Our Winter Vacation part 3

Friday was our romantic day out.  Where do we go?  Pawn shops and used book stores, of course!  Ocean City has one pawn shop and I don't recommend going there.  It was dirty and disorganized.  What was extremely surprising was, I found a Charlie and Lola DVD for Madeleine there.  That is her very favorite show.  By this time of the week, the cheerleaders were swarming into OC for their convention.  This affected where we were going to eat that night.  Val had recommended Reflections at the Holiday Inn.  It was voted the most romantic restaurant in Ocean City.  I was afraid of how pricey it could be, but I could be guaranteed it was cheerleader free. 

It was a very romantic restaurant.  We sat by the fire and we're one of the only couples there.  I prejudged the place, thinking they would never offer specials.  It said in the back of their menu they have $20 3 course meals from 5-6 p.m.  Of course we got there at 7:00.  The food was good, but overpriced for my taste.  Afterwards, we walked to the beach.  This was the first time this vacation we had done so.  It was almost surreal.  Clouds hung very low above us, and it was so quiet.  It's so humbling to stand there and look out at the ocean.  It got very cold after awhile, and thus ended our date. 

In OC, they have an indoor skating rink at the Carousel Hotel that is open year round.  I used to go ice skating often back "in the day."  Now it's every three years or so.  If I lived near a rink, it would be a hobby I would love to develop.  So all of us went over to the Carousel on Saturday.  Andrea and I were going skating, but I convinced the kids to give it a try.  Normally, they have the adult sized walkers there so we wouldn't be falling everywhere, but no longer had them.  It took a few minutes, but I was skating without a walker and feeling pretty confident.  Once I got my balance, I helped Madeleine onto the ice and we went very slow.  She did good considering she'd never done it before.  Julian, however, took to it like a fish in water.  With his walker, he was fearlessly zooming around.  He's normally very reluctant to do new things like this, so he made me very proud that day.

I will now tell you the one place to avoid at all costs in Ocean City.  The Breakfast Cafe in West Ocean City right on Rt. 50 will make you nauseous in more ways than one.  It advertises it's the locals favorite place to eat.  We thought this true, because at the next table the marketing director for the OC convention center introduced himself to us and began to chat.  Don't the locals have standards?  When we first come in, Mark starts putting together the largest tables so we can all sit together.  These tables were not wiped off, but we figure the waitress would do that when she comes.  When we have to ask her to wipe them, she makes excuses not to.  She says another waitress was there eating, so it's not dirty.  Yeah...clue number one to high tail it outta there.  There's no kid menus, so we order a regular cheeseburger for Julian.  There are no indications of what comes on the side with the meal.  Assuming from the price, I think it comes with fries.  I feel assured when the waitress asks if he wants fries with his meal.  So we all order and wait...and wait....and wait some more.  There are only two other people in this tiny hole in the wall (it hurts to refer to this place as a cafe, let alone a restaurant) so what's the big deal?  She brings our meals out one by one with five minute increments in between.  When we ask what was the hold up, she had no clue what we meant.  The food was bland and overall pretty gross.

We get our bill--$40!  The fries were not included in any meal, and were $3.00 as a side.  I bring to her attention that she asked if we wanted fries, so I assumed it came with the meal.  She said chips come with the meal.  I say no where on the menu is that mentioned.  She said it was just understood.  All we could do was walk out of there with our stomachs in tact, and pray not have food poisoning. 

The food didn't sit that well on the three hour ride back home, but we held it down.  It snowed signifigantly while we were away and was a nice treat for the kids to see.  Oh, and that diet I was supposed to be faithful to while on vacation...let's say I have some work to do now that I'm home.



 

Our Winter Vacation part 2

 

Our view from the condo.

(Click on it to get the full appreciation of the scenery.) 

We all woke up late Saturday, and had breakfast in.  Before heading down to Pep Boys, we stopped at the boardwalk.  You would never know it was the dead of winter.  It was packed.  It wasn't even the slightest bit warm, but there was a boat show that weekend that drew the crowds.  I confess, I let the diet go by the wayside during this time.  C'mon, Thrasher's french fries?  How can I say no?  It had been about three years since I had them, so resistance was futile. (You can tell I've been married to Julio for almost 10 years when I'm using Star Trek references.) 

Sunday was back to the boardwalk for games at Trimper's.  Quite on the pricey side, but the games lastest longer than most.  If you save up the tickets you've won, it actually pays off.  Last year, the daughter of the family we were with, saved enough to qualify for a PS2.  Later in the week on our date night, Mark and Val took the kids back there.  I guess the manager was feeling generous, and gave the kids way beyond what they qualified for.  Julian got a Nascar large scale car,  Madeleine got a webkin, a magic wand, and a "boo-boo bear."  That would be unheard of at Chucky E. Cheese!  So as you will see from our trip, we definitely made out well, because of visiting in the winter. 

Monday was lounge around day, and Tuesday was the pool.  The kids were so excited, especially after being cooped up Monday.  Julian was especially excited to get away from his school work.  I guess I didn't mention the three ton bag of work his teacher gave me for him.  Because of his ADHD he can fall behind very easily, so this way he wouldn't miss much.  It was quiet at the pool when we arrived and had a great time.  We did Denny's for dinner which happened to be kids eat free night. 

As the week progressed, we realized how much we didn't know about eachother.  We've been friends with Mark and Val for six years, but lost contact for the past two.  The biggest suprise what what a talented family they are.  They certainly all gave me a run for my money in Kareoke Revolution.  It's rare for me to share my passion for singing with people, so I was spoiled for that week.  Why?  Because they were hooked on the game, and purchased the latest version when we went out a few days later.  

Thursday we took a trip to Virginia Beach.  We took the Bay Bridge Tunnel, and stopped at the gift shop.  You feel like you're in the middle of nowhere.  We got to see cargo ships, naval ships, and airplanes.  It was very cold so we limited our time on the pier.  Mark wanted to fish, so the kids had fun helping.  We drove around Norfolk and headed for Virginia Beach.  As Julio mentioned in his blog, they had a set restaurant they wanted to take us to.  The town was completely dead, which is expected for February.  It's night and day when you compare it to OC.  The only place that looked open and not weird was Abbey Road.  You have to be a Beatles fan to appreciate it's awesomeness.  If you're not, they have a nice fish tank with most of the types of fish from "Finding Nemo."  The waitress was uber friendly and the food was great.  There was even a guy singing with his guitar.  Strangely enough, he didn't sing any Beatles' songs.  The place is a must see if you're ever down that way. 

Sorry I'm so long between installments, I wish my blog was the only thing I had to worry about every day! 

Our Winter Vacation part 1

I feel very out of the loop with my friends because I was gone for nine days with no internet access.  Julio does have internet on his phone, but it's not the same.  So, allow me to spin you a tale of our adventures. 

We left on a Friday night so Julian wouldn't miss too much school.  We thought it'd be nice to let the kids sleep on the way down and we could talk.  It would be the closest thing to a date night since last July.  We left around eight, and the kids fell asleep around 9:30.  We have fond memories of quiet conversations on the trip down the last time we took a winter vacation to OC, MD about two years ago.  Julio stopped at a few Barnes and Nobles on the way before they closed at 11:00 (of course).  There was hardly any traffic so we were making good time.  Then around 12:30 it all went wrong. 

We hear a putputput sound and pull over.  Sure enough, we had a flat.  We get out in the freezing cold and unload our trunk.  We must have looked like weirdos with all our luggage out next to the highway so we could reach the donut.  My greatest fear was that Julio would be hit as he tried to change the tire.  There was only an inch between him and where the cars whiz by on the right lane.  I stood in front of him because I had a white coat and would be spotted easier.  It turns out we didn't have the right tool.  The car came with special rims that look nice, but are a pain in the butt taking off.  We were  about 10 minutes from Rehoboth on Route 1.  We call our friends who (thank God) are night owls. They say they'll be there in 40 minutes but that the police should come by soon to help.  So we wait and wait.  The kids remained asleep.  Finally, a state trooper pulls up along beside us and looks like he's in a hurry.  He asks if we have friends coming.  When we say yes he speeds away, without us being able to squeeze in another word.  Ok, then...thanks a lot.

So our friends come and we felt such a weight lifted off our shoulders.  Mark tried to help, but didn't have the specific tool either.  Mark called AAA and they came out within 45 minutes.  During this time, we loaded the kids into their van and they were wide awake.  We didn't get to the condo until 4:30.  The next night, we took the car to Pepboys in Salisbury, MD and it was good to go.  The next part of the story will focus on the rest of our nine days by the bay, and the awesomeness that ensued.

Almost there...

Julio's progress has been slow in getting better.  I had to drag him to the doctor yesterday because I knew he should be better by now.  The doctor gave him a different antibiotic and said he was perscribing a stronger cough medicine.  When we picked it up, it was the exact same cough medicine he was already prescribed!  Maybe it was a mistake on CVS's end or maybe the cranky doctor didn't check his records right. 

I feel an impatience to get him better because we are actually going to Ocean City, MD on Friday for a week.  We have never taken a vacation during the winter months, but our friends invited us down with them.  Julio had wanted to go to Ocean City over the summer, and the rates just keep going up.  I doubt we could comfortably afford a roach infested motel from June to August down there.  Last year we stayed at a cottage in Chincoteague Island and went to OC for the day.  Plus, the things we like to do down there don't always involve the beach.  We are big into used book stores.  For Julio, it's relaxing just to walk around a mall during the day.  It helps that the biggest country store on the East coast will be a half hour away: The Country House near Salisbury.  It's my favorite country store of all time.  My favorite part of OC is the bay.  The condo our friends have is right on the bay, so what more could I ask for?  It will be nice going down with our friends Marc and Val and their daughter Andrea.  We have never taken a vacation with another family before, but we all get along so well I have no worries. 

Now I just gotta get that husband in shape so he can enjoy it!

Lacking Culture? Check This Out...

... a bit of French fun... the Pauline Ester video for "Oui, Je L'adore."  Don't understand french?  Just enjoy the listening to the language and watch how Pauline finds herself in peril in this very quirky video. 

Here's a question...

that maybe I can get a response to.  Does anybody still listen to tapes anymore?  I have some music that I just can not find on CD so sometimes I still get out the old tape player to hear them.  When I'm in a Renaissance mood, I get out a tape from the band Separate Reality.  I had bought it long ago the day I saw them at Musikfest with Poncho Man (please see August 2006 for reference).  It's an awesome tape from a local band that long ago disbanded.  If there's an inexpensive way to record tapes into MP3 format, I don't know about it. 

The other "sacred" tape to me is my french tape.  This is my most prized possession from my college days.  My french teacher Michel was from France and recorded well known songs for our homework.  We had to write out what we heard on most of the songs.  There was a wide span of music from french traditional renaissance type songs to contemporary.  He included songs from Charles Trenet. My favorite song by him is "Chant d'amour" (Song of love).  Of course, he added some Edith Piaf.  I had never heard of her before this, but fell in love with the famous song "La Vie en Rose" (literally Life in Pink, or A Beautiful Life).  It's because of this tape I ran out and purchased the movie recently made about her.  It's definitely worth seeing.  My favorite song on the tape is by Pauline Ester called "Oui, Je l'adore" (Yes, I love him). I have tried purchasing a CD from her on my Zune pass, but it wasn't available.  There's a great Celine Dion song called "Pour que Tu m'aimes encore" (For that you love me again). It's just a great tape all around that I can't part with.  You can check out any of these artists on YouTube by the way.

And of course when I took voice lessons, my teachers always recorded the sessions on tape so I could practice at home.  I pull them out sometimes and get sentimental about songs I practiced.  Put me in front of a person that sight reads and I'm a happy person.

So those are my special tapes I can not part with and own a tape player especially for.  Now I'm wondering--am I the only one?

What a day...

Sunday was a little stressful for us.  Julio's been sick for the past week with a bad cough.  He'd been vomiting as well.  On Sunday he had blood in his vomit.  His doctor recommended we go to the ER.  The ER doc said his esophagus was irritated and he should be fine, but that he had bronchitis.  She wrote a script for an antibiotic and cough medicine.  We had made plans to watch the superbowl at someone's house and throughout this ordeal that's all the kids could talk about.  I didn't want them to miss out on a chance to see their friends so we went.  I made sure Julio was ok and made sure we didn't stay too long.  By the time we got home it was the last quater.  Julian was so excited and certain the Patriots would win.  I couldn't believe his reaction when they lost.  He burst into tears saying he would never watch football again.  Nothing we said made him feel any better and he didn't get to sleep until 11:30.  Madeleine had a hard time falling asleep as well that night and I soon found out why.  She hadn't eaten much for dinner that night thank goodness because she vomited as well. 

Everyone here is now on the up and up, but that was a draining day for me.  My only consolation that day was concerning the Superbowl commercials. The GoDaddy.com people had enough decency to direct people to it's website for their sexist trash and not into homes where everyone's gathered around the TV.  There's enough junk out there that my son can be exposed to that tries to tell him women are sex objects.  Oh...and Tom Petty was great!