Children of the Corn

Nebraska!

On Friday we were off to Cornhusker country for the weekend. One of Jared's college roommates is a defensive ends coach for the Nebraska football team. So obviously my football fanatic husband loves to visit! This was our second trip to Lincoln and the Papuchis' were as welcoming as could be. 

Here is Coach P on the field before the game...

We had a lovely weekend of tailgating with amazing food, drinks, and the coaches, wives and families!

Virginia is for Lovers

I love Virginia. I miss Virginia. It is so hard for me to be away from Virginia. It just feels different here... like home. This past weekend was a great visit. A fantabulous, too fast, extended weekend in Virginia with my husband to see my family, my friends, and some Hokie football.

Luckily we both had Labor Day weekend off! So, Jared and I drove down to Virgnia on Friday afternoon and right to Sweetwater Tavern to take my Mom out to dinner. Dad was on his way back from NYC with my brother Jeffrey. They were picking up Julie and Madison so they could meet the rest of the family on the holiday weekend.

Saturday started off with brunch at Tallula with the friend I have had the longest, Tracey, and a lovely spa visit!  I don't see this girl enough and I love that we can just catch up right where we left off. Always so much fun!! (I'm trying to convince her to meet me in San Fran in October!)

The rest of Saturday was spent at the park with my brother Joey and nephew Jacob. Afterwards Dad and I got pizza and we continued Game Day football watching and hanging out with the rest of the Stein clan.

Sunday began with brunch with some of my college roommates. We finally were able to get together and plan one weekend a year that will be our girls weekend... now hopefully that will work, we are all so busy these days!

 

And then I got to work, yes work. It was me in the kitchen. You are amazed, I know. Me hanging out with kids and cooking... what a month! I worked with Dad and Jeni to make a lovely summer dinner while Mom, Julie, & Madison visited with Aunt Ronnie, Kelly, Uncle Robert, Augie, Tricia, Lauren, John, Aunt Carole & Zach! Although we did take a minute to take this super cute pic with my go-go gadget long arms...

Now, Monday... Monday was supposed to be the most fun. Monday was supposed to be the beginning of the best season of college football ever. The Hokies were ranked 6th in the nation set to play Boise State. Boise isn't even a state for goodness sake! Unfortunately, Monday didn't end up like we planned. We lost... we lost and really, no one thought we were going to lose. It was so sad, I'm still bummed about it now. But before the game, we sure did have a lot of fun. It is always a good time with Erin, another roommate from college and Matt, a co-worker of Jared's who is also a Hokie!

One Month Ago

My sister became a mother. Since she lives in NYC, I wasn't able to be at the hospital when my niece was born... this just killed me. Being married to a doctor gives a person WAAAAY too much information. And I was worried, not that there was a reason to be necessarily but, a lot of the women I know have had tough deliveries this year, too tough. And I wasn't going to be there in case Julie needed me.

Luckily, everything went great and Jared and I were able to make a trip to The Big Apple just one week later. Oh, how I love that city. Every time I am there I just know my Nana is looking down on me smiling. And I finally got to meet Miss Madison Lily McDougall born August 5, 2010.  

Now if you know me, you know I am not what you would call a "baby" person. Actually, they totally freak me out. I don't have that supposed natural female desire to hold kids. I do better when they can talk and when I'm not worried about breaking them. I can't imagine being a mom myself until far, far into my future.

But with each little addition to our extended family, I am getting more comfortable. Thinking maybe I could do that... one day. But for now it sure helps that I just LOVE being an Auntie. I now have 3 nephews and 3 nieces and I love them to pieces!



Smiling in my arms... maybe dreaming about "touchdown Hokies!"



Uncle Jared already has multitasking down... NCAA and baby time all in one.



Julie is the happiest I have ever seen her... and I couldn't be happier for her and Jason. My cup runneth over.

A Little Bit Country

It has been a long process... but lately, I am just LOVING country music. I'm not sure when it started exactly. Years ago my parents dabbled in listening to Garth, Dwight, Shania or The Judds. I would listen to a song here and there but no real commitment. But something has changed. These days I seem to turn the radio on just as often to a country station as I would to alternative music.

A few years ago I went to my first country music concert. Kenny Chesney... and it was so much fun!

Soon after this is I found a band that I loved to listen to. I was wedding planning at the time and all of their music just made me feel good. Lady Antebellum. I started listening to them so often, that finally this summer I decided I needed to see them in concert.

And even though I still think of it as the Lady A concert, Natalie informed me that really, we were at a Tim McGraw concert. Which was very enjoyable as well.

Who would have thought I would become a little bit country once I left the south!

Busy Bee

As much as I do enjoy those lazy days of summer, my favorite type of day is when everything is planned from dawn 'til dusk. I love doing different activities, going out to eat and to local events. Saturday was that kind of day and the weather was amazing. Not a cloud in the sky and 80+ degrees... sometimes I really can't tell I live in Cleveland the weather is so nice.  

The day began with running a few errands (coffee, obviously!) and then heading out to Mentor-on-the-Lake for a lovely afternoon of sailing!

Next up was a summertime must do... attend a baseball game! I am more of a football girl but I LOVE live sporting events! (Not that you watch dead sporting events, but you know what I mean.) There is just something more fun about it, the jumbo screen, the music, the crowd chanting, and of course the snacks. It must have been all those years in high school being on the Dance Team watching and cheering on the Wildcats in between runs to the concession stand!

 Now as if that wasn't enough, we topped off the night by meeting up with a bunch of the SPH residents at Champps to watch what is seriously a ridiculous sport... Ultimate Fighting. There really are no words other than OUCH for that one.  

And just when I think our day is over... we get STUCK IN THE ELEVATOR OF OUR APARTMENT! We think this is hilarious... could have been the Patron shots... or the fact that J had just said "I hope we don't get stuck in here!" seconds before we lurched to a halt.

What a great end of summer, busy from dawn 'til dusk, kind of day!

End of Summer

This is the last weekend of my summer. More than that, it is the last weekend I get to make the plans. You know, go to the pool all day, take a walk or run errands, maybe catch a movie. The end of those lazy days of summer where you can lay like broccoli and watch reruns of Project Runway, or organize your closet (since you haven't actually finished moving in), or try tackling some of that never ending to-do list and then instead decide to catch happy hour at Chagrin Falls and sit outside and enjoy the weather. Ah! Summer... you are never long enough!

This is it because we have practically every weekend planned until 2011. Next weekend, Labor Day weekend, will be the beginning of this...

and this...

and this (hehehe)...

but most importantly this...

Some happy Hokies back in the 'burg. 

And as much as I do LOVE Hokie football, I will miss a whole lot of this...

Happy End of Summer!

This is Where I Live

Ohio... Cleveland, Ohio... Beachwood to be exact. I moved here a year and 10 months ago.

We have a pool, tennis courts, workout room, clubhouse, and it is in a nice gated community... although they have about as much security as The White House did when we rolled right up to the front many years ago! One of the nicest malls is literally right out my window and I am walking distance to Nordstroms, Ann Taylor Loft, Cheesecake Factory, Borders and a TON of other stores and restaurants.

Currently, this is where we call home.

It still needs some work, and you don't get to see much of our bedroom (since half of it is stacks of bins full of my stuff), but it is home (for now) for this East Coast girl!