About 20 minutes ago, I paid off the remaining balance of my student loans. I just thought it was worth recording. Now I can start working on Lorelai's College Fund...
Also, it turns out those Hilton vouchers I won were for two nights, so that's also great news. I guess we just need to decide what to do with them.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Winner, Winner !!!
I've been entering travel sweepstakes for years. Websites, facebook, twitter; anything with an entry form. Like most, I've never won anything, so you could imagine my surprise when I opened my email yesterday morning to discover this message:
The week prior, I had put together a collage of miscellaneous travel photos and posted it to twitter. I almost immediately forgot about it and I didn't even know about the possible prize. Naturally, I got this email and thought, "Ok, someone with a fake Hilton account is going around looking to do a little phishing". I logged into twitter and checked my messages. There's a little blue check mark by the Hilton logo, signifying a verified account. Sweet. So what exactly did I win? Turns out, a one (possibly two) night(s) free stay in any Hilton hotel anywhere in the world. I say possibly, because there are two vouchers. I'm not sure if they say one per person or one per night. I'm a Hilton Gold member, so either way, my wife is supposed to stay free with me during any stay. We'll see.
Either way, I won something! It's pretty exciting. Hopefully, the luck continues and I can happen upon some sweepstakes that will throw in some free round trip airfare.
Either way, I won something! It's pretty exciting. Hopefully, the luck continues and I can happen upon some sweepstakes that will throw in some free round trip airfare.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Easter 2016
Easter weekend was full of first for the McKelroy family;
Lorelai’s first church service, Easter basket and visit from her Uncle Jarred.
Jillian’s brother, Jarred, works as an EMT/Firefighter in Georgia and had not
had the time off to come see his first niece until this weekend. Unfortunately,
the rest of his family couldn’t make it. He made it to town of Friday and had just
enough time to see Lorelai before being whisked away by his mother for a
majority of the weekend.
Sunday was a bit of a whirlwind. From about 7am to 10am, we
took turns taking care of Lorelai while the other dressed for Church. We went
to the last service available at Fairhope United Methodist (11am). We made it
there with a little time to spare, but the weather was as awful as the parking
and we had to make our way across traffic in a downpour; umbrella in one hand,
car seat in the other.
To our surprise and delight, Lorelai slept through the
entire one hour service. The only noise she made was early on during some of
the musical bits, and that was only a fit of hiccups. They were really cute, so
no one around seemed to mind.
The service lasted a little longer than we expected, and we
had plans to be at my parent’s house for lunch. The rain had not let up and we
got equally wet on the way out. I even managed to step in a newly made stream
on the edge of the road, filling a shoe with water. We let my parents know that
we’d be a little late and went home to change.
Lorelai finally woke up just in time to say hello to
everyone at my parent’s house and then nurse. After we all ate lunch we took to
taking family photos with everyone. Here’s a sample:
We stayed at my parents for a while to visit and then came
home to start making spaghetti. We hosted Jarred, Jillian’s Mom and step-dad for
dinner that night. It was nice to be able to spend separate but equal time with
both sides of the family.
Friday, March 18, 2016
Lorelai Gael McKelroy
WONDERFUL NEWS!
I'm now the proud father of a healthy baby girl. Lorelai Gael McKelroy was born two weeks ago tomorrow; March 5th 2016 at 6:08 am. It has been a bit of a whirlwind since but I wanted to jot down a few things about her name and birth.
Name first. Jillian and I wanted something original and reflective of our heritage and I think we worked it out well. Both of us share a lot of Celtic ancestry. You wouldn't it know it with a mix of Keane, Andrews and McKelroy in our names. On my side however, there is a strong German/Polish influence from my mother's side. Lorelai, the name of a famous rock in the Rhine River, was a favorite of Jillian's (especially the spelling, which was taken from a character on the 90's show Gilmore Girls). Gael was a no brainer for the Irish/Scottish side. It literally means 'of Gaelic decent' and seems to roll off the tongue with Lorelai.
Now for the birth story; which was much shorter than expected. All day Friday (the 4th), Jillian had been experiencing light, sporadic contractions. There were so sporadic, in fact, that we halfway dismissed them as braxton hicks contractions. Around 9pm that evening, we went to bed and started a movie (The Intern, starring Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro). The contractions were getting a little more common but still very inconsistent, so we were writing them down. There wasn't too much to note until 10pm when all of a sudden Jillian had a VERY strong contraction. This one was very noteworthy because it was paired with her water breaking. From then on, things got real... quickly.
We packed up the car at a lightning pace and I played 'Nascar driver' on the way to Thomas Hospital in Fairhope. They checked us in around 11pm and thankfully, for Jillian, it only took about 30 minutes or so to get her an epidural. Nearly seven hours later, Lorelai was introduced to the world. Her official measurements: 8lb 11oz, 21 in long.
I'm now the proud father of a healthy baby girl. Lorelai Gael McKelroy was born two weeks ago tomorrow; March 5th 2016 at 6:08 am. It has been a bit of a whirlwind since but I wanted to jot down a few things about her name and birth.
Name first. Jillian and I wanted something original and reflective of our heritage and I think we worked it out well. Both of us share a lot of Celtic ancestry. You wouldn't it know it with a mix of Keane, Andrews and McKelroy in our names. On my side however, there is a strong German/Polish influence from my mother's side. Lorelai, the name of a famous rock in the Rhine River, was a favorite of Jillian's (especially the spelling, which was taken from a character on the 90's show Gilmore Girls). Gael was a no brainer for the Irish/Scottish side. It literally means 'of Gaelic decent' and seems to roll off the tongue with Lorelai.
Now for the birth story; which was much shorter than expected. All day Friday (the 4th), Jillian had been experiencing light, sporadic contractions. There were so sporadic, in fact, that we halfway dismissed them as braxton hicks contractions. Around 9pm that evening, we went to bed and started a movie (The Intern, starring Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro). The contractions were getting a little more common but still very inconsistent, so we were writing them down. There wasn't too much to note until 10pm when all of a sudden Jillian had a VERY strong contraction. This one was very noteworthy because it was paired with her water breaking. From then on, things got real... quickly.
We packed up the car at a lightning pace and I played 'Nascar driver' on the way to Thomas Hospital in Fairhope. They checked us in around 11pm and thankfully, for Jillian, it only took about 30 minutes or so to get her an epidural. Nearly seven hours later, Lorelai was introduced to the world. Her official measurements: 8lb 11oz, 21 in long.
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Baby Shower at work
Jillian's due date is nearly upon us...
and my office decided to throw us a late notice baby shower. It went really well, but Jillian wasn't able to attend so I had to fly solo. I don't think the ladies who attended were completely satisfied with my lack of "Awww" 's and "That's so cute!". I tried to humor them with what I could, but I know they wanted more. Regardless, they were very generous and we got some great stuff for little McKelroy.
Mardi Gras 2016
Despite living in an area that widely celebrates Mardi Gras each year, Jillian and I had not gone to any parades together. The weather was a little chilly, but we had nothing else to do so we decided to go to one of the night parades in Fairhope.
I guess age changes your Mardi Gras priorities. I had no desire to get adult beverages and rack up on plastic beads and frizbees, cups and coins made in China. Our one focus was free food; specifically moon pies and oatmeal creme pies. With such a limited goal, I was surprised by how successful we were after only two passes of floats.
As the crowds relocated for a third pass, Jillian and I ran off with our loot with the goal of avoiding traffic. Thankfully, we were achieved that goal and got home at a decent hour.
We thought we were one and done for the season but got a call the next day from our friends Gavin and Jessica. They were in town with their kids and were going to another parade in Daphne and wanted to meet up. It turned out to be an even colder night, but a couple free beers helped.
The Daphne parade exceeded my free stu
ff expectations. It helped that we appeared to be set up right beside someone who knew someone (possibly everyone) on one of the floats. That usually results in a waterfall of goods. This instance was no exception. Jillian and I kept the edibles and gave everything else to the kiddos. A very enjoyable night and two great parades back to back.
I guess age changes your Mardi Gras priorities. I had no desire to get adult beverages and rack up on plastic beads and frizbees, cups and coins made in China. Our one focus was free food; specifically moon pies and oatmeal creme pies. With such a limited goal, I was surprised by how successful we were after only two passes of floats.
As the crowds relocated for a third pass, Jillian and I ran off with our loot with the goal of avoiding traffic. Thankfully, we were achieved that goal and got home at a decent hour.
The Daphne parade exceeded my free stu
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Toyota Camry Fog Light Replacement
I wouldn't say that, while growing up, I was exposed to a lot of mechanical training from my dad. He was more into wood-work. He made small house furniture and grandfather clocks. Something few people probably know. He hasn't done it for over 20 years.
Anyway, having received no formal mechanical training, I find great personal satisfaction in completing vehicle tasks that most people would find mundane. In college, I changed the engine thermostat on a Jeep Wrangler. I changed the break pads on my Silverado before I sold it. I felt like those were milestones on my journey to master shade-tree mechanic.
This past weekend I dialed back my overwhelming masculinity to simply change a fog light on my Camry. I'd say that I was looking forward to it, but Jillian had to persuade me to stop putting it off. Most of my hesitation came from the fact that I had to put the car on jack stands to even get to the light.
Jack stands in place, I crawled under to take out the plastic under-car shield. A few screws and it was off revealing the rear of the fog light. I took a look at it's housing and became immediately depressed. It looked like it couldn't be taken off from the inside and the bumper would actually have to be removed. Before I started cursing uncontrollably, I took another look to review. Turned out I was wrong. Old light assembly out, new one in. Job done. What I expected to take half a day turned out to be an hour job. Still, I was pretty proud of it.
Anyway, having received no formal mechanical training, I find great personal satisfaction in completing vehicle tasks that most people would find mundane. In college, I changed the engine thermostat on a Jeep Wrangler. I changed the break pads on my Silverado before I sold it. I felt like those were milestones on my journey to master shade-tree mechanic.
This past weekend I dialed back my overwhelming masculinity to simply change a fog light on my Camry. I'd say that I was looking forward to it, but Jillian had to persuade me to stop putting it off. Most of my hesitation came from the fact that I had to put the car on jack stands to even get to the light.
Jack stands in place, I crawled under to take out the plastic under-car shield. A few screws and it was off revealing the rear of the fog light. I took a look at it's housing and became immediately depressed. It looked like it couldn't be taken off from the inside and the bumper would actually have to be removed. Before I started cursing uncontrollably, I took another look to review. Turned out I was wrong. Old light assembly out, new one in. Job done. What I expected to take half a day turned out to be an hour job. Still, I was pretty proud of it.
Friday, January 29, 2016
Baby update
The due date is quickly approaching. Roughly 5 weeks until our daughter arrives. It's still an odd feeling. I know a life changing event is right around the corner, but it hasn't really sunk in yet. I have a feeling that it won't really hit me until she's in my arms for the first time. Everyone says she'll have me wrapped around her finger and, regardless of how much I may deny it, they are probably right.
I'm just ready for her to get here.
I'm just ready for her to get here.
Saturday, January 23, 2016
34 Week Ultrasound
Not much to report on the baby front. Our daughter-to-be is growing fast and all appears well. I'm posting our latest ultrasound despite its lack of interesting content.
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Babymoon / NYC Trip - Dec 2015 (Part 3)
Day 4:
At the beginning of the day, we had a pretty good idea of what we still wanted to do while in town and it became pretty clear that we may have booked one too many days in our hotel. We had an abundance of time, so we felt no need to speed through future activities.
Our first stop of the day was the American Museum on Natural History. Give credit to the movie magic of "A Night at the Museum" for making this place look like an exciting place to visit, because it was not. Perhaps stuffed animals are less enthralling when you've seen nearly all of them alive. Either way, the only thing that Jillian and I found interesting were the dinosaur fossils on the fourth floor.
Better than the museum was the surrounding neighborhood that we strolled through afterward while looking for a good spot for lunch. We grabbed some sandwiches at a sports bar and then explored a flea market going on within the gates of a neighborhood park & basketball courts. We didn't buy anything but found a really cool, old-school Auburn University pennant.
At the beginning of the day, we had a pretty good idea of what we still wanted to do while in town and it became pretty clear that we may have booked one too many days in our hotel. We had an abundance of time, so we felt no need to speed through future activities.
Our first stop of the day was the American Museum on Natural History. Give credit to the movie magic of "A Night at the Museum" for making this place look like an exciting place to visit, because it was not. Perhaps stuffed animals are less enthralling when you've seen nearly all of them alive. Either way, the only thing that Jillian and I found interesting were the dinosaur fossils on the fourth floor.
Better than the museum was the surrounding neighborhood that we strolled through afterward while looking for a good spot for lunch. We grabbed some sandwiches at a sports bar and then explored a flea market going on within the gates of a neighborhood park & basketball courts. We didn't buy anything but found a really cool, old-school Auburn University pennant.
Our entertainment for the night was a Broadway show. It took us a while, before our trip, to decide on one but we decided on "Wicked"; a play about the wizard of oz. I know nothing about any of the other plays available, but I'm positive that we picked correctly. 'Wicked' was perfect. Dinner was the opposite so I'll skip talking about it. I will note, however, that we did a little exploring after the flea market and found the fur-baby's ornaments along a street market. I also got a free Stella glass from the street bar seen below:
Day 5:
Our last full day in New York was more of a half day. We grabbed some breakfast in Times Square before walking to the M&M's store to grab some treats. We dropped off our chocolate goods and then made our way to the Empire State Building. Unfortunately, it was a foggy day so there was no view of the city. It may have been a small blessing in disguise, b/c no view meant no line... and there was PLENTY of space for lines in that building. Two floors of lines to get into elevators. Our trip up and out was less than an hour.
We planned to tour Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum afterward and then realized it would cost $80!!! Having walked over 40 miles during the trip, it made more sense to just called it an early night. I got some takeout from a nearby restaurant and we packed before going to bed.
Day 6:
Up at the crack of dawn and off to the airport.
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