Spring Break

Spring Break was awesome. I spent the time in the 90 degree heat of Arizona. It was great fun to spend the time at the pool and at Chase Field. Unfortunately, I was enjoying myself too much to take many photos. Here's the only moment that was captured on film.

Me & Mary at the D-backs/Giants Game.

Book Club

So I joined a book club and I love it!! I know it may seem odd that I'm so excited to spend my free evenings discussing books. I do it all day long, after all. The big difference is that my book club is with adults and we read books written for adults. This past week we read "Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay. Two thumbs up - I highly recommend it. Next on our list - "Year of Wonders" by Geraldine Brooks.

There's Been a Murder

Yesterday I attended Alina's Clue Murder Mystery Party. It was a great Halloween party, based on the beloved child's game, Clue. Each party goer was to dress as a clue-like character. I went as Bartholomew Black - a mysterious gay party goer who prefers to go by the nickname "Tholom" (said with a lisp).

For all of you who have forgotten the Clue basics, here's a quick refresher course. The game consists of three decks of cards - the murder suspects, the murder locations, and the murder weapons. A card is secretly chosen from each of the decks and put in the confidentiality envelope. The remaining cards are then divided between the players. The players then use their cards and clues they are given from other players' cards to determine the murderer, the murder location, and the murder weapon (or the cards that were placed in the confidentiality envelope).

Alina had turned each room in her house into prospective murder locations. She had also assembled a cache of murder weapons, including the candlestick, rope, and revolver. She had taken photos of each of the rooms and the weapons to complete the decks for the murder locations and the murder weapons. All that was left was to complete the deck of the murder suspects. To do so, she took a picture of each of us "suspects" as we arrived. Once all the cards were completed, it was time to begin playing. We had a great time trying to solve the murders. I wish I had taken more photos. There were about 15 suspects and we all had great costumes. I wish I had pictures of all of them, but alas. Anyways, here are a few photos:

Me aka "Tholom" with his game card.

Jeeves and Senor Negro are behind me.
Notice Senor Negro is holding an actual kitchen knife -
This was not a weapon from the game . . . Scary.

The Hosts - Mr. & Mrs. Peacock

Miss Ruby, Ms. White, Mrs. Peacock, & Tholom
with our murder weapons of choice.

Greek Festival

I love the Greek Festival!! I look forward to it every year. If you have never been, you must put it on your calendar for next year. On Thursday, Alina, Lesli, and I went to the opening night of the festival. We got there about an hour after the ribbon opening ceremony and already it was packed!! We had to wait in the food line for over 30 minutes, but it went really fast considering the large number of people that were ahead of us. The festival is always so well organized. Here are a few pictures of us after we've feed our faces.

Me and Alina.

Lesli and Alina.

Me and Alina cracking up over how funny we are when we get together.

My Annual Trip to PA

I just got back from my annual trip to PA to visit Ruth and Ryan. Although I had tons of fun, I only took one picture. I really need to start using my camera more often. Anyways, this picture was taken on our visit to the Indian Echo Caverns. It was way cool. We also visited Chocolate World and Hershey Park while I was there. Although I'd been to Chocolate World several times, this was the first year we went to Hershey Park. We went for Ruth's birthday and spent the entire time racing from one roller coaster to another. They have a lot of intense coasters!! Besides those fun things, we spent a lot of time hanging out and catching up. I love the Stewart Family and am so happy they invite me to come stay with them every summer. Thanks guys!!

Green Party

Last week, in honor of St. Patrick's Day (and friendship), we had a "Green Party." We met at Christi's house, ate a ton of food, and chatted it up. Here are a few pics:

Kari & Ali

Me with delicious whip cream and strawberry short cake.

Sandra & Christi

Friday Night Facts and Commentary

Fact: Tonight Christi, Lesli, and I went to Red Robin for dinner.
Commentary: It was crowded. I haven't been out to dinner on a Friday night in a long time. I forgot how much I dislike having to wait for a table.

Fact: At Red Robin our waitress welcomed us by saying, "Hello. You look familiar. I think I've waited on you before."
Commentary: Until that comment, I hadn't realized how much I eat at Red Robin, but come to think of it, tonight was the third night I've been there in the past 10 days. It's just so damn conveniently located.

Fact: After dinner we headed over to Rocky Mountain Chocolates to get a little snack for the movie.
Commentary: Why do I continue to buy chocolate from Rocky Mt when I know how expensive it is? Eleven dollars for a bag of chocolate covered gummy bears is ridiculous. I know this, and yet I continue to purchase them.

Fact: We met up with Ali, Amy, Sandra and Steph to see "When in Rome."
Commentary: Not only do I hate crowded restaurants, I hate crowded movie theatres. (Commentary on the Commentary: When did I turn into my dad?)

Fact: Josh Duhamel stars in "When in Rome."
Commentary: Holy Crap, He is totally hot. (Commentary on the Commentary: I sound like a 13-year old girl)

"Ante Up for MS" Poker Tournament

Today we held our 1st Annual "Ante Up for MS" Texas Hold 'Em Tournament. It was a huge success!! Here are a few pics:

Jordan, Clark, and Alina

The Players

Lesli, Me, and Ronnie

Clark, Ali, Steph, Sandra, and Andrew

Steph, the Ultimate Winner!!

It must be said . . .

One of my favorite pics of Ruth and Me

It must be said, I am so excited right now. I just booked a flight to see some of my favorite people in the world - Ruth, Ryan, and Co. I'll be spending two glorious weeks with them in June. The only thing that could dampen my joy is the fact that one now has to pay to check one's luggage. I thought I was getting such a great deal on my flight, but with $60 in taxes and another $30 for checked luggage, my great deal isn't so great anymore. Still . . . worth it. Totally, worth it.

Best Birthday Weekend Ever!!

Okay, last Monday I turned 31. THIRTY-ONE!! Actually, it wasn't bad at all. I began the celebrations by flying to Las Vegas with Christi and Lesli. They are the best for going with me because I wanted to go in style, which made it a bit pricey. We flew in on Saturday morning and took a taxi to the Paris hotel where we had brunch - yummy crepes. We then did a bit of shopping, at both the Paris and the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. By then, we were exhausted so we headed to the Bellagio to check in. That's right, THE BELLAGIO!!

Our room was fantastic with a great view of the fountains!! Our window was a floor to ceiling window that looked out perfectly. We sat by the window for the next 3 hours watching the fountains and playing cards (we were spending enough money - we couldn't afford to lose any money playing real cards in the casino).

After our card playing, we went to dinner and then to see The Cirque du Soleil O show. It's the main reason why I wanted to come to Vegas. Tickets were ridiculously priced, but it was so worth it!! I would go back this weekend to see it again. The next morning we checked out and went over the Venetian for a little shopping, then flew home. A quick, but awesome birthday weekend. Anyways, here's a few pics:

Christi and Me at the airport.

Lesli and Me on the strip with our umbrellas.

The Bellagio!!

The three of us inside at the Bellagio's Conservatory.

Lesli and Me at the Conservatory.

Christi and Me at the Conservatory -
They were celebrating the Chinese New Year.

Room with a View - This is from our room!!

At night.

Me at The Cirque du Soleil O Theatre.

I love this picture - Lesli, Christi, and Me in our 1st row seats!!

Lesli and Me eating gelato at the Venetian.