Chaos in the Toy Hauler

I went to IL to visit Josh over the weekend. We went to dinner (date night!), Costco, and Guitar Center so that Josh could get a music book (he's learning to play the bass). I headed back to Indiana Sunday afternoon and shortly after sitting down to watch some Clone Wars I heard a loud bang! I paused my show and looked out the windows to see if any of our neighbors were outside working on their trucks or anything. No one. Strange... So I went back to sit down when I heard a loud bang again. This time I ran to the back of the Raptor where the garage/toy hauler is and I found this:

We have two queen-sized bunk beds that hang from the ceiling. If we need them to come down we have to flip a switch and they will descend. Well, the bottom bed decided to come down all on it's own and it crushed everything in it's path! And I mean EVERYTHING!

Just for reference, this is what it is supposed to look like when both bunk beds are up:

See? Plenty of space below them for all of our stuff.

Of course, I panicked and called Josh. He told me that I needed to cut power or else the motor would continue to push the bed down and it could burn out our fuses! AH! I decided to disconnect the bunk bed switch in hopes that it would stop the bed but it didn't work! I then tried to throw a couple of the breakers and pull fuses but I didn't know which ones! Luckily, Josh was only 90 minutes away and he showed up to trouble shoot the problem.

After trying a few different things, Josh came to the conclusion that the problem was actually in the motor itself. But of course the motor was above the top bunk and that bed had not come down because it was held in place by pins. Josh and I had to lower it manually which was hard because the bed is so heavy. We knelt on the first bed, pulled the pins, and then slowly lowered the top bunk so we wouldn't get crushed.

Josh disconnected the motor and we found the culprit: water! The tiny "bed-lift controller" is screwed to the ceiling and water had leaked in and had fried a few of the components.

See where the wires are hanging out of the ceiling? That's where the little

"bed-lift controller" was.

So that was it! A little water got in and caused all this damage! My file boxes are destroyed, the clothing rack, the little dresser, and who knows what else. I won't be able to completely access the damage until we get new parts are we are able to lift the beds.

And now we have to wait. The parts for RVs and Fifth-wheels are specialized so you can't just walk into any store and buy them. Hopefully the parts will arrive by the weekend and then we can get this all fixed up!

Owning stuff is fun, right?!

Life Lately

My life is pretty much dominated by work and the gym. I don't really do much else because I am so tired and I don't have the time. Not complaining! I am blessed!

Apparently April 29th is "Administrative Professionals Day" and I had no idea until this Edible Arrangement arrived at my office! It was from one of my Inspectors! It's so nice to be appreciated :-)  My boss also called me into my office and handed me a $20 bill. He said, "Apparently it's some kind of office person day... go have lunch on me." I laughed pretty hard and then said, "Thanks! It's always nice to be appreciated!" He just looked at me, laughed, and then patted me on the back before leaving the office. I'll take what I can get!

We continue to have meetings around here. Gotta keep talking about what needs to be done in order to finish this project!

I gave up eating processed sugar (cookies, candy, chocolate, doughnuts, all kinds of "sweets") in February. Since then I've cheated three time: Easter, Josh's 30th birthday, and our 1 Year Wedding Anniversary. I also gave up wheat-stuff and starchy-stuff (pasta, bread, crackers, potatoes, corn, etc.) almost two months ago and I've only cheated once since then (Josh's 30th)! It's hard when I am constantly being sent to Panera Bread and Starbucks to get treats for the office! But i've been drinking protein shakes to keep the cravings in check. Gotta stay strong!

It's SPRING! I am obsessed with the Canadian Geese and their babies! I see them all over town and in the RV Park and I can help but squeal every time I see them! There are three Canadian Geese couples at the RV Park. One couple has two babies, one couple has nine, and the third couple has 12! TWELVE BABIES! They are so fluffy and cute! I just want to kidnap them and take them home with me!

I bought the first few seasons of Deadliest Catch and have been watching them as I go to bed. Such a great show! I love CRAB!

I've also been getting ready for Star Wars Episode VII to come out in December. Gotta catch up on The Clone Wars and Rebels!

One Year Wedding Anniversary and Memorial Day Weekend

Josh and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary on Saturday (our actual anniversary is on Sunday). Josh's crew in IL got rained out so he was able to come home early on Saturday. Apparently "paper" is the traditional first wedding anniversary present so Josh got me these Japanese Chiyogami Paper earring and necklace. They are beautiful and are very me!

For dinner we went to a local favorite, Stacks! We both got the fish and it was delicious!

When Josh got home on Saturday I had a nice long list of things for him to do: birthday thank you cards, check for mold under the fridge, remove the skirting from the Raptor, install tailgate cap... you know, guy stuff :-)

Of course, Josh went above and beyond with his chores. He went to the store and bought a powerful hose and brush so that he could wash the Raptor after he removed the skirting! It looks so great!

I kept offering to help but he didn't need me, so I stayed inside, caught up on my Clone Wars TV show, cleaned, and did laundry. 

I can't believe we were able to have two days off in a row and that we were able to spend those days together! 

Happy Anniversary Josh! I love you!

Josh's 30th Birthday

It was the big 3-0 for Josh this year!

We decided to celebrate by meeting up at the 4 Winds Casino, getting dinner at our favorite Steakhouse (the Copper Rock), and then staying the night in a Junior Suite. 

The rooms are EXPENSIVE and since you only get them from 4 PM to 11 AM, I decided to take full advantage of the 19 hours.

I drove up from work and arrived in our beautiful room at 4:05 PM (no messing around here!)

 

 After showing myself around the room I jumped in the bath to relax. BUT... I over did it! I poured in WAY too much of the bubble bath and it got a little out of control! The bubbles were overwhelming but then it got worse when I made the mistake of turning on the jets!

Death by bubbles!

After my bath I watched some FRIENDS and took a little cat nap.

Good thing I can watch FRIENDS and play Keno at the same time if I wanted to!

Since we didn't know what time Josh would get off work, I made reservations for 8:30. I also bought some cheese and crackers to hold us over until then. Josh got off work early and made it to the hotel at 7:00. We opened presents, ate some cheese and crackers, and then got ready for dinner.

I decided to wear my fancy wedding jewelry.

I got Josh some movies, a hard hat, and a stand for his computer (so he can use it while in his Jeep). He also got presents from family including movies, TV shows, video games, a base guitar, CDs, and more! Thanks everyone! He is so spoiled!

Hard hat with a beard!

Dinner was AMAZING, as usual! The steakhouse was featuring King Crab legs and we couldn't resist! They were not as good as Tracy's Crab Shack in Alaska (nothing ever will be) but they were very tasty! We also got the Ahi appetizer. For dinner we both got the filet mignon and then we split the creme brulee for dessert! YUM! 

Our Office, The Life-Size Petri Dish

My office has turned into a Hot Zone. There are multiple sicknesses going around and people are reacting very differently to the same virus. It's totally crazy! I've suggested multiple times to my boss about shutting down the office for a few days but he wouldn't hear it. 

Here's a breakdown of my office and what everyone has:

Patient 1 - Flu and bronchitis

Patient 2 - Flu, pneumonia, and hospital stay

Patient 3 - Flu (Influenza Type B), bronchitis, and pre-pneumonia

Patient 4 - Flu and bronchitis

Patient 5 - Flu (Influenza Type B)

Patient 6 - Flu (Influenza Type B)

Patient 7 (Me) - Flu (Influenza Type B)

Patient 8 - Flu, bronchitis, and laryngitis

Patient 9 - Flu (Influenza Type A and B)

Patient 10 - Nothing

Patient 11 - Nothing

Patient 12 - Nothing

Patient 13 - Nothing

Patient 14 - Nothing

After three of my coworkers tested positive for Influenza B I decided to go get tested even though I only have a runny nose and a mild sore throat. I went to the same clinic as the others and I told the nurses and Dr what was going on at my office. The nurse was not happy with me. She asked me if my coworkers were stupid. I just laughed. It's hard to call in sick when you work in construction and everyone wants to portray themselves as being strong. It's not their fault. One of my coworkers did call in sick but my boss yelled at him and told him to get to work. So yea... we aren't stupid. We are just stuck in a rough position. 

After hearing my situation the Dr decided to get me tested. The nurse came in, pushed a cotton swap up my nose, and then ran the test. 15 minutes later she came back in and told me I was positive for Influenza B. I thought she was joking. She couldn't believe it either. The Dr started me on Tamiflu and told me not to go back to work for another 48 hours. She also asked me to wear a mask when I was in public. 

I ran to the Pharmacy (with my mask on) and got my prescription, soup, and a big bottle of water. 

I went back to the office and old my boss that I was positive for the flu and that my Dr said I should be around people for the next two days. I even had a note from her. He wasn't buying it. He told me that I needed to be at the office the next morning. I wasn't happy about that. Most of my coworkers are "old" and if they get sick this could put them in the hospital. One of them already WAS IN THE HOSPITAL! 

Things like this make me so mad! The flu is not something to joke about. I take things like this seriously and I believe that it is my civic duty to not get people sick, especially after I have been diagnosed. It's hard to do that when no one else (especially the people who pay you) understands how serious it can get.  

I did as I was told and went into the office Friday and Saturday morning. I opened the door, wiped down the door knobs with Clorox wipes, and then went and sat in my truck and waited for everyone to show up. Once my boss showed up I waved and told him I was going home. He nodded and waved. Good enough for me! 

As of right now (Saturday afternoon, April 18th), 9 out of our 14 people are sick. I'm really hoping that this crap moves on and everyone gets better real soon!

[Doing my duty]

[This makes everything better]

While I've been at home I've been watching a lot of TV. The NBA Playoffs are on. My Lakers didn't make it. Not even close. They finished the season at 21-61. It breaks my heart. I will still watch the Playoffs since I am a fan of the game but I have no idea who to root for. Ugh. Well, baseball season just started. Hopefully my Angels will give me a good year.

Side story, last time I was visiting Josh in IL I went shopping for him. He asked for cheese (among other things) so I ran over to Costco. He sent me this picture a few days later asking me if I needed any cheese. He asked for cheese and I gave him cheese! Good thing you can freeze it, right?! Costco is the best!

Great Plains Tornadoes in Illinois

Work was called off yesterday for both Josh and I because we had bad weather and there was a high chance for tornado's.

Indiana ended up with some rain, thunder storms, lightning, and strong wind.

Illinois, where Josh is, was hit pretty hard by some huge tornado's and Josh was in their path!

I was aware of the warnings but it wasn't until my TV shows got interrupted that I realized how serious the situation was.

I called Josh, since I knew he didn't have TV, and kept him on the phone while I described what I saw on the News. Most of the storms were in the north but there was a system forming southwest of Josh.

[The southern red area is just outside Ottawa and Aurora is northeast of there]

The News predicted that the super cell/tornado/storm would hit Aurora at 8:55 PM. I relayed this information to Josh and he told me that he was going to go outside and watch it roll in. Ugh. Boys!

Of course these storms are unpredictable and luckily this storm decided to head more east-northeast then the original northeastern path and it barely missed Josh! Phew!

The northern storms ended up being so much worse then they had predicted. Three towns were leveled by a series of large tornado's. The largest one was an EF4 and at least two people were killed. Thanks to modern technology most people were able to get into their basements but now there is a lot of clean up to do.

South America vs. Australia

Josh and I want to go on an awesome-legendary-honeymoonish-trip once we are done with the job I am currently on. It's been so long since I've gone on a huge trip and I have the travel bug big time! We are thinking that we will be done with our projects by the end of the summer and if that happens then we have two options:

(1) South American Cruise with Land Adventure in Brazil

This 32-day "Inca Discovery and South America" cruise (leaving October 7) would have us sailing from San Diego and ending in Bueno Aires. Highlights would include Machu Picchu, the Chilean Fjords, Cape Horn, and the Falkland Islands. After the cruise we would like to fly up to Rio de Janeiro and explore that area for a week or so.

(2) Australia Land Adventure and New Zealand and Fiji Cruise

This 25-day "Pacific and New Zealand Discovery Collector" cruise (leaving November 22) would have us sailing from Sydney, around New Zealand, back to Sydney, and then around Fiji. Highlights include Fiordland National Park, Christchurch, and the Fijian islands. After the cruise we are planning on spending two weeks around Australia. We would fly up to Cairns to see the Great Barrier Reef, Fly to Uluru to see Ayers Rock in the Outback, and spend a few days exploring the Sydney area.

****

Can you see my dilemma?! Both of these trips would be AMAZING! I want to see Machu Picchu SO BADLY but more then I want to see the place where LORD OF THE RINGS was filmed?! What about the Sydney Opera House? Or the Blue Mountains? Or FIJI?! But what about Mexico and Guatemala (MESOAMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES) and the PENGUINS?! BAHH!

I obviously can't decide. I'm torn. Completely torn! I guess we will have to let fate decide. If we are both done with our projects by the beginning of October then it will be Option 1 but if we don't finish until November then it'll be Option 2. That sounds simple enough ;-) 

Either way, I am very excited to go with Josh on his first cruise and out of country experience (Canada doesn't really count, right?)!

So, if you had the choice, where would you go?