Getting my son's car ready for deployment!

My son Nick came home for Christmas. He was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan shortly after he got back to Texas. He needed (mostly wanted) to store a few items here, one of which was his car. He packed it so full, the only room left was for the driver! He proceeded to drive his car from Texas, with a short stop in Atlanta to visit Aunt Cinda & Uncle Ben. He then headed north, with another stop in Virginia to visit with his Uncle Larry & Aunt Susie. Before he left the DC area he was instructed he must meet with my Cousin, who was recently approved and promoted to Brigadier General. GO ARMY! Her and her husband took him to lunch at the officers club. What a great treat that was! He had a great visit! Next stop would be home.
I was so glad to see him. I had not seen him for over a year. The next day he unpacked his car into the basement. I could not believe his car had that much room for all the things I saw. He was able to visit with most of his friends, play WOW and other various LAN games with them till all hours of the night, in the basement, where they could come and go with ease. He had a great time! The month went by and it was time for him to fly back to Texas leaving his belongings and car here.
After a few days of being back, he was told he and a few others were not deploying after all. Now, his car, computer and other various things were here in New York. That is a problem! He really wanted his computer...how to get him his computer, without totally breaking the bank. Then there is the issue with his car, he now has to catch a ride or walk everywhere, the travesty. My father voluntarily has agreed to fly here and drive his car to him in Texas! Problem solved. 
I thought it would be good to get the car checked out with our mechanic to make sure it was travel worthy. I opened the door and OMG, what a mess! I could not let my father drive Nick's car in this condition. I could not even sit in it without feeling like I was getting dirty. Yikes! After several hours of vacuuming and wiping down, it is now sitable. Couple of  things I would still like to do is spot clean the carpets and defog the headlights. And of course the inspection!

Being positive in Rock Tavern,
Laurie

Best Host City for the Super Bowl!

Best Host City for the Super Bowl

When I arrived at the airport, while walking to ground transportation, I was greeted by approximately 15 - 20 people/volunteers saying “Welcome to Indianapolis, have a super day!” As I looked around, the entire airport was filled volunteers with Super Bowl XLVI signs welcoming everyone that pasted them. What an amazing first impression while walking through the airport, having total strangers enthusiastically welcoming you to their city. Driving from the airport to the hotel I noticed billboards with Super Bowl XLVI logos everywhere. A section of downtown was closed to traffic, for the Super Bowl Village. There were signs for different routes for the traffic named “The Super Route” and “The Bowl Route”.  Every business I saw on my way to the hotel had signage supporting Super Bowl XLVI. (Later in my trip I was told that even the museum got in on the Super Bowl action and placed hat and scarfs with all the different NFL teams on the dinosaurs and animals!) After checking into the hotel, I took a walk around downtown. Every building had some kind of Super Bowl XLVI sign. Even the step risers had the signs and logos for the super bowl.  The streets were filled with volunteers saying “Have a Super Day!” I was able to walk to the SB Village, it was only two blocks from my hotel. 

There was a Zip Line right down the middle of the street, with a small football field under it.The Convention Center had the Super Bowl Experience. There were several food tents and outdoor bars. There was an ice sculpting table, a tent with Indy Cars supporting Giants, Patriots and Super Bowl XLVI. There were two stages with scheduled concerts from performers like LMFAO. Luckily the weather was very comfortable, however if you did happen to get cold there were warming seats and heaters placed in different areas of the SB Village to keep you warm. One of the hotels near the SB Village even changed their name to “Bud Light Hotel”. The city  had amended the street names to represent all the NFL Teams. There was so much to do in the SB Village. Downtown Indianapolis has these covered walkways over the street between buildings connecting a very large 3 story indoor shopping mall. I could walk from my hotel to the mall and eat lunch in a restaurant a block away without ever going outside. On game day, I was able to walk to "Lucus Oil Stadium", it was about 5 blocks from the hotel. Every thing you needed and wanted to do was all located in walking distance. This is my second Super Bowl, but my experience in Indianapolis will always be remembered as the "Best Host City Ever".

Being positive in Rock Tavern,

Laurie

P.S. It was even that much sweeter that the Giants won!