Leaf Peeping & Stuff

Jason came to check on us and make sure we were surviving our wilderness adventure.  While he was here we took little trips to explore some nearby cities.  And since he keeps telling my phone pictures are pretty bad, I've been trying to use my camera more. Not sure it helps a lot... the problem may be just as much my photography skills as the device I'm using.  One day we drove up to Parkersburg and he took me to Rural King, where we bought dog food, and then we drove over the 50 cent toll bridge into Belpre, OH where we stopped in at the world's tiniest Goodwill.  (Seriously!  I would question if it was even 500 square feet but he looked annoyed when I referred to it as an adorable miniature...)  I had to laugh thinking 'Do we know how to romance or what?'  Another day we took off in the opposite direction and took a look around Clarksburg.  That day highlighted how opposite from most people we are - he pointed the car straight to the mall while I wanted to take pictures of cool buildings, historic sites and nature.  Here's a few pictures of stuff I wanted to see that I managed to snap along the way:

Leaves are just starting to change colors for fall.

Sometimes when you look out at the horizon it's like you can see trees forever.

You can see that it's giving way, but green is still putting up a good fight
to stick around awhile longer.

One more shot of the first blush of fall color from along Highway 50.

The dogs got to show him their new favorite dog park.  They had a great romp and then crashed in the back of the Explorer while we played a game of heads = turn right, tails = turn left going on up Volcano Road.  We ended up on a road I don't quite have an adequate vocabulary to describe (let alone get pictures of!) where the car was bouncing and lurching over the ruts and boulders... Amazingly, it finally connected to another beautifully blacktopped road a few miles later.

Shortly before the end of the Civil War, Volcano emerged as a major oil producing
boomtown in the White Oak region of Wood and Ritchie Counties...

We both thought this little cave in the rocks and tree roots was pretty neat.

We turned a corner and he hit the brakes! There was
Ginger and Cindy, horses he owned before the family
farm burned 8 years ago and he sold them. He called
to them and they perked right up and then he hopped
the fence went to pet them.  They are following him
back toward the car for more...

I hear this construction site is a new nuclear plant.  Looks like a possibility to me.  And the guard frowning at me for taking pictures kind of reinforced the idea...  We were on a public road and not trespassing on a private build site. The signs didn't give many clues, they just said Entero Energy Clearwater Project (which didn't come up in Google when I searched).

From another day... in St. Mary's:

I walked in some famous footsteps!!  And I stomped all
around the bank here just to make sure my foot fell somewhere
that his did so I could honestly say that...

The Ohio River directly behind the monument for George Washington's landing.

And just when you think the adventure is over and you've FOUND him...

...you find out you're wrong and the adventure continues!  We pulled in at the cabin well after sundown and I saw some bright lights up on the dark hillside.  I pointed them out to Jason.  He said a couple of words I won't repeat here and took off up the hill through the tall grass and brush and whatever else is growing there to investigate.  Before long he pulls up and tells me he's got to go meet the DNR officer and then they'll both come back.  An hour later... I learned the lights were some guys using spotlights on their pickups to hunt deer up there, which is illegal, on private property where they had no permission to be, which is even more illegal, and then evading arrest, which is even still more illegal.  What an exciting way to end our visit... And test if my phone, which has only super sketchy service up here, could even make a 911 call!

We're The Same, Just Different

WARNING:  This is going to be one of those cutesy relationship posts I once swore I'd never write...  If that sort of mushy stuff makes you gag, step away now.  Or, if you're game to read it, here's 15 ways Derek and I are different:

He likes brand name products - a self-described 'brand whore.'
I have almost zero brand loyalty and couldn't care less what the label says.

He likes cheddar and provolone cheese.
I've never met a cheese I didn't love!

He's a night owl.
I'm a morning person.

He hates Mexican food (except his own chicken and cheese quesadillas).
I would kill for a real chicken burrito smothered in chile verde right now!

He watches car shows on tv.
I watch HGTV.

He snacks on sweets, specifically chocolate and peanut butter flavored sweets.
I want chips or pretzels more often.  And more variety in the sweet flavors, too.

He likes to have a fan going full blast in the bedroom.
I wake up with a pounding sinus headache when wind blows in my face all night.

He's into takeout.
I prefer dine-in.

He looks at the plants along the roadside as annoying weeds.
I'm watching for the blackberries I see growing to get ripe so I can go pick some.

He uses Jack Daniel's BBQ Sauce and Tony Chachere's Seasoning on his burger.
I like the full range of condiments.

He orders (or cooks) his steak rare and burgers so well done they're almost burned.
I prefer both with just a hint of pink in the middle.

He has a Facebook account and never logs in to it.
I see Facebook as my connection to family and friends that are far away.

He plays computer and video games.
I feel neglected now and then because of how much time he spends with them.

He screams and runs for cover when a spider scurries by.
I've been known to 'catch-and-release' if I know they're non-poisonous.

He believes in God, just not organized religion.
I enjoy Church services.

And so we compromise on the little stuff... at least we agree on the big things that matter in life!

The Story of Us

Photo credit:  http://pinterest.com/pin/547680004654339661/

I've alluded to it a time or two, but I don't think -I've ever told you the story of how Derek and I became such an unlikely couple.

Last Wednesday, we celebrated his 28th birthday.  I'm 49.

I didn't know that when we first met...

And learning he was so much younger was a shock to my system that almost ended things before our romance even took off.  But I couldn't stop thinking about him.  And so, like a moth drawn to the flame, I kept getting closer.

Just like Taylor Swift says... "It's a love story.  Baby, just say yes!"

A little before my mom's final illness, I'd randomly clicked a Facebook link for a game.  I did it because a guy at work, a guy I kind of had a bit of a crush on, teased me incessantly about not playing games.  He probably thought I'd choose something like Farmville to master, but oh no... not me.  I clicked into a medieval war game.  In the game we sort of chose teams of other folks we wanted to be on our side in the waging of these imaginary wars.  People who would advise, help defend us and join in attacks of our pixelated imaginary enemies.  After a while, when mom needed 24/7 care and I'd had to leave my job to take care of her, the game, or more specifically the people from the game, became my link to the outside world.  I spent a lot of time there.  Finally Derek and I ended up on the same team.

Much of this game moves very slowly and huge amounts of time are dedicated to building cities, researching technologies and recruiting armies.  It left a lot of time to chat.  And over this game chatter we became friends.

And the friendship started spilling out into real life interests and plans.  We had a lot in common and even on the things where we are different, much of it is complimentary.  Then I noticed his age and had an epic meltdown.  I told myself he was just too young... it could never work... and horror of all horrors - his mom graduated high school the same year I did!!

It took some convincing, but we finally got back on the romance track.  Ask him.  He'll tell you he had to work at chasing me.

Several months after my mom passed away, he flew out to Salt Lake City to meet me and we decided there was a little spark and we really wanted to be more than just friends.  I'd decided to take 6 months to a year off after her passing to kind of recover mentally and emotionally and regroup and decide what I wanted from the rest of my life now that it was finally mine to live.

With no close family giving me roots to stay in Utah, we decided I would be the one to move.  But...

You knew there was a 'but' coming, huh?

But he didn't want to live in Salt Lake and I didn't want the lifestyle we'd have if I moved to metro-Washington DC where he lived.  We toyed with it both ways and it kind of came to a stalemate until we started looking in the smaller communities just outside of Atlanta.  Derek has family here so it felt like a natural move for him.  And the more I saw, the more I liked it.  (That hasn't changed after being here for 8 months now!)  We agreed to both make a move.

Planning began.  Oh, we had such grand plans!!  Although absolutely nothing has gone according to those plans...  There's been a lot more bumps and rough patches and scrambling to figure out what to do with a new set of circumstances than either of us could have anticipated but we're happy and together and writing our very own love story!

For the Love of Chocolate

Photo credit:  http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?
fbid=10100694556460447&set=a.642400996457.
2233386.36601905&type=1&ref=nf

Yes, I know Valentine's Day isn't until tomorrow.  But I'm still going to tell you about my plans because my sweetie already knows and because of his work schedule we won't be celebrating until Friday night anyway.  So I figure this will spread the celebration of a made-up so we can spend money we don't really have Hallmark holiday out for 3 days instead of the requisite 1.  I sound more like a Puritan than a hopeless romantic don't I?

But I assure you, romance ranks high on my list of things necessary for a good life!  I just think we ought to show our love for each other every day so that the spectacle of this single mid-February day designated for gawdy displays of gushy sentiment and red and pink hearts and chocolate and half-dead flowers is something we do for fun and not as a spending spree obligation to make our loved ones feel loved.

Photo credit:  http://pinterest.com
/pin/203717583116433185/

So to further both romance and a spread of chocolate delight we are celebrating Friday with a late night chocolate fondue.  For dipping we'll have strawberries, pound cake, marshmallows, brownie bites, bits of eggless cookie dough (so you can safely eat it raw - not than an egg has ever stopped ME!), Oreos and maybe another item or two if something impresses me when I'm perusing the grocery store isles tomorrow.

Photo credit: http://pinterest.com
/pin/205476801720880817/

And I'm going to slightly modify a fondue recipe from FOLK Magazine to become this:

Chocolate Fondue

1 quart heavy whipping cream
16 oz of your favorite chocolate (milk, dark, chips, bar, baking, etc.)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbl cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, maybe a bit more if needed to sweeten/thicken

In my electric fondue pot (or you can do it stovetop with a double boiler) I'll heat the cream on medium high just to boiling then add the chocolate and stir until it's all melted.  Next add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth.  Turn the pot to its very lowest setting and let the dipping, smiling and happy times begin.

Photo credit:  http://pinterest.com
/pin/205476801720880849/

I love that we do things like this, not just to mark holidays and special occasions, but just because it's fun to celebrate a random Tuesday now and then!

Life can get so busy with all its little details that it becomes easy to push romance to the background.  I don't want to ever allow that to happen so I'm seeking out the silly and thoughtful little gestures in each and every day not just Valentine's.

But if you really want to send me some heart shaped chocolates... I won't say no!


UPDATE:
Here's how our belated Valentine's chocolate fondue spread turned out.  Finally decided on brownie bites, pound cake bites, Oreo Mega Stuff Cookies, Strawberries, Bananas, Krispy Kreme Donut Holes, and a mix of heart shaped pink and white marshmallows with heart sprinkles and graham cracker crumbs for after-dip toppers.

Chocolate induced coma complete!