Sunday, August 30, 2009

August 30, 2009

Yeah tomatoes! Grow baby grow!


August 29, 2009

Here is an updated hair picture, which really does the color no justice. I'll have to keep trying so you can see it, because I love it.



Yesterday was my mother in law's birthday, and we had a BBQ at my house. I am not allowed to post pictures of her online anymore (per her request), so I took a picture of this cute little thing I found at the pastry counter. It cracked me up, so I bought her one to make her smile.


Also today, my sister bought a puppy. Meet Jack. He is a minature Doxie (my german is horrible, so no way am I attempting to spell it out.)

August 28, 2009

So we got Sharpwriters at work. Sharpwriters always remind me of my Grandmother on my dad's side. She was crochety, but she always did her crosswords with a Sharpwriter. And she would get pissed off when we (my sibs and I) broke off the little tab that lets you hook it onto a piece of paper. She passed away six years ago, and it still amazes me that Sharpwriters bring back vivid memories.

August 27, 2009

You know I love the sky when the light peeks through the clouds.

August 26, 2009

This picture was taken very early in the morning on the 26th, at a bar where I was enjoying the company of a good friend. It started last night and ended this morning. I did find a new beer that I loved, Sea Dog Wild Blueberry Wheat (I only drink wheat beer). Good Times.

August 25, 2009

Up in Boston. You could see Fenway from my room! There was a night game on so the lights sort of killed the picture, but I had to try to show you.

I took another pic the next morning so you could see it.

August 24, 2009

We ate our one red tomato! The Hubs was so cute about splitting it in half so we could both have some.



I was also ready to go back to being a red-head since the fall was coming. Of course, it didn't work the first time, so my fabulous haridresser came in on her day off to glaze my head. Well she put straight red in it. It was Day-Glo! We tried to take a picture, but there was no way to capture it. So here is a scray shot of me (we hadn't blown my hair out so it was all over), in my attempt to show you. Don't worry I don't currently have a Day-Glo head. It faded after a wash, to a fab color!

August 23, 2009

We had a big storm, and then a huge bright rainbow you could see both ends of. Too bad there was no where to stand to get both ends in the picture. So this was the best I could do.

August 22, 2009

Saw this taped to the back window of a Jeep in the ShopRite parking lot.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Dancing Queen - Abba

I have found myself returning to my playlist entitled "Dicey Riley's 1996". You see that was the year I was a freshman in college, and spent way to much time partying and dancing the night way. In fact, those nights are some of my favorite memories of college. I have always said that the lyrics to Abba's Dancing Queen pretty much were me summed up in a song. I was 17 and loving it!

"You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, digging the Dancing Queen

Friday night and the lights are low
Looking out for the place to go
Where they play the right music, getting in the swing
You come in to look for a king
Anybody could be that guy
Night is young and the music's high
With a bit of rock music, everything is fine
You're in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance...

You are the Dancing Queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
Dancing Queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, digging the Dancing Queen

You're a teaser, you turn 'em on
Leave them burning and then you're gone
Looking out for another, anyone will do
You're in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance...

You are the Dancing Queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
Dancing Queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, digging the Dancing Queen"


Other songs on the playlist:

Stealer's Wheel "Stuck In The Middle With You" (Our theme song)
The Village People "In The Navy" (a rockin' good time with drunk college guys)
Rednex "Cotton-Eyed Joe" (How on earth did I hop from one foot to the other, doing this silly dance for 3 minutes straight)

This was the same year I memorized the saying on the label for Budweiser (which I can still recite from memory), learned real life and bar life are not the same, and most bouncers would let you in if you flashed them. Ahhh the memories.

August 21, 2009

One red tomato. a plant full of cherry tomatoes and only one red one.


August 19 & 20, 2009

Yeah, I know. I am getting bad about remembering to take pictures.

August 18, 2009

Went to visit a friend for dinner on my way up to Boston. Her adorable three-year old has apparently developed a habit of being bossy (something they are trying to teach her not to do), so she was in all her glory when she got to tell me how to cut up the play dough. I even got yelled at for "doing it wrong"! LOL.

August 17, 2009

This guys pants at the race track on the 15th crack me up.

August 16, 2009

Have you seen these? 3 Wheeled motorcycles? I keep seeing more and more of them.

August 15, 2009

My father-in-law was insistent that I get up to the races at Saratoga Springs. He has been taking the Hubs for years, and I have never gone, until today. We had a great day, so the Hubs and Pops flew us up to Saratoga in our Cessena 172 Skyhawk.

We got there a little early, but that was ok because I got to examine my first tip sheet, and take some pictures.


Pops bought us enterance to the clubhouse, so we got to stand right at the finish line. Here are the horses from the first race in those last few yards!

Man,the jockeys are dirty after the race. It was cool they walked right past us.

Pops likes to get home early, so we only stayed for 4 races. But I wound up being up on the day (money to put towards my Rome trip!), which was pretty exciting. My favorite horse name for the day, "Her Latest Flame". Unfortunately that horse scratched and I couldn't bet on it.

After we got back, the hubs and I just wanted to relax, so we went to dinner at one of our favorite Italian restaurants, La Zingara. After a bottle of wine, and some amazing food, I was one happy lady!

August 14, 2009

No Picture today. I just forgot ok?

August 13, 2009

About 2 months back, I had worked with a fellow manager on a staffing issue, and in return he promised me cookies because I was able to help him free up one of our staff for some work he had just sold. I completely thought he was kidding, until these beauties showed up in my interoffice mail.



Loving made from scratch by his wife, and they were good too!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

My Incredible Hubs

The Hubs cooked dinner tonight. Like he does most nights. And he is actually really good at it. And I am beyond blessed to have him. He is beyond amazing (dinner is just the start of it).So I am super thankful for my Hubs.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

August 12, 2009

A nice bottle of wine with a good friend.

August 11, 2009

Happy Anniversary to my brother and sister-in-law! Here are some pics from the wedding day two years ago!


August 10, 2009

A picture of the tobacco fields in Windsor, CT. Apparently the soil is perfect for growing a specific kind that is used to wrap cigars. Since I have only smoked one cigar in my life, a Cuban given to me by some random guy celebrating his bachelor party on the night I was celebrating my bachelorette party, I wouldn't know about growing reagions.

August 09, 2009

My friends twins had their baby naming ceremony today. They were so cute. Here they are next to their friend, who is six months old. They are soo tiny, it is hard to believe they are a month old.

August 08,2009

The Hubs begged me to organize my shoes. Not an easy feat! In this picture is only about 1/2 of my shoes.

August 07, 2009

coming in for a landing over Hartford.

August 06, 2009

Today is all about food. For lunch, my staff and I went to this chain restaurant called Jason's Deli. They are known for their potatoes. So we ordered two Spud Au Broc's. Each potato literally weighed about 2 lbs. They were huge! You can kind of see how big it isi n relation to my laptop, but I wish I had taken a better picture to give you some reference point. My potato was about 11" long!


Dinner was at Joe's Crab Shack. I love crabs legs! I don't care that it takes me forever to eat them, if they are on the menu and it is not a business function, I will order them, and make everyone wait while I finish. Here is a picture of me with my Crab Daddy Feast (Snow, King and Dungenous Crab legs) and a Blue Moon. We sat outside, and it was a great summer night. Too bad I haven't been able to do this in CT lately because of the rain.

August 05, 2009

My staff and I are both huge Thai food fans, so courtesy of Google, we found a Thai restaurant.

I ordered Rad Nar. Which is stirfried wide rice noodles with broccoli, beef and a light brown gravy. When the server brought out my dish she asked "Who tell you order that?" I was confused, and she said "Americans don't order Rad Nar, only Thai people order." I laughed. To be honest, I randomly picked this dish off the menu in a Thai restaurant in Charlotte when I was there for work for a year. I love it!

August 04, 2009

Here is the view of the swamp behind my hotel as seen out my hotel room window. Lovely. At least I was in Georgia, and it was sunny, so as long as there was sun streaming in my window, I was a happy girl.

Monday, August 10, 2009

August 03, 2009

Well when we finally got to Atlanta, this was the rental car courtesy of AVIS. What a nice little treat!

August 02, 2009

Had to go on a business trip today. So my staff and I met at the airport, and boarded our first flight to Cleveland. When we arrived at cleveland, our 5:40 flight was delayed until 8:00. Then is was delayed until 10:00 pm. Then there was no first officer to fly the plane. Eventually our gate didn't have a time, it just said delay:

After another hour or so sitting around the Cleveland Airport (Here was our view):
they cancelled our flight. Due to weather. No weather anywhere we could see. And Atlanta was showing clear on the Weather Channel site. So we contacted our work's travel desk, found a flight for first thing the next morning, and booked a night in the Marriott. Luckily the Marriot was awesome, and newly renovated, and the people on the shuttle bus with us were hysterical. So since I was planning on spending a night in a hotel anyway, I guess it didn't really matter which hotel. :)

Sunday, August 9, 2009

August 01, 2009

My friend's twins are finally home, so of course I had to go see them. They are so tiny, but man are they cute!



AT night we went to see one of my college roommates, who was staring in "Thoroughly Modern Millie". She was Millie. It was a great cast, and we had a great time!


Picture with the star!

Friday, August 7, 2009

"Unbelievable" EMF

It still amazes me that a song can remind me so strongly of a person that when I hear it I am transported in time to memories of how the song interlaced through my life.

While at dinner last night, the song "Unbelievable" by EMF came on over the speakers. When this song came out, my friend and I were obsessed, not only with the song, but with the band members. So there I was sitting at dinner with my staff, drinking a mango sunrise, and in my head I was back in seventh grade. Writing notes on folded pieces of paper, exchanging them in the hallway,and remembering how those were some happy uncomplicated times. This song always reminds me of how we spent countless hours wishing we were older so we could meet the band and have them fall in love with us. So silly!

"You burden me with your questions
You'd have me tell no lies
You're always asking what it's all about
But don't listen to my replies
You say to me I don't talk enough
But when I do I'm a fool
These times I've spent, I've realized
I'm going to shoot through
And leave you

The things, you say
Your purple prose just gives you away
The things, you say
You're unbelievable

You burden me with your problems
By telling me more than mine
I'm always so concerned
With the way you say
You've always go to stop
To think of us being one
Is more than I ever know
But this time, I realize
I'm going to shoot through
And leave you

Seemingly lastless, don't mean
You can ask us
Pushing down the relative
Bringing out your higher self
Think of the fine times
Pushing down the better few
Instead of bringing out the clues
To what the world and everything anger to
Brace yourself with the grace of ease
I know this world ain't what it seems.

What the f**k was that
It's unbelievable"

Our Military Personnel

I am hanging out in the Atlanta Airport today, and there are lots of military personnel here. People are thanking them as they pass by, and it is amazing to see. I am thankful that there are men and women out there willing to fight for my freedom, and that I can sleep safely at night because of this.

THANK YOU TO OUR MILITARY PERSONNEL!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Save Tonight... Eagle-Eye Cherry

A friend of mine recently told me that I am "Catholic and I mean it". I find that kind of funny, but a pretty good compliment. In high school and college I was much more active in my faith. On one of the retreats that I went to, a group of fellow students did a skit about The Last Supper. They used the song "Save Tonight". If you listen to it and think about it, this song is a pretty good fit.

Now everytime I hear this song, I think about that skit.


Save Tonight

"Go on and close the curtains
All we need is candlelight
You and me and a bottle of wine
Going to hold you tonight

We know I'm going away
How I wish....wish it weren't so
Take this wine & drink with me
Let's delay our misery

Save tonight
And fight the break of dawn
Come tomorrow
Tomorrow I'll be gone

There's a log on the fire
And it burns like me for you
Tomorrow comes with one desire
To take me away....it's true
It ain't easy to say goodbye
Darling please don't start cry
'Cause girl you know I've got to go
Lord I wish it wasn't so

Save tonight
And fight the break of dawn
Come tomorrow
Tomorrow I'll be gone

Tomorrow comes to take me away
I wish that I......that I could stay
Girl you know I've got to go
Lord I wish it wasn't so

Save tonight
And fight the break of dawn
Come tomorrow
Tomorrow I'll be gone...."

Sunday, August 2, 2009

July 31, 2009

I have for weeks been trying to figure out why my parsley plant has gotten so huge, and why it doesn't taste too much like parsley (which is why I have only used it once). Well my friends, let me tell you, the reason.. is because it is a cherry tomato plant (as I discovered upon closer inspection today), and not parsley at all. LOL. This is why it is very important to label the soil after you plant seeds! Consider this a lesson well learned.




We did make a shrimp salad recipe with the basil and chives from our little garden (at least those were identifable!!!)

July 30, 2009

Still hard at work in Syracuse, here are some pictures of my staff working hard for the money.



In fact they were working so hard for the money (and me :) - I have great staff), that I took them to lunch at The Mission. A restaurant on Downtown Syracuse that was once a mission church, and is now a Mexican restaurant.Here are some pictures from inside (taken on my cell phone):