Dual fuel works great in Massachusetts

When I moved into my Lowell, Massachusetts home I figured I was stuck with the heating system that came with it.

The previous owner relied on a boiler system that was in the basement.

The boiler then heated air that rose and went up through a series of grates in the living room floor. That was it as far as heating. There also was no cooling system. For years I dealt with inferior heating and no AC. I kept a space heater on the kitchen table for when my kids ate breakfast. It was awful. When that boiler finally died I did some major renovating as far as HVAC went. I removed the boiler and covered all the grates. I contacted a Lowell HVAC business and talked about my options. I ended up selecting a dual fuel system for my household in Massachusetts. It is basically a heat pump and a gas furnace combinated. For the cold, winter season the gas furnace is what is heating my house. Then when the temperatures get a little warmer, the heating function of the heat pump can operate. In the summer, the cooling function of the heart pumps what I use. I would say most of the year I am relying on the heat pump which is a more energy efficient way to provide temperature control. I save so much energy on my bills doing this. I need the gas furnace option though since the temperatures in Lowell do get down below freezing. It was a smart buy for me in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Lowell Massachusetts heating business

Kids activities in Elgin

I recently took my sons to Santa’s village amusement and waterpark.

Despite the name Santa, it is a really good summer activity for the kids.

I love taking my boys there to ride on all the rides and hit the water park. It gets tough in the summer coming up with things to do. In Elgin, Illinois there isn’t much for kids. So I try to find fun activities. We go to the Elgin zoo one day and do mini golfing the next. We see a movie and maybe hit the park to throw a frisbee. Santa’s village amusement park is the highlight of the summer. I like that they are completely entertained while I just stand there watching them. Now that I have given birth I have found that I can’t go on rides anymore. I can’t ride roller coasters, merry go rounds or bumper cars. My poor husband is the one stuck going with them all the time. He then tags me back. I have to go to all the water park stuff and stay wet for hours on end. It isn’t a blast for adults, but the children certainly love it. I really enjoy that the park is such a short drive away from our Elgin home. We also have great weather in Illinois most of the year. We have endless opportunities to go and have superior weather. Our summer season is quite long but not brutally hot. Nobody is going to be overheated or sunburned. But, nobody is going to be cold during our summer either.

Elgin Illinois fireplace

NCAA Gymnastics championships are in Fort Worth this year

We get to see the college gymnasts and hang out in Fort Worth Texas

Honestly, it isn’t easy watching gymnastics on TV. I am constantly on the hunt trying to watch tumbling. I was a gymnast all throughout high school and I did it in college. Afterwards I found that I missed seeing the sport. I do a bit on my own but I like watching the competitive side of it. Finding college gymnastics on TV isn’t easy. There aren’t very many televised events. I did find that the NCAA gymnastics championship is going to be hosted in Fort Worth, Texas this year in April. I immediately got on the horn and ordered tickets. I have always wanted to see college gymnastic meets after being done with the sport. Seeing a championship at this level and with a bunch of schools is a dream come true. My husband isn’t really into tumbling so I had to lure him to Fort Worth for other reasons. I looked up fun things to do and good places to eat. I found a luxury hotel where we can get massages, facials and swim in the pool. My husband is really excited since I have my mother watching our two boys at home. So the two of us are having a little romantic weekend getaway. We get to see the college gymnasts and hang out in Fort Worth Texas. I am really excited to finally see the sport from the bench rather than be in the competition mindset. I think I am really going to love it. I am thinking Fort Worth, Texas will be a great trip that we might want to repeat someday.

 

Fort Worth Texas Air conditioning system

Lucky we can see a professional hockey game easily

We are a big time hockey family.

  • We live in Sioux Falls, which is no stranger to cold weather.

We get below freezing temperatures and snow for a few months out of the year. We also live close enough to the city that we can comfortably say we are Rapid rush fans. The Rapid Rushes do pretty deceit in the cup playoffs. It is so fun to binge the hockey season all year and then watch the playoffs. If our team makes it, I hurry to get us at least one ticket to a game. It is so much fun seeing a professional hockey team. We all get beers, chips, pretzels, and candy to watch the event. Everyone bundles up and cheers for their favorite team. Since we live in Sioux Falls, the drive into the city is only around 45 minutes. It is great since that means no hotel room or worry about the snow during the drive. 45 minutes is short enough that it is fine to drive in cold conditions and late at night. It is just long enough that we are out of the bustling city and nightlife. I love that our house is in a more rural, quieter area. I wouldn’t change where we live at all. Anything I need business wise or service, is less than an hour away. I get by quite well with paying long distance fees or sweet talking workers. I wouldn’t move from Sioux Falls To the city for any amount of money. Even if the Rapid Rushes won the cup, I wouldn’t want to live there to see all the games.

Sioux Falls SD gas furnace

He found out it was on my bucket list

Recently my husband and I made a bucket list of places we want to go.

My husband had places like Japan and Australia on his.

I picked more towards Norway and Scotland. I did put St. Petersburg on my list and my husband was shocked. St. Petes is about a three hour drive from our Florida location. He was all excited and geared up to go. It is on my bucket list and totally doable. We had to do it. The two of us made a week plan for a St. Petersburg vacation. I don’t think my husband realized how awesome that location was. There are all sorts of amazing food vendor’s in St. Petes. Everything from Cuban food to seafood is said to be amazing. There is fine dining and highly rated restaurants to eat from. There is shopping, beach activities, and tons of concerts. Another plus is that there is a huge walking path in St. Petersburg, Florida. So you can theoretically walk to everything you could possibly want. You can talk in the sights and just enjoy being in sunny Florida. The two of us went in October. In my mind this was the perfect time of year. The weather was in the 80s. So it was hot enough to go in the water but wasn’t so sweltering that walking to dinner was horrible. The hotel had great AC and we were able to sleep well. I loved our St. Petersburg trip. It was one of the cheaper, but better places I have ever visited.

St. Petersburg Florida HVAC repairman