Birthday Day 2

Today Doug and I had lunch with his Mom & Dad at Cheesecake Factory for my birthday

This is the best kind of birthday cake!!

After lunch we headed north of Baltimore to Gunpowder Falls State Park. We went on a short hike along the creek and enjoyed the nice day.

Birthday Day 1

(BTW, I know I get really creative sometimes with the Post names... Don't judge!)

Friday night I kicked my birthday weekend off with a bang by going out for dinner and drinks with some friends. We behaved and, in true, old people style, we were in bed before 1. :)

Eating dinner at Cadillac Ranch in Annapolis

(It was raining so we were not able to sit outside on the very nice patio. :( )

After dinner we went to Cancun's for drinks and a small amount of booty shaking. 

Outtakes

How many pictures does it take to get one good one of me and Doug?
(This was not posed! This was completely random and yet it perfectly catches our relationship.)

Hmmm.... 

Getting closer...

Almost (this one makes my heart smile)....

And there we go!

So the answer is 4!
(These pictures are thanks to Sarah A and her "expertise" smartphone camera skills. In other words, she had no clue she was snapping pictures or what she was taking pictures of when she caught all these moments. HA!)

Ft. McHenry for Father's Day

Yesterday Doug and I went with his Mom & Dad to Fort McHenry. The Ft. is in the Baltimore Harbor and is famous because that is where the Star Spangled Banner was written. With the bicentennial celebration occurring, the Ft. has had many special events scheduled. This summer they added boat tours to their agenda. The tour gives you a water view of the harbor and the fort while telling you the story of how the famous battle occurred and how song was written. For weather, we could have not asked for a more beautiful day. The sun was shining, the temperatures where in the low 80's, there was no humidity, and there was a nice cool wind blowing. We had a great time learning about the history of the city and our nation but most importantly we had a wonderful time with Doug's Dad for Father's Day. I am counting down the days (14) to seeing my Dad at the beach for the 4th. A whole week being a beach bum with my Dad is just what I need!

The park surrounding the outside of the Fort

 

The Fort with downtown Baltimore behind it

Standing at the front of the Fort looking out at the bay and the Francis Scott Key Bridge

Inside the Fort

Some of the Fort volunteers who dress up

Shinedown videos

Shinedown

Last night we went to the private Shinedown concert. Well, more of a meet and greet than a concert but a once in a blue moon chance either way. Doug was really nervous and excited. He was determined to be their BFFs by the end of the day but I had to remind him how creepy they may find his . :) The weather was down right awful so we left really early to account for traffic. Nothing like a few tornado warnings to make people drive like blind, 100 year old, grannies. We got there in plenty of time and then had to wait even longer for the band to do the on-air interview (Listen here) and sound check. Doug could not sit still from his anticipation. They put us and 14 other people in a small break room for the concert. The band came out, talked with us some, played three songs, and then we got to meet them, get autographs, and take a picture with them. Thankfully the security guy came with a pocket full of Sharpies because I totally forgot to bring one. Oops!

Doug was in heaven the entire time. I was a little disappointed only three songs were played but Doug could have cared less. Thankfully they were three of his favorites off the last album. I totally had that "joy from seeing the smile on your child's face" feeling. I have never played one of their songs but I knew all the words from the countless times Doug has played them. After the little tease concert he had me promise him we would go to the full concert when they came in town again. I will probably go broke getting him seats as good as we had yesterday but I think he is worth it. :)

 

St. Micheals

This Saturday we had some yucky weather thanks to Tropical Storm Andrea but we were not going to let that stop us from having a fun day. Doug and I got up and headed out early to make the most of our one day a week together. We decided to go to St. Michaels, MD and make a few stops on the way. Since we had to go over the Bay Bridge and pay the toll, we figured we would make the most of the day and go to as many places as we could. Stop #1: the outlets. :) Hey, we rarely go and it was right there off the route. I forced Doug to buy some shirts so he would have some nice ones to wear at the beach. We still have to find him some swim trunks. I am betting we buy something last minute in FL...

Stop #2 was Easton, MD. We more or less drove through the city but we did stop at Kohl's. It was still raining when we left there and got to St. Michaels (Stop #3). A friend of Doug's recommended a restaurant right on the water, The Crab Claw. Our plan was to eat outside on the docks but the weather forced us inside. The food was good but we would like to go back for dinner on a prettier day so we could sit outside and really enjoy the view. We decided to wait out the rain driving around the peninsula and site seeing. There were many large houses and cute inns right along the water. Doug and I decided next time we came back we should get on a boat so we could get a better view of the area.

Finally it stopped raining so we headed back into the city to walk around the downtown area. There were a lot of cute little shops to keep us occupied for a little while. After that we grabbed some ice cream and plopped down on a bench to people watch. Once our bellies were full we decided to head back home. There was only one stop left to make, find Yum Yum sauce. For those on Facebook, you saw my devastating status update about me dropping my Yum Yum sauce. (For those not on Facebook, Doug and I went to eat hibachi, I got a HUGE to go cup of Yum Yum sauce to eat with my leftovers, and I dropped it in the parking lot all over the ground and our car. Sad, I know.) What is hibachi without Yum Yum sauce so we had to find some. I figured if Wegmans didn't have it, no one close by would. This was my first trip there and my mind was blown! It was huge! I was hooked after I saw the bakery and produce section. Unfortunately, Doug banned me from going without him because he knows I would spend every dollar we had in there. :) But they did have the Yum Yum sauce and cheesecake (he owed me from giving me the stomach virus)! And I just remembered I forgot to look for cornbread mix. Guess that means I will have to make another trip... :)

We WON!

Backgroud:
Monday morning I was listening to the radio, as I do everyday, while I was getting ready. The DJs announced they were doing a contest to give away 2 tickets to a private concert the next Monday with Shinedown. Doug L-O-V-E-S Shinedown. They have come to the area twice but either our budget or the date got in the way of us going (back when he was working the crappy retail hours). He was very upset about that and constantly reminded me how Shinedown was in town twice and we didn't go see them. So I turned up the radio and got my cell phone ready. The first contest was listen to 3 song clips, call in, and name the artist and title of the songs. I called but could not get through. I eventually did get through (after someone had won) so I got as much details as I could on the contest. I ended up being late to work for all my efforts to get songs titles/artists, phone numbers, and make the calls. I told Doug they were doing another one around 8 so he had to listen and help me win. The second contest came around, had the title and artist for the three song clips, and could not get through. I was so irritated and defeated. I have never won a contest before and I could not imagine how anyone could possibly get through to the radio station and win.Doug told me not to try again because I was so upset from not winning them.

Tuesday:
I got up, got ready for work, and headed out the door. As i was getting in the car the DJs were announcing the contest rules for that day's set of tickets. The requirement was to "Pay it forward". You had to text in on behalf of someone else who wanted the tickets. If they answered the phone when the radio station called, that person would win.  I thought, easy enough, so I did it. I typed (spoke into my phone as it typed for me) how big of a fan Doug was of Shinedown, how he loved the acoustic stuff probably more than the full band, how we had tried to go before and were not able to, and how much he would love to go see them. I added that I was the chick with the accent they talked to the day before and that we were from Alabama. I then went on to tell them about how wonderful of a husband Doug was, how he spoiled me, and made all my dreams come true. I begged them to call him so I could make his dream of seeing the band come true. It was probably 4 normal size text messages when I was done. I hit send and got the "Thanks for texting" response.

I quickly texted Doug to make sure he answered his phone if he had a number call him that he did not recognize. No response. I called him to make sure he saw my text. No response. (Yes, I was freaking out, mad at this point.) I called again and he finally picked up. I asked him if he got my text and he said yes and that he was on hold with the radio station. I screamed and hung up! I turned the radio up and began praying, "Please God!", during the commercial break. After they played a song I began cussing at the station for playing music instead of getting back to the contest. Finally the song ended and the DJs repeated the contest rules. The they said,

"Lets see if we have a winner."
insert sound of phone calling someone
"Hello"
"Hi, Doug?"
"Yes, this is Doug."

At this point I almost wreck and begin screaming bloody murder. It was my husband on the radio. They told him after they saw my text they knew they had to call him. They talked with him for a bit (really edited the call for the radio version) about being a big fan and being from Alabama then they went on with their show. Tears were streaming down my face, I was shaking and I was a basket case. I called the radio station to thank them (they probably think I should be on meds so meeting them in person should go really well...) and then briefly talked with Doug before I went into work. We were both so excited and I, once again, was issued the wife of the day award. I think this might have put me in the running for wife of the year. :) I know my coworkers were ready for me to calm down. The adrenaline from winning was rushing through me and I could not stay quite.

Stay tuned for pictures and (hopefully) video of our private concert with Shinedown. (Still makes me shake from excitement when I say it).