As per usual, I’m sneaking this in right after the month is over. Oops.

May was a little hectic.

We didn’t do a whole lot on the adventure front, but we did manage to squeeze a few things in.

We attended Free Comic Book Day as is customary for May. We snagged a few great books to add to the collection.

To add to the nerdy goodness, I added another Bombshell to my statue collection.

The Mister and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on the 24th.

We didn’t do anything that day, but I lucked out and had the weekend off, plus Monday off for Memorial Day, so we were able to plan a quick trip away.

We took on Chattanooga for the weekend. We did a lot of touristy stuff like:

We also got to catch up with an old camp friend of mine, but sadly I didn’t take a photo for proof. Regardless, it was a nice weekend away and we were able to take Audie with us.

 

 

In other news, the girls and I had every intention of heading to Bell Witch Cave, but last minute stuff got in the way so we rescheduled for June.

It’s hard to believe that it’s already June. This year is flying by!

Here’s to hoping I can keep the adventures rolling into the rest of the year.

Until then,

Cheers!

–A. xoxo

April came and went before I had a chance to blink it seems.

Really, this month flew by.  On the 10th I celebrated my 30th birthday with a couple of my coworkers.  They got together without me knowing and bought me a beer hat. Our Tuesday was definitely a good one, especially since I usually don’t do much for my birthday.

 

 

 

 

Other than the birthday, it’s been a very calm month.  I planted a bunch of flowers for my patio and we got to enjoy a little bit of nice weather.

We were invited out to dinner at a local Clarksville brewery by the Hozas again.  It is always good to catch up and try new, local stuff. We enjoyed the beer variety and, of course, the conversation!

 

 

We did have a bit of a day trip adventure this last weekend.  The Mister has been in Pathfinder class for most of the month, so I wanted to get away for a little while to celebrate his graduation and to go exploring.

We ended up going to Franklin, Tennessee to see some of the historical sites there, including Lotz House and Carnton Plantation House. I’ve been to numerous major Civil War battle sites, but none that were focused mostly on the Confederate fight.  As a history buff, I was pretty pumped to check this side of history out.

 

 

In addition to checking out some southern history, we hit up a couple of breweries as well.  Mantra Artisan Ales and Cool Springs Brewery.  We didn’t care for Mantra (mostly because they specialized in sour beer and we don’t like it, and because their service was sub-par).  Cool Springs on the other hand was awesome.  We enjoyed it thoroughly!

 

All in all, it’s been a good month.  It flew by.  Hard to believe it’ll be May tomorrow.  It certainly doesn’t seem like the year is nearly half over.

As always, we have a few adventures in the works for the next month.  A few coworkers and I are planning to check out the (in)famous Bell Witch Cave in Adams, Tennessee sometime this coming month, as well as getting together for our usual Tuesday shenanigans.  I’m sure there will be a few adventures with the Mister as well (after all, he might actually be home for our anniversary this year!). He just doesn’t know it yet.

Until then!

 

Cheers!

 

–A. xoxo

It has been a very long, trying month.

As I mentioned, the Mister was gone all month for training (,he just got back last night).

Before he left we were able to do one last local adventure. We took a tour of the current “smallest microbrewery in the US” right here in Clarksville. The Star Spangled Brewing Company is literally a one brewmaster show. He only makes 93 gallons at a time of 8-10 different beers. We loved it!

Everything in the bar is US made and Matt (the brewmaster) says he wanted the brewery to be unapologetically patriotic. He’s done a fantastic job. We liked it so much that we are planning to go back again soon.

About a week after the Mister left, I got some heartbreaking news. My “adopted” grandmother passed away in her sleep.

I found out she had lung cancer in December and had made more of an effort to call every week. I’ve known her since I was 18 months old and she’s been as close as a blood relation ever since.

I was able to go back for the funeral, thankfully. The service was incredibly impersonal which broke my heart even more. The pastor barely mentioned her at all. I felt like I was in church (and a very bad one at that). He could have talked about how much she loved to garden and read — her closet was full of books!– or how she was a fantastic baker. Instead he just droned on about Stephen Hawking (I wish I was joking).

There was a myriad of other things that irked me, but I’ll not bore you with the details. Happily, I was able to see my parents and my sisters which was a welcome sight. It was tough to deal with solo, as I had no contact with the Mister (they took away phones).

Another small bright spot was being able to take a plant home from the funeral. Grandma Dee would have loved this azalea plant. Hopefully I can keep it growing. She was always a much better green thumb than me.

Another blessing was that the funeral happened to coincide with my parents’ spring break schedules. My mom drove back to Tennessee with me (I was SO thankful for the company) and dad came later with their dogs.

I was able to take some extended time off at work and spend it with my parents.

The dogs were glad to have the company. Audie got worn out big time, especially playing in the mud (it’s been raining like crazy lately).

My mom has a former coworker — that I’ve known for quite awhile as well– who just moved down here with her family so we got to catch up with them for St. Patrick’s Day (which is even more neat as Tracy is Irish).

Yes, I took them to Star Spangled. It was a fabulous catch up and much needed spirit booster.

With all the unexpected stuff happening, the girls and I weren’t able to get together, but we’re already planning for our April gathering (it’ll fall on my 30th birthday) and trying to find a good time to explore the Bell Witch Cave in Adams, Tennessee.

On the positive side, I managed to get my house back in order for the most part. I have one more project to tackle — my messy closet.

Hopefully April will prove to have some more adventures and a lot less heartache.

Until next time!

Cheers,

– A.

We have finally broken our adventuring hiatus!

Last weekend, we took a distillery tour in Clarksville. We visited Old Glory Distilling Company.

Exterior

It’s been around for about a year and a half, so it didn’t have any bourbon or whiskey yet (has to age a bit longer still), but it did have some other spirits that were pretty good.

They featured Jumpers Stash white rum, Tennessee vodka, and Smooth Shine, a type of smooth moonshine.

We got to take a whiff of their new gin while we were touring too. It smelled fantastic. Full of Tennessee state flowers and citrus.

We enjoyed a tasting as well.

This weekend we hit another distillery in Kentucky this time– Casey Jones Distillery.

I didn’t snap any photos as it was a very small, family operated business and we enjoyed chatting about the process and spirits with our guide instead of snapping photos.

They offered multiple types of moonshine, including some flavored types. We liked them so much we brought a bottle of granny smith apple moonshine home. It’s the smoothest I’ve ever tasted and had a great flavor. The gal at the bar said we could even mix it with margarita mix for a moon-arita. Sounds great to me since I don’t care for tequila.

Our adventuring is going to be put on hold soon as the Mister will be off training all of next month.

I think maybe my co workers and I might have to have an adventure of our own to keep the monotony at bay. We’ve been getting together on Tuesdays a lot to eat and have drinks. It’s been really nice.

The next few months might be a little slow. I won’t be getting much time off work and the Mister is going to be gone a lot. But I’ll try to keep up here.

Until next time!

Cheers!

–A. xoxo

2018 has started out a bit sluggish. It’s been a rather slow month at the Waid house. We haven’t been anywhere or done anything exciting and it’s nearly February.

The weather has kept us indoors and the Mister has been in and out of the field ever since the snow cleared.

We actually got some decent snow (which we certainly didn’t have last year) and had work canceled/closed early. It’s a little silly since it wasn’t that much snow, but this is Tennessee…

Our adventuring spirit is apparently still hibernating.

That’s not to say we haven’t had an eventful few weeks, though! We like to joke that the Waid luck has struck again and dear ol’ Murphy (‘s law) has been paying us a visit.

Since Audie was due for shots, I decided to bring him to work on a slower day. All seemed fine when I took him home at lunch. But when I got home at the end of the day…

He’d had an allergic reaction to one of his shots. He’s nearly five and usually only gets a lump where he’s had shots, but this time, his face swelled up like a balloon! He looked like a shar pei.

I frantically called the vet and asked what I could do. Benadryl every four hours that night and he was still puffy the next morning. So, we went back in to work on my day off for a shot. Thankfully, that helped and he’s back to normal (not that it ever really fazed him to begin with).

Naturally this happens when the Mister is in the field and we didn’t have a lick of Benadryl in the house.

From then on, it was a downward slide the rest of the week. Audie got sick all over from the other injection, I managed to break the garage door (and eventually fix it), tried a new awful recipe for taco seasoning (it was promptly thrown in the bin and we will not speak of it again), and now the Mister is on staff duty on my weekend off.

But I am trying to find a bit of calm in the mess. Currently, I’m sitting on my back patio (despite it being you know, JANUARY, and a smidge chilly), listening to it rain with a beer — the first in awhile — with Hina on my lap, Audie at my feet, and my table torch lit.

I’m already getting the itch for spring planting and once again, I hope to transform this patio into something more presentable.

Sadly, I’m not sure when we’ll be going on our next adventure yet, but I do have a few Groupons I need to use before they expire!

Until then,

Cheers!

–A. xoxo

As 2018 is off to a running start (and we haven’t had any great adventures yet), I’m going to post a little bit more from the holidays.

As I said in my last post, we came home for a couple of days to recoup from our long drive.  We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas at home.  It was a nice, although quiet, holiday.

The day after Christmas we made the trek to North Carolina for some time with my in-laws.  We took Audie, but left the cats at home.

We had a great time.  We got to meet Opie the new dog and see some familiar faces with their kitties, Nikki and Dixie.

While there, we went out to the Nantahala National Forest and visited the Curahee Brewing Company.

All in all it was a nice visit after a long time away.  We always find something fun to do out there and it’s awesome to be away from our usual suburban life.

We came home for New Year’s Eve.  As we do every year, we saw a movie, had dinner, and came home for the countdown with the furbutts.

It might not seem like anything great, but those little traditions of matching jammies in front of the tree and a movie on NYE mean a lot to me.  With this crazy lifestyle, it’s great to hold on to a few things from my childhood (like watching the original Grinch on Christmas Eve) and mix them with new traditions for this little Waid clan.

2017 didn’t exactly go as planned and we certainly didn’t make time for as many adventures as we would have liked, but it was one to remember and it paved the way for a better 2018. Here’s to a new year and here’s to hoping I have more adventures to post.

Until then,

 

Cheers!

–A. xoxo

 

I’ve given up on regularity for this poor blog. I’m sure it’s devastating to my zero followers. Maybe I’ll make it my New Year’s resolution to post more (ha!).

Once again, as always, time escapes me. I have had concious thoughts to post and then get distracted by EVERYTHING else going on.

So as is customary, we’ll do a recap.

October

Glow in Nashville was awesome, but it left a lot to be desired carving-wise. They had a handful of awesome pieces but most were simple designs.  Still it was a fun time and it was cool to see.

We didn’t end up carving pumpkins or handing out candy for trick or treaters (Audie would’ve been too stirred up and we didn’t want to spend money on candy).

November

November came and went so fast…I’m still not convinced it’s nearly Christmas.

Like I said in my last post, an old camp friend came to visit for a Titans game. The Mister and I had never been to an NFL game before so it was exciting for us, as it was for Lebo to see his favorite team in their home stadium.

Hina had a rough month. She was in and out of the vet with potty troubles again. We’ve tried anti-inflammatory injections, special food, antibiotics…no luck. She went under sedation to see if she had bladder stones (she doesn’t). So we’re trying some meds to see if that helps. She’s close to wearing a diaper, poor girl.

December

It’s really the last month of 2017 and it’s been a doozy so far. We aren’t even to Christmas yet and we have been going full speed.

Work had their annual Christmas party. It was significantly better than last year. Our owner threw it, instead of his colleagues so we didn’t have to play stupid games or wait forever for food. My favorite co-workers didn’t go to the party so it wasn’t as fun as it could have been. But still, a night of free food couldn’t be turned down.

The next week, we went to a fantastic brewery in Nashville. We had a Groupon from September we HAD to use, so we cashed it in and it was great. Awesome microbrews and the food was great. Plus we got free shirts!

I’m currently writing from the road, leaving my parents’ house in Nebraska. I managed to get vacation time and I took full advantage of it. We brought the whole menagerie with us. Audie is getting worn out from playing with Maddie and Charlie (Mom and Dad’s pups) and the cats are slowly coming around. Jack grew up here so he was thrilled to be back.

We stopped in Metropolis, Illinois on the drive up to see the Superman statue. The Mister was pumped. We would’ve stopped at the museum, but all the doors were locked (despite the open signs everywhere).

We took the long way home so we got to visit my adopted grandma for a little bit. I haven’t been able to see her since June. Her health is declining pretty rapidly so I’m thankful I got to see her (she was recently diagnosed with lung cancer). She’s a very special lady to me.

We got to see my Grammys and Gramps  for a little while too which was nice. They always have this huge tree and it’s decorated to the nines. 

We’ll be going to The Mister’s dad and stepmom’s on the 26th. We’re only taking Audie on that adventure, though. They live in the mountains in North Carolina and I don’t trust the cats not to get loose. 

But first, we’re taking a couple days to ourselves. We’ll have Christmas Eve and Christmas at home so we can recoup and settle before getting back on the road. We’ll go via Chattanooga so maybe I can convince The Mister to make a pit stop for something fun. 

I’ll have to cut this one short(er) as it’s making me a little car sick. But I intend to post again soon! We don’t have plans for New Year’s so maybe I’ll get something posted around then.

Until then,

Cheers!

–A. xoxo

Again, I have no excuse. I feel like once a month, I had the overwhelming urge to post, but then got busy doing something else and forgot. 
Nothing terribly exciting has been going on the last few months. The Mister has been in the field a lot lately. When he’s been home, I’ve been working. It’s been rough.

AUGUST

August saw a total solar eclipse. My job miraculously decided to close for the day so we got to see the eclipse unhindered. It was a really cool experience. I didn’t get very good photos (didn’t have the proper equipment), but it was neat!

SEPTEMBER

September was another blur of a month. Again, not a whole lot to report. The Mister and I got to attend Wizard World in Nashville. We didn’t pick up any new art (we decided we had too much already that we haven’t gotten to put up). But! The Mister got to meet his childhood hero Dean Cain (TV’s Superman). He was so starstruck, it was so cute. I even let him splurge and get his autograph.

Then, my parents came to visit and brought their dogs Maddie and Charlie. 

Audie had a great time playing and my mom taught him to sit!

It was a nice visit. We’re going to have to go home for Christmas now since it’s our turn.

OCTOBER

October has started off like a rocket. Already nearly half over and the Waid clan hasn’t gotten to do much together. The Mister is going to be gone off and on all month. We are going to see Glow this weekend. I’m excited to see all the jack o’lanterns and spend some time with him. There should be plenty of photos coming!

A couple coworkers and I are getting together later this month too so that will be fun. We’ve had some discord at work and we want to just hang out away from that negativity.

And of course we’ll have Halloween. I’ve gotten my decorations out and situated already. 

I’m still waiting on a few little pieces but it’s still early!

Then next month will bring some more fun stuff. A friend from camp is coming to see a Titans game. I’m pretty excited. He was nice enough to get us all tickets for letting him stay here. 

Hopefully we’ll have a few more adventures to discuss soon!

Until then,

Cheers!
–A.xoxo

…sort of.

Once again, I’ve neglected this page.  I can’t even say I’ve been too busy.  I’ve just been lazy and didn’t put the effort in to putting my thoughts down.

The last few months haven’t been much for excitement.   As a familial unit, we haven’t done a whole lot together.  The Mister has been gone off and on for training and field work. I’m still stuck at my job. The furbutts have had slightly more eventful days as of late. But more on that later.

First, let’s get caught up.

At the end of April, the Mister had DIVARTY Ball. We had decided months before not to go, but a week beforehand, the powers that be told him he had to go. So I hustled to find a dress and beg for a day off to prepare. We had a good time, the Mister more so than myself (a recent bout with body image landed quite the blow to my self confidence).

May came and went without much excitement.

The Mister and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary. We didn’t make a big deal out of it. I’d like to say it’s because we are so low-key, but we really haven’t been in the same place for any so far(except this one), so we didn’t plan anything special. Dinner out and a movie sufficed. I didn’t even take a photo… Oops.

Jack probably had the most “excitement” for May. He had to get the rest of his teeth pulled, poor guy. Last summer, he went for a cleaning and came home with 9 teeth. His vet in Hawaii told me he needed a few pulled because of gingivitis. So when we moved back to the mainland, I took him to his old vet and let her decide what he needed. In January when he went for shots, my new vet said his gums didn’t like his teeth and urged me to get the rest pulled. I felt bad for him but not running the risk for infection was worth it. He’s my first baby and if I could keep him alive forever I would.

June came and went quickly!

We celebrated Taz’s 3rd birthday. It’s still hard to believe she didn’t like people when we first found her. She is quite the vocal girl who demands food louder than anyone else. She’s also a big snuggler. She HAS to touch you when she sleeps. Everything she does is on her terms.

Hina had an eventful June as well.

She has always been particular with her potty habits. If her box wasn’t just so, or her food bowl wasn’t full, she would show her distaste by peeing on things she shouldn’t.

For about a week she was peeing all over the kitchen, usually right beside her box. So off to the vet we go. Turns out, she had crystals in her urine. With a diet change and some antibiotics, she’s all clear now.

Luckily we got her squared away before my unexpected trip. I miraculously managed to find coverage for a long weekend to trek to Nebraska in time for Diller Picnic. I hadn’t been back for one in five years.

I brought home flowers from Nebraska and they are going nuts in their new planter.

July has already started off with a bang. Hard to believe its halfway over already.

Jack celebrated his 7th birthday.

Last weekend, Heroes & Villains Fanfest came to Nashville.  We didn’t think we’d be able to attend this year but lucked out with the Mister’s training schedule.

We got to see most of the cast of Arrow and Gotham, plus got to see Michael Rooker and Sean Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy.

Got a selfie with John Barrowman and Stephen Amell’s autograph, plus got to sit in Baby from Supernatural.

We picked up a bunch of new art pieces for the cave as well.

The vendors and cosplay was pretty good too.

This week, Audie got his teeth cleaned and I decided to clip his back dew claws. They were dangling and he’s been ripping through the house like a maniac lately. He seems unfazed.

All in all a good start to the month.

I’m anxiously awaiting a call to interview with the state of Tennessee. Way better pay and a great schedule. Crossing my fingers!

Hopefully I won’t get so far behind again but who knows…

Until then,

Cheers!

–A. xoxo

Oops! I had every intention of posting in February and March, but…I guess they got away from me.  February was a short month and March really wasn’t very entertaining.  But this will end up being a relatively long post to make up for it.

February was short and the Mister was gone for training, but I did get to go to the Supernatural Convention in Nashville.  It was so worth it.  I paid way too much to go, but it was a blast.  My Baby Sister came down with her boyfriend, but they didn’t have fun.  A total bummer but I thoroughly enjoyed it.  The panels were great, the autographs and photo ops were fantastic.  I wasn’t very impressed with the vendors but that happens.

The Mister came home mid March, but I worked nearly every weekend so there were no adventures to be had. My parents came down during their spring break, so we got to enjoy that time together.  They brought their big golden retriever, so Audie was worn out properly. Mom and I got to go see Beauty and the Beast together, which was fun!

April has already been such a blur.  My birthday was Monday and the Mister had some leave this week so I managed to get a couple of days off to spend with him.  We made the most out of it.  We went to Cummins State Park near Cookeville, Tennessee for a hike.  It was beautiful and not terribly challenging.  We got to take Audie with us so he didn’t have to stay home alone all day.

Today, we took the jaunt to Jack Daniel Distillery. I’m not a fan of whiskey, but it was a neat tour and I actually enjoyed a couple we tried.

I think the rest of the weekend will be mellow.  I’ll make a decent dinner for Easter, but there’s not much planned other than that.  I want to get my flower beds in order and work on my patio, so I can enjoy them (and I really just want to play in the dirt), but that will depend on my ability to get motivated.  I have some great ideas, but sometimes they’re better in my head.

I need to do something that I enjoy. Went to the doctor on Tuesday for a check up and doc says my blood pressure is too high — it’s always high when I go to the doctor, it’s actually documented in my chart.  So I need to work on lowering my stress levels and eating better/exercising more.  It’ll be a good adjustment.

So other than all that fun stuff, I don’t have much to report.

I will try to plan something fun for May, but my time off is severely limited.

Until next time,

Cheers!

–A. xoxo