Punkin' Party

On Monday night, we were graciously invited over to Casa de Sholtz to carve some pumpkins and share in fall merriment. We accepted the invite and had a lovely time. I will let Dean's great pictures tell the rest of the story.

From Punkin Party

Mike getting a Lilly kiss... (thanks for the name correction, Mer)

From Punkin Party

The always adorable Bishop

From Punkin Party

Ladies cleaning out their punkins! (Mer, Alivia and Courtney)

From Punkin Party

The host making sure no one is destroying his house

From Punkin Party

Scary - Jason with knives!

From Punkin Party

Trying to find my muse in the punkin!

From Punkin Party

Scooping out the guts

From Punkin Party

Fay's reaction to my punkin

From Punkin Party

Boys tired of punkins - probably talking football (Mike and John)

From Punkin Party

Courtney's completed punkin

From Punkin Party

The girls and their punkins! (me, Alivia, Courtney, Mer)

From Punkin Party

Alivia's Masterpiece!

From Punkin Party

Cookie's artwork!

From Punkin Party

Courtney's classic!

From Punkin Party

Socially forward messaging from Mer!

From Punkin Party

My punkin's "O" face!

From Punkin Party

Enjoying the feeling of carving success

From Punkin Party

Trinity Park never looked so good!

From Punkin Party

Til next year!

Restaurant Review: Grayson's Cafe

Grayson's Cafe
2300 Chapel Hill Rd
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 403-9220

Saturday morning I decided that the normal weekend breakfast of peanut butter and jelly toast was just not going to cut it for me this weekend. I needed something hearty and warm. It was rainy (albeit a bit muggy) outside, and I wanted a real breakfast. I looked at Mike and said, "Want to go to Grayson's?" Grayson's Cafe is on Chapel Hill Road in Durham. Before Mike and I lived together, I passed it each and every time I drive to his house from mine. And each time I went by I thought, "I should eat there some day." I had read good things about it from Carpe Durham and other online reviews, so I figured it would be yummy. And boy was I right!!

On Saturday morning at about 10am, the restaurant had about 5 tables full. The rest of the restaurant was empty. I'm hoping this was because most of the town decided to get up and moving far before 10am, unlike my husband and me. We sat down at a quaint table near the back wall and were instantly greeted by a very friendly young woman who took our drink orders. Within a few moments, an older woman who looked a bit exhausted (also making me think we had just missed the morning rush), came and took our orders. The menu was great for breakfast - omelets, breakfast platters, a la carte items. I decided on the Vegetarian Omelet, but coming in a close second was the Spanish Omelet. Mike opted for the "Girl I'm Hungry Breakfast", the smaller partner to the "Boy I'm Hungry Breakfast". Don't let the names fool you - you have to be pretty darn hungry to make it through either!

When the food was delivered to the table, we were both in awe of our plates. My omelet was beautiful. Fluffy and chock full of veggies. Tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, onion, spinach (fresh, not frozen), cheddar cheese - oh my! Just beautiful to see and even better to eat. I also had a size of the potato pancakes, which I didn't love but eventually grew on me, and some wheat toast. Mike's platter consisted of country ham, potato pancakes, two fried eggs, a biscuit and a pancake. The biscuit ended up coming home with us.

The omelets seem like they are a sure bet. Fresh ingredients and beautifully made. The pancakes were good - not stellar, but good. I look forward to going back and trying new items soon! And the prices could not be beat. As Carpe Durham pointed out, I like this place a lot more than Elmo's, and the cost is lower with less crowding in the restaurant. Two thumbs up for Grayson's!

The hunt is on

Hi, all - Not too much to report here. Well, there is and there isn't. I've been hard at work trying to close my first two loans as loan officer, and I am learning that 1) when you think something is simple, it never is and 2) when you think a loan will close, delay that twice, change the terms, and then think about closing. The ups and downs of real estate are just crazy.

In other news, the academic job market is heating up. Schools are making calls and asking questions. Mike has already flown out to one location and has another fly out scheduled the first week of November. He's had another phone interview and heard rumors of short lists at other places. It will still be a while before we know which way is up, but if things continue as they have been, we may have a good chance at knowing where we will be in a year!

I don't mention the schools here by name because the academics fighting for these jobs sometimes resort to the behaviors of children to disrupt the process. I can tell you all about further down the line, and once we have some definites in place, I will pass that on as well.

Here's to a nice fall weekend!

Restaurant Review: Enoteca Vin

http://www.enotecavin.com/

Friday night was both Mike and Brendan's birthday. To celebrate in a special way, the two birthday boys and their spouses piled into a car and drove all the way to the big city of Raleigh. I made reservations at Enoteca Vin through the www.opentable.com system, and unfortunately upon our arrival we were told there was no reservation for us despite receiving two confirmation e-mails from the reservation service.

Luckily, the restaurant wasn't packed - probably due to the rainy and cold weather - and they were able to accomodate us anyway. We were seated and promptly greeted by our server. The great thing about this place is how you get to order wine. You can order a 1.5oz, 3 oz or 5 oz serving of wine. Many of the 1.5 oz servings are priced as low as $1.50. You can try a few different wines and not be held to drinking a full glass, or if you just want a nip of wine with dinner, there you have it. This was quite a treat. I had two 3 oz samples of the couple zinfandels on the menu (red, not white).

The menu changes on a regular basis and is based around what's fresh at the time. We were all happy with our choices and our selections. Mary and I both started off with the butternut squash soup with creme fraiche. Fantastic. Thick and flavorful - I love soups you can actually eat with a fork. Mike chose the mussels, and I believe Brendan tried some sort of salmon. For the main course, Mike had snapper over field peas and capers, Brendan had some sort of steak, Mary had a calamari salad, and I decided to go the mini plate route. I ordered 3 mini plates - roasted radishes, pomme frites with vinegar mayo, and deviled eggs. A weird combo? Maybe, but it was wonderfully tasty! For dessert, each couple split a pecan tart with brown sugar ice cream and coffee on the side.

The ambience of the restaurant was great. Casual yet chic. Our waiter was attentive as well. We even received a "gift from the kitchen" of four figs stuffed with bleu cheese, then carmalized and drizzled in balsalmic vinegar. Excellent over french bread. I would definitely return to Enoteca Vin. We went a bit crazy with the ordering since it was a birthday celebration, so the dinner bill was a *tad* higher than we would normally pay for dinner (probably an understatement to say a *tad*). But this restaurant could really be enjoyed for a reasonable price by sharing dishes. Two thumbs up for Enoteca Vin - even worth the drive to Raleigh!

Happy birthday to.....

....my dear husband, happy birthday to you! Welcome to your thirties, my darling!!!!

Have a wonderful day, a wonderful evening, and a wonderful new decade!

Why our health system is flawed

I received an e-mail this morning saying that a claim had been processed under my health insurance policy. Thanks to the handy website my insurance provider has, I was able to go look at the detailed charges, what was paid, and was able to confirm I had nothing else.

The history: I went for a physical a couple of weeks ago. I hadn't had one since I was about 15 (besides the requisite girl doctor visits once a year), and I hadn't had blood work done since I had become a vegetarian. Just to make sure everything was in check, I figured I would go get checked out. Therefore, at the physical, I had blood drawn and had lab work done. Below are the charges for that work:

The service provider charged $132, yet my insurance company only had to pay $6.05???? Yet, I still paid my $25 copay??? WHAT THE HELL? The math is insane. It makes no sense at all. If we can really get away with charging $6.05 for lab work, why don't we just charge $6.05 for labwork so everyone can have it done??????? I am baffled.

Faith

Faith.

Here lately I have been questioning faith. Not just faith in the religious sense, but also faith in self, faith in others and faith in the world. Are they that unrelated? I’m not sure. What role does faith play in your life?

I am not a religious person. I attempted a life of church guided faith a few times in my life. Once was when my Mom and I were on our own living in an apartment complex in Rosenberg, Texas. A school bus painted white and blue, owned by the local Baptist church, would come pick up any kid willing to board and take them to church for the morning. A big group of us would wait on Sunday mornings, board the bus, then immediately start singing bible songs on the way to our destination. Once we arrived, we all filed into the “Little Red Church” where we colored biblical scenes, learned about Biblical characters and we learned about what God does and does not want us to do. It was during those learnings that my Baptist education was doomed. When I went home one day upset because my mom was going to hell due to her divorce, my trips to the “Little Red Church” abruptly ended.

Once I hit my teen years, I decided to search out church life on my own yet again. A good friend of mine was a member of the local Methodist church, and I often accompanied her youth group to the amusement park and miscellaneous outings. I liked the people I spent time with and figured that life in this church may be different. Right as I made this decision, the church was starting its yearly confirmation classes. I decided to jump on board and go all in. I successfully made it through my coursework, was eventually baptized in front of the congregation, and I was confirmed into the Methodist Church. All was going well – I enjoyed the uplifting messages, and I got to see my friends. My Mom would drop me off each Sunday morning, or I would stay the night with a friend who would be going to church with me on Sunday. Then, the letter came. “Dear Ms Newman – We will have to remove you from the church roster as an active member because you are not tithing.” Excuse me? 10% of $0 is $0. I was hurt, sad and shocked. Is that what it took to be part of the church? Money? It ended my affiliation with organized religion and has permanently tainted my views of any further religious affiliations later in my life. I understand the church’s need for cash, but I don’t want my affiliation based on how much I do or do not give. In my world, love is free.

With that early experience jostling me out of the realms of organized religion, I started to actually pay attention to more of the teachings that bothered me. Top on the list – we are all sinners. That one always got me. I had to be baptized to wash my sins away before I could be confirmed. I would go to hell if I hadn’t been cleansed. How on earth did I deserve that? I was a good kid. Sure, I messed up sometimes, but overall I didn’t think I had done anything damnable. There was the one instance of cutting my Mom’s brand new shower curtain with the scissors, but she forgave me for that years before. Why on earth are we all labeled sinners?

Because of my suspiciousness of the church in its ways, I still have a habit of trying to figure out what the secret purpose of the church’s teachings may be. Is it to try and get you to be afraid? To give money? To ensure certain people have power? To ensure certain people do not have power? And I just never got why we all needed to be labeled as sinners. Sure, it got people into the pews every week looking for forgiveness and to learn to be a better person. I get that part. But there was just something missing. That explanation was too obvious. What else could it be?

And just a few days ago, it hit me. I think I know why we all have to be sinners. And I realize that this labeling is a gift. A true and absolute gift. We are all sinners; therefore, none of us needs to be and can never be…perfect. Do you know how much pressure that removes from us? It’s not saying, “hey, go do what you want, you crazy sinner!” It is saying, “No matter how hard you try, no matter how much you want it to be…you will never…EVER….be perfect.” And that allows us to make mistakes. It allows us to not beat ourselves up each day for the myriad of failures we so often face. A bad interview, an angry boss, a neglected duty, a stupidity that later bites us in the ass. But the truth is – we all mess up. Every day. It is part of being a human, and I believe it is an important part of the human experience. The pedestal of perfection does not exist - and cannot exist.

Learning to fall off one’s false pedestal is an important part of life. I used to sit on a shining pedestal myself. I was on it all through elementary, middle and high school. Straight A’s every year (except that damn handwriting grade), cheerleader, president of the National Junior Honor Society, flag corps, drum major, peer advisor…the list goes on and on. By high school, I am pretty darn sure I thought I knew everything. Sure, I had made a few mistakes here and there, but life was lining up like I had hoped. I managed to get scholarships to college, I was able to attend the school I dreamed of attending, and I felt special. I was one of the smart kids who always did the right thing (ha!), and all I had to do was keep it up. Secretly, it was nerve-wracking. How on earth do you continue keeping those ridiculously high standards alive? The stress of trying to get A’s all the time. The pressure of the student groups and time commitments. No one imposed this on me. I took it on myself. I strived for perfection. Every decision had to be right.

Then college was not what it should have been. Lost in classes of 500 people, I felt anonymous and unimportant. I had yet to learn how to study, and in a huge lecture class no one knew if you were there or if you weren’t. So I wasn’t. A lot. I became the not important anonymous girl. But I made it through. I didn't excel, but I graduated college in 4 years with a reasonable, although not exceptional GPA. Was this fall from "perfection" useful for college? Hell No. But I can tell that from where I stand now, it was useful for life.

Once you get your feet on solid ground, you can go anywhere. There’s no fear of impact anymore. No need to stay ahead of everyone else or hold yourself to a self-imposed set of unattainable standards. Are there giant hazards on the ground, too? Sure there are. I have definitely faced them – divorce, unhappiness with my career, ending relationships. I have hit a few roadblocks along the way. But you know what? I made it through. With a lot of therapy and good friends to show me good times. But I made it through.

It was once I accepted the fact that “I’m a sinner” (in a non religious way, of course) that I was able to let go and eventually enjoy just being. Therapy helped teach me that. Did I ever screw up? Yes, I did. Did I make some mistakes? Yes, I did. Am I still living and breathing and trying to enjoy each day? Yes, I am. I keep moving forward and to this day I try to do the best I can each and every day to everyone around me. I have a chosen the life of a “do-gooder” who seeks out employment that helps people rather than searching for a paycheck that will help me. I live by the Golden Rule and strive to be a good person every day. But I also know that I screw up. I say the wrong thing, I mess up at work, I make someone made because I’m mad, I shoot off at the mouth without thinking and I just plain make mistakes. Do I dwell on them? No. Life is too short, and I know that making mistakes is how I unfortunately learn a lot about myself and the people around me.

So, in the long of it, I do have faith. I have faith in people and the goodness within. And I have faith that the mistakes I make are just the things that make me human. If it wasn’t for my dumb mistakes, I could never appreciate the best decisions in my life. Thanks, church, for teaching me that YES - I am a sinner. It is the best lesson I have yet to learn.

A visit with the past

Saturday was an interesting day. As it was my self-declared possible last Beerfest, it was a special one. As the tickets are now $40 a pop and the cost is probably on the continued increase, and the fact that Michael and I would like to start having kids sometime in the near future (near future meaning with in the next few years) was the driving force behind this decision. But if next year’s Raleigh Beerfest comes up at a reasonable price and life decisions seem to make sense, then sure, we will go. But anyway – several people knew this may be the last Beerfest for us for a variety of reasons.

Having Ed and Amy here was wonderful. As they, too, were aware this may be our last fest, they didn’t want to miss it. Having them here made the day especially wonderful. The whole weekend for that matter, as they stayed with us until Sunday morning.

Anyway, back to Saturday. First three hours went great. Had several great beers and a few I had never tried before. I was tipsy, but not out of control. It was a beautiful day, and I was enjoying the festivities with a few thousand of my closest friends. At some point, my group decided on a mass trip to the restrooms. As I had already gone right before, I decided to stay put. I recall saying, “I will stay right here. Please come back and get me.” Well, either I moved or they did because I spent quite some time standing in that one spot. While standing in that spot, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

I turned around and saw my former sister in law, Amy. I hadn’t seen Amy for several years. In fact, I hadn’t seen her since before my ex and I separated. As I assumed that Nathaniel and I’s separation would lead to permanent dis-involvement from his family, I never contacted anyone to say "good bye" or even "I’m sorry." So for Amy to walk up and say hello to me with a smile on her face was almost more than I could handle. And in fact, it was. I balled. Like a baby. Worse – a drunken baby. A baby who had tried 30 some odd beers in the past three hours while standing in the hot sun crying type baby. Good lord – my stomach flips even thinking about it now. I gave Amy a ridiculously huge hug. I told her how I had missed them all – which is very true. I was blessed with some amazing connections through my ex’s family.

Everyone knows divorce is hard, but it’s not just because of the splitting of two people. Two families are also divided. I left behind another set of parents, siblings and even my dog. My world flipped those years ago. As did all the family members on both sides.

There I stood. Amy smiled and said that my other former brother and sister in law and their brand new twins were standing near by under another tent. I asked, “Would they mind if I said hello?” Geez. I was a blubbering wreck. I went over and said hello – they looked at me and said hello. I was drunk. Great. Totally how you want to see your former inlaws. I gave hugs and said congratulations. I said I was very happy and recently married. They asked where my husband was and I had to reply that I had no idea – I had lost him about 30 minutes or so before. Right about that time my phone rang. It was my husband. I said my goodbyes to my former family and again gave huge hugs – ridiculously tipsy and probably too long hugs.

Recalling the events the next day, and even now, I feel slightly embarrassed. The crying was way over the top – but I’m an emotional person and sometimes that happens. But their friendliness and welcoming towards me was positively wonderful. Thank you so much for your kindness. Then and now.

And to recover from the incident, I had a few more beer samples under the tents. Bad idea. I spent a good chunk of the next several hours curled up in bed. At least I went out with a bang!

Beer Fest

Here are some snapshots from Beerfest. The weather was beautiful, and the new location seemed to work well, too. Although the white covering on the field was nearly blinding at times. I will write more about some other Beerfest happenings later, but for now the photos can tell some of the story!

It's like Christmas Eve...

TOMORROW IS BEER FEST! YAY!!!! It is really and truly one of the best days of the year. We have a huge group going this year, so it should be an awesome time. We are doing the afternoon session with a post-party at our house, as tradition. I am like a little kid bouncing around at work and so ready to get out of here for the day. Ed and Amy should be in town by now, which is super exciting. And tomorrow morning, a bunch of folks will meet at our house, we will pile into cars, and we will be off to Beer Fest. 150 breweries, over 300 beers. 4 hours to try as many as possible. YAY! Needless to say - many photos coming your way soon!

Day 3

still. in. court.

JURY DUTY

For the third time in six years, I have been called to jury duty. But for the first of those three times, I am actually a juror. Therefore my office this week is the jury box. Once the case has been decided, I will give you a sneak peek into my tell all book of the case. Until then, you must patiently wait. You can also count down with me! BEER FEST IS ON SATURDAY! YAY! And to top it off, Ed and Amy are coming to NC from Atlanta. WOO HOO!!!!!

OH, WOW.

So, this morning I saw the SNL clip BEFORE I had actually seen the clip of Palin's interview with Katie Couric. Ummm, Tina Fey's rambling speech was nearly word for word what Palin said in her interview when asked about the $700 billion bail out plan. HOLY CRAP.

Tina Fey returns as Palin

Love it!!

Mad Props for the DMV

This morning, I went to the DMV to change the name on my license and to also take care of that little expiration problem a Durham police officer pointed out to me after my car was broken into. At 8:30am I had an appointment with the body shop to take care of the damages inside my car from the break-in. I realized after closer inspection that the thieves broke my passenger side inner door handle, the weatherproofing on the door, the backseat upholstery was torn, and the passenger side back door was damaged from the bouncing brick. The estimate came to about $800 some odd dollars, bringing the full damages and loss to about $1300. Thanks, jerks.

Anyway, since I told the folks at work I was going to be a little late, I decided to make the run to the DMV and take care of the license issue. I went to the DMV Driver's License office off MLK Blvd near Kroger in Durham. Let me tell you, folks, that is the nicest DMV office you will ever deal with - I promise. You are greeted by friendly staff and served by friendly staff. I was there at 9am, received a number for the "line", and as my rear hit the chair, my number was called. The whole process took less than ten minutes.


I was so amazed and so pleased that I actually went to the DMV website, found the comments section, and wrote a quick letter telling me how awesome my experience was today. Hopefully the staff there will get a pat on the back. And for those of you locals, if you need a plesant trip to the DMV, try the MLK branch. I bet you'll like it!

A weekend of great food

Mike and I are finally back to cooking. My friend Rod pointed out as I was finishing up grad school, "You never talk about cooking anymore. You used to always talk about some new dish you made." And it was true. The last 6 months of the Masters was taxing, and the cool meals stopped. Mike was hard at work on papers, I was trying to finish my final project, and our meals turned rather normal. That or we ate out. But with school long behind me now and evenings that are a bit more open, I am back to cooking. And luckily this weekend, Mike cooked, too. If I may say so myself, between the two of us, we can make some yummy food.

A trip to the Farmers Market on Saturday morning set us out on the right foot. Fresh peppers, spaghetti squash, eggplant, tomatoes, oh my goodness. What a wonderful bounty. We got some amazingly beautiful produce this weekend, along with a dozen brown farm fresh eggs. Fantastic. That evening I was inspired to bake, so I made some pizza dough. Mike and I each made our own pizzas. I tried a new dough recipe this time around, and it came out well - a bit fluffier than Mike or I really wanted, but it was still yummy. On Sunday, after reading through the newest Vegetarian Times, Mike was inspired to make risotto. He had already decided to make fresh salsa from all the peppers we bought at the market, so there was some cooking to do!

The kitchen was a hub of activity last night. Between roasting peppers, preparing the ingredients for the risotto, and prepping the salsa, we were busy (Mike especially). But by the end of the evening, Mike had produced an amazing roasted corn, mushroom and spinach risotto, fresh salsa, and I even contributed some fresh guacamole. A weird combo maybe, but we ate a lot of veggies last night!!!

Yay for the return of cooking!

Arrrrrrr, matey - I be bloggin!

HAPPY "TALK LIKE A PIRATE" DAY!!!!

Change of Heart

Last week, I presented pictures of my new little sister. The plan has changed. After meeting an older chihuahua from the same couple, my Mom fell in love with this 5 year old little girl. The couple were going to give her away, and my Mom snagged her to give to a friend's Mom who has had chihuahuas forever. But in the midst or transport, Mom fell in love, and Miss Desi is now my little sister. Mom's best friend's mom will now take the puppy originally planned to be my sister. The world works in mysterious ways! So, here's introducing my NEW little sister, Desi :-)

Crappy Photo - Great Show

Just a quick note that the Los Lonely Boys show was fantastic. Although the crowd wasn't very large, those that were there were beyond excited. I had several patrons actually ask, "How did you get them here? They are fantastic!"

The songs from their new album were really wonderful, and the live show is great for the guitar riffs. On certain songs, I felt the tempo dragged a bit, but the musicality was excellent. Overall, great show and I would highly recommend seeing the LLB live.

I also have to say that the Garcia brothers were wonderful to the fans. There was a mom with three little girls in the front row of the pit, and the little girls made signs, etc. They were beyond excited. Once the show started, the girls held up their signs, and the band made thumbs up gestures, smiled, and then they played to those beaming little girls all evening. I know they just made the night for those kiddos. They threw pics to the crowd, shook hands, and amazingly enough, the band allowed photography and video at the concert. After working at the Carolina for several years, I can tell you this is a rarity. People snapped photos all evening, and you could tell the band loved it all.

Here's my one crappy photo from the night!

The show must go on...

I went on a hiatus volunteering with the Carolina Theatre this year. I had previously been an active volunteer for several years. In fact, I started there 3-4 years ago. But, after the engagement, wedding planning, and an unsuccessful attempt to get the Carolina Theatre at a reasonable price for the wedding, I took a break.

Break's over. When I got notice that the Los Lonely Boys were going to play at the theatre, I immediately signed up. I have been a fan of them for about 3 years now, and I just could not pass up the opportunity to see them live.

So, tonight I return to the theatre for what should be an awesome show!!!!

The smell of burnt hair

It was Friday night. I promised Lauren I would meet her out for a few drinks, but since Mike's cough won't seem to go away, I planned on spending the majority of the evening home with him. So, I go to Mount Fuji, have a couple pomegranate mojitos then head to Randy's Pizza to pick up a yummy dinner. Mike wanted wings, and I wanted pizza, so it worked well. I love Randy's, but they don't have that addictive garlic sauce found at Papa John's. Therefore, Mike and I decided to look up a quick "how to make Papa John's dipping sauce at home" recipe. Everyone stated it was just melted butter with garlic powder. We can do that.

Mike put a pan on the stove, turned it up to middle heat and dropped in some butter. Scout jumped up on the counter as always, requesting to drink out of the kitchen sink. Mike put the faucet on a slow dribble and let Scout have his way. As Scout drank, Mike and I stood in the kitchen chatting and waiting for the butter to melt. After a few seconds, I happened to look over at the stove and yelled, "MIKE! Grab Scout! His tail is burning!"

Scout, so absorbed in drinking water from the faucet, had yet to realize that his tail was just close enough to the stove burner to singe his tail fur. Mike grabbed him and put his tail under the water. Scout had no idea what the commotion was all about. The heat only got the ends of the fur - he didn't get a skin burn at all. But our kitchen was quickly filled with the smell of burning hair.

Mike managed to wipe off most of the charred fur, and we even trimmed a bit. But there is still some remaining. Scout's little brown scar on the tail (which will be gone soon enough due to his incessant shedding). For now, it will serve as our reminder to better watch the cat when the stove is on. egads.

I STILL want to be Tina Fey when I grow up!!

Amazing - hilarious!

Simply Marvilous

Looking for something to do this evening? Jeff and King are at it again and present "Simply Marvilous", a Marvin Gaye themed party at the G Loft (next to George's Garage). As Jeff and King's parties are never to be missed, if you are looking for something fun to do this evening, come out to Durham and dance to some great music, meet some cool people, and soak in all that is Marvilous!

Hurricane Ike

My family lives in the Gulf Coast of Texas, specifically in Fort Bend County. My Mom called me early this morning to let me know that she and my Dad were packing up the pets and heading up towards Waco to escape the storm. While I know my family will be fine, I worry about their home and what they may have to return to after the storm. We cannot control these things, but it is still scary! Please send good vibes to everyone who is going to have deal with Ike. And as I saw on some news story, painted on someone's window plywood, "TAKE A HIKE, IKE!"

More info on Dog Chaining (or lack thereof)

With the passing of the ordinance in Durham County surrounding the banning of dog chaining, a lot of people are unclear as to what the ordinance means. Can I never have my dog on a tether outside? Are dogs going to be kept in tiny cages now? Both of these issues are covered in the ordinance to provide for maximum comfort of the animal. I asked Meredith some questions about the ordinance, and this was her response - to which she also replied that one of the main arguments around the ordinance is people assume that dog owners will take off the tether and stick the dog in a cage. That, too, is outlawed, and proper enclosure areas are included in the ordinance. I asked Mer about these issues, and here is what she said:

Q: Are there regulations on fence/pen size?
A: The pens/fences/etc. must give the dog 100 square feet if they're 20 pounds
or under and 200 square feet for bigger dogs. Dog houses, water bowls, etc.
are not included as obstructing the square footage.

Q: Is that enough room for the animal?
A. 100 square feet may not seem like a lot, but let's remember some things
beyond space that barriers such as pens or fences provide: protection from
people, from other roaming animals (this is especially important for females in
heat), and this works the other way, as well - barriers provide people safety
from chained animals.

The majority of chained dogs right now don't have nearly the same space that a
10' by 10' pen would allow. Most chains, remember, are tied to trees - this
means the dog doesn't have unobstructed freedom to roam on a chain, even if the
chain is the required 10 feet long as it is in the old ordinance. Chains get
wrapped around trees, knock over water bowls, get tangled in themselves, etc. So in an ideal world, sure, while dogs on a chain could have more space than a
10' by 10' kennel, they don't because other objects in the yard obstruct their
chain.

Q: What is the ultimate purpose of the ordinance?
A: The key is that this ordinance outlaws only unattended tethering. Most people
think the majority of people who tether their animals are responsible dog
owners who tether their dogs while gardening, barbecuing outside, etc. Even
if this were the case (it's definitely not), this is still allowed under the
ordinance. You can tether your animal as long as you are outside with them and
in visual range of them.

The coalition and other advocates of the ban are well aware that the ordinance is not perfect, but it's a good start. Also, if you feel that you don't like the sizing of pens, etc and want to make sure that doesn't happen, I strongly invite you to contribute funds or time to the Coalition to Unchain Dogs to help them increase the number of full backyard fences they can build for the Durham community. The ordinance does not go into effect until 2010, so the Coalition will be ramping up to help as many people as possible get a free fence put up for their dog. But they can't do it without your help. Get out your pocketbook or put on your work gloves to put up a few fences. Truly, this can change the lives of dogs and families all over Durham County.

Go here to get more info on how you can help: http://www.unchaindogs.net/

YOU DIRTY THIEF

Last night I went to trivia like I always do. Mike decided to work a bit late then stay home, so I went up to the Joyce about 7:45 to get some dinner, read some Anthony Bourdain, and wait on the girls to arrive. I had a lovely portabello sandwich, a couple of beers and amazingly enough we won trivia for the first time in several months. Great evening. But, I decided to go home right after trivia to see my husband rather than stay out. Lauren, Mer and I walk out to the parking lot about 11:30pm.

"What is all that shiny stuff next to my car?" I asked.

"Well, poop" is what I said next. Someone had so kindly thrown a brick through my driver side backseat window, got into my car, stole my awesome new GPS that Mike and I got from my Dad (which was stored UNDER the seat and not in any sort of plain view - nor did I ever have the mount on my window, so they couldn't have seen a ring to indicate its presence), they stole my former cell phone, about $3 in change, my Duke Spouse ID and my parking card for work.

I called the cops, the girls called Mike, I filed a report and the police officer said, "sorry." It was also very kind of the officer to point out that my license had expired back in June. Luckily since I was already having a crappy evening, he decided not to ticket me for that offense.

State Farm has been great. My car is getting fixed tomorrow morning, as the closest place they could get my glass was in Greensboro. Mike and I taped up the car really well, so it should be fairly rain safe.

Last night I was calm about the whole thing. I can't reverse the situation - I just have to deal with the aftermath. Nothing serious was taken (besides the awesome GPS), and it could have been a lot worse. They could have trashed the car or taken the whole car. And with as little as the vandals took, they needed a quick score. I told Mike that the only thing that consoles me about the situation is that I hope the person who broke into my car was very very broke. I hope they were hungry and so was their family. And I hope today they can go sell my GPS to someone and get enough money to buy groceries for the week to keep their familiy's stimach full for another few days. They must have needed my stuff more than I did.

You are welcome, thief. What you did was not right, but I hope that you rightfully spend what you get from selling my stuff.

Professional Photos: Getting Ready

A small slideshow of some of my favorite "Getting Ready" pics from my amazing photographer, Annie Harrison.

No more chained dogs in Durham

Yesterday, Durham County Commissioners passed the ban on tethering dogs in Durham County. The law goes into effect in 2010. Despite a few miscellaneous allowances, dogs must be kept in fences, large pens or inside. Studies have shown that chained dogs are often more aggressive and have lower quality of life. This wonderful ordinance is a huge success for animal welfare in Durham. Want to see how unchaining dogs has changed the lives of dogs and owners alike? Check out these local Durham stories HERE.

To read more about what happened last night and in the recent past, check out this News & Observer story: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1211863.html.

I am also very proud to say that due to the hard work of the Coalition to Unchain Dogs, this ordinance would probably not have passed. And the reason I am so proud is that my friend and fellow animal lover, Meredith is very active in this organization and has worked very hard to see yesterday's accomplishment happen. Congrats, Mer!!!

Congrats to the Coalition and congrats to the dogs of Durham.

Do it anyway

I read a version of this mantra on a friend's blog this morning. I have seen this before in different versions and been touched by it, but I thought that today it should be posted in it's original format for you to read. Yes, YOU :-) Some things in life are scary - we don't want to get hurt, we are worried our work will be destroyed or that our motives misread. If it comes from you heart, and you believe it is right - do it anyway.

Rumor has it that Mother Teresa found this quote so inspiring that she hung it on the wall of her Calcutta orphanage.

The Paradoxical Commandments
by Dr. Kent M. Keith


People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

My new little sister

She was born at 7:30am today, and her name is Gracie. She is a chihuahua pup born to one of my parents' neighbor's dogs. That's what happens when people don't teach their dogs to abstain :-)

Now, Mom, go encourage them to get all their dogs spayed and neutered ;-)

On the political soapbox...

It's election season. I rarely talk about politics on this blog because really I think everyone becomes a blowhard when they talk about politics too much. It's like sports commentary and god forbid, political convention coverage. We all have our ideas and our opinions and rarely do they perfectly match up with anyone else's. I hate confrontation and needless arguing even more. But with the climate shaping up the way it is, I wanted to go on record about the way I am currently feeling in this presidential race.

I am an Obama supporter all the way. But, I haven't been one of the "I drank the koolaid" supporters that so many people see as political zealots following their savior to the promised land type supporters. In the Democratic primary, I was totally happy with either Hillary or Obama. I liked both of them, and I knew either one could and would do an amazing job. I loved the idea of a woman in office, but I also believe that the idea of having a person in color hold the highest office in the land would be huge. No matter what, we as a member of either one of those groups know that having an underepresented group in the White House would mean new perspectives and new changes. I watched as much of the DNC as possible. I cried at Hillary's speech, reminisced during Bill's and I cried during Obama's - just like I did in 2004 when he spoke at the DNC. Obama just continually impresses me. His rhetoric and idealism make me excited about the future of this country. It is why I will vote for him with no hesitation whatsoever. Our country is due to be shaken up and stirred around a bit. And I feel that Obama will be the one to help us do that.

Now, onto Mr. McCain and his VP pick of Sarah Palin. The whole Palin issue has people heated all over the country. I know people who plan on voting for McCain just because he has a woman on the ticket. I know people who plan on voting for McCain just because he is not Obama. And I know people that just don't plan on voting at all. I do take issue with Sarah Palin as pick for VP, and it is not just because she's a mom or just because she is terribly inexperienced. Mike mentioned something to me last night that I hadn't really thought of, but now I cannot seem to get it to escape from my brain.

So what, her 17 year old daughter is preggers. It happens in the best and the worst of families. At 17, the girl has a head of her own. She knew what she was doing - well, hopefully. I guess one could argue that the Republican mandated abstinence only education backfired, but that is probably taking a cheap shot. The problem I now have is this - Palin accepted the nomination knowing full well that her daughter's pregnancy would become fodder for the national and international media. Her 17 year old pregnant daughter is now featured on the covers of every major newspaper and magazine around the world - and they are questioning her judgment, her morals and her behavior. For any teenage mom, facing the judgement of parents, teachers and peers is enough. But the whole world? As a parent (not a "mom", but a parent), why would anyone subject their child to that scrutiny? I just don't get it. Did she think it would just pass over and no one would pay attention? Or did she want the post so badly that it wasn't of much concern as to how it would affect her daughter?

And of course the press release comes out that the pregnant Miss Palin will be marrying her baby's father. And she is keeping the baby - two huge moral coups for the Republican ideological ticket. I feel terrible for this young woman and what she will have to go through for the next couple of months while the press and the media grind this story into the ground. While Obama declared that family attacks were off limits, the "nonpartisan press" has full reign to interrogate until there are no questions left to be asked.

I think of highly of John McCain, as many people in the world do. But I never, ever would want him as my President because of his long history with backing Bush. And I can also firmly say that I do not want the elder Ms. Palin having to jump up and serve as my president either. Therefore, my vote is firmly in the Obama column.

postscript:
Taken from CNN's question to iReporters: Can a mother of five be vice president?
My answer: Hell, yes, a mother of five could be vice president. I just don't want THIS mother of five to be my vice president!!!

ONE MONTH AGO TODAY...

... I was getting married to my wonderful Michael Brady! I love you, sweetie!

Review: Performance Art Night at the Common Ground Theatre

Friday night, Lauren and I went to the Common Ground Theatre in Durham for PAN VI. We had a blast. That pretty much sums it up. Oddly enough, I was a bit nervous attending this event. I'm not really the arty type, although I have always wished I was. I felt that by attending my first ever performance art night, I could start to get comfortable with the part of me that would love to reach out to the art world. I am so glad that Lauren and I went.

There were a few changes to the original schedule, but since we really had no idea what to expect anyway that was fine. We mainly wanted to see Jonathan, a new friend we met at the Duke Alumni event last week - and he was still on the schedule. With that being said, we were ready for whatever else was in store. We saw Jesus do stand-up and engage in some rather risque behavior, we saw a very mind blowing exploration of dark and glowsticks (impossible to explain - you just have to see it, and a very emotional performance from a young woman about body image issues and family influence - really amazing. And of course we saw Jonathan's multi format performance - panels, video, music, song and poetry. Really fantastic.

We were treated to a preview of "Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll" which starts at the theatre September 5. The small scene we saw was fantastic, and I think I may actually get Mike out to go see the show when it starts. Each show a different local band is featured, and there are a few I would like to see. Marty's former band, the Pneurotics opens up the show, and evenHammer No More the Fingers and Veronique Diabolique plays, both whom I have heard good things about. This theatre thing may become a normal outing. yay!

With that all being said, I will keep you posted when I hear about the next Performance Art Night - it's free with donations accepted. It's a small and personal theatre. The pieces we saw performed were absolutely wonderful. I envy the performers and their ability to be so open with emotion in front of such a personal audience. Absolutely amazing. Thanks for sharing, everyone, and keep it up!

WE WON! WE WON!

The opening game of Duke football was last night in Wallace Wade Stadium. Lauren scored a few free tickets through the Duke Employee Appreciation Night, so I jumped on the band wagon and went along. I am so glad I did. The guys really did a great job. Welcome, Coach Cut, and congratulations Duke football!!!!

Our East Campus Tailgate


The team reflecting before the game, and the first stop on "Devil's Walk"


Excited Dukies


The long awaited start of the game (88 minute rain delay)


DO YOU SEE THAT????


YAY! (me, Lauren, Amy)

While the cat's away, the mice will....get culture?

I had a nice chance to chat with Mike this morning, and it appears that the school interviews are going well. He had three yesterday, will have four today and three more on Saturday. Mike is a natural people person, so it seems his interviews are not just going well but are fairly enjoyable. I'm glad he is going into today with such a good experience yesterday.

While Mike continues on his job search, I am here in Durham doing my thing. Last night was Thirsty Thursday, our weekly tradition. I meet up with Cookie, Lauren, Neil, and last night Marty joined us, too. We start at the Fed with $1.50 PBRs then usually head to the Joyce. Last night we decided to switch it up and head over to Satty's to cap off the evening. That was a great time as always.

Tonight, I am heading over to the Common Ground Theatre in Durham to check out "Performance Art Night VI." When Lauren, Cookie and I were at the Forever Duke event on Monday evening, we met a nice guy who happens to be one of the artists performing. He gave us an invite to check out the show, so Lauren and I are going to have a date night with Mexican food and performance art! The Indy described the show like this:

And now for, as they say, something completely different. Common Ground Theatre's sixth episode of "Performance Art Night," presented by Verynormal Productions, follows in the previous episodes' traditions of apes, yoga, cross-dressing geishas, dance, group poetry, head shaving and more. This particular presentation features Rus Hames, Catherine Overman, Jonathan Blackwell, Phyllis Wiley, Gabriel Sexton and Tony Hughes, along with a special screening of Jeffrey Moore's short film What the Frock? The 12-minute short, which recently screened at the N.C. Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, tells of a recently deceased drag queen's last request to be buried in a dress and pearls, with much hilarity ensuing. The emceed event is performed in a cabaret style, with an emphasis on performers talking directly to the audience. Tickets for this popular event, which starts at 8 p.m., are free on a first-come first-serve basis, though donations are accepted. Drinks and snacks are available at the performance. For more information, visit www.cgtheatre.com or call 417-1445.

It should be an experience! I'll update you on it all later. Ciao, folks, and have a great weekend!

The beginning of "the beginning"??

Mike got up at 3:30am this morning to finish packing his bag. Today he is off to Boston for the annual American Political Science Association (APSA) meeting. Mike has been attending this meeting for a good chunk of his academic training, so attendance at the shindig is no new thing. But what makes this year's participation different is that this year he is on the job market. All the years past, he has tried to ease the minds of friends and colleagues going through the process and wandered through the lobbies and hallways to watch the meetings taking place between school and hopeful PhD candidate. This year though, it is he who will be in the interview chair.

Luckily, the market looks pretty decent for American Politics scholars this year, so here's to hoping he has a fighting chance at landing a decent gig for the next few years. He has 9 or 10 mini interviews set up for his 4 day stay in Boston, many of which are amazing liberal arts schools all over the country. Both Mike and I are excited at the propsective list of schools he's talking to right now. For the sake of confidentiality, I won't name them here, but let's just say that some pretty great schools are in the mix. Any one of them would be lucky to have Mike on their faculty.

I started with Self-Help almost one year ago, and at my time of hiring I promised I would stay about two years. Therefore, the timing works out perfectly that if Mike gets placed at a school for the 09-10 school year, my time will have run out at Self-Help (they are already worried about me leaving but know that next year will probably be my last). That means that both Mike and I are ready for the next phase. And after this weekend, we may get a few more leads on what that phase may be like! I'll keep you posted!

Oh - and yes, Mike flew out at 6am and made it into Boston with no problem. He sent me this lovely photo to see what I'm missing (I was banned going to the conference with him this year since he will be so busy with interviews, etc).


Good luck, Mike. Just be your awesome self, and they will love you!

"Songs from the Hog Vigil"

A friend at work left this for me on my desk - it was an article cut out of the Neuse River Keepers Summer newsletter. Earlier this summer, there was a 51 hour vigil at the state capitol in response to legislation (or lack thereof) around hog farms. These are the lyrics to one of the vigil's songs. It isn't going to win a Grammy, but it makes some great points!

Song written by Rick Dove. Song should be sung to the tune of "Old McDonald Had a Farm"

Swine producers have big farms
E I E I O
And on those farms they have lagoons
E I E I O
Lagoons over here, lagoons over there
Here's one, there's one
Everywhere you see one
Swine producers have big farms
E I E I O

Swine lagoons they make us sick
E I E I O
That bad odor will get you quick
E I E I O
The bad smells are here, the bad smells are there
Here it stinks, there it stinks
Everywhere you go it stinks
Swine lagoons they make us sick
E I E I O

Swine waste sprayed is poop and pee
E I E I O
It gets sprayed, oh even on me
E I E I O
They spray it in the day, they spray it in the night
In wind and rain, with all their might
Poop and pee is sprayed on me
E I E I O

Swine producers smell only money
E I E I O
To them that money don't smell funny
E I E I O
The poop stinks here, the money's there
We get the poop, they get the loot
Swine producers just smell money
E I E I O

Swine poop it kills lots of fish
E I E I O
Fish that are dying can't be frying
E I E I O
With a dead fish here and a dead fish there
Kill one, another one, from a million to a billion
Swine poop kills lots and lots of fish
E I E I O

Swine men say they love their pigs
E I E I O
Cute little things, lots of money they bring
E I E I O
Locked in a cage, no light or fresh air
Misery, misery everywhere
They suffer, suffer with no one to care
Oh my what those pigs have to bear
E I E I O

The Honeymoon

Here's our collection of pictures from the honeymoon - the most dramatic of those photos coming from our hike on Grandfather Mountain. The full hike took us about five hours from start to finish. We did the full Profile Trail, the Calloway Gap Trail and one other which I am currently forgetting. We did a little over 7 miles in that 5 hours, but let me tell you - the inclines on the Profile Trail are WOW. As we tackled the steeper and steeper switchbacks near the top of the mountain, I said some not so nice things to nature when I would see that yes, the next incline actually IS steeper than the last. I never would have made it through without the encouragement from my husband!

Saturday: The conclusion

My Dad drives a lovely red Seabring convertible, so he drove Mike and I from the Nelson Music Room over to the reception site – Alivia’s Durham Bistro. Since I didn’t mention much about the planning process on the blog (I wanted to keep some stuff hush hush til the wedding, let me say a bit about our reception location. Mike and I often play trivia, as so many of you know, and a lot of our friends happen to hang out at the James Joyce. And luckily, the wonderful owners of the Joyce think we are pretty cool people too. Therefore, with the help of Mr. Sholtz, one of the owners, we were able to hold our reception at Alivia’s Durham Bistro, another of their ventures. Jason shut down Alivia’s to the public for us so we could have an awesome slammin reception. Thank you, Jason, for everything!

Our awesome cake - www.simplycakesnc.com

Anyway, we get to Alivia’s and jump out of the car. I think someone was supposed to announce our arrival, but I am not totally sure that actually happened! Not a big deal. Alivia’s looked stunning. Courtney and Fay did an amazing job getting the place put together, and Mike and I were absolutely in awe. As soon as we arrived, guests were already raving to us about the food. “It is so good!” nearly everyone said. We had a menu of heavy hors d’oeuvres. Grilled asparagus – some wrapped in prosciutto, bruschetta, spinach salad with candied pecans, fresh fruit, cheeses, steak kabobs, chicken kabobs and veggie kabobs. Hummus and veggies. Another form of bruschetta. Just an amazing spread. It was fresh, delicious and just amazing. If you haven’t eaten at Alivia’s yet, I highly suggest you do so. Their chef, Carlos, does a bang up job. Fantastic.

The bar was set up outside in the beer booth, and everyone seemed to be having a great time. Mike and I put together a “happy hour” mix of music, and everyone seemed to be enjoying that, too! The reception was such a blur, so you will have to excuse me if the last chunk of the wedding is described in total generalities. We hugged people, we talked to people, we caught up, we said hello and thank you, we said goodbyes and wished we would have had more time. The distances people traveled was amazing. Their generosity and good tidings were unmatched by anything I have ever seen. We eventually made our way outside for some toasts (hilarious and moving toasts), then the “party” got started. We put on our dance mix and the dance floor was jumping! Everyone was out there – well everyone, but Mike and I – the whole greeting people thing takes up a decent amount of the reception. There are some great photos out there of the reception. Just awesome wonderful fun photos.

Listening to the toasts!

A conga line? I had no idea.

Eventually, people started saying goodbye. I remembered thinking, “hmmm, maybe this isn’t as awesome as I thought. Everyone seems to be leaving early.” Then I asked someone what time it was – nearly 11pm. Ummm, we were scheduled to leave at 10:30pm! So much for the timeline, right??? It was time for us to go shortly after 11pm. Mike and I were tired, and it was time for Alivia’s to be opened up to the public. We threw the bouquet and the garter, then we said all of our goodbyes before we were escorted to our super secret “wedding night” location. Stefan drove us to our destination – amazingly, the girls had all put together a great night for us at the Washington Duke Inn. We had a goody basket of snacks, drinks, and champagne. Just amazing. It was a wonderful, wonderful way to end the night. Thank you, ladies!!!

Lauren and Stefan got us tucked into the room, and like so many couples…..we went right to sleep. It had been such an exciting and emotional day. We needed some sleep. And the beds at the WaDu, covered in about 20 pillows and 500 thread count sheets were just too awesome to pass up. We were out in a matter of minutes!!!!!

THE NEXT DAY

The next day, we managed to get up and out of the room before the 11am checkout time. We headed home to hold an informal meet and greet at the house – that way we could see folks who were in from out of town and about to leave. It also gave us a chance to open gifts, sit back and relax. We had about three waves of people come through, which was amazing. We managed to trash the house with the amount of wrapping paper and boxes accumulated with the gifts. Craziness. In fact, Mike and I actually got rather overwhelmed with the generosity of our family and friends. We have since cleaned out our kitchen of older items, and a full kitchen of stuff is on its way to charity.

Scout, with his newfound freedom, helped us unwrap gifts.

Opening more presents!

That evening, we met my Mom, my Dads and my Aunt out for some dinner and drinks. After that, it was time to say goodbye to the last of the family. It was sad but joyful at the same time. We all had a wonderful time, and it was difficult to leave it in the past. But alas, time requires we move forward. We paid our final bill at Alivia’s then took off for home. Later that night, Mike and I packed our stuff up for the honeymoon. We were leaving the next morning.

MONDAY

Monday morning we got up super early to take Miss Allie to the vet. We made the very tough decision to finally have her declawed.* She constantly beat up the other cats, and poor Scout was too afraid to even leave our bedroom. Buddy’s anxiety got even worse, and Miss Allie thought that her reign of terror was the most fun she had ever had. We just had to even up the odds. We dropped Allie off at our awesome vet, Triangle Veterinary Hospital, and they assured us all would be well. They even promised to call us as soon as she was out of surgery.

Mike and I headed back home to load up the car and get ready to head out. About an hour after being home, we got a call from the vet, Dr. Miller. “She’s all done, and everything went great!” Wow. I wasn’t expecting it to be done THAT quickly. But it was good to know she was fine and in good hands – Miss Allie would be spending her time at the vet til Friday.

Knowing the kitties were set, Mike and I jumped on the road. Thanks to the awesome TomTom we received from my Dad for the wedding, we knew we were set on directions and should easily be able to find our end destination. We made a quick stop at the courthouse to drop off our marriage license and make it official, then we were on the road.

Mike and I rented a cabin in Todd, NC, just outside of Boone and Blowing Rock. We stayed on the New River and started each day on our porch with a cup of coffee and greeting the heron who lounged outside our cabin. The week was wonderful – we slept in, we napped, we went walking up and down the river, we went tubing (River Girl Fishing Company), we explored Boone, and we even hiked up Grandfather Mountain (Mike insisted and I obliged). We drove the Blue Ridge Parkway and stopped several places along the way. It was just a wonderful week. We cooked all our meals and managed to not eat out once. Fantastic. We loved the mountains, and I know we will be back soon.

So, there you have it – the wedding in a nutshell. My CD drive on my laptop is acting up, so I will post some professional pics in a few days once I have some time to sit down at the PC at home. The photos are wonderful. Just wonderful.

If you wonder about any of my vendors or want more specific reviews, just ask!!!


*I am happy to report that Miss Allie has recovered just fine from her surgery and is now back to her old ways. Poor Scout and Buddy are still getting chased and beat up, but at least they don't have huge slices across their face anymore. Scout has realized it doesn't hurt as much when Allie hits him, so Scout has actually for the first time since Mike and I moved in together, been hanging out downstairs with us on a daily basis!

...in the meantime

As I know I am being really slow about posting photos, etc, here is a mini slide show that gives you a quick visual rundown of the ceremony through the reception. If you would like to take a look at the professional photos, just shoot me an e-mail or leave a comment here with your e-mail address, and I will be happy to share the access code with you!

PS - If you want to see the photos in color, just click "SEE ALL IMAGES"