2012: june edition

summer had finally arrived in chicago!  though i was spending a lot of time working (i wrote here about the special project i was part of), we were able to take in perfect summer weather throughout the month.  

one random weekend evening, g and i decided to walk to nearby lincoln square and enjoy tasty margaritas and mexican food.  i explained to g that we should just get a pitcher of margaritas to split.  i assured him it was probably only 2 glasses each (i wasn't sure, but i figured it was probably like a bottle of wine...right? maybe?!).  well, i was sorely mistaken.  after g had filled his margarita glass up twice and there was still half a pitcher, he started to look at me suspiciously.  i admitted that i truly didn't know how many drinks it would produce but said that we couldn't waste the delicious mexican beverages!  well, here's what became of g towards the end of our dinner....and a seemingly never-ending pitcher of margaritas!  

celebrating g's birthday with our good friend tracy who was in town!

 each year we say we're going to skip the gay pride festivities the following year but somehow we get caught up in the excitement of the day with our friends.  this particular year one of our favorite bands, the scissor sisters, was performing at a small venue the evening of the parade.  though i knew it would be a lot of fun, i also knew that it could be disastrous after all the parade festivities.  a nap was much-needed before the show.  but i definitely rallied and enjoyed the fabulous show!

abby and i enjoying the scissor sisters

2012: march edition

this march was truly all about my hoosiers.

I LOVE MY HOOSIERS! (if you weren't already aware) 

if you're a fan of college basketball, march madness is truly the event of the year.  it's what our teams work towards the entire season.  after conference play you're sized up against teams across the nation and seeded, if you're fortunate (read: good) enough to be a part of the NCAA tournament.

the hoosiers were expected to be better than the year before, but i think few expected them to be as good as they truly were.  starting the season unranked, knocking off the #1 team in the nation early in the season (followed by the #2 team a few weeks later), and a great conference season, the hoosiers earned a #4 seed in the tournament.  though we lost (ironically to the #1 team we beat earlier in the season) in the sweet sixteen, i was SO proud of my hoosiers.  we finally proved that we were back!

and the 2011-12 season, along with some excellent recruits, got us a #1 pre-season ranking!!

also in march i went to charlotte to visit my friend teresa.  i was lucky to have a trip that ended in charleston, sc and was able to hop on a flight headed to charlotte!  as always we had a fantastic time.  and in keeping with the basketball theme for the month, her kansas jayhawks made it all the way to the championship game!  rock chalk!

bon voyage!

we planned a wonderful 2-week transatlantic cruise for the middle of april.  we had booked it nearly six months prior so we had eagerly been awaiting this long vacation.

we flew down to tampa and stayed at our crew hotel so that we could fly to san juan the following morning.  we spent two nights in san juan at a beautiful resort before the cruise set sail.  it was great laying in the sun, relaxing.

we boarded our cruise ship and explored, as we always do when we first get onboard.  it's always interesting to see what type of people will be on such a long cruise.  obviously you have some retired people, but this cruise was filled with europeans and LOTS of gays.  i suppose the crowd wasn't too surprising considering europeans take longer holidays than americans and the gays have the disposable income to take cruises such as this.  we met a few people as we made our way around the ship, having our pre-departure beverages.  when we went to dinner that evening, we met the four other individuals at our table - two friends traveling together from new jersey and a lovely couple from london.  we quickly became friends with our tablemates.  we spent a majority of the time over the next two weeks with them.

on our cruise we went st. thomas and st. maarten before making our way across the atlantic.  in st. maarten g and i had been looking forward to going to maho beach.  it's a top destination for airline geeks as the end of the runway is literally at the edge of the beach.  planes are so low by the time they reach the beach you feel like you can reach up and touch them.

KLM 747 landing over Maho Beach

g, me, ryan & john (our new, jersey frriends)

the next 6 days we spent at sea.  there was plenty to do on the ship and having met people we enjoyed the days went by quite quickly.  we spent time in the sun during the day, typically had drinks on our huge aft-facing balcony in the evening, met our group in the dining room for dinner every evening, and then made our way to the casino and/or nightclub at night.  we caught a few performance shows, including two ice skating shows (YES! ice skating on a cruise ship!).

our junior suite

the view from our aft-facing balcony

mark, melissa, g, and me on formal night

ryan, me and melissa on our last night

once we reached land we visited tenerife and lanzarote in the canary islands; madeira, an island off the coast of africa belonging to portugal; and finally ended the cruice in malaga, spain.

we had visited tenerife on a previous cruise so we opted for just walking around the city.  we also did a hop on/hop off bus so we were able to see more of the city.  in lanzarote, formed by a volcano, we drove to winery to do a quick tasting of their sweet wine they are known for before making our way to the "fire mountain".  the colors were absolutely gorgeous.  there is also so much heat coming within the ground that we saw chicken being grilled over an open oven that got it's heat from the 50m hole in the ground.  the highlight of the day was our camel ride.  i'm not going to lie that i was a bit skeptical, but when else am i going to ride around on a camel?! it was so much fun!

madeira was one of my favorite destinations on the cruise.  we took a tram to the top of the city where we found a cafe with free wifi (we were going through a bit of withdrawal by this time).  we then walked around a garden built on the side of the hill.  the views down below to the ocean were breathtaking.  to get down the hill we took a toboggan ride, a tradition in madeira.  i would love to go back and visit on our own.  we were told that it's still an inexpensive place to visit because it hasn't "caught on" with many tourists.

heading up the aerial tram

tobogganing in madeira

heading down the hill (not us)

our cruise ended in malaga.  our plan was to take the train to madrid, spend the night there before jumping on a flight back to the states.  we checked our flight options and realized that both options were full and wouldn't get us home.  we made a quick alternative plan and bought an inexpensive ticket to amsterdam where we were able to fly home that same day to detriot (and then bless g's heart for making the 4 hour drive to chicago from detriot after nearly 24 hours of travel).  we were definitely glad to be home to see our two adorable kitties (who were well taken care of by andrea!) after a wonderful vacation!

short layover in AMS but i got to take this great picture of the tulips!

GO IU! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

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

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!)

adios!

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!)  

patiently waiting for a little miracle to arrive

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

staycation 2011: an update

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.  

because we knew you

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. 

glamour in the sky

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!

it gets better

i seriously tear up every time i see this commercial.



it truly does get better.  visit this site to hear how it gets better.

may days

i can't believe it's the beginning of may already.  i'm hoping with its arrival it means for warmer, sunnier days.  like it does every year, i know that it will go by quickly.  with everything we have planned this month, it's going to allow for little time to breathe! 

aside from working quite a bit this month, we have the following things going on to keep us busy:

• weekend work trip to NYC which mom and gretchen are joining me for, while lilly & anderson hang out in chicago with uncle g
• postponed trip to sarasota for a weekend visit with tracy
• lilly's 5th birthday party in ft. wayne
• bike the drive on memorial day weekend
• and hopefully tickets to see adele in chicago

 i long for nice days in chicago.  i hope that i can squeeze in bike rides along the lake and evenings dining al fresco.  now i just need the weather to cooperate!

 photo found here. 

royal highlights

i was up at 2am to catch all the coverage of today's royal wedding.  being slightly obsessed with all things british, i could not miss this historic event!  here are various pictures of today's festivities that i enjoyed:

yes, we printed of the official programme and followed along.

 i love all the hats, but i especially loved victoria beckham's headpiece!  and david looked HOT!

 

 i loved kate's dress!  designed by sarah burton, creative director of alexander mcqueen.  

the duchess of cambridge looked absolutely beautiful!

kate isn't the only good-looking middleton!  her brother james is quite easy on the eyes! 

 oh harry, i love you!  

the ride in the 1902 state carriage was iconic.  the royal couple looked so happy!

 i think we'll be seeing this picture many times over for decades to come. 

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE!!

photos found here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

i am what i am

such a neat video from the flight crew of SAS on the first ever inflight gay wedding.



and check out the wedding rap, too! 

it's britney bitch!

she's back!  from her bubblegum schoolgirl days and her sexy hits to the mental breakdown shaving disaster, britney has returned with a solid new album, femme fatale.  her newest single "till the world ends" will be an instant dance mix favorite.  (it might be my favorite britney song of all time...yes, i just said that.)  upon listening to femme fatale the first time you might not be instantly impressed, but i guarantee by the third or fourth time of listening you will be hooked!  she is bound to be at the top of the charts again!

my review of femme fatale:
best dance song:  "till the world ends"
instant favorite on repeat:  "(drop dead) beautiful"
most annoying (but growing on me):  "big fat bass"
guilty pleasure:  "gasoline"
best sing-a-long:  "i wanna go"

picture challenge: day 26

a picture of something that means a lot to you. 

indiana university.  

 my campus. 

 my college experiences. 

 my hoosiers.

                                          

picture challenge: day 25

a picture of your day. 

my favorite way to start the day.

 

picture challenge: day 17

a picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.

nearly three years ago i made a complete career change.  flying has given me numerous opportunities to travel the world.  it has changed relationships with family and friends (and new friends!).  most of all, flying has made my life incredibly more stress-free.  i don't think i could ever go back to a "real" job again. 

The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Southwest Airlines’ Officers, Directors, or Employees.

picture challenge: day 15

a picture of something you want to do before you die. 

jump out of a perfectly good airplane!

photo found here. 

picture challenge: day 14

a picture of someone you could never imagine your life without. 

my louvra.