life & times

A Very Sunny Thanksgiving: Our Trip to Phoenix, Part 3

2009-12-05T11:02:00.000-06:00

We spent our Thanksgiving holiday in Phoenix (five days, to be exact, which as taken me three blog posts to summarize). It was pretty grand. The full array of pictures can be found at the link at the top of the page.

Even though the rest of our trip to Phoenix could probably be summarized pretty quickly by saying we laid out by the pool, swam in the pool, loved the sun, hung out with my family, ate good food and enjoyed ourselves immensely, that's just not my style and an obscenely long post is what you will get instead.

We are not Black Friday people. Not remotely. We like our sleep and our sanity. On Thursday night, as we drove across town, we passed several big box stores that had full parking lots. Matt informed me that these were people that were camping out for the night so they could get the good deals early in the morning. What?!?! Anyway. Instead of shopping, we spent our Friday with my family, laying out by the pool. They came over to our hotel to spend the day with us and after a delicious lunch of Mexican food (you can't go to Phoenix and not eat Mexican), we spent the afternoon by the pool. Did I ever mention that our hotel had eight pools, one of which had a waterslide? I am such a child and it takes little to keep me entertained (which equates to Sierra + waterslide = total awesomeness). Unfortunately, my brother had to be back at work on Saturday, so he had to catch a late afternoon flight home. It was almost hard to believe that he would go from being out by the pool in sunny, 80-degree weather to skiing in less than 24 hours.

Before our trip, I promised Matt a nice dinner while we were in Phoenix. I told him that the choice was completely up to him and that I would accompany him to any fine dining establishment that he should choose. The possibilities were endless as a city like Phoenix has an infinite number of excellent restaurant choices. Ruth's Chris, Fogo de Chao, independent steak houses, the restaurant at the top of the hill at our hotel. Because my family wanted to have dinner with us on Saturday night before we all headed home, that left us with Friday night for our dinner. The choice was up to Matt. I am not sure if he forgot about all of the great restaurants in town or what exactly happened, but on Friday afternoon, he said that all he wanted for dinner was Old Chicago. And, I love pizza just as much as the next person, but I was a little surprised. So, after looking up the locations on my iPhone and driving across town, Matt got his Old C's and he was happy.

We drank quite a bit of wine in the evenings when we made it back to our hotel room. Some was good, some was not. There was one bottle that Matt found quite unpleasant.

On Saturday, my mom and dad came back to hang out at the pools with us. After it had been so warm for most of the week, it really started to cool off that afternoon. We parked ourselves at a pool that was up high on the hill and where we could overlook much of the resort. From there, we watched the beginning of a wedding, but then it started to rain. It actually rained pretty hard and I'm sure that all of the wedding guests got drenched. It actually got cold that night and we had to run the heat in our car. After we said our goodbyes to my mom and dad on Saturday night, I was a little sad. But, not nearly as much as I would normally be, as we're seeing them again in just a few short weeks.

On our last day in the Valley of the Sun, we hit the pool one last time. After a few hours, we packed up and checked out. Our plan was to head over to Scottsdale for lunch and then to drive through some of Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and the Biltmore Estates before heading to the airport.

Even though we only stuck a toe in five of the eight pools, I still needed to snap a picture of every one of them.

If there was one thing that I couldn't quite get used to on our trip, it was seeing holiday decorations out when it was so warm. There is just something about Christmas that goes hand in hand with cold weather and snow. I realize that Christmas happens whether it's cold or not, but it just doesn't seem the same. Though, I admit, there were some palm trees that were decorated at our resort that I absolutely loved.

Sunday was cooler than the other days we had been in Phoenix, but it was still in the 70's. Arizona people are extremely amusing in that they think 70 is freezing. As we are from Wisconsin and barely even saw the temperatures get that high all summer, we still thought it was pretty fabulous to be walking around in late November without a parka, boots, hats and mittens. We had lunch at the Scottsdale Fashion Park, which, if you are unfamiliar, is where all of the pretty people go. As we entered the restaurant, we were offered our choice of seating options: inside, where it was warm and comfortable or outside, on the heated patio because it was "pretty chilly out there". Of course, we asked to sit outside where we were given our own, personal gas heater to keep us warm while we dined. I find this funny.

After lunch, we drove around and as we were headed over to Paradise Valley, we passed Fogo de Chao. You may not know this, but we LOVE Fogo. Upon seeing it, Matt got very upset and says "YOU DIDN'T TELL ME THERE WAS A FOGO IN TOWN!". Well, I did, but he must have forgotten. After I told him that he picked Old C's as our dinner together and that he very well could have chosen Fogo, he got pretty upset. I think he wished we'd gone to Fogo. (Don't tell him, but I wished we'd gone there too.) He pouted for a good 10 minutes after that.

After driving through Paradise Valley and the Biltmore Estates (both of which are very, very pretty and are where some very, very gorgeous homes are located), we had to bring our trip to an end and go back to the airport.

When we arrived home, it was cold and dark (well, we got home at 10:00 at night so, obviously, it was dark). Since we've been home, it's tried to snow and the holiday season is in full swing. The slight tan I got has faded. But, we had a great trip and some great stories to share from it.

A Very Sunny Thanksgiving: Our Trip to Phoenix, Part 2

2009-12-03T19:24:00.002-06:00

As you very well know, we spent five days in Phoenix for the Thanksgiving holiday.

We went to see family, which I was very excited about. I was equally as excited about the resort we stayed at. I had stayed at this place with my family several years ago and was really excited to go back. After I found an awesome deal on Orbitz, I was sold. Though, I admit, I had talked this place up so much to Matt that I was reeeally worried he wouldn't like it and I would be held responsible. So, I am fairly certain that he got really annoyed with my asking him "so, do you like it?", "it's ok?", "isn't this place awesome?!" and the like every five seconds.

Luckily, he was impressed. And, I mean, really, how could he not be? This place is the bomb dot com. It is situated on a hill with some pretty steep cliffs. There are eight pools throughout the property. Our suite was situated about halfway up the hill. Speaking of our suite, it was huge and we had a great balcony overlooking the grounds.

After we checked in, we unpacked, changed into our swimsuits and headed for the pool. We lounged in the hot tub until we were good and pruney. We wandered around some of the resort and checked out another pool that was up on a cliff where we watched some of the sunset.

As everyone was bringing something for Thanksgiving dinner and we were staying in a hotel room with no way to make a meal, we offered to bring beverages. We also wanted to stock up on some breakfast items and snacks. There was a Safeway down the street, so we figured we'd get some groceries and grab dinner. Seems simple enough, right? False. I have an incredibly hard time making decisions. An even harder time making decisions when food is involved. Matt does not help one bit in that he's also pretty indecisive. But, that evening, my indecision was in overdrive and I could not for the life of me think of anything that sounded even remotely appealing for dinner. We spent about an hour driving around the neighborhood with Lola trying to find something that might pique our interest. Holycrap, that sucked! Finally, we told ourselves that we'd go to Safeway, get the beverages and snacks and maybe get dinner there if there was anything good. No dice there, either, so we settled on eating at the hotel. Unfortunately, the hotel restaurant was pretty fancy and was serving up $15 salads--not quite what we were looking for. So, we got back in the car and decided on Subway. Pulling into the parking lot, we spotted a neat looking place next door, walked in, ordered and the rest is history. And, delicious! But, man alive was that ridiculous.

On the morning of Thanksgiving, we cruised over to the pool for a couple of hours to lay out and soak up some sun. We met a few other northerners from Chicago and Madison who agreed that the weather totally beat what it was like back home. The high on Thursday was in the 80's. It was pretty awesome.

I had not seen most of my family members that came to Thanksgiving since our wedding two-and-a-half years ago. At our wedding, my cousin had just had a baby who was a few months old. He seems so grown up now! And, he has a new baby brother, which meant that I got to hold a baby. Aside from his drooling all over my hand and trying to eat my hair, I think it was a success.

We spent the day playing Ping Pong:

Trying to get grapefruit out of a tree on the golf course:

And hanging out:

Oh! And since Matt and I were on beverages, we had to run to Walgreens for ice at one point. We were in the line to check out and right there, next to the gum and the eyeglasses repair kits was This is It, the music that inspired the new Michael Jackson movie. I snatched it up and raced back to the car to blare Thriller for the two seconds it took us to get back to my grandma's house. Totally kick butt! We listened to MJ all weekend long.

Because we were a large group and the weather was nice, we ate at the Ping Pong Table. Genius, right?

And then we said Grace and dug in. I love Thanksgiving. I love all of the food and family being together. And the food.

(And, yes, there is a piece of turkey on my plate. (It's hiding under my stuffing and mashed potatoes.) I ate a lot of meat on my trip out west. I even had bacon. Gasp! Don't tell anyone. I'm kind of ashamed.)

After stuffing ourselves silly, we went for a leisurely walk on the golf course to help aid our digestion.

It should be a part of every family's Thanksgiving tradition to play games after dinner, like we do. It gives you a chance to sip on some more wine, socialize and laugh your guts out. We like Apples to Apples, but you can play whatever game you happen to like.

So, after the dinner and the walk and the wine and the pie and the Apples to Apples, we said our goodbyes (I did not get to hold the baby again before this) and headed back to our hotel.

Dear Santa:

2009-12-01T21:23:00.002-06:00

I love this time of year. The lights, the holiday cheer, the good food, the snow (ahem, snow? where are you? okay, never mind, you can stay away for now), the apple spice air fresheners, pretty holiday presents... Oh, the presents. I love presents, both giving and receiving. However, I panic when I hear "what do you want for Christmas?" from family members. I never have any idea what to say. Nothing ever comes to mind. So, in a total throwback to my childhood and the days of compiling my list for Santa, I've created a holiday wish list. Some of these items are practical, some are outrageous and the entire list is completely and unquestionably self-indulgent.

A bike trainer so that I can "ride" my bike inside all winter long:

A tiny little iPod Shuffle to replace my old pink iPod for running and playing outside:

While I absolutely love, love, LOVE my trusty point-and-shoot, I've lusted over a "real" camera for ages:

Can never have too many of these:

New ski boots:

And new ski pants:

A Kate Spade (totally unnecessary and completely frivolous? I am aware.):

I do love a cozy sweater:

Some pretty and cool earrings:

The Dansko boots that I've been lusting after for quite some time:

And, finally, the totally ridiculous. Who hasn't fantasized about having a new car with a big red bow?

_______________________________________

Aside from the superficial and material, I will gladly settle on the continued love and support of my husband. On a family that will always be close to my heart, regardless of how far away they may be geographically. On having my husband's family nearby that has accepted me into their family with open arms. On the sweetest little puppy dog ever. On the pure happiness that is my life.

A Very Sunny Thanksgiving: Our Trip to Phoenix, Part 1

2009-11-30T21:25:00.004-06:00

Lest you were completely unaware, we went to Arizona for the Thanksgiving holiday. We spent five wonderful days in the sun, visiting with family, eating good food and relaxing.

This attractive young lady lives down there and my family was making the drive for the holiday.

I really felt as though I was overdue to visit my grandmother. I also like warm weather. Win-win, right? Right.

We woke up super early on Wednesday morning to a cold and steady rain. The cruddy weather here made it so much easier to get up knowing that in a few hours we'd be in warm and sunny Phoenix. Aside from sitting next to Brut-opotamus (seriously, he reeked) who took his shoes off for the flight (no. seriously.) and hearing a dog barking from the depths of the cargo hold (um, I may or may not have cried a little after hearing that), the flight was uneventful. I just reeeeeally wanted to be there, so I played games on my iPhone and made myself sleep to pass the time.

Of course the sun was shining in Phoenix. Of course. It is, afterall, the Valley of the Sun. The shuttle over to the rental cars was full of us pale-skinned northerners and we were all giddy at the sight of the sun once again.

We picked out a car, went through the whole rigamarole of the art of the upsell and after signing our lives away and giving no less than two pints of blood and our first born, we were off to grandmother's house. Really, Matt and I had never rented a car before. What a trip. Lesson of the Day: be stern with those pushy Dollar Car Rental Agents who like to sell you unnecessary stuff. We had done our research before we went and knew that our credit card covered us insurance-wise and that we could decline the rental agency-sponsored insurance plan. This did not stop the very friendly genteleman from telling us that we were "taking our lives in our own hands". But, really, what would you expect from the same friendly gentlemen who responded to us saying that THE HUSBAND would be the only authorized driver of the car because I'd be too busy partying and dringing Sangria to be able to drive and it was probably best that I left the driving up to him in that case? Yes, he really said that. Um, dude, I'm not, but what if I was pregnant and you said that? Or, what if I don't like Sangria? Jerk. Anyway.

And then came the picking out of the rental car. WHO KNEW this was such a task? We reserved a compact vehicle or a Dodge Caliber or similar. No way were we going to spend more money on something bigger or nicer when we really wouldn't be using it that much. Despite my husband's whining that this would have "no power" and would be "tiny" AND despite dude at the counter's urging to splurge for a Ford Fusion for only an extra $15.63/day, we stuck with the compact. Even after dude at the counter said "well, you have just a compact and it has, of course, crank windows" (uh, sure, of course?) and continued on to say "but, the Fusion has power windows and satellite radio", we stuck with the compact. So, we got downstairs where the cars were and imagine my husband's delight when they took us to the row of compact cars and said "pick one". There were Dodge Calibers, of course. But, there were also PT Cruisers and Nissan Versas and, AND a cute little pearl-colored Subaru Impreza with POWER WINDOWS. Matt clung to that little Subaru and after a full thirty minutes of noting every single little scratch and dent on that poor car (which, it turns out, there were a lot), we finally got to get in it and start her up. And then we got to ease her out onto the Freeway and really see what she could do (which, impressively, was more than expected). But, moving on.

Within about five minutes into the drive, I got yelled at for spending too much time snapping pictures and not enough time playing navigator. Something about unfamiliar vehicle and unfamiliar roads. I couldn't help it, I was excited. Oh, and, yes, I take pictures from the car. I'm weird like that.

My grandmother lives in Sun City, which is a retirement community west of the city. This place is a trip. It's so quiet and serene. Everything is so neat and tidy. People drive golf carts on the streets! I love it.

We spent a good part of our first day with my family. We went to lunch and hung out in my grandma's backyard, overlooking the golf course. It was warm and I enjoyed the company. I don't think it's any secret that I miss my family terribly and it's really hard seeing them so little. My mom and I could sit and talk for forever and a day and I eat every bit of it up with a spoon and smile.

Eventually, we said our goodbyes for the day and made the way across town to the hotel we'd be calling home for the next four nights. This place is seriously awesome and I think Matt fell in love with me all over again after hearing again how incredible of a deal I got on such a fabulous resort. Yes, it was that good.

by the time you read this

2009-11-25T08:06:00.002-06:00

By the time you read this post, I will be in Arizona. That's right, I've slipped out the back and flew the coop. Er...or something.

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving. I'll catch up on the flip side.

baby girl's got a bum knee

2009-11-17T21:03:00.000-06:00

My dog, Indy, is not at all like your dog. Nor any other dog I've ever met, for that matter. No, my dog is really different. She once jumped out of our friend's window. She is blind in one eye. She has scars all over her face which could be the result of a bad dog fight or being hit by a car. She has even gone out on the wave runner a time or three. She's been stung by bees, scraped the skin off of her back and is not afraid of anything.

I feel like we're always dealing with something when it comes to our baby girl. It seems like there is always something and we've become regulars at the vet's office.

And, so, when we came home from dinner one night in September to find her limping, we weren't all that surprised. Concerned? Yes. But, surprised? Not really at all.

I have no idea what happened, but her leg was definitely bothering her. We took it easy and saw no improvement, so we took her in to the vet. We left with an Xray of Indy's leg, a prescription for pain pills and orders to take it easy for about six weeks. Fast forward six weeks and she was still limping on occasion so we went back to the vet. She declared the problem as being beyond her scope and referred us to a specialist. Today was her appointment.

Indy has a torn ACL and will likely need surgery. Of course, I am willing to do just about whatever is necessary to have a healthy and happy dog. She is, after all, our baby girl.

Matt left the appointment full of information which we're currently wading through and discussing our options. There are two surgery options, but one really seems to be the more obvious route to take--it has a higher success rate and everyone we've talked to so far claims that it is the way to go. We are also weighing our options regarding surgeons. Our appointment today was with the specialist referred to us by our regular vet. She said that this doctor is one of the best surgeons locally. We've heard nothing but great things regarding the vet school in Madison and really feel like we should at least do our research and possibly meet them. We just want to be absolute certain that Indy will have the best care possible.

The recovery period will be a long and hard road and I'm really kind of dreading it. But, what can we do? Immediately after the surgery, she will stay overnight in the hospital. During the first few weeks of recovery, Indy will not be able to put much, if any, weight on her rear leg. Her activity will be severely restricted and we will probably have to carry her up and down the stairs and to go outside. She'll have to wear a cone to keep her from licking her incision. She'll have to be in her kennel all of the time when we're gone and probably at night as well. After about six weeks, we'll be able to take her on light walks and start incorporating some really light (leashed) activity. At about six months post-op, she should be back to her normal running, jumping and playing self. If she thought the past few weeks of "taking it easy" have been rough, how will she feel about six months of nothing? She loves to run and jump and play, so this will be pretty horrible for her. I wish that I could explain it to her and tell her that we do this because we love her.

In addition to what to do and who to have to do it, we're struggling with when. With our leaving next week for Phoenix, we obviously can't do it before that. We were planning on going to Telluride for Christmas and New Years. But, that requires having Indy stay here. Like I said, the first few weeks of recovery are going to be very time-consuming and difficult. She will require constant supervision and care. There is no way we could even dream of asking anyone else to watch her during this time. It is not fair to our family members or to Indy. So, do we push the surgery out to January or do we do it sooner and not go on our trip?

The fact that I am having to make this decision is heart breaking. I only get to go to Telluride twice a year and I look forward to these trips for months. Not going has never been an option. But, our dog needs surgery. If we wait, we are risking her doing damage to her other, good leg and needing surgery on that. How do I make this decision?

I hate that we now know what we know and we waited six weeks before finding out she needed surgery all along. If we had done this earlier, she'd already be working toward recovery. Regardless, here we are.

If anyone has any advice or information to share, we'd appreciate it. If you have any kind words for Indy, I'm sure she'd appreciate those. Or if you want to send biscuits, she'll probably want to go home with you.

Twilight Saga Revisited

2009-11-16T09:32:00.001-06:00

A little over a year ago, I got completely sucked in by the Twilight series (pun intended, obvi). I spent a week of my life reading these books as quickly as I could. It's a little embarrassing, really, how fast I blew through them. I just could.not.put.them.down. Between the time I finished the books and the movie came out (roughly a month), I spent almost all of my internet time finding fun Twilight-related stuff.

I never blogged about it (I blame being completely and utterly caught up in a new job), but I went to the movie on opening night. I wore a Team Edward T-shirt and I sat in the very front row (which I don't EVER recommend). Oh em gee, it was magical!

After that, the excitement waned and I went on back to my regularly scheduled life. The DVD came out and of course I got the special Target -Disc Edition (see: duh!) and watched it a few times all excited all over again. And then I kind of forgot about it all. What can I say? I had other things (i.e. real life) to tend to and, well, fictional vampires fell by the wayside. Apparently, I'm a sorry excuse for an obsessed emo teenager.

All of that aside, the next movie, New Moon, is coming out in less than a week. I've been watching the trailers over and over again and I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited to see it. I had had plans to re-read the series again to refresh my memory, but that never really happened. And, while I am aware that I am fully capable of cranking them out in a week, I'll be honest and say I really don't want to. The tickets have been purchased (for the fourth row this time) and even though we're not going until Saturday (apparently, this thing is kind of popular and the Friday night shows were all sold out), I'm beginning to feel a little giddy all over again.

And, yes, the Team Edward shirt will absolutely be coming out of the closet for this event.

Amazing. Really.

2009-11-14T09:38:00.002-06:00

After watching a clip on the news regarding it now being legal to shoot feral pigs.
{Which, could be a completely separate blog entry about my thoughts on this.}

_________________________________

What is a feral pig?

It's a wild pig.

I was not aware that we have wild pigs in Wisconsin. Huh. This is weird.

It's a domesticated pig that escaped.

Um, what? You mean like someone's pet?

Yeah, domestic pigs escape all of the time. Like, they're always escaping. They escape pretty easily.

Seriously? Well, how does a domestic pig turn wild then? How can you tell the difference?

It only takes three weeks. They grow tusks. And hair. It's amazing. Really.

i wash my face with oil

2009-11-11T20:10:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, I was perusing a forum on the Nest and I sort of stumbled across a post asking for recommendations for a good facial cleanser for dry skin. Several people recommended the Oil Cleansing Method (or OCM). I have no idea why, but it really piqued my curiosity. I Googled, read a bunch of stuff, Googled some more, read some more and, well, you get the idea.

Everything I read included claims of clear, beautiful skin. What's not to like there, right? I don't have bad skin, per se. I have your usual combination skin with the occasional flakiness, breakout and/or clogged pores, but nothing out of the (what I think to be) ordinary. It may not be bad, but I've always known that I could have better skin.

Admittedly, the thought of using nothing but oil to clean my face seems a little counterproductive. Won't oil make me break out? Will my face begin to rival the Exxon Valdez? I may or may not have also worried that trying this would put me in the same boat as those "different" folks that don't use shampoo to wash their hair (which, admittedly, I might totally try at some point) (okay, yes, we share a boat).

After a few weeks, I was still thinking about trying it (yes, I really do put this much thought into my skin care regimen) and still Googling and reading. There are tons of different formulas people out there are using and seeing fabulous results with. I learned a lot about different types of oils. Olive oil. Coconut oil. Jojoba. Tea tree. Castor. Grapeseed. Sunflower.

I happened to be at CVS over the weekend to buy some nail polish and there was a bottle of pure tea tree oil sitting there. I grabbed it off the shelf without even giving it a second thought. That night, I mixed it with some olive oil (this is what I had readily available at home) and went to town massaging my face with the oil blend. I "steamed" it out with a hot wash cloth and was amazed at how soft my skin felt!

I am currently using tea tree oil and olive oil. I eyeballed my ratios, but I would guess it's a 30/70 ratio (tea tree to olive). Every night I massage the oil into my face. I spend a good ten minutes doing this and it's a great way to de-stress at the end of the day. I then use a hot wash cloth and lay it over my face until it cools and then repeat this three or four times. In the morning, I just wipe my face with a wash cloth and I'm set to go. When my face feels tight, I use the smallest drop of my oil blend to moisturize. I think that the olive oil may be a little thick, but I'll give it some more time before I change it up.

I've been doing this for a few days now and I'm noticing a remarkable improvement in my skin. It feels smoother, it looks better, my clogged pores have disappeared... Granted, it's only been a few days and I realize that this could be short-lived, but, so far, I'm pretty happy with how this is working out. This probably makes me the biggest dork, but I'm actually really excited about my skin now!

Why?

2009-11-07T11:04:00.001-06:00

So, Matt and I are going to Phoenix for Thanksgiving. The flight is booked. The hotel is paid for. The only piece left to arrange is a rental car.

I do not understand what is so hard about trying to find a rental car. I honestly do not. If someone else out there cares to enlighten me, I would appreciate it.

It's not that I can't find a car to rent. Oh, I can do that just fine. There are plenty to choose from. It's that I feel like every time I look, the price is different. Some days it's higher, some days it's lower, some sites say one thing and then they say another. I check all of the major outlets--Kayak, Expedia, Orbitz, Hotwire and each and every company site--they are all different. I am having a heck of a time trying to compare apples to apples.

Take, for instance, Hotwire. If I go to Hotwire.com directly and punch in my needs, I get Price A. But, if I follow the link provided in my email with "special deals" to Hotwire and punch in the exact same needs, I get Price B. And, I might add, Price B is over $100 LESS than Price A. Through the exact same outlet for the exact same product! What gives? Everything is exactly the same, but yet very different

Needless to say, the link from the email deal seems the best, but it really makes me question what sort of deals I may have missed out on for our flights and hotel by not being an "insider" for other travel booking sites. It seems a little unfair, doesn't it?

The Perfect Fall Weekend

2009-10-25T19:59:00.001-05:00

Contrary to weather reports calling for rain and snow all weekend (and a wet Saturday morning), we were blessed with two perfectly beautiful Fall days. The temperatures were in the high 40's / low 50's and the sun was out. Weather like this reminds me of why I could never live somewhere that didn't have all four seasons.

This weekend was also one in which we had absolutely NOTHING planned. It was just the two of us with no plans, no obligations. Two whole days stretched in front of us, full of possibility. Love it.

I had been wanting to go to a farm to pick apples and pumpkins for some time now. Unfortunately, we've been so busy every weekend that we didn't have time. And then with the less than stellar weather lately, I was afraid I'd missed my chance. So, when the sun came out on Saturday, I was ecstatic. We jumped in the car and drove up to Mequon toward the farm. We took our time getting there, checking out neighborhoods as we went along.

We got to the farm, ran through a quick "orientation" of which apples were which and where they were in the orchard (all of which I immediately forgot) and got to picking. It was a lot of fun! Matt also informed me that he used to pick apples and pumpkins at this same farm when he was a kid.

We had a bag to fill with apples. And let me tell you did we ever fill it with apples! We ended up with about 30 gazillion of them. We also ended up with almost that many pictures to document how much fun we had.

Some examples:

I was worried that the farm would be muddy with all of the rain we'd seen in the past week. So I wore my rain boots. Aren't they totally awesome?

After we were done picking apples, we trudged out into the pumpkin field to find some pumpkins and found one for each of us.

In addition to the plethora of apples and the pumpkins, we picked up a gallon of apple cider. Matt LOVES this stuff.

Look at all of these apples!

Because we're up to our eyeballs in apples now, I used a few to make a pie. The five apples that went into it barely made a dent, but it sure is tasty! I used a store-bought crust though and it wasn't nearly as good as a homemade crust would have been. I'll have to buck up and put in the effort next time.

Sunday, we took Indy on a walk through the park by our house. It was such a gorgeous day and I walked along snapping pictures of all of the pretty trees. It's amazing to me that some trees have already turned and shed their leaves, some are at their peak colors and some are still green. But, that's how it is, I guess. The sky was so blue today!

This afternoon, we watched some football and carved our pumpkins. Our pumpkins this year are totally awesome, aren't they? Mine is a witch and Matt's is called "Igor's Brew".

Weekends that are as perfect as this one make me wish they would last forever and makes it really hard to want to go back to work tomorrow. The gorgeous weather rekindled my love affair with Fall and I wouldn't mind it at all if it stuck around for at least a few more weeks!

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

2009-10-24T10:44:00.000-05:00

Ever read this book as a kid? I loved it. Poor Alexander. He woke up with gum in his hair and it was all downhill from there. Guy just couldn't catch a break.

This was the story of my day yesterday. It was just one thing after another. I woke up on the wrong side of the bed (luckily, there was no gum!) and it was all downhill from there. I just couldn't catch a break.

I woke up late. I didn't have a lunch. It was raining. The drive to work was horrible. Parking was a disaster. I was ambushed with questions coming out of the elevator and never really got a chance to get settled for the day. I had to deal with ridiculousness. I care too much about being great at my job and anything less is disappointing. It was still raining.

I was thinking I'd move to Australia.

I had to order Jimmy John's for lunch. I had no time to eat my lunch and vaguely remember chewing and swallowing while working along. There was still ridiculousness. I still cared too much.

It was still raining. Leaving the parking garage was a disaster. I had to wait in line at the Post Office after work. Indy was with grandma and grandpa when I got home and couldn't snuggle me.

It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. But I hear some days are like that. Even in Australia.

In all reality, some days ARE like that. It's a total drag, but it's life. I'll totally admit that all day yesterday, my being bummed out about my bad day only bummed me out more. I came home, had a good cry (sometimes, a good cry really does make everything better) and then put on my big girl pants and moved on. I still have a husband who is totally awesome and who loves me, puppy that will always love me, regardless of my faults and everything else in life is just a bonus. So, life is pretty good. But, today, it is still raining.

Wait a Second...

2009-10-20T13:40:00.001-05:00

What?

My sister-in-law has been talking about doing another half marathon for some time now. Somehow, I told her I would do one with her. Crazy, I know.

But THEN, she said she wanted to do a triathlon with me. I know I want to do more next year and I'm excited about it. But when she said we should do one together, I found myself saying "yeah, I really want to try an Olympic distance tri next year!"

WHAT?!?

She makes me say and want to do crazy things.

black bean soup

2009-10-19T21:51:00.000-05:00

I really like to cook and I only wish that I had more time to devote to it. I am always looking for new ideas for quick and easy and YUMMY meals. I don't really follow recipes very closely--I don't measure but instead eyeball amounts and I tend to use my own creative flair when it comes to using seasoning and spices. This is much like Rachael Ray, but I assure you that this is where the similarities end. I am not annoying and you will not (I hope!) want to punch me in the face.

During the week, our dinners consist mostly of a big mess of whatever we have in the house and that I can throw together. My standard practice is to come up with an idea, check allrecipes.com to make sure that how I'm thinking this through will actually work and then go to town. It can get interesting and some meals certainly work out better than others.

So anyway. On my drive home today, I was running through what we had on hand and what I could throw together. With the cooler weather settling in for the long haul, I've been craving soups and comfort foods.We always, always, always have black beans around (like, 10 cans at any given time), so black bean soup seemed like a good idea.

I got started with chopping onions, garlic and green peppers and it wasn't until I went to get the few cans of black beans from the pantry that the problem with the black bean soup developed. We had NO black beans. None. The family that usually has 10 cans at any given time was totally and completely black bean-less. You can't have much of a black bean soup without the black beans.

Luckily for me (and our dinner), Matt works late on Mondays and was able to stop at the store and pick up a few cans of beans. I threw them in the pot, let it simmer and the end result was delicious!

We topped it with sour cream and ate it with quesadillas and we totally ate in the living room in front of the TV. Hey, it's Monday Night Football and the Broncos are playing.

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The fast and loose version of what became our dinner (and lunch tomorrow):
1 green pepper
1/2 onion
Fresh garlic (is a clove the whole thing or one piece? I used a few pieces)
Black beans (I used 3 15oz cans. As luck would have it we were also out of cumin. So was the grocery store. So Matt bought the Cumin Black Beans. He's a thinker!)
Vegetable stock (you could use chicken if you were an omnivore) (I don't know how much I used. Less is more, you can always add to it.)
Jar of salsa
Sour cream for garnish (optional)

Chop green pepper, onion and garlic. Get out your big soup pot and pour a little bit of olive oil in the bottom. Throw in your veggies and cook for a few minutes at medium heat or until soft. Throw in two cans of black beans. Put the third can in the blender with the vegetable stock and puree to desired consistency. Pour this into the soup pot. Toss in the jar of salsa. Simmer until hot and delicious. Serve.

We easily could have used two cans of beans and still had plenty of soup. I like to have leftovers so that we can have it for lunch.

Matt really liked this. Any meal that I make that gets the Matt seal of approval is considered a success. I believe his exact words were "I like this. Please make it again.". And, for a family such as ours that ALWAYS has black beans around, this was super duper easy and quick.

Matt's Birthday

2009-10-14T11:42:00.000-05:00

I mentioned in my last post that Matt's birthday was on Saturday. Unfortunately, the celebration for it sort of got lost in the mix of wedding events all weekend. But, I did my best to do something for him.

Saturday morning, I got out of bed early. I had plans to go to City Market and pick up a treat for him. {Seriously, if you live in the area and haven't been, you need to check it out. I love it!} I settled on a fruit tart, as I knew we'd be having plenty of cake at the wedding.

I also made a quick stop at Starbucks to get Matty a Chai Latte. I came back home and presented him with treats. Matt opened his presents (a new North Face fleece and a bike computer) and we were able to relax together for about an hour before we had to start getting ready for the rest of the day.

Even though it was short and sweet, I needed to be able to celebrate my husband's birthday. I still felt a little bad because we I always make SUCH a big deal out of my birthday and turn it into a week long celebration. And here Matt only got about an hour. We still have a few more things planned throughout the week with family and friends, so there's that.

Happy birthday again, honey!

Mandy & Charley

2009-10-13T21:10:00.000-05:00

We're just coming off the wedding circuit and the last wedding of the season was a good one. Matt's best childhood friend was (finally!) married this past Saturday

A few years ago, Charley found himself a nice girl. They dated for quite some time and last year, he proposed in the CUTEST way imaginable! She had just come home from work and was getting out of her car. He came walking out of the back gate with a leash. She immediately assumed they were dogsitting for someone but before she could ask, Charley handed her a note. It read something along the lines of "Hi, my name is Willis. I really like my new friend Charley, but I want to live in a stable home. Please say yes!" When Mandy looked up, Charley was down on his knee with beautiful sapphire ring.

On Saturday, they became husband and wife in an absolutely beautiful wedding ceremony.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I was somewhat hesitant about this wedding. You see, their wedding was in October. Outside. In their backyard, which is on Lake Michigan. And there was snow in the forecast. I tore apart my wardrobe trying to find something to wear that would look nice and still keep me warm. It didn't much matter because I ended up doing a last minute wardrobe change right before we walked out the door (and a few more times in the car on the way there).

Even though it was absolutely freezing, it was beautiful. It didn't snow. In fact, the sun came out and acted as a spotlight on the couple. Their ceremony was very personal and very "them". I can't imagine it being any other way.

Mandy looked BEAUTIFUL!

Matt was the Best Man.

The reception was a lot of fun. Our friend Larry (who had moved away in June) came into town. While we missed his wife, Renee, it was great to see him.

Saturday was also Matt's birthday. Charley and Mandy surprised him with a birthday cake after he toasted them.

They had Saz's cater and it was just about the best wedding food I've had. It was awesome and, like everything that day, very "them". We spent the evening eating, drinking and dancing. It was a lot of fun!

This is our friend Brad. He was complaining on Saturday that he never gets mentioned on the blog. So, here he is. Maybe now he'll think twice about my mentioning him?

If Brad had a "thing" someone may say that it is dancing with his tie around his head at weddings. It all started at our wedding.

Enter Exhibit A:

He did it again a year later at Larry and Renee's Wedding:

Strangely enough, until Saturday, it was never his own tie that ended up around his head. Huh. Anyway. I guess you can say he has fun.

Again, we had a great time at the wedding. We were so happy for the two of them. There is a part of me that just can't believe Charley is married now, but I guess it's all part of growing up and we all do it eventually.

To the beautiful couple: Matt and I are so happy to know you. Thank you so much for including us in your lives. We hope to make many more happy memories with you.

txt ovrld

2009-10-03T10:03:00.000-05:00

Like any other young couple living in the 21st century, my husband and I enjoy our technology. We have also been known to text back and forth throughout the day. The usual How are you?, What are you doing?, Is Indy behaving?, My arm hurts!, I'm tired!, Indy ate what?, I just saw someone fall down and it was funny... And, now that AT&T finally offers picture messaging for the iPhone, pictures and video go back and forth. Mostly of Indy, but don't judge, ok? I'm not in your relationship, but I don't really see anything out of the ordinary here. It's much quicker and easier for me to fire off a text than an email* while I'm at work and talking on the phone that much is obviously out. But anyway.

A recent once over of our recent AT&T mobile bill confirmed the fact that Matt and I text. A LOT. So much that we went over our included messages by quite a bit. If you had asked me yesterday what our text messaging plan was, I wouldn't have had the slightest clue. I probably would have assumed it was unlimited. But, now I know that we were each paying $5.00 for 200 text messages (sent and received) each. I went so far over this it's unreal. I'm an adult. I expect this behavior out of an 18 year old who just got her own cell phone for the first time. This doesn't happen to me. If it's any consolation (it isn't), Matt went over too, but not nearly as much.

I immediately went online to increase our texting package because $.10/message over 200 can really add up. But, here's the thing. The next plan up is 1,500 messages and $15/person. There is nothing between 200 and 1,500. Seems a little odd, yes?

Our overage cost was almost exactly $20. Add that to the $5 we're each paying for our included messages and you have $30. So, do we spend $30 to be guaranteed we won't go over (if we do, we have a SERIOUS problem) or do we float and spend the guaranteed $10 plus any overage?

While it may seem logical to just bump up our plan and be guaranteed to never go over our messages, I decided not to do it. I figure I'll try to cut back a little on the texting and see how it goes this month. I would rather pay a slight overage for the messages that I actually use than pay more overall and end up not using the messages I'm paying for. So, when our next bill comes, if it is more than $30 for texting, I'll go ahead and bump it up, but I don't think that it will be. Sigh.

Are we the only ones with this problem? I suspect yes. How do you communicate with your other half during the day? Are we weird for even doing that?

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*The iPhone actually does make it much easier to fire off an email. Unfortunately, while Matt is on the go, texting is easier for him. This will change once he gets his iPhone.

Arizona-bound

2009-09-26T10:13:00.000-05:00

When my grandmother did not make the trip up to Telluride for the 4th of July this year, I started to think about going to Phoenix for Thanksgiving to visit her. My family usually makes the drive down to Phoenix for Thanksgiving and it's been several years since I've been there for it.

I had an extra vacation day that I hadn't decided what to do yet and several airlines have rolled out some great flights and prices servicing Milwaukee. I did some research, found a pretty good deal on airfare and an awesome deal on a fabulous hotel.

And so, for five glorious days, we will be soaking up the sun and fun in Phoenix. Visiting my grandma and family and just relaxing. Yes, I am very excited.

Check out where we're staying:

The last time I spent Thanksgiving in Phoenix, my family stayed at this same resort. For those of you who have not been to Phoenix, it is actually quite mountainous. This resort is set on the side of a mountain and is built into the cliffs. From the top of the resort, the views of the city are pretty sweet. It also offers eight swimming pools (including a water slide at one of them) that are hidden throughout the grounds, hiking trails, waterfalls, gardens and huge suites. When we were there previously, we had such a fun time exploring the grounds--there was just so much to do! The fact that we got such an INCREDIBLE deal only makes it better (seriously, I can't even believe it's so cheap). This resort really is awesome and to say that we're just a little bit excited would be about accurate.

I am also very excited to see all of my family, eat a bunch of good food and soak up some sun before the long winter sets in.

Less than two months and counting!

Best News of the Week

2009-09-25T18:15:00.000-05:00

iPhone now has picture messaging!

My life is now complete. Because, really, the only thing lacking on my iPhone was the ability to send and receive pictures via MMS.

Yesssssss!

...Fall

2009-09-22T21:18:00.000-05:00

Fall is officially here. I even put up a new blog header to celebrate. Check it out.

Another summer is over and if you had asked me a few weeks ago, or last week, or even yesterday, I would have cried and whined and possibly thrown a teensy tiny temper tantrum over the fact that summer is gone. But, ask me today and I would say that I am kind of looking forward to the new season. This comes as a surprise to no one more than myself. I may or may not have been found throwing said temper tantrum in the recent past. Like the one I had over Labor Day weekend when I went out to the lake only to find that there were trees that had already turned red and I probably embarrassed my husband with my whining.

It's just that I feel that there were so many things that I wanted to do this summer that just didn't happen. Did you know that Matt and I did not once spend an evening in our backyard having a firepit? Not one! That, my friends, is a travesty. We love our little backyard. We love our firepit. Sure, I can make excuses such as having a real life adult job getting in the way of all of my fun, but those are just excuses. I'm trying to drop that bad habit.

So. Fall. And, it seems like it came overnight. Suddenly, there is a chill in the air, trees are turning, leaves are blustering [because, in my poetic world, leaves bluster. Just run with it.] and it's very much fall-like. I went on a run this weekend and it was enjoyable weather-wise [unenjoyable moving right on in to horrific in every other way possible, but the weather was nice].

My favorite parts of Autumn? Let's take a look, shall we?

Sweaters! Warm, cozy sweaters!

[from left to right: Banana Republic, JCrew, GAP]

Boots!

[The Dansko Nevada boot. Cute, comfortable, pretty expensive.]

Corduroy!

[from left to right: JCrew, Kohls, LOFT]

The Return of Fall TV! No more bad summer reality shows!

[Fringe, Heroes, Survivor, the Office and the Biggest Loser are some of my favorites. Yes, I watch a lot of TV. So? I need a separate post to dedicate to my TV watching.]

Football!

Matt's Birhday! Summer is birthday season in both sides of our family. Matt's birthday is coming right up and I'm looking forward to it. Probably more than he is, but whatever. What should I get him this year?

Thanksgiving! There is no denying the fact that I love food. Like, I LOVE food. So, what better than a holiday dedicated to eating? That's what I thought!

And, finally, pretty fall colors!

[I can't wait until the leaves really start to turn. Especially out at the lake - it's so pretty out there when the trees are all ablaze with red and orange! And, I swear this last tree {found on Google Images} is from my college campus. I swear it.]

As much as I complain about the weather and the ~~horrid, wretched, disgusting~~ winters here and often threaten to move somewhere warmer, I don't think I could leave four seasons for good. Yes, summer in Wisconsin TOTALLY SUCKED and it was over before it began. [I'll be fair and say that there were many days this summer in which I proclaimed the weather "Perfect!" because it was not too hot but not too cold.] But, I do love the change of seasons and I think I would really miss that change if I lived somewhere else.

What are your favorite parts of Fall?

Need a Laugh?

2009-09-12T08:28:00.001-05:00

I really am not much of a fan of the "forward" feature that comes with email. I mean, yeah, every once in a while, if I receive a totally scandalous email from someone, I'll totally forward it on to Matt so that we can both have a laugh at the sender's expense. But, for the most part, I hate forwards. I hate all of the "send this to 200 people in the next 10 minutes" kinds of emails, the "look what Andy Rooney said about Obama" emails and I especially hate the emails that make you stare at a picture to see what is wrong with it and then a screaming face pops out of the screen at you and makes you fall off of your chair.

Now, having said that, every once in a while, I receive an email forward that is totally awesome and prompts me to send on to those that were not fortunate enough to have received it yet.P A few weeks ago, I received such a rare email and laughed so hard I nearly split a gut. I've been saving it for a rainy day and, while not rainy, I figured I'd post it here so you all can laugh too. Yeah, I'm that person.

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More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.

Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

There is a great need for sarcasm font.

Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f*** was going on when I first saw it.

I think everyone has a movie that they love so much; it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

Was learning cursive really necessary?

Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

Bad decisions make good stories.

Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier and sluttier every year?

Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from; this shouldn't be a problem....

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren’t doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren’t watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darnit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

A Labor-free Weekend

2009-09-09T20:38:00.000-05:00

All in all, we had a pretty excellent Labor Day Weekend. All weekend, I refused to let myself dwell on the fact that Labor Day = End of Summer. At least not too much. The weather was perfect, so that certainly helped keep the hope alive that there will still be a few more good weekends. Yeah, yeah, you may think that I talk about the weather far too much on this blog (and in real life), but that's your problem.

Saturday, we got up super duper early (like, 5am early) to head out to Oconomowoc. My awesome sister-in-law, Julie, ran her first half marathon. While Julie ran 13.1 miles, we cruised along most of the course on our mountain bikes. We would ride a little bit and then stop to wait for her to pass so we could cheer her on. We'd ride up a little more and stop again. We parked ourselves at just about every mile to wait for her. Matt kept saying "this is great, it will give her something to look forward to!". I was highly amused by two guys that were in front of her who at mile 9 said "man, what's the deal with those guys? We keep seeing them!" It was a lot of fun for us and, while I doubt she was necessarily having fun, she totally rocked it and is already talking about doing another and probably a full next year. She's awesome.

Never mind the fact that she's trying to talk me into doing a half with her somewhere warm in January and never mind the fact that for some reason, this prompted me to search active.com to find out that the Rock'n'Roll Marathon (and half) is in Phoenix in January. This is just crazy talk.

We spent the rest of the day on Saturday being lazy out at the lake. The weather was absolutely perfect and pretty much what I was wishing for all summer. We played with Indy, napped in the sun and then decided it would be a good idea to go tubing. Or, for me to go tubing. And, it was a good idea. I had fun and I didn't die. I figured I hadn't skied or done any sort of water activity beyond swimming all summer, so I might as well go now. And, like I said, that was fun. Until the boat wouldn't start again and we were stranded in the middle of the lake. I tried to row home but luckily someone came to help.

On Sunday, we went out to the lake again and did a quick 18-mile bike ride into Delafield and back. Matt's dad and sister and her friend are all into cycling and we joke that we should have team jerseys made. But, it's not really joking if we're serious, right? Anyway, we all rode together and it was a lot of fun. And, we were even mistaken for a team, so we have that going for us, right?

The best part about Sunday was going to bed knowing that I didn't have to go to work the next day and that I still had one more day of the weekend. Seriously, best.feeling.ever. If only every weekend could be three days. Sigh.

Monday was another day out at the lake. Matt's dad was watching his sister's dog, Zoey, all weekend in addition to their dog, Nellie. So, of course, Indy had lots of fun with her dog-cousins. She spent lots of time showing off her jumping off the pier abilities and wrestling with her older cousins. To say that she was dog-tired Monday night would be an understatment (heh, dog tired, heh).

I absolutely LOVED spending all weekend outside in the sun. The weather was P-E-R-F-E-C-T and I adored every minute of it. Now, why couldn't the entire summer have been so wonderful? Labor Day weekend is the unofficial end to summer. It makes me sad. And, I don't necessarily think I'd feel this way about it had I really gotten a chance to enjoy the summer. Sure, I probably say that every year because, let's face it, summer usually tends to breeze by and once you blink, it's gone. But, this year I really mean it. There were many things I wanted to do that really mean SUMMER to me that didn't happen. For instance, we didn't have a firepit in our backyard at all this summer. Not once. It was either too cold or we were gone or we were too busy. And that just kind of sucks.

The good news is that there's still a good chance that we could have a few more nice weekends to enjoy the lake before fall sets in for good. I won't lie, I am kind of (as in, a very, very small part of me) looking forward to fall. But, I will miss you, summer!

on why my dog is pretty much awesome

2009-09-07T10:01:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, we took her out on the wave runner. She didn't hate it. She kind of just sat there, taking it all in. Pretty soon, she'll be able to take it out on her own and will be pulling 360's on it in no time.

Why, yes, yes that is a doggy life vest. While her swimming skills put me to shame, she was required to wear a personal flotation device ( "PFD" ) while out on a personal watercraft just like her Mama and Papa. She pretty much hates this thing as it "impedes her awesome swimming ability". Or so she says. But, rules are rules and she needs to grow up learning to respect the water.

Miscellaneous Monday

2009-08-31T21:31:00.000-05:00

Well, hello there. Would you believe that I feel like I've been sucked into a black hole since my tri? I honestly can't really say where the last two weeks went, but they obviously went somewhere and not a whole lot went on during that time.

Anyway.

Since that little triathlon that I finished, I've been quite inactive. I've ridden my bike enough times that I can count on one hand and have a few fingers left over to count the times I've ran. I'm a slug and I kind of hate it a little bit.
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I know I want to do another triathlon. I need to. If for no other reason than to prove that I am better than the time next to my name on the last results sheet. But, I also want to. Now that I know I can do it, I have nowhere to go but up. Having said that, I cannot commit myself to Devil's Lake as I have previously boasted I would consider. I've been going back and forth on it and I think I have to pass. My head is not in the game and I don't feel that I'll be ready for it. Because, it turns out, having finger and toenails that match your tri jersey don't automatically make you faster. Huh. Go figure. I'll spend the off-season focusing more on my weaknesses (ahem, swimming) and look forward to the spring.
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I have a major itch to do some "back to school" shopping right now. I did just order the cutest corduroy skirt from Eddie Bauer the other day and I'm already imagining the cute outfits I can put together with it and a few different sweaters and boots.
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Speaking of shopping, I came home today to a package from Victoria's Secret. I stocked up on everyday undiepants and bras and I'm kind of excited about it. I had forgotten how much I ordered and was a little shocked at the size of the package.
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And, yes, I prefer to do my shopping online. It gives me the time to truly weigh over my purchase before hitting 'submit'. I cannot quite describe the thrill I get when that message hits my Inbox that says "Your Items Have Shipped" nor how exciting it is to track my package and find that my stuff is "Out for Delivery". So I'm weird. So what.
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And, speaking of doing some fall shopping, I think it's time. Sure, just a few short weeks ago, I was scoffing at the saleslady at Express that told me they were pulling out their fall line because it was still hot out. But, that really changed. It didn't even get above 70 this weekend. Seventy? I would have settled for getting over 65. Seriously. Saturday felt like I'd been transported into mid-October. Now, I know and fully admit that time kind of started to spiral out of control on me, but not that out of control. It is still August (or, was, depending on whether you read this tonight or tomorrow morning, but you catch my drift). Ugh. No, I'm not ready for fall, but there is something about the chill in the air that makes me crave a nice sweater.
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I'm going to talk about Brett Favre now. This may be the point in which you (Matt, that's you) should stop reading or skip to the next topic. Just so that there's no confusion as to how I really feel about him, I'll go ahead and lay my cards out on the table. I do not like Brett Favre. I have not liked the man for years. Contrary to my husband's popular belief, it has nothing to do with my admiration for John Elway and everything to do with him being a whiny brat. At the end of the 2005/06 season, I went to "Brett Favre's Last Game". New Year's Day, 2006. THAT WAS FOUR YEARS AGO. I went because A) I'd never been to a Packers Game before and B) it was The Legend's last game.

Except. It.Wasn't. He spent the next four years saying "I want to play! No, just kidding, no I don't. Wait, yes, I want to play. Nope, I'm done. Aw shucks, what the heck, I'll play." Really? No. Really. Let's just get over it, ok? He's just not that into you. Can we move on and talk about something else? However, I will say that I cannot deny that he was a great player in his day (yes, I think his day has come and gone and he should have left well enough alone and gone out on top--Elway at least knew when to quit). And, if he wants to play, great. Play. No one is denying him that right and, just because the Pack made a business decision and moved on without him, he should play if he truly wants to. So, more power to him, then.
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You may or may not know this, but I am an animal lover. As a result, stories like this absolutely break my heart. I cannot fathom how anyone could intentionally hurt a helpless animal, let alone a tiny 8-week old puppy. People who beat their children and animals are, in my opinion, despicable creatures. And, it is for this reason that I am outraged that Michael Vick picked up a contract to play football in the NFL again. I do not think he should be punished for the rest of his eternity and I believe that he paid his dues and did his time. However, as a professional athlete, he is a role model and I do not feel that it is appropriate that he be rewarded for his poor decisions by picking up another contract.
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Well, I'm certainly full of opinions tonight, yes? I have several more, but I'll save them for another time.
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We went to the Brewers game on Sunday. I got some great tickets through work and so Matt and I loaded up the car with our tailgating supplies and took it all in. On a weekend that was freaking cold for August, I managed to find myself a sunburn. I dare say it was freaking HOT inside Miller Park. I was like an ant under a magnifying glass and could almost see myself sizzling. As soon as the sun dropped behind the massive walls of Miller Park and I was in the shade, I was freezing again and all was right in the world again. The Brew Crew managed to pull out a win and we brought home Jeff Suppan bobbleheads. So, really, everyone won.
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I am currently reading Jennifer Weiner's latest book Best Friends Forever. (Nope, still not finished with The Other Boleyn Girl. I decided it best to set it down for a while and pick it back up when I felt ready.) In college, I picked up Good in Bed and loved it. It opened up a whole new door to ChickLit for me. Since then, I've snapped up every one of Weiner's books as soon as they hit shelves in anticipation of greatness. I'm sorry to say that the last few have not been excellent (though I had such high hopes for Certain Girls, what with revisiting the characters of her first book and all) and this one kind of follows along that theme. I mean, I like it, sure. It's a quick and easy read and it's not horrible. It's just not the greatness that I expected, though I fully admit that I would not be able to identify said greatness if asked to do so. It just could be...better. But, don't let that deter you if you are considering it. If you're like me and are a Weiner fan, you will likely read it regardless, just as I would have.
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Apparently, blogger came out with a new blog poster at some point and didn't tell me. I finally figured it out and jumped on board. And now I find that I've written an entire post and they dropped the spell check feature. Perfect.
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Isn't it about time Facebook added the 'Dislike' button?

Race Day in Pictures

2009-08-21T18:51:00.010-05:00

In case you missed the book that I posted detailing the race, you can find it here.

Or, if you're more of the visual type, sit back and I'll tell you a story with these pictures. They're not pretty, but they prove I did it. Consider yourself warned in that regard. Okay, then. Shall we? Click on any picture to make it painfully large.

All marked up and ready to go. It was already hot and sticky. Yet, still dark.

My bike, racked up and waiting for me.

iPhone picture that I snapped of my transition setup.

Not frightening at all.

I'm ready! Let's do this!

The first wave of International racers. They were fast. The first guy finished his mile swim in a little over 18 minutes! I finished my half mile swim in almost twice that. You do the math.

Headed into the water. Yes, I am hanging out at the back of the wave.

I'm out there somewhere. Swimming to the orange buoy and back.

I distinctly remember this part of the race. See the girl on the left of the screen on the lifeguard float? See me looking over at her? She began flailing next to me and called out for the lifeguard who dove in and swam over. At this point, she was asking her if she was okay. I really felt bad for the girl. I hope she still finished. This was near the end of the swim and she'd already made it this far!

Coming out of the water.

RUNNING to T1. I thought I was going to fall over. I had no idea I was running.

Rolling my bike out.

That's me!

Headed out on the run.

Making a break for the finish.

There it is!

FINISHED!

(Now I also realize why a hat would be nice for the run--my hair looks awful. I need something to cover it for the sweat, water, miscellaneous that, apparently, gets all over my head.)