Bowlin'

Saturday night Messy and Emmy were in town, we haven't seen them for a while, since their wedding to be exact. Messy and Gary were participating in the annual DC Hockey Alumni Golf Outing so Emmy and I sat outside and gossiped over a Hungry Howies pizza and a bottle of wine. You don't realize how fast the wine flows when you're deep in conversation!

When the boys got home we decided to head to Novi Bowl for some, you guessed it, bowling!

Of course we concluded the night with some karaoke. Gary and I were the only ones brave enough to get up there and make a fool of ourselves, though. We tried, but Messy and Emmy both refused. Maybe next time!

By Popular Demand

Check out my Tried and Tru blog...

I am Loved

It's been a tough week for me starting the new job, learning new things, meeting new people, and being miles away from my comfort zone. However, unexpected flowers always make me feel better! Thanks for brightening my day, Gary!

New View

Just wanted to share the view from my new cube with everyone. I overlook Hart Plaza and the Detroit River. A lot better than the brick wall I'd say.

Fun in the Sun

Gary and I took off early Thursday morning for Fort Lauderdale. Our flight was at 6:30 AM but we had a connection in Newark (note: I urge all of you to NEVER fly through Newark). We got into Fort Lauderdale at about 1:30 and realized we didn't print off our hotel confirmation. So one of the nice old man at the airport helped us locate the Courtyard Marriott's in the area. Of course there were about 7 of them, but we only had to call 3 of them before we found the one that had our reservations.

Our hotel was right across the street from the beach and within walking distance of many bars and local restaurants. Prime location. Here's the view from our room:

We hit the beach for while Thursday afternoon and then cleaned up for dinner. We went to a restaurant called Rock Bar for burgers and giant margaritas. We were a bit confused why all the restaurants included gratuity on the bills and we found at later that our waitress at Rock Bar decided to give herself and extra $10 tip on Gary's debit card. Needless to say, we did not go back there.

Friday morning we had breakfast right on the beach (what could be better?) and spent the rest of the day by the pool. They had these fun little cabana things which were pretty comfortable!

Good thing Gary had a book to read, otherwise he would have been bored out of his mind with all the time I wanted to spend in the sun!

Friday night we went out for dinner and drinks at Fat Tuesday's. The drinks were really good, but another bit of traveler's advice: Drink at Fat Tuesday's, DON'T eat there. We also went to one of those dueling piano bars called Howl at the Moon. It was a lot of fun but I think we drank a little too much beer.
Saturday we spent the morning by the pool again. We went for lunch to a cafe down the street and boy am I glad they had a canopy over their tables! Not 5 minutes after we sat down, it started pouring! Gotta love that Florida weather where it's gorgeous one minute and then storming the next. Luckily, the rain moved out just as quickly as it had moved in so we were able to enjoy the beach for a while.
Gary tried to get me to go into the water but I have a small fear of the ocean lately. It's not the sharks or anything, it's more the waves and currents and being afraid of drowning. Weird because I've had a fear of watersports before but never really of water itself.

Saturday night (our last night) we decided to eat at a chain restaurant as we hadn't been impressed so with the food so far at all. Sadly, our dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. was probably one of the better meals we had all weekend. Of course I had to pose like the tourist I am with the Forrest Gump shoes and bench.

Sunday we got up early and spent maybe an hour in the sun before heading to the airport. Little did we know that although our vacation had been pretty much perfect so far, there was not going to be a happy ending to our trip.

We again were flying through Newark which is a pain in itself but when we got there, the monitors had our flight to Detroit listed but no gate. Since we had two hours until our flight, we thought they just hadn't put it up there yet so we grabbed a bit to eat. Afterwards, we checked the monitors again, still no gate. Come to find out, our flight to Detroit has been CANCELLED due to mechanical problems. And of course, it's that last flight out for the night. Gary and I both NEEDING to be back Sunday night (him because he was flying to Vegas for work on a 7 AM flight Monday, and me because I was starting my new job) we were trying to find any possible way to get back to Detroit. We were finally able to get seats on an American Airlines flight to Chicago and then on another from Chicago to Detroit. The only issue being that the Chicago flight was already running an hour late and there was only a slight chance we could make the Detroit flight in Chicago. We figured we could at least drive from Chicago if we needed to. Luckily, we made the flight in Chicago but our luggage did not. It was on the original flight that Northwest booked us for 6 AM Monday morning. So once we arrived home at 1:30 AM, it was off to Meijers to buy toothbrushes and other essentials (read: MAKEUP). Gary looks really pleased to be at Meijers at 2:30 AM when he has to get up at 4:30 doesn't he?

All said and done, we got about an hour and a half of sleep Sunday night...well, Monday morning technically. What a way to start my new job.

Empty

I wish I would have taken a before and after picture. My cube used to have all sorts of pictures and other random stuff on the walls, and now it just looks empty. I've packed up all my personal belongings, recycled probably a whole forest worth and said goodbye to my home for the last three and half years. I'm off to bigger and better things.

Gimme Five

OK this is almost more random than my Randomonium post a few days ago. I've been tagged by Tracy to share some top five lists. I don't know about you, but I think it's pretty obvious this little survey was created by a momma, which I am not, but I'll do my best!

5 things under $5 I couldn't live without:

1. Chapstick
2. Trashy magazines
3. Cool Blue Gatorade
4. A Turkey Tom (minus the sprouts) from Jimmy Johns
5. Strawberry Mentos

5 favorite movies:

1. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
2. Pay it Forward
3. The Little Mermaid
4. The Departed
5. Super Bad
   

5 Baby Names I like:

1. Reagen (girl)
2. Maison (girl)
3. Ayla (girl - thanks Ange)
4. Graham (boy)
5. Aiden (boy)

5 songs I could listen to over and over again:

1. Roxette - Fading Like a Flower
2. P.M. Dawn - Die Without You
3. Bon Jovi - Livin' on a Prayer
4. Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody
5. Journey - Don't Stop Believin' (I loved it WAY before the Soprano's finale!)

5 people who have influenced me in a positive way:

1. My parents - For teaching me that I can succeed in anything I put my mind to
2. My sister - For showing me how to be a strong woman while balancing all that this life throws at you
3. My nephews - By reminding me how to see the joy of life through the eyes of a child
4. Rob Holland - For helping mold me into the person I am today
5. Gary - For being a true support system for me and reminding me to stay true to myself despite what other people think

5 things that are always in my purse:

1. Wallet
2. Chapstick
3. Ziploc bag of lip glosses (I never know when I'm going to travel)
4. Cell phone
5. Digital camera

5 dates that have changed my life forever:

1. September 11, 2001 - No need to explain
2. November 26, 2003 - My first nephew, Chase, was born
3. December 11, 2004 - I graduated from college
4. December 22, 2004 - I started my first real job
5. May 2, 2007 - My second nephew, Logan, was born

5 obsessions that I have

1. SHOES
2. Makeup
3. Prime time television
4. Key lime pie martinis
5. Taking pictures! (Hence why I ALWAYS have my camera on me!)

5 places I want to go:

1. Hawaii
2. LA
3. Italy
4. Australia
5. Cabo, Mexico

5 kitchen appliances/kitchen tools I can't live without:

1. Microwave
2. Toaster
3. Hand mixer
4. Can opener
5. Ice maker in the fridge

People I'm tagging:

1. Julie S
2. Martha D
3. Kylie W

Tigers and Wings

Saturday Gary and I went to the Tiger's game. We had pretty good seats, right by the foul pole along the first baseline. To say it was hot would be an understatment (not that I'm complaining) but luckily our seats were in the shade for most of the game so we were able to escape getting scorched by the sun.

Kris Draper and Brian Rafalski from the Red Wings threw out two of the many "first" pitches and they brought the Stanley Cup with them to show off to the crowd.

After the game we headed over to Cheli's Chili Bar across from the stadium, Chris Chelios from the Red Wings owns the place. We had heard rumors from the people sitting in front of us at the game that a few of the players were over there with the cup.

Sure enough, most of the team was there! There were letting people drink out of the Cup and spraying the crowd with champagne. If I knew what was going on we would have probably gotten a chance to drink out of it (gross if you think about it) but it all happened so fast. Plus I'm not a big fan of crowds either. We were able to get a few good pictures though.

Spraying down the crowd with champagne. I can't imagine how many bottles they went through!

One of the players hoisting the Cup

Who Would Have Thought?

If you would have asked me in college which one of my friends would be the first to get married, the answer would have definitely not been "Crazy Kristie"! However, great big congratulations are in order because her and Burton are ENGAGED! She finally found someone to calm her down, at least a little. :)

CONGRATS, I'm so happy for the two of you!

Going Away Party

Friday night was my going away party for work. We sat on the roof top of Tom's Oyster Bar and boy was it HOT! Not to mention super windy! Unfortunately because it was a Friday, a lot of my co-workers couldn't go. Most of my clients showed up which was really nice and all in all we had a good time. I don't have any pictures because I seem to be the one that always takes the pictures at work functions and I didn't feel quite right about taking pictures at my own going away party. I wonder who will take on the responsibility after I leave?

Randomonium

I was tagged by Martha to share 5 random things about me. This could prove to be difficult...

1. I despise any type of meat that is still in it's original form. For instance, lobster, crab legs, shrimp, oysters, full chickens, etc totally gross me out. If I can tell what it was previous to sitting on my plate, I won't touch it! This also extends into eating meat off the bone, such as chicken wings or drumsticks. Ick!
2. I was deathly afraid of roller coasters until middle school. I remember our class was taking a day trip to Michigan's Adventure and I was super nervous for about 3 weeks before hand. Once we got there I made a decision that I was going to conquer my fear and ride. I rode the coasters all day long and since then, there isn't a ride out there that intimidates me! I think my fear came from my parents making me ride Space Mountain at Disney World when I was just tall enough to be able to.
3. I haven't lived in one place longer than a year since I was 18. When I went to college, I lived in East Lansing for 4 months, I moved home for 8 months, then moved to Kalamazoo to our house on Pinehurst for 10 months, then to University Club for 3 months, then to 523 Oak Street for about a year, then to the apartment in Gull Run for 4 months, then to Farmington Hills for a month, then to Royal Oak for 6 months, then to Clawson for about a year, then to Canton for about a year, then to Sterling Heights for 4 months and then to my current residence, in Northville. I'm hoping to stay put for a while, I'm SICK OF MOVING!!
4. I have this "condition" that Gary likes to call Singular Hiccup. I tend to hiccup a lot, but it's only one and it's usually pretty loud! I must swallow a lot of air or something :)
5. I have a slight obsession with anything mint flavored. It's my favorite! Mint chocolate chip ice cream, York Peppermint Patties, Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies, Starbucks Peppermint Mocha, Junior Mints, those little pink, yellow, and blue mints that they serve at restaurants and weddings, YUMMMMM!!!!!!

Now that's some pretty random information...

My turn to tag! Ange, you're it!

Red Bull Air Race

Saturday we went downtown with a bunch of friends to catch the Red Bull Air Race. It's basically these little trick planes that do all kinds of crazy stunts. It was a great event for the city of Detroit as we are only the second city in the United States to host the races! Unfortunately it was a bit too windy for the planes to fly so the actual race got cancelled. Those of us that work downtown were lucky enough to catch the practice rounds on Thursday and Friday though. Regardless, it was fun to get together and enjoy the sunshine!