May 27, 2011 - C-R-A-P-T-V

Now, don't get me wrong... I will watch (and enjoy) just about anything on TV, but some shows are just ridiculous and really can't be justified. To me, the Bachelor/Bachelorette series falls into that category. However, Tom loves the shows, so we watch every season and I grow to like and hate the players as we share in the trials & tribulations that come with group dates or the staggering pressures associated with the "one-on-ones."

We finally got around to watching the premiere of the newest season & it looks like it will be another great dramatic adventure. My fingers are crossed for Ashley, I sure hope she finds true love!

May 26, 2011 - Decorative Fruit

When Tom and I went shopping for supplies for our post-rapture-barbecue, we both agreed that lemons & limes were essential for having a good party. Well... we might have over-bought just a little. But when you shop at Costco the way we do, you get used to sometimes having extras & thanks to Colleen we ended up with a beautiful tablescape using the leftovers!

May 25, 2011 - The Little Flower

Hucky was sitting next to this rose bush in the backyard looking very sweet, just like a little flower himself!

May 24, 2011 - Bones & Zippy

These are my wonderful friend EQP's wonderful dogs, Bones & Zippy. Unlike our dogs, they are good at respecting boundaries. Unlike what I would expect from our dogs, these dogs are not grabbing the food they are staring at on a completely unguarded plate sitting on the sofa next to a movie-watching-3-year-old just outside of this shot (or from the equally unguarded tray of snacks directly behind them on a coffee table.)

GOOD DOGS!

May 23, 2011 - "Hed Scratchez R Gud"

So says Huckleberry

May 22, 2011 - Post-Rapture-Barbecue Rapture

As most people know, the "Rapture" was scheduled for May 21... so we decided to host a barbecue on the 22nd (for all us folk planning to stay behind.) It turned out the Rapture never happened, but our barbecue was still a success!

Despite the weather being a little colder than expected, the day was great and we had a lot of fun with friends the whole afternoon. Tom grilled lamb & fish for the entire crowd and the dogs made sure to beg for tastes from just about everyone. By the end of the night, they were all deservedly exhausted (Howard's not in the photo because he was sleeping next to me on the sofa.)

May 21, 2011 - New Flowers

Tom and I have been doing a lot of work getting our garden pulled into shape for the summer. Ok, it's actually Tom who has been doing the work... but I have been appreciating it a lot! Here's a shot of some of our hanging baskets which have all new flowers and brighten up the whole back yard.

May 20, 2011 - Slow Train to Brooklyn

Sigh - it was late Friday night* and I wanted to get home** but I couldn't get a cab so I took the F train. It was actually not bad, just a typical slow ride back. Here are some shoes of some other late night train folk.

* The reason I was in the city late on a Friday night was because Colleen was doing her Carpenters show at the Duplex! It was fantastic... lots of singing along (mostly to myself, I hope, except when we were actually asked to participate.)

** The reason I wanted to get home was because I had a half marathon to run the next morning. This is the second year in a row that I went to one of Colleen's shows the night before the Brooklyn Half, and even though it's the second time I found myself in the same situation - if I sign up for it again next year I have to remember that it's not super fun to do with only a few hours of sleep and a hangover (although it's definitely a feeling of accomplishment crossing the finish line!!)

May 19, 2011 - Sippin' Bourbons

Colleen sweetly brought us home a couple sippin' bourbons to add to the bar - hooray!

May 18, 2011 - Taunting Huckleberry

Tom put doughnut baby on top of his head to taunt Huckleberry. What the picture doesn't show is the loud "ouch" Tom yelled after Huckleberry lunged without regard to Tom's face! Everyone was ok, but it reminded us that Hucky don't care - he does what he wants (even when it's Tom.)

May 17, 2011 - Bloomin' Clematis

We have a couple of crazy clematis plants that completely take over a section of trellis in our backyard each year. The flowers are beautiful and they seem to keep coming all summer long. Here are a few of the first for 2011!

May 16, 2011 - Sleeping Beauty

Foxy knows the phrase "go to bed," it's one of her best tricks.

May 15, 2011 - Taco Pizza!

Anyone from the Quad Cities (or any other place with a Happy Joe's) should know what this is - Taco Pizza! It's one of my favorite things ever, and I made it for dinner (with homemade pizza dough.) Here are my tips for anyone who wants to try:
1) use a combination of refried beans & pizza sauce as the sauce
2) I like using italian sausage instead of taco meat for the topping
3) use a blend of cheddar, jack & mozzarella cheese to cover
4) after it comes out of the oven, top with chopped lettuce & tomatoes, and crumbled tortilla chips (add chopped onions, olives, jalepenos and taco sauce to taste if you like)

EAT IT!

May 14, 2011 - Chocolate Party!

Ok - probably the best, most wonderful, funnest idea ever... a chocolate party! Our friend Genevieve puts together an annual spread of incredible food that all has chocolate in it. There were tables of food and trays of sweets everywhere. It was overwhelming in the best possible way, and I loved it. Everything was delicious, but I especially liked the savory items. My favorites were the chocolate chili (of course) and the cream cheese chocolate bites.

May 13, 2011 - Chili & Tots

Best.Dinner.Ever. Well... in theory at least. I had dinner at PJ Clarke's before meeting Tom for the opera and opted for a bowl of chili with a side of parmesan tater tots. It was good, but not the sublime experience I think the combination could be.

May 12, 2011 - Strange Federal Law

I just happened to read the directions on the bottom of a Kleenex box & they made me snicker: "It is a violation of Federal Law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling. Use only as a facial tissue." What else are people using Kleenex for? Is it actually a Federal crime to wipe your butt with a Kleenex? I would pay to be on the jury for that trial!

May 11, 2011 - A Night of Broadway

Tom & went to see the new Broadway show "Catch Me If You Can." It was fun (and the dancing was great!)... but it wasn't fantastic.

May 10, 2011 - Vet Visit

Tom and I took the boyz to the vet for their annual checkup. Both were very well behaved, and both passed all their tests (hooray!)

May 9, 2011 - The Big Ol' Bush

Yay - our humongous azalea bush is in bloom! To me, it sort of looks like a wave cresting (the middle is a little concave this year.)

May 8, 2011 - Botanic Garden

After Mother's Day brunch and a quick game of bowling (see below!) we stopped by the Chicago Botanic Garden to enjoy the beautiful day. Of course it was lovely, and of course the flowers were beautiful, but my favorite shot of the day was from watching Ann & Jack try and jump in the air together.

* Yes, we went bowling for Mother's Day. Tom, my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and niece & nephew had an awesome brunch at a fancy bowling alley & then (most of us) bowled a game to celebrate. My dad took a fun video of one frame... it shows my niece & I both getting strikes (at 3:17 & 3:51)!

May 7, 2011 - Ice Skate Fantastique

Tom and I travelled to the Chicago suburbs for my niece Ann's ice skating show & Mother's Day. That's Ann, a little left of center, hands on her hips. Knowing her, I'm guessing she's frustrated that she wasn't supposed to be skating faster!

May 6, 2011 - "Pinchy" the Koala

Tom and I wanted to bring a real Koala home from our trip, but we were nervous the dogs wouldn't approve (having something around that sleeps more than them might make them nervous.) So, instead we've got Pinchy.

May 5, 2011 - Shake Shack

Tom and I finally tried out the Shake Shack restaurant on 8th Ave & 43rd Street. We both LOVE the burgers at the original shack in Madison Park, and were in the neighborhood at a Cinco de Mayo/Adios Amiga party for our dear friend Rebecca (she's leaving NYC - sniff,) so decided to give the place a shot before heading back to Brooklyn.

The burgers were still good, but they didn't seem as special as I remember them from the last time I visited the original. I think I better make a trip back to the park to see if my memory is correct ;) !

May 4, 2011 - Howard at Work

Howard was very busy working on this bone & just looked super cute. I couldn't resist.

May 3, 2011 - Yawn

Just caught Huckleberry yawning... check out the tongue!

May 2, 2011 - Back to Work

So, I had mixed emotions about returning to the office. After a 2 week vacation I was excited to see everyone, and actually was looking forward to getting back to work & catching up on many things. But, of course, being on vacation was awesome, so it was also a little sad that it was really over.

Luckily, it helps that my office is a pretty fun place & there are always surprises... like when a box of cake pops shows up unexpectedly! I went for the cookie dough flavor with sprinkles - yum!

May 1, 2011 - Mayday!

"Mayday, mayday - there's a green baby alligator on my head!" - Howard

April 30, 2011 - Azalea Magic

I was so happy to see our beautiful azaleas in bloom when we got home from our trip. After last year's pruning, I'm still a little anxious to see how our monster bush fills out, but it already looks great and the little one in front is gorgeous.

April 29, 2011 - G'bye Australia!

This one last shot of Sydney is from the Qantas First Class lounge at the airport. We got to hang out there because Tom is Emerald status in the One World Alliance (you can read about his master mileage achievement here.) It was a pretty spectacular lounge, with gourmet meals, free booze & free spa treatments! We didn't have enough time to get massages, but now we know if we ever make it back!

The actual trip back was fine... I didn't sleep at all between Sydney & LAX, but I watched about 6 movies: Slumdog Millionaire, Tangled, Another Year, Red, and a couple others I've already forgotten! Also, a lady fainted right in front of my seat. That was pretty exciting - I had to press the attendant call button for help. I was impressed with how calm the Qantas folk were about it, they handled everything really well and the lady was fine after a few minutes.

During a brief layover in LA, we ran into our wonderful friend Jimmy in the Admiral's club. He was in LA for work and was on the same flight back to NYC as us! He and Tom were both business class, so they ended up sitting together, not too far from a certain Matt Damon(!), and enjoyed the luxury deserved by someone with Emerald status (see above,) while I finally got some sleep in the back with the rest of the steerage (ha ha!)

April 28, 2011 - Ahh, Comfort!

One thing we learned while traveling in Australia is that not all hotels are the same. Some have hot water pots to make instant coffee in the room, some don't have wi-fi, some don't even really have internet, and most shocking of all... some do not have a hotel bar!! But - on our last night in Sydney, we stayed at the beautiful Swissôtel. We told the woman at registration it was the end of our holiday & she gave us a free upgrade to a gorgeous room with a beautiful downtown view. After a final fantastic dinner with some friends, it was a wonderful way to celebrate the end of our trip!

April 27, 2011 - A Dingo Ate My... Heart

We saw several dingoes over the course of our trip... some in zoos & some in the wild, but this one at the Rainforestation Nature Park outside of Cairns was REALLY cute and reminded me the most of my Foxy.