Casey was forced to take Friday off because of all the overtime he’s been using and not using as comp time. We put the time to good use and got the oil changed and the tire patched (there’s been a slow leak and low tire pressure for a couple of months now we’ve been refilling) on the FX apparently because of a nail pop. Then after a ton of drama at Walgreens during which we waited for an hour to get our pictures taken for our passports they were finally completed. Apparently the slow down was due to the people that got to the 1 Hour Photo counter seconds before us and were developing 500 pictures. There’s only so much browsing you can do at a Walgreens. We ended up getting one photo for free so all in all we ended up getting both of our photos for our passport taken for less than 1/2 of what the post office would have charged. Our plan to get to the post office before it closed failed because of our setbacks so we ended up showing up during their afternoon hours (1:30-3) and we still had to wait because the chick doing passports was a chatty Cathy. Fortunately we *did* get our passport information submitted although we’re both a little concerend about the processing but are keeping our fingers crossed. Casey’s worried because his name was changed but his birth father which we know nothing about other than what’s on his birth certificate has to be listed although they have different last names. And for me, I had a passport from when we went to Berlin but it was under Blankenship and since I was legally adopted when I was 9 there is *nothing* with that last name on it anywhere except for my adoption papers which I didn’t bring with me because I don’t have. Even my birth certificate was changed to Bonine. So much drama. Then to add to all of that, they take your birth certificates (the originals) and send them in with your passport information. Seriously, it’s like identity theft waiting to happen. The estimated wait is between 12-14 weeks and since we applied exactly 5 months before we leave for the Dominican Republic we’re hoping all is good.
We’re leaving for St. Louis on Wednesday with a hopeful stopover in KC. We’ve been seeing all of these new BBQ restaurants on the Food Network that we want to try. And while we love Bryan’s, we’ve had and are planning on stopping at the Speedway on our return trip to bring back goods for the rest of the fam. I’m really looking forward to the wedding and taking a break for awhile. I’m bummed we’re not bringing Stoli like we originally had planned because after thinking about it, her in a hotel room probably wouldn’t be a good idea. She’d be barking at all hours of the night if she heard any sort of noise and we also feel bad about leaving her alone for so long. Randi and family are supposed to be making the trip down that weekend too so hopefully we’ll be able to see everyone along the way!
Yesterday we went looking for a dining room set. With no luck. We had stopped by an unfinished furniture store last week and saw a piece we really liked and said how fun it’d be to stain and finish the pieces ourself although we weren’t sure we wanted to commit because after all of the pieces, staining, and shipping we figured it’d be the same as Crate & Barrel. We were right but the one piece we liked and were willing to pay for is backordered till July. Then we saw another one that was cheap and cute although a little small and maybe not as sturdy at American Furniture Warehouse but that one was backordered for two weeks and we were hoping to have the set by 4th of July when we’re planning a BBQ or at the latest when Uncle John is here. So we decided we’d splurge and get the unfinished furniture set cause we’d get to pick the stain and the design was perfect. Well as thing would happen, the piece was reserved and the soonest they could get another in is four weeks. So now we’re just contemplating whether or not to order this piece or just wait. No time like the present though I guess.
Summer hiatus sucks! The only thing getting us through it are the cooking competition shows. Our favorites for the summer are The Next Food Network Star (go Amy and Paul), Hell’s Kitchen (go anyone that doesn’t cry, I haven’t decided on any favorites there yet), and Top Chef (go Hung and Micah). We’ve also been watching a lot of the Challenge shows involving cakes on the food network but I always just want to reach through the screen and eat their icing. So now we’re just catching up on movies that and not feeling very fulfilled.
The seed packets of oregano and basil that I planted are finally sprouting! It’s so exciting to see the little buds popping up and growing but it’ll still be awhile till they’ll be ready to use. For next year’s garden we’ll most definitely do the verbena, pansies, marigold, and rosemary again but as for the others we’ll need more plants that do as well in the full, all day, sun. We’re pondering pulling out our dog run and putting a garden in that space as our deck needs to be restained and sealed so we’ll see…