Cincy Gets Cole'd

01.22.12

2012-01-22T21:07:00.000-05:00

Soooo.....I had grand plans of spending the last month updating the blog with our Christmas plans, the things we did with my parents in town, the anticipation of our child's birth, and a myriad of other lofty goals. What actually happened was we had a relaxing and lovely Christmas with my parents and then proceeded to anticipate, and anticipate, and anticipate the birth of this child. Anticipation can wear on a person. Especially, a person that is rapidly becoming 41 weeks pregnant! Luckily, all good things do come to an end and finally (finally!) John Crosby Cole made his debut on 1/8/12 (exactly one week late). I would love to recount every detail from the time labor started to the moment they laid him on my chest but, unfortunately, I am actually expected to keep this boy alive so I'm having a bit of a hard time finding time to wax eloquently on the whole experience. Thus far, my thoughts on parenting consist of repeatedly looking at David and saying, "This is so much harder than anyone told us!". But, we are surviving and so is JCC. And, really, who can resist that sweet face? Even if it is 3:00 in the morning and he just ate 20 minutes ago? Stay tuned...

Born 1/8/12 at 7 lbs 7 oz and 20 inches long

Heading home from the hospital

Sacked out

12.22.11

2011-12-22T12:32:00.000-05:00

Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are.

Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two.

- Louis De Bernieres (Author of Captain Corelli's Mandolin)

11.24.11

2011-12-19T14:41:00.000-05:00

Not being in Texas for Thanksgiving was a first for us! I always hear people say how great it is to start your own family traditions and have a relaxing holiday without the stress of a million different family schedules and events. While David and I certainly have our fair share of holiday chaos, we have never really understood what these people were talking about. I love the traditions my family already has! So, while we did have a restful and enjoyable weekend with each other, we are so very thankful to have family and friends that we missed like crazy! I tried to document our day of thanks to keep myself in a positive mindset and distract myself from jumping in the car and driving home!

I woke up early to start the marinade for the lamb

Sage + garlic + salt

Thanksgiving migas. Prepared while blasting Texas Country.

DC decided to make an apple pie from scratch. We had a lot of hours to kill, obviously.

Pie crust ingredients + sustenance for the chef

The pie crust process got a little frustrating but, I have to say, that boy turned out the most delicious apple pie I have ever had.

My job - apple peeler

The finished product

Cole family turkey trot

I typically love this hill. It's a great workout but has become less enjoyable the more of me there is. That said, I'm looking forward to pushing a stroller up it as soon as it is warm enough.

We enjoyed our lamb, risotto, and asparagus in front of the Cowboys game. Not our typical Thanksgiving set up but necessary due to the silliness of Eastern Standard Time.

11.10.11

2011-12-19T14:09:00.000-05:00

We have been beyond blessed with the showers and support from our friends and co-workers at P&G. The first of three was thrown by my girlfriends Jess and Ana and the best part is that it ended up being on the same weekend that my mom was in town! She got to meet all of the girls that I work with and help us put up and organize all the gifts we were given.

In Dish alone, we have three babies being born in less than 6 weeks so we took one afternoon to celebrate the new additions and eat lots of yummy food.

And, finally, Dave's Purchasing group put together an afternoon shower that involved not using the word "baby", a heated game of baby-themed pictionary, and more white cake!

10.30.11

2011-12-19T13:48:00.000-05:00

Thirty-Three

10.27.11

2011-12-19T13:37:00.001-05:00

The Coles came to visit in late October and were a HUGE help in getting us set up for this baby! They helped us convert the guest room to a nursery and set up the new guest room in the office. Probably not on the list of "most fun" vacations in 2011 but definitely in the running for "most productive" and we couldn't have appreciated it more!

No trip to Cincinnati is complete without a meal at Anabel's.

My mother-in-law may regret having ever told me she could sew! This was the final step in a long journey to create curtains for the baby room and the guest room.

Handy Cole boys

Unfortunately, the crib building started a bit early as we could no longer take the pain of watching the Rangers lose the World Series to that team from St Louis.

We did take a break from all things baby to venture out to the Amish country. I wish I had gotten some pics of all the horse and buggies that we saw. It was amazing to see that slice of life and felt like we were hours away from the city.

Covered bridge

A quick pic of us in the nursery before they left. Hard to imagine that the crib won't be empty the next time they come back!

10.15.11

2011-12-19T13:13:00.000-05:00

I spent nearly a week in Long Beach in October to celebrate my dear friend's nuptials. Amanda and I were "accidental" roommates in college and loved it so much that we continued the tradition once we moved to Dallas. She moved to Cali nine years ago and has built a fantastic career and life for herself on the West Coast. That said, I have never seen her as happy as she was this weekend and I attribute it solely to her relationship with Jason. I was sooooo glad that I was able to travel and be there for so many of the events.

Mani / Pedi with the Lewis sisters

View of Long Beach from my room at the Avia

I completely spoiled myself with breakfast in bed every morning and lots of long walks on the beach. DC wasn't able to make it out until the actual weekend so I took full advantage of my down time!

Ladies' Brunch at Starling Diner

Baylor Girls!

Once DC was in town, we were told to hit up George's Greek restaurant in downtown. It was phenomenal and will definitely be our Friday night place should we ever end up living in the LB.

Morning walk by the marina

We were so lucky to be able to meet up with Walter one afternoon in Seal Beach. I love that even though we haven't seen him in months, it always feels like it was yesterday.

DC and W on the pier

Headed to the wedding with BC in tow

Custom-made dunnys for the bride and groom

I hate this pic of me but Amanda has never looked better. She was stunning.

The wedding and reception were on the rooftop of an Italian restaurant. It was half-open air and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. The whole evening, for that matter - Amanda planned every detail perfectly and I was so thankful to be included. Cheers to Mr and Mrs Stephens!

09.15.11

2011-12-19T12:14:00.000-05:00

After our trip to Texas, we spent most of September in Cincinnati hanging out with friends and enjoying fall in the Midwest.

P&G Dividend Day at King's Island

I spent most of the day watching DC ride rides but (pregnant or not) that is how I prefer to roll at amusement parks.

DC and co-workers

Jess and her sister

The Dish girls spent an evening in Newport supporting one of our co-worker's bands and pretending to be "The Infinity Ball" groupies.

Cincy skyline from Kentucky

Dish groupies

John Stickney and his mad guitar-playing skills

09.03.11

2011-09-17T09:20:00.000-04:00

My sister and Tasha threw David and I the most fantastic shower over Labor Day weekend in Texas. We had it at my parents' house and were so blessed by all the people who made time to stop by, travel into town, and send gifts. We couldn't have felt more loved and are so excited to travel back in the Spring to introduce baby to the Texas crowd!

23 weeks

Waiting for the guests to show up!

Antics on the stairs

Present time!

Marisa and Scott are passing the Beastie Boys love on!

Miss and DC

The giant frog toy holder from Casey and Damon was a huge hit with the kiddo crowd! I had never experienced firsthand the present opening frenzy that occurs when 8 kids under 7 are involved. They were super "helpful" and made it tons more fun for me!

The Great Grandmothers

Amanda and Jason sent baby's first dunny

Sugar cookies to celebrate the future Baylor Bear (and the not-so-shabby win over TCU the night before)!

Our fun canvas notes to match the one we got at our going away party three years ago

Caleb Cole

The gaggle of girls

Kate

Marisa and Scott win the prize for traveling the furthest - all the way from NYC!

Nonna and Pops

The London Three

Belinda made these cute t-shirts for Baby Cole's cousins

Love this.

They are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new baby! The twins and Caleb will be four years older and Elle Belle will be seven years older. Oh, the things Baby Cole is gonna learn from this crew!

Me and Skylar B

The Fromms in town from Houston

Me and Stella James

My sweet hostesses

Me and Kristin. We have taken countless photos like this over the years!

09.01.11

2011-09-13T20:28:00.000-04:00

Baby Cole - 23 weeks

In other new developments, David has started a pretty rocking rubber band ball and I am rocking third place in my first ever Fantasy Football League.

Lots of exciting things going on at our house!

08.18.11

2011-09-11T17:46:00.000-04:00

I've discovered that, no matter my age, every organization that I am a part of will hold an event that feels exactly like prom. P&G is no different and has a huge awards ceremony annually celebrating the best internal advertisements. This year Dawn and Gain were nominated for six awards and my manager, Dan, was up for Best Coach. We decided to really play up the prom angle by outfitting our entire team in corsages and hosting pre and post-events complete with a late night bus to take everyone home. While we only walked away with one win, I was personally thrilled to fit into a non-maternity cocktail dress, see all my friends from across the country, and stay out until midnight in heels, no less!

Dish Inc at Palomino before the awards ceremony

Dan and Danny accepting the Gain award

Jess and I

Dish Inc

08.05.11

2011-09-11T17:29:00.000-04:00

We spent a weekend in early August in upstate New York celebrating the wedding of Paula and Ankur for the second time! They were officially married last summer but held a traditional Indian wedding in Rochester this summer and who are we to pass up a celebration?? We met up with three other couples (all of whom I had traveled to Chile with the summer before b-school) and took a day trip to Niagara Falls (for the obvious reason) and Buffalo (for the wings)! In other news, introducing baby to spicy Indian food was apparently a good idea as the bump seemed to double in size from Thursday to Sunday. I swear you couldn't tell I was pregnant when we arrived and by the time we left there were complete strangers rubbing my belly on the airplane!

Marisa and I at the Falls (American side)

View of Canadian side

Sporting our blue trash bags on Maid of the Mist

Kristy and Nathan

The whole gang (minus the bride and groom)

Spicy buffalo wings in Buffalo

Post-meal pic at Duff's in Buffalo

Raas Garba dancing

Our kurtas

Coles in Kurtas

We were a colorful bunch!

The ceremony

With Ankur and Paula. She was one of the most beautiful brides I have ever seen!

The instigator of my growth

07.15.11

2011-08-12T21:19:00.000-04:00

We spent a gorgeous weekend in Chicago with some b-school friends to celebrate Paula's birthday and get prepared for Paula and Ankur's wedding festivities. Ankur took us all up to Little India where they outfit us in kurtas and sold me more gold bangles than any person could ever wear in a lifetime!

Brunch at Birchwood. We have now been there twice as a group. Does that count as tradition?

Trying on clothes in Little India

Chicago skyline from the rooftop - I miss this city!

Scott + Marisa

Turning 30 never looked so good!

07.16.11

2011-07-18T21:15:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago we celebrated my Dad's 60th birthday by taking the whole fam to North Captiva island off the coast of Florida. None of us had ever been there before but I have a feeling we will be going back sooner rather than later!

Due to the fact that you had to take a $60 ferry to get off the island, we had one shot at getting the right amount of groceries for the 9 of us for a week!

Tori

Ellie

Katie

Our view

Cartusciello ladies

Playing with Uncle Dave

Post-pool smoothies with Elle Belle

Three men and three ladies

No one thought we could eat this jar of pickles but Mr. Pickles and I got darn close!

Morning hike with Dad

Golf cart shenanigans

Classic Tori

Evening nature walk - our house in the background

One day we chartered a boat and my dad drove us all over the place, hopping from island to island for lunch, shelling, and a little manatee watching!

Shelling

Cabbage Key - where Jimmy Buffet wrote Cheeseburger in Paradise

07.04.11

2011-07-04T11:41:00.002-04:00

Happy Fourth from Cincy!

06.12.11

2011-06-12T21:35:00.000-04:00

We flew home for Memorial Day weekend to spend time with both our families and the Burks. We couldn't have asked for a better start with my parent's treating us to dinner on the rooftop of Reata. Lovely weather, good conversation, and delicious food!

Saturday morning we headed over to the Burks for breakfast and proceeded to work off our Whataburger and Starbucks treats with playing inside and outside with the two big girls. To be clear, Dave worked it off playing; Tash and I worked it off chatting. It is always so good to catch up with that family!

On Sunday we had fun visiting Fielder and eating lunch at the newly opened Babe's Fried Chicken. Nothing like fried chicken on a Sunday afternoon! Luckily we got to see Gran prior to the Babe's-induced Sunday afternoon nap.

We came back to summer in full swing in Cincy. I have been re-adjusting to my loss of a "house manager" and we both have been enjoying the stressful, late nights watching our Mavs in what has been a fantastic series thus far!

05.20.11

2011-05-24T21:19:00.000-04:00

I love, love, love Louisville, KY!

Penguins on the Roof. Why not?

Cool hotel integrated with a modern art museum

Funky sculpture in the bar

Louisville Slugger's Walk of Fame

The Hotel's Mascot

Fourth Street Live

Interactive art

We waaay overpacked

Churchill Downs!

The big winner (that never happened to be my pick!)

Louisville Slugger Museum

05.14.11

2011-05-14T08:52:00.000-04:00

We have had a busy week full of work / preparing for work, trainings, and hosting our first house party but for some reason I can't stop thinking about the following:

This Norman bel Geddes desk that we found at a little store in Cincinnati last weekend. Granted, ours is sitting in the garage unsanded and polished but (with the help of Dave Cole) I have grand plans for it.

This series and the potential the Mavs have this year. I don't know why they picked this year to shine over all the years we had season tickets but I'll take it just the same.

These guys and the fact that I can listen to their album on repeat over and over and over again.

Buying this house in Marfa, TX. It sits on 25 acres smack dab next to the Rio Grande. I find myself repeatedly daydreaming about sunshine, saltillo tile floors, and that view.

05.08.11

2011-05-08T20:20:00.000-04:00

It has been a crazy ten days at our house! Last week, David was busy preparing for his final round interview with P&G and I was busy trying not to constantly "help" David prepare for his final round interview with P&G!

This job opportunity has been a long time coming and (in typical P&G style) was long and drawn out. He applied for a Purchasing Manager position in October and finally had his first round interview in late March. Six weeks after that was his final round interview and they told him it would take three weeks before he heard back. Imagine our surprise when he got an email this past Monday that started with "Congratulations, David...". I was actually on the phone with him at the time so I got to hear the gasp, the pause, the announcement, and then the incoherent muttering of details. He is so, so happy and while we still don't have a start date or a location within Cincinnati, we are both thrilled with the opportunity.

This is even sweeter because it is the perfect answer to many, many prayers. I'm always amazed when I get a real, tangible response from the Lord and this was no different. For months, I had felt the Lord's response was to "wait" (not my first instinct) and to see how perfectly this all came together is such a testimony to the power of prayer and the absolutely flawless timing our God has. So, while David is slightly reluctant to toss aside his flip flops and pick up a razor on a daily basis, he is overjoyed to get rid of his "house manager" duties and we are both looking forward to this next part of the adventure!

04.25.11

2011-05-01T16:03:00.000-04:00

My parents spent the long Easter weekend with us and, in usual Cartusciello fashion, we did lots and lots of eating! We tested out some new restaurants, visited some of our faves, and cooked a few yummy meals at home, too! Having already seen all the "sights" Cincy has to offer, we spent a lot of our time just relaxing (i.e., girls getting mani/pedis and boys playing Playstation!). Relaxing comes in all different forms, I guess.

Lunch at Coffee Emporium

Afternoon "snack"

Dad with his seafood hot pot at Asiana

Brunch at Anabel's

Our beautification project -- the back porch

The finished product!

Easter Sunday at Hyde Park Methodist

Dad overseeing Easter lunch preparations

Me and Dad

Easter lunch -- rack of lamb, grilled asparagus, and panzanella

Cole Team in front of our house (Mom's trademark photo!)

04.15.11

2011-05-01T08:13:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, Paula and Ankur came down from Chicago to spend a weekend in Cincy with us. They actually had been here one time before, having spent the first night in our apartment with us back in July on their way to Yellowstone. This time, however, we did not force them to sleep on an air mattress or sit on the floor! The weather wasn't great (welcome to Spring in the Midwest) but it was warmer than Chicago so we did our fair share of bragging and hanging out outside. After discovering my new favorite brunch place on Saturday (Anabel's in Mount Lookout) we walked over to Dutch's and spent the afternoon catching up over bocce ball and craft beer! Paula moved here from Cologne, Germany about a year ago and she was thrilled to find that they had Kolsch, on-tap no less! We walked over to dinner and finally made our way home in the rain, full and slightly damp, finishing the day with a showing of Black Swan. Paula and I did a decent amount of hiding our eyes but, overall, I think I was expecting a much creepier movie. Regardless of the dancing scandal, that Natalie Portman does crazy better than anyone I've seen.

Overwhelmed by the selection

Kolsch!

Bocce ball champions

Dinner at Cumin

Cole Team -- in desperate need of a tan!

Sunday morning at Findlay Market

We love, love, love having visitors and had such a good time showing them our little town. Can't wait for our next trip to Chicago, Udanis!

03.14.11

2011-04-30T10:42:00.000-04:00

We spent a long weekend in Tejas for "Spring Break" and had a wonderful time, as always. My sister and her girls came up and we spent lots of time playing Barbies, fishing with Papa, and hanging out on the patio. The main event was tea and an afternoon at American Girl with all the ladies and Dave Cole. Our trip coincided with our friend Walter's trip to Texas from LA and a big dinner to introduce his lovely girlfriend Alexis to all of us. It was so fun to meet her and to see all our friends together at one time. I had to fly out at 5:00 am the following morning so I called it an early night after dinner but Dave Cole was able to represent and, from what I hear, it was one fun evening!

Miami Vice Ken and Peaches and Cream Barbie - my "vintage" Barbies

Hanging with Elle Belle

Papa teaching Tori how to catch a fish

Dave and his little ladies

Tori's upside down smile

Gigi and the girls feeding the ducks

The American Girl Extravaganza

Tori and Aunt B

Having tea!

Waiting for the sugar rush to kick in, I'm sure!

The Cartusciello Girls

Walter and Lexi

The whole crew (horrible pic but lovely people!)

$, DC, Jeff A

Me and the W

03.09.11

2011-03-27T09:04:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Dave Cole!

His actual day was a cold, rainy Wednesday in Ohio but we brightened it up with an authentic TexMex lunch and a steak dinner at the bar at Boca. (As an aside, I love, love, love eating at the bar at fancy restaurants. White tablecloths are not my friend.)

Dave's birthday gift of choice this year was side tables. Side tables, you say? Yes, side tables. We had purchased a fabulous bed with fabulous storage months ago and our existing side tables were making it unusable.

So, there you have it. A little food, a little furniture, and this boy is one year older. Luckily, he keeps improving with age!

03.06.11

2011-03-06T14:10:00.000-05:00

We made a quick trip to Chicago last weekend to celebrate Ankur's 30th birthday! His wife, Paula, pulled together an Italian feast and managed to fly in people from NYC, San Fran, and Cincy with Ankur being none the wiser. We were only in town 24 hours but managed to hit up our favorite pizza place and discover a fantastic brunch place in Bucktown. We also planned no less than three future vacations (Dominican Republic, Oregon wine country, and Marfa) as good excuses to get together while we are all split up.

Handmade pasta goodness

On balloon duty

The decorators

Happy Birthday Ankur!

30 candles

The birthday boy and his sweet wife

03.05.11

2011-03-06T13:25:00.000-05:00

We are so lucky to have such sweet, sweet friends who are willing to travel to see us no matter the location! I never really questioned the Burks intentions when they came to visit us in Chicago but, traveling to Cincy in the dead of winter secured a special place in my heart. To be fair, we wooed them with the promise of a Jimmy Eat World concert and the opportunity to sleep in!

Eating at Nada before the concert

Appreciative of the door guy for carding us

Oh Jimmy! This is at least our fourth (maybe fifth??) time to see Jimmy with the Burks and this concert did not disappoint. They played at an old theater and we scored great "standing spots" on the balcony. I love that the age of the crowd seems to stay the same while we grow older (along with the band). I'm pretty sure they are no longer taking shots before the show but sipping on Pellegrino and talking to their wives and kids!

Friday was a gorgeous day so I took the day off and we headed over to Kentucky to enjoy the sunshine German-style.

At the Maypole

DC insisted we play at least four games of Frisbee and Tasha was a willing participant.

Goal!

Porch-sitting. You can see our manicures in this pic. Tash and I snuck away on Friday to treat ourselves to mani/pedis and were asked no less than 4 times if we were brides-to-be!

Wine tasting at Findlay Market

Posing at Findlay Market

Entertaining ourselves while the Burks bought gifts for the girls

We thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this weekend! For me, there is nothing more refreshing than spending time with those people who know all of you and choose to love you just the same. Can't wait for Jimmy Eat World Tour 2012!

01.31.11

2011-02-05T12:35:00.001-05:00

Dave Cole and I spent the last weekend of January in Chicago -- I was on a work trip for "new hires" and he was visiting our friends from school. If you are gonna be cold in the Midwest, you might as well be in the coolest city it has to offer!

PG loaded up all 11 of us onto a chartered bus after work on Thursday. I had visions of junior high church ski trips dancing through my head but it was actually a pretty nice set up. The bus had wi-fi and cable. Thankfully, we managed to entertain ourselves face-to-face and avoid the technology with the exception of one horrific episode of "Jersey Shore". Thank goodness I had my solitaire machine.

Andrea and Jess

Our Friday was spent with the agency learning about US Hispanic trends and media and participating in a fascinating immersion activity. We were given $50, transported to Pilsen, and armed with a list of food and household items for a family of 7. In that type of situation, P&G products don't even enter the selection set. Pretty eye-opening. The agency consoled us with an authentic Mexican meal and then turned us loose on the city for the remainder of the weekend.

Jess and I at the Leo Burnett Building

The Dream Team

So what do a bunch of P&G people do for a weekend in Chicago? Apparently, eat. Our mornings were filled with extravagant brunches and our evenings with multi-course meals and good wine.

Jess and I at Moto

When dinner starts with an edible menu....

...has courses that look like this in the middle....

...and ends with dessert in a beaker...you know you are going to need a late-night snack.

Luckily, DC and friends were ready and willing to meet us at Mercadito for chips and guacamole!

I was able to sneak away on Saturday night to stay with the Udanis. We met up with Kristy and Nathan on Sunday morning for some yummy Dunlays brunch and then spent the afternoon shopping on Armitage.

The Chicago crew at Sunday brunch

I don't think David or I realized how much we missed Chicago! Even in January, it was great to be back with people we love at places we love. Until next time!

01.23.11

2011-01-23T10:25:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we took a random day trip to a ski slope in Indiana called "Perfect North". I think "Perfectly Midwestern" might be a bit more fitting but, regardless, a good time was had by all. We went with my friend Ana and her family and took Steven and Margaux who just moved to Cincy from Belgium. I'm certain we will be sticking to the Rockies and they to the Alps but at least we got to mark it off our list!

01.22.11

2011-01-23T09:48:00.001-05:00

We spent MLK weekend in Beaver Creek, CO with the Cole fam to celebrate a cousin's wedding and managed to spend one day on the slopes. It was perfect weather, a gorgeous wedding, and some of my favorite company!

Exploring the ski village

DC on breakfast duty

Pops teaching Caleb how to ski

He was a natural!

Us at the base of the mountain

The bride and groom-to-be and the wedding party. She was cute and wore white all weekend.

The Cole Boys

Megan and David

A little pre-wedding pizza

It's official! Her dress was to die for.

Cole kids + spouses

Making s'mores at the reception. They had the cutest details; even made snow angels in their dress and tux.

The Cole Clan -- we clean up well!

01.08.10

2011-01-08T12:50:00.000-05:00

Only in the great city of Cincinnati could you grab a drink with a friend on a Monday night and end up at T.O.'s 37th birthday party. In business casual, no less.

01.03.11

2011-01-03T20:54:00.002-05:00

The holidays are over and we are back in OH. Hard to believe. I seriously freaked out this morning when I woke up (at 10:30 am) and thought I was supposed to be at work this morning. Thankfully, I was wrong and we had one more day to get our stuff unpacked and repacked for the work day!

We had such a great time at home. It's hard not to with a 10-day stretch filled with family and friends. We landed in Texas just in time to grab dinner with Dollar at Thai Noodle & Rice and join in on an Katy and Jay's Annual Holiday Lights Tour. It was the perfect way to start off our trip. We toured all the fancy Dallas neighborhoods on a party bus and made a few stops at some of our favorite places -- The Belmont and Stoneleigh P to name a few.

We spent Christmas Eve with my fam, as usual. We attended the Fielder service, opened presents, and then had a good Italian dinner with the Cartusciellos. It was quiet without the Rouswell clan so mom made sure to provide some entertainment by getting dad the kinect -- fun for everyone!

Me and Kristin at FRBC

Yachtclub Court

Dad's new reel

Mom's new book

The first of many kinect games

We spent Christmas Day with the Coles -- awaking early to open presents with Caleb and then enjoying our traditional breakfast of monkey bread and egg casserole.

Our "Woody"

Sporting our blue branded tees

Pops is gonna be a wood worker!

We left early the next day for a quick trip to Odessa to celebrate the holidays with my mom's side of the family. We were also able to sneak away and visit with David's uncle Elton who lives in Midland.

Miss Maddie amongst the stockings

Will and Kathy

Grandmama and Maddie

A good Texas meal -- ribs and tamales!

David's poor luck in our annual 'Twelve Days of Christmas' sing-along

Oh dear. The 'five golden rings' never sounded so good.

After four Christmases, we were able to settle down a bit, visit friends, and celebrate New Years.

Meeting Roy Boy after a nice ladies lunch with my RMS

Celebrating NYE at Bob's with the Baylor Crew

Dave and Dave

The Moores

Me and Casey bringing in 2011

Midnight festivities

The Hecklers

The Matamoris

Boys

Breakfast at the Burks. Where glow sticks are the norm.

Playing in the fort with Sky

Piper P and her Squinkies

Sweet family

Whew. And there is our whirlwind trip to Tejas. Adios.

12.13.10

2010-12-13T21:43:00.000-05:00

Christmas came early for me this year when DC decided to purchase, hang, and wrap a Jean ARP print I had been eyeing for months! I can't decide if I like the execution or the product more.

12.10.10

2010-12-13T21:28:00.000-05:00

Work! Some days I love my new job. Lately, I've had a few of those days in a row so I think we will stay in Cincy a bit longer. In the process of learning more about dish soap than I ever deemed possible, I'm learning quite a bit about marketing and that whole general management thing. Last week, I spent all day every day at ABM College teaching me (and 40 of my peers from all over the world) how to do our jobs and how to think about what we are doing in the grander scheme of things. It was a cool (exhausting but cool) experience. We even had a group of folks from Google join the college and impart all their digital knowledge upon our tv-advertising-loving group.

Hanging out with the Old Spice guy after he showed up at an awards banquet

A little Christmas tree love with Jess after a work dinner but before T.O.'s birthday party. And by "T.O.'s birthday party" I really mean a random Monday night at the only place open in downtown Cincinnati. They had a big banner but no wide receiver.

My team at ABM College

11.27.10

2010-12-04T11:40:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving #3 was basically "same song second verse" of #2. Prime rib, photo shoots with the girls, and catching up with my mom's side of the family. We snuck away for a bit to take a family photo with the Coles. It's a rare chance to get all the Cartwright kids and cousins in one place at one time!

Doris and Buster

The spread

Smiles!

Silly face!

Spirit fingers!

Prayer (Ellie's pick)

Elephant!

Caleb

Coles

The fam

11.26.10

2010-12-04T11:23:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving #2 was with the Cartusciello family and included the traditional massive amount of meat (ribs, this year) as well as lots of playing, wine, and reminiscing!

Early Christmas present - duck quackers!

These are about as obnoxious as they look. Luckily, Tori broke 2 of the 3 and Kate wasn't that good at using hers!

The men and the meat

A couple of Aggies and a Bear

Silly girls

Bug

Sugar High

Cartusciello Cousins and Granny

11.25.10

2010-12-04T10:32:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving #1started in Abilene with the Coles. It's a family tradition to load up in the suburban and drive together getting there in time for lunch and leaving as the Cowboy game finishes up. This year was a bit smaller than usual as some of the family moved to Spain but we were able to include them through the magic of Skype! If the Cowboys had pulled out a win against the Saints, it would have been a perfect day!

A little Black Friday strategery

Caleb Cole Jett!

Sleeping Pops

Eric

11.24.10

2010-12-04T10:17:00.001-05:00

We spent a ton of time in Texas for Thanksgiving and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with family and friends. One of our first stops was a long-time favorite that has finally made its way to the great city of Arlington -- Rudy's!! We have made many a Rudy's stop with the Burks in Waco over the years so it was fun to pop in and introduce David's mom, Belinda, to the best barbeque baked potato in the world.

11.14.10

2010-11-14T17:46:00.000-05:00

We had friends over on Friday night and, thus, a very tidy house on Saturday morning so, Mom and Miss, this post is for you!

Before - Living Room

After - Living Room

Study

Before - Dining Room

After - Dining Room

Before - Bathroom

After - Bathroom

Before - Guest Room

After - Guest Room

Come visit!

Before - Master

After - Master

Before - Kitchen

After - Kitchen

11.12.10

2010-11-13T12:09:00.000-05:00

In celebration of the fact that our kitchen is no longer the size of a shoe box, DC and I have been cooking fun meals nearly every night during the week. Combine that with the giant basket of Italian goodies that my mom and dad sent us for my birthday and we had a perfect evening of reliving our nights in Milan!

11.02.10

2010-11-02T22:19:00.000-04:00

My brand took a trip to New Orleans for a summit with our agencies so David and I decided to tack on a few days and make a weekend of it. A birthday and Halloween weekend, that is! The city was pretty dead the first few days I was there but it began to liven up as all the Steelers fans and Halloween revelers took over.

Bourbon Street on a Wednesday night

Andrea (ABM on Cascade) and I with our chef at a work team-building event. He was an ex-football player for LSU and the Chargers. Imagine that!

Once DC got into town, we made sure to stop for a NOLA snack every few hours. First on the list, beignets and coffee at Cafe du Monde.

Next, a Muffaletta from Central Grocery. Those beignets put me in the mood for something savory!

Sitting by the Mississippi reading our newly-purchased travel book. We tried to make do without one but that lasted about 30 whole minutes.

Jackson Square

Hurricanes at Pat O'Brians. The weather was beautiful!

We took to the Garden District to walk off some of our indulgences and stare open-mouthed at the gorgeous houses.

Breakfast at Brennan's

Saturday, the streets were pretty crowded as the French Quarter geared up for that evening's festivities. I am not a huge fan of Halloween and felt safer sitting up high and watching from afar. Luckily, DC was easily swayed to join me with some gumbo and red beans and rice!

Us on Bourbon Street

One friend foodie, the WSJ, and the NYT all raved about Lilette on Magazine Street. We didn't think twice about getting a rezi and were more than glad we did.

Our final meal -- jazz brunch at the Court of Two Sisters

After brunch we relaxed in the Ritz lounge and watched the Cowboys fall apart in what felt like our own personal living room. David felt so comfortable that he didn't temper his typical "yell at the tv" Sunday persona. Writing that, perhaps there was a reason no one joined us in the lounge!

10.24.10

2010-10-24T16:34:00.000-04:00

What in the world have we been doing with ourselves? We have lived in Cincy a full six weeks and it still feels a bit like we are "on assignment". Since March, we haven't been in one city/country for more than 12 weeks so it may take a while to feel settled! That said, life is good so far. Work is challenging (the kind of challenging that makes my brain hurt by 5:30) and we love our house and neighborhood.

The bocce ball court at a walk-to wine bar / beer store

Waffle Sunday at Coffee Emporium after church

As a new grad, I am on the P&G Chicago Booth recruiting team so I got to head up to Chicago recently and recruit for interns. It was great to be back, fun to hang out with friends who still live there, and refreshing to talk to people who want to do what I'm doing. Little do they know that I am still trying to figure out much of what I am doing!

The winter garden

View from the recruiters lounge. Forbidden territory as a student. Not that exciting as a recruiter.

Finally, we just spent a weekend with David's parents showing them the town. The weekend started out with a bang as we celebrated the Rangers win and plotted how in the world we were going to get ourselves to the World Series. This trip was nowhere near the whirlwind that their first trip to Chi was but we loved spending time with them and did a lot of good eating, a bit of shopping, and lots of catching up!

Bye, Bye Yanks. It's Texas' turn!

Cole family on the Purple People Bridge

A little BBQ at Montgomery Inn. Bib optional.

Ready for the Duck tour of the Ohio River. A Cole family tradition.

The Great American Ballpark from the river.

Loving our duck quackers!

Welcome to Ohio!

10.10.10

2010-10-10T19:53:00.000-04:00

In honor of October 10, 2010 I want to post my current top ten faves. I only wish I could have posted this at 10:10 am!

1. My most recent Rotofugi purchases from Chicago. I may be on sabbatical until we can find a suitable home for my ever-expanding collection.

2. Not just the October issue. Every issue. I swear, every time I am in need of inspiration one of these pops into my mailbox and all is right with the world.

3. Vintage fabric-covered push pins from Carrie Girl. Love, love, love these both at home and at the office.

4. My Bears. While I completely disagree with Briles' decision to play Gordon this weekend, I am still loving the fact that we get to watch them compete (and compete well) every weekend.

5. Pumpkin candle. Pumpkin anything really but this is the latest item to join the household.

6. Did I mention pumpkins? I love these guys!

7. Cardigans. I love that I can wear them with anything. I don't love that DC hates them with a passion but my love of being cozy makes up for it.

8. Mmmmm. White Ale from Dutch's -- the walk-up beer stand down the street. Not only is the beer tasty but the owl graphic on the label and the top make me wish I had designed it.

9. Lou Holtz. I heard him speak recently and am in the middle of his book. His advice extends far beyond football. He would not have played Gordon. For any reason.

10. Tazo chai tea. I start my day with a giant cup, refill at 10 and 2, and go to bed anticipating my next cup.

10.06.10

2010-10-06T21:44:00.000-04:00

The week before b-school I spent 8 days in Chile with 10 or so strangers on a "random walk". I remember calling my sis from the airport and telling her I just wanted to jump back on the train and stay home. Well, thank God, I went because I ended up meeting some of my (and Dave's) closest friends! This past weekend we flew back to Chicago to celebrate the last of four weddings of the people I met on the trip. We have all ended up in different cities but I know we will continue to meet up in fun places. The wedding was beautiful, the weather was iffy, and the bride and groom were giddy. Congrats Walsters!

The ushers

Us at The Ivy Room in Downtown Chicago

Cocktail Hour

The bride!

The owners of our weekend home

The old married couple

Celebrating the Walsters!

The Reyes

The Wallens -- married last weekend

The Walsters

Random Walk Chile and our better halves

The new Rotofugi store

09.29.10

2010-10-03T20:55:00.000-04:00

We cheered on the Reds the other night thanks to another P&G New Hires night out. The baseball stadium was a little light on fans as they had just clinched the playoffs the night before against the Astros but we still enjoyed our hot dogs and the fall weather!

Brian and Jess

09.27.10

2010-10-03T20:46:00.001-04:00

Seven years, baby. We look young in these photos. And happy. Really happy. Good to know not too much has changed.

09.26.10

2010-09-26T20:26:00.000-04:00

We just got home from a fantastic weekend in Chicago to celebrate the wedding of two of our friends from business school, Kristy and Nathan. It was so fun to reunite with our Chicago friends -- we stayed with Ankur and Paula who got married this summer and Marisa and Scottie flew in from SF as they are getting married in Chicago next weekend!

Friday night dinner at Scuzi. Ankur and DC share a mutual love for all things pizza.

As we were crashing in the Udani living room, this is the view we got to wake up to every morning!

Beautiful bride

Married!

Paula, Marisa, Kristy, me

There was a break between the ceremony and the reception so we headed over to Kelly's in Lincoln Park and caught up over pitchers and fried food. Way too much fried food.

MJ and Scottie practicing for their big day!

Dining at Spiaggia overlooking Michigan Ave

The gang. Love these kids.

We can't wait to head back in five days and do it all over again!

09.21.10

2010-09-21T22:29:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the show! We dove into Cincinnati life headfirst this weekend - Oktoberfest on Saturday night and a full day of tailgating and football-watching at the Bengals game on Sunday.

Personally, all I know about the Bengals is that I picked them to win the Super Bowl in third grade based solely on the fact that they resembled my cat, Tiger. That said, the weather was gorgeous, the stadium was nice, and they managed to win unlike another, ahem, team that has yet to figure it out.

09.18.10

2010-09-18T13:16:00.000-04:00

Okay, this is the longest post ever but it just speaks to what a fun day this was! The weekend before we left Texas we celebrated my mom's 60th birthday with family and friends. We surprised her with family from Chicago, had a brunch at the house, and then threw a true surprise party that night at Joe T's. The weather was beyond perfect so my dad pulled out his kayaks and almost everyone spent some part of the day in the lake! Selfishly, it was a fantastic way to spend our last few days in town. And, no one deserves celebration like my mom!

Maddie's scary face

Kate and her best friend GG

The morning spread. Thankfully my sis is a fantastic cook so all I had to do was combine fruit and vegetables and call them salad!

Miss and her mini me

Josh and his monkey

Steve and Connie kayaking

Maddie and Dad

Will had a slight mishap that allowed him to beat Dave Cole's "falling out of the kayak" record by seconds. Notice my dad's sympathetic face.

Steve, Connie, Kathy, Mom, and Katie. If GG is around, Katie is within inches!

The room at Joe T's

Surprise!

Happy Birthday to You!

Speech! Speech!

Miss and Josh

The Duncans

I've taken a lot of pics with this girl and this just might be my all-time fav.

Ditto.

Me and Maddie

Cartusciellos

Family

We had such a fun time planning and preparing for this party and very much appreciate all the help we got from family and friends. It is not easy to plan a party for the one who is always doing the planning! That said, we have already decided to take a trip for my dad's 60th!

09.16.10

2010-09-16T21:06:00.000-04:00

We made it!!! And we finally got internet access! The last two weeks have been crazy to say the least but we are officially settling in to our life as Cincinnatians and, I have to admit, I sort of really like it! The house is nearly put together and as soon as DC finishes having all kinds of fun with the laser level I'll get some pics taken. On the 14-hour drive up here we made a decision to jump into life a little bit faster than we did in Chicago - so far so good. We joined a gym, visited a church, found a grocery, and David even met some nice lady that agreed to cut his hair. On a regular basis!

P&G has been really good as well about hosting events all over the city - Oktoberfest, Reds games, happy hours. In light of last week's football debacle, we have even decided to attend a Bengals game with my "new hire class" this Sunday and hope that our Cowboys can stop playing like they all went to Flozell training camp! Peace.

09.01.10

2010-09-02T17:29:00.000-04:00

I hate the last few days before we leave anywhere but especially home. Mostly because we have to say goodbye to people like this. And don't even get me started on family. T-minus 3 days...

08.30.10

2010-09-02T17:22:00.000-04:00

Only a Cole boy would choose the hottest month in Texas to build a giant shed! We keep joking that David is constructing our future room at his parents' house but, I see the way he looks at that thing, and I'm thinking the joke may be on me. If I return to Ohio solo on Sunday it is most probably because David has set up shop next to the lawnmower.

08.28.10

2010-09-02T17:15:00.000-04:00

We spent last weekend at my parents' lakehouse near Alba. It had been a few years since our last visit but I found it comforting to discover that East Texas is still operating in the usual manner. Front yards are still used for storage, goats are still used for lawn maintenance, and the American flag is still available with or without a portrait of Elvis screen printed on it. We tried to take a daily bike ride to compensate for all the eating and spent plenty of time napping, reading, and fishing.

Breakfast of champions (on vacay, that is)

Lakehouse from the dam

Dad and David at the dairy

The general store

Banana ice box pie at Tiffany's

At this house, fishing poles are like shoes -- you need a different one for every occasion

David's happy hour

My happy hour

Lamb kebabs and Greek orzo

Regulating mom's excessive pepper usage

The finished product

Dinner on the patio; minutes before the mosquitos struck and forced us inside

08.27.10

2010-09-02T16:45:00.001-04:00

Do good decisions at dinner make up for bad decisions at lunch??

Strawberry banana split milkshake from Arbys'

Beluga lentil stuffed tomato from Meddlesome Moth

08.25.10

2010-08-29T18:07:00.000-04:00

We met up with the Burks' girls for a quick swim after Skylar B got out of school. With these 100+ degree days, I had been dreaming of our afternoon in the pool and so, of course, it decided to be barely 80 degrees and cloudy! Tash and I tried our hardest but it was really David who made the best showing.

Happy gnomes

Not sure who was having more fun

Piper

Nice attempt at a shoulder stand

Stella

08.22.10

2010-08-29T17:56:00.000-04:00

We have had no shortage of good food over the last month. Good Texas food, mind you. And while the Tex-Mex photos are noticeably lacking, it is largely due to the fact that we barely stop to breathe much less waste time taking the camera out of my purse.

Fred's in Fort Worth with Mom and Dad

Big O's at Fred's

Fireside Pies with Casey and Damon

Scalini's with C, D, and OC

Dinner at the Lewis household

Babysitting with the Hecklers

Caprese excitement with E

08.21.10

2010-08-27T19:10:00.001-04:00

Our goddaughter Piper P turned three last weekend so we set about spending the entire day celebrating her! First stop, a pool party that involved a gaggle of kiddos and lots of My Little Pony.

Skylar B and her cakeball

The hostess

Post cakeball

Stella girl

After the party, the Burks introduced us to the goodness that is Smashburger. We took an afternoon break and then spent the evening at their house grilling and laughing. I only took three random photos the entire night but they do a pretty good job of summing up the general chaos that we created/witnessed.

Bathtime at the Burks

David's tremendous shot

The set of Skylar's dunny video surprise

The adults ended the night out in the cul-de-sac listening to the new Jimmy song and watching for shooting stars.

08.19.10

2010-08-23T13:18:00.000-04:00

Stephen B and I celebrated the Dunny 2010 series launch in style by buying a sealed box of 25 and opening them one-by-one at Lonestar Comics. We made DC document the whole thing and were "this close" to convincing ourselves that we should buy a second box.

Cowboy and Indian.

Viking guy. 1/100!

Ketchup head. Quite possibly my new fav.

My line-up.

The aftermath.

08.15.10

2010-08-23T13:08:00.000-04:00

Sunday night dinners are back! When we lived in Dallas, we used to have a weekly dinner at my parents' house that started with my dad's love for making complicated Chinese food and a little Cowboys football. It soon progressed into multi-course meals and a sporting event was optional. We decided to recreate our Tuscany adventure with an ambitious tasting of deconstructed vegetable and cheese bruschetta, a marinated shrimp salad, some sausage and smoked cheese risotto, and an herb-encrusted lamb.

If the lamb hadn't been so dang good, I probably would have photographed it as well. I even thought of snapping a shot of the next morning's seared lamb and fried eggs but that would have involved moving and, really, what can one expect after a meal like that?

08.14.10

2010-08-23T12:56:00.000-04:00

Ice cream! Those two little words illicit a myriad of squeals and shrieks from these two little ones. Kate has figured out the whole eating from a cone thing while Tori prefers a messier but just as effective method.