Productive weekend!

I got SO much done this weekend, and now, at 8pm on Sunday, I'm tired! Here's the rundown:

Saturday I cleaned like a mad woman! I realized I'm not the best housekeeper when I thought "I should take a picture of this!" I do generally keep things clean, but this weekend I also mopped the hardwoods and the kitchen. Here's my room (soon to be Bryan's room too) all clean.

From April 2007

From April 2007

In these pictures you can also see his new Ikea dresser and the newish curtains I bought. I tried to make some to "save money" and then ended up at Target, spending way less.

Sunday I got up bright and early (8am, early for me on a weekend!) to wash and wax my car before the day of fun with Sherri and the kids. Here is what happened when I dragged out the hose for the first time this year :(

From April 2007

Yes, I had kept it in the garage, so it didn't freeze. I have no idea what happened, but I quickly felt like the smart homeowner. "I'll just use my handy duct tape on it and it will be good as new." Here is the result.

From April 2007

It's a good thing my dad knows nothing of the internet, or he would be shaking his head at my stupidity! For now I just used it leaking, and the wash and wax are done. It was a beautifully sunny day and was nice to be outside.

Then I went to Sherri's, and she, Lani, Cassie, Peter and I went to Simply Crepes Check out the menu. It was fabulous, and Sherri kept saying "this is my new favorite place."
My food (after I started cutting it up!)...nutella, raspberries, and grand marnier sauce.

From April 2007

Lani got a traditional fruit one:

From April 2007

It was really good, although mine was technically a dessert one :)

Then we walked along the canal, and Lani and I fed the ducks (Cassie refused because she thought I would throw her in the canal!).

From April 2007

We then had ice cream, where I realized with much chagrin (and much too late), that I cannot eat a cone with braces :( It is just too painful and I am unable to bite anything like a cone (or a clif bar, or rice krispie treats, or just about anything!). I can eat them if I tear them into little pieces, but that wasn't going to happen with a cone full of ice cream. Oh well, Lani happily took and ate the rest.

I then felt the urge to get some plants, since it was so nice and sunny today. Here is the result so far. I clearly didn't buy enough mulch!

From April 2007

From April 2007

For now, the white picket fence had to go, since you couldn't see the new mulch and the flowers. I'll put it up once everything dies. In the new section are some annuals, and two rose bushes that I bargained down to 50% off of each of them :) There are also some mysterious things that are just sprouting, so I'll give them a chance and see what they are, and the bushy plants were already there. On the right is what I just learned is a forsythia bush. I'll plant a few more plants over there and mulch it soon.
Anyone who really knows me knows that I have always wanted a magnolia tree. I think they are so beautiful. I finally bought one! It will wait for Bryan to plant it in the back yard though. It is going to need a decent sized hole!

From April 2007

In a tribute to Portland, I also bought a rhododendron, a purple one. It will be planted on the side of the house soon. I ran out of steam, and my plastic hand shovel doesn't really do the job very well!

From April 2007

That's the update on my weekend! Next weekend is home to Portland and then the drive out here, so there won't probably be any more posts for a couple of weeks. I'm so excited to go home and see my family and the dogs, and to see my new "nephew" Sebastian Bradley who was born April 23rd!

I should also add that Bri (and her boyfriend Rich and his friend Donnie) left for Portland today. I wish them the best of luck in my favorite city, and I will forever be grateful to Bri for stepping in and taking care of my house and my pets so I could put my thoughts and energy towards my dad. Even though she wasn't around much, I'll miss our sometimes VERY long chats, and I hope her mom sees past her anger of Bri living with a boyfriend and gets to know Rich for the good guy that he is.

Spring part 2

I was motivated to put together the swing today (it also folds down into a bed). I'm loving the 78 degrees today!

From Spring

From Spring

From Spring

Spring!!

Last week snow, today sunny and 70! It was so nice. It also means that the lawn mowing has begun...belch! I did at least get the back done today.

I put together the new furniture I got for the Florida Room. I love it! I got the pillows and the enormous candle at Pier One today. They were having a great sale, and those 4 pillows retailed at $30-40 each, and the candle was $50. I paid $25 for all of it! Now to decide where to put the new 3-person swing. I think that project will wait for Bryan though.

From Spring

From Spring

From Spring

We also got new bikes today. I was going to get my old one all fixed up, but the bikes were so cheap at Target. These were only $53 each, and I negotiated 10% off of one of them because it had a slight chip in the paint. Yeah! Now to just convince Bryan he can't ride without a helmet :/

From Spring

For those that have been asking, I'll be heading out to Portland May 5th, spending the 5th-8th at home, then leaving Tuesday around lunchtime with Bryan for the drive back to Rochester. I guess I feel I need to do this drive annually! Bryan was smart though and suggested we take a different route so I can see something new, so we'll be going more northern (Washington, Idaho, Montana, one of the Dakotas, Wisconsin, etc). May will be a nice time to do the drive though, and we'll have lots of good tunes. We should start taking bets about how long it takes before we run out of conversation! I'm excited to have him out here though, and I know he's ready to get school started. But first, I need to continue on with my cleaning and organizing to make room for him!

Sun and Wegmans

Today was sunny and 60. Hallelujah! I wasn't in the mood to go to the gym today, so instead I decided to walk to Wegmans (3 miles RT) to get a few groceries. The walk was beautiful, and I was jammin' to my iPod (still quite possibly the best gift I have ever gotten!).

Wegmans recently won the best grocery store award by the Food Network (it was up against Trader Joes and Whole Foods). As a side note, while I do like Wegmans, I don't miss it in Portland. However, I do long for Trader Joes when I'm in Rochester.

While I was there, I got this, which Bri eats all the time:

Pesto Bruschetta Chicken Breast
Boneless chicken breast cutlet topped with Pesto, 3 cheeses, and roasted & fresh tomato.


Holy divinity it was good! I had that with some steamed asparagus and broccoli in a hollandaise sauce, and some strawberries. Yum! I felt so healthy that I decided to have a Coke :) Probably the first soda I've had in a month or so.

Nice weather, lovely walk, yummy dinner, new Grey's Anatomy tonight, finished up a report today for a bitchy client, and tomorrow is Friday. Life is good. Not long until home!

Easter!

First off, this is what I woke up to Easter morning! I'm beginning to think it snows here year-round.

From Easter 2007

Saturday I was dragged out of bed (at 10:45am :) by a phone call from Lani. "Miss Tia, when are you coming over to color eggs with me?" Although I hadn't originally understood that I was invited over Saturday AND Sunday (for Easter brunch), I quickly decided a day with the Lauver-Biglan family was way better than my planned day of cleaning.

Here is us coloring eggs with the stuff my mom sent. The kits are SO much cooler than when I was little! You can see I wrote my name on one with this wax crayon that makes it so the dye doesn't stick. I like Sherri's with the polka dots!

From Easter 2007

From Easter 2007

From Easter 2007

That afternoon also involved making necklaces (after I asked Lani if we could do something else when she asked me to play Barbie's. I'm just not good at pretend!). I put the one I made in Lani's Easter basket, and when I went over this morning she ran to me and said THANK YOU FOR THE NECKLACE. She was so excited. It was quite cute. We (Sherri, Lani, Cassie, and I) also had a hilarious time playing Go Fish. The girls understand the idea of the game, but not the subtleties of it. After Cassie asked Sherri for a 2, Lani says loudly, "You should have asked me, I have a 2" and then doesn't ask Cassie for her 2 when it's her turn. We'd tried to explain it, but I don't think they quite got it. It was funny nonetheless.

From Easter 2007

Peter and his trademark smile. He is the happiest baby, just over 6 months old now.

From Easter 2007

Here is the gang in their Easter getup

From Easter 2007

I can't figure out how to post a video on here, but Peter has the latest craze in baby toys called the "Jumparoo." I think it is so funny to watch him jump around in it. This link will take you to a short clip. I do have to say that it's much funnier in person. He looks like a little kid on a bull ride!
http://picasaweb.google.com/tia.neely/Easter2007/photo#5051174790132639202

Today I also took over these bubble things on a stick that I used to have as a kid (mom, you'll have to show this to dad because I remember doing this with him). You take this goo stuff and put it on the straw and blow it up. Elena LOVED it and squealed with glee every time she made a bubble. Good times!

From Easter 2007

In non Easter things:

The flowers my ortho office sent me at work. Creepy! How about you just take the $40 off of my bill???

From Easter 2007

Speaking of ortho, my mouth still hurts, but it's getting a tiny bit better and I can now eat solid soft food (I had a fritatta today at Sherri and Kevin's, and muffins. Soft fruit is okay, but even cut-up apples were not doable yet). I also went to get a wire fixed that was poking me, and the stupid lady broke off the entire bracket :( It doesn't go back on until the 16th because the dentist is out of town. I'm starting to get used to seeing myself with braces though. Two more co-workers didn't even notice I had them, and even Sherri didn't notice (and she knew I had gotten them) until 2 hours after I got to her house! They must not be as horribly ugly and obtrusive as I feel that they are.

From Easter 2007

I got a patio set! Yay! Sherri recommended Big Lots, and I got this:

From Easter 2007

Regularly $199, on sale for $149, and it is really comfy.

And no one else cares about this except my mom, so mom, this is just for you :) My new shoes from last weekend. Marshall's here has an entire shoe shop. I'm now in love with Liz Claiborne Flex, as all 3 new pairs of heels are those. So comfy! And at $34.99, they didn't break the bank. Here are the two new pairs.

From Easter 2007

From Easter 2007

I guess that's all the news from out here. Four weeks until I come home. I'm so excited!!!!

It's the end of the world as we know it

Braces....not much more to say except my mouth hurts like hell and I look like I'm 12. I must be good at hiding them though, because 3 co-workers didn't even notice until I told them. Three cheers to my co-worker Katie who said "I can see them a little bit when you talk, and you look cute in them." I wanted to hug her!

Me the morning before:

From Braces

Me the evening after:

From Braces

From Braces

This morning I woke up to this. It's APRIL for crying out loud! It was 25 degrees on the way into work.

From Braces

No baby yet!

I guess people actually read this, so lest you all get excited, there isn't a baby yet! She was sent home and is doing just fine. Actually, as I type this she is at a baby shower at her husband's work. She "officially" has 2 more weeks to go.

I blog when the shows are a rerun

It is a sad Thursday when The Office is a rerun, Scrubs is not on, and Grey's is a rerun. But it actually turned out to be a good thing. I stayed at work late to get a report done in the quiet hours when everyone has gone home, I had a lovely time at the uncrowded gym since I was there later than usual, and I baked :) I like to bake, and my coworkers love to eat any kind of goodies, so it's a win all around! Since we're talking about baking, here is what I made (if you click on the pics you can see them larger):


This was something new. Phyllo dough (hard to work with!) filled with nutella and raspberry jelly. The one I sampled was just okay, but we'll see how they taste tomorrow with some powered sugar added on top. They look pretty though :)

Today I got my first organics delivery here, similar to the one I did in Portland. The closest place here is in NYC though, so they actually overnight UPS it to anyone in NY not in the NYC area.

It came in a cardboard box, which then had this plastic bag in it.

These are the goods. Let's see if I can remember it all:
4 apples
4 pears (you know it's been a long week when I had to look up how to spell pear! pair? pare?)
2 grapefruit
4 potatoes
a box of cherry tomatoes (they accidentally sent, since I said no tomatoes)
kale
spinach
dandelion greens
4 bananas
something that looks like a lettuce variety
4 bananas
a bag of carrots
broccoli

I just had an apple, and it was SO good. All of this produce is organic and delivered right to my door, every-other-week for now (how can I eat ALL of this!?!). We might do it every week or get the bigger size box when both Bryan and Krista (the new roomie) are here. Bryan thought this box was expensive at $38, but I think for organic produce shipped to my door it is quite a bargain. All of that food, non-organic, in the grocery store would probably be close to that price, and I'd have to do the shopping!

And the most exciting news......last word was that Bryan's sister was on her way to the hospital in labor!! She's still 2 weeks early, so who knows if it is the real-deal yet, but I'm so excited to meet my "nephew."

Springtime and a pleasant surprise

It has been a couple of weeks since I have updated, mostly because life has been relatively mundane since Bryan's visit. Last weekend I went out with some friends for St. Patrick's Day. Regretfully I forgot my camera, but we had a great time. Our bartender was completely wasted, so probably a $300 bar tab between the 5 of us ended up only being $20 each. Not bad! I also went over to Sherri's and hung out with the kids, which was fun. We went out to eat at Red Robin, which was very yummy.

This weekend was nice and relaxing. I went to see 51 Birch Street at the local artsy theater. It was a good, thought-provoking movie. It is a documentary about a couple married for 54 years. She dies, and 3 months later the husband moves to Florida to be with his secretary from 35 years before. The movie is filmed by the son, who finds 35 years of his mom's journals when he is cleaning out his dad's house. It was an interesting movie, but the cool thing was that his sister (who was interviewed throughout the movie) was in the audience, and she did a Q&A after the movie! It was really cool.

I bought some new shoes this weekend. As Bryan says, I have to wear my "grown-up" clothes to work, and I was feeling the pressure to buy some heels. These are SO comfy (for heels!). I think they are pretty cute.


I found this cute skirt too that match so perfectly with the shoes. It looks grey here, but it is black.


This is my new swing for the sun porch! It's too heavy for me to bring in it, so until Bryan gets here it will live in a box in the garage :) It is a 3 person swing that folds down into a bed. How fun to sleep out there in the summer.


And then I made banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I had some bananas to use up, and people at work love it when anyone brings in treats. They turned out to be super yummy and very moist.

Grass, what's that?

So I'll start with most recent events and work backwards.

Today was a REMARKABLE 66 degrees and absolutely beautiful. I quickly decided heck no to the gym and went for a run outside. It was lovely! As you can see, that kind of heat melted almost all of the snow today.

From Bryan's 30th

From Bryan's 30th

Never fear though, the weatherman says it will snow again over the weekend!

Last week Bryan was here to visit. He attempted to come on his birthday, but suffice to say JetBlue is absolutely the worst airline and I would encourage everyone to avoid them at all costs. Here is a quick rundown:
-Flight #1 is supposed to leave PDX March 3rd at 11:59pm
-Flight is delayed 2.5 hours, which misses the connection at JFK. The option? Wait at JFK for TEN hours on his birthday. He decides to just move the trip back a day.
-Flight #2 is supposed to leave PDX March 4th at 11:59pm.
-Flight #2 delayed 2 hours, so he'll miss the connection again.
-Smart Tia realizes JetBlue goes to Buffalo, so he gets re-routed there.
-Insert TERRIBLE snowstorm that makes a treacherous drive to Buffalo. On the way, there is a jacknifed semi on the thruway with about 5 semis and 10 cars involved. This SHUTS DOWN the thruway. I sit for 2.5 hours PARKED. Bryan gets in and is stuck there for 2 hours waiting for me.
-Bryan finally gets in 1 day and 6 hours late.
-March 11th flight out of ROC at 5:10pm.
-Online says delayed until 5:30pm (no biggie)
-Flight actually leaves at 7:30pm. Connection to PDX leaving at 7:15pm. Luckily, that connection was delayed as well, so he did get back to PDX, an hour late.
YIKES!

Onto better things :) We had a wonderful time together! We spent 3 days at Niagara-on-the-Lake. Unfortunately we both aren't big picture takers, so I don't have a ton to share. We went wine tasting and got to try Icewine which was good but very sweet. We did end up buying 2 bottles of other wines that we really liked. Only one made it home to drink later :) Wednesday was spent at the spa. It was amazing! We each got a facial, then sat in the hot springs together, then had a yummy lunch, then got a couples massage, then used the gym, then sat in the hot springs again. The entire day was spent in robes and slippers. Ahhh! I would do it again in a heartbeat. It was so relaxing.

In the evening we went into Niagara Falls. It was really cold (about 10 degrees), so we didn't walk around too much, but Bryan got to see the falls, so he was happy.

From Bryan's 30th

From Bryan's 30th

We got some dinner at a sports restaurant and had some drinks.

From Bryan's 30th

We discussed going to the casino, but instead were wooed by our childhood and decided to spend the evening in the really cool midway attached to the restaurant. $20 and we got 3+ hours of fun...way more then we would have gotten at the casino! AND, we came home with a sheep that grows fur (we didn't add the water before he left, so you'll have to remain in suspense for pictures of that) and a Niagara Falls shotglass. Score! The bummer of the evening was this crappy parking ticket because we stayed too long at our meter. Luckily it was only $13.

From Bryan's 30th

Thursday we went to IKEA and bought a bunch of stuff, and Friday we lazied around and then had a fun dinner/games party at night. I should also mention the amazing food that we had at the B&B. Nikki made us the most scrumptious breakfasts. The first day was coffee, OJ, fresh fruit, bran/pineapple muffins, yogurt with syrup and poached pears, and these tart-type things with egg, bacon, and cheese. It makes my mouth water thinking about it! Day 2 was coffee, OJ, homemade croissants, fruit platters, and french toast with real apples baked in. Nikki and her husband Ben were both very sweet and fun to talk to. Ben used to run a hotel in Dubai which is the wealthiest country in the world, and Nikki is from Sri Lanka. They both were very smart and very cultured.

Overall it was a fabulous week and it was very sad to see Bryan go. But I'll be back in Portland May 5th and we'll be driving out here shortly thereafter. For now it's back to the grind at work. Thankfully work keeps me very busy, so the days fly by. The company did get restructured in the week I was away, but I don't think it is going to impact me immensely, and it won't fully take place for 8-12 months.

Another weekend flies by

Sorry I never got a chance to add some text to the last posting! I'll sum it up in a few quick sentences. The flowers are the dead ones I got from ProFlowers from my mom for V-Day. The snow is just that...lots of snow! From the side door there are usually 2 steps, and from the front door there are 3. As you can see they are both level with the ground.

Onto this weekend, which has been pretty mellow. Housecleaning and movie watching (Shut Up and Sing was a great documentary). Here are the replacement flowers from ProFlowers. They screwed up, so I got two bouquets. Beautiful!


From February 2007

A good chunk of Saturday was spent unburying my desk in the office. There is also now a nice sitting area for when Bryan needs some space while he's studying (or during football season he can come watch up here). For those of you who came to my condo, you know I loved the lights in the kitchen. I found some at Target last week and had to buy them!

From February 2007

From February 2007

From February 2007


From February 2007

What a difference a week makes. While there is still snow, the steps are visible again and so is the driveway!

From February 2007

I also spent part of today with Lani and Cassie. I wanted to take them to the mall to get a snack and ride the carousel, but they wanted nothing to do with that idea and wanted to just play pretend instead. I'm no good at that, but I played along for a few hours. Now I'm off to dinner with Kim and Anthony, who are the sweetest people I know here because they always invite me to go places with them.

Not sure when the next update will be. Bryan comes next weekend (YAY!), so I'll be busy getting ready for that, then we're off to Niagara-on-the-Lake for a few days, and we're having a party that Friday. I'm sure there will be lots of pictures and updates after all of that fun.