that weekend let me just say that I was the very lucky recipient of an extra ticket to the Poison concert!!! I went with Jill and Terrie. It was so cool! I've only loved Bret Michaels for like 20 years, so it was amazing to see him in person. The show was awesome, and he still sounds as great as ever. The opening band was...wait for it.....Dokken. Yes, that's right, they are still around. I only even knew 1 of their songs, but the man sitting in front of us knew every word to every song. He even pulled out the "air guitar" and a little "air drums". The people watching was definitely at an all time high that night, and it didn't disappoint. I'd already seen more feathered hair and tight jeans outside of the ESA than I had in the last 10 years. It was a truly memorable night. Thanks so much for the ticket Jill!!!

Summertime

So, it has been such a busy summer that I haven't even posted any pictures since May. Well, I won't be posting any tonight (since I don't have the camera with me), but I did want to write a quick note.

First of all, have you tried Pandora? That is to say, have you experienced pandora.com? It is without a doubt the best thing that has ever happend to music, in my humble opinion. The idea is that all of the music is already kept online (no need for an ipod, etc.). You simply type in the name of a band or song that you like and Pandora will play music that is similar to it. (basically music you already like). You then vote on each song played and tell Pandora if you like it or not. If not, Pandora will change the music it "matches" you up with. It is called the "Music Genome" project.

Really the only drawback that I can see is that since you don't "own" the music, you can't listen to a certain song whenever you want/change the order/burn it to a disc, etc. But, if you are at a computer all day long like I am (yes, I am a full fledged geek programmer these days...typing away lines of code like you wouldn't believe) and need something to listen to without having to do any work, it is the best thing ever!

Also on my mind tonight is a quick movie review/note. I recently went to Brewvies for a work outing and saw Iron Man. Now, to be honest, I have never been much of a "Marvel Comic" movie fan. I was excited to go to a movie since I haven't been in forever, but wasn't sure I was going to like it. Not only did I like it...I LOVED IT! Robert Downey Jr. did an amazing job. I was "riveted" the whole time. Plus, what's better than watching a movie while eating delicious food? I hadn't been to Brewvies in about 7 years, and it was better than I remembered. The menu is amazing, the fact that you get to eat real food on real tables (better than those "trays" at Jordan Commons) in the theatres is great. I highly recommend seeing Iron Man. I hope to see more movies soon, before I miss out entirely on all of the summer flicks. Maybe even a quick trip back to Brewvies.

Also, gas prices. I know they're expensive everywhere, but really! With all of the camping we've been trying to cram into the last few weeks, we spent $300 on just gas alone last week. I'm sure it's affecting everyone, I just had to get that off my chest. The new gas guzzling truck doesn't help I'm sure, but it's much nicer pulling the trailer now. Anyone else feeling it? The best gas price I have found here is $3.95/gallon. Since I know some of you are in Texas, Michigan and even as far away as London, let me know what the prices are in your neck of the woods. I'm just curious!

I found the camera, so I will have some new pics on in the next few days. I have some great ones of Jordan with watermelon (he really loves it, a little too much?) and our latest Lagoon trip.