Wake up around 7:00. Kiss Steph good-bye and wish her a good luck at work. Grab a cup of coffee and a bagel. Take Charlie for a walk. Head to the YMCA to work out. Come back and take Charlie for another walk. Head to the pool for an hour or so. Come in, take a shower. Then the work day really begins. I've been spending the afternoons researching houses on the Internet and then driving around for a few hours to familiarize myself with Nashville. After a long hard day of driving and house hunting I wait for Steph to get home so we can go out to dinner. Yesterday we had Outback...it was as good as it is up home!
Charlie normally accompanies me on my trips around the city. We made a stop at a park near Belmont University yesterday and he seemed to have a good time (I can only judge that by the big smile on his face after he went to the bathroom). Charlie has been doing well. We found quite a few people here in our apartment complex that have dogs. Charlie of course has made friends quickly. So far his buddies are Alex, Johnny, Honey Bear, and Daisy. Johnny is about 2 weeks old and is very scrappy.
One of the places Charlie and I visited this week was a place called Las Palatas. They are famous Mexican Popsicles made here in Nashville. Yes I know what many of you are thinking...no Mexican Popsicles aren't from Hamilton. They are actually very good and come in a variety of fruit flavors. They taste like very fresh fruit, only cold.
Spending a lot of time with Charlie has definitely brought us closer together. I hope Steph is making enough money that I can home school Charlie when he is older...I just can't imagine having to leave him during the day. I mean I am teaching him so much! Just yesterday I taught him a valuable lesson that my dad passed on to me. We were driving around town and some guy cut me off going into the shopping center. I proceeded to yell and curse at him. I know I should have told Charlie "ear muffs", but I was just too mad. Anyway upon further inspection we found out that the guy was actually a girl. This gave me the opportunity to let Charlie know what to expect the next time someone cut us off and was driving erratically. Yup, you guessed it...Charlie is expecting it to be a woman. Don't yell at the facts. So far in my recent scientific studies here in Nashville I have become frustrated with 10 drivers and so far all of them have been woman. I will continue to update this stat for those nay sayers out there.
Steph is staying very busy at work. So far she says things are going well and seems to be picking up right where she left off. I told her if she really wants me to work again that I could just commute to Fairfield during the week until we sell the house. She didn't like that idea too much. I will be heading back home on Sunday for a day or two in order to do some work on the house. After that we won't be back until around July 30th. I did get a confirmation on our first visitors to Nashville today. Casey, Owen, and Kelly are going to come down July 9th thru 12th. (Casey will be happy to hear that we have a Jimmy John's right down the street!) Those of you that haven't started thinking about visiting... what are you waiting for. Remember right now I can be a great tour guide, once Stephanie puts a stop to all that nonsense and I get a job my tour guide services will diminish.
Hope to see yall soon.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
The One That Got Away!
I'm back! After relaxing at the lake for a week I have made it back to Nashville. Hopefully my assistant, Stephanie kept you all informed. I apologize if she disappointed anyone...she's a rookie and will improve with time.
Watts Bar Lake was beautiful. Very peaceful and relaxing. The fishing was great! I brought a camera to take a picture if all the lunker fish I was going to catch and thought I would post them here. Of course if I did that then I wouldn't be able to exaggerate my fish stories like a true angler. I did however take a few pictures of the sunset and have posted them for your enjoyment.
Truthfully though, I did catch some fish. We did a variety of styles. Early in the morning (4:30 am) we did some top-water fishing for large mouth bass. In the afternoons a few of us headed out to a spot called the island and trolled for white bass and strippers. This is a very relaxing way to fish. Basically someone drives the boat and 2 people sit in the back of the boat, hold a pole and about 3 min into the pass catch a fish. The other people in the boat are in charge of handing the "fishermen" their beers as they relax. Yes Momzes, we did drink a beer. We tried to limit it to one a day. :)
Then as if that wasn't enough, I went night fishing twice. Ron Jackups neighbor, Ray, offered to take me with him. We would leave about 8:30 pm and come back around 3:30 am. The first night I caught a combination of large and small mouth...around 10. Unfortunately Ray caught quite a bit less than that. After out fishing him, I didn't think I would get another invitation, but the next night he offered and I took him up on it. He said things would be different that night, but once again he caught less than I did. I think that might be the last time Ray takes me night fishing. Our "guides" were Ron Jackups, Ray, and Larry Vicarel. Fishing is a lot of fun when someone else does all the work...these guys were great!
Stephanie and Charlie came to visit on Saturday. Poor Charlie had to go to a kennel for the first time. We told him he was going to a sleepover and he was fine after that. Actually he did really well for his first time. I'm sure he really missed Kipper. Stephanie arrived Saturday morning and brought the first rain we had all week. Showers were hit and miss and the girls did finally get a few hours out on the water. I know we will visit over the summer so I'm sure she will get some more time on the lake and maybe even learn to ski again.
I guess that's it for now. I'll keep you posted on the weeks events. Casey wants a blog everyday, but I will spare you that...I'm very busy during the day and don't know if I'll have the time between walking Charlie and going to the pool. (Don't tell Steph...she thinks I'll be out looking for a job).
Make sure everyone wishes Owen a Happy Birthday! He is EXACTLY one-year old today!
Watts Bar Lake was beautiful. Very peaceful and relaxing. The fishing was great! I brought a camera to take a picture if all the lunker fish I was going to catch and thought I would post them here. Of course if I did that then I wouldn't be able to exaggerate my fish stories like a true angler. I did however take a few pictures of the sunset and have posted them for your enjoyment.
Truthfully though, I did catch some fish. We did a variety of styles. Early in the morning (4:30 am) we did some top-water fishing for large mouth bass. In the afternoons a few of us headed out to a spot called the island and trolled for white bass and strippers. This is a very relaxing way to fish. Basically someone drives the boat and 2 people sit in the back of the boat, hold a pole and about 3 min into the pass catch a fish. The other people in the boat are in charge of handing the "fishermen" their beers as they relax. Yes Momzes, we did drink a beer. We tried to limit it to one a day. :)
Then as if that wasn't enough, I went night fishing twice. Ron Jackups neighbor, Ray, offered to take me with him. We would leave about 8:30 pm and come back around 3:30 am. The first night I caught a combination of large and small mouth...around 10. Unfortunately Ray caught quite a bit less than that. After out fishing him, I didn't think I would get another invitation, but the next night he offered and I took him up on it. He said things would be different that night, but once again he caught less than I did. I think that might be the last time Ray takes me night fishing. Our "guides" were Ron Jackups, Ray, and Larry Vicarel. Fishing is a lot of fun when someone else does all the work...these guys were great!
Stephanie and Charlie came to visit on Saturday. Poor Charlie had to go to a kennel for the first time. We told him he was going to a sleepover and he was fine after that. Actually he did really well for his first time. I'm sure he really missed Kipper. Stephanie arrived Saturday morning and brought the first rain we had all week. Showers were hit and miss and the girls did finally get a few hours out on the water. I know we will visit over the summer so I'm sure she will get some more time on the lake and maybe even learn to ski again.
I guess that's it for now. I'll keep you posted on the weeks events. Casey wants a blog everyday, but I will spare you that...I'm very busy during the day and don't know if I'll have the time between walking Charlie and going to the pool. (Don't tell Steph...she thinks I'll be out looking for a job).
Make sure everyone wishes Owen a Happy Birthday! He is EXACTLY one-year old today!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Charlie and Me
Jason has extended his vacation to the lake. Charlie and I dropped him off early this morning at Watts Barr Lake toward Knoxville. It's a little less than 3 hours from here. He's spending the week fishing, golfing and drinking with the guys. Thank goodness my dad and Rob are there to keep an eye on him. :) All kinds of trouble for those boys to get into. Jason has been excited about it for awhile now and I know will have an excellent time.
So it's Charlie and Me for the rest of the week. And I have been designated as the Brown Blogger while Jason is out. This is my first one. If you haven't read back through the postings, here's the gist of things. We got here on Saturday. Our temporary housing is great! We are very pleased. For the past few days we have done 3 main things. Worked out, ate and driven around. It doesn't sounds exciting, but we've actually had a blast. As Jason mentioned, it feels like we're on a mini vacation. And it's quite relaxing. I'm trying to enjoy it now before our life gets crazy.
Today after we dropped Jason off at the lake, we came back the apartment to get out of the rain. It was coming down pretty hard. I did a few things for work which turned out to be exciting... I set an appointment to meet with a client on Monday - the first day we're open. Nothing like starting off with a bang. :) Then we took a small nap. Hey- we were up at 4:30 am to get on the road so it's justified.
I ran a few errands and then took Charlie to a play area. He met a friend and was cracking me up. The other dog got a little rough and right away Charlie laid on his back w/ all fours up in the air, immediately surrendering. If you didn't already know, he's quite submissive.
Then I sat on the balcony, watched it rain, read a magazine about Nashville and drank a few beers. Just perfect. Tonight Charlie kept nagging me about getting ice cream so we ventured out for a walk to Maggie Moo's. I thought I knew where it was- that's what I get for thinking. We ended up at Cold Stone Creamery. It's just as good or better any way. I tried to take Charlie inside, but he wasn't allowed. And what do you know, a friendly couple from Cincinnati watched Charlie as I ordered. So far we have found the reputation of niceness to be true. Everyone we have come across has been extremely friendly.
Tomorrow's my last day of rest and relaxation, then the fun begins on Thursday. I'm really excited to get started.
Saturday I'm heading to the lake to hang out with the ladies and then drive back w/ Jason on Sunday. Then it will be back to Jason, Charlie and me. Much better.
So it's Charlie and Me for the rest of the week. And I have been designated as the Brown Blogger while Jason is out. This is my first one. If you haven't read back through the postings, here's the gist of things. We got here on Saturday. Our temporary housing is great! We are very pleased. For the past few days we have done 3 main things. Worked out, ate and driven around. It doesn't sounds exciting, but we've actually had a blast. As Jason mentioned, it feels like we're on a mini vacation. And it's quite relaxing. I'm trying to enjoy it now before our life gets crazy.
Today after we dropped Jason off at the lake, we came back the apartment to get out of the rain. It was coming down pretty hard. I did a few things for work which turned out to be exciting... I set an appointment to meet with a client on Monday - the first day we're open. Nothing like starting off with a bang. :) Then we took a small nap. Hey- we were up at 4:30 am to get on the road so it's justified.
I ran a few errands and then took Charlie to a play area. He met a friend and was cracking me up. The other dog got a little rough and right away Charlie laid on his back w/ all fours up in the air, immediately surrendering. If you didn't already know, he's quite submissive.
Then I sat on the balcony, watched it rain, read a magazine about Nashville and drank a few beers. Just perfect. Tonight Charlie kept nagging me about getting ice cream so we ventured out for a walk to Maggie Moo's. I thought I knew where it was- that's what I get for thinking. We ended up at Cold Stone Creamery. It's just as good or better any way. I tried to take Charlie inside, but he wasn't allowed. And what do you know, a friendly couple from Cincinnati watched Charlie as I ordered. So far we have found the reputation of niceness to be true. Everyone we have come across has been extremely friendly.
Tomorrow's my last day of rest and relaxation, then the fun begins on Thursday. I'm really excited to get started.
Saturday I'm heading to the lake to hang out with the ladies and then drive back w/ Jason on Sunday. Then it will be back to Jason, Charlie and me. Much better.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Nashville..."The Food Capital of the South"
"Hello yall!" We are trying to adapt as best we can. Aunt Nora says the quicker we can start talking like locals the quicker we will fit in. It's not too bad to adjust...notice the "Hello"...it doesn't have to be totally southern like "Howdy", but you are required to add "yall" to most everything you say.
If you notice I added some links to our favorite restaurants to the right. It seems like most of our days so far have been exploring and trying to find out where our next meal is going to be. Sounds like a rough life so far huh? All the restaurants are something new and exciting that we feel we must try in order to properly advise our guests (that's yall) when they come to visit.
Last night we had Genghis Grill. It was a Mongolian style feast. You get a bowl and fill it with choices of meat and vegetables, add spices and sauce, then choose your rice or noodles. Very tasty...and I could almost take credit for making it.
Today we decided to make a quick breakfast at "home" before venturing out to explore. Steph and I went to another favorite place we had at home...Dick's Sporting Goods. I had to get my Tennessee fishing license for my upcoming trip to Watts Bar Lake (TN). I leave tomorrow morning and return on Sunday. Like I said in my first blog...feels like vacation so far. Don't worry though Steph does report to work on Thursday.
Back to food. Lunch was in downtown Franklin (I compare it to a smaller Lebanon, Ohio). Someone recommended a place called "Puckett's". It looks like an old style grocery store and serves home-style meals. Very good. Steph felt right at home when she stumbled across a Ben and Jerry's. Vanilla Health Crunch.
Dinner was an adventure. We stopped at 3-4 places before finally settling on a place called Otter's Chicken Tenders. Can you guess what they serve there? Not bad for a simple fast food dinner. I would put it last on the list so far, but again so far nothing here tastes bad.
Charlie has really enjoyed the food as well. I guess Beneful in Nashville tastes the same as Beneful in Cincinnati. He has done extremely well for being in a condo and not having a place to run freely. Steph has been running him in the morning and we have been walking with him in the evening. So far no accidents and nothing has been chewed up. He is great! I'm sure he misses Kipper and can't wait for her to come visit.
Well I must sign off for the evening. I leave you in the very capable hands of my lovely wife Stephanie. She will be keeping you up to date on Nashville this week. Maybe she can talk about something more exciting than food. I'll fill you in on all of the big fish that got away when I return!
If you notice I added some links to our favorite restaurants to the right. It seems like most of our days so far have been exploring and trying to find out where our next meal is going to be. Sounds like a rough life so far huh? All the restaurants are something new and exciting that we feel we must try in order to properly advise our guests (that's yall) when they come to visit.
Last night we had Genghis Grill. It was a Mongolian style feast. You get a bowl and fill it with choices of meat and vegetables, add spices and sauce, then choose your rice or noodles. Very tasty...and I could almost take credit for making it.
Today we decided to make a quick breakfast at "home" before venturing out to explore. Steph and I went to another favorite place we had at home...Dick's Sporting Goods. I had to get my Tennessee fishing license for my upcoming trip to Watts Bar Lake (TN). I leave tomorrow morning and return on Sunday. Like I said in my first blog...feels like vacation so far. Don't worry though Steph does report to work on Thursday.
Back to food. Lunch was in downtown Franklin (I compare it to a smaller Lebanon, Ohio). Someone recommended a place called "Puckett's". It looks like an old style grocery store and serves home-style meals. Very good. Steph felt right at home when she stumbled across a Ben and Jerry's. Vanilla Health Crunch.
Dinner was an adventure. We stopped at 3-4 places before finally settling on a place called Otter's Chicken Tenders. Can you guess what they serve there? Not bad for a simple fast food dinner. I would put it last on the list so far, but again so far nothing here tastes bad.
Charlie has really enjoyed the food as well. I guess Beneful in Nashville tastes the same as Beneful in Cincinnati. He has done extremely well for being in a condo and not having a place to run freely. Steph has been running him in the morning and we have been walking with him in the evening. So far no accidents and nothing has been chewed up. He is great! I'm sure he misses Kipper and can't wait for her to come visit.
Well I must sign off for the evening. I leave you in the very capable hands of my lovely wife Stephanie. She will be keeping you up to date on Nashville this week. Maybe she can talk about something more exciting than food. I'll fill you in on all of the big fish that got away when I return!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Our First Day of Vacation
Hello everyone! Stephanie and I are now in Nashville (actually Franklin) Tennessee! We loaded up the car and truck on Saturday morning and arrived about 12:00 (central time zone). Just in case everyone didn't know...we are an hour behind now.
The trip took us about 5 hours from Fairfield Township...mainly doing the speed limit plus 5-10 mph. Charlie wanted to stop and stretch his legs so we let him do that twice on the way down. What I'm trying to say to everyone is that it isn't that far to drive down and visit!
The condo that Fidelity has for us is very nice. It has 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, dining room, living room, small deck, and is fully furnished. We also took advantage of the weight room and pool that they have here. Like I said, it feels like we are on vacation so far.
Yesterday for lunch we had a great meal at none other than "Jason's Deli". Seriously, that's the name. It has great sandwiches, huge portions, and an out of this world salad bar. For Dinner we chose "Pie in the Sky Pizza" Not LaRosa's, but not bad. This morning we found a place called the "5 & Diner" (Similar to the Silver Diner if anyone has been there). Steph had french toast and I had a Bagel and eggs.
Then we started our grocery shopping. That actually made us feel like we were still at home. We drove less than a mile from where we are staying and on our left was Costco and directly across the street was Kroger!
After an afternoon at the pool I came in to watch the US open and hang out with Charlie. Steph was still soaking up rays at the pool. I fugred that was a good time to learn how to "blog". Casey said it was easy so I thought if she can do it surely I could handle it. I'll try to keep everyone updated as often as possible.
A final thought of today...
Happy Father's Day to all of the Fathers out there. And for those of you that haven't make sure you tell your dad how much you love them. I know I love mine! Sorry to all of the other fathers out there, but "My dad is the greatest!"
Talk to you soon!
Jason
The trip took us about 5 hours from Fairfield Township...mainly doing the speed limit plus 5-10 mph. Charlie wanted to stop and stretch his legs so we let him do that twice on the way down. What I'm trying to say to everyone is that it isn't that far to drive down and visit!
The condo that Fidelity has for us is very nice. It has 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, dining room, living room, small deck, and is fully furnished. We also took advantage of the weight room and pool that they have here. Like I said, it feels like we are on vacation so far.
Yesterday for lunch we had a great meal at none other than "Jason's Deli". Seriously, that's the name. It has great sandwiches, huge portions, and an out of this world salad bar. For Dinner we chose "Pie in the Sky Pizza" Not LaRosa's, but not bad. This morning we found a place called the "5 & Diner" (Similar to the Silver Diner if anyone has been there). Steph had french toast and I had a Bagel and eggs.
Then we started our grocery shopping. That actually made us feel like we were still at home. We drove less than a mile from where we are staying and on our left was Costco and directly across the street was Kroger!
After an afternoon at the pool I came in to watch the US open and hang out with Charlie. Steph was still soaking up rays at the pool. I fugred that was a good time to learn how to "blog". Casey said it was easy so I thought if she can do it surely I could handle it. I'll try to keep everyone updated as often as possible.
A final thought of today...
Happy Father's Day to all of the Fathers out there. And for those of you that haven't make sure you tell your dad how much you love them. I know I love mine! Sorry to all of the other fathers out there, but "My dad is the greatest!"
Talk to you soon!
Jason
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