At Last!

I got to take a quick trip to Virginia. I hadn't been back since my Tour de Virginia in February which was entirely too fast, as all my visits seem to be. We got in late Friday night but it was so nice to surprise Dad with his two girls home the same weekend.

Not the best iPhone photo but it was good enough to send to Mom who was on a quilting retreat with her friends... so weird.

While Julie and Jason headed off to a wedding on Saturday, we hung around the house, played with our niece and nephews, had a chinese food dinner, celebrated Jeni's birthday
had bathtime with the kiddos, and talked late into the night about religion.

We also stopped by the Grandparents house to visit and even stopped by our friend Steve in Maryland to see his new house he is building. Jam packed with fun weekend. Just how I like them.

Overdue Champagne Sunday

Jared finally had a day off call this past weekend. 24 hours with no pager, no driving to the hospital, no waiting for the next patient to call or a trauma to occur. The perfect time for a Champagne Sunday!

As the weather changed from a lovely 80 degrees on Friday... where I wore my cowboy boots for the first time...  

to a frigid 35 on Sunday (with the possibility of snow that night!) we popped the champagne for mimosas and spent the day at home. We watched the latest Mission Impossible movie where I verified that I still can't stand Tom Cruise... so wish he hadn't gone crazy a few years ago. Just stay Top Gun Tom and I would be fine.

Later that day we took our Sunday drive that we have missed recently. And stopped off at a new shop called Sweetie Fry. Where of course we needed to try the funnel cake fries. Delicious!

We FaceTimed with Julie, Jason (who were wearing matching shirts, so funny) and Madison. She was loving on a little lamb card of all things that we sent her for Easter. It was a great weekend in Cleveland, Sunday especially.

Crochet

As weird as it is... I make baby blankets. Yes, for actual human babies. It still surprises me. I feel terrible for making fun of my Mom and sister for crocheting years ago. It is so soothing and gives you a sense of accomplishment.

I have branched out and made a few scarves here and there but mostly, it is baby blankets for all my neices and nephews. Recently I finished another patterned blanket for my Goddaughter Madison.

Not the best photo. It was with my phone and I was in a hurry to get it sent out for Easter this year. I just love the thought of them snuggling up with something so soft that I made.

Happy Weekend!

Big Bang

The Big Bang Theory that is. Lately, we have been watching this like crazy. Seems like it is always on... and we are always in the mood to watch it. Just when I think I have seen every episode a new one appears... Bazinga!

What I like best about it is how much we laugh. I laugh at the dorky science/engineering jokes they weave into the dialog. Jared laughs at me laughing so hard. I actually like it so much that I might just have to get this shirt.

Happy Thursday!

La Vida Es Bella

We are trying, really trying to soak up life. To laugh, to love, and to live, live, live as much as we can.

On Friday night we caught the tail end of Cleveland Restaurant Week and met our friends Mary and Steve at Red Steakhouse. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Dinner took quite a long time but it was fantastic! I tried oysters Rockefeller for the first time and they were super yummy.

The rest of the weekend we relaxed well, I did while Jared had to be on call. We watched movies, ran errands, did chores and I completed my 8 mile training run in my brand new Asics Supernova shoes. Woohoo! Topped off the weekend with a nice drive in the Jeep with the top off to enjoy the spring sunshine.

Life is beautiful.

This Fragile Life

I've been off the past week. Sad. Calling home just to hear my parents voices. Calling friends to catch up and vent. Trying to be upbeat and not stress out Jared who is working so so much. It has been tough. My race training isn't going well... I'm distracted... down.

Because bad things happen. Awful things happen for no reason and I can understand. On Friday we received news that one of J's fraternity brothers suddenly passed away. He was fine, had a headache a couple weeks ago bad enough to go to the ER where the CT scan showed a tumor that the doctor thought was benign. Two weeks later he is gone. Seriously one of the nicest guys. One of those guys that you can't help but like. A true gentlemen.

I just keep thinking about his wife. I can't help but think about how she is... how is she even able to wake up every morning? It is truly just too awful. This past weekend was also the anniversary of the death of our friend Jeff Kaylor. It has been 9 years... feels like a blink of an eye and a lifetime simultaneously. I miss him. I think of this poem by Mary Frye when I think of death. 

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there; I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glints on snow,

I am the sun on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight.

I am the soft star-shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there; I did not die.

So I am trying to get out of this rut. To live every day and try and soak up this happy life we are living, not understanding why such sadness needs to happen and slightly scared for a time that "bad things" will happen to me and those I love.

Easter Weekend

We spent the holiday weekend here in Cleveland. Seems like we spend every Easter in Cleveland nowadays. And although I miss my family in Virginia, it is so nice to have family here in Ohio. Especially when we get to go to Easter brunch! After church that morning we joined Jared's Nonni, Aunt, Uncle, Cousin, girlfriend and friend at the club for a delicious feast!

Of course I had to include a photo of a yummy chocolate cupcake that helped break my Lenten fast. We gave hyacinth flowers to Nonni and Aunt Denise... and then a few hours later hit up the new Sonic for chili dogs and tater tots! It was an exhausting day of eating. Loved it!

Happy Easter!  

April Showers... er, Snow

Well, we thought it was spring. Thought that the warm weather and sunshine would just keep on coming. That was until last night when this came... 

And covered up all the blooming flowers and froze us all just a little bit. It was so odd to see snow falling and flower petals blowing through the air at the same time.

Definitely very odd weather. Good thing I haven't packed up my winter clothes yet!

Chocolate

Oh, how I have missed chocolate. I gave it up for lent this year and it was quite a challenge for me. Not as hard as the Starbucks withdrawl of 2011 but still no fun. Especially when my most favorite ice cream, Mint Cookies and Cream, came out the week of St. Patrick's Day. On Easter Sunday I started brunch with my most favorite, Reese's Peanut Butter Egg.

My new favorite though is the Peeps Peepsters. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

Just a little marshmallow "peep" in a creamy chocolate truffle. Add a piece of graham cracker and I swear, it is like you are eating a s'more! Love it!

Now to eat my Girl Scout cookies that have been hiding in the closet since March!

Just Because

He does things like this... 

and this...

with lobster ravioli, bread, and wine... just because!

Because he knows his work schedule is tough on me too.
Because he knows I am picking up the slack at home... and I hate cleaning.
Bbut mostly, just because he loves me.

In like a Lion

And out like a lamb. That is what they say March is supposed to be like. But our month has been more like all lion and no lamb. Busy, busy, busy with no break in sight. I mostly like it. But the increasing work hours for J is no fun and I am getting antsy about not visiting Virginia in so long. But things are good. Just busy like a lion.

On Friday night we celebrated Doctor's day and headed to dinner at our favorite place in Chagrin Falls. We even got a table right by the window with a great view.

We had errands to run during the weekend. The BMW finally had the snow tires taken off, I did my 6 mile training run!, and then we headed out to the shooting range.

It was freezing in that place! We had a good time and I even was able to hit the target mostly where I was aiming. My arm was really tired by the end though.

We topped off Saturday with some sangria and Cheesecake Factory and of course, watching Ohio State in the NCAA basketball tournament... that is until I fell asleep! And just like that... it was April!