B-Day and V-Day…aka ME-DAY!!!!

I love having my birthday on Valentine’s day.  It is a fun holiday and always came with a party and cupcakes in elementary school.   And as Greg will tell you, I milk it for all its worth, even as an adult (now officially in my late 20’s…boo).  So here’s how the weekend went:

It started with a tasty and healthy, ok not so healthy, breakfast from Muncher’s bakery in Lawrence.  Nothing says love like two chocolate iced with pink and red sprinkles.

I dreamt about these the morning of my birthday.

Breakfast was followed by a sugar and fat induced coma-like nap.  Greg didn’t snap a photo of this, but I’ve posted pictures of me napping before, and really, they all look the same.  We watched some of the KU-KSU basketball game, which they thankfully ended up winning. Phil cuddled with his valentine during the game:

Phil and his Valentine

Then we headed out for our early dinner.  We got all gussied-up for our night on the town:

Fancied up and ready to go.

And a tip for the future – if you want to have a nice Valentine’s Day dinner out, and V-day happens to fall on a Saturday, you should make dinner reservations more than 2 weeks in advance, especially if you like to eat dinner after 5pm, as we usually do since we are not yet in our 70’s.  We had a lovely dinner at Bonefish grill.  I splurged for the surf-n-turf.  I had every intention of taking a nice photo of it to share with everyone, but I only remembered these intentions after I had scarfed down about 2/3’s of the meal.  At that point the photo would have been a bit of an embarrassment.  We had hours to kill between dinner and the concert, so we went to a favorite place of mine – the bookstore!  The rest of our evening was spent at a concert at the JCCC Carlsen Center, performed by William Joseph.  The musicians were incredibly talented and I enjoyed the music, although it wasn’t quite Greg’s cup of tea.  And no, I don’t have photos of this either, because I’m not one of the Johnson County a-holes that was taking flash-photography during the concert.  Seriously, people need to realize that even though your phone or camera isn’t making any noise, the stupid screens are incredibly distracting in a darkened theater.  This goes for movies to.  Put the electronics away for a couple hours people, you will survive.

So my birthday was just wonderful, but the fun didn’t end on Saturday.  Sunday was also a bit of a “me” day as well.  Lunch with Erin at Aladdin Cafe and small b-day party with the in-laws…but that, my friends, is another blog post! – see above

Parents’ Weekend

I’ve been falling down on the blogging once again.  Truly, I feel bad posting mundane stuff about our lives, so I try to wait until we do something noteable…this seems to happen very infrequently!  Last weekend we had a very nice visit from my mom and dad.  They came out to spend some time with us (I assume) and to attend a concert at the Lied Center.  The weather cooperated and we got to spend some time outside walking around downtown Lawrence as well as taking the Princess (the most loveable dog, Lucy) on a nice long walk around our neighborhood.

I also had a nostalgic trip down memory lane.  My parents were eager (and quite gleeful) to bring out boxes of my old stuff from their house.  Apparently, they have been awaiting the day when I have a basement of my own to store all this stuff, and the time has come.  I spent hours looking through boxes of old yearbooks, photos, music trophies and art projects.  I had forgotten how much time I spent as a child writing little books.  They are hilarious and I must do a separate post for them later.  From the age of 7-11, I wrote books progressing from hand-written stories on the back side of scratch paper all they way to a book which I hand bound complete with a laminated dust jacket and a blurb of my exciting 11-year old self (yes, with a photograph of myself).  They are hilarious.  It makes me wonder why I stopped writing stories!  I clearly enjoyed it and I find myself thinking all the time how I wish I could write stories.  Anyway, it was very fun to reminisce!

The Princess, wrapped up in Phil's blanket

Lucy made herself quite at home, taking over Phil’s blanket and his favorite love seat.  The cats were exhiled to our bedroom for the duration of the weekend.  No, we didn’t lock them in there, but they quickly realized that it was in their best interest to steer clear of the little wiener dog!

On Saturday night, Greg and I hit the town, or the KU campus actually, for a fancy party in celebration of Charles Darwin.  G works with the KU Natural History Museum and Darwin is kind of a big deal there Its an excuse for everyone to put on their formal wear and party it up.

All dressed up

Then on Sunday, we had a nice day staring with blueberry pancakes for breakfast, followed by a long (and only slightly wandering) walk around our neighborhood.  After a short afternoon siesta, it was back to the kitchen to make dinner before the concert.  I made my first successful roast chicken with smashed sweet potatoes on the side.  The chicken was tasty and cooked through (although there were slight doubts initially) – but I continue to stink at meat carving.  By the time the chicken was carved, it looked rather hacked and mangled…but its the taste that matters, right?

Roast Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

We have another fun weekend coming up.  My birthday is on Saturday and we have dinner and a concert lined up.  I also hear that a small family celebration may be in the works, spear-headed by little Morgan who is always up for a birthday party.  I’ll try to stay on the ball with the camera so I can share the good times with everyone!

A Post for Morgan

Morgan and her Aunt But-ty

This morning I received a call from my 2 year old niece Morgan, after I was texted to ensure that I was awake of course!  Apparently she and my sis-in-law had been looking at our little blog and she had the hankering to speak with her aunt Becky, or aunt But-ty as it is pronounced by the 2-year old.  And in all honesty, it was the most coherent conversation I have had with any of our niece/nephews.  And she is the youngest by years!  I think it just goes to show that girls are born to talk on the phone!  Well, maybe not, but I think its pretty indisputable that we are the better communicators!  Anyway, it really really brightened my day – So I promised Morgan that I would put some more pictures up today, it has been a couple weeks since I’ve posted afterall.

And since I usually give an update of our lives, I will say this – its been a very stressful week (for me more than G) but I think things are looking up.  The worst feeling is being out of control of your situation, and once you have a plan, its much more easy to be optimistic!  I may post something less cryptic later, but I’ll leave you all guessing for now!

And just for Morgan, here are some more pictures!  Many of these are from Christmas, or the days shortly thereafter.

This one is where Kari (Morgan’s mama) put Mogan’s tutu on the dog.  It was inevitable really.

Dance monkey, DANCE!!!

And here are Morgans mommy and daddy being silly on New Year’s eve.  Mike seems to have turned into a wine-snob at some point in the evening.

Mike and Kari on New Year's Eve

Here are some more “traditional” blog photos, such as Greg getting punched in the face by Phil:

Phil delivering the knock-out punch.

And here’s Phil keeping our laundry safe from predators.  I have finally learned my lesson to put the Phil-colored shirts on top!

Phil, the Laundry Protector

New Year’s Day 2009

Lounging on the couch with the Soph-ster

Everyone needs at least one day a year of doing absolutely NOTHING.  So we just got ours over with on the first day of the year!  I seriously did nothing.  Greg was at least building a computer.  I, meanwhile, was providing Sophie a warm place to snooze.

She was such a snuggle-bug all day!

The holidays were so crazy busy this year.  We didn’t go anywhere, but we had so many people over and we prepared so many “nice” meals.  I am SO OVER BAKING!  Sorry Greg, no cookies for a month!  I’ll be up for another batch of sugar cookies around Valentine’s Day.

Even Phil was being lazy.  Here he is checking out some cute kittens on YouTube.

Phil catching up on his YouTube videos.

OK, its off to the gym for me today.  So many cookies, cakes and other confections to work off!

What a Year!!

G & B New Year's 2008-2009

So all may not have been right with the world in 2008.  War, economic issues, scandals – lots of challenges.  But for me and Greg, it was one helluva year!  In case anyone missed the series of posts I did on “Major Life Changes”, here’s a quick run down:

• In January, G started a great new job at KU.  He has been enjoying the challenges that have come with it, as well as the bump in salary!
• In March, I earned my PhD from The University of Arizona in Cancer Biology.  It was a long and challenging road, but it seems like a life-time ago now!  I’m so glad I did it, and don’t think I could ever do it again!

The celebration following my defense.

• In April, I moved back from Tucson to Lawrence, and our long-distance relationship of 5 years finally became a more “normal” relationship.  Such a relief!
• In May I started my new job as a post-doc at KU.
• Also in May, Greg and I bought our beautiful house.  It hasn’t been without its trials and tribulations, but overall, we love our house and are thankful that we are fortunate enough to have a beautiful house of our own.

Our House

• In July, we adopted our wonderful kitty Phil.  He has integrated into our little family so well and we just love him!

What a love these two share!

• In October, we got MARRIED!!!  What a joyful and wonderful day it was.  Of course nothing goes off completely without a flaw, but I remember our day as perfect!

Just Married!

So while we know 2009 doesn’t have a prayer of being as exciting and eventful for us as 2008 was, I certainly hope it is less stressful!  Here’s to a peaceful and happy 2009!

Holiday Fun

Greg Rocking Out

You saw it here first people…Greg finally gave in to playing Guitar Hero!  My brothers and sisters-in-law were over yesterday to celebrate Christmas.  Lots of fun, lots of food and some serious rocking out!

We also spent time this weekend creating a really nice collage on our wall of our beautiful wedding photos:

My handy-man

A Study in Narcissism

I know, it seems totally narcissistic to have THIS many photos of ourselves, but the photos are really gorgeous and well-done (thanks to K) and they remind us of our fabulous wedding!  Plus, it was quite cheap to do since we printed the photos ourselves and bought inexpensive frames.  Plus, as Greg points out, living apart for 5 years, we got very used to having LOTS of pictures of each other around our homes.  When you never get to see your loved ones, you need lots of photos around!

Phil Pillow

Greg is tuckered out from all of the holiday fun.  We have the day “off” today (no one is coming over), and yet another Christmas get-together tomorrow.  Not that I’m complaining, I really love visiting family.  I think I missed it so much when I lived in Tucson that I just can’t get enough of it now!  So I’m trying my hand at brining and roasting a whole turkey, a first for me.  I’ll have to let everyone know how it goes!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas in pajamas

Merry Christmas!  This is how to do it people:  No shower, no make-up, no company, staying in your pajamas with a belly full of home-made cinnamon rolls.  This is how we spent our first Christmas morning together as married folk.  Perfect.  And guess what I got for Christmas?  A new camera!  Its great, a little Canon Powershot – and it takes very QUICK photos.  Its just perfect for catching all of those super-cute cat moments – like this one of Phil playing with his Christmas present – “Blue Mouse”

Phil and Blue Mouse

Seriously, he loves his new present HARD

He never let it get to far away!

After our cozy morning together, we started in on the Christmas day feast.  Roast beef, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, fresh biscuits and cheesecake.  Cooking, cooking, cooking, followed by about 20 minutes of eating..then cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.  Greg was nearly defeated by the mountain of dishes to do!

Can I PLEASE sit down on the couch now???

We hope that all of our friends and family have had a wonderful Christmas.  Spending time with friends and family is absolutely the best part of the holidays, especially now that it seems we are all just to busy to spend enough time with loved ones on a regular basis.  I am off of work until the first full week of January – a bit of a Christmas present to myself.  I hope to read, sleep, cook, relax and see lots of friends and family.  And I’ll be sure to keep my new spiffy camera with me to capture all of the priceless moments!  Happy Holidays to all!

Ahh…Sweet Home Ownership!

Such a tiny tear, such a big headache

Greg and I suffered our first real home owner challenge yesterday, apparently along with a lot of other Lawrence residents.  I came home from work a bit early yesterday afternoon, and as I pulled into the driveway, I started to get a bad feeling.  Despite the dry and very cold conditions yesterday, there was a lot of liquid water coming down our driveway.  “Uh oh, that’s not right”…I thought to myself.  As I furiously pushed the garage door opener button, I looked to my left and right and saw dry driveways up and down the street.  Oh crap.  Well, the garage door finally came up to reveal water pouring out of one of the light sockets in the garage.  Oh crap.

From there, I basically flew into a blind panic.  With shaking hands, I put the key in the front door, picturing in my mind a torrent of water gushing onto my feet as I opened it.  Thankfully, that was not the case.  As I ran through the house looking for flooding, I frantically tried to reach Greg.  Cell phone – no answer.  Office phone – no answer.  Friend at work – no answer.  Finally I texted: “Call NOW – emergency”.  That did it.  Greg was able to calmly instruct me how to turn off the water valve to the house.  That’s when I saw the basement.  Ugh.  Lots of water, but really, most of it was in the unfinished portion of our basement.  When Greg got home he was able to use our handy shop-vac to get nearly all the water off the floor in the basement.  We’ll probably have to have the carpeted portion of the basement professionally cleaned.  Big deal.

Finding an available plumber was also an issue.  I was having the same predicament as a LOT of other people.  Luckily, I was able to find a guy who could get to us within the hour.  All in all, it wasn’t so bad in the end.  Just a couple hundred bucks for the plumber and some drywall patching to be done to the ceiling in our garage.  Its something Greg and some friends can probably handle pretty cheaply.

So here’s to skipping out on work and hour early.  Speaking of work, I have one more day to go until I take holiday time off.  We wish all of our friends and family a safe, relaxing, and emergency-free Holiday Season!

Vegas Vacation

Greg in front of the Fountains at Bellagio

We are fresh back from our trip to Las Vegas.  Are we glad that we went to celebrate our friends’ wedding?  Of course.  Are we glad to have had the “Vegas experience” so we don’t feel like we’re missing anything?  Uh, sure.  Will we be voluntarily returning to Las Vegas?  Not at all likely.  It certainly is a unique experience, but just not up our ally.  Why you ask?  Well, I will indulge your curiosity with a compilation of our grievances, in bullet point format, because that’s how I roll.  Oh, and I will also list the things we liked, although it will be a shorter list, centered mainly around food.

Why we were hating on Vegas:

• Our hotel.  The Excaliubur.  If you have ever been to Las Vegas and have seen or been into the Excalibur, you need not read further to know why we hated it so hard.  From the outside, it looks like a ridiculous real-life rendering of a Disney animated movie set, complete with fake castle spires done up in primary colors.  Walking in only makes it worse.  The smell of desperation and cigarette smoke was almost unbareable.  After making our way through a mile of slot machines to the registration desk, Greg and I both said almost simultaneously (true story)- “is it bad that I’m hating this already?”  We are so alike its scary.  Well, our room was no better, although the stench of cigarette smoke was replaced with the slightly more comforting smell of a strong disinfectant.  Needless to say, we spent VERY LITTLE time in our hotel.
• The onslaught of advertising.  It is absolutely everywhere.  It is what my worst idea of the future looks like.  Everywhere your eye turns, there is something flashing and moving and screaming at you to buy something.  And I didn’t want to buy any part of it.
• 6am fireworks.  Seriously.  To kick off the Las Vegas marathon (the same day as our friends’ wedding), they had a 15 minute big-scale fireworks display.  Did I mention it was 6 am and we thought that it was either a freak thunderstorm or perhaps a terrorist attack?  Luckily, Greg could not sleep at all, so he happened to be awake and somewhat aware of our surroundings when the random fireworks were set off.
• Our 4am airport shuttle pick-up this morning.  Waking up at 3:30 am should be against the law.   And we are clearly to old to power through the night and just stay up for it.  4 hours of sleep is better than none in my universe.

This is where we wished we were staying.

OK, enough with the complaining.  Here are some things we liked.

• My friend Erin insisted that if we do nothing else, we must go to see the Fountains at the Bellagio.  Thank you Erin, they were beautiful!

The Fountains at Bellagio

• After the fountains, we officially began our weekend of gluttony at the restaurant Olives at the Bellagio.  It was delish.  We also had wonderful food at Rumjungle (after the wedding) and The Chocolate Swan (pure dessert heaven).  The food everywhere was beyond tasty, and it was about to push us beyond the limits of our pants.
• While we’re discussing food, cast your eyes upon this little slice of heaven that could only happen in Vegas:

A buffet plate I'm mildly ashamed of.

We enjoyed the brunch at The Mandalay Bay.  It was crazy.  The plate I got     on my (sorry, can’t admit) n’th trip to the buffet consisted of (from top of plate in clockwise order):  Breaded shrimp, pancake with pecan syrup, french toast, bacon, pork pot-sticker and mashed potatoes and gravy.  I could not resist photographing this masterpiece both because of its unique Vegas buffet beauty, and because joking about it made me feel less bad about eating it (which I did, and I liked it).  We stayed at the buffet a long time, because it takes a long time to eat $24 worth of buffet food, in my opinion.

• I also enjoyed our Spa day at the Mandalay Bay.  It was relaxing and awesome and I want to be there everyday for at least 2 hours.

So all in all, we are glad to have gone because weddings are always awesome…but we are happy as hell to get to sleep in our own house with our own cats in our own bed.  Home sweet home.

Crazy Cat People

Our Favorite Present

Greg and I are going to Las Vegas for a short trip this weekend to help celebrate the wedding of some friends of ours.  As not much else very exciting is going on around here, I wanted to leave everyone the latest editions of “Holy Crap that Cat is Cute!”

You can't see me!!!

Phil loves him some blankets!

I know we have officially become “crazy cat people”.  We are about 1 step away from dressing the cats up in Santa costumes and making a Christmas card with them (seriously, we would except the cats would surely not be having it) – but who cares!  We enjoy providing these two cuties with the most wonderful possible home.  A nice weekend to all and we’ll bring back some Vegas pictures to share!