Thanksgiving is just around the corner and we've been busy prepping for our visitors. Theresa's Brother, his family, and her Mom and Step Dad will be in town for the Holiday. No, they won't be staying with us. Those of you who have been to our house know it's much too small for so many people. About a year ago Theresa's mom, Margaret, bought her retirement home just a mile away from our place. That's where they'll be staying.
The Turkey
A few weeks ago Tammy decided she wanted to do a trial run for a new method of cooking the turkey. So, on a random Saturday evening we had a trial Thanksgiving dinner. It was Ryan's first time eating turkey in over 10 years! The verdict? 4 thumbs up, well, 2 thumbs and 2 big toes! It was AWESOME. We won't give away her secrets, but we will say that it's some of the best turkey we've ever had!
Yard Wars
The past few weeks we've spent quite a bit of time working in our yard. Remember Operation Yard Wars? Well, We successfully carried out the last of the attacks a few weekends ago. The plant beds surrounding our paver patio are now empty, with the exception of a pygmy date and some mammy croton plants. Everything else is gone. We also just finished re-mulching the front plant beds. It's probably been over 2 years since we last laid mulch, so, yeah, most of it had disintegrated.
Hot Tub
Margaret's new house came with a fancy hot tub. This thing is HUGE. It holds something like 850 gallons of water, a couple Murpheys, a couple Rankls, and a couple Schroders. All at the same time. Unfortunately, a few weeks ago, after draining it, we discovered some cracked blisters in the acrylic shell. But, thanks to a product called "Plast-Aid", we were able to easily repair them. We filled it back up last Friday night and added all the chemicals on Saturday morning. It's good to go for all the Thanksgiving vacationers.
We hope everyone has a great, but safe, Thanksgiving holiday!
Theresa, Ryan & Dottie
Monday, November 15, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
5 Years Ago...
...we officially became Mr. and Mrs. Schroder!
With our family and friends at our side...
...we said our vows...
...and we exchanged rings...
...and we promised to be there for each other and LOVE each other - through sickness and health, during the good times and the bad, through thick and thin, for all the days we shall live.
We had bubbles blown in our honor...
...and stole lots and lots of kisses...
...and even got into a little food fight!
It started innocently...
...and turned into this...
...and then this...
...and ended in this!
But we made up during our first dance as Husband and Wife...
(While we were still covered in frosting!!)
Our life together has been a whirlwind - it's hard to believe it's already been five years...
...but at the same time it's hard to believe it's been only five years because of how wonderful the years have been!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Disney ... Becuase We Can
Ever go to Disney World just because you can? We do. Quite often, in fact. I guess that's just one of the perks of living in a place that people from all over the world will pay thousands upon thousands of dollars to visit. Even if for just a few days. Yes, we truly are blessed to live here. Well, except for this gosh darned summer heat & humidity.
The first stop on the Disney property was Epcot's "Leave A Legacy" wall where we left a picture and message from our honey moon, back in 2005. Check out how young we both look!
Then it was on to The World Showcase. This is one of our favorite parts of the entire Disney experience. For those of you who have never had the opportunity to experience this, it's a showcase of the following countries:
We spent the entire first day of our trip meandering around the World Showcase. Once back at the hotel we were too tired to anything but sleep.
The next day we decided to hit up Disney's Hollywood Studios. This park is dedicated to show business; through and through. There are attractions ranging from Star Wars simulators to Aerosmith's Rockin Rollercoaster. Ryan, of course, will not set foot within 50 yards of a roller-coaster (Scare-d-Cat), so we stuck to the "kiddie" rides. We actually only participated in two attractions before discovering how much fun it is to people watch. We spent the rest of the day sitting in strategic locations throughout the park observing people.
That's it! ...Until our NEXT trip to Disney World anyway!
The first stop on the Disney property was Epcot's "Leave A Legacy" wall where we left a picture and message from our honey moon, back in 2005. Check out how young we both look!
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| Our picture and message on Epcot's "Legacy Wall". |
Then it was on to The World Showcase. This is one of our favorite parts of the entire Disney experience. For those of you who have never had the opportunity to experience this, it's a showcase of the following countries:
- Canada
- United Kingdom
- France
- Morocco
- Japan
- U.S.
- Italy
- Germany
- China
- Norway
- Mexico
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| United Kingdom |
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| Theresa meditating in Morocco. |
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| Market in Morocco. |
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| Strange human like bird in Japan. |
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| Architecture in Italy. |
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| Architecture in Italy. |
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| The home land - Germany. |
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| Oops! Busted in China. |
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| Lilly pads in China. |
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| Tomb warriors: Guardians of ancient China. |
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| Acting tough for the Norwegian Viking behind us. |
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| Theresa posing with some creepy guy in Norway. |
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| Ryan giving creepy guy in Norway a kiss on the cheek. |
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| Flowers in France. |
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| Heading out of Epcot. |
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| Waterfall close to the exit of the park. |
The next day we decided to hit up Disney's Hollywood Studios. This park is dedicated to show business; through and through. There are attractions ranging from Star Wars simulators to Aerosmith's Rockin Rollercoaster. Ryan, of course, will not set foot within 50 yards of a roller-coaster (Scare-d-Cat), so we stuck to the "kiddie" rides. We actually only participated in two attractions before discovering how much fun it is to people watch. We spent the rest of the day sitting in strategic locations throughout the park observing people.
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| Mickey Mouse topiary. |
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| Hollywood Studios topiary. |
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| Monster from Monsters Inc. |
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| Green army guy on top of a parade float. |
Monday, July 12, 2010
Yard Wars: Episode 2- Attack of the Xanadus
We have successfully carried out attack number 2 on the plant beds in our back yard. This time we turned our shovels and tanks to the largest plant bed of them all. It sits directly in front of a large back window and houses one of our most prized positions, a triple pigmy date.
With this gem located smack dab in the middle of the war zone we had to gather some serious intel before charging in. So we stood there staring at it for a few minutes. Once the intel session was over we unleashed the Fiskars Long Handled Diggin Bomb.
As with the "back bed" we had to systematically remove the friendlies before we could truly start the invasion. That meant uprooting all our variegated flax lillys and Xanadus.
Once the frienlies had been removed we sent in the ol Snapper Tank to do the clean up work. It wasn't easy though, the Snapper had to make 3 or 4 passes to get the last of the enemy forces.
Once again, we had an ally. General Dottie Pottie was there in full force. Lucky for us too, becuase we ran into a most unlikely enemy; we ran into a family of Snakes! I know, crazy huh? Don't worry though, they were cryogenically frozen in some type of egg shaped capsule.
General Dottie Pottie relocated the chambers to a more secure location.
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| Photo snapped just minutes before the invasion. |
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| Yard Wars 2 battle zone. |
With this gem located smack dab in the middle of the war zone we had to gather some serious intel before charging in. So we stood there staring at it for a few minutes. Once the intel session was over we unleashed the Fiskars Long Handled Diggin Bomb.
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| Fiskars Long Handled Diggin Bomb (a/k/a Shovel) |
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| Yard Wars 2 battle zone just awaiting the arrival of the Snapper tank. |
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| Rare photo of the Snapper tank just minutes after battle. |
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| Yard Wars 2 war zone after the Snapper tank's "mow down". |
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| Egg shaped cryogenic chambers containing snakes. |
General Dottie Pottie relocated the chambers to a more secure location.
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| General Dottie Pottie emerging from untamed territory. |
850 Steps to Vacation
Here's a quick summary of our 2010 4th of July Vacation.
Ryan's Birthday Celebration
Ryan recently turned 31 years old! Friday morning we celebrated his birthday with a HUGE cake and 1 entire candle! He got a new cycling jersey and a few extra bucks to go into his "bike fund". Now, if only he hadn't just cracked his ridiculously expensive carbon fiber Gary Fisher frame! But, that's a story for another day.
4th of July Festivities
Theresa's brother, Al, always puts on a HUGE 4th of July bash, and this year was no exception. There was enough food and drink to feed a small army, or at least the Porter family! As the sun was setting the entire neighborhood descended on Al's house for fireworks.
Amacolola Falls
Ever climb 425 steps? How about climbing those steps along side a waterfall then turning around and going back down for a total of 850 steps? You can at Amacolola Falls. We did. It was grueling, and our legs were shakier than an unbalanced washing machine, but we did it.
Summit's Wayside Tavern
BEER! Summit's Wayside Tavern had beer, and lots of it. They had more beer on tap than we've ever seen in one joint before.
We ordered their "Blue Fries", which are fries that are covered in garlic butter, blue cheese, and blue cheese dressing. They were amazing. We all went home and had a heart attack!
Unicoi/Helen Trail
Ryan went hiking on the Unicoi/Helen Trail, a trail that leads from the Unicoi Lodge to the town of Helen. It gave him a total of 6 miles, which he wasn't ready for. Yeah, he was pretty tired and sore afterwards.
Tubing the Chattahoochee
Ryan's Birthday Celebration
Ryan recently turned 31 years old! Friday morning we celebrated his birthday with a HUGE cake and 1 entire candle! He got a new cycling jersey and a few extra bucks to go into his "bike fund". Now, if only he hadn't just cracked his ridiculously expensive carbon fiber Gary Fisher frame! But, that's a story for another day.
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| Ryan's Birthday Cake. |
Ken and Amanda's Wedding
Our good friends Ken and Amanda got married on Saturday, and fortunately for us, the wedding was held in Clarkesville, just a few miles from where we were staying. Theresa even got to be the bridesmaid.
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| Ken & Amanda's wedding. |
Congratulations Ken & Amanda. We hope you have a lifetime of happiness and smart ass jokes!
The Peach Tree Road Race
Theresa ran in the Peach Tree Road Race, the largest 10k race in the country, for the 4th straight year. While she was out on the course busting her ass Ryan was fast asleep in the hotel room; pretty standard, really.
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| Peach Tree Road Race |
Theresa's brother, Al, always puts on a HUGE 4th of July bash, and this year was no exception. There was enough food and drink to feed a small army, or at least the Porter family! As the sun was setting the entire neighborhood descended on Al's house for fireworks.
Amacolola Falls
Ever climb 425 steps? How about climbing those steps along side a waterfall then turning around and going back down for a total of 850 steps? You can at Amacolola Falls. We did. It was grueling, and our legs were shakier than an unbalanced washing machine, but we did it.
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| 425 Steps!?! |
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| Looking up at Amacolola Falls. |
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| Theresa and Ryan at the top of Amacolola Falls. |
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| View from the top of Amacolola Falls. |
BEER! Summit's Wayside Tavern had beer, and lots of it. They had more beer on tap than we've ever seen in one joint before.
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| So many choices! |
We ordered their "Blue Fries", which are fries that are covered in garlic butter, blue cheese, and blue cheese dressing. They were amazing. We all went home and had a heart attack!
Unicoi/Helen Trail
Ryan went hiking on the Unicoi/Helen Trail, a trail that leads from the Unicoi Lodge to the town of Helen. It gave him a total of 6 miles, which he wasn't ready for. Yeah, he was pretty tired and sore afterwards.
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| Ryan at the start of the Unicoi/Helen Trail |
Tubing the Chattahoochee
While Ryan was hiking the Unicoi/Helen trail the rest of the family went Tubing down the Chattahoochee River. The tubing adventure started a few miles upriver from Helen, took them right through the center of town, and ended a few miles down river from Helen. Rumor has it that it was much more relaxing than Ryan's hike!
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