okay, i'm officially bday'd out. so much so, i couldn't write another thing about my bday until today. nacho really put i over on me this year. after the Friday festivities, i thought we were done. thought we were doing a nice quiet dinner with the Williamsons. nah! seems nacho set up a surprise bday party Sat night for me at Alexander's. where else do you think we'd go. i was even oblivious to the fact that Silent G's ghetto sled was in the lot when we walked in. thanks to everyone that showed up. i was seriously surprised. and thanks to Donna for my very own apple pie that i didn't have to share with anyone - and i didn't.
nacho rounded out the weekend with dinner at his P's. his mom makes the most amazing ricotta stuffed shells you can imagine! and we topped it off with what? the only thing that would make a bday official.....one of nacho's hockey games. yipee! they did not win the final championship game, but boy did they give them a run for their money. ah, another hockey game. what more could a girl ask for.
and btw Kate, the cake was chocolate rasberry. surprise!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
happiest birthdays!
what a day! i had intended to post about it last night but was just too tired.
i will say, it started off as kind of a downer. i'd really wanted to be with my brother, sister, & nephew for "the big 40". but that wasn't possible this year. so i was not my usual excited self this year. my sister and i texted back and forth how much we wished i had been able to go home. "but you can't let that ruin YOUR DAY D!" i was surprised by 7a how many text messages i'd gotten. and then i got a call that turned it all around. she has no way of knowing how big a deal this was for me, but i cannot say thank you enough to Donna for calling and singing me happy birthday. since my mom passed away, it's the one thing i really really miss. and it was on my mind for yesterday. so thank you Donna (even though i know you're unlikely to ever read this) for such an awesome gift you didn't even know you gave!
i had to do the unthinkable....work on my bday. i've switched my day from from Friday to Monday and didn't think about my bday when i did that. so i opted to work a half day. i was floored when Miss Bella (and T) showed up with cake, balloons, and a song. just floored.
i had more offers than ever for lunch yesterday and all of them were sushi. so i decided to make it a girls lunch and spent it with Kate and Amy. i had every intention of doing lunch then leaving for a hike and swim some laps. Kate and Nacho had other plans. at the end of lunch Kate presented me with a card that basically said i was to hand my keys and everything over to her and follow her lead. that was easy. we spent the rest of the day at Serenitee where i got treated to a facial by my favorite Aesthetician and a massage by my favorite Massage Therapist. as usual, Kate and i had some hilarious and highly inappropriate conversations. thank you chicka! and really, Beth, it's not your fault we stayed in the whirlpool too long!
i ended with dinner at Two25. since i'd eaten there for the Bloggers Dinner Thurs, i was impressed enough to bring Nacho back for my bday. it was so worth it. as if i didn't have enough to say about them Thurs, i cannot thank Bob enough for coming over and wishing me happy bday. it's only the 2nd time we've been there, but it was nice that (1) he read the post and (2) he made the effort to put 2 and 2 together to figure out who we were and come over and talk to us. and of course, the food was AMAZING! beef tips. mmmmmmm
we ended the night with wine and cake at the house and i got to talk to my dad before all was said and done. of course no call with him is complete without his props to Nacho for putting up with me. he has no idea! thanks Silent G for capping off the night with a finally happy bday! wouldn't want it from anyone else!
thanks to everyone for all the texts, emails, and calls. everyone knows i'm passionate about bdays but it doesn't have to be a big todo. and think that's what made this one even more special. no big party, just lots of shout outs.
welcome to 40 kids. i make this shit look easy!
i will say, it started off as kind of a downer. i'd really wanted to be with my brother, sister, & nephew for "the big 40". but that wasn't possible this year. so i was not my usual excited self this year. my sister and i texted back and forth how much we wished i had been able to go home. "but you can't let that ruin YOUR DAY D!" i was surprised by 7a how many text messages i'd gotten. and then i got a call that turned it all around. she has no way of knowing how big a deal this was for me, but i cannot say thank you enough to Donna for calling and singing me happy birthday. since my mom passed away, it's the one thing i really really miss. and it was on my mind for yesterday. so thank you Donna (even though i know you're unlikely to ever read this) for such an awesome gift you didn't even know you gave!
i had to do the unthinkable....work on my bday. i've switched my day from from Friday to Monday and didn't think about my bday when i did that. so i opted to work a half day. i was floored when Miss Bella (and T) showed up with cake, balloons, and a song. just floored.
i had more offers than ever for lunch yesterday and all of them were sushi. so i decided to make it a girls lunch and spent it with Kate and Amy. i had every intention of doing lunch then leaving for a hike and swim some laps. Kate and Nacho had other plans. at the end of lunch Kate presented me with a card that basically said i was to hand my keys and everything over to her and follow her lead. that was easy. we spent the rest of the day at Serenitee where i got treated to a facial by my favorite Aesthetician and a massage by my favorite Massage Therapist. as usual, Kate and i had some hilarious and highly inappropriate conversations. thank you chicka! and really, Beth, it's not your fault we stayed in the whirlpool too long!
i ended with dinner at Two25. since i'd eaten there for the Bloggers Dinner Thurs, i was impressed enough to bring Nacho back for my bday. it was so worth it. as if i didn't have enough to say about them Thurs, i cannot thank Bob enough for coming over and wishing me happy bday. it's only the 2nd time we've been there, but it was nice that (1) he read the post and (2) he made the effort to put 2 and 2 together to figure out who we were and come over and talk to us. and of course, the food was AMAZING! beef tips. mmmmmmm
we ended the night with wine and cake at the house and i got to talk to my dad before all was said and done. of course no call with him is complete without his props to Nacho for putting up with me. he has no idea! thanks Silent G for capping off the night with a finally happy bday! wouldn't want it from anyone else!
thanks to everyone for all the texts, emails, and calls. everyone knows i'm passionate about bdays but it doesn't have to be a big todo. and think that's what made this one even more special. no big party, just lots of shout outs.
welcome to 40 kids. i make this shit look easy!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Bella Balloon
i must say this was one of the nicest bday surprises. okay, i know the photo is a little blurry but we did the best we could with Ram Rodriguez's dingleberry. but thank you so much Bella for stopping by with the balloons, cake and bday song! can't wait to come to your Princess Jasmine bday party in April.
two things
there's only 2 things i want from you right now: a piece of cake and a fork
i think this will be my new mantra for today and beyond. thanks Kate!
i think this will be my new mantra for today and beyond. thanks Kate!
the Four11 on the Two25
i've been keeping this blog for about 2 years now and a friend invited me to a Bloggers Dinner last night. i had no idea what this was since i'd never attended a blogger anything before. basically it was an open invitation to a new local restaurant where we could sample the food and kind of network/mingle. a very cool idea i think! i met some interesting people keeping blogs on a variety of topics and for many different reasons. i took down a couple of addresses so i could check them out today.
we met at Two25 (where the old Uno's used to be) and i must say i was impressed. it didn't strike me as a Peoria restaurant trying to be a Chicago restaurant. if i want Chicago, i'll drive there thank you.
i was torn between ordering something i wouldn't usually order/eat or sticking to my creature of habit ways. the creature of habit won out as usual! i love Salmon so i thought i'd try the Dijon Crusted Salmon. loved it! it was perfectly cooked and i will say the sauteed green beans were probably the best i've ever had. the guy sitting next to me ordered Chef's Choice and they served him Rack of Lamb with the 30 Layer Potato Gratin. the Lamb looked delicious, but i HAVE to try the potatoes next time. they looked amazing. for dessert, several of us had the Caramel Apple Pie. mmmmmm.
one thing i'd like to see added at some point: i have several friends who are vegetarian and/or vegan. while fish is an easy one, i'd like to see more vegetarian, vegan, and/or organic items on the menu - even if it's possible to just "tweak" an existing item. these same friends LOVE wine and i know would enjoy the Wine Flight Fridays. a couple more vegetarian/vegan options would certainly keep them coming back.
i'm looking forward to going there on a Friday night though for their Wine Flight Fridays. i have a couple of friends who i know would be happy to have a place to do that and enjoy really good food at the same time.
so thanks Kate for passing this on to me.
we met at Two25 (where the old Uno's used to be) and i must say i was impressed. it didn't strike me as a Peoria restaurant trying to be a Chicago restaurant. if i want Chicago, i'll drive there thank you.
i was torn between ordering something i wouldn't usually order/eat or sticking to my creature of habit ways. the creature of habit won out as usual! i love Salmon so i thought i'd try the Dijon Crusted Salmon. loved it! it was perfectly cooked and i will say the sauteed green beans were probably the best i've ever had. the guy sitting next to me ordered Chef's Choice and they served him Rack of Lamb with the 30 Layer Potato Gratin. the Lamb looked delicious, but i HAVE to try the potatoes next time. they looked amazing. for dessert, several of us had the Caramel Apple Pie. mmmmmm.
one thing i'd like to see added at some point: i have several friends who are vegetarian and/or vegan. while fish is an easy one, i'd like to see more vegetarian, vegan, and/or organic items on the menu - even if it's possible to just "tweak" an existing item. these same friends LOVE wine and i know would enjoy the Wine Flight Fridays. a couple more vegetarian/vegan options would certainly keep them coming back.
i'm looking forward to going there on a Friday night though for their Wine Flight Fridays. i have a couple of friends who i know would be happy to have a place to do that and enjoy really good food at the same time.
so thanks Kate for passing this on to me.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
today's misfortune cookie
You will be singled out for a special promotion within the month.
can someone define "promotion" please?
can someone define "promotion" please?
super nachos
nacho's hockey team won their playoffs last night against the younger ICC team. 4-2. congrats!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
morning commute
i really haven't bothered to post any pics this time cuz it doesn't look all that different from Last September. but here's nacho heading out to work this morning. keep in mind, we do this at least 4 times a day cuz we have to take The Monsters out 3 times a day for bathroom breaks. thanks to the neighbor up there for being so nice and letting us use his yard!
Friday, March 13, 2009
see for yourself
the web cam is up, for now. i've got it pointed at the road, not the river. either way, it all looks like water to me!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Don't forget the Guage link
for those interested, please remember, i have the Peoria River Guage link in my links to the left. i use Henry as my guide, but since many use Peoria, i linked directly to it instead. you can always use the Upstream link on their site if you want to watch Henry like me and Nacho.
oh, and for those who keep asking "how bad is this compared to last Sept?", Henry is predicting 31.20 this time. last time it hit 31.10. so again, we'll have roughly 38" of water in the garage. say it with me people.....GOOD TIMES!
oh, and for those who keep asking "how bad is this compared to last Sept?", Henry is predicting 31.20 this time. last time it hit 31.10. so again, we'll have roughly 38" of water in the garage. say it with me people.....GOOD TIMES!
tense morning
we cannot explain it but for some reason this flood is creating unusual tension in our house. we've spent the last couple of days prepping. putting stuff up and then putting stuff up even higher.
this morning we awoke to 2 things:
(1) surrounded by water except for a small patch of gravel that Butterz was able to take advantage of for a bathroom. as usual, Cookie waited too late and had to be kayaked out for that.
(2) DUMBASS, WHITE TRASH, REDNECK neighbors - no not The Kims! the dumb asses that rent "the blue house" south of us. they parked their jacked up truck in their neighbors yard (yeah, Katie it was the Stein's place) and must have figured they'd use our drive for coming and going. did i mention they are DUMB ASSES? well, since they don't know the elevation of our drive and don't know the layout at all, oh, and apparently can't read to know the river was gonna BE our yard by 5am, they proceed to attemp to drive out. they miss the turn and drive right past The Kim's and straight into Heidi's yard. i should mention, it's about a 2ft drop from The Kim's to Heidi's. so now their jacked up truck is up to the door handle in water! haha! somehow DUMB ASS manages to get his/her piece of crap moving and makes it to the in-laws (aka lawn mower man) but i'd love to see the inside of the truck!
we're tense and surrounded by idiots!
this morning we awoke to 2 things:
(1) surrounded by water except for a small patch of gravel that Butterz was able to take advantage of for a bathroom. as usual, Cookie waited too late and had to be kayaked out for that.
(2) DUMBASS, WHITE TRASH, REDNECK neighbors - no not The Kims! the dumb asses that rent "the blue house" south of us. they parked their jacked up truck in their neighbors yard (yeah, Katie it was the Stein's place) and must have figured they'd use our drive for coming and going. did i mention they are DUMB ASSES? well, since they don't know the elevation of our drive and don't know the layout at all, oh, and apparently can't read to know the river was gonna BE our yard by 5am, they proceed to attemp to drive out. they miss the turn and drive right past The Kim's and straight into Heidi's yard. i should mention, it's about a 2ft drop from The Kim's to Heidi's. so now their jacked up truck is up to the door handle in water! haha! somehow DUMB ASS manages to get his/her piece of crap moving and makes it to the in-laws (aka lawn mower man) but i'd love to see the inside of the truck!
we're tense and surrounded by idiots!
Monday, March 9, 2009
welcome home!
and what would a vacation be if we didn't come back to a flood. yep, here we go again. it's all those Savers' fault!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
slopeside bedside
it's certainly not the best conditions we've seen. yesterday was our first day to hit the slopes. everything was pretty icy, so finding good runs was a challenge. unfortunately for me, i've come down with the flu on yet another vacation - seems last year at Steamboat was one of the few times i didn't get sick. so i had to come home at lunch beacause it was so unbearable. turns out i didn't miss much. they did find a couple decent runs on the backside in the afternoon, but nothing spectacular. i'm spending today in bed in the hopes that i'll be much better tomorrow and so will the conditions. hooray vaca!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Day 3 and the Eee
well thanks to the Eee i can document our fabulous journeys. we're on Day 3 of 27DOD and nacho is treating me to breakfast at the Super8 in some town in North Platte, NE. yesterdays gift was another Shamrock Shake and when we drove by Aurora last night he pointed out the plant to me. i asked if we could stop by the trailer park where his other wife and 7 kids were but he said maybe on the way back. i'm trying to convince him to attend her high school graduation this year. i mean, 23 years of hard work should be recognized. anyway, we're on our way to Ft Collins this morning and a tour of the Fat Tire Brewery. whoo hoo! waste treatment here we come!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
27 Days
Happy 27 Days of Me!!! and thank you Nacho for letting me buy the gift for Day1 = Shamrock Shake! mmmm. this is starting off nicely! we're on our way to the BigOne!
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