Kaplan (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} gkaplan) wrote,@ 2008-01-06 21:01:00 |
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week wrap up
I know I know finally a post from me. Enjoy!
As many of you know my girlfriend Janine came to visit for a week and I wanted to recap that not only for all of you but for myself too so that I can remember what we did in the future. This is after all a journal.
Saturday the 29th I got up and drove to Portland to pick up Janine. Her flight came in late morning and it was on time. She had a record three suitcases. A weeks stay and Christmas presents add up. After the airport we went to Chili's for lunch. After that we went to see Portland Head Light. It was a nice warm day and a nice day to visit the light. The waves were really crashing on the shore. From there we went to Freeport and LLBeans. I was taking Janine because she had never been but so much has changed there recently it was quite a visit for me too. They had free horse drawn carriage rides so we did that and also did some shopping at Beans. I should also mention we stopped at the visitor info center in Yarmouth across from DeLorme to check on places to go on a sleigh ride. It is really hard to find that. I have never been on one and Janine really wanted to go on one so I wanted to take her. The only places that seemed to have them were by the western ski areas or down in southern Maine by Kennebunkport. Seems to me like our local ski area should do something like that if the can. Just seems like here in Maine that is something people should be able to do easily without having to drive over two hours to do it. That evening we stopped at Target on the way home to get a few little things and continued on toward home. When we got home Janine needed to wrap some Christmas gifts. She was afraid the wrapped gifts would get opened by security so she didn't wrap them. Later we had a wonderful Christmas with my family and then later on a private and even more wonderful Christmas together. She got me a digital picture frame and some very cool things made from stones. She also got me a beautiful crystal rock thing I can't really describe. It is really nice though and I love it. She also got me a mug from Colorado on her recent trip and a copy of Aja on vinyl. That is an album by Steely Dan. I love it. I got her earrings, a necklace, perfume, a memory card and some videos. She also got me some Jones soda! Oh yes I also got a her a rock that said Love on it.
Sunday the 30th was a church day. It was my last day as worship leader for a while so I did that and I wore my new suit. After that we grabbed some Tim Hortons and headed home. After church we took a nice nap and then in the evening we went to the store to get some food as well as went to Walmart to do a half hour walk. We walked around Walmart about six times. They must have thought we were crazy. I can't recall if we bought anything or not.
Monday the 31st I had to work but I met Janine for lunch at the Brass Compass with my parents. It was a nice lunch. When I got home from work we decided to go out to Cody's for dinner. It was a long wait to get seated so we called ahead and put our name on the list. We showed up about 15 mins early and had to wait nearly 45mins more just to get seated. The service was also very slow but we didn't complain. We just enjoyed each other's company. They seemed very busy and a lot of people had been waiting hours to be seated. During dinner I gave her a New Years ring. It was a Brazilian Fire Opal with white topaz set around it and the ring was white gold. She loved it. I had to tell her before I gave it to her it wasn't an engagement. I didn't want to upset her and it wasn't an engagement ring. I also would never have chosen Cody's to pop the question so to speak. That night we stayed up to watch the ball drop. It was nice to have someone to kiss for the new year for a change. During the day Janine rested and helped my family take down the tree and get all cleaned up. A task they were very grateful for and are still talking about.
Tuesday the 1st we slept late. Hey we didn't go to bed till 2am. We went for a ride but by the time we got going it was snowing again which really cut it short. Even so we took a nice ride. We did go take some photos around the area of snow and also where we had our New Year's dinner. That evening we watched the movie Office Space. I wanted to show that to Janine because she works in an office similar to the one in the movie and I thought she would find it funny. She did.
Wednesday the 2nd we decided to go for a ride. It has snowed a lot the night befor so digging out the car was quite a task. I had evisioned driving to Augusta and then across 95 toward Bangor and then home stopping a few places along the way. I know the highway is very scenic on that route most of the way so I thought it would be fun. As I drove up 17 toward Augusta most of the traffic was moving about 25mph and I decided that would not be a fun time. So I cut across 90 thinking that Route 1 might be moving better and my hunch was right. 17 had snow on it outside of Rockland but Route 1 was totally clear and even dry in many spots. So Augusta got scratched and it was a Bangor day. We stopped and hand lunch at Just Barb's restaurant in Stockton Springs. I had some returns to do in Bangor so I took care of those. First Target and then the mall. We decided to walk the mall for excercise and it wasn't long before we realized that others were doing the same thing. I noticed that the Bangor Mall was looking great. Lots of new or remodeled stores that had relocated with their remodels. A few stores I had never even heard of before. I had my boots on so I wasn't able to easily keep up with Janine and even let her do the last lap by herself. When we finished we went to Orange Julius. Why there? Well I had never had one and Janine said she remembered them from her childhood so we decided to do it. It was pretty good. I would like to try the other flavors sometime. We got home fairly late and called it a day.
Thursday the 3rd was a good day but filled with errands and things like this. We had another lunch at the Brass Compass so Janine could have her third plate of fish and chips since she had come to Maine. As we had a few days previously we stopped at the Snow Marine Park in Rockland by the ocean. Janine loves the ocean so I took her there each day because she loves that spot. It is also the spot where we had lunch this summer so it holds some nice memories. When the day was over we went to the Batty House for a wonderful chicken dinner. It was nice to see Sue, Julia and the boys. The boys have grown so much. Sue's cooking was as good as it gets and Janine and I both agreed it was delicious and a very nice invitation. Thanks very much to Bill and Sue for that invitation.
Friday was another day around town. We did some errands we had to do and I also got another prescription for my bad tooth till the doc can see me. It really started hurting at the Batty's the night before. Not anything they served. It started to hurt before we even ate. That evening we decided to finish a movie we had started when she was here this summer. The movie was the original verison of Sabrina with Humphrey Bogart, William Holden and Audrey Hepburn. Ironically we were unable to finish it again due to being so tired. Ok I was tired. So once again the movie was stopped half way through. Oh a few more details I should mention about this day. We ate lunch with Troy and he treated us. Thanks Troy! It was a nice time and we also tried to go to Birch Point Beach but I didn't realize it was closed in winter time. Oh well. So after that we went to Janine's favorite spot just at sunset. The sky was starting to give a pretty pink/orange hue and the water was calm. Nearby some ducks swam around in the cold winter ocean. It was there I decided enough time had passed and it was time to ask Janine to marry me. With a huge hug she said yes she would. We were engaged on Friday January 4th about 4:30 in the afternoon. I gave her her ring when we got home. That night we were having a ham dinner with my family. So during dinner we told my family and they were very happy. They love Janine a lot. Janine called her mom to tell her and my dad talked to her mom too. This was the first time my parents had talked to her parents at all. We had a very special evening.
Saturday the 5th we decided it should be a Wasses hot dog lunch. They did smell delicious the other day when we ate lunch with Troy a the Brown Bag. So we got those and got some fries too. I had no idea they were doing fries now! They were good too. So we brought that home and then went downtown to visit Johnathans and see if he would size her rings. He sized the New Years ring but didn't want to attempt the engagement ring due to the setting. So we may have to have the place where I got it do it. We also stopped by the Harbor Beauty Bar to use Janine's gift certifercate from my sister. It was her Christmas gift. She got some nice things there and we also stopped at The Store to look around. That night we finished Sabrina and decided to watch a light hearted movie on our last night. So we watched Ma and Pa Kettle go to the Fair. Janine hadn't seen any of those so it was quite entertaining to her. It was a good choice for our last night when Janine was sad about having to leave the next day.
Sunday the 6th (today) we got up early and went to church where I taught. Our Sunday School class said some special prayers for us and it was very very nice. Pastor Branan was so happy and so was Marilynn for us. We had to leave after the Sunday School to get ready for the airport but I was told it was announced in church this morning and everyone applauded. My church family is so nice and I guess they are all pumping my parents for info which they have none of. Even so many people congradulated us and Janine got hugs from total strangers (to her). After church we had some special quiet time together before we had to leave for the airport. I was so sad to let her go. I really really really didn't want her to go but she had to. I just pray she will find a job and can be back soon. The goal is as soon as possible. We have been long distance since we first met in May and we are ready for that aspect of our lives to be over.
I feel so blessed to have had this week with her. It went far to quickly and as I sit here typing this I wish I could be reliving every moment of it all over again. She is truly the most special woman I have ever met and I love her. I thank everyone for all the prayers and well wishes. God Bless
I know I know finally a post from me. Enjoy!
As many of you know my girlfriend Janine came to visit for a week and I wanted to recap that not only for all of you but for myself too so that I can remember what we did in the future. This is after all a journal.
Saturday the 29th I got up and drove to Portland to pick up Janine. Her flight came in late morning and it was on time. She had a record three suitcases. A weeks stay and Christmas presents add up. After the airport we went to Chili's for lunch. After that we went to see Portland Head Light. It was a nice warm day and a nice day to visit the light. The waves were really crashing on the shore. From there we went to Freeport and LLBeans. I was taking Janine because she had never been but so much has changed there recently it was quite a visit for me too. They had free horse drawn carriage rides so we did that and also did some shopping at Beans. I should also mention we stopped at the visitor info center in Yarmouth across from DeLorme to check on places to go on a sleigh ride. It is really hard to find that. I have never been on one and Janine really wanted to go on one so I wanted to take her. The only places that seemed to have them were by the western ski areas or down in southern Maine by Kennebunkport. Seems to me like our local ski area should do something like that if the can. Just seems like here in Maine that is something people should be able to do easily without having to drive over two hours to do it. That evening we stopped at Target on the way home to get a few little things and continued on toward home. When we got home Janine needed to wrap some Christmas gifts. She was afraid the wrapped gifts would get opened by security so she didn't wrap them. Later we had a wonderful Christmas with my family and then later on a private and even more wonderful Christmas together. She got me a digital picture frame and some very cool things made from stones. She also got me a beautiful crystal rock thing I can't really describe. It is really nice though and I love it. She also got me a mug from Colorado on her recent trip and a copy of Aja on vinyl. That is an album by Steely Dan. I love it. I got her earrings, a necklace, perfume, a memory card and some videos. She also got me some Jones soda! Oh yes I also got a her a rock that said Love on it.
Sunday the 30th was a church day. It was my last day as worship leader for a while so I did that and I wore my new suit. After that we grabbed some Tim Hortons and headed home. After church we took a nice nap and then in the evening we went to the store to get some food as well as went to Walmart to do a half hour walk. We walked around Walmart about six times. They must have thought we were crazy. I can't recall if we bought anything or not.
Monday the 31st I had to work but I met Janine for lunch at the Brass Compass with my parents. It was a nice lunch. When I got home from work we decided to go out to Cody's for dinner. It was a long wait to get seated so we called ahead and put our name on the list. We showed up about 15 mins early and had to wait nearly 45mins more just to get seated. The service was also very slow but we didn't complain. We just enjoyed each other's company. They seemed very busy and a lot of people had been waiting hours to be seated. During dinner I gave her a New Years ring. It was a Brazilian Fire Opal with white topaz set around it and the ring was white gold. She loved it. I had to tell her before I gave it to her it wasn't an engagement. I didn't want to upset her and it wasn't an engagement ring. I also would never have chosen Cody's to pop the question so to speak. That night we stayed up to watch the ball drop. It was nice to have someone to kiss for the new year for a change. During the day Janine rested and helped my family take down the tree and get all cleaned up. A task they were very grateful for and are still talking about.
Tuesday the 1st we slept late. Hey we didn't go to bed till 2am. We went for a ride but by the time we got going it was snowing again which really cut it short. Even so we took a nice ride. We did go take some photos around the area of snow and also where we had our New Year's dinner. That evening we watched the movie Office Space. I wanted to show that to Janine because she works in an office similar to the one in the movie and I thought she would find it funny. She did.
Wednesday the 2nd we decided to go for a ride. It has snowed a lot the night befor so digging out the car was quite a task. I had evisioned driving to Augusta and then across 95 toward Bangor and then home stopping a few places along the way. I know the highway is very scenic on that route most of the way so I thought it would be fun. As I drove up 17 toward Augusta most of the traffic was moving about 25mph and I decided that would not be a fun time. So I cut across 90 thinking that Route 1 might be moving better and my hunch was right. 17 had snow on it outside of Rockland but Route 1 was totally clear and even dry in many spots. So Augusta got scratched and it was a Bangor day. We stopped and hand lunch at Just Barb's restaurant in Stockton Springs. I had some returns to do in Bangor so I took care of those. First Target and then the mall. We decided to walk the mall for excercise and it wasn't long before we realized that others were doing the same thing. I noticed that the Bangor Mall was looking great. Lots of new or remodeled stores that had relocated with their remodels. A few stores I had never even heard of before. I had my boots on so I wasn't able to easily keep up with Janine and even let her do the last lap by herself. When we finished we went to Orange Julius. Why there? Well I had never had one and Janine said she remembered them from her childhood so we decided to do it. It was pretty good. I would like to try the other flavors sometime. We got home fairly late and called it a day.
Thursday the 3rd was a good day but filled with errands and things like this. We had another lunch at the Brass Compass so Janine could have her third plate of fish and chips since she had come to Maine. As we had a few days previously we stopped at the Snow Marine Park in Rockland by the ocean. Janine loves the ocean so I took her there each day because she loves that spot. It is also the spot where we had lunch this summer so it holds some nice memories. When the day was over we went to the Batty House for a wonderful chicken dinner. It was nice to see Sue, Julia and the boys. The boys have grown so much. Sue's cooking was as good as it gets and Janine and I both agreed it was delicious and a very nice invitation. Thanks very much to Bill and Sue for that invitation.
Friday was another day around town. We did some errands we had to do and I also got another prescription for my bad tooth till the doc can see me. It really started hurting at the Batty's the night before. Not anything they served. It started to hurt before we even ate. That evening we decided to finish a movie we had started when she was here this summer. The movie was the original verison of Sabrina with Humphrey Bogart, William Holden and Audrey Hepburn. Ironically we were unable to finish it again due to being so tired. Ok I was tired. So once again the movie was stopped half way through. Oh a few more details I should mention about this day. We ate lunch with Troy and he treated us. Thanks Troy! It was a nice time and we also tried to go to Birch Point Beach but I didn't realize it was closed in winter time. Oh well. So after that we went to Janine's favorite spot just at sunset. The sky was starting to give a pretty pink/orange hue and the water was calm. Nearby some ducks swam around in the cold winter ocean. It was there I decided enough time had passed and it was time to ask Janine to marry me. With a huge hug she said yes she would. We were engaged on Friday January 4th about 4:30 in the afternoon. I gave her her ring when we got home. That night we were having a ham dinner with my family. So during dinner we told my family and they were very happy. They love Janine a lot. Janine called her mom to tell her and my dad talked to her mom too. This was the first time my parents had talked to her parents at all. We had a very special evening.
Saturday the 5th we decided it should be a Wasses hot dog lunch. They did smell delicious the other day when we ate lunch with Troy a the Brown Bag. So we got those and got some fries too. I had no idea they were doing fries now! They were good too. So we brought that home and then went downtown to visit Johnathans and see if he would size her rings. He sized the New Years ring but didn't want to attempt the engagement ring due to the setting. So we may have to have the place where I got it do it. We also stopped by the Harbor Beauty Bar to use Janine's gift certifercate from my sister. It was her Christmas gift. She got some nice things there and we also stopped at The Store to look around. That night we finished Sabrina and decided to watch a light hearted movie on our last night. So we watched Ma and Pa Kettle go to the Fair. Janine hadn't seen any of those so it was quite entertaining to her. It was a good choice for our last night when Janine was sad about having to leave the next day.
Sunday the 6th (today) we got up early and went to church where I taught. Our Sunday School class said some special prayers for us and it was very very nice. Pastor Branan was so happy and so was Marilynn for us. We had to leave after the Sunday School to get ready for the airport but I was told it was announced in church this morning and everyone applauded. My church family is so nice and I guess they are all pumping my parents for info which they have none of. Even so many people congradulated us and Janine got hugs from total strangers (to her). After church we had some special quiet time together before we had to leave for the airport. I was so sad to let her go. I really really really didn't want her to go but she had to. I just pray she will find a job and can be back soon. The goal is as soon as possible. We have been long distance since we first met in May and we are ready for that aspect of our lives to be over.
I feel so blessed to have had this week with her. It went far to quickly and as I sit here typing this I wish I could be reliving every moment of it all over again. She is truly the most special woman I have ever met and I love her. I thank everyone for all the prayers and well wishes. God Bless
