One Fine Day

A couple of weeks ago we found ourselves free...on a Sunday...and it wasn't raining-it was a beautiful day.

We decided to check out the revitalized Riverside Park downtown Tampa-ajacent to the new Art Museum building.

The dogs were so excited you'd think the park was made of bacon-but more than likely it was the flurry of people, children and of course other dogs.

Jordan enjoyed the dog park; making laps and laps around the perimeter but not actually enjoying the faux grass and concrete play structures the other dogs were.

Bruiser enjoyed finding all sorts of places to play along the way.

Adam and I enjoyed the fresh air and holding hands-when we weren't being pulled in opposite directions.

All in all it was a fine day.

PASS!

Got home from work Friday to find a lovely envelope from the Professional Licensing Board of Florida informing me that I passed my 1st ARE exam!!

Now I need to stay on track for my 2nd exam.  With the changes at work studying slipped my mind-but Adam said we'll make it work and too stay on track.

6 Months

Adam & were married six months ago today.

It sounds like such a short time, but in that time so much has changed, happened or progressed. One thing has stayed the same and that's how much we love each other. We have gotten into few arguments-and to be honest I can't remember what they may have even been about. But more often than not we get into laughing and having fun. We're both silly people and try not to take the world to seriously.

We have traveled near and far, spent time with family and friends. Gone through scary times and hard times; but we've done it together. Even now as I'm dealing with my struggling company and a large pay cut-we know we'll rise up because we have each other and we're in it together.

When we got married I had an inscription engraved on the inside of his ring, All You Need is Love. It may be an over played cliché, but it is the motto we live by and believe in. It is also the song that echoed through the church after we were married.

At our wedding Father Anton spoke about the covenant you enter into with each other and God when you’re married. It is this love and union between the three of us that will keep us strong, keep our marriage solid and help us to overcome any barrier the world my bring our way.  So yes in a stripped down version of life, all you need IS love. 

Olympus Stylus 1030SW

On December 26, 2009 Adam and I went snowmobiling with my family all over the woods behind their house as well as into the State forest. We took along Adam's camera to commemorate his first time out.

Later that evening we realized we couldn't find the camera. We looked all over the house-(It had been zipped in my jacket pocket) but couldn't find it.

The next day we boarded a plane back to Florida. Mom told us she'd clean up and the camera would show up somewhere in the aftermath that was our Pleva Christmas. It didn't.

My dad said he'd go out and look where we had been snowmobiling; he found nothing.

Pentwater had a very snowy, cold winter. I'm not sure the exact amount but it came up to my mother’s waist.

Fast forward: March 13th, 2010. Snow is beginning to melt in Pentwater. Gary & Betty decide to go out and look one last time for the camera. They go to the river, the state forest, large open fields and winding trails. The Jeep needs gas...Mom says "Let's fill up there's one more spot to check"- the large "bowl" where the camera was last used.

They park by the road and walk up into the bowl area-it's mucky and wet. They see some foot prints and dog tracks....and very close to that....a camera.

This camera has been lying, buried in the snow for 2-1/2 months. Gary picks it up and turns it on. The battery is full and he flicks through the pictures on a crystal clear LCD monitor.

The camera works like new.

Note, this is no ordinary camera. Had this been my Cannon this story would not have ended this way, but Adam was set on this camera because

1. It's waterproof up to 33'
2. It's crush proof up to 220 lbs.
3. It's shock proof when dropped from 6'6

and most importantly:

4. It's freeze proof to 14 degrees.

Our camera will be arriving home after it's long lonely winter and we will FINALLY get to see our Christmas pictures.

Thank you Saint Anthony for answering our prayers.
Thanks Mom & Dad for going out one last time.
Thanks Olympus for making this rocking camera.


Don't you just love happy endings?

1 down-6 to go

This past Friday I finally took my first A.R.E. exam.  These are the exams you must take & pass in order to become a registered architect.  To be eligiable you need to work in an office and get "training" in about 20 different areas.  It takes approx 3 years to get the 700 required training hours.  I have been working in my office for four.  And since I live in FL I'm eligible to begin taking the tests before i finish my hours.  However, the first year I was still burnt out from school.  The next year I met a swell guy who occupied a lot of my time and the 3rd year he proposed.... you know how it goes. 

Adam has been very persistant in asking "When are you going to take your tests??"  Luckily I have a good friend Tara who's just as big a procrastinator as I.  So knowing that if i didn't do them now-I would end up 50 years old trying to take them as my children go off to college.   Tara and I devised a plan of attact and began studying for the first one (which i deemed the easiest) and hope to complete all 7 this year.  Because these tests aren't cheap I really can not afford to fail-also you must wait 6 months for a re-take after a fail. 

Anyway, I took the test Friday, Tara did not (she swears she's doing it this week ;) ).  I felt pretty good afterward and belived that i had solved the problem at hand and met all the criteria.  In 4-6 weeks I should know my results-and hopefully by then taken my second test.

It feels good to finally get this going and moving my career forward.   Working in Architecture the last 4 years has been challanging.  No one is building, so I've worn many hats and luckily I've impressed my boss' enough to survive 3 layoffs.  I'm hoping that the building industry begins to pick back up so that i can continue to learn and improve my skills and apply this knowlege to help me pass my tests.
Up next is Programming, Planning & Practice.....wish me luck.