CaseyAndKelly.Com

We had a nice relaxing weekend with some good weather. It’s raining and cool outside right now and we’re under yet another thunderstorm warning. I watched Twister last time it stormed and this time I’m watching The Wizard of Oz.

On Friday, mom took the day off from work so we could paint an accent wall in her bedroom. She had never painted before but caught on quick and did the majority of the work by herself. I did the tedious trim and cut in work which is never fun but it looks really good now. It’s amazing that with a good brush how well I can do the cut in without taping. Mom is talking about painting the guest bath so more painting may be on the agenda soon. For dinner we all went to Jason’s Deli which has a great French Onion soup and salad bar and they have free soft serve ice cream! It’s a little pricey for a deli but great food.

Saturday we celebrated our SIXTH anniversary. We went out to dinner with my parents to the Melting Pot for some tasty fondue! We had the Lobster indulgence and dark chocolate with Kahlua for dessert. Yum! We were considering trying the locally owned fondue restaurant, the Mona Lisa, but after hearing a couple of reviews from family and friends decided to go with what we knew. When we came home we enjoyed a bottle of Moet & Chandon Rose and watched Deja Vu. The movie was surprisingly entertaining and we watched the entire thing. It was kind of drawn out in parts but worth a rental.

Then Sunday, we had an early BBQ for Memorial Day at my parents house. Casey grilled up some tasty ribs and cilantro pesto chicken and pork chops. It was all so good and we left full and sleepy. When we got home we watched An Inconvenient Truth. While I already believe in global warming, the movie was pretty enlightening by having all the statistics in the same place. It’s my opinion that the movie and subsequently the casuse, could get a lot more awareness if Al Gore wasn’t the talking head. While Gore comes across as knowledgable and passionate about global warming, he’s not the most eloquent man.

We didn’t end up making it to the theater to watch any of the “thirds” (Spider-Man, Shrek, or Pirates) that are out. Yesterday we finished catching up on House Season 1 (we caught up on House Season 2 as well). We’re still hoping that there will be reruns on this summer so we’ll be all caught up for fall. Now to catch up on TiVo till our newest Netflix movies come in.

Pictures from our trip to Las Vegas have now been posted in the Gallery. This is nowhere near the number that we took but this is some of the highlights. Hopefully with any pics I can get emailed from Sally, Donna, and Ashley we can have even more! Unfortunately we never take as many people pics as I would like but that just means we were having too much fun to bother with the camera, right?!

We returned home on Tuesday afternoon from a spontaneous trip to Vegas to celebrate our anniversary! You probably noticed it was three weeks early but since Casey’s mom was there we figured we’d get a twofer out of the deal since we were contemplating going on our actual anniversary anyway. I found an awesome deal for reservations and booked Thursday night around 7 to leave Colorado Springs at 6 the next evening. I’m guessing because of the last minute booking or because I look like a terrorist, I was chosen for the extra security screenings on both legs and Casey was chosen as well on the return flight. We didn’t realize the De LaHoya/Mayweather fight was on Saturday until our pilot announced on our connecting flight from Denver to Las Vegas we were going to be delayed because of all the G4’s and Lears crowding the airspace. Another downside to the last minute booking is Casey and I didn’t get seats together on the Denver to Las Vegas leg on the way out there – he was in 1C and I was in 25B (second row from the rear). Then when we got to the taxi line, there were about 700-800 people also waiting. Fortunately, the cabbies were expecting this influx of people and we didn’t have to wait very long.

After numerous visits to Vegas over the years we’ve been together, I determined that this is the 12th unique hotel we’ve stayed at. Our awesome deal had us staying at the Tropicana and for a reasonable bit extra we upgraded to a strip facing mini suite! The room was pretty standard but since we primarily upgraded for the view it was just fine. The location is great if you stick to the south end of the Strip but as we prefer hanging out mid-Strip, we had quite the hike to get where we wanted to be. Even though there’s a monorail, at $10 one way for 2 people, it really adds up and you end walking anyway, this way at least we can dart in and out as we please.

The weather was surprisingly mild for May but still beat the snow they got in Colorado. After watching the news, it seems we missed the heatwave by only a day. We also missed being able to see Elton John in concert by only a day too but we don’t want to think about that.

By the time we had checked into our room on Friday it was so late we only felt like getting something to eat, drinking a beer or three, and going to bed. Saturday we went to Margaritaville (of course, that’s what we do)for lunch before going to the Wynn and other casinos on that end of the Strip we hadn’t been to in a few years. As we were walking back into the Trop, Sally called to say they (she and her friend, Ashley) had checked into the hotel (they also stayed at the Trop) and were getting a bite to eat in the deli. The reception in the casino was cutting out but we got the information we needed to be able to sneak up and surprise Sally (she didn’t know we were coming – Happy Mother’s Day)! For dinner that night, we went to the Monte Carlo Pub & Brewery where you’d think they’d have their own brews, although apparently they don’t do that anymore. The food was still good so it was still a worthwhile visit.

On Sunday, Casey and I had intended to visit the yummy Paris brunch but after a long walk to get there and a long line we opted for Cafe St. Louis instead. We should have just waited because the food left much to be desired. I do not recommend this place, our quesadilla appetizer was brought to us after 25 minutes or so and the cheese wasn’t even melted and the French Onion soup was so sweet I had to dump a ton of salt in it to make it edible. After a nap (we’re old), we met up with Sally, Ashley, Aunt Donna, and Jeff (Casey’s cousin) and headed off in search of dinner. We settled on the Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill which was very good although a little pricey for the portion sizes but you can’t beat not having to wait in line. After dinner, we all started playing blackjack and ended up gaming for about 3.5 hours. Casey and I alternated playing (not every other hand but after an hour or so we’d switch up) and ended up walking away a few hundred dollars ahead!

Unfortunately we didn’t get to spend any time at the pool, but I’m sure we got some sun from our trek over to In N Out for lunch. At New Year’s we took a cab over and the driver was not too happy with our destination so this time we made the two mile roundtrip journey on foot. After our nap (are you seeing a trend here?), we fueled up for our last night with Starbucks (now one of at least three we counted in the MGM) before getting on the monorail down to the Venetian so that Sally and Ashley could ride the gondolas. For dinner we were going to go to Samba, a Brazilian (meatapalooza) steadkhouse, but with about 15 empty tables they were booked till 9. Not wanting to wait that long, we ended up at Cravings (the buffet). As always, the crab legs were on cold and the dessert selection was poor at best. We finished the night off with a fountain show before turning in for our early flight on Tuesday.

It’s always nice to go on vacation but even nicer to come home again. We had a great trip to Vegas and hopefully it’ll hold us over for awhile until we return. There aren’t many people pictures but I’ll post what I have in the gallery soon!

To add to all the drama of the last week, we’re now under a Tornado Watch. I doubt anything will come of this but the last storm watch we had two people died out east so you never know. It’s always something.

Another weekend has passed by too fast. Saturday Casey and I went to Lowes and picked up some herbs (cilantro, rosemary, and chives), jalapenos, and annuals (marigolds, pansies, violas, allysum, and a pink one that I don’t remember the name of) to put in the planters closest to the house. This is our first time planting anything so we didn’t know we shouldn’t have planted things yet, as Lowes was packed with people by gardening stuff. Grandma suggested we put tomato stakes in our planters and drape a sheet over them so they won’t get frost bit if it dips down too low at night so that’s what we’ve been doing. It’ll be nice when it warms up enough we don’t have to go out there everynight to cover them and can fill up the other (larger) planter on the far side of the deck. It’s still too cold at night to turn on the sprinklers either so Casey did a lot of dragging the hose around yesterday and the grass already looks greener. Although that could just be wishful thinking on our part. We still need to seed and fertilize but hopefully we’ll have green grass soon!

On Saturday for lunch, we went with my parents to Bird Dog BBQ and were thoroughly disappointed. People at work had reccomended it to me and when I asked them what kind of BBQ it was they’re like, you know, regular BBQ. I wanted to know what style it was (KC, NC, TX, Memphis). I can’t really say that it was any of the above. They didn’t use charcoal and it tasted like they steamed the meat. The only good points? The bottled beer and potato salad. HA what a joke! There’s still three other BBQ places in the city to try Famous Dave’s (the chain), Front Range BBQ (Grandma and Grandpa don’t reccomend though), and BZ’s BBQ which is a roach coach set up outside Western Warehouse. Casey and Joe’s BBQ puts these places to shame. Saturday night we went out with the entire family to Texas Roadhouse to try out the ribs. They were really good and probably the best we’ll get around here. They weren’t quite falling off the bone but pretty close and had a good flavor to them and were much better than Saltgrass Grill’s.

The independent appraiser guy that the driver who hit me’s insurance hired (did you follow all of that?), came out today to take pictures of teh car and prepare an estimate. He’s supposed to be emailing me and the other insurance company a copy of the estimate and IF the company accepts libaility THEN they will cut me a check for the estimate he provided. When I take the car to get repaired, if the repairs are more costly or severe than originally estimated then this guy will come back out and assess the damge again. Hopefully this will all work out and the other company will pay up. Casey saw that they’re working the new Powers/Woodmen expansion – they have money.

We finally got the last check from United Van Lines to close out our claim against the for damages they caused while moving our stuff from Virginia. I’m really glad we went with the insurance as opposed to hoping our renter’s insurance would cover any damages because I can only imagine how upset we’d have been otherwise.

I’m getting ready to apply for unemployment benefits. While it’s nowhere near as much as I’d like it to be, at least it’ll supplement our income until I find something new.
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This has turned into a newsworthy, although crappy week. As I was preparing to leave for the day, I found out that today would be my last. Even though I was extended on Tuesday until 9/30/07 due to “departmental reorgnization” I’m being let go. I was given my check and escorted out and not given a chance to say goodbye. I’ve received emails and calls from my coworkers appalled and shocked at the recent and sudden turn of events as they weren’t told until a 1/2 hour *after* I was gone that it had happened. Although I am offended at what has happened, I have been guaranteed good references by all of my coworkers and direct supervisor. As many of you know I was already looking for something new so to those looking on my behalf – keep looking, I need your help more than ever! Sufficed to say, those with my work email address, please do not use it any longer. Things happen for a reason and it seems this is my cue to move on.

We’re getting a SEPHORA at N. Carefree & Powers!!! So that’s right near our house and across from Super Target. Finally no more driving to Denver! Now if we could only get a Nordstrom, Ann Taylor Loft, Crate & Barrel, and ZGallerie we’d really be making progress.

I just posted pics of the damage to the car in the gallery. The damage definitely could have been worse and I’m very fortunate I didn’t get hurt in all of this and the car is still operable. I left a voicemail for the cop yesterday letting him know that the douche that hit me put the wrong license plate down and I wanted to make sure that he (the cop) had the right info. He called back this morning and told Casey that the douche had been ticketed and was found to be at fault for causing the accident. Still playing phone tag with my insurance company but hopefully I can get some answers soon because this is just a mess.

I finally have something post worthy. This morning on my way to work on south-bound Powers near the Platte interchange, I was driving in the middle lane when a semi concrete truck hit me from the left (fast) lane and started pushing me. I managed to move the car out of the path and the damage was minimal so I’m very thankful for that. The Civic *is* still driveable although the area near my left quarter panel and tire is pretty ground up. After pulling over and the other driver not following, I rushed to write down his license plate number with shaking hands. I feared he would hit and run but about a 1/4 mile down he pulled over. I pulled up behind him and called Casey while I assessed the damage. He got out and looked at his truck then got back inside. I called the police to report the accident and they said they would be sending someone over but in the meantime we could begin exchaging information. I got out of the car again and went to try and tell the driver all of this and he said, “My company won’t let me talk to you. I can’t say anything until they arrive.” While we were waiting for the cop to arrive, Casey showed up and I started to calm down some.

Finally, the cop showed up took my statement and then gave me paperwork to fill out and return to him along with the usual docs (DL, registration, and insurance). THREE trucks showed up from this guys’ company to assess the situation and take pictures of my car and all of that – not talking to us and only glaring the entire time. After the officer looked at the semi and then took the driver’s statement he came back and asked which lane *I* as in again and I told him the middle lane (same thing as I had originally) so he points to the right lane and is like this one? I said no the middle one, pointing to the middle lane, and told him that there was a lane on either side of me and that this guy was in the left lane and moved into me. He was like yeah, that’s what I thought but the driver is saying he was in the middle lane and you were in the right lane. So the guy was LYING to the officer about what happened. Anyways, the officer finished with my paperwork and gave me the other driver’s information (which I didn’t check til I was at work and trying to call USAA) and told us that we could leave. As I was getting back into the Civic from the FX, I overheard the cop telling the driver that he would be given a $90 fine for driving in the left lane.

After a shitty morning I was finally able to call the insurance about the accident around 10:30. I gave my statement to the rep and gave him all of the information he requested from the form I was given. He asked if I was cited and I said no and that I didn’t know if the other driver was cited anymore than getting the ticket for driving in the left hand lane but I was told I could leave and didn’t find out everything that happened. (The bottom of the incident report thing says it takes 5 days for the police report to become available.) I also made sure to tell him that the other driver didn’t list his DL on the form, his company’s phone #, his insurance phone #, and the license number he gave was DIFFERENT than what was on the truck. I gave him BOTH numbers although emphasized which one was actually on the truck. The rep told me that when dealing with commercial companies more than likely they would fight anything being their fault because claims are so costly. He was going to work on tracking down the company and find out what was going on and then get back to me. He left me a voicemail saying that the other company said they weren’t going to pay anything right now and would be fighting the ticket. So he was ticketed and I can’t wait to see what the police report says. I’m pretty upset that there’s a possibility he can just deny responsibility and get away with it. My car may not be the greatest in the world but I didn’t do this to it and he should be the one fixing it!

Today has just been a horrible day between the accident and work and I’m glad it’s almost over. Hopefully, there’s progress on both fronts SOON!

After originally completing our taxes at the beginning of February, we got an additional item (that showed we got a refund from Virginia last year) three or four weeks later. The form originally got sent to the townhouse, meaning that this is the third place we’ve lived since moivng out of there and who knows how long the new owners sat on the form before putting it back in the mail. So anyways with all of that said, we knew we needed to amend our Virginia taxes and the one time I tried I got so flustered figuring out where the form fit into it all that I just stopped and put it off till this past Wednesday. It ended up taking six hours to figure out and amend ALL three tax returns. Ugh such a pain. And now we owe money back to two of the three. Thank God this is only once a year because I was about to snap at the vague language used in tax instructions. Not to mention I had to amend our taxes for a similar issue last year. I guess next year I’ll know to hold out for these forms before filing. Hopefully the rest of you had better luck than we did!

Not a whole lot going on here. We were supposed to get a blizzard blowing into town early morning on Friday but the snow was bareable and not quite blizzard status. Even still, Casey and I both worked from home and for me all my hours for Friday were overtime. I’m so sick of all of this snow so hopefully things warm back up and stay that way so we can start reviving our yard and breaking out the summer clothes. I miss my flip flops!

Last night we went to James & Nicole’s for dinner and spades. As Nicole and I are the reigning spades champions it was interesting mixing it up last night with Casey and Nicole vs. James and myself. At the end of the night the score was 1-1. We didn’t even bother with a tie breaker because the games were so long with lots of double nils and 10 for 2s. Then today we met my parents for lunch at the Saltgrass Steak House. I highly recommend the Range Rattlers which are jalapenos stuffed with shrimp and jack cheese. Yum! The portions were so large we had food leftover for dinner too!

This weekend has just flown by and I’m so sad it’s time to start preparing for another work week. It’s supposed to see my last (again) but we all now how that goes for me. I’m sure it’ll be another anticlimatic week.

After weeks of nice weather and almost turning on our sprinkler system, we’ve been having a winter storm that started yesterday and just won’t end. We went up to Denver yesterday and coming home took over an hour and a half because the roads were starting to get slick and people going southbound were rubber-necking at those going north and sliding off the road. We saw one guy slide off the road right in front of us and then get stuck and several turned over vehicle. There was an article on the paper’s website saying that one person even died. This is going to put a halt to any landscaping we had planned this weekend. Warm weather come back!