Surgery Update

I just realized I never blogged about my Dad. He had orthopedic surgery on Friday at 9:30am and was released Saturday morning. He is doing well and trying his best to rest. He was very lucky because the doctors were able to move his muscles during the surgery vs. having to cut the muscles. That means his recovery will hopefully go much easier! Thank you for all of your well wishes for him...

Laura Morgan in the City

So I just got back from visiting my friend Laura in Washington DC. I had such a great time with her and traveling around the city by plane, bus, metro (subway), taxi and of course by foot. Laura is a fabulous tour guide after living there for three years! Small town girl making it in the big city!

Laura and I met in high school in Perrysburg. We became good friends our senior year after a mission trip and starring in a play together. Her full name was Laura Morgan McDowell. Isn't that great? I just love calling her Laura Morgan! Now she is Laura Morgan Bensman...she got married a couple years ago to a fabulous guy, Rich who is a landscape architect. No, he isn't always digging in the dirt while he's at work, he's always on a computer designing landscapes. Laura Morgan is currently working at a preschool until next fall when she begins seminary at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington DC.

I arrived just in time for lunch at Ben's Chili Bowl. Oh my goodness, YUM! It's not the healthiest meal for you but it's worth it! So many famous people have eaten there, including my (apparantly) famous friend Laura! So we walked in to quite the fan fare, everyone knew Laura! When she worked in DC as a seminar leader she would visit Ben's weekly taking each seminar group to eat there at some point during their week working with her.

I had what Laura suggested, a half smoke, shared order of chili cheese fries and a Diet Coke. Don't laugh, I like Diet Coke better any day for and meal.



Laura and I with our meal. A half smoke consists of a kielbasa on a bun, sprinkled with diced onions, a generous portion of mustard and then chili on top. Wow. Chili Cheese fries were just like they sound, fries covered in melted cheese and chili. Amazing.



All gone!



Don't worry...we shared them...although I swear I could have eaten this much by myself. It was so delicious!



We headed home after meeting Rich for coffee. The next thing we knew it was 2am and we were still talking. Yikes!

Saturday afternoon we spent time walking around the lcoal shops. One of the place we went is called Eastern Market. It was filled with local artists of all kinds. What a neat place to walk through. We saw everything from oil paintings to jewelry to tin mirrors to beautiful lace hankies. My favorite was a little vendor selling pashmina shawls. So the only thing that I have decided upon in my mind for the wedding is that each of the ladies in the bridal party will have pashminas instead of bouquets. I have imagined the colors and just about fell over when they were all sitting at this vendors booth. Seven pashminas later I was one shocked but happy girl! (Thanks to Laura's help coaching me on color combinations of course!)





Canoes for lunch. We ate lunch at a new Turkish restaurant in Laura's Capital Hill neighborhood called Cafe 8. Between the hummus and baba ganoush and then the fabulous pide (we refer to them as canoes because of their shape) and the chicken shish kabob sandwich we were set for some more shopping!



The view of the capital from the Eastern Market. Laura sees this view every single day. How crazy is that?



Okay, so we needed a little bit of sweetness after lunch. So we each bought a cookie from one of the bakeries inside the Eastern Market. Laura went the classic white chocolate macadamia nut cookie.



I on the other hand went big city big cookie with a black and white cookie. Delicious! Half way through the cookie I got a message from an old friend. After a quick phone call Laura and I were on our way to Virginia! (sounds crazy...only takes ten minutes on the Metro though!)



Kate Fujikawa and I after coffee at Starbucks. WHAT! I hadn't seen her since the summer after 8th Grade! Thanks to catching up through Facebook we were able to meet up in DC, where she also lives, for a quick cup of coffe. How crazy!



Back to Laura's. Quick change. Off to the Metro again to try and make it to a going away party for her friends, Sara and Miguel, in Maryland. Again, crazy, but only a twenty minute Metro ride! They are moving to Costa Rica. What fun!

Back to the Metro so we could head to dinner at a Moroccan restaurant called Marrakesh. It was absolutely fantastic! You are served seven courses while you are there. This was our first course. We ate bread with eggplant, carrots and then a fatoosh like mixture of cucumbers tomatoes and green peppers.

Be warned, there are a lot of photos of food platters to come. I will never be the same again.



We were entertained by a belly dancer. She was wonderful...balancing a knife on her head as well as dancing for 30 minutes straight. I was exhausted just watching it, I can't imagine how she must have felt!



Course two. Laura's favorite. Chicken and egg with almonds covered in phyllo like dough and sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon.



Did I mention it was Laura's favorite?



Course three. My favorite. They called it Lemon Chicken. I call it Lemon Heaven. Enough said.



Course four. What they refer to as "the meat course." Lamb or beef, we chose the lamb. It was so delicious but we were fighting over the almonds on the platter that tasted even better than the lamb because they were toasted in honey!



Couscous. Oh my goodness. The best couscous I've ever had, hands down. It was sweet and buttery and so delicious when you paired it with the raisins. There were carrots and squash too...but oh...the raisins with the couscous!



Must stop eating...But it tastes so good.



Too. Much. Food. Must. Stop. Can't. Stop.



Course Six. Fruit and Nut bowl. We both cracked a nut just for fun. The healthiest part of the meal and we couldn't find any room for it.



The after shot. I really should have taken a before shot too. We were so stuffed...and had no intentions of ever eating again!



Seventh course. Our waiter pours us each a glass of hot tea.



Oh. What's that? A baklava to eat with our tea. Well, we can't let a nice piece of baklava go to waste. That would just be awful of us! Besides, as Laura's husband would say, your dessert compartment is completely separate from the stomach! I agree! Yum!



Laura running out the (little) door, that's inside of a huge door, before they try to feed us any more courses of food. Unless they have some extra baklava, of course!



I had a great time with Laura. Can't wait to go back and explore more of our beautiful capitol some day...thanks Laura Morgan!

Jack Flack

Unfortuntely Jack didn't win the State Championship. He fought really hard after his two victories on Thursday and even made the Portland nightly news in the process! Check out Jack's interview here.

My First Valentine

So, my first Valentine ever sent us the best Valentine's Day present I could ever ask for. SPLITS! They are the absolute BEST pretzels I have ever had in my life...and I'm a pretzel-aholic! My Dad sent us this HUGE box full of them. They are actually from/made in Reading, PA where we use to live when I was little. I have to admit, and a majority of my family will agree with me, Splits might be the best darn thing that happened to us while we lived in Pa. What a great present! Thanks Dad!

M Go Blue!

After drinks at the Maynor's (thank you again!) we headed to the UMich hockey game. Bryan, one of Nathan's MBA buddies, gave us tickets (thank you, also!). They were A-MAZING seats! Club level. Dinner and desserts provided, not to mention the yummiest hot chocolate ever! (Am I making you jealous yet?) We had a great time together, cheering on our team as they defeated Lake Superior State University 4-2. Hail to the Victors!

At Last...Lunch!

After the trip to the Puppy ER I met a great friend of mine, Chris for lunch. Chris and I were friends in high school and he and his boyfriend were up in Detroit for shopping at IKEA (the best!) and a concert later on. We had a great lunch at Bravo and caught up on the happenings over the past year. What a fun way to recoup after Sampson's antics this morning!

Poor Puppy

Sampson's tore his stitches out this morning. We had to run to the emergency vet clinic today for new stitches and a lampshade. Does he look pitiful or what?

Not So Happy Valentine's

It was going to be perfect. A new chicken recipe from my dear friend Martha. :) A great chocolate pie made from scratch, recipe from Pioneer Woman's website. What could go wrong?

Well, my day started at 6:00am when I piled myself (nasty 2 week long lingering chest cold and all) and Sampson into the car (with the help of my professional car starter/warmer Nathan) and headed for the vet's office in Toledo. I arrived at 8:00am to hand off my puppy. He went in willingly...no clue that he was about to become a "boy" permanently. I drove back to Ann Arbor and collapsed on the couch.

Wake up call. It's my mom. My dad has fallen and shattered his left arm. WHAT! He's supposed to be invincible! It turns out he was taking Maddie for one last walk before bed, around 11pm. They took the same route they always do, except this time that lovely freezing rain of Cincinnati decided to change things up a bit. BAM! Dad steps on the hiding ice, flies and lands on his left arm. He (amazingly) picks himself up and walks back to the house with Maddie. Tells my mom he landed on his arm. Ice and aspirin should take care of it. NOT! They arrived at the hospital at midnight to find out that it wasn't a bad bruise or a shoulder out of socket but rather a bad bad break! Poor guy. They were sent home around 3am with dad in a special contraption to keep his arm completely still until he could meet with the ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON today. Turns out he's broken his humerus bone in his left arm and chipped his socket. Ouch! He's scheduled for surgery on Thursday. Please keep my Dad in your prayers for his surgery and during his (hopefully quick!) recovery!

Needless to say, between phone calls with my mom and the vets office, the drive back to Toledo to pick up Sampson (he's doing just fine...sleeping on my feet as I type), the drive back to Ann Arbor and more phone calls to my mom; dinner was the last thing on my mind. Leftover Tuna Noodle Casserole it is. (My Valentine is easy to please, thank goodness!)

Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours...seriously.

I've Been Tagged

I was tagged by Megan, so here are my answers!

A. The rules of the of game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names and then goes to their blogs and leaves a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and that they should read your blog.

10 years ago.....
I was half way through my freshman year of High School in Perrysburg. I was just about to find out that we were moving, again, but this time to Tennessee! I was totally in love with everything about my new high school and my new house. I was totally obsessed with watching TRL after school and frequenting The GAP at Southwyck Mall for more clothing than I needed. I woke up early for school so I could have time to curl my hair and stash some makeup in my bag to apply at school because my Dad wouldn't let me even wear mascara! I was enjoying life as an "only child" and patiently waiting for Mr. Freeze to open again, and I was about to meet my (now) future husband! Wow!

5 things to do on my list today....
1. Babysit Izzy, Ryan and their little cousin
2. Finish the laundry (yuck!)
3. Meet with Big Brothers Big Sisters
4. Get my Michigan and Ohio teaching certification completed
5. Wait patiently to watch the new episode of Project Runway!

Snacks that I enjoy....
Popcorn and a new favorite is thinly sliced apples. Chocolate always happens to pop in there somewhere as well!

What would I do if I were suddenly a billionaire....
Oh my goodness, where to begin! I would buy my parents house in Evansville so they could finally buy one in Cincinnati. I would pay off Nathan's loans for this great Michigan Education. I would also offer to pay for each of my nieces and nephew's college educations but only if they attend Michigan (so I'd probably never be able to do it because of the hatred their parents feel for Michigan). I would buy Sampson one of those fancy schmancy dog beds. I would buy a Q7 and a nice pair of diamond earrings for myself...Holla! I would buy my old house in Perrysburg because I secretly still want to live there...and then I'd make sure I got a teaching job at an elementary school that was just down the street!

3 of my bad habits....
1. sleeping...anytime of the day
2. not following through on things
3. I hate to cook, then clean up right away!

5 places I have lived
1. Minneapolis, MN (birth-4)
2. Reading, PA (4-6)
3. Cincinnati, OH (6-14)
4. Toledo, OH (14-15 and again 16-18)
5. Knoxville, TN (15-16)
(might as well finish it off...)
6. Decorah, IA (18-22)
7. Evansville, IN (20-22)
8. Charlotte, NC (22-24)
9. Ann Arbor, MI (24-present)

5 jobs that I have had....
1. Hostess, Cafe Marie
2. Camp Counselor, Perrysburg YMCA
3. Tour Guide, Luther College
4. Waitress, Outback Steakhouse
5. First Grade Teacher, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools

5 things people don't know about me
1. My dog weighs more than half of what I do
2. If I like something, I usually buy it in every color (I get this from my mom!)
3. I hate to travel anywhere, but once I get home I plan my next trip. Weird.
4. I absolutely love to watch people and imagine what their lives are like.
5. Even at the fanciest of restaurants, when everyone orders a fancy drink, all I really want is a Diet Coke.

I am tagging Brittany, Steph, Libby, Sara and Kerri (aka Izzy, Ryan and/or Lorin).

Good Luck Jack!

With football season over my cousin Jack has quickly moved on to wrestling. He has traveled quite a bit for invitationals as the Clackamas Cavaliers 189 pounder. But this weekend he will be competing in the Oregon State Tournament! Way to go Jack! These are just two shots of him in action.

Welcome Little One!

I just found out today that my cousin Emily delivered her first baby last night. Welcome to the world, Maggie Bea! What a sweet name...

Em and Jason are both doing well and I'm sure their black lab, Lola, will be excited to meet Maggie Bea once she comes home. Apparently it was -10 degrees out (-35 with the wind chill) when Em went to the hospital to deliver!

6 Months

We took Sampson to the PetsMart this morning to return some items as well as buy this guy another bag of that oh so yummy dog food. Well, we took for a spin on the scale while we were there. Would you like to take a guess at how much he weighs? Go ahead...I'll wait. Alright, he final weight as of 11 o'clock this morning was...97.6 lbs. Holy Mastiff!

Just in case you're wondering. Sampson gets neutered on Thursday morning. Happy Valentine's Day. :)

Sara's Boo Boo

Sara, Nathan's Audi, has been in an accident. (Don't know why, but, he has been calling "her" that since he bought "her")As Nathan likes to say, she was just sitting there minding her own business when WHAM! another car ran into her. The other car was going too fast around a too snowy road outside our house and just rammed right into the back of Sara. Bam! Well the lady who hit our parked car thankfully had insurance through State Farm as well so Sara went into the shop today. They predict it will take two weeks to get the parts necessary to fix her! Yikes! Be careful driving out there...

"Prom" Take 3

So last night was the Michigan MBA Formal (aka Prom). As most already know, Nathan and I have gone to the "real" Prom twice already so this was nothing new for us. It was a nice excuse to get ready with the girls, dress kind of fancy and of course get our dance on...well...I did and Nathan just watched in total embarrasment! Ha! Unfortunately Nathan is super sick with a cold/throat/yucko thing so his night wasn't what he'd hoped it would be. I was lucky enough to get the cold/throat/yucko thing today. Boo. I met up with some lovely ladies to do eyes and hair...My girlfriend Kerri threw my hair into this fabulous updo in under five minutes without the help of a curling iron. Amazing! I might have to employ her for the wedding! We carpooled to the "drop point" at the Business School and from there headed to The Inn at St. John. It was so nice to see everyone all dressed up and even better to dance to the great music! As my buddy LaGina would say, my dogs are barking today!

Big Blue Bike

So if you're a fan of American Chopper on TLC you already know about this...BUT if you're not then I just found a new respect for them and their show! The American Chopper team has created and built a Big Blue bike that's up for auction. Who are the proceed's benefitting? The Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor! This is the same hospital that I have posted about before in regards to the holiday "store" and it's where our buddy Izzy has been getting treated for leukemia. I know many of you may not want a custom made chopper, but it's for a great cause and inspired by a great team! Check out how it was built tonight at 9pm on TLC or on February 7th! You can visit the official Big Blue Chopper site here:

Like I said, I have a new respect for motorcycles...or choppers...or whatever the heck they're called!

103.3 degrees

Max got a fever while I was watching him. Turns out it was 103.3 degrees. Yikes! He was fine the next day...but boy was I nervous. The little boy that never sits still was perfectly content being wrapped up like a burrito and sitting on my lap while we rocked in the chair for two hours. This photo is not of him blinking at all...that's how dazed the poor little guy was that afternoon.

The Magical Bed

Evie is obsessed with the bed that pulls out of the couch. Everytime I "nanny" I pull it out for her when Max is sleeping and she squeels "the magical bed!!" Simple. But it works as a great behavioral-management tool. Don't let me fool you...she doesn't sleep at all...never has been a napper.

Go Gophers!

He knows the way to his Boppy's heart is through a Gopher hat.

Mr. Boy

He loves to make any kind of noise. Whether it's hitting the blinds or smacking his highchair tray. What a goofball.

Yum-O

Don't you just want one of your own. Again, anything to help a 3 year old eat her breakfast without begging.