Updated: 12/14/08




 

Mike's Blog:  2009

Thoughts, comments, ramblings, rants and raves!
(Sorta like a blog.)
(And it's named Mike's Blog 'cause Terry won't contribute!)

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2009

December 2009 -- What better way to kick off winter with a Caribbean Cruise with friends?!  Terry and I hit Miami Beach and South Beach for a couple of fun days... and then met up with Brenda and Andy aboard Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas.  Our cruise took us to Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Labidee, Haiti.  In Haiti, we tried out the Dragon's Breath Zip Line... the longest zip line over open water at speeds up to 60MPH.  VERY cool!  We all wanted to go again!!  After a great cruise, it was back hom for a few days of work before the Richmond area got hit by a rare December snow storm.  Richmond ended up with about 10-12" just about everywhere.  The following morning, we had to make the bone-chilling run from the house to the hot tub... mid-20's and bathing suits!  It was as bad as I was expecting... and the hot tub was awesome!  Wonder if this big snow storm is a sign of what to expect for the rest of the season?!

November 2009 -- Good way to start the month!  Terry spent a beautiful Saturday morning at Richmond International Raceway to enjoy his 40th birthday present.  He's not a NASCAR fan, but he does like cars and speed... and what better way to enjoy that then taking the Richard Petty NASCAR Driving Experience!  He got to drive a real NASCAR race car, with 600HP capable of speeds up to 160MPH.  After two hours of training and fire safety, he got behind the wheel of the #8 car and took off down pit road.  Eight laps later, he returned safely to pit row and jumped fell rolled crawled out of the window with a huge grin... and he wanted to go again!  His top speeds on the small 3/4 mile tri-oval was 104MPH.  Top speed of the day was 109MPH, by a guy who had done this before... so Terry really did great!  It was a lot of fun... and he's already planning to book his next experience!  See all the excitement here!

Terry in the #8 car flying across the finish line at 104MPH!

September 28, 2009 - SUMMIT '09 is over!  Josh and Mike took New York City by storm and had a blast!  No telling how many miles we walked.  The highlight of the trip was VIP tickets to see the 35th Anniversary premiere show of Saturday Night Live!!  Guest Host was Megan Fox, musical guest was none other than U2.  We made it on TV a couple of times... U2 played a couple of songs after the show was complete just for the audience, the F-bomb got dropped by new SNL cast member Jenny Slate.  It was amazing watching the production crew... the choreography behind the scenes was incredible!  We also explored Central Park, finally found Strawberry Fields, and dropped by Tavern on the Green where Mike was rattled by Bigfoot (and Josh laughed).  The Empire State Building tour was really cool... and the 86th floor observation deck was awesome on a breezy, cloudy night with a bright moon.  The whole trip was great!! 

   
Josh and Mike (back row, left side).  --  Megan Fox opens SNL. We are right of exit sign at top, under first bright light.
 

August 29, 2009 -  The year is just flying by and the work shows no signs of easing up!  Definitely been a looong year.  The hot tub is about 2 months old... and I think there have been two nights that it hasn't been used!  It's getting a workout and we love it.  Terry and I had an awesome trip to the northern neck of Virginia.  Joined by Bill and Cindy, we enjoyed a great time at Rich and Ginny's new river house.  Awesome place... really cool and we all had a blast!!  The next few months include a trip for me to NYC, a trip to Tampa with Aaron to watch the Bucs play, and a cruise coming up in December (with a couple extra days on Miami Beach).  I'm going to be so ready for the down-time on the cruise.  Can't wait!  Andy and I have also booked an excursion for the two of us... the Dragon's Breath Zip Line in Haiti!

July 2, 2009 - Halfway through 2009 already!  And we can almost hang meat in the house!  Love the new AC systems!  We're still tweaking and learning about them... they're not like the systems of old that you just set to "cold".  These things learn about your inside environment and help adjust to provide continual comfort based on your preferences.  It's really pretty cool... much more energy efficient... and they work!  :)  We're also looking forward to a fun July 4th weekend with great friends... and a couple special visitors from Tampa!  Brian and Cretia return for a special evening in Club Cretia!  Can't wait!

June 24, 2009 - The $20,000 spending binge begins! - Well, the refi is complete, cash in hand, and the improvements are underway!  Last night Cliff helped getting the 220V 50AMP circuit run for the new hot tub.  Getting the wiring done and out of the way was the first step.  Today, Hix Heating & Air arrived with the first of our 2 new Trane HVAC units.  They're starting with the smaller upstairs unit, which increases us from a 1.5 ton to 2 ton unit... more air to help handle the game room.  Duct work will be completed as well... better organizing the air flow, adding two new air returns.  Overall, should be a tremendous improvement upstairs!  Can't wait!  The new unit is twice the size of the older garbage York unit.  Tomorrow... the beast gets installed!  The new, ultra-efficient Trane XL20i!  This thing is HUGE!!  (pics below show the morning start... and the new "smaller" unit installed.  It replaced a York piece of garbage that was smaller than the remaining York piece of garbage in the photo.  Did I mention that York is a piece of garbage?!!)

June 1, 2009 - Wow, 5 months of 2009 already gone!  Got to play golf with Aaron this weekend... shot a 98 after not having played for 2 years.  I was very pleased and had a great time.  Billy, Kelly and kids came to visit over Memorial Day weekend.  We tried to hit the James River, but water levels were too high and required life jackets.  It's not fun in those conditions, so maybe next time.  But, we had a couple of cookouts, exposure to Wii, and a great time hanging out.  Oh yeah, and a bottle of Absinthe.  Ugh!  Terry and I are working on a couple of major projects... we installed an attic fan to help keep the attic from baking... are working toward installation of 2 new HVAC systems (yeah!)... and also working on the reward... a new hot tub for the back deck... finally!  Researching hot tubs is a lot like buying cars or mattresses... everyone claims to be the best, often knocks the competition, and has a special going... "but only today!".  So, we're hunting to find the right tub for us... I can't wait.  While we're researching, we're moving forward with the electrical changes needed and getting them in place.  It will be worth it. 

Terry's been doing his road trips for work... it's really strange being home alone with Toby while he's travelling.  After 20 years of being the one to travel... it's a big adjustment.

Also got a very quick trip to Tampa, a couple hours of pool time and some time to hang out with Josh.  Got to see the new animated movie "Up!" which was good for some laughs... "Squirrel!"

The grill's been getting a big workout this month as well... and lots of good food!

April 8, 2009 - March brought us a fun snow storm... Toby's first real snow.  He loved it!  Very cool watching him play.  We've also been excited about spring approaching, ready for some warm weekends.  Terry's been working on getting plants and stuff ready, I've been working on the "wall" project.  Fun project... heavy block... having a great time creating something.  We've also been working on the game room... updating many of the pictures with some new photos of friends and events!

February 28, 2009 - Getting up at 4:30AM on a Saturday just isn't right!  But, we got to help shuttle 8 friends (including 2 young children) to the airport this morning for a flight to Orlando... and a week at Disney!  Good luck, safe flight, have fun... and glad I'm not going!!  :)

February 14, 2009 --  Happy Valentine's Day! --  Well, it's been a very business 4 or 5 weeks.  Lots of major projects underway at work.  Terry just completed a week-long trip to Marcolin's headquarters in Scottsdale, AZ.  He was pleasantly surprised to find a huge stretch limo waiting for him at the airport.  He enjoyed the ride... and the bar!... in style!  Following a 4 hour flight, he enjoyed it!  Josh also came to visit for a few days... taking a break from his studies at the Culinary Institute of New York.  Josh is studying to become a Chef... great skills already... we're just hoping he expands his horizons beyond chicken fingers and macaroni & cheese.  Although, have to give him credit... he gave a great business case (and profit model) based on those two delicacies!!  LOL!  Anyway, always great to see him... and we all had fun hanging out.  Fortunately, he backed off his promise and left our dog Toby with us!  We still have not had any snow to speak of... but February is typically the optimal month for the Richmond area... although it was 75 just a few days ago.