Filed under: The Adventures, The Husband | Tags: date night, third anniversary, wedding anniversary
Spider-Husband and I celebrated our third anniversary on Wednesday. It was just like our wedding day…only without the dress…and the suit…and the flowers…and the cake…and the dancing. OK, so it was nothing like our wedding day. It’s been three years…cut us some slack.
Since we were on vacation from work during the week, we decided to have a date night to celebrate…movie, dinner, dessert, the works.
We headed to the movie theater to check out the oh-so-romantic Righteous Kill starring Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino and were delighted to discover we could be as obnoxious and loud as we wanted to during the film as we were the only patrons in the theater. I’m a gangster – dirty cop – criminal underworld – mobster movie kinda’ gal, so I was actually overjoyed when the hubby suggested seeing it. The movie was so-so – good story, poor execution – but the company was fantastic.
After the movie, we had a late dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Maggianos, the restaurant we ate at so frequently during the planning of our wedding that it’s a miracle I could zip up my dress when the day actually arrived. Chicken Parmigan. Mozzarella Marinara. Warm Apple Crostada. Happy Anniversary, indeed. Dinner was delicious despite having the world’s worst waiter who saw our anniversary presents sitting on a chair and decided one of us was having a birthday. And, who after disappearing from the table for like thirty minutes, magically reappears to wish one…maybe both…of us happy birthday again before bringing us a plate of cookies with not one, but two, birthday candles in them.
“Someone’s having a birthday…”
“I hope you’re having a wonderful birthday…”
“I’ll be back with some complimentary cookies to celebrate someone’s special birthday…”
“I’ve provided god-awful service tonight but if I keep saying birthday then I still might get a tip on your birthday…”
By the time the cookies hit the table, I was on the verge of wetting my pants I was laughing so hard. I thought one of us was going to bust a gut if he said birthday one more time.
So, Happy Third Birthday…er, Third Anniversary Spider-Husband! It totally rocked.
Filed under: The Adventures, The Husband | Tags: anniversary gifts, Fossil wallet, leather anniversary gifts, third anniversary
For some insane reason, most likely caused by giddy newlywed bliss, Spider-Husband and I decided to follow the traditional anniversary gift table when celebrating our big day each year.
This year marked our third anniversary, the very classy leather anniversary, which says so much about why no one should willingly take gift advice from the traditional anniversary gift list. Clearly the table was created back in the Little House on the Prairie days when Pa slaughtered one of the family cows to make Ma Ingalls a nice hide to keep her warm throughout the winter, a practice which admittedly twas deeply touching back in the late 1800s but would decidedly give the folks at PETA a heart attack today.
So, you can imagine my anxiety as September 24 drew nearer, and I was without gift, or gift ideas, for that matter.
I’d already rejected leather shoes since my husband only wears running shoes and (much to my horror) flip-flops…and not the quality ones either. We’re talking the flops from the bargain bin here.
Belts were out, too, since cargo pants and carpenter jeans are staples in the hubby’s wardrobe.
No need for a briefcase. Already had a day planner.
Which left a wallet…which he didn’t really need, but clearly was going to receive anyway…a wallet that was painstakingly chosen by me, his beloved wife, after hours (OK, minutes) of walking back and forth between Macy’s and Fossil trying to decide which store had THE wallet that would most impress THE Spider-Husband…a wallet that when I arrived back home and saw his old wallet lying on the counter seemed eerily familiar…a wallet that was identical to the wallet my husband already owned.
Well, happy freakin’ anniversary to me. At least, I know he liked it.
Filed under: The Disaster Twins, The Peeps | Tags: foster dogs, Great Pyrenees, Indianapolis Great Pyrenees Rescue, shelter dogs
My friend Wandering Bella works with the Indianapolis Great Pyrenees Rescue and has been a truly awesome foster mom to so many dogs who are in need of a good home. Today she posted about two Great Pyrs that have just been taken in by the Indianapolis Rescue – Milo and Emma – and who have been horribly mistreated and are very ill.
Their story broke my heart, and I was instantly overcome by tears when I saw their pictures and the horrible conditions they’ve been left in. So, I’m joining her cause and asking people to read her post, and if they are as moved as I was, to make a small donation to help get Milo and Emma one step closer to the happy, healthy life they deserve. Just a word of warning…these doggies are in bad shape and their pictures reflect that.
The Disaster Twins were part of a litter of puppies that were dropped off at Animal Care and Control when they were barely six weeks old. Between parvo, respiratory illness, and the other problems that come with being a puppy and living in a crowded shelter, only three puppy sisters survived. Halas and Lombardi will be two this coming Thanksgiving, and I can’t imagine what our family would be like without them.
They are brats. They are goofy. They are fickle. They are fuzzy. They are ridiculous. And, they certainly have issues. But, they are ours.
And, not a day goes by when I don’t think about how lucky we are to have them in our lives.
Good luck Milo and Emma. You’ve got big fans here in the Blonde household.
Filed under: The Disaster Twins, The Tunes | Tags: Cheap Trick, concert, dressing up dogs, Heart, Journey
It’s been a busy week at work as many of our out-of-town colleagues have descended upon the Indianapolis office for business meetings. And along with the meetings generally come a few dinner invites since we don’t often have the chance to all be in the same location at the same time.
Woe is truly me this evening as I find myself sans Spider-Husband tonight while he’s out to dinner with his team. And, while having a Spider-Husband-free evening does have its perks, I am also wallowing in my 70’s era grief over missing the one concert that has piqued my interest this summer – Journey, Heart, and Cheap Trick.
For a brief moment, I actually considered driving over to my brother’s house to see if I could overhear the concert from his backyard, which is mere minutes from the Verizon Wireless Music Center, but then that just seemed sad.
So instead, I did what any mature, rational, 33-year-old woman would do…I turned up the stereo, draped my dogs in every scarf and headband I could find ala Ann and Nancy Wilson, forced them to dance with me, and then, to preserve the happy memories for years to come, took pictures.
Halas collects herself before taking the stage.
‘Cause if the real thing don’t do the trick, you better make up something quick…oh, Bardicuda.
Mommy’s alright, Daddy’s alright, they just seem a little weird.
Filed under: The Adventures | Tags: bloggers, BlogHer, Half-Assed, Jennette Fulda, pasta
I had the good fortune to meet one of the many bloggers I heard speak at BlogHer 08 this summer – Jennette Fulda aka PastaQueen - courtesy of a dinner organized by my coworker Ellen the IT Girl.
(In case you stumble upon this post, Jennette, I was the loud blonde girl sitting next to you who kept scraping all the tomatoes off everything before eating it even when it was clear that the item I was picking up had tons of tomatoes on it before it ever hit my plate, and that we were, in fact, at an Italian restaurant which are known for including tomatoes in entrees fairly regularly. I just can’t understand why all my coworkers think I’m a picky eater. And if that doesn’t help me stand out from our very noisy group of ten, I’m also the one who managed to coat half of the table with melting spumoni, coincidentally, the one tomato-free item I did order, during the evening.)
Jennette was part of a BlogHer session about how to successfully turn a blog into a book, and I was thrilled to find out that she was the author of a book I’d recently seen at the bookstore and was super-stoked to read – Half-Assed: A Weight Loss Memoir. I’ve been following her blog ever since and will soon be the owner of my very own copy of Half-Assed.
I don’t often have the chance to meet other bloggers face-to-face, so it was very nice to have the chance to meet Jennette last night and to discover that she’s every bit as witty in person as she is on her website. If you’ve ever struggled with weight or body image issues, give her blog a whirl.
You really will laugh your ass off.
Filed under: The Adventures, The Family | Tags: bean bag toss, birthday party, family get-togethers, jousting, tug-of-war
Last Friday was Spider-Husband’s sister’s birthday. It was a big one, so her husband and kids went all out to make the day memorable complete with a big party on Saturday afternoon. Media knew they were planning a get-together, so there were no secrets to keep.
Or, so she thought…
Turns out her hubby rented a giant inflatable “jousting” arena and turned the backyard into a mini-tournament area with a bean bag toss game, tug-of-war, a ton of food and drinks to keep the birthday athletes refreshed, and enough action to keep the Blonde’s camera snapping throughout the afternoon.
Check it out…
My mother-in-law caught some wicked air while bouncing with my nephew Gabriel on the inflatable jousting platform.
Yo, Adrian…
Spider-Husband and Media were undefeated in the tug-of-war challenge.
And, my father-in-law lived out every Daddy’s fantasy in the jousting ring…the chance to knock their baby girl’s husband down. : )
And, just in case you’re wondering…yes, the Blonde did partake in the fun.
In my flouncy dress and all its splendor.
‘Cause really, it’s not a party until somebody sees your panties, is it?
