Under the Influence of...

the unexpected

2010-04-01T06:21:00.000-07:00

It always seems like some of the best moments in life are those that are unexpected. I love those moments and they are always welcome.

Adam and I attended the Crawfish Festival at the Park Tavern this past Sat.
I had purchased the tickets early b/c a friend was playing as one of the opening bands. Originally we were planning to not stay long. Maybe a few hours total to support him. However, I had known all along that Cowboy Mouth was going to be playing but wasn't sure if Adam would be up for hanging out to watch them. I've been a fan since college (thanks Ziff) and have seen them before. They put on a great show and really give the crowd high engery.

We arrived about 1:30pm just an hour or so before Life & Limb was schedule to go on.
It was a beautiful day outside and a bunch of our friends were there. Life & Limb had the best set that I have seen to date, seriously it was really good. More friends showed up and then the beers started to come out.

Needless to say we did stay and had the best time. There must have been a pack of 15 of us. Cowboy mouth played an awesome show, even Adam enjoyed it.
We were both surprised at the amount of fun we had that day. Here are a few pictures

Say "YES" to the dress

2010-03-01T13:36:00.000-08:00

What every girls grows up thinking about, the wedding dress. I'm not one of these girls that puts on the first or second dress and knows. I have to try them all before making my decision. I mean, what if there were a better one out there, can't have that. I'm pretty sure that I've tried on almost every dress in Atlanta and some in Toronto.

From the start I was looking for something different. I've seen a lot of the same style and shaped dresses out there. I found it difficult to explain to the consultants what I was looking for. I was open to different neck line, beading, shape, cut, designers and color. I just really wanted something different and that was unforgettable. I stayed open to try lace, silk, satin and taffeta.

When I finally had several number 1,2 and 3 dresses my mom flew in. We spent the weekend running all over Atlanta to try on bridal dresses. We started with the current #1 dress so she knew how to judge all others. That dress quickly became #2. and then #3. Needless to say I ended up picking a completely different dress then the first round trials. I wish I could post a picture and share it with you but.....just like Adam, you'll have to wait until 10.16.10

on to the next task

Thunder sticks

2010-01-31T15:29:00.000-08:00

This Friday a few of us went to a Hawks game. This was my first. I'm not really a basketball fan but I figured we should check it out since Adam and I have never been. Much to our surprise it was REALLY fun. The action was high and the good seats made the game really exciting. They played Boston and it was a good game. They had a bunch of entertainment during time outs and between quarters. Adam and I were both shocked at how much fun we had.

I got a great picture of tip off. check it out.

Where have you been...

2010-01-15T07:05:00.000-08:00

hi folks, sorry I've been MIA for a while. The engagement and the holidays have gone by so fast. I figured I would give you a little update on what I've been getting into....wedding planning.

I am very close to having a venue and date. If you know me well then you know I like to do my research. I've been getting my internet time in researching if we should do a destination wedding, elopping or home base style. There are so many options that my head was spinning for a while. At the end of the day the destination road, although would be cheap for us, would cost our guests a lot more and we would inevitable miss out on having ppl attend that we wanted to share the moment with. So Adam and I decided that an Atlanta wedding would be best.

Being in the industry Adam and I know lots of people that will be able to help us out with the process. We want to make the wedding a reflection of our not so traditional life styles. Some traditions must stay,,,like the something borrowed, something blue, something old, something new, I love that one.

So with all these decisions and research you can see what I've been doing. I'll be excited to finally nail down a date and place. after that the rest of the pieces will start to come together and before you know it, it's party time.

Quick shout out, our friends Driver (Christina) and Travis have been kind enough to organize a engagement celebration. We are very excited about it. Thanks guys, we love ya!!!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T08:39:00.000-08:00

Adam and I stayed in Atlanta for Thanksgiving this year. Since my good friends Driver and Ken live in Atlanta now we decided to have dinner together. This is the first year that I cooked a turkey. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

BIG NEWS

2009-11-24T13:41:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks,

For those of you that do not follow Adam's blog or don't already know....I'm Engaged.
Adam surprised me after work on Friday with a proposal and a gorgeous ring. It was a total surprise, I had no idea. Just coming home from work on a regular old Friday.

Little did I know that Adam had been planning and running around all day. He filled the entire room up with candles and flowers. Had a rose pedal trail leading from the door to him on one knee. It was very touching. We danced to a few of our favorite songs before going to dinner. The whole night was really perfect.

I'm so excited to start a new family with Adam. I'm truly lucky to have him in my life everyday. So the count down begins...

Halloween 2008

2009-10-24T18:29:00.000-07:00

As we approach one of my favorite holidays I'm starting to get really excited. I thought I would reflect on last year. It was the first annual Halloween party at my house. I wanted to really go all out so with a lot of internet research and planning I decorated the house to the max. Lots of fake blood and guts. It was a secret to everyone, even Adam. Here are a few picture to get you warmed up for Halloween 2009. Adam and I have been working hard to try and top last year We'll see.

look away if you have a weak stomach. No animals or babies were hurt during the making of this party.

4th annual pumpkin carving

2009-10-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

Adam's artwork

my artwork

hey folks, last Sunday night was the 4th annual pumpkin carving. This started out at the condo with the original members, Laura, Savannah and I. It has since grown to Adam, Chad and Landon. they have come twice now and there are always the occasional boyfriends or girlfriend who join in. This year we had 7 total.

First you must select your pattern and the carving begins. Gutting the pumpkin is always the worst part. Clearing out all the seeds and guts takes time but done well will help during carving very detailed pictures. I'm always responsible for washing the seeds and roasting them. This year we made 2 batches. one sweet and one spicy.

One by one the pumpkin are finished and get placed outside. We wait until dark and then light the candles. It's always surprising how much better they look lite up.
after we check them out for a while we each vote. Laura's cat was the winning pumpkin this year. Although hard to see in the pictures, the cat was very detailed. there were many opporunities for something to break. Nice job lala.

Steeler Nation

2009-09-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

It's football season again and I'm dieing to see how my superbowl champs stand up to the test this year. Adam and I upgraded our cable package and now have the NFL tickets. He's much more excited about it then I am but at least I get to see more Steelers and Pennstate game. It comes with the Big Ten channel too. :)

Last Sunday I watched the entire Steelers vs. da bears game. It was a disappointing show to say the least. My boys were totally off their game. Ben couldn't seem to find his groove. the passing game was not good and our running game was not up to par. Over and under thrown balls were common and there were more penalties than I could count, luckily by both teams.

In addition the defense couldn't stop the Chicago run. My favorite player, #43 Troy Polamalu, was hurt and riding the pine. He sprained his left MCL and is out for 3 to 6 weeks. sniff sniff... He is such a fantastic player, always where the ball is, hitting hard and keeping offensive charges at bay. I could really see the lack of his energy and leadership on the field. For me the games aren't as much fun to watch without Troy playing. I loved seeing him come out of no way, hair flying, to make the play. His speed and quickness will be missed. Get well soon Troy!!

The worst part about last weeks game is that our kicker, Jeff Reed, missed 2 out of 2 field goals. A championship team just doesn't do that. I believe we would have won had he made them. At the very least he should be able to hit a field goal from 30-39 yards out, come on. It was painful to watch.

It's going to be a long season if this kind of play keeps up.

beach blanket

2009-09-03T09:05:00.000-07:00

It was time to hit the beach again. We spent several nights at a friends condo in Sarasota. The drive after work on Friday wasn't too bad. The 7 hours went by fast as our excitment grew. The weather all weekend was very nice. We did very little outside hang at the beach and chill at the condo. It was a very relaxing long weekend that was long over due.

The complex was a short walk to the beach and it also had 2 pools. The grounds were very nicely taken care of. The complex was very quiet due to school starting up again. We were happy to have the place almost to ourselves.

So You Think You Can Dance

2009-08-12T11:36:00.000-07:00

This is the first year that I have been able to watch an entire season of So You Think You Can Dance, mostly due to our new DVR. I have to say the talent on the show this season was really good. I also really like the format of the show. They narrow down to the top 20. They partner up for several dances until they get to smaller numbers. Then they flip flop partners (which I can imagine is so difficult).

If I could change one part it would be how they are selected to go home. America calls in to vote. Seriously who are these people that actually call. I've never met anyone that has called before or admitted to calling. anyway, most of the time I agree with the decision however this year Evan stayed WAY to long. They sent home some really amazing dancers before him, I don't get it. I kept saying, this is the week he's going home, this is the week, this HAS to be the week. It ended up he was in the top 4. Confirming that is show is a huge popularity contest. I really thought Kayla should have won. Here are a few of my favorite performances.

Although to be honest I didn't hear many of the judges comments b/c Adam can't stand the sound of Mary Murphy's voice. and the screaming, for the love...If you watch the videos below you'll know what Im talking about.

sorry folks the video were taken off you tube.

weekend guests

2009-07-27T18:21:00.000-07:00

Adam and I have had a few busy weekends. The weekend after the July 4th holiday his folks drove down from Southern MD for a long weekend visit. This was my first time meetings them so I was excited.

We kept them busy all weekend. We stopped by some of our local spots...6ft under, Ria's and Thumbs up. We took them to the Aquairum, the botanical gardens and the cyclorama. I enjoyed the time they spent with us. Adam took some really nice pictures at the botanical gardens. I attached my favorite one.

The next weekend both my sisters came in for a long over due visit. We had a nice girls weekend including a ton of shopping, pedicures and facails. We also went to a Braves/Mets game on Sat. I was really excited for them to meet Adam for the first time. They got along great.

July 4th weekend

2009-07-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

Adam and I had some vacation to burn so we both took this Thur off making it a really long weekend. We decided to go golfing for the second time at the Fox Creek course. We are both just starting out and looking to have some fun in some great weather. Last time we played this course Adam got a Par and a Birdie. This round I got my first Par on hole #7. It was a great moment.

After golf we hit the farmers market to stock up for the weekend. Adam and made pizzas on the gas grill. check out his blog for more....

Happy 4th of July everyone.

house projects

2009-06-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

as most of you already know I've been renovating a house for a while. My focused turned to the landscaping this season. I have been planting all sorts of flowers almost every weekend since late march.

I've been also planning to add a patio section just off one of the flower beds. I positioned it where water would collect after a good rain. I wasn't able to grow grass so I figured it was a good solution.

While doing my research on how to go about this I spoke to Sean, a work buddy, about the project. Sean grew up helping his dad with all sorts of landscaping projects. Sean gave me some really good direction and offered to help on some of his days off. Of course I jumped on that.

So this Friday I got up super early and started. In addition to the patio I was spreading my mulch on my large flower beds. I started spreading at 6:30 am. Sean arrived at 8am. We worked like dogs in really hot weather. it was at least 95 all day. We finished digging out the spot for the patio and the trench for the drainage.

On Saturday Adam jumped in to help. We moved almost 5 ton of material to complete the patio. Take a look.

I huge thank you to Sean and Adam for all your help. Can't wait to seat out there and have a cold beer with you both

Weekend Warriors

2009-05-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

Back in March of this year Adam bet me he could predict the winners of the March Madness games better then I could. Knowing my history and good luck with March Madness I took him on full speed. The Bet: The winner could pick the restaurant of their choice. I lead from the beginning and ended up selecting the Championship team. In addition was guessed the final score of that game within 7 points.

For my prize we went to 10 degrees South. A South African cuisine place that I've been wanting to try. A set of good friends have been there several times and raved about the food. After a long description of the menu items we selected the Peri-Peri Chicken Spring Rolls to start. For my entree I went with the SoSaties (per my friends recommendation). Skewered beef filet marinated and topped with a sweet apricot curry sauce. SO GOOD. and of course for dessert I had the Don Pedro. It's an ice cream drink.

INTRODUCING

2009-05-07T07:58:00.001-07:00

Blog followers I would like to introduce you to Samuel.
He is a new addition to the Williams household as of Saturday May 2nd.
Many months of reserach and test drives led me to him. Special thanks to Ken and Jennifer for all the help with the numbers.

Whole Food goodness

2009-04-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

Since October 2008 Adam and I have been going to a monthly event at our local Whole Foods on Pounce. Once a month they convert the table and chair section into a restaurant. Complete with linen table, glasses and silver.

Each month has a different theme. There are usually 6 courses with wine pairing.most times they will pour twice. It's the best deal in town. They also offer all the wines featured that night at 20% off retail price. Last night I bought a very nice white from Chili for $7.00. I bought 3 bottles.

You can find all related information on their website. Here is an example of the posting.

A Taste of...South America
7:00 p.m. $20 in advance

Join us for our series of "A Taste of...", where we pair some of our favorite wines with delicious creations from the chefs in our Prepared Foods department. This month, take a trip to South America with a sampling of some of the region's specialties, plus the South American wines that taste great with them. Please RSVP at Customer Service. Seating is limited.

Kiss the Cook

2009-04-21T11:23:00.001-07:00

In addition to hosting my large parties several times a year I will invite a smaller crew over for dinner parties. I really enjoy cooking for my friends, drinking wine and chatting. I'm always on the hunt for new and exciting dishes. I'm determined not to fall into a routine and make the same dish over and over again. Most of the recipes I find come from the Internet.

Recently I have found a new source for creative culinary works. Bigoven.com
it's pretty cool. You can create a profile and collect your "favorite" or "try soon"
recipes. There is also a leftover feature. You can plug in 3 different ingredients that you have laying around and it will give you a number of recipes to try.
You can also sort by flavor, season, occasion, course or popular ingredients.

I invited the boys (chad and landon) and Laura over on Sunday for a spring dinner party. I tried three new recipes from this site. We started with Chicken Curry salad served with Stacy's Pita Chips. It had grapes, almonds and celery in the mixture. Can be served warm or cold. it was a huge hit.

The fish tacos were pretty basic. Baked the Halibut with a little butter, pepper and lime juice. The tacos were served with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, avocado, lime juice and a black bean salad. It was very yummy and super easy to make. 1 can of black beans, 1 can of corn, chopped tomatoes, cilantro, jalapenos, lime juice, cumin and salt.

I recommend all you cooks out there give this website a chance. I'm happy to come over and taste test anything you make. happy cooking.

Movie Mania

2009-04-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, with my busy work schedule and several out of town trips I have not been using my netflix account to the best of my ability. Time to make up for lost rentals..... Updated my QUEUE and watch a movie that I have had for some time. This is one of those "based on a true story" type story lines that I love so much. Enjoy

After losing his hearing during the Vietnam War, Richard Pimentel (Ron Livingston) returns to America, where he falls in with an unlikely circle of friends and finds a new calling as a spokesman for the disabled. His efforts as an activist eventually lead to the creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This inspiring and entertaining true story won the Audience Award at the 2007 AFI Dallas International Film Festival.

SNORKEL!!

2009-03-15T16:13:00.000-07:00

Sadly Adam and I arrived home last night pretty late from 4 nights in Cancun. We were both sad to leave due to perfect weather, beautiful water and good times. As some of you know I'm always searching for the unique local favor. It was spring break time frame so we did our best to stay far away from that madness. Successful we found "off the beaten path" activities to enjoy.

FOOD:
The day of our arrival was spend at the Westin pool bar drinking. At first sip we were hooked on the mango margarita. Plus the bartenders were super cool and ended up giving us a great recommendation for lunch on the Island of Women.

That night for dinner we hit Caption's Cove a short bus ride from our hotel. Adam had never tasted Lobster before so we ordered the seafood special for two. It had grouper (which was my first time and pretty good), shrimp, scallops, calamari and two lobster tails. Dinner can with veggies and fries or baked potato. It was a lot of food but we worked it out. A bottle of wine later we ordered dessert. Mango cheesecake,,,Barney Rubble.

I did a little research before leaving on cool places to eat. I found Thai. I know, Thai food in Mexico,,,why. It was all about the experience for me. It feels a lot more like Thailand than the edge of a Mexican shopping plaza. With a backdrop that includes three dolphins cavorting in an enormous aquarium, Thai restaurant offers a unique and calming setting with bungalows on the lagoon (I wish I would have reserved one) with soft red and blue lighting, and Asian chill and lounge music contribute to the romantic ambiance.

The best meal by far was the seviche at a shack type place right on the beach on the Island of Women. It was fresh mixed seafood with lime juice, salt and pepper searched with chips and "cookies" (saltines). I wanted nothing else after eating this dish. The bartender at the Westin was right, it was worth the bus, taxi, ferry and golf cart ride to get there.

Another notable meal was our breakfast the last two days. On our way to the Island the day before I asked a local for directions. He had stopped at our bus stop for a few breakfast tacos from a women selling them out of back of her van. She was there everyday but Sundays. She offered shrimp, chicken, pork or beef tacos with a load of condiments (adam's favorite) for $.50 each. I had to try it. I'm super proud of Adam for jumping in despite his nervousness. The lady and her husband were very nice and spoke great English. The tacos were so good we had them two days straight. Best dollar breakfast I've ever had.

ACTIVIES:
we snorkeled...3 times. I found a great spot within walking distance from our hotel.
Just off the beach of the Club Med next to the Westin gave us free snorkeling for two days. It was awesome. We saw 3 huge parrot fish and tons a little colorful coral and fish. I really enjoyed finding a school of fish. Here is where we entered to get to the better location. A little rough but we figured it out without injury.

Adam had mentioned he wanted to see and/or swim with sharks. I wasn't sure we could pull that off but sure enough a young man had a small nurse shark in a cage on the Island of Women. He offered us to come in the water with it and take pictures. The shark even rolled over so was could pet it's belly. I wasn't going to miss that. a $2.00 tip was all we paid.

All around the trip to the island was great. We drove the entire island on our golf cart. First stop resulted in walked a long trail that took us to the highest part and very tip of the island. The views were amazing. Due to the hiking and walking thru the rock waters we didn't take our camera. North beach was the most popular part of the island and covered with sun bathers. We weren't there long.

Here are a few other pics from the trip.

Girls just wanna have fuuhunnn

2009-03-09T16:45:00.000-07:00

The long waited 80's Prom party was this past Saturday night at the
Lester House. Adam and I did the house up right. Many balloon towers, spiked punch and a back drop for pictures. There was no shortage of black lace, side pony tails, 80's music and Madonna want-a-be. Upon arrival everyone had their "prom picture" taken. I posted all the pics on a poster board with their names. towards the end of the night everyone got to vote for the King and Queen. The crowd totally got into it. Minus just a few I think everyone voted.

Lots of folks dressed up but hands down the two best outfits won. Driver came all the way from Chicago (thanks Driver) with a royal blue strapless number. Sean "Soup" Campbell looked great in his red tux. Well done!

Thanks to everyone for coming. It was an awesome night, like for sure, totally awesome.

Next year the current King and Queen must come back to pass on their titles. Enjoy some other pics.

Thrashers ...Full Strength

2009-03-02T06:53:00.000-08:00

On Saturday night I went to my last Thrashers game of the season and it was a good one. The Thrashers were down for most of the game. I'm not sure what the coach said to them after the second period but they came out with their hair on fire.
Rich Peverley scored his second goal of the game with 1:28 remaining in the contest as the Thrashers netted four goals in the final nine minutes to defeat the Hurricanes in the opener of a four-game homestand, 5-3.

"We never gave up," Lehtonen said. "In the third period, we started playing better. We got lots of shots. It was looking like the game would be tough to come back (in), but we got some nice goals at the end."

The Thrashers improved to 17-29-10 against Carolina.

Thrashers on a POWER PLAY!

2009-02-26T10:16:00.001-08:00

The last night my folks were here we went to a Thrashers game.
It was the first NHL game my dad has seen. He's been to a ton of Hersey Bears games before. Despite the Thrashers being in last place there were able to secure a win over the Colorado Avalanche 3 to 4.

Don't worry my dad was having fun, he never smiles.

Movie Mania

2009-02-26T06:10:00.000-08:00

Watched a new movie last night called Before the Devil Knows Your Dead.

The perfect crime goes horribly wrong when Andy and Hank (Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke) botch a robbery of their parents' jewelry store in this wrenching drama from legendary filmmaker Sidney Lumet, who was 82 when he directed the film. Albert Finney and Rosemary Harris co-star as the unsuspecting parents, while Marisa Tomei plays Gina, who cheats on her husband, Andy, with Hank.

This movie snowballed into a mess that had me on the edge of my seat. This type of film is not for everyone. I really liked it and thought to acting was excellent.
Here is the trailer.

2 week count down

2009-02-24T10:18:00.001-08:00

2 weeks from today Adam and I will be in Cancun for 4 nights. In total we will both be off 6 days. CAN'T WAIT. We are hooked up at the Westin Resort & Spa Cancun.
Here are a few pictures of the hotel.

Parents week

2009-02-23T10:08:00.000-08:00

So my folks come down every year for a week to visit. Last year we were hold up in the house the entire time re-tiling the entire master bathroom. I almost killed my dad with all the work. They actually stayed a day longer to finish. We worked till 11pm several nights.

Anyway my dad said at least 15 times that this trip would not be as hard as last year, I was totally on board with that. They arrived Wed night. I made dinner, stuffed red peppers, while they chilled and got settled.

The next day was full of projects around the house, planted some flowers and a tree in the back yard, went to our first of many trips to Lowes and cleaned all the windows and drapes. All in all a good semi-busy day. Made dinner and they met Adam for the first time. The meeting went well. good conversation was had and we ended up playing UNO after dinner and laughed at my dad's stories.

Friday morning we did a few more small projects before Mom and I hit the Lenox mall.
She really spoiled me with a big purchase at Anthropologie. They were having a big sale. I LOVE THIS STORE. I could have bought almost everything.

after Lenox my mom got her hair cut and colored by my folks at James Madison. Sarah and Brett did a great job, the color looked really good.

Saturday we had a huge day. We planned to golf in the morning at 9:30am.
Due to the cold weather and frost our tee time was moved back to 11am shot gun start. We hit brunch at thumbs up before heading to Stone Mountain to golf. The weather was still a little cold but the views were really pretty.

we played till about 4pm. we rushed home to shower up, meet Adam and head to Atlantic Station for dinner and Cirque du Soleil. Dinner was a mess. Every place was an hour plus wait. we ended up eating at Doc Green's, the only place without a line. The highlight of the night was the show. it was great. My favorite were the contortionists. They were super flexible and really strong.

Thanks Mom and Dad.

Sunday was kind of a later start day. My mom was looking for a gift for my Aunt Carol so we went to Phipps. Later that day we got facials at Spa Sydell. They were nice and relaxing. Laura came over for dinner, wine and more UNO. I made stuffed shells and steamed veggies.

Came back to work today and my folks went golfing again.

super busy weekend

2009-02-16T17:43:00.001-08:00

Adam and I had a ton going on for our first Valentine's Day weekend. You'll have to check out Adam's blog to see what we did during the day on Saturday. He wants to tell you about that. It was super fun and worth checking out.

After our day time activities we went to dinner and the High for their special V-day party. We stayed close for dinner so we could park once and walk to the High after dinner. Since Adam has been brave enough to explore the world of Thia food we decided to dine at Tamarind Seed on Peachtree Street next to Shout. It was excelent. Adam ordered a really nice bottle of wine and we split the Kung-Thod (stuffed srimp with Thai herbs wrapped in rice paper skin and served with three flavored chili sauce). We also shared our favorite soup, Tom-Kha-Gai. We had two really nice entrees which both included curry and rice. A little dessert and we were on our way to The High Museum.

The High had a special evening planned for V-day couples. I have to give Adam huge props for thinking of it. He knows I love outside of the box experiences. Great pick Adam. As part of the night you could learn salsa or tango, have a few drinks and check out the First Emperor exhibit with the Terracotta Army. We have wanted to see this for a while. We did it all. tried to dance, which was hilarious. Had some drinks and walked thru the exhibit. It was a great time. A quick drink at shout and stop at Wendy's for a late night snack ended our night.

Curators estimate that approximately 7,000 terracotta warriors stood guard over the tomb of "King of Qin", the First Emperor of China. The Emperor standardized Chinese writing, bureaucracy, scholarship, law, currency, weights and measures. He expanded the Chinese empire, built a capital in Xian, a system of roads, and massive fortifications and palaces.

Shi Huangdi (259-210 B.C.) was a cruel ruler who readily killed or banished those who opposed him or his ideas. He is notorious for burning virtually all the books that remained from previous regimes. He even banned scholarly discussions of the past.

The Qin dynasty ended soon after his death, but a unified China remained for over 2,000 years. China's name is derived from his short but seminal dynasty, Qin (pronounced Chin).

In 1974, thousands of life-sized terra cotta warriors and horses from the Emperor's extravagant tomb were unearthed in Xian.

SUNDAY:
I had gotten a few tickets to the Dracula Ballet for the afternoon show. I've never been to a ballet and really didn't know what to expect. I have to admit the idea of Dracula vs The Nutcracker was a plus. A long show with two intermissions made me nervious. We stuck it out and the ending make it totally worth it. lots of blood and biting, intense music and good dancing. All in all a great performance. I do think I've gotten my fill of ballet for a while.

movie mania

2009-01-30T07:10:00.000-08:00

As some of you already know I'm a huge NetFlix junkie. I've been a member since 05. I average about 2 movies a week depending on how busy my schedule is. I enjoy cheesy romantic movies like "the Notebook" and "Dirty Dancing". In addition I like drama and based on true story type movies. With this being said this is the start to my movie of the month/week endorsement.

For the period piece/ based on the true story lovers this movie will hit home.

The Duchess
Keira Knightley stars as Georgiana, duchess of Devonshire, in this adaptation of Amanda Foreman's novel. Unhappily married to the duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes, in a Golden Globe-nominated role), Georgiana indulges in extravagant vices and begins a scandalous affair with politician Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper). Director Saul Dibb's drama about the aristocratic 18th-century femme fatale received an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design.

a few fun nights

2009-01-25T10:16:00.000-08:00

Last Friday Adam and I went on a pub crawl in Little Five. We started with a little dinner at a local pizza place and went drinking from there. Some of the stops were the Porter, The Corner Tavern and Front Page News. We played a good game of Darts. In fact Adam and I bought a dart board for the house so we can get our A game in shape. Look out. Here are a few pics from

the night.

Me and the girls

Kelly is really good

My man is chillin

Last night Michelle and Barrett hosted what I hope will be the first of many Wii Game Night. Of course Adam and I had to have a crazy team name. After many options we went with Raspberry Wasabi Mustard. For many reasons I won't get into right now this name is perfect for us.

Was there any doubt that I would be the Captain of this team, I don't think so.

It was the very first time I played Wii so our team was starting behind the 8 ball. We had a great time. I never laughed so hard as I did when Barrett was on the dance pad. too funny.

The Big Show

2009-01-23T07:59:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks,

So I'm super excited that my boys made it to the big show this year. It's a nice pick-me-up from the dissapointing slaughter of Penn State in the Rose Bowl. I have no doubt that the Steelers will secure a victory and be XLIII Super Bowl Champs.

My favorite player by far is number 43 Troy Polamalu. Besides having a cool last name and wild curly black hair the guy is awesome. He always seems to be where the ball is. His consistant intensity makes for good football watching. He's just sick. Absolutly earns his paycheck every game. Not to mention that his uncle, Al Pola, played at Penn State.

I don't know yet where I'll be watching the game. Regardless I will be decked out in Steelers gear... including my terrible towel. GO STEELERS!

It's a new day

2009-01-22T10:03:00.000-08:00

I think this is the perfect first blog.