The Lewis Show

No, nothing has gotten away from me. Janine and I decided to get away ourselves for a couple days. We loaded up the Mom car (my Ford Escape), and we headed to Virginia Beach to listen to the ocean for a couple days. There's something about that sound alone that can really recharge me. I'm 37 now for those trying to keep count. I figure it's time for me to stop trying to count and rely on the kindness of strangers to do the math for me. I feel great though. Going to the gym and being motivated have made me very content overall. Now for pictures: Making a run for the Mom Car on Tuesday afternoon Immediately kicked my feet up Soaked in the view. I love this time of year at the beach. No people! Did I mention I got a Nook ? Thanks, Janine ! I've also already hacked it.

Base camp last weekend. Got plenty sun and beach on Saturday. Not so much for Sunday. The rest of the weekend washed out. So I turned Janine loose on the Myrtle Beach Home Goods. The rain did not dampen our plans to relax. Relax we did.

I meant to give a recap of our vacation last week, but after posting some pictures, I completely forgot. On top of that, all the pictures I took with my phone were lost when I reformatted my SD card before moving the pics to my hard drive. So I've felt a giant dunce hat over my head all week. Lucky for me Janine takes great pictures and I have all of those safe and sound. Janine and I have made it a point especially after last year to take the train every year for our anniversary and find a spot on the map that we haven't visited and visit it. Last year we had a lot of fun in Philadelphia and I took the occasion to propose to the most wonderful woman I've ever met. This year, per her suggestion, we looked into travelling south. The easy choice would have been somewhere like Charlotte or Atlanta, but I figured Charleston would have more of what we were looking for. Charleston has great beaches, a colorful history, and an interesting locale. So we decided to test our trai...

Beach time Crossing the Cooper River Bridge Checked out the historical homes Did the haunted graveyard tour Hung out downtown

The path to the beach. We spent two early afternoons there, just relaxing.   Wes said he wanted a 'six pack'. We slightly misunderstood.   We agreed that we would be that old couple one day with the RV.    It was us vs the dinosaur at a game of Putt Putt. The dino won..   Time was the biggest winner. There was not enough time on earth to enjoy a few days away.

  City Hall - awesome architecture!   Grave site for Ben Franklin   Constitution Hall   Liberty Bell   Newly engaged couple!

Keeping my end of the bargain to travel and see something different every year for our anniversary, I figured I'd take Janine to see the history and the craziness that is Philadelphia. We got up around 6AM Friday morning and boarded the train. I had been on a couple of train rides, this was Janine's first. From what I gathered it won't be the last either. She had a lot of fun compared to flying. It looks like we're going to Maine next year she said. Maine it is! The train stations to me are always a cool thing to see. A lot of them are mini malls now, but they are historic and are known for some of the best architecture in the country, I think. I always love walking around those structures because they have crazy overheads. It all feels very....Roman. Once in Philly we hopped on a cab for the hotel and checked in. Club Quarters is right in the middle of everything in Center City, so I figured this was a good idea. We got a nice suite on the 8th floor and I have wire...

Yes! The beach. Wait a sec...there's a million seagulls camped outside on the beach! They were everywhere, but it's not the beach without the sounds of the ocean and a million scavenger birds eating everything they can. The gulls weren't the only things trying to dominate the skies. There was a ton of military activity around Virginia Beach. I'm reminded of a funny local bumper sticker that said "I love jet traffic". This one was carrying something with a rope. I was waiting for Steven Segal to jump down the cord and kick some Russian guy's ass! I gotta admit I would be a hot dog just like the Navy pilots that practically fly backwards as they circle around Oceana to land. Janine and I went to the aquarium in Virginia Beach. I had not been there since I was in grammar school! The place is still pretty much the same....under construction. We had fun petting sting rays and watching the turtles and sharks swimming around. The shark on the left kept eyeballing...

The seagulls are saying Happy 34th Mike in...seagull. I haven't had time to post and reflect over the past year of my life because Janine and I are enjoying some vacation time in Virginia Beach. I have to admit I'm really enjoying coming out here for short vacations every couple months. It's cheap and super close to home. And then there's all this ocean! I feel so at home here. I don't know what it is. I only lived the first four years of my life here, but there's just something about this area that makes me feel calm and at peace and happy.I 'm sure I'll be posting more all week. Have fun, all you people that are stuck at work!

Last week was very much needed. Let's see if I can go over everything before I forget. You know, old age. My vacation kicked off last Friday at 12:30. I was lazy the whole weekend too. Now that's not all that unusual, but I literally made it a point to become the biggest slacker couch potato slug ever. Mission was accomplished! Labor Day was, I believe, one of the few holidays that Janine had off work, so we got to enjoy that together. I remember going all over town trying to find an open restaurant finally settling on Outback. I had a tasty steak with shrimp on the barbie and I drank it down with a fine pinotnoir. Yeah, I'm a total wine freak now. I'll post in the future about how everyone can get involved and enjoy some good grape! Tuesday morning we packed up and headed to Virginia Beach. Home sweet home I say! It was good to be back at the birthplace and it was fun trying to show Janine around. The town and roads have changed so much from when I would go to visit m...

I'll post details when I get back Sunday from vacation part two. Pics till then! The beach! The beach! The beach! Me at the balcony, aka Zen Central Janine hanging out at Zen Central The sun needs to come up later. 6AM was too early! The living room. I think for now on I'm only going to rent suites.

Tuesday, Janine and I will be enjoying the quiet, tranquil town of Virginia Beach . Ok, truth is we'll be enjoying the crazy, bustling city of Virginia Beach! This is my birthplace. I love it there so much. I'll always consider this place my home town. While we are there, the tentative plan is to get in a lot of relaxation, visit the aquarium , check some historical areas, and if there's time, the Naval Base . Since the both of us are military kids, it's always a lot of fun to see something like this base. I'm proud of both our Dads for their service along with everyone still currently serving in our armed forces! We'll be staying at Barclay Suites on the waterfront. It's a little old, but I found a really good deal and it's ideally located. I figure we'll check out Captain George's so we can eat a ton of seafood. You cannot go wrong with a buffet that offers over 70 items! We're definatley going to hit up Beach Bully's (their website ...