Sabby Ann

We have had a large maple tree about 10′ behind our garage. Over the years it has obviously had some decay/damage, and if it were ever to come down it would damage either our house, garage, or the neighborhood power lines (that run through the back yard).

I suppose that should be reason enough to have the tree removed, but my biggest motivation for taking it down was to get rid of those darn whirly-birds (officially called samaras or maple keys, but also known as helicopters)… and allow my garden to be in full sunlight for most of the day!

I called around for estimates, and was shocked at the cost! Because of the tree’s location relative to the garage, house, and power lines, we wanted to hire licensed (and insured!) professionals. The first company that came out wanted $1875 (or $1750 cash), and offered an additional $300 discount if they left all the wood. The second company came in with an estimate of $1250. I put out a referral request on Facebook, and got a few recommendations - including a company that came in at $675.

Since the third company (Stewarts Tree Service) came highly recommended by a coworker, and they were (by far!) the cheapest, we went with them. I verified their insurance coverage, and about a week and a half later they came to cut down the tree. They decided to do it by climbing, which was fun to watch.

Eric took the day off work, and set up his camera to take pictures at regular intervals while they were working. Here’s the footage (uploaded to YouTube):

Tree Removal Time-Lapse

A couple of photos from my sister’s bridal shower on April 18, 2010:

This week I found out that I’m being shipped up to the Upper Peninsula for the next nine weeks. I’ll generally be driving up on Mondays, and returning on Fridays - I’m estimating that I’ll drive nearly 20,000 miles for work in the next 9 weeks!

I’ll be spending time in pretty much all the ‘major’ cities:  Sault Ste. Marie, Escanaba, Iron Mountain/Kingsford, Iron River, Ironwood, Menominee, Marquette/Negaunee/Ishpeming, and of course Houghton/Calumet.

I’ve been researching local restaurants, trying to plan out as much as I can ahead of time:

• In the Soo - Antlers Restaurant, whose walls are apparently covered with stuffed animals.
• In Escanaba - The Swedish Pantry, for authentic Swedish food (though I only have IKEA to compare it to)
• In Menominee - Schloegel’s Bay View Restaurant, for German/American cuisine (and pasties!)

The following week I’ll be visiting Iron Mountain and Marquette. There’s quite a few restaurants in Marquette that have opened in the past few years, including a Cajun/Creole restaurant (with a VooDoo bar!) and an Irish Pub. I’m not sure if I’ll stop at the Cajun place, but I definitely want to try the Wild Rover for some fish & chips!

I’m open to suggestions for other restaurants to check out…

I don’t often cook vegetarian meals, but tonight was an exception to that. Natalie came over for dinner and she doesn’t eat meat… So we attempted a new recipe for black-bean burgers. It turned out absolutely delicious, although I wasn’t able to convince Eric to try it!

Here’s the recipe, taken from this month’s All You magazine:

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
• Salt & Pepper

1. Pre-heat oven to 375.
2. Warm oil in a skillet over medium-high.  Sauté celery, onions, & garlic (about 5 min).
3. Pour beans into a bowl and mash into a paste. Stir in sautéed vegetables, egg, bread crumbs, and seasoning. Form into 4-5 patties.
4. Place patties on a baking sheet and place in oven. Bake until firm, about 10 minutes per side.

For 2010, Disney’s big promotion is the “Give A Day, Get a Disney Day” program. They are trying to get 1 million people to volunteer a day of service (in their local communities), and in exchange they are giving each volunteer a free one-day ticket to Disney World or Disneyland.

Since we’re planning a couple of trips to the Cape Canaveral area this year, this seemed like a great way to get a free pair of tickets to Walt Disney World (and save $150!). I signed us up for the program, and then registered to volunteer with a local chapter of Project Linus. They’re a national non-profit whose mission is  … to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.”

While I’d originally planned on crocheting two small afghans to donate, I had a difficult time getting the yarn to cooperate. I had purchased two types of yarn, both ones that I’ve never worked with, but that felt extra soft & cozy.

So Plan #2 was to make fleece no-sew blankets. Eric & I went out shopping and picked out some kid-friendly fleece prints, with matching solids for the back side. The fleece that I used had pink & purple kittens, while Eric’s was mostly rocket ships and robots.

Borrowing an idea from Veronica, here’s some highlights from the past ten years of my life:

2000:
- Mom threw me a surprise sweet-16 birthday party. She thought I knew beforehand, but it was truly a surprise.
- Started dating my first “serious” boyfriend, Tom.
- Applyied to colleges: MSU, MTU, Purdue, & Ohio Northern.

2001:
- Graduated high school.
- Started college at Michigan Tech.
- Met Eric, but had no clue that we’d eventually date or marry.
- Took crazy weekend road-trip thru 4 states in a borrowed car with Jason & Phil.

2002:
- Began having second thoughts about my major, started exploring other options.
- Became a Resident Assistant (RA).
- Parents gave me my first car, a ‘99 Ford Taurus.
- Over Thanksgiving, Mom said that she thought Eric was a nice guy & that I should give him a chance. We started seriously dating not long after that.
- Introduced Eric to my extended family.

2003:
- I officially changed my major from Computer Engineering to Civil Engineering.
- Eric & I got engaged and began planning the wedding.
- Spent summer working for Livingston County Road Commission, my first real internship.
- I started my 2nd year as an RA.

2004:
- Got married.
- Moved into an apartment with Eric

2005:
- Got Snickers (our Yorkie dog) & Liz (our black cat)
- Went to San Francisco with Eric
- Bought first brand-new car, a Ford Five Hundred.
- Received permanent job offer for consulting firm in metro-Detroit.
- Graduated from Michigan Tech.

2006:
- Took week-long vacation at Disney World with my family.
- Moved back in with my parents for 6 months, while Eric stayed behind to finish school.
- Started first “real” job.
- Bought a house in Novi
- Leased the vehicle of my dreams, a brand-new dark red F-150 crew cab (V-8, 5.4L)

2007:  
- Spent second half of the year working as a field inspector for construction projects in Livonia, Farmington Hills, & Oak Park.
- Went to England for a week with Eric

2008:
- Began volunteering as a tax preparer for the Accounting Aid Society.
- Truck lease expired, had to trade it back in.
- Bought a shiny blue Chevy Cobalt.
- Started wedding photography business.
- Vacation to Florida with Eric

2009:
- Celebrated New Years in Key West.
- Decided to go back to school for a Masters at Oakland University, then changed my mind.

Eric & I had chicken drumsticks for dinner on Tuesday. 

Mistake #1:  Not doing dishes after dinner, or at least scraping our plates into the garbage. 

Sometime Tuesday night the cat helped herself to the leftovers. She’s not allowed on the kitchen table or countertops, but somehow one of the partially-eaten drumsticks (our dirty dishes, including what was left of the drumsticks, had been placed on the countertop) ended up on the kitchen floor. Most of the meat had been gnawed off, but the bone was just laying there on Wednesday morning. So when I woke up and discovered what the cat had done, I of course went to find Eric. 

Mistake #2: Not picking up what was left of the chicken drumstick and immediately throwing it away. 

I told Eric what had happened, and when I returned to the kitchen a few minutes later, the drumstick was gone. I figured he tossed it into the garbage, and all was well. 

Mistake #3: Assuming that my husband thew away the drumstick remnants. 

When I came home from work yesterday night, and released the dog from his crate, he disappeared for quite awhile. That probably should have been a sign that something was amiss, but it wasn’t until I started hearing funny sounds coming from the sunroom that I went to check it out. I found the dog chewing on something. When I attempted to snatch it from him, all I could find was tiny fragments of chicken bone. I confiscated what I could find, and hunted around for the drumstick itself, but with no luck. 

A few minutes later, I found the dog gnawing away on yet more slivers of bone. I located a few tiny pieces on the rug, and a few more on the couch, but I have absolutely no idea what happened to the rest of the drumstick. 

I’d be surprised if he ate the whole thing, but I can’t find it anywhere. Not under the couch, or buried in a blanket, or hidden outside in the pen.

In a little over four months, I’ll be sitting down to take the Principles & Practice of Engineering (PE) exam. It’s an eight-hour exam, two-part exam, and it’s one of the final steps necessary in becoming a licensed professional engineer. 

Although I was eligible to take the exam this past October, I was advised to hold off until spring… it’s much easier to motivate yourself to study on a cold snowy night than when it’s sunny & warm outside! So I’ve started gathering reference books and practice tests, and I’m planning to sign up for a review course. 

The only thing that I haven’t yet figured out is what to do after taking the exam! I’d like to take a few days off and go on a relaxing vacation. It’d be a bit too cold in April for an Alaskan cruise, and Europe doesn’t quite fit in the budget… but there are still plenty of potential destinations!

Eric’s usually pretty good about helping out to finish the numerous projects that I tend to start. However, the work is completed on his timeline… which means most of these projects drag on a bit longer than I had intended. And yes, I know I could hire a contractor to get things done - but that added cost would mean I’d be limited to only one project every few years. 

Over the past few months, as I’ve been making a list of all the things I’d eventually like to change in the house, remodeling the kitchen has become a high priority. Enough so that I’m more than willing to bribe  offer an incentive to my husband for a timely completion.

The big question is what would be an appropriate bribe incentive, and what sort of timeline should be established?  A vacation with a destination of his choosing? Sony Playstation3? A new big-screen TV? A new camera lens? 

It’s really a win-win situation… especially if he picks an incentive that I can enjoy too.  ;)