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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...

Goodbye to Summer

Well, it's official, summer is over. School is back in session, the Martins have left the lake and the pontoon is out of the water. Over Labor Day weekend, Bobby and I went up to the lake to help my parents begin the winterizing process. This means: boat, jet ski, pier, raft out so that when it is 50 degrees and raining we are not in the water attempting to get everything out. Sunday we began to get stuff ready, cleaned out the back room and took down the goose fence. We took the pontoon out for "one last time around the lake, went to dinner at Applebee's and then bowling. That was so much fun! I haven't been bowling in a while and I can't remember the last time I went with my parents. When we got home we sat around the campfire and just had a good- 'ole time. I even told my dad about the new table legs for the pontoon!

Somehow, Bobby convinced my dad to keep the jet ski and pier in so we could keep our boat in a little longer (which means that he and I will be taking everything out- when it's 50 degrees and raining). So dad unhooked the pontoon and took it around to the other side of the lake. Pretty soon I look up and here he comes, toward shore at full speed, ramming the boat into the shore. So in good fun, I yelled, "GET IN THE COTTAGE!" leaving out the explicits that had been yelled when I accidentally beached the jet ski almost 8 years ago. (AHHHH memories...) So we got the pontoon out of the water, winterized and covered which means no more party barge.

The only thing left is our last ha-rah that Casey, Phil, Bobby and I have every year just before the cottage is winterized and the snow falls. Hopefully winter will be swift and before you know it, I am posting about opening it back up.

Back to school... Back to school

Well, it's back to school time! This was my first week of classes and so far I feel like I'm off to a great start. I have most of the reading done, which is a miracle for me since I generally NEVER do the assigned reading. I even have the homework done for one of my Tuesday classes already. Now, if I can just stay on top of it!

Just a few updates: This week, Bobby is in a Tactical rescue class that, when completed, will give him a Tach Rescue Operations certification. This week has been tough, we worked Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and he has had class Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and tomorrow. So he comes home and is spent from his long days.

September 1, I officially resigned from the Peds team. As a condition/compromise for me taking a full class load this semester (I only have 7 classes to complete and I can graduate), Bobby asked that I lighten my responsibility load somewhere, and so I had to give up the baby bus. However, I was told that when things slowed down they would love to have me back, so that makes me feel good.

Yesterday was my dad's 60th birthday! He was very adamant about NO PARTY! so I took a cake over there last night and we had a little celebration. The four of us are going out to dinner to celebrate tomorrow, it will be nice to have dinner with my parents.

Things have been pretty busy here. It's hard to believe that in a few weeks we will be pulling everything out of the lake and getting ready for the winter season. Another year has gone so fast! I think we just skipped summer too. Maybe we'll have a few more nice days to enjoy our boat though

August 12, 2007

Two years ago today, Bobby and I began the adventure that has brought us to where we are today. Following the Rescue Diver class offered by Hart City SCUBA, about 10 p.m., I was headed up to New Buffalo to watch the annual Perseid meteor shower when I decided to call Bobby to see what he was up to. When he told me he was just sitting at home, bored, I suggested that we meet for a beer and then "or you could go to the beach with me" fell out of my mouth. I met him at his parents and he drove up to Silver Beach, not my intended destination but a great choice anyway. We took the back roads, talked and listened to music. It was very relaxing after the stress we both had been experiencing- he let me vent and I let him do the same.

We hit the beach about 11ish and picked a spot to just sit, relax and watch the show. The Perseid Shower is one of the most beautiful meteor showers every year. In 2007, I remember how beautiful the sky was and how nice it was to share it with someone I felt so comfortable with. We had fun- the water was still warm and we walked along the beach and he almost threw me in.

We learned a lot of things that night, like "how many Liz's" it would take to get to a specific point (a new form of measurement), and that Bobby can run faster then me. We also learned a lot about each other including that we liked to spend time with each other.

We left the beach around 12:30 and drove towards South Bend. We took a few detours and he showed me some areas on the west side that were great places to see the shower. I remember we pulled over on the side of the road and it was so clear and beautiful, just then a meteor passed overhead and it was a wonderful sight.

I got home about 3 a.m. and I remember that I told Bobby I would call him at 6 to make sure he was up since he had to work his part-time job that day. He never complained about being tired or staying out that late.

This year the height of the shower falls tonight, and while it's a shame that we have to work, it's nice that we can both look back and remember that great night we shared and how our relationship began.

Ahhhhh, August

August is a great month for me and Bobby. We have a lot of memories and "firsts" that we celebrate so it's nice to sit and reminisce together about the beginning of our relationship. August 1st, was the two year anniversary of our first beer together. I was on my way home from the lake and he was out driving around so we decided to meet at Mr. G's for a beer. We sat and talked for over 2 hours and than it took another 45 minutes to say goodbye in the parking lot. There was no romance then- we were just friends getting together to have a beer and talk.

This year on August 1st, we went to dinner at Doc Pierces and then hit Mr. Gs for a beer. It was really nice to sit and talk about our relationship and how far we've come since that first night. I can't believe it's been 2 years- I never thought after that night that things would turn out the way they have, I'm just happy that all things happen for a reason.

Time to get motivated

So Bobby and I have decided (again) that it is time to take better care of ourselves. It seems like we say this weekly but I hope this time we are motivated to stick with it. We have both noticed a change in attitudes and frequently feel...blah.

A few weeks ago my girlfriend Kristi began posting a blog about the marathon she is training for and she inspired me to go for a run when I read her post. About two years ago we would run together several times a week and had such a great time. For several years I have wanted to run a marathon (secretly I would like to do a sprint triathlon) and a few years ago I was running 7-9 miles for my long run and it felt good. But then I went on vacation and somehow, 13 days at the lake (and then meeting and spending time with that wonderful man in my life) were all things that kept me from running. It's so hard to get started and once it becomes a habit it feels good to complete the weekly runs. But it can be really easy to "just take a day off" and then pretty soon a full week goes by without a run and the motivation has been lost.

So this morning in the spirit of better health, I woke up at 4:30 and went to the gym for a pre-work workout. It felt really good to do something for me and I used to get up every weekday morning before work to go to the gym. Hopefully since Sarah is testing for Mishawaka in a few months, she can help me get motivated and we can train together.

Bobby and I go on vacation in a few days and I hope that we can stay motivated while we are at the lake. Wish us luck!

BOAT: Bust Out Another Thousand

The other day Bobby and I finally fulfilled my- I mean OUR dream, of buying a boat. I've been on the lake all my life and have always wanted a speedboat so after almost a month of looking and one failed deal, we finally found a boat in Portage, MI, and well, the price was right. :-) So we went up Tuesday night and met the people about 5:45. The plan was to get it back to the lake and get it in the water that night. Well, it was not on the trailer, so we had to go to the marina, pick up the trailer then go to the boat launch where the wife met us with the boat. We got the boat on the trailer and were headed home when Bobby asked me to grab the owner's manual for the truck and check out the instructions for towing with his truck. An here's where things started to go downhill. We realized that his truck is only capable of towing 2,000# from the bumper. Guess how much the boat and trailer weighed: 3,500# so we were putting a lot of stress on the truck and it was SUCKING down the gas!

By the time we got the boat (may I interject that her name is "Shagadelic," named by the wife) back to the cottage it was 8:30 and we decided to clean her up a bit and so we could get her in the water tomorrow. I started working on the outside and Bobby began working on the inside. (Wow, Magic Erasers really are magic! They worked great!) When he began wiping the vinyl in the bow, part of the backing to the seat came off and we realized that this boat was not as great as we thought. All the seat backs in the bow were rotten as well as the back part over the engine and sides of the boat. At this point we were frustrated and decided to call it a night.

The next morning we got up and thought, "New day, new attitude." We took her down to the launch, got the trailer in the water, the boat unhooked and... She wouldn't start! We knew she ran yesterday, the battery was working and there was gas in the tank so we couldn't figure out what was going on. While we were messing with her another gentleman arrived at the launch and tried to give us advise but he wasn't very helpful and by this time, we've drained the battery trying to start her so many times. This was when I took my first ride in our "new" boat- when Bobby pulled it out of the water on the trailer. We messed with it for a bit and finally decided to take it to The Boat Shop, on County Line Road, about a mile away. When we got there Dave, the owner, took a quick look at it and told us to come back in half-an-hour so he could charge the battery.

When we got back he gave us a quick lesson on how to properly start the boat and he even tuned the engine to make her run better. We talked about the rotten seats and they said that over the winter we could have the boards and vinyl replaced. They were great, so we paid them and were out, but our story does not end here, oh no.

We got back to the launch, Bobby unhooked the boat from the trailer and while he was standing on the trailer, he slipped and his feet crashed into the cement on the launch. He was in A LOT of pain and had a hard time walking. I took the boat and drove it home and he hobbled out to the end of the pier to go for a ride. After taking it around the lake a few times, I sent him in the house to get off his feet because now I thought he might have broken bones in both of his feet. So I spent the next hour figuring the best way to secure the boat so she is still there when we go up next time.

Needless to say, it was a rough weekend with the boat and hopefully next time we get up there things will be better.

Oh, p.s. Bobby refuses to get an X-Ray of his feet so he is limping around and still in pain.

School Days

Last week I met with my advisor at IUSB and received some GREAT news: I only have 7 classes to take and I can graduate with my Bachelors! While this might not seem special to many people, my graduation has been 10 years in the making. Five schools (excluding paramedic school) and countless majors later I will have a degree in History with a minor in Anthropology. Now, many people have asked, "So, what are you going to do with that?" Well, that's a great question. I would really like to get my Masters or PhD but there are few schools in the area that have a history program. And there's Notre Dame but they have made it very clear that NO IUSB student would be accepted into a graduate program. So, it's a wait and see thing but I am super excited at the thought of walking in the Spring!

Let's get some chocolate and get outta here!

So, I wrote this on Sunday, but we got so busy at work I couldn't post my pictures so here they are!

Yesterday, Saturday, Bobby and I went to Bridgman, Michigan, with my cousins Casey and Phil for the 4th annual Lake Michigan Shore Wine Festival on Weko Beach . The sun was shining, it was a bit humid but there was not a cloud in the sky. Although our trip started a little rocky (we were supposed to pick up Casey and Phil at 11:30 and didn't leave the house until 11:30 and we still had to stop at my parents) but it was a relax day with no schedule or specific plans other than to grab lunch and then hit the festival.

We had lunch at Redamak's in New Buffalo, and after we ate, we just HAD to play in the arcade.

The festival itself was a little different from what I expected. We bought the tickets about a week before and I figured that was what we would have to pay for tasting. I was wrong. Each taste of wine was a dollar and then, if you wanted, you could buy a glass for somewhere between $5-$7. If wine wasn't your thing, The Round Barn has a distillery and they were offering two different beers for $5 a glass. After about an hour, we headed down to the beach to relax in the sun since it was such a beautiful day. And, believe it or not, we actually did go swimming. It was pretty cold but once we were in it was tolerable.

On our way home we stopped at this GREAT Italian restaurant in Three Oaks, called Capozio's. It was fantastic! The prices were reasonable, portions were huge and so much flavor! It is definitely someplace we will have to go again soon. What a way to end the day!

Casey and Phil at Redamak's