The Robbins

Six months.

2010-12-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think, "I'm obsessed with you!"

4 weeks.

2010-11-23T17:07:00.000-07:00

For those of you who really know me, you won't be surprised to learn that I just got the CD of Sloan's newborn photo shoot from JUNE this last weekend. Expect to see a birth announcement in your mailbox sometime between now and the New Year! :)

Girls Shopping Trip.

2010-11-15T17:39:00.001-07:00

Sloan and I went shopping a couple weeks ago for Jodie & Shea's wedding gift. Usually I lug her in her car seat and stick her in the main part of the shopping cart, which doesn't leave much space for purchases. But as she's is getting older sitting in her car seat isn't her idea of fun. So we broke out the Buggy Bagg and she had her first ride in a shopping cart big girl style. She wasn't sure about it at first, but once she got the hang of it she was checking everything out and flashing smiles at everyone. I don't think she'll be settling for the car seat method in the future. I wasn't sure about the Buggy Bagg but I'm sold due to (1) the support it provided since she wasn't quite sitting up on her own and (2) the germ factor, the entire cart in her reach was covered.

Dad Went Shopping.

2010-11-15T17:29:00.000-07:00

And this is what I got!

Love Those Eyebrows.

2010-11-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

Ever since she was born, Sloan has had total control over her eyebrows. I bet I could look through our pictures and find several with faces similar to this one. She has a regular babysitter and the first time she met her she said, "She has very expressive eyebrows!" Isn't that the truth! She wasn't the first one to notice and I'm sure she won't be last.

Peas.

2010-11-15T16:58:00.000-07:00

We made it to the green veggies and peas were a success! She isn't sure about green beans and broccoli. She did like cauliflower (I know it isn't green :) ). We only have spinach left to try. Her favorites besides peas are apples (fuji, not granny smith), pears and sweet potatoes. She has also had butternut squash, acorn squash, pumpkin and carrots. I'm excited to start mixing flavors and trying new textures next week.

Sitting Up!

2010-11-15T16:52:00.001-07:00

I can't believe she is sitting up already! This was taken today, just after a marathon nap. She lasts for about 10 minutes and then she needs a break. I can't believe she will be six months old in a week.

171 days old!

2010-11-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we've had her for 171 days already. The time is flying...

Slumber.

2010-10-29T23:38:00.000-06:00

Don't get me wrong, this blog has been hijacked by Sloan. But I thought I'd toss in a photo from our home. This is our bedroom, minor remodeling in here. We painted and this is a very un-staged photo of the accent wall. I like it a lot. Our windows catch great light all throughout the day. One day I'll finish the Turkey recap, if I can still remember all the details. Until then it's mostly Sloan with a little house, other, miscellaneous mixed in.

Lunch.

2010-10-29T23:32:00.001-06:00

We started baby food earlier this month. She wasn't really into it at first. We made it through the orange/yellow vegetables and she enjoys most of those now. We are just finishing fruits and she isn't crazy about many of them. Hopefully we'll get our act together and get through the green veggies in the next week (or so...). She is a dainty little eater, which might explain why she has been such a great baby. I'm starting to understand that an infant eating every four hours since birth is very impressive. This picture was taken October 6 with my iPhone, lighting isn't the best but I love the look on her face.

Hanging On.

2010-10-29T23:22:00.000-06:00

These rings are one of her favorite toys right now (but no toy out ranks Sophie the Giraffe). They have a mostly permanent home on her car seat. I've found her asleep like these a few times after a drive. Love this baby!

Halloween Is So Fun!

2010-10-24T17:10:00.000-06:00

Mom and I went pumpkin hunting at the pumpkin patch

and Grandma and Grandpa gave me some cute pumpkin pj's.

and I showed them my zebra costume.

Smiles, No Way, Look At My Tongue

2010-10-24T16:33:00.000-06:00

Taken on September 25, 2010

Crazy Dad and Laughing Baby

2010-10-24T16:05:00.000-06:00

Dad having fun with Sloan. Always good times. She's changing so fast. This will make you laugh. Taken on October 10th, 2010 (4.5 months old)

Sloan Elizabeth (a.k.a. Mimz)!

2010-05-26T13:09:00.005-06:00

Born Saturday, May 22nd at 5:11 a.m.

Weight: 7 pounds 5 ounces

Height: 18.5 inches

We couldn't be happier with our bundle of joy!

Happy 2009!

2009-02-17T16:22:00.003-07:00

My friend, Andy, just posted this on her blog (see last paragraph). Andy is super creative and very stylish, so I couldn't resist commenting. All the while, I had one terrorizing thought going through my mind......[insert music from JAWS here]......I'm going to have to post on my blog!!

So as scary as it was, I posted a comment on her blog - because seriously, who wouldn't love a first edition Andy Hutchings [insert item here] -- no pressure Andy, I'm not expecting an amazing (and what I imagine to be time consuming) piece of art -- any bauble, trinket or knickknack will do. The one reassuring thought that I had in the back of my mind was: I am by no means a frequent blogger, so I'll be surprised if I still have five readers!

Here goes!

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me!

My choice.

For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
What I create will be just for you.
It'll be done this year.
You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be photography or an article on properly cleaning your face before a masque. I may sew or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your own blog and offer the same deal to 5 of your own lucky blog readers. So, the first 5 people to leave a comment telling me they are in win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

Cappadoccia.

2008-11-16T20:28:00.010-07:00

I know it's been quite a while since I've posted. I thought about continuing my posts on our trip to Turkey, but it seemed like so much time had passed. I hadn't really talked about the trip much for a couple of months until last night. I went to dinner with a good friend at Mazza and as I was telling her about the trip and eating the Middle Eastern food it made me realize what a great experience it was. That being said, I decided (for my sake) I would finish chronicling our trip so that I'll remember details that will fade over time (some of them have already).

After the hotel owner picked us up from our hike through Love Valley, he dropped us in Goreme (a crazy backpacker town) and we walked the street until J successfully spied a restaurant, Mercan, at the top of a hill. The restaurant was open air and had three levels. The host took us to the roof where there were about five tables and we were seated during a beautiful sunset (see the picture of J above). The setting was unlike anything we had ever experienced. We were looking through the menu when we heard the Muezzin perform the Azan for the first time. It was surreal to hear this with the mosque (and minaret) and the cave dwellings in the back ground as the sun set. It is probably the most vivid moment of the trip in my memory. The night only got better as the authentic Turkish food served at Mercan was the best we had. We had hummus, shepard salad and pitas (pictured above) followed by a lamb stew cooked in pottery and another dish with bismati rice. The waiter broke the terracotta pot that the lamb stew was in and pieces crashed to the floor, I think he was quite proud that we ordered the dish and the other diners watched this display. We followed this amazing feast up with some of the best baklava with ice cream I've eaten (doesn't it look DELISH?!). As the weather cooled during the evening one of the servers brought pashminas up for the diners. If any of you make the trek to Cappadoccia, I definitely recommend dining at Mercan.

Love Valley (and other fairy chimneys)

2008-08-26T11:53:00.000-06:00

J and I aren't "outdoorsy" people. That being said, I'm not quite sure how we decided it was a good idea to be dropped in the middle of Central Turkey by a man we had barely met (and his brother and two other men) with a vague map of the area in Turkish to go for a two hour hike. Chalk it up to us wanting to experience the environment I guess. We walked along a dirt road for about 20 minutes before seeing a "sign" leading us into Love Valley. We descended down a steep hill and hiked on the floor of the Valley for a couple hours. It was a bit eerie, as we only came in contact with about five people (and one fox) during the entire hike. Conspiracy theories of kidnappings and terrorists were running through our minds. This area of Turkey was used in the first Star Wars (unfortunately I'm not a fan), sometime in the beginning of the film I understand (i think the sand peeps...). Like the rest of Cappadoccia, the rock had caves carved into them and we could see windows and doors as we walked along. There was only one cause for concern when our map was not co-operating with us and we were a bit lost as the sun was setting. Luckily we followed a sand road (not dirt) and made our way out. The cave hotel owner taught us how to dial his number and we called him as we made our way out of the valley where he picked us up. I'm glad we did it, but about 45 minutes into the hike I was thinking, "Yeah, we're definitely beach and city vacationers...."

Cave Hotel in Cappadoccia

2008-08-24T11:02:00.004-06:00

We arrived in Cappadoccia after our very early flight from Fethiye and boarded the Turkish Airlines shuttle bus to the Neveshir city center, as directed by the owner of the hotel.(It might be worthwhile mentioning here that Fethiye was tourist friendly and we hadn’t yet learned how to dial Turkish numbers on our cell). The shuttle dropped us in the middle of the “city center” which to me was a very busy street with three lanes of traffic in each direction. (Also noteworthy, we are not backpackers. Before this trip I had romantic ideas about what it would have been like had J and I packed up and went to Europe for a month in our early twenties. All of those visions have been set right and I now realize that I would not have enjoyed that nomadic, hippy-esqe holiday. I’ll take flying between cities (Istanbul connections and all) over over-night buses and communal hostel toilets any day. They do say older and wiser, right?)

Back to the story, we get out of the shuttle and the driver unloads our three roller-board suitcases (Yes, I said three – See note on backpacking above). The driver can see that we are clearly out of place so he finds a gentleman that speaks a little English and from the conversation we gather that we should call our hotel and tell them we are in front of the old hospital. The English speaker continues on and J and I are left standing very conspicuously on the busy street.

These were our options:
.

Option 1 – find and walk to the real city center, because clearly this is not it

Option 2 – figure out how to dial Turkey numbers on our cell and call the owner of the hotel who instructed us to take the shuttle to the city center where he would pick us up

Option 3 – hail a cab and tell him where we’re going (although we aren’t sure if we have the

address)

Option 4 – Email the owner our location and hope that he is at his computer to field our email
.

We chose option 4 while continuing to work on option 2. After a good 45 minutes the owner pulled up and we were on our way to the Cave Hotel. (Note: we still couldn’t dial Turkish numbers)
.

The Cave Hotel is a very old structure that was used as a family home until five years ago when the owner bought it and renovated it to be a hotel. Most of the rooms are carved into stone and operate as cave rooms. The rooms need no air conditioning as they stay cool and constant year round. It was an interesting experience and the place had a very real and local feel to it as the owner and other locals would sit and chat in the open air garden/courtyard just outside our room.

Fethiye & the Tomb of Amyntas

2008-08-12T14:16:00.009-06:00

On our last day in Fethiye/Calis Beach J and I jumped aboard a dolomus (the driver was very excited to have us and had us sit up front with him) to head into downtown Fethiye so we could make the climb up to the Tomb of Amyntas. The Tomb of Amyntas is an Ionic temple facade carved into a sheer rock face in 350 B.C. The dolomus driver stopped right at the intersection that had the hill we had to climb even though it wasn't a stop for the bus. The people here have been very hospitable and go out of their way to help us. It has been surprising that many of them can't place our accents and because we speak English they ask if we're from England or New Zealand and sometimes Australia or today Ireland. We've told them America all but once (more on that later). We crossed the intersection and hiked up a very steep hill to the tomb. We weren't expecting the amazing view we had of Fethiye as we climbed up to the cliff. It was really magnificent to see. The tomb was impressive and it is still hard for me to comprehend how old it really is. It was unfortunate to see graffiti on it. Grave robbers broke into the tomb a few hundred years ago and one of the doors was missing/pushed open, but there was no way we were going in to check it out. After the tomb we went back to the beach and had dinner at a great restaurant called Harem. Later that night, at 2:30 a.m. we checked out of the hotel and drove an hour to the airport where we boarded a 4:50 a.m. flight via Istanbul to Neveshir, the airport near Cappadocia (note to future travel partners, you may not want me to plan the itinerary what seems like a good idea in the comfort of my home isn't always what it is cracked up to be!). Details of Cappadocia (or Kapadokya as the Turks say) coming soon...

Çaliþ Beach

2008-08-09T15:15:00.007-06:00

Çaliþ Beach (pronounced "Chalish") was wonderful. It reminded us some of the Caribbean and some of Hawaii. The temperature was hot, the water was refreshing and the beach consisted of small, dark, smooth pebbles.

The boat tour we took was fun, but it was strange not to be able to communicate with most of the other people. We were picked up in a dolomus from our hotel and it was already quite full. There were five families traveling together (we think they were related, but still aren't sure) and they made it a point to look after us. They were very kind and offered us anything they had (e.g., cigarettes, pretzels, corn on the cob, peaches, grapes). Only one of the men spoke English and it was quite minimal. He and his family are in the picture below. The two girls, Phyliss and Selin, were intrigued that we were "Westerners" and spoke English. They hung on every word we said, copied many of the things I did, practiced the few English phrases they knew and learned new words from us.

At each of the stops J and I would jump off the boat and swim around for a while. At the first stop we instinctively swam toward the beach and got to a depth where we could stand on the bottom of the sea. The surface was rocky and hard and after the water had settled from us paddling J looked down and there were black sea urchins all over the rocks. We both picked up our feet and swam away from the shallower end quickly. At the other stops we stayed out in the sea and treaded water. It was amazing how salty and dense the water was. We could tread with our arms only and stay above the surface. Floating on my back required no effort at all. The last stop on the boat tour was Red Island, which had mud baths. We jumped off the boat and swam to the shore where we had a quick walk to a few holes in the ground filled with mud (needless to say it was not what J & I were expecting). All but one were fairly dried up, but the English speaking father jumped into the fuller one (about two feet deep) and started lathering up. After some hesitation the girls, J and I sat along the rim and started caking mud on our arms and legs. Soon enough the hole was full of people all covered in mud. We didn't have our camera, so once we had cleaned off and were on the boat I took a picture of some people on shore to give you an idea of what we looked like. It ended up being a fun experience and is definitely something I'll never forget.

J's favorite part of the mud bath involved a young English boy. He was about 10 years old, donned a black Speedo and Crocs and was a bit of a dough boy with creamy white skin. He was pushed into the mud bath (not sure by who) and flailed around for a bit before getting his legs and climbing out of the hole. He was saying something about his shoes and a few minutes later yelled in a very frustrated voice, "DOES ANYONE UNDERSTAND ENGLISH???!!?" I said yes, and then he proceeded to ask me to find his shoes at the bottom of the hole. While it wasn't deep, there was no way I was submerging myself into the mud to find his shoes. Lucky for him another Brit showed up (also in a black Speedo, however this one was on an older, fit body) who jumped into the hole and immediately fell, which made all the Turks laugh. He was not happy and you could nearly see the steam coming out of his ears. He found the Crocs, saved the day and left us to our mud.

We made it!

2008-08-06T15:00:00.005-06:00

After over 30 hours spent on planes, buses and in airports we arrived in Turkey. We flew from Istanbul to Dalaman yesterday and once we were officially in Turkey I wasn't surprised that everyone didn't speak English, but I was surprised that I wanted to speak Spanish; unfortunately, I don't think that would help. J on the other hand thinks everybody speaks English and wonders why they look at him weird.

Our first stop is Fethiye, or more specifically Calis (we didn't know this until the bus driver dropped us off in a roundabout intersection around 10pm last night - lucky for us, there was a very nice man who also got off the bus in this intersection and helped us catch the dolomus (mini bus) which dropped us off about 200 meters from our hotel). Our first hotel choice was a success (http://www.hoteldeltafethiye.com/), thank you Trip Advisor. We're situated between the beach (photos of that to come soon) and a marketplace (the pictures above are from our hotel room balcony) with lots of restaurants and shops. We were a little jet lagged (9 hour time difference) this morning (actually until 2pm local time) so we spent most of the day on the beach. Tomorrow we have scheduled a 12 island boat trip and are excited to see more of the area.

Happy 30th J!

2008-07-29T23:40:00.003-06:00

I don't believe 30 has ever looked better!

One week!

2008-07-28T02:25:00.003-06:00

Turkey is a week away and I think we finally have our itinerary set (planning ahead is so overrated). We just have to hear back from one more hotel and then book our flights between cities. We'll be visiting Istanbul, Fethiye, Cappadocia, Cesme and Selcuk/Esphesus. I can't wait!

lions and tigers and BEARS!! OH MY!

2008-07-13T17:30:00.002-06:00

For those of you curious about J's weekend activities, here goes. He went to a remote cabin somewhere in central Utah with a couple of friends. The trip involved leaving food for bears amid hundreds and hundreds of pine trees and then scurrying up tree stands to watch them come and feast. I recommended he purchase life insurance before the trip, but he didn't take me seriously. Apparently, life-threatening behavior only has to stop once offspring are involved. I also pointed out the obvious, bears can climb trees. He wasn't worried about this minor detail as the three of them apparently had an arsenal that could fight off more than a hungry bear. Unfortunately for him, no bears showed up for dinner and he came home sans sighting. What will be next?

Blogging Hiatus.

2008-07-11T12:09:00.002-06:00

I've been on a bit of a blogging hiatus for the last month or so. I'm going to say its because of work and life and summer and the FABULOUS vacation we just had at Lake Powell (more on that later). I also wanted to say that I'm still checking in on all of you and that I have the most noble intentions of becoming a frequent blogger again. That being said this weekend will be a catch up on birthdays, family reunions, daily occurrences (that you probably don't care about - but I have the photos to document), trips with friends, concerts, etc.

Side note: These posts will be happening while J is away at a remote mountain location being an active (and willing) participant in a potential documentary of what happens when wild animals attack. Usually he observes these programs safely from the comfort of the living room sofa and I still haven't figured out what happened in his brain to make him trade the comfortable, safe living room for the lonely, dark, tree stand. Just when you think you know a person...

Countdown to Istanbul!

2008-06-20T11:57:00.001-06:00

The countdown to Istanbul has begun. Now we just need to get our itinerary in order. Let me know if there is something that we shouldn't miss!

e·clec·tic: selecting or employing individual elements from a variety of sources, systems or styles

2008-06-17T22:28:00.003-06:00

I think eclectic fits the bill for the upcoming concerts I'm planning to attend this month (I know the US Air Guitar Championships is a stretch for "concert" but still...). I'm thrilled about Ingrid at only $17 a ticket and it's at the Avalon which has seats and will be a nice change from SRO. The Unity Tour tickets may be a bit more spendy, but c'mon it's Snoop Dogg - quintessential summer music - especially since the mercury is finally registering summer time temperatures. Any takers?

La-La-LOVE!

2008-05-26T19:57:00.005-06:00

Thursday, May 22nd marked the ninth year of wedded bliss for J and me. It's hard to believe so much time has passed and even harder to believe that this fall will mark the point in my life where I've know J for half it. I always thought it would be fun to get each other the traditional gifts (i.e., year one clocks, year two cotton, year ten diamonds) for each anniversary, but never mentioned it. So I was both surprised and touched when J looked up the gift for the ninth year, which happens to be pottery, willow or leather. When he picked out the beautiful flowers pictured above he chose a bright and modern pitcher as the vase. Even after all these years he still surprises me. And, his timing on following the recommended anniversary gifts could not have been better...only 361 days until we reach 10 years ;) I love you J.

Kid Friendly?

2008-05-07T19:22:00.004-06:00

.............................

We don't have kids. We rarely have kids over. This weekend we had a reality check that our place (at least the kitchen) is not kid friendly. Our nephew, Keyton, and his friend stopped by on Saturday morning on their way to ride bikes in the mountains. I invited them in and chatted with them for a minute and then asked if I could get them anything. He asked what we had to drink and before we got to the fridge I was laughing. I'm not a big soda drinker therefore I don't buy a lot of soda. J is a "fountain" soda guy, apparently it is MUCH better than the bottled or canned versions - so he doesn't really buy it either. The only portable drinks we had in the fridge were five individual bottles of Perrier. It could have been the intrigue of the unknown elixir or perhaps it was the nonexistent options but they gladly accepted the Perrier. Keyton said he liked it, but I think he was just being polite and the reaction of his friend was hilarious. Fortunately, I had a box of fruit roll ups in the pantry (a huge stroke of luck - I think it was the first box I have ever purchased) and offered those up as consolation prize.

Doğum günün kutlu olsun Guzin!

2008-05-05T11:04:00.000-06:00

Today is my very good friend Guzin's birthday (she is in the cream sweater). Guzin and I worked together in NY and we would always laugh because we didn't really know how we became friends (we never worked on the same project, except once long after we were friends). She made work so much more enjoyable and we connected on a level where you don't have to talk but with a glance knew what the other was thinking. She's on a six month secondment in Turkey for work right now (she is from Istanbul - I hope my Turkish translation of Happy Birthday is correct, it's a tough language) and I'm super excited to go visit her there this summer. Miss you Guz! Have a great birthday!

Please Advise.

2008-05-04T13:59:00.004-06:00

I need to wash my shoes. I went to Nike's website and they said:

Nylon and Canvas shoes: Using a soft cloth, gently scrub the uppers using mild soap and cold water. Air dry. Do not bleach or use harsh cleaning agents. Do not machine wash or machine dry.

The thing is, I don't really want to hand wash them. So I'm asking you, do you machine wash your sneakers?

Feliz Cumpleanos Jodie!

2008-05-03T16:02:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was my youngest sister, Jodie's, 22nd birthday. I have so many memories of Jod since I am eight years older than her. For example, I can remember the time Heidi & I dropped her on her head when we were babysitting her - the accident happened right as our Mom was pulling into the driveway and we frantically tried calming her down so she wouldn't give us away. We told Jodie about it many years later and if it makes you feel any better, she wasn't able to recall it. I remember her getting lost in Disneyland and frantically searching for her in a crazy crowd of people in Advertureland - not cool. I remember persuading her to ride her bike down the big hill by our house growing up only to watch her jump a curb and fly over the handlebars of her bike due to the large rock that was in her path (I think this happened when the parents were out of town and we had a babysitter....). Before she was in school, my Mom would bring her to the elementary on picture day for her annual photo and she would NEVER smile. All of her photos through probably 1st or 2nd grade have frowns EXCEPT for the Lagoon pass she got when she must have been four or five. Fast forward to today and now instead of seeming eight years younger than me, she's more like a friend (except for the fact that I still do have 8 years of wisdom on her!) Now that we're both in our twenties and eight years isn't such a big difference we talk about music, movies and books. It's been nice to connect with Jodie this way. Jod, hope you had a great day & your card is in the mail ;)

Pleasant Surprise.

2008-05-01T11:37:00.006-06:00

I've been settling into some bad habits lately. Staying up WAY past by target bedtime of 11:00 pm, missing gym classes and instead doing what I feel to be half-hearted cardio work, letting my allergies get way out of control to the point that I don't feel so well, saving annoying pieces of work for later and then completing them at unreasonable hours and allowing a tornado of epic proportions to tear through the house to name a few (don't get me wrong part of the tornado was a basket of three clean loads of laudry to be folded and several shirts, swimsuits and bras that I had handwashed and were lying flat on towels in the living room and office to dry). Last night I got home close to bed time from another enlightening book club and came face to face with the mess that this week (or maybe last two weeks) had become. I was feeling the allergies, tired and really really just wanted to go to bed. So I sent my email for work (see above) and started getting ready for bed accepting the fact that I had a huge task ahead of me in the morning. Imagine my surprise when I woke up and exited the bedroom this morning to find half of the mess in the living room picked up and the picture above in the kitchen (Note: our dishwasher is manual). What a great way to start the day. I know I'm running the risk of a cliche blog post - but my husband is really swell.

San Fran.

2008-04-28T20:01:00.006-06:00

What a fabulous weekend we had in San Francisco. Riding cable cars, visiting Fisherman's Wharf, Ghiradelli Square, Lombard Street and Union Square. Driving through the peace and love of Haight Ashbury. Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and stopping with busloads of tourists to snap photos at the point. Hiking through the lush, green Muir Woods. And winding along the Pacific Coast Highway where the land converges with the sea. A great place to explore!

Tourist.

2008-04-25T16:34:00.004-06:00

I am in San Francisco and I am wearing jeans with gym shoes. This morning when I was getting ready J saw me rubbing this on my feet before putting my shoes on. For some reason he thinks I use this when I have blisters, not to prevent them. After some coaxing from him I decided to forgo my stylish flats for my Nikes. I have to say my feet were comfortable during the six hours spent walking the hills of The City by the Bay. Yes, I am a tourist....

Mother Earth.

2008-04-22T22:55:00.005-06:00

Happy Earth Day. My minor contribution today was shopping at Target using this, I also picked up another one because seriously how many times do you make it out of Target with just one bag of goodies? We're doing well with our recycling program, we participate in Rocky Mountain Power's Blue Sky program and our new washer/dryer set is energy efficient (HE), but I'm sure there is so much more we could do. Other ideas on my going green list include: researching composting (super intimidating), donating our old cell phones to a charity for reuse, replacing all light bulbs with CFL bulbs and buying a reusable water bottle and filling it with our Brita filter - no more plastic water bottles - I'm eyeing this one. Do you have any ideas that I should add to my list?

KC.

2008-04-19T11:10:00.008-06:00

Last week was Kansas City, Missouri. It was my first time to KC, although about a year ago I flew into the airport there and drove a short distance into Kansas. The city was charming - metropolitan, but still had a community feel about it. The nature of my job means that I'm usually working with different teams of people every few weeks. I hadn't met any of this team in person until we all arrived at the airport. Fortunately, the four other team members were very easy to get along with and that made being out of town a bit less annoying (more on that later). We were able to work hard and get a lot accomplished, while enjoying two great dinners at Lidia's (I have also been to her restaurant, Becco in NYC -delicious!) and Bristol.

A few facts about Kansas City:

The city is famous for its Kansas City-style barbecue,
The metro area has a population of just under 2 million,
The city was formed in 1838 at the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas rivers.

The night before I was to catch my flight, J and I grabbed dinner during which I had an epiphany. I like to think I'm open to change, that I am flexible and I can go with anything, but during dinner I realized big changes (i.e., living in limbo for 9+ months and then moving cross country) are easier for me to handle than little changes (i.e., finding out Monday I have to board a plane Tuesday). When I shared this thought with J, he focused in on the issue a bit more precisely - he pointed out that I am fine with change as long as I'm in control. Whoa - he's right. After this I decided I need to embrace the flexible attitude I like to think I have. After all, how many years of flying to random locations across the country and sometimes globe on somebody else's dime (understanding I'm helping them make dimes) do I have left? Like Winston Churchill said, "Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference."

Delectably Delicious.

2008-04-18T17:20:00.003-06:00

I ran across these delectably delicious Chocolate Toffee Almonds by Sconza at the airport this week (I haven't tried the Dark Chocolate Raisins, but I'm sure they're tasty too). I typically buy a little something for the plane - nuts, gum, candy - and lucky for me these caught my eye on Tuesday. The premium roasted almonds are covered with a thin layer of toffee coating, covered in milk chocolate and dusted with powdered sugar. It is the perfect combination of sweet and salty. Caution: It is quite easy to pound the entire bag (I managed to stretch it out over 4 days, barely). You're going to have to put some extra time in at the gym after getting your hands on these!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

2008-04-17T17:16:00.004-06:00

Happy happy birthday Grandpa dear! I wish I could be there celebrating with you tonight, I'm sure it was a great party. I treasure our trip to Yellowstone (with Grandma, Heidi & Trent) that included skipping rocks on the lake, touching hotpots and listening to rangers teach about bears; the driving lessons in the field when I couldn't have been more than 10; bailing hay; and herding cows, big cows.

I happen to be in Kansas City right now and when I gave my Grandpa a birthday call he told me about a museum he visited in KC that housed The Arabia, a steamboat built in 1853 that was snagged by a tree trunk in the Missouri River in 1856 and sank. For years floods and topsoil covered the steamboat until it was fully submerged. The steamboat sat on the river bottom for 132 years until an elaborate plan was hatched to rise the steamboat. Click on The Arabia link above to see pictures are read the entire story (after opening the site, select Museum Info and Arabia's Story).

Viva Las Vegas!

2008-04-15T22:42:00.005-06:00

Highlights of our road trip to Vegas:

Spending time with Jared & Elaine,
Dinner at Carnevino, Mario Batali's latest restaurant (they had the most amazing black truffle vinaigrette to go with the filet, amazing),
Having my ID requested at the Craps table, twice (I told my sisters it would pay off one day that everyone thought I was younger than them - 29?! I think not),
Watching La Reve, a hypnotic aquatic Cirque de Soleil-like show,
Enjoying some time at the pool,
Hanging with Mickey (Jared & Elaine's dog),
Clubbing it with all the 'pretty' people at Pure and
Spending 12 hours in the car with J, undivided attention and all.

Grey is 1!

2008-04-11T11:03:00.000-06:00

My super cute, always happy, very laid back and newly walking nephew turned one on April 9th. He is so much fun to be around, always going with the flow and smiling at anything. Happy Birthday Grey!

Road Trip.

2008-04-10T11:47:00.008-06:00

J and I got in the car and headed south yesterday. Our destination was Jared & Elaine's place in Las Vegas. The five or so hours spent driving went by really quick in comparison to our last road trip, when we didn't know where we were going, how to get there, where we were staying, etc. One of us is a huge fan of spontaneity, and the other one a fan of mapquest but is trying to embrace it.

Our last road trip included a loooong leg from Manhattan to Palmyra, NY. We rolled into Palmyra around 11:00 pm and found our way to a hotel. The next morning, after seeing the sights, we continued on to Niagara Falls where we spent all of 50 minutes checking out the amazing falls and getting drenched by their spray. Like I mentioned we were all about spontaneity and didn't do any research which likely would have recommended umbrellas or ponchos for our visit. Driving around Lake Ontario seemed like a good idea after enjoying the falls, but then we hit some serious rush hour traffic which we were stuck in for at least five hours (and I happened to be the lucky driver for this segment). After what seemed like forever, we dropped back into the US via NY and drove through American Indian land which included lots of two lane roads and wildlife. In one of the more populated areas we saw bouncing headlights coming toward us and couldn't figure out what it was. Imagine our surprise when two horse drawn buggies passed us. After spending a couple of days in Sugarbush, Vermont for my friend Jessica's wedding we made a pit stop at Ben & Jerry's (we LOVE ice cream) and then continued on through New Hampshire to Boston.

Happy Birthday Erin!

2008-04-08T18:26:00.005-06:00

Erin has been a good friend since high school. She is possibly the busiest, most ambitious person I know. She is in her final year of medical school, is the mother to almost four year old twin girls, runs half marathons on a whim and still manages to keep up with friends (even the ones who aren't the most timely at returning calls...). Erin, I hope you had a great day - only one more year until the BIG 3-0!

Seeded Cornmeal Biscuits.

2008-04-07T21:17:00.009-06:00

Dinner last night included Chicken with Green Peppercorn Sauce (only I couldn't find green peppercorns, so I used a four pepper blend), steamed broccoli and these Seeded Cornmeal Biscuits. It took me a couple tries to get the biscuits right, because I didn't realize they weren't going to rise...I know this should have been logical but I was a little overextended. I love corn bread and so I counted these biscuits as very tasty. (J just joined me (he REALLY needs the computer) and he told me that he wasn't a huge fan of the biscuits. When I asked him why he said, "They were just kind of blah - plain." I find this a little comical, especially given the sandwich below the recipe is his standard at Cutler's.)

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)

2 cups whole wheat flour (about 9 1/2 ounces)
1 cup stone-ground whole-grain cornmeal (about 5 ounces)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
2 cups low-fat buttermilk
Cooking spray
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

01. Preheat oven to 450°.
02. Lightly spoon flours and cornmeal into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk; stir just until moist.
03. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll dough to a 3/4-inch thickness; cut with a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter into 18 biscuits. Gather remaining dough. Roll to a 3/4-inch thickness, and cut with a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter into 6 biscuits. Place 12 biscuits on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush tops of biscuits with half of egg white. Combine poppy seeds and sesame seeds in a small bowl, and sprinkle half of seed mixture evenly over biscuit tops. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until biscuits are golden; place on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining 12 biscuits, egg white, and seed mixture.

Yield
24 servings (serving size: 1 biscuit)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 139(27% from fat); FAT 4.2g; PROTEIN 3.7g; CHOLESTEROL 10mg; CALCIUM 46mg; SODIUM 276mg; FIBER 2.4g; IRON 1.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 22.3g

Memo.

2008-04-06T21:54:00.005-06:00

Heidi, J and I went to The Gateway yesterday so I could get this new Blackberry. After leaving Verizon, we were strolling along when Mehmet Okur and his Dad walked out of a store right in front of us. Heidi, a huge Utah Jazz fan, worked up the courage to ask Mehmet (a.k.a. "Memo") for a picture. He is really tall (6'11") and was very gracious.

Target.

2008-04-06T13:08:00.003-06:00

I LOVE Target. I think I've mentioned this before. When we lived in NY, it was about an hour round trip on the subway to the Target at Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. I made the trip a couple of times myself, but usually I could coerce J into going with me since we would stock up on stuff and there was no way I could carry it all back myself. On a recent visit to Target I noticed this bag made by Terracycle. I was thrilled to see it and picked one up to carry my goods home. I had been eyeing these bags for a couple months, but I never got around to ordering them online. My quest to become green is progressing nicely.

Road·block.

2008-04-03T22:57:00.008-06:00

an action, condition, etc., that obstructs progress toward an objective.

These are just a few of my blogging roadblocks over the past week.

I ordered these shoes and they arrived on Thursday. But much to my dismay, they were super red and super shiny. After flip-flopping on them, I decided it would be best if I returned them and continued my quest for the most perfect red shoes ever. I did order the shirt pictured and it was quite nice.

Work. Need I say more?

On Friday night we went to dinner with J's parents. It was the first time we've went out since moving back from NY (can you believe it's been 12 weeks?!). They went to their community caucus last week and Lindy was nominated as a State Delegate. We're really excited to hear about everything she will be involved in and know she'll do a great job representing her city.

I was dedicated last Saturday morning and made it to two classes at the gym before 9:00 am. J met me there and when we got home, we made these muffins and delivered them to some of our family for breakfast. They were good - not too sweet, but a little heavy (I didn't exactly measure the banana and I used three...). I think I would make them again, maybe as mini muffins.

Tropical Muffins with Coconut-Macadamia Topping

Ingredients
Muffins:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 ounces)
1 cup regular oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2)
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple in juice, drained
1/3 cup flaked sweetened coconut
3 tablespoons finely chopped macadamia nuts, toasted
Cooking spray

Topping:
2 tablespoons flaked sweetened coconut
1 tablespoon finely chopped macadamia nuts
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon regular oats

01. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

02. To prepare muffins, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Combine banana and next 5 ingredients (through egg) in a medium bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in pineapple, 1/3 cup coconut and 3 tablespoons nuts. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray.
03. To prepare topping, combine 2 tablespoons coconut and the remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
04. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of topping over each muffin. Bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pan immediately; place on a wire rack.

Yield
12 servings

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 205(29% from fat); FAT 6.7g; PROTEIN 4.3g; CARBOHYDRATE 33.3g; FIBER 2g; CHOLESTEROL 19mg; IRON 1.5mg; SODIUM 215mg; CALCIUM 69mg

A visit to the Anastasia Brow Studio on Saturday was much needed.

Our good friend, Lisa, turned 30 on Sunday. Her husband helped start the celebration with a surprise birthday party for her on Saturday night. It was a great party, lots of family and friends, delicious food and a sweet video of pictures of Lisa throughout the years. Happy Birthday Lisa!

Been loving the gym. The classes are great and I've been spending some time on the treadmill to get ready for a 5K this summer. I am not a runner....

I'm always looking for versatile t-shirts and these vintage T's at Target fit the bill. I purchased them on one of many trips to Target in the last week..

After learning that chicken was a major meal category last week, I decided to try some new chicken options. This Barbecue-spiced chicken was from Cooking Light on the Menu Suggestions page at the back of the March issue. It was good and really quick. The sides were standards at our house, green beans with toasted almonds and mashed potatoes.

Barbecue-spiced Chicken

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (I couldn't find this so I used regular chili powder)

01. Preheat over to 350 degrees.
02. Combine spices and sprinkle evenly over 8 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts.
03. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and coat pan with cooking spray.
04. Saute chicken in pan, 2 minutes each side (will need to saute in batches if making 8).
05. Remove chicken and arrange on jelly-roll pan.
06. Bake for 12 minutes or until done.

Tonight I made the most delicious salmon dinner ever. I've always liked fish and ate all different kinds of it growing up, but when I started eating sushi a strange thing happened - I was totally turned off to cooked fish. I finally came around to white fish that is flakier and I like tuna barely seared but anything else just doesn't taste right. So for years, I haven't been ordering salmon or tuna, let alone cooking it. With the time I've been able to spend cooking since moving, I realized J has been dying for salmon (something he ate for lunch a couple times a week in NY) and I found this recipe in April's Cooking Light. It seriously was the most amazing salmon I've ever had AND it only took minutes to make. You should try it!

Herb-Crusted Salmon with Mixed Greens Salad

Chopped fresh herbs dress up salmon fillets, which are a great source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. The homemade vinaigrette brightens salad greens while keeping calories and fat in check. Serve salmon with lemon wedges.

Ingredients
Salmon:
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick), skinned
Cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Salad:
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups mixed salad greens (I used baby spinach)

01. To prepare salmon, combine the first 7 ingredients in a shallow dish or pie plate. Lightly coat both sides of fillets with cooking spray, and sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Dredge both sides of fillets in breadcrumb mixture.
02. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add fillets to pan; cook 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; carefully turn fillets over. Cook 4 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.
03. To prepare salad, combine juice, oil, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add mixed greens; toss gently to coat. Place 2/3 cup salad on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 fillet.

Yield
4 servings

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 256(33% from fat); FAT 9.5g; PROTEIN 32.1g; CHOLESTEROL 70mg; CALCIUM 110mg; SODIUM 399mg; FIBER 1.8g; IRON 2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 9g

Radicchio, Haricots Verts and Sweet Lettuce Salad.

2008-03-27T22:15:00.015-06:00

Tonight I made this salad for dinner. J and I both ended up eating at the same Mexican restaurant for lunch and so I wanted something light and healthy for dinner. The salad was one of the four recipes from Cooking Light that I planned to make Easter Sunday before time ran out so I had all of the ingredients on hand. I pulled the salad together pretty quickly and J told me, "This is the best thing you've ever made!" He asked me what was in the dressing because it was perfect. It reminded him of Chop't, a salad shop in NY that we loved and miss.

Bitter radicchio, balanced by salt, prosciutto, and walnut oil, finds a place in this well-rounded salad that features all five major tastes. Substitute extravirgin olive oil for walnut oil, if you prefer.

Radicchio, Haricots Verts and Sweet Lettuce Salad

2 cups (2-inch) cut haricots verts

1 tablespoon walnut oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

4 cups torn Boston lettuce

2 cups (1-inch) cubed sourdough bread (about 4 ounces), toasted

1 cup shredded radicchio

3/4 cup chopped prosciutto (about 2 ounces)

1/2 cup orange sections

01. Cook haricots verts in boiling water 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain.

02. Combine oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, salt, orange rind, and Dijon mustard in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add haricots verts, lettuce, and remaining ingredients to bowl; toss gently to coat.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 122(26% from fat); FAT 3.5g; PROTEIN 5.5g; CHOLESTEROL 6mg; CALCIUM 35mg; SODIUM 449mg; FIBER 2.5g; IRON 1.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 17.7g

Do Tell.

2008-03-26T13:13:00.005-06:00

I consider myself a fairly low maintenance girl. But that hasn't kept me from wondering if using an eyelash curler really makes a difference. What do you think? Is it worth the $19 price tag (which according to the fine print should be shelled out every six months for optimal results, hygiene and safety)?

Easter Sunday.

2008-03-24T22:44:00.028-06:00

I hope you all had a wonderful spring weekend and a fabulous Easter Sunday. We went to J's parents for Easter dinner. His mom, Lindy, made a tasty honey baked ham and each of the couples brought salads. I made a Basil Lime Fruit Salad from the March edition of Cooking Light (Jodie, my youngest sister, gave me a subscription for my birthday and I love it --- as pointed out by my husband on Sunday I bite off more than I can chew and intended to make four recipes out of the magazine on Sunday (yes in one day only), but only managed to complete two of them.....). The salad was really good and quite easy. It will be a great spring/summer option.

Basil Lime Fruit Salad

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup packed basil leaves
1 tablespoon grated lime rind
4 cups cubed pineapple (about 1 medium)
3 cups quartered strawberries (about 1 pound)
2 cups cubed peeled mango (about 2 large)
4 kiwifruit, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)

01. Combine sugar and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; stir in basil and rind. Cool. Strain sugar mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl; discard solids.

.
02. Combine pineapple and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle with sugar mixture; toss gently.

.
Yield 12 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)

Nutritional Information: CALORIES 92(3% from fat); FAT 0.3g; PROTEIN 0.8g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 20mg; SODIUM 2mg; FIBER 2.2g; IRON 0.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 23.8g
.

.
After dinner, we headed to my parents for dessert and an Easter Egg Hunt for Lilly, Mia and Grey. I made Chocolate Mint Brownies for dessert, also from Cooking Light. I love chocolate and mint together and the brownies were excellent (as was the Pineapple Angel Foodcake, Frozen Strawberry Cake and Lemon Cupcakes!).

Chocolate Mint Brownies
.
Bottom layer:
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, beaten
1 (16-ounce) can chocolate syrup
Cooking spray
.
Mint layer:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons fat-free milk
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 drops green food coloring
.
Glaze:
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter
.
01. Preheat oven to 350°.

.
02. To prepare bottom layer, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and salt; stir with a whisk. Combine granulated sugar, egg substitute, 1/4 cup melted butter, 2 tablespoons water, vanilla, eggs, and chocolate syrup in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring until blended. Pour batter into a 13 x 9–inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

03. To prepare mint layer, combine powdered sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, and next 3 ingredients (through food coloring) in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer until smooth. Spread mint mixture over cooled cake.

04. To prepare the glaze, combine the chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until melted, stirring after 30 seconds. Let stand 2 minutes. Spread chocolate mixture evenly over top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into 20 pieces.

Yield 20 servings (serving size: 1 piece)

Nutritional Information CALORIES 264(30% from fat); FAT 8.7g; PROTEIN 2.8g; CHOLESTEROL 38mg; CALCIUM 12mg; SODIUM 139mg; FIBER 0.5g; IRON 0.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 45g

Happy Birthday Jeff!

2008-03-20T14:01:00.005-06:00

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday dear Jeff

Happy Birthday to you!

Hope you have a great day keeping up on the March Madness tournament. Thanks for hanging out with us, letting us join in on your homemade meals (french toast and french fries have never been better!) and for always being hospitable when we crash at Hotel Heidi.

Chi-town.

2008-03-20T13:37:00.004-06:00

The office building I was working in for a couple of days each of the last three weeks was overlooking Millennium Park. I took a couple photos through the window of the park. It is both unique and beautiful.

Millennium Park is an award-winning center for art, music, architecture and landscape design. The result of a unique partnership between the City of Chicago and the philanthropic community, the 24.5-acre park features the work of world-renowned architects, planners, artists and designers.

The criss-cross structure on the left is Jay Pritzker Pavilion an outdoor concert venue. The Pavilion stands 120-feet high, with a billowing headdress of brushed stainless steel ribbons that frame the stage opening and connect to an overhead trellis of crisscrossing steel pipes. The trellis supports the sound system, which spans the 4,000 fixed seats and the Great Lawn, which accommodates an additional 7,000 people.

The silver drop on the right is Cloud Gate. Cloud Gate is British artist Anish Kapoor's first public outdoor work installed in the United States. The 110-ton elliptical sculpture is forged of a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates, which reflect the city's famous skyline and the clouds above. A 12-foot-high arch provides a "gate" to the concave chamber beneath the sculpture, inviting visitors to touch its mirror-like surface and see their image reflected back from a variety of perspectives. Inspired by liquid mercury, the sculpture is among the largest of its kind in the world, measuring 66-feet long by 33-feet high. Cloud Gate sits upon the AT&T Plaza, which was made possible by a gift from AT&T.

Connecting Millennium Park to Daley Bicentennial Plaza, east of the park, this 925-foot-long winding bridge, Frank Gehry's first, provides incomparable views of the Chicago skyline, Grant Park and Lake Michigan. Clad in brushed stainless steel panels, the BP Bridge complements the Pritzker Pavilion in function as well as design by creating an acoustic barrier from the traffic noise below. It also has a 5% slope to allow easy access for people who are physically challenged.

A view of the Chicago skyline from the office building I was working in.

Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is bounded, from west to east, by the U.S. states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. The word "Michigan" was originally used to refer to the lake itself, and is believed to come from the Ojibwa Indian word mishigami, meaning "great water."

The Chicago River is 156 miles long, and flows through downtown Chicago. Though not especially long, the river is notable for the 19th century civil engineering feats that directed its flow south, away from Lake Michigan, into which it previously emptied, and towards the Mississippi River basin. This was done for reasons of sanitation. The river is also noted for the local custom of dying it green on St. Patrick's Day.

This was the view from my hotel room on St. Patrick's Day, but unfortunately I didn't get to see it dyed green. Click here to check out a video of the dying process.

Loving This.

2008-03-19T11:29:00.000-06:00

I first heard New Soul by Yael Naim on the Mac laptop commercial (the one that fits into a manila envelope - novel!) and loved it. Since then I've checked out some of her stuff online and it doesn't disappoint. I love the opening verse,

I'm a new soul,

I came to this strange world,

Hoping I could learn a bit 'bout how to give and take.

But since I came here,

Felt the joy and the fear,

Finding myself making every possible mistake.

Covers of pop/hip-hop songs seems to be a theme as of late and Yael doesn't miss out, covering Toxic by Britney Spears. At her concert in February, Ingrid Michaelson covered the theme song to The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Jenny Owen Youngs covered It's Getting Hot in Here by Nelly when she opened for Ingrid at The Bowery Ballroom in December. I'll be making a purchase on iTunes to add this "simply magical record" to my collection.

Ruby Slippers.

2008-03-18T09:30:00.005-06:00

I've been dreaming of a pair of "just right red" shoes for years. And now, I think I may know why I've never pulled the trigger on the plethora of pairs I've found and had a longing desire for. Aren't these some of the loveliest ruby slippers you've ever laid eyes on? The wedge is the perfect in between - not an agonizing stiletto, yet not a squat flat (something a person of my height should probably stay away from, but advice I don't heed). The peep toe is fun and flirty and the patent leather is a nice touch. All this wrapped into a nice little mod-esque package, size 6 please.

Happy Saint Patick's Day!

2008-03-17T00:02:00.001-06:00

Saint Patrick's Day, colloquially St. Paddy's Day or Paddy's Day, is an annual feast day which celebrates Saint Patrick (385–461 AD), one of the patron saints of Ireland, and is generally celebrated on March 17.
.

Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated worldwide by Irish people and increasingly by non-Irish people (usually in Australia, North America, Ireland) as well. Celebrations are generally themed around all things Irish and, by association, the colour green. Both Christians and non-Christians celebrate the secular version of the holiday by wearing green or orange, eating Irish food and green foods, imbibing Irish drink (such as Guinness) and attending parades.

Hunger.

2008-03-16T23:20:00.006-06:00

About 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger related causes, according to the United Nations. This is so hard to comprehend living in a nation of excess. FreeRice has decided to do somthing about it. Go to freerice.com and play a vocabulary game; for every question you answer correctly FreeRice will donate 20 grains of rice to the UN World Food Program (WFP). The questions are addicting and in less than five minutes FreeRice had donated over 800 grains of rice to the WFP based on my answers. The website tracks your vocabulary level as you play and includes a lot of great information about worldwide hunger and poverty.

MAYDAY! MAYDAY! ABORT MISSION!!!

2008-03-14T17:21:00.005-06:00

Perfect example of my job for the last four years. If you read my previous post you know about my whirlwind business trip, which includes a jaunt across the pond, that started last night and was to continue until who knows when. Late last night, the powers that be decided that the trip to London wasn't necessary....at this point. So instead of boarding a red-eye across the Atlantic tonight I'll board a flight home. What great news! No working the weekend (well there may be a little of that), no red-eye flight (they don't mix well with me), no conversion from dollars to pounds (a reminder that everything in America is on sale), no immediate uncertainty of where I'll be in the next 48 hours (I'll be boarding a flight back to Chicago Sunday night or Monday morning). What a difference a day makes!

PS - Kathryn: My next project looks to be with a NY team also, so don't lose hope for our ridiculous dinner!

I'm Leavin' On a Jet Plane.

2008-03-12T23:33:00.005-06:00

Don't know when I'll be back again. Really. I don't have a return trip booked. I boarded a flight to Chicago this evening where I'll be until I board another flight to London on Friday. I'm still not sure how I get from Heathrow in London to the city I'll spend Sunday, Monday and Tuesday in (Wikipedia says the city functions as a dormitory town on the London commuter belt...whatever that means). Yet another flight to board on Tuesday, this time to NY, I think. This leg of the trip is still up in the air (Kathryn, I will let you know as soon as I find out - we could meet for dinner!). A couple days in the Big Apple and THEN....I'll be back again.

Banana Bread.

2008-03-11T23:08:00.004-06:00

J loves banana bread and when there are super ripe bananas sitting on the counter, I'm happy to make it for him. The recipe below made three loaves and before the night was over two of them were gone (I sent one home with Heidi - so we weren't too gluttonous).

Banana Bread

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup shortening

2 eggs

3 bananas, mashed

2 cups flour

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup sour cream

01. Cream shortening, sugar and eggs.

02. Add bananas and cream.

03. Sift dry ingredients (I'm too impatient for this step) and cream with wet ingredients

04. Add sour cream.

05. Put into greased and floured bread pans (3 minis worked for me)

06. Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour

07. Remove to cooling rack

08. Cut and enjoy (isn't it so much better warm?)

Cov·et: to wish for, esp. eagerly.

2008-03-11T12:24:00.004-06:00

I've been coveting one of these for all of my married 9 years now. The other day I was multi-tasking, which included watching TV, and I saw an infomercial for the 5 Quart Artisan Series Stand Mixer + a free attachment (either the Pasta Kit or the Ice Cream Maker) + a free Mixer Bible + a free 5 piece gadget set all for $299! That's a steal, right? Not sure why I haven't placed my order yet. Just think of all the tasty things I could make with this in my kitchen arsenal.

Evolution.

2008-03-10T15:56:00.001-06:00

I don't think I've mentioned that I am a procrastinator. I am. When I have something time sensitive that needs to be done I (1) think of all the other things I need to do, (2) make a list and (3) do everything on the list, saving the time sensitive item for last. I don't know why I put myself through this, you would think I would have learned by now...

Moving on to the point, I saved some work that needed to be done this morning for late last night and due to a variety of factors, I was sitting on the sofa, laptop on my knees, hunched over my computer working away. Half-way into my work, I thought of this picture and had to laugh.

Ingrid Returns!

2008-03-09T11:57:00.007-06:00

I've been wanting to post about the Ingrid Michaelson/Joshua Radin concert from a couple weeks ago, but haven't been able to focus. The concert was great and Ingrid was fabulous (as was her back up singer Ali Moss). She is a natural with the crowd and gives personal details about songs, but also keeps things interesting by asking about the city and people in the crowd. I was checking out her website and found that she'll be back in SLC for The Hotel Cafe Tour on April 5.

For the past 4 years, The Hotel Café has been presenting a tour that has hit every major market in the United States and UK. The concept of the tour was to share the same community vibe with music fans all over the country. Artists performed solo and would then share the stage with fellow tour mates. No cookie cutter corporate American Idols, just real music, written by real artists, surrounded by real friends, who actually have a story to tell.

Each city on the 2005 tour featured different headliners and local heroes. MySpace produced 25,000 compilation CDs, which were distributed for free to fans that attended the concert. Artists helped to create a certain intimacy by personally greeting the audience after the shows, even when venue sizes were as large as 2,500 seaters.

Starting in March 2008, The Hotel Café Tour will embark on another journey that will cover 35+ major markets in the North America, before heading over to the United Kingdom and making it’s entry into Europe and Japan!

Ingrid being a great performer coupled with the other artists on the ticket should make for a great show. If we're in town that weekend, we'll be there!

Spring Forward.

2008-03-07T15:52:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it's already that time of year again? After frequenting cities in three different time zones this week, I've felt suspended in time. I never knew when I was gaining hours and when I was losing them (maybe I should start adjusting my watch when I travel?). Hopefully my suspended in time feeling will help me shake any 'time lag' when we spring forward tonight.

Touché.

2008-03-07T10:19:00.001-07:00

I think I may have mentioned I'm not a morning person - at all. However, I committed to changing this when I moved back to Utah. Heidi has been a big help and got me into a morning gym routine. Last night I set my alarm for 6:30 am so that I could make it to a gym class at 7:00 am this morning. When the alarm went off, I snoozed it a couple times (perhaps it was more than a couple) before deciding I should shift the alarm back an hour and go to the 8:00 am class instead. When it went off at 7:30 am, I snoozed it a couple more times and then got up and headed to the gym. During all of the snooze activity J said, "If I had a dollar for every time the alarm clock went off and you didn't get up I'd be a billionaire."

The Windy City.

2008-03-06T16:33:00.000-07:00

Another day another city. Yesterday morning I boarded a flight to Chicago, where I was supposed to spend two days (which has since turned into three - good thing I threw in an extra suit at the last minute). Chicago is a city I have visited a lot over the past four years, which has been pretty lucky on my part. I figure if I have to travel, I might as well travel somewhere good. Chicago has a great skyline, a comforting amount of pedestrian traffic (none of whom jaywalk) and is quite clean (especially in comparison to NYC).

In 2005, I spent all of May in Chicago working some pretty crazy hours. Early one morning, the team finished up and caught taxis back to our hotel on Michigan Avenue. When we got out of the cabs "the tantalizing aroma of chocolate" was wafting over the city --- it seemed almost magical. The hotel staff told us there is a chocolate factory across the river that does production at night. If it is possible to get drunk off a smell it happened, because the chocolatey goodness washed away all the unpleasantness from that day and was the only memory that stuck. Maybe I'll get lucky and have time to visit the factory tomorrow on my way out.....

Random facts about Chicago:

Chicago is the third largest city in the US, with a population of over 2.8 million,
On December 2, 1942, physicist Enrico Fermi conducted the world's first controlled nuclear reaction at the University of Chicago as part of the top secret Manhattan Project,
Chicago is located in northeastern Illinois at the southwestern tip of Lake Michigan.

Predict.

2008-03-05T11:53:00.005-07:00

"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."

-Alan Kay, 1940 -

Day Trip.

2008-03-04T15:26:00.003-07:00

I flew to San Francisco this morning and will return to Utah later tonight. It started out a bit stressful as I didn't leave the house until an hour and a half before my flight was scheduled to take off. Next, I saw brake lights along the freeway, but traffic cleared up and I made it to the airport in less than a half hour. Finally, I had a couple of delays thanks to the confusing short term parking signs at the airport. I am fairly certain that this was my first time EVER driving myself to the airport. Couple that with the fact that I haven't flown out of SLC that much and I had a bit of a dilemma. I had to circle the airport (exit and re-enter) twice after following the road to the rental car return and the economy parking lot. On my third attempt I backed up (even though the DO NOT BACKUP signs were the only signs that weren't confusing) and found my way to short-term parking. Finally! Once inside, it was a breeze to check in and even easier was the new security line protocol the airport has implemented. I designated myself an "Expert Traveler" and didn't even have to slow down.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

2008-03-03T21:39:00.000-07:00

One of my 2008 goals is to be more green. I grew up in a home that recycled aluminum cans and newspapers, so it's only natural that part of this includes recycling all of the plastic, glass, paper and cardboard that J & I consume. In NY it was easy to recycle. All I had to do was keep recyclable items separate from the trash and then walk them down the hall to the blue and green recycling containers and deposit the goods there. Fast forward to today, walking down the hall to do the recycling is no longer an option. I went to my local Target (a long time fav) and bought some blue and green bins and then I found this website to help me figure out where to take the goods once my bins were filled up. The entire process has been very smooth and as long as I remember to pack the bins in the car when they're full and I'll be driving past the recycling centers it's an easy goal to achieve. Check out 8 Ways to Green Your Recycling to see what you can do.

Heidi + Jeff.

2008-03-02T22:18:00.005-07:00

Today is Heidi & Jeff's two year wedding anniversary. This evening they let us crash their anniversary dinner and invited us over for hamburgers and homemade fries - it was excellent. When we moved back to Utah in January, we stayed at "Hotel Heidi" for a couple of weeks. Heid made sure we had everything we needed and was very accommodating. It has been great being back in Utah with them. We wish them many more happy years!

Dolla Dolla Bill.

2008-03-01T16:36:00.004-07:00

If I had a dolla dolla bill for every time I tell/ask/inform J of something and he says "Yes" after my comment and then two minutes later says, "Wait a minute, I didn't hear what you said!" I'd be a rich lady.

Leap Year = Great Grandma Elwood.

2008-02-29T18:15:00.005-07:00

My Great Grandma Elwood was born on Leap Year in 1907 and so I'll always associate February 29 with her (odds of being born on this day are 1 in 1,500). She was 95 when she passed away and today Heidi, my sister, and I were talking about her. Heidi remembered that she always had packs of five stick Doublemint gum. I remember her tying one end of a piece of floss to a loose tooth and the other end to a doorknob and then slamming the door to pull the loose tooth out --- then she'd give us a quarter. She would always monitor the food everyone ate at family parties (e.g., that one didn't eat any vegetables) and she would tell me I wasn't growing taller because my waist length hair was weighing me down. She was a master knitter (way before it was in vogue) and would make the best dish clothes and afghans. She was a die hard Democrat and loved the Utah Jazz. When I was a kid, she came to stay with us once and I remember being fascinated that she could take her teeth out. I also stole the car (pre-16) for the first time on her watch - luckily I got home safely and with no damage. I'm thankful I have so many memories of her and am sure she was celebrating today.

*No digital photos of Grandma Elwood --- add another mark to the New Year resolution of converting photos to digital.

City Transportation.

2008-02-28T15:26:00.004-07:00

Today was the first day it felt weird to be out of NYC. I went into my Company's office downtown and organized my desk. At lunch I needed to go 18 SLC blocks, or 2.6 miles, and I didn't want to go to the garage, get my car out, drive 18 blocks, find a parking spot and repeat to get back to the office. Instead I thought, oh I'll just grab a cab.

Wait a minute, that doesn't work anymore. Maybe I could walk....

Hmmm, not likely in these heels. And, that might take a little while. I wish I could get on the subway...

TRAX! That could work....except that lunch starts in 5 minutes and I have no idea where to catch it, how often it runs, where to get off, etc. etc.

So I went to the garage, got my car and drove straight up the street 18 blocks. I did pass a couple of buses and thought

Oh, I could have taken the bus. I'm going to have to figure out SLC public transportation one way or another. Chances are by the time that happens, I'll prefer my car!

Read.

2008-02-28T14:59:00.005-07:00

................

Last night was the opening party for a new book club that I'm proud to be a part of. I love reading, absolutely love it; have ever since I was a kid. We selected books for the next six months, which was really tough because there were so many good recommendations. For March we decided on Moloka'i by Alan Brennert AND The Diving Bell and The Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby (a bunch of us had read Moloka'i in February and The Diving Bell and The Butterfly is supposed to be pretty short). My sidebar will be updated every month for the book that we chose. Can't wait to meet with all the ladies next month! Get reading!

Blister Block.

2008-02-27T16:21:00.004-07:00

I finally broke down after a record setting number of days wearing these. I opted for a little pair of camel brown flats the last few days that I bought in NY but only wore once. The first couple days breaking them in proved to be quite a pain (don't worry, I am a pro-active band-aid kind of gal). After a few times wearing the shoes with the big band-aids fully covering every square inch of heel, I decided to risk it and try wearing them sans band-aids. But don't you worry, I'm not extreme enough to go cold turkey. Instead, I applied Blister Block. It looks like a super mini stick of deodorant that isn't sticky, more waxy that you apply right onto your heels. I wore my flats all day and have no complaints whatsoever. After Trial #1, I'm sold on the Blister Block. I'll keep you posted on the success/failure rate in future trials.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

2008-02-26T22:30:00.003-07:00

Sunday was my Grandpa Traveller's birthday. It's funny I can remember where I've been on his birthday's past, thanks in part to travel for work (Canada, NY, IL, NY). I'll always remember the beef jerky from Lowry's, the chocolate covered nuts and the hike to the peak.

Chocolate Cinnamon Bears.

2008-02-26T18:36:00.007-07:00

What could be better than cinnamon bears covered in chocolate? NOTHING!! I'm not as addicted to these as J, but I think they're one of my top five candies. They don't last in our pantry for long.

When I was in business school one of my classes took a tour of the Sweet Candy Company, a local manufacturer (and possibly creator?) of the tasty bears. We toured the manufacturing facilities, but I don't think they were dipping cinnamon bears back then (can you believe this will be my 6th year out of college?). I was quite surprised to learn that the entire building was designed for manufacturing this favorite Sweet treat (one of the things we missed while we were living in NY). If you haven't tried either of these treats, go out and get yourself some -- you deserve it!

Ingrid.

2008-02-25T22:30:00.008-07:00

Super, super, super excited for the Ingrid Michaelson concert this Thursday. J took me to see her in NY at the Bowery Ballroom in December for my birthday and it was awesome. I'm also excited that Kathryn will be in from NY for the show!!! Hip, hip, hooray!

I love her music and especially enjoy Breakable, the title track (first verse and chorus below):

Have you ever thought about what protects our hearts?

Just a cage of rib bones and other various parts.

So it's fairly simple to cut right through the mess,

And to stop the muscle that makes us confess.

And we are so fragile,

And our cracking bones make noise,

And we are just,

Breakable, breakable, breakable girls and boys.

Sierra Leone.

2008-02-24T23:08:00.002-07:00

The parents of my long-time friend, Jill (since 4th grade), had a mission farewell today as they prepare to move to Sierra Leone in Africa for the next 18 months to work as humanitarians. As always, they were delightful to listen to and brought humor into the idea of leaving family, friends and comforts to go to a place they never imagined they would visit. I enjoyed vacationing with them as a kid and know they'll bring joy and happiness to the people in Sierra Leone. Good luck Bill & Jude-babe!

Persepolis.

2008-02-24T11:04:00.002-07:00

"Iranian author Marjane Satrapi's acclaimed series Persepolis directly confronts the political via the personal. Recounting her early childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood living in (and out of) Tehran in the years following Ayatollah Khomeini's 1979 Iranian Revolution, Satrapi's books—to borrow a phrase from Maus—bleed history, their raw confrontation of the monumental, tumultuous changes that swept the country during the '80s and '90s drenched in intimate, inflamed, and often unpleasant memories and emotions. They're stunning works of exposure, and thus it comes as little shock to discover that Satrapi's cinematic version of her stories—co-directed by Vincent Paronnaud—radiates brutal honesty. A hand-drawn 2D triumph produced in France (where Satrapi now lives) by the country's few remaining traditional animators, and shot primarily in black-and-white, Persepolis feels ripped straight from its creator's heart, a sore, scathing, warts-and-all account of her formative years bolstered by its formidable aesthetic inventiveness, and elevated to the near-apex of its art form by its unguarded sincerity." - Slant Magazine

Last night, we went out with our friends, Kristin & Craig, who we met while we were living in NY. We met them at Mazza a Middle Eastern restaurant in Salt Lake (we didn't intentionally plan to eat and see a Middle Eastern movie, kind of crazy that it worked out that way) . It was really good and will be a great place to put into our restaurant rotation. After dinner we went to Persepolis at the Broadway theatre. It was an interesting account of the history of Iran as told through Marjane's life. I was surprised to find out how much I didn't know about the country's history, including the fact that the veils worn by women only became a law in the 80's. The film is animated in 2D, was mostly black and white and was in French. I would recommend it because of the insight it gives to a place that for so long has been unknown. Marjane's story is quite unbelievable.

Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow.

2008-02-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

A photographic list of things I missed the 87 hours I was away this week.

J (one of my favorite pictures of him: Central Park on Thanksgiving Day 2007)

Our bed, including the Serta Ultimate 4" Memory Foam Mattress Topper J picked out for it

Ultimate Turkish Towels in Espresso (they are so much softer, thicker and cleaner than the hotel ones!)

My Clarisonic skin care brush and the yummy cucumber smelling cleanser that goes with it (after using this, my manual Cetaphil face cleaning routine just doesn't feel the same)

Buon Compleanno Elaine!

2008-02-23T13:50:00.006-07:00

My sister-in-law, Elaine, celebrated her birthday last week. And typical of me I remembered on the days leading up to it, but totally spaced the day of. She's a great person and has been an awesome sister ever since she married Jared, J's brother, and joined the family. Shortly after J and I moved to NYC, Jared & Elaine came for a visit during which they were engaged. We have great memories of their visit and now that we're closer to home, we hope to make the trip to visit them. I hope you had a great birthday!

Night At The Museum.

2008-02-22T23:12:00.005-07:00

One night at the hotel this week, I was flipping through channels while doing some post-dinner work and I happened upon Night At The Museum. While it wasn't on my list of movies to see, the setting (The American Museum of Natural History) caught my attention and I watched it (albeit with a less than full attention). Turns out it was a very creative and fun movie that I enjoyed. Throughout the movie, bits of history are passed on to the night watchman, Larry, who then uses this information to tame the museum inhabitants that come alive during the night. If you're looking for something family friendly and fun I recommend it. The museum grabbed my attention because J and I visited it on our last day in NYC.

Tag, You're IT!*

2008-02-21T14:47:00.013-07:00

My dear friend and blogging inspiration, Kathryn (I would link to her awesome blog here, but she's private), tagged me not once but twice. The first one came back in November. I think I had created my blog, but at this time it was a blank canvas - literally - so I didn't follow through. After a whirlwind blogging tutorial my last night in NYC which included A LOT of her creative direction, my blog became the thing it is today.

I've always remembered that tag; and, unfortunately I'm one of those people who always has nagging thoughts of obligations that need to be fulfilled. The second tag came just today, which I consider to be a Sign since it was just LAST NIGHT that I searched her blog to find out what I had been tagged with in November. After reading the post I realized it was to give seven interesting facts about myself. I pondered it for a bit and then thought, what the #$%! 7! And promptly, shut my computer down & went to bed. Enter the Sign....I think the You're IT is going to curse me until I pay up, so here is my attempt at Tag #1: 7 interesting things about Moi (caution: I am using interesting and random interchangeably here) and Tag #2: 10 songs that come up on my iPod using Shuffle.

Tag #1

01. I like to start projects, programs, initiatives, etc. at the beginning of the [insert - week, month, quarter, year]. I'm not sure why, but my brain rationalizes that if I haven't went to the gym, for example, by Wednesday or Thursday there is no point in going that week and I'll plan to start next week. (this is something I'm working on in 2008)

02. I was the spelling bee champ of Farmington Elementary in 1991.

03. I rip pages out of magazines (this usually happens while I'm traveling) that have recipes, work-outs, fashion finds, beauty advice, travel tips, etc. that I want to try/buy/incorporate into my daily routine. This behavior greatly disturbs my husband. I haven't sold him on my grand magazine encyclopedia concept yet. Our printer/scanner that he lovingly picked out should turn this concept into a much less paper based system.

04. I can only recall throwing up twice in my entire life.

05. As a child, one Sunday dinner I had to sit at the dinner table for what felt like hours because I wouldn't eat my mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes! I was a picky kid, but mashed potatoes? I now believe in trying everything once, usually more than that. And man oh man has my palate developed.

06. I enjoy shoveling snow. (I'm sure this is temporary as this is the first winter in four years that I've had this chore)

07. I am a serious list maker. At the moment I have: (i) a very incomplete list of 2008 resolutions/goals, (ii) a Today list, that is not supposed to exceed 10 items, (iii) a To Do list at work for the current project I'm working on, (iv) a To Do list at work for when I am not working on a project, (v) a vacation location list, (vi) a list of movies I want to see, (vii) a list of books I want to read, (viii) a list of potential gifts for friends and family, (ix) a list of potential blog posts and (x) a list of things to do in UT now that I'm back. What? You think that is excessive? But it's so organized!

I tag Alix, Andy & Monica. I also tag Heidi - I will help you set up your very own blog.

Tag #2

01. Soak Up the Sun - Sheryl Crow

02. All My Loving - The Beatles

03. The Soul Cages - Sting

04. Fever - Madonna

05. Sunday Morning - No Doubt

06. Harold & Joe - The Cure

07. Worms vs. Birds - Modest Mouse

08. Your Winter - Sister Hazel

09. Wild Horses - U2

10. #1 - Nelly

Ditto on the tag above plus Jamie Anne.

*This post made possible via the free WiFi at West Palm Beach Int'l Airport - this trend of being stuck in the airport for hours before my flight better not be an indication of my travel trend for the year!

Smalls.

2008-02-19T20:28:00.002-07:00

I am not a morning person, never have been. My first night out of town for work I never sleep well. I think this is for two reasons. First, I am a bit OCD when it comes to hotels so I never really settle into bed. In fact, I tend to lay quite rigidly in the same position all night (not at all common for me). I don't walk on the floor without socks, I clean off the remote and after an email from my Dad I don't use the glasses in the bathroom. And second, when I have to meet people in the lobby the next morning I wake up at all hours thinking it's later than the actual time. I've been doing this for years - just ask Monica about all the times I called her house during high school at 3 am to tell her I was coming to pick her up for dance practice that didn't start until 6 am. Skip forward to 10 am this morning, when I was a couple hours into meetings (about topics not overly exciting), with a less than adequate night of sleep. I was hurting and what came to my rescue.........Peppermint Altoid Smalls. I can't say that I love their flavor, but the "curiously strong mints" perked me up in no time and my heavy eyes became a thing of the past. If only I had discovered this amazing quality sooner!

Happy Birthday Keyton!

2008-02-19T13:46:00.004-07:00

Happy Birthday to our first nephew! We hope you have a great day, eat lots of cake and get good presents!

On the Road Again.

2008-02-18T20:34:00.002-07:00

After eleven weeks with no business trips (how can you count an overnight lay-over when you're moving over 2,000 miles cross-country?), I find myself on the road again. Chalk it up to my first trip since relocating to Salt Lake, but other than my trips to London and Vancouver while living in NY, today was the loooooongest travel day I have had in my three and a half years in the business. My darling and sleepy chauffeur dropped me at the airport at 7:30 a.m. where I was randomly selected for a full security screen. I then boarded a plane to Houston (very coincidental that I've been in that airport three times in the last five weeks) landed and caught a strange shuttle bus to avoid security and jump terminals. I boarded another plane, this one bound for West Palm Beach International Airport and then waited in a very hot cabin while a maintenance crew found and replaced a part on the plane. After being delayed for about an hour, we took off and flew over the Gulf of Mexico, arriving in Palm Beach at 6:00 p.m. At the end of the day (literally), I'm chalking the long day of travel up to (1) this IS a cross-country trip and (2) I lost two hours while crossing time zones. Now I've got to get myself tired so I can go to bed and shrug off the jet lag tomorrow morning. And now, what you've all been waiting for....

A few FUN facts about Stuart, Florida:

Elevation is 10 feet above sea level
Population of 14,633
There isn't a building in the town over four stories tall
Outdoor activities include sailing, diving, fishing, camping, hiking, biking and golfing (near PGA headquarters)

Happy Birthday Monica!

2008-02-15T09:45:00.003-07:00

Happy birthday to my friend that is always stylish and ahead of the curve on the latest trends, is a pro with eye makeup, has an infectious smile and is always laughing and who is a great Mom.

I'll always remember our drives up to Weber State in spring of 1999, looking at Bride magazines and planning our weddings.

Hope you have a great day!

Be Mine, Valentine.

2008-02-14T10:31:00.006-07:00

"There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved."

-George Sand*, 1804 - 1876

*Amantine Aurore Lucile Dupin, Baronne Dudevant, best known by her pseudonym George Sand, was a French novelist and feminist.

Bed time treat.

2008-02-12T22:27:00.004-07:00

I saved a bit of work for after a BodyJAM (how did I lose my coordination?) class at the gym and dinner with Heidi. When I finished up and sent my last email, I was in serious want of a little treat. Fortunately, I purchased Haagen-Dazs Dulce de Leche ice cream on my grocery trip this weekend. I hadn't had it for quite a while, but given my gold star record at the gym lately I decided to indulge and it did not disappoint. If you haven't tried this before, you must go get some - it is simply amazing! Hands down my favorite ice cream and I should know since I'm an ice cream girl (I got it from my Dad). Now I'm off to learn how to set my washer on delay so that the millioneth load of laundry I'm doing will start while I'm still snoozing and be ready for the dryer when I wake up - gotta love technology!

Soft.

2008-02-11T14:55:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I did my first load of my laundry with my awesome new washer and dryer. Pre-delivery, when I was buying laundry necessities I found this Downy fabric softener. It is from the Pure Essentials collection and is scented with Chamomile & Lemon Verbena. J and I had our first experience with Lemon Verbena when we took a road trip in May of 2002 (celebration of my graduation from business school) to the Pacific Northwest (I would like to post a picture from this trip, but it was pre-digital camera and I'm not quite sure where the prints and negatives are right now --- New Year Resolution?). We drove through Idaho and along the Columbia River visiting waterfalls along the way. We made our way up to the northwest corner of Washington and toured the Hoh Rain Forest. After visiting port towns and islands between the US and Canada, we ended in Seattle. For the first half of the trip we stayed at random hotels/motels/former brothels (another story) so in Seattle, we splurged and stayed at the Four Seasons. L'Occitane was provided in the bathroom and the hotel was using L'Occitane Lemon Verbena. It smelled SO good. Long story not so short, I saw this fabric softener on the shelf and had to have it. Thankfully, it lived up to its name and our laundry smelled excellent when we pulled it out of the dryer last night. I am amazed by the way different smells can bring back times, places and memories in our past. Go and get you some!

Hall of Mosses at the Hoh Rain Forest

Chef Boyardee.

2008-02-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

J and I decided to make Chicken Quesadillas for lunch today. I still had a few things left to clean and put away from unpacking so I asked him to start. Half way into preparation and cooking this conversation took place:

J: "Oh, am I the one making this?"

Me: (laughing) "Yes."

J: "It's a coincidence that I'm making our first meal here (the duplex)."

Me: "Why?"

J: "Because I'm known as Chef Boyardee."

I thought this was pretty funny, so I grabbed to camera to document it for the blog. I have a feeling he's going to start filtering his comments as he now knows anything is fair game (but, I sure hope not!). Love that man.

Sushi Chefs.

2008-02-10T16:29:00.001-07:00

Darren and Kirsten invited Logan & Michelle, Jared & Andy, Mark and us to their house for sushi last night. When we got there they had all of the fish, rice, seaweed and other "fillings" ready and they taught us how to make our own rolls. We had a great time and it was a fun and different way to get together with friends for dinner. I documented J making a roll below.

Put the rice on the textured side of the seaweed.

Flip the seaweed with rice over and add spicy mayo.

Add salmon and cucumber.

Sprinkle with tobiko.

Use the bamboo mat to make the roll.

After rolling.

Sprinkle with black sesame seeds.

Add tobiko and Itadakimas!

Happy Birthday Juliet!

2008-02-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

Alix and Trent's adorable daughter, Juliet, turned one on Friday. Her birthday party was on Saturday and we had a great time celebrating with her!

Love, Love Me.

2008-02-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

One, very small, part of the line. The line we skipped :)

Me & Mika - opening song, Grace Kelly.

After the show, in front of In The Venue.

MIKA!

2008-02-08T23:05:00.000-07:00

Tonight I had an AMAZING time at the Mika concert at In the Venue. We went with J's sister, Jamey and her husband, Jayson. We got to the club after the doors were scheduled to open and found a huge line stretching two blocks and around the corner. We parked at the Gateway and grabbed a quick dinner. Then we walked to the line and had been waiting about 15 minutes when one of the club guys came by and told everyone without tickets to go home as the show was sold out. So a bunch of people left and we found ourselves at the end of the line......that is until one of Mika's guys came and told us he had two seats ON THE STAGE! He pulled us out of line and past everyone waiting, took us in through the back door, and refunded us for two of our tickets. Jamey and I sat on the stage with a few other people and were about ten feet from Mika. And J and Jayson got to skip the line and the cold and had a spot mid-way back from the stage. It was the best concert ever! Hopefully Ingrid Michaelson at the end of the month will be as fun as her show back in December at The Bowery Ballroom.

Happy.

2008-02-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

"Happiness is a direction, not a place."

-Sydney J. Harris, 1917 - 1986

Clean.

2008-02-06T22:53:00.001-07:00

Moving from an extremely urban city to "middle America" means lots of big ticket purchases. One of my favorite was this LG washing machine and dryer. Call me crazy, but I love doing laundry. The smell, the warm clothes coming out of the dryer, all the crisply folded clean clothes in the closet --- it's fabulous! I did a lot of research and finally decided on the WM2487HWMA washing machine and the matching DLEX7177 dryer. Truth be told, when I did my last batch of laundry in NY and came to the realization that I wouldn't be able to do eight loads of laundry at once (only, of course, when nobody else was using the laundry room!) I was a little sad. After sharing this insight with J and getting his two sense, I decided that there are serious advantages to having a really amazing washer and dryer that will only be filled with OUR stuff. No more wondering which apartment put the loads with the dog hair in the machines or being annoyed with the apartment that left bleach in the washing machine and ruined our chocolate brown towels. Only 48 hours until they're delivered, and I can't wait to try them out!

P.S. This was also a good purchase because I did my homework and negotiated the price down!

Super Tuesday.

2008-02-05T17:04:00.000-07:00

Super Tuesday, State by State (Newsweek)

Heading into Super Tuesday, the Democratic contest is a) close, b) complicated and c) nowhere near the end. But the Republican race, which only weeks ago had seemed wide open, is, well, d) none of the above.

Click here for the full article.

Five.

2008-02-05T16:55:00.000-07:00

I have loosely defined some of my New Year Resolutions, but I haven't taken pen to paper on them yet. Like most Americans, fitness and weight loss always make the list. Without even writing this one down, I have lost 5 pounds since January 1! Chalk it up to moving back to Utah, not working the last three weeks or having a gym partner (thanks Heidi!), I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it continues (for at least another 5 or 10 pounds)!