???

Am I the only one who still checks this?

new name!

Hey guys! Wanted to let you know that I've officially changed my name! :) I'll send out an email later with my new address, but feeling kinda proud that it only took 4 months. :) Hope you're all doing well!!

Miss you.

Better late than never

Going to Wimbledon made me miss my girlfriends. Champagne, white wine, pretty clothes, groups of chatty girlfriends, sunny weather all around. Grace is a great travel buddy, but it would have been WAY better to have you girls with me. 

PS loved the strawberries and cream, but Pimms is disgusting. I'm open to trying it again, but I just don't understand what the big deal is...

pillow post

Now that I have my life back, here's an update on what I've been up to. Today, I bought some pillows for our living room. I'd been putting it off because I'm starting to learn that I struggle with making decorating decisions. So, I bit the bullet and went shopping tonight. Since my chances of getting you guys back to Minnesota probably won't happen until I have kids (and we're not about the test that out), here are some pictures so you can see how they look:

Called out

Freeland...we think too much alike! I've been wanting to post just to call everyone else out on not posting. I know I'm a bit of a loser who gets excited about things like a girlfriend blog and probably stays up too late sometimes posting, but still. I miss you girls and would like some updates. Just saying hello to all and that you spent your weekend snuggling with your man watching a movie you would recommend or to not waist our time watching would be PERFECT!

big trip time!

Ali, you've got a big trip planned! Don't be like Michelle, though. When you get home, post lots of pictures and tell us all about it. I can't wait to hear about how relaxing it is!!! I plan on living through you during this trip. :)

Mich, I'm still waiting...

Kate, love the blog updates!

Kat, I miss you! Let's catch up soon!

WIMBLEDON!! (thwack!)

You knew this was coming, right? :) My next location to visit is Wimbledon. Take the train to Wimbledon (don't get off at the Wimbledon exit, though, it's the next one... shorter walk). Wear something cute, preferably white. If you go to the call box where ticket holders pick up their tickets, they will re-sell you tickets that ticketholders don't pick up that day at a discounted rate. I got to see Serena Williams play for about $12 in center court. Probably depends on the day, but if I were you, I'd go daily. :) Walk around the grounds, enjoy the food. You have to buy Pimms and Cream while you're there, too. You'll thank me later. And the little city of Wimbledon is super cute, too, so you could grab dinner at a nearby restaurant afterwards. Have so much fun!

Ali Bang, Bang

Guess who I was thinking about on Saturday?

Miss you girls xoxo I love looking through Lauren's wedding pictures and reminiscing about our last girls trip. Should we finally take advantage of the fact that we have a friend who has a family home in Florida for our next trip? ;)

Thanks so much, Lauren! Your post made my day! I've been a little out of it this week-- I gave you the wrong location for the hotel I have been staying at. Instead of Knightsbridge it was actually on Cromwell Road across from the Gloucester Road tube stop, which was probably even closer to you. Maggie and Tommy stayed in the same hotel when they were just in London. Kevin Moore was just in London for work and we literally missed him by a couple of days. :(

We didn't make it to the market today, but boy were we busy. It was on the agenda and we might just head over there tomorrow to check out the area itself when it's not so crazy. We had to check out of our hotel and bring our last load of things over to our new flat (which might I add I LOVE). Thank you, Michael for being such a researcher!  We got a lot of random things we needed (towels, linens, soap, toilet paper, etc), went to Hyde Park to watch the Blossom's son's football game as well as enjoy a picnic with wine included. We then decided to head over to Sloan Square/Chelsea area-- so amazing! Stumbled into a random off the beaten path restaurant where we made friends with another couple. They are from NY (hey, hey Miss Bange) and have been living in London for the past 10 years. They also have 3 kids- 2 of which have now become citizens today. This was all in between Grace's naps. We ended the evening sharing a pint with Derek Ashbaugh (BP guy, went to IU, ATO frat guy I believe). Anyway, Grace came too-- there are no rules or restrictions when it comes to babies, kids or dogs. They are everywhere and I mean everyone is family friendly- pubs included. Their motto is the more the merrier.

Have I mentioned yet that our second bedroom (aka the room where we are going to find a small crib to shove in the corner) has a double bed. We also have 2 bathrooms. *hint hint
Ali- you mentioned me looking up flight information. Are you serious about this and what month, time of year, etc. are you thinking? PS I'm currently doing my first load of laundry. 2.5 hours later and it's still not done. I wish I was exaggerating! ahhhh...

"List of Things To Do: Number One", by Lauren

Ok Kate, first of all... this is bringing back so many memories! I used to go one past Knightsbridge to South Kensington. You have a lot to fit into nine months, but I think together we can achieve this. So, I'll be sure to send you more things to do, but wanted to first remind you of Daily Candy, London. They'll have a better list of things going on each week in London that you'll want to explore.

So, if there isn't anything to do this weekend (besides move into your new house), go to Notting Hill. On the weekends there's amazing street markets that you have to visit. Don't buy ANYTHING without bargaining. I still have the shirts I bought there. That's my advice for today. :)

Good luck moving! And seriously, take more pictures than you ever imagined you'd need, this trip will go quickly and you'll love the pictures forever!

Ahhhhh....that's the map I've been staring at all day.

We aren't able to move into our new home until Friday so right now we're staying at the Crowne Plaza hotel on Kensington Road Knightsbridge- literally across the street from the Knightsbridge tube stop, for those of you who know this area better than me. Grace and I will be able to start moving our things in to our new place after we meet the owners to assess the inventory and their current condition at noon on Friday. There area in Kensington we will be living is Earls Court. Our flat is really close to the Earls Court tube stop. If you want the exact address, let me know and I'll email it to you.

After our loooong flight over and only being here for 2 days, I have decided having a baby with you is the way to travel. I'm pretty sure strangers go more out of their way to be helpful, friendly and talkative all because of Grace. I was just an annoying blonde American bimbo before Grace (BG). Thank you, Miss Grace! :)

flight over- I had two goals: get Michael to sleep as much as possible since he was getting off the flight and going straight into work, and prevent Grace from crying at all costs. Grace couldn't have been a better traveler, especially given the rough flight. It literally took us 1 hour to get from our place downtown Chicago to the lounge at the airport. Security was a breeze, even bringing milk along. I was really excited about this infant bassinet everyone has been raving about as well as flying business class (aka 1st class on British Airways) for my first time ever. When it was time to put Grace down "for the night" there was a comfy bassinet for her which attached to the wall directly in front of our seats. I've decided she would have slept the entire flight if it wasn't for the bumpy ride. Every time the seat belt sign went on, Grace had to come out of her comfy bed and get belted onto me. After this occurred 3 times (twice in which her and I were sound asleep) I decided to just keep her lying next to me on my seat. It was pretty awesome having seats that laid down into beds- THANK YOU, BP!

tip #1: Sam Blossom told me he successfully told the flight attendants he was going to leave his infant in the bassinet unless it got too bumpy at which time he would be right their to pick up his son as quickly as possible. I'm going going to try that next time and let you know how that goes from a Mommy's point of view.

Goal analysis- Michael slept a good chunk of time and Grace only got fussy a couple times. Given the craziness and the fact that there were 2 kids screaming, which seemed like most of the time, I'd give us a B-. Since Michael was able to sleep, but we weren't, Grace and I have been on completely different schedules than Michael has from the start. Like I said previously, he had to go straight into work, while Grace and I basically spent our entire first day sleeping and eating. Sounds awesome until Grace cried for almost an hour, didn't fall asleep until after midnight and I was wide awake and ready to party! The flight seems to have affected Grace's tummy- lots of dirty diapers and tears her first day in the UK. She seems back to her normal self so far as of yesterday.

Yesterday was our first exploration- very casual, but still exciting! We explored all the way to I believe it was Sloan Square and back. I decided to turn around because we started going beyond our map boundaries. Not before stopping in an adorable bookstore and getting a few things- 2 children's books- This is London and A Walk in London.  I also purchased a cute family travel guide- London Adventure Walks for families. It's 25 imaginative urban adventures inspired by a theme- some of my favorites are the Great Fire of london, Paddington Bear, Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, 101 Dalmations, the Romans, and Charles Dickens.

We had breakfast at a cafe where the people were extremely nice. Grace was flirting the entire time with a man who spoke a language I didn't recognize. It's pretty cool how babies bring different types of people together. We couldn't communicate at all except for our facial expressions to each other and exchanging smiles with Grace.

Michael, Grace and I had a lovely, casual and reasonable dinner at Olive before we ended our evening with another long stroll past our new home we'll be moving in on Friday.

I love you girls and miss having friends around so much already.

Lauren...your wedding was the perfect bash before we left.
Michelle...how was your big move? How's the new job? How is it living so close to your family and so far away from Doug's?
Ali...when do you and George take off for your next vacation?
Kat...Are you going to update your about me section or do you love Kermit more than we ever knew? We're planning a trip to Germany and Ireland for Oktoberfest- I'll have to pick your brain for that one.

New House!

No, not me, sillies! :) Kate, we need your new address! Thanks so much! :)

good times

Lauren, of course we had a good time at your wedding. Just in case you need some proof, I'm here to remind you- PS if you haven't checked out all of the photo booth pictures from the website, you should- totally worth it! That what I did during my "me" coffee time this morning.

At the time, we thought we were having fun and being creative. Clearly, we were nothing compared to the Freelands and their friends. Are we losing our touch or were we never that cool???

                            

...and of course I saved the best for last...

For some reason I can't get the pictures to enlarge unless I have them on two separate lines, except for the first two.  Michelle, I know you will especially be annoyed by this- feel free to play with it if it gets too under your skin! 

Honeymoon!

Hey ladies! Pat and I are back from our honeymoon and it was great! We had so much fun just laying by the pool, eating and drinking way too much and not having to worry about planning a wedding anymore. Our resort did a great job of catering to all the honeymooners, so everyone there was extremely nice and always willing to take a picture of us.

Our daily routine consisted of eating, laying by the pool, first round of drinks, more pool, lunch, pool, drinks, mid-day lunch, pool, steam room, nap, shower, dinner, drinks. We both gained a considerable amount of weight... I know, shocking... we were surprised, too. So, we're adjusting to our pre-wedding diets again to get back in shape, which isn't too hard when you stop eating/drinking every 2 hours. :) On two of the days got a couples massage and went ziplining, which was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Pat also surprised me with a dinner on the beach one night, which was my favorite meal of the week, too. So, it was a great surprise.

Although we were sad to leave our vacation, it's been so much fun to come home and meet up with friends to hear about what all happened at the wedding. We had such a good time and have loved hearing about everyone's night, too. So, I hope you guys had as good a time as I had with you all. It was so much fun having all of you in MInneapolis and I'd love to do it again, soon...

So, that's my trip in a nutshell... we hope to take a trip once a year just to get away and relax since we had such a good time in St. Lucia. So, hopefully this isn't my last post on our vacations. Miss you already!

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Grant!

This is a late post, but congratulations to Lauren and Pat!  It was such a fun weekend and a BEAUTIFUL wedding.  Ali...you and I have a lot to live up to, we'll have to do something completely random for our weddings because there is no way we can compete with the other three : )  I've uploaded my pictures onto Picassa ... I didn't get too many but there are a few cute ones of the five of us!

Here are some quick updates in my life:  I have been either out of town or working since I've been back from Ireland so I am loving my few days off with nothing to do (but blog and upload pictures)!  Yesterday was my mom's big 60th birthday party, about 70 people were at the house and it went great.  My mom is handling the big 6-0 very gracefully, but I think we all knew she would.  Her new attitude is to be thankful for all of her birthdays, no matter how big they are : )  I opened a new savings account today and made a rough draft plan to save for a house.  It looks like I might be able to afford a nice home in San Diego if I live with my parents for about 10 years.  I'm sort-of kidding.  But saving is the first step and I'm proud that I've started that!  I love and miss you all!

Cheers to Lauren and Pat : )

Freeland/Grant Wedding Weekend!

Hello ladies! Since the wedding is coming up, I thought it would be a good idea to use the blog as a place to share our travel itineraries so we know when everyone will be driving in/flying it/etc.

With that being said:

George and I land on Friday at 2:35pm. We take off on Sunday at 5:30pm, so if anyone is around Sunday morning/afternoon, perhaps we can do a brunch get together? Just a thought. Both of our flights are Southwest, so if anyone is flying on that, we'll all probably be in the same terminal.

I can't wait for the wedding festivities! Looking forward to seeing you all!

P.S. Kate, if George and I want to go out to dinner on Friday night somewhere within walking distance of the hotel, is it okay if we go out with Grace? Or would you prefer us to just stay in the hotel? Wanted to check with you......

family time

I have been spending so much time with family lately. We went down to Sullivan, IN for Libbie's first bridal shower, which was thrown by her future sister and mother-in-law. Matt's family is just so sweet and nice to just hang out with. The storms were pretty intense while we were there- the power went out in our hotel and the alarms wouldn't stop beeping. Michelle--how were the storms in St. Louis? I can't believe I haven't talked to you about that...

We had our first Easter with Grace and as much fun as it was we were exhausted by the end of the day. We had a delicious brunch at Ditka's restaurant after mass at Holy Name. Then, we spent the rest of the day with my big and crazy family. Thanks to my Mom, Grace had this adorable mint green Easter Sunday dress- with the exception of her having a bonnet instead of a big hat, she's dressed exactly how Libbie and I were growing up. Ali & Lauren-- did your Mothers dress you up and make you wear tights and big hats when you were little or was it just me?

We are beyond excited to see everyone again for Lauren's wedding next weekend- ahhhhh...it is so soon! I've talked to everyone recently and as much as I can't publicly post about my recent update (now it's not until next week), others can...I look forward to all of your new posts! xoxo

IU- Little 5

High five to Little 5. Check out the Little 5 shout out YouTube clip. Bryce Fox is one of Libbie's good friends from IU (he is Nick, Lib's ex-boyfriend's, roommate). The quality of these videos are great. They are definitely worth the little break in your busy day so you can daydream about all of us being in Bloomington.

I've also added my favorite Bryce Fox Indiana video as well. (Just in case you haven't seen it yet).

PS Watch out btown...Grace will be making a Little 5 appearance!

Back from a wonderful trip!

I am back from Ireland!  The trip was amazing and I definitely recommend Ireland to anyone who hasn't been yet.  Highlights: the Guinness Factory, the Guinness, Killarney National Park, Dingle, Doolin, Cliffs of Moher, and hiking Croagh Patrick.   We wouldn't change anything we did and we hope to go back someday and spend more time exploring the small towns along the west coast (our favorite part).  I have uploaded two albums to Picassa, the first is a summary with only about 150 pictures and the second is all 500 pictures, I hope you enjoy!
Ireland Summary
Ireland

My New Idea

Hi friends! I want to apologize for not checking the blog sooner - I have been busy traveling the world and preparing for my big move (which I still cannot believe is actually happening)!

Ali, WOW, we have a lot to talk about! Welcome to the wonderful world of an under-active thyroid condition. My synthroid and I have finally become best friends (that only took me about 8 years - you all would be proud to know that I finally take it daily!). Kate, I am so so so sorry about Gumball. How is the eating going? Lauren, Good Luck with the new job - I can't wait to hear about it! And finally Kat, I hope the trip is awesome and I can't wait to see the pictures!

Here is my new idea what if we create a new tab on the blog just for healthy recipes! I think this could help everyone. I know that Kate and I have talked a lot about having me help her with basic healthy cooking ideas -- and now this might be really really helpful for Ali too! What do you guys think??

Question for The Soon-to-Be Mrs. Grant!

Lauren -
Where are you registered for your wedding? It's coming so soon, which means I need to get moving on a wedding gift!

Love,
Ali

Moving Day

Start the new job tomorrow... wish me luck that I don't embarrass myself more than five times... that's the numbers I've decided is acceptable before you shouldn't allow yourself to return the next day... trust me I've seen it happen... tragic.

Bon Voyage

Well ladies, the time has finally come for me to say goodbye as I embark on my adventure to Ireland tomorrow morning at 0700!  Here's the plan: land in Dublin after a fun-filled 15 hours of travel, spend nights in Dublin, Killarney, Dingle (love it), Doolin (love that too), and Galway before making our way back to Dublin to fly home on Sunday April 10th.  How are we getting to all these places you ask?  Well I am trusting my life to Jordan driving a stick shift not only on the right side of the car, but also on the right side of the road around the countryside...talk about a great one-year test of a relationship : )

Nonetheless, I'm thrilled.  Life has been a little busy the past few weeks and both of us can't wait to get away for a much-needed vacation in which a successful day is defined by beautiful scenery, meat and potatoes, maybe some good local music, and a delicious beer.  Of course a full update will be provided when I return! 

Kate I am so sad to hear about little Gumball : (  Pets are special creatures who become members of our family and I hope the best for the little guy.  Ali I am also sad to hear about your health issues, but it sounds like you have some answers and hopefully between the meds and a change in diet you'll start feeling better!  And of course you will look beautiful at Lauren's wedding because you are beautiful!

My last note (slightly cheesy) is that tomorrow I will be flying past all of you as I make my way across the country.  Ali, I'll be in New Jersey for 4 hours in the afternoon so I'll be thinking about you! 

Cheers ladies : )

Continuing with Medical Updates......

Kate, first off, so sorry to hear about gumball. That is really sad. If you get to the point that you want to chat about it, feel free to call!

I first off want to apologize that I've been kinda out of the loop in regards to keeping up with phone calls/texts to you lovely ladies. The past 2-3 weeks I have been going to doctor's appointments, getting blood work, etc. What brought this all on, you ask? Well, for quite a while now I have been gaining unexplained amounts of weight and have been super exhausted, no matter what. I have been going to bed at around 8:30pm, waking up around 6:00 and still having a hard time getting out of bed, despite getting like 10 hours of sleep! I went to my primary care doctor to chat about it and he ordered some blood work to measure my thyroid levels. From googling, I found that weight gain and exhaustion are two of the main symptoms associated with under-active thyroids. So my blood work came back a little high, but nothing alarming or dangerous. To rule out everything, he told me to get a sonogram of my thyroid to check for cysts. Well I did that and what do you know? The results showed that I have an irregular cyst on my thyroid. This lead me to another round of more specific blood tests, and an appointment with an endocrinologist. So, I had that appointment today, and the good news is that the cyst is 95% benign, and he's not even concerned enough about it to get it biopsied (which I was happy with considering getting a needle shoved through my neck is not my idea of a good time). So after we ruled that out, he officially diagnosed me with hyperinsulinema, excessively high levels of insulin circulating in the blood. I wish I could be more detailed but it involves a lot of big words and is heavy on the science. So the long and short of it is -- I was put on a low dose synthyroid pill, which will help raise up the hormones that the thyroid produces since my is a bit underactive. In addition, I have to change my diet. Michelle, this is where you come in! I would love your help if you are familiar at all with this condition! My food intake has to be based on the glycemic index. I bought 2 books on it to familiarize myself more with the condition hyperinsulinemia and how I can get myself on a regulated diet. From a quick browse, reduce carb intake, low-sugar, all brown grains, no white, etc. I also have to eat a snack in between every meal (even if I am not hungry) to keep my insulin levels from peaking and dropping. While I am not looking forward to changing how I eat, I am happy to be getting this under control b/c if left untreated, hyperinsulinemia can turn into diabetes, and lord knows I do not want that!

So, that's the Ali medical update. I am hoping that this diet works and I see results sooner, rather than later because I already bought a dress for Lauren's wedding that I love and I better freaking fit into it! If for some reason it doesn't work as quick as I want it to, I am gonna squeeze my fat ass into it anyway, and you all, as my best friends, are obligated to tell me that I look fantastic and that you can't believe how great I look :)

Gumball

Sorry I didn't answer phone calls last night, but I (we) keep getting really upset whenever we talk about things. This is the easiest way for me to update everyone all at the same time. I spent over 3 hrs at the vet yesterday with L. Gumball. :( xrays...blood work...etc. His liver is starting to fail and he's becoming jaundice because he's not eating at all!!!!!!!!! I was told that if he doesn't start eating by this weekend then we'll have to put him down. :( He was given a steroid shot and an appetite stimulant prescription yesterday and has started eating a little. The dr. is going to call me everyday to discuss his progress...

We either put him down (which, unfortunately, we would end up doing) or it would be aggressive and expensive treatment to save him. Feeding tube, ultrasound episcopacy (sp?), biopsy, chemo...the list goes on and on...

He only weighs 11.6 lbs. Its tough because he still has his same temperament--just less energy, which makes sense because he's not eating. He's losing a lot of muscle in addition to fat. He's literally dying of lack of nutrition like someone who is anorexic. :(

Today's Toast

To all my Bethenny loving girlfriends- Skinny Girl Margarita shout out on Ellen!

Indiana Shower Weekend

So we're going to attempt to do a group post today! Kate, Michelle and I are all in Indiana this weekend for my second bridal shower. Michelle and Doug got into town Friday and graciously picked us up at the Indy airport. We got to my parents house around 11 and stayed up late to hang out with Jill and Todd. Saturday morning we slept in, and then met Kate and Grace in BLOOMINGTON for lunch! We went to Mother Bears for pizza and beer - it felt like college all over again (except this time we had a baby!). After lunch we stopped by the track to watch the Little 500 qualifications... unfortunately it was freezing and we couldn't wait to drive back to Columbus. After a rough car ride for Grace we were back and we started getting ready for the shower. It turns out the "shower" was really a cocktail party that didn't end until 2AM. The night included delicious food, lots of wine, loud music, a champagne toast (with a splash of Grand Marnier), and an after party at the Freeland's house. After meeting the Freeland's family friends, we've decided we have to bring our A game to the wedding (because we were definitely the losers at the shower - those grown ups know how to party!). Sunday morning was all about breakfast and Grace... and that's where we are now. I had a great time spending the weekend with Mich, Doug, Kate and Grace and I cannot wait for us all to be together in May! :)

Guess What...

I did something a little impulsive today. Okay, not a little impulsive... VERY IMPULSIVE! I quit my job today. Well, that sounds more dramatic than it actually was... really I just told my bosses that I will be leaving in May. I did not give them an exact date, so I will keep you girls posted on that. Doug and I are still trying to figure out the details and we still don't have any definite plans.

Anyway, I feel like 10,000 pounds have been lifted off my shoulders! I couldn't wait to tell you girls!

Weekend fun

These past couple of weekends have been fun in Chicago. Michael and I have been doing a great job with still doing the things we want to do, even having Grace in our lives. A couple weekends ago, we decided to act like irresponsible non-parents again, and had a party for Chicago's St. Patty's Day. We have yet to make it to the parade or the dying of the river, but we did have Irish flag layered jello shots. Rachel found them on a blog that's solely about gourmet jello shots.  Libbie and Matt spontaneously watched Grace this past Friday night  so Michael and I were able to have a dinner date at Coast Sushi...always a treat for us!

Rachel and me enjoying our cheese cake, Irish flag jello shots with "Alyse."

Reality TV friends, I had an interesting dream last night...I was dating the country singer from American Idol (Ali, what's his name?) and he was pouting that he wasn't going to win this season because we live in a dominantly Jewish and hip-hop listening kind of a country. What does that even mean??? I woke up right after I turned to him and asked him how old he was. Haha...he is definitely in high school! On a side note: I am loving J. Lo. (gorgeous) and Steven Tyler (hilarious) as judges!

Back To Reality...

I can't believe my week long vacation in the Caribbean is already over! My trip was super fun, and it was awesome to have an entire week off. It is so rare that my whole family gets the chance to be together - I think being with my family was my favorite part of the vacation. The cruise stopped in Cozumel, Grand Cayman Island, and Jamaica. All three stops were beautiful - I just love the ocean. We spent most of our time in Cozumel and Grand Cayman at the beach, and in Jamaica Doug and I (and my sister and her boyfriend) went zip lining and kayaking. It was crazy scary! Zip lining was really fun (after I had a small panic attack), but kayaking was a disaster (just for me!). I am an absolute terrible kayaker - I have like ZERO coordination!


Lauren, your first bridal shower sounded great! I wish I could have been there to celebrate with you, but I can't wait for this coming weekend in Indiana for your second shower!

We Can't Legally Ask You to Lose Weight...

I've got exciting news! I've been offered a new position at Target beginning April 4. :) I just found out and I'm pretty pumped about it. I still can't believe I got it! When I told Molly, she sent me this youtube video, and Jill told me to channel my excitement into starvation. They're both so... witty. Anyways, wanted to share my news with you guys!

*Mich -I celebrated with a Skinny Girl Margarita last night and thought of you. :)

Breakfast at Tiffany's

My first bridal shower was last weekend, planned by Becky and Molly, and they did a fantastic job. Everyone had a great time and it was super cute, too! I haven't uploaded the pictures yet, but check out Molly's blog where she explains everything that we did. I did snag this one from Molly's blog, but more pictures to come! Can't wait for next weekend!!! :)

Toast to laughter

I used to (okay still do sometimes) make fun of Freeland for being the "cat lady." This hilarious clip reminded me of her! (Charlie and Izzy too) Now that L.Gumball has has come into my life, my cat references are definitely aimed at myself as well...don't forget to turn on your volume!

Toast to laughter

I thought this was hilarious and wanted to share it with my girlfriends. Which actor do you think could be making fun of you or which actress could be making fun of your man?

Country in NY......

So while Kat blogged to brag about the sunshine in San Diego (I am totally jealous!), I am blog-bragging that yesterday out of no where, and for no particular reason, George surprised me with tickets to see Darius Rucker in concert in September. Woo-Hoo! When he told me he bought them I made sure that he knew Darius Rucker was now into the country gig, and was no longer touring with Hootie and the Blowfish! He was well aware.

Anyways, hope all is well and that everyone is enjoying their weekends! Tomorrow the family is headed to Mom's for our annual St. Patty's dinner. Yummy! Love you all!

Enjoying the sunshine...

Sorry to brag for a moment, but I am sitting poolside blogging from my iPad in beautiful 72 degree San Diego weather :) Michelle you can't get jealous since you are going on a cruise tomorrow, but to the rest of you... I'm sorry. Maybe you should come visit! I wanted to send a quick toast thanking everyone for a wonderful trip to St Louis. It was such a treat for all of us to be together, and I left feeling so lucky to have such amazing friends in my life. Cheers to us :)

Gonna Make it Rain...

My first shower is this weekend...yay! Tammy got into town last night, so we ran some wedding errands together, and Jill gets in tonight (she's going to hate it here when she sees the three feet of snow that are still in my yard from last november). Should be a fun weekend, except I have a dilemma. Do I wear tights or not? I'm thinking warmer knit tights because I'm wearing a dress and the thought of sitting around opening presents in front of people without tights on make me squeamish. But, on the other hand, I don't love the way I look in tights. So, group vote... what do you think? Thanks girls! Have a great weekend!

Today's Toast

Today was the first day I successfully worked out since Grace was born. The good news... I didn't pee myself! This is a HUGE accomplishment in the life of a new mommy! I am also now "that girl" at the gym who needs to go out and purchase a good, supportive sports bra. I have a question for my girlfriends... Where does one buy a quality sports bra for BIGGER breastfeeding boobs?!

Miss You Already

I miss you girls already! I can't believe our girls weekend in St. Louis has already come and gone. It was so fun to have everyone in one place again for an entire weekend - I think it had been over 18 months since we all had the chance to be together! The picture above is one of my favorite pics from the weekend - I loved taking you guys on my usual walk around the neighborhood.

I don't have much of an update since you all left St. Louis. I'm still really frustrated with work, but trying to stay positive. I know Doug and I will figure out whatever our next step will be soon - I just need to be optimistic that it will all work out. What is meant to be will be... right?!

The next 6 weeks are crazy for us - we are literally going to be jet-setters! Because we are out of town every weekend I should have a lot to blog about. Our jet-setting begins with the cruise this Saturday with my family. I am SO excited to take a whole week off and just relax! I can't wait to tell you all about my trip when I get back. XOXO

Our New Addition - Grace

The weekend was the perfect amount of group time, girls time, Grace time, relaxation, and a bit of craziness. The girls went out Saturday night while Daddy and Uncle Dougie watched Grace. It was my first time getting drunk since before I found out I was pregnant. I couldn't have picked better company to toast this momentous occasion. At one point in the evening I even remember leaning over to the girls to tell them, "I know I will regret this in the morning, but I kinda hope I have a little bit of a hang over!" Am I a loser now or what???

Girls' Weekend - St. Louis

Two weekends ago, the five of us got together in St. Louis. Our girls weekends are always fun and Michelle and Doug proved to be the perfect hosts. Kat and Ali arrived earlier in the week with Katie and I joining later Friday night. We had a wonderful dinner created by a local chef in Michelle's kitchen that night. It was perfect for us to enjoy a multi-course meal while catching up. Saturday we went for a walk and ended up at a cute little candy shop (picture below).


Saturday night we went out for dinner and drinks, ending up at the Ritz Hotel with the 65+ crowd for some martinis and inappropriate dancing. :) Most of us left on Sunday after a great breakfast and I cannot wait until we get together again in May!