BGP&R Inc.

It's been a while

2011-12-29T12:37:00.007-05:00

It has been a crazy and amazing year for BGPR. I have been working harder than I ever have before at my job and have enjoyed a wonderful year from that perspective. However, it has taken time away from things, like my blog. Now that I have 13 months under my belt at my not-so-new-anymore job I plan on having more balance in my life in 2012. Part of that balance will be blogging more regularly. After I stopped posting several people asked me to get back into it...it was refreshing to know that people actually read this and enjoy keeping up with us throughout the year.

Here is a quick run down of what we did 2011...since I last posted from San Francisco...

Travel: Grant and I traveled...as we usually do. This year we enjoyed trips to ...
*San Francisco (Becky) for work and to visit our friends Laurie & Joe

*Chicago...twice...for Jordan's bridal shower and bachelorette party and for the 4th of July

*Punta Cana, DR for Jordan and Ryan's wedding

*Springfield, IL for the 4th of July

*France and Italy for 16 days of fabulosity

*New Orleans (Becky) for Jenny's bachelorette party

*Park City, UT to ski and visit Natalie, Ryan, Ella and baby Luke

*Las Vegas -- Grant's favorite place on Earth

It was all completely amazing. We LOVED our trip to Europe. It was the first time we had both been off work for that long and spent that long together. The food, wine and architecture were all breathtaking. We cannot wait to go back!! There is so much to see and experience.

Penelope turned 4 this year and Reagan turned 2. Our little girls are becoming very well-behaved and we absolutely adore them. They add so much to our lives.

Work: Grant is enjoying his job and staying very busy. We feel blessed that he works for a very stable company and with some great people. I am loving my job. I transitioned from a retail to an institutional position in May, which dramatically increased my territory size, but has proven to be a great fit for me. I enjoy my customers and what I do each day.

Family: We had family come to visit in March, October and for Thanksgiving. I love having family come and visit. The hardest thing about moving to Florida in 1998 was leaving our fmaily and close friends. We even had two of my cousins stay with us during Thanksgiving! It was fun to host a couple of guests for a few nights. Penelope and Reagan enjoyed the extra pets and attention!

My mom turned 60 this year and we pulled off a great surprise. We were able to plan a birthdya dinner where my Aunt Linda, Uncle Dave, Aunt Linda, Uncle Mike and Uncle John all came down from Illinois to celebrate and surprise my mom. Unfortunately, my Uncle Jim and Aunt Sandy couldn't make it, but they were there in spirit! We took my mom on a private sail boat ride in St. Augustine and enjoyed the company of her family for a long weekend.

Mike graduated from UNF in May with a double major. He was named the UNF Finance Student of the Year. He will be missed at UNF, but has found a good job in Jacksonville, which made my mom super happy to still have him in town. Now if only Nick could move back home from Atlanta... ;)

Nick is living in Atlanta and working for Sports Illustrated. He works crazy hours, but does a great job and is well-respected by his peers (and siblings!). I have yet to visit him in Atlanta since his move, but will get this this year!

We went to Orlando to help Zack move into his first off-campus apartment at UCF. I enjoyed getting a tour of campus and being mistaken for a college student several times! :) Next Fall it is Tess's turn...I cannot believe she will be graduating high school in the Spring and going off to college in the Fall!!!

Grant and I each turned 29 this year...which means that we need to make the most of our last year in our 20s. It is hard to believe that we'll be 30 next year!! I still remember taking Grant out to dinner at Fridays for his 21st birthday!

Friends: My best friend got married this year in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. It was a beautiful ceremony on a beautiful beach. We were honored to be a part of their special day and loved seeing our friends marry each other!

My college roommate and great friend, Erin, gave birth to the cutest baby girl in April, Olivia. She is always smiling and is a joy to be around. She has already grown so much!!!

Another college friend, Mandy, had her second girl just a couple of short months ago. Mallorie is adorable! I was thrilled to meet her last week at our Jennings Hall reunion! At our reunion I was able to meet several little ones for the first time including...Mallorie, Grace (Kayla and Evan's daughter) and Oliver ... or Ox ... (Danielle and Tommy's baby son). Jennings Hall sure did make some adorable kids!

We went to visit Natalie and Ryan in Utah and met their newest addition as well. Luke is cute as ever and his big sister Ella now talks up a storm! It was so nice seeing them before we headed to Park City to hit to slopes. This time we had no injuries...last time we went skiing Grant skiied into me and separated his shoulder! Ouch!

We are looking forward to 2012. So far we have a wedding and a lot of BIG birthdays.

An update from the airport

2011-01-28T14:17:00.000-05:00

I am waiting for my next flight at the wonderful Atlanta aiport. Wonderful because they have free wifi! :) I am flying to San Francisco to see a good friend and for a work meeting until next Thursday. I miss Grant already! Any good SF recommendations??

I love people watching at airports. Everyone seems to be on their phone, computer or iPad (I want to get one!). Even on the airplane you can go online now. Are we ever not connected? I used to really enjoy flying because it offered a time to read or just to think...a time when your cell phone had to be turned off and stowed and your computer not online. Now you can go online on planes, but luckily talking on your cell phone is still prohibited.

When I get home I'll post some before and after pictures of our house. We got the exterior of our house painted, finally! It used to be several shades of yellow...now it is gray with white trim and a black door. I love it! Next on the never-ending list of fixing up our house is getting a new fence and perhaps a paver driveway. I feel, no matter how much we do to the house, there is always something else I want to do!

Have a great weekend everyone! :)

Much Anticipated and Long Overdue New Blog Post

2010-12-30T10:15:00.000-05:00

Yes, I have been a major blog slacker...but I'm back. Each year I need a little break from the blog it seems.

Here is a quick run down of the last 2 and a half months in the lives of BGPR, Inc.

October:
~My Unce Dave, Aunt Linda and their three girls, Meghan, Katie and Amy came to visit from Chicago. :) We had a fun time with them in Florida! Here are a couple photos from a dinner at Caps.

Uncle Dave and Aunt Linda

Me and my Mom

Pretty sunset at Caps

Halloween:

~We took a mini-road trip to Hilliard, FL...specifically to Conner's A-MAZE-ing Acres. They had a corn maze, a pumpkin patch, farm animals, hay rides and other fun, festive activities.

They had "Redneck Olympics" at the farm!

Me and Grant outside the maze.

Me and Tess in the maze.

All four of us in the cornfield maze.

Me and Grant in the pumpkin patch.

Me and Tess in the pumpkin patch.

On the way out there we passed a cotton field. I couldn't resist stopping and picking some cotton!

~We also took Reagan and Penelope to a costume party at the dog park. They dressed up as a Gators Cheerleader and a Gators Football player. We met up with Stephanie and her dogs who dressed up as Alice in Wonderland characters.

Reagan our QB!

Penelope our cheerleader with Ebi and Lena :

~VEGAS! We took our annual trip to Vegas for Halloween. We met up with Jordan and Ryan and Katrina and Dan. We dressed up as The Flintstones and had a blast!

First night in Vegas with Jordan and Ryan

Halloween in Vegas!

With Gumby and Pokey

With the Ghostbusters

We found the Chilean miners!

Night #3 with Katrina

With the chick magnet!

With Jordan on our last night in Vegas

November:
~In November we were able to get tickets to another Gator game and enjoyed our day in Gainesville.

~Later that month we were able to witness the marriage of Richard and Jenee is BEAUTIFUL Savannah, GA. Grant's parents joined us and we had a great time with them and our friends!

Josh, Richard and Grant before the ceremony

Me and Grant before the ceremony

Sue, Grant, Me and Ed before the ceremony

The ceremony was BEAUTIFUL!

Grant's parents at the reception

Me and Grant at dinner

Us and Mr. and Mrs. Priebe!

Grant dancing with his mom :)

December:
~Grant's new company had a holiday party at the Jaguars stadium (EverBank Field) complete with Jaguars cheerleaders, fireworks, bands, a DJ, lots of refreshments, old school arcade games and Vegas-style table games. The dresscode was "coat and tie preferred," so it gave us a reason to dress up! It was a great night! I really enjoyed meeting Grant's new coworkers!

Me and Grant at the holiday party

Me and the festive Jaguars Cheereaders

~Christmas card photos: We ventured to Atlantic Beach to take some fun photos for our Christmas cards. They had giant Christmas ornaments, lights and presents along the downtown area.

~Mintu's Birthday: For Mintu's birthday we went to Restaurant Medure to celebrate with Mintu and Mary. It was a fun night! :) Happy Belated Birthday, Mintu!

~Christmas: We had an amazing Christmas. We definitely spoiled our girls and each other. Here are some photos from our Christmas and Christmas at my mom's house.

Danielle's Visit!

2010-10-17T12:39:00.000-04:00

Danielle and I go way back...back to 2001...so I guess that is 9 years! Time flies!!!

Danielle and I were RAs together in Broward Hall. We also took a very serious class together at UF, Jogging. We've kept in touch since college. Danielle's lived in 4 different cities...well 5 if you count Gainesville...since college. She first moved back to Pensacola after school, then to Atlanta, then to DC and now she lives in Manhattan. All the while I've lived in...just one place, Ponte Vedra Beach. Danielle and I have been through a lot together and I am truly lucky to have her as a close friend! I cannot wait to spend a weekend in NYC visiting her and going out on the town!

Danielle came to visit a couple of weeks ago and stayed for 3 nights. We definitely made the most of her time here. We spent our days at the beach and our evenings out with friends and were even able to squeeze in a trip to Gainesville to see our Gators beat Kentucky! Here are some photos from Danielle's visit!

Me and Danielle on our first night out

Mary, Me and Danielle at TacoLu

Just the girls before we left for Gainesville

We had brunch at Ivy's Grill - LOVE that place!

Fun times at Broward Hall!

Had to grab photos at the various Gators around campus!

Looking tough!

Aw!

At our seats! Thanks for the hook up, Andrea!

Hottest Jaguars Game EVER!

2010-10-01T17:29:00.000-04:00

When Tim Tebow played for my high school I became a fan. When Tim Tebow became a Gator I was in Heaven. When Tim Tebow won National Championships and the Heisman Trophy I was exstatic! When Tim Tebow was not drafted by the Jaguars I became an instant Denver Broncos fan.

That brings me to September 12, 2010, the hottest football game ever recorded at Everbank Field, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars. When I saw that the Jaguars home opener was against the Broncos I had to get tickets. I called the Jaguars ticket office and was put on a wait list for group tickets.

I eagerly awaited the call when my name had come up to purchase tickets. I started to get worried when two weeks out I hadn't heard from the Jaguars and rumors of a sellout were running rampant all around town. I called and was next on the list! When they called I ordered tickets for me, Grant, and our friends Stephanie, Andrea and Jeff. I even got a discount since Grant's new employer became the new naming rights holder to the Jaguars stadium! Bonus!

Gameday arrived. I opted to wear teal and black to support the home team...even though I only went to support Tim Tebow and see him play in his first regular season NFL game. We got there early and tailgated all morning.

It was HOT! We walked to the stadium and found our seats.

We thought we had lucked out because our seats were in the shade...that only lasted 10 minutes...by the end of the game we had seen Tim play 2 plays and were all ready for a shower!!

Later that night I found out that it was the hottest game on record at Everbank Field! Brutal!

Visitors!!

2010-09-18T12:08:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago we had two very special visitors...Tiffany and Bella! Tiffany and Bella were passing through Jacksonville on their way back home to North Carolina from Fort Myers.

I met Tiffany through my good friend, Mandy. Tiffany is Mandy's cousin and we were both bridesmaids in Mandy's wedding. Here are some great photos from when I met Tiffany!

Mandy and her bridal party - such a fun day!

The bridesmaids

Me and the Bride

Tiffany and Mandy at Mandy's bachelorette party

Out on the town for Mandy's last fling before the ring!

A lot has happened since Mandy's BIG day! Mandy now has an adorable almost 2-year-old and Tiffany has an almost 2-year-old of her own, Bella.

Penelope and Reagan fell in love with Bella, as did Grant and I! She was SO smart and sweet. She loved playing with Reagan, Penelope and their toys. She would throw their toy and say "throw it...get it!" It was ADORABLE! She could point out her nose, chin, head, mouth, etc.

Here are some photos from our night with Tiffany and Bella::

Reagan and Penelope waiting for Bella and Tiffany's arrival!

Bella loved Reagan and Penelope's doggie couch!

How cute is she!?

A couple of pics with Reagan!

GOOOO GATORS!!!!!

2010-09-03T17:42:00.000-04:00

I found the cutest Gators cheerleading outfit for Penelope today. I am so excited for football season and so are the girls!

New Appreciation for A/C

2010-08-27T17:32:00.000-04:00

On Monday I came home from work and walked into my house to feel a wall of hot and humid air. The house was 83 degrees...the air conditioning was obviously broken. My first thought was maybe we hadn't changed the filter in a while...so I ran to Ace and got a new filter...that didn't fix it. I immediately called the home warranty company and scheduled a service request. I was told that the next available appointment to get our unit serviced was Wednesday afternoon...which was not ideal since we were supposed to have company spend the night Tuesday...Sorry Tiffany and Bella!!

I spent the night on Monday at my parents' house. Grant chose to stay at our house...in the heat. I don't know how he did it. I woke up Monday morning and went to the Y...and guess what...their air conditioning was out too! It was a miserable work out! I showered and got ready in my old bathroom...where I used to get ready in high school. It definitely brought back memories!!

I went to work Tuesday and spent the night in Savannah Tuesday night. Grant slept at my parents' house. He couldn't stand the heat one more night. Savannah was AMAZING! I loved the hotel I stayed at: the Mansion on Forsyth Park. I also had the best bread pudding at Belford's.

I was able to meet the A/C repairman around 5P on Wednesday. He fixed it in 20 minutes...He is my hero!

UCF Move-in Day!

2010-08-22T09:42:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Grant and I went to UCF to help my youngest brother, Zack, move into his Freshman dorm. Zack enjoyed showing us around his campus and college town. When we arrived Zack checked in at the area office and got his keys. It brought back tons of memories of when I was an RA and GHD at UF, checking in the newest class of Gators each fall! The day the dorms opened in the fall was always one of my favorite days of the school year. It was always crazy busy, but I loved every minute of it!

Zack took us to his dorm room. He is staying in Sumter Hall. He has one roommate and shares a bathroom with another two guys. It is set up similar to Hall 95...or the Springs...in Gainesville. Apparently this is one of the oldest dorms at UCF, which makes all of the dorms in Gainesville seem archaic!

Moving in Zack was far easier than when I moved in. Me, my Mom, Tess, Grant and Zack each took in one load of stuff and we were done! An added benefit was that Zack's room was on the first floor. So easy! I remember moving into Jennings and having to wait in line to use the service elevator - one elevator for the entire building!

After we moved Zack's stuff in we went to a local restaurant for lunch. Zack was excited to share some of the local food with us. El Corral was good. I got a chicken sandwich and broiled yucca. We also got a side of plantains...Yum! After lunch we headed to the local Super Wal-Mart...the traffic just getting to Wal-Mart was insane! I thought maybe there was an accident, but the back up was from the left turn lane into the Wal-Mart parking lot! Crazy!!!

Of course when we got to Wal-Mart it started raining...my Mom was nice enough to drop us all off at the front while she went to park. Wal-Mart was PACKED with UCF students! We picked up a few necessities for Zack and checked out rather quickly.

On the way back to campus we stopped at Jeremiah's Italian Ice. This place was AWESOME! It's like Rita's, but times 10! After we all enjoyed our gelatis we went back to campus and toured the the rec center. This place is amazing as is, but they're doing construction and by the end of the semester the rec center will probably at least double in size!! There was also an amazing pool!! I think this rec center is the main reason so many kids want to go to UCF!

We dropped Zack off at Sumter Hall and hit the road to get back to Jacksonville.

The whole day brought back memories of UF. It is crazy to think that 10 years ago I moved into Jennings 1 freshman year. Since then I have been friends with so many of the girls on that floor.

I met my husband through a friend on that floor, Mandy. I was a bridesmaid in Mandy's wedding and her in mine.

I became great friends with my random roommate, Erin. We each stood up for each other in our weddings and now both live in Jacksonville! Yay!

I've gone to San Diego to visit Kayla and I cannot wait to meet her baby!

I see Kellie, one of my RAs, when I go down to Fort Myers. Her daughters are adorable and she is such an amazing Mom! All of us girls on Jennings 1 knew she would be!

HOTM: I love Emily Giffin

2010-08-15T11:17:00.000-04:00

My favorite author is Emily Giffin. She has written several AMAZING books and I have read each and every one of them at least once. My favorite are Something Borrowed and Something Blue. Something Borrowed is being made into a movie starring Kate Hudson and Gennifer Goodwin set to be released into theaters next summer. I CANNOT wait to see it!

I was at the beach a few months back, reading Emily Giffin's newest book, Heart of the Matter. I decided to snap a quick photo to post on facebook.

I tagged Emily Giffin in the photo (I'm friends with her on Facebook). Later I noticed a comment from her on my photo!! I was so excited. Grant thought I was being ridicules...but it made my day.

I emailed my photo to Emily as she asked and here it is on her website!

First Clem Family Reunion

2010-08-07T10:13:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we got together with Grant's parents and his two brothers and their families. It was a blast! We all met at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia. The resort was really pretty. There were a ton of different gardens, a couple golf courses, a lake and a couple pools. The scenery was beautiful, but the weather was HOT! I think this resort would be the most beautiful in the fall when all of the trees are all different colors...I can only imagine what it must look like then!

Grant and I arrived late Thursday night. We went to bed and met up with everyone early Friday morning. We all met at the butterfly garden and then went for a hike around the grounds. We were able to catch the birds of prey show and find the Discovery Center where we enjoyed a little air conditioning! We did a little geocaching. We grabbed lunch at Subway before heading to the pool. The pool was a nice relief from the heat and humidity.

That night we ventured to downtown Pine Mountain. We checked out one of the antique stores before heading to San Marcos for dinner. San Marcos was one of the few restaurants in the little town...the only Mexican restaurant and, apparently, quite the place to be on a Friday night. The food was good, but the highlight was the dessert.

We all headed to Sage's after dinner for ice cream. We were lucky we got there when we did because they closed at 8P! The shop was super cute! After dinner we all met back up at the hotel lobby to play dominoes. I had brought a garden gnome for the winner of the game with the idea that each year the winner will take home the gnome and bring it back the next year decorated. I love starting traditions! Eddie won a highly contest game of dominoes. I am looking forward to see how he decorates his gnome!

On Saturday we met early to take family photos by the chapel at Callaway Gardens. It wasn't too hot since we met at 8:30. The spot Ed found for our family photos was really pretty.

After we took photos we all went to the vegetable gardens. It was SO hot and there was little shade. I wondered how some of these plants survi\ved the harsh Georgia summers!

After the vegetable garden we all went to lunch at the Whistling Pig BBQ, Randy's choice. It was really tasty! After lunch Sue and I decided to check out the shops downtown. We didn't get anything, but it was fun to check it all out.

That afternoon we went to the pool again and then got ready for our last dinner together. We picked the Country Kitchen. The Country Kitchen is a lot like Cracker Barrel. It was good and definitely filling. After dinner Ed, Cari, Randy, Meredith and Brenna headed back to South Carolina.

After they left the rest of us went to the hotel lobby and played Phase 10, which I dominated. While we were playing all of the locals met up at our hotel lobby to do karoke. They were all pretty good!

We all headed back home on Sunday morning. Grant and I made a pit stop at Lane's Southern Orchard where we ate cobbler and snuck into the peach orchard to take some photos. They do a corn maze in October, so we'll definitely be back!

All in all, it was a wonderful long weekend. I LOVED seeing everyone and I look forward to doing it again!!

Beautiful Night

2010-07-28T21:03:00.000-04:00

We are so lucky to live where we do. While I completely miss some of my closest family and friends who live in Chicago, I absolutely LOVE the beach. Last weekend we had dinner with our good friends Erin and Billy in Atlantic Beach. After dinner we walked out to the beach. It was so light out because the moon was so bright. Here are a couple photos from that night.

Out on the Boat

2010-07-25T10:43:00.000-04:00

Last weekend our friends, Jeff and Andrea, invited us out on their boat. It was a beautiful day! We went down to St. Augustine, out in the Atlantic Ocean and had lunch at Caps. All in all it was a very relaxing day and a great day to be out on the water!

Happy Birthday, Mary!

2010-07-22T19:01:00.000-04:00

Mary was in the keys over her birthday, so we celebrated when she got back. For Mary's birthday we went to the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse for happy hour and to our favorite local spot, Urban Flats, for dinner. In between we managed to take a few photos and I managed to spill an entire glass of Cabernet on the birthday girl! You cannot take me anywhere!!

Mintu doing a serious demonstration...at the bar

Mary still agreed to take a photo with me after I spilled wine all over her! What a friend!!

A little serenade at Urban Flats!

Nala and the Shedd

2010-07-21T14:53:00.001-04:00

On our last day in Chicago we went downtown with Jordan to see the Shedd Acquarium. We were able to park at Marin's condo and see Marin and Nala on our way back from the Shedd.

It was very hot outside, probably the warmest day of our trip. We didn't pre-purchase tickets to the Shedd because we didn't think it would be crowded on a Tuesday...boy were we wrong!! There was an incredibly long line at 11am on a Tuesday! The line probably took 90 minutes and was in 100% sun most of the time. While we were waiting we got hot dogs and took some photos.

The Shedd was pretty expensive, $26 for the least expensive ticket option. There were lots of fish, but we weren't all that impressed. It would definitely be a cool place to take little kids, and there were a lot of little kids there! I think the last time I was at the Shedd was probably in elementary school - not much has changed since then.

After spending a couple of hours at the Shedd we walked back to Marin's and were able to spend some time with her and Nala. On our way back we walked through Grant Park - we had to take a pic!

I am in LOVE with Nala!! She is the cutest little lab puppy ever! Here are some photos of Nala and a link to a video of her playing with her neighbor dog.

We stopped at Lou Malnati's for some Chicago pizza on our way back to the airport. I was sad to go back to Florida, especially since I don't know when I'm going to go back up next! Hopefully it will be soon!

Floating down the river

2010-07-18T17:39:00.000-04:00

We got back to Chicago Sunday night post-oral surgery (I milked it for all I could!). That night I was exhausted! We stayed at my Uncle Dave and Aunt Linda's house. It was nice spending extra time with them and my cousin Amy. My Aunt and Uncle showed us photos from their wedding. I was their flower girl 19 years ago and Amy was our flower girl 4 years ago! We watched fireworks and then headed to bed.

In the morning Uncle Dave woke us up for breakfast. We went upstairs in our PJs to find out that we were going out to breakfast! Luckily we had some time to shower and get ready. We went to Egg Harbor with the family. It was good...well my oatmeal and luke warm coffee was good and everyone else's food looked yummy too! Here's a group pic of the "kids" after breakfast.

After breakfast Grant and I were picked up by Jordan. Just as soon as we arrived at her place and started talking about what to do for the day we got a call from Renee...BOAT!! So we quickly changed and headed up to Renee and Glenn's. We met Renee by the water and her mom, dad and brother picked us up at the dock in their boat.

We boated all day, grabbed a bite to eat and visited Renee's uncle's house on the Chain. It was beautiful!! The weather was perfect, the company was amazing and the lake was beautiful.

Renee's uncle lives along a little channel where boats go through. There are homes on each side of the water. Apparently it's an unwritten rule that if you ride by in a boat with water guns you will be sprayed by hoses and/or hit by water balloons/water guns by the homes along the channel.

We had a blast throwing water balloons and spraying the hose at the boats going by. Here are a few short videos from our time at Renee's uncle's house.
The Chain Part 1
The Chain Part 2
The Chain Part 3
We LOVED going out on the boat! Maybe one day Grant and I will get a boat of our own!

Later that night we met up with a bunch of great people for dinner at the Yard House. Grant and I had been to a Yard House twice before, both in Hawaii. It was a great place to meet up with some great friends. Here are some photos from dinner.

Work hard, play hard

2010-07-17T09:20:00.000-04:00

After enjoying almost the entire week with my family I knew what was coming on Sunday afternoon...

My Uncle Jim asked me if I was ready...

I was as ready as I'd ever be...

Uncle Jim, Aunt Sandy, Grant and me all headed to my Aunt and Uncle's office. Once we got there I laid in the chair, got an x-ray and got numbed up (which was probably the most painful part of the whole incident). Grant had to leave after the x-ray because he's not particularly fond of needles/blood/etc. Good thing my husband works in IT!

Once I was all numb my Uncle said I'd feel a little pressure...and a little more pressure. I was surprised that he was right...all I felt was pressure...no pain. Then all of a sudden I heard a little pop and ... this is what came out!

My upper left wisdom tooth!

It had been growing in for a little over a year and was starting to really bother me, so I asked my Uncle, the best dentist ever, if he could pull it for me while I was visiting. I enjoyed a nice drive back to Chicago with gauze in my mouth and popped Aleve 3 times a day for a while. I couldn't eat much and couldn't drink anything too hot or too cold or out of a straw. I am pretty much back to 100% now.

Thanks for pulling my tooth Dr. Boggess!! :)

Look at how great I look all numb on my left side! I really thought I was smiling in that pic!

Family Pics!

2010-07-16T22:57:00.000-04:00

Here are some group pics from our trip to Springfield.

Everyone

Just the "kids"

My Mom and her siblings

My Mom and her kids

Uncle Dave, Aunt Linda and their girls

Uncle Mike, Aunt Linda and their kids

Uncle Jim and Aunt Sandy

Celebrating the 4th with Family

2010-07-12T20:04:00.000-04:00

Every year for the 4th of July my Mom's side of the family gathers at my Uncle Jim and Aunt Sandy's house in Springfield, IL. It is probably my favorite weekend of each year and I know that all of my siblings look forward to it just as much as I do! In fact, 5 years ago Grant proposed to me this very weekend in Springfield!

Last year was a little more somber due to the passing of my Great Aunt Dorothy...we also had really bad weather. This year we were all ready to have a fun time and the weather cooperated!

Grant and I were able to hitch a ride down to Springfield from my Uncle Mike and Aunt Linda. On the way down we picked up my cousin Jessica at her new home in Romeoville. I was excited to see her place! It was super cute! We arrived in Springfield just before dinner on Friday just before everyone else arrived. We swam in the pool and hung out with the family.

Zack and Grant in a heated ping pong game

Lunchtime! Aunt Sandy's famous lasagna!

Dominoes! Jess is the winner!

On Saturday we spent more time at the pool, went jet skiing, went out on the boat and shot off lots of fireworks! I think our fireworks were probably better than that of some small towns across the US!

We arrived at Uncle Jim and Aunt Sandy's house to see all of these fireworks!

Firecrackers - one small roll and one HUGE roll!

Everyone watching the fireworks from the pool deck.

Boat pics:

On Sunday Nick had to catch a flight back to Atlanta, so we took our family photo in the morning before he left. I spent the rest of the day by the pool before making a special trip to my Uncle's office...more on that later this week!!

Other candid pics:

My handsome husband

My beautiful Aunt Sandy

A happy Uncle Jim :)

My cousin Chris

My mom :)

Zack in the pool

Uncle Mike sleeping!

4th of July = Trip to Chicago to see fabulous people

2010-07-10T09:59:00.000-04:00

Every year Grant and I head to Chicago to spend the 4th of July. The 4th of July is probably my most favorite holiday for the following reasons:

1. There is no pressure to buy gifts like Christmas
2. My family always gets together at my Uncle Jim and Aunt Sandy's home on a lake in Springfield
3. 5 years ago Grant proposed to me in Springfield
4. I get to see my best friends and spend some quality time with them
5. The days are long and the weather is usually amazing

Grant and I had initially decided to drive to Chicago until I found reasonably priced direct flights. We flew out bright and early on Thursday morning (our flight was at 7:10a). It was funny when we were boarding because the lady in front of us had somehow gotten her fullsize bag through security and was trying to carry it on! She firmly stated that she measured it before she came to the airport and that it was small enough to carry on...she was forced to check her bag at the gate. Grant and I were able to sleep for most of the flight. I grabbed this photo as we were arriving in Chicago.

We spent Thursday (Marin's birthday) with Jordan and Marin during the day and then went out for Marin's birthday that night. Jordan, Marin and I grew up together and have been friends since first grade - over 20 years! Wow, we're getting old! We met Marin at her condo downtown where Grant and I were able to meet Marin and David's lab puppy, Nala! She is the cutest thing EVER! Here are a few of the MANY photos I took of her!

One of Marin's birthday presents from Jordan - a framed pic of baby Nala! It quickly replaced the pic of Marin & David above the TV!

We took Nala with us to lunch at the Little Branch Cafe. It was yummy and Nala was SO good! She is a funny walker, though. She walks for about 5 steps and then finds a shady spot in the grass and lays down. It was pretty funny! I'm sure as she gets older she'll be a better walker!

That afternoon we decided to go to Navy Pier and take a skyline boat tour in Lake Michigan. I love being a tourist in my home city! The weather was amazing (80 and no humiddity!) and the views were to die for. I truly miss living up there! Here are some photos from the boat tour.

As we walked back to the car we passed this large noodle (I think it's creative advertising for Kraft Mac & Cheese). I thought it was funny that all the kids were climbing all over it despite the sign to the right.

We went back to Marin's place and freshened up/changed. David made Marin and her parents dinner while Jordan, Grant, Ryan and I headed to Market for dinner. I ordered a BBQ chicked caesar flatbread pizza...it definitely did not stack up to that same dish at our favorite Urban Flats in Ponte Vedra, but the company made up for that! We enjoyed dinner and even got a special dessert for my belated birthday!

The Birthday dessert was a mini shopping cart full of caramel and cheddar popcorn and grape cotton candy - how unique!

After dinner we got bottle service at the rooftop bar to celebrate Marin's 28th birthday. It was so much fun! The rooftop bar was pretty cool with great views of downtown Chicago. The VIP table we were at was like a cabana, so I felt right at home!

The whole group at Market for Marin's birthday!

On Friday, Jordan headed back to work and Grant and I headed to Springfield with my Aunt Linda and Uncle Mike. I'll post on that later! :)

It's my Birthday!!

2010-06-28T18:12:00.000-04:00

Last Wednesday I turned 28. Crazy. I cannot believe that 10 years ago this week I started college at UF. It seems like it was just yesterday.

On my birthday I had to work. I went into my offices and told everyone it was my birthday. :) Everyone was so nice and I got many many birthday wishes! After work I worked out and went to dinner at 95 Cordova with my family. 95 Cordova is one of my favorite restaurants in St. Augustine. It's located in the historic Casa Monica hotel.

The menus at 95 Cordova light up. My family definitely had fun playing around with the lighted menus. Everyone enjoyed their food and desserts.

My Ahi Tuna

My Mom's blue cheese filet

Tess and I shared the chocolate fondue. It was yummy!!

Tess wearing her shades at dinner

Zack wandered into the CSX convention room...too funny (left) Mike playing with his new iPhone (right)

Sunset on the way home from St. Augustine

Later in the week I celebrated my birthday with my friends. I think that all birthdays should last for at least a week!

Fun times in St. Pete Beach

2010-06-27T11:12:00.000-04:00

Last weekend Grant and I went to St. Pete Beach and stayed at The Don CeSar Resort. I had a work meeting at the resort Wednesday-Friday, so I flew in on Wednesday and Grant drove down Friday morning and met me when my meeting was over. We were able to get a great deal using the Lilly rate for the weekend.

View from my chair at the pool/beach

Our hotel - beautiful and PINK!

We spent quality time at the pool, beach and around St. Pete. On Friday I laid out by the pool for a bit waiting for Grant to arrive. When he arrived we went to the hotel gym together and worked out before going to dinner at the Middle Grounds Grill. I The food was good, but when we went to leave it started to pour. I was bummed because I wanted to see the sunset...oh well! We made it back to the hotel as the rain was clearing up and decided to go down to the pool/hot tub.

On Saturday we went to the Seahorse for breakfast. We had heard great things about this place, but we weren't impressed. It's hard when you compare all breakfast places to the Ivy in Gainesville or Eggstacy in Chicago. It was, however, in a cute area, Pass-A-Grille, that we enjoyed checking out after we ate.

Some pics from Pass-A-Grille

During the day we hung out by the pool and enjoyed the free "pool pampering" offered at the resort. This included free smoothies, frozen grapes and watermelon that was brought by periodically on silver trays! We decided to rent a wave runner and go out into the gulf. It was a lot of fun!

That night I worked out while Grant napped before dinner. We decided to go to Billy's for dinner. I had gone there with work earlier in the week and thought Grant would like it. Their house salad was really good! After dinner we went back to the hotel and were able to catch the sunset and a wedding on the beach.

After the sunset we went to the hotel restaurant for dessert. It was really yummy! We definitely should have tried dinner there one of the nights...next time!

We woke up on Sunday, checked out and headed to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. We each played some blackjack and three card poker for about an hour before heading back home. It was a lot nicer than I thought it would be...and super crowded for a Sunday morning!

On the way home we stopped in Gainesville for lunch at one of our favorite places, Leonardo's pizza. It was so nice to drive through campus and enjoy some great food and great memories! I cannot wait for football season to start again! I definitely want to go to more games this year.

Happy First Birthday, Conner!

2010-06-26T16:52:00.000-04:00

A couple of weekends ago we celebrated our friends' son's birthday. We became friends with Andrea and Jeff last February when we met them through Craigslist. They were selling a table and chairs. We bought the table and chairs and got two great friends as a bonus! At that time Andrea was pregnant with Conner. In June last year we were able to meet Conner the day after he was born in the hospital. Here are some photos from that day. He was SO little!

This June we were able to help him celebrate his first birthday. Andrea and Jeff hosted a great party at their house complete with a clown who painted faces and made balloon animals. We all had so much fun!

Zack's Prom

2010-06-13T09:14:00.000-04:00

I was out on our friend's boat on the day of Zack's prom, but my Mom took some photos, here they are. Enjoy!

Congratulations to the latest Zaccardi grad - Zack!!

2010-06-12T11:33:00.000-04:00

Last Friday Zack graduated (with honors!) from Nease High School, my alma mater! Zack graduated 10 years after I did...which definitely made me feel old! It was really hard to believe that I was a green gown and a green cap 10 years ago! Time definitely flies!

Zack had to go through some changes during high school. In 10th grade a new high school was built that split the school up. Some of Zack's friends decided to go to the new school (Ponte Vedra High School - where Tess goes), but most decided to stay at Nease.

One of the highlights of Zack's time at Nease was his time spent on the Basketball team (he was team captain his senior year). While playing basketball he had coaching changes and new players entering the district. Through all of those changes Zack was a constant source of leadership for the team. It was fun to watch him play and fun to watch him grow up on the court.

Here are some photos from Zack's graduation and from his graduation dinner. I am so proud of my baby brother! Zack's next academic step will start in just a few weeks when he starts college at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Go Knights!

Claudia & Jason's Engagement Party

2010-05-30T10:52:00.000-04:00

Last night we celebrated the engagement of Claudia and Jason at their engagement party Luau BBQ! It was a blast! Claudia and Jay definitely know how to throw a good party...from the great drinks (Jay made some amazing mai tais!) to the great food to the amazing friends! Here are some photos from the evening!

Me and Andrea with our Mai Tais - Great recipe, Jay!

Claudia grabbing a drink to put in her Bride-to-Be coozie and grilling

Stephanie and Sean (left), Andrea and Xuxa (right)

A couple pics of the girls

Grant (left), Claudia (right)

A few pics of the guys

A few pics of the girls.

Grant showing off his juggling skills

Claudia and Jay opening their engagement gifts...show stopper was definitely the collage made by Stephanie -- Great gift for a great couple!

Grant leaving his mark on Claudia & Jay's fence!

BOAT DAY!

2010-05-23T14:58:00.000-04:00

Back on Grant's birthday (April 9) we all cleared our schedules to go out on Andrea & Jeff's boat on Saturday, May 22. It is crazy how fast time flew by! We all managed to stay free on Saturday except for Erin and Billy -- Billy had to have shoulder surgery on Friday -- We all hope you recover quickly, Billy!

The rest of us headed out on the boat off the Palm Valley dock. We boated down to a little beach in Guana State Park between St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra.

Sean bringing our gear ashore.

It was really cute...kind of "survivoresque!" Claudia and Jay brought a grill and grilled out.

Grillin' and eatin'

We played frisbee and just enjoyed each others company. It was so fun.

After we ate we all got back on the boat and headed down to St. Augustine and out to the ocean. This was our first time taking the boat into the Atlantic and it was a success, minus a little sea-sickness.

Jay driving the boat.

Claudia and Andrea hanging on in the rough surf!

Andrea and I went tubing, Sean and Stephanie went tubing and we floated for a bit and played in the water. We were surrounded by dolphins. It was really fun!

We came back in from the ocean and headed to the Conch House for drinks and some food. They had a pretty good band playing outside and we hung out there for a while.

They were doing a Red Stripe Light promotion so the guys all tried it for free, but weren't impressed.

We left the Conch House and headed back up to Ponte Vedra. It was so fun! I hope that we all can get out on the boat again soon! A big thank you goes out to Jeff and Andrea for hosting us and Andrea's sister for watching Conner for the day! Oh and Andrea for bringing yummy Sangria for me! :) Love you, girl!

The Conch House from the water.

A date at Ruth's Chris

2010-05-22T10:04:00.000-04:00

During PLAYERS week we decided to make reservations for dinner at Ruth's Chris in Ponte Vedra. The only problem is that we decided to make these reservations just days before Friday night...

We were at Ruth's Chris for happy hour earlier in the week...I think it was Tuesday. We were with Mintu and Mary. Mary's sister, Megan, and her husband, Joe, were coming into town on Thursday and we thought that dinner at Ruth's Chris, just steps off the golf course, would be a great surprise. Mintu went up to the hostess to make reservations. I was sure he'd get the "no were booked solid all weekend" line. However, I saw the manager approach the hostess stand and Mintu was back to the bar with a 6:45 reservation for Friday night. We decided to keep it a secret from Megan and Joe.
Friday was a busy day filled with sun, 90 degree heat and golf at the TPC. We enjoyed following Camilo, seeing Tiger and seeing good friends. We left the course with just enough time to shower and get ready for dinner. We dined at Ruth's Chris. It was packed with locals, golf fans and golfers (KJ Choi was eating not too far from us). All in all it was a definite highlight of the weekend!

Tim McGraw @ TPC Sawgrass

2010-05-20T19:57:00.000-04:00

Tim McGraw @ TPC Sawgrass

2010-05-20T19:49:00.000-04:00

Tim McGraw at TPC Sawgrass

2010-05-09T11:14:00.001-04:00

This week has been awesome. I love PLAYERS week! This year Tim McGraw performed at the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse for military appreciation day on Wednesday.

Mintu and I headed out to TPC after work to scope out some good seats for us, Grant and Mary. It was HOT outside!! We started out just standing on the clubhouse lawn that was already starting to fill up and was steamy hot. We decided to check out the clubhouse to see if we could find a good spot inside. We knew a few people and were able to get into the dining room and find two seats near the window. It was perfect, but we worried how Grant and Mary would find us...luckily we found a friend who worked there and had a cell phone (cell phones aren't allowed at the tournament). We called Mary and gave them the details on where we were sitting. Just as Tim McGraw started playing Mary and Grant showed up. It was a great performance. Here are a few photos.

Flyover by the Blue Angels

Jordan & Ryan's Visit

2010-05-05T22:15:00.000-04:00

Last weekend Jordan and Ryan came to visit. Jordan and I grew up together in Western Springs, IL and have remained friends since first grade. I adore her and am lucky to have such a great friend. Her and I talk almost every day on our way to work. We usually see each other several times a year. This year we're going to Las Vegas together in October and to Mexico in February. So fun! She's been dating Ryan for almost 5 years. He's a great guy who makes Jordan very happy.

Jordan and Ryan flew in on Thursday night. I took Friday and Monday off work to spend time with them. Friday we went to the beach and then to III Forks for dinner with Mary and Mintu.

The food was yummy, but the service was yet again not up to par. After dinner we headed to Whiskey River. They had a mechanical bull and played some good tunes. We got a couple drinks there and then headed to Pussers in Ponte Vedra.

On Saturday Jordan and I hit the beach again while Ryan and Grant went golfing. Zack met us up at the beach and took us to Rita's for gelatis! Yum! It was a beautiful day. That night we went shopping at the Town Center and to dinner at Cantina Laredo with my Mom, Tess, Zack and Jenny. I LOVE Cantina Laredo! After dinner we rented a movie and watched it back at our house.

On Sunday we were all ready to go to the beach when Andrea texted me and invited us out on their boat. We went boating on the St. John's River with Andrea, Jeff and baby Conner. It was a blast! We tubed and hung out in the water.

The weather was PERFECT for a day on the boat. While we were on the boat we learned that Ryan's flight home was canceled due to the horrible weather in Nashville. Bad news for Ryan...but I don't think he minded too much spending another day in Florida with us all! After we got back from the boat we went to dinner at Urban Flats with Mintu, Mary, my Mom, Tess and Zack.

On Monday we spent our last day at the beach. Grant brought his stunt kite and taught Ryan how to fly it. The beach was empty with everyone at work, so it was really peaceful. We even saw several dolphin swimming super close to shore.

I was sad to take Jordan and Ryan back to the airport Monday afternoon. I cannot wait for them to visit again and to see them again in Vegas!

Our weekend

2010-04-25T09:15:00.000-04:00

This weekend Grant and I didn't have any plans. It was nice to relax and catch up on some work around the house. On Friday night I made pulled BBQ chicken in the crockpot and we had that for dinner. It was a yummy healthy version of pulled pork BBQ sandwiches...plus it was super easy to make. Before I went to work on Friday I put 4 chicken breasts in the crockpot with 1/2 a bottle of BBQ sauce. I let it cook on low until I got home from work. I then raised the temperature to high and put the rest of the BBQ sauce in, shredded the chicken breasts and let it cook for 2 hours. Next time I'll probably make less...because we had lots of left overs.

After we ate we rented The Hurt Locker with Mintu and Mary. It was a good movie. It seemed really realistic and made me thankful for all of our servicemen and women and their families. A big shout out to our good friends Kayla and Evan! Thank you for all that you do to keep us safe! On Friday, I went to the VA for work. I was talking with some of the primary care doctors and thanking them for working so hard on such an important population, our veterans. I am touched every time I go to the VA when I see some of the veterans walking the halls and waiting in the waiting rooms. Each person there must have so many stories.

On Saturday Grant got up super early and went to the gym while I was still sleeping. He was already home by the time I was ready to work out. He spent some time trimming our trees while I hit the gym.

When I was leaving the gym I saw a stray collie wondering in front of the YMCA. I went up to him and found his collar. There were several other people gathered around the dog, worried that it had ran away from home. We got the dog some water while I called the number on the collar. No one answered. I left a message letting them know that their dog was found and that it was at the Y. I called a few more time, still with no answer. We googled the name and number to see if we could find a street address. No luck. People were calling their vet friends to see if we could find a place to bring the dog. The dog, Jack, was large, stinky (probably hadn't been bathed in weeks/months), matted, thirsty, hot and beautiful. Then, a minivan drove up to the Y. A mom and 12 yr. old son got out of the car and just stood there, looking at us. I asked them if Jack was their dog. The mom said yes and that Jack hears kids around the Y and runs away frequently. She said she was out in the yard doing yard work when her husband called to let her know that Jack had been found at the Y. I guess her husband was across town and lacked the decency to pick up his phone when we called or call us back. They took the dog back home and the rest of us were in shock. That poor dog. I hope that they take him to get groomed asap. It's getting really hot in Florida and this dog had a full coat of fur and it seemed like it spent quite a bit of time outside. It just made me so sad. Some people shouldn't be allowed to have dogs!

Look at that sly gaze from Reagan! What a cutie!!

Our girls getting dressed up! :)

Love this shirt: "Spoiled and Loving it" - our souvenir for Penelope when we went to NYC.

When I got home all I wanted was to hug Reagan and Penelope, get in the shower and give them baths too. That is exactly what I did. Here is a pic of them in the shower. I washed them at the same time, which made it quite difficult to dry them!

Boat

2010-04-21T16:01:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday Andrea and Jeff invited us out on their boat. The weather was amazing and we had a great time! Here are a few photos from our day.

Conner exploring the boat on all fours!

Mom and son on the boat.

Me and Conner (left); Andrea and Conner (right)

The three boys.

Dolphin!

More dolphins (left); Conner and Jeff (right)

We tried putting Conner's sunglasses on him...that didn't last long! (left); Conner riding on Andrea's shoulders (right)

Grant on the boat and helping dock it.

While the parents are out the girls will play!

2010-04-18T09:48:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago while Grant and I were sleeping the girls were busy decorating the living room...ever since this event and Reagan chewing on pillows and clothes she now sleeps safely in her crate...and we don't leave paper towels out in reach of the girls!

Look at how guilty the girls are!

A couple of weeks ago I made pulled pork sandwiches in the crock pot for the first time. They were quite yummy!! I put the bone from the pork in the garbage and then put the garbage bag in the garage. Some how Penelope managed to get into the garage while Grant was working in it and find the bone! She tried to sneak into the house with it and enjoy her treasure under the dining room table. Nice try Penelope!

Here are a couple photos of Reagan in the backyard. Love her!

Family visit

2010-04-17T10:13:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago Grant's brother, sister-in-law, their three kids, his other sister-in-law and her son came to visit us at our house. I grew up close by tons of family in Chicago. We had large family birthday parties and holidays. One of the hardest parts about moving to Florida when I was 16 was missing all of those family events and trying to start new traditions down here. I was thrilled to have Ed, Cari, Randy, Meredith, Brenna, Meagon and Tyler over!

Reagan getting some love from her cousins!

Randy (left) loved guitar hero - we let them borrow it, so I'm sure next time we see Randy he'll be a pro at it! Brenna (right) loved that we had Dora the Explorer On Demand!

Penelope and Reagan LOVED Brenna. I think they were excited to have someone who was just about their size and someone they could easily give kisses to. Here are some photos of Brenna and the girls.

I love the one on the left with Brenna and Reagan - too cute!

Going in for the kisses!

Grant and I decided we'd grill out for dinner. We made hamburgers, cheeseburgers and hot dogs. They were yummy! After dinner, before Meagon and Tyler arrived, we took a walk to the beach at dusk. The weather was great and it was fun showing everyone our beach. Hopefully next time they come we can go during the day!

Brenna and her mom, Cari, at the beach.

Grant, Ed and Me on the left; Me and Meredith on the right.

After our walk to the beach Meagon and Tyler arrived from Port Orange. It was so nice to catch up with them, too.

We played dominoes and talked about our family reunion that we're planning for this July.

Ty playing dominoes

Grant and Randy playing dominoes

Randy and Ed playing dominoes

Ed, Randy and Grant after I beat them again in dominoes!

Ty geting strategic!

All in all it was a great night. I wish we all lived a bit closer so we could get together more often. I think we're all going to have an amazing time this summer in Georgia for the first Clem family reunion and the first time we've all been together since Grant and I got married (almost 4 years ago!).

Grant's Garden

2010-04-15T17:18:00.000-04:00

After Grant's birthday we spruced up the garden and added the gnome, which we named Norman. We got some mulch, too.

It's nice to finally have a garden! We haven't killed any of the flowers yet, but they've only been planted for a few weeks.

Below are some more pictures of the yard with our new palm trees! We LOVE them and cannot wait for them to fully mature. It's a HUGE improvement over what was there before.

A few "Before" photos of the yard:

A few "during" photos:

The BIG 28!

2010-04-10T08:53:00.001-04:00

Yesterday Grant turned 28! I can now enjoy about 6 weeks where Grant's older than me!

I got Grant a keypad garage door opener for his birthday, which he really liked. He did mention to me before his birthday that there were two things he'd really like. I figured that one was the keypad opener...but I was wrong. After he opened my gift I asked him what the two things were that he said he'd really like...he said they were a utility sink for the garage and a stool for his work bench...How would I ever think of a utility sink?! He really liked the keypad opener, so I think I did a good job in finding him a gift!

For his birthday I got all of our friends to go out to dinner at Mojos BBQ and bowling. We were so happy everyone could make it and we all had a great time! We're so lucky to have such a great group of friends in Florida!! Here are some photos from the night.

Grant and his garden gnome from Cladia and Jay - GREAT gift!

Claudia and her wedding donations piggy bank - hilarious! :) She tried to raise some funds at the alley!

Some of the action on the alley

Claudia and Jay (left) Mintu and Mary (right)

Erin and Billy (left) Stephanie and Sean (right)

Andrea and Jeff (left); our first game scores (right)

Birthday boy in action!

The whole group!

Our shoes and the second game...where I beat Grant for the first time ever!!

Grant bowls a strike!!

How much is that doggy in the window?

2010-04-07T22:45:00.000-04:00

Here are a couple of photos of the girls looking out the window. Love them!

UTAH!!!

2010-04-05T17:19:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago Grant and I went on our first ski vacation. Before we left I was looking forward to going, but wasn't as excited as I would have been for a warm weather vacation. I have hardly any cold weather clothes and I wasn't sure how I'd like skiing.

On our way to Utah we had a 3+ hour lay over in Las Vegas. For those of you who know me and Grant we couldn't just spend 3 hours in the Vegas airport. So we grabbed the first taxi we saw and headed to the MGM Grand hotel for a little fun during our pit stop in Vegas! We played some blackjack (I won, Grant lost), grabbed a bite to eat in the sports book (it was packed with March Madness fans) and right before we headed to the cashier I played a hand of three card poker and scored a straight! It was very exciting. I think we both enjoyed our taste of Vegas on our way to Utah and we're looking forward to heading back this Fall.

We arrived in Salt Lake City Friday afternoon. It was cold, but not freezing, which I was very happy about. We went to the luggage carousel and I noticed a special luggage area meant just for skis-I know then I was in ski country! We got our luggage and rental car and plugged the condo into our GPS and off we went!

The drive from Salt Lake City to Park City is only about 30 minutes, but you have to drive through a pretty big canyon to get there. As we were driving through it we saw a horrible accident...luckily it was in the opposite direction and didn't cause any major delays for us.

The closer we got to Park City the cloudier and colder it got. Here is a photo Grant took when we stopped to get coffee. Holy snow Batman!

We were at the condo just long enough to pack before our good friends Ryan, Natalie and their baby Ella arrived! They live just outside Salt Lake City and we stayed with them at Natalie's parent's condo. Thanks Nat!

View from the condo.

That night we all went to dinner at Chimayo in downtown Park City. It was very yummy!! I enjoyed catching up with Ryan and Natalie. We headed to bed fairly early since we were still on east coast time and we were planning on hitting the slopes early the next morning.

Us in downtown Park City before dinner (left) Chimayo (right)

The Thornocks at dinner.

My dinner...it was SO good!

Me and Grant at dinner.

On Saturday we woke up super early, picked up breakfast at Einstein's Bagels and headed to Deer Valley Resort for our 9am ski lessons. We got to the resort and headed to the ski rental area where we picked up our boots, skis and helmets. We then headed out to the ski lesson area and met our instructor, Julio.

Getting our boots fitted.

Us with Julio during our ski lesson

We were in a ski class with 2 other first time skiers, both adults. Grant and I definitely picked it up faster than either of our two classmates. Once Julio showed us the basics we were good. We learned in a little area that had a "magic carpet" instead of a ski lift. The "magic carpet" was like those moving walkways at the airport - you just stood on it and it carried you up the little hill. We were on the little slope with a bunch of little kids. It was pretty funny.

Our lesson ended at 12:15. Grant and I headed into the lodge for lunch. We both got the salad bar and Grant got a soda. It cost $35+! Crazy!! But we were hungry and didn't bring anything with us. So we ate and skiied for 4 more hours. It was a blast!

That night we showered and then hung out with Natalie, Ryan and Ella.

What a hottie!!!

They took us to a local restaurant called Squatters. It was yummy!

Grant's beer sampler at Squatters

When we arrived there was a sizable wait. We got our pager and sat by the bar. After 2 minutes the pager went off. I was shocked! Then the hostess told Ryan not to tell anyone that she moved us up because she saw we had a baby with us. Thank you Ella! ;) We enjoyed dinner and then went on a driving tour of Park City after dinner.

Check out all of the shoes in the tree!

On Sunday Grant and I went out to breakfast at The Eating Establishment in downtown Park City. It was really good. The table next to us tried to order bloody marys with their breakfast, but were told that they couldn't serve liquor before noon in Utah...weird!

Breakfast at The Eating Establishment

After breakfast Natalie and Ryan took us to the Olympic Park.

Grant and I went throught the museum and got a tour of the whole park. It was neat to see bobsled track and ski jump and learn about the 2002 Games.

The four of us at Olympic Park

Ryan trying out the luge sled

Action shot of me and Grant in the bobsled

Me holding a curling stone (left) and Grant checking out an exhibit in the 2002 Olympic Games museum

Grant in front of the ski jump

The bobsled track

View from the top of the bobsled track

Natalie and Ryan picked us up when the tour was over and we headed back to the condo. We took a walk from the condo to downtown Park City before Natalie and Ryan headed back home.

Me and Nat on our walk

Me and Grant on our walk

The girls!

On Monday Grant and I decided to go to The Canyons Resort to ski. We arrived super early, rented our ski gear and headed to the slopes.

Sunrise at The Canyons Resort

I definitely was getting better at skiing and Grant had somehow forgotten all that he had learned at Deer Valley! We skiied the green circle slopes a while then tried a blue square a couple of times. On the last run we made before lunch I was waiting for Grant to catch up to me when all of a sudden he skiied right into me! We both fell. I was ok, but Grant said his shoulder hurt. We made it down the hill and grabbed a much more reasonably priced lunch. At lunch I asked if Grant's shoulder felt ok. He said it was a little sore, but he was sure it was fine. So we decided to head back up the lift and try a different double green circle run.

Me at The Canyons before renting our gear

Grant skiing

The lift took us up way high. We got off and the selections were 3 black diamonds and one green slope. We headed to the easiest way down and it was easy...at first... After we went down a little we turned a corner and the hill was SO steep! There was a lady in the middle of the slope just sitting down with her friends below her trying to help her get down the hill. I was pretty scared. We started to slowly ski down. Grant was having a hard time, but we worked our way down together and came to a landing area. I thought that the rest of the slope had to be easier...but it wasn't. There were 2 more steep parts before it got easy. We were exhausted by the time we got down. We headed straight for the lodge and relaxed there for a bit before returning our rentals and heading back to the condo.

Us after our last run at The Canyons...exhausted!

We showered at the condo and then headed out to shop and grab dinner. We got a Utah christmas ornament souvenir and had dinner at a BBQ place and then headed back to pack and relax.

Downtown Park City - ADORABLE!

A lazy Sunday morning in downtown Park City - see the dog! So cute!

On Tuesday morning we got up early and headed back to the airport. On the way home we had a 60 minute lay over in Vegas, not enough time to get to the casinos. :(

I LOVED our ski vacation! I cannot wait to go again. I'd love to go on one ski vacation a year and try different ski towns. We'll see if we can make that happen!

Our skis at The Canyons

Park City Resort - can you see the half pipe?

A weekend at the dog park and beach

2010-03-14T14:21:00.001-04:00

This weekend we spent quality time with Reagan and Penelope. The weather was amazing and we couldn't waste it inside.

On Saturday we took the girls for a ride in the convertible to the dog park and Petco. The girls loved the car ride...as they always do!

At the dog park Reagan and Penelope refused to play with the other dogs. Instead they spent most of the time either at our feet whining to be picked up or sitting on my lap. I guess the dog park just isn't their thing!

The girls loved shopping at Petco. We bought them some rawhides and shampoo.

Today we took a walk to the beach. They loved the walk and enjoyed running around in the wind at the beach. It was a lot of fun to take them to all of their favorite places this weekend!

2010 Nease Basketball Banquet and Andrea's Birthday

2010-03-07T16:01:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Grant and I had a busy and fun Saturday. We went to the gym, did some work around the house, played with Reagan and Penelope and then went to Zack's basketball banquet. Here are some photos from the banquet.

Zack showing his friends the photobook my Mom gave him at the banquet

Zack and Coach Cooper

The team got Coach Cooper and signed basketball

All smiles!

Here is a video from yesterday of Coach Cooper talking about Zack.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOrI1NL62V4

After the banquet Grant and I drove to the Columbia restaurant in St. Augustine for our friend Andrea's birthday dinner. Her birthday was actually on Tuesday...the same day as my Mom's birthday. We enjoyed a yummy dinner with Andrea, her husband Jeff, their son Conner, Erin, Billy, Stephanie, Sean, Jason and Andrea's friend Lyndsey. Here are some photos from dinner.

The whole group at dinner

Conner and Jeff (left); Conner's face after trying to eat a lemon (right)

Happy Birthday Andrea!

Looking like a gangsta!

Baby Reagan

2010-03-06T09:34:00.000-05:00

Reagan's new place to hang out is under our end table!

She's getting much bigger and is now teething...which means she's is chewing everything in sight! We've foud 3 of her teeth so far. I hope she finishes this phase soon. We woke up this morning with some chew marks on our bed...I was not happy! She might have to go back to sleeping in her crate...

Winter in Ponte Vedra Beach

2010-02-20T16:27:00.000-05:00

This "winter" has been a lot longer than any that I've experienced since moving to Florida. We've had 6-7 weeks of chilly air. Grant and I went to the beach last weekend and I took this photo.

Today it's finally starting to warm up! We're looking forward to dusting off the convertible and taking the girls to the dog park!

Living the Dream

2010-02-09T21:58:00.000-05:00

Ever since I can remember my little brother has been obsessed with the Olympics. Before we ever had a good VCR that would record TV shows Nick used to sit on the couch and tape the television coverage of the Olympics using a handheld video camera (one of those big ones that rest on your shoulder - this was back in the 80s/90s).

Nick always dreamed of one day going to the Olympics. He knows the most obscure facts from every Olympics, even ones that took place decades before he was born. He competed once in an ESPN trivia contest and finished second, almost winning a trip to the ESPN 25th anniversary party in NYC.

In high school Nick found and developed his passion, sports writing. As the editor of his high school newspaper, Nick covered Tim Tebow as he played high school football. He went on to UF and was the sports editor for the UF student paper. He freelanced for many papers along the way and covered the Chicago Cubs for mlb.com.

Last summer he worked for the USOC in Colorado Springs...one step closer to going to the Olympics.

As you read this, Nick is in Vancouver. He is writing for several newspapers, covering their athletes competing in the Winter Olympics. I am so proud and happy for him. Many of us live our whole lives not accomplishing our goals. Not Nick.

If you'd like to follow his experience at the Olympics here is a link to his blog on SportingNews.com.

Shopping for Produce

2010-02-07T10:42:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago Grant headed to the gorcery store to pick up a few things before I left for a work trip in Dallas. He came home and was unpacking his bags and one item stood out to me...

I asked Grant why he bought cabbage at the store...was he planning on making a new recipe? We've never cooked with cabbage. He looked confused. Then he checked his receipt and it listed the cabbage.

He had thought the head of cabbage was a head of lettuce! I found out later that he brought the head of cabbage to work and gave it to a cabbage loving coworker! Too funny!

Sunday Night Dinner

2010-01-31T20:44:00.000-05:00

Grant and I had a very relaxed weekend. It was much needed as we both had busy weeks and I was definitely feeling less than 100%.

Today I decided to make dinner. I got the recipe from Publix - they have some great recipes! At Pubilx they have people making the recipes so you can try them. A few weeks ago I tried Pork with Wild Mushroom Pasta and thought it was yummy, even though I'm not a big pork eater...and I had never made it myself before. Well, now I can say that I have cooked pork...and it was good! Here is a link to the recipe.

Pork with Wild Mushroom Pasta

I made it with half&half instead of heavy cream. I also didn't make green bean casserole to go with it...instead we had steamed broccoli.

Now we're full and ready for the week ahead!

Sen10r Night at Nease

2010-01-30T19:27:00.001-05:00

One of the main reasons Grant and I live in Jacksonville is to be close to my siblings as they grow up. If we lived far away I would definitely miss moments like last night...Zack's last regular season home basketball game.

Zack, my youngest brother, is a senior team captain and starting point guard. It has been so much fun watching him grow up on the court from Saturday morning games at the YMCA to Varsity games at Nease. He's a great player and an even better young man! I am so proud. Next year he will be heading to UCF in Orlando.

Here are a few photos from last night.

Zack's hair...he had a mohawk and his jersey number shaved into the side.

Zack and my Mom before the game.

Clay, Kevin and Zack (three of the seniors on senior night)

Zack, Mom and the Coach

Mom and Zack.

All of the Sen10rs

Zack and his girlfriend, Kellie (in her custom made shirt)

Reagan and Penelope Videos!

2010-01-29T15:54:00.000-05:00

Reagan is getting SO big! She had the last of her puppy shots this week. Grant has successfully taught her how to sit and lay down on command. We're still working on other tricks. :) It's a lot easier with Reagan because she can watch what Penelope does and catches on real quick!

Here is a video of Reagan and Penelope practicing their tricks.

Here is a video of Reagan and Penelope watching Grant play with his yoyo.

Home cooked meals

2010-01-26T17:42:00.000-05:00

I go through phases where I like to cook and other phases where I cannot stand it. I think I'd like to cook if I made more time to select recipes and shop for the week. The last thing I want to do when I get home is find a recipe, realize that I don't have any of the ingredients, battle the evening crowd at the grocery store to come home starving...not wanting to wait an hour for dinner to be ready. So last night Grant and I went to the grocery store with a recipe in hand. I got all the ingredients and started making the recipe when I got home from work. Here is the recipe we(I) chose:

Aromatic Beef Stew with Butternut Squash

Ingredients

2 tsp. olive oil

1 lb. stew beef (round or chuck), cut in chunks

1 large onion, chopped

1 Tbsp. peeled, minced fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. peeled cubed butternut squash, cut into 1-1/2-inch cubes (about 2-1/2 cups)

1 14.5-oz. can no-salt-added diced tomatoes

1 8-oz. can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1-1/2 cups lower-sodium beef broth

1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

3 cups cooked whole wheat couscous

1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted*

1 to 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Heat oil in 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add beef. Cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer meat to plate, leaving juices in saucepan. Add onion to pan. Cook 6 minutes, stirring often, or until softened and translucent. Add ginger and garlic. Cook, stirring, 1 minute more.

2. Return beef to pan. Stir in squash, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, cumin, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat to a simmer; cover. Cook until beef is tender, 30 to 35 minutes.

3. Serve with couscous. Sprinkle with almonds and parsley. Makes 6 servings.

4. *Note: Toast almonds in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes or until golden brown.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 421, Total Fat (g) 11, Saturated Fat (g) 3, Monounsaturated Fat (g) 6, Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 1, Cholesterol (mg) 29, Sodium (mg) 206, Carbohydrate (g) 57, Total Sugar (g) 10, Fiber (g) 10, Protein (g) 25, Vitamin C (DV%) 1.17, Calcium (DV%) 9, Iron (DV%) 23, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

We'll see how it turns out!

What do you love about me?

2010-01-18T10:56:00.000-05:00

Grant and I went to dinner and a movie on Friday night with two good friends of ours, Mintu and Mary. We saw Avatar in 3D. It was a great movie, but kind of long if you ask me!

Before the movie we went to Brass Monkey for dinner. Over our food and drinks we always have good conversation. This night Mary posed a good question, "What three things do you love about me?" We each answered what three things we loved about our signifcant other and found that our three things were all very similar...family, hard working, humor, and patience. Okay, that was four things...

The fact that we all have similar values in our relationships with our significant others is probably why we have become such good friends. Try asking your friends what they love about each other and see if you come to the same conclusion we did.

Thanks for being such great friends M&M!

Favorite Reads

2010-01-14T18:38:00.000-05:00

Today I picked up my two favorite books to read agan because I had given my original copies away so my friends could enjoy them as much as I had. The first book is "Something Borrowed." They are making this into a movie, so I definitely want to read it again before it comes out in the theater. I am friends with the author, Emily Giffin, on Facebook. She keeps posting potential actresses to cast for the main parts. I am going to see who I picture playing the lead roles while I read the book again.

The second book is a sequel to "Something Borrowed," called "Something Blue." I am sure if "Something Borrowed" does well in the theaters they'll make a movie out of "Something Blue." I am looking forward to getting back into reading these books.

Leave a comment with your favorite books so I can add them to my list!

Me and my babies!

2010-01-12T16:45:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures of me, Penelope and Reagan from last weekend. Reagan is getting so big!

"Wash Hands"

2010-01-09T13:41:00.002-05:00

I saw this plaque in a bathroom at a restaurant at the Millenia Mall in Orlando and thought it was funny...

New Year, New Bathroom

2010-01-05T16:07:00.000-05:00

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

2010-01-03T16:14:00.001-05:00

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

2009-12-30T12:28:00.000-05:00

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!