Sabby Ann

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.

Although the weather forecast for this weekend was great, and ideal for doing some much-needed yard work, neither Eric nor I felt particularly motivated this morning. Instead, we lounged about for a bit, then decided to get out of the house for a bit. 

We ended up at Meijers, where they had a great clearance on women’s bowling shoes. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any men’s shoes though… 

Then we headed over to the local bowling alley. Although we’ve lived here three years, and we both love bowling, this was actually the first time we’ve gone there together! Our scores were pretty low, so I won’t post ‘em, but we’ve decided to start bowling on a regular basis. 

We’re going to use today’s games to establish an average score, and use it to compute a handicap for each of us. Then, on weekends that we don’t have any specific plans, we’re going to hit the bowling alley and play a couple of games… and whoever wins gets to decide how we spend the day/weekend.

If I win, I’ll be able to coerce Eric into working on my honey–do list, accompany me on a shopping trip, or make him clean the bathroom. And if he wins, I might get stuck watching an entire season of some Sci-Fi (SyFy?) show, or playing video games.

On Friday I rode the MegaBus down to Chicago, to meet up with Natalie & Nicole for a girls’ weekend in the city. The bus was quite full, and I think the train would have been more fun to ride, but it was great not having to drive my car and worry about parking downtown. I love public/mass transit! 

We caught the City of Chicago’s fireworks display on Friday evening, and then Saturday we headed down to the Taste of Chicago Festival for some delicious food!

We stayed for Grant Park’s 4th of July concert (well, we stayed for part of the concert - we only had one umbrella for the 3 of us, so we were sort of rained out!). The Grant Park Orchestra played several patriotic-themed pieces, and there was a tap dancer during a portion of the concert. 

Later, we visited the Zoo at Lincoln Park, walked through a portion of the Magnificent Mile, and grabbed a bite to eat. We went swimming in the evening, and relaxed in the hot tub at Natalie’s apartment, and then watched more fireworks from the balcony. Oh yeah, and we stayed up late talking about boys…  :)

I’ve gotten into a habit of bringing a Rubbermaid container of milk to work with me. I keep a box of cereal and a bowl in my desk, and then I eat breakfast while checking my email. 

Last week the milk transit went awry. I had placed my lunchbag in the backseat, as usual, and somehow the lid on the Rubbermaid container popped off. It was stop & go traffic on the expressway, so at one point I had to brake pretty hard. Apparently my lunchbag slid off the seat, and 16oz. of milk flew all over the backseat. 

1 empty milk container + 80-degree temps = 1 soggy backseat & a very smelly car

I mopped up the milk and scrubbed the areas with soapy water, I used the carpet cleaning solution and the ShopVac, and I sprayed tons of Febreeze all over. The smell of spoiled milk is definitely still there. Even Dad commented that my car smells like someone spilled baby formula.

I hate stinky cars, and I refuse to drive one… so I’m taking my car in to be detailed later this week. They’ll shampoo the carpets and upholstery, and the spoiled milk odor will go away. And it’ll be worth every last cent!  

Maybe I need to implement a new rule, no milk in the car…  :)

Eric & I had a couple of wedding photography gigs in the Grand Rapids area this past weekend, so we sent Snickers over to stay with my parents for the weekend. He seems to enjoy going there, and he gets a lot of attention and lap-time while there. This time he got a DIY haircut too. 

Eric’s reaction, ”The in-laws made the dog look like his face got stuck in a pencil sharpener…“- posted on Twitter, for all to read. I still can’t stop laughing at that. 

Snickers, from the side.

Snickers, from the front.

For reference, this is what a typical short-haired Yorkie looks like. —> 

Although some Yorkies have hair all the way to the floor, I’ve kept Snickers with a shorter cut (similar to the dog in this photo)- much easier to brush and bathe! 

During the winter, I keep his hair 2-3″ in length, so that he at least has something to keep him warm. During the peak summer months I’ll trim him even shorter, sometimes even shaving him completely. 
 

Mom had called to tell me that she trimmed the dog, and that he looked a bit like a fox. Eric, on the other hand, thinks he looks more like a raccoon. I guess I can see a vague resemblance to both. 

Any other opinions? 

I definitely inherited poor eyesight. I got my first pair of eyeglasses in elementary school, a pair of bright pink frames that I selected. And I’ve been wearing contacts since high school.

When I first got contacts, I was meticulous about wearing each pair for exactly two weeks, then throwing them out and getting a new pack of disposables. I remember being surprised at how much they cost when my parents would have to order refills, but everything seemed expensive back then…

Now I’ve got my own vision insurance. It’s supposed to cover the exam, minus a $10 copay, and then either up to $105 for contacts OR a pair of glasses (with various limits and another copay).

I had an eye exam at Pearle Vision earlier this week. They were having some “computer” (I would allege that it was just the user) troubles, and couldn’t figure out how to bill it to insurance… So they wanted me to pay out of pocket right then, and then if/when it gets processed by insurance they would issue me a credit.

Umm, thanks, but no. What would I do with a store credit there anyway? And besides, I called ahead to get it preauthorized, so why should I have to pay?

They were planning to charge me:
-$64, vision exam (w/o DFE)
-$45, contact lens fitting (measure eyeballs)
-$138, four packs of CooperVision BioXL disposable contacts (a 6-mo supply, and the quantity I’d need to “max out” my insurance benefits)…

I waited for over an hour while they unsuccessfully attempted to enter my data in their insurance billing system, and argued the amount I should have to pay. Eventually they determined that they would break policy by leaving my order open overnight, and someone else would fix it the following day.

When I returned to pay and pick up my receipt and prescription, the extended receipt showed that insurance had discounted $61 off of my $109 exam & fitting… They only actually paid $48! Yet Pearle Vision wanted me to pay the full $109.

For the contact lenses, the retail price worked out to roughly $35/box. Searching around online, I was able to find the same contacts for as little as $12/box. I’d have to pay the entire amount up-front then fill out the reimbursement paperwork to submit to insurance myself though.

Using the online company associated with my insurance (they handle the insurance automatically, and I just pay shipping + any overages), the contacts worked out to about $20/box, including shipping. A significant premium, for sure, but totally worth it to not have to fill out the paperwork and wait for a reimbursement check to arrive.

So that’s what I did. And for $28 out of pocket, including that $10 exam copay, I will have a 9-month supply of disposable contacts (which I’ll easily stretch out for an extra three months). That same order at Pearle Vision would have been $112…

While we were in Key West, we visited the Hemingway House. I’m not that into Hemingway (I’ve only read snippets of his writings, as required reading for classes), but it was kind of interesting to listen to some of the stories about his life. One thing is for sure, Ernest Hemingway was quite eccentric! 

I definitely enjoyed exploring the grounds though. The Hemingway property is home to several cats (currently around 60, all descendents of Hemingway’s!), most of which wander the property and buildings. I don’t think there was a single moment where I couldn’t see at least one cat… 

Here’s one of the cats, contentedly lounging on the walkway: 

For as long as I can recall, I’ve desperately wanted a red F-150 pickup truck. So of course, when it came time to pick out my first new vehicle, I chose my dream truck. It was a 5.4L V8 F-150, with four-wheel drive and a few extras. And it was fabulous! My only complaints were the poor fuel economy (12 mpg), and the difficulty maneuvering (especially in tight crowded parking lots). But it was also a lease, and went bye-bye in June…

I started shopping for a replacement a few months beforehand, in April. At the time, gas prices were just beginning to spiral out of control, and I wasn’t comfortable with the idea of taking on a $650/mo car payment to keep the truck. I looked at trucks, SUV’s, minivans, and sedans. Foreign and domestic. Ultimately I decided on the Chevy Cobalt LT - it boasted an average fuel economy of 27 mpg, and a price tag of around $15k. I nixed the ABS (hey, it saved $800!) and instead splurged on remote start. I bought the extended 75,000 mile/5-year warranty, and then signed on the dotted line.

Well, that was late spring.
But it’s now winter. In Michigan.

My car & I are no longer getting along very well. I am infinitely glad that I have remote start, because my car is toasty warm when I get in every morning (no more driving down the road with an iced-over windshield, watching the wiper fluid freeze on contact as I’m waiting for it to defrost). But the car slips and slides on ice and snow, and I can’t seem to get any traction.

I have to ease on and off the gas when accelerating, because the car keeps slipping. The slightest gust of wind sends my car sliding across the lane, and I have to fight to keep it on the road. And I have to be careful when braking (although that hasn’t been as much of an issue, it just took me a few trips to get used to pumping the brakes instead of slamming ‘em and waiting for the ABS to kick in). The slipping & sliding is truly horrible though.

I’m hoping that I’ll be able to “fix” the problem by replacing the factory tires with a good pair of winter tires. TireRack has a few options; my current dilemma is whether to just buy new tires (and then have them mounted/un-mounted every year), or whether to also buy new wheels (so that I can just swap out the entire assembly at the beginning & end of each winter season, without having to get them mounted at the tire shop). The latter would be much easier, but would cost significantly more up front. Over the life of the vehicle, it would probably be about the same though (it runs ~$60 to get the tires swapped out, twice yearly). 

I’m going to have Hubby order a set of winter tires for my car, and then I’ll have them installed right after we get back from Key West. Hopefully that will fix my winter driving troubles, and I’ll be happy once more. 

But if it doesn’t, I’m not going to screw around with a car that handles poorly in the winter months. I have no problem whatsoever heading up to the Ford dealership and buying myself a new vehicle that can handle snow and ice. I absolutely loved that F-150, and wouldn’t hesitate to buy another (though 4×4 would be a necessity!). I also really like the Ford Escape, so that would be my other option.

Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) has been under construction for several years now. Back in 2002, the McNamara terminal opened, and it looks great! McNamara is principally used by Northwest (since Detroit is one of their hubs), but is also used by the entire SkyTeam Alliance. In all, McNamara has 3 concourses, with 122 gates! And of course, dozens of shops, restaurants, and a people mover.

But the Wayne County Airport Authority didn’t stop there… they’ve kept going and just finished the new North Terminal. The North Terminal only has 24 gates, but there are plans to add two additional wide-body gates once they demolish a portion of the old Smith Terminal.

Metro airport will be hosting an Open House this weekend for the new Terminal. The public event is on Saturday, from 1-5 PM. Their website indicates that there will be a lot of giveaways, including free gas and roundtrip airfare. It’d be neat to win something, but I’m excited to just get a chance to check it out!