101 revisted

42 complete/attempted in a little over a year and three months.

Here are completes or attempts made:
1. Kayak with seals that chill in Wickford, RI in the winter - This was a good workout even though the rubber neck line was very snug (especially since I kept pulling it back to hide my camera in it)

2. Fill xmas stockings for each other for less than $75 - the closest to $75 with receipts wins - J won because it's easier to buy me knick-knacky crud.

3. Participate in a holiday craft fair at least twice - I did Brown's fair in 2006 and made bank!

4. Create my very own pinhole camera and print the negatives - Awesome class at AS220 downtown. Lesson was that you should only whip out a pinhole on a nice bright sunny day. I now even have a pinhole that it supposedly is set to print onto film. I will get that out soon.

5. Have a concrete plan for J's tenure and figure out ways to support him. - Brown is a great environment for growth, but you never know how things will pan out.

7. Move with two less boxes than we had when we arrived. - Who knows whether this was actually accomplished, but I felt like we purged a lot while living in that tiny apartment. Thank goodness we left there before I became too pregnant to fit through the stairwell.

8. Visit with family at least every 3 months (preferably more) - So far so good, and Aiden will help with this trend.

9. Participate in some sort of craft swap once a year (first up is the 2006 ornament swap by freshly blended). - Ornament swap went pretty well. These crafty strangers weren't messing around.

10. Visit a Bazaar Bizarre. - http://www.bazaarbizarre.org - Went up to Boston and wandered through twice. First time we waited in a gigantic line... we had to go back because I regretted not getting the swanky pomegrante fabric bag (that for some reason I think is too nice to use).

13. Enter a contest that i/we might actually win. - Hmm, does trying out for Wheel of Fortune count?

14. Get an international pen pal. - Friends from the Netherlands email occasionally which is a modern day pen pal.

16. Reunite with someone we haven't spoken with in more than 10 years. - This has happened many times recently... some at my college reunion, but mostly via email, but it's fun to talk with someone that knew a different you.

19. Organize the ipod music. - This was a pre-labor obsession. I even got a new ipod. Yep, I used it for about 30 minutes of the entire 6 hours of labor.

36. Buy a digital photo frame. - Thanks to my folks for xmas from the crazy black friday sales. It is a big baby shrine now.

37. Be in touch with at least one friend a week. - Got it down even with sleep deprivation.

38. Get J's ironic jokes the first time. - Getting better or maybe he's just gettin less ironic.

41. Make homemade hot cocoa and drink it in short sips. - Yum, got it with the frothy cocoa maker my sister gave me last xmas.

42. Subscribe to a magazine and read the whole thing each month. - Domino gets a pretty good scan through - not much to really read which is even better.

43. Learn to tile/mosaic. - Watched my future brother in law create the best backsplash and tiled countertop. I think I might try to use the leftovers and tools for some sort of mosaic table.

44. Send birthday cards and remember birthdays better. - Doing better all the time...I need one of those card sorter deals.

45. J goes a month without pop and L goes a month eating a veggie a day. - Oh geez, I think J might have conquered the pop.

47. Find a decent Mexican restaurant near Providence. - There was this really authentic deal off of Atwells that might compare to little Poca.

54. Send care package to friends in Peace Corp in South Africa. - I helped put together a scrapbook of memories for my college friends at our reunion... not sure it ever made it to them.

55. Improve posture. - Thanks to the balance ball desk chair I am on better track.

61. Cook chicken paprikash that tastes like the little place in downtown willoughby. - Tried this in the crock pot and I will need to keep trying.

63. Motivate at least two other people to create a 101 list. - I think my mom and aunt jumped on the idea

65. Throw out all our old underwear and socks - even the sentimental ones. - This shouldn't be that hard to do. I've gotten ridden of most out of necessity.

68. Iron clothes for important events. - Thanks to my cordless iron I've actually done this.

69. J would like to not iron at all for 1001 days. - He's working on it

70. J will learn to play Flight of the Bumblebee at concert tempo. - On a good day he's with it.

71. Visit with family at least every 3 months (preferably more). - Going well so far thanks to Aiden especially.

72. Travel to an international conference in Europe (Lauren comes too) - Got it, Oxford/London Summer 2007.

78. Come up with a vitamin regimen. - Daily vitamins that are good for me and baby are routine now.

83. Hug at least two minutes a day straight every day for a month. - Aiden and I are cuddle bugs.

88. Convince J he doesn't need any more guitars - even though he says he already believes that. - Now he's moved on to wanting a drum set.

89. Find the perfect pillow. - The U shaped body pillow extravaganza that I won't give up even though I'm not pregnant anymore is perfect.

90. Get J a new comforter so he give me back the one he "borrowed" from me - he claims I "gave" it to him. - J has a new comforter but the borrowed one led a good life and is now officially retired. Although it may be resurrected as a tshirt quilt.

92. Find competent primary care doctors. - After this flu season we really had to get on this one and now we're both set with the same doc.

94. Don't brush our teeth so hard so our gums stay healthy - Use the electric toothbrush. - Gums are in good shape and teeth seem to be as healthy as possible now.

95. Go to bed before getting tired/grumpy. - I go to bed whenever I can but I'm always tired. I avoid the grumpy as much as possible because I don't want a grumpy baby.

98. Keep cell phones/cameras/ipods charged. - Need a new charger since one died, but we try.

99. Have an egg hunt around Easter (include as many kids as possible). - Did this twice with one kid at a time. This year I think we have the perfect yard for it and neighborhood kids that will like that sorta thing.
________________________

Still working on:

6. Take a boat over to Martha's Vineyard and pull the rings at the carousel (the one from our childhood trips to cape cod) - This will be a good trip when folks come to visit - I'm thinking Cin and Den!

11. Take our kitties to the vet for healthy kitty visits. - Uh yeah, better get on that.... Sophy may need a specialist since she power binges and throws up and then eats it again.

12. Watch the IMDb top 250 movies. - http://www.imdb.com/chart/top - This may be difficuly given how squeamish I am for scary movies that mess with my head. Nightmares are out since sleep is so precious.

15. Ride mechanical bull at a random bar. - Hmm? why did I think that was a good idea?

17. Stay in a wooden cabin in the mountains. - sounds like a baby vacation after he's weaned with gran and poppop's help?

18. Try a new restaurant at least once a month. - might not meet this one with a baby gurgler

20. Learn what herbs look like. - I'm thinking of starting a garden and then making the herb combos into crafty presents (or for the craft fair at Brown)

21. Write thank you notes to strangers that do things we like. - I keep meaning to write notes to nice customer service people... or better yet the doctor that delivered my baby.

22. Be sure the cats greet the first snow of the year. - J's worried they will try to run away or they will get our new carpet wet.

23. Participate in the 26 things challenge. - http://www.sh1ft.org/26things/

24. Go to Antelope, AZ and take lotsa photos.

25. Visit Zion and Bryce, Utah and do the same.

26. Make our own signature salad dressing complete with our own label.

27. Jump on a trampoline whenever possible and at least once.

28. Try one new fruit or one new vegetable every three months.

29. Go ice skating and do at least one full spin.

30. Write time capsule letters to ourselves to be opened 5 years from now.

31. Pick our own berries and make jelly.

32. Copy old family photos to preserve them - hang up the interesting ones.

33. Teach J to knit and purl.

34. Teach L to play another little ditty on the guitar.

35. Use the bundt pan at least every three months for a new cake.

39. Volunteer crafty time.

40. Stretch every morning.

46. Try different types of fish.

48. Keep up with the gratefulness journal for three months straight.

49. Go swimming in the winter. - WHY did I think this was a good goal/idea?! Stop tryin to be cute Lauren - just stop.

50. Build and fly a cool kite.

51. Apply to a reality show.

52. Write out 5 memories.

53. Learn to make bechamel sauce.

56. Knit leg warmers and wear them in public.

57. Make a list of favorite movies and why.

58. Make a list of favorite books and why.

59. Go to a live auction and bid on something.

60. Meet someone that thinks that have magical powers and try to understand them.

62. Ride in a hot air balloon.

64. Create a quilt with my old tshirts.

66. Brush the cats at least once a week.

67. Go to a bed and breakfast someplace nice.

73. Teach Lauren how to whistle.

74. Attempt to teach the cats to pee in the toilet.

75. Use the fancy china we got for our wedding.

76. Be sure the car's tires stay in good shape by changing them at least once.

77. Go to Canobie Lake Park in New Hampshire for the rollercoaster's J remembers from childhood.

79. Construct my own wall clock.

80. Take classes in a foreign language (J prefers German).

81. Ride horses at least once.

82. Be able to imitate different accents without so much trouble.

84. Clean the carpets and upholstered items at least once.

85. Draino the tub before it clogs.

86. Take a photo of someone famous.

87. Make my own peanut butter.

91. Have eyes checked.

93. Visit places even if you don't think you'll like them all that much, you might be surprised.

96. Get the cats to cuddle and take their photo.

97. Bake/try a new type of dessert with chocolate every other month.

100. Visit a new US state every year.

101. Have a new 101 in 1001 ready.

hiatus?

Aah, snapshots may have to go on hiatus. Or I may have taken a hiatus without announcing it already... It's not as often that I take in snapshots, instead everything here is now in full on video-stereo-surround-sound mode. It's a settled in world that makes it harder to explain little tidbits and snapshots. Also, the tired baby drain isn't helping the quick snippets develop. I can't decide if I should combine blogs once the baby is born, but I have to admit that the baby on the brain will not be fading away anytime soon. The era of change has settled for a while, and it may be back any time... but for now I'll leave you with a little tidbit from the pumpkin farm where even 9 months pregnant I was chasing chickens into good spots to take their photos:

tidbits

Funny tidbits:
1. J spends almost exactly one hour mowing the front and back lawn at our no-longer-new house. Last time I think the monotony got to him because he came in explaining how we had a small apple tree. I said you mean a tiny tree that makes apples or a tree that drops tiny apples. Turns out he hasn't been that exposed to crab apples so he actually bit into one to see if he could eat the little rotty buggers. Turns out crab apples taste sour and luckily (thanks to a post-eating-random-mini-apple search on wikipedia) they are not poisonous.
2. We have not had to turn our heat on and it is distinctly set to off. However, occasionally there is some sort of blower thing that comes on in the basement. Both J and I have no idea what it is that makes that noise and how they let us own our own house.
3. As we were getting ready for work the other day, I was ironing (no the wrinkle releaser was not gone, but this was a stubborn fold type deal - and I already feel like a tank and I shouldn't draw any more attention to myself by being a tank dressed in a wrinkly shirt). We have this niffty beeper connected to an alarm system that is installed in this house (that we don't plan to activate) that goes off every time a door or window is opened. J and I were both fussing around in the bedroom and the beeper went off. I feel panic that a burglar had just come through the door, while J asks if I just heard the beepbeepbeep. We investigated and luckily I had my newish wireless iron to carry with me for protection. That way I can make the robber really mad at me when I burn him.

arts fest

It's the perfect preview to fall today. Sweatshirt weather with sunshine. We cruised on up to the Pawtucket Arts Fest to get out in the nice weather. We walked past the biggest playground extravaganza and admitted that we wished we had a kid so we could play around in there a bit...soon. We went over to what looked like a petting zoo except for all the signs saying don't touch the animals. J got his bunny fix in the smelly little barn which also housed the fatest hog I've ever seen. It will be fun to visit this park with Aiden-bo-baden. We decided to get a jump start on our holiday shopping since we might be pretty busy or at least preoccupied with baby leading up to xmas. We found some surprises. I was not surprised that the hot dogs smelled really good since I'm not supposed to eat them while brewing the baby. J had a kielbasa with peppers that was smelly enough to turn me away from the hot sausy/sausage/kielbasa craving. It was impossible to resist the humdinger chocolate peanut butter frappe. It was the perfect sweet cap to a relaxing Sunday afternoon.

taiwan celebration and boat races

In what I hope is the last heat wave this summer, we ventured out to Pawtucket for the Taiwan celebration and boat races. My friend came down from Boston and we had a fall inspired barbecue with ham steaks (from mixing table although they looked like they were straight from Dr. Suess). We then headed out to Pawtucket (which is not the jewel of RI). Once we were able to find a place to park and we were shuttled over in the sauna bus, I didn't think we'd last long (or maybe I thought I wouldn't last long with my big baby). We slurped up some Del's lemonade while watching a good heat of boat races which wasn't what I expected at all. The boats were loaded with people and there was a drummer on board to synchronize them. Then we were drawn in to watch the umbrella dances, tai kwon do, yoyo group demos. We survived the heat for a while, and then cruised straight up the road to the outlets to get some ice cream and some deals (the little me shop had huge sales I literally dreamt about last night). I'm glad to still be kicking around for that long on the weekends without feeling it too much.

daniel's first

I've been a delinquent blogger in keeping up with our actual life... Baby is all consuming in my thoughts and I blame hormones. But we have had some family fun lately. We headed up north of Boston to spend some time with the Brennan side and to celebrate Daniel's first birthday (J's cousin's little boy and Aiden's future buddy). Here are some photos:

PTP kickoff dinner

Seems like so much has changed in a year. Can't stop thinking that lately since the school year is starting up. Academia is such a cycle and it seems like we're going through some of the same motions we did last year, but somehow the context of our lives has shifted dramatically. We were approaching the annual welcome dinner for J's project and as we walked up I could remember last year driving into a foreign neighborhood with breathtaking views of the bay... thinking how cool is that water - oh look, no cactus, but there is a really pretty bird out there. We were still adjusting and poking our way around our tiny apartment. Now we have adjusted to a whole new home which really feels like home. We were familiar with most of the people and we could welcome the new ones here. The few little bug bites aside, eating outside in the director's back yard up against the bay is a nice weekday treat.

updated house photos

The baby accessories are spreading out into our house. It used to be that I had to go into the nursery for a smile, but now I can just walk into the living room to fuss with the new swing with a goofy smile on my face. I've also left out the most adorable little pair of baby shoes that cheer me up every morning. We also have some paint on the walls which really brightens up the place. Here are some updated shots of the house:
Living Room with green:

Wall in kitchen with new light fixture and creamy chocolate paint:
Wall in dining room with same creamy chocolate:

J's bunnies

J's sweet spot for bunnies makes me smile. His favorite bunny had babies a couple weeks back, and they nested right next to our planter a few feet off our deck. Five little bunnies all curled up in big balls of fur and cuddle cuteness is hard to resist. It was chilly all week, so J made sure that their big tuft of grass with fur woven in kept them warm. We would get home and he would go check on them. Then he would research them online to convince himself that he wasn't harming them by getting so close - even though there is a old wise tale that if you touch them their mom won't come back to take care of them. He admitted to gently petting them once he knew they weren't going to be hurt by them. A couple days later they were out and about, weened from their nest. One was in the yard and J actually leaned over and pet the bunny before he pranced off. I think when Aiden gets bigger we're going to have to get some pet bunnies ;)

rav

We decided a few months back that we would jump into the realm of two car ownership now that we have a baby on the way. If you read our baby blog, you'll know that we spent hours picking out, buying, and returning a baby swing that we still don't have. So, you'd think that picking out a new car would take weeks or maybe even months. Surprisingly, after casually perusing online and reading consumer reports, we wandered into a largest toyota dealership around 7pm last night and walked out around 10:30 as new Rav4 owners. I can't get over how much space you get (over our original idea of a matrix) and we got a smokin deal. J was even able to get us a "new grad" discount since he officially finished his PhD in May. We were sucked in by their super sale (of course ending yesterday) and even my mom was on board to go ahead and get it for - get this - $4,000 less than the sticker price. Who would've guessed that we would get the first car we test drive?! The last car they had in stock for the super deal was perfect in everglade metallic with two tone beige/brown interior. Can't wait to see it in the day light when we pick it up ;)

pseudo bday and more

Luca helping me open presentsParty onto the deck
Waterfire downtown

Friiiiday was my birthday and it was better than most. It was really a reflection of how much has happened in one short year to think of my birthday last year. At that point my co-workers of a little over two weeks took me out to lunch even though I hardly knew some of their names. I'm only partly exaggerating. This year two of my closer friends that work in other areas at Brown planned to get me out to lunch even though we were in the midst of a big proposal prep (which almost meant coming to work on Sunday - although my boss let me off easy and I didn't end up having to come - yea!). Friday work ended a little early because I had a doctor's appt and my glucose test - the sugar rush didn't ruin my birthday at all! Then to top off a good day, my folks were arriving to town with my aunt and a bunch more shower presents. We went to a bday dinner at the Grist Mill and afterward the geese/ducks customarily chased us into the parking lot going after our leftover boxes.

Saturday was my pseudo birthday, a party where I don't really highlight my birthday or make a big fuss, but I still feel surrounded by fun people. We had 28 people and kids at our house on a beautiful perfect day. It was the largest crowd I've ever hosted and it wouldn't have gone off so well without my families' help. My mom even repeated the schnazy veggie/meat flower skewers from my shower and they were even better the second time. Having a party with so many kids we risked our new carpet but luckily we'd made "outdoor brownies that taste better outside" as my smart mom friends insisted for their two year olds. After the party we all headed downtown to another packed Waterfire parking by the Prospect Terrace park to watch the sun set. I'll try to post some photos from my aunt later...

Sunday the fun continued as we scarfed down the ridiculously good brunch at Paragon which I thought would be followed by my going into work... But our copy editor hadn't finished yet, so instead we showed my family around Brown and new places like Roger Williams Park and Wickford, RI. The CreaTOYvity had the most adorable rocking dream meadow play pad from Haba (which doubles as a changing pad and travel bed) that my aunt spoiled Aiden with and I still can't stop day dreaming about. Going into work early this morning didn't seem so bad after being so active this past weekend... just gotta keep on, keeping on.

wineries, churches, and pregnancy

Which of these go together? A winery and an old church, a pregnant woman and a winery...? All three went together for me while visiting my family for the long weekend. We started the weekend off with my shower (for review visit the baby blog) and then took a huge crew of family to visit Chagrin Falls and the South River Winery. This winery was built around an old church structure that looks like a classic midwest one room church. No wine for me, but I was in heaven eating leftover snacks from the shower (cold cranberry meatballs) and reclining in the perfect weather. I played a whole game of bocce to 15 (although everyone was helping me get my balls so I didn't have to bend). Aah, quality family time really made the trip. Photo review:

wall paper ecstasy

I'm headed home to Ohio for a long weekend trip (baby shower in the mix too - can't wait!) so J's going to paint some more when I'm not around the fumes. We have a nice light chocolate color for an accent in both the kitchen and the living room. Then we picked out a cool green apple color for the bedroom (it was hard to stray away from blues like our last bedroom). We had a long wall of this funk-a-delic wall paper in the bedroom that was not a selling point. It was pretty muted and hard to really be offended by (unlike the flower explosion in the office, which will probably be our last project) but it just wasn't going to cut it long term. Since J has offered to paint without really any help from me, I wanted to contribute by getting the paper down. I had visions of picking at half torn paper edges and I hoped we wouldn't have to use any serious chemicals (I resorted to everything for a wall of crap paper in Tucson and eventually had to texture paint over it because we couldn't get it all off). Well, not only did it come down in major long pieces, but I didn't even have to spritz water on it. It was high quality dream paper without too many glue marks. The wall was prepped and nearly ready for paint in less than an hour. I can only dream that the other room will be that easy.

anniversary

My one year anniversary at Brown came and went. I brought a little thank-you-cranberry bread to our first all staff meeting ever!? They replaced my old boss and she made this new addition, which actually took exactly an hour even with all 30 some people sharing. I don't normally talk about work here, but let's say that this year has been fulfilling and busy. I feel like I've been around much longer than a year, and that is a very good thing.

We also celebrated being so close to J's family by visiting his great aunt that I'd never met at her convent up north of Boston. Such an amazing group of welcoming women that made you feel blessed to be around them. I can't wait to bring Aiden back to meet them someday. It's amazing how much happens in a year!

48 hour film festival

Providence's self-loving filmmakers were out in droves tonight for round one of the 48 hour film contest screenings. My former RISD instructor was entering and was soliciting help on her website. I offered up our backyard in Seekonk to which she responded, "Hahahaha. That offer was hilarious. So far I have: a crab, medieval weapontry, a mustang, the town of N. Kingston and a farm in CT of all things. Seekonk is not that far! Your house in Seekonk is most appreciated, hopefully, I won't need it. If you'd really like to help, you could come to the screening that Wednesday night and vote for my film!" This response would pique anyone's interest right?!

It was packed when we arrived and I have to admit my expectations were pretty mixed. I expected some really terrible films and I got to see some. I also expected some tidbits that I'd remember. The most memorable aspect was the self aggrandizement coming from the filmmakers and their crews for each of their films. The more hooting and hollering, the least likely it would be worth watching.
My favorites were:
- my instructor's musical about a failed writer who felt compelled to tell his life story to a stranger in a wine shop
- a mortician that talked to a dead guy with a hard on and danced like she belonged in Hairspray, and
- a sci-fi take on time travel and the online dating attempts of a slave from the middle ages
My least favorites were:
- a supposed comedy about a shrill voiced publisher that left her manuscript in her car when it went in for a tune up and the mechanic had to re-write the ending
- a group of bored guys driving around daydreaming about singing karaoke, but then they are knocked away from their day dream because they forgot to feed their turtle (!?)
- a horror film that stole it's feel from Saw (I'm taking J's word on that one) and had excessively loud music and screaming that literally had my baby trying to punch his way out of my belly and the theater

The whole concept is interesting - they all had to have the same prop (boots), character (a publisher named Conner/Constance Sutton), and line (Have you heard of that - or something like that?)... but each picks a different genre of movie. Key to success was at least someone that could actually act. The combo of all 11 films should make for some interesting dreams tonight.

bug hunter

Do not read on if you have compassion for hornets. Yesterday while on the phone with my sista, I casually mentioned to J that there was a hornet/waspy thing stuck between the window panel in our living room bay window. Suddenly J turned into bug hunter and whipped out a can of killer spray (which I didn't even know he had!). He discovered that the buggers were hiding in the shutters outside the baby's room. Horror ensues as I hear my mom's voice screaming out of me saying don't spray that poison! aaah, the window is cracked open - waaait! I could see J was overtaken with bug hunter inspiration and was plotting with his tongue hangin out of his mouth, so I tell my sister to hold and scurry upstairs to shut the window, for fear that I'd have to redo my nesting pattern of washing all the baby clothes and hanging them (then moving them to a new drawer...repeat). I do not want bad bug spray on my baby's favorite swivel glider. He then proceeds to spray the gross foam at least 7 feet in the air (all the while his tongue is sticking out - note: do not kiss husband due to poison particles on tongue). He got em (after another round prying their nest away through the window with his big leather coat on for protection) and I haven't seen him this excited by many of the home projects. I asked him what it would like if he was this excited to hang a new light fixture or paint a blank white wall?

Speaking of which, I can hardly believe that I forget to document the best new addition to our living room, three light green walls! (which J did on his birthday week - such a super sweets!) To top it off I found the beeest, huuuge mirror to hang over the fireplace that has this classy beveled edge and a beachy feel. I rearranged the vintage cameras and the room is really coming together well. I'm still amused that we ended up with couches and walls that almost match our tucson condo exactly. Before and after photos coming sometime soon...

birthday visitors

We had a get together for J, Matt, and Nana's birthday over at our place complete with turkey tenderloin on the grill and a big rack of hand rubbed ribs... oh, and don't forget the cold stone midnight delight ice cream cake that J remembered from my dad's birthday last year. Kayley cutie pie was very helpful passing out napkins for me (and definitely thinks I'm crazy for trying to convince her that I have a baby in my tummy):

happy birthday to J

Yea for middle of the week birthdays! We went out to eat lunch and then made porkchops with summertime salsa so that we could relax at home (especially since we had dinner at our friend's house last night) J has his present of the year already - his new amplifier - which he's already made good use. I added in a few little presents since it's hard to resist having something to give - grilling stuff and a pizza stone did the trick. This weekend will be the real party complete with an ice cream cake.

outlet-o-rama

A friend of mine wanted to check out the clearance sales at this outlet just down the way that I kept hearing about but we'd never visited. When I think outlet I think Potomac Mills, maybe Aurora or any of those assorted deals they stick along the road in Pennsylvania. This premium outlet means premium. It was out of control. They have row after row of big name stores packed with people (supposedly they are always crowded accept in the middle of the winter). The clearance sales were in high gear - and they really meant 70% off and they weren't tricking you by jacking up the regular price. I got a pair of smokin maternity pants (in corduroy - if corduroy can be smokin these are?) for $2.90! It was so good that I went back the next day with J to cruise the guy's stuff. He got pretty lucky too in the Banana. Gotta love summer shopping... and it's only 70 degrees here instead of 170 billion like it is shopping in Tucson.

yea pawsox

After a busy day of soggy shoes from running all around campus with my teeny tiny micro umbrella, the weather cleared for the Pawsox vs the Lynx. The Pawtucket Red Sox do not mess around. They had the largest crowd for a minor league team I've ever seen. Maybe it was because everyone thought it wouldn't be crowded because of the rain earlier or maaaybe it was because it was free hat day! There were kids chanting and cheering. This stadium crowd could keep the wave going. It was a fun crowd of summer outreach students.

sold on the idea!

After two months of mixing table goodness, I am soooold on this idea. (I mentioned it before - they give you the raw ingredients, you mix them into bags which you freeze at home) I just mixed recipes with more soy, brown sugar and orange juice concentrate for this upcoming month. The highlight was rubbin down my own rack of ribs with my own specially mixed rib rub.

All of last month's goodness that we've eaten up:
Hoisin-Lime Glazed Chicken
Marinated Pork Tenderloin
Orange Bourbon Salmon
Shrimp and Bell Pepper Pasta
Sizzling Asian Steak
Southwestern Pulled Pork Sandwiches

This upcoming month of yum:
Amy's Famous Flank Steak
Finger Lickin' Barbeque Ribs
Grilled Chicken Wraps with Cucumber Dill Sauce
Grilled Pork Chops with Summertime Salsa
Grilled Shrimp with Lemon Dill Orzo Salad
Mouthwatering Marinated Turkey Breast

back around

I feel like I've been back around in town lately. My bestest college friends were around this weekend. Happy hour at good ol Spats on Friday went well beyond happy hour and we barely got home before the sun went down. Others went out and about but the pregnant lady has to go home to pass out. Then the next day we hosted another little barbecue (this time with help from our new Sam's Club membership - I know such troublemakers moving to the suburbs and buying a shopping club membership! - btw, no one told me about the little old ladies that give you samples of ridiculously good chocolate cake will insist that you buy some...ooh, then the next lady had penne parmigiana samples - no fair teasing this pregnant lady that is attempting to be healthy). After some eats and a tour of the new place, we headed over to the ridiculously crowded Waterfire downtown. It is the height of the summer and the weather was nearly perfect, so I guess I understand. We were able to carve out our own little spot in the grass and enjoy the view.


The next day we opened J's birthday present early from his parents and we were off to spend his home depot gift cards. We planted some new perennials and annuals in our full sun garden (hoping that J's bunny won't eat them). We also found a hydrangea plant that was so healthy is almost looks fake. People in line were asking us if it was real. It's pinky purple for now, but we can get fertilizer that will turn it blue (hopefully before the end of this season since it lasts through the fall). Here's the before shot, before the flowers fill in and the grass is jazzed up by the new sprinklers we bought.

mystified by the aquarium

Despite missing the off schedule trash pick up this morning, J woke up ready to find something new to do. We ended up deciding to visit Mystic, Connecticut. It turns out it's just over an hour to get there for some good pizza (J says that Mystic Pizza must be good because even Julia Roberts had a big butt in that movie), some New England charm, and a renowned aquarium (which should be called a zoo/history museum or they should just rename it Sea World without the ski jumpers). We arrived a little after lunch time huuungry so we headed straight for Mystic Pizza which isn't the easiest place to find on the edge of the old town strip that is sorta tucked away. Our sausage and pepperoni pizza was some of the best tasting pizza I've ever had - and only part of that was due to how hungry I was.
We went straight over to the Mystic aquarium and as soon as we walked in I was drawn over to the Beluga whales and I'm surprised that we didn't just stay there all day. We visited the sting ray petting area twice before I was brave enough to touch (I was more worried about sticking my hand in the ray piss water and not being able to clean my hand - then don't get me started on my idea that I would rub my eye, then the baby would have some weird ray bacteria to deal with... oh the crazy) We cruised through the indoor exhibit where I swear most of those fish with the little low set mouths have been in my nightmares. I only needed to glance at the gigantic tarantula that eats fish or people thumbs or something crazy (although it still doesn't make sense that they have those big spiders at an aquarium (case number one that it should be a zoo). The sea lion show brought back memories of Sea World minus the hokey pirates, and sadly without the otters that steal fish from the unsuspecting sea lions dressed as sailors. We visited the penquins (more on the story over at the ababybrennan blog). Then we visited the 3D motion ride, which was a last effort to not really be just an aquarium. I had to sit in the out of order chair because pregnant ladies can't take the wild motion for fear they may fall off. It was complete with 3D glasses though so I was still amused. It was essentially a roller coaster mock up in outer space - didn't even attempt to be an underwater deal. strange. Here's my favorite bashful beluga and company:





We topped off the day with dinner at the Voodoo grill with crawfish poboys and pulled pork over cheddar mashed potatoes. Ooh, the New Orleans flair in CT. Then as we watched the sun drop and the draw bridge raise, we ate the best ice cream in Mystic (which I might just believe or maybe I was just hungry again). Good day all around.

happy 4th of a cupcake

Last minute plans to invite some folks over for the 4th followed by a last minute idea to whip out the cake decorating tips to spiff up our cupcakes. Both went off but I think the party was probably more successful than the cupcakes. J, the former professional baker, blamed the equipment. I was in charge of the swirls and J was in charge of whatever you call those white blobs.
We were able to sneak in a couple rounds of bocce and all the grilling before it started drizzling. We made good use of the barn room and the new carpet is still clean - phew. You could hear illegal fireworks going off from every direction. It's nice to break up the work week, but ew was it hard to get back to work today.

mass residents

It's official! We registered our car here in Massachusetts and changed our licenses over (although I have to go back because I didn't have enough docs to prove my new name and we have to get the window tinting stripped from our windows for our registration to be approved - boo). J is surprised that he lives back in the state where he was born, and I'm even more surprised that we are right down the road from the cape where I used to spend the summer on the beach with sand in my toes. Our son will be born here, and by next summer we'll be on the beach with a baby. We've become official New England residents and I caught myself the other day saying that I had to drive 'all the way' to Fall River which is only about 5 miles away (just a little farther than my old Arizona drive to work).

J's bunny

We've officially been here in our new place a month. You notice how long we've been here by small changes. We have new door knobs, a new red door, new carpet, and a sealed deck. J's favorite little baby bunny, who made our backyard its home, is about twice the size. J sweetly monitors his bunny as he diligently takes care of our yard. He's already more tan than he was in Arizona from spending so much time out in the sun working. He's cleared vines out of our bushes, trimmed our hedges, and mowed the lawn (I think) four times already. We still have a blank slate of white in most of the house, but I've already started staring at the paint chips.

fisheye house

Playing with a new zoom wideangle/fisheye lens to get some shots of the new place - I call these the before series II. We've done a little bit more than the original before shots, but we are not even approaching after shots yet. After shots will require something other than the different tones of white. You can see most of our new furniture, but we are still working on the artwork and where we want everything. I left out the two bathrooms since we haven't done much of anything there. We are really feeling settled, and we love visitors!

Our backyard with deck (you see the very edge of J's grill)

Below: A room we affectionately call the barn room. The smallest kitty peanut has taken over this room as her territory and besides walking in and out of the side door and slider to the deck, we haven't used this room as often as the other living room (since we put the comfy furniture in the other). The red couch is a pullout for guests in addition to our guest room upstairs.


Our kitchen - wide and long, but the cabinets are bleh. We are thinking of getting some contrast going with a rich brown/taupe paint on the cabinets before we decide if we want to rip them out. They are in good shape, just can't live with faux whitewash wood over pinky peach.

Our bedroom with our dreamy builtins - We also get our own closets - My double door deal is behind me in this photo.

J's guitar room/office/guest room. The futon cover is being cleaned and this room will need some wallpaper recovery someday.

The very raw baby room - It's really just the bones now, but we have plenty of time.

Our living room area which runs along the side of the house. We plan that this far corner will act as a play area and will eventually house a baby swing, toy box, etc.

The other side of the living room area - This space usually includes me on the couch and J in his new favorite chair. It's nice to have space for bigger and better furniture.

The dining room - On the other wall is the built in china cabinet.

ethan loves new england

"Hey Ethan, how about hanging out with Lauren?" "Yes, please." My childhood best friend came to visit with her six year old this past week. We trekked in all around Rhode Island with a visit to Block Island and Newport as weekend highlights. Providence rolled out a waterfire right on time for their visit.
Memorable moment #211:
"Hey Lauren, I'm going to tell you a joke" - "Ok"
"How long can a goose breathe fire" - "I dunno"
"13 centimeters" - "Ha , I don't get it"
"Sometimes you won't understand every joke"

I think the photos tell the story:








ps. i resaved those photos as flipped and blogger insists on still posting them sideways - help! i give up for now, but that's why your head turns sideways.