Fredag

Hela huset känns som det är fullt. Sarah leker med sin kompis i vardagsrummet och så har vi då våra inneboende, fast de är just nu i full fart utomhus med de olika jobb de har fått för att tjäna lite fickpengar tills de får tag på jobb. Skönt att slippa rensa ogräs, klippa gräs och högtryckstvätta huset!

Om vi nu bara kan få dem att inse att det inte är läge att sitta uppe till tre på morgonen och titta på TV och sedan sova till lunch så blir det nog bra. De har fått sig lite skäll från mig och mamma och Ken kommer nog med sina åsikter om det hela ikväll när han kommer.

De är inte här för det, just nu är prio nummer ett att söka jobb.

Imorgon vill de till Myakka River State Park för att kolla på alligatorer. Ja då får de minsann vara uppe vid halv nio, för då åker jag. Alligatorerna gillar inte att vara ute och aktiva när det är för varmt, så det gäller att vara där ca nio halv tio för att se nått...

Vi ska nog få fason på ungdomarna! :-)

Upplösningen

Har lite svårt att skriva idag, har sådan fruktansvärd ledvärk i högra handleden...

I alla fall så är situationen nu klarlagd. Vi hade helt fel om pojkvännen!

Jag tar det från början:

Vi har haft kontakt med Kens ex i syfte att kommunicera om och hjälpa dottern. Exet är inte direkt, eh vad är det svenska ordet för det här???... Let's just say she is very flaky...

Hon har gett oss information lite här och där om dottern och pojkvännen. Det har varit klart från början att hon inet ville ha pojkvännen med i bilden, vilket jag ju kan förstå.

Men igår imorse när de vaknade så fick jag då för första gången chansen att prata med honom. Dottern är ju ganska vresig och svår, men han är ju hur smart, lugn och sansad som helst. Oerhört trevlig och hjälpsam. Det första de gjorde var att ge sig ut på stan och leta jobb, och d ekom hem med en hel höh ansökningar och fortsatte sedan letandet på Internet. Sedan arbetade de båda mycket hårt med att jobba runt huset. Killen har jobbat i en landscaping-firma (trädgårdsmästare?) tidigare, så det var riktigt lyxigt att ha någon som faktiskt visste vad han gjorde i trädgården. Han jobbade stenhårt! Dottern satte igång med det jobb hon hade fått, att tvätta alal fönster. Det är inet så lätt som det låter med alla insektsskydd och annat. Och 40 grader värme! Jag var faktiskt riktigt impad över hur de jobbade med glada miner för att liksom göra rätt för sig.

Samtidigt hade Ken och jag beslutat oss för att göra en fullständig bakgrundskoll på båda två, för att verkligen veta allt, ha vår ammunition redo. Hon var helt ren, och det var ju skönt att höra.

Vi visste ju att pojkvännen hade suttit i finkan några dagar men var inet hundra på alla detaljerna förutom det mamman hade berättat.

Nu visade det sig att killens förra tjejs nya kille hade anmält honom, och brottet var att hans gamla mobiltelfon hade varit länkad till hennes konto, så hon hade betalat hans räkning i tre månader. Alltså inget direkt anstötande brott av något slag. Vi ringde dessutom upp övervakarkontoret i deras hemkommun och de var jätteschyssta. Vi fick prata med en kille som kollade hans record och berättade att killen inte var i trubbel med lagen på några sätt och vis, att han hade tillstånd att vara i Florida och att hans offentliga försvarare hade skickat in anmälan om att "charges would be dropped", så han alltså inte skulle ha något brott alls i sitt "record" (har ingen koll på vad dessa termer heter på svenska).

Det enda förutom detta han har gjort var att ha ett gräl med en kille som hade hotat hans syster, och han fick en citation för att "disorderly conduct", dvs förde för mycket oljud. Inget slagsmål alltså.

Så där satt nu jag och Ken och hade ingen ammunition alls, och dessutom var killen hur trevlig som helst! Dottern skulle nog kunna lära sig ett och annat av honom, hon är en riktig "hothead", talar innan hon tänker...

Under middagen bad Ken killen att berätta om sig själv och han berättade en massa, inkluderat det som vi fått reda på under dagen. Han var fullständigt ärlig och uppriktig. Han sa också att han var här för att jobba hårt och bygga upp ett nytt och bättre liv än vad han skulle kunna ha hemma (deras hemstad har typ 2000 invånare, så inte så många chanser på att göra nått med sig själv där).

Vi pratade också med dottern och hon erkände att hon är lite av en bitch och alltid har taggarna utåt, men jag tror att hon fattade att vi vill henne väl. Hon är nog inte heller van med att folk fortsätter att vara lugna och vänliga efter att hon behandlar en som hon faktsikt gjorde igår morse. Hon lovade att vara ärlig och säga till om det var något som störde henne, att agera som en vuxen. Det är nog tur för henne att hon har en så lugn och sansad kille!

Pojkvännen var inte alls förvånad när Ken berättade att han gjort en koll på honom, han sa att det är Kens jobb och att han hade gjort samma sak om han hade varit i den här situationen. Han verkar vara väldig mogen för sina 21 år, i skillnad mot henne :-)! Dessutom är han väldigt bra med Sarah (märks att han är van med småbarn, han har en hel del syskon) och hundarna älsakr honom. Bob, som inte ens kommer när vi kallar på honom, kommer upp till honom med en gång och vill bli klappad, helt otroligt. Han har tydligen hjälpt sin mamma i många år som har jobbat med en dog rescue organization.

Vi pratade länge, länge om en hel del och all in all så var det ett väldigt givande och utömmande samtal som jag tror vi alla hade utbyte av.

Jag är dock lite sne på mamman som faktiskt försökte använda oss för att bli av med pojkvännen, men vi har redan lärt oss att ta allt hon säger numera med en nypa salt...

Så man ska inte, som vi alla redan vet men såklart inte alltid följer, lyssna på skvaller. För det är oftast just det, skvaller och inget annat...

Så vi går vidar emed att fixa jobb och någonstans att bo, och hoppas att dottern kan lära sig att inte vara så vresig. Hon var dock på riktigt avlsappnat och gott humör igår, jag tror det var skönt för henne att ha alla korten på bordet, och vi alla visste liksom var vi stod.

Dramaföljetång

Ikväll blir det förhoppningsvis en upplösning på dramat som Kens dotter har orsakat. Vi kan bara tolerera en viss nivå av skitsnack och annat innan man liksom får sätta ner foten och säga att nu är det nog.

Maken till omogen tjej har jag nog aldrig träffat på, Sarah slår henne med hästlängder, och hon är bara sju år!

Vi har nu börjat få fram vissa detaljer som vi tänker presentera under midagen ikväll för att få klarhet i. Det verkar som om pojkvännen kan ha stuckit från Ohio och en villkorlig dom som han har där. Vi vet att han har suttit i finkan några dagar pga av ett bråk med sin förra tjej där hon anklagade honom för kreditkortsbedrägeri, men jag anser att man kan ge en person en chans att visa vad han går för, vi känner ju inte till alla detaljer osv, och det är ju inget vålds- eller knarkbrott det gäller.

Men från vad vi nu har luskat fram verkar det alltså som han också fick villkorlig dom dessutom. Och då får man ju inte sticka sådär, man har ju en övervakare som man ska hålla kontakten med, osv...

Vi är båda skitsura på dottern, eftersom detta sätter vår familj i risk. Det är ett sk felony att hjälpa någon som är på flykt från lagen (även om han bara är en fjunig och spinkig ung man).

Inte fan tänker vi riskera vår familj för att hjälpa honom, som vi inte ens känner! Det är oerhört ansvarslöst av henne att blanda in oss i något sådant. Dessutom kör han tydligen på indraget körkort och de har ingen bilförsäkring...

Så ikväll ska vi ta ut dem på en restaurang (lite neutral mark är nog bra och säkrast), och så ska vi se vad de har att säga om detta. För pojkvännen får absolut INTE bo kvar hos oss, det är helt givet!!!

Troligen kommer hon att slå bakut och säga att hon går dit han går. Är hon så dum att hon kastar bort det vi har att erbjuda för att följa honom, ja då kan jag tyvärr inte säga annat än lycka till.

Vi ger dem pengar för benisn, mat och hotell och så får dom väl dra då. Nån måtta får det ju vara, jag tycker vi har mer än nog hjälpt på alla sätt och vis...

Innan vi visste det här med killen hade vi sagt att han kunde göra lite jobb runt huset, så det kunde tjäna ihop lite fickpengar, men imorse textade hon mig om och om igen (från sovrummet!!!) om att hon behövde fickpengar och om det var något hon kunde göra åt mig för att tjäna en slant. Jag textade snällt tillbaka att jag skulle köra runt dem dit de behövde åka för att leta jobb, och att jag skulle bjuda på lunch. Men han behövde ciggisar fick jag till svar då! Ja, jag bjuder på det med. Det finns liksom ingen anledning att ge dem kontanter tycker jag... De har mat, bensin och tak över huvdet. Vad för anledning har de då att söka jobb, om de dessutom får fickpengar???

Då gick hon ut (utomhus)och ringde till Ken och sa att hon minsann vägrar att låta mig köra runt henne som en barnunge, för hon var minsann vuxen. Ken talade om detta för mig, jag gick lungt in och gav henne en adresslista över potentiella jobbställen, gav henne $10 (de bör still ha mat- och bensinpengar på presentkorten jag gav dem), och så sa jag till henne att hon har GPS på telefonen, ha det så bra idag och lycka till.

Så då hoppade hon såklart upp och åkte iväg för att söka jobb, eller hur? Näha, hon gick tillbaka och la sig och de ligger fortfarande och sover...

Ken tycker det är så himla pinsamt att jag ska behöva vara med om det här, eftersom han tycker jag är en så snäll person. Och jag tycker att man ska vara snäll mot andra om man kan, dessutom hjälpa dem om man har möjlighet. Men nu har min gräns nåtts. Jag är fullständig likgiltig inför henne, hon kan faktiskt dra dit pepparn växer :-).

Hennes mamma är så nervös för att hon inte ska stanna, HON fattar ju vilken chans dottern har här. Men jag är 99,99 % säker på att hon inte kommer att vara här imorgon. HAN kommer i alla fall inte att vara det...

Så liiite drama sådär lagom, va!?! Här behövs ingen såpopera på TV, inte!!! :-)

Varför...

Skulle jag ta ett sådant där anti-illamående piller efter maten igår kväll? För att jag var illamående såklart, men fy vad trött jag fortfarande är! Det slog ut mig totalt, så absolut inga fler av dem om det inte är kris! Inget kul, tungan känns som om den är gjord av bomull och jag är seg som sjutton...

Förhoppningsvis blir det här en relativt normal dag. Jag lyckades äta en bit köttfärslimpa, men jag hade hoppats på hela tallriken :-)!

Ken gjorde ett bra jobb med att dammsuga och moppa igår, men det var svårt att bita mig i tungan och inte ge honom råd hela tiden, ha ha!

Ska fixa med resten av huset idag. Vi får väl se när de kommer, vi har skickat ett paket med bud med bensinkort och lite annat, så de kan inet åka förens de har paketet. Det brukar komma fram på morgonen, men ibland kan det bli sent på eftermiddagen eller mot kvällen om man har otur, så vi får som sagt se hur det blir med det.

Drömmer om...

köttfärslimpa med potatismos, vilket är vad jag tänker äta till middag idag. Åt knappt en halv kycklingmacka till lunch, är hungrig som bara den, men det går liksom inte riktigt att äta.

De där anti-illamående pillrena fick jag stark förvarning av apotekaren att inta sent på kvällen, för de somnar man tydligen av! Vad nytta har jag DÅ av dem? Man äter ju inte när man sover...

Men det känns att den där vätskan de pumade in har gjort gott. Jag kan tex knipa huden utan att den liksom fastnar i ett knyp, den har plumpat till sig lite (kan man säga så?)

Och inget vatten får jag dricka, så det är Gatorade, den där sportdrycken som jag inet gillar som är dagens dryck. Köpte hem chips som jag ska försöka mumsa på ikväll, det ska väl vara massor av salt i!

Har dock kört omkring på olika ställen i olika ärenden ända fram tills för en timme sedan, så sädär mycket städande har det inet blivit av. Handdukar i tvättmaskinen i alla fall, och har lyckats byta det inre duschdraperiet så de har ett fräsch i gästbadrummet, brukar göra det när vi har gäster. Och jag har badat hundarna!

Maken säger att han ska hjälpa mig att städa ikväll, men jag vet hur han städar, och jag vet att jag nog kommer att få nippran på honom. Men jag tänkte sätta honom på att dammsuga och moppa, DET kan han väl inte missa med :-)! Jag fick nämligen en ny vardagsrumsmatta med posten idag, så det vore kul att få den ner på ett rent och fint golv.

Jag insåg hur smutsigt dte var när Ken frågade mig om det var blod under köksbordet och jag insåg att det var gammal spilld lingonsylt från när hunden Stan snodde en plasttallrik med bla lingonsylt på. Undrar hur länge det had evarit under bordet?

Jag tor att om jag kan få köket i ordning och plocka upp alla leksaker i vardagsrummet så kan jag göra resten i morgon, de lär ju inte komma förens mot eftermiddagen i alla fall.

Gud, jag hatar verkligen att ha gäster utan att kunna städa klokt! Det var detsamma 2008 när jag opererat mig och kusin Mari kom. Jag kunde helt enkelt inte städa, och det var dammråttor överallt. Men hon fick ett rent badrum och rena lakan, så hon överlevde nog! Dessutom var hon väldigt hjälpsam att ha här ;-)!

Ja ja, vi överlever nog ;-)

På G att fixa sig ?

Pratade med doktorn imorse, och han var orolig för att jag fortfarande mådde så illa. Illamåendet gör det ju stört omöjligt att äta eller dricka klokt, så inte bra.

En sjuksköterska kom hit, men hon kunde inte göra nått, jag var alldeles för uttorkad för att få en nål in. Så jag fick trots allt ta mig till akuten. Och tur var väl det, för det var tydligen en ganska allvarlig uttorkning och dessutom hade jag stor sodiumbrist (salt), vilket kan göra att man blir svag och darrig och man kan till och med få epilepsiliknande anfall.

Inom 20 minuter hade jag droppet igång, det var snabba rullar där! Fick dessutom en superduper anti-illamåendemedicin. Det kändes liksom att man fick lite vätska i sig, även om jag ännu är svag. Så jag har förbud på att dricka vatten eftersom det inet är bra för salthalten, så jag får väl köpa hem lite potatischips och fortsätta med min sportdryck som ju har salt i sig.

Ska hämta ut recept på anti-illamåendemedicin med.

På vägen hem åkte jag förbi Burger King, eftersom jag tänkte att deras mat ju är riktigt salt (för mycket för en normal människa), och jag kom hem me den kycklingmacka. Jag lyckades äta halva nästan, så det är ju toppen! Känns lite upp och ner i magen nu, men inte superläskigt som förut, så jag hoppas att detta nu var vändpunkten.

Sedan tänker jag faktiskt städa så mycket jag kan, det ser ju för jävligt ut, leksaker och disk överallt i princip...

Jag orkade inte köra Sarah till camp i morse, och Ken åkte till jobbet supertidigt, så hon fick stanna hemma. Hon har varit hos grannen hela dagen, och just nu är de vid poolen och badar. Pinsamt att de var tvungna att komma in här och se hur stökigt det är, men de vet ju att jag har varit sjuk (och det är ju inte direkt någon annan som städar här hemma...).

När hon kommit hem och käkat lunch ska jag skicka över henne till grannen igen så jag kan städa lite.

Ska bara vila upp mig lite efter morgonens alla aktiviteter! :-)

Måndag

Mår fortfarande pyton, sååå illamående och kan inte äta därför. Dessutom var det en hel del drama som jag inte ens orkar gå in på i detalj, men det resulterade i att Kens dotter och hennes kille kommer hit imorgon för att bo här tills de får eget boende.

De har i princip inga pengar kvar och behöver komma över hit så de kan söka jobb snarast. De hade ett stort gräl som nästan slutade med att de gjorde slut, och Kens dotter, som inte direkt är specieltl mogen av sig och tenderar att agera efter känslorna, skulel helt plötsligt skita i allt och åka tillbaka till Ohio. Hon tom begärde att Ken skulle dra tillbaka budet på huset, vilket han gjorde.

När hon lugnat ner sig och vi oratat lite med henne så insåg hon att hon agerat oerhört dumt. Hon bad om ursäkt flera gånger om, men budet på huset gick ju inte att ta tillbaka... Förhoppningsvis får det bli en läxa till henne om att man ska tänka innan man agerar... Jag var i alla fall skitsur på henne igår, med tanke på hur mycket vi har jobbat på att hjälpa dem, köpt grejjer och tom har två mobiltelefoner (med två års kontrakt) som ligger här och väntar...

Inte kul med drama i hög klass när man inte har någon energi!

Jag är inte speciellt glad över att få främmande när huset ser ut som det gör och jag mår pyton och således kommer att få svårt för att städa. Är dessutom svag. Ska ringa doktorn och få medicin mot illamåendet i alla fall, kan jag få äta ordentligt så repar jag mig nog snabbare.

Urka

Pratade med min doktor igen igår, och tyvärr var den personen som ansvarar för hemma-services på semester, och ingen annan som hade helgjour visste hur det funkar. Så valet var att antingen gå till akuten och betala ca $800 for ett dropp, vänta tills måndagmorgon med att få en sjuksyster hem eller att göra inget och klara mig själv.

$800 är lite dyrt för ett dropp tycker jag, och måndag känns lite sent, så jag valde att klara mig själv. Mår fortfarande pyton och är konstant illamående och yr som bara den.

Men jag måste ta mig till en mataffär idag. Det finns inte ens hundmat hemma! Och att skicka maken till affären är bara jobbigt, han kommer alltid ALLTID hem med kosntiga saker som inte har något att göra med den lista som jag skrivit. Och sedan blir han sur för att jag blir sur... Så det är jag eller ingen som måste fixa mat...

Jag laddar med en massa sportdryck och ska t amig in i duschen om jag fixar det så får vi se. Det blir nog en sådan där elektrisk rullstol i affären som man kan låna. Pinsamt värre men annars kan jag bara inte klara av det, kan knappt vackla mellan rummen här hemma...

Verkliegn irriterande att man ska vara så känslig mot magproblem, men det är väl tyvärr nackdelen med en sådan här tarmoperation. Som tur är överväger fördelarna hundra gånger om, så jag är glad ändå! :-)

Not again

Last night we got a couple of yummy salads on our way home from a viewing another backup house. Yummy that is, until I became violently ill from food poisioning...! Now I am severly dehydrated again. This time I am going to be a little more proactive, and I am waiting for my doctor to call back, so I can get an at home IV. I am so nausaeted I cant even drink, so I need a little help. And an at home nurse sure beats the ER..

News!

They accepted the other bid, but we are moving forward and already have a bid on another property.

The new one is actually very large and almost across the street from the local university, so it should be a great investment property for future rental.

This one will need a new stove and fridge, plus a few cosmetic things lie anew inside door in one area, but the paint is new and nice and floors too. It will also need the trees in the backyard trimmed, a gigantic oak and an very large grapefruit tree needs to be taken down to size to give more light indoors, plus also for safety reasons with future storms and hurricanes. Otherwise a very nice 2 bedroom, 2 bath plus den and indoor lanai. In a neighborhood called Bayshore Gardens, close to everything...

We will most likely have to wait until Monday or Tuesday before we hear anything back, but at least we know they have no other bidders on this one. Knock on wood!

No answer...

...today. Im starting to think they like to torture people ; -)

Just found out...

...that the bank people are in the office until 7pm, so there is still hope that we might here something tonight. Its just kind of irritating having to wait like this for something that is kind of important. At least we found out there is just one other bidder,so that is a plus...

After lunch

...and of course: no news yet! Grrrr........ It is messing up my entire day, just can't concentrate on doing anything useful, just waiting. Luckily I had some mindless work I could do, but I have stuff that needs done and I have only gotten a little bit done so far...

Waiting...

We went to look at a back-up house (very nice) in case our bid was not accepted. The Realtor said we will get the news before lunch today, so I am waiting!

And yesterday I didn't get much done since I ended up working a little more instead...

The phone got here, and lets just say I haven't seen it much... Sarah took it over and she loves all the fun games she can play on it (Poke a Mole, anyone?). She said "Mom, nice phone, do you have another one?" Since she figured she would take it over...

I tried the GPS turn-by-turn directions, and it was very impressive for being free. I am going to let Ken's daughter have my regular GPS, and with a car mount (on order) I should be able to just use my phone. The only thing that is not as nice as my regular TomTom is the voice. The TomTom (which we named Mandy after the voice) is nice and smooth, the phone's voice is a tad bit stiff. Her name is Betsy, in case you wondered. And why did we name our GPS? I don't know ;-)!

So far I can see getting a lot of use out of this phone and all the fun and useful apps (if I get to use it, I will have to pry it out of Sarah's hands!) :-)

Ohh, it has that new phone smell!

Say hello to my little friend...

Longer wait

Looks like we just got a message from the Realtor that they finally have all the bids in and that we will get an answer before end of business tomorrow. I just have a feeling that it might not end well, with so many bidders and all. But I will keep my fingers crossed, of course!

Lite bläig

Känner mig lite håglös och lite PMSig. Har liksom inte ork eller lust att komma igång med nått. Och jag som hade sådan fart med jobbandet i morse! Telefonen verkar vara på G, den kommer med vanlig post, så det är lite kryptiskt att läsa trackingen, men den verkar har sorterats på mitt lokala postkontor i morse, så den kommer nog idag!

Håller på och tvättar och plockar lite, men hamnar mest framför datorn med lite håglöst surfande istället.

Lite har det nog att göra med att vi väntar på nyheter om vi har fått huset eller inte. Inget man kan göra innan vi vet. Då kan jag sätta fart och beställa besiktning och annat, eller i värsta fall, arrangera visning av ett annat hus...

Nu har jag i alla fall ätit lite hummus och druckit lite Cola, så kanske det får fart på mig. Om bara posten kunde komma i alla fall, så en väntan är över. Ja vilka I-landsproblem man har! :-)

Wednesday

Yesterday was busy busy. No news yet about the house, but we should find out today. The tracking on my new phone says it was sorted in Tampa at 2 AM this morning, so there is a chance it could be on the mail truck today, exciting! Weird that stupid things like a new phone can make you all excited, but it is like a new shiny toy, of course.

And the new luxury pillows, they are coming today! I remember many years ago when we got the once we have now, how wonderful they were, so I am very much looking forward to using the new once tonight. A great pillow is gold, especially for someone like me who is a light sleeper and wake up all the time. Anything to make it easier to sleep is good...

I did a bunch of jobs this morning, so I think I can take the rest of the day off with a clean conscience, so I can clean the house, ha ha... It is needed for sure.

This is how the bar stools came out after I assembled them yesterday, by the way:

Hot

I don't think it is not hot anywhere right now. Sweltering.

I just assembled four metal bar stools/chairs, and I am hot! And that is whit air conditioning and the ceiling fan on medium...

I decided to take the day off to do stuff around the house, it just looks like crap everywhere, stuff, stuff and more stuff!

The Realtor our regular Realtor (who is in California with her sick father right now) recommended SUCKS. So bad it is not even funny... We did not get the first house we tried to buy, and I think he was a contributing factor to that. Who has ever heard of a Realtor that only checks his phone and e-mail messages once a day, after 7 PM???

Anyway, we contacted one of Ken's clients, who happens to be a Realtor, and what a difference! This guy knows what he is doing and is well prepared, acts quickly and communicates well. Just like it should be.

We viewed a very cute little house yesterday and made a bid, but found out that they already had several bids, so we revised ours to be a little stronger before submitting it. We heard news this morning that so far, our bid was the strongest, so we are anxiously waiting to hear from the seller. It would be a perfect little rental, updated inside with just a few things to fix.

It will need a new roof, but for a small house like that it is not more than $4000 or so, plus the AC will need to be replaced sooner rather than later.

But there are just a few cosmetic things and a good cleaning needed on the inside. And being a house built in 1974, I have to say that is a very good vintage, hrmph ;-)!

I like that it is already painted in "my" colors and that the floors are super nice, plus has a small kitchen with built in appliances that is really smart. In a very nice, quiet neighborhood as well. So we will see. We have another house ready as a backup if it falls through.

Monday

I am taking Bob to the vet in an hour, we have a consultation with an orthopedic surgeon. I think Bob most likely will not have any surgery. He is a new dog after his steroid shot, and he jumps and walks with no problem. He has really built up his muscle mass again. We will see what the vet says. If he is doing this good it might be unnecessary to let him go though a big surgery, we will see.

Then, at noon I have a dentist appointment. Right before vacation a big chunk fell out from one of my molars, so I have no idea on how much work will be needed, or what is covered by insurance. Hopefully it won't be an expensive event...

I have a lot of work waiting, but I think it will have to wait until tomorrow for the most part. Woke up with a "clogged intestine", so no food today, and I am so hungry! Hopefully I can eat something this afternoon if I can flush out the clog, we will see.

I am so excited to get my new phone! I don't like iPhones so much, so I got an unlocked HTC Android myTouch, so I still can have fun with apps and stuff. Up until now I haven't had Internet access on my phone, but will activate that with this new one, so I will try and blog from it, should be fun! And since the phone is unlocked I can use it in Sweden as well, with a local SIM card to save money...

Busy as usual

We got some stuff going on here, we are in the process of buying a house, hold your horses though, it is not a house for us to live in... we are buying an investment property, a smaller house that we will rent out. Our first renter will be Ken's daughter and her boyfriend, moving in as soon as we close on the house.

Our first offer on the house was rejected, and we will see if they accept our counter offer (hopefully tomorrow). Otherwise, we have two backup houses waiting... It is so much easier to buy this type of house, since it is cheap and therefore a cash transaction and thus, no meddling with a loan and all that paperwork.

The house prices have fallen to about a quarter of what they were just 1½ years a go in the area around our local university, and it happens to be a prime area for rentals, so we are every pleased with this decision. And of course very happy that Ken's daughter decided after all to come down here and work and go to school!

This weekend have otherwise gone in the sign of SHOPPING! Sarah and I managed to completely fill the car at IKEA yesterday, I just love getting to decorate and help Ken's daughter getting situated. They are not bringing much at all down here (actually, they are already in Florida, staying with her great aunt on the east coast until the house is ready).

I have also ordered new bar stools for the kitchen, new bed blanket and new pillows (from Pacific Coast, LOVE their premium pillows!). And today Sarah and I went to the mall and saw a movie and did some more shopping... just a little...

And I just bought an unlocked super duper phone that finally brings me into 2010... long overdue for sure. Now I will actually be abet o have some fun while I am waiting in those long lines to pick Sarah up form school, yay!

So there will be a lot of fun packages arriving this coming week, always fun! Once in a while it is kind of fun to really just shop a little, but at the same time all the stuff we got this weekend was stuff we really needed (yes, I know, we don't really need any of it, but you know what I mean.. )

Now I am going to see if I can get Sarah to go to bed...

Thursday

And WHAM. It got super busy around here. Lots of work, but that is just good. Have a doctor's appointment today as well, so we will see how I will fit it all in.

Sarah was happy, the camp is going on a field trip to a local bowling alley, so that should be fun for them, especially since it is suppose to be raining and thundering most of the day...

If anyone missed the DC trip report, you can read it here:

Friday, July 2
Saturday, July 3
Sunday, July 4
Monday, July 5
Tuesday, July 6
Wednesday, July 7

Have a great day!

Washington, DC - Wednesday July 7

Our last full day before leaving!

Today we had planned on visiting the National American History Museum. This is where the giant Star-Spangled Banner Flag from 1812 is on display. This was the flag that inspired the song The Star-Spangled Banner, the US National Anthem. The flag is kept in a controlled environment and no photography is allowed. I had no idea it was so huge, it measures 30 feet by 42 feet (9.1 m × 12.8 m).

At this museum there was TONS of stuff, so many rooms with so many different things! You have popular culture like the original Kermit the Frog doll, the original ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz, to anything and everything you can possible imagine. We got a wheel chair at this place too, since we knew we would spend many hours there. My leg was not exactly cooperating, so you just gotta do what you gotta do, right?

One of the exhibits was about the different Presidents this country has had. I had no idea President Lincoln was actually a really handsome man in his younger years! I found a different exhibit about the First Ladies very interesting. Most of the inaugural gowns they had all worn was on display, as well as many other clothing and other items. Lots of fun!

Here is Michelle Obama's gown from the most recent Presidential inauguration

After the National American History Museum we walked over to the nearby National Aquarium. This is one of the few places that actually charge you to get ion, but it was hot and an aquarium actually sounded like a great idea.

Skip this place. It is houses in a basement, it is tiny and all you feel is sorry for the poor creatures crammed in there... It made us all kind of depressed!

After a long day at the museum Ken still wanted to see the Jefferson Memorial, which was the only major memorial we had not seen so far. There was no way I could walk all the way over to it, so I parked myself with an ice cold drink and some chilly watermelon chunks at the Old Post Office Pavilion and enjoyed some people watching while Sarah and Ken walked over there. It took them almost 1½ to get there and come back, in 103F/41C heat! They were kind of baked when they got back, to say the least...

Sarah in front of the Jefferson Memorial

They met a friendly Park Ranger at the Memorial that gave them a little tour

We were hot and very tired and all we had energy for that evening was to enjoy a nice dinner with some yummy take out from one of the local restaurants.

The next day we left DC with a feeling of satisfaction. We all got to see what we wanted, we had plenty of time to really get to know the city and what it has to offer. We only visited a handful of the many museums and other cool places, we tried to pick out the once we most likely would enjoy. But there is so much more! All in all, we had a great vacation (and my leg got back to normal as soon as we got home, of course. It just didn't like all that walking...).

Friday, July 2
Saturday, July 3
Sunday, July 4
Monday, July 5
Tuesday, July 6
Wednesday, July 7

Washington, DC - Tuesday July 6

Ken had to work a little this day, so Sarah and I took the opportunity to go out to Pentagon City where there is a large 4 story shopping mall. This was one of the hottest days in DC, not a day to be walking around outside. The leisurely stroll in the nice cold AC was also about all my leg could handle.

We had lots of fun browsing and shopping and having lunch, and soon most of the day was already gone!

After getting home and resting for a while we took off all of us - it was time for a Ghost Walk we had booked in advance. We stopped for a nice quick dinner in the federal district, not far from the White House, before meeting up with our guide for the evening and the other participants.

Ken and Sarah in front of the White House

The tour guide is actually an actress, and she was dressed in clothing similar to what they would have worn in DC earlier years. She explained the stories she would tell us were all verified by at least three independent people and that they were not allowed to embellish or make up things when telling the stories.

Sarah found something fun to sit on during one of the stops

The entire tour took place around Lafayette Square, which is directly in front of the White House. This was where the first settlements were, so naturally many people had come and gone in these houses. We got to hear some very interesting stories and picked up a little new history information along the way. Very interesting, but also a very HOT evening, so not so comfortable!

The White House seen from Lafayette Square

A closer look of the front

Some of the square was blocked off and there was secret service agents and vehicles all over, so it gave the entire thing a cool vibe to it. We got a very up close look at the White House as well, as well as a good dose of stories about the White House and the people that have lived there.

And yes, Barack Obama, the President himself, was home. There were lots of snipers on that roof!

Friday, July 2
Saturday, July 3
Sunday, July 4
Monday, July 5
Tuesday, July 6
Wednesday, July 7

Washington, DC - Monday July 5

Monday morning we were pretty tired after all that walking in the heat the day before, but we still took off so we could be at the National Natural History Museum when they opened. Since we were going to spend most of the day here, we borrowed a wheel chair at the museum, otherwise I would not have been able to handle it. A wheel chair worked out just great!

Right after we got there I had tickets to visit the Butterfly Pavilion at the museum. This was a pretty small place, but so cool! I have been to many butterfly places, but this one was very good. You had to watch where you walked in there, since they often sat directly on the floor.

There was tons of stuff to explore at this place, a real gold mine for a family like us that likes anything nature. We saw exhibits about early humans, we got to use a machine that morphed our faces digitally into what we might have looked like as Neanderthals (not such a good look!), we saw endless fossils and animals on display.

In one of the fossil display cases you could see exactly where the fossil had been found, and I had to double check when I saw several that were from Gotland, my home island in Sweden! So cool!

One of the fossils from Gotland, that has found its way all the way to DC

Sarah was of course very excited to see all the real dinosaurs fossils, and she was not disappointed! Here are some of them:

The colorful one is of course Sarah, and not a fossil :-)

We also had pre-booked tickets to an IMAX 3D movie about dinosaurs which was really cool.

We spent most of the day at the National Natural History Museum and an earlier evening than usual, so I would have a chance to rest the leg a little.

Friday, July 2
Saturday, July 3
Sunday, July 4
Monday, July 5
Tuesday, July 6
Wednesday, July 7

Washington, DC - Sunday July 4th

4th of July! Independence Day!

We were very curious to see how it would be to experience America's Day in the Nations Capitol. We decided to head northwest to the National Zoo in the morning, to see the famous pandas, of course! From what I have heard, the zoo itself is not that spectacular, but seeing pandas is a big enough draw. Especially since they are slated to return to their home country China later this year, which they have been on loan from for 10 years now.

One of the three pandas

A favorite was something called Amazonia, an indoor recreation of the Amazon forest. Here the animals roamed free, and we found a cute little monkey to take pictures off. After getting a little too close, he decided to try and grab my camera...

Cute little monkey...

...who was also very curios. Here he tries to grab my camera!

A cool bug made out of other bugs in Amazonia

It was hot and humid, not very pleasant at all. Luckily we got by with some ice cream and lots of drinks! I felt bad for the furrier of the animals, but I saw the next day on the news they had provided them with frozen treats to cool off with. The tigers and lions even got frozen blood popsicles :-)!

Sarah's favorite animal, the tiger

We had gotten a tips to start in one particular end, since the zoo is on a hill, and therefore we would be walking down hill all day. That is a particular great idea for a zoo like this, which is designed around just one major walkway that goes right through. We felt really good about this smart tip, until we got to the end. We stopped to ask how we would get to the METRO from there, and they smiled and told us the only access to that street was to go all the way back to the other end. Uphill. Groan!!!

To add to the problem was my blood clot that I still have in my left lower leg. It decided to rear its ugly head and completely clog my leg. I have a vena cava filter that should (it is 80 % secure) prevent a loose clot from wandering up to my lungs, heart or brain. I was allergic to most of the blood thinners so they just put that in instead.

But, once in a while after walking a lot (which we obviously had been doing the past few days) it clogs the blood flow. It goes into the leg, but have a hard time leaving it. So the leg swells to double size and hurts like crazy.

Lets just say that was not a pleasant walk back to the other end... To be on the safe side I stopped by a pharmacy to get some blood thinning aspirin, in hopes it would thin the blood out a little and ease the swelling and the block. Because we still have a lot of vacation left at this point!

After getting home we rested up and cooled off in wait for the evenings fireworks display. I tried to lay with my leg up high and drink a lot of water, but it just wouldn't budge much at all. Big bummer!

But leg problem or no leg problem, we were here to experience the fireworks, so we started down toward the Mall around 7:30 PM. The METRO was super packed, we felt like sardines. Most of the people had already staked out their spots on the Mall hours earlier, so we were definitively some of the late arrivals. We still managed to get a wonderful spot almost right in front of the Washington Monument where we spread out our blanket. The fireworks were set to go off at 9:10 PM.

I could not believe the amount of people, like a never ending sea of people, stretching all the ways around us. I think this is by far the largest crowd I have ever been in. And we did not see any people behaving badly or unruly, it was just a very festive atmosphere all around.

The fireworks were great, but I think just being where we were made them so much more special!

Oooh!

Aaaaah!

Wow!

After the show we had planned on taking the METRO home, especially with my bad leg and all. But the huge amount of people that immediately after the show started to make their way to the METRO stations in the different directions around us did not look promising. It would probably be hours just trying to get down to the trains, and with all those people pushing, no air and hot: not a great idea...

So we made the decision to walk home. It took well over an hour and I was in horrendous pain by the time we got back. My leg was not happy at all... But thinking about the METRO and how bad that would have been made the decision still the better one. And a cab was not even to think about, people threw themselves on them any chance they got!

Besides the pain and discomfort, the walk home was actually very nice. We walked over the Capitol grounds, saw the Supreme Court, Congressional and Senate buildings, all very interesting. And the mood and atmosphere were all still very festive, with people celebrating Independence Day all around.

A very tired and hot Ken and Sarah on our walk home, in front of the US Capitol Building

Friday, July 2
Saturday, July 3
Sunday, July 4
Monday, July 5
Tuesday, July 6
Wednesday, July 7

Washington, DC - Saturday July 3

I forgot to mention - DC have had some really, really hot and humid weather the last few weeks, but we were prepared for that. After all, we live in Florida, so not much could be worse than that, right?

We were however pleasantly surprised by an unexpected dip in temperatures and humidity - unfortunately only for a few days, but still. The mornings have been refreshingly cool - but not so much towards midday... Later on we had a heat record and it was 103 F/40 C plus 80 % humidity... Not fun in a big city!

Saturday we had plans to visit our first National Museum, the National Air & Space Museum. This is the most visited of the great Smithsonian museums - in fact, it is the most visited museum in the world, with around 9 million visitors a year! Wow!

We hopped on the METRO and was waiting outside when they opened, in hopes to avoid the worst of the crowds. As with all the museums and some other sites in DC, you have to go through security and have your bags x-rayed before entering, almost like at the airport, so it can take a while to get in.

After getting in we explored the wast collections of air-crafts and other interesting, educational and historic air and space craft. Pretty amazing stuff, though I don't think anyone one of us is particularly interested in aviation.

The original Spirit of St Louis plane

We did however greatly enjoy a planetary show called "Journey to the Stars" and an awesome (brand new) IMAX movie in 3D about the Hubble telescope, very good. There was also an awesome photo collection from space of planets and things of that nature that was great.

After 5 hours at the National Air & Space Museum we walked over to the National Archives, were we had a pre-reserved self guided tour of the archives scheduled. I felt bad for those who did not, they had to stand in a very long line outside in the heat to get in...

The National Archives

This is a very beautiful, awesome building that holds some of the most revered American documents: The Bill of Rights, The Constitution and The Declaration of Independence, along with other important documents. It was very interesting to be just a few inches away from these, I think I especially liked the Declaration of Independence, even if it is pretty faded and worn at this point. They were all heavily protected under several layers of different kind of preservation measures, and the light was very dim in here to protect them as well.

There were other interesting things to see here as well, not just documents, but film recordings and voice recordings. Researchers can also study the records here, especially in regards to immigration and things of that sort. A very impressive building.

After our visit here we walked over to the Old Post Office Pavilion, and along the way we stopped by the Internal Revenue Service, IRS, which of course Ken had to check out, being a CPA and all.

Ken (and Sarah) show their "love" for the IRS

At the Old Post Office Pavilion we took the elevator up to the 12th floor, up in the clock tower to check out the view. We ended our visit here with a little Middle Eastern food before heading home on the METRO.

Friday, July 2
Saturday, July 3
Sunday, July 4
Monday, July 5
Tuesday, July 6
Wednesday, July 7

Washington, DC - Friday July 2

We arrived in good order on Thursday. It took us a little time to get the Wi-Fi going, getting groceries and unpack.

By the time we were done, it was almost 8 PM, so our first night in DC was spent just going out for a nice dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant and watching a movie at home.

Our condo that we rented was just perfect: a short walk from the METRO, in the historic Barracks Row/Eastern Market neighborhood, on Capitol Hill. A nice mix of residential housing, shops and cozy little restaurants, most of them pretty old and historic. In fact, I don't think I saw any modern or new buildings while we were in DC! It seemed like a pretty safe neighborhood, not that we ventured out that much at night anyway...

A typical street in the Barracks Row neighborhood

I think we made a good choice renting a condo rather than getting a regular hotel room. We had all the comforts of home, a living room with a huge, comfy couch, flat screen TV, DVD player, stereo, fully equipped kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms (but we used the guest bedroom as a dressing room for all our clothes, since we had 3 beds in the master bedroom).

We were on the 2nd floor in a building that is called the Defalco House, a pretty old house, but the condo is newly renovated and modern, so the best of both worlds!

Here is the Defalco House, we stayed on the second floor on the right.

Our first day out on town, we wanted to get a lay of the land, so to speak. Both Ken and I have been to DC before on separate occasions, but it was all work and no sightseeing at that time, so the city is still pretty new for us both.

Having used the subway in several other cities, the METRO was easy to figure out, and we were off at 9 AM. Most places doesn't open until 10 AM, so no need to stress in the mornings!

We had booked a 1 ½ hour tour of the city with DC ducks. This tour is a little more family oriented, and the tour vehicles are actually amphibious military vehicles, almost 60 year old! The fun part is that we got to tour both on land and on the Potomac River, since it can handle both. At the end, the driver/captain handed out "quackers" that people (read kids) quacked with to their hearts content.

The tour took us around the city, and the guide was very knowledgeable, telling us about all the different things we passed by along the way. The tour started and ended at Union Station, that in itself a beautiful building.

Union Station

Sarah getting ready to get on the bus/boat

While on the Potomac River, Sarah got to drive the boat!

And Sarah with one of the famous quackers they hand out

While on the river part of the tour we drove by the Pentagon up close, and we got a great view of all the famous monuments.

The Pentagon

We also saw a lot of nice vistas over the city itself, as well as many of the buildings that hosts various national and federal agencies and the well renowned Smithsonian Institute museums.

View over the Potomac River

A view of downtown

The Jefferson Memorial and the Washington Memorial in the background

The Capitol where they were busy setting up the stage for the 4th of July concert

The Smithsonian Castle

After our tour we took the Metro to Chinatown, which in DC is very small compared to the one in NYC. But we had a tasty lunch there and walked around and enjoy the atmosphere a little bit.

The gate at the entrance to Chinatown

After lunch it was time to visit the Washington Memorial up close and personal. I had tickets for us to take the elevator up to the top, which is otherwise hard to get unless you book them in advance or show up early in the morning. We had a fantastic view of DC from up there!

We are getting ready to get up in the Washington Memorial

It is tall...

...but just look at that view! This is the Mall, facing the Capitol. All those white things in the middle are tents were the annual Folklife Festival was going on.

The Capitol at the end of the Mall

From another side we had a pretty good view of the White House. How do you know if the President is home? There are snipers on the roof (too far away too see any in this picture, but we saw them later on).

The White House

After the Washington Memorial we continued down the Mall to see some of the other monuments. It was a hot day and it is a long walk, but it was very interesting.

Here Sarah and I (as well as many other people) take the opportunity to cool our feet in the cool waters of the WWII Memorial.

At the end of the Mall is the impressive Lincoln Memorial

View from inside the Lincoln Memorial towards the Washington Memorial

President Lincoln looking down on us

Part of the Korea War Memorial

Ken and Sarah in front of the Vietnam War Memorial

We were pretty wiped out after our first day in DC, but still looking forward to visiting the National Air and Space Museum and the National Archives the following day.


Friday, July 2
Saturday, July 3
Sunday, July 4
Monday, July 5
Tuesday, July 6
Wednesday, July 7