The 4th of July weekend.

Friday was spent with Suzi as we went wedding dress shopping at Pat Catan's. Mother-of-the-bride, Mother-of-the-groom and bridesmaid Kaitlyn came as well to see Suzi in something other than athletic wear... She looked very pretty in everything she tried on - Jon is a lucky guy!

Saturday brought about the end of my pining for my husband. Joe flew in and we stopped to get a cheesesteak before we got home and I put him to work assembling our outdoor dining table. Pictures of that coming soon!

Sunday we pulled a forest of weeds from one of the beds in our backyard. We had done a good job in the front of our house but kept procrastinating on the back. I mean only our neighbors can see them... We were tired but forced ourselves to play 18 holes of golf in the afternoon. I blame the morning labor for my poor performance on the course.

We kept the momentum going on Monday and finished weeding in the backyard. We even started to mulch. I'm sure our neighbors will be glad to see the unkempt beds gone. To celebrate the holiday, we headed over to Donna's for a cookout. Nicole and I were beaten pretty badly in cornhole by our husbands (they even played left handed against us one game). All in all, weather was good, food was tasty and a fun time was had!

Memorial Day Weekend.

Most of our Memorial Day weekend was spent outside. The rain finally stopped and it allowed us to do some much needed yard work. This house has a ton of beds which means a ton of weeding and a ton of mulch. Joe and I hate weeding - in our opinion, it is the worst outdoor chore.

However, once completed, our hard work was gratifying. Fresh mulch looks great!

We also snuck in some time at the driving range on Saturday, played 9 holes on Sunday and went to my mom and dad's for a very tasty rib cookout on Monday. We put in a good day at work on Tuesday and today we are in Vegas. Joe is ready to take the World Series of Poker 2011 by storm! Go Joe!

Cinco de Mayo.

After boxing class last night, Suzi and I decided rehydrate with some margaritas at El Campesino. This restaurant happens to be in the same plaza as our gym so it made it very convenient to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Joe and Jon's brother met us there and after a short wait, we enjoyed some tasty food. I'm not sure that Suzi will appreciate me sharing the following picture:

One Red Door.

Joe and I celebrated Valentine's Day last night by going out to eat at One Red Door in Hudson. February 14th ... February 15th ... those dates are so close, what does it really matter? Anyway, this was a restaurant we had wanted to try.

It was very tasty! We went the tapas/small plate route so that we could taste a bit of everything. We tried the roasted date, crispy duck confit, warm spinach salad and the applewood smoked pork crust (aka Pizza). Even though it was a little pricey, we loved it and it made for a romantic day after Valentine's Day date.

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas yesterday! Ours was a little different this year - usually Joe and I are staying at my parents' house and so the festivities start first thing in the morning. Since we live so close now, we stayed at our new house and came over in the morning. It may not seem that odd but it was! Anyway, we had a nice breakfast and then opened gifts.

In other news, I am very excited to announce on Suzi's behalf that she is ENGAGED! Suzi, her family and Jon went on a cruise just before Christmas which is where the proposal took place. I'm very excited for her!

Gingerbread Houses.

I found the following when I was using the web to brainstorm rules for the upcoming gingerbread house contest. I thought it was adorable and I would share.
If you have time to do this or were just curious, I found this at Not Martha.

A reindeer!

Poor thing. I really shouldn't torture her like this...

Thankful Weekend.

After our nice few days in Florida, Joe and I were not thankful to be back in the cold weather of Cleveland. However, we were thankful for the wonderful turkey dinner my mom made for us on Thursday. We were also thankful for the remainder of this weekend to unpack more items (a seemingly never-ending project) and relaxation. Not thankful to be going back to work tomorrow...

Happy Halloween!

...and we're back!

I've been spending the majority of my time outside in the wonderful Spring weather instead of blogging. Bailey and I have been on numerous walks (practicing heeling and impulse control when faced with distractions). For Easter, Joe and I met my Mom and Dad in Canfield, Ohio for lunch. It was a very nice meal and I left with an Easter bag of candy, including my favorite:

My Valentine.

A birthday.

It's Joe's Birthday today - Happy Birthday to him! I surprised him with a Kindle since he has wanted one since Christmas when he gifted one to me. I loaded The Wall Street Journal so he could read it this morning. We had some cake after work and will be headed out to dinner this evening.

2010!

New Year's Resolution: Never drink again...

Gingerbread Contest.

Last night, my mother held the Unknown-th Annual Gingerbread Contest here in Solon! The competition was quite stiff and closer this year than last. In my opinion, Joe and I had one of the most ingenuous ideas that showed real creativity and preparedness. However, it was hard to beat the presentation by Ellie and Gracie whose use of gummy bears was inspiring. The double decker, which took 3 grown men to put together, did not look safe and seemed only to succeed because of their over the top attempt to woo the judges (I think there was bribery involved too).

Here is the log cabin Joe and I so masterfully assembled:

Merry Christmas!

One day belated...Merry Christmas one and all! Hope everyone had a very nice day.

Winter Solstice.

Today's advent:

"Today is winter solstice,
Shortest day of the year.
It can mean only one thing-
Christmas is near!"

I'm very glad the days will be getting longer from here on. Let there be light!

Wrapping.

I finally got around to wrapping presents yesterday. I sat down with 4 rolls of wrapping paper, scissors, tape and the presents and wrapped while watching The Holiday. The movie made it fun and some gifts under the tree make it look a bit more festive!

Advent.

Over Thanksgiving, my mom surprised Joe and I with a box and within that box were a bunch of little boxes and containers with dates on them. A homemade advent! We have had a blast opening them everyday.

Ugly Sweater.

Joe and I went to the Salvation Army today to pick up some garb for the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party we have tomorrow night. We both got some good sweaters and immediately came home and threw them in a hot wash. I knew the risk of shrinking...but didn't expect it to be too bad...


At least this makes it uglier I guess...

A new toy!

And yes, it has to squeak...