A preview

I am starting the process of picking favorites from our wedding photos to share with you (as promised).  This is not an easy task because I love them all!  I ran across this one tonight and just had to share.  Many more to come...

Many overdue weekends...

Ok, the moment you have all been waiting for...what makes Scott tick?  What was so exciting at Home Depot?  Prepare to be disappointed because it is no more than a portable grill!  

After evaluating about 10 options, a phone call for male input and a few eye rolls from me, we walked out with this puppy.  The answer to what makes Scott tick, though, is his tailgate.  It is like a switch clicks in his head to "tailgating planning master" and it is hard to get him back.  From the moment the email goes out to friends and family, the wheels are turning with ideas on how to make this one that much better!

This year we made our way to the Stanford v. USC game.  We donned our best red accessories (this is the last year for that...Buffs join the Pac10 next year) and headed south to get set up for the big tailgate.  This year, Michelle, Aimee and Kristina jumped on the tailgate bandwagon and talk about being stocked and ready for the day!  We had:

-Chips

-Dip, Guac, etc...

-Beer

-Wine

-Champagne

-Water

-Deviled Eggs

-Pasta Salad

-Hot Dogs

-Hamburgers

-Caprese Salad (thanks Andrea!)

-Salami (Andrea again...you must bring a chef to your next tailgate)

-Brats

-Cookies

-Cupcakes

-Kabobs

-Corn Hole

-Ladder Game

-25+ people

-Chairs

Ok, you get the idea.  It was ridiculous.  We packed a Rav 4 and Tahoe full of supplies for our big day.  I would call it a resounding success.  I manned the phone this year so Scott could enjoy "his" tailgate and everyone managed to find our little plot of land.  Definitely an annual tradition that we will continue!  I do get a bit nervous about how Scott plans to top this one though!!  

Andrea can saber a champagne bottle-not a bad party trick!

The boys tailgating, Scott with his Gloria, Tanner preparing to drive the Rav away, Scott and his nieces.

Kate and I tailgating

A quick rewind...I failed to mention that Katie was in town this weekend (if you hadn't figured that out from the picture above)!  We got to spend Friday through Sunday night taking the city and surrounding areas by storm.  Friday night we took Katie to one of our favorites, The House.  The food is just oh so good!  


As you saw, Saturday was a bit busy as well!  Why stop there?  Sunday we packed up and headed to, where else, Napa! We did switch up the order of things a bit to keep it fresh.  First stop, Mondavi.  Then we headed across the street to Cakebread.  This was my first visit there and it definitely exceeded expectations.  

Kate and I at Rutherford Grill.

Kate with her new Cakebread wine!

We learned a neat trick to aerate wine and put a few years on it.  Just roll back and forth and for every 30 seconds it ages a year.  It is incredible to taste the difference.

We ended the day at Gloria, of course!  It was a jam packed, fun weekend!  Come back soon, Kate!!!

Obviously I am very behind in by blogging because I am officially three weekends behind.  The weekend after Kate's visit was very low key and the camera didn't even make an appearance.  Lots of couch time, a massage for me, and more couch time. 

We needed the weekend to recover and prepare for all of our Giants cheering!  It is a very exciting time to be in San Francisco!!  Unfortunately they went to Philly to clinch it but we sure had fun being in the stands.  

Nice view of the Bay Bridge from our seats.

Don't worry Mom, it is just the weird light...I am not quite this pale!!

This weekend we continued our theme of taking it easy, but headed over to the Strand Fam's for some pumpkin carving and Giants watching fun on Saturday night.  Oh, and I got a haircut.  We aren't talking about it.  

I got a bit of a domestic wind and decided to make cookies and cupcakes for  our night of pumpkin fun!

The littlest Giants fan enjoying his juice box! 

All our hard work paid off!

"We're going to the World Series!!!"

I do believe we are now caught up.  One of these days I will get my act together and be a better blogger! It is definitely more fun to write when the stories are fresh in my mind.  I am sure it makes for better reading too.  I'll see what I can do :-).

And we're off

**note that I am a week behind...another update for this weekend coming in the next day or so**

No, not off to the races or off to work...just "off".  This weekend was just one of those weekends where Scott and I both had a little trouble getting it together.  We weren't terribly motivated to do anything or really feeling very peppy.  As a result, we did a lot of relaxing.  I think it was the first time since the wedding so it was a nice change of pace (though don't expect it to last).


Friday we went to the Giants game to watch them clinch their playoff spot.  I boogied out of work at about 4:30 for the festivities and to join in the sea of orange and black that had taken over 3rd & King St.  While we had a great time at the game, the playoff spot was not secured and I took home one very depressed husband.  After a very tense weekend we finally got our spot on Sunday...go Giants!

The Hyland Family was rooting for the home team as well! 

Saturday we had a rather domestic day of going to Target and Home Depot.  Oh, Target, how I love thee and your rows and rows of items that I absolutely do not need but somehow end up in my cart. It truly is a bond that cannot be broken.  Yet, Target does leave me broke.  Without fail, $100 leaves my bank account on each visit.  I should really not be left unattended at this establishment.

I will discuss our Home Depot trip during next week's post as it pertains to a certain obsession of Scott's that can only be shared with photo documentation.

Sunday we decided to be slightly more motivated and headed out armed with gift cards to work on our registry completion!  Oh what fun it is to buy things and not have your bank account change!  We finished off our pots and pans and knife set and it might be as great as a trip to Target.  I now get excited to head home and chop vegetables for dinner with our freakishly sharp knives!

After all of this domestic errand running we felt a little bad for our cute little pomeranians so we packed up the car and headed to the beach.  Arnold Pomeranian has always been a landlocked dog so this was his first trip to the beach.  He was definitely fired up and kept attacking Lola to try and get her to play.  Unfortunately, we waited until too late in the evening and the tide was extremely high and the waves were quite angry - like Brittany Spears swinging an umbrella at the paparazzi angry!  All I could imagine was Arnold being swept up and out by the water, his little eyes looking at me and me drowning trying to save my little Snooch.  Therefore, his first trip to the beach was a little lame but don't worry we will be back and there will be a sandy salt water mess to prove it!

A beautiful day at the beach?

Scott perched on our wonderful picnic spot.  

Lola doesn't mind the less than ideal Nor Cal beach conditions!

Burrrrrrrrr.......

I think that might qualify as the longest blog post about absolutely nothing of consequence.  But, there it is.  You might want to start preparing for next week because this weekend is going to be so awesome that it might just blow your mind reading about it!

One Big Dilemma

Today I have opted to blog about something other than what we did last weekend or last night (we went the Giants game, just in case you were curious).  

Today, I blog about my hair.  Yes, the truly exciting topic of whether or not to cut my hair.  You see, I have worked very hard to get my hair where it is today!  Ok, so it hasn't actually been "work" but I did go through the stress of the awkward length, resisting the temptation to chop it regularly, and just generally dealing with this mane of hair I have.  

Now that I have made it through the wedding, up-do complete, I can do anything I want.  Before the wedding I swore I would chop it off at the first chance I got.  Well, I have had plenty of time and can't seem to pull the trigger.  

I love my hair short.  I actually think it looks better on me and my face but I also love blow drying my nice long hair and watching it fall to my back.  I think it is pretty.  Plus, if I cut it, I can't use this fabulous new invention! 

These are incredible.  Just twirl them in and your bun stays better than any amount of hair spray/bobby pin combo!

Let's play the pros and cons game...

Keep Long Hair:

Pro

Can shower at night and pull it back in the morning (i.e.-more sleep)

More hair style options

I haven't cut my hair in about a year! 

Con

Looks like a mane (or pile of hay) sometimes

Makes me lazy about actually styling my hair

Chop Hair:

Pro

Looks better on my face

Can wear tiny pony on top of my head 

In a hair disaster can scrunch it and it will hold

I am pretty sure Scott likes it short better (Scott?)

Con

Can't just throw it in a pony tail

Little pony on top of my head makes me look like I'm 5 

No shower at night option

Maintenance haircuts

Yep, pretty sure I just ended up right back where I started.  No idea what to do.  HELP ME!!!

The cute short hair

More short hair...sorry about the accessory in the picture, it was a birthday gag gift (and not even for us)

Pretty long hair

Again, pretty long hair

The previously mentioned mane (this long hair is really hit or miss)

Working for the weekend

I used to be working for the wedding, but now that my wonderful three week vacation is over I work for the weekends once again.

I will have to say it is nice to have our weekends back to get out and explore our city and other nearby areas (aka Napa). It is also nice to see our friends again without having to fit in napkin selection, card stock selection, printing, shipping, etc... into our weekends.  

Our first weekend back we headed to Robert and Karina's to celebrate Catharina's 2nd birthday.  Sorry, no pictures...we were still very jetlagged and I was incapable of remembering anything, including the camera.  The rest of the weekend was filled with laundry, cleaning (two dogs+3 weeks=VERY dirty house), and football watching.  Once again, so nice to just be able to kick back and relax.  And, yes, cleaning falls in the relaxing category for me.  Don't get me wrong, I am spent afterwards but I find some crazy joy in cleaning the house.  

This past weekend started a bit early with an EC1 Summer Party on the Bay.  We sailed out for the afternoon and enjoyed the beautiful fall weather while dressed as pirates.  The night continued and Scott met us for some fun out on the town.

Out on the boat...Arrrrrrrrrrr....

 

 My mustache.

Saturday Scott ventured out to watch the Razorbacks game with Kyle and his Dad, David.  The poms and I joined the Strand Fam for a trip down to the marina, dinner, and some delicious wine.  We even got some additional visitors at the Strand household, the Hylands.  

 Didn't I look nice for dinner?

Why stop there?  I mean, we don't have anything we have to do anymore but why should that stop us from trying to jam in as much as possible during the weekends?

Sunday we packed up our "kids" and headed up to Sonoma.  You have to give us credit for at least switching it up from Napa to Sonoma!  You see, we had to pick up our wine at Gloria and then we had to pay a visit to Maya.  Maya is a Mexican restaurant in Sonoma that has the "best margarita ever".  This according to Steve & Eilene Koon anyway.  Funny little side note, I have been to Maya once before this weekend and it was the weekend that I met Scott.  Now you all say, "Awwwwwwwwwww"!  Anyway, we felt like we needed to evaluate said margaritas and they definitely lived up to the hype.  We had a wonderful meal outside in the shade with the poms (it was 98 degrees) and then strolled over to the park to meet the Strand Fam.

 AP relaxing at Gloria

 Scott, too!

 At Maya (yes, Lola was there too, she just wouldn't stop moving long enough for a picture)

You see, by coincidence they were up in Sonoma at Train Town and then heading into the Square for lunch.  Lucky us, there was a fair going on so there was some great people watching and the kids got some ice cream cones!  

 Miss K

Tanner stopping in for a bite.

After getting close enough to heat stroke for one day we all piled back in the car, turned the A/C on full blast and headed back to the city.  

As you can tell, we are back to our regular habits.  Not sure whether that means the blog will be more or less entertaining.  I am going to try to make an effort to not just make this blog weekend recaps moving forward.  I might start giving unsolicited opinions about products I use or just general point of view updates.  Or, you can tell me what you want to hear about...I am up for making this blog moderately more interesting!  I can't commit to a lot more interesting just yet!  ;-)

Last but not least!

Our final day in Rome, we set off in the morning for the Coliseum. Albeit, moving a little slow after the birthday festivities!

We arrived and decided to take one of the 20 people, selling tours without standing in line, up on their offer. Maybe it was the hangover, but our tour guide was TOO informative. We came to learn about the Coliseum and Gladiators and ended up with a 40 minute history lesson on all of Rome. So, as soon as we made it inside, we decided to defect from our group and explore on our own. While I am sure he had some great stories and information, we enjoyed envisioning the seats packed with people and Russell Crowe emerging from below!

The only thing we had a time frame for in Rome was the Vatican. After all, we had to get there to thank the Pope for Scott's annulment. Honestly, it probably would have been easier to just fly it to him ourselves! But, he was busy (probably signing annulments since this apparently takes quite a long time) so we headed on to the Vatican Museum.

Holy art! Once again, we skipped the tour and opted to decipher everything for ourselves. Maybe not the brightest idea but I am not sure I could have stood to be one of the tour groups clogging up every hallway in the place! We did see some incredible things, including the embalmed mummy. Oh, and the Sistine Chapel. You'll have to Google it to see it, no pictures allowed. Ok, in all seriousness, it was incredible. We just stood and stared for a good 20 minutes. It is hard to wrap your mind around the vision that it took and then the time it took to paint such a masterpiece.

After finding our way out of the museum (this is harder than it sounds), we wondered back to St. Peter's Square where we pondered whether to try and get into the Basilica. We were under the impression that once again you needed tickets and it might just be a lost cause so late in the day. We decided it was worth a shot and jumped in line.

Quick sidebar...after leaving the museum we were on a mission to get another suitcase. We had officially purchased too much wine to fit into our luggage and under weight limits. So, we bartered with a street vendor and walked away with a souvenir roller bag for 15 euro.

As we stood in line with our newly claimed piece of luggage, sweating in our long pants (necessary to get into the museums and Basilica), we came to realize that all it took to get in was a trip through security. SO glad we decided to get in line. The Basilica is beyond unbelievable. It is hard to even know where to look it is so breathtaking and elaborate. We thought St. Ignatius was massive and gorgeous...the Basilica makes it look like a baby church.

The entire Vatican experience was a favorite of mine. I would love to go back and make it to a mass. I can't imagine anything could be more impressive.

Our final day concluded with a quick nap (in our incredible beds which adjust so you can raise your feet after a long day of walking) and a final delicious Italian dinner.

While leaving clearly doesn't make me happy, coming home to our little poms made returning to reality bearable! Can't wait for our next visit!

Arrivederci!!!

Happy 40th!

...and we're back.

The day we headed to Rome from Tuscany was also Scott's 40th birthday. While it is never a bad deal to celebrate your birthday in Italy, I definitely qualify for worst wife of the year by doing nothing to prep for the big day. Between the wedding and last minute honeymoon planning I didn't manage to do anything for my new husband. Luckily, he more than understood and we took Rome by storm to celebrate!

Our day began by checking into our phenomenal hotel. Robert and Karina made the recommendation and surprised us with a few extras! THANK YOU! Once again, it was hard to leave our room! However, after drinking our celebratory champagne we managed to head out to begin our sightseeing.

Yep, there were bellinis, gorgeous views, an amazing room, and my purse even got a special seat ;-)!

We also managed to squeeze in the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon! With only a day and half in Rome we used every possible moment.

Make a wish!

Dinner was fairly entertaining...we asked for a lively, good restaurant and were able to get a reservation nearby. We got all gussied up, but when we arrived we were the only two people in sight. The poor kid waiting on us was so nice that we got suckered into a drink and appetizer before feigning fullness and quickly finding another restaurant. The food wasn't tremendous at our new place but there was great people watching and celebrating to be had.

All in all, I think Scott had a great birthday. He was even able to get some football on TV!

Happy Birthday, Lovey! Can't wait to celebrate a lifetime more with you!

I had a mission to finish this tonight but I have to throw in the towel and catch some zzzzz's. Only one day to go, stay tuned!