An Observant Mind

skinny goodness!

2012-02-02T11:52:00.000-06:00

okay, i promise that this is not becoming a foodie blog, but i just have to share more of the delicious things i've been making courtesy of skinnytaste.

check out this delicious appetizer!

skinny baked mozzarella sticks

and here's the recipe from skinnytaste:

Skinny Baked Mozzarella Sticks
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 12 • Serving Size: 2 pieces • Old Points: 1 pts • Points+: 2 pts*
Calories: 86.8* • Fat: 4.8 g • Protein: 7.4 g • Carb: 3.5 g • Fiber: 0.2 g • Sugar: 0.2
Sodium: 168.6

Ingredients:

12 sticks part-skim, reduced sodium mozzarella string cheese (Sargento)
1 large egg, beaten
2 tbsp flour
5 tbsp Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
5 tbsp panko crumbs
2 tsp parmesan cheese
1 tbsp dried parsley
olive oil cooking spray (I used my misto)

Directions:

Cut cheese in half to give you 24 pieces. Place cheese in the freezer until cheese is frozen.In small bowl, whisk the egg. Place the flour on another small dish. In separate bowl, combine bread crumbs, panko, parmesan cheese and dried parsley.
Dip the frozen sticks in flour, shaking off excess, then into the egg, then coat with the crumbs. Repeat this process with the remaining cheese placing them on a tray with wax paper. Place cheese back into the freezer until ready to bake (this is a must or they will melt before the crumbs get golden).

When ready to bake preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with oil.Place frozen cheese sticks on baking sheet. Spray the tops of the mozzarella sticks with a little more oil and bake in the bottom third of your oven until crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn and bake an additional 4 - 5 minutes watching them closely so they don't melt.

Makes 24 pieces.

seriously SO easy and SO delicious!

a tasty weekend at our place!

2012-01-30T10:35:00.000-06:00

i tried out a couple recipes new recipes this past weekend. they were both delicious!

friday night we had crab cakes (ww+ recipe) and creamed spinach (skinny taste recipe).

and saturday night we had low fat baked ziti with spinach (skinny taste recipe) along with a bottle of darioush 2007 pinot noir that our friend rachel got us a couple years ago for our 1st anniversary/housewarming gift. it was definitely worth the wait!

i cannot wait to try more recipes from skinnytaste. here are the next two i plan to make!

spinach lasagna rolls

Source: skinnytaste.com via adam on Pinterest

hash brown egg white nests

Source: skinnytaste.com via adam on Pinterest

cooking on ww+

2012-01-24T09:35:00.000-06:00

like many, one of my new year's resolutions was to finally shed the excess poundage once and for all. 4 years ago i signed up for weight watchers and successfully lost 40 pounds. thankfully i kept most of it off (aside from the 10 pound fluctuation up and down, over and over), but i never reached my ultimate goal.

hopefully this time will be the time. in the first three weeks i've lost ten pounds by counting points, both food and exercise. i've monitored my diet and increased my physical activity. one of the ways for me to be successful is to ensure i keep changing things up, specifically recipes.

in the past few weeks i've stared eating a lot more seafood. i've found that i really enjoy salmon and it's quite easy to cook! i've also tried smashed cauliflower twice now. though i'd still prefer mashed potatoes, it's a nice, low-point alternative.

with the amazingness that is pinterest, i've been searching for new weight watchers recipes. in my search i came across this website that is absolutely amazing!! on her website, skinnytaste, gina lists all of the nutritional information, most importantly weight watchers points! i cannot wait to try some of her recipes!

first up will be these two recipes:

Source: skinnytaste.com via adam on Pinterest

Low Fat Baked Ziti with Spinach
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1/8th • Points: 6 pts • Points+: 9 ptsCalories: 331.9 • Fat: 7.1 g • Protein: 17.5 g • Carb: 54.7 g • Fiber: 7.8 g

1 lb high fiber ziti such as Ronzoni Smart Taste
28 oz crushed tomatoes (I prefer Tuttorosso)
1 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic,minced
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed
1 tsp oregano
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
salt and fresh pepper to taste
8 oz fat-free ricotta
1/4 cup Parmesan
2 cups (8 oz) part skim mozzarella
Spray olive oil (I used my Misto)

Preheat oven to 375°.Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with oil spray.
In a large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to instructions until al dente.Drain and return to pot.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, add olive oil and sauté garlic. Add chopped spinach, salt pepper and chopped tomatoes. Season with basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
Add sauce to the pasta and combine the ziti. Add half of the mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and ricotta. Mix well then transfer to the baking pan.

Source: skinnytaste.com via adam on Pinterest

Chicken Rollatini with Spinach alla Parmigiana
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1 stuffed breast • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 194.7 • Fat: 7 g • Protein: 24.2 g • Carb: 7.2 g • Fiber: 1.5 g

8 thin chicken cutlets, 3 oz each
1/2 cup whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
6 tablespoons egg whites or egg beaters
5 oz frozen spinach, squeezed dry of any liquid
6 tbsp part skim ricotta cheese
6 oz part skim mozzarella (I used Polly-O)
olive oil non-stick spray (I use my Misto)
1 cup pomodoro sauce or your favorite marinara sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Wash and dry cutlets, season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450°. Lightlyspray a baking dish with non-stick spray.
Combine breadcrumbs and 2 tbsp grated cheese in one bowl and 1/4 cup egg beaters or egg whites in another.
Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with the remaining mozzarella.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted and the edges are lightly browned.

revenge

2012-01-04T07:51:00.000-06:00

yesterday i was deadheading on a 4-hour flight. i knew that i was going to need something to keep my occupied so i downloaded a couple episodes of "revenge". while i had heard many good things about the new ABC drama series, i had not seen it nor knew what it was really about.

after reading the brief description on iTunes, i thought it sounded interesting so why not download the first couple of episodes.

wow! what a great show! the characters and storyline grabbed my attention right away. after finishing the pilot episode i couldn't wait to watch the second one! last night after catching up on what little was on our dvr, i started thinking about "revenge" again and how much i really wanted to watch the next episode.

i'm currently downloading the remainder of season one's episodes and catching up. i literally cannot wait for them to finish downloading so i can flip on the appleTV and curl up on the couch to continue the "revenge".

happy new year

2012-01-01T14:13:00.001-06:00

Source: Uploaded by user via adam on Pinterest

happy new year!

may 2012 be great.

reading in 2011: book #14

2011-12-29T16:10:00.000-06:00

seriously...i'm kidding by ellen degeneres

g's mom got me this book for christmas. it was definitely on my "to read" list and was happy to receive it. i think ellen is hilarious and i definitely enjoy her style of humor. i took this book with me to work on tuesday and finished it by the end of the day. it's funny, as expected, and a very quick read.

need something light and humorous to read? i recommend ellen's latest book!

______________

not too shabby for finishing 14 books this past year! what's on your "to read" list for 2012? please share some great books!

my current read: 11/22/63 by stephen king.

happy birthday anderson!

2011-12-27T21:06:00.000-06:00

happy 4th birthday to our adorable nephew, anderson!

uncle g and the birthday boy!

merry christmas

2011-12-25T07:57:00.000-06:00

Source: themeadowbrookblog.blogspot.com via adam on Pinterest

joyeuz noël!

feliz navidad!

fröhliche weihnachten!

gelukkig kerstfeest!

merry christmas to all my friends and family all over the world!

reading in 2011: book #13

2011-12-21T19:48:00.001-06:00

room
by emma donoghue

wow. what a great read. while it took me a while to get through this book, i think that subconsciously i was trying to stretch out this amazingly good read. told from the perspective of the child, room is about a girl who is abducted and later gives birth to her captor's child. the book is told by jack, the child, who knows only of Room until his escape to "Outside".

it's almost read as a psychological thriller in the way that jack is forced to learn about "Outside" and his fear and confusion by all that exists outside of Room. room is a great read and makes me want to read jaycee dugard's book, stolen life.

{while i know that i skipped book #12 and never posted about reading betty white's if you ask me: (and i know you won't), it was a great read!}

to those still confused

2011-12-14T09:51:00.000-06:00

GO IU! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

2011-12-13T10:48:00.000-06:00

for the first time since the 2007-2008 season, the indiana hoosiers are once again in the top 25 of ncaa men's basketball!

our upset over kentucky (previously ranked #1) on saturday was amazing and truly what college basketball is all about!

THE shot

Hoosier Nation celebrates!

it makes me happy to be a hoosier!! here's hoping that we can maintain this momentum as we enter the big 10 season later this month! GO IU!

fun in amsterdam

2011-12-09T13:59:00.001-06:00

last sunday g and i left for a short trip to amsterdam. we had a great time! here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip. enjoy!

(this was my first attempt at creating a video with iMovie. not too bad, but hopefully i'll be able to perfect it with future trips!)

wow.

2011-12-04T10:02:00.001-06:00

you must watch this entire video. but grab a box of tissues first.

raised by love

2011-12-01T22:55:00.000-06:00

a great video that i have to share. please view the link below and listen to what this well-spoken young man has to say.

Two Lesbians Raised A Baby And This Is What They Got

photo.

tirade tuesday...on wednesday

2011-11-30T16:27:00.001-06:00

Source: bluntcard.com via adam on Pinterest

a few things that i've read via news sites today have really got my blood boiling.

let me start off with this article from the huffington post.
for those of you who are not going to click on the link and read it in its entirety, here's a brief synopsis:

kevin hogan is a high school english teacher, department chair, and coach of the crew team at a prestigious charter school in massachusetts. after receiving his bachelor's degree at northwestern university, he earned his master's degree from boston college. he has over 20 years of experience teaching at the secondary and college level. recently the local fox news affiliate in boston uncovered mr. hogan's brief stint in the adult film industry, appearing in three gay porn videos. now, apparently all his experience and qualifications in the education field are trumped by the fact he did porn. he has been placed on paid administrative leave by the school.

here's this teacher who has excellent qualifications and experience in education, has a great rapport with all of his students, but as it is with all teachers, is held to higher expectations within society. his adult entertainment stint took place prior to his employment with the school, it didn't happen at school or on school time. it has absolutely nothing to do with his abilities as an educator. so why is this man (probably) going to lose his job? i understand that teachers work closely with students on a daily basis, but why are they held to different standards than most others in society? why are teachers not allowed to have a private life?
(i highly encourage you to read the link above because i couldn't agree more with the writer. i basically agree with everything he says.)
and now for my comedic spin - if teacher's were paid appropriately, perhaps he wouldn't have to turn to gay-for-pay pornography to supplement his income!

moving on....

gop presidential candidate herman cain has been accused of a 13-year extramarital affair. after the multiple accusations of sexual harassment, is this a man that people truly think is someone that should be the leader of this country?!

while we're on that subject, let's give a rundown of the gop presidential hopefuls.

Picture Source: someecards.com via adam on Pinterest

herman cain: multiple accusations of sexual harassment, accused of 13-year affair
newt gingrich: admitted to affair (with current wife) while his former wife was on her death bed
mitt romney: can't decide what he really thinks. has flip-flopped on too many issues to count
rick perry: can't remember what governmental agencies he wants to eliminate. also isn't sure of the voting age in america
michele bachmann: do i even need to go there?
jon huntsman: refers to herman cain's many accusations as a "bimbo eruption". misogynist much?

i'm already over the 2012 election campaign.

i like to be informed, but sometimes i wish i didn't even read or watch the news.

finally, i successfully completed nablopomo once again! i hope you enjoyed my daily posts, and thank you for your comments!

christmas vs. cats

2011-11-29T08:19:00.000-06:00

holiday score:

christmas tree ornaments, 0 lucy (and ali), 3

santa hat, 0 lucy, 27

tree skirt, 0 lucy, 18

yup.

2011-11-28T14:36:00.001-06:00

Source: Uploaded by user via adam on Pinterest

today was my first day back at work in almost 2 weeks. i definitely enjoyed my time at home and did NOT want to get up when the alarm went off at 3am
a week from today g and i will be in amsterdam. i'm really looking forward to this short trip. and best part is - - it is FREE! i mentioned earlier that i bought a voucher from living social and i got three friends to buy it too, so mine was free!
i enjoyed having my family here this past weekend. i love hosting people in our home and am so thankful we are all so close and can be together like we were this past weekend.
the condo is all decorated for christmas! i get ridiculously giddy when it comes time to decorate for the holidays!
i refuse to admit/accept that winter is now upon us. i'm in denial so much that i will not wear my winter coat/gloves/hat.
i picked up my occlusal guard (night guard) from the dentist today. it's supposed to help/prevent my TMJ. maybe it'll also cure my snoring that keeps g up at night.
i'll be happy when nablopomo is over so i can take a small hiatus from posting.
ps. one week from today is a very important day! ;)

thanksgiving leftovers

2011-11-27T16:48:00.001-06:00

what to do with all that leftover turkey from thanksgiving? make turkey tetrazzini!!

Source: kingarthurflour.com via adam on Pinterest

here's an easy recipe that i got from teresabug:

7oz thin spaghetti 1/2 c. butter
8oz sliced mushrooms 2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 lb turkey (or chicken) 1 clove garlic
2 c. sour cream parmesan cheese

cook spaghetti, drain. brown mushrooms in butter. cut turkey (or chicken) into small pieces.
mix all ingredients together, except parmesan cheese, in a large bowl.
pour into a 9x13 pan. sprinkle with cheese and bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

super easy and very yummy! enjoy!

family

2011-11-26T08:01:00.000-06:00

Source: cleanandscentsible.blogspot.com via adam on Pinterest

today our family is coming to our home to celebrate thanksgiving. we've been doing this for a few years now and i really look forward to it each year. though our place isn't extremely large, we find plenty of space to sit down at the table together to enjoy our family dinner. we're very lucky that my family is close enough to drive and g's mom is able to fly in so that we can all be together. this year (and every year), i'm thankful for my family.

happy thanksgiving!

2011-11-25T08:45:00.000-06:00

Source: thevintageapple.com via adam on Pinterest

a couple months ago, a co-worker introduced me to pinterest. she mostly pointed out the fantastic recipes you could find there. i was soon hooked and started browsing the many recipe ideas, even trying a few out. recently i started searching other ideas, including arts & crafts, decorating ideas, and photographs. there is literally anything and everything out there!

i like that it's mostly all user-generated. from holiday ideas, DIY projects, books, movies, to amateur photographs, pinterest has it all! it's really starting to catch on (or maybe it already has i'm just a bit behind the times) as i see many people posting things about using the site.

so go ahead, start searching and repin anything and everything to your individual boards! and follow me while you're at it!

happy thanksgiving

2011-11-24T09:05:00.000-06:00

Source: etsy.com via adam on Pinterest

may you have a very happy thanksgiving.

(and remember the real reason for the day! hee hee!)

gelukkige verjaardag aan mij

2011-11-23T08:44:00.000-06:00

g and i had some excellent luck rearranging our work schedule next month. in moving trips around, we ended up having the week of dec 5-9 off completely. we talked about going somewhere but then just dropped it. well, some cosmic force must have been telling us to go somewhere because i got an email from living social escapes for an amazing deal in amsterdam!

Source: charlotteromance.tumblr.com via adam on Pinterest

for once, i had to do the convincing that we should take this quick trip to amsterdam. okay, so maybe i played the birthday card, but regardless it worked! we're flying out on december 4, arriving the next day and staying until thursday!

Source: Uploaded by user via adam on Pinterest

i'm very excited as this is my first trip to the netherlands! i definitely want to see the anne frank house, dam square, the church of st. nicholas (since the feast day will be dec. 6 while we're there!), the christmas markets, and anything else we have time for! a canal tour is included in our trip, too!

(title: "happy birthday to me!" in dutch)

purrfect for fur

2011-11-22T07:59:00.000-06:00

having two cats, both with light-colored fur has been problematic when it comes to furniture. it can be near impossible to sit on the couch without getting up with a new fur coat. we've tried numerous products to clean ali and lucy's leftover coat off of every upholstered surface in the house.

~a lint roller works, if you're willing to go through 15-20 sheets every time.
~the pledge fabric sweeper for pet hair works fairly well, though it's not mean for permanent use

finally i had had it and started to do research for a handheld vacuum that would work to successfully remove pet hair from fabric. i discovered the shark pet perfect II hand vac that came with excellent reviews. though the price seemed a bit steep, i found it on sale at kohls. add in a coupon with some "kohls cash" and i was able to get it at a great price!

when it was delivered i couldn't wait for it to fully charge so i could test it out. let me say how amazing this thing is! our furniture has never looked so clean! if you have pets i would highly recommend this product.

wish big, win big

2011-11-21T13:45:00.001-06:00

our local grocery store is currently having a 'collect and win' game called "wish big, win big". sadly, i've gotten quite hooked on it. depending on what and how much you purchase in groceries, you earn a select number of stamps. in each stamp is a coupon and four game pieces. you then take each of the game pieces and add them to your game board (it's very much like the monopoly game at mcdonalds). you can win cash prizes, a car, ipad, camera, tv, or gift cards; "over $30 million in prizes and money saving offers", the contest touts.

each week after our grocery trip, i come home and open up each stamp booklet and then affix the game pieces on my board. it's sad how excited i get! there are many prizes where i only need one more piece! i've recruited andrea to save her extra pieces so we can swap, adding to our chances! though the contest doesn't end until february 1, i've already won a $2 cash prize! i'm still holding out for the $250,000 cash prize or the $50,000 vehicle prize, though!

scheduling woes

2011-11-20T08:40:00.000-06:00

cross your fingers, cross your toes, pray, keep me in your thoughts - whatever it is you do, please send me good vibes tonight.

i got my schedule for december last week and was baffled when i got (what would normally be) a good schedule. however, with everything going on in december, it's created some stress.

so tonight at 10pm i'm able to move my trips around and hopefully get christmas off. sometimes you have to be careful for asking for some seniority... now i never know what i can hold when bidding!

note: someone picked up my christmas trip prior to this posting! hooray!! that's a huge relief of stress!

picture via stella thompson on pinterest.

yummy!

2011-11-19T09:33:00.001-06:00

i ran across this recipe on my new favorite website/app, pinterest.
super easy and equally as yummy!

line a baking sheet with square pretzel twists. top each pretzel with a rolo.

put in the oven at 250 degrees for 4-5 minutes (the rolo will look the same as when you put it in)

place a pecan half on each softened candy. place in freezer for 5-6 minutes.

enjoy!

presh!

2011-11-18T09:01:00.000-06:00

this girl LOVES getting into things...literally!

she pushed things out of her way to bury herself under the shams on our bed.

and then she crawled inside the pillow in the guest room!

guilty pleasure

2011-11-17T08:41:00.000-06:00

i love tv and record many different shows. though i watch a couple reality programs, i pride myself on not watching "trash" tv. i know that some people love every cast of the real housewives, the scary little girls in the beauty contests with the even scarier moms, or the families with 274 children, but i don't care for any of those shows. i do, however, have one guilty pleasure.

the a-list: dallas

imagine a group of 20-30 something gays, throw in a fruit fly (i don't like the term fag hag), and mix with lots of drama and you have a-list dallas. i get excited when i see a new episode waiting for me on the dvr!

my plans are no plans

2011-11-16T09:23:00.001-06:00

"hey, what are you doing tonight?"
"absolutely nothing!"
"great! want to meet for dinner?"

i'm a homebody. i love being at home, relaxing on my couch with my husband and two kitties. there's really nothing better. so, when i get asked to do something, people don't understand that i just want to be at home. and because i travel most of the time, i relish in my time at home even more. i do have plans; i'm sitting at home, catching up on tv and relaxing!

though i'm not one that can easily fly by the seat of my pants, i'm also not completely rigid and structured either. but that being said, i do like things that are planned out. for example, a few weeks ago andrea mentioned that she had a groupon that she needed to use for an indian restaurant we enjoy. we discussed our schedules and figured out a time that worked for both of us a week down the road. it's the reality of adulthood. we're all busy people and things take some planning. sure it's great to spontaneously pick up and go on occasion, but oftentimes that doesn't work out.

maybe it's just me, but i feel guilty many of time times i decline invitations to do things. i know i shouldn't, but i don't think people understand my need for "me time". so next time you want to get together, give me just a wee bit of notice and i'll be more than happy to get together!

pic.

the hunger games

2011-11-15T08:15:00.000-06:00

i cannot wait for this movie to come out next year! here's the official trailer!

who's out there?

2011-11-14T09:35:00.000-06:00

sometimes i wonder who is out there actually reading my blog. i know of a few faithful readers, but i wonder if anyone else comes across "an observant mind" and takes a few minutes to read some of my past posts.

i know that i could have more readers if i sat down and continually followed (and commented) on other people's blogs. they would then most likely read what i had to say on my own blog. another way to gain more readers is to post regularly and about something that others enjoy reading about. my blog has no set theme, it's just a bunch of random posts. and i can't say that i'm the best about posting regularly.

i'm doing nablopomo for the third year in a row, more to challenge myself than anything else. this year, however, it's seemed like more of a task than anything else, "ugh, i have to blog today". add to the thought of "who is actually reading this?" and i sometimes wonder why i even bother!

i suppose that is why i take blogging breaks (like i did last month) and don't stress myself out about it too much. but, don't worry...to the three to four of you reading this, i will finish nablopomo successfully!

pic.

family

2011-11-13T09:37:00.000-06:00

as thanksgiving and christmas approach, it's natural for me to think about family. when i was younger we always went to my dad's side of the family for a big thanksgiving. the adults sat in one room at a big, long table and the kids sat in the kitchen together. there were always a lot of people there. after my parents divorced we would sometimes make the drive to tennessee to have thanksgiving with my aunt and uncle on my mom's side of the family. though it was smaller, we still always enjoyed ourselves with the typical thanksgiving feast.

on christmas eve, we would always go to my grandma h's house. all the aunts, uncles, and cousins would meet there at some point throughout the evening. the adults would typically play cards and we cousins always found something to keep us entertained. there was a rotating schedule of who would put baby jesus in the nativity scene in the picture window before we headed to midnight mass. on christmas day we always woke up at home to see what santa brought us. later in the day we would make visits at grandma h's and also grandma and grandpa a's. because we were the only grandchildren that lived in wabash, sometimes the day we celebrated christmas with g&g a would be altered.

family was always important part of our family traditions. as i've grown older, many of those traditions have changed.

thanksgiving has been an important day for g's family. because of that, we often went to his mom's house where various family members would join us. a few years ago we started a new tradition. we began hosting thanksgiving in chicago the saturday after thanksgiving. because of our schedules, we found that day worked the best for all of us. though housing everyone has posed a problem at times, we've definitely enjoyed having both of our families share our home with us. we're looking forward to having everyone in our home for thanksgiving this year, too.

christmas has always been a difficult holiday to coordinate. i remember celebrating the first christmas with g and his family. it was also the first time in my life that i did not wake up at my mom's house on christmas morning. though i was happy to be celebrating christmas with g and his family, it was a new feeling. after opening gifts in ohio, we made our way to indiana to celebrate christmas with my family. for five years, we've made the drive around the midwest to celebrate with both families. while it's exhausting and a lot of driving, we're happy to be able to be with both families over christmas.

it's all about family, creating new traditions, and making things work to be with those you love during the holiday season. though things have changed throughout my life, i enjoy celebrating the holidays with loved ones.

baby g

2011-11-12T15:27:00.001-06:00

today i've been fortunate to spend the day with my friend jill and her 5-month old son grayson. sadly, i still had not met grayson until this visit. so, when jill called me a few weeks ago and told me that she needed to bring grayson up here for a specialist appointment, i was happy that i would finally be able to meet him (and of course see jill, too!).

jill and grayson flew up to chicago from indy yesterday. he was a great first-time flyer, his proud momma said! i met them at the airport since i had just recently gotten in from a trip. g and i enjoyed the evening with jill and grayson. he took to his guncle g right away...i attribute it to the beard, like grayson's daddy.

this morning we drove north to buffalo grove so grayson could see the pediadontist. he was born with latching issues due various reasons but the final fix was a frenectomy. he was a super trooper (cue abba) during the 5-minute procedure and seems to be feeling fine.

i'm so glad to be able to spend the weekend with jill and grayson! (we miss you nick!)

we're baaaaaaaack!!

2011-11-11T08:05:00.000-06:00

guess who's coming back?! THE INDIANA HOOSIERS!!!!

rivals.com has ranked indiana with the #1 class for 2012. "the movement" is coming to indiana alongside other top recruits setting indiana basketball up for a major comeback! and as a lifelong hoosier, it's long overdue.

while this is exciting news for the future, we must first focus on the current season, which officially kicks off tonight against stony brook at assembly hall.

i'll be cheering my hoosiers on tonight, hoping for our first victory!

GO IU! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

pic

grr.

2011-11-10T13:08:00.001-06:00

it happened today. november 10, 2011. shortly after 12:00 cst.

flurries. the first recorded snowfall of the season.

i'm just grateful the ground is too warm for it to accumulate. there's plenty more where that came from, too. not looking forward to the horrible winter that has been forecasted.

things and stuff

2011-11-09T17:40:00.000-06:00

(today's one of those low-quality posts.)

hee hee hee!

i was unable to post this morning because my hotel had no internet. it's amazing how lost i can feel without internet access. is that sad? or just life?
congratulations to my dear friend teresa! you've still got it! (inside joke)
thanks to g for cleaning the entire house today! your boredom is my gain!
i went to sleep last night with the worst headache i think i've ever had. it was slowly coming on earlier during the day so i took some ibuprofen, but by the time i got to the hotel room it was excruciating. nausea set in and the lights in the room only added to the pain. i was scared to move too much when i woke up this morning in case it was still there. thankfully sleep did the trick.
i solved my work woes for our april vacation! i flew with someone willing to share a line with me so that i'll have the second half of the month off to enjoy our transatlantic cruise.
can i say, once again, how much i'm already over the early darkness in the evenings? driving home at 4pm and it was already dark. grr!

fun in the 'nasti

2011-11-08T08:21:00.000-06:00

this past weekend we drove down to cincinnati to visit our friend rachel. i will admit that it has been way too long. in the eight years that rachel has lived there, i had only been to visit her one other time. friday we drove down to southern indiana to stay with andrea's parents. there we had a nice visit with dinner, drinks, and euchre. then we woke up saturday morning to make our way to cincy.

the drive was pretty, despite the construction traffic along the way. we checked into the hotel and then made our way to mt. adams to meet rachel and ryan (her boyfriend) for lunch. though ryan is a huge OSU fan, he was respectful as we watched the IU/OSU football game (though the game was much closer than any "crazy nut" would like to admit!). the weather was perfect, so after lunch we walked around mt. adams which is a very cute neighborhood. i remember the neighborhood from my previous visit since rachel lived in mt. adams.

later in the day we went downtown to walk around, do a little bit of shopping and then to palominos for happy hour and more football. we spent much of the evening there, catching up, laughing, and enjoying the company of all. ryan had been up for several hours due to his work schedule and g wasn't feeling well so he went back to the hotel. that left rachel, andrea, and i to spend some time together. we had a great time and whenever we're together it feels like no time has passed and we've just picked up where things left off. we called it an early night so we could meet up early the following morning.

before heading back to chicago we went to rachel and ryan's place for a yummy breakfast cooked by rachel (she's one of the best breakfast cooks!). it was my first time meeting remy, the cutest little guy. sadly we had to leave to make the 5-hour trek back to chicago.

i'm so glad that we were able to finally figure out a time to go down and visit. i hope that our next visit to cincinnati doesn't take so long to plan!

pic.

fall back...into darkness

2011-11-07T09:02:00.000-06:00

early sunday morning daylight savings time began and we relished in the extra hour of sleep. though i always enjoy an extra hour of sleep i will admit that i am not a fan of "falling back".

again, i love extra sleep. and during my first two years of teaching i cannot tell you how much i enjoyed the extra morning light as i made my way to school at 6 o'clock. but what i absolutely detest about the change in time is the early sunset.

yesterday, as we drove into chicago around 3pm, it was already dusk. yes, the sun was already setting. and by 4:39 the sun had said goodnight and the city was dark. i truly hate the early darkness because by 8pm you feel like you've been up forever and it's time to go to bed.

let the SAD times begin...

sunday sweetness

2011-11-06T08:14:00.000-06:00

lucy and i enjoying an evening of television!

I-N-D-I-A-N-A!

2011-11-05T09:09:00.000-05:00

it's that time of year! today my indiana hoosiers start their 2011-2012 basketball season with an exhibition game against the university of indianapolis. the past fewww years have been about rebuilding and fixing our damaged program. we came off runners-up at the 2002 ncaa national championships and have been unable to climb our way anywhere near the top again. now we've put ourselves in a positive direction; we have a great coach whose career-goal is to be at indiana and he is now gaining all-american recruits.

though i'm unsure that this is "our year" i'm hoping for gains that will take us towards the top again. i'm proud of my hoosiers and though it can be difficult, frustrating, and exhausting to see us struggle, i'll never be a fair-weather fan.

LET'S GO HOOSIERS!

sea world

2011-11-04T08:29:00.000-05:00

after spending a couple days in nyc with teresa, i took an early morning flight from JFK to orlando to meet g and my family for a couple days at sea world. we are extremely lucky to have free park admission plus a guest through our company. we decided to take advantage of the great deal with the family. g also had to fly down early in the morning, though mom, sis, and the kids wouldn't fly in for nearly 4 hours after we arrived.

once i landed in orlando i quickly changed into shorts (yay!) and met gary where my chickfil lunch was already waiting on me! afterwards we were able to get the rental car and check in at the hotel. since there were four adults and two children, our rental car was a dodge caravan. yup, g and i were cruising the sunshine state in a minivan. the hotel was nice and literally across the street from sea world. once the rest of the entourage arrived we settled into the room and then later went out for dinner.

we had a great time at dinner, laughing and sharing stories. g, gretchen, and i were also happy to learn that it was happy hour. two for one! woohoo! after dinner we put the kids to bed while the four adults attempted to play euchre with our mickey mouse cards (try keeping score with ears, elbows, and legs).

the next morning we made our way to sea world. rain was forecasted for the day so we made sure to pick up ponchos to take into the park with us. we rented a double stroller for the kids and began making our way to each attraction. we saw sharks, manatee, fish, penguins, sea birds, and of course shamu's aquatic show.

the show was fantastic. dare i say it was even a little emotional. add the dramatic music to the huge aquatic beasts performing jumps and dives and it can put a little tear in your eye. of course the whales did plenty of splashing and were able to soak the majority of the audience sitting in the lower sections.

the other highlights of the day included the rides, lilly's hair wrap, feeding the sea lions, and laughing at lilly's freak-out when splashed by the dolphins! it was a great day and the kids definitely enjoyed themselves. though i'm a bit disappointed that i didn't go on the roller coasters or the atlantis boat ride, i'm glad that we went and that we all had a good time. it makes me happy that we're able to do these types of things.

a quick trip to nyc

2011-11-03T08:01:00.000-05:00

source.

my friend teresa texted me a while back to say she was going to be in nyc for work and she wanted me to come with her. i moved a few things around so that i was able to have time off to go for a couple days. so last week i flew to new york (on jetblue for the first time, i might add!) to join her in brooklyn. after meeting her at the hotel, we walked to the subway to take the train into manhattan.

we had gotten some restaurant recommendations and looked forward to supper in the east village. though it was a little brisk (and we had both forgotten our jackets) we still chose to eat outside under the heat lamps. the food was amazing! i had chicken stuffed with prosciutto and parmasean and fontina cheeses with potato and mushroom gratin on the side. YUM! after our early dinner, we walked around, popping into various stores. i couldn't be in downtown manhattan without a quick trip to century 21. we also walked by the world trade center memorial and then zuccotti park where occupy wall street is based. we warmed ourselves with a warm drink at starbucks before getting on the train to head back to brooklyn.

the next day i slept in while teresa went to the school where she was training. after she was finished for the day we headed into manhattan. we had lunch at schnippers, a comfort food favorite of mine and then walked over to times square to get in line at TKTS to find discounted tickets for a show that night. we narrowed our choices down to three shows; sister act, how to succeed..., or godspell. as we neared the ticket window, a "theatre expert" (ha ha!) asked us which show we planned to see. we said that we were thinking godspell. the look on his face was priceless, "you can see that in any high school auditorium!" i mentioned our other choices and he recommended we see one of those. we eventually decided on how to succeed in business without really trying.

i cannot express just how good the show was. i thoroughly enjoyed daniel radcliffe and john larroquette's performance as well as the rest of the amazing cast.

the next morning i had to get up early to fly down to orlando to visit sea world with my family. a post about that trip tomorrow! ....

apples and more apples!

2011-11-02T08:09:00.000-05:00

i got into quite the apple kick this fall. i began thinking about the many recipes containing apples that i would like to make - apple crisp, applesauce, baked apples, and apple dumplings. making these recipes has a bit nostalgic for me. i can remember making applesauce and apple dumplings with my grandma hahn when i was young. my favorite part of helping her was peeling and coring the apples. some might think this is the worst part, but grandma had the nifty device that peeled and cored the apples for you.

when i began compiling the recipes that i would make, i also started to search for the gadget that grandma once used. i found it many places and started to read the reviews of which was better. (as i've mentioned before, i like kitchen gadgets.) i purchased my apple peeler/corer from sur la table, using an old gift card i had still failed to use.

though we weren't able to make the indiana orchard trip we had hoped for, i was able to find some delicious apples from our favorite produce market. the first recipe i made was baked apples. they were tasty, but i could have done without so much clove and nutmeg. next i made teresa's famous apple crisp which was delicious, as usual. finally i made applesauce.

apple corer/peeler at work

wow! boy, was it good! and super easy! i have now made several batches of applesauce with plans to make more to freeze. here's how i make my applesauce:

6 apples (honeycrisp, gala, or other good cooking apple), peeled and cored
juice of one lemon
2-3 strips of lemon peel
3 cinnamon sticks
1 cup of water
1/4 c. dark brown sugar (optional)
bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.
remove the cinnamon sticks and lemon peel. mash with a potato masher.

g loves this applesauce as do i. it definitely beats any store-bought applesauce for sure! i still hope to make grandma hahn's apple dumplings in the near future! i'd also like to make a trip to michigan to get some apples from an orchard there.

nablopomo 2011

2011-11-01T08:08:00.000-05:00

well here it is, november 1; the start of nablopomo. after quite the hiatus, i'm challenging myself to 30 posts in 30 days. i've successfully completed nablopomo for the past two years and i'm confident i can do it again in 2011.

while i cannot guarantee the quality of my posts, at least there will be something to enjoy each day. so if you find your way here, please take a moment to leave a comment - it gives me the encouragement that i will definitely need!

now the question is, will you join me in posting every day for nablopomo 2011?!

pic.

i'm back!

2011-10-31T11:54:00.001-05:00

i must say that i enjoyed my blogging break. but here i am, ready for nablopomo '11
i hate halloween. hate. (but for those of you that enjoy the spooky day, happy halloween.)
i'm writing this blog at 30,000 feet. yay for deadheading on a wifi aircraft!
i had a great time last week in NYC with teresa and then orlando with my family
i can't believe there are only two months left in 2011
will you be joining me for nablopomo?!

top contenders

2011-10-06T10:24:00.001-05:00

so, it's a couple weeks into the new fall television season. i wrote about all the shows i planned on watching here, and already a few changes have taken place.

after horrible ratings, the playboy club has already been cancelled. we watched the pilot and it was alright. i may have continued watching it, but it doesn't hurt my feelings that it is already gone (though eddie cibrian is quite easy on the eyes).

though i've only watched one episode of the x factor, i really enjoy it! the judges truly give positive feedback and let a singer down easily if they're not a good fit for the show. it's on wednesday and thursday nights, but unfortunately the x factor doesn't record on wednesday night because of so many other things scheduled. i may have to figure something out once the competition narrows down.

i'm really enjoying pan am. obviously i love the subject matter, but after the second episode i think the story lines are starting to develop well. i really hope that it lasts.

i wasn't originally planning on watching it, but 2 broke girls is great. another new favorite is new girl. the connections between the four roommates is great. sometimes a bit awkward, but it provides for funny moments.

and of course, i absolutely love my returning favorites: modern family, big bang theory, and especially happy endings. my reality shows are still great too: amazing race, project runway, and survivor.

my only slight disappointment might be glee. as a gleek, it pains me to say this. though i've enjoyed the music, i'm tired of many of the story lines; angry sue, gay kurt, and divas rachel vs. mercedes. hopefully it will continue to get better as the season continues. i also look forward to the winners of the glee project joining the show.

i must say i'm staying on top of my television and not falling too far behind while working! is that sad that it's become a task?!

what are you watching and what do you love this season?

1 month

2011-10-01T09:23:00.000-05:00

it's one month till NaBloPoMo. i'm going to be doing it for my third year in a row. who else is in?!

photo.

worth the delicious wait

2011-09-30T17:10:00.000-05:00

after making reservations nearly two months ago, we finally were able to dine at girl & the goat last night. i must say that it was definitely worth the wait. we took our happy (and hungry) bellies to the restaurant last night and were seated in a cozy table near the front corner of the restaurant. as soon as you walk into the restaurant, you feel a warmth from the darkness of the room and the smell of the wood-burning ovens in the exposed kitchen in the back. even at 9pm, the place was crowded with diners all with smiles on their faces or forks in their mouths.

former top chef winner stephanie izard is the executive chef of girl & the goat. the menu, divided into three parts (vegetable, fish, meat), is all small plates to share with your fellow diners. girl & the goat gets most of their ingredients from local farms, so the menu changes often. though you might expect the menu to change seasonally, our server told us that it's not uncommon for some items to change daily.

we ordered a nice bottle of pinot noir and started with the "apple smacks" bread, served with ginger butter and apple puree. some of my favorite dishes throughout the night were:

goat chorizo flatbread
sauteed prawns
seared scallops
smoked goat empanadas
ham frites
roasted cauliflower*

*i am not a fan of cauliflower and this dish was amazing!! after a little bit of research, i was super excited to see that stephanie has the recipe posted on her website! take a look here!!

i was a bit nervous when our bill came, but it was nowhere near as bad as i thought it might (or could) have been!

if you live in chicago or are coming to chicago, i cannot recommend girl & the goat enough. it was so good that we made reservations to go again for my birthday!

photo found here.

family visit

2011-09-26T08:14:00.000-05:00

this past weekend g and i went to indiana to visit my family. there were a few reasons for the trip. initially it was to stay with our niece and nephew while my sister was at her annual work conference in michigan. then it was the perfect weekend for us to meet her boyfriend, jeff, who we had still not met. lastly, we could transport our guest room furniture to ft. wayne for anderson. so the weekend was all planned out.

thursday morning g and i picked up the truck to load up the bedroom furniture (we also took our sectional sofa with the hopes of selling it there more easily...and the fact that we needed it moved asap since ours is scheduled to be delivered this coming weekend). we loaded the furniture into the truck. it wasn't as bad as i thought it might be, even with taking it down three flights of stairs. g would drive the truck and i would follow in the car. he started off and i was about 15 minutes behind. shortly after i started, he called me to ask where i was, as he heard a pop and the truck was pulling quite bad. as i neared, he discovered that he had blown a tired. FANTASTIC! ....very little works out easily for us.

after getting that taken care of, we were on our way and arrived in ft. wayne a few hours later. we unloaded quickly and returned the truck before going to pick lilly up from school. we had a great evening with the kids. anderson wasn't feeling well, but uncle g took care of him while i worked on homework with lilly.

the next morning we dropped lilly off at school and anderson stayed home with us. my mom came up to ft. wayne later in the morning and she and i put together and arranged the furniture in anderson's bedroom. it looked great and he was excited to have his new bedroom set up! later in the afternoon gretchen and jeff got back from their conference. it was very nice to meet jeff and he's a super nice guy. it's obvious that he cares for gretchen greatly and the kids really like him. we all went out to dinner and then came back to the house and played cards.

the next morning we were up early. gretchen and jeff had a wedding to attend in cleveland and g and i needed to get back to chicago. it was a great weekend. i had been looking forward to going to indiana and the visit did not disappoint! i love my family and it's always fun to get together to enjoy each other's company.

reading in 2011: book #11

2011-09-20T08:49:00.000-05:00

i was on the beaches of spain when i read the previous book and then this one. perfect for laying in the sun working on a tan!

summer and the city: a carrie diaries novel

by candace bushnell

after reading the carrie diaries last summer, i was eager to read this and see where things picked up. carrie had just been introduced to samantha jones at the conclusion of the carrie diaries and soon meets miranda in this book. it was very interesting to see how all of "the girls" were quite different than we know them in their later years.

after watching "sex and the city 2", i was certain that the ship had sailed for those ladies. and while i still feel that way, i'm thinking a prequel would be perfect.

very easy reads, i would highly recommend both the carrie diaries and summer and the city!

reading in 2011: book #10

2011-09-19T17:38:00.000-05:00

after starting a book, reading half of it, i had to put it down. i needed something easy to read.

i immediately went for lies that chelsea handler told me.

this wasn't like chelsea's typical books. this was written by those close to her; friends, family members, and even her dog. each person talks about crazy and wacky things that chelsea has done to them, every one of them falling for her pranks. after each chapter chelsea responds briefly.

it's apparent that even after some of the awful tricks chelsea plays on these people, she truly cares for them. it's said many times throughout the book that chelsea only plays these games with those that she loves.

my favorite chapter was definitely that written by chunk, chelsea's dog.

a quick and easy read. i'd recommend it!

meow, with a side of 'tude

2011-09-16T17:59:00.001-05:00

ali and lucy relaxing together

we have extremely moody cats. when we adopted ali and lucy last november, we learned that we had two very different kittens that would both take time to adjust to their new home. lucy seemed to get comfortable somewhat quickly. she pretty much took over the place and explored, laid around, and ran throughout the entire place. ali, on the other hand, was extremely timid and actually hid from us for her first few days with us.

we knew that ali wasn't going to jump in our laps, enjoy being picked up (AT.ALL.) or snuggle up to us anytime soon. she did enjoy having her belly rubbed, as long as you were at eye level with her. lucy quickly became the lover. she would hop on the couch with us, lay in our laps, and cuddled in bed with us every night.

ali begging me to stay home

in april, as we celebrated ali's first birthday, i wrote about how ali was warming up to us. she was now sleeping with us, would occasionally jump up on the couch with us and would lick us nearly every morning.

as we celebrated lucy's first birthday in july, i talked about her attitude and how she wasn't quite the affectionate cat that she once was. she refused to be picked up and would run away if you leaned down to pet her.

"you can't see me!"

g was becoming quite agitated with lucy. "why do we have cats that hate us?" he would often yell in frustration? i knew that cats were moody, but i couldn't quite explain the change.

well last week when g corralled ali (literally) to take her to the vet, he asked the doctor about their behaviors and why lucy might be acting the way she does. the vet asked when lucy's behavior changed. he said that it was about the time that ali started becoming more affectionate. we had been so happy about ali's change in affection from day one that we were almost enamored with her new lovingness. obviously someone else noticed this and was not one bit too happy about it. pissed, some might say.

morning cuddle time

to win her back, the doctor suggested a few things we could do with lucy. we now make sure that we devote some one-on-one play time with her each day. (i also suggested that g talk to her nicely and not show his frustration) let me say that things changed almost overnight. the past few evenings, lucy has jumped on my lap as we watched tv together and has curled up in bed with me (ali, too!) while g was at work.

these girls are exhausting! i can only imagine what it's like to balance two human beings! but we love them all the same.

the return of television

2011-09-15T11:13:00.000-05:00

my stories are back! the fall television season has now arrived! along with many returning favorites, i'm also excited about some new shows that are coming to television. the only problem is when to watch everything!

monday:
dancing with the stars
2 broke girls (new)
the playboy club (new)

tuesday:
glee
dancing with the stars results show

wednesday:
survivor
happy endings
modern family
up all night (new)
the x factor (new)

thursday:
the big bang theory
whitney (new)

sunday:
pan am (new)
the amazing race
desperate housewives

add that to the daily shows we have recording (the view, anderson, the daily show) and that's a lot of tv! how did anyone survive in the pre-dvr era?!

hey there wednesday

2011-09-14T11:28:00.002-05:00

with lack of an internet connection on monday and a long day yesterday, i've failed to post anything this week. so today is just a bunch of randomness to get caught back up.

g and i both registered online for a beginning spanish course from instituto cervantes of chicago. hopefully it will provide us with some basic communication skills to use when we go back to spain next spring.
working 6 days in a row is killer. my only relief has been lighter passenger loads.
i'm really enjoying the cooler temperatures. it's really making me want to get out the autumn decorations, but i'm maintaining some restraint.
we're finally getting grown-up living room furniture. after the debacle we had two years ago, we settled on a sectional sofa from ikea. it's served it's purpose, but now it's time to get the pieces we truly want. hopefully we'll have the sofa and chair by the end of the month!
in addition to the living room furniture, we purchased new bedroom pieces! we now have closet doors and we won't have to have our dresser in our closet! we also finally painted the bedroom - i love the color! (see link for color)
we set up the dvr for fall tv yesterday...geesh! watching all that tv is going to be a chore!
i could really use a spa day. i'd like a massage, a mani/pedi, and my eyebrows waxed. why must it be expensive?!
i'm really looking forward to going to indiana next week. we get to spend time with the kids and the rest of my family, meet my sister's boyfriend, and go to the apple orchard!

photo.

never forget, forever grateful

2011-09-11T19:54:00.002-05:00

this video has been removed, but you can still see it here.

remembering 9/11

2011-09-09T08:46:00.000-05:00

sunday marks the 10th anniversary of the attacks on america. i think that many will always remember where they were and what they were doing that tuesday morning.

....i had only just started my senior year of college. andrea and i had recently purchased our flights to new york city, a place andrea had never visited and i was eager to show her. still needing to get a hotel room for our october trip, we decided to try priceline for a good deal. so on monday evening (september 10) we entered a ridiculously low price for a three-star hotel. we were excited to learn that our price was accepted and we were even upgraded to a four-star hotel! our hotel was the marriott world trade center. this was great because i knew the area pretty well from visiting a friend who was living in jersey, taking the PATH train into WTC.
....tuesday morning i woke up for my art methods class. though i never turned on the tv while getting ready (i always allowed myself just enough time to wake up, shower, dress and head out the door), this particular morning i turned my tv onto the news. the national news station was showing breaking news, something about a small, private aircraft hitting the world trade center in lower manhattan. then there was some conflicting news about the size of the aircraft, some said it was a larger aircraft. as more news was gathered, they believed that it was a commercial aircraft which flew into the north tower of the WTC. as i attempted to get ready for class i couldn't take my eyes off the developing news. it was then that in the corner of the screen came another aircraft smashing into the other tower. it was then clear that this was no accident.
....stunned i drove to class and parked near the education building. on my drive, i called my friend matt to see if he was okay. he regularly took the train into the WTC station. i was only able to leave a voicemail for him, letting him know that i hoped he was okay and safe. when i got to my class, some people were just learning the events of the morning. many of the girls in class with me were from long island. many had family or friends who worked in manhattan, even the WTC itself. they made phone calls to their loved ones. some were able to reach their family, others were unable to get through. i couldn't even imagine their worry. still not knowing the great extent of what was going on, we began class. half-way through the class another teacher came into our room to tell us that one of the towers fell to the ground. i honestly could not fathom this. i had been to nyc before. i had been in the WTC many times. there's NO WAY that those towers could crumble to the ground. ....after class, i spend the rest of the morning and the afternoon at andrea's house watching the non-stop coverage of the disaster unfolding. in addition to the attacks in nyc, a plane hit the pentagon and another plane crashed in a field in pennsylvania. the footage shown on repeat was something out of a movie. people screaming, running for safety, covered in ash, debris covering the streets of lower manhattan. a giant plume of smoke rose from the place where the twin towers once stood.
....i had one class tuesday evening that had not been cancelled. i couldn't quite understand why the teacher had not cancelled the class, but since it was our first session for our final semester of practicum, i knew that i had to attend. as soon as we were in the class, many of us started to complain that we didn't understand why we were there. the teacher then said that this was a perfect teaching opportunity. "what would you do if you were in a classroom of students? how would you handle this situation?" it made sense, seeing as we would all be student teaching the following semester. we discussed the situation and how we might handle it as teachers. it was surreal. all day long there had been chatter about gas going from $1.75/gallon to over $3.00/gallon!! our teacher let us out early. as i drove home, i saw a line of cars down the street waiting to get into the gas station to fill up their cars. i knew then that life as we knew it would change forever.

now here we are, ten years later. the world has changed greatly since that september morning.

it's a day that we will never forget.

photo found here.

ah-choo!

2011-09-08T09:18:00.000-05:00

tis the season for allergies. the spring doesn't seem to bother me too much, but when autumn is upon us, watch out. i'm hit with itchy, watery eyes and constant sneezing from the weed pollen that strikes each fall.

so for the past week i've been miserable. it doesn't help that the weather is near-perfect and we've had all of our windows open, allowing all those allergens to breeze right inside!

i'm actually looking forward to going back to work today...there's something to be said for breathing recycled air inside a metal tube!

StandUp with Ben

2011-09-07T08:33:00.000-05:00

g and i have had a crush on ben cohen, an english rugby player
(we may even have his calendar hanging in our bedroom!) for quite some time. though he has a huge gay following, ben is a straight man and father of two. he is a straight ally and does work to combat homophobia, specifically in sports. after the surge in teenage suicide recently, ben expressed his feelings towards bullying and homophobia. ben felt so strongly about this that he retired from rugby and went on an acceptance tour last spring throughout the US. while on the tour he announced the launch of his "StandUp Foundation".

"The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, Inc. is the world’s first foundation dedicated to raising awareness of the long-term, damaging effects of bullying, and funding those doing real-world work to stop it. We stand up against bullying regardless of to whom it happens. Because lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are often targeted by bullies, we give particular attention to this community. We include removing homophobia from sports as central to our mission."

last week, while in chicago for the 2011 gay softball world series, ben scheduled a meet and greet at a local bar to raise money for his foundation. unfortunately i had to work, but g was able to go! not only did he get to hear ben discuss his excellent organization, but he got to meet ben!!

(he said he's nicer and hotter in person...duh!) when i got home from my trip, i was surprised with a few ben cohen gifts of my own! a StandUp t-shirt and bracelet and this personalized and autographed picture of ben! thanks, g!

in all seriousness, it's nice to have someone like ben cohen as a straight ally, fighting for what's right.

tuesday funnies

2011-09-06T09:12:00.000-05:00

i ran across these comics/funnies recently:

saw this in USA Today last week. it's so true. people like to bitch until they come back with their hand out asking for help.

just hilarious!

ha ha ha!

happy labor day?

2011-09-05T13:05:00.000-05:00

it's labor day, a federal holiday that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers. the day came from events help by labor organizations, now regarded as a day of rest and parties. but why today, in 2011, are we celebrating such a day?

unemployment is a record high.
the rights of workers are being stripped away.

today's labor day holiday will be more protest than a celebration.

i wish american's were less apathetic and more passionate about issues affecting its citizens.

gadgets galore!

2011-09-02T15:11:00.002-05:00

i love kitchen gadgets. i really can't help myself. recently i got this fantastic strawberry huller (you can use it for tomatoes too).

so when g and i talked about going to my favorite childhood orchard, i immediately began thinking about all the tasty apple recipes i could make! of course i'll make teresa's tasty apple crisp, but i also want to make my grandma's yummy apple dumplings and homemade applesauce. when i was young, i would help my grandma make apple recipes. my favorite part was peeling and coring all the apples. why, you ask? because of this amazing gadget.

so to make my apple dishes of course i need this apple peeler/corer too! as i was comparing the different peelers, i also came across this pineapple slicer.

g and i love fresh pineapple but it's always to messy cutting it up! and we always seem to waste so much. so this pineapple slicer (i highly encourage you watch the video, too) solves both of those problems!!

what is your favorite kitchen gadget?

a wonderful lady

2011-08-30T08:55:00.000-05:00

it's been three years and i my heart still hurts. i miss my grandma so much. i wish i could just sit down and talk with her for hours. i miss her smile, her witty comments, her advice, and most of all, her hugs.

*my sister took this picture a few months ago. the innocence in the picture strikes me. i can see lilly trying to pull up the wonderful memories she had with gigi. and anderson, though his time with her was short, loves to hear stories about his gigi.

EH!

2011-08-25T10:35:00.000-05:00

i know i have not posted in three weeks. i've thought about sitting down to blog numerous times, but haven't really just felt like doing it. i've just felt "eh" about blogging lately. a friend told me yesterday that i needed to blog. i said i just hadn't had any desire to blog lately. her response was "then don't. f*@k it." and that's basically how i've felt about it.

hopefully i'll change that feeling and get back to blogging regularly. i definitely have plenty to write about!

adios!

2011-08-04T04:45:00.000-05:00

today we're headed on our spanish vacation to torrevieja on the costa blanca. i cannot wait to relax on the beach, drink sangria, and eat yummy tapas and paella. oh! and take many siestas! (i might be able to update the blog while i'm there as the house we rented has wifi!)

airventure

2011-07-30T12:43:00.000-05:00

yesterday, g and i made the 3 1/2 hour trip to oshkosh, wisconsin with a couple friends of ours. oshkosh is home to EAA AirVenture, dubbed "the world's greatest aviation celebration". the main reason for the trip was to see the 787 Dreamliner, boeing's newest (and long awaited) aircraft.

we left early in the morning and arrived in oshkosh, stuck in traffic, just as the dreamliner was circling to land at wittman regional airport at 9am. we were able to get some pretty good views of the 787 as it circled over top of us. it was pretty exciting and we definitely were not the only ones with our cameras hanging out the car windows!

once we arrived, we walked towards the control tower, where the dreamliner was parked nearby. though the public tours weren't to start for another hour, a long line was beginning to form. we snapped a few photos close up and then made our way to queue up to step onboard the very first 787.

the sun was extremely hot, but thankfully there was a breeze that relieved us occasionally while we stood in the line. we were happy to realize they started letting people tour the aircraft prior to the 12:00 scheduled time. two hours had passed before we finally reached the roped-in part of the line. we were getting close! unfortunately that part of the line was still a 90-minute wait time. ARGH! but the EAA volunteers were very nice and provided water to those of us who had been standing in line for such a long time.

finally, after driving north 3 1/2 hours and then waiting in line for 3 1/2 hours, it was our turn to walk onboard the boeing 787 dreamliner!! we had learned earlier in the day that this particular aircraft was an experimental test plane and would never be sold to an airline. as a result, the inside of the plane was not configured for passengers. while that disappointed me a little, it was still neat to walk onto the aircraft and just see it's size, the new technology available, and all the modern touches that come with the 787.

here are some pictures i took of the 787 dreamliner:

unfortunately, after waiting for such a long time and
then touring the aircraft, we had to head back to the city soon afterwards. it was still a great time and i'm glad that we went! oh...and i look like a lobster! i'm so burnt!

fun apps!

2011-07-28T10:54:00.000-05:00

i've recently started using some fun apps for my phone and computer:

instagram
instagram is a fun way to take and share photos you take with your iphone. after taking the picture, choose one of the several filters available to change the way your photo looks! then share with friends!! i've snapped some really need photos lately and then instagram'ed them!

spotify
getting rave reviews in europe, spotify has finally made it's way the the US. you can send them your email for an invite to this streaming music service from nearly every major record label! search for your favorite artist, song, or album and then create your own playlists to playback whenever you want! i highly recommend downloading this! and it's free!!

download instagram and spotify today!! what fun apps have you recently discovered?

visit from a friend

2011-07-26T07:57:00.002-05:00

a couple years ago, g and i went on a transatlantic cruise with a couple friends of ours. we had a great time. after the cruise, we added on a trip to munich. we had passes to fly on lufthansa from barcelona to munich. though we thought that we would have no problem getting on the flight, we learned that day that the flight was full. when we went to the gate, we were given boarding passes that did not have seat assignments. printed on the ticket was "JS". we figured it meant jumpseat (the fold down seats that flight attendants use). we use that term commonly, referring to crew members of another airline coming along on the flight, but occupying a regular passenger seat. imagine our surprise when we learned that we would be sitting on their actual jumpseat. three of us went to the back galley, one rode up front. we introduced ourself to the flight attendant working in the back of the cabin. her name was siw (pronounced seev), a gorgeous, friendly blond girl. though she wasn't extremely talkative, she was very nice and offered us anything we wanted. we were just grateful to be on the flight.

we enjoyed our time in munich (you must visit bavaria...it's absolutely breathtaking), but had to eventually end our vacation. g and i were flying back to chicago on lufthansa, nonstop. we were able to get on the flight with ease and were given the bulkhead row with a little extra leg room. we made our way onboard and were surprised to see siw, once again, working our flight! she immediately recognized us and came over to talk to us. before the flight even departed munich, she got my facebook information so that we could keep in touch.

from that day on, we've remained in contact. she has visited chicago on previous trips and g was fortunate to meet up with her for dinner. earlier this year he even went over to germany to visit her. so this month, siw had two trips to chicago for work. we were unable to meet up with her on the first visit, but scheduled a day together on her second trip. so this past saturday we picked siw up, showed her our place, took her to brunch, and then walked around our neighborhood. this was the first time i was able to see siw since our original meeting. i must say that it was very nice to see her again!

we ate brunch at our favorite breakfast spot and then walked up to lincoln square (which is ironically the largest german-american neighborhood in chicago). we popped into various stores and made a special visit into 'gene's sausage shop', a european grocery in the heart of lincoln square. while we were there, g and siw tried to find the type of sausage that they ate in the tiergarten in freising (siw's hometown, north of munich). though they weren't successful in finding the sausage, siw did find some elderflower syrup that she uses to make her favorite beverage. so we got some fresh mint and bubbly water to complete the ingredients for her refreshing concoction.

we walked back to our place where siw made us her delicious beverage - think non-alcoholic refreshing mojito...but better! unfortunately siw's visit was coming to an end, so we said our good-bye's as we took her back downtown to her crew hotel so she could rest up before her flight back to munich.

we're hoping that things work out and that she'll be able to come back and visit in september. i do hope so, because i enjoyed our visit! i promised that i would go visit her in germany soon, too! it's great to have international friends! and with technology these days, miles don't keep friends apart!

pictures from siw's facebook page.

tasty frozen treat!

2011-07-25T08:11:00.000-05:00

if you have a costco membership, then you must buy these delicious frozen treats immediately!

yasso frozen greek yogurt

g and i happened to see them and thought they were worth the try. so that night when we had them for our dessert, we were more than pleasantly surprised! so much, in fact, that we went back two days later to stock up on some more (and a couple more bags of chip's!)! only 70 calories and 6g of protein!! the perfect healthy summer treat!

light as a feather

2011-07-22T18:19:00.000-05:00

i'd been having some minor difficulties with my computer the past couple of months. i noticed that it had been running a bit slower and it was harder to get it to connect to certain webpages, sometimes even the network itself. i must say that i absolutely love my macbook and would buy no other product. that being said, i think i got the bad apple in the bunch. i had the hard drive replaced two times and had some other minor issues (that were thankfully covered with my apple care warranty). recently i had an issue with the computer staying powered on unless it was connected to the power cord. sure, it might seem like it's not a big deal, but it becomes extremely inconvenient as you must restart it every time it's unplugged, thus lacking portability.

it's a known fact that i've become an apple fanatic. i've seriously owned nearly every apple product. and i absolutely love every one of them. knowing that i would soon be in the market for a new laptop, i started researching the various options apple provides. as i said, i love my macbook, but it's a bit heavy and requires being taken out at airport security. the macbook pro is very nice, but it too must be removed for security. the macbook air is light, easily portable, and does not need to be removed from your bag to be screened at airport security. i was sold...mostly.

it's true that apple products aren't cheap, but they're reliable and the workers at the genius bar truly are amazing and can fix almost any problem your computer (or any other apple product) is having. though i would regularly peruse the apple site, picking out the computer i wanted and pricing it out, i knew that the time wasn't right.

the final straw was the battery/power issue. it was then that i knew that sooner, rather than later, i would need to go computer shopping. so, this morning i was checking out apple's site and pricing the macbook air with our company discount. imagine my surprise when i noticed that the macbook air was updated with a new operating system and few other things...just as of yesterday! wow! i waited long enough to get the most up-to-date product?! g and i already had plans to go downtown for a few things today, so we popped into the apple store where i asked more than a few questions to the product specialist and finally made my apple macbook air purchase!

i love it! it's very nice! so maybe this will be my regular blog motivator!

nom nom nom!

2011-07-21T18:06:00.000-05:00

g and i went to costco today to pick up various household items. going during the day on a weekday is the best time to go. there are fewer people, shorter lines, and easier access to the samples on every aisle! we tasted tangerine beef, a delicious artichoke and jalapeno dip, and then we saw these popcorn chips. i have had something similar, but not this particular brand. let me tell you, they're FANTASTIC! at $4.99/bag it was hard to pass them up...obviously!

we chose the white cheddar (our favorite), hot buffalo wing, and sea salt. the sea salt are a perfect tortilla chip substitue!

the girl offering the samples informed us that costco would not be selling these popcorn chips and that these were just a promotional item for the week. she did, however, let us know that you could find them at whole foods!

my new bff

2011-07-20T07:50:00.001-05:00

teresa blogged about her new bff, but i now have one of my own, too!

after catching an hgtv marathon of "property brothers" the other day, i quickly searched for jonathan and drew scott on twitter. two brothers, one a realtor and the other a contractor, help couples find and redesign the home of their dreams. it's a great show and since it was one episode after another, i could not change the channel!

i found them on twitter (here and here) and quickly clicked to follow them. shortly after tweeting about how much i enjoyed the show, i received a request to be followed by both brothers. i accepted the request and then received a direct message from jonathan, thanking me for following him. i tweeted them both thanking them for following me and saying how much i enjoyed their show, and i got a tweet back!

it was my first "celeb" tweet!! thanks jonathan!!

i highly recommend checking out the show, 9:30/8:30c every wednesday on hgtv! you'll definitely enjoy the show! (and they're VERY easy on the eyes!)

with a purpose

2011-07-19T08:07:00.000-05:00

how amazing is this product on etsy? a wine holder for your bike!! for just a little over $30, there's no need to weigh down the bag on your back with this practical wine transporter. ride it to your picnic in the park, a friend's house, your favorite byob restaurant! the advertisement boasts genuine leather and antique brass fasteners. there's even a video here, demonstrating it use and durability. my only question is, how will that bike ride be after enjoying that bottle of wine??

view from the top

2011-07-18T09:43:00.001-05:00

last weekend i went downtown for a couple things. it was a nice day, so i felt as if i could overlook the summer tourists that flooded the streets of chicago. i met andrea, who decided to come along, at the train station and we made our way downtown.

i'll be honest, the biggest excuse for going was lunch. at the newly opened chick-fil-a. i know they hate the gays, but i love their chicken too much to boycott. we walked in and the place was packed, naturally. thankfully there weren't too many people in line, but the tables were scarce. i spotted an empty table so i instructed andrea to dive over and claim it as ours while i ordered the food. my debit card had barely been swiped before the bag of food was in front of me....no joke. lunch was delicious, as expected. side note: i'm in love with their dip & squeeze ketchup packets.

after lunch we made our way to the hancock tower to pop into the aveda store where i needed to pick up a few things. i walked out purchasing face toner, after shave lotion, lip saver, and peppermint oil (it's amazing). it was a bit more than i had planned on getting.

next door to the aveda store is the cheesecake factory. andrea is mildly obsessed with their strawberry martinis. even though the place was swarming with tourists (seriously, you come to chicago and you go to eat at the cheesecake factory?!?!) we decided to go in and attempt to belly up to the bar. there was no way we were making it past the front door. now what? so we said, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em (tourists). we made our way up to the 96th floor of the hancock tower and enjoyed a great view with a glass of champagne in the signature lounge. after living in chicago for 7 years, this was my first visit to the famed signature room. i must say it is quite a nice view while sipping on your favorite cocktail!

always the intentions...

2011-07-15T06:46:00.000-05:00

i've had every intention of blogging regularly this past week. in fact, i even have a list of things that i want to blog about! but, for various reasons i've actually failed to sit down and write. so, i will vow to post regularly next week. stay tuned! (i bet i have about three readers on the edge of their seats....)

until then, enjoy this adorable picture of my "badass" nephew on his bike!

home improvements

2011-07-14T08:18:00.000-05:00

(i know that g already blogged about this, but i had to provide my own take on our guest bathroom improvements.)

during our staycation last month, we planned to complete our guest bathroom. after installing a medicine cabinet recently, we only needed to purchase and install shower doors to finish our second bathroom. as with nearly everyting related to our home, what seems like something so simple definitely will not end up being so.

we made our way to home depot last month to purchase the shower doors we had already picked out. an amenity to city living, home depot stores located in the city provide trucks for short-term rental to allow you to take purchases to your home the same day. we had decided that when we purchased the shower doors, we would rent the truck to take the doors home the same day. unfortunately the truck wasn't available that day, so we chose to have them delivered to us....the following week when their availability matched our schedule.

with ease, the doors were delivered to us and the appointment for installation was scheduled. we had also purchased a new kitchen faucet and medicine cabinet for the master bathroom that would be installed at the same time as the shower doors. our 'master handymen' (that's really their business name) came to complete our home improvements. i was working that day, but g kept me abreast of their progress. the cabinet in our bathroom was installed. CHECK! the kitchen faucet was installed. CHECK! the guest room shower doors.....were not the proper size. F ME.

it was totally our fault. because our bathtub is low and the height of the tiling in the shower, the size of shower doors we purchased was not right and they would have looked odd, too short. so, nothing was installed and the doors sat in our guest bedroom for a couple weeks until we were both home and able to take care of the situation.

so we'll go to home depot to get the correct size, take them home, and return the other doors...simple as that, right?! wrong again. the first home depot we go to (not the same one store we purchased the original doors) had the right size, but "missing parts" was printed all over the box. i wasn't willing to buy those shower doors, based upon our bad luck. so we went to the home depot we originally purchased the doors from. they did not have the doors we needed.

thankfully we ran across an employee that was very helpful and in charge of all the deliveries. they were able to get the shower doors from another local store and deliver them (free of charge) to us and pick up the other doors to be returned. once this was completed, we made our appointment with master handymen to have the work completed.

through all the pain that it caused, i'm happy to have the shower doors we want. and they look fantastic!!

clinton library

2011-07-11T21:41:00.001-05:00

on a recent work trip, i visited the william j. clinton presidential library while on my overnight in little rock, arkansas. i've always talked about going, but never had. it was a short 10 minute walk from the hotel. the building is quite contemporary (there was even a parking spot with a battery recharger for electric cars!). consisting of a lot of glass, the library is very bright and open inside.

i watched the orientation video at the start of my tour. it covered president clinton's days as governor of arkansas, the run for the presidency, and the many things he accomplished during his 8 years in office. while watching the video, i thought of all the "haters" who would be shaking their heads, ready to add their negative input, but there's no denying the many great things president clinton did for the country during his two terms in office.

after the video i walked through the exhibits. reading the various placards on the wall took me back in time to my middle and high school days. i remember the many things people said about "slick willy" (notably my grandparents who would listen to rush limbaugh, his arch nemisis, constantly). i remember the new congress elected during his office and how newt tried to create a villain out of president clinton. very few could ever forget the blue, stained dress or the impeachment process of the president.

i walked away enjoying all the museum had to offer. i loved looking at the oval office just as it was during president clinton's days as president, the presidential limousine, and especially some of the letters written to president and first lady clinton during their days in the white house.

i would highly recommend visiting the clinton presidential library if you find yourself in little rock. it's the second presidential libary (JFK's in boston, being the first) i've visited. i hope to see many more presidential librairies, as there's so much to learn about the people that have led our great country.

atomic salad

2011-07-07T09:29:00.000-05:00

my friend tracy hooked us on her infamous atomic salad a few years ago. last weekend i was in the mood for the salad and began searching for the recipe. thought it might not be exactly how she makes her, i must admit that my atomic salad dressing was quite tasty!

this is for those that love garlic!

3-4 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh pepper
2 T. lemon, freshly squeezed
1-2 T. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
(other recipes call for 1/4 tsp. dry mustard but i didn't use it.)

add to salad:
romaine lettuce
green pepper
green onion
fresh tomatoes

it's a very flavorful salad! just don't plan on fresh breath for those sharing it with you!

reading in 2011: book #9

2011-07-06T09:17:00.004-05:00

stories i only tell my friends: an autobiography by rob lowe

i've seen rob lowe in numerous movies and television shows and have always found him attractive. i love that he's not a "big" celebrity and plastered all over every gossip magazine. when i saw him on oprah a couple months ago, i realized how down to earth and humble he truly is. it was that interview that prompted me to buy his autobiography.

it's a very quick and easy read. there are very few "juicy" details, but he's very forthcoming about his past and his present. he's a very admirable man. before his career, he's a family man - a very loving husband and father.

if you're in the mood for a good read about a genuine person, i would recommend rob lowe's autobiography.

happy birthday lucy!

2011-07-05T07:45:00.002-05:00

today is lucy's first birthday. when we brought her home eight months ago, she adjusted quite well. she made herself comfortable everywhere in the condo. she also took very good care of her scared little sister ali. lucy has always been pretty active, running from end to end of the house everyday. she's at the foot of our bed nearly every night. as she's gotten older, she's gotten more of an attitude. she doesn't liked to be picked up or held and she'll come to you when she wants to. however, if you have food for her, she's your best friend! regardless of her recent attitude, we still love our cute lil kitty!

happy birthday lucy!!

happy 4th

2011-07-04T08:34:00.000-05:00

happy independence day!

reading in 2011: book #8

2011-06-29T08:47:00.000-05:00

mockingjay by suzanne collins

mockingjay is the final book in the hunger games trilogy. after devouring the hunger games and catching fire, i couldn't wait to see how it all ended. i must say that this book was my least favorite of the three. it took me quite a while to finish because i couldn't get into it like i had with the previous two. i still highly recommend reading the complete trilogy and i am eagerly awaiting the movie!!

noon o kabab

2011-06-28T08:52:00.001-05:00

for years, my mother has been telling me that i have to go to noon o kabab, a local persian restaurant that she absolutely loves! (now, before you start to think that my mom has such a broad range of foods that she likes, you're wrong. her typical order is a chicken kabab and pite bread. that's.it.) i'd always poopooed her suggestion and it became a long running joke between us. so imagine her laughter when i told her that our friend ann suggested it for the joint birthday dinner for her and g!

we made our reservations for noon o kabab and were treated to some amazing food! we all started off with a pomegranate martini. a plate of feta, radishes, and parsley were brought to the table with hot pita bread! we ordered hummus, tabouli salad, baba ghannouj, and dolmeh felfel (stuffed peppers like typical stuffed grape leaves) as appetizers. the hummus and toubli salad together were fantastic!

for my entree, i ordered one chicken and one lamb kabab served on dill rice with grilled tomatoes on the side. it was delicious!

we were absolutely stuffed when they asked us if we wanted dessert. though many of the items listed on the dessert menu sounded great, we all declined. imagine our surprise when they brought over free dessert for all of us! the highlight was the bastani, which is persian gelato. we sampled all the flavors they brought for us: chocolate hazlenut, strawberry, chocolate mint, blueberry, and spicy mango. all were fabulous....except for the spicy mango which none of us cared for.

i cannot wait to go back! my mom is excited that i loved it so much! i'm sure she'll be here to visit soon so we can go eat at noon o kabab! and the best part is, it's a short 5-minute train ride away!!

celebrating pride

2011-06-27T09:50:00.001-05:00

yesterday was the 42nd annual chicago gay pride parade. for the past few years, g and i always say we're not going but somehow find ourselves amongst the masses of people along the parade route. yesterday was no different. with perfect temperatures and sunny skies, it was a perfect day in chicago! in addition, we had a great spot along the route with easy access to shade...and more importantly bathrooms!!

the parade is always enjoyable, but it's quite lengthy with numerous politicians, churches, advocacy groups, and local bars. some of the annual highlights for me are the dykes on bikes and the parents, students, and staff of the neighborhood elementary school.

each year, dozens of ladies on big motorcycles rev up their loud engine to the excitement of the crowd! this year there seemed to be even more!! you can't quite understand just how loud it is until they're right in front of you!! here's a video of the dykes on bikes at this year's parade. (forward to the :45 mark to hear some of the loud noises i'm talking about!)

nettelhorst elementary school is in the heart of boystown. extremely involved in the neighborhood, the school grounds are covered with artistic murals and statues. nettelhorst elementary teaches respect and inclusiveness with attention being given to LGBT issues. here's an article that was posted on huffington post earlier this year. each june, every student in the school ties a piece of fabric onto the fence outside the school to create a rainbow along the school walls. and in recent years, members of the school - parents, students, and staff - march in the pride parade to celebrate diversity and inclusiveness with their neighborhood. it's really a touching site to see. (note: i applied and interviewed with this school...but they didn't want me.)

happy pride!

a father of sorts

2011-06-16T11:43:00.003-05:00

i don't tell myself enough just how amazing and caring my husband truly is. today our niece and nephew's preschool was having a father's day lunch. with their father living states (and hours) away, he was unable to take time off word to attend his children's special day. {my sister wrote about it here.} after hearing about how upset the kids, especially lilly, were about not having their dad there, g said that he'd love to go!

so this morning, g woke up early to make the 3 hour drive to ft wayne to attend the kids' father's day lunch. my sister sent me a text later to say that lilly was absolutely thrilled when uncle g walked into her classroom.

g called me after the lunch was over and said that the kids were happy he was there. he said there were many kids' fathers who weren't there so he was happy that he was able to be there for lilly and anderson.

i'm so lucky to have a wonderful husband. he's an amazing man and a great uncle to two wonderful kids. *love*
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

staycation finale

2011-06-15T09:06:00.001-05:00

well, my staycation has come to an end. after nearly two weeks off work, i'm headed back to the dirty bird today. it was so nice to sleep in each day, go here and there as i pleased, and spend plenty of time relaxing at home. though the weather wasn't always the best (scorching hot days followed by cool, rainy days) and i was itching to get out of the house at times, i enjoyed my time off.

we accomplished our entire to-do list and most of our to-see/short travel list. it was great that we had the complete freedom to do whatever it is that we truly wanted. we considered a short trip numerous times, but stuck to our original planned and stayed close to home.

though there were a few bumps over the course of the two weeks, i really enjoyed spending time at home with g. since our schedules provide us time alone, it's sometimes difficult to be home together for an extended amount of time (we're both people that enjoy spending time together but like our occasional time alone).

so here's to a nice, relaxing staycation! ....and back to work i go.

photo found here.

spread the word to end the word

2011-06-14T09:56:00.000-05:00

when i was in middle school, i worked on the school's yearbook. i believe the theme was something about the "x generation". after hearing and noticing actions of fellow students, i sat in my room one night and wrote an article i wanted to submit to the yearbook. all around me, kids were striking their chests with a limp wrist making a moaning sound like they were someone with a severe disability. at the same time, the word retarded was running rampant, used in all types of conversation. as the brother of a loving and caring sister with down syndrome, this was extremely hurtful to me. these people were openly and blatantly offending me and those that i loved.

the word retard means "to delay, or slow." decades ago, it was also used to describe someone with a mental disability. since then, those in the medical and educational fields have changed the term to reflect the times. ('differently abled' is now the most accepted and utilized term.) in music, ritardando describes the gradual slowing in tempo. in french, it means late or delayed. but many people in our society have turned it into an offensive word referring to someone acting in a stupid manner.

spread the word to end the word is a national campaign to encourage people to pledge to stop using word retarded. in 2009, at the special olympics global youth activation summit, a group of youth with and with intellectual disabilities created the end the r word movement.

i sometimes have difficulty pointing out the offensiveness of the r-word to someone in conversation, but all my friends know how much i despise the word. my closest friends have erased the r-word from their vocabularies, and i urge you to as well. take the pledge to end the r-word here.

and check out this PSA:

happy birthday g!!

2011-06-13T08:08:00.004-05:00

happy birthday, louvra!!

patiently waiting for a little miracle to arrive

2011-06-12T09:20:00.000-05:00

while we're waiting for baby hammersley to join us in this world, i thought this is a great commercial to share.

a hug

2011-06-09T07:56:00.002-05:00

i have a friend going through a particularly difficult time right now. she truly means the world to me and it pains me to see her down. i wish that there was more that i could do other than to keep her constantly in my thoughts. i know that there are positive things on the horizon for her. she has been patient, prayed, and tried her best to remain optimistic. while this past week has been a struggle, i know that she will overcome this hard time. i hope she can continue to keep her chin up and know that there are many people on her side, knowing the best will soon come.

know that i am here for you and can be at your doorstep at a moment's notice. xo

photo found here.

staycation 2011: an update

2011-06-07T10:25:00.000-05:00

a week ago today we started our staycation. though we have discussed taking a short trip somewhere numerous times, we've stayed strong and maintained our original plan to stay home. in my last post, i listed some things we wanted to get done around the house. so far we've accomplished the following:

storage unit cleaned and organized
inside/outside of windows cleaned
dresser drawers cleaned out
shower doors, medicine cabinet, and faucet purchased
deep cleaned the living and dining rooms (we're talking all furniture moved out)

i say that's a nice start on the to-do list! (in regards to the home purchases, we were able to come in under budget on the first two items that we were able to go ahead and purchase the kitchen faucet we wanted!) shower doors, medicine cabinet, and faucet will be installed next week! can't wait to see how they all look!

we also planned to do some things around the city and take a couple short trips nearby and have done the following:

went to lincoln square mayfest
went to indianapolis winefest (blog post to come soon!)
bike ride along the lake and laid out at the beach briefly
lots of kitty cuddle time

the past couple of days have been hot as blazes in chicago! our blinds have remained closed and we were forced to turn the air conditioning on yesterday, mostly for the sake of ali and lucy (who were sprawled out on the hardwood floor or finding cool spots under our bed).

though i may regret it, i decided to pick up a trip to seattle and back tomorrow. it pays really well and i'll still be home in the evening. it will allow me to get out of the house for a while and let g enjoy the day at home alone.

so far it's been a great staycation! my mom asked me yesterday if i was bored. i quickly responded, "NO WAY!"

photo found here.

staycation 2011

2011-06-03T09:49:00.001-05:00

g and i are usually traveling somewhere when we have any amount of time off. so imagine all the places we could go this month since we both have the entire month off!! yet, we have opted to stay near home and enjoy our time in chicago.

for those of us that live in chicago, we know our time with great weather is limited. there is always so much going on in the city and working and traveling prevents us from doing all those things we would like to do. so a chicago staycation seemed like a good idea.

sure we have looked at all our time off and (hypothetically) planned some great vacations, but we have resisted and have decided on some great things to do around home.

our to-do list at home:

clean and organize the storage unit
clean inside/outside of all windows
clean out closet and drawers
install shower doors in guest bathroom
install medicine cabinet in master bathroom
shop for new kitchen faucet

and on our to-see/short travel list:

lincoln square mayfest
indianapolis winefest
day trip to saugatuck and new buffalo, mi
trip to ft. wayne zoo with lilly & anderson
weekend in cleveland to see g's family
lakefront bike rides (and possible laying out at the beach)
plenty of kitty cuddle time

we've already been enjoying ourselves. we kicked our vacation off on wednesday with sushi lunch, followed by afternoon drinks outside, and finally dinner and drinks on the patio of our favorite wine bar! it's been nice to lounge around home, knowing we can do whatever it is we wish to do! here's to many more vacation days!

photo found here.

i long for my indiana home

2011-05-29T09:56:00.000-05:00

today is the 100th anniversary of the indianapolis 500. growing up, my dad was a huge indy race car fan. i can remember races being on television nearly every weekend. our family often went down to indianapolis for the time trials prior to the race weekend. i can always remember being told that i couldn't go to the actual indy 500 until i was older (i later discovered all the debauchery that was present on race day, especially in the infield). while my enjoyment with racing never fully developed like my dad's, i still get a bit excited each memorial day weekend for the start of the greatest spectacle in racing.

there is a lot of tradition that goes into the indy 500. the 2 1/2 mile track is the original speedway, from 1909. it is the largest capacity sporting event in the world. one of the most interesting pieces of the track is the brick start/finish line. the winner of the race always drinks a jug of milk. at the start of the race, the national anthem is sung alongside "back home again in indiana", an annual tradition since 1946. since i can remember, that song is always sung by jim nabors. after a short prayer and the playing of "taps", a large group of balloons are released in the sky.

tony hulman is responsible for rescuing the indianapolis motor speedway around world war II and making it what it is today. each year he would start the race by saying "gentlemen, start your engines!" after mr. hulman's death, his wife carried on the tradition (i can remember her, quite frail, getting up and starting the race). after she passed away in 1998, their daughter continues the tradition.

it's exciting as the race comes to an end and the checkered flag waves to usher in the winner of the indianapolis 500!

because we knew you

2011-05-27T10:38:00.000-05:00

this was the week, the finale of the oprah winfrey show. i can honestly say that i remember the oprah show back in the day. i remember the various hairstyles, the opening theme songs, the sets, and many of the memorable episodes. then i went through an anti-oprah phase, for a reason i'm unsure of. but when season 25 kicked off, the final season, i knew that it was bound to be a season worth watching. we set up the dvr to record the oprah show each morning at 9am (one of the perks of being in chicago...we get to watch it first!). and as the number of episodes were counted down, we waited in anticipation of the two-episode surprise show that was taped at the united center. though there were many touching moments, none struck me as much as the one celebrating and honoring oprah's dedication to education.

two longtime friends of oprah's, gayle king and maria shriver, came onto stage and talked about the good that oprah has done, but none were as important to her as education. oprah has helped create better libraries for public schools, started a girl's school in south africa, and on and on. and one of the greatest gifts that oprah has provided was the ability for individuals to go to college. in 1990, oprah provided full-ride scholarships to striving students who were struggling to attend moreshouse college. what started with providing scholarships to 100 men turned into 415 recipients of the oprah winfrey scholarship.

to honor her dedication and the change she brought to these men, kristen chenoweth performed the song "for good" from the musical wicked. and during her performance, the men of morehouse college, the recipients of the scholarship flooded the stage.

i couldn't help myself from crying.

while finding this video, i learned that in honor of oprah's dedication to education, the men who received the scholarship from oprah provided $300,000 of their own money to educate other deserving moreshouse men.

techie talk

2011-05-23T18:54:00.001-05:00

~ i finally downloaded an app for blog posts. using the regular blogger website doesn't allow me to add pictures and is difficult for other features. so this is my first post on my ipad, using blogpress.

~ speaking of my ipad...a couple months ago i bought the zaag/mate. it essentially turns my ipad into a miniature laptop with a complete
keyboard. that being said, it's a bit smaller than a typical keyboard so i'm quite prone to typos.

~ do you have 'words with friends'? if not, download the app today! it's scrabble on your phone! and if you add me (arh79), you're sure to win!

~ i've really taken to twitter. though i've had my account for a couple of years, i didn't use it regularly until recently. i now follow 158 people and have 33 following me. i get instant news updates, random tweets from
fellow twitterers and am able to get a small glimpse into the lives of 'famous' people. i like that more of my friends are starting to tweet, too! follow me! adamIU02

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

happy birthday, with class

2011-05-20T08:58:00.000-05:00

on my most recent work trip, i was fortunate enough to see my longtime friend anna in indianapolis. when she came to my hotel, she informed me she found my birthday card. bless her heart, anna marches to the beat of her own drum. she had bought the card nearly a year ago because she said it was "perfect" for me, but then misplaced it by the time my birthday rolled around in december. well, she found it and said it was better late than never to give it to me. and let me tell you, it truly was worth the wait.

and happy birthday to my dear friend teresa....a lady with much more class!

5 beautiful years

2011-05-19T08:52:00.001-05:00

Happy 5th Birthday to my beautiful, intelligent niece Lilly. I love you!

glamour in the sky

2011-05-18T09:43:00.000-05:00

this week, many of the networks listed the shows that were being canceled and those that would premier in the fall line-up. among one of the new additions to ABC is Pan Am, a workplace drama about stewardesses from the world renowned airline. the show will star christina ricci. i'm super excited and hope that it does well! look for it sunday nights after desperate housewives.

here's a trailer!

fun in the sun

2011-05-17T11:42:00.001-05:00

this past weekend we went to sarasota to visit our friend tracy. tracy escaped the chicago cold last year in favor of her old florida hometown. we had tried to visit her in february, but since everyone else earned for the warmth of florida over the snow drifts of chicago, we were unable to get on a flight to go visit. thankfully we were able to get a seat to sarasota on our new friends at airtran.

we walked off the plane and were greeted by the sun and humidity florida is so well-known for. tracy gave us a quick driving tour of the sarasota area on our way to her place. (did you know that the ringlings are from sarasota?! they have a museum and school of art named after them there!) a short while later we made our way to a tracy's friend's house for a fish boil. we're talking a down-home seafood boil! there were mussels, shrimp, potatoes, corn, and sausage with some giant crabs thrown on the table. with bibs on and mallets in hand we got to work on our seafood feast! it was some work, but a lot of fun! and check out the cake for the birthday boy! amazing!

the next day we met tracy's mom and stepdad for lunch and a local eatery (with no advertising for the restaurant, it's appropriately named "word of mouth"). we later walked around st. armands circle, a cute shopping area, and then enjoyed a few drinks along the water. when the rain came, we decided to head back to tracy's place and rest for a couple hours before we went out for the evening. for dinner, we met up with tracy's dad and stepmom and enjoyed some fantastic wine and delicious indian food at chutney's. it was a small place and the owner of the place stopped to talk with us often. after dinner we went to a local bar where they had flemenco dancing and an amazing rooftop area.

our trip to sarasota could not be complete without a trip to siesta key. the weather could not be more perfect. we walked along the beach and through the village. we stopped for a bite to eat before driving by tracy's childhood home on the key. before heading to the airport we had dinner at a yummy, quaint fish house. owen's fish camp was the perfect end to a perfect weekend.

it was a great trip and i look forward to visiting again soon! it's easy to get beach-envy!

photos found here, here, and here.

let the grilling begin!

2011-05-13T09:12:00.000-05:00

one of the things i enjoy most about grilling is the ability to come up with things quite easily. g was on a trip and i was home by myself a few nights ago, but i wanted to make something yummy for dinner. i had some chicken, a couple tomatoes, and a red onion. voila! a tasty dinner is born!

i grilled the chicken with just some salt and pepper. after i chopped the red onion, i tossed it in some balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and evoo. after cutting the tomatoes in half, i removed the seeds and extra juice (from what i read, the flavor from the seeds and juices will cook away when grilled anyway), drizzled it with evoo, and seasoned it with salt and pepper.

i made some basmati rice and added some dill weed. i then added the onion, tomato, and chicken and i had a healthy, tasty dinner! ....now if only i would have had some tzatziki on hand....

feel the breeze!

2011-05-11T10:09:00.000-05:00

how cute is this? i love that they're enjoying the windows being open as much as i am!

An Observant Mind

skinny goodness!

a tasty weekend at our place!

cooking on ww+

revenge

happy new year

reading in 2011: book #14

happy birthday anderson!

merry christmas

reading in 2011: book #13

to those still confused

GO IU! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

fun in amsterdam

wow.

raised by love

tirade tuesday...on wednesday

christmas vs. cats

yup.

thanksgiving leftovers

family

pinterest

happy thanksgiving

gelukkige verjaardag aan mij

purrfect for fur

wish big, win big

scheduling woes

yummy!

presh!

guilty pleasure

my plans are no plans

the hunger games

who's out there?

family

baby g

we're baaaaaaaack!!

grr.

things and stuff

fun in the 'nasti

fall back...into darkness

sunday sweetness

I-N-D-I-A-N-A!

sea world

a quick trip to nyc

apples and more apples!

nablopomo 2011

i'm back!

top contenders

1 month

worth the delicious wait

family visit

reading in 2011: book #11

reading in 2011: book #10

meow, with a side of 'tude

the return of television

hey there wednesday

never forget, forever grateful

remembering 9/11

ah-choo!

StandUp with Ben

tuesday funnies

happy labor day?

gadgets galore!

a wonderful lady

EH!

adios!

airventure

fun apps!

visit from a friend

tasty frozen treat!

light as a feather

nom nom nom!

*my* new bff

with a purpose

view from the top

always the intentions...

home improvements

clinton library

atomic salad

reading in 2011: book #9

happy birthday lucy!

my new bff