Moving Post #1

Today, I officially started packing for our move. The movers put us in "their system" to load our stuff on April 6 so we have about 5 weeks to pack up our entire home. So far, I can check off the list.....

- 3 boxes of books

- 1 giant suitcase of shoes

- 1 medium size suitcase of purses, scarves, etc.

- 1 wardrobe box of dresses, slacks, shirts, etc.

Not too shabby considering I also cleaned out my closet while I packed and was able to donate to Salvation Army.....

- 2 bags of clothes

- 1 bag of shoes and purses

Tomorrow, the packing continues. I'm going to finish packing the books (including cookbooks!) and try to knock out the picture frames and also take a stab at organizing the remaining wedding things here and there that almost two years later are still hanging around the house (extras....invitations, save the dates, programs, favors, toasting goblets, garter, etc.).

Death to Rabbits

I used to think that the rabbits in our front yard were cute. "USED" is the key word here. Now, I remember why I HATE rabbits. Not only do these little suckers torture my dog and make him whiny and annoying, but today I discovered they are sneaking into my backyard and SHITTING everywhere.

Baby Time

Our very good friends, Katie & Erik welcomed their little baby son into this world on Sunday:

Brenden George Herrmann

8lbs, 8oz, 21 inches

Tonight we went to the hospital and got to meet the little man. He's soooooooo perfect and beautiful. We love him already! Katie and Erik are so blessed. I can't wait to buy the little guy more cute clothes!

Birthday Weekend!

I had a fabulous birthday weekend! On Friday, my team sent me a surprise singing telegram - dressed like a chicken who sang to me rather loudly and for toooooo long - quite embarrassing!

Here comes the chicken lady - bringing me some balloons, too!

The awkward chicken lady insisted on hugging me and singing to me real close.
Then, although delayed, the whole family arrived for a weekend of fun. We went to Osteria Marco for dinner on Friday night - yum! Riley was very excited to have visitors and full-time attention. On Saturday, we did a little shopping and tried to find something fun to do despite the awful weather.

Here is a picture of Riley taking a nap with his grandpa.
Saturday night we decided to take advantage of restaurant week and head to Fogo de Chao.....YUM! Too much meat, but so good! Little Gregory didn't even get carded....and when we ordered wine, the waiter gave it to him to smell, taste and approve!

We rarely get photos of the whole family so we were happy to run into Susan at dinner and have her snap a few pics!
After dinner, we headed home and since it was MY birthday I was able to get everyone to play my favorite game, Pictionary. We had SO much fun. If I had a scanner, I'd scan some of the funny drawings and post them. Brian, Gabriel and Gregory won, but Brian told me today THEY CHEATED. Booooooooooooooo.

I was definitely spoiled this year.
* I got quite a few birthday cards in the mail - so thoughtful.
* I got a ton of birthday posts on Facebook, text messages and phone calls from my friends and family.
* Alia gave me a cute lunch bag and a great candle that makes my house smell reallllllly good.
* Brian and Riley got a me a new carry-on suitcase which is exactly what I wanted.
* Debbie and Mitch gave me a digital frame which I've always wanted but never bought myself.
* My parents and brothers gave me a beautiful bracelet and a new dress

Turning 28 hasn't been too bad....yet. Although, I will admit now that the fun weekend is coming to a close I am realizing I am almost 30 and that sucks ;)

Top 24 - American Idol

The Top 24 American Idol contestants have been chosen!

My favorites?

Didi Benami
Michael Lynche

Katie Stevens

Andrew Garcia

VDAY 2K10

For this Valentine's Day (our 12th together!), we headed up to Blackhawk for some some R&R. We booked a room at the new, luxury resort Ameristar, made dinner reservations at a steak house, booked a couples massage and pulled out cash for some gambling.

The massages were fabulous. The room was excellent. The dinner was okay.

The gambling? EPIC. I pulled $60 out of my wallet and after a few hours of $10 and $15 hands of blackjack, I was up to $700. Done and done.

Brian broke even.

Happy Valentine's Day, Bri Bri!

Feliz Cumpleanos

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KRISTEN (2/6)! I HOPE TURNING 28 IS AMAZING BECAUSE I'M RIGHT BEHIND YOU.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANDRA (2/11)! I HOPE YOU SPENT YOUR BIG 2-8 SPORTING A SIDE PONY TAIL WITH A GOLD SCRUNCHIE AND A PAIR OF AVIATORS JUST LIKE BAY TO BREAKERS 2005! ENJOY THE LATE TWENTIES.

Snowmageddon 2010

Well, I am back from Snowmageddon 2010. I was stuck in my hotel room in Greenbelt, MD where I was for work....a 1.5 day trip turned into 5 days. We thought we were lucky at first that a TGIFridays was right next door, but let me tell you.....I will not be dining there again for a very, very long time. I got lots of questions like "Are you having fun in DC?" or "Are you guys going out and site seeing?".....the answer to both questions and similar ones was "NO!". Hello, it was being tagged "Snowmageddon" for a reason...it was a blizzard and I was stuck.