Well I think we have recovered from our long road trip.  But coming back from being off for a week is really hard, especially when you have to work all 5 days. It is funny because during January and February I work 6 days a week and long hours and don’t think it is that hard.  I have to say I really do like that I’m busy in the winter and slower in the summer.  I’d rather be off in the summer.  I looked at my PTO calendar and I have taken almost half my days in May and June….16 days to be exact. I haven’t worked a full week of work since the last week of April.

Work must have been rough on me because 3 days this week I took a nap after work.  I don’t usually take naps. But a combination of vacation recovery and the heat had something to contribute to it.  Also I didn’t get a run in because I’ve been too lazy.

Tuesday we had to take Swirl to the vet for a follow up to his dental surgery.  All is good with him.

Wednesday was the hottest and most humid day of the week and poor Eric had 2 soccer games.  It was 96 degrees at game time with a heat index over 100 degrees.  Eric lost 5 lbs. I’m sure mostly water weight.  He was soaked when he got home.  That was kind of gross.  

Eden Prairie Community Band has started their summer concert series.  Our first concert was at Hilde Performance Center in Plymouth.  It was so hot and the sun was shining on us for the first half of the concert.  The crowd was really small too.  I think there more people in the band than in the crowd.  I’m assuming the heat had something to do with that.

Last night we did the exciting task of grocery shopping. That was it.  We have gotten old and boring if our excitement for Friday night is grocery shopping.

I’m happy to report that I went for a run this morning. I only did 2 ¼ miles.  It was so hot and very humid.  I actually stopped at the Visitor Center drinking fountain.  I was going to do 2 ½ but I got the KC Hall and decided I couldn’t go any further. I’m actually impressed that I was able to run as far as I did considering I haven’t run in over 35 days.  I’ve been slacking.

On a finally note, Swirl greeted my Saturday morning by puking.  To quote my Facebook status:

Dear Kim, 
It is finally the weekend and to show you how much I love you, I decided to puke. But puking on the floor isn't enough so I did it from my bird house perch so it splattered everywhere? Hope you appreciate it.
Love,
Swirl

Well we are finally home from our vacation.  Cincinnati was not that exciting.  We finally got to Cincy at about 5pm.  First stop was the Eden Park.  It is a very beautiful park on the bluffs of the Ohio.  We got some great views of the river and of Kentucky.  After that we eventually made our way to the hotel in Newport, KY.  Newport is just across the river from Cincy.  We had a view of downtown.  The hotels on the Kentucky side were over $100 cheaper and they have this awesome trolley that runs every 15 minutes and it takes about 10-15 minutes to get to downtown Cincy.  I think it was a great deal.  We took the trolley into town and walked around the Fountain Square and had dinner.  After we got back to the hotel we took a dip in the pool but it was so cold!

Friday morning we started at the William Taft Historical Site.  It was his birthplace and childhood home.  It was really interesting.  After that we did the Ride the Ducks tour.  I was a little apprehensive about the tour but it actually was quite fun and very informative...but the duck noise makers got a bit annoying.  It was way better than the stupid boat tour we took of Pittsburgh where we didn't learn anything and spent the time yelling stupid things like "Go Steelers" or "Go Pirates" under their bridges.  Anyways the Duck tour was really fun. After that we went up to the top of Carew Tower.  The observatory deck was on the 49th floor and it has 360 degree views of the city.  And it cost us a whopping $2. What a deal! The building was built in 1929 and is the model for the Empire State Building.  We walked across the  John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge. The bridge was built in 1867 and people were so afraid to use it that they bribed the German immigrants by providing free beer and brats if they walked to the middle of the bridge.  That apparently got people to use it.  This was the model for the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. Apparently New York uses Cincinnati as their guinea pigs. LOL! 

The game was exciting.  The Twins came from behind again to win.  We had a delay because the home plate ump was hit in the back of the head with a broken bat.  A very freak accident.  He was knocked out cold for a while but he walked off on his own. They worked with a 3 man crew after that. The Twins won 5-4.  They had fireworks after the game...they were AMAZING! They put the Target Field fireworks to shame...actually it was probably the best fireworks I've ever seen except for the Mount Rushmore 4th of July show many years ago.

We got up early this morning after being rudely awaken by 2 fire alarms at around 3am.  Seriously?  No fire but we never found out why it went off.   We rushed out of our hotel and made our way home.  We left Newport, KY at 9:05 am ET (8:05 am CT) and got home by 8:30 pm (CT).  We avoided Chicago so we ended up driving 767 miles today (it is 43 miles longer to avoid Chicago).  It is so nice to be home. It was a great road trip.

Well our morning didn't start out the best. Breakfast was great and our drive out of Pittsburgh went ok. We got to go through the Fort Pitt tunnel which was pretty long. We got about 45 minutes out of Pittsburgh when were stopped on the interstate. It took us over 30 minutes to go 4 miles. There was a semi fire and the road was closed. When we came up on it they must have just opened the road. So that was fun. We went through a small portion of West Virginia. That is such a pretty state. Now we are stopped on I-70 again about 70 miles outside of columbus...what a day. It is noon, hopefully we get to Cincinnati before night. Lol! Here is a picture from the back up in PA.

This vacation has been pretty laid back.  And if you know me that is not normal.   We had an amazing breakfast this morning with stinky cheese from Switzerland and summer sausage among other wonderful things.  We didn't leave the hotel until after 10:30. First stop is the University of Pittsburgh. The main reason for going on campus, besides the obviously one that I love college campuses, is because the campus still has the old Forbes Field Wall.  I love historic baseball stuff so this was up my alley. We also saw the home plate from the last game played at Forbes Field in 1970.

After that we did the  Duquesne Incline (the other incline in the city). The view wasn't as good and it cost more to go up there so it was a bust.  We got back to Station Square in time for the river boat tour.  It was nice to take a boat ride but the narrator was really stupid.  The only thing I really learned is that there are 406 bridges, over 100 bars and they love their sports teams. Only 19,000 at the game so ya they really love their teams (snicker).

The afternoon was hot at over 95 degrees, thankfully our seats were not in the sun. The game was great and it went really fast.  Not much hitting but some great defense and not too bad pitching.  We sat 3 rows behind the dugout so we got really close to the players. It was awesome. PNC Park is really nice.  It is in my top 5 list...it met all my requirements: open air with NO ROOF, a seat with a great view and in the downtown area. Willingham hit a home run in the 8th inning to put the Twins in front. The couple sitting next to us was from Rapid City, SD!!  Small world.  They are also going to Cincinnati.