A super fun night out with Cristin! Sadly, these are the only pictures I have.
Dinner at Dos Taquitos
Waffles and Champagne for breakfast!
Cristin’s post, with more pictures, here. Thanks, Ms. Criss!
Shows, Puzzles, Bulls Games
Near the end of June, we went to a Bulls game with Kerri, Beaney, and my mom. It was a farewell of sorts, as Kerri was moving to Chicago at the very end of June.
Last year we all got together to go to the last Bulls game of the season. It was threatening hard to rain near the end of the work day, and then it actually started raining on our way over to the ball park. We diverted ourselves to the Carolina Ale House at Brier Creek until we knew if the game was on. After one round of beers, we decided to chance it as the game was on with only a short delay. We got there in the second inning and did typical baseball game things – ate hot dogs and nachos and drank beer. Around the fifth inning, it started to get dark again and those people who hadn’t already left yet went scurrying for cover in the tunnels. It poured and poured great big buckets of rain. Once the rain finally let up, the game had been cancelled due to weather. So that’s how the last game of the 2007 season wrapped up.
Our June date with Kerri was pretty much a repeat of last year. It started looking dark on our way out to the park, so we went straight to Tyler’s and enjoyed a couple of beers during the rain delay.
(Notice Henry’s got his baseball t-shirt/Jonah outfit on.)
When we got to the pallpark it was terrific weather and we enjoyed the view from our seats on the third baseline. Henry did really good. He hung out in the Bjorn for several innings until Dave took him home.
I think mom really enjoyed herself, too.
The best part of the night was when I caught a foul ball! I took Henry over behind the picnic area for a little break from the Bjorn and as we were sitting there playing, a foul ball bounced right into my lap!! It was so awesome. Three months old and he has his first baseball!
Shortly after Dave left to take Henry home, it started to rain again. We all hid out in the tunnels for about 30 minutes until the rain passed. The game resumed for another quick inning, and then the rain returned. They finally called the game and we headed home.
Oh, and we saw these two funny haircuts:
The following weekend, Kerri moved to Chicago. So sad am I. However, in good news, she just landed herself a job and is now looking for a place to live closer in to Chicago. Know anyone in the area who needs a roommate?
I am so super excited about the shower my girls are throwing me! Look at this fabulous invite!! Such classy girls.
If you’re a friend of Ele’s you might have noticed the resemblance. 🙂
Dave and I decided at the last minute on Friday to go see The Golden Compass. What a good movie – fun, entertaining, creative, scary, sweet, etc. And pretty violent, so think twice before taking the kiddies to see it. There seems to be a lot of controversy surrounding this movie. Being pretty open to new ideas and not being particularly religious, I don’t get it. So I have no opinion to add. Instead I’ll share with you Thomas’s thoughts on the matter – he seems pretty sensible.
Afterwards, we hit the Lynnwood Grill for beers. Can you believe there was a wait? But we didn’t have to wait because Mom and Gene were already there, so we sat down with them! They stayed until they finished their beers, then headed home.
I love hanging out with Kerri and Dave! They’re both such funny people, and they seem to fuel each other’s funny. I don’t ever laugh as hard as when I’m out with these two.
Before we left, the live music started. Here’s my favorite composition of the night.
We spent all day Saturday (not Caturday) getting the place ready for the big festivities.
Dave and Eric fill a horseshoe pit with sand.
Kevin assists.
The horseshoe pits are kind of important. Lots of attention focused on getting them just so. They don’t kid around, measured distances between the pits, posts pounded in at an 11 degree angle and all that.
Leslie and Vince watch a game of horseshoes. Vince stole my hat, which I stole from Riley, who stole it from Grampy’s closet.
The view of the house and garage from the horseshoe pits. The main structure you see is actually the garage. The house is behind the tents/canopies. We have tons of tables and chairs and tents and coolers. It should be a good day!
More to come… Friday nights are fireworks nights at the DAP.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiZ0gaW44kI]
We had tickets to the Bulls tonight. Yay! they won! Lucky ran the bases after the game.
Leslie’s blue toes.
Vince and Leslie.
The view from our seats.
The new Blue Monster.
Friday night dinner was at Daddy Jacks – Larry and Hiroe and Dave and I met Grant and Michelle there. YUMMY! Really good seafood and fabulous service. 
Then, it was off to see Wicked at Fair Park. Michelle was kind enough to drive us, and we all had uncomfortable shoes on so we valet parked. Once inside, we treated ourselves to champagne splits. 
The show was awesome! It was really, really great! It was quite different from the book, but it was lovely. And Fiero is HOT! 
We went to the Gingerman to visit the guys who were well into their beer drinking, but didn’t stay long. Instead of hanging out there, we stayed up late chatting. It was very nice.
I’m having a great time!
When Amy and I were at the Skate Ranch on Sunday, I got a little info about the Carolina Cruisers. They’re a group that gets together to skate. They hang out socially and I think do some social/charitable work as well.
I met King, who is the organizer, and he seemed very nice. When he was explained the group to me, he mentioned that there was “no drama” in the group. Amy and I nodded and thought, “Good, that’s a good thing, we hate drama.” I gave him my email address so I could keep in touch.
However, I received a few emails from the group today and I was a little put off by the constant references to “no drama.” Here are some examples:
From Monica, one of the Smoov Divas:
“Hello all, I had a great time! Thanks King, can’t wait for the next outing. Drama-free, fabulous fun! Monica aka THE DiaMond DiVa!”
From King:
“We are drama free. We just like to have fun and and get our skate on. Anything you want to learn, we will make every attempt to teach you. You gotta come out to the first Thursday skate jam. This Thursday! You will have a good time.”
From Willis:
“Hello, I would like to say, “welcome to a drama free skate club-Carolina Cruiser Skaters Assoc.”, from Willis Silver aka Mr.Hospitality.”
Is this some nuvo lingo that I’m not familiar with? Should I be worried that they’re so worried about drama? What’s up with this?
Saturday morning started off with a nice continental breakfast. Homemade banana-nut bread, fruit and yogurt, served with Bellini’s.
Then we went out for errands. We went to Best Buy and picked up SD cards for our cameras. I got a new camera in January! An HP Photosmart R725. It’s a 6.2MP teeny-tiny digital camera with a 2″ display. I love it! The best part about it is that it was free, with my HP PurchasEdge points.
Woot!
After our arduous shopping trip, we went to the Bar for lunch. Pickle chips were a must, plus a few rounds of beers.
Then, off to redeem ourselves, we went to Umstead and hiked the one of the foot trails. We didn’t go all the way around because Dave was so tired. When we got back home he fell asleep on the couch, still jet-lagged from his trip to Asia.
Amy and I continued to work our way through the puzzle. We cooked dinner at home (tenderloin and vegetables on the gill) and enjoyed a few bottles of nice red wine.
Saturday night we watched Little Miss Sunshine with our Movies-on-Demand option from Time Warner. Great, fun movie! Laugh-out-loud funny.
Sunday was a nice big breakfast, green eggs, turkey sausage, fruit. “Green eggs?” you might ask? Dice up some avocado and whip really well with your eggs before you cook them. Add some cumin and black pepper, tasty!
Sunday afternoon was more puzzling. We were very lazy on Sunday, and Dave took a nap that lasted a few hours. We made dinner around 7 PM (Chicken picatta with angel hair pasta and roasted asparagus with thyme) and then Amy and I took off for the Skate Ranch! Sunday night at the Skate Ranch is “Adult Skate” and I’ve been wanting to give it a try. Amy was the only one I could drag out there. 🙂
Skating was fun, though a bit of a workout! It took some time to get my “sea legs” but eventually I did. Amy had a problem with her foot that left her in pain, so she wasn’t as gung-ho as I was, but I think she enjoyed herself nevertheless.
Watching these people skate was just amazing – so talented. There was all sorts of dancing and a little jumping going on. The couples’ skate was sexy, and the groups who were skating in formation were awesome, too.
You can watch this little video to get an idea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZsxjbS6cXA
A number of people were wearing ‘Carolina Cruisers’ shirts. I inquired and learned that they’re a group that gets together to do social things and skate, mostly. Maybe I’ll join. Then I’ll have someone to skate with, as none of my other friends here have taken the bait. It’s fascinating to me that this little microcosm of society exists. I had no idea. Amy says that it’s called “urban exploring”, seeing what your city has to offer you in terms of recreation that you never expected.
We got home around 11 PM and then off to bed with us. Monday morning we had Waffle House-style egg sandwiches and then I deposited Amy at the airport.
All in all, it was a very relaxing and fun weekend!
