Saturday States: Vermont

Vermont

State Nickname: The Green Mountain State

Year of Family Trip: 2002

City Visited: Bennington

Can't Miss Tourist Attraction:
Bennington Monument, Kaye's Diner

Vermont proved an exciting, but unexpected adventure for the Heflin crew.  Maybe it was because we had no expectations prior to arriving there.  Or maybe it was the friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Whatever the reason, we really made the most of our time in this beautiful state.

Would you like to play?

We made our way toward the church that Robert Frost attended and found his burial site in the cemetery behind the church.  We were pleased to see that the church was actually open - especially since it was the 4th of July!  We ventured in to check it out when a friendly church member approached to ask us where we were visiting from and find out more about us. In the process, Dad indicated he had played the piano (and eventually the organ) at our church back home since he was a teenager.  The patron offered to let Dad play on the beautiful pipe organ if he'd like.  One doesn't pass up that type of opportunity so we sat in the box pews and listened to a familiar version of America the Beautiful as we celebrated the Independence of our great nation that day.

Atmosphere

We spent some time at Bennington Monument taking in the stunning view of the city and countryside. We drove across a couple of covered bridges.  And then we came upon Kaye's.  My brothers and I weren't sold on it, but Mom and Dad insisted that we get a bite to eat there.  We reviewed the menu and didn't see anything special.  Dad told us that it didn't matter as much about the variety of the menu - we'd be eating at Kaye's for the atmosphere.  Atmosphere?!?  We had never heard of such a thing. But, we ate at Kaye's. Years later on my first trip to Vermont with Christopher, I told him we just had to find Kaye's for lunch. Guess there was something to that atmosphere thing after all.

Have you ever been to the beautiful state of Vermont?

Andrea :)

An Audiobook Adventure

October was over halfway through and the chosen book for book club still hadn't arrived at the library.  Ugh!  I didn't really want to buy it.  Especially not knowing how or if I'd like it.  And at this point, even if it arrived soon, I'd never be able to flip through all 500+ pages in time!  Between traveling one weekend and running a marathon the next, I was so close to just throwing in the towel on this one.  And then I remembered all those Audible Free Trial emails I kept starring for future reference. Problem Solved!  I downloaded All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr on October 21 finishing it with a few days to spare for our book club meet up last week!

To be honest, I wasn't sure listening to a book (especially a 16 hour one!) was going to be for me.  I decided to give it a shot on a short taper run as I finished up my marathon training.  It wasn't too bad.  I did run slower than usual at first, but once I got the hang of the app and figured out how it all worked I was able to pick up the pace.

Listening was perfect on the plane and train when I traveled over the course of those two weeks.  I really loved sneaking in a few chapters on my commute each morning.  And usually couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next as I left my desk for the day.  The audiobook also managed to get me through a few rough patches during the actual marathon!  In those tough quiet stretches you better believe I found myself absorbed in world of Werner and Marie-Laure.  By the end of the book, I was hooked.  Not only on the story, but also on the means!

Don't get me wrong though, when the library book finally did arrive - a mere week before our meet-up - I definitely flipped through it and read much of the second half as if I'd never heard the story originally.  I definitely don't prefer audiobooks over the real thing, but I'll certainly give it a shot again in a pinch.

Now, for my thoughts on the book itself.  Phenomenal!  I really loved the story.  I enjoyed learning about the characters and feeling as though I was right there with them.  So many fabulous details painted the pictures in my head.  And I am ALWAYS a fan of short chapters.  They advance the story, but leave you wanting more.  I love that!  And alternating between the present time (in the story) and the past (to show how they got to that present point in time) was also interesting.  Although, that feature was somewhat difficult to keep track of with the audiobook.  I often found myself going back and confirming which time period when I became a bit confused.  In the actual book, it was much easier to track.  I understood why the ending occurred as it did, but I wasn't 100% sure if I loved it.  I wanted a few more solid answers.  Especially after investing so much time and effort to get to that point.  Overall though, it was a simply beautiful story about a very wretched time in world history.  I found myself thinking about Werner and Marie-Laure so often.  About what it would have been like to be a child during those times - particularly a blind or orphaned one.  If you haven't managed to get your hands on this book yet, I highly recommend giving it a read...or listen.  I enjoyed every moment of both! 

Andrea :)

A Fairy Tale Wedding in Texas

Our last wedding of the year took place in the great state of Texas on a late October weekend.  It was a true fairy tale wedding complete with a castle on the cake and a Beauty and the Beast choreographed first dance!

We were just happy to make it into town given the flooding and general weather craziness that delayed our arrival by several hours.  We spent the morning of the wedding catching up on the sleep we missed in the process, but were so excited to discover all the goodies in our welcome bag!  I loved the Texas theme - so fun!

The wedding took place in a lovely chapel in a downtown church.  I loved the intimate setting and the gorgeous stained glass window serving as a backdrop!  It was the perfect place for the start of their fairy tale day!

The reception was held in a ballroom at the Adolphus Hotel in downtown Dallas.  We had fun chatting with friends - both old and new - throughout the cocktail hour.  Dan Rather kindly posed for photos with many guests...and when Chris expressed interest in taking a photo with him I certainly wasn't going to refuse.

As the night continued, we saw an adorable video slide show before enjoying a delicious meal.  We were entertained by a fun and exciting father-daughter first dance - remix style.  Spent some time in the photo booth attempting to capture exactly the right shot.  And were treated to slices of both vanilla and chocolate cake - double yum!!  

It was a great night of fun with wonderful friends!  I can't believe all of the "old girlfriends" bunch are now members of the "new wives" society!  May the fun continue for years to come...

Andrea :)

Sunday Stadium Review - Chargers

San Diego Chargers

Name of Stadium: Qualcomm Stadium

Capacity: 70,561

Game Attended: versus Lions in September 2015 with Chris

Worked a game at this stadium? No.

We had been warned by others that the Qualcomm experience leaves much to be desired, but we were optimistic going into the day.  We decided to take public transportation via train to avoid parking issues.  Unfortunately, the train was running about 30 minutes behind schedule so we missed a good chunk of the first quarter by the time we finally arrived at the stadium.

Our tickets were in the upper deck just a few rows shy of the top of the stadium.  The photo above was taken from the top row so the entire field could be seen.  Please notice how small the only screen in the stadium appears.  It fits right in with all the banners - barely noticeable at all.  However, our overall view wasn't terrible even though about 15 yards of the left side of the endzone on our end couldn't be seen when sitting in our seats.  We had to stand if there was any action going on in that area.  I'd definitely recommend getting tickets along the sidelines for the best view.

As it turned out, I didn't mind sitting with a wall barrier blocking my view because it was blazing hot and that wall provided me the tiniest bit of much needed shade.  And that was really my central focus at the time!  We weren't prepared for it to be such a scorcher!

To be completely honest, this stadium was by far the worst I have visited.  The building is old and the technology in the stadium needs to be updated without a doubt.  They weren't even using flat screens in the concourse area.  And just to preview a bit, it wasn't the only stadium on our California tour using such old school technology.  I really couldn't comprehend it! 

Between the heat and lack of being able to see the only "big" screen in the stadium, I didn't have a very enjoyable experience.  The best part was when I watched the game during the 3rd quarter from the shaded concourse on one of those old school TVs.  Well...and the end, of course.  That is always my favorite part!

Taking the train after the game proved to be an adventure in itself - check out that line!!  Fortunately, we were going in the opposite direction of most of the crowd, but we still had a packed train!  In the end, I'm glad we checked this one off the list...but I certainly won't be making plans for a return visit anytime soon!

Andrea :)

Saturday States: Rhode Island & Connecticut

Rhode Island

State Nickname: The Ocean State

Year of Family Trip: 2002

City Visited: Providence

Can't Miss Tourist Attraction: Capitol Building

We passed through Rhode Island quickly, but not before stopping to check out the capitol building right in the heart of Providence.  We didn't know of much else to do in this small state so we drove around in search of our souvenir spoon before going on our merry way.

Connecticut

State Nickname: The Constitution State

Year of Family Trip: 2002

City Visited: Not Sure

Can't Miss Tourist Attraction:
We missed them all, but we did drive through!

We did even less in Connecticut.  Unfortunately, we can't seem to think of anything specific that we did there. We likely stopped at some restaurant for a bite to eat as we continued our search for those elusive souvenirs.

What should we do next time we visit Rhode Island or Connecticut?

Andrea :)

The Fall Film Challenge: Bonus Reviews #1

10/19 - Rio (2011) - Anne Hathaway

3 out of 5 stars

Such a cute movie.  The characters (mostly birds) were hilarious.  The snowy beginning was my favorite part...and the musical numbers were great, too.  My niece and nephew would love it...and maybe even learn about some new tropical animals!

10/19 - Delivery Man (2013) - Vince Vaughn

2 out of 5 stars

Vince Vaughn is NOT my favorite.  He typically annoys me in films, but he wasn't too terrible in this one.  The premise itself was just a bit too much for me.  A sperm donor with hundreds of kids looking to collectively reunite with him.  I mean, really?!?  Pretty outlandish.

10/19 - The Croods (2013) - Nicolas Cage

3 out of 5 stars

Another great animated film.  I loved the grandmother.  Classic.  Each member of the family was interesting in their own way though.  I enjoyed that the story focused on the female daughter.  Girl power, right? :)

10/20 - This is 40 (2012) - Megan Fox

2 out of 5 stars

I thought this would be SO much better than it turned out.  I love Paul Rudd, but he was disappointing in this one.  The whole movie was kinda lame, but I did like the story line involving the two main characters and their parents.  Interesting to see those dynamics play out.  There were funny moments, but I guess I just expected a little more.

10/20 - A Thousand Words (2012) - Eddie Murphy

1 out of 5 stars

I like Eddie Murphy, but this movie was a huge fail.  It was just bad - from beginning to end.  I couldn't wait for it to be over.  Nothing really felt funny...and it was boring.  He could have been so much more creative in letting others know his issue, but I guess that would have defeated the goal of this terrible movie.

10/22 - Get Hard (2014) - Will Ferrell

1 out of 5 stars

Kevin Hart is the ONLY thing that saved this movie.  I detest Will Ferrell so I knew this wasn't going to be pretty.  I did not find most of it funny at all.  Instead, several scenes were just flat out offensive.  And it was SO predicable. I can't recommend this one even for the handful of laughs Hart provides.

10/23 - Son-in-Law (1993) - Pauly Shore

3 out of 5 stars

Pauly Shore.  Wow...definitely took me back a few years with this movie!  Enjoyable film for sure.  It had goofy humor, but it was done in a funny way.  My favorite was when Pauly attempted to learn the ways of the farm.  Too funny!!

10/25 - Say Anything (1989) - Ione Skye

3 out of 5 stars

It was nice to sneak a drama in there after mostly watching comedies.  I enjoyed this film, but found myself annoyed with the characters.  They weren't really likable either.  I was glad to see some twists and turns which definitely kept me interested.  I'd always heard things about this movie so I am happy that I was finally able to check it out for myself!

10/25 - Mona Lisa Smile (2003) - Maggie Gyllenhaal

5 out of 5 stars

Why did it take me over 10 years to watch this movie?!?  It was phenomenal.  I absolutely loved it.  The characters were great - diverse, but the same.  I really enjoyed getting to know each person and all their dreams and struggles.  I don't cry in movies ever, but this one caught me with a tear in my eye.  Maybe because a part of me identified with some of the characters.  Or maybe because I had just gotten attached to them and didn't want the story to end.

10/25 - Woman in Gold (2015) - Katie Holmes

5 out of 5 stars

Another fantastic film!  It didn't take me near as long to get around to watching this one though.  I knew when I saw previews for it that I would like it.  I really enjoyed how it flashed back and forth from present day to the past.  The backstory was honestly more interesting to me than the present day issues at hand.  I knew it was based on a true story so I assumed a happy ending was in store.  The story behind that ending was so very interesting and exciting though.

10/26 - Passengers (2008) - Patrick Wilson

4 out of 5 stars

I love a good psychological thriller...and this one certainly qualified.  I knew there was going to be some big twist, but I kept trying to figure it out until the very end.  I got close.  Real close, but I didn't have all the pieces figured out before they were revealed.  Definitely enjoyed this one!

10/27 - White House Down (2013) - Channing Tatum

2 out of 5 stars

I just couldn't fall for the ridiculousness of this movie.  I wanted to like it, but it was just too far fetched.  I've seen more secure supermarkets than what they portrayed in the White House at the beginning of this movie.  It was just all a little too much.  I did like the little girl though.  She was brave...and smart!

10/29 - Starsky & Hutch (2004) - Owen Wilson

2 out of 5 stars

I won't lie, I laughed at parts of this one.  But the majority of it was just pure stupidity.  I absolutely can't stand Owen Wilson so that also made this one a bit difficult to stomach. In the end, I recommend passing on this one unless you just want something mindless to watch.

After watching the first half of the bonus movies, things shook out even across the board.  I really enjoyed a few of them, thought most of them were ok, and really hated a few.  Here's to hoping the second half held a lot more winners than losers!!

Andrea :)

I'm an NYC Marathoner X 2

I'm officially a two-time NYC Marathon finisher!!  And I could not be happier!!  The race certainly wasn't any easier the second time around, but I hung in there to complete the course!!  Big thanks to my amazing husband for the much needed encouragement along the route...and the beautiful flowers at the finish!   I'll provide more details about my race experience soon, but for now...here are my official results!

Start Time: 11:07am

5k (3.1 miles) - 41:00

10k (6.2 miles) - 1:22:36

15k (9.3 miles) - 2:06:10

20k (12.4 miles) - 2:50:13

Half (13.1 miles) - 3:00:04

25k (15.5 miles) - 3:36:26

30k (18.9 miles) - 4:23:14

35k (21.7 miles) - 5:11:49

40k (24.8 miles) - 6:03:12

Full (26.2 miles) - 6:24:01

Finish Time: 5:31pm

14:39 minute mile average

49,617 TOTAL FINISHERS

28,914 MEN / 20,703 WOMEN

Andrea :)