Dallas Wrestling Trip 2016

As some followers of this silly blog of mine know that nearly every season I try to go on a wrestling vacation at Wrestlemania time. This year was no exception. However, it was the first time my wife came with me. Mainly because she has never been around before.

We tried to balance the vacation out between activities we both wanted to do while in Dallas, Texas.

Once arriving and meeting up with familiar faces at the hotel, we went to Martin House Brewery. A place where a friend of mine works in distribution. A couple of other people joined the adventure of brewery hopping for the night. It was a good time with good beer.

The next we headed downtown with a couple of other friends to check out the Dallas Aquarium. Afterwords we ate lunch, we walked around checking out the usual tourist spots like the JFK Assassination site and Reunion Tower. After it was time for the Ring of Honor event, which was my first live wrestling event in nearly a year and my wife's first one. It was a great event and my wife had a blast.

On Saturday we debated several things to do. We ended up doing a little shopping and lots of relaxing. Plus watched the NXT event at the hotel.

Sunday rolled around and we had the opportunity to visit old family friends of my wife's from the Philippines.We went to their home and ate a fantastic lunch. It meant a lot to Pam to see one of her mother's best friends. It was a fun afternoon for us both. Then it was more wrestling. We opted not to go to Mania this year. Tickets were too outrageous for us. So we gathered in a room with friends and watched the event.

Monday morning came around. We had to leave early to catch our flight back home.

It was a short trip, but a fun one. Even only seeing people for a short time is better than not at all. I am still amazed at how this group of people from around the world come together all the time.

Orlando plans are already in the works for 2017.



Observation of An Illogical mind by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.seankimmel.com.
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Niagara Falls - A Honeymoon Getaway

I haven't wrote much on here in a long time. My free time because less and less any more. Which is why I never wrote about this trip last year.

I guess it was our official honeymoon. Me and the wife jumped in the car and drove out to Niagara Falls for a couple of days over Labor Day weekend. It was rather inexpensive method to get away over Labor Day. And it was our first vacation/road trip together.


I had been to Niagara before and traveled down these interstates numerous times over the years. But watching Pam take it all in for the first time made a lot of it new to me once again. Her inquisitive nature takes over at rest stops as she grabs pamphlets and maps to area in search of deals and possible future adventures. Her friendly ways take over as she talks to other travelers in this places. It's nothing to walk out of the restroom to find her chatting with a total stranger.

To see the beauty of the Falls again with my beauty warmed my heart. We spent the afternoon and evening of the first night all around at the Falls. Looking at it from over head and going down to caverns below (and getting soaked). We walked back to hotel to change. Then walked back to the Falls to gaze at it under the night sky.

The next morning we awoke and walked around the downtown area. We ended up at the Aquarium, which was pretty decent. We both enjoy the spectacle of animal gazing. We squeezed in
before heading back to the hotel and checking out.

We stopped at an outlet mall (or two) on the way back and had an overnight stay in downtown Cleveland before coming back home to relax for the rest of the holiday.




Observation of An Illogical mind by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.seankimmel.com.
Please feel free to share the link but contact me for any other uses or publication. Thanks.

Married...

Me and my fiancee made it official on July 25, 2015.

We had a small ceremony with my family in the town I grew up in. Even with a small service thrown together, there was so much to figure out. I dont how one does a large wedding.

Our marriage in the US was more about hitting a deadline. Pam was here on K-1 Visa for three months and it expired in late August. We had to be married with in 90 days of her arrival. What they don't tell you is the adjustment paperwork also has to filed in those 90 days for the fiancee to stay legally. And gathering paperwork and documents takes time.

So her Adjustment Status paperwork is filed and the Green Card process begins. In the meantime we are still figuring out how to be together under one roof and how to process each other's quirks. The last three months are more time we spent in the same place than the two years we officially dated. Some things just don't translate over internet chats or on short week long vacations.

Luckily we are happy and doing just fine.

Observation of An Illogical mind by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.seankimmel.com.
Please feel free to share the link but contact me for any other uses or publication. Thanks.

That new (to us) home smell

Since taking the job in Merrillville I have spent time in multiple hotels, and a temporary apartment before moving into our new home on June 1.

After having to re-adjust the amount I wanted to spend on a home for myself and Pam, the housing market is so much more expensive on this side of the state, I settled on a house. Pam got to look it over via webcam and was happy with the choice. It is a much larger house than either of us had in mind.

It's a three bedroom with a full basement and a nice size lot. There was some thing which need to be done to the house and some things we wanted to do. But it is in a good, safe neighborhood, their is shopping within walking distance, and a short commute to work. Plus we got it for a lower than value price.

We spent the first month cleaning the filth and throwing out garbage left behind by the last owners. I knew there was some junk laying around but there was a whole new layer once we started peeling it away. Oh, the amount of disinfectant cleaner used to clear away the funky oder and caked on dirt and animal hair. It wasn't a pretty sight to begin with and I think my wife wondered what I had gotten us into.

Nearly three months later there are still many projects to complete. I have to remember it takes time and money. We've got all the junk thrown out of the house, still working on the garage. We have new floors down in the kitchen and laundry room with basement floors to be done in the next week. New windows are scheduled for September. Left behind, dirty cabinets have been cleaned, painted, and re-purposed for actual use.

Pam has found a love for this little DIY projects while I am at work. And luckily, we have plenty. But in a couple years this house will be turned into a five bedroom house with two baths and a finished basement. All of the improvements should be most beneficial when it comes time move and sell.

Until then, it's our home sweet home.



Observation of An Illogical mind by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.seankimmel.com.
Please feel free to share the link but contact me for any other uses or publication. Thanks.

The Philippines Return and K1 Visa

If you follow my randomly spaced out blog then you know I am in a relationship with a Filipina. I met her a couple of years ago online. Decided to travel there to met her in person. We clicked and have been together ever since. Last year I proposed to her and we have spent the last few months waiting on her Visa.

In May it was approved. So I booked airplane tickets. Correction - I purchased very expensive, last minute airplane tickets for us and took vacation to go and bring her back.

Before I talk about the trip. What a whirlwind this 2015 has been. We both new the challenges and such with her coming to the country but this was compounded by me excepting a new managerial job within our company and moving to a different part of the state. Plus trying to find a new house for us and selling the current house. Let's not forget the joys of moving. All on top of the insanely busy work schedule. Like I said, 2015 has been a whirlwind.

But it would all be better once Pam arrived. The day that K1 Visa came in was a great weight lifted off our shoulders. And the process was actually rather painless compared to some of the horror stories I read. My advice is give the government lots of information and dont try to hide anything. They will find out anyways.

So after working the 2nd biggest event I have of the year and getting about four hours sleep, I jumped in my jeep with the suitcases and heading out to O'Hare Airport early in the morning. The flight was Chicago to Honolulu to Guam to Manila. So the positives is I have now stepped on the soil of another country and now only have Alaska as the only state in the US not to visit. The negatives is there was once again delays. And neither of the flights to Hawaii or Guam had free food.

After arriving late and getting through all the usual airport process, which by the way the new terminal is outstanding and a much needed upgrade to the Ninoy Airport, I successfully negotiated my cab fare at a reasonable rate for the first time. I am very proud of myself. Went to the Tune Hotel in Makati where Pam was waiting on me. No matter how long I have been travel, no matter how tired I feel, whenever I see her beautiful face answer the door it makes everything better.

Normally we would have some sort of vacation booked but since was the last time she was going to be home for quite awhile, we decided to spend most of the time with family in her family home; after spending a couple of days by ourselves in the city. We actually didn't do much this time around. It was too damn hot. The hottest it has been in my four times in the Philippines. One afternoon we went to my favorite beer destination in the city, Global Beer Exchange and one morning we spent walking around the gorgeous Bonifacio City. This part of Manila feels a lot like America. There are sidewalks and stoplights which people abide by and lots of restaurants and commerce and it's clean. It is definitely the ritzy side of Manila. Both days were fun... when I wasn't sweating bullets.

We headed to Magalang, which is outside Angeles City, to stay at the family home. Basically we just hung out with her siblings and their kids for a few days enjoying our time together. I toughed it out in the scorching heat and humidity with no air con before having to go into the city and stay at a hotel for a night to cool off. It was a bit eye opening living without all my American conveniences for a few days. I gained a great respect for the people here who go about there lives in the weather of 95 degrees with 90% humidity. I got introduced to many of the extended family and her grandma during this trip. We went to a big family fiesta where the Red Horse was flowing heavy and the food was a plenty. The lechon was excellent. One cant go wrong with pig roasted over an open flame. The family made me feel instantly welcomed and part of the group. It was a fun day and pleasure to finally meet all of them.

The day before we were to fly out, for America; we decided to rent a large van and take most of the family on a day trip to Manila. We went to Star City Amusement Park and had fun for a few hours. Then we got dropped off at the hotel where the emotional goodbyes were said.

This was Pam's first long flight. Actually only her second overall, the first being when we went to Palawan. The flight went Manila to Tokyo to Detroit to Chicago. I was a tad nervous about entry, mainly because of some horror stories I read, But it was simple and painless. Again, keep things detailed and honest if you go through this process.

Then drive to Crown Point from O'Hare wasn't terrible either as I saw it all through her eyes of curiosity. It nakes it all new to me too.

Welcome to America dear.




Observation of An Illogical mind by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.seankimmel.com.
Please feel free to share the link but contact me for any other uses or publication. Thanks.