BOUQUET, BEER & BABY . . . ALMOST

Posted on June 26, 2008 by Jenn
My parents arrived safe and sound from Florida. Ryan’s in New Hampshire for 2 days of a bass festival, but he’ll be back late tonight. Looking forward to 10 days with my parents visiting! They brought up some wedding stuff with them, my bouquet, wedding dress and the rest of our wedding presents.

The cake top was a casualty of the 2 day drive, but that’s ok, we weren’t planning to save it anyways.

My dad also brought this month’s beer from the beer-of-the-month gift we gave him for his birthday! Yummy! One is from New Hampshire and one is from Iowa.

Jenna went in to the hospital to begin the induction (is that the right word?) process last night about 9:30pm, since the baby is more than a week past his due date. Can’t wait to hear about his arrival!

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THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’

Posted on June 21, 2008 by Jenn

I was going to hang at home on Friday night, but decided to go with Ryan to his show, Flashback, at the Seven Angels Theater in Waterbury. Lots of really good 60’s music. I’m not a big Bob Dylan fan. I did see him live once, and I thought he stunk – couldn’t understand a word he said. But he was a great songwriter. This was my favorite song of the night:

Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’.

If had more money to travel and no job, here’s where I’d like to be celebrating the summer solstice today:

Instead, we went to beautiful Wickam Park for some frolf (frisbee golf). Izzie was very well behaved off-leash for most of the day. Sunny goes back to his parents tonight, after more than a week with us. I wonder if Izzie is going to be sad? They’ve become good friends. I even caught them cuddling this morning.

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TAKE YOUR DOG TO WORK DAY

Posted on June 19, 2008 by Jenn

Ok, so I was a day early, but I took Izzie to work today! National Take-Your-Dog-To-Work-Day is actually June 20th, tomorrow! There were a bunch of people out today, including two who sit in the same room as I do, so I figured it was as good a day as any. Izzie had a great time and was pooped by the end of the day!

Still no baby for Jenna & Brian, but anyday now book club will all become honorary aunts – I can’t wait (I am sure Jenna can’t wait either!)

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IT’S NEWS TO ME

Posted on June 19, 2008 by Jenn

A rare thing happened tonight. I was actually home and not doing anything at 6:30pm. I watched NBC Nightly News, which I feel like I haven’t done in about a year. I used to watch every night with my mom growing up, or at least it was on in the background. I miss Tom Brokaw. Although I do like Brian Williams. Anyhow, it made me feel good to watch it for some reason.

At work today we decided to eat lunch in Bushnell Park, which we usually try to do when the weather is nice. On the walk there (only a few blocks from the office), we saw a nice Ford Explorer with NC plates that had the driver’s side window completely smashed out and there was glass on the ground. I felt I needed to call the police, even though we hadn’t seen anything and the owner was nowhere around. The police said they’d come check it out. On the walk back to the office, we noticed that the car had a note from the officer on the windshield, and also a ticket. Part of the wheel was up on the low curb. I can’t believe the cop wrote a ticket to a poor guy who just had his window smashed and car robbed.

Izzie had a doggie day care interview today, to make sure her temperment was good. She’s been accepted – wahoo! My goodness, how will I be when I have real kids?

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THE HAPPENING

Posted on June 17, 2008 by Jenn

I should have never gone to see the Happening. I needed to escape reality for a little while after a rough day at work. It wasn’t a particularly scary movie, but I can’t even deal with a little bit scary or gory. I was shaking the whole time in the theater (also a result of being wet from the pouring rain). I had nightmares last night and my head hurts this morning from lack of sleep and being tense all night. But it really wasn’t that scary. If you want to spoil it for yourself, read my friend Cory’s review. It’s pretty much right on, although I don’t think it was that BAD. I just wouldn’t say, oh my goodness it was so good. Sixth Sense was pretty much my favorite movie of all time and scared the crap out of me at several points. How can you expect M. Night to recreate that?

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I’LL HAVE A QUARTER POUNDER WITH CHEESE, PLEASE

Posted on June 15, 2008 by Jenn
Ryan and I have almost completed our side work of auditing a national billboard campaign in Hartford for a fast food chain that will remain unnamed. Only 2 more pictures to go. The kicker on this one is that a lot of them had to be done at night, to show if the lights were working or not. Anyhow, we’re almost done. I have had a lot of cravings for fast food this week, and I may have indulged a few of those cravings! After the Tom Petty show we went for a sundae and saw this:

Speaking of the Tom Petty show, it was awesome. I’ve been telling the stories about how I am too old for lawn seats, and I decided I don’t want to write about it. I saw some disturbing things that I want to forget about and not associate with this great musical performance. So, the show was awesome. He sounded so great, the Heartbreakers sounded so great. I think there were only 2 songs I didn’t know, and they were covers anyhow. It was really fun to go to a concert, I haven’t been to one in a while. Thinking about getting tickets for Counting Crows in August, but not sure if I can brave the lawn seats again.

Started the new book club book, Escape, today. I’m liking it so far. I shouldn’t spill the beans on how I feel about it really before book club in July.

Sonny is staying with us this week while his parents, Lisa & John, are in Washinton State. We took izzie and Sonny over for a play date with Max this morning. It was great to see Jenna & Brian and to sit on their new porch watching the doggies play. Izzie was so good, she didn’t even jump in the pool. Around lunchtime, I went to Narcissus Chocolate Cafe with Jenna and Colleen. The salad was good and the mango gelato was great. Don’t go if you’re in a hurry. Nice atomosphere, I enjoyed sitting around on the couch gabbing with the girls for a while. It stormed like crazy this evening and I found out Sonny doesn’t really seem to like storms. I ended up putting him in his crate, he was just panting and shaking like crazy. Izzie wet the bed (crate) for the second time in 2 weeks. Not sure what that is about. Don’t think she was afraid of the storm. I feel really bad rubbing her nose in it, but I guess that’s what I am supposed to do. She’s just so stinkin’ cute.

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I HAVE PEOPLE

Posted on June 11, 2008 by Jenn
I left work right at 5pm yesterday (wahoo) for book club at Beverly’s. I had finished the book, and I think the conversation about the book was actually pretty substantial this month. I felt like I had some good input. Enough of that book crap – I just LOVED seeing my girls! It’s just so great catching up with everyone. Jenna will be giving birth any day now, which is just insane, and I think she thinks so too. It’s just so exciting. Cliche I know, but I just feel the anticipation (good) and excitment in the air. It’s a huge event in her life, and a huge event for book club too – the first one of the core, original group is having a baby! And she looks just adorable. When Chris got home, we made him take some pictures of us all. So silly, but I just wanted to hug everyone all night – wanted to let them know how happy I am to have them in my life! My girls. I have girls. And they’re mine.

Ryan did the first round of the night billboard audit last night. I stayed up late to make sure he got home ok – there was another crazy storm and the boards aren’t in the greatest of neighborhoods. We’re going to see Tom Petty tonight! I’m pysched and anxious at the same time. Psyched because, well, hello – it’s Tom Petty. I’ve always wanted to see him. But anxious (I know, silly) because I’ve already been up late this week and I know I’ll be up late again on a “school night.” I just hate getting behind on sleep. I feel like I have been so tired lately, but that it’s getting better, so I don’t want to ruin it with a week of bad sleep. The heat doesn’t help me sleep either, but it seems to be letting up, thank goodness!

Book Club book for this month is Escape by Carolyn Jessop.

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STORMY WEATHER

Posted on June 10, 2008 by Jenn

I am really enjoying the storms that come along with this horrible heat wave. Tonight they started during the final meditation portion of my yoga class. The wind and the thunder didn’t exactly relax me, but I still love it.

“And all you touch and all you see Is all your life will ever be”

Posted in Florida, Yoga | 1 Comment

THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

Posted on June 9, 2008 by Jenn

Oh man it’s hot this weekend. I mean Florida HOT – 95 and humid. Tomrorow is supposed to be even hotter. I heard the crackling of window units all over the neighborhood, but I refuse to admit defeat yet. Today, Izzie, Jasper & I stayed home while Ryan had to work. We tried our hardest to stay cool, which meant the animals laid around, while I did housework. I did finish my book just in time for Tuesday’s bookclub at Beverly’s house. That’s quite an accomplishment since I just started it last week. I’ve been slacking on the reading lately. We read Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris. Everytime the phone rang or I got a text message today, I thought this is it, Jenna’s in labor! But nope, not yet! Hoping she makes it to book club on Tuesday.

I’m including some pictures of the girls lounging, because they are my babies!



Posted in Izzie, Jasper | 2 Comments

FARMERS’ MARKET SEASON IS UPON US

Posted on June 2, 2008 by Jenn

I had a busy, but wonderful weekend. Saturday I got a haircut at an actual salon. I got some long, subtle layers cut – hey it’s a start! Jenna is having her little baby boy any day now, so Colleen had a great idea that we should cook and freeze some dinners for her and Brian. I decided to make Vegetable, Bean & Tortellini Soup. I started with a recipe, but added some of my own ingredients as well. I also made spinach lasagna rolls. I kept one pan for Ryan and I to have for dinner tonight, and they were so yummy! Again, I had a recipe to start from, but added zucchini, carrots & red peppers.

On Sunday, I went over to Jen & Ryan’s for a trip to the Coventry Farmers’ Market. It was huge! There were tons of booths, and lots of goats on leashes. I took Izzie, which made it much harder to shop/browse, so all I got was a delicious loaf of fresh wheat bread. After the market, we went back to Jen & Ryan’s for a BBQ with their families. Izzie enjoyed romping around with Harley. Then, this afternoon I went over to Cathy’s house so we could get together all of the food for Jenna & Brian. Colleen also brought tons of Sage for everyone – my car smells so good right now! Cathy had a little incident that ended with a dish of Mac & Cheese spilled all over the inside of her oven. I must say, she handled it very well. I think I would not have been nearly as calm about it. I delivered all of the food to Jenna’s, got to see the new patio and tour the baby’s room! I can’t wait for him to arrive! I’m including a picture of the sage & the wheat bread from the farmers’ market, as well as a picture of Cathy’s dog – who is just adorable and looks like he’s straight out of a pottery barn ad! After delivering the food to Jenna, I got home in time to catch the tail end of a play date Izzie had with Sonny. He’s going to be staying with us for 8 days later this month.

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