I Drive a Dodge Status!

So, I felt the urge to sing an ode to the vehicle which has taken us to many heights: the Dodge Stratus.  We just crossed over 100,000 miles on the last trip to Chicago and it got me thinking about all the great times we've had.

It was given to me in August 2004 by my parents after I returned from a summer trip to Bulgaria with 13,000 miles.  It replaced the "still-barely-running" Ford Taurus Speed Wagon which I inherited from my Grandpa after he died.

Here is a brief and assuredly incomplete list of trips it has been on:

-Many trips from Newburgh to Carmel to see Courtney

-Fall Break to Tennessee in 2004!

-Up to Chicago to see Melissa and Andrew get engaged

-To Kansas with John for Justin and Jenny McKnight's wedding

-Down the country roads every week to Eminence Christian Church in college

-To New Orleans after the hurricane to help with some clean-up

-To Newburgh in 05 for our first trip to Wadsworth Lake

-Back home again in 05 after the tornado took away my parent's house

-Numerous dates and often the only place to be alone with Courtney 

-Up to Chicago with Tim in 06 to watch the Cubs get pummeled by the Brewers

-To Johnson City, TN in 06 to visit Courtney's grandparents and watch the fireworks

-3 straight Christmas Eve travels either to Carmel or Newburgh

-To Bardstown, KY to jump out of a plane with my best friends before we got married

-Multiple trips to Rush-Copley Hospital in Naperville, IL to be there for Emma Harris' birth

-To Galena, IL for a 25th anniversary celebration with the Wrights

For the last 8 months of a beautiful relationships we have trips scheduled to Virginia Beach, Cleveland, St. Louis, Wheaton, IL, and one last long trip out to Colorado Springs.  100,000 leaves you pretty attached to a car and it will be sad to finally say goodbye in October.  So, here's to you, Stratus, from all those who have safely ridden in your care.  Keep on keeping on.  

Love...it's what you crave®

Is there anything more romantic than sitting down with your sweetheart to a gorgeous Crave Case full of Slyders eaten by candlelight?  I submit that there is not.

 

Neourtney

I've heard it said that after enough years of marriage, couples start to act alike and even look like each other. 

The other day Neil and I were relaxing on my parents couch in the middle of a tiring day, anxious to take a break. I picked up a book of Sudoku puzzles I got for Christmas and Neil turned on the television to watch another episode of The Cosby Show. All of a sudden it dawned on me, I'm doing math for fun and Neil is filling his brain with mindless entertainment to relax. It's starting to happen.

I'm going to start looking in the mirror a little more closely....

Road Warriors

So, we've been here and there for quite some time now. We spent Christmas going to Carmel, Newburgh, Sellersburg, Johnson City, TN, Indianapolis (Courtney then to Danville, IL), and then back home here in Sellersburg. It feels good to be back in our "old place". Although we will be in and out of here, it's always going to be nice to come back to this house. Living with Courtney is amazing and exponentially so when we get to wake up together and spend all day in our own place.

Some other highlights of being back home:
-Seeing our small group and helping the Clarks move into their new house-My Christmas present from Courtney - 3 seasons of The Cosby Show

So, I had some other things to say, but I think I'll just rant on the Cosby Show for a bit. It is seriously the greatest TV sitcom ever. I can (and intend to) watch it everyday. There is something so great about watching this family that loves each other deeply get caught up in the funniest moments. The best part is the way they all laugh at everyday quirks that really are hilarious. I can't say any more, but it always makes me laugh.

Here's a great picture from Christmas.

so full

Have you ever felt so full that the only way to let it all out is to cry?

I have. In fact, I just happen to be blogging right in the middle of it. (that's misleading, I am in fact blogging because of that) Regardless, I feel full. Here's what I feasted on tonight:

scriptures on God's presence & fear
laughter shared over a common meal with new friends (lasagna, yum)
"Behold the Lamb of God" by Andrew Peterson
and finally, having a forum (*ahem, neilandcourtney.blogspot.com) to share my 'fullness'

Maybe you've been feeling full lately. Or, maybe you've been feeling empty? I had been running on fumes recently, which is probably why I feel so full now. Pardon me if this grosses you out, but if I ever get stuck in the middle of the desert with little to no food or water, you better believe that I'm gonna gourge myself the next time I pass by a Ponderosa. Thankfully, my Ponderosa came tonight. And it was completely unexpected.

Go Cubs!

Yapta

I must admit that I have a terrible weakness to really cool websites and games. Some places I have wasted precious hours of my life in the past are homestarrunner, Atomic Badger Racing, The Black Knight, LaunchCast, that game where you are Yeti and you hit a penguin like a baseball, Engrish.com, and looking up obscure baseball stats with Tim on mlb.com. My latest vice is Yapta.com. This site starts off like a regular airplane flight search, giving you the prices of major carriers for a certain date. However, it gets really cool when you can actually track a flight over time and have Yapta email you when the price goes down over time. This method really only works when you know you are travelling about 4 months beforehand (as the price is usually lowest somewhere around 2 months before). I found myself constantly checking the price to the point of annoyance for my wife whom I asked probably about a half dozen times "Do you think we should by them yet?". Her response was always "Yes", to which I would say, "Ok, let's wait and see if the price goes down more!" She's a saint, but I saved us about $70!

What's your website vice of choice these days?