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New Year, New Bathroom

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:07:00 +0000

Over the course of 2009 Grant and I updated almost every surface (walls, ceilings, floors, etc.) in our home. Here are some before and after photos from our guest bathroom, which was one of our last interior projects...for now!

We LOVE our new guest bathroom, and I hope our guests do too!! ;)

Move in Day: December 2008

Love the shower curtain the previous owners let for us!

Photos from after we got the entire interior of the house painted.

New grey walls. Old mirror and ugly light fixture.

Love that pink/peach tile!

Photos in process of renovating the bathroom:

Buh Bye mirror and light fixture! Hello new mirror and light fixture...and painted vanity!

I purchased the mirror from Craigslist, painted it black (It was gold before) and hung it! I also sanded, primed and painted the vanity and added new hardware.

New shower curtain...the tile is still horrible!

Old tile.

Broken tile.

The floor is being installed, the shower demo is done and sealer is setting. Do you like my picture on the wall? I made that in middle school!

Floor tile being installed.

After photos!

LOVE the floor and marble mosiac tile in the shower.

Now the shower curtain makes more sense with the grey, black and white theme!

On the left, a painting I painted at YesYouCanvas! On the right, the shower, marble mosiac tile accent and white subway tiles.

This is the granite we're going to put as the vanity counter top.

Trip to Fort Myers

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:14:00 +0000

Last week Grant and I drove down to Fort Myers (with the girls, of course) to see Grant's parents, grandparents and a bunch of our friends. It seems like all of our friends in Fort Myers are having kids!

We left Ponte Vedra right after work on Wednesday (I had the day off, but Grant had to work) and arrived in Fort Myers around 10:30pm after stopping in Orlando for a pit stop. We were pretty tired. Grant's Mom waited up for us and met Reagan. They were so cute together! We caught up for a bit and then went straight to bed.

On Thursday we got up and introduced Reagan to Grant's Dad, or the girls' grandpa! We spent some quality time with Grant's parents and took them to lunch at Panera. After lunch Grant's Mom, Sue, and I went shopping. We found some cute stuff including a bench that I thought would go perfect in our house. Grant and I went back the next day and bought it. Luckily, it fit in the car!

That night we went to Richard's parents' house to celebrate the new year and Richard's birthday! We got to meet Richard's new girlfriend Jenee too! Richard had planned a white elephant gift exchange as well. We forgot our presents at home, but picked up a cool fountain at the store and a really cool light from Grant's Dad. Here are some photos from the gift exchange.

Jenee looking for the perfect gift.

The Priebe Brothers

Mike and Richard opening their gifts. Check out that guitar lamp!

Adrienne (one month after Brayden's birth - looking GREAT!) and Josh (looking good too ;) )

A couple great gifts..."Are you Stocking me?" shirt and toe nail clippers with a magnifying glass!

Grant opening his gift...tube socks!

Richard's Dad made a TON of pizzas for dinner. He is quite the pizza chef! I didn't take any photos, but I should have! We all were well fed by the time the ball dropped! Here are a few photos from the rest of the night.

Just the two of us!

Two cute couples! (Richard and Jenee on the left, Grant and Me on the right)

Great friends!

Jenee playing Apples to Apples and Dave popping the champagne (PINK champagne!)

Grant...he broke his glow stick and put the glow stuff on his face...kids: do not try this at home!

Happy Birthday Richard and Dave!

Fireworks..."don not hold in hand"...that warning wasn't followed!

On Friday it rained almost the whole day and got really cold, especially for Fort Myers! Before the rain came I took the girls to my friend (and old RA)'s house. She has two ADORABLE girls of her own, Lorelai and Kinley. Here is a photo of Lorelai and Reagan. As I was leaving Kellie's house the rain started coming down!

Lorelai and Reagan

I arrived back at Grant's parents' house just in time for lunch with everyone. Everyone included me, Grant, Grant's Dad Ed, Grant's Mom Sue, Grant's Dad's parents Pearl and Ed, Grant's Mom's parents Jean and Jim, and Penelope and Reagan! Grant's Mom made some yummy tacos. It was actually "create your own taco/burrito." Grant's Mom had to help the Grandparents out when making their burritos. They were really good and everyone enjoyed spending time together and meeting Reagan and Penelope!

Grant and his grandfathers

Grant, Reagan and the Great Grandparents Pearl and Ed

Reagan with her Great Grandmothers!

After lunch we were going to go mini-golfing with Richard and Jenee, but those plans had to be post-poned for another day due to all of the rain! Instead Richard and Jenee came over for a competitive game of Rummikub. I won two games, Jenee won two games and Grant won one. Maybe next time Richard will win one! After the boys were thoroughly defeated by me and Jenee we went to Josh and Adrienne's house to meet their new son, Brayden (1 month old) and see their daughter Briana (18 months old). They were so cute!! We hung out there for a while and then went to dinner at Cantina Laredo. It was very good! I LOVE their guacamole!

That night we watched the Gators dominate Cincy with Grant's parents. It was an awesome send off for Tim Tebow and the rest of the senior class at UF. I certainly hope that Urban Meyer comes back soon!!

On Saturday I had lunch with Mandy and her one-year-old daughter, Madison. She has gotten SO big! She's walking and starting to talk already. We had a great time catching up and taking some photos.

Kisses!!

Just the girls!

Me and Madison - She is the cutest!

Loving the hoodie!

On our way to Olive Garden

When I got back we started the drive home to Jacksonville. Hopefully we'll be back to Fort Myers soon!

Reagan's first bath

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:28:00 +0000

I took Reagan to the vet yesterday for her first visit. She weighed in at 5.15 pounds. Other than a few ear mites she was in perfect health! The vet gave me some ear drops to give her that will eliminate the mite problem. Reagan was about 4 pounds when we got her, so she's grown quite a bit!

A couple of weeks ago we gave Reagan her first bath. At first she was a little scared, but she got used to the water and loved the massage she got while I cleaned all of her fur! Here are some photos from Reagan's first bath!

Reagan just getting wet!

Getting clean!

Penelope watching from the hallway. (Also a good pic of our new bathroom floor!)

Wet puppy!

Looking cute byherself and with Penelope.

Walking on the mosiac tile ledge. She matches the new bathroom colors!

Penelope's first bath on the left and Reagan's on the right. Our two precious babies!

A Day in O-Town

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:26:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I went to Orlando for the day with my family to watch Zack play basketball at Amway Arena (home of the Orlando Magic).

We left my Mom's house around 8:00A and arrived at Amway Arena around 10:45A. The rest of the team was already in the parking lot. We waited around for a bit...the arena was locked. Finally a guy from the Magic met us in the parking lot. He let us know that it might be another 30 minutes or so before we could get into the stadium. I was hungry, my mom had to use the restroom; so we left in search of food. I searched "fast food" in the Garmin and found a Chick-fil-A not too far from the stadium. We followed the Garmin into a neighborhood...there was no Chick-fil-A...so we searched again and finally found Chick-fil-A. We got some food and made a pit stop when we saw Santa on our way back. This was the craziest Santa's I've ever met! He was so talkative. We snapped a few pics with him and his sleigh. He asked if I was Tess and Jenny's mom...I didn't think I looked that old!

After the photos with Santa we headed back to the stadium just in time to take a group photo of the Nease Varsity Basketball team in front of the arena before we all headed inside. I was glad we got some food because nothing was open in the arena and we were there until about 2P.

Before the game we walked around the court and the team came out to practice a bit. It was cool to see them all playing on an NBA court. My dad and Nick even took some shots. Nease ended up crushing West Nassau. It was a great game!

Me and Tess on the court.

Me and Zack on the left, me and Tess on the right.

Zack ballin' and hanging out with Mike Cotton.

Mom laughing at something on the left; our happy parents on the right.

Zack and some of his friends.

Zack guarding Dad...pretty hilarious!

Nick getting in on the action.

Zack calling the plays during the game.

Zack shooting a free throw.

Final team shot and score - 69 - 36.

Clay and Zack hanging out after the game.

After the game my Mom, Dad, Nick and Mike headed back home while me, Zack, Tess and her friend Jenny hit the Mall at Millenia. It was crowded, but we had a great time shopping together and having dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. I really enjoyed spending time with Tess and Zack outside of my Mom's house or at family functions. They have both grown into really great young adults. It is crazy to think that I am 12 years older than Tess and 10 years older than Zack. After our outing I decided that I really should spend more time with them while they're still at home. In the Fall Zack's heading to UCF for college in Orlando and in two years Tess will be going away to school...hopefully in Gainesville - following in my footsteps!

Just a few days after our trip to Orlando Zack's team was playing Sandalwood in a holiday tournament at Terry Parker High School in Jacksonville. We didn't go to the game as it was during the day while I was working. My mom called me that afternoon and shared with me that one of the boys on Sandalwood's team died at halftime from a heart attack. To make it even more devastating, it was the boy's 18th birthday. I immediately thought that any of the boys playing that day, including my brother, could have been the one that died. Life is so precious. I called Zack to check on him and I am sure he was pretty shocked/stunned/etc. and he was all of those things. I told him that I loved him and really enjoyed the time we spent together in Orlando and that we should spend more time together. I told him that he was a very cool brother. He told me he loved me too and that I was a pretty cool older sister (or fossil as he says since I am so old!). Here is a link to the news story about Phil Jackson.

Christmas in PV

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:22:00 +0000

We all had a great Christmas this year. It started with our Christmas Eve Eve party at Stephanie's (see previous post) and continued the next day. Each Christmas Eve Tess and I make Christmas cookies together. This Christmas was no different. She came over and we made a bunch of cookies and decorated them before dinner. Here are some photos from our cookie making afternoon!

I made bones for each of the dogs, well... I ran out and had to make Foo a star!

After we made and decorated the cookies it was time for Christmas Eve dinner at our Aunt Diane's house. This is another tradition that goes way back. When I was little we always spent Christmas Eve with my Mom's side of the family and then went to my Dad's side on Christmas Day. I remember one year we were at my Granny's condo for Christmas Eve and Santa showed up, like he always did. I went to sit on his lap and get my gift when I realized that it wasn't Santa...it was Uncle Jim!? This was all caught on tape. I jumped off his lap and went to my Mom, who was videotaping the whole thing and told her, "that's not Santa, it's Uncle Jim!" She told me that I was right and not to tell the other kids. This year there was no Santa, but there was a gift under the tree for Zack and Tess courtesy of Uncle John.

Di made ham, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, green bean casserole, cookies, homemade pineapple upside down cake and rolls (not so successfully).

Tess's face in this pic is priceless!

It was a yummy dinner with the family! After dinner we all went to church and then went home.

Christmas morning Grant and I exchanged gifts at our place (the two biggest gifts had already been opened - Reagan and our new TV). I got Grant some workout clothes, socks, candy, etc. Grant got me some workout clothes and some candy. We got each of the girls stockings filled with treats and some gifts from Ed, Cari, Steve and Meagon!

We then went to my Mom's for Christmas brunch. She made a great breakfast including homemade eggs benedict, scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage and bacon. It was all very yummy! After breakfast we opened gifts.

Can you find Tess in this pic?

Reagan looking for her present!

Cool shades, Tess!

The annual post present opening photo of Max in the wrapping paper.

Reagan found a spot in the corner to relax!

We all went in to get my Mom a new TV and Di an new laptop. I think they both really liked their gifts!

Priceless...I think we surprised her!

When Grant and I went home we relaxed and started putting away the Christmas decorations while Penelope and Reagan took a post-Christmas nap.

The house feels so bare now!

Christmas Party with our Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:26:00 +0000

This year we started a new tradition...a Christmas Eve Eve Party! Stephanie hosted it at her place. She had the day off work and must have spent a good portion of it cooking! She made pork loin, home made egg nog, sangria and appetizers. She even made Christmas themed green and red appetizers! I was SO impressed!! I was assigned to bring a vegetable...so I made, for the first time, green bean casserole. I'd never made a casserole of any sort before. Luckily there was an easy to follow recipe on the cream of mushroom can that I got a Publix! We had quite the spread! Erin brought some yummy mushroom rice; Claudia brought some Brazillian chicken salad; Andrea brought some Christmas cookies and dessert. It was all really good!

We had exchanged names earlier for Secret Santa gifts. Grant and I had Andrea and Stephanie. I got Stephanie a Starbucks ornament, coffee thermos (since I had seen her at work before drinking her morning coffee out of a solo cup!) and some cute earrings. I found a cute makeup set and earrings for Andrea. I think they both liked their gifts. Jeff had me, but I am sure Andrea did the shopping. She got me a Gators keyt chain, slippers and a Starbucks gift card. Stephanie had Grant. She got him swim goggles, a puzzle calendar and a water bottle. We all enjoyed the Secret Santa gift exchange!

After we all exchange secret santa gifts we had our white elephant gift exchange! It was so much fun!! We were laughing the whole time! I ended up with some scratch off tickets and won $2! Grant ended up with Gator salt and pepper shakers. Some other funny gifts were Jonas brothers paper plates, cups and napkins; KY jelly; a framed photo of Penelope; a talking Family Guy pen; a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles bandana...I could go on. It was quite funny!

Overall everyone had an amazing time! We're so blessed to have found such great friends!!

It's all in the name

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:13:00 +0000

I have gotten some questions wondering how we named our two girls (Penelope Alexis and Reagan Elizabeth), so here are the details!

I've always wanted a puppy. When we lived in our condo I used to tell Grant that I wanted a puppy. He always said we could get one when we moved into a house. At that point we weren't even looking seriously at houses. I continued to check websites for cute Cavapoos (I fell in love with Cavaliers in DC when I saw a lady walking two of them in Old Town, but found out that they shed, so decided Cavapoos were the way to go). I also continued to tell Grant that I wanted a puppy. One day he asked what I'd name the puppy. I thought for a minute and said I'd name the puppy Penelope the Puppy. I liked the illiteration.

Then, I found the perfect puppy on Shaloma Loves Puppies website! She was ADORABLE and I HAD to have her despite the fact that we were still living in the condo and had no yard and lived on the third floor. Grant couldn't say no to me, so we put down a deposit around Christmastime 2007. Penelope arrived January 23, 2008. I decided to give her a full name so I selected Alexis as a middle name because I thought it flowed well with Penelope.

We had Penelope for a while and thought that she needed a sister. We asked the breeder when she was planning on breeding Penelope's parents again and waited for that litter to arrive. Unfortunately they only had boys. In the meantime Grant and I went to DC to visit our friend Danielle. While we were in DC Grant must have been feeling presidential because he decided we'd name Penelope's sister Reagan. I thought that was a great name and immediately started thinking of a good middle name. I quickly selected Elizabeth.

So that is how we got Penelope Alexis and Reagan Elizabeth. I was going for "New England Boarding School" names and I think I achieved that! :)

Puppy Videos!

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 02:17:00 +0000

Here are a few videos of Penelope/Reagan.

Reagan in a stocking.

Reagan and Penelope meeting for the first time.

Reagan playing with her ball.

Reagan and Penelope playing together.

Introducing Reagan Elizabeth Zaccardi-Clem!

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:27:00 +0000

On Friday we had two special pick ups at the airport.

Jordan came to visit for a few days to enjoy the sunshine and get away from the frozen tundra of Chicago. However, she must have brought the cold air down with her because Friday was the coldest day we've had down here in a long time! I picked her up at the airport when I was done with work and we headed to get pedicures and a bite to eat.

While we were out Grant headed to the airport to pick up Reagan Elizabeth! Grant got home around 7:30 with Reagan. She was SO cute!!! I fell in love instanteously! She was a little out of her element for a bit. It must be hard to wake up in Texas with your family, get dropped of at an airport, fly all day, be picked up in Florida by a stranger and taken to their house and meet Penelope, me, Jordan and some of our friends. Despite all of that change Reagan was so happy and playful! Her and Penelope are starting to play and enjoy each other's company. Reagan really likes chewing on Penelope's dog tags. It's cute, but probably bad for Reagan's teeth!

We got Reagan when she was 9 weeks old, a week later than when we got Penelope. Reagan came to us weighing 4.4 pounds. She is adorable and surprisingly well trained. She whines when she needs to go out and has made only a few accidents in the house. I think having her with the breeder for a little longer has helped with her potty training. We've started to transition her to Penelope's food (Taste of the Wild) and she really likes it.

For now Reagan is sleeping in a crate beside our bed. It is so hard to put her in there at night because all I want to do is cuddle with her! Our worry is her waking up at night and peeing in bed...so we'll leave her in the crate for now!

Here are some photos we took and I'll add some videos too!

Reagan in her stocking!

Daddy and daughter #2

Tess and Reagan

Reagan just chillin on the couch

The two girls!

How cute!

Me and my new daughter!

Grant and the girls!

The whole family!

Mmmm....Starbucks!!

Notice the difference in size...before long Reagan will be as big as Penelope!

Penelope play date and Reagan update

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 14:52:00 +0000

A few weeks ago Penelope and I went to the dog park to play with Stephanie and her Jack Russels (Lena and Ebi). Here are a couple photos from the day.

At the dog park Penelope stayed at my feet almost the whole time. She started whining to be picked up, but I ignored her. I was trying to get her to play with the other dogs. After she realized that I wasn't going to pick her up she started wondering around and meeting all of the other people at the dog park. She got lots of pets and attention and completely ignored all of the other dogs.

I am hoping that when Reagan comes Penelope will get used to playing with other dogs!

Speaking of Reagan, she is scheduled to make her trip home this Thursday. She turned 8 weeks on 12/4, but wasn't quite weened from her mother yet. We are SO excited to meet her, love her and introduce her to Penelope! We'll be sure to post photos/videos!!

Penelope's Two!

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:51:00 +0000

Last Monday was Penelope's second birthday! Grant and I spent most of it in NYC, but our neighbors (Uncle Chuck and Aunt Sue) didn't miss her BIG day! Below are some photos of Penelope enjoying her first birthday card! Sue made it from scratch and Penelope LOVED it!

How cute is she?!

The card was so sweet Penelope cried!

Here she is standing beside her card.

Here she is reading her card.

Checking it out.

She loved the bow!

Happy Turkey Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 04:15:00 +0000

Here are a few pics from our Thanksgiving. Grant and I went to my parents' house for dinner where we ate with all of my siblings (Nick, Mike, Zack and Tess) as well as my Aunt Diane and in from Illinois my Uncle Jim, Aunt Sandy and Uncle John. It is always nice to have extra family in town for Thanksgiving! This year I made the rolls (meaning...put them into the oven...) and Grant made a turkey breast. His turkey was definitely a hit...so much so that he might ne designated to cook all of the turkey next year! He also made burgandy mushrooms.

Uncle Jim & Aunt Sandy

Grant and Penelope

Me and my Mom

My mom, Uncle Jim and Aunt Di

Mike

Sandy petting Penelope

Tess trying to solve the Rubik's Cube

Grant showing her how it's done

Penelope sleepy after the evening!

NYC 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:55:00 +0000

Last weekend Grant and I headed to NYC for four days. The trip was planned last mingute when I got an email with a hotel deal near Times Square. We stayed at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Times Square South. We got a great deal on the hotel and the location was good.

We arrived Friday afternoon. After landing at JFK we had several options for transportation to the hotel.

Option 1: Taxi...$45 plus tax plus tip
Option 2: Shuttle...$15 per person plus tax plus tip
Option 3: Airtrain/Subway...$7.25 per person

We opted for option 3 and tackled the public transportation system of NYC. We boarded the Airtrain at the airport to Jamaica Station. At Jamaica Station we transfered to the E subway train to Penn Station. Penn Station was just a few blocks from our hotel. It took about an hour and 15 minutes, but it was fun and a great deal!

We checked into the hotel and were upgraded to a higher floor and a king bed after I asked to be as far from the street as possible (thinking that it would make for easier sleeping if it weren't loud!). We quickly dropped our bags off in the room and hit the town.

We were pretty hungry so we stopped at a small italian place near Times Square. It was yummy and definitely hit the spot.

After lunch we walked all around the city. We saw Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, the Empire State Building, Macys at 34th Street...and much much more!

In Central Park we took a horse and carriage ride. I think it's one of those things everyone should do once in their life.

We headed down to the Empire State Building and took a ride up to the 86th floor. It was so clear outside you could see the whole city all lit up!

We walked back up towards Times Square and grabbed a snack at Crumbs. We got two cupcakes and shared them back at the hotel.

On Saturday we got up early to meet Jen & Keith at 9A at Times Square Hot Bagel. I got a whole wheat bagel with chive cream cheese. It was definitely a good bagel! After breakfast we all headed towards MOMA.

We arrived at MOMA before it opened. At first we didn't know what to do since we were there about 30 minutes before it opened. Then someone that worked there informed us that it was $20 to get in, but if someone signed up for a membership it would be a little cheaper and we could get into the Tim Burton exhibit early since it wasn't open to the public yet. She also told us that if one of us were a student the membership was even cheaper! Keith is the only one of us who is still a student, so he signed up for the membership! We were able to check our coats at the special members only check and see the Tim Burton exhibit! ... and now Keith can go for free for the next year and bring up to 3 guests for just $5 each. What a deal!

The Tim Burton exhibit was really cool. Johnny Depp was there earlier in the week to check it all out. Too bad we missed him!

We left MOMA and headed towards Central Park...my most favorite part of the city! We walked around Central Park. Keith showed us a few parks where he used to play when he was a kid. We all started to get hungry so we headed towards the Upper East Side to find a place for lunch. Before I had left for NYC my friend Jordan asked her friend Darcy for some restaurant suggestions. Darcy used to live in the city. We were walking around trying to find a good spot for lunch and I saw Serafina's and remembered that Darcy had suggested it...so we ate there. I got procini ravioli and it was very yummy!

After lunch we took the subway downtown to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge was HUGE! Much bigger than the little version I've walked over many times in Las Vegas! There were a lot of people walking the bridge. The views were to die for! We also saw a bride and groom there taking photos. I bet they're going to turn out amazing!

After the bride we walked towards Chinatown where Keith and Jen were catching a bus back to Philly.

We said bye to Jen and Keith and headed to Little Italy where we found a cute cafe. We stopped there and I got some coffee and we shared some pastries. It was a nice stop!

We then walked through Soho and Greenwich Village. It was so pretty and there were lots of cute shops. We had dinner reservations at BLT Fish and arrived there a little early. My Uncle Jim had said that BLT Fish had the best seafood in NYC. We were suprised that at 6P it was completely empty! We were the only table. I ordered parmesan-crusted halibut and Grant got the tuna. My halibut was good (but not quite as good as the parmesan-crusted Halibut at Joe's Stone Crab) and Grant's tuna was good too. After dinner we walked back towards out hotel. By the time we got back our feet were killing us! It was a LONG day of walking!

On Sunday we grabbed breakfast at a little corner cafe near our hotel. We walked around the Hell's Kitchen area and Restaurant Row. There were a lot of cute restaurants. I think you could live in NYC for a year and never eat at the same restaurant twice!

We took a subway downtown and headed to Ground Zero. There were a lot of people near Ground Zero. There was one really old church that we saw right across the street from Ground Zero. It was amazing to think that it survived the fall of the towers.

After we walked around Ground Zero we headed to the Staten Island Ferry. I was really surprised to discover that the ferry was free to ride. So we rode it over to Staten Island and then back to Manhattan. The views of the Statue of Liberty and the NYC skyline were really amazing.

After the ferry ride we took the subway back towards out hotel. We stopped and grabbed NYC pizza for lunch. The pizza was really good! I wish we had great pizza down here in Florida!

We rested for a bit at the hotel before heading out again. We walked down to Central Park and checked out The Plaza Hotel and FAO Schwartz. We walked down 5th Avenue and saw some decorated Christmas windows and then went to dinner at Bobby Flay's Bar Americain. We LOVE Mesa Grill in Las Vegas, so we wanted to try another Bobby Flay restaurant in NYC. The restarant was packed! I was glad we had reservations. We were sat immediately and each had a great meal. Grant ordered the Filet - it was REALLY good! I ordered a BBQ port appetizer and cauliflower gratin. It was yummy! I definitely saved room for dessert. We ordered the blackberry souffle. It was fabulous! Bobby Flay definitely did not dissappoint.

We went for a long walk after dinner and then back to the hotel.

Monday was our last day in NYC. We grabbed breakfast at Roxy's in Times Square. We just got a couple pastries and coffee...needed to save room for our fabulous lunch! We walked down to Central Park and over to Madison Avenue and then to the Upper West Side. My feet were killing me at this point! I hobbled to the subway and we took it down to Greenwich Village. We walked a few blocks to Il Mulino for lunch.

had tried to get reservations for dinner at this restaurant, it came highly recommended from my Uncle Jim. However, the phone was incessently busy and when I did get through they were all booked for Friday and Saturday night, but luckily were open for lunch Monday-Friday. From the outside you wouldn't even know Il Mulino was a restaurant. We walked in and were sat immediately as there were only 3 other table of people. Definitely a good choice to go there for lunch! There are only 16 tables total in the restaurant and I'd imagine that it would be crowded and loud at dinner time. When they sat us they put fresh bread, parmesan cheese and bruschetta on the table. The waiter was italian, so much so that I could barely understand him rattle off the numerous specials. One grabbed my attention, procini ravioli. I decided to order that. Grant ordered a shrimp dish. Both entrees were AMAZING! We decided to order dessert as well. We ordered a flourless chocolate cake. It was good too, but nothing out of the ordinary. When we got our bill I was shocked that my ravioli cost $50!! At least it was fabulous!

After lunch we headed back to the hotel to get our bags and head to JFK. It was a really fun trip. Thanks to everyone for their restaurant and attraction suggestions! I don't think I'd ever live in NYC, but it's a fun place to visit! We were lucky that the weather was amazing. It was sunny and in the upper 50s Friday-Sunday. On Monday it was supposed to rain, but didn't. It was just overcast and a little colder. It's definitely nice to be back home where it's 70 and sunny!

Introducing Reagan Elizabeth Zaccardi-Clem

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:56:00 +0000

That's right! Penelope's getting a baby sister! Reagan Elizabeth will arrive on December 4th! We cannot wait for our new daughter to enter the family. I hope that Penelope will love her as much as we will!

Penelope photoshoot

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:42:00 +0000

Last weekend I spent a little time taking photos of our favorite four-legged daughter, Penelope Alexis! She is so photogenic!

Las Vegas - October 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:20:00 +0000

Last weekend Grant and I headed to Las Vegas to meet up with our great friends Jordan and Ryan. Many of you might say, "weren't you just in Vegas?!" or "don't you always go to Vegas?!" or like my brother Zack said to me "you go to Vegas every weekend!" In fact, the last time we went to Las Vegas was in May with our friends Natalie and Ryan. Nat was pregnant at the time and is now a proud mom of a perfectly beautiful baby girl (Ella).

This time around Grant and I stayed with Jordan and Ryan at The Mirage. This was our first time staying at The Mirage. We've stayed in Treasure Island, Bellagio, Paris, NYNY and Mandalay Bay. The Mirage had nice pools, very nice, newly renovated rooms and we love their location and casino.

On Friday Grant and I arrived just after lunch time. We checked into the hotel and then headed to one of our favorite Las Vegas eateries for lunch, Joe's Stone Crab. I ordered the fabulous parmesan-crusted halibut and Grant got a chicken club sandwich. It was yummy! After lunch we walked to the Bellagio to see their conservatory. They always have it decorated for the seasons. This time it had a talking tree and other trees cut to look like monsters. They also had several HUGE pumpkins weighing around 700-800 pounds each!

We also headed to the casino to gamble! One of my new favorite games is three card poker. I started playing it with Nat and Ryan in May. We sat down at a $5 table at the Flamingo. I started with $100 and quickly was down to about $20. I asked Tito, our dealer, to deal me a straight flush. He dealt me my three cards with his left hand (as his right hand wasn't treating me so well!). I picked up my cards...and...I had a 10, Jack, Queen of Diamonds!! A straight flush!! Straight flushes pay out 40-1. I quickly won $200! That was probably the extent of my winning in Vegas, but I was pretty excited!

That night Jordan and Ryan arrived around 9PM. I was so tired (as it was midnight EST), but I powered through the night. We went to BLT Burger for a bit to eat and played some blackjack in our hotel.

On Saturday it was kind of chilly in the morning. We all headed to Society at the Wynn for breakfast. It was really yummy! I had an egg white frittata, grant had granola, and Jordan/Ryan shared steak (filet) and eggs. We headed back to the hotel...Jordan made a beeline to the pool while Grant and I watched the Gators dominate Georgia. I should have bet on the game!! Next time I might start betting on sports! After the game we played some blackjack and then went to lunch at California Pizza Kitchen (their hummus is tasty). We gambled a bit more and then went to the room to put on our costumes - it was Halloween of course!

Grant and I dressed up as a Prom Queen and Prom King - these costumes were super easy! I googled online for a Prom Queen/King sash and found a website with sashes and crowns. I bought two sashes and two crowns for under $10! I would have worn a bigger dress and maybe gotten a corsage if we were home, but for Vegas I packed a cute going out dress and Grant wore black pants, a shirt and tie. Jordan and Ryan dressed up as Popeye and Olive Oyl - a perfect costume for them!

We saw some CRAZY costumes in Las Vegas.

We ate dinner at Lavo (they had a great meatball appetizer). We sat outside right across the street from TI. We could see the Sirens show from our table. We were going to go to the club there after dinner (they gave us skip the line passes), but found out that the cover was $20 for girls and $30 for guys...and the line was crazy long - so I am sure it would have been pretty packed! Basically the feeling was...no I am not going to pay $50 to get into your club just to buy more drinks at the bar and have no space to move. So we hung out in the Palazzo lobby and people watched for a bit. It was quite entertaining. We then headed to Mist at TI and gambled a bit there too before going back to The Mirage.

On Sunday we had breakfast at Carnegie Deli and then hung out at the pool. It was cooler in the shade, but really nice in the sun. Jordan and I ate lunch at the poolside cafe and stayed out by the pool for most of the day while the boys were inside gambling. Katrina flew in that night. We went to the room, showered and changed just as Katrina was arriving. I hadn't met Katrina yet, but I had heard that she was a pretty awesome girl...and she was! She brought a bottle of grey goose vodka that was a good start to the evening. The four of us finished off the bottle together before we left for dinner at Dos Caminos at the Palazzo. At Dos Caminos we had some sangria, yummy guacamole and some good Mexican food (Jordan's favorite!). After dinner we decided to hit up Pure at Caesars. We went to the bar outside; I decided I just wanted some water. They guys came back with some drinks and a bottle of water for me and one for Katrina...it was an 11 oz bottle of FIJI water...that cost $7!? Crazy! We danced there for a while before heading to O'Shea's for some cheap blackjack. We played a bit there. Grant wasn't feeling too well, so he and I headed back to the hotel followed shortly by Jordan and Katrina.

Monday was our last day in Vegas. As Jordan, Katrina and Ryan headed to the pool, Grant and I wanted to grab lunch before our flight at one of our favorite restaurants, Mesa Grille. We split some mushroom quesadillas and a chopped salad. After lunch we stopped by the pool to say goodbye to Jordan, Ryan and Katrina, gambled a little more and caught our shuttle to the airport.

It was a GREAT trip! We love Las Vegas and we especially love going there with our friends!

Next trip:: NYC!

A Few Boat Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:05:00 +0000

Here are a few pictures from our last boat ride with Andrea, Jeff & Conner. We rode past the Naval Air Station and saw a large Navy plane practicing taking off and landing. It was pretty windy and there were a lot of sail boats out.

When he gets older he'll love seeing all the sail boats, trains and planes that we saw!

Weather Forecast for Las Vegas

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:31:00 +0000

I hope it gets warmer for our trip this weekend to Las Vegas!! Either way I'm sure we'll keep the blackjack and 3-card-poker tables HOT HOT HOT! :)

New Post New Trip Planned!

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:47:00 +0000

Grant and I have had a fun past few weeks. We've enjoyed spending time together and with Penelope. Since the last post we've started our guest bathroom remodel. Grant had been ripping up the floor for a few weekends and then the professionals came in last week to tile the floor and rip out the old shower wall tile and replace it. They did a great job, but came up a few tiles short on the floor...so they've ordered more tile and we're just waiting for it to come in. Once the floor is done I'll post some photos. It's looking great already! We still need to install new baseboards, a new vanity countertop and the toilet.

The next house project is the kitchen floor. I've been trying to find the right tile for the kitchen. It is hard because I want it to match and not compete with the granite counters. I'm sure I'll find the right tile soon! I'd like to have it all done by Thanksgiving, so I better find that tile fast!

Speaking of Thanksgiving, on Wednesday night I booked a hotel and plane tickets for a 4-day trip to NYC the weekend before Thanksgiving! I've wanted to go to the Big Apple with Grant around the holidays for quite some time, but have never booked it. We're going to be staying at the Wyndham in South Times Square and flying on direct flights on Jet Blue to JFK. I am so excited! If any of you have any restaurant/attraction recommendations please let us know!!

Before we head to NYC in November, we're off to Vegas a week from today! We're so excited to be going there with two of our best friends, Jordan & Ryan. I will definitely post some great pictures from our Halloween weekend in Vegas!

Happy Friday everyone!!

Lost at Sea

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:25:00 +0000

Yesterday Jeff and Andrea invited us to go out on their boat. We met up at their house and drove down to St. Augustine to launch the boat and grab lunch at the Conch House. The weather was BEAUTIFUL!!!

Right when we got on the boat Jeff went to look for the life vests...and quickly realized that they must have flown out of the boat on our drive down to to St. Augustine...we figured we'd look for them on the side of the road on our way back.

Here are a couple photos of the Vilano Beach Pier.

We stopped and ate lunch. The bruschetta at the Conch House was really really good! We were able to sit in a hut over the water. I should have taken a photo because it was really cute!

After lunch we headed up to Ponte Vedra, passing through Guana State park and under the Palm Valley bridge. On the way up there we saw this cool Pirates of the Carribbean inspired boat.

We saw some amazing houses. One that was pretty cute is this pink one.

Once we reached Marsh Landing we turned around and headed back to St. Augustine. After a few miles the boat was making a weird noise and not shifting into higher gears...and so began our 2 hour ride home at 8 MPH! It was very scenic, but we hoped to get off the water before sunset so we could look for the life vests and I know Andrea was missing little Conner! We made it back to the boat ramp just before sunset.

On the ride back to Jeff & Andrea's all 4 of us focused our attention on trying to spot the life vests on the side of the road with no luck. Hopefully next time we go on the boat we 1. won't lose any life vests and 2. won't have any mechanical malfunctions! Other than those two setbacks, we had a great time! Thanks Jeff & Andrea!

Trimming the Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:56:00 +0000

In our backyard we have a large crape myrtle tree. It flowers in the early summer and is really pretty, but was growing into our house and needed to be trimmed. Grant borrowed a saw on a long pole from our fabulous neighbor Chuck. Below is an artistic photo of the tree and the saw. Grant was getting a bit creative with the camera!

Me cutting the tree...it was hard work!

Grant at work.

Penelope and Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 13:41:00 +0000

This past weekend we had some friends over to watch the UF v. UT football game. We enjoyed sharing the afternoon with our friends and some of Penelope's friends too!

Lina hanging out

Ebi sitting like a lady

Daddy and daughter watching the game together.

Hey Brenden...what are you doing in my cage?!

For some reason Penelope's cage is quite the place to hang out. Ebi likes to go in there and so does Brenden!

Bowling

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:12:00 +0000

Last night we went bowling with our friends. Little did we know that we'd be bowling with almost every middle-schooler in Mandarin! We still had a fun time. The little kids next to us even let me borrow this contraption that helped you bowl straight...I tried it and it helped me get two more gutter balls!

We bowled 2 games. The first game me, Grant, Claudia and Jay were on a team vs. Steph, Sean, Andrea and Jeff. We dominated that game...when I say we I mean everyone on my team...minus me...I am a horrible bowler. Grant scored a 156 (highest score among all 8 of us) and I scored a 56 (lowest score among all 8 of us) during the first game.

I did even worse the second game, not even breaking 50...Grant got a 175, once again we scored the highest and lowest of the group. Claudia was definitely the best girl of our group. I asked Grant if he could be on a bowling team with anyone who would it be...he said Claudia. Guess I'm just not good enough to bowl with my husband!

It was cosmic bowling and every so often there would be a pink pin mixed with all the white ones. If the pink pin was in the middle and you bowled a strike you won a free game. Grant started off bowling 4 strikes in a row! On one of those strikes the pink pin was in the middle, so he also won a free game! Guess we might go back and bowl again before it expire on 10/10.

After we went bowling we headed over to the Ale House to watch the OSU/USC game. All in all, it was a fun night! Thanks for organizing it all Andrea!

Grant the Yard Man, Becky the Queen of the Kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:30:00 +0000

What Grant is busy doing yard work - not my favorite chore! I've decided to start cooking more!

Yesterday I was at my Mom's flipping through a cookbook and found a recipe that looked fairly simple and tasty. I took the book and went to the grocery store on my way home from work to pick up the ingredients that the recipe called for...chicken, tarragon, boursin cheese, prosciutto and chicken stock...I had the other ingredients (salt, pepper, butter, olive oil, etc.).

When I got home Grant was busy working on the yard. The landscapers didn't level the backyard. Grant ordered 5 yards of top soil. It was delivered today. Grant took a half day to remove the sod in the backyard, level the yard with the soil and re-lay the sod.

I went to work in the kitchen. The recipe called for me to pound the chicken...but I don't have a mallet...so I used a wine bottle - probably not the smartest decision, but it worked! I then laid a piece of prosciutto on each chicken breast and a spoonful of boursin cheese. I then rolled the chicken up and secured it with a toothpick. I cooked it in olive oil in a frying pan. While that was cooking I made rice and some veggies.

After about 12 minutes the chicken was done - I made sure to cook it on all sides. I removed the chicken and made a sauce in the pan using butter, tarragon, flour, white wine and chicken stock. I put the sauce over the chicken and served it with the rice and veggies. It was yummy!

After we finished dinner Grant headed back outside to work on the yard while I did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. We'll see what I find to make tomorrow!!

A Day on the Boat

noreply@blogger.com (Becky, Grant, Penelope and Reagan) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 21:52:00 +0000

We had a busy long weekend! On Saturday college football in full swing and it was Stephanie's birthday!! We spent the day watching some great games and went out to the Ale House to watch the Gators and celebrate Stephanie's birthday. We had a great time! On Sunday our friends' Jeff & Andrea bought a boat!

Jeff, Andrea & Baby ConnerAndrea driving the boatClaudia & JasonSean, Stephanie, Jason and Grant at the front of the boat

Me and Grant.

We all took it out for a spin Sunday afternoon. We went tubing, rode around Julington Creek and the St. Johns River and headed to Outback Crab Shack for dinner. It was little Conner's first boat ride too! He was such a good baby the entire time! We had a blast with our friends and enjoyed the beautiful weather. We were even able to catch the sunset on the way back. Today we've been relaxing, catching up on housework and watching the US Open. I was really excited to see Oudin win again! She's a great player!! It's sad that our long weekend is almost over!!

Here are three videos from Saturday. The first is of Claudia and Stephanie tubing, the second is Conner and the third is me and Grant tubing.