03.14.11

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

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

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

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

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

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!