tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34393628665504296602024-03-18T23:15:36.810-04:00And the Next DayThe blog formerly known as Adventures of Two Midwestern East Coast LiberalsBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02717851756676957848noreply@blogger.comBlogger145125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-6113277384302945182014-06-02T22:10:00.000-04:002014-06-02T22:10:20.951-04:00Blogging for LGBTQ Familes Day: Now With Children<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yep, that's right--there's a new post here. I don't know that this will be the start of a trend, but when I realized that my first day of maternity leave and Carrie's first day back at work coincided with <a href="http://www.mombian.com/2014/06/02/blogging-for-lgbtq-families-day-master-list-of-posts/">Blogging for LGBTQ Families Day</a>, it seemed like a sign from somewhere.<br />
<br />
The last three years have been some pretty intense times for our family. Remember when we went to Greece and London for our honeymoon? Oh, you don't remember because all you heard about that trip was <a href="http://beckybopwrites.blogspot.com/2011/08/blogging-fail.html">these two pictures</a>? Fair enough.<br />
<br />
Well anyway, shortly after we got back from that trip, we met with a Reproductive Endocrinologist to start the process of trying to make a baby with Carrie carrying. That process took much longer and involved much more heartache than we expected. Infertility is unspeakably hard. For those who were with us on that long, painful journey, thank you for your love and support. And for those of you with whom we didn't share this process, please understand that we dealt with the stress and pain the way we needed to.<br />
<br />
We'll never know what finally went right to create the two beautiful daughters we have today, but when I look at them now, I know that they were meant to be.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxsio1dTy-pMUwdX8UNEuegt0uzgPnw-5PZo-YP-at5DMQPZBeFmde5g5rOy5LPFC1ZpYlHBGWIuMKFSBjlGn3nP-QOFgfCFdZNNcDPyoX5J-1xRYHGT8JJmpIYAvWO0jhD0641IJ-5o/s1600/IMG_1051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxsio1dTy-pMUwdX8UNEuegt0uzgPnw-5PZo-YP-at5DMQPZBeFmde5g5rOy5LPFC1ZpYlHBGWIuMKFSBjlGn3nP-QOFgfCFdZNNcDPyoX5J-1xRYHGT8JJmpIYAvWO0jhD0641IJ-5o/s1600/IMG_1051.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
And now that the journey of trying to make these babies is over, I know that the new journey of parenting and raising these beautiful babies to become caring, strong, smart women has only just begun. I am immensely grateful for the modern medicine that helped us to become parents and to the LGBTQ families who came before us, paving the way for this process to seem possible. And of course I am enormously grateful to our family and friends, who have been wonderful so far and who I know will continue to support us and our girls.<br />
<br />
The world is changing rapidly. Last June, Carrie and I celebrated with thousands of others in front of Stonewall after the historic DOMA decision. And near the beginning of Carrie's second trimester, New Jersey recognized our marriage. Since then, 5 other states have followed suit. As I look at our baby girls, I hope for a future world where their mothers' relationship won't be up for debate, and where they can be who they are and love who they love without fear.</div>
Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02717851756676957848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-6108267097008737212012-06-17T22:08:00.002-04:002012-06-17T22:15:12.393-04:00Golden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In honor of my approaching half birthday, I'm going to share with you the story of my golden birthday.<br />
<br />
Growing up in Minnesota in the 80's golden birthdays were a <i>big deal</i>. You got a better party on your golden birthday, you got better presents on your golden birthday, and you got to lord the fact that it was your <i>golden </i>birthday over everyone. It's actually unclear to me in retrospect whether other kids actually got different celebrations for their golden birthdays or if it was just the talk of the playground. But in any case, as children those of us with an especially early or late golden birthday bemoaned the unfairness of our plight in life.<br />
<br />
Now, if you are not a Midwestern child of the 80's and you were not involved in the planning of my birthday shenanigans, you're probably sitting there wondering what the heck makes a birthday golden. I (and Becky too) had assumed that this was common universal knowledge, until I started announcing that mine was approaching. Both because I thought it was funny, and also because I probably have some subconscious childhood scars from all that playground bemoaning, I was pretty pumped that I was finally getting my turn. That is until my announcement was met with blank stare after blank stare. After many a conversation and many a google we learned that this is almost exclusively a phenomenon of the upper Midwest. For the uninitiated, a golden birthday is when you turn the same age as the date of your birthday. I turned 29 on the 29th of December. <br />
<br />
Whether my family remembered my complaints from childhood or just thought my adulthood bemoaning was funny is still unclear to me (well, clearly Becky is in the later camp as she sadly missed my childhood, but the rest are unclear), but for whatever reason they played along and created a great birthday celebration for me.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwqiPm6mLVrt-uFRP4UtKPMtEY_u9f0J7HP5EgviAGeqqWOyWM-skRmSC5Cv2HqDGEvMRJGKMfCQUxrLC0XJAJVvjNMI0NukQQj1SFLIntr76OQv3oO39qx5OsE0mG6JAgFwezRNLC2k/s1600/Winter+2011-2012+103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwqiPm6mLVrt-uFRP4UtKPMtEY_u9f0J7HP5EgviAGeqqWOyWM-skRmSC5Cv2HqDGEvMRJGKMfCQUxrLC0XJAJVvjNMI0NukQQj1SFLIntr76OQv3oO39qx5OsE0mG6JAgFwezRNLC2k/s320/Winter+2011-2012+103.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
They ordered a custom iceberg cake for me from the baker my sister loves, and decorated it with penguin holiday ornaments that apparently my mother had been saving for years in anticipation of just such a cake. You can of course see the number candles - I think 29 individual candles would melt the penguins' playground!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWYGBb8ZuvcaZGvsZAa4yuvtODqTSGoESFgbZSc7szdeQCFJM_g0L62qk05uJsjCR98NHTeifUmhk93A0rwwxUFA1oywzv7kQkdTGAxULOYu6IH8W_f_yFOA99b0xeyLDSOPR_G4zWFd0/s1600/Winter+2011-2012+127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWYGBb8ZuvcaZGvsZAa4yuvtODqTSGoESFgbZSc7szdeQCFJM_g0L62qk05uJsjCR98NHTeifUmhk93A0rwwxUFA1oywzv7kQkdTGAxULOYu6IH8W_f_yFOA99b0xeyLDSOPR_G4zWFd0/s320/Winter+2011-2012+127.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
You can also see that most of my presents were wrapped in gold paper, plus there was gold plastic silverware and gold plates and gold Hanukkah gelt for snacks. In addition to the <a href="http://beckybopwrites.blogspot.com/2012/05/trains-pies-and-bowling-balls.html">awesome train tour</a> (documented on a golden scroll) that we recently enjoyed, Becky gave me several golden gag gifts: gold batteries, gold handwarmers, and cheap golden Christmas ornaments.<br />
<br />
They also may or may not have forced me to wear a tiara for the present opening and candle blowing out.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSOmMCzG_puDrz-iCECZxXaJaKzU5yVjCxiBy1LuHtrI18AYrSujBwzdfhPlX4hRMlZYwTc7B-e3_GAiwz-7hs3X8yTkQpOHef-OvvUA19rndyenaagCPu_XZBCt0_If6JJy1YO3SPnaQ/s1600/Winter+2011-2012+137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSOmMCzG_puDrz-iCECZxXaJaKzU5yVjCxiBy1LuHtrI18AYrSujBwzdfhPlX4hRMlZYwTc7B-e3_GAiwz-7hs3X8yTkQpOHef-OvvUA19rndyenaagCPu_XZBCt0_If6JJy1YO3SPnaQ/s320/Winter+2011-2012+137.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
In addition of course they took me out to a delicious dinner at a restaurant called <a href="http://www.3-restaurant.com/">3</a>. I enjoyed filet mignon, and Becky ate lobster macaroni and cheese she's still talking about. The rest of the family ate food they enjoyed too, but six months later I can no longer recall. Although we love the little boys dearly, in order to facilitate adult conversation my family was even thoughtful enough to hire a babysitter for the dinner portion of the night.<br />
<br />
Thank you Jen, Sean, Mom, Dad, and Becky for planning and executing such a wonderful golden birthday celebration! There will be no more bemoaning regarding this once-in-a-lifetime experience! Now what will they do next year when I turn 30??? Muhahahaha. </div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393002540644390630noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-68513740857871645612012-05-14T22:52:00.000-04:002012-05-14T22:52:23.673-04:00Backyard Envy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After our whirlwind day on Saturday, our Sunday plans mostly involved some grocery shopping and hanging out at home. As I was browsing the sale flyers (I am my mother's daughter after all) Sunday morning, I commented to Carrie that Target had all kinds of patio furniture on sale. Her response was something along the lines of "Yeah, okay, we'll just move our kitchen table out of the way and turn the kitchen into a patio."<br />
<br />
Fast forward to the afternoon, which we spent listening to several of our neighbors enjoying Mother's Day cook-outs on their backyard patios. And then despite earlier trips to Pathmark and Trader Joe's, we found that we didn't have all the ingredients for a brownie recipe we wanted to try, so I went to Pathmark again. Somehow, the potato chips on sale were the last straw of backyard envy, and I resolved that we should do this thing.<br />
<br />
So I got home from the store, declared to my amused wife that we were gonna make a patio, and then set about bewildering the cats by moving the table and chairs. Fortunately we've moved and cleaned things enough lately that the cats didn't seem to interpret this as a sign that we were packing up to leave them for a week, which is usually their concern.<br />
<br />
At last, behold our patio!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW464NvYLARZpvMGwheXtlYSfF_xkzXF6pO6wffcHmxS3RKpxDxLD9PBtbmgIjM8CE2UJtmmrN-yo0-CRcczExRKjnOyJ3qNaxGoAE5Xa7OOcWRO15Xnw6wkPRgNzfo_etsiJltMlUWJM/s1600/Spring+2012+310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW464NvYLARZpvMGwheXtlYSfF_xkzXF6pO6wffcHmxS3RKpxDxLD9PBtbmgIjM8CE2UJtmmrN-yo0-CRcczExRKjnOyJ3qNaxGoAE5Xa7OOcWRO15Xnw6wkPRgNzfo_etsiJltMlUWJM/s320/Spring+2012+310.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
We ate some chips, sipped our sodas, enjoyed our corn dogs for dinner, and topped it off with ice cream bars. Food tastes better on a stick, am I right?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirA6RfxXDhdyCE29_fORRjwPh8r01RyYHxPSYsPE9M17Fns657jNNkX9MgYXzIeGGbAfcUyugmRyS1to1DSO69OQmHEPFvmrkn_wxaF3OXWwoSA2eo1Te6WQt56_6jivQ0TCOvGSlt65s/s1600/Spring+2012+305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirA6RfxXDhdyCE29_fORRjwPh8r01RyYHxPSYsPE9M17Fns657jNNkX9MgYXzIeGGbAfcUyugmRyS1to1DSO69OQmHEPFvmrkn_wxaF3OXWwoSA2eo1Te6WQt56_6jivQ0TCOvGSlt65s/s320/Spring+2012+305.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Our patio even included an adjacent "lawn", aka a plastic container of cat grass, of which the cats have eaten very little.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuHwH1hnALgUxLJkWpc-rQhqe1Pa8aW2EA9QgY1oypYzGE0sjXUp3qF1ZOHD8Wh6DdX2WDMyptl2k2nFTvfTxCWTW4ybdbIGTybCDGidsEviTJex_kDxShbE1kofJcJJkCAv-sTzvCNQ/s1600/Spring+2012+314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuHwH1hnALgUxLJkWpc-rQhqe1Pa8aW2EA9QgY1oypYzGE0sjXUp3qF1ZOHD8Wh6DdX2WDMyptl2k2nFTvfTxCWTW4ybdbIGTybCDGidsEviTJex_kDxShbE1kofJcJJkCAv-sTzvCNQ/s320/Spring+2012+314.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Cricket and Piccadilly pretty much just figured we'd set up our seats to watch the birds outside, just like them.<br />
<br />
We haven't gotten around to moving the table back yet, so tonight we also enjoyed our salad and gnocchi in the "great outdoors" of our backyard. What can I say, we're crazy people. Someday we'll have a house and a yard and a patio, but at least for now we're able to crack ourselves up making a fake version!</div>Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02717851756676957848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-1612527792420445982012-05-13T22:24:00.000-04:002012-05-13T22:24:30.104-04:00Trains, Pies, and Bowling Balls<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This Saturday was a day I have been anticipating for a very long time. Years ago we read about the fact that the NYC transit museum occasionally runs exclusive tours of the long-closed City Hall subway station. I was intrigued, but unwilling to pay to join the museum and then turn around and pay again for the tour. But, knowing that I've always wanted to go, Becky bought a family membership to the museum for us as a birthday gift to me this year. (Yes, the birthday that occurred 5 months ago that I haven't blogged about yet. I know.) And this Saturday was the big day! We put on our sneakers and charged our camera batteries and took off as local tourists.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYu1q2iC-5d-lMvVL9Wa4L0RcwL-6FlHt59pbwrxQCCSS1E1pN16ybjhMHyuAjtBc53JFHMbUNVh-YTxTqn5HOvY5QCBLrEgMGqqs7CGB8LPUA7DE04zrHYqtGf38VwOMPXkoYpSZuB8/s1600/Spring+2012+286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYu1q2iC-5d-lMvVL9Wa4L0RcwL-6FlHt59pbwrxQCCSS1E1pN16ybjhMHyuAjtBc53JFHMbUNVh-YTxTqn5HOvY5QCBLrEgMGqqs7CGB8LPUA7DE04zrHYqtGf38VwOMPXkoYpSZuB8/s320/Spring+2012+286.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The station is located only about a 30-second subway ride south of the current Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall station. It has been closed since 1945, partially due to its proximity to the current station, and also due to its extremely curved platform. The regular subway runs through the station (at the end of the 6 line, as it loops back to start back uptown again) but usually the lights are off and the train doesn't stop. So we rode a regular train, but it stopped in the old station and the guide hauled out a walkway to allow us to cross the huge gap created by larger modern subway cars and a very curved station platform. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCuYmSMiTwh8rAzb8x4KZOp83eEJVcWYyfybSgcXhUDraY9wjcTSuxO-_pKs65G93-zHblHLzJYzmxiT5g1upNxnOmqmBgZp5fkEFaGM0Z0g18QHtxgtMga7N1cl_xR0XAijM6_AA0yj4/s1600/Spring+2012+277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCuYmSMiTwh8rAzb8x4KZOp83eEJVcWYyfybSgcXhUDraY9wjcTSuxO-_pKs65G93-zHblHLzJYzmxiT5g1upNxnOmqmBgZp5fkEFaGM0Z0g18QHtxgtMga7N1cl_xR0XAijM6_AA0yj4/s320/Spring+2012+277.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The stations is tiny, but also really gorgeous. Apparently at the time of the subway's creation there was a movement called "City Beautiful," which promoted the idea that public spaces should be beautiful in order to uplift people during the time that they're in public spaces. As the guide pointed out, contrast this with the modern Penn Station. Point taken.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNmYD1jCqptQ3yPxe8sa4eZ55rYfKHxWwZ-yzmiI3w5Oae3QdBVS4X7qD7fdlKSEohYp4FU6E6Mfun6XcHKOvUILg80wQ8sFd6oXWVxrhunf8V_sYUrlkFKuTlGE7zyif7-QnXXqJRjM/s1600/Spring+2012+224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNmYD1jCqptQ3yPxe8sa4eZ55rYfKHxWwZ-yzmiI3w5Oae3QdBVS4X7qD7fdlKSEohYp4FU6E6Mfun6XcHKOvUILg80wQ8sFd6oXWVxrhunf8V_sYUrlkFKuTlGE7zyif7-QnXXqJRjM/s320/Spring+2012+224.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
There's a lot of gorgeous tiling and leaded skylights. The skylights were tarred over during World War II in order to avoid making the station a bombing target, and seem to have never been completely cleaned off. But you can imagine what they must have looked like when the station opened forty years before that.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFjlBDEFZWg61rTzUYp69yqnDueU0KLjwmLveJ-gluL-0wk_bGC4_64VIDA4uN3J4XBjru0ZiX_BXIN-PRwFfpjMOjO9FkT9Y-iQfMRt7_hvdaBPMzccezoc-Cq2FHLw5J7guGr6RHbg/s1600/Spring+2012+269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFjlBDEFZWg61rTzUYp69yqnDueU0KLjwmLveJ-gluL-0wk_bGC4_64VIDA4uN3J4XBjru0ZiX_BXIN-PRwFfpjMOjO9FkT9Y-iQfMRt7_hvdaBPMzccezoc-Cq2FHLw5J7guGr6RHbg/s320/Spring+2012+269.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I particularly liked the original light fixtures. The guide let us know though that the station would have originally been much darker (despite more light from the skylights) because lightbulbs were much weaker back then.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKF-b7xSvQCCJRhTYxJJ-6HHOs_dUeQ-oOxwvx8a0IIhET08HiPd0K8e0tYT3lHUxn9LlDN5N-KjpylrmXtPpwopXbVvKIPm4UpJMJ13UFN49lvv_bugJ92Q98pCe6o-eSsqtU_yYq-0/s1600/Spring+2012+255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKF-b7xSvQCCJRhTYxJJ-6HHOs_dUeQ-oOxwvx8a0IIhET08HiPd0K8e0tYT3lHUxn9LlDN5N-KjpylrmXtPpwopXbVvKIPm4UpJMJ13UFN49lvv_bugJ92Q98pCe6o-eSsqtU_yYq-0/s320/Spring+2012+255.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
After the tour we were hungry. We attempted to go back to a Bosnian restaurant we tried once several years ago and enjoyed and had been intending to back for a long time. That is, until we learned that our intended restaurant is now permanently closed. Hmph. Apparently we should have used our wallets to express our enjoyment of the restaurant rather than just idly discussing it at home. Instead we ended up at <a href="http://piefacenyc.com/">Pie Face</a>, a newish Australian pie restaurant. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IaVdEzHpL9G_fdnQf0ue_I0ig9mbUoWA4l1mO6FCftpCXb0zAKzFm6pekXpez8cmAnPfv9FzEZbv9Z8xHgNBXmdUZIKP_q75APTGqGQpauecIUae_vHXkQ3NuFHg1Np7I5u9R19ZILo/s1600/Spring+2012+369.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IaVdEzHpL9G_fdnQf0ue_I0ig9mbUoWA4l1mO6FCftpCXb0zAKzFm6pekXpez8cmAnPfv9FzEZbv9Z8xHgNBXmdUZIKP_q75APTGqGQpauecIUae_vHXkQ3NuFHg1Np7I5u9R19ZILo/s320/Spring+2012+369.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Yeah, that's way too much pie for two people to eat in one sitting. But we wanted to try so many flavors! We got a traditional meat, a thai curry, a bacon egg and cheese, and a chicken and mushroom. Yum. The only downside was that they didn't have any tables or chairs, so we ended up on the steps of some nearby office building.<br />
<br />
Refreshed, we were ready for more fun. So we headed to <a href="http://framesnyc.com/">Frames</a> to use a Groupon that was about to expire. Frames is located in Port Authority, which is the dingy building we travel through every time we go from New Jersey to New York or back again. I knew they had done a big remodel, but I honestly wasn't expecting it to come out so nice. They were playing good music with the music videos on big screens over the lanes, shnazzy full wait service for overpriced drinks and appetizers, and comfortable lounge-y seating. Because we were pretty full of pie and not wanting to spend a fortune we opted to share one chocolate martini. And, of course, we bowled poorly. Isn't that half the point? The huge group of kids apparently enjoying a pre-prom party next to us seemed to think so too.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdkLxtZXQgPYxkKjPhtA9HgtUwLjW5KpCK2I_RBRclLQ2CHQlDXl99NFwlJ_AfTBSPfO2_6AvbHrwafs5t4wyjJ1LfQ8NBT6sKkfmV76TGSIIwbGoVIii8ME1-zYoFRiuAPbKDgHVhE0/s1600/Spring+2012+371+Cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdkLxtZXQgPYxkKjPhtA9HgtUwLjW5KpCK2I_RBRclLQ2CHQlDXl99NFwlJ_AfTBSPfO2_6AvbHrwafs5t4wyjJ1LfQ8NBT6sKkfmV76TGSIIwbGoVIii8ME1-zYoFRiuAPbKDgHVhE0/s320/Spring+2012+371+Cropped.jpg" width="301" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'll leave our Sunday antics to Becky. I hope you all had as enjoyable Saturdays as we did! </div>
</div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393002540644390630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-23715849965100091082012-05-09T10:00:00.000-04:002012-07-21T14:45:00.373-04:0030 x 30 Books<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Carrie's books:<br />
<br />
1. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini<br />
2. Food Rules: An Eater's Manual by Michael Pollan<br />
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins<br />
4. Catching Fire<br />
5. Mockingjay<br />
6. Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern<br />
7. I'll Fly Away: Further Testimonies from the Women of York Prison by Wally Lamb & co.<br />
8. The Girl in the Garden by Kamala Nair<br />
9. A Painted House by John Grisham<br />
<br />
I'm a bit off pace. In my defense, Inheritance took me a really long time to get into and does have like 900 pages. But I'm kind of lame and need to step up my game.<br />
<br />
Becky's books:<br />
<br />
1. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery<br />
2. The Good Daughter: A Memoir of My Mother's Hidden Life by Jasmine Darznik<br />
3. The Tiger's Wife: A Novel by Tea Obreht<br />
4. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot<br />
5. Food Rules: An Eater's Manual by Michael Pollan<br />
6. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson<br />
7. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling<br />
8. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: A Novel by Jonathan Safran Foer<br />
9. Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer<br />
10. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins<br />
11. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins<br />
12. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins<br />
13. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell<br />
14. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein<br />
15. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver<br />
16. Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok<br />
17. Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights?: Fitness Myths, Training Truths, and Other Surprising Discoveries from the Science of Exercise by Alex Hutchinson<br />
18. Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver<br />
19. When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present by Gail Collins<br />
20. On Beauty by Zadie Smith<br />
21. The Girl in the Garden by Kama Nair</div>Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02717851756676957848noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-67597729129137998202012-05-08T10:00:00.000-04:002012-09-10T21:49:27.876-04:0030 x 30 Recipes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As part of our ongoing <a href="http://beckybopwrites.blogspot.com/2012/01/30-x-30-list.html">30 x 30 project</a>, here are the new recipes we've tried so far this year!<br />
<br />
1. <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/parmesan-sage-pork-chops-20048">Parmesan Sage Pork Chops</a><br />
2. Cornbread Stuffed Pork Chops (from Betty Crocker)<br />
3. <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/next-day-mac-and-cheese-toast-recipe/index.html">Fried Mac & Cheese Balls</a><br />
4. Szechuan Chicken with Cashews (from Creme de Colorado)<br />
5. Chocolate Cupcakes (from Hey Cupcake)<br />
6. <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/03/breakfast-pizza/">Breakfast Pizza</a><br />
7. Broccoli Brown Rice Strata with Cashews (from Creme de Colorado)<br />
8. Wild Rice Sausage Casserole (from MSUS Church Cookbook)<br />
9. <a href="http://www.recipegirl.com/2011/09/29/gooey-chocolate-chip-sandwich-bars-cookies-for-kids-cancer-cookbook/">Gooey Chocolate Chip Sandwich Bars</a><br />
10. <a href="http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/02/24/peanut-butter-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/">Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies</a><br />
11. <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cheesy-vegetable-lasagna/Detail.aspx">Vegetable Lasagna</a><br />
12. <a href="http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/2012/02/green-velvet-cheesecake-shamrocks/">Green Velvet Cheesecake Bars</a><br />
13. <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/cheesecake-factory-key-lime-cheesecake-my-version-342573">Key Lime Cheesecake</a><br />
14. <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/apple-and-pear-crisp-recipe/index.html">Apple and Pear Crisp</a><br />
15. <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/amandas-thai-peanut-175230">Thai Peanut Noodles</a><br />
16. <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/brown-rice-and-lentil-casserole-74629">Brown Rice & Lentil Casserole</a><br />
17. Graham Gems (from Becky's mom's cookbook)<br />
18. <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/banana-muffins-ii/">Banana Muffins</a><br />
19. <a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/banana-oatmeal-bread-10000000222215/">Banana Oatmeal Bread</a><br />
20. Cheese Grits (recipe from the back of the Trader Joe's package)<br />
21. <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/potato-waffles/">Potato Waffles</a><br />
22. <a href="http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/4427">Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins</a><br />
23. Black Bean Burgers (from How to Cook Everything)<br />
24. Lentils and Potatoes with Curry (from How to Cook Everything)<br />
25. <a href="http://aroundthetableri.blogspot.com/2012/02/cheesy-quinoa-mac-cheese.html">Quinoa Mac & Cheese</a><br />
26. <a href="http://offbeathome.com/2012/03/potato-and-feta-gyro-recipe">Potato and Feta Gyros</a><br />
27. Poached Eggs (What, that's not a recipe? Well it's still the first time I made them.)</div>
Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02717851756676957848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-85452287982789533702012-05-07T23:10:00.000-04:002012-05-07T23:11:25.045-04:00A day at the beach<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We've been really craving a vacation lately, but going on vacation right now is not in the schedule or the budget. However, last weekend we decided to try to fulfill this desire with a mini one night vacation in our favorite shore town.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBvBab6RhVZ-qe9B8J6nsKHMIkKUcA7G6qkzrDjnjatIfbtu5PAK9tWcaL7HLEpbYjWWSX0O23HyTLdumcpwyvCVLWQmFY2ZQeQ6y0Wnxd88y_2IwrbHy-uPE-EBhq99FtcDwGfeZRt4/s1600/Spring+2012+070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBvBab6RhVZ-qe9B8J6nsKHMIkKUcA7G6qkzrDjnjatIfbtu5PAK9tWcaL7HLEpbYjWWSX0O23HyTLdumcpwyvCVLWQmFY2ZQeQ6y0Wnxd88y_2IwrbHy-uPE-EBhq99FtcDwGfeZRt4/s320/Spring+2012+070.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Becky reads on the beach.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Jersey Shore Roller Girls were having a bout versus the Philadelphia Roller Girls. You may remember our last (and only) <a href="http://beckybopwrites.blogspot.com/2010/08/weekend-recap.html">encounter with roller derby</a>, which we declared a good time worth repeating.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKBQRFy5Bg64ugV4mTQLqy2q3FwWQ2zHyd3DQxzMgOA2JAlahePO8vxaMmHv1NENFOFnRcZdoDk580YrHWy2qoeIHZxjkME0K2flGYkg0AVrt09-s_dDpw3VC-Z8xa2GB6oHpbO-yQdSI/s1600/Spring+2012+146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKBQRFy5Bg64ugV4mTQLqy2q3FwWQ2zHyd3DQxzMgOA2JAlahePO8vxaMmHv1NENFOFnRcZdoDk580YrHWy2qoeIHZxjkME0K2flGYkg0AVrt09-s_dDpw3VC-Z8xa2GB6oHpbO-yQdSI/s320/Spring+2012+146.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
If we're being honest the roller derby itself was less entertaining than it's New York cousin, with fewer fans and too many bouts started with kneeling and hand holding (are we playing red rover??). It was really interesting though to finally see the inside of the Asbury Park Conventional Hall, and they definitely get extra points for the opening and half-time band:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtxlFEdd0DcbvP4n72gYLmmEUHftzAE3vv40yIW5Qm12bS7lzG7AwYAUPvbDH1fWMfxlXeVta7LxI40-tFYjvY_fcEp7X-p07vkFXtxD7a9dELgC-aNhZ4MichXcpiRzye01PLHVyQ05g/s1600/Spring+2012+139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtxlFEdd0DcbvP4n72gYLmmEUHftzAE3vv40yIW5Qm12bS7lzG7AwYAUPvbDH1fWMfxlXeVta7LxI40-tFYjvY_fcEp7X-p07vkFXtxD7a9dELgC-aNhZ4MichXcpiRzye01PLHVyQ05g/s320/Spring+2012+139.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I asked Becky what the connection was between bag pipers and roller derby. She replied, "quirky."<br />
<br />
Speaking of quirky, we had to stay in a new bed and breakfast because the one we traditionally stay in was not yet open for the season. The new b&b featured a sort of African-ish theme and included this lovely piece of decor:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiun9_w9vwD8QxVnuUOBT5VCz3Tpd6v8jlvuR_tH7f1vWxLqpJRhuAxZyxbi_6kPKm9AiWn4hoRq4a9M9QCYHU8Nd1tYES3lbgbOC1PS8nPmfLULs_1lrie19jL3jsDfQhNWmna1IiEObo/s1600/Spring+2012+106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiun9_w9vwD8QxVnuUOBT5VCz3Tpd6v8jlvuR_tH7f1vWxLqpJRhuAxZyxbi_6kPKm9AiWn4hoRq4a9M9QCYHU8Nd1tYES3lbgbOC1PS8nPmfLULs_1lrie19jL3jsDfQhNWmna1IiEObo/s320/Spring+2012+106.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEaP24Bg4-oSHDy3nRE4WP1dDRjsjTJKhnKl35aUCi0G3tg8ofMVAEeL-kfzAfJbS7u74VjmZw0pqmR7AjPfAavGgkj-RgkjGqgCFAcbs1Ahjp1GxycE25DlJ5xW9xhaBXVJOp5EXnMdA/s1600/Spring+2012+109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"> <img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEaP24Bg4-oSHDy3nRE4WP1dDRjsjTJKhnKl35aUCi0G3tg8ofMVAEeL-kfzAfJbS7u74VjmZw0pqmR7AjPfAavGgkj-RgkjGqgCFAcbs1Ahjp1GxycE25DlJ5xW9xhaBXVJOp5EXnMdA/s320/Spring+2012+109.jpg" width="240" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">close up</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This creepy monkey lamp threatened to eat Becky in the middle of the night. I valiantly offered to save her when she expressed concern at the beginning of the night, but sadly I slept through the actual attack. You'll have to sit on the edge of your seats, wondering if she survived, until she graces this blog with a blog post.<br />
Just kidding, here she is being attacked again the very next day:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbuEcgCDx_w3g9DvYeworP6xGk2LzfBHKLtHVodV8aMP94ALIQe1NQP9GTY9vO6KbBgIhwPp6zOw2kFFWlnfr3Tgp33GL16ePfd0W0kKqjQpXQs_ZTe_fYE2d1Ri0n53ibOG98iHS1Ksw/s1600/Spring+2012+166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbuEcgCDx_w3g9DvYeworP6xGk2LzfBHKLtHVodV8aMP94ALIQe1NQP9GTY9vO6KbBgIhwPp6zOw2kFFWlnfr3Tgp33GL16ePfd0W0kKqjQpXQs_ZTe_fYE2d1Ri0n53ibOG98iHS1Ksw/s320/Spring+2012+166.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
On the way home from "our" part of the shore we stopped to tour the country's oldest lighthouse.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia6nqTS7kvyDZc0bQI8cvs9yrMYnB4b_BbgreEmTQs8y8sR6wfttVBnS6YX52adLXky5Ie9hrlpMMqxL_c4xmV-4HPMYHhyphenhyphenaYXwUyhp3CGl9DiDL9X0Jw3ECHd3GolKb0kJEF7HGeiNxU/s1600/Spring+2012+171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia6nqTS7kvyDZc0bQI8cvs9yrMYnB4b_BbgreEmTQs8y8sR6wfttVBnS6YX52adLXky5Ie9hrlpMMqxL_c4xmV-4HPMYHhyphenhyphenaYXwUyhp3CGl9DiDL9X0Jw3ECHd3GolKb0kJEF7HGeiNxU/s320/Spring+2012+171.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
What's a good vacation without a little history lesson and climbing 10 stories worth of winding metal stairs? We're so cultured.<br />
<br />
Well, it cost a lot less than the week at an all-inclusive Aruban resort or the week of volunteering at the Sri Lankan elephant orphanage that we were dreaming about, so it will have to do for now.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br /></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393002540644390630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-71256734864048150242012-03-03T13:01:00.000-05:002012-03-03T13:01:08.577-05:00Back in time...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Yeah, I know. It's been a long time. We're actually doing somewhat better on the rest of the list than we are on the blogging item, but I'll save that for another post. Probably a few months from now. <br />
<br />
Last weekend we went up to visit my sister and brother-in-law and our nephews. We hadn't seen the boys since Christmas and we had grown ups only plans for Saturday night, so we took Friday off and turned it into a long weekend. Matthew and Thomas skipped daycare to hang out with us!<br />
<br />
We took them to the children's museum, where I masqueraded as my sister in order to get us in on their membership. Success! The little boys hardly noticed that the museum was mobbed due to school break. Like a good little future nerd, Matthew insisted on dressing himself in a Harry Potter t-shirt that is several sizes too big for him.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-3Bs6I5BuqgczU5uHnel3Axwyosv8kBCVM-x7vVcKLYmNGnz3XZ2bplq0ee2mu9IXtfvGsfL-X1vOu1f2Y4KL3NMeMrtuH5ny1JpO62QIhzdLxoCmtgEaEUUbtGb36qz04L0ZIrq8E8/s1600/Becky+Camera+March3+032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-3Bs6I5BuqgczU5uHnel3Axwyosv8kBCVM-x7vVcKLYmNGnz3XZ2bplq0ee2mu9IXtfvGsfL-X1vOu1f2Y4KL3NMeMrtuH5ny1JpO62QIhzdLxoCmtgEaEUUbtGb36qz04L0ZIrq8E8/s320/Becky+Camera+March3+032.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Matthew</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We also took them to the mall and enjoyed some lunch. At two the mall escalator is apparently as good as any other ride, but lots cheaper! Apparently we did a very good job at tiring them out, but most especially Thomas, who fell asleep with a piece of pizza in one hand, a fork in the other hand, and his head on the plate.<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7GSytiPkCEoNg3VikBV3sNSHHf7wvdOSxzl6uZQr534w-ocCodcWl8DcXGjv6s0FlB6HxLr8Ns_63OONLnZ6JvexmlwCOXTcKl1dkTUusZKxt5U8uyAzlKhLXKNG3XZ2dqC5IKbUMSWo/s1600/Becky+Camera+March3+037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7GSytiPkCEoNg3VikBV3sNSHHf7wvdOSxzl6uZQr534w-ocCodcWl8DcXGjv6s0FlB6HxLr8Ns_63OONLnZ6JvexmlwCOXTcKl1dkTUusZKxt5U8uyAzlKhLXKNG3XZ2dqC5IKbUMSWo/s320/Becky+Camera+March3+037.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleepy Thomas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>On Saturday afternoon we left the little boys with Sean's parents and headed to Old Sturbridge Village to make an old-fashioned dinner. Becky and I got assigned to the pastry table, so together with another couple we were in charge of making rolls, apple pie, and a dessert called floating island. Becky was nice enough to let me take charge of the pie crust, due to the fact that several months ago I declared pie crust to be my domain. But this project required four crusts which had to be rolled three times each, so we all ended up taking a few turns. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCTVEHBb_iy5MLqVX-QCEiWRw06ezHX2M1keqjZAKGXOIlVpHbNFTz77TVtTsU-hKZ5DnvwPIUZb2A8VDjL10gFwfu5cXfJIXOkZQhgtxeiP63xpdF_ui5VUv8N9yoifAA4SisG-v0cY/s1600/Becky+Camera+March3+043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCTVEHBb_iy5MLqVX-QCEiWRw06ezHX2M1keqjZAKGXOIlVpHbNFTz77TVtTsU-hKZ5DnvwPIUZb2A8VDjL10gFwfu5cXfJIXOkZQhgtxeiP63xpdF_ui5VUv8N9yoifAA4SisG-v0cY/s320/Becky+Camera+March3+043.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me rolling some pie crust</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Jen (with others) manned the vegetable table and helped with winter vegetable soup, beets, cabbage, and macaroni and cheese. And Sean was part of the meat table and helped prepare curried chicken, roast beef, and coffee.<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3L2aS03wvNwrQAFwQFIsTtejugt47rDAlHGIeKJ0IOIZnW_YGvahYX0yYZx4i9moCA-tE5U4hbX2eMl2dqLVrHX3NMrIiuGylCpfEv50PM_yeknuf-mgA8IACJhecykIBlC0tn0OHw8Q/s1600/Becky+Camera+March3+038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3L2aS03wvNwrQAFwQFIsTtejugt47rDAlHGIeKJ0IOIZnW_YGvahYX0yYZx4i9moCA-tE5U4hbX2eMl2dqLVrHX3NMrIiuGylCpfEv50PM_yeknuf-mgA8IACJhecykIBlC0tn0OHw8Q/s320/Becky+Camera+March3+038.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sean and his chicken</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Everything cooked over the fire or in a fire-warmed oven, and there was no electricity in the building. We prepared and ate by candle light. While we were waiting for some of the food to cook we ventured out to a nearby restroom. Jen and Becky stayed toasty warm in these cloaks.<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfkmvZDJ-SuswOcNV0E7qp2RDW9bdRs_Kh1oZ6LTDULl8gM2_eNl3ASyO06Z6uXPdaNwhTwBBsktJJbfPN3tvMu826SFZ_0zJwLeRpme2Q1qKIUDaImA5Au8jrwNmbNfTfN0_VQJNuvI/s1600/Becky+Camera+March3+056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfkmvZDJ-SuswOcNV0E7qp2RDW9bdRs_Kh1oZ6LTDULl8gM2_eNl3ASyO06Z6uXPdaNwhTwBBsktJJbfPN3tvMu826SFZ_0zJwLeRpme2Q1qKIUDaImA5Au8jrwNmbNfTfN0_VQJNuvI/s320/Becky+Camera+March3+056.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Over the river and through the woods</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Delicious, filling, and educational!</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1pro5OAFxqEFS5BJ5I1fbxhkE6Cv2Vq4sPwuhHFZ-sObszHySzbr73N0tefoif0Tn5Kqvp-g7uCjEMO2yQk4YDkBdN-3tWumcSM5EmENKr8HDyUN0wbO8eEEtowo7nN0flfimUL45vgg/s1600/Becky+Camera+March3+059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1pro5OAFxqEFS5BJ5I1fbxhkE6Cv2Vq4sPwuhHFZ-sObszHySzbr73N0tefoif0Tn5Kqvp-g7uCjEMO2yQk4YDkBdN-3tWumcSM5EmENKr8HDyUN0wbO8eEEtowo7nN0flfimUL45vgg/s320/Becky+Camera+March3+059.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aaawww....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Instead of driving back that night we stayed at a local B&B with hot tubs in every room. We put on our swimsuits, uncorked our Asti, flipped on the fireplace, and giggled a lot. Thanks for a great weekend family!</div></div></div></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393002540644390630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-44372952470342996722012-01-29T18:28:00.002-05:002012-05-06T23:41:11.362-04:0030 x 30 List<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
We're a little late for a New Year's resolutions post, but who here is surprised? Both of our birthdays fall right around the New Year, and it seems that we are both rapidly approaching the mature age of 30 in the coming year. With that, I give you our joint list of 30 by 30 goals/our resolutions for 2012.<br />
<br />
1. Go on a vacation<br />
2. Try 50 new recipes (count as of 5/6: 19)<br />
3. Go to the gym 100 times each<br />
4. Move to a new apartment<br />
5. Finally get all our name change documents in order<br />
6. Get a trophy in each cup on Mario Kart<br />
7. Read 30 books each (count as of 5/6: 7 for Carrie and 12 for Becky)<br />
8. Write a new blog post at least once/week (Ummm....)<br />
9. Go to Delaware<br />
10. Scrapbook our wedding<br />
11. Make a honeymoon photo book<br />
12. Go camping<br />
13. Learn/Improve Spanish<br />
14. Learn to can something<br />
15. Go to the Coney Island Mermaid Parade in costume<br />
<strike>16. See the rest of the American Museum of Natural History</strike> (overachievers--we're MEMBERS now!)<br />
17. Go to a concert<br />
18. Donate more to charity<br />
19. Volunteer<br />
20. Get our pixy advent calendar all set up before December 1<br />
21. Read at least two journal articles or book chapters/month for professional development<br />
22. Incorporate a new gym activity into exercise routine<br />
23. Have one computer-free evening/week<br />
24. Host a party<br />
25. Buy more local produce<br />
26. <strike>Clean out and donate some of our old stuff</strike> (still more to go though)<br />
27. Use our Netflix subscription<br />
28. Redacted<br />
29. Redacted<br />
30. Redacted<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For the record, the redacted items are probably not nearly as interesting as you're imagining; they're just things we didn't want to share with the entire internet.</div>
</div>Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02717851756676957848noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-19169778483737950872012-01-08T22:10:00.000-05:002012-01-08T22:10:59.306-05:002011<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">2011, And the Next Day style, for posterity. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">And also to catch you up on the last 6 months of non-blogging. </span><br />
<b style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</b><br />
<b style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">January</b><br />
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Yay Becky Day to kick the year off right.</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b><br />
</b>There was a snow day, and we finally finally finally went to Coney Island in the snow!<br />
<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vuDhvBc2b0h4ONENEbLgr0EyY76mdlTahWZ0HsQuCtPI-RW8BvzCvGCqNtb2qJOuT6wOmLU7S9JNzZvus0ptri2lvgZzWNEjYq3wlKhgqgzAIgK36eqeFPpbHSxau1pyGcdT_lvU0v4/s1600/Jan27BeckyCamera+062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vuDhvBc2b0h4ONENEbLgr0EyY76mdlTahWZ0HsQuCtPI-RW8BvzCvGCqNtb2qJOuT6wOmLU7S9JNzZvus0ptri2lvgZzWNEjYq3wlKhgqgzAIgK36eqeFPpbHSxau1pyGcdT_lvU0v4/s320/Jan27BeckyCamera+062.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div>We continued a NYC restaurant week tradition. Yum, undercooked steak.<br />
<div><br />
<b>February</b><br />
We celebrated Valentine's Day at home, planning our honeymoon. It may have been the only computer-free evening of the year.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>Becky got her festive on with a green-and-yellow themed Superbowl party. There was a ratio of approximately 15 food dishes per guest, but in fairness there was only one guest.</div><div><br />
<div>We celebrated the anniversary that is not our anniversary anymore with delicious BBQ.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>We went to Massachusetts to visit the family.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>March</b><br />
We bought honeymoon plane tickets!<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>We played NYC tourists. Yay spring!<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>We visited the nephews for 2nd birthday festivities, and also one other time for some reason I can't even identify.</div><div><br />
<b>April</b><br />
We celebrated Easter in Massachusetts with my family (including my parents who flew in).<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>On a silly weekend jaunt we visited the borough where I now work, for the first time ever.</div><div><br />
</div><div>We enjoyed spring, and rented a tandem bike in Central Park.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I started my first group at work - a successful 12-week parenting group, which had the side effect of preventing a week of vacation.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>May</b><br />
I had surgery to have my gallbladder removed.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>We traveled to Wisconsin to celebrate the end of Becky's dad's time in a position at his church. <br />
<br />
<div>Becky's job got reclassified, in a small but positive acknowledgement that her job entailed a whole lot more than her job description let on.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>We did a lot of contemplating our life goals and priorities.</div><div><br />
</div><div>My sister and our nephews came to visit us for a fun train adventure weekend. We enjoyed the weekend, but the train trauma may last a while for the three of them.</div><div><br />
</div><div>We spent a weekend at a bed and breakfast we adore on the Jersey Shore.<br />
<b><br />
</b></div><div><b>June</b></div><div>Jen and the nephews came again, this time sans train trauma! We were the crazies at the beach.</div><div><br />
</div><div>At the end of June we departed for our Greek honeymoon!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmLZB9BLeu5Uhojf3TbL1OXrIzspZVn6vmbpyNMWdynHs0E_No4lrsnkA2jDnoC4KEHcskP32QHJcG-cEyyj11vuIH1zeW_-jfMZdgfVgyNd18gFg9VGPjv6YBkkODhoIfECPTmR4wWU/s1600/BeckyCameraOct11+690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmLZB9BLeu5Uhojf3TbL1OXrIzspZVn6vmbpyNMWdynHs0E_No4lrsnkA2jDnoC4KEHcskP32QHJcG-cEyyj11vuIH1zeW_-jfMZdgfVgyNd18gFg9VGPjv6YBkkODhoIfECPTmR4wWU/s320/BeckyCameraOct11+690.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<b>July</b><br />
We continued to enjoy Greece (including complete non-acknowledgement of the 4th of July), said a few days of hello to our old favorite London, and flew back to reality.<br />
<br />
We went to the beach several times, and generally tried to enjoy the short summer that we were offered this year. <br />
<br />
We contemplated moving to the city, seriously enough that we actually viewed apartments.<br />
<div><br />
Becky had a job interview for a job she was not seeking, but in the process discovered she really wanted it. </div><div><br />
</div><div>We went to Massachusetts.</div><div><br />
</div><div>We went to a balloon festival!<br />
<div><br />
<b>August</b><br />
We finally got our acts together to go to a free Friday bike rental on Governor's Island.<br />
<div><div><br />
We went camping upstate with my college roommates and had an awesome mini-reunion weekend.</div><div><br />
</div><div>We huddled at home for a weekend and watched the weather channel, because a hurricane was supposedly heading directly for us for the first time in decades. OMG, tape the windows! In the end it rained a lot and everyone else got hit worse than we did. <br />
<br />
Very unexpectedly my supervisor asked me to interview for a promotion. </div><div><br />
<b>September</b></div><div>Becky started the new job that she had not been seeking!</div><div><br />
We traveled to Wisconsin again, this time for a long weekend to celebrate the wedding of one of Becky's cousins. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXCMH95T-cpFBt-j0IS4Gn4tkjMXJ-vRjIIXXw5dnc76nhL21wPLU4CvQIk0zEYeyU1XmpJxJKVIaCvzGWsBg_iWDgah38P1IDI-T8E9x2Qz11_LOCLSrFZKWVO9CaRBYz0fgsovE8b4/s1600/BeckyCameraOct11+1491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXCMH95T-cpFBt-j0IS4Gn4tkjMXJ-vRjIIXXw5dnc76nhL21wPLU4CvQIk0zEYeyU1XmpJxJKVIaCvzGWsBg_iWDgah38P1IDI-T8E9x2Qz11_LOCLSrFZKWVO9CaRBYz0fgsovE8b4/s320/BeckyCameraOct11+1491.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div>We again visited the nephews and their keepers for Labor Day.<br />
<br />
</div><div>Jen and the boys came back to visit us again. We went to the beach again, even though it was freezing again.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>October</b></div><div>My promotion became official, and I gradually started the obnoxious new driving commute. Despite the commute, I was and am thankful for the opportunity.</div><div><br />
</div><div>We rented bikes and biked along the Hudson, and visited the Atlantic Antic street fair.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNoMQrcvGx_7DXcBMZPCE6jhzyvYA3PafMftM4ScMBtoFEK69dld09rZG7ZO4-gkW7M_KCT3kEms11oiV5So5KaGVun23_L6Wbvx2ofMKDOUuLkZHA_uUVN9bOkf2guBhTLzmh49Vfy34/s1600/Biking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNoMQrcvGx_7DXcBMZPCE6jhzyvYA3PafMftM4ScMBtoFEK69dld09rZG7ZO4-gkW7M_KCT3kEms11oiV5So5KaGVun23_L6Wbvx2ofMKDOUuLkZHA_uUVN9bOkf2guBhTLzmh49Vfy34/s320/Biking.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We celebrated Halloween by meeting up with friends at at a friend's apartment. Becky went sans costume (plans were developed last minute) and I revived last year's bee costume. I'll probably be wearing that thing forever, so everyone should get used to it.<br />
<br />
We resumed an annual tradition and spent a weekend in Vermont (put on hold last year due to wedding planning) with my sister and brother-in-law and our nephews, this time for the first time at their cabin.</div><div><br />
<b>November</b><br />
Although Becky needed to go out of town for work on our anniversary we managed to make it a fun romantic get away anyways. We spent a night at the gorgeous hotel where her event was being held, relaxed in the outdoor hot tub, and enjoyed fall colors, room service breakfast, and each other's company.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cfHh0bdJipN_ox_sT5VuOv7DnmI7W7NSkBfRyLgtbm6SaZAsKHMrmH5huW7Hjbvcu2jg_3-sS81RywbGyRjiVmjJRKjUeEcv4EqHYkgvvxHd16wT3GD69hl7aVNwFaWCmdRDSc50hKI/s1600/Becky+Camera+Jan3-2012+049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cfHh0bdJipN_ox_sT5VuOv7DnmI7W7NSkBfRyLgtbm6SaZAsKHMrmH5huW7Hjbvcu2jg_3-sS81RywbGyRjiVmjJRKjUeEcv4EqHYkgvvxHd16wT3GD69hl7aVNwFaWCmdRDSc50hKI/s320/Becky+Camera+Jan3-2012+049.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div>I spent a week at Thanksgiving in Minnesota with my sister and brother-in-law and nephews, and Becky flew out mid-week to join us. Just after I left her, she managed to earn herself an ambulance ride and 12 stitches. It only figures that this would coincide with probably the longest we've been apart from each other since the Belize/Israel adventures of 2008. <br />
<br />
<b>December</b></div><div>We continued traditions of viewing the NYC holiday sites, and a quirky Hannukah celebration with our good friend Kara.</div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div>We did the crazy Wisconsin for Christmas, then Massachusetts for my (supremely important golden ) birthday and New Year's thing.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393002540644390630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-22598186971802550332012-01-05T21:38:00.001-05:002012-01-05T21:39:31.119-05:00Vacation Mania<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Welcome to 2012 everyone!<br />
<br />
We're freshly home from holiday vacation in Wisconsin and Massachusetts and settling back down into the "real life" that 2012 brings us. <br />
<br />
This was the third (well, technically fourth, but Salzburg was different) Christmas that Becky and I spent together, and the third year that we managed to spend time with both of our families despite the 1,000+ miles between their various homes. I fear the pattern and good luck may not hold forever, but for the past three years we've spent Christmas with one family and "fake" (aka "2nd") Christmas at New Year's with the other, and alternated which family got real Christmas. <br />
<br />
On Christmas Eve we flew to Wisconsin to join Becky's family for the start of our vacation. (Apologies to any friends or family reading from Wisconsin who we didn't see - there was too little time and too much holiday celebrating to make it work this trip.) We got dressed up fancy and went to the Christmas Eve service at Becky's childhood church, then home to relax and wait for Santa. Her youngest sister, Jen, was home the whole time we were, and her middle sister, Angie, and her fiance, Ian, were home from Christmas Eve through Christmas evening. Which means that everyone was able to be there for present opening and the all-important-in-Wisconsin viewing of the Packers game. The rest of the week we spent relaxing, reading several Christmas books, and watching the 8th season of NCIS. And eating too many Christmas cookies (Carrie Krispies, Rice Krispie Rides Again, and Krispie Next Generation!). Not to mention of course some more quality time with Becky's family!<br />
<br />
Mid-week we flew from Wisconsin to Massachusetts to join my family for my birthday, New Year's, and a "second Christmas" celebration. I'll save the birthday shenanigans for a future post, but suffice it to say that my loved ones made a good time out of making fun of me for being obsessed with my golden birthday. We continued with too much delicious food and lots of reading, used many many plants to protect our homes from zombies, and spent a ton of time doting on our nephews. Plus occasionally acknowledging the adult members of the family. When necessary. (Love you guys!) We rang in the New Year with Asti and chocolate cheesecake and televised viewing of Times Square. <br />
<br />
And then we boarded a train that zoomed us back to reality. Goodbye Santa, goodbye Christmas, we will miss you and look forward to seeing you again next year! Please keep the snow at the North Pole and do not send it to New Jersey.</div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393002540644390630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-45540274870061741602012-01-04T23:06:00.000-05:002012-01-04T23:06:41.317-05:00Merry Christmas and Happy New Year<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">There has been conversation around here about re-starting the blog. I know better than to make promises, but let's see where this goes.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JZ-7k7O8U3Q/TwUbZS8qz1I/AAAAAAAAAYA/Qufx68ohqIo/s1600/Becky+Camera+Jan3-2012+315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JZ-7k7O8U3Q/TwUbZS8qz1I/AAAAAAAAAYA/Qufx68ohqIo/s320/Becky+Camera+Jan3-2012+315.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is us in December at the Rockefeller tree. We hadn't had much of a chance to do Christmas stuff earlier in December this year, so the day before we left for vacation we met up after work to get some quick holiday cheer. We saw the tree and the Macy's windows, and coincidentally caught the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitzvah_tank">Mitzvah tank parade</a>. I think it was about 50 degrees so it didn't really feel like Christmas, but at least we can still say we've never missed a year since we've lived here! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2010:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oRWpuqwVprk/TwUdOtcvFfI/AAAAAAAAAYM/ClIbM9hl11U/s1600/Jan3BeckyCamera+027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oRWpuqwVprk/TwUdOtcvFfI/AAAAAAAAAYM/ClIbM9hl11U/s320/Jan3BeckyCamera+027.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2009:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MaTSaj10tu0/TwUg5DPvkdI/AAAAAAAAAYk/_nPQs6djTX0/s1600/Winter+2010+317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MaTSaj10tu0/TwUg5DPvkdI/AAAAAAAAAYk/_nPQs6djTX0/s320/Winter+2010+317.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2008:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v0cGBrc5x5I/TwUegU757WI/AAAAAAAAAYY/qkZ1BqZFFpM/s1600/Winter08-09+123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v0cGBrc5x5I/TwUegU757WI/AAAAAAAAAYY/qkZ1BqZFFpM/s320/Winter08-09+123.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2007 (with my sister guest starring - pre-nephews she could visit alone!):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0PNx5FpQcg0/TwUhIeFSWFI/AAAAAAAAAYw/4-MQMHWhcGY/s1600/Oct-Dec+07+126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0PNx5FpQcg0/TwUhIeFSWFI/AAAAAAAAAYw/4-MQMHWhcGY/s320/Oct-Dec+07+126.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">AND 2006:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x_ceSfJKnR8/TwUhY3NkNnI/AAAAAAAAAY8/EOC44z7Dt9c/s1600/Dec-Jan+037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x_ceSfJKnR8/TwUhY3NkNnI/AAAAAAAAAY8/EOC44z7Dt9c/s320/Dec-Jan+037.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393002540644390630noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-15643458742310926282011-11-19T18:13:00.003-05:002011-11-19T18:16:07.901-05:00More Adventure than I Anticipated<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Today started off nicely enough. We met up in the Village with some friends for a surprise early birthday brunch for one of them. We went to <a href="http://janerestaurant.com/" target="_blank">Jane</a> and had their famous Vanilla Bean French Toast--delicious and ridiculously filling. After brunch, we split off, with Carrie heading to the airport to fly home this afternoon and me heading home, stopping at a post office on the way. The walk from the post office to the bus station is where things get interesting...<br />
<br />
For those of you who've never lived in a pedestrian- and tourist-heavy city like NYC, you probably won't understand my frustration. I was walking in Midtown and got stuck behind a huge group of extremely slow-moving tourists. As I have done hundreds of times before, I swung out to go around them. As I was passing the group, the person next to me suddenly moved left, pushing me into a standpipe (<a href="http://www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog/?p=1184" target="_blank">explanation here</a>) next to the building. My leg caught on a screw protruding off of it, and I heard my jeans rip as I went flying through the air and landed face-down on the sidewalk. At this point, I was embarrassed that I'd fallen, pissed off that I'd ripped my favorite jeans, and my hands hurt from catching myself. Then I stood up, looked at my pants, and realized that it wasn't just my jeans that had ripped. I'll spare you all the disgusting details, but I had about a 3-inch gash in my leg and it was pretty deep.<br />
<br />
Had I seen this injury on anyone else, I would have thrown up. The fact that I didn't, and the fact that it didn't hurt AT ALL makes me think I must have been in shock. Someone passing by got out a pack of wet naps from her purse and handed me one. I sort of looked at her, looked at my leg, then looked back at her...and then she handed me a handful. Someone else ran to the deli next door and grabbed a stack of napkins, and I did my best to apply pressure with my random assortment of paper products while trying to figure out what on earth to do. A man walking past asked if he should call 911. I debated for a minute because it wasn't really an emergency, but at the same time I had no idea what to do. Carrie was on her way to the airport, I could tell that I needed stitches, and I couldn't think of where the nearest hospital was or how I would go about getting there.<br />
<br />
So the stranger called 911 while I sat down on the sidewalk, finally realizing that standing on my injured leg probably wasn't doing anything to help the bleeding stop. Two police officers showed up a few minutes later, and the ambulance arrived a few minutes after that. They loaded me onto a stretcher (which felt RIDICULOUS given the relatively minor injury I'd had, but whatever) and I got to take my first ambulance ride.<br />
<br />
While in the ambulance, they cut the rest of that pants leg so that they could wrap a bandage around my leg, at which point I was like "oh crap, what am I going to wear home?" The paramedic said something along the lines of "Well, someone's gonna have to come pick you up so they can just bring you something else." Um, yeah, easier said than done. At the same time, Carrie was texting me about her transportation woes in getting to the airport. (I still haven't heard that whole story--the conversation kind of shifted gears when I responded with "Fyi, I am fine, do not panic, but I am in an ambulance right now." and then proceeded to tell my story.)<br />
<br />
Fortunately, two of our lovely friends came to the rescue. They'd been shopping in Soho post-brunch, but as soon as they heard what was up, they stopped to pick up some pants for me and go to the hospital as quickly as they could. By the time they got there, I was all stitched up and almost ready to go. I ended up with a total of 12 stitches. Having made it to age 28 without stitches or an ambulance ride, I got to do both! In the same day! The only downside was they didn't turn on the siren--apparently I wasn't a <i>real </i>emergency or something. But they did have the lights on, so I guess that counts for something?<br />
<br />
The doctor also pointed out as he was stitching me up that I'll probably have a scar since it wasn't a clean cut. Oddly enough, that hadn't even occurred to me until that point. It's mildly annoying, but I guess I'll have to give up my dreams of bikini modeling.<br />
<br />
I shudder to think what the co-pays for the ambulance ride and ER are going to cost me even with good insurance, but for now I'm going to focus on just being glad I have insurance. And as a bonus, I now have lovely new pair of purple lounge pants. Other people might have thought that my outfit of red long-sleeve t-shirt and purple lounge pants didn't match, but I happen to think it's a <a href="http://beckybopwrites.blogspot.com/2010/11/im-one-in-big-white-dress-no-other-one.html">lovely color combination</a>!</div>Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02717851756676957848noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-65080842011628233962011-10-23T19:30:00.000-04:002011-10-23T19:30:53.442-04:00Vikings v. Packers liveblog 2011<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">4:16:<br />
<br />
Becky: Did I miss kick-off because I was making a yogurt parfait?<br />
Carrie: We should liveblog this. I’m starting with you missing kick off.<br />
Becky: I didn’t miss kick-off, we just saw it.<br />
Carrie: WHAT?? This always happens to me. <br />
<br />
4:35: <br />
Becky: How’s the liveblogging coming?<br />
Carrie: Ooh. Oops. <br />
<br />
4:45:<br />
Skype conversation with the nephews while the game played in the background. They were showing off their Halloween costumes. Highlights from the conversation included “I got a long tail” and “I got a big tummy.” Also, a few trips to the imaginary playground, and Auntie Becky and Auntie Carrie calling each other from the imaginary playground on the TV remote controls. Who needs TV when you have silly aunties on Skype? Oh, and apparently the Vikings scored while we were playing pretend.<br />
<br />
5:34:<br />
Becky: I know what’s wrong with this game. I’m not wearing my sweatshirt! ::runs to put on Packers sweatshirt::<br />
<br />
5:38<br />
Carrie puts on her lamey non-Packers sweatshirt. Apparently her internal Minnesotan feels conflicted. No sign of purple though, thank goodness.<br />
<br />
Score at half time 13-17. Boo. C’mon guys, the quarterback is a rookie!<br />
<br />
5:43<br />
Carrie: Oooo, I like their uniforms, those blue guys!<br />
<br />
5:57<br />
Becky: go go go go go!<br />
Carrie: Go go….wait, no, stop. Whatever. <br />
(In my defense, I did declare before the game that I was rooting for both teams – that’s allowed, right?)<br />
<br />
6:10:<br />
Becky: My bread isn’t going to make itself you know. <br />
Carrie: I know, my wife has to make the bread.<br />
Carrie: Your guys apparently got 17 points in 4 minutes or something. I don’t even know how they did that, we must have missed a touchdown. <br />
<br />
Brief break for shaping of cheese bread (hopefully in the style of <a href="http://beckybopwrites.blogspot.com/2011/06/badger-state.html">Stella’s Hot & Spicy Cheese Bread</a>). In the process, Carrie manages to spray Pam on Becky’s Green Bay Packers sweatshirt.<br />
<br />
Becky: Well now I have to take it off and wash it. But if the Packers lose, it’s all your fault.<br />
Carrie: Um, your guys just scored again I think. Wow, we are really sucky football fans.<br />
<br />
That may be true, but we are excellent cheese eaters, and that’s what really matters, right?<br />
<br />
7:07:<br />
Carrie: The Packers did that thing where they kick the ball to the end. <br />
Becky: Put that in the blog.<br />
Carrie: Not the field goal one, the other one.<br />
Becky: Put that in the blog too. <br />
<br />
7:22:<br />
Carrie: They can just quit?? Well that was anticlimactic. I didn’t even know the game was ending. <br />
Becky: It’s a little bit ironic that you missed both the beginning and the end of the game because you didn’t know what was going on. </div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393002540644390630noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-50295359905832212602011-08-20T13:07:00.000-04:002011-08-20T13:07:40.432-04:00Blogging FailI keep staring at my blog reader and seeing our last post here fade further and further into the past. It finally switched to "two months." First the excuse was honeymoon preparation, and then the honeymoon itself, and then... who even knows. One thing led to another thing, and blogging fell by the wayside. And now it feels like there should be something monumental to say to get back on the blogging wagon. But after several weeks of resolving to blog again soon, I guess it really comes down to just doing it. <br />
<br />
Since we last blogged:<br />
*We spent two weeks in Greece and London<br />
*We visited my family in Massachusetts<br />
*We went camping upstate with my college friends<br />
*We rented bikes on Governor's Island<br />
*We rearranged the living room, including purchasing a new bookshelf<br />
*We went to the shore a few times, and tried a new ice cream place<br />
*We (especially Becky) worked way too much<br />
*We pondered life changes, like jobs and apartments and schools, obsessively<br />
*Probably a lot of other not blog worthy events<br />
<br />
So, we're all caught up, right? <br />
<br />
Ha.<br />
<br />
My mom asked for some honeymoon stories, so hopefully we'll get back to a few of those.<br />
<br />
The blogging drought has been accompanied by a picture taking drought. I'm sure there are a few, but Becky has her camera with her while she's lamey-cake working right now, so I'll give you a few Greece pictures in case you forgot what we look like:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8hQ00lpfRnkI1Up7nBd_gqWeUsJSlUyrsdrVfBZ4XWQc8XQsTu80Lp5w5dYsm-dd3X24O3DIUTb0HMxCQax60dD_zYRqeP9pZnudHXn1_xVGTSQOxMTU8NODhmWbkBsCozfeSyTZ_Wk/s1600/61.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8hQ00lpfRnkI1Up7nBd_gqWeUsJSlUyrsdrVfBZ4XWQc8XQsTu80Lp5w5dYsm-dd3X24O3DIUTb0HMxCQax60dD_zYRqeP9pZnudHXn1_xVGTSQOxMTU8NODhmWbkBsCozfeSyTZ_Wk/s320/61.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9l8bskW6la4LN0jDdqsk3Tnp5XzjEeSebaCtPJ-lyNUaTpOpcQRRsz5g3pm-1qby_LAFZZP6DZCTjKgaf6lNnjtaq5XUzQxhSaWgaOk7EqaPkn8bCO-ezNAtPbi2N3cP3yBRD-_E7Pg/s1600/55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9l8bskW6la4LN0jDdqsk3Tnp5XzjEeSebaCtPJ-lyNUaTpOpcQRRsz5g3pm-1qby_LAFZZP6DZCTjKgaf6lNnjtaq5XUzQxhSaWgaOk7EqaPkn8bCO-ezNAtPbi2N3cP3yBRD-_E7Pg/s320/55.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> And this is the two of us plus my college roommates swimming upstate two weeks ago:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih-0lwQT4h_Rf7zojkbAgZSlvXvrfczETpuu503ijAHOv400O-V0Qs9kCS9wHz9YlikzTGiwwA2KfqVQHU4tyKdgvZhF4yXWLMqhprqzCQbqLhtOt4JIcfyYNvDmfUUgHRLIz3p1wbEJ8/s1600/FromFB.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih-0lwQT4h_Rf7zojkbAgZSlvXvrfczETpuu503ijAHOv400O-V0Qs9kCS9wHz9YlikzTGiwwA2KfqVQHU4tyKdgvZhF4yXWLMqhprqzCQbqLhtOt4JIcfyYNvDmfUUgHRLIz3p1wbEJ8/s320/FromFB.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Hopefully some of you are still out there, and hopefully it won't be two months until you see us again!Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393002540644390630noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-58847667618266359512011-06-13T20:59:00.000-04:002011-06-13T20:59:38.591-04:00They came!Guess what, to our wondering eyes, appeared in our mailbox today? Our new passports! We bought our honeymoon plane tickets months ago. It seemed logical that we should purchase our honeymoon plane tickets in our married name, and we figured that we had several months to request the new ones. Enter procrastination, and applications sent much later than we planned. We were beginning to fear that they would not arrive before our trip, which would pretty much be an epic disaster. In the back of my mind I was afraid that what we had read about dealing with the same-sex marriage and the name change (i.e. that it was completely uncomplicated) would turn out to be completely false. But it was true! They're here! <br />
<br />
The to-do list for the trip is getting longer and longer as the trip is looming closer and closer and it is starting to get scarier and scarier. I keep adding things to the list rather than just <i>doing </i>some of them. Events that I mentally associated with the trip, such as the ending of the parenting group I've been running at work and the start of the summer weather, are suddenly happening. Thankfully the State Department is keeping pace with the calendar even if my brain is not! Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393002540644390630noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-17155143492599101632011-06-12T22:34:00.000-04:002011-06-12T22:34:41.855-04:00Summer, whether the weather likes it or notMy sister, Jen, and our nephews came to visit us again this weekend. Jen reports that the travel was much smoother, thanks to her choice of riding in the car rather than the train. While we were driving around on Saturday the boys demonstrated what Jen told us they did for most of their awake time on the drive to/from home: "bus! bus! my side! big truck! my side!" They are both absolutely enamored with cars and trucks and things that go. At one point Thomas was looking at a photo of the boys and their aunties and he pointed at the car-shaped play structure in the background and said "truck!" as if it was obviously the most interesting portion of the photo. Matthew still frequently refers to a car or truck as a "vroom," which is quite cute.<br />
<br />
We had all kinds of outdoorsy water based plans, but the weather forecast was calling for upper 60's and raining. This was particularly disappointing after we endured a long work week of boiling 100 degree weather. The forecasted temperatures came true, but the rain held off enough for us to summon our inner hardy Midwesterners and complete our plans anyways. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodiOVG5ejf_MiGLC6yERx2EOOahSESfTu6I0FZbzFXSo37dy1XFBEAlh5vKSzK5nzXkshh1N0smnRH7KZXX27ChvPcQpzyGrwGVK7abMKIqwux0qJXvLIjhzvy00UMXGwPF3ilNY4L4A/s1600/DSC08278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodiOVG5ejf_MiGLC6yERx2EOOahSESfTu6I0FZbzFXSo37dy1XFBEAlh5vKSzK5nzXkshh1N0smnRH7KZXX27ChvPcQpzyGrwGVK7abMKIqwux0qJXvLIjhzvy00UMXGwPF3ilNY4L4A/s320/DSC08278.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Saturday we visited our favorite beach. We were almost the only people at the beach, and definitely the only ones who were daring to venture in the water. The tide was just right for toddlers, with a very shallow and calm area along the edge, where the water was actually fairly warm. Thomas didn't seem to care at all that it was overcast or cold, and plowed into the ocean with a glee that only a toddler can muster. Matthew was more cautious, several times wanting to spend his time on the "sandbox." But he loved to fill up his bucket with water, carry it a few feet onto the sand and dump it out, and then repeat, over and over and over. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjntt3tAWY0M5XsrrWG2aufQcFiYzPU8SowGH9HqDbcSwiiusUOXLTnlqoLxRQOdnIR3I2VKzxehvvfrXJLbxMjbfPNJ0_5oKHVKwzqBtPEz6iwKxXow744L714gK32Md-6aFE3jhzx0PE/s1600/DSC08310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjntt3tAWY0M5XsrrWG2aufQcFiYzPU8SowGH9HqDbcSwiiusUOXLTnlqoLxRQOdnIR3I2VKzxehvvfrXJLbxMjbfPNJ0_5oKHVKwzqBtPEz6iwKxXow744L714gK32Md-6aFE3jhzx0PE/s320/DSC08310.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thomas and his toy truck</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTePQsAgie1cyeeXTwGvfNpR852Gw4H0Rh5dPQ2TYdnsrHZ8am9x_dWH7hdghyphenhyphenBMnQhX4Sb8NyeeXNZVX0kQ0J9hyNPa6qbjYo6UD0w_3v1ZLbTdti_EDeyO6k_bEMsAWcI4pePttSbOs/s1600/DSC08317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTePQsAgie1cyeeXTwGvfNpR852Gw4H0Rh5dPQ2TYdnsrHZ8am9x_dWH7hdghyphenhyphenBMnQhX4Sb8NyeeXNZVX0kQ0J9hyNPa6qbjYo6UD0w_3v1ZLbTdti_EDeyO6k_bEMsAWcI4pePttSbOs/s320/DSC08317.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthew and his bucket</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We changed clothes, warmed up, and blew bubbles on the boardwalk.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduKWjlYLcGQl1CNpU5w9tWJiV9SMWbZ97HqeA6qwA7fCz2hQvtZUCAyBhR6uxcFBTj3zdf8iuQJAFPUwPPQpTkuo0VQBH34y7R7TEPnLHAOF-9JABNHBdNm0UB8F-3D5sFvMy-IuTnYM/s1600/DSC08330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduKWjlYLcGQl1CNpU5w9tWJiV9SMWbZ97HqeA6qwA7fCz2hQvtZUCAyBhR6uxcFBTj3zdf8iuQJAFPUwPPQpTkuo0VQBH34y7R7TEPnLHAOF-9JABNHBdNm0UB8F-3D5sFvMy-IuTnYM/s320/DSC08330.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> While we were waiting for a lunch table we happened upon a vintage car show. Thomas learned the word "engine." Thomas was still a bit cold from the swimming, so we ended up draping my sweatshirt over him to help him warm up. The boys also showed off how much they love holding hands right now, with adults or with each other.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhadOBCm-zOYusdnM16Eg8uDZKw9ARZdkMT-2JQMYSHsKwDOK2b-YUVqNzYx-tBK4WIE75SIkILqM3xGUCqNGjGN-jwZvi9Wv_rgtjI9mf6aTZndlXvgeUAqyqBEWil6-IFBiT2Td6Xzho/s1600/June+078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhadOBCm-zOYusdnM16Eg8uDZKw9ARZdkMT-2JQMYSHsKwDOK2b-YUVqNzYx-tBK4WIE75SIkILqM3xGUCqNGjGN-jwZvi9Wv_rgtjI9mf6aTZndlXvgeUAqyqBEWil6-IFBiT2Td6Xzho/s320/June+078.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In the afternoon we went to a place Becky found on the internet called Kidz Village, which was one part indoor playground and one part children's museum. There was a series of themed rooms, such as the diner, the grocery store, the hair salon, and the construction room, filled with tons of kid sized pretend play props. Plus of course the giant playscape with tunnels and slides and climbing platforms. I think Becky and I might have had more fun climbing around in there than Matthew and Thomas did (two year olds are too young to go themselves you know!), although they loved it too. At one point I was following Thomas around and he went down a slide before me (which incidentally resulted in a few scary moments where we couldn't find him), but while I was still at the top a little girl gave me that snotty wannabe pre-teen girl look and asked "aren't you a little <i>old </i>to be in here?" <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn6ODijjSNYUcMpZiICb226KiqoyYMF4grOEhVjjjt9D0UGZyIhJbx-TrOrlwBHAtAzH49RSsJ885BnJ0VaWLuA0wP5bhGM0DQVC8KmKSEaisUBga-6l3o6CqWWexbe_XBPw5ZWd2rvS4/s1600/June+128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn6ODijjSNYUcMpZiICb226KiqoyYMF4grOEhVjjjt9D0UGZyIhJbx-TrOrlwBHAtAzH49RSsJ885BnJ0VaWLuA0wP5bhGM0DQVC8KmKSEaisUBga-6l3o6CqWWexbe_XBPw5ZWd2rvS4/s320/June+128.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbtUfmllTxfooVj-8U0lTU1ZgC2Bd6vmulgvUE-zMbyJ0A_T5XZfq0HL5H_0CQ4fbIy3CCrXBttsLxU342X71DlEH547YhTkPVoR4pDsdBaXYOK2oseQtGuyHnEq8tuIeRs6uWgvNs7I/s1600/June+106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbtUfmllTxfooVj-8U0lTU1ZgC2Bd6vmulgvUE-zMbyJ0A_T5XZfq0HL5H_0CQ4fbIy3CCrXBttsLxU342X71DlEH547YhTkPVoR4pDsdBaXYOK2oseQtGuyHnEq8tuIeRs6uWgvNs7I/s320/June+106.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Sunday we returned to a sprinkler park/kiddie pool that is close to our home. Long-time readers may remember our <a href="http://beckybopwrites.blogspot.com/2010/06/toddlers-do-new-york.html">visit</a> there last summer. Once again it was chilly, and once again we were the only people playing in the water. And if I thought that Thomas was happy to be at the ocean, I don't even have words to describe his excitement for the sprinklers. He was sprinting through the sprinklers giggling and squeeling with his arms spread out.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoWIIRFG1pj6jWtyCKPHcwjsJaTI0ClhfmRsPEF50cMeuuRxID15bBPvvgotxh9JGYGJq-7qCbmyxqo71RZdwTOEvuF3k1odQXG74SgJLQqom0n60uyWrWr5IAiaWUnlQT7esEK_-sj0/s1600/DSC08371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoWIIRFG1pj6jWtyCKPHcwjsJaTI0ClhfmRsPEF50cMeuuRxID15bBPvvgotxh9JGYGJq-7qCbmyxqo71RZdwTOEvuF3k1odQXG74SgJLQqom0n60uyWrWr5IAiaWUnlQT7esEK_-sj0/s320/DSC08371.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDX9Ea5yrVsyoT4ypA-YEXydM9T8ARZqbGCuv-N_NCjtAKeXLbbVHC7gl4AeN7rh3VLmJYYc4E5VRJj1_lVcIEnBVXRsz8QBAxm8AvZmCF3GVNDlANlkg4d8DNDvc_Z_fOAv7Q5du1Xvs/s1600/DSC08364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDX9Ea5yrVsyoT4ypA-YEXydM9T8ARZqbGCuv-N_NCjtAKeXLbbVHC7gl4AeN7rh3VLmJYYc4E5VRJj1_lVcIEnBVXRsz8QBAxm8AvZmCF3GVNDlANlkg4d8DNDvc_Z_fOAv7Q5du1Xvs/s320/DSC08364.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We also spent plenty of time hanging out at home, playing with Mr. Potato Head, and enjoying some adult beverage after the boys went to bed. I almost can't believe how much easier is has become to manage the boys in our not childproofed apartment. Last summer having them play inside for even a few minutes was stressful, between protecting them from our stuff and protecting our stuff from them. Both of these recent weekends they've been so well behaved and had a good time with the toys we offered them (plus of course the ones their mom brought from home). Hanging out with Jen was fun as always too, but my apologies Jen, but your sons make for cuter blogging!Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393002540644390630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-15795539937392890632011-06-06T22:46:00.000-04:002011-06-06T22:46:56.547-04:00Health InsuranceCan I just vent about health insurance for a few minutes? Of course I can, it's my blog.<br />
<br />
I received a bill today for my co-pay for the surgery I had a month ago. I was expecting this bill, so that's annoying, but the way life goes. I was also expecting the hospital to be attempting to bill my insurance some ludicrous amount and then accepting it when my insurance offered three cents in return. But nonetheless it is shocking to see the actual numbers. For the whole surgery shabang they charged my insurance $11,329. On the day of my surgery the hospital billed $600 for two iterations of a blood type test (do they really do the same test twice?). My insurance paid $2,730 total. Furthermore, in the past 60 days (i.e. including pre-op blood work and screening and such) doctors have billed my insurance over $30,000. And you know what they've paid? Just over $5k. <br />
<br />
Now, of course, I am glad that I did not have to pay anyone $5k, let alone $30k. Compared to these numbers my copay is insignificant. I am thankful that I have health insurance, and I know that many people are not so fortunate. But is this bizarre system really the same system that health care reform opponents are so determined to fight to the death to defend? Are these numbers based on anything? If I didn't have insurance would they actually be billing me these ludicrous amounts, and I would therefore be paying several times more than insured patients? Or are these numbers just pure fiction and some uninsured discount would appear? <br />
<br />
I know that health care costs money. I know that it is a major issue that some people don't understand that it is an expensive commodity. I'm sure that the medication I received and the cost of the operating room and the services of the surgeon and the anesthesiologist and all of those things genuinely cost a lot of money. But why is the price for them something that is determined by a complicated closed doors political negotiation between my insurance company and some Medicare government employees and the hospitals and probably the CEO of Exxon Mobil? <br />
<br />
These questions are rhetorical, although I'm sure some of you reading know more of the answers than I do. I'm not well enough informed to have a strong opinion on the health reform that passed or most of the alternative proposals that were made or may be made in the future. But I think the current system is ridiculous and I have no idea why health care reform opponents suddenly became so enamored with their current health insurance companies, because personally I'm convinced that mine is out to get me. (They already got my gallbladder!) Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393002540644390630noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-54458690874245403642011-06-05T14:03:00.000-04:002011-06-05T14:03:50.851-04:00Badger StateMy apologies again for the lack of blogging recently. We keep resolving to do better, but the follow through has been lax.<br />
<br />
Last week we spent the holiday weekend jetsetting our way to visit Becky's family in Wisconsin. I am told that Wisconsin is not everyone's dream weekend getaway, but for us it's always fun to go to the Midwest. Sunday was Becky's dad's final Sunday as choir director at his church, after many many years in the position. Becky's mom threw a party for him and invited several surprise guests - including us! If our traveling had gone as planned we would have arrived at Becky's parents' home just after 10pm. However, due to "weather" (definitely not holiday traffic or airline or air traffic control error!) our plane didn't even take off from New York until around 11:30pm. We surprised a very sleepy pajama-clad Becky's dad at 2am.<br />
<br />
But we are not ones to let a short vacation go to waste! Despite our exhaustion we hauled ourselves out of bed early Saturday morning in order to drive to Madison. Motivation: fresh local cheese curds! The only place we've found in the tristate area to get cheese curds is Trader Joe's, and while decent, they cannot compare to the fresh local variety. Madison has the largest farmer's market I have ever seen, which covers the entire block around the state capital building. Like any farmer's market there are fresh local vegetables and organic crafts. There is also an over representation of delicious baked goods. Unique to Wisconsin though are the dozens of cheese shops, most with plentiful sampling options. <br />
<br />
On the way in we stopped at <a href="http://michelangeloscoffeehouse.com/">Michelangelo's Coffee House</a>. I got fair trade coffee; Becky ogled baked goods (but chose to save space for the market). Yay for cute little independent coffee shops! My friends and I used to frequent several of these in the Twin Cities back in high school and breaks home from college, but I haven't found (admittedly nor have I looked very hard) around here to love. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Uh1fxhBg3EUooLX4kAZFc6MvGWnMrC_9Hhbn0vvvKFE1xM6QbeBPL9PPY9qZHOVt_-Pf9Tm-poYUMc6q_W4jjksCMjQRG0mBa7FiQTlEYrih__F6beIHviszh8P__M_lx9XLsfq4o7g/s1600/May+341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Uh1fxhBg3EUooLX4kAZFc6MvGWnMrC_9Hhbn0vvvKFE1xM6QbeBPL9PPY9qZHOVt_-Pf9Tm-poYUMc6q_W4jjksCMjQRG0mBa7FiQTlEYrih__F6beIHviszh8P__M_lx9XLsfq4o7g/s320/May+341.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bad photo of me in front of the capital</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We ate and bought an excessive amount of cheese curds and toasting cheese. Becky's coworkers have fallen for them, so now whenever she (or her fellow Wisconsinite coworker) goes home cheese curds must be brought to work. By the time we made it around to <a href="http://www.stellasofmadison.com/">Stella's</a> we were already quite full. The crowd/line around the stand was enormous, and we debated skipping the spicy cheese bread. But the power of the crowd overcame me and I declared that whatever that many people were willing to wait for must be good. Miraculously, soon after we joined the crowd, a truck full of fresh steaming spicy cheese bread arrived. This bread is magical. It is like challah and cheese curds all rolled together in one doughy amazing ball. I declared it the best thing I have ever eaten, and I think I might stand by that. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvW3vyYhyphenhyphenh3nAxRta8S-UN1xzR5h6LoduxfNzYXnUdmB0rMxGdhohofvs_lD7y1wnTh2aid9msTacxE1UC6gkRbk1VhqVsvjQ9tqu-oIucolrt90sOLok_WaizOeLfJ_LFcUxNOTLSh1s/s1600/May+356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvW3vyYhyphenhyphenh3nAxRta8S-UN1xzR5h6LoduxfNzYXnUdmB0rMxGdhohofvs_lD7y1wnTh2aid9msTacxE1UC6gkRbk1VhqVsvjQ9tqu-oIucolrt90sOLok_WaizOeLfJ_LFcUxNOTLSh1s/s320/May+356.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doughy insides of mostly consumed hot & spicy cheese bread.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Madison still felt alive with the memory of the <a href="http://beckybopwrites.blogspot.com/2011/02/this-is-what-democracy-looks-like.html">recent protests</a>. There were signs plastered in the windows of the capital, people passing out leaflets, "union thug" organic onesies for sale, and a People's Brat Fest in opposition to the usual Brat Fest sponsored by Johnsonville (a supporter of Scott Walker). I think it renewed Becky's sadness that she wasn't able to be in Madison for the protests, but it was fun to see the spirit is still alive. Hopefully this will translate into some political change.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>On the way back to Becky's parents' home we stopped at a favorite non-farmer's market bakery, <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/greenbush-bakery-inc-madison">Greenbush</a>, to pick up chocolate sour cream donuts. Yum. We were too full to eat them immediately, but they were as heavenly as ever when we got to them. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0zKLnt_EUC9SDVaXMUfaflIulx6rKFrdDpKCWDWnrR9PcWAerp7iAKBlPUgfxSv7b9IMMtxWb5e7xoX3C8oZgxoxyk7CE8y9QtJncxYF-SA0F9exfvv7p5x26MqiS54njN2opYh2zz9U/s1600/May+357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0zKLnt_EUC9SDVaXMUfaflIulx6rKFrdDpKCWDWnrR9PcWAerp7iAKBlPUgfxSv7b9IMMtxWb5e7xoX3C8oZgxoxyk7CE8y9QtJncxYF-SA0F9exfvv7p5x26MqiS54njN2opYh2zz9U/s320/May+357.jpg" width="240" /></a> </div>After our whirlwind trip to Madison we headed back to Becky's family. We helped a bit with the party preparation and lounged around with her family. Saturday night we ate at an Italian restaurant and were able to order Chicago style pizza - another of the very few foods we have found to be unavailable in New York. <br />
<br />
Sunday we had a lovely time hanging out with Becky's family and family friends, celebrating the final choir Sunday. Becky joined the choir, as she usually does on Christmas Eve (I guess this is a benefit to being related to the choir director!). After church Becky's mom hosted a potluck party for the choir and all of the special surprise guests. That night Becky and one of her sisters and I played ping pong, which gave me a splendid opportunity to show off my spectacular lack of coordination. Monday we packed up, said our goodbyes, and jetted ourselves back to life in the big city. Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393002540644390630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-17485428670631959102011-05-25T23:54:00.000-04:002011-05-26T00:38:38.526-04:00Wedding Wednesdays: Wedding Week InsanityAs Carrie has already told you, we did all of our on-site planning in short bursts in the months leading up to the wedding. We tried to do as much as we could ahead of time, but there were still lots of projects that ended up needing to be done at the last minute. Looking through our to-do list now, I'm a bit overwhelmed by how much we (with the help of many family members!) were able to accomplish in that time.<br />
<br />
Our wedding was on a Saturday. We flew in on Wednesday afternoon. (Note to future brides planning from afar: if you can spare the vacation time, give yourself more time than this.) Our first stop was to pick up the rental car, which led to semi-awkward interaction with the rental car guy while Carrie filled out the paperwork:<br />
<br />
Rental Car Guy: So what brings you to town?<br />
Carrie: Um, our wedding.<br />
RCG: Oh....blah blah blah try to upsell rental car crap...would you like to add a second driver for $$$ per day?<br />
Me: I thought your company's policy is that spouses and domestic partners are free? (Yes, I had a printout from company's website if needed.)<br />
RCG: Wait, are you already married?<br />
Me: Yes.<br />
RCG: Oh, okay then. Well if <i>she</i> (looking at Carrie) trusts you...<br />
<br />
We then went on our merry way to pile our stuff into the tiniest, cheapest rental car ever--I had no idea that factories are still making cars without power locks and windows. But fear not, we had Sirius satellite radio!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMZEXG4-udGklmgUnjxjqbXx1XWojhrc8tX_Z-xU2Ydym6HVySnjDt161hLs0-nB_XGiV8nLvnOc_KJRVHanNQYGHNVSaSfVKeRyZVsZUHltuSispU-WtDuMmHo8CGQgHYRwoHAJfbp0/s1600/November+486.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMZEXG4-udGklmgUnjxjqbXx1XWojhrc8tX_Z-xU2Ydym6HVySnjDt161hLs0-nB_XGiV8nLvnOc_KJRVHanNQYGHNVSaSfVKeRyZVsZUHltuSispU-WtDuMmHo8CGQgHYRwoHAJfbp0/s320/November+486.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously, the window has a crank? Seriously?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The airport timing worked out such that Carrie's grandmother was arriving around the same time, so we picked her up a few minutes later and were off. Carrie and I still had a bunch of errands to run, so we made a quick stop at her parents' house and then headed out to buy last-minute supplies. One of the projects still TBD was the card box. Our plan was to pick up something at Michaels that we could decorate, but that plan failed when Michaels didn't have a single box of an appropriate size. Fortunately, a helpful employee directed us to the nearby HomeGoods store, where we settled on a black leather box that needed some alterations but would do. I am terrified of hot glue guns, so this entire project became a bonding moment for Carrie and my mom (with a bit of help from Carrie's dad). Sadly, it appears that despite their painstaking efforts, we don't have any pictures of the process or the finished product. This is actually sort of a theme from those few days--apparently running around like crazy people does not inspire one to meticulously photodocument the experience. We did have a relaxing dinner that evening at a Mongolian BBQ restaurant that was one of Carrie's favorite restaurants back in the day. It's hard to go wrong with DIY stirfry assembly.<br />
<br />
In those few days, we had lots of last-minute paper projects to tackle--table signs, other random signs, and what would quickly become my nemesis: place cards. We had everything all set up ahead of time. The formatting was done, the mail merge was done, so it was just a matter of feeding the sheets into the printer and then hand stamping them. It turned out that the stamping was the least frustrating part of this process. The first few sheets printed fine, and then suddenly we had all sorts of problems. There was weird gray fringing. There was smudged printing. There were parts missing of some letters. We played with the printer settings, we shook the toner cartridge, we put in a new toner cartridge, and the gray smudginess was still there. At this point we were out of blank place cards despite having bought twice as many as we needed, and I was Freaking. Out. My mom went off on a trip to Staples, which involved her talking to a couple managers and going to multiple locations around the Twin Cities metro area before she found the cards in stock. And while she did that, Sean took apart the printer a bit and cleaned some parts so that once my mom finally returned victorious from Staples, we were able to print the rest. Oh yeah, and all of this involved me running laps back and forth between the computer that had Publisher on it and the printer in a different room. I think that may have been the only exercise I got that week, so it was probably good for me.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMYpw4EdkQsr7606VMAVT15Q9Ovt50fueY35bh01qCrSxO6iFNwGhu5Q4nkVNvoc-EuEHg9gxHMQA3syf4AgfyGl40pwMX2KfatGdLAbsI-rcm1gLqEWpIl-DYmgjXHNQDIbUMZ9Lcno/s1600/November+271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMYpw4EdkQsr7606VMAVT15Q9Ovt50fueY35bh01qCrSxO6iFNwGhu5Q4nkVNvoc-EuEHg9gxHMQA3syf4AgfyGl40pwMX2KfatGdLAbsI-rcm1gLqEWpIl-DYmgjXHNQDIbUMZ9Lcno/s320/November+271.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at the printer. I think the expression on my face is "Carrie, why are you taking my picture? Can't you see that I am freaking out here?"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Fortunately, Thursday evening also involved a wonderful treat: dinner at Lindey's Steak House. It's a very old-school steak place that Carrie's family occasionally visits for special occasions, and apparently wedding preparation was a noteworthy occasion. Stuffing ourselves with steak and potatoes seemed like a good antidote to the earlier stresses.<br />
<br />
Friday, of course, brought more stress. We had planned for mani/pedis for us, our moms, and whomever of our bridesmaids were around and interested. Despite the fact that we'd scheduled an appointment for all of us, the nail salon was rather understaffed, and we ended up being there for several hours.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTpQSjNXyvlaWMiBPBoAPrE0qHK4vtuIXaxJbE5wrYn8XNdhOfJCqIb0dlVdpsrxCf5sFBrnSSp2BOiUkUtcSbfyBLVbLhp1T3eNHsxb2CE_fzVEF9aIsJxiLQ82Ou2VnC5Pd0y7aDX8/s1600/November+277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTpQSjNXyvlaWMiBPBoAPrE0qHK4vtuIXaxJbE5wrYn8XNdhOfJCqIb0dlVdpsrxCf5sFBrnSSp2BOiUkUtcSbfyBLVbLhp1T3eNHsxb2CE_fzVEF9aIsJxiLQ82Ou2VnC5Pd0y7aDX8/s320/November+277.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of us pretending to read magazines while I'm trying really hard to suppress a giggle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfQgdwJj4l4zyGTGXKQhpwhua5a1fZx_j1Yuc6OfuTzvL5NYLv2r2ce28a0Pu2Z2IfeKOZz54T1uF1Q8lHBtWU0gqh8bR-rnkHgC5RoYgmEPaMojfmeUiGfnRlE03LCUwqC2WY5LpToE/s1600/November+295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfQgdwJj4l4zyGTGXKQhpwhua5a1fZx_j1Yuc6OfuTzvL5NYLv2r2ce28a0Pu2Z2IfeKOZz54T1uF1Q8lHBtWU0gqh8bR-rnkHgC5RoYgmEPaMojfmeUiGfnRlE03LCUwqC2WY5LpToE/s320/November+295.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Under the dryers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We all had fun, but it was time we hadn't really budgeted for, so the rest of the day got rather hectic. Basically, we got home from the nail salon at around the time that we were supposed to be dropping off favors, place cards, etc. at the reception venue. But not only were we not ready, there were still a few random signs that needed to be made and the kids' favor bags needed to be assembled. Oh yeah, and as of this point, we hadn't even started putting together our photo slideshow; the photos had been scanned but still needed to be sorted, put in order, and set to music. And we needed to be at the rehearsal in just a couple of hours, and not only did we all need to get ready for that, but I needed to pack for the next couple of days because I was spending that night at the hotel (yeah, we're traditional like that). Carrie started the slideshow, Jen worked on the kids' bags, and I ran around like a crazy person. I'm not even sure if I was doing anything useful--I may just have been flapping my arms and making scared noises.<br />
<br />
At one point I definitely started hyperventilating because the menu sign wasn't sized to fit right with a double matte in the frame we'd bought for it. Yes, the menu sign was where I finally lost it. The menu sign. People had already picked their meals ahead of time--this was just a courtesy at the entrance to tell them what the sides would be, etc. In other words, it was totally unnecessary, but I couldn't see that at the moment, nor could I think calmly enough to be able to handle fractions and recalculate the size. Fortunately, at this point Sean jumped in. It turns out that geeky guys are perfectly suited for measuring and aligning a beautifully double-matted menu sign. And while he did that, I finished off our list for the venue and started loading all of our paraphernalia into the car.<br />
<br />
Carrie and I pretty much showed up at the venue in a whirlwind, dropped the bubbles, favors, place cards, signs, and whatever else happened to be in the car (I'm surprised we didn't leave them the spare tire). We were hyper-organized (and mildly paranoid about the idea of something not going perfectly as planned), so we had a list for them of everything we'd brought and where it should go, as well as a diagram of the venue with table names, high chair placement, and labels for where all our stuff should be. We talked through that list at about 90 miles a minute, then ran out the door and back to Carrie's parents' house to get ready for the rehearsal, which it was quite clear that we were going to be late for. I know that this is somewhat to be expected at weddings--lots of things don't start on time. But I really hate inconveniencing people, so I was having all kinds of stress thinking about our nearest and dearest sitting at the church waiting for us. Apparently though, these things don't start without the brides, so they were all mingling happily when we arrived. <br />
<br />
This post has already gone on far too long, so you'll have to wait until next time to hear what happens next (I know, crazy suspense, right?) But what I couldn't really capture here was A. what a blur this whole time was, and B. how much of it we couldn't have done without our families. There were all sorts of other things happening that I haven't written about here, in part because I don't even remember who did them, but they got done. Dresses were taken to the cleaner to be steamed, lunches were made, the church was set up, and all sorts of other things that I wasn't involved in. Oh, and in case this wasn't enough insanity, there were two toddlers running around the whole time. It was certainly not a calm, quiet way to go into a wedding, but does that ever happen? I may not have reached a point of pre-wedding bliss, but we spent those days surrounded by family and friends who were willing to join us in the frantic frenzy that was necessary to make our wedding happen.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV1UY7qNCabixrMKJky_CuS-l5IAL7CtD6zWqOAYDa5JugAZKwsdIf1JKCBODgNZJzvV08o6S2mDjKktP1u2hRY_lNHMzOmB4CC3IjsAe7ui4yJTJz5JplRROVTw557yWu3rVwSH5esB8/s1600/November+267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV1UY7qNCabixrMKJky_CuS-l5IAL7CtD6zWqOAYDa5JugAZKwsdIf1JKCBODgNZJzvV08o6S2mDjKktP1u2hRY_lNHMzOmB4CC3IjsAe7ui4yJTJz5JplRROVTw557yWu3rVwSH5esB8/s320/November+267.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the little men, being as helpful as he could be. I think we all wanted to join him in that nap.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02717851756676957848noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-14721431220615405462011-05-24T15:00:00.003-04:002011-05-24T15:00:01.035-04:00Tornado CountryThe vast majority of people I know who grew up in the Midwest have strong memories of a shared childhood fear: tornadoes. It wasn't until I'd left Minnesota that I discovered that other children did not have tornado drills in their schools, where they were asked to duck and cover under the desks or beneath the coat racks in the hallways. Several classrooms in my high school were in an area of the school that was intended to be temporary, but ended up sticking around for several decades. An amusing memory from high school includes a teacher announcing that although the official recommendation upon a tornado warning was that we duck under the desks, if we happened to see her running for the [solid, concrete] bathrooms we should feel free to follow. In Minnesota, every child learns that if you are out driving in a tornado warning (or in sight of a funnel cloud, though I have never actually experienced this) you should get out of the car and lie in a ditch. <br />
<br />
I can't find the post offhand, but I think we've written here previously about the strange New Jersey use of sirens to signify snow days rather than tornado warnings. In Minnesota (and Wisconsin) a piercing outdoor siren undeniably signals that it is time to drop everything, grab your pets and a radio, and run for the basement. You may be stuck there for an hour or more, and you will spend much of the time contemplating whether you should huddle under the most structurally sound portion of the house and whether it would be safe to sneak upstairs and try [fruitlessly] to catch a glimpse of a funnel cloud. This was a several times per summer ritual. I remember once when my friends and I were out for a walk in the rain and the sirens went off. We were several blocks from home, and instead of running for it we knocked on the door of an almost-stranger and asked to cower in their basement. This seemed semi-normal at the time. Because we grew up with a shared fear of tornadoes, and so did those people, and so did their children.<br />
<br />
Supposedly they do have tornadoes out here in the East. One weekend last summer my sister and her family were visiting us. We had just enjoyed dinner in a restaurant, and Becky volunteered to take our overtired nephews outside to burn off a little energy while Jen and Sean and I finished up. A bit later I followed them outside, and noticed a vaguely familiar green tinge to the sky. On a whim, I glanced at my smartphone and actually bothered to check the "severe weather alert." It said "tornado warning." Becky and Jen and I shared a moment of muted panic. There were no sirens announcing it; New Jerseyians were carrying on as if nothing was happening. But you can't take years of Midwestern training out of us. We rushed to a nearby supermarket and waited out the warning. Sean, the non-Midwesterner among us, was a bit bewildered about what all the fuss was about. Because he did not grow up with the constant specter of tornadoes hanging over his head.<br />
<br />
There have been awful tornadoes in several parts of the country recently. The worst hit places are far from either of our childhood homes. But this weekend there was a tornado that touched down not far from my parents' home. The pictures bring back strong childhood memories of that intense tornado fear. I am thankful to live in a part of the world where this fear can be muted, and I am thinking of all the people in the South and Missouri and Minnesota who have lost loved ones or are dealing with damaged property.Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393002540644390630noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-72980187574646369052011-05-23T22:45:00.000-04:002011-05-23T22:45:21.609-04:00Accidental TouristsWe spent this weekend at home without visitors, and without any major plans. Friday night we went with Kara to dinner at a Mexican restaurant in the city that was tasty but a bit more expensive than menupages lead us to believe. We were intending to see the movie Bridesmaids together afterward, but when we arrived at the intended theater we discovered that it was sold out. Who knew this movie was so popular? Apparently everybody else did, but not us. Instead we split up and went to our respective homes. Becky and I watched the season finale of Grey's Anatomy. We took a long (years??) break from this show, but got sucked back in by the musical episode. Marketing success I guess! <br />
<br />
Saturday we did all the cleaning/errands/etc. We also accomplished several of the little things that have been sitting on the to-do list forever. I have no idea why we procrastinate on things that take two minutes, but somehow it always seems like there's a long list of them that we don't want to do. You know, things like "e-mail the cat sitter about the honeymoon" and "tape the box shut on the swimsuit you need to return." Are there classes we can take to learn how to stop procrastinating on this stuff? <br />
<br />
In the evening we had the stay-at-home version of date night. We ate steak (a rarity around here!), worked on that deliciousness Becky already posted about, and watched The Tourist. <br />
<br />
On Sunday we went into the city to be at-home tourists. But sadly we didn't get to meet Angelina Jolie or Johnny Depp and we did not get to steal 744 billion euros. Too bad too, because the dollar is doing very little to get me excited to spend euros in just a few short weeks. Thankfully my excitement is strong enough to sustain itself! While waiting for our friend Stephanie and her daughter to arrive at our meeting point in Bryant Park we happened upon free outdoor ping pong tables. I have no idea who comes up with this stuff. But, due to the drizzly overcast weather, we were able to entertain ourselves with no wait. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisThPjY_sfo08B4fJhgQjbKU_YOoKUNtnz17GsctXVqag68HhSc2uBKZaobML2RHHm2HEfbTGY5JmQHKDaX88hNeu8eym6C0DRNJeidKk1ODasyJJ33jtLGE67roMDXW47Ieut6p8xkb8/s1600/23May+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisThPjY_sfo08B4fJhgQjbKU_YOoKUNtnz17GsctXVqag68HhSc2uBKZaobML2RHHm2HEfbTGY5JmQHKDaX88hNeu8eym6C0DRNJeidKk1ODasyJJ33jtLGE67roMDXW47Ieut6p8xkb8/s320/23May+002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We then enjoyed a leasurely lunch at an umbrella covered table, followed by a ride on the carousel. Yep, three adults and one toddler. Got a problem with it? <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gKJVJla68WxlLktZHUtWl-D69k-MlpnhZbg7Cyk25gAiloGwgFd-2thStVo4UjT1Gaob92eo2NlmSyP05QS_EkUDpKq9g20T_MPCc08q79EYf23Ma7YdJLL9jMQKJX7198APrYFPxC0/s1600/23May+023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gKJVJla68WxlLktZHUtWl-D69k-MlpnhZbg7Cyk25gAiloGwgFd-2thStVo4UjT1Gaob92eo2NlmSyP05QS_EkUDpKq9g20T_MPCc08q79EYf23Ma7YdJLL9jMQKJX7198APrYFPxC0/s320/23May+023.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>There's a cute little outdoor kids "reading room" right next to it. Which, apparently, you can spend several hundred dollars to rent for your child's birthday party. New Yorkers are seriously a little bit weird. Nonetheless, it was fun to enjoy for free. There's also a cool little outdoor bar in the park that we want to go back to sometime. I had no idea there was so much cool stuff in there. <br />
<br />
When we were tired of getting damp we headed inside to the 100th birthday celebration of the New York Public Library. The main branch of the library is one of those famous buildings that I've admired from the outside but never quite gotten around to going inside. It's gorgeous! I love old buildings, and if I had a time machine I would definitely travel back to pre-internet days and see what the library was like then. Of course it's a good thing that information is more readily accessible now, but there must have been something really special about going to a huge gorgeous library when it was the only way to possibly access certain pieces of information. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhSPduFM5abN-l6bYwXyVrcrr-3Q79-SDgNjY5HucCupIFDXzgPpASw7nb87MmKhE3Y5NUnzMiui8me2sZSow65Eh4zdydjhrq1B2tT0cDzXnmE7OxPtRlpfyPNgLnzYGhnGmftN4aRw/s1600/23May+028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhSPduFM5abN-l6bYwXyVrcrr-3Q79-SDgNjY5HucCupIFDXzgPpASw7nb87MmKhE3Y5NUnzMiui8me2sZSow65Eh4zdydjhrq1B2tT0cDzXnmE7OxPtRlpfyPNgLnzYGhnGmftN4aRw/s320/23May+028.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>They had a storytelling festival going on, with some really talented storytellers. Several kids in the audience were really absorbed by it, but Stephanie's daughter was much more intrigued by the folding chairs in the auditorium. They were obviously not designed for the weight of children, and kept trying to fold up with the children still sitting in them. <br />
<br />
We also explored the children's center and by chance happened upon something that has been on our to-see-in-NYC list since the beginning: the original Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals! No flash photography was allowed, but you can see here Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, Tigger, Kanga, and of course....their friend the otter?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDDq8nzXFtkdsrqWNpJ8k9jbYiDDBgPfp4di8FwxY71sWBwOjcPjm19Qtdo06SJPNmPa258LYIRcgsufyC1RPg70GzhaXZUYuVLiBKRaF4n89syhuQC8suRjhi3olJPpO3juWGdCEscE/s1600/23May+030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDDq8nzXFtkdsrqWNpJ8k9jbYiDDBgPfp4di8FwxY71sWBwOjcPjm19Qtdo06SJPNmPa258LYIRcgsufyC1RPg70GzhaXZUYuVLiBKRaF4n89syhuQC8suRjhi3olJPpO3juWGdCEscE/s320/23May+030.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393002540644390630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-52638428327854137042011-05-22T21:33:00.001-04:002011-05-22T21:33:21.621-04:00Pan de MallorcaI wandered into Starbucks the other morning in search of a pastry for breakfast. Normally they probably wouldn't be my first stop for breakfast (as a non-coffee drinker), but I remembered that I had a couple dollars left on a gift card and that therefore my pastry would be free! I was intrigued by a roll they called "Mallorca Sweet Bread" and decided to give it a go. It was soft and chewy and covered with powdered sugar. In short, it was delicious. Unfortunately, like most mass-produced baked goods, it had a hint of chemical aftertaste, so I set off to do better.<br />
<br />
A quick search led me to <a href="http://thenoshery.com/2009/08/19/mallorca/">this post</a> from <a href="http://thenoshery.com/">The Noshery</a> (unrelated sidenote: the homepage currently includes a recipe for "<a href="http://thenoshery.com/2011/05/11/runny-egg-on-creamy-bacon-polenta/">Runny Egg on Creamy Bacon Polenta</a>", which is now added to my must-try list.) What I learned from her post and my other internet research is that mallorcas (or pan de Mallorca) are a popular Puerto Rican sweet roll based on <i>ensaïmada</i>, a traditional bread from the island of Majorca.<br />
<br />
I debated halving the recipe, but Carrie talked me into making the whole thing with the reasoning that we would likely eat more than one at a time (we both have an intense sweet tooth). I'm glad that we have plenty of leftovers, but if I'm making these just for the two of us again, I'll definitely go with a half batch--these rolls are big! We also may or may not have eaten quite a bit of the deliciously sweet dough in the process, but we still had plenty for twelve large rolls. The dough is definitely on the stickier side and was a little difficult to shape because of that. Carrie also wants to make sure that I give her full credit: she was quite helpful and skilled at shaping the rolls. (She was also quite helpful at eating the excess dough in the bowl. :))<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMije5WqB2qvcW3Co-ZEpqHdtQtAaUzfkBZatGuZ3itWOvaEzWk3NE2DeWs-fX2wBJNGqYqDLZgOYGn1pdj8JbIMxUqcM_83RV2SmMHgxGK1mzz3GkXhL31BQzDsUpn4uWcmBswcLJFIU/s1600/May+325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMije5WqB2qvcW3Co-ZEpqHdtQtAaUzfkBZatGuZ3itWOvaEzWk3NE2DeWs-fX2wBJNGqYqDLZgOYGn1pdj8JbIMxUqcM_83RV2SmMHgxGK1mzz3GkXhL31BQzDsUpn4uWcmBswcLJFIU/s320/May+325.jpg" width="310" /></a></div><br />
Unfortunately, I didn't start on this project until close to 8:00 last night, which meant they weren't going in the oven until nearly midnight. I got a little impatient and put both pans in the oven at the same time. As a result, the ones in the pan near the bottom of the oven got a little overcooked on the bottom, but they're still tasty!<br />
<br />
We sprinkled a couple with copious amounts of powdered sugar and ate them immediately.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Oyy997W6C_ayQI3zY0VZNwkt7ksZrt8Vop2ZWpyhQJMAVBXJnh-vLkVrLB_A40PNY0-075dzVzARvSfr0pVNu34E1nLvnrMK0B7UV2n4SLjybhSrikCo015-RldK7RYNK8SJ6wZY7nw/s1600/May+331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Oyy997W6C_ayQI3zY0VZNwkt7ksZrt8Vop2ZWpyhQJMAVBXJnh-vLkVrLB_A40PNY0-075dzVzARvSfr0pVNu34E1nLvnrMK0B7UV2n4SLjybhSrikCo015-RldK7RYNK8SJ6wZY7nw/s320/May+331.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This morning we filled two with cheese, heated them up in the oven, and powdered sugared them. Delicious! Unfortunately we didn't have any ham, so we couldn't try them with ham and cheese as is apparently traditional, but I have a feeling we'll be making these again. If nothing else, it gives Carrie a good reason to play with her beloved powdered sugar shaker!Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02717851756676957848noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-50420609904930470282011-05-21T09:53:00.000-04:002011-05-21T09:53:18.989-04:00Miss me?Well, of course we had good intentions. We were going to bring you a Wedding Wednesday. And probably a Random Thursday. And some random article/life commentary in the mean time. I'm tempted to tell you that these things did not materialize because we were caught up in living our lives to the fullest (or perhaps repenting?) in anticipation of today's zombie apocalypse. That would make for a pretty good story. Maybe I could tell you about how we called in sick to work and spent the week checking things off of our bucket lists, like Becky's dream to skydive or my dream to ride a jetski. These activities would be far less enjoyable with zombies wandering around. Especially in New York City, because there's a hell of a lot of cemeteries in the outer boroughs. <br />
<br />
The truth, however, is far more mundane. Neither of us arrived home much before 9pm any night this week, and by the time we drag ourselves through that long of a day and the commute, blogging feels unrealistic. Somehow we can manage most of our other internet socializing from our phones and work computers, but not blogging. Thankfully though, early reports from around the world indicate that (surprisingly enough) the zombie apocalypse is not coming to pass. We had big plans to liveblog the rapture, but now it seems like that would be the world's boringest liveblog of us doing errands and cleaning the house. Due to the postponement of the apocalypse we will have plenty of time to check off some of those bucket list items, and hopefully also to write for your bloggy entertainment.<br />
<br />
I'll leave you with a plea for fashion advice. My work dress code is relatively casual, but I fear I've been pushing it a bit lately on the casual side, so last weekend we did some shopping. I found a shirt (for a good price) and decided to buy it, despite Becky's assertion that it was the ugliest shirt she's ever seen. Or something drastic and negative like that. But now I'm having second thoughts about buying this shirt despite my wife's strong objections. So I'm opening it up to you, faithful internet friends. Should I keep the shirt? Let me know in the comments. Please ignore the goofy pose, I wasn't fully intending to post these on the internet when we took them. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2ZmHREdOCZLTUyMb544gcHN07VfZ9aDBz_RKKv4rzby9Nlth8GSG6yZG0diSe6uTUkmsLDCV0NbQdgaPicu5ueFswivjcMjflUe3_wqqnW0wLQ6BDAeYMGvAlqAAw14BYwbz5EMiNVk/s1600/May+319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2ZmHREdOCZLTUyMb544gcHN07VfZ9aDBz_RKKv4rzby9Nlth8GSG6yZG0diSe6uTUkmsLDCV0NbQdgaPicu5ueFswivjcMjflUe3_wqqnW0wLQ6BDAeYMGvAlqAAw14BYwbz5EMiNVk/s320/May+319.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ouMv_UHJZ5gHq6pQupuGpTm2O2cAUr20FF3NMzYYZfcaP5cLO0Jn1Z4GL-NjKv-YnvX67j2MwfdUlm0XMogt10QJ111eHxi4ak50IVR-nkTq0333Fg6D7qiLpuTJYYILSQbblFyRERE/s1600/May+323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ouMv_UHJZ5gHq6pQupuGpTm2O2cAUr20FF3NMzYYZfcaP5cLO0Jn1Z4GL-NjKv-YnvX67j2MwfdUlm0XMogt10QJ111eHxi4ak50IVR-nkTq0333Fg6D7qiLpuTJYYILSQbblFyRERE/s320/May+323.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up of my chest. What fun.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393002540644390630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439362866550429660.post-89193104800277930082011-05-16T00:24:00.000-04:002011-05-16T00:24:41.690-04:00Summer Kick-off 2011We spent a very lovely three day weekend kicking off summer at our favorite B&B in our favorite Jersey shore town. Several years ago we were approaching our first summer living in New Jersey and, being beach lovers, figured we should take a trip to the shore. We found a campground to use as a home base, and spent a weekend exploring various towns described in our guidebook. <br />
<br />
We fell in love with one town in particular, called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_Grove,_New_Jersey">Ocean Grove</a>. It's chock full of gorgeous Victorian homes and cute little shops, has a non-commercial boardwalk all along the ocean, and the whole town smells like beach. Ocean Grove quickly became our getaway place, and we go down for daytrips several times each summer. We found an adorable B&B that serves delicious hot breakfast (the specialty is cream cheese stuffed French toast casserole!) and has off-season rates and a 3-for-2 deal in May. Last year we weren't able to go due to the cost and time of wedding planning trips (though we did haul a friend there to take our fake e-pics there last April and <a href="http://beckybopwrites.blogspot.com/2010/07/on-surrey-biking.html">spent a week there</a> with my family in July), but this year we continued what has become an annual May tradition.<br />
<br />
Last Friday we later calculated that we walked nearly eight miles, as we checked to make sure that all of our favorite places were still there. The shore was abuzz with people getting ready for the summer. Beach storage bins were freshly painted and lined up to be set out, lifeguard stands and playground equipment were piled and awaiting beach placement, and everyone seemed to be out and about getting their summer homes set up for the season. I'm happy to report that no one pulled out the plug on the ocean in the last several months of our absence:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYogWjPHWv6HvqbRY9EnQEMA3BRV_nAGzSXMILf5Twc5IhkB8AFvk9sfTDIWwagQl3sISqx9-4PCEvvKcfNxjS6kUSSF0CZNzZrjNRpwm_uFQJXMZLFiiPHOLVsexx7d6yL1LMsgRuevo/s1600/May+196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYogWjPHWv6HvqbRY9EnQEMA3BRV_nAGzSXMILf5Twc5IhkB8AFvk9sfTDIWwagQl3sISqx9-4PCEvvKcfNxjS6kUSSF0CZNzZrjNRpwm_uFQJXMZLFiiPHOLVsexx7d6yL1LMsgRuevo/s320/May+196.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wave surprises Becky.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xWc6VRs8zEWoFYMN-S9vwNg3IrWNgycJ2yO-HeYoE8FtU2PJ-JX2-HHSQDj2BCma9z17IU9Dzg8J6j560QhplREDrwWhX9R9w13RetJe8CNE2gdnCypaunhTnLdTqEi-eDxhT28nYXM/s1600/May+246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xWc6VRs8zEWoFYMN-S9vwNg3IrWNgycJ2yO-HeYoE8FtU2PJ-JX2-HHSQDj2BCma9z17IU9Dzg8J6j560QhplREDrwWhX9R9w13RetJe8CNE2gdnCypaunhTnLdTqEi-eDxhT28nYXM/s320/May+246.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy hour by the ocean!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The only disappointing change is that a bakery closed, but I do suppose time marches onwards. Thankfully our favorite ice cream shop is still thriving. Here's Becky with a peanut-butter-twirl filled waffle cone:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKvHXsZwXuyKx24l9HdFumrmiyEM5qfcGdHrZa1G0CN8UMKt4Dq7MZHcfJsLVYLEV_wT0zetq26e7Rfoic5azMppZlflRlvrEr7N0oTvIO9uFlVn_-EWgHz9lDIGObR0i76YIiECElf7s/s1600/May+225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKvHXsZwXuyKx24l9HdFumrmiyEM5qfcGdHrZa1G0CN8UMKt4Dq7MZHcfJsLVYLEV_wT0zetq26e7Rfoic5azMppZlflRlvrEr7N0oTvIO9uFlVn_-EWgHz9lDIGObR0i76YIiECElf7s/s320/May+225.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>On Saturday we tried out a new activity: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_racing">horse racing</a>. We had never been before, as I'm fairly certain that Midwesterners do not partake in this sport. But we're almost always up for new wacky adventures in sporting so we decided to give it a shot. I hope we weren't inadvertently supporting animal cruelty, although Wikipedia tells me that unfortunately we may have been. I honestly had no idea that there would be so many people. Apparently large groups of friends/families/co-workers/who knows who rent out whole areas of picnic tables and bring in picnics and barbecues and coolers of beer and settle in for the whole day. We purchased a program to try to get our bearings, and ended up placing $14 worth of bets. We won back $2.60. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEDZ7HNcGzsI42yTO1b3ltQGPG30MTy3EwQwRW4FK1hUodWHh_Ei7-TGGUBpCUdov7qv2qEiW5ajOU5v3ma3S_mJQI1krI4QSgsKacDRJgbqob9dgL2CaknpaP9F_zVyL5VAVCBLboj4/s1600/May+271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEDZ7HNcGzsI42yTO1b3ltQGPG30MTy3EwQwRW4FK1hUodWHh_Ei7-TGGUBpCUdov7qv2qEiW5ajOU5v3ma3S_mJQI1krI4QSgsKacDRJgbqob9dgL2CaknpaP9F_zVyL5VAVCBLboj4/s320/May+271.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>There was a bit of a marital snafu when Becky wanted to bet on a horse that would have won us a few dollars and I instead insisted on betting on a horse that won us nothing. But overall, the horses were sleek and the hot dogs were familiar (at one funny point I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with not knowing what we were doing and I declared that we needed hot dogs because I had eaten a hot dog before). Becky declared that her favorite moment was when, after we had been at the track for about an hour, we finally spotted a horse and I said a bit too loudly "look, there's a horse!" <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5wBfRiuJjvfwMGWyiJHlJEgLZY_124NvD4lR9wJGsiFbtq8B4dUoLW-gEcc1372CRL1OxiRbes_mQBCzAZa-2QHIZA4jVRMKKld2Wf4vKoA6q4vTvxboI_Nsqn6hg3yVdCSp3NiWN9Bw/s1600/May+266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5wBfRiuJjvfwMGWyiJHlJEgLZY_124NvD4lR9wJGsiFbtq8B4dUoLW-gEcc1372CRL1OxiRbes_mQBCzAZa-2QHIZA4jVRMKKld2Wf4vKoA6q4vTvxboI_Nsqn6hg3yVdCSp3NiWN9Bw/s320/May+266.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We also spent plenty of time relaxing in the B&B, including reading Harry Potter (yes, the treasured books fresh from the <a href="http://beckybopwrites.blogspot.com/2011/04/fancy-shmancy-trunk-o-books.html">Harry Potter trunk</a>!) on the porch:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgSxWcoqyb-KiX3_mAIVpDzwELhAZmRYFoyZQk2pinqBa_4MQgYDPdZ1fzOoayHoCulM8V0qt6X999Ng_YVZCY4ApSbKLySpkyV9I2YMJMiBx50R4wb3SJLFuXAzEIX76mEoitwGUU3w/s1600/May+237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgSxWcoqyb-KiX3_mAIVpDzwELhAZmRYFoyZQk2pinqBa_4MQgYDPdZ1fzOoayHoCulM8V0qt6X999Ng_YVZCY4ApSbKLySpkyV9I2YMJMiBx50R4wb3SJLFuXAzEIX76mEoitwGUU3w/s320/May+237.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Becky claims she's "having fun in my mind."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>And plenty of time wandering on the beach, sticking our toes into the still frigid water:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7nN9fJhlw1THTOHj3VSj5NxRNL_DR8GpOIc7_2SlO2cFVxXwmf3f7UmsPFo42o9CB0U4bUre8b2gw0Ez8MZv6uccJTD6GCChjDYIUqgNhTdrdUjgmEx-dea1ribpqbgLRkiLbePpHcM/s1600/May+194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7nN9fJhlw1THTOHj3VSj5NxRNL_DR8GpOIc7_2SlO2cFVxXwmf3f7UmsPFo42o9CB0U4bUre8b2gw0Ez8MZv6uccJTD6GCChjDYIUqgNhTdrdUjgmEx-dea1ribpqbgLRkiLbePpHcM/s320/May+194.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Although we somewhat jokingly agreed to call this the start of summer, I am eagerly awaiting the warm summer weather and the warming of the ocean that will allow us to return to Ocean Grove to swim!!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_XToM1pghVjwEsuavoovuuAI9E8xdBZnhrJjW9SdWIEEmmTFgXB1GmD4VrKAO5nmSzwR0L87kApaEMMVxUPH9EIUFg0x02zB9ZR7VKf9KIjYpKz1C5xk0JR_ej0-NtRX5pt9Bd00qojA/s1600/May+317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_XToM1pghVjwEsuavoovuuAI9E8xdBZnhrJjW9SdWIEEmmTFgXB1GmD4VrKAO5nmSzwR0L87kApaEMMVxUPH9EIUFg0x02zB9ZR7VKf9KIjYpKz1C5xk0JR_ej0-NtRX5pt9Bd00qojA/s320/May+317.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393002540644390630noreply@blogger.com6