Gobble til ya Wobble

I have always wondered why we got the day after Thanksgiving off but not the day after Christmas. Perhaps to afford extra travel or boost the economy on Black Friday. Or maybe its to catch up on rest after days of preparation leading up to and all things Turkey Day. We began preparing to host our first Thanksgiving weeks ago, with slight touches around the house. But the real work kicked in Tuesday evening and never really let up well into the night Thursday. We spent hours cleaning, or doing our best at it. We spent plenty of time in the grocery store, and a few trips back. We wined and dined and cleaned some more. Our first major holiday hosting was a huge success. To highlight: the overnight brine for the turkey was key to a deliciously fried bird. Perfectly written (and set) place settings for 10. Neither the chocolate chip nor the pumpkin maple cheesecake was voted better than the other, both were scrumptious. The Jon and Kate plus 8 marathon proved more entertaining to our guests than the terriblly lop-sided football games on the air. We have a lot to be thankful for this year and I was especially thankful for family and friends to be able to join us for such a great feast. I couldn't have wished for a better Thanksgiving day...so luckily, I didn't have to use my wishbone wish on such. I didn't burn the house down and the only time Roo got to sit down all day was to eat. So we certainly deserved a day of rest after all of that...but instead we were up and out around 8 adding to the consumer chaos of Black Friday.

Don't Cry for Me Argentina

As I am at home doing laundry and picking up dogs from the groomer and washing dishes, Roo and Jess send their best via Blackbery from the front row of Phillips Arena in Atlanta. I suspect more pics will follow upon their return tomorrow.

Its beginning to look a lot like Thanksgiving

If the Extreme team can makeover a house in an hour every Sunday, who was to stop us from mildly renovating our bathroom over the weekend? It started with our do-it-yourself painting of the guest bedroom that will house Roo's in-laws for Thanksgiving. My mom, step-dad and sister are driving up from Florida this week. Our prep list of to-dos is slowly shrinking...practice frying a turkey. Check. Paint the bedroom. Check. Stock up on groceries. Check. Clean the house...well lets not get ahead of ourselves. Roo and sis head to ATL tomorrow for their front row show of the Queen of Pop. Had we cleaned this weekend, my wife would not have returned to find the house in the same manner. So instead, we used the leftover bedroom paint to add some color to the master bathroom. Then we had to replace the mirror. Then we needed to change the color of the light fixture. Then we had to stain the cabinets. Let's add some of that grafiti art above the tub. Exit brass cabinet knobs. We probably need to replace some of the caulking around the shower. It took more than an hour, the project technically started on Tuesday and just wrapped up an hour ago. How do those folks at ABC do it?

Madge on Monday!

Is she a lucky star?!?

Yes that's my sis and yes WE will be sitting in the FRONT ROW at the Madonna concert in ATL on Monday.

6 Months

Happy 6 Month Anniversary to Us!!

I should be mad at you...

For coming into my life

and turning things every which way...

For flashing that smile

that melts my heart

and makes me forget

what I was saying...

...for the way

thoughts of you

constantly interrupt my days

and make it next to impossible

for me to focus

on anything

but the shape of your eyes

and the softness of your lips...

I should be mad at you...

but I'm just too busy

being in love with you.

Have a Little Faith

I had a potluck lunch meeting today at work. I needed a desert dish and Roo quickly stepped in and seized the opportunity to test out a Turkey day dish. We are hosting Thanksgiving this year with my mom and family coming up from Florida to stay with us for 5 days and Riley's parents joining us Thursday. My brother will be in attendance, though he's a regular 'round these parts when it comes to eating. I also reached out to a stranded co-worker that can't get back home to Ohio until Christmas. He accepted our gracious invitation. Holy cow Uncle Jesse, we'll have a full house. Needless to say, there is a lot riding on our first Thanksgiving. Roo is working on the menu as we speak and I'll be frying my first turkey this weekend as a test run. So back to my office feast, Riley has been working over the baby showers and holiday parties of recent months to fine tune her homemade chocolate-chip cheesecake. My waistline speaks for her cooking ability, but yet she was worried about the outcome of a Thanksgiving desert experiment: maple pecan pumpkin cheesecake. She was so worried it wouldn't work for my work that we whipped up a backup batch of cookies just in case plan A was a bust. At the luncheon, I carved the first slice to hide a crack in the crust on the side. I watched as the main entrees were consumed and the first few sweet-seeking stragglers browsed the desert line. It almost wasn't even fair. Riley's treat was up against an assortment of store-bought pies and cupcakes and candies. It only took one endorsement and the cheesecake was history. One of my cube neighbors suggested Riley should make and sell them. After hearing a brief version of the test run concerns, another office mate implied that Riley can cook with her eyes closed and not have to worry about the outcome. To start the day, I was worried I'd have to take too much home...at day's end, my only stress was being able to squeeze 5 minutes between client calls to clean the crumb-laden cake plate. The cheesecake was a huge success. Roo may have been surprised by my office results and perhaps also when she got a taste for herself on the slice I cut and saved, but I've always had faith in her ability to feed me. And now more friends from work want to come over for Thanksgiving.

...and the wine is bottled poetry..

Napa was absolutely amazing. Trip Favorites - Shramsburg, Prager Winery & Port Works, Milat Vineyards, and Fried Olives at Don Giovanni.

I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Dear UPS: We get it

Seriously, what is the deal with the whiteboard UPS commercials. Its a pretty straight forward concept, I need something delivered to someone and I give you some money and you take it there for me. I don't need a guy with a Cosby sweater and late 80s intellectual mullet to draw a picture demonstrating how mailing a pacakge works. It takes me longer to figure out what his stupid drawing means that it does to understand what it takes to send a package. The cartoon about how a bill becomes a law has more substance. What can brown do for me? Stop annoying me with this guy. I've moaned about this marketing migraine before...I think my present mood is partly to blame for this rant. The Bears lost another game they shouldn't have today. On various radio stations, Christmas music has started its 24-7 loop earlier than last year. Tomorrow, I'll be flying west just as Roo flies back east, our planes will cross pathes in the air. guess being apart for 11 of the past 14 days is what really has me down, not the Michael Bolton wannabe and his whiteboard. But seriously UPS, we all get how it works.

"Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it."

We're both traveling for work this week. I'll be spending the next 6 days in Napa while EJ will take a quick 2 day trip to Pittsburgh. I'm not sure what's on his agenda but here's a sneak peak of a few things that are on mine!!

This will be my first trip to Napa (actually my first trip to California period). I can barely contain my excitement! I hope the weather's nice in Pittsburgh.....

No Jokers or Palins or Werewolves, Oh My

Another Halloween has come and past and I am not sure what hit me. It started out like any other night, I got home around 4:45 to find Max and Kennedy's noses pressed against the window at the front door. I got the mail, straightened up the kitchen from Phil and Jessica's pizza lunch, fed the dogs, changed clothes, made a mix CD of Madonna to set the tone for Jess's costume, watched an old episode of King of Queens. The one where IPS is on strike and Doug, Deacon and Arthur are living it up remains my favorite episode. I literally laughed out loud and before I could stop the calm before the storm was over. A small posse had formed at the end of our cul-de-sac and our house was targeted. It was just past dusk when the first doorbell rang. I didn't have a gameplan drawn up let alone my Scarecrow costume on yet so I did what first came to mind...flung the door upon and thrust out the bucket of candy to the neighbors kids. About 3 hours, 4 Batmen, 16 princesses, 2 dead bridesmaids, 2 Ironmen, 12 Supermen and 1 Winnie the Pooh later, I am nearly out of candy and exhausted. I managed to contain the dogs between the baby gate at the top of the stairs and the closed gates on the back deck. I watched Fright Night (a terrible 80s vampire horror) and did a crossword puzzle as waves of tricker and treaters ebbed and flowed. I had barely made it halfway through the downs before it seemed the Great Pumpkin had come and gone. I was amazed to see the bottom of the candy bucket. Almost equally amazed to have NOT seen any Joker or Sarah Palin costumes. The night went by fast, as did the week, which means Roo's trip to Phoenix was over before I knew it. I hate she missed the big night. Is perhaps a trick-or-treat session in order this time next year with a Buzz Lightyear of our own? Maybe next year is too soon, but add this to the list of reasons I am ready for a Baby Roo...I don't want Roo to have to miss all of this because of work next year. I want to be part of the cul-de-sac trick-or-treat posse. But then, who would be here to give out all of our candy?

From Gate A13

I'm headed home after an amazing week at the J&W Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Arizona. My company's national meeting was held there this week and after 3 days of meetings, awards, AMAZING food, and absolute FUN I am ready to get home. I'm not looking forward to the 4.5 hour flight....as I type this I'm hoping the poodle skirt clad gate attendant will hook me up with a first class upgrade.


I spent the afternoon yesterday riding in a jeep through the desert. LOVED IT!!! We saw a gigantic jack rabbit and even heard coyotes howling in the distance. It was blazing hot and I wish they would have told us we needed to wear real shoes (I didn't think we'd be getting out of the jeeps so of course I wore my Rainbows).

I'm looking forward to getting home tonight just in time for trick or treaters. I hope EJ remembered to buy some candy.....

Countdown to NAPA: 4 DAYS!!!!

The countdown is almost over...

I'll be here by noon tomorrow....

How about a little fire, Scarecrow?

The ability aka talent to quote movies line for line is something I am very proud of. Groomsmen Page and I can have a conversation entirely in movie script. Roo fails to appreciate this skill. I have no doubt she was ignoring it during Friday night’s viewing of Gladiator because I was lending a helping hand in the kitchen prepping for a baby shower we hosted Saturday. It was a Halloween-theme shower with good food and great friends. What I took most from the event was an advancement on when I might want to add someone new to the household of EJ & Roo. We both want kids, there is no dispute there…but we know we probably need to wait a little while and get everything in order in the house that we still have 28 years and 10 months to pay for. However, if having a kid means Roo will spend more energy on dressing a child up than decorating me and the dogs, I am all for it before next Halloween. I kid, of course, as Roo’s creative touch is one of the many things I truly appreciate about her. For Halloween, she has done a great job of transforming our home into the Land of Oz. Friday’s epic of dishing out tricks and treats will star Roo as Dorothy, myself as the Scarecrow, Max as the Tin Man and Kennedy as the Cowardly Lion. And as I write this, I am informed that future Halloween’s with little EJ’s running around the house will only add to the cast giving us munchkins and flying monkeys. So it looks like it for years to come I’ll need to try to keep my sleeves of straw away from the candles which I failed this year by the way. Roo warned me several times that I needed to mind my outfit around the food and fire. “I could while away the hours, conferrin' with the flowers, consultin' with the rain. And my head I'd be scratchin' while my thoughts were busy hatchin' if I only had a brain.”

"He didn't tell me how to live; he lived and let me watch him do it."

Happy Birthday Daddy!!

You were my first love,

always there for me

You taught me how to walk and how to dream

God gave me your eyes

But it was you who taught me how to see

Now I can stand on my own

But I know that you'll never let go

I'll always be your baby

No matter how the years fly by

The way you love me made me

Who I am in this world

I'm a woman now, not a little girl

Wherever this life takes me

I'll always be your baby

You are my hero and that will never change

You still can dry my tears with just a smile

The one I've leaned on

From my first steps to walking down the aisle

Now there's another man in my life

But I know by the look in your eyes

I'll always be your baby

No matter how the years fly by

The way you love me made me

Who I am in this world

I'm a woman now,

Not a little girl

Wherever this life takes me

I'll always be your baby

Your faith, your love

And all that you believe

Have come to be the strongest part of me

And I will always be your baby

Anyone hiring?

I’ve been thinking about getting a second job. No, not because of the recent economic hiccup or because I'm not happy and successful in my current position, not because I want a bigger TV or a faster car. I have no intention of investing a dime more than my employer matches. Have you checked your 401K lately? I could use a second income so that Roo wouldn’t have to bring one in at all. And before you get excited about a super sweet hubby post, I must confess the reasoning for such is slightly selfish. Of course, I love having the Mrs. at home as opposed to her being on the road solely for the sake of having her home, don't get me wrong, but if I could have her home all the time, I’d eat like a king. She’s outdone herself this week with some new menu items added to the mix and complimented by some old favorites. We also had movie night on a Tuesday. We’ve walked the dogs around the neighborhood every day this week. So while I may have to share the tv and dvr a little more, a play a little less xbox with Riley around, I would gladly trade the Call of Duty 4 and the plasma for a stay at home mom. I’d even offer to cook a little more.

Fall Photos

Kennedy & Max

This guy is scaring the heck out of the neighborhood rugrats.

We've Been Boo'd

We woke up Sunday morning to find this on our doorstep!

We decided to jazz ours up a little.

Visit www.boograms.com to get your own BOO!! We're off to BOO 2 of our neighbors!!

In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips.

It seems like yesterday I was holding you mere hours after you were born.

I will always be your #1 Fan.

You've grown to become such a beautiful young woman.

Your sense of fashion and love for shoes is amazing. You were the best maid of honor a girl could ask for.
I thank God everyday for giving me such an amazing sister. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

The Great Debate

Me again. And the last thing I would do is try to make any kind of political statement here but given the times and the latest debate fresh in our minds, it kind of steered my thought process this morning. I don’t post as often as Roo nor did I realize anyone else was really reading this. I tend to get inspired by a thought or moment and put it in virtual ink so that I can look back later and remember it all. Time is really flying by, I can’t believe it has been 5 months. A great 5 months and I want to hang onto all the memories, so my posts here tend to be more of a moment that moved me or an idea that inspired me or just something that made me smile. I guess we could argue as to the purpose of our posts but why debate that? I made the mistake of mentioning the Presidential race at work and forget the battlefield, the civil war was reenacted right before my eyes. Riley and I rarely talk politics. I know how she feels and not so sure how I feel…especially about politics as it relates to our relationship. Roo and I don’t agree on everything…like the amount of humor found in the Family Guy. We agree to disagree on how good a driver I am. The definition of a clean bathroom registers a little differently between the two of us. I hold a generally optimistic and go with the flow, laid back sort of spirit while Roo is definitely more organized and structured. She loves butter beans, I hate peas. I don’t know how we ever watched TV without HD, she can’t really see a big difference. I’m an early riser, she not so much. We certainly disagree on where Star Wars rates on the list of all-time great movies. And of course, like any couple, we have our disagreements that come and go, some faster than others. I admit I am guilty of pushing buttons sometimes, especially when it comes to getting in the last word. In our pre-wedding counseling, the preacher told us that the most successful marriages are made up of those that don’t always see eye to eye, opposites not only attract but also attach. With Riley, I may not see everything the same way…but in Riley, I see everything. And there’s no debating that.

Can't believe it's been 5 months...

"I love being married. It's so great to find one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life." - Rita Rudner