Happy Turkey Day!! (Thankful Thursday)

Happy Turkey Day to all! I hope that everyone had a great day full of family, friends and everything there is to be thankful for. I am thankful for so many things so I thought I would post a Thankful Thursday post on this very special day.

I am very thankful for my family. I have a wonderful, thoughtful husband that is so great. I have been sick for the past few days and he has taken good care of me. Today, we started our day at Bobby's parents at a large gathering of his mom's family (and when I say large it was actually small. Today there were about 40 people at his parents and if everyone would have been there it would have been closer to 70-80). We then went to my aunt and uncles for a very nice gathering of my (much) smaller family. We played Left, Right, Center and mom ended up winning $30.00! What a great win!

I can't express how thankful I am for my freedom and the men and women who have dedicated and sacrificed their lives to the preservation of that freedom. I love that I live in a country where I am not censored and the only limits are those that I impose upon myself.

I am thankful for my job. In a time when there are family's struggling to make ends meet, I have a career that I can count on.

And even though I can not include everything, (this may sound silly) I am very thankful for Sophie and Lucky. Every morning when I come home from work they are waiting for me at the door and they let me know how much they love me. While I've been sick this week, they've stayed with me to keep me company and cared for me in their own ways. They always know if I'm having a bad day- they are such good kids!

This was a great Thanksgiving. We had an enjoyable day with our families and, as always, the food was fantastic! I hope everyone has fun Black-Friday shopping!

The Year in Review

It's hard to believe that 2010 is at a close and tonight we welcome in 2011. This is the first New Years Eve that I have actually been excited to begin the new year. This has been a crazy year and I have so much to be thankful for so I thought I would give a quick year in review for all those events that didn't get their own posts.

2010:

January: Bobby and I rang in the New Year with family and friends and then a few days later found ourselves at the IU Med Center in Indianapolis. In late 2009, my dad was diagnosed with cancer and had surgery at the beginning of the year. The surgery was a success! and his follow-up appointments have gone well. Bobby was great and stayed with my mom and I and then drove my dad home in a horrible snow storm. That night we were so tired, we both practically collapsed in bed. Just as Bobby drifted off to sleep, he yelled out, "BUMP!" and jerked the whole bed.

April: Bobby and I celebrated our first anniversary! Marriage is tough and it is a lot of work but it's worth it. Bobby is a great husband and takes good care of me.

After several months of rotating partners at work Josh was TDY'd to Medic 12 for the month of April. He then decided to stay another month, then another and finally said he would stay and be my permanent partner. I am very fortunate that I have someone that I can rely on that not only has excellent patient care skills but is someone that I can be myself around. It makes for a very looooonnnnnggggg day when you're working with someone that is difficult to get along with. I have had the opportunity to get to know his wonderful family and consider them an important part of our lives.

May: I graduated!!! It's official, I am a college graduate! I graduated from IUSB with a BA in History and a minor in Anthropology. Bobby, my parents and grandmother all attended the ceremony and saw me walk across the stage- what a great feeling!

June: Bobby and I headed to Florida for a quick, 4-day trip to visit Jen and her kids. Ryan, Jens hubby and proud soldier in the US Army, was stationed in Germany and she and the kiddos were following shortly. I medicated my husband for his first flight and we arrived in St. Pete where I had a surprise for him: a convertible. Well, somehow the car rental people saw me coming because the offered us a 2009, yellow, Corvette convertible, at an affordable price, of course. It was a great time and we got to see Jen and the kids just before they left.

July: Bobby and I took our annual summer vacation at the lake and this year decided to take on the project of painting the cottage. It was a long process and there are still some things left to be finished but it looks GREAT!

It was a Hertel/Price fun night in July when we ended up in the ER with my dad and Bobby. Bobby broke his toe and dad had to be cardioverted because of A-Fib. I was back and forth between both rooms all night. Talk about an evening of fun...

September: After many wonderful, relaxing days and nights at the lake it was time to bring our summer to a close. The pier was taken out, the water turned off and leaves were raked ending another great summer.

November: Bobby went on disability after his shoulder surgery. The doctor said that it was not as bad as he thought initially so instead of 6 months, he should only be out of work for 3 months.

December: Christmas came and went and I finally found my Christmas Spirit! Bobby decorated the house and put up a little tree in hopes of helping me find it and it worked. He's a great guy!

I am excited about this coming year. To all my friends and family, may you have a healthy, safe and happy 2011. Please be safe tonight and use a designated driver- it's not worth the risk.

Update!

My mother keeps wanting an updated blog, so here goes:

Bobby had shoulder surgery November 4, and is recovering quite well. The doctor said that his rotater cuff looks great and there was not major repair work that needed to be done. He's out of work until the first of February and in therapy twice a week to regain his strength. But, he's soooooo ready to go back to work. I think he's bored at home- no, I know he's bored at home.

Christmas has come and this year I am a Grinch! Sad, but true. Usually I am singing Christmas carols right after Halloween but for some reason... nothing. We didn't get a tree and I didn't put any of our Christmas decorations. I think the main reason is that this year I have to work on Christmas Eve and that's when the family celebrates.

I have been sick over the past few days. Last Sunday I hurt my back and had trouble getting around. Then I began feeling sick and, after several months of being pain free in my neck, I began having horrible pain and throbbing headaches. I had to miss the (big) Willis-Temple Christmas (which is always a blast because everyone is there and even Santa comes!) because I was so sick and hurting.

I came back to work today and it started off rough- I was very sick. But as the day has gone on, I have been feeling much better. Bobby even stopped by with a surprise from Paisano's, the lemon tort with kiwi sauce- my fave!! It was really thoughtful of him.

I am going to try to post more frequently. I always say that but I really want to try this time, even thought we don't do much in the winter.

I Will Take Two Tylenol and a Heating Pad Please

This 4-day we ended up at the lake working on the cottage... again. No, it is still not done. Our vacation project has turned into the most drawn out event- I can't wait for it to be done so we can enjoy the place again. And after a day of up and down the ladder and painting, I am going to need the Tylenol and heating pad so I'm not sore tomorrow. So as promised, here are some pics of our project so far. We still have plenty to do but it is coming along nicely, if I do say so myself. I can't wait for dad to see it when he comes back from Canada.


So, here is the before. We had already power washed the front- that's why there is some paint missing.


And this is what it looks like now (at least the back):

Bobby did a great job painting and replacing a lot of rotten boards- I mean A LOT! Then today he put down the rock in the back and put up the new shutters- they look GREAT! We still have some painting to do and more rock to put down but I think it looks great so far! We are excited about the progress but ready to be done!

On a sad note: This summer I began feeding the birds at the lake. I had about 8 feeders around the cottage and Bobby finally put up mom's Martin house- a little late in the season to get Martins but we did have some Sparrows nest in it. When we got up to the lake on Wednesday, I filled my feeders like I always do. But apparently the time has come and most of my birds have flown away. Bobby and I noticed a few weeks ago that we didn't see any Blue Herons and the arrival of the Sea Gulls always notes the end of summer- and they're here, landing on the raft with their dinners and leaving a huge mess! It seems a bit early in the season for the birds to leave the area but, maybe they know something we don't. I wonder if this means we are going to have an early winter or a cold/snowy one. Just have to wait and see. I really miss seeing my birds this weekend and I know the cats we disappointed too. So now I am on a mission to make my "aviary" (as Pam calls it) better next year.

Also this morning another first- Bobby and I saw a juvenile Muskie under the pier. This is a hybrid fish that is stocked in the lake. It was about 8 inches long, brown with spotted fins and more square than a bass. This is interesting because it was thought that the only ones left in the lake were between 45-60 inches long- yep, no joke. It's a big fish. Someone must have stocked the lake recently since this fish does not breed and this one is the smallest I have ever seen. - At least I thought it was neat.

So back to work we go. I got a text from one of the other Medic 12 lieutenants letting me know our brand NEW truck was in service. However, during a call this morning, someone went to move the truck and didn't realize the side door was open- BIG SCRATCH! At least I wasn't driving, considering my reputation for wrecking trucks!

Don't Feel Bad about Eating the Tots- It's Their Destiny

This morning was my first Sonic experience. Now, normally, I wouldn't even mention a restaurant, however I got the biggest kick out of their Tot carton- a carton of tots, salt shaker in hand, salting himself with the above saying. Huh... It makes me laugh.

Anyway, today was supposed to be a work day at the lake, and there is a storm front hanging around IL, so I'm not too excited about going up there to work in the rain. If I have it my way- nap! then maybe (if the weather is OK) some work. To my advantage, I am sitting at the table and I can hear Bobby snoring on the couch, so now is the time if I want to catch a few.

Work has been interesting lately. Yesterday we had a kid tripping on some shrooms; yes shrooms. I'm not sure why someone would knowingly put themselves into that state. I'm sure this person wasn't having too much fun in the ambulance and it looked like they had eaten some grass before we got there. Why would you do that to yourself? Yummmm grass...

I learned yesterday that my girlfriend Jen will be moving to Germany to be with her husband who was recently stationed there. Bummer :-( but good for her. Maybe that's my excuse to travel Europe- Hey Bobby, I'm going to meet Jen in Paris for the weekend, be back soon! Don't think that would go over too well.

This year is my 10 year reunion- 10 YEARS! Oh my! I can't believe it has been 10 years- sometimes I still see myself as that high school graduate and wonder, what-in-the-heck-am-I-doing?!? or how-did-I-end-up-here!?! I always thought I would be excited about my reunion, but- I'm not, and I don't think we are going. Initially it was $80 per person for a Friday night pub crawl (oh that's what I want to do in South Bend on a Friday night) and a dinner on Saturday at St. Hedwig. I think I'll save my $160 and spend it on something special for me- camera lens maybe? ??? And now with Facebook it's not like I don't keep up with the people I graduated with- Is it really Facebook stalking if they accepted your friend request and you just keep up on their postings? Just wondering!

Back Again

So, I am a horrible blogger. The last post was September 9th, and titled, "Goodbye to Summer," and just the other day we opened the lake house and are ready for another lake season. The boat is in the water and over the winter the interior was replaced- it looks great! It's going to be a great summer!

Updates:

At the beginning of the year Bobby's fire department merged with a neighboring one, something that had been in the making for several years. He stayed at the Anderson Rd station and is the captain on the engine. He enjoys the station which has affectionately been name "Flat Spot 5's."

I was fortunate to receive a "promotion" at the beginning of the year (it's difficult to explain but it's not really a promotion) when my LT went to Medic 10. I was supposed to be one of the float rigs, changing partners every month, but the Intermediate that was sent out here in April decided to stay and is now my permanent partner.

Bobby and I celebrated our first anniversary. He bought me a BEAUTIFUL necklace and we went to dinner at Clementines in St. Joe, MI. Unfortunately it was too cold to walk on the beach so we just went and looked at it from the car.

May 11th, I graduated from IUSB with a Bachelors in history and a minor in Anthropology. The ceremony was long but nice and Bobby, my parents and grandmother were able to attend. I was so glad grandma was able to go, mom borrowed a wheelchair from a local care facility so there was no walking involved for her. After the ceremony she wanted to go to dinner so we went to Perkins for a LATE meal.

This is definitely going to be a great summer. I can't wait to spend time at the lake, floating, boating and sitting around the camp fire. Hopefully I can be a good blogger and keep everyone updated on the Hertel-Price family... We'll see...