Totes and Tennis

One of my Earth Day resolutions was to take a tote to the grocery store with me to reduce the amount of plastic bags we bring home. I have not been doing too well with this resolution. I always forget the tote until I am in the grocery store -- then I remember. Well, today I found these cute reusable bags at Kroger -- okay so the picture isn't uploading...once it gets back working properly, I'll insert it so that you can see the cute little totes. I was so excited to find them! I bought two and almost all of my groceries fit in them . I was pretty impressed by how much they held and even more impressed that I got home without any of my fruits, veggies and bread getting damaged or squashed! Only 3 plastic bags today - 1 for the milk and other cold things that would sweat by the time I got home, 1 for the meat (because it just needs to be in a plastic bag that you can throw away) and 1 for a couple of jars that I should have put in the bottom of the reusable bags but didn't -- I'll know next time how to load them better. Not only will these totes help me be more environmentally friendly, but also proceeds from the sale of the totes are going to breast cancer research -- even better!

After getting the groceries put away and a little rest, I gave Molly a call. She mentioned us playing tennis at Dan and Courtney's shower and called earlier today to see if I still wanted to play and told me to give her a call later this evening. We met at the park and had the best time "playing" tennis -- we really just vollied instead of playing actual matches, but that was much more fun! We both had a lot of fun. We decided that if we can walk in the morning, we'll play again one day this week!!

Celebration

Tonight Charles and I celebrated our 6th year anniversary by having a nice dinner at the Mesquite Chophouse. Delicious!!

Unfortunately we did not have any presents to unwrap though. We decided that for our present this year, we would buy each other season tickets to the Orpheum. I had thought that I would wrap one for Charles to unwrap and one for me to unwrap, but the tickets have not come in yet. This season has a great line up of shows: Avenue Q, The Pajama Game, The Drowsy Chaperon, Riverdance, Legally Blonde, the Musical, The Color Purple, Fiddler on the Roof, and Wicked!! We can't wait!! Also, as subscribers, we are given complimentary tickets to the summer movie series. It's always enjoyable watching movies, especially classic movies, on the Orpheum's screen. I've already decided that I want one of the movies we see to be The Sound of Music. Now we just have to decide which other movies to watch as well!

Happy Anniversary

Today is our 6th year anniversary. Although it seems like Charles and I have always been together, it doesn't seem that we have been married for six years! We have enjoyed a nice and relaxing anniversary. Charles told me to pick where we went for lunch, but since it is Sunday, the places were somewhat more limited than they would be otherwise. I chose On the Border, and we had a very delicious lunch of queso and fajitas. We came home just in time to watch the Cubs game -- they won!! Then as we were deciding what to do for dinner, stormy weather headed our way. We decided to stay in tonight and go out tomorrow night, so we had a nice dinner of BBQ chicken, baked beans and squash casserole and for dessert, cut up fresh peaches from the farmer's market - delicious.
All day we have been reminiscing about our wedding. Weddings have been the talk at our office this summer -- one of our assistant's daughters is getting married, one of the partner's daughters is getting married and one of the girls working in our office is getting married. We have talked about the plans for and details of their weddings, we have talked about my wedding, I have answered a few questions and taken the pictures of our wedding to show - which everyone liked. I am so grateful that Mama was on board with all of my ideas and kept letting me order what I wanted and adding a few things here and there to make it the special and meaningful day that it should be. While I know that we are just a little biased, Charles and I were so happy with everything about our wedding. Of course, we have also been thinking about how six years ago tomorrow, we would be on a plane to Paris. How nice it would be to be returning tomorrow!

Saturday Evening Parties...

Charles and I have had a lot going on this weekend. Saturday evening we went to Molly and John's for a Couple's Baby Shower for Dan and Courtney. Everything was nice, and Dan and Courtney got a lot of nice things for Baby Collins Blair. Of course, we forgot to take the camera, so we don't have any pictures to post. But we enjoyed a good cookout of hamburgers, slaw, baked beans, cheese dip and chips and delicious desserts of strawberry trifle, individual cupcakes and a big cupcake cake. We had a really nice time and were able to catch up with friends we haven't seen in a long time. Brady joined the party after a while, so I got to enjoy not only a baby shower but playing with a baby - or rather a little boy - too! Baby Blair is due right around my birthday, but at their last checkup they were told that he might be a 4th of July baby instead. We can't wait to meet him!

After staying at the Baby Shower for a couple of hours, Charles and I headed to Oxford for Matt's 30th birthday party. Happy Birthday Matt!
Even though we arrived rather late, the party was still going in full swing! Unfortunately, arriving as late as we did meant that we missed out on being able to spend a little play time with Nathan. We had a fun time though, and again caught up with a couple of friends we had not seen in a while. Matt's birthday party also made Charles and me realize that we are definitely getting old - we managed to stay until 1:00 -- WAY past our normal bedtime, and we felt the effects this morning; it took quite a bit of cold water to get my eyelids to stay opened this morning!!

Early Anniversary Surprise...

Charles surprised me today with an early 6th anniversary present - these beautiful (6) roses... He slipped into my office just after I left for lunch; apparently he had staked it out and watched me leave before he continued driving around the Square to my office. When I called him as I was leaving the office to find out our lunch plans, we said that he was just finishing up getting his oil changed and would meet me at home -- how sneaky. He drove up just a few minutes after I arrived home, and we had a delicious Chinese buffet lunch. My fortune said: "Even a small gift could mean so much to someone today." After I read it, I started to leave it at the restaurant, but Charles told me to take it and put it on my desk. When I got back to work, I understood why. Of course, everyone at work thinks that Charles is just as wonderful as I do! Everyone agreed that the flowers are beautiful.
I absolutely love the roses - a cabbage leafed rose with pale pink petal tips and light chartreuse and ivory petal bases. I love the greenery and dusty miller in the arrangement too; it reminds me of the magazine picture I took to Wanda Carol to show her how I wanted my wedding bouquet to look. The arrangement and the colors - just everything about it - reminds me of our wedding -- such wonderful memories!
Here's a view looking down at the arrangement...

and one from the back...
and one more view...

B is for...

Brick and Bunny

Charles finally got his last Easter present. As luck would have it, I happened upon the Chicago Cubs website earlier this year and saw that bricks from Wrigley Field were for sale. Since Charles is such a big Cubs fan, I thought I had found the perfect, different and original gift for him. Of course when I ordered it, I thought that it said that shipping would be in a few weeks, so I made a little note and put it in the baseball egg in his Easter basket thinking that any day after Easter it would arrive. After weeks and weeks went by, Charles asked if I was sure I bought a brick and not a paver (which they recently installed around Wrigley Field). I actually started wondering myself just what I had purchased! Anyway, yesterday (fittingly, on Charles's last day of school, since I always say we have to celebrate that) and while watching the Cubs (they won!) play the Dodgers, this delivery came...Now we just need to have the bookshelves for the living room and computer room built that I want so that everyone can enjoy a little bit of Wrigley!

And now for the Bunny -- Miss Toula Willoughby!

I think that Toula has a touch of baby fever too. Recently she has been taking very good care of her little bunny friend.

She carries it and places it in her comfy bed with her...

and snuggles with and nurtures it...
but then she also uses it as a shield when she is tired of having her picture taken!!

Happy Memorial Day

We hope everyone is having a good Memorial Day.
It has been a nice, relaxing day for us. Even though it is a little hot, the breeze has been blowing all day, so I was able to enjoy a little time reading in the sun today, and Charles was able to enjoy a Cubs win today.
This evening we enjoyed a delicious outdoor dinner of ribs (cooked using my Dad's recipe), Ma's baked beans and rolls. For dessert, we had individual strawberry trifles - I found the cutest dessert stemmed bowls which reminded me of Serendipity's frozzzen hot chocolate dishes, and they are perfect for the individual trifles.
I haven't decided yet on a place on the front of our house for a flag mount, so we were unable to fly an American flag today to celebrate Memorial Day and show our support and admiration for all those who have and are serving our country and making the United States a place where we are free to enjoy many nice, relaxing days.