Friend Feast and a Belated Anniversary in Lawrence

As if everyone hadn't had enough turkey on Thanksgiving, Ryan and I had the KC peeps over the Sunday after T-Day for what I call "Friend Feast." The name is a little misleading as we didn't feast on friends (ewww), but it was a feast fit for friends. Check the bird:

For the first year, Ryan and I brined our turkey. If you're not familiar with brining it's basically dunking your bird in salty, herby water overnight. We did it in a cooler that was left out over night. Classy!

But, the technique resulted in a really moist, tender and tasty bird. Definitely a repeat. As per the generous nature of our friends, everyone came with tasty dishes and wine galore. AKA: Heaven.


This was also the first year that everyone had a partner for the holidays. Yes, it was a little sickening sweet, and Mike and Katrina decided to emphasize that by dressing alike. How cute.


Here we are before the meal. Unfortunately, no pics after, but just imagine us full and groaning. You know, a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

Last weekend, Ryan and I celebrated a belated anniversary in Lawrence. Isn't it just lovely? We were totally wrapped up in nostalgia from Ryan's grad school days.


We ate at Free State Brewery for a lovely lunch and beer, did some shopping on Mass and just generally got away. It was fantastic.

We stayed at the historic Hotel Eldridge and loved it. The staff was nice, the rooms were clean and spacious and it was quiet. Even on a Saturday night.

No mint on the pillow, but that's okay.

Granted the view wasn't much, but whatev. 

Before out night of gorging ourselves on pad thai from Thai Siam (simultaneously the best and worst restaurant in Lawrence) and drowning our sorrows from the MU game (or lack thereof) in a bottle of scotch, we stopped by campus for some serious reminiscing. Here's Marvin Hall. Where Ryan spent 90% of his time (including sleeping) from 2004-2007.

We had such a great time. And although I took no pics in Henry's, they still have sangria, and it's delicious. Well, the red is. They added white recently, I guess, but avoid. It's terrible. 

Testing, Testing

poll by twiigs.com

Two Interesting Items

1. This is the strangest thing I've seen in at least a week:

DEAR JENNIPHER SHAVER, Offer good at Kansas City area stores only.

A hardware store giving out fruits and veggies as a promotion? Are they free? Are they snacks? Is Sutherlands now a grocery? I'm confused, but it's healthy, so I'm not going to complain. I'm just going to scratch my head.

2. I'm insane. I signed up for a 1/2 marathon. Yep, all 13.1 miles of it. The insanity will ensue on Sunday, March 29 in Olathe. I begin officially training on January 4, but goodness knows I'm getting my ass to the gym to run plenty before then.

We Baracked the Vote!

Thanks, Erin and Tish for hipping me to the coolest phrase/blog title ever. I apparently was living under a rock and never heard it. Love it though! And I loved Tuesday night. LOVED it. Almost can't believe it. Now, as usual, a photo essay. You can see how happy we were.

Sarv and Ryan gleefully make blue Kool-Aid/vodka/sugar water for us to shoot when states go blue.

First state called, take one down! (We took 26 by the night's end, but no worries, they were weak, people. WEAK! We knew what we were in for.)

The boys watching the results come in. 

And it's called! The happiness/shock of its awesomeness sets in. Fastest election to be called since I started voting.  

Can you believe it?! Yes, we can!

Everyone got stickers! And smiles!

Peace, love and a whole lotta Obama!

We have a future! We can still live in the US! We can be proud of your country's president! Hooray! 

Celebration double-fist pump.

Ryan's pours glasses of champagne for all. With an extra bit of sauciness of course.

Gosh, it's so awesome. I can't wait to see how this country changes...

Happy Halloweenie!

Before I get into Halloweenie pics, I must first share some photos of the birthday girl! In celebration on her first estimated year of life, Miss Siena got a new collar, a new harness and doggie ice cream. I think she enjoyed it.

Sitting quietly for her treat.

Collar close-up: We picked pink so people would stop calling her a him.

Now for the really fun stuff. I freakin' love Halloween. And while many of our friends were in different states so we couldn't all celebrate together like we usually do (slow tear, fast tear), we did our best to make the most of it. Regretfully, on Halloween night at Charlie Hoopers, my camera died, so I didn't get pics of Jim and Jessica. Jessica went as the bailout bill and Jim was the golden parachute. It was brilliant.

Ryan went as one of the Beastie Boys from the Sabotage video. Love it.

'Stash close-up.

I've wanted to be a flapper for FOREVER. Finally, I made my dream come true.

Sarv went as the Joker in the beginning scenes of The Dark Knight. It freaked my ish out.

Group pic!

On Saturday, Ryan and I spent some time walking around the Plaza and waiting for a table at PF Changs. It was an hour-and-a-half wait, but we had a gift cert, and it was a nice night, so really no complaints. It gave me ample opportunity to shoot. :)

Everyone loves this fountain.

You may walk now. 

Sunset in the park...ahhh.

Finally, I stake out Ponce de Leon. Home of the...

ELUSIVE PONCE DE LEON SHEEP!!!

Long Overdue

I effing hate squirrels:
Well, now that I have that off my chest, let's address my inability to blog. Well, in all fairness, things have been a tad nutso lately. I spent months complaining about my crappy work situation, then spent time soul searching, then Erin and I created FBG. Next, I lost my mind working with the Small Business Association, started interviewing for jobs, finally landed a job that was created for me (both figuratively and literally), had a bizarro hush-hush-quit-my-job experience, went to Chicago, and now I start my new job on Monday. Phew. And to think that I once thought that my 26th year of life would be the most exciting. 27 ain't too shabby all in all, and God knows what 28 holds.

This weekend also marks two exciting things: 1) Ryan and I's one-year anniversary is on Sunday, and I'm so excited for it. We really picked a beautiful time of year to get married, and it's so nice that each year I can look back on that beautiful day. Awesome. 2) Siena's estimated birthday is on Monday! The booger turns 1, and I plan to spoil her rotten with doggie ice cream, a new collar and a new leash. No cake though, I'm not that nutters.

The only other thing that I should mention is that I recently made and decorated the ugliest cake imaginable. And I really tried to make it pretty (I swear!), but apparently my cake skills are in need of some serious sharpening. As is my recipe for icing. See?

Why did I, a Mizzou grad, bake and decorate a cake that says Texas on it, you ask? I lost a bet. Damn Longhorns.

Siena Takes a Dip

Not only can she jump four-foot fences, she can also swim. It took about 20 minutes for her to get up the courage, but she did -- alligator chomp and all. God knows how much lake water she ingested. Enjoy and happy late Labor Day!