The table of misfits

Since Scott and I couldn't make it home to have Easter with either of our families, we decided to have a few folks over who were staying in town.

So I took advantage of the opportunity and had some fun decorating!



We only had a couple friends from work over, but as usual it was a lot of fun. There was lots of food and plenty of stories were shared.




Hope you all had a good holiday wherever you were and with whoever you shared it with!

Sweet Home Chicago!

Scott had a business trip to Chicago this weekend and I couldn't let him go alone! While he was busy at work, I was enjoying being back at home.



We stayed downtown and had a great view of the city from our hotel room. I was able to see the river being dyed green for St. Patrick's Day. I think it stays that color almost year round!
While I didn't make it to the parade, I had enough fun checking out all the crazy outfits everyone had on walking around the city.




Scott was busy working at the annual Houseware Show at McCormick Place. While it was different this year since he's at a new company, everything seemed to work out really well. It was a fun experience for me to visit the show and not work at it. Maybe next year I'll be demo-ing the steam mop!




I also got to catch up with family which is always great, especially since we won't see any of them for Easter. I went shopping with my mom, lunch with Tim, Dana, Ellie, Dad, and the rest of that clan. As usual the time flew by.

It was kind of funny coming home this time though. I really appreciated all the little things that I don't think I ever noticed when I was home every day. I'm looking forward to my next trip back when I can stay a little longer!

Trying to be green

We've been having some technical difficulties with the computer so this post has taken longer than usual. Anyway...


Scott and I are trying hard to live a "green" life. We bring our own bags to the grocery store. We recycle. We try and buy local food. I was at Whole Foods last week buying some specialty items and found some "ecologically friendly" laundry detergent. We needed some anyway, so I thought I'd try something new. It was plant based, contained no phosphates, it was reasonably priced. It seemed to look like a good purchase. Until I got home.

Normally we buy ALL small and mighty because it cleans just as many loads as the large bottle, but there's less waste. I compared the labels when I got home (I know, I'm a dork!), and this is what I found out...

ALL can wash 32 loads, the new detergent can do 20. ALL doesn't contain phosphates either. Now look at the bottles...




The ALL bottle is actually smaller. Now I'm sure the detergent is gentler because it's plant based and everything, but is anyone else as confused as I am?

I feel as if I've been duped. By the hippies at Whole Foods no less! Can anyone explain this one to me?

Surprise!

On Saturday afternoon, Scott surprised me with an impromptu date night. I was told to pack my bag and be ready to head out at 3 pm. I had no idea where we were going or what we were doing, but I was excited.

We hopped on the train and headed downtown. Still I had no clue. We started walking and as we passed by the Intercontinental Hotel he said, "let's go in here." I was shocked to find out that we were staying there for the evening and we had dinner reservations too.

When we got to the room, another surprise. Scott secretly packed my bathing suit so we could enjoy the pool (he also packed my racing suit and goggles, in case I wanted to have a serious swim, but who would want to do that?!)

After the pool we got ready for dinner and surprise he brought a bottle of wine with. He really thought of everything. We made our way downstairs and started with a cocktail at the bar, then headed out to dinner. We went to "The Living Room", an upscale retro bar/restaurant that is supposedly known for having the best martinis in Boston...and they were good (the chocolate cake wasn't too bad either).

We made it back to the hotel and watched one of our favorite tv shows, Law & Order, then had one of the best nights sleep. I think we both felt like we were on vacation. I'll take a surprise like that anytime!

Fun Weekend!

My mom came to Boston over the long weekend to see our place and have a little fun. I think we had a lot of fun!

We started out on Saturday driving to the mall to check out a "few things". By the time we got home, our arms were tired from carrying all the bags! We were even too tired to grab a picture of it. (Don't worry Aunt Carol, we needed all of it!)



Saturday night we managed to get our tired butts off the couch and down to the Lizard Lounge for some good pub grub. The food was great, the drinks were great, and of course, the company was great!



Sunday afternoon we trucked over to the JFK library and museum. For those of you that haven't been there, I highly recommend it. It took us under 2 hours to make our way through all the interesting documents, clothing, and other artifacts from his term as president. I would go back again it was so good!




Scott had to deal with my mom and me the whole weekend. I think he made it okay, but he had to spend a little extra time to himself.



Sunday night we headed to the North End (Italian district) for a nice dinner. The food was great, the wine was great...can you see the theme of the weekend? I always knew I was my mother's daughter, but when we looked at each other after dinner and we both had the same expression on our faces, we couldn't help but laugh! I think Scott caught a glimpse of me a few years from now. And yes, the wedding's still on!

Now it's back to the daily grind. I think this week will be a little easier since we had such a fun weekend! And I hope my mom comes back soon.

Are we crazy???

Scott and I signed up for the Chicago Marathon today. Let's hope the weather cooperates this year!

Home Sweet Home

I went home this weekend to see the fam and some friends and even though it was a quick visit, it was a lot of fun! We went shopping for wedding decorations, had lunch at Cooper's Hawk, and as you can see from these pictures, had a lot of laughs!

I've been craving good mexican food lately since Boston doesn't seem to really have any. So it was nice when Dana suggested a nearby mexican restaurant that they like. As you can see, Ellie and Grandma liked it too!





I think all kids look adorable in the bathtub, but Ellie was super cute! I didn't think everyone needed to see the 10 pictures I took of her splishin and splashin around, but I couldn't resist posting this one. Bath time is her favorite time as you can see!






Sunday morning Mom, Dana, Ellie and me headed to the mall to look for dresses for all the girls. We left with a book for Ellie, makeup for me and a few other odds and ends. Obviously no dresses. But when we got home and searched the internet, we were able to find a dress for both Dana and Ellie. And they're both beautiful!






Everything we did was fun over the weekend, but I think the best part was all of us sitting in our pjs on Sunday morning, just relaxing. I have such a good time watching Tim, Dana and Ellie interact together. They are an adorable little family. Watching them really makes me realize what's important in life.





All in all it was a fun and productive weekend. We really got a lot of things done for the wedding. I'm realizing that time's flying by and May 31st is right around the corner. And that's fine by me.