Photos of the Day

These pictures sum up my Thanksgiving.

It was a hard day, given the fact that my grandma was stuck in the hospital when we were able to get the rest of the family together for the first time in 23 years, but my brother and I were able to pull through and realize what was important.  Given the circumstances and knowing that Grandma would want us to enjoy our day, we decided to be silly and have some fun.  It sure gave her a much needed laugh too when we visited the hospital this evening.  I would call this a pretty awesome day and a semi-successful celebration.

Happy Thanksgiving!

“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” – Albert Schweitzer

May your day be spent sharing laughs and love with those who mean the most to you.

7 Day Forecast

Can someone tell me what's wrong with this picture?

This is our 7 day forecast for this week.

Umm yeah, from 70 degrees to 39 degrees highs in 5 days???  That's St. Louis for ya.
I start with a light jacket for today and end with my winter coat and probably still freeze my tush off on Friday. 

The Next Iron Chef

Tonight it is on -- after 7 competitions and a double elimination last week, the final 2 chefs compete!!
Who will become the newest Iron Chef? 

Chef Marco "Where's the Parchment Paper?" Canora or Chef Marc "the Forge" Forgione?

It will be an exciting battle in Kitchen Stadium for sure and you can bet I'll be tuned in. 
Also, I'm waiting to see what Canora will whine about this week.  I joked about the parchment paper incident all day on Monday -- even when everyone else looked at me like I had 3 heads.

My Best Friend

I went to the wedding of the son of one of my co-workers last night and this was their wedding song.
My Best Friend by Tim McGraw

I never had no one that I could count on
I've been let down so many times
I was tired of hurtin', so tired of searchin'
'Til you walked into my life

It was a feelin'
I'd never known
And for the first time
I didn't feel alone

You're more than a lover
There could never be another
To make me feel the way you do
Oh, we just get closer
I fall in love all over
Every time I look at you

I don't know where I'd be
Without you here with me
Life with you makes perfect sense
You're my best friend
You're my best friend, oh yeah

You stand by me and you believe in me
Like nobody ever has
When my world goes crazy, you're right there to save me
You make me see how much I have

And I still tremble
When we touch
And oh, the look in your eyes
When we make love

You're more than a lover
There could never be another
To make me feel the way you do
Oh, we just get closer
I fall in love all over
Every time I look at you

And I don't know where I'd be
Without you here with me
Life with you makes perfect sense
You're my best friend
You're my best friend

You're more than a lover
There could never be another
To make me feel the way you do
Oh, we just get closer
I fall in love all over
Every time I look at you

And I don't know where I'd be
Without you here with me
Life with you makes perfect sense
You're my best friend
You're my best friend, oh yeah
You're my best friend
You're my best friend

I don't think I had heard this song before the reception last night, but I'm in love with it now and I can't get it out of my head.  Feel free to check out the CMT Invitation Only performance here: My Best Friend/Something Like That

As for the reception, it was a lot of fun and I'm so glad that in spite of everything going on right now, I was able to attend   We danced and sang and I even won a lunch bet after coaxing BP to the dance floor.

After all was said and done and I drove home, I realized how very lucky to have found my best friend.

Cure for a bad week?

I stopped into the mall on my way home from work tonight and visited 2 stores in my limited amount of free time -- Vitamin World and a shoe store.  If a boost of serotonin and new black boots, purchased on sale!, don't fix my week, there is no hope for a good weekend.

Quote of the Day

Tonight, as I was sitting at the stoplight at my exit, the radio station I was tuned into starts playing Kanye West's Stronger.  Not a huge Kanye fan but there was one line in the song  that totally summed up my off of the wall day --
Now th-that don't kill me, can only make me stronger 

The rest of the song, not the least bit relate able, but that one line had me pumped for the last 2 minutes of my ride home. 

Hopefully tomorrow is a better day, across the board.  It's Wednesday so that means there is at least one good thing to look forward to -- my weekly lunch date (ham & cheese paninis and home-made oven fries).  Let's hope the rest of the day is somewhat drama-free and smooth as well.

Just one of the guys...

Wish me luck -- I'm playing poker with the guys from work tonight. 

MO invited the regulars over for a poker party and ironically I'm the only girl from work that both knows how to play poker and the only girl that they are willing to put up with while playing cards; so, I became the only girl invited to the guys' poker night.  Nice....

However, just to prove that I am still a girl, I did offer to make snacks for the night as well.

Vember 13th

My sweet, precious Nicole is no longer the toddler holding my hands and dancing while listening to Hanson's MMMBop, or the first grader sitting in my bedroom pretending to do college homework with highlighters and ledger paper or the 10 year old that thought it was so cool to have a girls only weekend at her older cousin's place and have ice cream sundaes as a midnight snack because there were no parents around.
No, today my little Nicole is 14 years old and much smarter, more confident and much more social and outgoing than I could have imagined being at that age.  She's an honors student, a talented dancer and a great friend to those who have the pleasure of crossing paths with her and she continues to make all of us proud.

While Nicole may no longer call her birthday Vember 13th, today is a very special day.

 Happy Birthday Girlie!  Hope you have a fabulous fun-filled day!!

A little bit of luck & a lot of talent

 
Congrats to Jonathan Duhamel, this year's WSOP Main Event Champion.  He won a whopping $8,94 million Monday night after beating John Racener.  Of course Racener can't complain with his second place prize of $5.55 million either.  Heck, if it were me, I would mind finishing in 747th place and nearly doubling my buy-in., but I'm no professional.  In fact, right now my main goal is to not finish dead last in the poker nights with my friends. 
You can be sure that I'll be watching the action from the final table when ESPN televises it in the next few minutes -- maybe I can pick up a few pointers for our next poker night.

Oh and if you're following hockey this week, did you catch that the St. Louis Blues are on top of the Power Rankings for the 2nd week in a row?  

That's right, the Blue Note continues to dominate and have won 7 in a row following a big win on Sunday in New York.  Goaltending has definitely been key for the success so far this season and both Halak & Conklin have pulled their weight.  It's great to see the team succeeding.  Let's make it 8 in a row tomorrow night in Columbus boys!!

Bieber Fever hits the 'Lou

St. Louis is all a buzz tonight as this guy has come to town --

My teen cousins Nicole and Emily are there with my aunt, decked out in home-made Bieber Fever t-shirts and screaming their heads off like I did when the Backstreet Boys came to town 13-14 years ago.  Incidentally tonight there is a live Q&A online with New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys which has been dubbed a Once In A Lifetime event.  Somehow I'm ok with missing it.....sorry NKOTB and BSB.

A wish for a very special lady

Happy Birthday Grandma!!  

May your day be an enjoyable one!!

I've committed to making dinner for the family for this special occasion and in honor of my Grandma and the inspiration she has given me with cooking, I'm going to try to recreate her amazing roast beef recipe.  I know it won't be exactly like hers, but a decent duplication would suit me.  But, even if my dinner fails, just getting to spend the time together is well worth it and in my book, that's success.

Just doing my civic duty

No matter what your political views are,

Today is a big day across the country and in order to make sure your voice is heard, you have to make an effort.  There are many important issues and races on the ballot here and I intend voting for what I think is best for the greater good of my community and hopefully the country.

Plus, one of the best things about today --
It's the last day for seeing and hearing all of the mud-slinging ads!  That's definitely a breath of fresh air!!