A Day in Hanna's World

Busy, busy - Upcoming Memorial Day

Another busy week. My friend Anneliese left on Thursday, May 10th. The rest of that week was still pretty busy. That Saturday we had to work. And then Sunday the 13th we went down to NYC again, this time to meet up with my Danish friend Lotte and her sister Carina.  Had a great time catching up, eating pizza at Arturo's and strolling through Manhattan.

This past week was semi-busy at work due to the upcoming Memorial Day holiday. Lots of preparation, making sure all the delivery schedules line up and everything works out as planned. This week will be even busier in that regard since it's the last week before the holiday. Lots of reminding and keeping track of schedules that needs to happen.

Last weekend we had off which was nice. Saturday I had another dentist appointment (ugh) in the morning but the rest of the day was spent vegging out on the couch catching up with our recorded TV shows which was nice. Then Sunday we slept in, I worked in the backyard for a bit and in the afternoon we were invited over to a friend's house. Had a yummy meal there, enjoying the nice weather on the deck. After that we all stopped by a local bar to meet up with a friend who was celebrating his birthday there. 

Let's see what this week brings. I am sure it will be plenty busy at work. My parents are currently in Corsica and I am definitely jealous about that. :) At least my next vacation isn't all that far in the future. 

Mail Update: Received a letter from Charles/TN and Lotte/Denmark. 

Two Steps Chili Cook-Off

Had the whole weekend off which was nice. On Saturday I did some work outside, cleared a bunch of the yard (a lot of the trees which were already on their last breath fell during the freak October snow storm last year) of broken tree limbs, branches and other stuff. Worked for about three hours. Then I came inside and cleaned some stuff in the house. We are getting close to my friend Anneliese's visit so we are using that as an excuse for a good spring clean in the house. :) 

Today we slept in again and then went to the annual chili contest at Two Steps. They had 14 different people making chili so it was fun to taste the different kinds and hang out. Went grocery shopping before that and now we are home catching up on some of our shows. The weather has been god awful all day, cold and rainy, but it doesn't really matter all that much. I know we need the rain. 

Only a few more days until Anneliese gets here. Really excited. :) Not too much else going on otherwise. Friday night we were invited over to one of our bosses' houses which was interesting. Saturday night we went to Bluu and ran into our friends John & Jana by total accident which was fun. Had dinner with them before they went to catch a show at a local theater in Brewster, NY. So all in all it's been a fun few days I suppose. 

 Mail Update: Received letters from: Kimber/Halifax and Lotte/Denmark.

 

Spring Weekend

What a gorgeous weekend. Had to work yesterday but today we were able to enjoy the beautiful weather. Decided to take advantage of the nice weather and went to Rizzuto's for lunch on their patio. Had a lovely salad. Yumm. Tomorrow it's supposed to get up to 88F (31C) but then it's going to go back down into the 60ies (16C) midweek which is more normal for this time of the year. After lunch we ran some errands, grocery shopping etc. Then did a few things around the house, taxes, etc. Will catch up with our recorded shows in a bit.

Enjoyed the rest of our stay in Rochester last weekend. On Monday we took a drive along the shore of Lake Ontario on the Seaway Trail. Lots of pretty views. Had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe in Niagara Falls and then drove way back to Rochester. Monday night we went to see "Of Monsters and Men". A really good show. And then on Tuesday we drove back to Connecticut.

Only a week and a half to go before my friend Anneliese from Austria gets here now. Looking forward to her visit. Good excuse for a nice spring clean for our house too. Will do that over the next week to get things nice and ready for her stay. It's the first time for her in the United States so it will be fun to show her around, take her to New York City etc. WIll also do weekend trips to Niagara and Washington DC. Should be fun. :)

 Mail Update: A letter went out to: Sanya/Japan on Wednesday and one is going out tomorrow to: Celia/MA. Received letters from: Kimber/Halifax and Lotte/Denmark.

 

Happy Easter from Rochester

Hello from our weekend trip to Rochester. So far it's been a very nice weekend. We left on Saturday morning around 7:30 and made it to the Finger Lakes by lunch time. Had a delicious lunch at Dano's Heurigen (you can click here for a picture of my schnitzel  -- yumm). It's right on Seneca Lake with beautiful views over the rolling vineyards and the lake. 

After lunch we continued to Rochester, another hour and a half or so. Checked in at the hotel for a bit, relaxed and then went to dinner at Tap and Mallet. After dinner there we went to the Solera Wine Bar, had a few glasses of wine there and then back to the hotel.

Today we decided to go for a walk along the Genesee Riverway Trail. Ended up doing about 5 1/2 miles roundtrip. Lots of pretty views, boardwalk over the water, marshes and also out to the pier on Lake Ontario. Then afterwards we went to the zoo in the afternoon which was also fun. Great weather today so definitely can't complain.

Not sure what we are doing during the day tomorrow. At night we have the "Of Monsters and Men" show. Then on Tuesday we are heading back home. 

 Mail Update: Letters should go out soon to: Carmen/Malta and Charle/TN (just need to find a mailbox). Received letters from: Kimber/Halifax, and Saya/Japan.

 

Crazy weather changes and some other mishmash of stuff

The weather has turned more normal for this part of the season/month but since it has been so beautiful this past week and a half this cold rainy weather really doesn't make me happy. Today it's not raining at least but very windy so it feels even colder. And tonight it's going to drop down below freezing with frost. All the plants that started blooming will be very confused. 

Had to work Saturday but wasn't too bad of a day. On Sunday we originally wanted to go for another nice long walk but the weather didn't really cooperate with that. So instead we decided to have lunch at The Olive Market in Redding. We had a $20 Groupon (only paid $5) for it and our bill for lunch was only $5.50. Not bad. :) After that we stopped at the Little Pub for some dessert and drinks. I always enjoy the atmosphere there and since the weather was cool/rainy they also had the fireplace going which was nice. 

After that we headed back to Danbury. Stopped at Home Depot and Lowe's since we were looking for some new blinds/shades for the living room. We eventually found some nice looking blinds. They are a darker brown, made out of plastic but are supposed to look like wood. The ones made out of real wood were crazy expensive. These ones were still expensive considering we needed three for the three windows in the livingroom. Hopefully they will look nice. I will take pictures when we put them up. For now you can look at the link here. 

Tonight we are going to New York after work so I can attend the monthly "Austrians in NYC" get together organized through the consulate. Haven't been in ages so it will be fun to go and hang out with people. Tomorrow I have a dentist appointment to get some fillings done. Busy, busy. 

Mail Update: Letters went out today to: Jessica/DE and Celia/MA. Received letters from: Kimber/Halifax, Saya/Japan and Charles/TN.

 

St. Patrick's Day Weekend

What a nice weekend. The weather was really nice all weekend. We were off both Saturday & Sunday so what more can you want? :)

Yesterday, Saturday, I spent some time in the yard, working on an area in the front part of the house where I need to dig up some vines and clear up some old brush and stuff like that. Did that for about 2 1/2 hours and around 3pm we went to Two Steps for St. Patrick's Day. Met up with some friends and stayed there till about 9pm. Had fun hanging out eating (Mike had shepherds pie, I had a corned beef sandwich with swiss cheese and thousand island dressing) and drinking (Mike had Harp & Guiness and I had Magner's Cider) Here is a picture of me if you want to see.

Today we slept in and then went for a 5 mile walk around town. The weather was perfect, not too cold, not too hot. Stopped at TK's for lunch and then continued on home, a little more than a mile. So a little more than 6 miles all in all. Now we are home and will catch up on our recorded TV shows in a bit. I think I will treat myself with a Magnum ice cream in a minute. Yumm. :)

Mail update: No letters have gone out. Still owe replies/received letters from: Jessica/DE, Kimber/Halifax.

Hello again from Indy

Having a really good time here in Indiana. Yesterday, Sunday, we went on a little scenic drive to Bloomington, Indiana. Walked around Bloomington for a bit and had lunch at the Irish Lion. Hung out there for a bit and then went to the Oliver Winery a bit outside of town. A really neat place. They have huge grounds in the back, a lake, patio, etc. I can see where it would be very pretty in the warmer months, having a picnic lunch out back. We did the wine tasting and really enjoyed all the wines we tasted. I have to say it was one of the better wineries we have been to. Ended up buying a case of wine to bring back to CT. Comes in handy to have a car sometimes. After the winery we went to Nashville, IN, walked around there for a bit and then back to Indianapolis. Had dinner at the Rock Bottom Brewery and some after dinner wine at the Tastings Wine Bar next door.

Today we had breakfast at Einstein Bagels, then walked to the zoo which is just across a bridge from downtown (about a mile and a half). Spent some time at the zoo where we saw a cute tiger and a bunch of hyper meerkats among other things. After the zoo we walked back downtown and had a snack and some drinks at the Hard Rock Cafe.

Now we are back at the hotel for a bit. In a little while we will head back out to walk towards the section of downtown where the theater is where we will see the Kooks later. Going to have dinner at Barcelon Tapas beforehand. 

Tomorrow we are off to Pittsburgh. Going to stop in Dayton, Ohio on the way to see the Airforce Museum. Definitely enjoying our time away from work.

Mail update:  Yesterday letters went out to  Celia/MA, Lotte/Denmark, Jessica/DE and Emilia/Finland. Still owe replies to: Tiffany/OK and Charles/TN.

Hello from Indianapolis

And here we are in Indianapolis. It's been a long day of driving but fun. We set the alarm for 2:45 and left the house about 3:30. Got here right around 4:30pm.  Long  day but at least it's still early enough where we can freshen up in our room and then head out for dinner and get a decent night of sleep afterwards.

Will probably head to the RAM Brewery & Restaurant for dinner. It's just three minutes from the hotel. Maybe we will stop at the Hard Rock Cafe for a drink afterwards. We will see.

Very happy to have today and the next four days off from work although we did already receive three work calls today driving here. But it's still more fun being away from work, makes things easier. :) Tomorrow we will probably take a ride out to Bloomington and Nashville, Indiana. Not sure what we will do Monday yet.

Mail update:  On the way here I wrote letters to:  Celia/MA, Lotte/Denmark, Jessica/DE and Emilia/Finland. Still owe replies to: Tiffany/OK and Charles/TN.

Birthday Weekend - Lots of wings and more

Another week gone by. Actually had the whole weekend off which has been nice.  On Tuesday was Valentine's Day and went to  Della Francesca which was really good.  We had Alaskan king crab with a vodka cocktail sauce as an appetizer. Mike had lobster ravioli and I had the most delicious veal scallopini coated in a parmesan crust with a lemon wine sauce. For dessert we shared tiramisu. Yum. :)

Friday we went to Bluu for the first part of Mike's birthday celebration. Had a coupon for a free bottle of champagne along with free desserts. Had a nice night out with some friends. Then Saturday we went to TK's for Mike's free birthday wings. One good thing about getting older at least - more free wings. :) Had a fun night out eating wings and nachos, hanging out with friends. 

Tonight it's back to TKs as it's our friend Kim's birthday. Will be nice to catch up with her and her husband John. Haven't seen them since September on John's birthday. I am sure their daughter Riley has grown quite a bit too. Will be nice to see them and hang out for a bit. Then tomorrow it's already Monday and back to work again. If all goes well I will be off on Tuesday at least since I am working next Saturday again.

Mail update:  Received letters from/owe replies to: Lotte/Denmark, Jessica/DE, Nina/WA, Emilia/Finland and Tiffany/OK.

Annoying cold, movies, Mexican food & the Grammys

Still fighting that same annoying cold. It's mostly the cough that's super annoying now. Definitely one of the worst coughs I have had in a while. Been living off of these Austrian coughdrops I brought back with me during my last visit. Lots of soup, tea, etc. Tuesday I was home/off from work since I had to work Saturday so I spent Tuesday in my PJs, relaxing, drinking tea and reading. Started reading the new Stephen King book 11-22-63 which I have really enjoyed so far.

Not too much else new otherwise. Friday (2/10) was our wedding anniversary. Eleven years already. Time flies. We didn't do anything too special since I am still fighting this cold. For Tuesday, Valentine's Day, we have a new dinner planned at Della Francesca which should be nice. And then on Saturday, 2/18, is Mike's birthday. So February is always a busy month for us. 

Yesterday I went to the movies with my friend Jana, went to see "The Vow" which was pretty good. Today Mike & I ended up having lunch at this new Mexican place El Cojote. Just opened about a month ago and we wanted to try it out. Then the afternoon was spent grocery shopping, doing laundry, etc. Now we are home and will catch up with our TV shows in a bit, then the Grammys later. Should be fun. 

Mail update: Letters went out to: Nicki/OZ and Charles/TN, Received letters from/owe replies to: Nina/WA, Emilia/Finland and Tiffany/OK.