"26 down, 24 to go"

This past week, I gleefully added number 26 to my list of states visited. A piddly number, I know, and I still have much traveling to do. But...I've averaged one state per each year of life, so I think I can feel pretty good about that. Grace's current average is much better than mine, but honestly, she's only one. And Spencer cheats, so we won't go into his ("I'm pretty sure I drove through that state on the way to Canada once..."). Puh. :)

Anyway, this week's state of choice was...drum roll please...Michigan! Ohio, somehow, manages to be close to everything (except Utah...), and so we were able to hop on over to Windsor, Ontario, Canada, while there, too. I'd like to count that as another state visited, but I know most Canadians would frown upon that. :)

Monday's Impressions: Detroit is a dirty, ugly city and we hate it. Should you find yourself in Detroit, quickly take the underground tunnel (hooray!) over to Windsor and everything will feel better.

Tuesday's Impressions: Alright, alright, it's not fair to base judgment of an entire city on one cold, rainy day. Detroit has a couple nice streets. :) And a very interesting statue of a forearm.

The main reason we chose Michigan (besides it being an integral part of the visit-every-state-plan and only 3 and half hours away) was to visit the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, about 10 minutes outside of downtown Detroit. I had heard great things about it, and am always up for a good museum, especially when American history is involved. And the Henry Ford did not disappoint.

Far from being a museum devoted only to the history of the automobile industry, it was more a museum dedicated to the history of all technological and social innovation in the United States. We were there all day on Tuesday and could have spent more time had we not been overwhelmingly exhausted and had a toddler to cart around. Some of the things we especially liked were:

Sitting in a Model T--surprisingly cozy. But...we weren't driving down

a dirt road. :) Sorry about the bad picture quality.

All the crazy carriages. I'm pretty sure this

one was a pumpkin not too long ago. :)

The father and son team that drove this car a total of 22,000 miles from Punta Arenas, Chile, (the very southern tip), to Detroit, Michigan. Mostly I liked the Chile part. :)

The "build-and-race-your-own-car" portion.

Spencer and Grace were a winning combination.

And the "Tucker." Spencer loves Preston Tucker. He was an innovator

who was way ahead of his time. Spencer just laps that stuff right up. Okay, all these pictures are of cars, but I promise there was so much more to see, too. :) I was just more camera happy at the beginning.

On Monday, the first thing we did (after a brief visit to Ann Arbor for some ice cream...), was head to the John F. King Used and Rare Books Store in Detroit. One of the travel sites I had checked out said that this was a must see, so we decided to check it out. After a rainy drive, we pulled up to this warehouse-looking building:

Needless to say, we were a little under impressed with its facade (and feared just a little for our lives as we parked in an alleyway...) and wondered how such a ridiculously ugly and worn down building had made it onto a "must see" list. But...we loved it. The place had like five levels worth of wonderfully old, dusty books packed from floor to ceiling. Amazing. By the end, I found the building quite fitting and appropriate. I wouldn't have had it any other way. It was like walking through the book catacombs, or...a very, very old and cluttered man's personal library. :)

Grace receiving a much needed (but kind of awkward) "time-out" for

trying to attack the ancient books...

As mentioned earlier, while in Detroit, we decided to head over and check out Ontario, just because we could. We had brought our passports (and Grace's birth certificate) just in case this very opportunity arose. It was funny how different the border controls were. At the Canadian border, the lady just chatted happily with us, glanced at our passports, completely overlooked Grace, and sent us through. On the way back, the U.S. guy practically accused us of drug-trafficking ("What do you mean you're here in Detroit on vacation? Nobody comes to Detroit on vacation!") and held onto our passports (and Grace's birth certificate) for a long time. Luckily, he and Spencer were able to bond over satellite/cable providers (men...), and he decided we were trustworthy. Silly...

Me in Ontario with a view of the Detroit skyline.

Because Tuesday was such a nicer day weather-wise, we decided to give downtown Detroit another try. It was successful.

In Detroit with the Windsor, Ontario, skyline in the background.

And lastly, just some current pictures of Grace that I like. :)

All in all, the trip was quite successful and I'm looking forward to adding more and more states to my list in the future. How many states have you visited?

Just another post about a rodent

I realize that this post brings me to a whopping total of three blog posts about a rodent---or almost 7% of my blog repertoire. About this, I feel...slightly embarrassed, but happy all the same. I tried to write a post about something more meaningful and revealing of my inner Anna but failed miserably; so, rodents it is. :)

Last night while taking out the garbage/recycling, Spencer and I discovered this in our backyard:

A possum! I had no idea these little guys were indigenous to Ohio! Neither Spencer nor I had ever seen one outside of a zoo. At first we thought he was our friendly neighborhood rabbit, but that theory was dashed when he started skillfully climbing the above-pictured tree. We were, needless to say, excessively excited to see him.

We're obviously not "seasoned" mid-westerners yet if a small rodent sighting still brings about such euphoria. :)

A Love Story

Seeing as Valentine's Day is just around the corner, I thought I would share a little story about an unlikely couple. They will remain nameless for now.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl. She was pretty normal--maybe a little on the short side--but otherwise your basic American child. She grew up in a home where television, and especially cable television (I shudder at the very typing of the word...), were theoretically and intellectually shunned as the very offspring of the devil. To pay extra money for such dastardly entertainment would have been deemed absolute treachery. Especially when books were lent out so freely and so willingly at the local library.

Thusly, she grew up largely ignorant of any technological advancements in the area of television. Sure, she'd heard about something called "TiVo" while a freshman in college, but didn't really understand the concept and saw no reason to try and understand. It was "beneath" her notice. ;)

In her early twenties, she met a wonderful, young man and they decided to get married. She loved him a whole lot (oops...but that's a different love story...). One day, about a year and a half into their marriage, they decided to buy a house. And not just any house--a house with an accessory apartment in the basement. This way, they could have college students pay the majority of their mortgage while they enjoyed having a yard and total and complete creative control of their living space. :)

In their search for tenants, they decided it made sense to include basic cable in the rental fee--in order to compete with all the other enterprising young couples/old men renting to students in the same area. This girl, now a young adult, was very hesitant. I mean, you know how she grew up. Pay extra money to have extra channels on the devil device? Ludicrous! But...she conceded.

And then came the big moment. Included with the fee for their cable package was an interesting little device called a DVR. A DVR, she thought? Like TiVo of yesteryear? What good could possibly come of that?

A LOT.

From the moment she finally learned how to record things and then watch them whenever she wanted (which admittedly, was a rather long time--she's a bit technologically disabled), she was hooked. Absolutely, totally, and irrevocably in love.

Gone were the days of watching eight minutes worth of commercials in a thirty minute show. Gone were the days of missing important parts of shows she liked because she had to go to the bathroom (which, also admittedly, is more often than the average person...), answer a phone call, make dinner, or take care of her somewhat hysterical, but mostly adorable baby. All hail to the mighty pause button!

Now, this is not to say that this girl is now a TV addict. She is not. She spends plenty (possibly too much...) time enjoying books from the local library and engaging in other pursuits. What's great about the DVR, or so she tells me, is that it makes anytime she does spend watching TV more effective.

For example, let's say said girl needs to fold some laundry at 2:00 in the afternoon. Let's say she likes to watch a show while doing so. What's on TV at 2:00 in the afternoon? A big, fat nothing; that's what. But, because of the DVR, this girl can watch the latest episode of "House" (which may or may not be her latest obsession...) or "American Idol" instantly. Thus freeing her from watching the show during prime husband-time or going out hours. :) Perfect. And if the laundry doesn't take the whole 45 minutes? (since hour long shows are bogged down by 15 minutes of commercials...) She can pause the show where she finished and start it up again the next time a load of laundry comes a-calling. :)

She could go on and on about the benefits of a DVR (such as insta-"Backyardigans" whenever it becomes necessary), but she will spare you.

After she and her husband decided to sell their house and move east, they once again came to a DVR crossroads. To have it, or not to have it? Her answer was a big, fat "no." No matter how much she loved the DVR, it just wasn't a necessity. She was willing to part with her beloved friend for the good of their pocket book. But...then her husband got a new job: selling (ironically) satellite television programming. How could he honestly sell a product that he wasn't willing to use and pay for himself?

Needless to say, said girl, let's call her Anna, is still enjoying her DVR to this very day. :)

Things I Frequently Put Off

• Making phone calls--because I've recently developed a strange phobia of them
• Going to the bathroom--because it always comes up at the most inopportune times and, let's face it, is cold in the winter
• Putting gas in the car--because it costs money AND because I have this strange obsession with seeing how far I can really go when the gas light is on
• Getting ready for the day--because once I'm dressed and ready, responsibility sets in. When you're still in pajamas, anything is possible. :)
• Blogging--because I feel like I rarely have anything important to say. This post is a prime example.

And the list goes on and on...does anybody else have this problem? :)

The Joys of Cold Weather

Since becoming a mother, I think it would be accurate to say that the romance and excitement of freezing cold weather has all but disappeared. Winter, on the Anna scale of like-ability, has definitely dropped to an all-time low. I find it hard to work up any desire to leave the house because I know what that means: lots of uncomfortable stuffing. Stuffing Grace into her coat and an unlimited amount of excess winter apparel, stuffing Grace into her car seat because all that excess apparel makes her gigantic, stuffing my cranky, cold self into a cranky, cold car, and then stuffing tissues up Grace's nose once the outdoor trip is done. It's just not all that appealing. It makes staying inside (all cuddled up in my Snuggie :) ) and watching endless hours of "Horton Hears a Who" seem so much nicer. (we don't really do that...but sometimes I'd like to)

That doesn't mean that I never leave the house. I do. I just do so crankily, recognizing that it is for the greater good. :) I'm sure that once Grace is a little older and more in to things like sledding and playing in the snow, I will like winter again. But until then...I'm just glad that we have so many exciting and wonderful events to celebrate during the winter that make the season fun, and distract me from all of that darned stuffing. :) Christmas and New Year's (and for me, my anniversary and birthdays) get me through the cold. :)

The first celebration to ring in the cold weather was my nephew Andrew's birthday. I've never been able to be with him on his birthday before, so I was pretty excited. Hooray for living in Columbus! The highlight of his birthday (besides going to a great little play place...pictures to follow), was Andrew's take on how you should respond after someone says "happy birthday." He, at age four, decided that the most logical way to answer was by saying "happy birthday" back.

His logic makes sense, when you think about it. His birthday is close to Christmas and when someone says "Merry Christmas" to you, you say "Merry Christmas" back. This is consistent with wishing someone a happy Halloween, Thanksgiving, New Year's, Easter, St. Patrick's Day, etc. You can easily see where he came up with his "Happy Birthday" response. Needless to say, when my birthday rolled around just a few weeks later, I had a definite urge to follow his lead. I didn't; but I wanted to, and I thought about it every time. :)

Grace loves slides and could spend every waking hour playing on them.

Stephen and the ball pit.

Another great love of Grace's.

And the birthday boy, who looks upset. I couldn't get a good picture of him.

Christmas followed shortly after Andrew's birthday. We were lucky enough to have my entire family come to Columbus to celebrate Christmas with us. Spoiled; I know. Our first Christmas away from home and home decided to come to us. :) I guess it helped that the Columbus area now has the majority of the grandchildren and the only other grandchild lives a mere seven hours away by car. We missed all the Bardsleys, but we were happy to be with the Merkleys. I was a big, picture taking slacker while everyone was here, but did capture a few classics:

The first Merkley family live Nativity,

complete with a very obedient and happy baby Jesus (played by Alex).

The traditional white elephant gift exchange. Spencer is proudly displaying the play-dough penguin he made with his gift. :) I sadly did not get a picture of the classy "New Moon" lunch box my mom was lucky enough to snag... :) We all tried to convince my dad to use it for his new work lunch box, but he was surprisingly uninterested. Man, that guy is no fun. :)

Grace "helping" grandma make scones on Christmas morning.

And...the chaos that was our Christmas morning.

Grace really enjoyed her presents this year, but was particularly enamored of this little interactive stuffed animal from her Aunt Emily. I don't know if it quite beat out the pasta pick-ups in her stocking (that she had to eat RIGHT THEN), but she loved it a lot. :)

I sadly missed out on my opportunity to record the many other lovely activities we enjoyed as a family (a lot of Beatles Rockband playing, an obsessive amount of "Boxers or Briefs?" playing, and an exciting trip to Amish country being among the highlights), but that's just the way the cookie crumbles. I purposefully did NOT choose to record by camera the stomach flu epidemic that sped through every member of the family the 23rd-26th. Mostly because I started it and choose not to be remembered as the sick girl who stole Christmas. But...I was. :( Luckily it made for a lot of good throw-up jokes (if a joke about throwing up can ever be called good) and at least was something we could all share... :) But enough of that.

Christmas was great, and I'm so greatful for everyone that made it possible, especially the Warnicks.

While everyone was here, Spencer and I benefited from having a plethora of baby sitters and spent an entire day by ourselves to celebrate our anniversary. Once again, no photos (lame!), but we had a great time. We went sledding, ice-skating, caught a dollar movie (which I slept through, of course), had dinner out, and hung out in the zoo aquarium (which I am obsessed with). It was wonderful. Happy three years to us!

As if we hadn't had enough celebrating already, my birthday rolled around just two weeks after Christmas. I celebrated by getting a brand new Ohio driver's license (woo-hoo), hanging out at the zoo again (I told you I was a little obsessed...), and going rock climbing. I'd never really been rock climbing before (or rock wall climbing, as the case may be), and I liked it. I don't think I'm going to take it up as a hobby (mostly because I was just happy to be alive each time I made it to the top...I know, I'm a chicken), but it was enjoyable.

In this picture, I'm most likely letting Spencer know that I'm "stuck,"

and need him to tell me where to go. :) That happened a lot.

Spencer was a lot better than me. What a surprise.

George Washington, is that you? :)

Love these birds. :)

Now on to Valentine's Day! (another very strategically placed holiday...) :)

Uncanny

Last March, going on about one year ago, I wrote a post about toothpaste. Specifically about how Spencer and I, up to that point in our marriage, had not yet had to buy toothpaste. Well, somehow, that streak has continued! I really thought that moving away from home would have broken it for sure. But...our luck endures. Uncanny, I tell you. Uncanny.

So, here's to celebrating three years of marriage and free toothpaste! :) Let's go for four!

New Photo

Courtesy Kellie Anderson photography. :)