Merry Christmas!

This is my one year old nephew's tree! There's also a giant one in the mansion, but he picked this live one from the tree farm! You should see the little fella burning around the house on the Radio Flyer Tricycle that Santa left!

Despite a little pre-arrival monkey drama, it was an excellent Christmas Eve with my family. I'm now getting ready to head home to the District! Let's hope the snow currently falling in the mountains and the storm headed to our fine city doesn't leave me stranded along the way.

Merry Christmas to you and your Chimney from the family farm!

Mansion Development

The deck is coming along nicely! It needs more railing before baby H comes

Clarification & Speculation

I received several questions on my vague, but ecstatic Facebook message. If you haven't yet joined the throngs of middle aged Facebook addicts, please SIGN UP today! Vergie was also clearly confused by yesterday's blog post. Here's some clarification:

I knew Baby Lisa & my Brother's summer visit to wine country was fun based on their pictures and tales of holiday adventure. I didn't realize exactly how fun it was until the call came on Wednesday that they are expecting a visitor arriving approximately 9 mos. after said visit. While they didn't tell me "when" they placed the call to the Stork, and frankly I would never ask, it would be unlike me not to speculate here. I've included a map in this post for those who need clarification. A map of the location, not the ... you know "act" of calling the stork. If you need instructions on that subject, go to the Goat for details in her recent post. I discourage, however, actually making a baby with a stranger using her method intended for pleasure only.

As I stated on Facebook, "Jason > Ecstatic about the BIG news." While I am referred to as "Uncle Jay" by quite a few of my friend's children, this is my first opportunity to be a biological Uncle. I didn't realize how happy this would make me and how schoolgirl giddy I am about this next step in their lives. Kudos for doing it just the way it should be done...they've started their lives with amazing global travel and adventures, finished their educational endeavors and graduate degrees, entrenched themselves in fantastic careers, built a mansion to house their family, and now they will have an beautiful baby. While they've received judgement for not being knocked up right after the wedding like so many rural kids, they've now proven the fact that not everyone needs to spend life making minimum wage, living in a trailer home, and struggling, just for the sake of having a family (or not understanding the option of birth control as Governor Palin would prefer.)

I am so proud to be their sibling and am absolutely certain they will be the best parents ever. I can't wait to spoil Baby H. My only question, How will Moose handle giving up his role as only child?

Have a great Friday!

Rollin' Rural - Birthday Month Day 7

Even God rested on the 7th day. Thank goodness for a visit to the farm as birthday month was about to kill me.

Here is a pic of Smelia and Mimmick who kept us entertained for a bit before shopping with Mom and Whitney. I forgot how limited the shopping is in Mansfield...we should have rolled to Columbus.

If i survive the heated political debates with my parents, it will officially be a fantastic weekend getaway. They might also need an education in A/C. Mom thinks that the weather is great and the breeze is sufficient. I say 90 degrees and humidity like a Sumo Wrestlers crotch warrants A/C...she thinks it costs too much, but isn't worried about the environment or the economy???? Thankfully we're staying with little Brother and baby Lisa in the mansion!

Sundeck?

I almost forgot to publish this. On Friday afternoon as we waited in the airport, Baby Lisa sent this pic message. Steve was just about to dig the first hole for the columns to support the upper deck on the mansion! As Sister Disco said when I showed her on Sunday night, time for another road trip to Ohio!

2 Days!!!

The Chimney will be falling into Ohio for our trip in two days! We leave on Friday with eight confirmed DC travelers and 2-4 more joining us for the "farm" leg of the trip to visit the Mansion. There are tons of people joining us in CMH for the Club Diversity visit and many signed up for skiing on Sunday to Snow Trails. Stay tuned for mobile blogging from this site, Chimney Fall, TimmyCam, and SisterDisco.

Since Mr. Michael will be snowboarding, expect to see pics like the one above of him and pics of everyone else in the lodge at the bar. The Ski report ranks ski conditions at this resort a 10 right now, but the forecast for Sunday is in the single digits with highs in the teens. It might actually be TOO cold to ski. We'll have fun regardless!

Off to work! Only 11 more days of that!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Friends,

It is again the specific time of year to give thanks. I want to thank all of my friends for making my life complete. You each add to some specific piece of my happiness and for that I am truly thankful. It would be a lonely and boring place without each of you.

I'm also thankful to the travel gods. Last night, I did not wait for the train or the bus. It took only five minutes to get through security at BWI. My Southwest plane boarded on time, I got a window seat, and we landed in CMH 15 minutes early. All of the rental car companies had big lines, EXCEPT the one I used. There were two agents anxiously awaiting my arrival. This was the most unusual and painless "day before Thanksgiving" travel ever! I had to drive through a little rain, but I arrived at Steve & Lisa's new mansion much earlier than expected.

I am watching the parade and will be heading out to Grandma's house soon. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Here's a little Thanksgiving horror flick from YouTube...scroll down and stop the site music before you watch it.

Out Again

This is my second attempt at mobile blogging this pic. It was time to break the "make fun of Box" posts of earlier today. Having a cocktail at Pollys where they are still celebrating the Halloween while all the department stores have moved on to pushing Jesus' birthday.

Tomorrow is a bar crawl where Rita Jean and I will be counting bars and breaking records.

Mansion Update: Steve and Lisa moved in today and we anxiously await the photos!

Mansion Kitchen

Wow! When we left Ohio on Sunday, there weren't any cabinets. I got this MMS from Lisa last night showing a nearly complete kitchen. Forwarding it to the blog via mobile post for all to see. It is looking like MLK weekend will work for them. Watch for an evite soon.

Working hard to get out on time for the 17th St. High Heel Race tonight!

36 Hours!

We accomplished alot in 36 hours away from DC. The primary reason for the visit was to see my baby girl. After chores, we went to pick her up and stopped for some cheese and bologna at Guggisburg Cheese. Here's a picture of us at Jake's Restaurant in Wooster where we ate lunch with Keith, Lisa, and my Parents!

The second pic was taken in the living room of the mansion with Steve & Lisa. It is nearly complete - move in day is slated for this Friday! I particularly love the copper roof and stonework that has been completed since my last vist.

After an afternoon of fun on the farm riding four wheelers and getting dirty, we headed Whitney off and headed for the city. As you can see by the previous post, it was an eventful ride. Unfortunately we didn't take a picture of the gas station/bar where we stopped for fuel. Fuel for the car that is.

Mansion Update

I haven't posted a Mansion update in quite some time. Check out the finished railing, lighting, final paint, flooring, etc. There are only a few things missing and move in date is now days instead of weeks away! I'm very excited to visit this weekend to see the progress. I'm in conversation with S/L about a Martin Luther King weekend invasion with all the DC Peeps...more to follow!

If you are in DC and free on Thursday at 8 PM, join us for a pay what you can performance of "Tainted Blood" by Tom Jacobson at the Church Street Theatre. Our own very accomplished actor friend Kevin is participating in the reading.

I'm on a mission to find out who had the "Heifer International" catalog sent to my house. Funny? yes, for a great charity? yes, would I have requested this myself? No. It is rather odd and I suspect my baby brother.

Have a fantastic Wednesday - I'm off to work.

Mansion Update!

There is now stone on the outside, final trim on the inside, and even a garage door! Steve and Lisa are now talking weeks instead of months to move in day!

A DC peeps to OH trip is tentatively in the works for mid January! MLK weekend perhaps? Thank God I'll have many opportunities to see it before then. I can't wait!

Mansion Update

Final trim is being installed and the painters have taped for final paint! The mansion is definitely coming along nicely! They should be in around the first week in November.

Goat

Whit completed her mansion inspection and was impressed! Now she is posing with Goat for a photo op!

Mansion & College Update!

They have drywall and tinted primer! I am so excited to visit over Labor Day and see the progress in person.

Timmy is officially a college freshman. He finished the first day of school. We are celebrating with a drink at Be Bar since the U St. Metro station was closed (allegedly filled with smoke) and we were one train apart coming home and both were stranded at the Convention Center Metro station. Taking lemons and making lemonade...or something like that. Unfortunately we missed Dags as she is off on her adventures!

Construction Update!

The mansion has drywall in the upstairs! It won't be long till we can crash in those luxurious guest rooms!

Mansion Update

Roof and Windows!!! The house looks great.

Blogging a bit light because we're getting ready for vacation tomorrow! Our new roomie moved in last night. Having some drinks and treats with the dogwoods.

Construction Update

I haven't had much time to blog with Whitney here. Monday we had taco night at home and then visited Michael and Catrina so she could see their new place.

Tuesday we visited Rita Jean's garden and then had dinner at Dakota Cowgirl with Dags/RJ. We finished the night relaxing in the beautiful night breeze on RJ's roof.

Here's a construction update photo from Steve. The estate grounds are being drilled for geothermal heating in the mansion (Lisa hates when I refer to it as a mansion...so clearly I will continue to do so!)

Mobile YouTubing

I know ... you are waiting for the Fourth of July Dance Party 2007 video aren't you? It is done. I'm deciding whether to post it without having some consent forms signed. Can't have my friends bringing lawsuits against me, and I edited alot. I mean alot alot.

I just figured out how to mobile YouTube. This is frightening because now I can post videos on the fly too! This one is a forward from Steve from July 3 showing some construction on the mansion from upstairs!

Framing!

Bro Steve and Baby Lisa have some framing on their new mansion on the hill. This is so exciting! Can't wait to visit in two weeks to see it in person.