the conley family

11.13.2011

2011-11-13T15:17:00.000-05:00

Ack! It's been a very long time, and for that we apologize. We've been busy... making a baby... so you might want to check out our new blog at confessionsofarookieparent.blogspot.com. :)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (just in case I don't post again until next year)!!

2011-04-18T07:06:00.001-04:00

I'm baaaack! It's been a while, but since I'm on Spring Break I actually have time to blog. Be sure to check the picture link for some pretty backyard spring pictures.

~jc

Go Your Own Way

2011-03-17T23:01:00.003-04:00

I had an epiphany...

I started running this week.

I've done it before, several times to be exact, but I've always put off a scheduled run for many reasons:

Soreness, ingrown toenail, lack of motivation, hunger pangs, shoddy sidewalks, minimal neon/fluorescent clothing options, etc.

Since Sunday, I have logged eight miles of actual 'run time'. To those who find this laughable, I am following the Hal Higdon Novice 5K training program, copying and pasting an eight-week training schedule onto a desktop Excel file. Each day, I have what is planned by Hal (who's really old by the way, if that's not motivation in itself...) on a spreadsheet calendar. I look at it, put on the shoes and do exactly what I am told. The first week or two consist of short 1.5 mile runs with walking/jogging on off-days.

I already see a major difference after tonights run. Though my pulse was at cocaine-addict levels and I was gasping for air at my front door on arrival, I shaved off MINUTES from the previous run.

Much like golf (a true love of mine) there is no greater feeling than competing against one's own will. There have been so many moments just this week, where I have the angel/devil in my ear at various spots in my route... one telling me to cave and walk; the other, to hold the projectile vomiting until I can do so safely behind my garage.

I don't know where this will lead me. I can say that I don't have a real goal heading into this and that I don't really mind. Perhaps I can find some discipline in all of this and maybe start a habit worth continuing. If your an avid runner and have tips, feel free to share the love.

Adam and me

2011-03-01T19:56:00.002-05:00

I created a short digital story (aka a movie) using Animoto.com. I was just playing around... but thought it was fun. Enjoy!

Chicka Chicka Bawk Bawk!

2011-02-07T18:09:00.002-05:00

I didn't plan on hijacking our blog with recipes, but I keep on testing all these yummy recipes and I have to share them... right?

Tonight I wanted to find a new way to make chicken, and I was inspired by a recipe on sparkpeople (yes, again). Below are the ingredients and steps to really delicious "even my dad would like this" chicken (quote by Adam).

Garlicy Sweet Chicken

(inspired by a sparkpeople.com recipe)

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup unpacked Brown Sugar

12 ounces Skinless Chicken Breast

1/2 Cup Pineapple Chunks

1/3 Cup Sliced Mushrooms

Directions:

This makes four servings, 3 oz per person
1. Melt the butter in a frying pan
2. Brown 2 chopped cloves of garlic in the butter
3. Trim Chicken. Slice and stuff remaining chopped clove into chicken

4. Add chicken breasts to garlic and butter and cook thoroughly, adding salt and pepper as you like it.
5. When chicken is fully cooked add brown sugar on top of each breast
6. Allow the brown sugar to melt into the chicken (about 5 minutes)

Nutrition Facts:

Amount Per Serving: (4 Servings)

Calories218.7

Total Fat4.2 g

Cholesterol49.3 mg

Sodium210.1 mg

Potassium338.7 mg

Total Carbohydrate30.5 g

Dietary Fiber0.7 g

Sugars28.7 g

Protein20.5 g

I didn't take a picture, but I should have. I paired the chicken with brown rice and steamed green beans drizzled in lemon juice. :)

~jc

Was the Big Jesus inspired by Romeo & Juliet?

2011-02-05T20:24:00.006-05:00

I'm watching the 1996 version of Romeo & Juliet--you know, the one with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes--and I can't help but wonder if the late Big Jesus on I75 in Monroe was inspired by the Big Jesus in this movie. In fact, the Big Jesus in R & J is a full-sized version of Jesus... which also has me thinking that the new Big Jesus may look even more like the R & J version since I hear it will be a full version of Jesus.

Or maybe it's just coincidence?

Anyhow, I forgot how much I love this movie. It has such a fantastic soundtrack. Mom, do you remember me listening to it on repeat in 8th-9th grade? I haven't heard it in a looong time... I'm totally going to download it on itunes. Really, really, really love this movie.

I made another new dish tonight. It was a recipe I found on sparkpeople.com, and it was possibly the easiest recipe in the history of easy recipes. Don't blink--you might miss it:

Brown Sugar & Mustard Pork Chops

Ingredients:

6 boneless pork loin chops

1/3 cup yellow mustard
1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions:

Mix mustard and sugar. Pour over pork chops. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Nutritional Info:

Fat: 7.8g

Carbs: 18.3g

Calories: 228

Protein: 20.7g

After I took the pork chops out of the oven, there was lots of good run-off juice that thickened, so I drizzled it over the chops. Then I paired the chops with steamed green beans (with fresh lemon and garlic). It was so easy and looked colorful and yum. I wish I had taken a picture! I might try it on chicken this week sometime... I'll keep the camera close by.

By the way, Romeo and Juliet will be on again this Thursday at 1pm on E! Just in case you want to record it or something. ;)

~jc

Snow (ICE) Day #6

2011-02-01T16:06:00.011-05:00

I woke up this morning thinking Please, please, PLEASE let the ice be thick! I was really tired and really comfy and really wanted to stay in bed another hour.

I got my wish. :)

Since I did my homework last night and am caught up in grading, I decided to relax today. Yeah, I'm totally (still) in sweats as I type this. I did fold laundry and vacuum, so I wasn't a complete sloth.

I also created and added recipes online. Below are today's creations. Let me know if you try and like (or if you try and hate... I can handle constructive criticism!)

PEARLED COUSCOUS SALAD

view from my kitchen

Ingredients

1 Box Near East Pearled Couscous Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil
3 Cup Chopped Fresh Spinach
15 chopped Baby Carrots
1/2 Cup chopped Green Onion
1 1/2 Cup chopped English Cucumber, peel on
1 chopped Roma Tomato
3 Tbs. Wishbone Light Italian Dressing
3 Tbs. Lite Creamy Ranch Dressing
4 oz. Low Fat Feta Cheese
Garlic Sea Salt (grinder)
Ground Black Pepper

Directions

Simply chop all veggies and prepare couscous according to directions. Stir together.

I chop vegetables while couscous is cooking, thus cutting overall time to about 15 minutes. I like my salads chilled, so I set in the fridge for a bit before serving. Salad looks great in a big white bowl.

Number of Servings: 6

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 185.8

Total Fat: 5.0 g
Cholesterol: 6.7 mg
Sodium: 858.7 mg
Total Carbs: 26.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.3 g
Protein: 7.7 g

BUTTERSCOTCH & CHOCOLATE PEANUT-BUTTER CRAVERS

view from top of my stove

Ingredients:

1 Pkg. Instant Sugar Free, Fat Free Butterscotch Pudding
2 Cups Fat Free Milk
1 Tbsp. Peanut butter
2 Tbsp. Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions:

In small bowl, combine chocolate chips and peanut butter. Microwave on high 30 seconds. Stir.
Prepare Instant Butterscotch Pudding according to instructions.
Pour small amount of pudding into each bowl--just enough to cover the bottom.
Drop 1/8 Chocolate-Peanut butter mix in 4 small bowls (I use pyrex dishes).
Pour remaining pudding over Chocolate-Peanut butter.
Top pudding with remaining Chocolate-Peanut butter mix.
Set bowls in refrigerator 5-10 minutes.

ENJOY!! :)

Number of Servings: 4

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 128.8

Total Fat: 4.0 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 338.8 mg
Total Carbs: 11.4 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.3 g
Protein: 1.0 g

I hope Adam likes them!! :)

~jc

1.23.2011

2011-01-23T09:55:00.005-05:00

Since I've been stuck inside a lot this week (we're up to 5 snow days now!), I thought I'd just post some pictures. Hope everyone is staying warm! :)

Lucy, attacking the shovel. (This was driveway shoveling #2 for the day.)

Adam and Lucy playing in the snow.

Yeah, it was a lot of snow for one day.

More playing in the snow.

~jc

1.14.2011

2011-01-14T20:02:00.002-05:00

We are closing down the week with a quiet night at home tonight. I just got home from a quickie workout, and Adam is researching music for his semi-final karaoke competition tomorrow night at JD Legends. Yes, seriously. :)

Last weekend I finally took down the Christmas decorations. I decided we needed some sort of holiday decor, so we pulled out our Valentine's goods. My favorite are the felted balls that Annie made. She promised we'd get together and knit soon too!

Valentine's Felted Balls from Annie

The following are from our snow day (#3) on Tuesday. Goose loves snow days!

~jc

1.11.2011

2011-01-11T13:27:00.002-05:00

To my Adam...

Lord, grant that my spouse and I may have a true and understanding love for each other. Grant that we may both be filled with faith and trust. Give us the grace to live with each other in peace and harmony. May we always bear with one another's weaknesses and grow from each other's strengths. Help us to forgive one another's failings and grant us patience, kindness, cheerfulness and the spirit of placing the well-being of one another ahead of self.

May the love that brought us together grow and mature with each passing year. Bring us both ever closer to You through our love for each other. Let our love grow to perfection. Amen.

Love, Julie

01.02.2011

2011-01-02T18:53:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year!

Adam and I rung in the New Year with the Cronins, Andy Cohen and several Real Housewives. I couldn't ask for anything better. :) On the first day of the 2011, Adam and I took a drive across Ohio to visit my Grandma Marge. Dad and Bev were there too. We ate and talked and debated--all typical Perilman activities.

The following are pictures of graffiti found on Wheeling Island on our way home today. As a reading teacher, I found it hilarious (and it's my computer wallpaper now).

Who writes THAT for their graffiti? I love it!

Adam took the next picture of the National Road bridge.

The next pictures show how high waters have risen in past floods. Crazy!

~jc

81 for 2011

2011-01-02T15:52:00.011-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen... Adam's 2011 Objectives!

* Drive fifteen miles per hour over the speed limit (achieved on two consecutive days!)
* Go canoeing
* Say 'I Love You' more, preferably just to my family and close friends
* Read twelve books
* Take grandparents out to dinner
* Talk to one stranger per day
* Walk the dog every day except when raining
* Boo Yadier Molina and Hines Ward in person
* Visit the Serpent Mound
* Pray more
* Wake up at a consistent time every day
* Visit a few old folks in the nursing homes
* Run a race
* Take a real vacation
* Make only one more payment to Miami University for tuition
* Start exploratory committee for 2034 gubernatorial campaign
* Expand pre-1970 Reds memorbilia collection
* Buy a new suit
* Wear that new suit for a night out and to a sporting event (expand on my trendsetting skills)
* Stop at more roadside markers
* Take a class
* Bring basement electrical up to 1987 standards
* Watch my favorite movies if I ever come down with a 24 hour bug
* Pick up litter
* Take Julie to a tractor pull
* Participate at an auction
* Explore eastern Kentucky
* Cut back on the coffee
* Replace coffee with tea
* Improve 'people anxiety' issues
* Be a better husband, son, brother, cousin, co-worker and neighbor
* Share the word that married couples aren't competitors, they're on the same team
* Volunteer for something
* Try a new food
* Pick up a hitchhiker
* Climb a tree
* Take two spring hikes
* Get organized
* Do things when they need to be done
* Blog more
* Spend less
* Watch a sunrise
* Make decisions
* Maintain low blood pressure... let it go
* Smile on occasion
* Learn to use our camera
* Continue to take vitamins
* Eat in on weekends
* Try to be more patient
* Go to a town festival where we know no one
* Attend a concert
* Sit on a hill overlooking something and do nothing for 15 minutes
* Check out the free museum just around the corner from our house
* Ask for more discounts for 'handsome men'
* Vent
* Write more letters regarding excellent or subpar customer service
* Go 31 days without a haircut
* Play an arcarde game
* Mow someones yard without their consent
* Ride a train/tram/monorail/streetcar
* Go to Kings Island
* Don't watch a single movie starring Brendan Fraser or Anne Hathaway
* Paint some rooms in the house
* Buy Julie something that she wouldn't expect me to buy her
* Abstain from getting her something she wants
* Take the dog to Cincinnati and into Kentucky, just because she's never been
* Eat at one of the pitiful restaurants nearby
* Take something to the dry cleaners
* Watch a sporting event that I have no interest in
* Attend a college volleyball game
* Never go to McDonalds
* Add a quote to my work e-mail signature
* Continue to work on sarcasm and dry humor
* Continue to run outside when hearing a low-flying aircraft, regardless of how stupid it looks
* Convince Julie that 56 is an acceptable winter temperature in the house (it is in a cavern)
* Enter a contest
* Participate in 2011 Fantasy Football league
* Improve landscaping
* Golf somewhere new
* Limit whistling at the dinner table
* Listen more

Seventy-five

2010-12-30T12:42:00.004-05:00

If anyone ever compares Julie's posts to mine, one will notice the slight difference (besides subject matter) is my tendency to lean toward list-making. I can't help it, I suffer from LMCD! Without further adieu, Adam's favorite I-75 exits in Ohio...

36 - Franklin/Lebanon (OH-123): Growing up, southbound trips were marked by this exit as 'being close to Cincinnati' or 'out of Dayton'. Little did I know, that I would one day play in a softball league right off of this exit ramp and make my first home nearby.

1G - Ezzard Charles Dr. (Cincinnati): Going to Reds games as a wee lad, this was the mid-point in Dad's driving insanity. You would think after a couple trips down, we'd remember the correct exit for the stadium, but about the time EC came around, this is when the car would make the safe four-lane change.

63 - Vandalia/Donnelsville (US-40): Slightly biased being the exit I first visited my now wife on, but I used to wonder why Donnelsville justified signage on an I-75 exit (if you've been there, you would understand). Sure enough, Julie still ponders the same question... I propose changing the sign to state: Vandalia/Phoneton.

99 - Anna/Minster (OH-119): Even though I work here, this is not my exit. I like it because I have many great memories of some good road trips starting here and because this is where I'd get on back in the day to start my southward trek to visit Julie. Another alluring feature is as a '99 graduate, many of my classmates schemed ways to swipe anything with a 99 on it... no success in that deparment.

156 - Columbus, Carey/Kenton (OH-15/US 23 & 68): As Jason and I know it 'the Sugar Tower exit', we frequented this entrance ramp on several occassions as youngsters on trips to Findlay and northward. It was also my gateway home for three years at Bowling Green.

130 - Blue Lick Road: I exited here one time on a whim, because I realized it was the only one I'd never exited on. If you follow it far enough to the west, you will run into OH-65 and at that southeast corner, sits LCI (Lima Correctional Institution), formerly the Lima Nuthouse in pre-PC ages. This exit is very unique, definitely none other like it in the state. It is situated rather funky, with the south entrance ramp running a little longer than usual due to a train track running parallel with the highway at that point.

171 - Cygnet (OH-25): 10 Miles to BG!!! Honestly, that's the only reason.

210 - Alexis Road (OH-184): The northernmost exit in Ohio. Little known fact, my old roommates Jay and Kelly used to tell me about the 'waterheads' that live in Point Place. I've never seen a waterhead, but apparently they come out at night and live in a trailer park off of this exit.

15 - Sharonville Rd., Sharonville/Glendale: Any trip to the Queen City as a kid had mention of this being the pit-stop for Mom & Dad on their honeymoon night. They stayed in one of the hotels here and ate at Bill Knapp's.

50A - Dryden Road/Moraine: Dayton has a smell... and it roots itself at this exit.

73 - Ludlow Falls/Troy (OH-55): My favorite of the two Troy exits, this is the 'road less traveled'. Features a good Shell station, along with a Boston Stoker and a good breakfast restaurant, Lincoln Square.

111 - Bellefontaine St., Wapak: One of the few exits that I've passed over more than I've exited. This is the bridge to Uncle Karl & Aunt Linda's house and the Neil Armstrong Museum (among others).

125A - Lima/Kenton (OH-309 & OH-117): When I was a little guy, I used to pass under this bridge and see "Toledo - 77 / Dayton - 77" and I knew, I was at the nexis of the universe.

41 - Austin Boulevard: I'm still withholding judgement on this exit. First off, to the old guard, it's Austin Pike and secondly, the timing of the lights off of this exit are still a work on progress. But, it also means that I'm home and that's probably a good place to stop!

ac

Brittany One Liners! OhMyGlee!

2010-12-30T09:44:00.001-05:00

FOX Broadcasting Company - Glee TV Show - Glee TV Series - Glee Episode Guide

12.29.2010

2010-12-30T08:48:00.004-05:00

Around my birthday (12/4) Adam and I had a Starbucks date. It wasn't intentional--I was begging for an after-dinner treat, Starbucks was nearby, and it was too cold for ice cream. We went inside to find only a few other people enjoying the coffee shop. I ordered an all-time favorite, the salted caramel hot chocolate, and Adam got his usual, a peppermint mocha. Usually we leave right after ordering, but we were feeling festive so we sat. To our surprise and delight, there was a bookshelf full of board games... and one was called Daytonopoly! It was an 80's version of Dayton, complete with Voss Chevrolet (remember the horse cartoon?) and the Salem Mall. We played, I got stomped on by my dear husband, and we vowed to return for another cheap thrills, cozy Starbucks date soon.

Flash forward to last night.

We had originally planned on a c-cubed night, but the Casbars couldn't make it. We still wanted to go out to dinner, and right as we were getting ready to leave, the Cronins called asking if we wanted to go to dinner. Uh, yeah! We ended up at Rusty Bucket, which I really like a lot. The only bad part was that we sat at a table practically in the kitchen, and every time the door swung open, the smell of overcooked broccoli fumigated our table. Oh, and the seat in our booth smelled like the rag that it was "cleaned" with before we sat down. And I thought our server was a d-bag from Vandalia, but it turns out he wasn't. Otherwise it was good.

After dinner, I thought back on our Starbucks date and suggested we go there for a repeat. Plus I had red onion breath from my salad and needed a peppermint mocha frapp to freshen up. Hey, I can't chew gum with this huge hole in my mouth (see my 12.21.2010 post)! It was more crowded than I expected, but then again it's a holiday break. We ordered drinks, grabbed two mini tables, and settled on Jenga. As we played two very intense games Starbucks filled up with drugged-out high school students. a.n.n.o.y.i.n.g! It was way ridiculous how many people had crammed themselves into the store. We left and went home.

I hope Brian and Holly weren't turned off. I want to play Daytonopoly with them someday.

~jc

12.28.2010

2010-12-28T21:09:00.003-05:00

Spinning (indoor cycling) is something I loved. I'd go 2 times a week and sweat it out for the full hour. After a year of this routine I started going to the 1 1/2 hour class on Saturdays too. I went from being a standard middle-back-row spinner to a anywhere-in-the-room spinner to a front-row spinner. I went from trying to keep up with the people around me to trying to keep up with the instructor. I'd try to beat my previous calories-burned total from the class before, usually ranging anywhere from 800-1000 cal per hour. I even bought the clip-in shoes.

Then I stopped going one day for whatever reason and never went back.

Tonight I went back for the first time in... maybe 6 months? 7 months? I lost track...
I was pretty nervous--afraid that I wouldn't be able to do it. I was also afraid that the regulars were going to judge me because surely they'd all been attending the weekly classes.

I arrived a half hour early just in case it was a big crowd (the class has filled up that early in the past) and was the first one there. There were new bikes, and they had the digital displays that I'd always wanted--telling rpms, watts, heart rate, distance and time. I was surprised to only see a few familiar faces as it got closer to go-time. The instructor I remembered is now pregnant and a new instructor started tonight. She turned on the lights when she came in and I about unclipped and left right then and there. I don't cycle in that fluorescent lighting! Ew. Then she started playing trance music--not my favorite (boring!!). I was definitely talking myself into a bad experience.

But... I did it! I actually ended up liking the music; it was trance-y but modern-ish, with Rihanna and Madonna songs. The instructor turned off the lights too. I was in the back and able to keep up with the people on all sides of my bike. I even did a solid 1 1/2 hours since I got there so early! I don't usually toot my own horn but, toot toot toot. I did it!

Side note: My total distance in 1 1/2 hours was around 32-33 miles (?I think?). I reached 26.2 miles (marathon) at 70 minutes even. I think that will be my new goal--to reduce my cycled marathon time each class. My first half hour was super slow since I was trying out the new bike, stretching, and talking myself out of doing well. This should be an easy goal to reach!

~jc

12.27.2010 part 2

2010-12-27T20:35:00.005-05:00

Saw some of my favorite people today!! Adam and I met up with the Wilhelms, Murphys, and Whitsons in Lima for lunch. The special guest was baby Maddie, who we were all meeting for the first time. It was nice to catch up--who knows when we will all get together again!

Check out some pictures from our time together on the picture page.

~jc

12.27.2010

2010-12-27T09:39:00.004-05:00

Only 363 days until Christmas! I hate when people say that right after Christmas. It's a dumb thing to say, right? Last night Denise and Kiley came over. We talked about our Christmases--the good, the bad, the food, the relatives... everything. I've come to realize and believe that the SEASON of Christmas--the leading up to the big day--is really the best part about Christmas. I love the music, the lights, the sales, the decorations, the vacation, the food... but when the 26th hits there is such a buzz kill. I mean, do I really have to put all my decorations away now? Do I have to stop listening to Glee Holiday?

I got a lot of pretty great presents, but my best by FAR was the Nikon D3100 from Adam.

I took some pictures and added a few of them to the Pictures page, but look for many more as I play with the settings on my new fun toy.

~jc

12.21.2010

2010-12-21T11:14:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow I'm having implants put in...

...my mouth.

I'm having my last two baby teeth pulled and titanium rods drilled into my jaw. In a couple months I'll have two porcelain molars screwed in and then I'll have a full set of adult teeth. I'll be pretty medicated tomorrow, so what should I do?

Watch movies? (which movie?)

Read? (which book?)

Blog?

~jc

12.20 :)

2010-12-20T09:02:00.002-05:00

12.20.2005=Our first date (Joe's Crab Shack in Vandalia)

12.20.2008=Our Wedding

12.20.2010=Our 2nd (or 5th depending on how you see it) Anniversary

I love you, Boo Boo!

12.16.2010

2010-12-16T14:13:00.003-05:00

Hooray for Snow Day #2!

Everyone keeps saying, "You can't be excited--there's only one snow day left and it's still December, blah, blah, blah..." I say bring it. I love snow days--always have, always will. I might grumble a little in June when/if we have extra days, but right now, in the middle of the excitement, in the middle of the cold, in the middle of crazy days at school... I love a good snow day!

~jc

12.13.10 part 2

2010-12-13T10:21:00.002-05:00

So I did a little blog-cleaning. Actually, I just updated the pages at the top so that you can click on the Home tab (where you're reading this now) for our blog posts, or the Links tab (to see links we like), or the Pictures tab (for...pictures, duh!).

~jc

12.13.10

2010-12-13T09:27:00.003-05:00

Snow Day!

Thank goodness for the snow--I am battling a nasty cold and have zero energy. Yesterday I got most of my grading done, so today I can relax (read, update blog, update wiki, stalk on fb, catch up on dvr'd shows...) Hooray for snow!!

~jc

My Favorite Buckeyes

2010-11-29T14:48:00.004-05:00

Got to take the wife to her first (real) game in the Shoe this past weekend and as the seniors were honored, I thought on a few of the guys 'They've been here forever' and on others 'I can't believe he's already a senior'. Among those in my eight-year program: Chimdi Chekwa (seems like he's been there at least since '04), Devon Torrence (not quite as long, but swore he was recruited with Whitner/Youboty) and Ross Homan. In the 'How are they seniors!' camp are: Dane Sanzenbacher (still doesn't seem real), Brandon Saine (yes, he was a four-year guy and in my opinion: highly undervalued/-utilized by the coaching staff) and Homan (I had big expectations for the guy, so while on one hand it feels like forever, the other just doesn't seem possible that he's gone).

With that said... my favorite Buckeyes of my lifetime:

#10: Ben Hartsock - I'm not so sure that I was enamored with Hartsock, as much as I was with the fact that Tressel was using the TE in his offense. I thought this was a sign of things to come.

#9: David Boston - Felt cheated in only getting three years out of him, much like a few other select Buckeyes, but arguably the most talented receiver to ever grace the 'Shoe.

#8: Maurice Clarett - It was one year... but the guy WAS the reason the Bucks won it all in '02. If you ever question his heart, despite the Tim Spencer melee at Northwestern, his stripping of Sean Taylor after his fumble has to be one of the greatest plays in Buckeye history.

#7: Dee Miller - I always pull for the 'local' guys and Miller was straight out of Springfield South. Definitely benefited from Boston double-coverage, but a great possession receiver and always came through with clutch snags.

#6: Joe Montgomery - A bruising back that crossed over the George/Pearson years. Joe got a ton of solid yards in garbage time, but did enough to warrant a pro contract from the football Giants.

#5: Matt Finkes - Another 'local' guy out of Piqua, a hard-nosed DE who didn't get the accolades of his counterpart (Vrabel) but was steady throughout his career.

# 4: Joe Germaine - The Anti-Stanley Jackson. (That alone should be worthy of sainthood).

#3: Jerry Rudzinski - Sat next to his dad at the infamous '98 Michigan State game.

#1b: A.J. Hawk - Knew from the beginning that this guy was a monster. Watched his debut against Texas Tech, had some breakout plays two weeks later v. Washington State and the rest was history.

#1a: Eddie George - Following the '94 season, Eddie was still an unknown talent... put up solid numbers, but not enough to be a convincing every-down back. Previous Buckeye RB's had disappointed me to that point, as they arrived with such fanfare, i.e. Carlos Snow, Raymont Harris and Robert Smith. Here was George, an assumed outsider with no local ties (grew up in Philly and went to Fork Union Military Academy), perhaps another back I could add to the prior list of hopeful stars. With a great game vs. Notre Dame that season, followed up by his 314-yard outburst against Illinois, a legend was born and he remains the only 'authentic' Buckeye jersey I have ever found worthy of donning on Saturdays.

11.13.2010

2010-11-13T18:21:00.005-05:00

Well, it's been a busy fall. I feel like October zipped by, which is unfortunate considering it's my favorite month. Here are some of my most recent happenings:

-10 hour school days

-grad school research

-several games of Things with friends

-advising for UD Chi Omegas

-Monroe and (even 1 Butler) football games

-endless search for more crocks, ball jar candles, and furniture for

our house

-lots of fetch with Lucy

-reading the huge stack of recommended books by students and friends

I'm trying to be more adventurous in the kitchen. The only new things I've attempted in the last couple of months

are pumpkin cookies, crunchy baked Parmesan chicken, and smashed potato soup. All were hits. :)

I'd like to take up knitting again. I learned it my senior year at BGSU, but have since lost any knowledge. Anyone want to teach or join me on this

quest? I'd like to make things like:

I love the look and feel of this chunky knit hat.

Who doesn't love mittens??

Cocoon, wooden bowl, baby... adorable!

-jc

Lazy Sunday

2010-09-12T21:15:00.002-04:00

It's pathetic that I haven't contributed anything since late February... I'm sorry!

Last night, I was able to attend the Pirates v. Reds and was one of 36,000+ to see Pete Rose honored before the game for the 25th anniversary of his 4,192nd hit. It wasn't quite the ceremony I thought it would be (until I read reports after the game as to why it was so uneventful).

About forty minuted prior to the game, the Reds aired a recorded message from Rose. Maybe five minutes of Pete's reflections, the events of 9/11/2001 and his future and the future of the game of baseball. The Reds also brought in an interesting corps of former players: Tommy Helms, Cesar Geronimo, Eric Davis, Tom Browning and Tony Perez.

Pete was driven out of the centerfield bullpen on a golf cart. They stopped briefly aside the Reds dugout and in his #14 jeresey, he took six paces to first base and stomped his foot on the bag and waved to the crowd and as quickly as he entered, he was gone. It was almost sad.

Without preaching, the demise of Pete Rose is rather pitiful. Lies, denial, deceit, repentance, blame and the like have culminated over the years. I am in the undecided camp... he committed a cardinal baseball sin. I won't even compare the drug scandals to this, because that's apples-to-oranges. Regardless, I do admire the guy as an athlete... epitomizes everything an athlete should be about -- making the best of your God-given talent.

Aside from that, the Reds do go all out for special occasions from the Civil Rights Game, to Reds Hall of Fame inductions. They hit a home run, honoring a wounded vet by allowing him to throw out the first pitch (delivered by a team of Navy Seals who entered the stadium from various nooks while fully armed) and donating a Toyota Tundra to the Florence Fire Department.

With Votto's 10th inning homer to end it, it was a night I'll remember from a great summer of baseball.

ac

Ice Cream Man

2010-08-25T07:42:00.003-04:00

Summer is waning, Julie's back in school. the nights becoming more crisp and the dog is finally getting exercise... time for a retrospect on the summer that was.

Entering the year, 2010 was a near-record breaking wedding season (still one shy of the 2006 mark of 11); adjusted for inflation, I'd say this wedding season was the equivalent of 20-24 '06 weddings (the joys of being a homeowner!).

We wound down May with a pretty good stretch of heat, and I mean toasty! Bad enough that I had to budge on calling an HVAC tech to evaluate our beloved Lennox. That kicked off what was a glorious run of stimulating the economy this season. (Side note: since our wedding/planning of 2008, which has paralleled with the entire meltdown of every feasible market, one can only imagine the dire straits this country would be in without the Conleys spending over the past 18 months).

I was able to fit a baseball excursion into my schedule this year, a first in a series of trips I would like to continue. I've always been one for keeping tabs on things, mainly because it's a collection of numbers in your head, and that won't get dusty (at least for a few decades).

The trip was orchestrated by Matt Smith, my old roommate and good friend. Matt has gone on several of these trips, visiting all the west coast ball parks and coming off of an earlier trek to Minnesota's new Target Field and Wrigley. Our agenda for the weekend of 7/23-7/25 was Citizens Bank Park (Philly), Camden Yards (Baltimore) and PNC (P&+%$burgh).

In what was arguably the hottest weekend of the year, we left early on a Friday and drove straight to Philadelphia. Got to see a good pitching duel (Aaron Cook of the Rockies v. Halladay). The stadium was a treat; lots of nostalgia, great setup honoring their past with their Wall of Fame situated in the outfield concourse, known as Ashburn's Alley; and great food to boot. Another thing I took away from the place was that Phillies fans aren't as vile as the media portays them (that or the fact that it was 96 degrees post-game).

I got to throw some US history into the mix as well, visiting Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and the building that housed the first US Supreme Court. I'm a sucker for these things... if more people today gave a thought to the trials and tribulations these founding fathers faced in the late 18th century, I think we'd see a lot more grit and guts in Washington today.

Day Two saw me complete a state (Delaware... for explanation, see older post). I have now been 'everywhere in Delaware'. We made our way over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, into Annapolis and to the cozy Hilton, adjacent to The Ballpark at Camden Yards.

While the O's aren't much to watch these days, they're still getting by on the whole nostalgia thing. So much to see in that little section of town. The Babe Ruth birthplace is just up the street, which featured one of the coolest exhibits I have seen. Placards for each of Babe's 714 home runs with the pitcher who gave it up and his hometown (learned that pitching great Jesse Haines is from nearby Clayton). There is also a sports memorbilia museum in the warehouse behind Camden's outfield, which time did not allow us to visit.

Drove to DC the next day and browsed the Air & Space Smithsonian. Had a terrible thunderstorm as we were leaving town and were held up nearly 45 minutes as we waited on 270 for a Mini Cooper to burn up.

Pulled into Wheeling around 8:30 and gave my bud's their first taste of DiCarlo's Pizza on the back of the Civic. Pulled into Springboro a little before 1:00am and the rest is history!

With game-time temperature a sweltering 104, we opted out of another day in the sun at Pittsburgh and decided to head southwest to DC for a little museum visit (read: air conditioned buildings). Got to take a leisurely stroll at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

Heat and humidity aside, we had a great time and I got to take the boys for a few slices of DiCarlos in Elm Grove, WV.

Five For Fighting - World

2010-07-06T21:05:00.000-04:00

This I Believe

2010-07-06T13:03:00.002-04:00

I believe that reading gossip magazines at the hair salon counts as quality reading. I look forward to these trips to highlight my doo because I know there will be mountains of Vogue, US Weekly, and People. I am not bothered by waiting a little longer than necessary under the dryer, because 10 times out of 10 I am catching up on who’s breaking up with who and which 40-something got another boob job. I devour the articles and flip through pictures. I always leave the salon with a fresh style and gobs of Hollywood scandal. I know my mind has not been educated in an academic sense, but I feel I have accomplished a decent amount of stimulating reading nonetheless.

Cardio Kickboxing to Turkey Trot?

2010-06-29T08:26:00.003-04:00

So I started going to the cardio kickboxing class at my Y. I have not been physically motivated to exercise, even though I need to move my butt. I want to run the Turkey Trot 10k in Cincy at Thanksgiving, so I need to start running, but I'm nervous about it. I thought that maybe if I got into shape via an exercise class, I'll have an easier transition back into running. Here's what I'm thinking:

By the end of June--running 1 mile easily (that's this week... I'm able to do it, but not "easily")

By the end of July--running 2 miles easily

By the end of August--running 3 miles easily

By the end of September--running 4 miles easily

By the end of October--running 5 miles easily

By the end of November (Turkey Trot!)--running 6 miles easily

Do you think it's a feasible plan? It's not exactly a "running" plan you'd find in Runner's World, but I'm hoping it'll work for me.

I'll post updates, struggles, and successes as they occur. Wish me luck!

~jc

June 2010

2010-06-28T10:07:00.002-04:00

So I kind of forgot about this blog for a while. It's been a most un-relaxing summer so far. I don't mean that in a bad way... it's just been busy! Look for more posts in the coming days, weeks, and months. Maybe we'll even post some new pictures. :)

~jc

Taxman

2010-04-15T18:42:00.004-04:00

Well, March came and went and we certainly neglected the ole family blog! Hope all is well with everyone.

Let's see, getting up to speed... 2/10 weddings down for the year (that's 20% complete), both of us are still gainfully employed, the snow has melted and I've mowed twice to date. Not a bad spring so far.

March was a fun month... we were introduced to the game 'Things' by our friends Jason & Amy Smith the first weekend. We debated, and still are in a sense, on how to go about a master bathroom remodel. March Madness was indeed that. I got to watch more this year than many years past.

I took a half-day on the first Friday of the tourney, something my dad and uncle Joel have done for several years now. Got to drive over to the Wolf residence in Marysville to watch the early games and play a few hands of rummy.

En route to Springboro, Seth got me to stop in at A Better Place in Mechanicsburg, for a late afternoon libation. It's always nice to catch up with old friends and just listen. Congratulations are also in order for him as he is recently engaged.

Julie attended a conference in Columbus the last week of the month. She left late on Wednesday evening and Lucy and I manned the fort for the duration. We got a surprise accumulating snow late Thursday night, just as we were about to depart for Charleston, SC.

I took another half-day that Friday and came home to round all my packing up. I woke early that day to drop Lucy to her Grandma's (Grammy Pammy) at 4:30 in the AM. Julie returned home around 2:00 and we were on the road for the Palmetto State at 3:00.

Traffic issues in Cincinnati made us cross the river after 4:00... not cool! We stopped in Berea, KY for some gas and enjoyed a scenic route the rest of the way down. At Corbin, we ventured SE toward Pikeville, KY on 25E. We traveled through the Cumberland Gap and through the narrow swath of Virginia... discovering a Federal Penitentiary near Jonesville on US 58.

I tried in vain to find a University of Tennessee radio affiliate for the UT/OSU game. Good thing I didn't, as we grabbed a quick nibble in Kingsport, TN, I made the call to Dad to get the recap of the game. (I can always tell by his tone the result before he says anything).

My contacts began to dry up as we approached Asheville, NC. Julie drove for about thirty minutes and got us to the SC border. Our hotel was in Clinton, SC, home of Presbyterian University (among other things) and we checked in a wee bit after midnight.

We woke early the next day, did the continental breakfast thing (which is always amazing the earlier you go down... later in the day, not so much!), and I drove into town to explore while Julie did her hair.

I have to cut it off now, as Julie says that no one cares about my details... :(

Fearless 2010 Baseball Predictions

2010-02-27T11:00:00.002-05:00

With spring training games officially starting in one week, what a better time than now to make some guesses toward the second-best regular season in all of sports.

Standings

NL Central
Cardinals 92-70
Cubs 84-78
Reds 82-80
Brewers 82-80
Astros 74-88
Pirates 71-91

NL East
Phillies 96-66
Braves 85-77
Marlins 81-81
Mets 78-84
Nationals 65-97

NL West
Dodgers 90-72
Rockies 89-73
D-Backs 81-81
Padres 75-87
Giants 73-89

AL East
Yankees 99-63
Red Sox 90-72
Orioles 79-83
Rays 78-84
Blue Jays 71-91

AL Central
Twins 92-70
Tigers 89-73
White Sox 85-77
Indians 79-83
Royals 68-94

AL West
Angels 93-69
Mariners 90-72
A's 88-74
Rangers 82-80

Playoffs: Phillies over Rockies (WC) & Cardinals over Dodgers; NLCS: Phillies - 4, Cardinals - 2.

Playoffs: Yanks over M's*(beat BOS for WC)& Twins over Angels; ALCS: Yankees - 4, Twins - 3.

World Series: Phillies - 4 Yankees - 3. WS MVP: Chase Utley

NL MVP: Albert Pujols, STL
AL MVP: Derek Jeter, NYY

NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, PHI
AL Cy Young: Jake Peavy, CHW

Astounding predictions: AL East will be surprisingly close through July with the Bombers pulling away in August; Orioles and Indians will be in the thick of things, injuries and youth will knock them down at the AS break; the Reds will be in it to win it - 34-17 at Memorial Day, hanging tough with the Cardinals, breakdown doesn't come til mid-August west coast road trip, followed by some tough back-to-back road swings to Busch and Wrigley in September. A three-game sweep of the Brewers give them the regular season edge on Milwaukee, an over-.500 record and promise for next year. Jeter wins his first MVP award, Cliff Lee is awesome in Seattle, but Peavy's Win% puts him over the top in the AL Cy Young race. Rockies/Dodgers is a battle to remember as they are dead-even through the final series of the season. Colorado's final road trip of the season does them in, swept and exhausted in St. Louis and facing the Phillies in the NLDS.

Cheers to baseball!

Snow Dog

2010-02-16T10:15:00.005-05:00

I know that it's probably getting irritating at this point, but here's another video of Lucy in the snow.

ac/jc/lc

Lot's of Goose!

2010-02-09T21:19:00.018-05:00

It's been a while since I've posted, and I like to include more pictures than words. Enjoy!

We framed this one...

She has a rough life.

What are you looking at?

I ALWAYS get what I want when I shake.

Today was a snow day, so Lucy and I played in the snow.

jc/ac/lc

Columbine - A&J's Book Club

2010-01-11T08:09:00.004-05:00

Columbine by Dave Cullen

Where to begin on this accomplishment? This tragedy was especially intriguing to the two of us since it happened when we were in school (my senior year, Julie's junior). I purchased this book as a Christmas gift since Julie had asked for it, but since she was in the middle of about three, I decided to start out of boredom.

Cullen is one of the lead experts on the Columbine High School massacre, having been stationed in Littleton since April 1999. With any good non-fiction book, the author expands on what you've always wondered about and out of nowhere, reveals an angle on the story one can't fathom. An excellent chapter covers the SWAT teams approach to the ordeal. As an outsider, one sees a simple objective: shooters in school, surround the perimeter, swarm in and take them out. Once you learn of the carnage and obstacles these men had to overcome, you do empathize.

The author debunks one important BIG myth about the incident... this was not a 'school shooting', but a failed bomb plot. The book appears lengthy, there are only 358 pages of actual text though (the rest are notes and acknowledgements) and he breaks down the chapters rather well... the story isn't necessarily in succession, but it blends together well in the end.

All in all, you get a sense of what it was like that day, but more importantly, you will learn the in-depth details on what led up to this event; the killers lives and what drove them, following the recovery of particular survivors, living with the parents of the deceased and from an administrative standpoint... how do you get your school back on its feet and not let the name of your school define a tragedy.

It was a good, quick read... I'd of finished it in a weekend if I wanted to. Dave Cullen left me wanting more, which Julie said was 'a good thing'. This is a great piece for anyone who enjoys the true crime genre. Definitely the best of anything I've read on the subject matter.

The Biggest Bearded Loser Challenge

2010-01-09T11:27:00.004-05:00

What a concept... writing about weight loss in January!

Haven't you done this before Adam???

Back in mid-December, my company announced that we would have a corporate-wide weight loss challenge. About a year ago, we started a wellness committee with representatives from eight of our twelve branches. We discussed ways to get our people active and this was one of the big ones.

After much discussion, we finally made it happen. A three-month program that will reward the top five male and female contestants with monetary prizes and additional gifts for monthly winners. All in all, a good little deal!

I took the plunge and we have very good numbers from my store, with 80% of the staff participating. Everyone can afford to lose a few pounds, especially after some of the binge eating a few of us are guilty of over the Thanksgiving and Christmas season.

From August 2008 to our wedding, I took off about nine pounds and have kept that off. For all of 2009, I dropped about an additional 10-12, keeping off the brunt of that until the last couple weeks.

In addition to this challenge, I signed a pact with Julie, stating that I would not shave my beard until I lost ten pounds from my weight on 12/31... good luck with that Adam!

At this point, I resemble Merlin Olsen... I'm hoping to not reach ZZ Top length though!

Adam & Julie's Book Club

2010-01-09T11:22:00.002-05:00

Maybe it's the fact that I'm married to a language arts and reading teacher, but it was inevitable that I'd catch the reading bug. I've always enjoyed reading, but I've always had a really small attention span, so the only times I have devoted to reading are when I'm sick (a rare occurance) and in the bathroom.

This Christmas, Julie requested a book as a gift and I wound up reading it. I'm still only partially through, but I've made it my goal to read one book per month. We will review a few of the good ones we come across and pass that info over to you.

Winter has only just begun, so if you have any recommendations, feel free to pass those along to us!

ac

GR8 PL8S!

2010-01-06T21:14:00.007-05:00

As I drive so far, so frequently... thought I'd share the amazing vanity plates I pass everyday. Some are explainable, others, I have no clue what they mean.... we'll put asterisks next to those, and if you can decipher... good for you! I'll update this periodically... enjoy!

Wednesday 1/6/2010

CHERYOH (Mini Cooper with Michigan tags)
*TUT4DI (Red Infiniti coupe that was really dirty)
2NJYABL (Toyota Camry)

Thursday 1/7/2010

AKSFUN (Sub-compact from Alaska... bet that's real fun!)
NODRAMA (Don't go there)
WAFFLER (98 model Honda Civic)

Friday 1/8/2010

LITLL8 (On a minivan nonetheless)

Saturday 1/9/2010

MUSSL 2 (Behind a seafood restaurant... think it was the owner?)

Sunday 1/10/2010

SCRPBKR (You guessed it, a navy Chrysler Town & Country)

Monday 1/11/2010

ARKITEK

HI DADDY

BLZNBY

RINA25

SPCOPS (a Bronze Star recipient)

Wednesday 1/13/2010

BOSOX10

Wednesday 1/20/2010

JINA (courtesy of Julie)

New Year's 'Objectives'

2010-01-03T18:04:00.003-05:00

The term resolution is a bad word about three weeks from now, so we here at the Conley house have opted to make New Years Objectives. Here's a sample...

* Run a race together
* Be a better husband/wife
* Volunteer time to a group
* Earn a raise
* Take a class
* Eat at Jay's Seafood
* Take our grandparents to dinner
* Golf more (Adam specific)
* Read a book-a-month
* Walk Lucy on a regular schedule
* Save more
* Plant tree(s)
* Visit a new state
* Blog more
* Visit nursing homes
* Eat-in on weekends more frequently
* Visit a museum
* Learn to golf (Julie specific)
* Breakfast daily (Julie)
* Regular exercise
* Spin class
* Paint bathroom
* Host get-togethers for no reason
* Purchase furniture for TV in living room
* Less technology reliance (web-surfing, mindless TV viewing, etc.)
* Write more letters

Feel free to share some of your ideas or some additional objectives for us. Hope you're enjoying the third evening of 2010!

AC

2010!

2010-01-01T10:54:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year to all! Despite its bad rap, we had a blessed 2009 and look forward to this new year (and decade).

We took down our refrigerator calendar this morning and I felt compelled to list just a sliver of the things we got to accomplish in our first full year as a married couple. In some sense, it was a fast year and in other instances, we looked at dates and said 'That was last year?'.

January saw a rare snow day for both Julie and I. It fell on a Wednesday (Jan. 28th) and we got to hang around the apartment the bulk of the day. I believe there was also some excessive blogging that fell on that day. Julie was busy with her Chi Omega advising and I attended a 90th birthday party for Mr. Chuck Kerns.

February was an active month... Julie accompanied the STARRS trip to the Reds Hall of Fame; we went to an open house at the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, just to see what they were all about; we had a double-date Valentine's dinner with the Casbars at Valley Vineyards in Morrow; I took my second of four furlough days on Presidents Day (so I could be home with my wife); I also started a program at the Honda Wellness Center called 'Winning Weigh' which I attended with Dad and basically held you accountable for your diet and workout regiments (a good thing); I also attended a class at the Hyde Park Sensor Competency Center in Kettering on the last Friday of the month at the expense of one of my companies valued manufacturers. February also brought the purchase of a new vehicle (Mollie the CR-V, which replaced my beloved Ollie) and Jason got Porkchop, the English Bulldog.

March saw us attend a Beating Cancer party for Luke Roddy at the Lodge Bar in Cincinnati; we had a fun gathering with many of our friends. I had my first real doctors office visit in awhile (seven years) and had a good checkup. We started a tradition for St. Patrick's Day dinner of delicious corned beef sandwiches and other assorted Irish fare. Julie remained active in her Chi-O activities.

In April, I got to attend my first Reds Opening Day. I went down with Brady Baier and while the weather wasn't anything to brag about (31 and rain/snow mix) the day was all that it's cracked up to be and I look forward to going back for many more years.

The month of April also saw us join Uncle Dick at Dewey's Pizza (near UD) for dinner on the first official thunderstorm of the year. The next day, I took off and assisted Julie's class for their first ever 'poetry slam'. I served coffee and other drinks to the kids. That evening, I went up and assisted Uncle Jeff with some of the trim work at his house in Englewood.
Julie and I planned on going to the Reds game on the 10th, but it was called due to rain and we sat in the stadium for a bit to take advantage of the parking we had paid for. Ended up going to Champp's in West Chester afterward. We got to watch cousin Addison play baseball (New Knoxville v. Waynesfield-Goshen) at 5/3 Field (the Dragons stadium) and we all went out to dinner at Milano's on Brown Street... had a grand time!

All in all, the first quarter of our year was fairly busy... the last day of the month, we really kicked our house-hunting into full gear. We met with a representative from Ryan Homes to look into building a home just south of our Centerville apartment.

May started off with us doing the Centerville garage sale scene. It was a beautiful spring day indeed and we picked up an assortment of books for the classroom and a couple of board games. We continued attending open houses about every Sunday and though we saw several we liked, there always seemed to be a drawback. Took Mom Perilman to Pacchia for Mother's Day brunch and went up to BC for the afternoon.

Had our first visit to the eye doctor (Dr. Bjork) and I got contacts! That was a long time coming, let me tell you. At the end of that week, Dad and I got to attend the US Senior Open in Cleveland at Canterbury Golf Club. We had a great time... good weather and lots of scenery to take in. Got to see a lot of old names I grew up watching at the Memorial. I started giving double-red cell donations on the 23rd, I've always donated blood, but this allows your donation to be used immediately and it's double the donation, so I'm only donating every 16 weeks now.

The end of May had us bring our folks down to a little ranch in Springboro that we liked. We did a walk through with them and per their approval, decided to schedule an inspection in June. The last weekend, we headed up to Stow for Emily Harrington's baby shower. Julie got to do all the fun gal stuff, while Ben took me and two others out golfing. We had another great day of weather and almost as good of scores. We returned to their house for a nice cookout to wind down the evening.

June came and Julie wound down another school year. It's become a tradition (two years running) to meet at the Matt & Lindsey Hudson house for a year-end cookout. We had a good time, enjoyed good food and friends and tried to play cornhole and hillbilly golf, but waning daylight prevented it from going the distance.

We also started attending Covenant Presbyterian Church in Springboro on a regular basis starting this month... a scripture reading prompted us to drive to Wapak on 6/7 to make a life-altering purchase... LUCY! We received good reviews on the home inspection that week, so we figured more space was going to be available soon, so why not get a dog?

June was filled with vet appointments for vaccinations, trips to the dog park and runs to the store for carpet cleaner. We had Lucy spayed four days after her purchase and the evening of the surgery and proceeding day were not moments we'd like to repeat. She had little appetite and didn't hold much down... poor thing! Factor in that she hated that we lived in a second floor apartment, she was not adjusting well, since I had to carry her up and down stairs to go potty.

Julie started summer school at Miami, carpooling with Ashlie about every day. This was a big adjustment, keeping a dog at home through the day, but we all perservered and have made great strides. Lucy loves napping through the day now.

We attended our first concert as married folk, attending the Dave Matthews Band concert on 6/16 at Riverbend with Tony and Noelle Lenhart (baby James was also there, but sheltered). We had a nice cookout that weekend at Dad Perilman's house on 6/20. Lucy got to see some new scenery and play at Art Van Atta park with Hassan (Sam & Shannon's little guy) and several ducks. All in attendance had good food, good company and a nice lengthy summer stroll.

Dad and I participated in our second annual Fathers Day Jumble at Liberty Hills. We finished just out of the money and I blame it all on the lack of practice to that point, since we had been finalizing plans for the house, dog, etc.

We closed on our home on Friday June 26th. It was a quick and painless process. We opted to celebrate our closing IN our new hometown by going to Applebee's for some cheap appetizers. Julie went to Columbus later that weekend for Noelle's baby shower. What a month!

July found us moved in to our new home... sort of. We were on our lease in Centerville through the end of the month, so we were able to gradually move five miles to the southwest. Many back-and-forth, late night trips occured in my birth month. We took in fireworks in Vandalia and BC. We participated in the Vandalia Freedom Run 5k... and by participate, we walked with Mom P. We did get new t-shirts though!

Took in a Reds game for my birthday, the day before my birthday, with Mom and Dad C. The Reds took a 10-1 drubbing from the Cardinals, but the seats were great! Sat about eight rows behind the visiting dugout and got to throw a few heckles at Pujols and company. The celebration continued with lunch/supper at the Brazenhead Pub in Mason. All in all, a grand way to kick off my 28th birthday eve.

Julie was in school for the bulk of my birthday, so I spent time taking Lucy on walks and packing things up. I kicked back and relaxed on my birthday by watching the Reds as they traveled to Philadelphia. I watched them get beat 22-1, worst loss in franchise history. Hoped this wasn't an omen for my 28th year of life.

We did a lot of moving and had the assistance of Jeff and his truck for one weekend. We had our first meal at the Pine Club, a gift from Mom P for my birthday... good time had by all. We went to dinner with Katie and Alex on the 20th to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the moonwalk (not really, but we did go out for sushi that night).

Went to a birthday party for Nick Casbar the last weekend of the month. Actually got to play some good games of cornhole and got to go home that night for our first full weekend in the new house.

Julie took a three-day excursion to Memphis in August and I got to stay back and do some projects at Shea Conley. Julie went down with a few advisors of Wittenberg's Chi-O chapter and a few officers. I tried my first round of deck staining and fertilized our pitiful yard.

On the 22nd, my team won the Russ Hogue Memorial Scramble at Cherokee Hills. A dreary day, as it rained the final five holes, but we came out on top and a great way to end the golf season (my golf season).

The next weekend, I got re-certified for First Aid and CPR at Beckers Dayton Store. That evening, had a chance to gather for my 10th high school reunion at Tree Links in Bellefontaine. A great evening and was happy to see so many old faces and introduce them all to Julie.

Julie was back in the swing of things for school in September. We had a Labor Day party at the Doherty's on the Sunday before. We attended a few Monroe football games, watched OSU lose to USC, tried to compete in a cornhole tourney at the Anna Wellness Center (Mom & Dad Conley were 3rd place finishers though). Ended the month by meeting up with the Chi-O advising team and going to dinner at Seasons in Springfield and taking in a Chris Botti concert.

Went to Stow in October, met Lilly Harrington, attended the Browns/Bengals game that was almost a tie. Mom & Dad Conley came down and I took a long weekend to tidy up the innards of our home. Dad and I made shelves for the basement and hung out the remainder of the day. Cousin Katie came to live with us the same weekend, we went to Wilmington for an antique show at the Roberts Center with the Casbars. Went up the road to the outlet mall, Julie shopped, I listened to the Bucks lose another one to Purdue. Attended a surprise birthday party for Kim Doherty on the 25th (she's 30!!!) and we babysat her little Dylan on occasion from here on. Passed out Halloween candy on the 31st and watched the seasons change and the days grow shorter.

I took a nice road trip to Wheeling on the 6th with Pam. Spent the next day with mom on her birthday. Went to a flea market in Urbana and looked for home decor. Took her out to lunch and went back to BC for a few. Met up with some of the gang at Chad & Katie Whitson's that evening. The Bucks beat Penn State on the road and the next week, Andrew Forsbach and I attended the OSU/Iowa game with some good seats in B deck. We became members of our church later that month, went to Thanksgiving at George and Sue's on the 21st... got to watch the Bucks beat Michigan again. Had Thanksgiving with all the families and had a few friends over on the evening after turkey day.

December saw Julie match my age on the 4th. We went out to dinner at Thai 9 and went to see The Blind Side at The Greene. Had the annual Becker Christmas party on the 5th and celebrated Lucy's birthday in grand fashion on the 10th. Had another birthday party, this time for Dylan Doherty on the 12th (his 1st!!!) and Dad came down to join me for a men's breakfast at church. We did some Christmas shopping later and celebrated our 1st anniversary by going to dinner at Coldwater Cafe in Tipp City... a tradition like none other. Julie had some gals over on the 23rd, we went to Joel & Cathy's on Christmas Eve and celebrated with the remainder of family through the end of the month.

2009 was a grand year... many firsts, but looking forward to our first full year in the house and the first full year of what we hope will be a prosperous decade!

Love to all,
AC/JC/lc

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T13:27:00.003-05:00

While we haven't quite reached our first anniversary for this site, it's near!

Celebrated our first 'real' married couple Christmas today in our own home. If we backtrack a wee bit though, the Christmas season officially began yesterday, at the home of Joel & Cathy Wolf. The Wolf family gathered in Marysville, approximately 26 of us were in attendance, so a decent-sized crowd. We missed this gathering last year, so it was a definite treat to get to see everyone this year.

Highlights included (but not limited to): delicious food and wonderful hosts, picture groupings of relatives that typically don't get pictures taken together (we tried to get everyone who shares a birth month to get in a photo, but time constraints did not allow), the annual male/female gift exchange (we go in order of birthday), a rummy game, brothers dueling at an Xbox basketball game, Leon & Lucy showing off their dance moves, and a game of charades initiated by Mom.

My favorite highlight was that one of our gifts for Grandma & Grandpa was a Bob Evans gift card... our gifts being on the bottom, they were one of the last received. I think that they wound up getting four-or-five GC's from the restaurant. Eat up!

We arrived home from Union County about 9:50 on Christmas Eve. As always, Lucy was very excited to see us. We wanted to finish the wrapping jobs we had neglected all week, so Julie tackled that job while I basically tended to Lucy's needs. We realized that we watched all of A Christmas Story and knew it was time for bed.

Surprisingly, we slept in til around 8:00, and I did the normal day routine of letting the dog out, starting the coffee and grabbing the paper (a Christmas gift from D&M Conley). We opened all of our gifts and stockings and prepared a decent little brunch, provided by Grammy Pammy.

Which brings us to now... something we're not really nostalgic about writing on, so we'll share some more later.

Glad tidings to all and enjoy the remainder of your Christmas 2009!!!

ac/jc/lc

Confined

2009-12-23T22:31:00.002-05:00

Tonight, the wife is in the midst of entertaining four women. That means five females (six if you count Lucy) are in the house right now. I am hiding out in the office for the time being, but will need to finish all the wrapping soon.

Hope all is well with everyone and look forward to seeing some of you over the next couple weeks.

To those who we do not get to see too often, God bless and have a wonderful Christmas & new year!

ac

The Birthday Goose

2009-12-10T20:14:00.004-05:00

For those of you who know us, you know that Lucy is our precious little pupster. It should go without saying that we took her birthday seriously. For her birthday we got her a gorgeous pink peanut butter cake with handmade flowers and words (both made from dog biscuits). The cake was even edible for us, although we didn't eat the flowers/words. Thanks PuppyCakes in Springboro! Goose also got a stuffed owl, which was first named Owliver, but quickly changed to Owl E. McSqueal. As a mother, I can only hope her birthday was one she'll look back on fondly for the rest of her doggy days.

The cake.

Making her earn it.

A common peanut butter reaction from Goose.

Must...get...every...leftover...crumb!

Wait, this is for dogs?

~jc

No One Reads Our Blog Anymore...

2009-11-04T20:42:00.002-05:00

Can't believe its November already! Seems like every time we approach a new month, we say to one another 'Next month isn't as busy as this one', but my how things pop up.

Julie is busy with conferences this week (among other things). I am taking a day off on Friday, so that always makes for a busy four-day week and then a great day of catch-up on Monday.

Last weekend was a fun time here at the Conley House, as we had our first trick-or-treat night in the neighborhood. All in all, we probably had just under one hundred kids walk up to our house and we had scads of candy left over (I'm sure Julie's students and my co-workers were happy for that!).

We had a bit of a stormy night the Friday before Halloween (10/30). Julie and I had a date night and we went out to dinner AND got ice cream. It was probably close to seventy that day and the front moved through... next thing we know, no fall foliage and thirty-degree temps on Saturday morning.

We went to church on Sunday and headed up to The Greene afterward... a fun little day. Our weekend drew to a close with the two of us heading to Kroger for a weeks worth of groceries.

The month of November looks to be a busy and exciting one. Prepping for the holidays, more trips to places around Ohio and beyond (I'm going to Wheeling, WV) and loads of household projects.

We'd like to go somewhere for our anniversary (12/20). If you know of any place nice to go away for the night (within reasonable distance), let us know!

Hasta luego!

AC/jc

Sick Day

2009-10-20T10:07:00.003-04:00

I scheduled a staycation last month with the intent of getting some work done around the house. Well, too much work can lead to thoughts of taking an extra day off (which I did). Upon telling Julie of my plans, she confirmed that she needn't go in to school the next two days.

She is currently sleeping, so Goose and I are about to go put the sheets in the wash and stay in the germ-free basement for the duration.

Sorry for lack of participation lately... no one ever comments though, so we don't have the drive. :(

Take care and feel free to give us some questions for a possible Q&A blog later on. Today is our 10 month anniversary by the way!

AC

Awkward Silence

2009-09-19T10:31:00.003-04:00

Last night, Ashlie Casbar joined us for the football game (Bellbrook v. Monroe) and we dined at Buffalo Wild Wings (Springboro) beforehand. Ashlie's husband Nick was on a weekend trip to Virginia, so we like to welcome third wheel's along with us for an evening.

We had a very good sampling of food to start our weekends. I wound up eating two of Julie's Boneless Wings (spicy garlic... yum!). At any rate, about three minutes into our meals, a table of three young men (early twenties (am I over-using parenthesis here???)) were accompanied by one of their father's. If we were to label the boys, they were from the grunge-skateboarder-punk rocker sect. Meanwhile, father resembled Phil Margera (below) and they were all playing NTN Interactive Trivia.

Flashback to our meal, as I'm nibbling on my fourth wing, out of nowhere "Phil" is standing to the side of his barstool with his head maybe two inches from his sons ear. I hear him exclaim 'DON'T YOU EVER &^%$ing DISRESPECT ME LIKE THAT... YOU HEAR ME?!?!?!?!'

The boy, sitting in front of his friends, was obviously humiliated and the father kept belittling and berating him in front of all the BW3 patrons. It was high entertainment and the entire restaurant went silent.

This is why we need to feature full-length videos on here... that will be our next foray into the blogosphere.

We arrived at the Monroe game at the start of the second quarter, with Bellbrook up 6-0 and watched a good game as the Hornets came back to win in two overtimes, 28-21. After a quick jaunt to Lebanon to drop of Mrs. Casbar, we returned home to our beloved 'Goose' and called it a night.

This one's for Em

2009-09-12T10:24:00.008-04:00

Photos from August and September :)

Jason and Jorden at LaPiazza

Lucy, posing. She's such a poser.

I went to Memphis to see the Chi Omega National Headquarters. This is the crest in Persephone's Garden.

Beale Street on Bike Night (Memphis)

Adam's 10 Year Reunion.

Blurry, but there's Adam playing MC.

Adam sang "Alone" by Heart. Beautiful.

Adam stained the deck. Now when it rains it looks great!

Pop crates on the ledge.

Kitchen

Crate & pics

Breadboard, scoop, & candles on stove

Mums :)

Wooden bowl, red wine, m&ms...

More mums and candles

Guest bathroom

Labor Day (It's a Holiday)

2009-09-07T19:55:00.003-04:00

Our last three-day weekend of September has come to a close and it's been an eventful one.

Friday we kicked things off by doing absolutely nothing... or so we thought. We ordered a pizza from Centerville BBQ & Pizza (a Conley family favorite). We were sitting around, making plans for the remainder of the weekend when Kim Doherty called us to tell us she was in the neighborhood (we later learned she was in our driveway... you may recall baby Dylan as well from earlier pictures).

We visited a long while, Lucy did a fine job of admiring her little red-headed counterpart. Our company departed around an hour-and-a-half later, but not before inviting us over for a cookout on Sunday.

We proceeded to watch a wonderful movie on the Lifetime Movie Network about a cheerleading squad in Texas. Happy Labor Day to all!

ac/jc/lc

Going To The Grocery

2009-09-02T21:11:00.003-04:00

I am getting ready to go to the supermarket. That is all.

Indiana Wants Me

2009-08-23T13:41:00.005-04:00

Some yearn to visit Paris, Milan and Hong Kong. I do too, but I'll take a side-trip to Oolitic, Port William or Munfordsville any day. I've been a licensed driver for twelve years now and there are infinite things to do and places you can go for (depending on the time frame) $20 a fill-up.

One of my little quirks I've never shared on here before is the fact that I collect counties. Yes, it's an odd endeavor, you really don't accumulate anything other than data in your head (or computer), there's no need to insure the collection and it's a decent conversation starter.

As far back as I can recollect, maps have always piqued my interest. I can't pinpoint the when or why, but I remember always leafing through my grandparents atlas located in their coffee table nook. It was a great way to pass the time and educate myself. I do know that when I met new people, I would learn where they were from and then look it up in the good book when time allowed.

In our travels as a kid, maybe it was Dad's making a big spectacle of entering a new county as our car would pass the sign. Whatever fueled my interest in my strange hobby, I kept a running tally in my head and was readily available to announce the number of states I had visited at any moment.

It wasn't until Spring of 2003 when I had transferred to The OSU that I needed an additional science credit that I knew of anyone else who shared in this strange obsession. Enter Dave Schul, Geography instructor at the OSU-Marion branch.

Dave was one of the few educators that I felt a connection with. He was a younger fellow with a young family. We swapped stories during office hours, he gave me a large county-outline map of the US and introduced me to the Extra Miler Club. Dave (at the time) had trekked across over forty states and well over 2000 counties and introduced me to some like-minded people whom had visited ALL the counties.

What's neat about the chase, is that there isn't an exact number of counties (some vary by as much as 30-40, but my total I'm striving for is 3141*) and no one really judges, nor has a strict criteria. Basically, if you can live with your number, that's where you've been. Some people may count flying over a county (but how can you verify that?), others have to see the court house (but what if there isn't one?).

My criteria are much stricter, hence the smaller tally (672, or 21.39% of the US). I have to actually remember going there (eliminating anything pre-1985) and have visited the county seat. In time, I've realized that I can't possibly be that harsh on myself, so I've eased up a pinch.

With the recent purchase of a home and a dog... and the whole married man thing, it's made little jaunts to the middle-of-nowhere virtually non-existent for the time being. One thing I've been doing on the side is trying to see as much of Ohio as possible. With the number of trips I make back and forth between Springboro & Anna or Belle Center & Springboro, I'm seeing a lot more of the backroads that make this great country of ours exactly that.

One goal I do have in mind between now and the end of 2009, is to visit the last five counties I need to complete Indiana. The first state I completed was Ohio, which is no small feat. Our 88 counties are quite diverse and the terrain varies immensely from the northwest corner of the state versus the southwest that I now call home.

I completed Ohio in October of 2003, with Lawrence County being the final one to visit. It is situated on the Ohio River and who hasn't dreamed of visiting Ironton? With a good chunk of the area being the Wayne National Forest, I'd recommend visiting during daytime hours.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand, Indiana. I first visited Indiana with my parents circa 1985. We went to the Back 40 Junction in Decatur, making Adams county my first official one in the Hoosier State. From that point in time, I've vacationed in Terre Haute (Larry Bird's Boston Connection 'Hotel'), Potowotami Inn in Angola, done the downtown Indianapolis scene, ventured to Bloomington for a collegiate t-shirt (a since discontinued collection of mine) and countless other trips with no purpose other than to get 'new' counties.

The remaining destinations are uncolored on the map above: Benton, Carroll, Fulton, Pulaski and Warren. I've kicked myself for not getting off the highway for Warren... it's probably .5 mile off I-74, an easy pick-up in my visits to Champaign, Illinois.

Ideally, I'd like to do this in September, being that travel days are limited across the midwest, never knowing what type of winter weather gets thrown at us. I'll be sure to take some pictures and hopefully Julie can accompany me for my 5th complete state* (Ohio - 88/88, Connecticut - 8/8, Rhode Island - 5/5 and Washington DC - whatever, are done).

After Indiana, I have my sights set high. I've been to over half of Kentucky (62/120) a good slice of West Virginia (28/55), majority of Pennsylvania (49/67) and for some reason, Maryland (21/24), Delaware (2/3) aren't done yet!! Michigan (10/83) is as surprising as they come... I didn't even visit there until February 1999. That may be next on the goals list for 2010.

At any rate, it's been interesting to see some of the places that I've been. For every decrepit section of a city I've been through, there are countless scenic highways and side roads out there to keep me going for the remaining days of my life. Thankfully for me, I married a woman who doesn't mind taking the long way home!

ac

Suddenly Sunday

2009-08-09T12:23:00.002-04:00

Good tidings to all! Another weekend is drawing to a close but you wouldn't know summer was waning.

This weekend has been chock-full-o'-projects... and unfinished projects. Last Saturday, we purchased the goods to stain the deck, however, we haven't had the ideal weather to do so. Same goes for the fertilizer purchase (I think I need a solid 48 or 72 hours of no rain).

Yesterday, I did dabble in weed-pulling and that went very well. The front side of the house is complete and working on the back this afternoon. I also scrubbed a portion of our dirty basement floor (second take will be today when I need a break from the heat). Julie spent her time organizing our closet and sweeping and cleaning the bathrooms. All in all, we were worthy of a nice, relaxing Saturday night.

We invited cousin Katie over, who also brought her dog, Carson. He and Lucy took an immediate liking to one another. Strange as it seems, nothing was broken and they were running at full speed through our living room and kitchen. The bonus for the evening was that Lucy slept through the entire night and was even willing to go back in her cage this morning when we left for church.

Well, must get cracking on that to-do list! Have a good one wherever you are!

AC/JC

New Pictures!

2009-07-31T07:56:00.010-04:00

Fourth of July in Vandalia!

(us just before the fireworks started)

Some pictures from a Reds game Adam and I attended with his parents.

(us)

(adorable)

(pouting, possibly because the Reds got smoked)

(got a spare hat?)

(Chris and Adam sharing a laugh after dinner)

More pictures of our Lucy Goose...

(chewing on a dental bone)

(she loooooves peanut butter!)

(where she's supposed to sleep)

(where she likes to SNEAK a nap)

(she's not allowed on the furniture... but... I guess she'll just sit wherever she wants!)

(licking Adam's toes--they must have a lot of jam)

(the look on his face validates his ticklishness)

Our House!!!

(looking into the foyer, before we put anything up)

(our kitchen)

(a corner in the living room... thanks for the jug, D'Anne!)

(our little deck that will soon be stained)

Kim and Dylan Doherty came over to visit!

(Dylan and Adam)

(Dylan, Adam, and Lucy--who is totally posing)

(Adam and Dylan again--so cute)

Summer In The City

2009-07-28T22:31:00.002-04:00

Hard to believe that July is coming to a close so soon! It has been a good summer so far; new house, new dog, spending more money that I ever care to, etc.

I feel like over the weekend, we came to the harsh reality that we probably aren't going anywhere for summer vacation... but then again, who needs it when you have our family! We do get to travel north quite frequently and there are plenty of things to do in our own backyard.

We have looked into doing something possibly in the fall, but to be honest, I'm perfectly content on hanging around the house and figuring out where all of our 'lost' items are.

Today was a big relief. I had several gift cards from Sears accumulated and I hadn't been able to locate them for nearly a week. I finally came upon them this afternoon in my junk box in the closet... what a relief!

Looking forward to several small things on the plate over the next month or so. I need to get busy landscaping, we need to take a Saturday to run over to Wheeling and visit Grandma Marge, I need to golf some more, Wolf reunion is Sunday August 16th, I still have two tickets to a Reds game from an April rain-out that need redeemed (not that I'm wanting to watch them live right now), and several other pet projects of mine.

Hope everyone else is having a good summer... look forward to hearing from you.

ac

Will (fixed the web address)

2009-07-28T13:50:00.004-04:00

I am amazed at Patcine's strength. Read her journal of sadness, hope, and faith at www.WillMcAnaul.com

Her entire family will forever be in my prayers.

~jc

Why didn't we do this?!

2009-07-24T07:26:00.000-04:00

Awesome.

Thoughts

2009-07-21T21:02:00.002-04:00

I haven't written in a long time, and a lot has gone on. My thoughts are a jumble tonight, so stay with me if you can...

I'm in my last week of class at Miami for the summer. Today I gave a presentation that I think was okay. Two weeks ago I gave a 90 minute presentation, which was by far the longest "presentation" I've ever given (not counting hours of teaching). My program, the Ohio Writing Project, has been the best thing I've ever done for my own education. I've learned so much and had fun doing it. It's the geekiest thing I've ever admitted about schooling, but it's true. If you are a teacher and need grad credits or a Master's degree, please talk to me.

We moved! I know, I know, "Julie, put up pictures!" I will... when we find the camera cord! That and Adam's phone charger, our wedding gift cards, etc. I do love our new home. I also love Springboro. About a week after moving here, there was some poll done by Money Magazine and Springboro was rated 43rd best place to live in the country. Actually, don't quote me on 43rd, but it was ranked and I think that's kind of neat.

Sadder news... it seems like I'm hearing heartbreaking news on a daily basis lately. Last week a favorite student's father tragically drowned on a family vacation. I've never felt sadder for one of my nuggets. Today I heard the even more devastating news about Patcine and Ryan McAnaul. I can't imagine the pain they are feeling from the loss of 3 year old Will. I don't know all the facts, and I don't want to seem gossipy either... but please pray for both families. I can't wrap my head around the sense God has in taking either person. I was given the following quote from a Chi Omega sister at Witt:
"People often complain that there are too few good days and too many bad ones, and as far as I can see, they do so unjustly. If we always kept out hearts wide open to receive the good things God has in store for us daily, we would soon have strength enough to bear the bad when they come."

I love you all and hope to hear from you soon.
Love,
Julie

50th Post

2009-07-19T20:22:00.002-04:00

Well, it's official! This is our 50th post (and the first one from our new lair in Springboro!).

We've been pretty busy over the past few weeks... Julie is finishing up her school for the summer at Miami this week. We are finally settling in to the new house (I hung curtains and did some trimming to the shrubs today). We've also been back and forth between both of our parents grabbing little knick-knack's along the way to start up our home.

Be looking for more consistency the remainder of the summer. Julie has fun things coming up in August (a trip to Memphis AND a new school year). I'm debating on shelling out money to start a football officiating course a week from Monday... that could be a decent side income, right? Last, but not least, Lucy is spending the first night in her new bedroom tonight (wish us luck!).

Hope all is well to anyone out there who still reads this!

AC

2009-06-27T09:36:00.001-04:00

Adam's Top 10 Michael Jackson Songs

10. Will You Be There
10b. Baby Be Mine
9. Thriller
8. You Are Not Alone
7. Beat It
6. Human Nature
5. Ben
4. The Girl is Mine (w/ Paul McCartney)
3. Dancing Machine
2. Billie Jean
1. Rock With You

Land of Confusion

2009-06-23T08:52:00.005-04:00

Last Friday, we made an amazing discovery. The dog park!

For a country guy like me, I've always felt sorry for house dogs (or any pet for that matter). My animals always had free roam and the last few haven't even had houses. Young Lucy is living a life of luxury in some ways, sleeping in our corner living room, mass-attention in the evenings and a lengthy walk before bedtime. She also is always constricted by this 'leash' thing and doesn't get to enjoy the fruits of free roaming.

We had known of the dog parks existence for several weeks now, but just thought of taking her there a few days ago. Our initial visit, as mentioned, was the evening of June 19th. Perfect conditions for a first visit to boot: minimal dog population, 98% humidity and temperatures in the high 80's an hour before sunset.

Lucy has a new-found bark, so it was fitting she had a fit as we pulled into the lot. She was able to jump out of the car and is almost able to jump into the CR-V now. We took in the new smells and made our way toward the gate.

The dog park is situated at the rear of a city park. Centerville has a wonderful parks and rec system, and Oak Grove Park is probably the biggest. It is situated on the southeast part of Washington Township and most likely measures over 150 acres. There is a small fisihing pond toward the entrance, a few ball diamonds and very lush soccer fields in the rear.

The dog area itself is roughly 300 yards long, divided into two sections; one for large dogs (25 pounds and up) and one for the lap dogs. Lucy made her way into the large dog section and had a heyday!

She has learned that she lives in a very diverse world and loves ganging up on poor, small dogs and those that are bigger than her. If we can just get her a personality around people now, all will be well!

Rainy Days and Mondays

2009-06-19T08:34:00.003-04:00

This is more or less a 'what we've been up to' type of post.

Lucy has been a phenomenal pup since we've brought her home on 6/7. She is working on honing her bark/growl. Not very fond of clusters of people, people with strange objects in their hands or going anywhere near noises (i.e. air-conditioner units). She will ignore other dogs, so that is a plus.

She goes in Monday to have her stitches removed from the spay-job of last week. She has done very well at not scratching that area, so that alleviates some of our worry throughout the day.

Today is a City of Centerville-mandated renatl unit inspection. Apparently government workers will be in our home sometime while Julie and I are gone. I'm sure the ACLU would have a heyday with that, but whatever floats their boats. We will probably come out of it with no violations of their living standards (massive stashes of kerosene or cold & flu medicines, exotic animals or immigrants).

This weekend looks to be a bit wet, at least part of the time. Tonight we have nothing lined up, but Julie and I have been on pet-tending overload, so we may sneak out for a date tonight. Would like to see our bi-annual movie and maybe have a small dinner somewhere.

I need to get out and practice my short game as well. Dad and I will be participants in Liberty Hills' Father-Son Jumble at 12:39pm on Sunday. If I recall, we were -5 in our last run and were in the money. For those not familiar with the jumble format, it is quite difficult for a two-man golf team. Holes 1-6 are typically best ball (record the best score of the two), followed by 7-12 as a scramble (play the best of the two shots) and you end on 13-18 with the jumble (each player alternates shots... which gets quite stressful if you flub up). I think we'll be fine though, I'd like to recoup our entry fee!

A week from today, we will close on our house. Never done that before, so it is a little nerve-wracking. I've been obtaining quotes from multiple insurers and am shocked at the difference in the hometown people and the bigwigs. I will say that the mom-and-pop places are substantially cheaper (at least where we are looking).

Work has been going well for me. I've been very busy throughout the month of June, so that is a great sign of things to come. Julie is enjoying her first two weeks of grad school. It seems like she is having a lot of fun AND it's getting her thinking and geared up for next year (and beyond!).

Next Saturday (6/27), I will compete in my first official 5k race. I am nowhere near ready, but Julie is a seasoned runner and will be alongside me for the day. That about rounds out our month. Hopefully we can meet up with some of our friends and family the week of the 4th of July.

Special mention goes to cousin Josh and Maggie Wolf of Ozark, MO. Yesterday they welcomed a new 8-pound, 8 ounce baby boy... Benjamin Matthew. Congrats to them!

Feel free to leave us some comments. We're begining to think this isn't worthwhile :(

AC/JC

Atomic Dog

2009-06-13T11:34:00.003-04:00

Lucy Conley

We'd like to take a moment to introduce a new staff member to the Conley Family Blog... Lucy Conley!

Lucy is a six-month-old Golden Retriever from Wapakoneta, Ohio and she has been doing great things here. She is currently healing from an ovariohysterectomy (spaying) and is on the brink of full health in just a few more days.

I took her for a nice walk this morning, destination: downtown Centerville. I noticed many cars taking notice of this lovely young gal. Lucy was able to meet several of her neighbors and is very sweet when meeting people for the first time.

We're sure to be sharing many stories of our newest addition. If you too are a pet owner, we'd love to hear about your pride and joys as well.

ac

House Hunters

2009-06-03T21:47:00.002-04:00

When it comes to buying a home, there are two types of people: Those who like Neil Diamond and those who hate him. We love Neil Diamond (for translation, see 'What About Bob?').

Julie and I started our quest around autumn of 2007. I knew we'd marry and she knew she'd settle for me. The turning point was naming our five children on a Saturday afternoon drive and then planning out their early years, significant others and college degrees... obviously, we were in desperate need of a home!

Maybe that started me off on the wrong foot. I was looking for the ideal seven bedroom estate with individual bathrooms and a three-car garage for around $85,000 at a foreclosure sale on a Tuesday afternoon. Julie just wanted a place to call our own someday.

We've looked everywhere along a strip adjacent to I-75 and I mean everywhere. Within a six county range and 26 different villages, towns and cities, we did the drive-by angle, after hours with a realtor showing and about all of our spring was occupied by Sunday afternoon open houses.

With that said, we are about to embark on a new chapter of our married lives... we are in the final stages of this wonderful experience. Since nothing is written in stone yet, we will divulge the details in a later post... possibly from our new casa.

To Run or Not to Run

2009-05-28T18:44:00.003-04:00

So today I decided to really start running again, for real. Ugh.

I know there is a 5k in Anna (Ohio) at the end of June and also a 5k in Vandalia on the 4th of July that I am already signed up for. This will be my second time running the Anna "Rocket" race, and my third time participating in the Freedom Run. I haven't exactly been getting ready for those races... but I know it won't take but a couple weeks to be 5k ready.

But then today one of my coworkers told me she is starting to run. She said that she will run the Flying Pig in Cincinnati next May. She plans to run the 1/2 marathon.

I'm thinking that my only half-goal-thingy is to maybe run a 10k next fall, but only if my 5k time is below 30 minutes. My best is 31 minutes. Stop judging--I know I'm slow.

To see Theresa's enthusiasm got me pumped in a way I haven't been about running in a long time. Without actually thinking I blurted out that if she ran it I would too. I also dragged Ashlie into it. Sorry Ash.

So there it is. I'm posting it, which means I have to do it. I'm going to look like a moron if in a whole year I can't work up the stamina to run a measly (gulp) 13.1 miles.

My first step is to revise my current "RUNNING" mix on itunes. I know my first step should be to put on my shoes and actually run, but hey, it's thundering. What a bummer. :)
I would love some good running tunes to add to my list, so send me some suggestions.

jc

Vacation

2009-05-28T13:35:00.007-04:00

Well, Julie's school year is about to wind down and that has me thinking of us visiting some far off land. She will be attending summer school though, so we'll have to wait until late July before we go anywhere.

I got to thinking today, one of the things I've always try to rub off on other people is taking a different way home than how you originally came. It's a simple process really. Who wants to see the exact same stuff? One of the best examples of this is our return from Duck, North Carolina.

Julie and I visited the Outerbanks after Christmas one year with Ben & Emily Harrington (I'm surprised they haven't made a blog post yet). We left the day after Christmas and were originally going to go 35-64-95 and over (does that make sense to anyone?). However, it was a bit icy south of Charleston, WV and to me, there's nothing more scary than the following equation: Curves + Mountains + Dark x Icy Roads = Disaster.

So, with much hesitation, I opted to forgo the less traveled I-64 through WV/VA and go with the all-familiar I-77 to Mt. Airy. Upon reaching the Tar Heel state, our thermometer told us we were now in a safe place (OK get to the point Adam).

We had a fun week and after studying the atlas, I thought we could take a scenic trip back through the Hampton Roads region, cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and cruise around the eastern Virginia peninsula and Maryland's Eastern Shore.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel

One of the neatest points of our journey was the bridge (above). Measuring 17.6 miles, the one-way, $12 toll is well worth the experience. With payment of toll, you also receive a coupon for a free Pepsi product at the Seagull Pier, a restaurant situated at the first tunnel.

Through Virginia, you step back in time and think about what life would be like without that massive bridge. The further in you go, the scenery just gets better along US-13. The route features easy access to Assateague and Chincoteague Islands (renowned for their wild horses) and via US-50, you can traevl a short distance to Ocean City, Maryland.

Below is another photo from Maryland of a historical marker for Harriet Tubman. If you ever get the chance to take an 'out-of-your-way' trip, I highly recommend this for anyone who lives in the eastern US.

...and, if you have any vacation recommendations, let us know!

ac/jc

Random Thoughts by Julie

2009-05-27T18:38:00.003-04:00

Have you ever listened to Norah Jones and felt like you were in a movie?

Summer is less than two weeks away. This will be the first summer since I was 14 years old that I will not have a job. I am taking 12 semester hours at Miami University though. That's kind of like a job, right?

I know I should run tonight, but my fingers are crossed for a storm.

I shouldn't care (I can't stop watching), but I feel really bad for the Gosselins. I hated (loved) every second of their awkwardness and tension. I googled them the other day and it seems that the rumors are true (why do I care?). Then on the radio this morning another rumor was announced that they are making a Jon & Kate + 8 MOVIE with actors and everything--that all this drama is to create more interest (it's working).

I need a good book to read--any suggestions?

Dinnertime!

jc

Sweet Sixteen

2009-05-13T21:23:00.005-04:00

Today, my sister Maggie would've been sixteen years old. She's been gone for nearly eight years, but it still seems like yesterday when we rode home with that little girl in the back seat of Dad's car on a hot summer night.

Maggie and I aren't related in the biological sense, she was a Golden Retriever after all, but we shared many good times growing up. She wasn't our first dog, but the first one that I can recall every minute detail of it's life.

I can still remember getting her out of the car at sunset and walking her across the road to show her off to Grandma & Grandpa. Over the summer, I taught her to sit and stay (attempts to 'roll over' and 'play dead' failed), familiarized her with the boundaries of our property and most importantly... stay put when I rode my bike up town.

We learned that red crayons are exempt from digesting in a dogs intestines. Spaying doesn't hinder them from loving their dog food dish. They want to play when you don't want to and have no interest in a frisbee if you're willing. If there is a way to get dirty immediately after a bath they will find a way. They'll exhibit profound intelligence and proceed to eat a rabbit, or better yet, aluminum foil.

As the years passed, she blossomed into one of the most diligent pets one could ask for. However, Maggie's new dog luster wore off and our attention toward her waned. Her diet went from nutritious canned food to things we didn't want off our plate.

Maggie had a bit of a weight problem, probably peaking at 140, acceptable for a St. Bernard, but in Retrieverworld, she'd of been a shoo-in for Canine Biggest Loser. Through it all, she never lost her spunk. She became a valuable asset around the time I hit middle school by staving off would-be pranksters and their throngs of toilet paper.

While her time on earth was limited, Maggie saw me through a lot. First day of junior high, first loves, first breaking curfew, first drive in a car, high school graduation and was there when I left for college. Maggie was always willing to listen to my point-of-view and never argued.

On one of my weekends home from school, she had fallen ill and Jason and I had to lift the golden wooly mammoth into the car for her last trip to the veterinarian. Maggie's last hours felt like the end of my childhood... and maybe they were. As she lay on the table, awaiting her inevitable fate, I spent some alone time with the beloved 'pupster' and made peace with the fact that she was no longer suffering.

Maggie was replaced about six months later by Red and he now patrols the hallowed grounds that Maggie, Charlie and Sam once roamed, which reminds me of a quote by George Carlin. "Life... is a series... of dogs.

Wednesday Blahs

2009-05-06T19:06:00.004-04:00

You know it's been a long day when you come home to a fully prepared meal, wine poured in your favorite glass, and you're pleased to hear Coldplay & System of a Down playing...
jc

Garage Sales and May Flowers

2009-05-02T08:53:00.008-04:00

Today Adam and I are going garage sale-ing in Centerville. I'm looking for "stuff" for my classroom--tables, bookshelves, books, old board games, etc. So far it's gorgeous outside, although a little cool. Last night (and the night before, and the night before that, and the...) it has done nothing but rain.

Adam and me before running through the rain for dinner at Las Piramides (best guacamole!)

I'm not complaining because I LOVE a good storm, and rain is so nice to fall asleep to. Plus, the rain makes everything so GREEN on days like this.

Right now Adam is counting coins. I took a few pictures to illustrate what a task it is for him to count coins.

I sorted out specific state quarters for Chris's collection.

I hope everyone has a great Saturday! Drop us a line if you're still reading :)
jc

April Showers bring... baseball and jean skirts!

2009-04-27T21:37:00.007-04:00

Well it's been a busy month. I have been spending a good deal of time in Springfield helping out the Chi O's at Wittenberg. I am an advisor, and because there are only 4 advisors, I am there a lot. Poor Adam has been somewhat of a bachelor the past several weeks. Lucky for me he is very forgiving.

Two Fridays ago we met my mom at BD's Mongolian BBQ. She hadn't been there before, and we love the idea of piling meat and veggies and then stir frying. Yum!!

Adam and me at Mongolian BBQ at The Greene.

Last Saturday Adam's cousin Addison played HS baseball at 5/3 Field. It was a GORGEOUS day--in the 80's and sunny--and a whole van full of Wolf's and Conley's came to Dayton. The New Knoxville Rangers ended up winning 23-2 (it was a nailbiter). AFterwards we all headed to Milanos on Brown Street (UD campus). Across the street was the Patterson Homestead, which looked beautiful with spring blooming... so naturally we walked over for a photo shoot.

Addison thoughtfully watching the birds.

Spencer's creative "angle" picture (Adam wasn't ready?).

Spencer and Adam... twins! :)

D'Anne and Linda in front of the Patterson Homestead.

The Men: Spencer, Addison, Adam, Chris, Karl

Hope everyone enjoys the pictures!
jc

Sunny Saturday

2009-04-25T14:48:00.003-04:00

I ventured to the gas station this morning with an allergy-induced headache in search of a DDN and a coffee (no sense in wasting an entire pot of coffee). As I was walking out, I saw a group of motorcycles pass by and thought to myself, "What a perfect day for a drive".

I had studied the atlas recently and was troubled that I had never visited a cluster of counties in north central Kentucky. (I've never delved too much into 'county counting' as a hobby, but promise to do so later.) I simply pointed the car south from Centerville and away we went!

Departure time was 9:27am EDT and made it through somewhat heavy traffic in northern Construction, er, Cincinnati. Crossed the beautiful Brent Spence at exactly 10:05 and was on my merry way. While I did have a rough destination in mind, I had no clue where I might be exiting. Once south of Florence, cars were moving at a pretty good clip, so I opted to exit at KY-36 "Williamstown" exit.

I had ventured this way once before to 'snag' Harrison County, but it had been well over six years since I'd done so. Traveling along Kentucky roads makes me thankful for the routes in our neck of the woods. Nothing against the quality of the roads, but they weren't exactly blessed with suitable terrain for straightaways.

I skirted Williamstown and got to traverse through many other tiny hamlets and some county seats. Cynthianna was bustling about 11:30 this morning. I had never been there before and continued eastward toward Nichols County... an unmarked territory for me.

One thing that drives like this allow, is a renewed sense of patience. From the old farmer on his New Holland on the edge of Carlisle -- to simply looking at a map and being at peace knowing that these roads will not allow you to continually travel the speed limit, this is an ideal day in my world.

Time was of the essence, as I did have a committment back in Dayton at 4:00. I worked my way through Fleming, Mason, Robertson, Pendleton and Campbell counties as fast as I could; oblivious to the beautiful landscapes around me.

Arrived home shortly before 3:00 and kicked off the shoes. A curious wife asked, "What did you do today?"

"Just went for a drive"

Bridge Over Troubled Water

2009-04-21T20:54:00.003-04:00

Well, April's drawing to a close and as always, something about this month seems to bring out the craziness in people... and I am not exempt.

Tonight over dinner, I made a very astute observation:

Julie: "What do you think of homes that are on a hillside with a sliding-glass door from the basement?"

Adam: "Ehh... more doors typically give you more points-of-entry."

Note: For some reason, that was laugh-out-loud funny at dinnertime. I was trying to drive home the point that it was easy access for a burglar.

Moving on... yesterday was a spectacular day as a sports fan in the Conley house. The Celtics evened up their series with the Bulls in a nail-biter of a game AND the Reds continued their winning ways on the road. We can cap off this week with a guaranteed OSU victory in the S&G game and if the Browns can snag Michael Crabtree and stay conservative the rest of the way, we'll be in good shape to start the next decade.

I realized today that I have a tendency of sneezing only when I: a.) am eating a bowl of shredded wheat and the wheat is heavily shredded in my mouth; b.) am in the process of making an important phone call and the other person is about to pick up; and c.) am approaching a semi on a narrow two-lane road with gusty winds from the southwest. Two of those three things happened to me today.

I had a disturbing dream late Sunday-early Monday which involved the following scenario: an old Japanese man (probably from Hokkaido) was taking target practice off our balcony with a sniper rifle and was pegging people left and right on the grounds below. Our 'yard' looked nothing like our actual lawn, but more like a European market area (think cobblestones and lots of burlap).

This old geezer gets frazzled as he notices me and grabs a duffel bag and slings the gun over his shoulder and makes a bee line for our front door. What makes this even more disturbing is the fact that as an 87-year-old Japanese man is sprinting out of my apartment, I notice he has shoulder length silver hair and is wearing only K-Swiss sneakers and a jockstrap.

I race after him, but can't see him anywhere amidst the crowd. Eventually, I catch up to two cops standing idly in the parking lot and explain my story and they could care less about what I had told them. Beyond that, I don't remember a whole lot, but thanks for allowing me to share the first of my many 'dreams without meaning'.

So, that's a pretty lame post, but we're giving the people what they need -- more Conley Family Blog!

ac

Here Comes Peter Cottontail...

2009-04-13T08:52:00.003-04:00

The Conleys had a good weekend. :)

Friday:
Adam and I woke up in Vandalia. I was up taking care of mom who had knee surgery on Wednesday. Sadly I was on the couch and Adam in my old bed. Can you imagine seeing us squeeze into a twin bed?? Before I rolled off the couch for the day, Adam drove up north and did a few hours of work. He came back for me and we found our way home to get some chores done. My main chore was to go to Target (darn!) because I wanted some rain boots. The forecast was calling for rain and we had tickets to the Reds game that night. I came home, showered, and we left for Cincy. The drive was pretty drizzly, but we were hopeful for a rain delay and then a "Play Ball!"
...sadly, there was no ball playing in Cincy on Friday. We sat under the awning in left field and watched the drizzle turn to outright pouring until going on 9pm. Thankfully I was wearing my new rain boots. :) We ended up at Champs at Union Center for a late meal, then home to bed.

Saturday:

We woke up midmorning and I announced that "today is the day we clean." Adam was super excited. And boy did we clean. It's amazing that we could spend an entire day cleaning a 2 bedroom apartment and STILL have parts we didn't get to. My favorite part was going through our closet(s). I bet we got rid of 75 items of clothing. There were clothes dating back to the 90's that we were still saying "I might wear that again" about. We worked straight from sunrise to sunset, only to stop for a quick run to Goodwill and Big Lots--we needed under-the-bed storage containers. Finally at 9pm we took off towards The Greene (another late night meal). After a quick run into Sephora (happy Easter, Julie!), we sat at a romantic table for two at The Cheesecake Factory. We shared a guacamole appetizer and toasted to a successful day of spring cleaning. I had a Pear and Endive Salad entre, and Adam had the Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp. For dessert (hey, we were at the Cheesecake Factory! Don't judge.) we shared the Tuxedo Cheesecake, which was a chocolate and vanilla dream. After dinner, we went straight home and crashed.

Me and the cheesecake.

Sunday:
Our first Easter as husband and wife!! We started the morning early at St. Chris in Vandalia with my mom. Luckily we got seats because it was typical standing room only. After mass, we went to brunch at Pacchia! in the Oregon district. Mom and I treated ourselves to mimosas and the food was good. After brunch we went home and exchanged Easter baskets. Mom got us Marley and Me, which is the first book we read as a couple & first movie we saw as a married couple. After a bit, we were on the road again to head north to Belle Center. Little did I know that my in-laws had set up an Easter Egg hunt for us "kids". Once Jason and his pup, Porkchop, had arrived, we were in the backyard looking for eggs. :) After that we exchanged more Easter basket goodies. Then we had a wonderful late lunch/early dinner. My favorite was the fruit pizza. Yum!! Then the house filled up with more family... and we all talked, laughed, played with the dog, and continued eating. Adam and I departed around 8pm, and once again crashed into bed when we got home.

Overall rating for the weekend: A

jc

Take Me Out to The Ballgame!

2009-04-06T20:37:00.003-04:00

The 2009 baseball season is officially underway and I do believe that this is the best time of year, even with the strange weather and 2-1 Reds loss. If you are a sports nut, you have to love the fact that the Final Four, The Masters, Opening Day, NBA Playoffs and the NFL Draft all come together this month.

Today's events unfurled in a great manner. I invited Mr. Baier to stay over at our humble abode last night and we were originally planning on arriving in Cincinnati at dawn. Had the temperatures been twenty degrees warmer, this may have been a viable option, so we slept in til 8:00am. On the road by 8:40, we were off to the Queen City with no breakfast in our bellies.

Part of us wanted to watch the parade with Frank Robinson as the grand marshal and a new hitch, a current player (Arroyo) doing a ride along. Seeing the sparse crowds on Fountain Square and the lovely cool mist, we opted to seek shelter at GameDay Sports Cafe, where 700 WLW was doing a live feed.

The fine folks from Gold Star Chili offered a twofer deal inside and we made cheese coneys our breakfast. We probably spent a total of an hour warming up inside, browsed the decor (awesome Big Red Machine memorbilia) and snatched a few samples of Blue Diamond Almonds and free bottles of Frank's Red Hot sauce.

The atmosphere wasn't quite what I expected for opening day. There was a cautious optimism in the air but I expected a bit more pomp. We circled the stadium once, gawking at new merchandise, commenting on souvenir prices and general people-watching. We found another WLW stage which featured Bill Cunningham interviewing Nick Lachey who was throwing out the first pitch.

We made our way to our right field seats, adjacent to the Mets bullpen, and began thinking of different stats to keep an eye on. With Dusty Baker as your teams manager, you tend to watch pitch count and Harang was even with Santana through the bulk of the game. We were shocked to learn that our starting centerfielder was a man by the name of Darnell McDonald. We had never heard of him before today (and apparently the scoreboard hadn't either). The new Jumbotron scoreboard only showed his photo and a visible tattoo on his neck. No date of birth or past statistics... who is this mystery man?!?!

By the fourth inning, we learned all we needed to know. He swings hard and mis-judges fly balls (caused three bloop singles and was credited with an error). Our day was filled with a hard mist, snowflakes, sunshine AND sleet. By games end, we had seen just about everything... except a heckler. In the top of the ninth, the newly acquired "K-Rod" (Francisco Rodriguez) entered the nearby Mets bullpen and a drunk from five rows behind us entertained us for nearly ten minutes throwing cool insults his way and occasionaly barking "Balk!!!".

In the end, our day was damp and we had to hold off for victory fireworks for another day. All in all, it was a grand day that was filled with a newfound sense of optimism and the joy of knowing that spring has officially arrived.

My Turn

2009-04-06T09:08:00.002-04:00

Hello!
It's been ages since I actually wrote anything. You might be wondering how I could be writing at 9:09am... I am on Spring Break! Adam and Brady just left for the Reds Opening Day. I made them put on Under Armour since the forecast calls for a rain/snow mix with 18 mph winds. Poor guys. I've got a whole lot of nothing on my agenda today. I'm thinking about making a hair appointment (though I'd have to change out of my pjs...) and catching up on shows from the last two weeks. Isn't DVR the best invention ever? I'm pretty excited about the Hills starting up again tonight.

Well... I guess I'll go start my week of slothing around. :)

jc

Our House...

2009-04-05T12:02:00.003-04:00

Today the Mrs. and I are going house-hunting. We've developed a knack for the art of the open house. Last week, we attended a total of five alone in Oakwood. Some may scoff at the thought of a young couple starting in such a place, but hey, we need ideas and you have to start somewhere!

I find it entertaining to visit some of these places and see what potential a home really has. In other cases, we often leave, scratching our heads... what on earth were the designers thinking there!

We are about to leave here in a moment... this will be our first official "TO BE CONTINUED" blog post. I will come back here and share the results. We are viewing the Springboro/Miamisburg region this afternoon... probably a little more in our range.

Love and Homes,
AC & JC

99 Days

2009-03-29T11:21:00.003-04:00

Julie and I are marking our 99th day as a wedded couple today, the last time we will ever see double-digit days as a duo. In some ways, it seems like just yesterday (since our wedding) and in others, it is exponentially greater (mainly her opinion). Nevertheless, we have learned some valuable lessons from one another and from the great mentors in our lives. We hope that the next hundred days are filled with as much excitement and new adventures as a couple.

We've done and shared a lot over the course of time, some of it right here on this little site. We apologize for overlooking anything in the past and have pledged to do a better job at maintaining this little thing we've started.

Thank you, the reader/follower, for making this a great outlet for us to reach out to those who care so much about us.

AC & JC

March Madness

2009-03-20T09:05:00.003-04:00

I won't lie and tell you I remember the date my love affair with basketball began, but it's something that has popped in my head from time to time while driving down the road. A sad thing to, as I remember most of the important events in my life down to the hour.

I will tell you this... some of my earliest childhood memories revolve around basketball and many of the game's greatest moments have occurred during my lifetime. I am not old enough to recall Phi Slamma Jamma or VIllanova upsetting Georgetown. In fact, I barely recall Rumeal Robinson sinking the winning free throws for Michigan over Seton Hall in '89 or Danny Manning carrying the sixth-seeded Jayhawks to a championship.

Some of the best memories aren't even those that were televised. Mainly, I was limited to my Dad's Monday night pickup games at the old Rushsylvania gym... that same gym in which I played my first organized basketball as a 5th and 6th grader. I recollect a trip one time to Urbana on a Saturday morning for an all-day tournament.

Over the years, I've been fortunate enough to surround myself with the good game. I grew up admiring the Celtics Big Three and for a short time, cheered on the Buckeyes until they were deemed to basketball purgatory for a few years in the mid-90's. I developed a side rooting interest for the Tar Heels and still pull for both to this day. I despise the Lakers, the Knicks and the Pistons. I loathe Duke and applauded when the Wolverines went down in scandal.

Basketball, while not on the same plane as baseball, brings generations together unlike any other sport. Crowds don't gather for a Friday night baseball game, but you will find packed gyms across the midwest and into the cities, full of some of the most diverse crowds and spanning over eighty years in some cases.

I was fortunate enough to play competitive basketball and even officiate for a short-lived time. I've even had my hand in coaching a time or two. Through it all, the one thing I have enjoyed more than any other, is getting to witness some of the best players, teams and moments over the last two-and-a-half decades.

A year ago this weekend I was honored to watch my cousin, albeit in a reserve role, play on a state championship squad. While my family was the only link to the New Knoxville Rangers, in the beginning, I had neutral interest and simply enjoyed watching good, fundamental basketball. Although the Midwest Athletic Conference consists of some of the smallest schools in the state, I couldn't help but be amazed at the level of basketball for a notorious 'football conference'.

Last weekend, Julie and I saw these same Rangers fall to Ada in the district championship game at Wapakoneta High School. Certainly had the same two teams played a best-of-five series, NK would've most likely prevailed the next three times. But that is the beauty, and agony, that is the game of basketball.

Over the next few weeks, we'll get to see and hear all the cliches and gather around a television rooting for teams we know little about. I'll make some more memories along the way. I was in Piqua when Hank Gathers collapsed and died in a WCC tournament game. I was in Zanesville, Ohio when Jimmy Jackson and the Buckeyes took on UConn in a first round 8-9 game. I was sitting against the old brown recliner when Laettner hit the shot to beat Kentucky. I was retrieving a basketball from our roof when Carolina beat Illinois in 2005. I was in Detroit when my Buckeyes advanced to the Final Four in 2007.

Where will I be and what will happen this year?

What Have We Been Up To???

2009-03-15T13:23:00.002-04:00

Well, as we've mentioned, the Conley duo has done a terrible job updating this site. No excuses either... we'll just slap ourselves on the wrist. We've reached another milestone today... 85 days of marriage! That may not seem like a lot, but take into account that we have been married longer than the following: Nicholas Cage & Lisa Marie Presley, Pamela Anderson & Kid Rock, Ernest Borgnine & Ethel Merman, Britney Spears & Jason Alexander (not that one) and a host of others. Next up - Kenny Chesney & Renee Zelwegger.

So, like many other families, we are scaling back our spending a bit. We've clipped coupons religiously and fed ourselves some nice meals here in the Conley Kitchen. We've avoided the traps of going out and entertaining ourselves (like we used to) and made dinners in, played Scrabble, and watched recorded programming on the television.

The main things we've done in our 'couple time' is to watch our joint recorded shows: "Jon & Kate Plus 8", "The Biggest Loser" and "American Idol". We also stay up on "The Office" and a host of others that I don't know the titles of.

We haven't seen too many decent movies lately, recommendations are welcome! Last night, we dined with Mother Perilman at the Buckhorn Tavern (which you can learn about in our previous post). It was a fine time... we made it up to see Uncle Jeff and our nephew Loki, who is growing quite a bit!

We are hosting a game night on Friday March 27th, so that is in the works. Game nights typically consist of 2-3 board games being played until the wee hours of the morning in the company of good people.

Aside from that, just living the dream. Drop us a line!

acc/jep

All You Can Eat

2009-02-24T09:41:00.010-05:00

First off, I'd like to offer my apologies for this pathetic excuse for a blog. We are doing our best to update as frequently as we possibly can... but, when you don't do anything, it's hard to update people on that.

Now, with everyone in the world making cut-back's at the current time, the Conley family is no exception. With that said, we'd like to reflect on one of the things we have cut out almost entirely... dining out.

Dayton may be in the top five fastest dying cities and emptiest cities, but no one ever bothered to ask them about restaurants. The Miami Valley offers a lot of high-quality dining at fair prices. May we start with our favorites and work our way from there.

1. COLDWATER CAFE - TIPP CITY

There is a reason that Julie and I celebrate our anniversary dinner here every year. Coldwater is a family-run operation that is first class all the way. They recently moved from their cozy confines into an old bank building. The setup isn't as charming as the old place, but it still holds a larger amount of people.

They offer a variety of appetizers from as simple as a fruit and cheese board to Mussels Sambuco.

Dinner menu is where it's at though. Our personal favorites include: Lobster Crabcakes (although one might want them as an appetizer), filet mignon, pecan-crusted tilapia or their delicious pork chops. The entrees are extraordinary... some even a bit obscure, with an ostrich filet and buffalo ribeye as options. I can attest that the buffalo was unique... a little on the chewy side, but a good experience nonetheless.

Most places, you scrimp on dessert. Coldwater Cafe isn't most places though! Their tea cake, regardless of calorie count, is highly worth it. Served warm with a buttery, sweet sauce drizzled on top, this dish is an excellent cap to a great dining experience.

Coldwater is closed Sunday & Monday and reservations are encouraged. Chef Nick Hoover gets our vote for the Miami Valley's, if not Ohio's, best eatery.

2. THAI 9 - DAYTON (OREGON DISTRICT)

If you're are in the mood for a little Asian zing, look no further than the fabulous Thai 9. They offer a wide variety of Asian fare... while specializing in the spicy Thai goodness.

In addition to a fine-tasting dinner, you get to take in the sights and sounds of the eclectic Oregon District. In fact, the host has been dubbed "Mogli" by Julie and I, as he resembles the Jungle Book character and is curiously inviting. He's also so small, he could fit in you pocket.

As if that's not reason enough to go, Thai 9 offers a vast selection of appetizers and for those less adventurous, a tame Chinese menu also awaits you. A full service sushi bar is also on the premesis and they may very well have the best unagi in the midwest.

Folks can dine in a secluded upper level or on a bi-level patio outdoors and take in a partial view of the Gem City skyline and listen to passing trains no more than 100 feet from the establishment.

All in all, it is one of the area's best nights out and we highly recommend it!

3. LA PIAZZA - TROY

This was a tough spot for such a good place to eat, as we have never had a bad experience here (or any of our top three). Owned by restauranteer Michael Anticolli, this is the junior restaurant of their collection. While they specialize in some Italian dishes, they offer a wide variety of scrumptious dishes.

LaPiazza offers daily specials, lunch buffet and pizza of the day. For starters, this place has great bread (with their specialty herb butter) & salads galore. Appetizers are unique and reasonably priced... our favorites are the Bruschetta Margherita or calamari.

While all of the pasta dishes are excellent (that we've sampled), the Smoked Chicken Ravioli is the only one that garners Julie's seal of approval (and I must say that I enjoy it when she does not finish, as there is more for me!).

Among Adam's favorites from the grill are the filet mignon (surprise!), Pork Balsamico (Julie's fave) and the Veal alla Marsala. All of these dishes are packed full of flavor and are accompanied by excellent side dishes.

4. SAKE - DAYTON MALL

We've never had their Beavercreek counterpart (the one with the health code violations) and the one on Miller Lane just doesn't have the same allure. However, if you're out and about late on a Sunday night... you may find the two of us here for our occasional sushi fix.

Sake's Miso soup is very good for starters, we've never really dabbled in anything else. We also tend to gather in front of the sushi-master and watch him prepare his edible art.

Among our many favorites are: Unagi (eel); sake (salmon); ebi (shrimp); maguro (tuna) and whatever they call octopus... I really enjoy all of those. Julie opts for the sushi rolls, which are all outstanding. The California roll, Japanese Bagel and Spicy Tuna rolls are among our top picks.

5. CHINA COTTAGE - SPRINGBORO

This is the newest China Cottage location, just behind the Springboro Dorothy Lane Market. We've only dined here a few times, but each meal has been fantastic! Our favorite dishes include: Garlic Chicken, Orange Chicken and their world-famous Crab Rangoon. A good place to sneak away to on a week night and soft drinks are still priced fairly, at $1.49 (try getting that anywhere else!).

6. BUCKHORN TAVERN - BUTLER TOWNSHIP

At the corner of Meeker Rd. and Heathcliff sits a fine little dining establishment that is... Buckhorn Tavern. If you're looking for small steaks and subpar food, the Buckhorn is definitely not for you!

They offer several nightly and holiday specials, in addition to their already stellar menu of red meat, fish and chicken dinners. The restaurant is divided into two sections, one surrounds the bar and has several distractions including bar patrons and televisions, while the other side is a bit more quaint with a fireplace and possible room for a large party.

Buckhorn's specialties are prime rib (available in the 16 oz. 'Buck' cut or the smaller 12 oz. 'Doe' cut), fall-off-the-bone barbeque ribs (which I dined on last night) or any of their mouthwatering cuts of sirloin, strip or my favorite, the filet mignon.

Julie and I found this place to be adequate enough for our 2008 Valentine's Day dinner, in which we witnessed an accident between two Tavern patrons in which a man hit an elderly couple crossing the street. The man was cited for OVI and the critically injured old couple were cited for jaywalking. The point is... you can have fine food and justice when dining at the Buckhorn Tavern.

7. MARION'S PIAZZA - SEVEN DAYTON AREA LOCATIONS

Marion's has been a Dayton institution for over forty years strong now. Our favorite locations are Englewood and Town & Country Shopping Center (Kettering).

The pizza is unique in that, all pieces are literally bite-sized (even for a toddler) and their sausage is incredible. It is the 'pellet'-style sausage which you can draw many comparisons to, but the point is - you won't find a better piece of pizza in the area.

Marion's is also old-school. No credit cards accepted... cash only! You can visit their seven Dayton-area locations at: Shroyer & Patterson, Centerville (N. Main Street), Beavercreek (N. Fairfield Rd.), N. Dixie (@ Wagner Ford Rd.), Dayton Mall (Kingsridge Dr.), Englewood (W. National Rd.) and T&C Shopping Center (E. Stroop Rd.). They have a website with phone numbers AND the website has been under construction going on four years now.

8. GOLDEN NUGGET - KETTERING

I was first introduced to the Golden Nugget when they were humbly located at a classy building on N. Dixie in an old Ponderosa building (just across from 'The Love Botique' in the beautiful Dayton/Harrison Twp. region). I fondly recall my first visit, in which we waited well over 45 minutes to be seated. If you've ever wondered how some Daytonian's look in the early morning hours, look no further than the lines at the Golden Nugget.

The new Nugget is housed in a state-of-the-art facility at the corner of S. Dixie and Dorothy Lane. While most inhabitants are seventy years or older; you will dine with people who just rolled out of bed and are still donning their Tweety Bird pajama pants, some who have not been to bed yet, some coming or going from church. You will also be happy to know that all the waitstaff was transported from the old location, which must mean they have vehicles or an RTA pass.

Julie's favorite breakfast dish is the cheese blintzes. For those unfamiliar with a blintz - a thin crepe filled with curded ricotta cheese mixed with cinnamon and topped with a dab of sour cream.

Adam will eat anything. He does recommend the sausage and cheese omelet, biscuits and grazy or any one of their 82 varieties of pancakes.

The best part of the Golden Nugget is that one can spend under $10 for two guests and not need to eat for 48-72 hours.

9. MAMMA DiSALVO'S - KETTERING

If you're clausterphobic, Mamma DiSalvo's might not be the place for you. This establishment sits in with a coffee house and a florist off East Stroop and seats over eighty patrons while the fire marshall may have that number around 50% less.

Needless to say, Mamma DiSalvo's is authentic Italian cuisine and is a family-operated establishment that's been around since 1979. Their food definitely makes an impact, as you traverse your way to their bathroom or glance around the bar you will find photos and letters from some of their A-list diners, including four presidents (Ford, Reagan, HW Bush and Clinton) in addition to Pete Rose... that should do some talking right there!

Mamma's has a motto as well - "Please be patient while you are waiting for your meal - our meals are prepared from scratch. Mamma always says 'good food takes time to prepare'". Couldn't have said it any better myself Mamma!

All in all, there is not one mediocre dish on their extensive menu. Since we've only dined here twice, this is the only reason Mamma D's is #8 on our list... certain to be a shooting star in our next batch of rankings.

Next in line (either due to us never dining here but hearing great things or just didn't have room for them): The Pine Club, Grub Steak, The Oakwood Club, Caffe Anticoli, El Rancho Grande, Las Piramides, Jay's Seafood, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse, Tank's, Kathy's Kitchen, Peerless Mill Inn, T.J. Chumpp's, The Submarine House, Breakfast Club Cafe, Original Rib House, Buffalo Jacks, etc.

Centerfield

2009-02-14T16:26:00.003-05:00

As if yesterday's warm temperatures weren't enough, spring baseball has finally commenced, meaning that those warm June breezes are just around the corner!

The Reds took on the defending AL champ Tampa Bay Rays and emerged victorious, giving us battered fans a faint glimmer of hope for the coming season. It's hard to use a game like that as a barometer... but it definitely lifted my spirits, as well as many others in the tri-state.

The ride home last night also had me giddier than usual. The sun is staying up just a tad longer, which makes it less depressing to get home and have it be pitch black for the duration of the evening.

I've been a Reds fan now for over twenty years and odd numbered years haven't seen them fare too well... but I remain cautiously optimistic. Julie and I try to attend a game a year and even in tough times, it's still easy to justify a splurge on a trip to the ballpark. Cincinnati still has the best value (biased opinion) of most of the big league ball parks. We've been fortunate too, to have a good connection here and there.

So, all in all, hoping to make this a great spring-summer-fall (regardless of how the old ball team fares). I'm also reminding myself now that I can't complain about the heat of the summertime!

ac

Love, Love, Love...

2009-02-14T10:23:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Saturday Nights Alright For Fighting...

2009-02-07T21:44:00.002-05:00

On occasion, something so powerful comes along and it hits you... 'I am blogging about this moment as soon as I'm able to blog'. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I give you... Adam & Julie's Traders World experience!

* Larry the Cable Guy camoflauge ball cap
* Turquoise hair (qty. 2)
* 'Cats are like potato chips... you can't have just one' T-shirts for sale.
* Pink highlights
* 83 mullets
* A sign stating 'When you die, you get to go to Kentucky'. (Apparently I've died over 40 times!).
* Multiple thugs in Steelers jerseys (mainly Troy Polamalu's #43)
* A toddler named Ron (dead serious)
* A grandmother in cheerleading shorts
* Various people with a dozen or more facial piercings
* Over 100+ portraits of painted or photographed wolves
* Plethora of Star Wars collectible showcase rooms
* Heavy influence of southwestern culture (translation: a lot of that eerie Indian flute music)
* Sham-wow Demonstrations (20 for $10!)
* 95-97% of population morbidly obese or mustached
* One booth called "Yep-we-have-that.com"
* Strollers traveling at -3 m.p.h.
* Significant lack of makeup on women
* Multitude of stuffed animal displays
* Many candles, none with recognizable scents
* Women in embroidered pink sweatshirts
* Bangs... lots of bangs
* Man hocking 'magical' cream, shouting from his headset 'Backache?! Psoraiasis?!?!'
* Smell of roasted almonds, fudge and cotton candy
* People wearing jackets with way too many patches
* Engraved wooden-potato people (one for every career. Our favorite - a tie between Mr. Tattoo Artist & Mr. Pizza Maker)

Total $$$ Spent for the day: $2.00 (parking fee)
Total Memories: Infinite
Odds of returning this decade: Slim-to-none

acc/jec

Morons... your bus is leaving!

2009-02-02T21:06:00.003-05:00

From all of us here at the Conley Family Blog, Happy Groundhog Day, from our home to yours!

...and now, my five most favorite lines from "Groundhog Day".

5. (Phil to phone operator) 'Do you have like, a special line? For emergencies? Or celebrities? ... 'What's that? I'm both... a celebrity in an emergency'.

4. (Phil to man in hallway at B&B) 'Winter, slumbering in the open air, wears on its smiling face a dream... of spring. Ciao!'

3. Phil: For your information... hairdo, there happens to be a major network interested in me.
Larry: Yeah, that would be the Home Shopping Network.

2. I was in the Virgin Islands once. I met a girl. We ate lobster and drank pina coladas. At sunset we made love like sea otters. *That* was a pretty good day. Why couldn't I get that day over and over and over...

1. Piano Teacher: Not bad... Mr. Connors, you say this is your first lesson?
Phil: Yes, but my father was a piano mover, so...

Twilight (the movie)

2009-01-29T15:33:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow I am going to see Twilight. Can you tell I'm excited? I am also secretly hoping for my books to arrive today and for a 4th snow day tomorrow. :)

PS-Ash, are you out there?

~julie

Honeymoon Pictures!

2009-01-29T12:35:00.010-05:00

Adam did a fantastic job narrating our entire honeymoon, so I thought I'd put in a few pictures. Enjoy!

Adam and I out enjoying a brisk walk through midtown.

Another couple wanted their picture taken here so we swapped cameras.

Extremely happy to be back indoors.

Adam lounging in his robe and teeny, tiny slippers.

Me with the roses sent up with our champagne. :)

I had to explain who Whitney was to Adam. We were so close!!

The view out our hotel room. Looks like a postcard, huh?

The creepy Puerto Rican Mickey Mouse that Adam referred to in earlier posts.

Our hotel's huge Christmas tree. It was b-e-a-utiful.

We visited the biggest temple in the country (?) where my Great Uncle Nate had been the rabbi. That's his picture in the museum.

Adam and I just before going in to see Wicked, which was pretty great.

Adam and the Wicked Playbill. Isn't he cute? :)

Hope you liked these! Let me know what you think.
~Julie

So Much To Say

2009-01-28T12:29:00.002-05:00

Today's post is going out to Grandma Wolf... celebrating 74 years today! Happy birthday Grandma.

Well, we did it! Julie & I are celebrating our first joint snow day as a married couple. Obviously, conditions are much worse here in Centerville than wherever you may be located, it's just a known fact.

Today has been very uneventful, Julie knew last night that school was canceled (7:30pm automated call, followed by nine other calls) and I learned we were off at 5:15am. So, we slept in and have been lounging around in our jammies ever since.

Today is also the 23rd anniversary of the Challenger mishap. One of my earliest news memories and the day I lost one of my favorite astronauts, Ron McNair. Ron is third, behind Neil Armstrong and Gus Grissom (I'll rank my top ten in a later post).

Things are coming along quite nicely in the organization and settling-in of our 'home'. We are rapidly approaching the six-week anniversary mark and are eagerly awaiting our first Groundhog Day together.

OK, so much for rambling. We have some TiVo'd programs we need to catch up on. Hasta luego!

acc

The Biggest Loser

2009-01-21T20:28:00.002-05:00

One of our newlywed things is watching TV together... we've never really watched TV together before. ** Spoiler Alert Beyond This Paragraph **

OK, we have begun our first complete season of watching "The Biggest Loser" together. I've watched this show in the past and even with DV-R, it's almost unbearable. Commercial breaks and intentional product placement is brutal and they can always find drama somewhere.

While this season is still much the same, it is different watching it with your spouse. We have been recording and watching the night after. We have our favorites, I am pulling for the brown team (father/son) and I think Julie likes the green team (former models). This is the first season that I've never outright disliked someone though, and that makes it much more interesting.

This is where I've finally opened up a post for debate. To anyone that's watching, tell us what you like. If not, tell us what we should be watching!

ac

Momentary Lapse of Reason

2009-01-21T20:18:00.003-05:00

Good evening. My wife is watching some TiVo'd programming, so thought I would browse our pitiful excuse for a blog. Actually, she holds up her end of the bargain, I'm the slacker.

First, the good news. We have pictures! I am currently downloading the honeymoon pictures to add to previous stories, so always remember to peruse through the archives for some really far-out photography.

Moving on, we have now been married for an entire month. I like telling people that I come across that we've also been together for two presidencies (seems longer that way). For those that are curious, married life doesn't really seem that different. I mean, it is in a way, but for the most part it's not. She still likes to go shopping, ridicule me and go out for fancy dinners (is Chipotle fancy?)... I'm kidding by the way.

Honestly, the biggest adjustment is wearing the ring. I've never worn more than a watch and even that can become cumbersome. If you've ever seen how hairy my wrists are you would understand. Today marks day 33 of wearing a ring and overall, the finger is a bit tender, mainly due to the fact that I am a stickler for keeping it in place. That webbing in your finger? Yeah, mine's slowly eroding away... e-rod-ing!

Obviously, the biggest disappointment is the fact that my ring finger sticks out like a sore thumb. No longer to single girls gawk at me with that sense of wonder. Some are totally envious while others simply divert their attention elsewhere. It is a bit of a letdown, but I will press on.

All in all, I would recommend marriage. It's been good thus far and I won't bring it up again until we've reached 100 days in office.

ac

Julie's Book Club

2009-01-19T09:26:00.005-05:00

Now that I have a little more free time (read: wedding planning is no longer consuming my life) I am back to reading for pleasure. I have always enjoyed reading, but I can usually only partake in the summer months. Lucky for me I can pull the "I'm a reading teacher" card and still read adolescent lit. I know, you're jealous. I didn't think I'd like Harry Potter back in the day, but I did. Now I am reading the Twilight series, much to my husband's chagrin. I just started the first book yesterday and am around halfway through. I am addicted. Since I have today off from school (thanks MLK!) I will hopefully finish the book and be accepted into the circle of other Twilight followers. :)

~Julie

Oliver's Travels - An Ode to My Vehicle

2009-01-15T22:34:00.006-05:00

The time is coming... my beloved CR-V is officially going to be on the "For Sale" block. After a nearly five year run and adding nearly 200,000 miles to the odometer, the opportunity for a newer vehicle has arrived.

For those in the dark, I got 'Ollie' back in the summer of 2004. Since that point-in-time, Ollie has traversed the countryside, roaming the pavement like a sheepdog through the pasture and he has been a whale of a companion. I almost feel like trudging along for another 850,000 miles and donating the guy to the Smithsonian (obviously someone has done better though!).

With that said, I will be featuring a 10-series review of the Life of Ollie in upcoming posts. While I'm sure this will be quasi-bittersweet, I'm happy to share a retrospective look at one of, if not the most, iconic vehicle of it's era.

acc

Excercise Regiment for 2009

2009-01-15T22:18:00.002-05:00

...and so it always begins this time of year, the age of broken promises (how I typically look back at it).

For the first time, we are at the halfway mark of January and I must say... this is the longest I have ever kept up with any type of personal fitness goals. This is sad in some ways, that I've been that pathetic, but it's also been a valuable tool.

I think back to when I was in my "peak" level of stamina and I honestly believe that had I legitimately pushed myself back then, that I would have established better habits over the long haul. Thankfully, I have been blessed to never consider myself morbidly obese, but in recent year's, I'm still 20-25 pounds lighter than I was at my heaviest (does that make sense?) back in early 1998 (somewhere between 275-278 believe it or not!).

What I'm learning is that you can't really put a satisfactory number on the agenda... it can't be done. I do realize that the amount of time I have put in to cardiovascular workouts, I feel loads better than I normally do. There is an abundance of energy and pep to my daily routine and I am doing a lot better at controlling my food portions (wife may disagree).

Nevertheless, I have set long-term goals that I hope to see out. I have joined a class that will meet once a week at my rec center on Thursday afternoons. I feel that the support group thing can't be awful! Also, I am in a competition called the "Cardio 500". At the completion of 500 minutes of combined cardio workouts, I get a free t-shirt (just what I need!) and for every increment of 500 I do, let's say 4000 minutes, I'll be registered eight times for a raffle drawing for a 'secret' surprise.

Ultimately, I want to be able to run. Even when I played basketball, which is primarilly a sprint-and-stop type of running, I was never into the conditioning part, when you would run along side the cross country team. I always used my asthma as a crutch. I feel though, as I've gotten a little older, that the lungs seem to function a little smoother than they did when I was a little guy. There are two races, one on 5/2 in Columbus and another in Anna, which is the last Saturday in June. I would like to be able to run side-by-side with the wife (and possibly beat her) and go from there.

I'll fill you in with progress along the way. I will tell you that from 9/23/2008 to 12/19/2008, I dropped 14 pounds (263 to a sultry 249). Even after all the aforementioned food in previous honeymoon blogs, I managed to only pack on two extra pounds, which tend to fluctuate daily. So, all-in-all, I'd eventually like to make it to around 230 by my 28th birthday on 7/6... I think that is a feasible goal, so wish me luck!

acc

My Morning Commute

2009-01-12T10:38:00.003-05:00

I drive 62.8 miles to work every day... well, five days a week. Yes, that is the one-way tally.

If you know me well enough, you are aware that I have a knack for driving. Mornings are always early enough that I miss any real traffic. I leave the homestead between the hours of five and six most days. On the return home, the time can vary from fifty minutes to any possible time frame you can think of.

My longest excursion home was before 652 Stonington Circle was even my home. Julie and I were making some last minute preparations on our wedding stuff and I came down on a Tuesday night. Not any Tuesday night, but the first substantial winter weather of the year! This trip took me roughly three hours... not my idea of a good time. This particular weather was ice and the type that made you feel like you were driving on four flat tires. Not a neat feeling. Add to that, the fact that I had to stop and de-ice my wipers every third exit, and talk about an excrutiating journey.

In my opinion, the good outweigh the bad, in terms of the length of this daily trek. Gas prices remain low and my tank needs filled twice weekly... I can live with this. Mornings are typically spent listening to Jim Scott on WLW for the first leg and as soon as ABC News London correspondent Ann Compton comes on at 5:50, I flip over to WTUE for Bob & Tom. Coming home, I listen to either Eddie & Tracy on WLW or Sean Hannity on WHIO, both of which keep me entertained.

Not so long ago, in the era of $4.00 gasoline, I made the comment that I would start listening to books on tape, specifically audio CD's for languages, as the cost of driving was similar to college tuition. I have started this already, utilizing my Japanese 101 set that I received from the mother-in-law last year.

Another plus on the drive is the fact that it's not terribly boring. Even in the light traffic hours, I play games with myself. "If I enter the highway at 5:41, what time will I be at the Piqua rest area" or "At what point in time will I pass the OHP Motor Vehicle Enforcement Suburban"?

In the future, I will share a little more on my love of the road and some good travel stories from the vault.

ac

2009-01-11T22:03:00.003-05:00

The husband made good turkey chili tonight.
Thanks Adam!

New York Minute - The Finale of the Epic Conley Honeymoon

2009-01-08T21:36:00.004-05:00

At last, our honeymoon drew to a close... or so we thought!

Julie and I arose early (again) and began our final preparations for departure. As she ventured into the shower, she had me go on another breakfast quest. I recalled that there was a Starbucks across the street to the north side of our hotel, I thought I would surprise her with one of her favorite drinks, the peppermint mocha.

I've probably been in more Starbucks than Chipotle's in my life, but for some reason, I never feel welcome. I don't know if they have sensors that decode you grew up in a town of 928 or maybe it's just me! Anyhew, I never order the drinks correctly and I always get attitude (I hope the CEO is reading). Nonetheless, I botched this order as well, because I didn't tell the barista everything that I wanted. Typically, you tell the cashier if you want any additional goodies (in Dayton, that is). So, I screwed up, but got a breakfast sandwich and a pastry for the wife and walked back up to 3718 for the last time.

Jules was in 'towel-on-the-head' mode and had a smile, so I knew I did a good job. The breakfast sandwich was a simple ham, egg & cheese on an english muffin... and it was delicious.

We pressed on, looking at all the stuff we had accumulated on our excursion. There was no way we could possibly fit everything into our bags, however, we did gain the second carry-on courtesy of the nice folks at Bloomingdales. We jumped on the big Samsonite over-sized typewriter-looking-bag and made it happen! All our ducks were in a row and we would be departing via SuperShuttle at 10:15 (for a 3:15 flight).

We hung out a bit in the lobby and within no time, we were the first one's in our ten passenger van. The driver appeared to be of Syrian descent and was obviously in his first week on the job, possibly in America. I don't know if it was the wide eyes, navigational skills or slow driving, but this much is for sure: we loved him over his Congo counterpart six days prior.

We strolled to all sections of town, back to the theatre district, Bryant Park, SoHo, etc. I knew we were doing circles when our final passengers were picked up two blocks south of our hotel... whatever. The ride over to Newark was much more pleasant. Traffic was light for a Friday, Julie sat next to a woman from Austin, Texas and Rashid (the driver) was cruising along at 60mph on the Jersey Turnpike.

Upon drop-off, he personally thanked us for being 'patient newlyweds', which we were surprised that he remembered. I graciously handed this guy a tip and we made our way in to do the dirty deeds of air travel.

Time was a good thing, we made it in a little before noon, but that let us get situated. As we walked up to the gate, I made a trip to the men's room and had told the wife to stay outside and then she would follow in and I would hold the bags. Well, I came out quickly and could not find her anywhere. I assumed she had gone in the ladies room, so I stood outside the entrance and waited. The wait became a pace and the pace soon became a full-blown, hands through my hair "Where in the world is she!!!" panic look. I seriously felt as if I was having one of those montages you see in a bad drama... the pieces fit. I was a newlywed in an unfamiliar place and a good-looking spouse is missing.

I'm bad because these things really do play out in my head. Even though we were separated for fifteen minutes max, I was picturing my teleconference with the networks. Interviews on the morning shows, then possible mentions of my name on the nightly networks and seeing my name on a ticker on one of the cable stations. Would it get to be Oprah-fied? What if I was featured on 20/20 or Dateline? Within seconds, I hear "There you are, I was worried!" and all was right with the world again.

Julie had sought out a spot overlooking the runway and was patiently waiting in her seat. Apparenty it takes her a while to go into "Worst Case Scenario" mode.

Breakfast wasn't nearly filling enough for us, so we dined at a grill adjacent to our gate. I don't recall the name, but they had a delicious BBQ burger. We struck up conversation with an older, nosy couple next to us who were flying to Charlotte. Their wings looked scrumptious, so we ordered a side which came out around normal dessert-time. We stuffed our faces and within no time, we were in the air... on time!

The day was overcast and we saw there was a front moving in from the west, which made us anticipate turbulence (and that is a good thing). When we reached seat belts off mode, the plane shook a bit and our stewardess began serving our water and pretzels. She returned to her post, mid-serving, as Seat Belts On sign illuminated. I was already mortified as I was midway through my first crossword and I thought an engine had failed. Julie also noticed he was slamming on his 'brakes' a lot.

No sooner did the sign come on, we were up, down and sideways. I swore I was on the Soul Plane. The minute we were back to normal, 'Don' the pilot, a boy of 22, no more than 23, raced back toward the bathroom, white-as-a-ghost! Thank you for flying Continental!

With that, we were making headway to Dayton, eager to have Mom P pick us up and to see what gifts awaited us. The setting sun was so pretty on an otherwise grim day, a good way to call it a day. Or so we thought!

"This is your Captain. We've received word that visibility is 1/16 of a mile at Dayton, we're going to circle until we get clearance."

Great!

"I hope they don't re-route us to Cleveland" quipped Julie.

Prophet!!!

"This is your Captain again, we're being re-routed to Cleveland and we might have to sit this out a little longer".

D'oh!

Long to short, flight went from hold, re-route, re-board, and our favorite... cancelled! Our alternative was a short bus trip via I-71 & I-70, in which the bus would be ready any moment. Loosely translated, "any moment" in Continentalese means three-and-a-half hours!

We had a wide assortment of characters on our flight, most from the Dayton area or travelling to see family in Dayton. One in particular sat next to us, we'll dub him "Tom". Tom was a single fortysomething, accompanying his folks back to Montgomery County. His iPod was at max volume and he was definitely still in the Christmas spirit, as Trans-Siberian Orchestra blared out his headset. His mother, "Janet", sat behind me and read aloud to "Harry" their Methodist Church newsletter.

I really wanted to be as far away as possible from these people on our bus. Julie was able to fetch some Burger King, arguably our best meal of the trip, from the concession area. Meanwhile, I stayed back, waiting for the bus and hearing "Mitch" gripe to his mom about the flight. I had to walk through the whole thing again... it's always neat to hear someone else's perspective!

When our bus arrived, it was a little after 8:00pm. Conditions had worsened a bit in the rain category, but crystal clear skies were the theme in Cleveland. We jumped onto 71 southbound at exactly 8:16 and the ride couldn't have been more uneventful. It was hard to keep up with where we were, which is why I always drive, I can't stand someone else doing it (but it's a little hard to convince a bus driver to let me take the reins).

I was the second-most annoying person on the bus, as I was the second-to-last person to turn off my overhead light. I was making serious headway on my crosswords though, I wasn't about to let a bus stop me.

At 11:24pm, we officially entered the Dayton metro and none of those people had ever been happier to see greater Huber Heights. People were high-fiving and I had chills running up my arm (slight exaggeration). Nonetheless, we arrived to DIA, right where we started from at 11:36 and all was well with the world.

Mama P arrived within minutes and we were certainly itching to crawl into bed, but we buckled down and opened gifts from midnight to 1:00, with that same air of newlywed giddiness that we left with.

All in all, we had a wonderful trip. We could have probably gone anywhere in the world, but never in my life did I dream that NYC could be so relaxing. After all the hustle over the recent weeks, it was nice to unwind with my wife and pretend like we were something special.

If you ever get the opportunity to travel to New York, a few words of advice: You can't possibly do it all. I have been there multiple times and haven't even scratched the surface. However, we are in a fairly close proximity and I would like to make it a point to go back often. So with that said... we begin the true honeymoon, our first year of marriage - may it be as great as the first week!

Overall grade for honeymoon: A+
Total money spent on honeymoon: Don't ask
Number of Immodium AD caplets consumed: six
Total number of Puerto Rican Mickey Mouse impersonators: One

Name Change

2009-01-07T17:36:00.003-05:00

I just got my new driver's license... and it's not a terrible picture! Sweet! Right now I am in the process of changing my name, which is a bit more tedious than I thought it would be. I started writing a list of all the places/mail/bills my name appears and the list is LONG (mostly due to bills, doh!). I just did my voice mail, too. Let me know if you think it sounds stupid.

At school it's getting a bit confusing. Some people are calling me Mrs. Conley (and I can tell they feel awkward doing it), some are calling me Miss Perilman (because they refuse any other name) and some are calling me nothing at all. I know it will all be easier next year.

~Julie

Christmas in New York - Conley Honeymoon Highlights, Vol. V

2009-01-04T11:34:00.004-05:00

Without further adieu...

Christmas morning with the Conley's was quite eventful. I arose at 5:15 (this was a vacation, right?!) and mulled around the room without awaking the wife. She finally caught me stirring around a quarter of six (5:45 EST). We scurried about getting ready for our big TV debut. Certainly a couple with our caliber sign were going to get first dibs on an interview by whomever the fourth-string weatherman was this day.

We watched the local news and I was skeptical, as they film in a studio right above Today and they kept showing live shots of Rockefeller Plaza and the place was barren. Keep the faith though! Matt Lauer came on before a commercial break and gave us a breakdown of the morning show... we were golden!

We trudged our way out the doors on 50th Street and continued southward to approach the set-up from a different angle. We peered around the corner where the Dean & Deluca shop is (you can see this store if you watch in the morning's) and much to our chagrin, Matt Lauer was a liar. Standing in the walkway were two lonely police officer's and the studio was as dark as could be.

The only thing that can cure this type of sadness is... breakfast! So, we got another deli-style firstmeal at a shop up the street. I have to admit, this is the first time either of us had gone out for anything on Christmas day... I was expecting to see some strange things. To my surprise, the bagel shop was fairly normal. Cut to the street.

(On the street) As we make our way back to the hotel, a scary scene played out in front of us. A tiny man of Asian descent is carting his hot dog stand around the corner and all of a sudden, a large African-American man (resembling the heavy-set guy with glasses in Boyz II Men) emerges from a parked van and starts shouting at the dude with the cart.

Standing only twenty feet in front of us, Boyz II Men lookalike starts pummeling the little guy. The wife is spooked and is tugging on my arm to cross the street. Meanwhile, this reminds me of high school fights I witnessed on occasion on some back country road. I stared in awe while the big guy is landing punch after punch. Incredible!

So, we make it back to the hotel unscathed and we are on a time limit, as... surprise! Julie has a massage scheduled for 9:00am, compliments of the loving husband that I am. (For those scoring at home: unlimited shopping, a new purse AND a massage ;) So, while Julie is getting beat up in the spa, I stayed back and attempted (again) to do a NY Times crossword.
She made it back up and we prepared for 12:15 mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

We made it into the church at 11:50, thinking we were plenty early but hark... mass was slated for noon! We landed in a standing-room-only crowd with a Spanish priest presiding over the service. It was a lovely church with a good message for the day. The only downside was waiting on my wife to receive communion (one of the perks of being a Protestant in a Catholic church, getting sad looks from passerby's).

So, we made it back to the hotel, in time for more fun! Our first mission was to find Temple Emanu-El (that's how it was written). This is a Jewish temple, located across from Central Park, and it has family ties for my wife. Her great-uncle Nathan Perilman, brother of her grandfather William, was a rabbi at the temple for over 42 years.

We hailed a cab and he took us to 5th Avenue and 65th Street. We were off on our guess by a few blocks, but we found the temple and took a tour. We saw Uncle Nate's photo on a wall, and when one of the tour guides caught wind of who was in the house, he took us on a more detailed tour about the place. We snapped a few photos (the place was massive and architecturally awe-inspiring). The man also showed us an honorary brick placed at the back of the sanctuary in Nathan's honor. Pretty cool.

It was about that time we began to contemplate food before our Christmas Day movie viewing. We walked approximately nine blocks to 1st Avenue, where our movie theatre was located. Open eateries were non-existant until we got to 1st, then we had a decision - traditional American fare at a pub or Asian cuisine. I made the call and opted for the better stuff.

Every server's Engrish wahl tehabul. The menu was rather large and numbered from #1 to #347 (or so it seemed, much in the fasion of authentic Mexican restaurante's). We told the server we wanted to try new things, so he chose a Vietnamese twist for us: spring rolls and some type of shrimp dumpling. Both were very good, but I had a feeling ol' Brent (the Belly) was going to make a cameo after dinner.

We wound up going conservative on the meal portion, feasting on simple Chinese dishes we already knew. It was an excellent meal nonetheless.

Now for the movie! On an earlier Christmas, Julie recommended we read a book together. Seemed a little strange to me, but what the heck, I'm open to new things. Christmas 2006, we began reading the book "Marley & Me", which coincidentally came out two years after we started the book. If you haven't read it, I won't summarize it for you, but it is worth the read.

We had one slight problem though... we left the Asian restaurant at 3:15 and the movie didn't start til 4:30. Arrrgh! What can one do to kill time on the Upper East Side on Christmas Day? CVS Pharmacy! Jules and I scanned the aisles for miscellaneous items. She pretended to look at makeup, while I tried to read a GQ without looking like a pervert in front of a Latina mother (the cover featured an unclothed Jenifer Anniston)... this is not an easy task!

Our efforts will still in vain, as we left the apothecary, we thought maybe we could sit in the theatre prior to the movie. NYC theatres aren't nearly as spacious as the suburban one's we're used to. This building somehow had four screens, but the lobby was about the size of Julie's Civic's back seat. What could we possibly do for another twenty minutes??? Food!!!

We made our way across the street to grab a quick dessert at "Hot n' Crusty" (yeah, that's the name). They had some impressive looking pizza pies in here, in addition to various pastries and ice cream. This was not the place to come for someone with claustraphobia or 'people anxiety' as Julie says I ail from. The place was packed, possibly with a few other movie-goers, and we stood around for five minutes until a seat cleared. Julie sipped on her iced coffee while I nursed the continuing bad stomach by sipping on a bottled water.

Finally, it was movie time. We were shocked to see a line wrapped around the perimeter of the building. Based on the overall size, there was no possible way we were going to get a ticket (or so I thought!). The wife noticed everyone in line had tickets and said maybe I should go up to purchase and come back. Genius. I went up, paid $12.50 a pop and she saved me a seat while I bought her popcorn and a Diet Coke ($9.50... value package).

Marley & Me was about what we expected, not an Oscar-caliber film, but a good message and definite tear-jerker. For a packed NY theater, we were surprised by overall lack of rustling seats and talking. We made our way back out to the street, where we hailed our last cab of the trip and retired to Room 3718.

It was a memorable first Christmas as a married couple, certainly different without the extended family around, but good in the sense that is showed us that this is US! We have arrived to the ranks of being responsible for one another... and whatever else comes down the road.

Overall grade for Christmas 2008: A+

Wicked was wicked!

2009-01-04T09:49:00.005-05:00

I guess this is now a little out of order because somebody got a little blog-happy. Adam and I went to see our first on-Broadway show, Wicked, while we were on our honeymoon. We've both seen a few off-Broadway, so we were pretty excited. Earlier in the day, the hotel sent up a bottle of champagne to "Mr. and Mrs. Conley" so we had a little before we left. We got all dolled up, hailed a cab, and were on our way. I don't have honeymoon pictures back yet, but when we got there, we had a nice picture taken of standing in front of a sign for the musical. Our seats ended up in the very front of the mezzanine--we had a great view. My favorite part was when the flying monkeys flew over the audience. That was pretty cool. The stage effects were over-the-top amazing. The "sky" was constantly changing colors, and I really believed that Alphaba's skin was green. Overall, the husband and I had a great time. I think I can speak for both of us in saying we would rate Wicked as an A+. If you're in NYC, buy tickets and go see it.

New York's Not My Home - Conley Honeymoon Highlights, Vol. IV

2009-01-03T10:22:00.003-05:00

Well... Brent the Belly slept over with Julie and I on Wednesday night and woke me up about 5:00am. Rather than wake the sleeping beauty, I opted for a jaunt around the hotel lobby. Things are very peaceful when you don't have to be somewhere at 5:15 in the morning.

I returned to the room and quietly read my complimentary copy of the New York Times and attempted to complete the crossword. As the sun peeked up over Manhattan, I could see an imminent rainy Christmas Eve. Boo!

The wife sent me out after breakfast (note: she didn't offer to come along). I tried venturing towards Lenny's, but I was getting soaked even with our umbrella. I found another sufficient deli/bagel shop that did the trick. Got a couple bagels, black coffee for moi and a hot chocolate for Jules... these are her favorites - surprise hot chocolates!

Side note - One thing I don't understand/trust about city folk... they bag your coffee. I don't like the concept, as I see it splashing around and it makes me become that much more careful. I hope this trend never takes on in Dayton.

Anyhow, my spouse loved the drink and bagel. We lounged around the hotel room for quite some time. This would probably be a good spot to describe the 877.333.4001 commercials, since we saw about twelve of them in this time frame. Every local NY channel was subject to these horrendous spots, which featured generic Muppets prancing around on different sets. They weren't even cute Muppets, in fact one was a really loud & obnoxious pregnant (assumed) Puerto Rican Muppet lady. We never really got the gist of what they were pushing, maybe their sole purpose was to annoy us. I can't find the commercial on Google or YouTube, it's possibly a figment of our imaginations.

Julie got the shopping blues and we took a cab down to Macy's around 3:00pm. For those not accustomed to NY winter days, this was the sunset part of the day... kind of eerie to think that Guiding Light & Dr. Phil just came on and it's already starting to get dark.

We strolled through Macy's for what seemed like five weeks. Finally, we found appropriate Christmas presents for both of our Mom's. We attempted to take some subtle pictures while exiting, but this place was packed like no other place we had been. As we made our way outside, I reminded Julie that we had not yet purchased posterboard for standing outside the Today Show, which we were planning on doing on Christmas. We traipsed across the street to a Staples store and bought three small sheets of posterboard and some large multi-colored Sharpies.

We hailed another cab on Broadway & 34th and headed to the west edge of the island for dinner at the Westway Diner... the inspiration for Monk's on Seinfeld. I was a little dishearthened when we arrived, as the place looked similar, but made no real effort to flaunt their TV ties. I made a trip to the mens room and there was mention over the middle urinal about how Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld wrote scripts from this location (I'm hoping they meant the restaurant in general after reading that!).

Julie enjoyed a few bites of a French Dip. I opted for a Cheeseburger with Muenster cheese and seasoned waffle fries. Not very Costanza-like, but it hit the spot for me. Brent still lurked below the booth and was telling me we needed to get back to the hotel.

After drawing up some beautiful signs stating "Having a 'JUST MARRIED' Christmas" for Today, Julie joined her husband in bed and they cried together for the first time watching It's A Wonderful Life as a married couple.

Todays fact: Did you know there are more Puerto Ricans in NYC than in Puerto Rico?

List of Chipotle Restaurants Visited by The Conleys

2009-01-02T23:17:00.006-05:00

Little York - Dayton, Ohio
Far Hills - Kettering, Ohio
Centerville, Ohio
University of Dayton - Dayton, Ohio
Beavercreek, Ohio
Bellbrook, Ohio
Union Center - West Chester, Ohio
Tylersville - West Chester, Ohio
Milford, Ohio
Bechtle Ave. - Springfield, Ohio
Hilliard-Rome - Hilliard, Ohio
Mill Run - Hilliard, Ohio
Perimeter Loop - Dublin, Ohio
Sawmill Road - Dublin, Ohio
Tuttle Crossing - Dublin, Ohio
5th Avenue - Grandview, Ohio
N. High Street - Clintonville, Ohio
OSU Campus - Columbus, Ohio
Kingsdale - Upper Arlington, Ohio
Brice & Tussing - Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Kenmore & Belmont - Chicago, Illinois
BGSU - Bowling Green, Ohio
Penn Plaza/34th Street - New York, NY
Arlington Ridge - Green Township, Ohio
Florence, Kentucky
Findlay, Ohio
E. 52nd Street - New York, NY
Huber Heights, Ohio
I-75 & OH-73 - Springboro, Ohio
Ontario, Ohio

the conley family

11.13.2011

Go Your Own Way

Adam and me

Chicka Chicka Bawk Bawk!

Was the Big Jesus inspired by Romeo & Juliet?

Snow (ICE) Day #6

Ingredients

Directions

BUTTERSCOTCH & CHOCOLATE PEANUT-BUTTER CRAVERS

Ingredients:

Directions:

1.23.2011

1.14.2011

1.11.2011

01.02.2011

81 for 2011

Seventy-five

Brittany One Liners! OhMyGlee!

12.29.2010

12.28.2010

12.27.2010 part 2

12.27.2010

12.21.2010

12.20 :)

12.16.2010

12.13.10 part 2

12.13.10

My Favorite Buckeyes

11.13.2010

Lazy Sunday

Ice Cream Man

Five For Fighting - World

This I Believe

Cardio Kickboxing to Turkey Trot?

June 2010

Taxman

Fearless 2010 Baseball Predictions

Snow Dog

Lot's of Goose!

Columbine - A&J's Book Club

The Biggest Bearded Loser Challenge

Adam & Julie's Book Club

GR8 PL8S!

New Year's 'Objectives'

2010!

Merry Christmas!

Confined

The Birthday Goose

No One Reads Our Blog Anymore...

Sick Day

Awkward Silence

This one's for Em

Labor Day (It's a Holiday)

Going To The Grocery

Indiana Wants Me

Suddenly Sunday

New Pictures!

Summer In The City

Will **(fixed the web address)**

Why didn't we do this?!

Thoughts

50th Post

Land of Confusion

Rainy Days and Mondays

Atomic Dog

House Hunters

To Run or Not to Run

Vacation

Random Thoughts by Julie

Sweet Sixteen

Wednesday Blahs

Garage Sales and May Flowers

April Showers bring... baseball and jean skirts!

Sunny Saturday

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Here Comes Peter Cottontail...

Take Me Out to The Ballgame!

My Turn

Our House...

Will (fixed the web address)