The Ridgewood Ragdoll

Goodbye Ridgewood

2009-07-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Well, after 6 years in the condo for CJ, and 5 years in the condo for me, it was time to make a break to bigger and better digs. Mostly just bigger digs. We had been looking for 2 years, me more me than CJ, and had seen a house a couple of years ago that we loved. The house was out of our price range then, but with the financial times, we finally were able to own it. This meant getting the condo ready to rent, as the market was not favorable enough to sell at this time. We enlisted the help of my parents to help get things touched up before the new renters moved in. Here is Piglet, doing the edging. She said she was really good, but mostly she took breaks!

My dad insisted on climbing up on the ledge to finish the ceiling. We have determined that he is a perfectionist and will not quit until the job is done. Guess that is why he is great at what he does.

And finally, this is the last shot of the condo before we did the final move out. We love the new place, but are missing the bustle of the uptown area a bit. Pix of the new place are to come, so keep coming back for more.

PS. Good news... We have new renters that just moved into the condo as of July 3rd. Some of the stress is now relieved and we are ready to settle into the new place!

Prom of your Dreams 2009

2009-07-08T05:15:00.000-07:00

In May, we held our annual Christmas/Work party. We decided to have a "Prom Of Your Dreams" party and it turned out awesome. CJ and I were on the party planning committee and we had a great time. Here I am with a couple of my favorite work peeps with their 80's prom attire. Mine is actually a real throw back from my prom 1995.

Here are CJ and I posing for our authentic prom photo. I appear to be straddling the first 0 in 2009. Just more evidence that a great time was had by us.

The Godfather

2009-07-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

In April, Chris and I took at trip to Miami. Chris was asked by his "besties" to be the "Godfather" for their son, Alejandro. Below is the view from our hotel on South Beach.

One night, Chris and I and Terry and Jorge hit the clubs. Here is Chris and I sitting on an outdoor bed. It was about 11 seconds before the waitress came over to tell us the bed minimum was $250. Yep, we got up really quick and headed to a cheaper place to have a drink.

And finally, here is a pix of CJ with his new godson, Alejandro. The party afterwards was great with authentic Cuban food. We had a blast and I am already thinking about our next trip to Miami. PS. This is the way CJ thinks all kids should be held. It's obvious to the "parent" that he has no child of his own.

Washington DC

2009-06-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

At the end of April, we went to visit Chris's mom, Karen to view the cherry blossoms. They were at their peak when we were there. This picture was taken in a neighborhood in D.C. that seems to go on forever with all of the cherry blossom trees they have planted. There were tons of people and cars lined up to drive through the fancy hood.

This was a blossoming cherry tree in a park we went to in the middle of Georgetown. It was amazing and they also had a hidden grove of cherry trees.

This was a picture of Karen and I at the tidal basin in Washington DC. It was beautiful, but also PACKED with people.

Welcome back!

2009-06-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks for coming back to see us. I just checked and it has been almost 3 months exactly since we have updated the blog. That doesn't mean we haven't been busy, in fact we have been VERY busy. It just means that we haven't downloaded the camera in 3 months. After digging out the downloading cord, we are back in business. After a trip to Washington DC to see Chris's mom and the cherry blossoms in April, we followed up with a move to Plymouth and a cruise to Alaska. In the next couple of weeks, I'll try to do some pix uploads for you to check out. This picture was taken just after we found out our final offer on the new house had been accepted. We were stressed, but also super excited.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

2009-03-23T19:28:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we ventured up to Alexandria to celebrate my Grandma's 79th (really 80th-she's in denial) birthday. Here she is coming in to the loudly decorated kitchen and living room area.

Here we are... Three generations of women. I don't think we look too bad.
Here is Grandma with her birthday flowers. She loves lime green, so we made sure they had plenty of her color.
And, once again, here are the best friends. With my dad not having much work to do over the winter, he and his best friend had a lot of breakfasts together.
After a great birthday dinner of steaks on the grill, we had a rousing game of bingo from the new bingo ball purchased at Fleet Farm. Happy Birthday Grandma. Hope you had as much fun as we did.

Hello Birds!

2009-03-11T22:02:00.000-07:00

The porch has been used for many good times in both the winter and the summer. With the recent snow fall, our bird feeders have been packed and we even have 3 pigeons out there eating. As you can see, this has brought on many sleepless mornings and afternoons while the kittens figure out how to get out at those birds. This is Milo standing on his hinds taking a look.

After howling for 30 minutes, the kit cats get their way and head outside. This is their bird watching station on the window ledge. They still can't figure out why the birds don't fly into the feeders when they are out there. Doesn't mean they want to go outside everyday to see if there has been a change. I'll be happy when spring and summer come again.

The Other Woman!

2009-03-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

We've had Trinny Snowpants for almost 2 years now and she has always been kind of independent and shy. This is no longer the case. CJ decided a few months ago to let her sleep with us and since then, they have slowly kicked me out of the bed. Trinny can often be found sitting with her "daddy" at night time just watching tv.

The other night, I came home from work around 4:00am and found Trinny in my place with the mattress pad heater set at 2 bars. She was tucked under a blanket and there was obviously no room for me. I was forced to the guest room.
As you can plainly see from the photos, I have been replaced by Trinny Snowpants!

Happy Valentines Day-A little late!

2009-03-06T22:03:00.000-08:00

Chris and I were both working on Valentines Day this year, but we still made time to celebrate. Here is Trinny Snowpants enjoying the sunshine and her new valentines day flowers from her daddy. I think she really does think they were for her.

Copper Mountain

2009-03-06T21:50:00.001-08:00

The first weekend in February, CJ and I took a trip to Copper Mountain in Colorado for a "Medical Conference". We had a great time and loved Copper. The only problems we encountered were headaches for the first couple of days and extreme shortness of breath for Megs. By the time we left though, I was finally feeling normal.

Here's CJ and I on one of the many "green" runs that he stayed to ski with me.
Here's CJ heading to a harder run, while I decided to loop back to the chalet for another hot chocolate. I think I took more breaks than I actually skied, but still had a great time.
Here's the road heading out of Denver and heading into the mountains.
We had a great time and would love to go back next year. Hope they decide to have another fun conference there!

Clean Laundry!

2009-01-12T20:54:00.000-08:00

So much for clean laundry with a dirty cat rolling around in the basket. Milo likes to bury himself in clean laundry. He likes dirty laundry too, but he much prefers the clean stuff. Thanks Milo!

The Atlantis Resort-Bahamas

2009-01-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

Towards the end of November, CJ and I took a trip to the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. We had a great time, but the weather was a bit cooler than we would have liked for a warm weather destination. We are sick and tired of the cold weather and short days. I think I'm ready for another warm weather trip.

And you just can't get any better than the ocean. I always take the one handed photos and these turned out pretty decent, if I do say so myself!

Trinny vs Squirrel

2009-01-08T22:22:00.001-08:00

Even in the winter, Trinny loves to spend time on the porch. This particular day, she was faced with a squirrel. I thought we were going to have a fight on our hands, but she was so scared, Chris had to put his shoes on and go out and get her. So much for a fearless kitten, it seems we will probably have to pay for kitten counseling after this encounter.

2009-01-08T22:16:00.000-08:00

Over the holiday, my mom won the Plaxico Burress Runner up Trophy for her fantasy league. She was pleased, so I thought I would put her online and make her famous. Nice work Pigs!

I bought Chris and I a pair of snowshoes for X-mas, but the only people who have used them so far are my mom and I. I was always under the assumption that having snow shoes keeps you on top of the snow so you don't have to work so hard. As you can tell from the photo, there was no "on top of the snow" in my parents back yard. We were about a foot deep sunk in the snow and then on a trail in the woods, we heard gunshots and had to head home. So much for snow shoeing for the season. We agreed they were fun, but kind of more work than was anticipated.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2008-12-25T16:29:00.000-08:00

After finally getting a Christmas off together for the first time in a few years, we all relocated to Alexandria to celebrate the holiday. As you can tell, my mom had been to the dollar store again for the festive hats. I think they lasted 3 minutes this year. Wishing you, blogstalkers, happy holidays and an exciting new year.

Enjoy the Weekend!

2008-11-15T07:30:00.000-08:00

Mercer and Milo hope you can relax and enjoy the weekend a little bit. After all, why would God make those days if she didn't want you to nap through them?

Happy Friday

2008-11-13T22:13:00.000-08:00

On Halloween, we stumbled upon Pink doing a free concert on 5th Avenue in NYC. We had great seats and had an awesome time. She really is still a rock star!

Be Careful Piglet!

2008-11-13T22:09:00.001-08:00

Here's Piglet in Times Square last weekend. I told her to watch her wallet, but she was too excited by the lights and chaos. I believe this was actually taken on Halloween. What a mess!

Thank My Mom!

2008-11-13T22:04:00.001-08:00

That's right kids. My mom and I were in NYC last week and this is Piglet, aka Mom, at the Stock Exchange Building on Wall Street. I think she had something to do with the dow being up over 500 points today.

Left out.....

2008-11-13T22:01:00.001-08:00

And because Mercer Mayer was left out of the Halloween bonanza, we have included a nice photo of him doing what he does best......resting. Keep up the good work, Mercer!

A Belated Happy Halloween

2008-11-13T21:52:00.000-08:00

We had a devil and an angel at our house for halloween. Too bad the costumes only lasted for a total of 3 minutes. We would like to take this time to thank Auntie Terry and Uncle Jorge for bringing these delightful October costumes when they visited earlier in the month!

End of Summer Photo

2008-11-12T12:23:00.001-08:00

Look at this awesome action shot I got at the end of the summer of a humming bird in my mom's garden. It was pure luck that it happened to fly by while I was snapping some shots.

Rest In Peace

2008-11-06T12:15:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, November 6th, 2008, the world lost one of the great Labrador Retrievers. Sadie Lynn Bonds was 15 years old and was a great hunter, sister, and friend. She will be greatly missed by her human family, but we know she is enjoying many dogger bones and open fields to run in.

On the road again and Happy Birthday!

2008-08-08T00:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday To ME!

Well kids, just wanted to let you fellow bloggers know we are on the road again and off to Gloucester, MA for a few days. Hopefully the hotel has wireless internet, but no guarantees. If so, we'll be doing some daily blogs. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

PS. CJ turns 38 years young on Friday, so send some good birthday thoughts his way!

The last day

2008-07-31T21:36:00.000-07:00

The last day was a long one, but probably something that most of us won't forget for a long time. We originally were only going to stay until Wednesday, but then saw in the paper that some sailing ships were going to be coming into port in Canal Park on Thursday, so we extended our stay to see the ships on the way home. Below is one of the ships we saw from the rose garden in Duluth. Absolutely beautiful!

Here is that same ship going through the bridge in Canal Park.
There were four ships total that came from the East Coast and they were amazing.
The biggest and final ship even shot off it's cannons when it came through the bridge and my grandma ducked like someone was shooting at her.
The ships were fun, but made for a long day of standing in the sun and getting a super sunburn to my nose. After the final ship came through the port, we all went out separate ways back home. I had to work at midnight when we returned, so like I said, it made for a long day. All in all though, we agreed that it was one of the best times we had all had in a long time.
Thanks again everyone for the great time and here's hoping that we can do something similar again next year!

Day 3....Back to Two Harbors

2008-07-30T21:30:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time watching the ships in Two Harbors that after we ate dinner at the Black Woods, we decided to head back over to the port to see if any more ships were coming or going. What a beautiful and calm night. It really seemed like heaven on earth.

Day 3....Continued.....Canoeing

2008-07-30T21:22:00.000-07:00

Well, in between naps, we decided it would be a good idea to take the complimentary canoes out for a test ride. This was the view of our place from the water. Again, our place was on the right side and if you look to the left, you can see Grandma Dee and Piglet safely watching the canoe trip from the banks. Lucky Ducks!

Here are Tim and CB paddling hard against the waves.
As fun as the canoes looked, they were a lot of work. And even though the waters looked calm, there was a slight wave to the water that made me sick real quick into the trip.

Needless to say the canoeing didn't last long for any of the parties in the group!

Day 3-Just hanging out!

2008-07-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was a nice day of hanging out at the house with an average of two naps each. Who knew that vacation could be so tiring? Here was a rock family that someone had left on the beach in front of our house.

Here is another rock sculpture by the house.
This is a view of the house that we rented from the beach. We actually only had half the house and our deck is the one on the right.

Here are the "best friends" of the trip...Timmer and his bestie, Grandma Dee.

Day 2.... Continued

2008-07-29T21:09:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday evening, we drove into Two Harbors to watch a ship go out and another go in. This whole ordeal took hours, but was worth every minute.

Here is a huge ship going out.
And after that ship went out, another ship came in. I think we all would agree that one of our favorite parts of the trip was watching the ships.
Another fun day followed by grilling out back at the house and a bon fire.

Gooseberry Falls-Day 2

2008-07-29T20:58:00.000-07:00

Day 2 brought a short drive to Gooseberry state park to check out the falls. Here is the crew after trecking to the top of the falls.

After doing a slight hike, here is Megs, CJ and CB on top of the world, or at least the falls.
CJ and Megs inside a little cave.
Here are the boys, always doing the daring stuff and hiking off the beaten path.
And here is Piglet, with the falls as a back drop.

Day One...Continued

2008-07-28T20:47:00.000-07:00

We finally took the scary gondola ride back down to the base of the mountain and the boys decided to ride the alpine sleds. Here is CJ and CB on their way up to the top.

Here is CB sliding down the mountain.
That blur is CJ using his mad skills to navigate the slide.

After some convincing, even Timmer took a ride on the slide.

Another tough day on the "slopes", but a fun day had by all.

North Shore...Day One

2008-07-28T20:30:00.000-07:00

Here was the crew with a view from the top of the mountain.

We decided that today would be the day to drive to Lutsen and take the gondolas to the top of the mountain and check out the views. After waiting in line for about 30 minutes because the wire "came off the track", we were all a little bit nervous about climbing on board, but we did get on and had a fairly uneventful, but beautiful ride to the top. CJ was real nervous.

Piglet and Grandma Dee also had their share of fears and were hanging on to the doors for dear life as I took the pictures.

Here is a photo on the first morning drive and the second breakfast of the day, for half of the crew.

The North Shore

2008-07-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

Well, it's time for another trip to the North Shore. Here is the gang on the summer 08 trip....Grandma Dee, CJ, Timmer, Piglet, CB, and Megs (the photographer). Here we are in Canal Park in Duluth, which is one of our favorite areas up north. This was only the first stop to our final destination past Two Harbors.

CJ and I met the rest of the family in Canal Park and just happened to watch this huge ship come in. It was a great start to the trip.

After another 1.5 hour drive north, we finally made it to our destination at the 3 bedroom house we rented at Grand Superior Lodge. CJ was real tired and needed to rest when we got there!
After some swearing and a lot of newspaper, Tim and CB finally got the fire going. We all agreed that lighter fluid would have been a nice thing to have.

Spring has sprung

2008-05-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

I was out running today at lake Harriet and purposefully brought my camera to capture the amazing sites. I'm not sure if I haven't noticed before or if the trees are just putting on a better show this year, but WOW! If you get a chance, I recommend heading over there to see the trees in full bloom.

The fountains are also finally up and running, so I guess that means the gardeners think we are in the clear in terms of frost. In that case, bring on the rest of spring and then the summer!

Hired!

2008-05-22T00:18:00.001-07:00

As you can see, I hired a new helper to keep the squirrels out of the porch area. It appears Trinny is taking her union 30 minute break even though I believe she just finished her union 15. So much for hiring good help!

Squirrel Jerks!

2008-05-21T23:54:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite times of the year is going to the greenhouse with CJ to pick out flowers for the porch. This year was no exception. We went last week and picked out exactly what we wanted, got home and planted like crazy and then were thrilled with the results...

Until those squirrel jerks came and ate most of my flowers.

As you can see, the bottom pots look like they have been massacured, which they have. Those squirrel jerks have chewed holes in the fencing we put in this spring to keep the cats in. I have had my revenge, however. I got online yesterday and found a few "home remedies" which I have been experimenting with. The first site said that squirrels hate animal smells or strong food smells, so I poured garlic salt and pepper flakes all over the soil so they wouldn't dig the plants up, or if they did, their paws would smell like sh**. I then found a site which recommended hot sauce. I made my own little mixture of Tabasco, dish soap and water and sprayed it all over the plants. Now, I know this sounds extreme and the plants may end up dying in the end from all the chaos, but today, we remained squirrel free. And the squirrels can't take that away from me!!!!

Deep Thoughts

2008-05-21T03:00:00.000-07:00

Don't wonder why people go crazy; wonder why they don't.

Just another deep thought after working a double shift last night and being unable to fall asleep tonight. Oh the joys of health care and shift work. Keep on, keeping on......

Lazy Days

2008-05-21T01:15:00.000-07:00

So I guess baby showers wear you out, because Sunday night, I just had to take a nap with one of my best kittens, Milo. He was tired too. After all, he was locked in a bedroom all afternoon. Poor busty and poor mommy!

CJ and Trinny had their own agenda's to take care of. If you look carefully, Trinny has her arms stretched straight above her head. I guess everyone has to rest in their own special way.

Thanks again team for a great shower and a fun Sunday afternoon!

Baby. Shower.

2008-05-20T22:53:00.000-07:00

Happy shower, baby R.

On Sunday, we had a baby shower for Katie, Trav, and Baby R. We had a great time and even had a rousing game of charades. This is Mama Bird working out a charade for her team.

Um, this is Pete working on some of his own "issues" at the shower. He and Em have a baby due in just a few short weeks, so I hope he can work through this before then.

I think Trav was wondering how he was supposed to fit in this little tub. I personally thought it would make an awesome sled, so if the baby doesn't need that little tub, might I borrow it next winter??

Over all, we had a great time and a beautiful day for a shower. We can't wait to meet all of the new little ones coming our way in the next year.

Missing Florida!

2008-04-30T23:27:00.000-07:00

Well, we've been home almost 2 weeks and I'm still having dreams of Florida. I'm missing the warm weather and laughing with the girls. Maybe we will have to book again next year. One of the coolest things we saw in Florida was a group of friends who were fishing and accidently caught a stingray. We were nervous about what would become of him, but he was lovingly returned to the ocean and swam away.

Here we are on the second to last night when we drove down to Captiva Island and watched the sunset. My mom had a lot of technical difficulties when it came to getting the actual sun in the picture with myself and my grandma. Maybe next trip.

Trinny Baby

2008-04-30T21:43:00.001-07:00

I haven't blogged in awhile, so I thought I would do two posts in one night. Chris just went to work to do the night shift and I am home watching TV and playing on my laptop. This is a great photo of our most recent adoptee-Trinny Baby! Chris and I recently fenced in our porch so that the cats could go outside and be less policed. The only problem is, now that Trinny has gotten a taste of freedom, she won't stop meowing to go outside. It was cute...at first. After 40 minutes straight though, it loses it's cuteness. There is a squirrel family living above our porch and I know she's praying that the squirrel will fall and she can have a snack. I'm praying he doesn't fall because I bet he has really small veins to start an IV on.

Found on the beach!!

2008-04-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

Here we are on Sanibel Island in Florida. We are having a great time. It's nice to have my toes in the sand again! Here are the bags that Sadie made for myself, my grandma and my mom. They have been full of suntan lotion and magazines. They are resting by the pool, where we have been everyday so far.

Have you seen our mother?

2008-04-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

Looks like Trinny and Milo miss their Mommy!

Waiting for Spring

2008-04-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

As you can see, we are sick of the cold weather and are ready for open windows and lazy afternoons on the porch. This idea of snow in April is a sick one! Oh well, I am off to Florida this weekend for a "Girls Trip" with my mom and grandma! Bring on the old people and the speedo's!!!

Welcome to The Ridgewood Ragdoll

2008-04-07T19:59:00.000-07:00

Well kids, the Ridgewood Ragdoll is now up and running. We are thrilled to finally let people into our boring, but furry existence. So get your lint rollers ready and come on in! Megan and Chris just update the blog, but the real stars of the show are (from left to right) Milo Matthew, Trinny baby, and Mercer Mayer!! Be advised that Mercer, Milo and Trinny are not enthusiasts of typing, but they do like to dictate. More to come soon. We are currently in the middle of a plumbing project that is NOT going well.