A Mile High

Ben and I just returned from a fabulous mini getaway in Denver. He was there all week for a conference, and I flew out Thursday night so that we could enjoy a long weekend vacation together. Friday had us exploring the city (downtown and the Botanical Gardens) and meeting up with an old friend for dinner. We were up early to head out to the Rocky Mountains for a day hike on Saturday and a scenic drive on Sunday. Even though the weather was warm in the city, fall is definitely starting in the mountains. The aspens were yellow, there was the occasional thunderstorm, and the elk were down in the meadow. Everything was just beautiful. It was a nice, relaxing weekend.This picture is of Cub Lake, where we hiked to and enjoyed lunch at on Saturday. I’ll get the rest of the pictures posted soon!

Pretty Cupcake Stands

If I had oodles of money, I think I would buy a set of these fun cupcake stands from Michelle Miller because they are too cute!Seriously though, I am looking for a cake stand and this style would be perfect. I wonder if she makes cake stands...

found via Cupcakes Take The Cake

Pretty Plates

I think I am going to brave the crowds on Black Friday to get a few of these awesome plates from Potterybarn on major clearance.

English Language

Love this!

Seeing the eszett (ß) brought back memories of wandering the streets of Munich with Emily late at night, looking for our hostel, and finally figuring out that Straße = strasse = street. It was a light bulb moment. That trip was so much fun.



by Michael Ciancio via A Browner Brown

Golden

I think I might get this shirt since it is what Ben used as a guide for the backyard retaining walls. [Don't know about the Golden Ratio (I didn't), check out this (Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land) which Ben used to teach me.]

A Better Pic

I took no good pictures at the dark hospital (didn't want to use the flash), but I should be able to get some good ones of the cutie when I go back up North for a visit in two weeks. Until then, I pulled this picture from Matt's MySpace page and he took it on Tegan's first day home on Friday. Enjoy!

Bet Update

Drum roll please.

The winners from the fun family competition are...My Uncle from Iowa guessed the correct date of birth and my Dad was closest on the weight (his guess was 8 pounds 4 ounces)!

I have no idea what the prize is. I think my Mom and sister are in charge of that.

Welcome Tegan!

I am very tired, but wanted to share that Tegan Ann successfully made her way into this world. She was born at 2:22am, weighing 8 pounds 9 ounces but only 18 inches long. The family is tired but doing well, and mother and baby should be released from the hospital tomorrow!

Google Calendar

Today I was introduced by a friend to a feature in Google Calendar that creates multiple personal calendars. I was excited to be able to color code various reminders by having different calendars for each section (work, personal, bills, holidays, etc.), which I find makes my calendar more user-friendly. So, learn from my mistake and check out the tour/new features occasionally to see what cool stuff Google has added to make your life easier!

Bloody Monday

Well yesterday was a crappy day on Wall Street and it doesn't look like today is any better. I shouldn't have looked, but I checked out my IRA and almost cried. I just have to remember it's long-term investing (though I will follow some advice and take a good look at my investments for any areas I really should dump).


These posters can be purchased from sfgirlbybay's Etsy shop.

And Again

Well, Scott beat me to posting about our fabulous bike ride yesterday. The three of us went a little farther than before (6 miles) to the end of the bike path in downtown Morro Bay. The weather was absolutely perfect - sunny day, clear skies, calm blue ocean waters (which can be seen in the above picture I took). I did seem to be the slowest of our little group, but I wonder if something might be wrong with my gears (I had the hardest time going up the hills). I think I am going to follow Emily's advice with a trip to the local bike shop to get a tune up.

SNL Buzz

So I totally missed SNL on Saturday night, but I saw the opening with Palin/Clinton impersonations by Fey/Poehler online today. It is good! Definitely check it out.

Friends, Food, & Wine

I just finished cleaning up from the little get together we had last night (currently Ben is golfing). Ben and I invited a few friends over for some BBQ and drinks (though we did eat inside since it has become quite cold at night). We had the typical food - yummy appetizers, good BBQ tri-tip and chicken, big veggie salad, and warm cornbread with honey butter (now I am hungry and glad we have leftovers for dinner!). I can't say anything about Ben and Jesse's scotch tasting (didn't try since I'm not a fan), but I did enjoy the wine. One couple has actually made their own wine (unfortunately not available for purchase) and we got to enjoy their 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon. I thought it was great and was really impressed. I am definitely looking forward to when the wine is available for purchase. The wine expert voted for a wine (1998 Zinfandel from Pesenti Winery) we received in a gift basket many years ago that we figured wouldn't be very good. We were pleasantly surprised that it too was a good wine.

Basically we just ate, drank, and talked, which makes for a nice evening.

Points!

Ben was a total sweetheart and picked up the groceries (including a bouquet of flowers for me) on his way home from work. He also came up with the idea to use the gorgeous new vase we received as a wedding present from his Grandmother. I smile every time I walk into the room.

Movie Review: Tropic Thunder

This movie was good. Ben, Emily, and I enjoyed a matinee showing yesterday afternoon and were laughing the entire time! The movie pokes fun of war movies/actors the same way Zoolander did of the modeling industry. So if you didn't like Zoolander, you probably won't be a fan of this one.


The actor I thought did the best job, Tom Cruise! Yep, he is in the movie and is great (you will be shocked too).

Wanna Bet?

So my family is enjoying a little bit of fun competition with regard to the impending birth of Tegan (remember the Baby Shower). Everyone gets to put in their guess for day, weight, and length. My day is this Tuesday (which is way early, so I will probably lose, but it is my friend's birthday). Those of you who haven't completed all of your guesses, email me ASAP!

Doing It Again!

So Emily and I decided to avoid the heat by taking a bike ride in nice, foggy Morro Bay yesterday. The path was the same one Ben and I took last week, but we did go a little further and tried a little bit of off-roading. It was so much fun that I am sure we'll be doing it again soon (next weekend anyone?)!

Cookies Love Milk

Threadless is having a t-shirt and print sale! Since I work with the stuff, I thought this print would be cool to frame and hang at my desk.

All For The Princess

Woohoo, September is Pets Month at Apartment Therapy LA (Emily told me about this)! I can't wait to learn new tricks and great products for my kitty (already loving the biodegradable poop bags).

Yesterday they had stylish cat scratchers/beds, which I was really interested in (especially the cute Chiapod). Then I clicked the link for the price. $189 for corrugated cardboard! I am sorry, but that is CRAZY. Even the Burberry of London bed is cheaper than that (and still very pricey). Sorry Princess, I luv ya but I refuse to spend 3 figures on something you might pass up for a cardboard box or a piece of paper on the floor.

Skype

So I have known about Skype for some time now as the internet site to make long distance calls for free. I haven't joined because I haven't needed to make long distance calls (makes sense, right?). Well a friend told me about the chat feature today, so I have joined. I am usually on AIM and GoogleTalk during the day and now will be on Skype as well. Feel free to search for me (my user name is andrea.lastname) and add me!

Unofficial End of Summer

Yesterday Ben and I decided to dust off our bikes and break in our new helmets with a short, easy ride in Morro Bay. (I'll be honest, my bike had A LOT of dust on it. On our drive back, I figured out the last time I rode a bike was when I was a summer camp counselor in 1999!) It was a great ride (4.6 miles in an hour). The weather was perfect, the view of the ocean was gorgeous, and very few people were out so it was peaceful.

Much to my surprise, riding a bike came back to me just like that, so I can't wait to do it all again next weekend!

Instructions Don't Lie

While I was giving the bathroom a good scrub, I noticed that our shower curtain wasn't looking so good. Even though the instructions said "Dry Clean Only", I thought "eh, it looks like cotton, gentle machine wash should be fine". I pull it out and it looks fabulous! Nice bright white. I hang it dry to be on the safe side and voila, it looks perfect! Then I hang it back up in the bathroom...notice anything off?
It shrunk! It lost inches on all four sides! We will continue to use it for now since it still works (it just looks funny) but I will be searching for our new one over the next few days.

Phase 1 Done

This phase required removal of the lawn, removal of the old railroad ties, adding the walls and properly packing, adding the appropriate sprinkler system and drainage, etc. The most important part, it is finished! The part of the backyard wall Ben has been working on the last two months is complete.
There is still a TON left to do, but it is great to have the first step done.

A few behind the scenes shots. Some plans...

The much needed ramp...

And the guy behind it all...


I did work on this project in the very beginning and here is photographic evidence.
Yeah I am totally wearing shorts to work on my tan. I stopped working on the backyard when we moved into wheelbarrows full of rocks and carrying heavy stones. It just isn't my thing, so I take too many breaks and complain which slows Ben down. Instead of the backyard, I did all of the household chores, which is stereotypical but it works for us!