South Africa here I come...

Well, it is official, I am headed to South Africa (cue the Toto song.) I am feeling a combination of anxiety and excitement. The anxiety coming mostly from the fact that I am making this trip on my own and entering a country that has had some issues in the past, and the excitement coming from the fact that I get to see a country and continent for that matter, that I never in my life thought I'd visit.

I will be traveling there for work, so the good news is, the trip is free of charge. I also get to fly business class which was a huge concern as I don't think I'd be able to survive in coach for the 40+ hours that I'll be in the air during this trip.

The hotel I'm going to be staying at looks really awesome and seems to be very family oriented which makes me feel less apprehensive. You can check it out here: http://www.graceland.co.za/overview.asp.

The other great thing about this trip is that I am flying through Frankfurt and was able to work in a five day layover which allows me to take a quick jaunt over to Budapest to visit Greg and Erica one more time before they had back to the states. I am really looking forward to seeing them and to also visiting Budapest in warmer temperatures.

I leave two weeks from Thursday, so in the meantime, feel free to pass along any book, music, magazine favorites as I'll have a lot of time to kill on my various flights and layovers!

Wally takes a splash!

Last Sunday, we got Wally out on the water for the first time this season. We are always a tad bit nervous the first time out as you never know what's going to happen when you turn the key. While Wally was a bit slow to start, once all that gunk that built up over the winter was coughed out, he was just like new.

There were tons of boats out on the water and the wind was whipping a bit so it made for choppy waters, but it was still a great ride. We had decided ahead of time that we would celebrate our first day out by taking the boat over to Tim's River Shore Cafe. I think the best way to describe this place is that while you are there you feel like you are in the middle of a Jimmy Buffett song. There are tons of boats, tons of people, a lot of tattoos, and even sand on their patio area. While they had run out of fresh crabs, we still enjoyed some steamed shrimp and my favorite, oysters on the half shell. We are looking forward to going back there throughout the summer, especially when crabs are more plentiful!

Andy Gribble a.k.a Bear Grylls

If you've seen or heard of the show, Man v. Wild, then you'll know of a man named Bear Grylls. The purpose of the show is that Bear is dropped off in the middle of either a desert or forest or some place remote. He has with him a few supplies and a hand held camera where he captures his survival on tape. I mention all of this because while we were at Wintergreen and I was up at the Mountain Inn blogging, Andy was off on a hike with Liddy. I dropped them off and shortly thereafter realized that Andy had the camera with him, and this is what he did with it...

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/563330028xbMKXQ?vhost=good-times

Live blogging from Wintergreen

Andy and I took yesterday off so we could enjoy a long weekend at our family's home in Wintergreen. We left early yesterday morning and got here in time for lunch and a round of golf at Devil's Knob Golf Course here on top of the mountain. I had a record round, shooting a 96, and Andy...well, Andy enjoyed the scenery ;)

We were also excited to see the new grill and deck furniture that my parents just purchased. We were the first to test it all out, and we are happy to report that the grill cooks a mean filet and excellent lamb chops, and the deck furniture is perfectly comfortable and will make for some great evenings on the mountain.

Today we drove around the mountian a bit and got some pictures at one of the overlooks. There was also a bike race going on, so we did some cheering as we watched the racers trudge up the mountain...phew, that looked challenging for sure!

We also went down to Wintergreen Winery (our favorite) and brought along a picnic. Liddy had a great time running around looking for sticks, and Andy and I enjoyed a nice Viogner and cheese and crackers. We also got a little bit of sun, which is always helpful this time of year as we are both far too pale for it to already be May!

On tap for tonight: BBQ ribs, cous cous salad, broccoli, and a Wintergreen Winery Three Ridges Red. Yum!

A new home for Wally...

Yesterday, Andy and I dropped our boat, Wally, off at his new home for the summer. Wally spent the winter nice and warm in Andy's parents' garage, but with warmer weather on the way, it was time to get him closer to the water. Wally is now a resident at Occoquan Regional Park. In previous years, Wally has stayed at an outdoor storage lot near our house. He was stuck with abandoned campers, buses, etc. Now Wally will be surrounded by other boats, and will be about 50 yards from the water. I think he'll be much happier there!

Wally's new location will also make it easier on us, as Occoquan is on the way to Lake Anna, and is also a great place to put the boat in the water. Now we won't have to fight the crowds at Gravely Point and we'll also have less time towing the boat, which with gas prices on the rise (did they ever really stop rising?!) should help us save some money so we can use the gas on Wally and not the jeep!

Needless to say, we are looking forward to a great summer on the water!

A few things I've learned this week...

1. Rainy Sundays after a long week of traveling are a welcome excuse for getting some down-time in.
2. The itchy bumps on my legs are the result of bed bugs which inhabited my hotel room in Chicago. EWWW
3. The bed bugs did NOT follow me home (thanks to the Orkin Man for confirming that).
4. My childhood friend, Kim, had her third child, Brooklynn Edie. Congrats Kim!
5. Banana Chip Trail Mix from Trader Joes is quite good, and crunchy!
6. After a rather long hiatus from Grey's Anatomy, I'm not sure I was all that impressed with last night's all new episode.
7. My nephews, Davey and Kurt, are getting to be so grown up, but still young enough to give great big hugs!
8. Deadliest Catch is still one of the greatest programs on tv.
9. Oh, and that I might be going to South Africa for work.

The Azalea Classic

This morning I played in my first WGA tournament of the season, the Azalea Classic. The format was a scramble which is helpful to those of us who are still feeling a tad bit rusty at the beginning of spring.

They did throw in a little bit of a challenge in that we had to use everyone's drive at least three times; fortunately by 14, all of my teammates had gotten in their three. One of the teams was not so lucky and no matter how awful the drive, had to use their "D player's" drive on 18, she went into a hazard, not a good way to end.

The weather could not have been better. We had sunny skies, a slight breeze and temperatures in the low 80's. Not to mention a lot of the trees are still in full bloom which made for a gorgeous setting.

My team had a lot of fun socializing, but we also played a great match coming in one under par when all was said and done. Unfortunately, another team came in two under; but, that still gave us a second place win and $25 each. Not a bad day on the course if you ask me.