Mike's Mini B'day Bash

Okay, so this was over 2 weeks ago. So sue me, I'm a little behind in downloading my pictures. That also means you'll be treated some fun new photos and pictures this week. Lucky you!

Mike's 2nd anniversary of his 30th b'day fell on a week night so we decided to just celebrate together. I planned the night and kept him in the dark on what we would be doing. It wouldn't be elaborate but at least it would be a surprise!

We started the night at a fancy restaurant that we hadn't been to but that came highly recommended by a friend. The food and cocktails were superb and we truly enjoyed it. Then, we headed home and I presented Mike with his birthday cake - mocha oreo cookie ice cream cake to be specific! We both had some and it was super yum!

Mmmmm....cake!

Mr. O says Happy Birthday Daddy!

The B'day Boy and Me

After we enjoyed the cake, he got to open all the gifts I got him - new bike shorts, some movies on dvd, a much needed new belt and some fun t-shirts. He enjoyed them all (or at least he told me he did). A low key birthday but a fun night for the both of us.

Lazy Kitties

Raise your hand if you'd rather be kickin' it like these two instead of starting another week of work. I would!
This guy and gal are just so smoochy, snuggly sometimes! Though, Oliver must have been in a great mood when Mike took this picture because normally Luci would get smacked for propping up her paws on him!

The Most Powerful Woman in America

Clinton? Nope, no chance of that anymore. Palin? Nope (not yet at least). It's Oprah! Like it or not the woman's got a lot of flack. (I think I can hear Mike cringing reading this line since he absolutely can.not.stand Ms.Winfrey. Sorry Mike!) Kathy Griffin even jokes that "Oprah now gets to pick the U.S. President." (She pushed Obama on the world.)

My feelings are mixed on Oprah. While I'm with Mike that she's way over hyped and a little too big on herself, I do truly think that she has the best intentions in her broadcasts to have a positive influence on the world. I must say that I can even enjoy watching her from time to time. Granted, that's normally from the treadmill and catching the closed captions when I glance up from reading my book (that's about the time I take my "lunch break" from work to hit the gym)....I'm not so into it that I would actually tivo the show. However, she is the new topic of my newest blog interest - Living Oprah.

The gist of the blog is that this woman has dedicated herself to study Oprah and follow her advice for a year. Whether it be work out or entertainment advice, book recommendations or food choices...she's going to follow what Oprah tells her to do. I think it's a brilliant experiment and an interesting anthropological study of our culture! So, I'll definitely be checking in on her blog again.

What are your thoughts on this? Please leave them in the comments.

Fall is in the Air!

Mums are everywhere, the air is cool, the A\C's are out of the windows and the trees are threatening to turn their leaves at anytime. That can only mean one thing - Fall is officially here! Yay!

I'm still amazed at these things that New England has called seasons. There are 4 distinct ones (as opposed to the 1 1\2 I grew up with) and they all have aspects that I love and am excited to see. What is still astonishing to me is how quickly they come and go. I mean, just over a week ago, it was summer and felt like it. Today, the air feels very different - crisp and cool - and it is definitely a new season. Natural, I know, but still seems a very new concept to me even though I've been here 9 years now.

One of my favorite things about fall is the pumpkin flavored foods that show up. I love them! This weekend, I had the pleasure of testing out a few - pumpkin muffins, pumpkin ice cream and pumpkin beer. They all got 2 enthusiastic thumbs up!

So, here's looking forward to all the great things fall has to offer - cool weather, awesome colors, tasty treats, my birthday, our anniversary and turkey day! Cheers!

Happy Birthday Mini-Me!

Today is a very important day. It's my awesome niece Presley's 8th birthday!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRESLEY!

It's just so crazy how quickly these cuties grow up! I was remembering last week how I missed her 1st birthday party because the Boston airport was still closed post 9/11. Unfortunately, I've missed most birthdays since. I wish I could be there for every one of them!

Presley - I hope you know how much I love you and miss you. Have a fabulous birthday and know that I'm thinking of you and wishing that all of your dreams come true today (and everyday)!

I Don't Like Ike

I'll be thinking of all my peeps down in Texas over the next few days. Stay safe and please keep me updated on how y'all are doing!

Turklets

So, by now, you've likely heard of my work mascot, Tom-Tom the wild turkey. Well Tom-Tom met a lady friend last year and they had babies. Unfortunately, that batch didn't make it. Tom-Tom and his love, who we've named Henrietta, started the mating game too late.


This story doesn't have a sad ending, though. This year, Tom-Tom and Henrietta, after all their practice last year, got it right this year and started earlier in the season. They successfully produced a new litter of turklets. I just so happened to have my camera in my purse one day when I spotted them in the parking lot.

Henrietta and Turklets

Though you can't see all of them here, there are 7 poults in all. They have grown a lot and look to have a very promising future. Well, at least I hope so. I did see mom teaching them to run across the street the other day so hopefully by the time they start doing that on their own, they'll be as big and cranky as good old pop and the cars will actually stop for them.

Birthday Wishes

Two of my favorite people are celebrating their entrance to the world today...same day, different years.

Happy Birthday to my hubby, Mike and Happy Birthday to the best mom in the world!
I hope both of you have fantastic days!

Oh, I almost forgot that my cousin's daughter, Moriah, also is celebrating her birthday today. Happy Birthday Moriah! Wow! It's a popular day for my family!

Readers, feel free to leave them all b'day wishes in the comments.

Helmet Heads

The Sunday of Labor Day weekend gave Boston a perfect weather - sunny, temperate and breezy...okay more like seriously windy and gusty....I guess that's not quite perfect but it was certainly nice enough to get out and enjoy the summer!

Mike and I packed up a picnic and set out on a long bike ride. We meandered though our neighborhood, up to Jamaica Pond where we followed the Emerald Necklace for a way and then skipped through the Boston University campus over to the Charles River Esplanade. On the esplanade, we biked along the river, to end of the Boston side at the Museum of Science then circled back along the river on the Cambridge side. Memorial Drive in Cambridge closes a section of the road every Sunday between Memorial Day and Labor Day for cyclists, inline skaters and pedestrians to enjoy. Somehow, I've never taken advantage of that during all my years in Boston so it was cool to finally get to do that. We decided to stop near Harvard for our lunch.

Our Picnic View

Hot Helmet Heads!

After our picnic, we circled back around to the BU campus and home. It was leisurely 25 mile ride for us. Even though it felt like we were heading into the wind the whole trip, we had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Hiking on Home Turf

We decided to do something novel - stay in town for the holiday weekend. With all the travel we've been doing lately and rushing around here and there, having a low key weekend at home seemed like the perfect plan. The weather was forecasted to be iffy for Saturday, but we decided outdoor fun had to happen anyway. So, we called up our good hiking buddies, Tamara and Ross, and begged them to bring their new dog, Trucker, to go explore the Blue Hills just south of town with us.

Now, they're no white mountains, but they still give you a great hike with a rewarding view. Here's a view from the top - can you see downtown Boston and the bay?

The view from above was taken from the top of this old tower. Here's the gang (sans me) taking a snack break at the base.

Me with my new pal Trucker and his proud mom, Tamara.

Cool big rocks

Here's the scoop on Trucker. Ross's sister races (mushes? not sure of the correct terminology) dogs in Alaska. She also seems to acquire strays quite a bit and has far more dogs than she needs for her team. She knew Ross and Tamara wanted a dog and Trucker wasn't needed for her team, so she personally delivered him a couple of weeks ago. Cool, huh?

Speaking of Truckers birth land, here's a picture from the Mike and Kara archives. This picture was taken of us right after we had raced some pups, much like Trucker, atop a glacier. The helicopter behind us swooped us away on a tour of the glaciers...seeing those things from the air is one of the absolute coolest experiences we've ever had! (No comments from the peanut gallery on the extra weight I'm carrying in this pic. )

Back to Labor Day weekend. After our hike, we had a cookout at our place. The weather ended up cooperating very nicely and we had a great day outdoors with friends.

Sweet Hubby

Friday (now over a week ago) after a grueling week of work, I was ready to hop into the long Labor Day weekend.  The weekend started extremely well when I walked into the door to some beautiful flowers from my hubby and an adorable stretchy kitty.

Really, is there anything more perfect to come home to?