Denver Part II

The Labor Day trip continues. On Friday we got up, and had lunch at Steubens. A Denver staple. I can still picture the Philly Cheese steak we had, which seems to be a really popular sandwich in this city. Strange, huh?

After lunch we headed out into the mountains to do some light hiking and sightseeing.

After playing around in the mountains, we went into Boulder and walked around in the downtown area, which was really neat. We grabbed dinner in Boulder, and then went to see a band called Vinyl (described as old-school funk, Latin percussion, reggae, and R&B into signature California grooves) that night in Denver.

I have to say, a good day.

Labor Day In Denver

For Labor Day 2009, Brett and I traveled to Denver to visit our really good friends, Mike and Carrie who moved there from L.A. in April. It was my first trip to Colorado.

We flew out of Midway in Chicago, and found traveling out of that airport to be incredibly easy, and just as far as driving to Detroit from Grand Rapids. The airfare was the best deal we could find between Detroit, Grand Rapids and Chicago. I would definitely fly out of Chicago again.

Carrie picked us up in Denver in the early afternoon when we arrived. Our first mission was to find a liquor store to pick up some Fat Tire beer. So very tasty on that incredibly hot day. I have to remind myself to ask Mike to bring some home with him the next time he visits. It's that good.

After a beer and settling in, we decided to hit Happy Hour at Trios Enoteca Wine Bar. I loved this place. It was so posh, but yet, so laid back at the same time. Apparently happy hours are big in Denver. They have them everywhere. And some places have them twice a day; one in the afternoon and one again late in the evening. Half off wine by the glass and half off pizza. Yes please. I got a Pancetta, Caramelized Onion, Mozzarella, Mushroom and Chevre Cheese pizza with a glass of Pinot. Pure bliss.

Mike and Carrie have this urban apartment in the Lodo district of Denver (lower downtown district of Denver), so it made walking to all of these places pretty easy.

After chilling at the wine bar, we hopped in the car and drove out to Boulder. We went up into the mountains a bit, parked the car, climbed some rocks and threw back a couple more beers while enjoying the sites.

A great start to a fun filled trip.

Much To Be Thankful For

On Thanksgiving Day the Husband and I found out we’re going to be parents!

I had a that feeling. It was just there. Something felt different. For a couple of weeks, at night after dinner I was feeling “off” and not very well. I had what I thought were menstrual cramps, with no period to show for it. I had also starting waking up in the middle of the night having to go to the bathroom, which was unusual for me. And let’s not forget the swollen, painful breasts. Painful is not an exaggeration. All of these signs had me clued in before the missed period.

I missed my period on the Monday before Thanksgiving, but was just kind of rolling with it. It had shown up a few days late before. On Thanksgiving morning, after I was all ready and packed to go to Detroit overnight, I was sitting around waiting for the Husband to finish up, and he told me “Just take the test. Don’t you want to know?” I can’t remember for sure, but I assume I was talking about all of the symptoms and the fact that I was now three days late, which led him to urge me to test.

I had taken a couple of pregnancy tests before, but re-read the instructions just in case. OK, here we go. I did my business, put the cap back over the test strip, and set it on the end of the counter. Got myself decent again, flushed the toilet, and had a moment where I thought “I better move that stick to the center of the counter, just so I don’t knock it off.” I picked it up, and before I could even set it back down, the word “PREGNANT” was clear as day! I think it took less than 30 seconds to show up.

Let me start off by saying, I’ve taken these tests before, and when they aren’t positive, they take the full three minutes to process and give you the “Not Pregnant” results. I’ve set the timer and waited. I couldn’t believe it popped up that fast! I didn’t even have time to wash my hands. And in the excitement of the moment I don’t think I ever did, now that I think about it. Oops, don't judge me. It was a big, exciting, distracting moment.

As soon as I saw the “PREGNANT” come up, I called for Brett to come into the bathroom, and held it up for him to read. Oh my god, we’re pregnant! Eeeee! We’re having a Babeski!

Thursday, November 26: 4 weeks and 6 days pregnant.

And So It Begins

Bathroom Renovation - Take One.

No turning back now.

Captions for the photo my Dad sent me:

"There! Finally, got that damn mouse."

"Ut oh, you meant the other bathroom?"

"You want it put back together by WHEN?"

Life As I Know It

Life as I know it may be over. My iPhone appears to be dead. It locked up on me after lunch, and I can't get it to turn back on.

You may wonder, and I'll go ahead and answer for you. Yes, I am just that pathetic. And dramatic.

Can I get someone to queue up the choir? “Amaaaazzzzing grace…how sweet the sound…”

My Morphine Kick

No, not that one. This one:



I'll have to remember the next time the Husband gets pissed at me to tell him to put this one on. And then press repeat.

Janese & Tim :: Reception

Janese & Tim

Turf and Sorta Surf

We're goin to steak night...we're gonna eat it riiight...steak is suuuch a treat...its the world's BEST MEAT!

The Husband and I grilled steaks and had sushi with asparagus tonight. De-to-the-lish.

We used my mom's marinade for the steaks, which is beyond tasty.

3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped onion
1-1/2 teaspoons ginger
1/3 teaspoon garlic powder
Marinade for 4-hours
Enjoy yummy goodness.

iPhone photo

I Said "No"

Please let me play with your dress. Pleeease!

Flowers 2009 Continued

A shot of one of my Verbena. This guy hasn't gotten too big, but next year, when I get more, I'll take better care of them.

My Sweet Alyssum and Dusty Millers. These have filled in just beautifully. The Dustys are from last year, that grew back. I plan to leave both plants in over the winter to get them to return next year.

That's A Head Scratcher

Last night I stopped after work to pick up a few balloons to take to my sister-in-law's hospital room to show my excitement for the baby. When we got to the hospital, I stopped at the information desk to find out how to get to the patient rooms. She gave me the information and politely told me that balloons weren't allowed in the hospital due to latex allergies, but that she'd hold them for me until we left. OK, fair enough.

The Husband and I proceeded through the hallways, making our way to our final destination. It was then that I noticed patients getting wheeled out with their floral arrangements in tow. Hmph. Well that's interesting. Flowers, which spread their stank all over the place are OK. What about all the patients with floral allergies? Does latex have a scent that goes airborne? I was under the impression that someone allergic to latex had to come in contact with the substance to have a reaction. Because I had every intention of walking into all the patient rooms on my way to my sister-in-law's and rubbing balloons all over them.

I sometimes just laugh at the great lengths our society has gone to in order to cover their asses. I'd love to see some numbers on how many patients in a given year have an allergy outbreak because of someone else's balloons, which never enter their room and stay behind closed doors in the room they were intended for, or hear a story from someone that knows of this actually being a real issue.

I thought I was doing the right thing by purchasing balloons over flowers. Who knew? Rules are rules though. Even if they are stupid.

Newest Addition To The Family

Welcome to the world!

Henrik Anthony
July 14, 2009
3:20 a.m.
8-lbs and 1-oz
21-inches long

Getting Ready For Father's Day

As reported by my sister:

I was in Kohls the other day and I half heard a conversation between a mom and a kid. "Because every day is kids' day." It wasn't just our dad who used that one.

This makes me laugh. Really hard. I can still remember the day my dad got home from work and my sister and I asking him "How come there is no kids' day?"

The response has never been forgotten.

Flowers 2009 Snap Dragons

Flower Preview 2009

Here is a shot of my Sweet Williams, which were a transplant from my Mother-in-law. Love these guys.

These are Wee Williams. The "annual" version of Sweet Williams, which came back in full force from last year.

One of my planters. It's a Spreading Petunia, Spike and Rex Begonia.

Primrose Buttercup. I had to capture a photo now, since these guys won't bloom all summer.

Photos were taken with my iPhone, so they aren't the best quality. More to come as progress unfolds.

New Family Room Setup

An upside down ottoman on the couch while the Husband steam cleans carpets. Who would think that would be comfortable?

Sunday Morning Drive

On the way back from the Home Depot on Sunday morning, the Husband and I drove past the horse farm on East Paris. This is the conversation that unfolded from there.

Him: That's a nice looking horse.
Me: Uh-huh.
Him: Not that I know anything about horses, but it had a nice shiny coat and mane.
Me: They are really expensive. Not only to purchase, but to take care of as well.
Him: I wonder if our neighborhood has an ordinance about getting horses?
Me: Exactly where would we keep a horse? They need a lot of space and exercise.
Him: We could take that thing out on Cascade Road and ride it.

Can you imagine? I can't stop laughing just at the thought of it.

That's A Fine How Do You Do!

Wednesday night I'm lying in bed trying to fall asleep. I'm lying on my back, with my hands behind my head trying to unwind and drift off into a relaxed, deep sleep. It's just me and Nico. He's curled up on his blanket at the foot of the bed.

Suddenly a cat jumps up on the bed inches away from my head causing me to jump a little bit. It startled me, but it's only Sasha. She then walks across my neck and chest in slow motion to get to the other side of the bed. She might only be seven or eight pounds, but seven or eight pounds of pressure stepping on your neck doesn't exactly feel great. She goes all the way to the edge of the bed, looking out, curled in a ball. She stays for a couple of seconds, then comes back to my side, walks on my neck and chest again, then gets on the night stand.

A short period of time goes by, and I figure I better look to see what she's doing. I turn my head, and there she is sitting up all nice and tall just looking at me. That must have been what she wanted, because within another few seconds (long enough for me to turn my head straight and close my eyes), she comes walking back over me. This time slow enough so her butt is in my face. I can't help it, I start laughing out loud at this point. My laughter scares her, and she has a little jolt in her movement. She walks all the way over to the edge of the bed, lays down the exact same way and stays there until the Husband comes to bed.

OK, I get it. You're here. Your presence is known! Geesh, weirdo.

Happy Second Anniversary

Today the Husband and I celebrate our second wedding anniversary. Our gift to each other was a trip to Paris. It was quite the experience to share together. The romantic, city of light (How breathtaking is the Eiffel at dusk? I know, right.).

Tonight we are just lying low. We thought we were going to go out to dinner, but the weather is so crummy, that we decided to go on Saturday. I'm hoping for some sun and warmer temperatures by then. I made dinner which consisted of a recipe from The Biggest Loser for turkey meatballs, pasta, and marinara sauce with fresh mushrooms and zucchini. Mmm.

Happy Anniversary, Baby! Thanks for putting up with my nonsense. I love you lots!

I've been quiet, and haven't posted any photos from the trip yet. I'm in the process of learning Adobe Lightroom. I have been taking online tutorials, and my brain is on information overload right now, but I hope to get some pictures up soon with my write-ups. For now, this "out of the camera" shot will have to do. The Husband is urging me to post photos after I edit them in Lightroom, which will force me to learn it. So there you have it. More to come very soon, I hope. I can be a slow learner sometimes. :-)

Home From Paris

It was an amazing trip to Paris! We had such a wonderful time! I'm going to try to post some photos and stories this weekend. First things first - I must unpack.

Words of Wisdom

If you knew my Dad, you'd know that he was one of those people that had a saying for everything. When I was in high school, it used to irritate me, but now as an adult, I've come to really get a kick out of them.

The Husband and I are traveling to Paris very soon now, as I told you. I e-mailed my parents our flight itinerary, and all of the information for the hotel that we are staying at, in case they needed to track us down. We'll check in over e-mail while there too.

The response I got back from my Dad was:
"Sounds great, we'll want to hear the details when you get home.
Be careful and aware of your surroundings, crime never takes a vacation."

Ain't that the truth.

Keep Watching

I'll have an update soon. My head has been in the clouds...or resting on my pillow. I'm just now snapping out of the winter funk. I hope to have some new posts in the near future.

Bonjour, Pah-ree

We're going to Paris in April! The Husband and I are ecstatic! I'm hoping for good weather, so please send good vibes our way.

Time for me to brush up on and re-learn some French.

Enjoy one of my favorite tunes of the moment, Ladyhawke's "Paris Is Burning".

Is It OK To Laugh?

My sister-in-law and I made the trek to Lansing today in the snow. Bridesmaid duties. It probably wasn't the best day for this, but it was one of the only free weekends she had for the next month. The roads going there were pretty good. The right lane was clear and dry for the most part. By the time we went home, it was another story.

The roads were now wet, and getting slushy. Most people were taking it easy and driving with caution. Most people. There are always people on the roads who are driving like there's a fire, and just being stupid in poor conditions. One vehicle in particular was this honking, beast of a truck. Probably about as big as you can get. He goes speeding by in the left lane like we're standing still.

About fifteen minutes later, we drive past a truck who has slid off the road all the way across the median, and is now facing the opposite way, going with traffic in the other direction. The guy is just sitting in his truck. He could probably drive himself right out heading in the opposite direction, because it looks like he stopped on the side of the road. Then it dawns on me - that's the truck that went speeding past us moments before! Sister-in-law agrees, that is the guy.

I ask my sister-in-law, "Is it OK for me to laugh? Cuz I want to." She told me it was OK because the guy wasn't hurt. I agree, that wouldn't be funny at all, or would it have been funny if this guy took out anyone else with him. So I snickered just for a second. Hey buddy, you're going the wrong way.

Remember folks, when the weather is bad, to quote Pineapple Express, "Safety first. Then teamwork."

Be careful out there.

Falling In Love...Or Maybe Just Falling

In lieu of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share one of my proud moments from dating that happened on this such holiday.

About eight years ago, I had started hanging out and seeing someone.  This is probably the second time we had gone out, and we decided to meet up a little later on Valentine's Day at one of the bars in town.  My roommate and I drove up there, had a few drinks, and then he showed up a while later.  My roommate decided to call it a night, and after a few more drinks, socializing, and the bar kicking us out, we did too.

Since it was one of our first dates, I was dressed to impressed.  Black pants, heels, the works. He had parked probably eight blocks away, hey it was free parking.  So we trudged out into the cold night on the snowy sidewalks.  You can't really expect college students to shovel the walks, you know.  We were having some laughs, and even ran into some people we knew walking home too.  After a long walk, his SUV was finally in site.  I made it all the way to the car walking on snow covered sidewalks, and then...

He walked to the passenger door to unlock it and let me in.  As I stepped into the grass area between the sidewalk and the road, the snow was kind of sloped, and I lost my footing.  As he stood there with the door open waiting for me, my feet slid out from underneath me.  It happened so fast.  I bit it hard, and ended up sliding underneath his vehicle!  He asked if I was OK, and after a slight pause I got out a weak "yeessss?".  My head and shoulders were sticking out from underneath the car, so he was able to help me up to my feet.  In addition to my pride being injured, I had jerked my left shin up as a reaction to falling, and ended up kicking the frame of the car on my way under.  If you've ever hit your shin bone (tibia for the medical folk), you know it hurts. However, through the pain, I laughed the whole way home. I mean if you don't laugh, you'll cry right?

So in addition to falling on a second date, bruising my shin, and injuring my ego, I learned an important lesson:  shoes that make you fall go into the garbage.

Ahh, married life; where you can fall, and not leave your dignity under the car.  Thanks to the Husband for saving me from those awkward moments for the rest of my life. 

Another Reason To Love

Every couple has inside jokes. That is part of the fun of being so close to someone. The Husband and I have a couple places around Macomb where his mom and step-father live that are our inside jokes.

One of the first few times we went out there together, we stopped at a liquor store to pick up some wine. The place was called BB's. I kept saying, "Bee Bee, that's you (his initials). This is your place." For whatever reason, it was just funny to us. That's how inside jokes are. You have to be there.

Another place nearby is a place I like to call "Bar". Probably because I could never remember the full name, and the sign for the place just has BAR in giant letters. So the place is called Bar. One night we went out for drinks and on the way home, we stopped at Bar. We both got Pabst Blue Ribbons out of a can, and I think we got two dimes back for the $2 we laid down on the counter to pay for them. It's just this po-dunk of a place, but I wanted to check it out, just because of the name. So now every time we go out to Macomb, I always ask if we're going to go to Bar. We have never gone back, but that place sure has a cool name.

So anyway, The Husband is out at his mom's house for a couple of days for her birthday, and he sends me these photos from his phone. No text, just photos. I just cracked up laughing when I opened the messages. See what I'm missing out on?

Dresses Decided Upon

I must admit, I was a little worried what kind of dress we'd end up getting for my sister's wedding. With five bridesmaids all wanting something a little different to suit their own body types and interests, I had my doubts that I was going to be 100% happy with the selection.

The first day we went shopping for dresses though, I ended up trying this dress on and just loving it. It was on the OK list between me, my sister and sister-in-law. So after another trip out with her friends, my sister and her friends all decided on this dress. Whew, my favorite dress won out! How lucky is that?

So here they are, from the Jasmine Bridesmaid collection B2 in petunia. I love the rouching at the top, and the material is so flowy and breathable for an outdoor, August wedding.

I also bought this brooch on etsy a while back, before we had even decided on the dress. I knew my sister wanted pink dresses, so I just took a chance. If it matches, I'd like to wear this in my hair. I thought it had a little Bohemian flare to it.

Bad Kitteh

As I was plugging away at work today, I heard my phone go off indicating that I got a text message.  I checked the phone.  It was a message from the Husband.  It said, "Nico bit me."  I started cracking up, then I pointed out to him in a text message back that no one likes a tattle tale.

If At First You Don't Sucseed

Ok, so I failed miserably at some of the seeds I tried to grow last year. That doesn't mean that I am giving up. Here's my list for 2009. Wish me luck!

This is a Coleus Wizard Mix. It'll be great for the north and west side of my house which doesn't get much sun.


Columbine Origami Mix. These will look great in the area next to my Japanese maple and ornamental grasses.


Flowering Tobacco. I've read that these are on the easy side to sow from seed. I purchased a couple of plants last summer which were quite pretty, so I thought I'd give these a try.


Mystic Mix Impatiens. Impatiens were my huge success last year, so I was no doubt going to get these again.


The first summer the Husband and I were in our house, I purchased Sweet Alyssum as a border flower, and they grew very successfully. I thought I'd try my hand at growing my own. I've never seen these pastel shades in any nursery.


The Petunias I tried to sow last year never took off. Not even one seed. I have no idea what I did wrong, but I'm willing to give them a second chance. This color combo really drew my attention.


Ahhh, onto the Zinnias. So easy. These are Double Cherry Zinnia.


Apricot Zinnia...to go with...


Deep Apricot Zinnia...to go with...


Orange Zinnia. These are all dwarf zinnias.


Scarlet and Yellow Swizzle Zinnia.

The following three photos are of Asti. Look how great the colors coordinate together. I was drooling over them. They are actually the inspiration behind my petunias. At a whomping $6.95 for a packet of seeds, I don't really want to invest in this plant yet with my lack of experience, but maybe next yet.



I decided that I am going to get a couple of tools to assist with the gardening once the plants get going. I'm going to purchase some Watering Spikes for my larger planters, to get water to the bottom where the roots are.


Aqua Pads for my hanging baskets. These things will make it so that I only have to water my hanging baskets once a week. Nice!


So here's hoping that I have a successful growing season.