Sunday driver

Last week, Brian got to have a close encounter with Nascar driver Ryan Newman's Dodge Charger, sponsored by Alltel:

On Sunday afternoon, when Brian & his buddy Tony spent a few misty hours checking out the 18 holes at Auburn Hills Golf Course, we were all reminded why Brian made a smart career choice working for the company that sponsors Newman's car rather than as the company-sponsored crew chief:


Doh! (Funny side note: The boys had to call backup from the pit crew, AKA the clubhouse employees, to get this lil' race car back on track.) I guess Brian learned why you don't off-road between fairways.

Cultured canines

With the help of my mother-in-law, Janice, I took Dakota & Lilly to the Dog Gone Party, part of the Art Show at the Dog Show this afternoon at CityArts. Despite my nightmare that one of them would mistake the art gallery floor for a scrap of lawn, they were the perfect little puppies:





I saw the cutest little prize-winning pomeranians, as well as several gorgeous pieces of art that I would love to own. If only I had packed several thousand dollars along with the spare doggie biscuits I toted along to the event ...

What 50 cents will buy you:

1. Your morning news
2. A fun kitty playhouse


3. The brain-building crossword puzzle


This morning's photo shoot meant that I could create a kitty-themed Scrapblog page.

Scrapblogging is golden

I played around a little tonight with Scrapblog.com, a fun Web site that lets you create digital scrapbook pages. I used photos that Brian and I snapped Sunday at Buffalo Park. I've never made an actual scrapbook page and, honestly, don't want to spend the time and money buying lots of supplies for a new hobby. But this I can handle, and I appreciate that it lets me lend an artistic touch to my blog. Warning: scrapblogging is addictive.

Bad Snoders!

Considering we've had at least one golden in our household for the last four and a half years, we've been blessed with very little puppy home destruction. But somehow this evening Dakota ("Snoders" is one of his many nicknames) got his grubby snout on a foam-stuffed splash water toy football. Here's what's left of it, all over our living room floor:


Like all rebels, he clearly thinks it's good to be bad.













Although methinks his conscious is trying to convince him otherwise:


I'll give him this: At least he didn't rip up my new Asics wicking running socks, which he retrieved from the laundry basket at the same approximate time of the aforementioned property crime.

Gotta love Mae

I never met Mae Shine, who was born in Ireland in 1909 and came to the United States by herself to pursue the American dream when she was just 18. "Life with Mae" reveals that she was spunky, brave, loving, wise and funny. All the characteristics of a great woman. The memoir, our current book club read, is by Mae's oldest son, the late Neal Shine, the publisher of the Detroit Free Press and father to my co-worker Tom Shine.

I don't want to give anything away but will say that I laughed out loud at the antics she displayed and dealt with. And my heart ached when I read about the family's obstacles. I speak from experience when I say that Irish Catholics are some of the best people I've known.

I've promised my mother that I'd loan her my copy, but wanted to first offer it to any fellow book club member who didn't order one and would like to read it before this month's meeting. First come, first served.

In the meantime, here's an excerpt I loved, the closing graph of the prologue:

What follows is our remembrance of Mae Conlon Shine's remarkable and often outrageous life, painted in bold strokes, to help keep her memory fresh in the minds of those who knew and loved her and to give some sense of who she was to those who do not remember her, especially her great-grandchildren. It is also for those who never met her but who had in their lives a wonderful woman like her, a mother, an aunt, a grandmother, women who were always ready to share their abundant love, their vibrant spirit, and their gift of laughter. I hope it will be a reminder of just how substantial our debt is to these remarkable women.

Happy Easter!

Brian & I surprised his 90-year-old grandmother this morning by showing up at her church, East Heights United Methodist, to attend Easter service with her.





I love to see Brian interact with his Grandma. He is very respectful of her, which is one of the things that I love about him. Here's a photo I snapped while he escorted her to her car after the service.
















East Heights is a gorgeous building on East Douglas and is where we married in September 2001. The sanctuary was decorated beautifully with fragrant lilies this morning.

















Speaking of surprises, I got up early this morning and made an unexpected Easter breakfast for Brian. On the menu: omelets with asparagus, onion, potato, tomato and cheese; freshly baked banana bread; coffee and orange juice. While we enjoyed breakfast, Brian pointed out this poignant statement about Easter. (Of all places, it's from today's installment of the comic strip "For Better or for Worse.")

For Easter is not a time for sadness, but a time for rejoicing. Just as spring awakens sleeping flowers and animals after a long, cold winter, so Easter awakens us to the wonders and the love all around ...

How sweet it is

Saturday night was the annual Irish corned beef dinner at my parents' house. A bit late for St. Patrick's Day, yes, but it also served as an early Easter meal. And there was an excellent game on TV. It was the perfect occasion to break out my new KU T-shirt and to try the Chocolate-Mint Bars featured on the cover of the current Cooking Light issue. (I've been eyeing that recipe since the mag landed in my mailbox.) It was a hit.

A game-day tradition, Brian & I proudly flew our KU flag at our house. The Jayhawk homes outnumber the Wildcat homes in our neighborhood, and hanging flags is THE thing to do in our little neck of the woods. Sorry, KSU fans. (OK, I'm really not.)


Amanda & Kurtis are in town for wedding-planning purposes, including having their engagement photos taken by the talented Jaime. Mom, Jen, Amanda and I worked on wedding centerpieces some more.

Saturday morning serenade

I celebrated this year's first spring Saturday morning by opening my bedroom window and listening to the birds sing while I read in bed. I finally convinced myself it was time to hit the lap lanes. Meow Meow must have been enjoying the morning, too, as she stayed put while I readied for the gym:

They're so subtle

After work today, I played catch for a bit with Lilly in the backyard. I don't think she was finished when I was:

Then I tried to delve into my current read while enjoying a glass of cab and our backyard chimnea. Dakota, however, had other plans. As I've said before, it's a wonder we read at all:

I'll show you mine ...

NCAA bracket, that is:


Are you loving March Madness? Brian & I met for lunch downtown today to watch the second half of KU's victorious first round game. Next up: No. 8 UNLV. Can you guess what we'll be doing at about 6 p.m. Saturday?

My bracket is already in ruins, as I incorrectly picked Winthrop, Temple, Arizona and Baylor -- all teams that lost today -- to go to the Sweet Sixteen. Doh! So far, only the Midwest regional portion of my bracket is pristine. And since that's the one KU's in -- and because I picked KU to win the Big Dance -- I'd love it if my prediction comes true. After all, it would make one of my favorite pieces of sports memorabilia especially meaningful.

Brian is such a twerp. So far, he's only been wrong on Arizona, leaving him 16-1 and me 11-6 on our brackets. There's a lot at stake: The winner gets to pick the locale and date of our first overnight camping trip of the year.

Spring has sprung!

Happy first day of spring! Now if the temps will just warm up enough for hiking and canoeing, I'll be a happy camper (quite literally).

Chick lit for a chick trip

During the drive to and from Arkansas last weekend, Jen & I listened to the audiobook version of "Everyone Worth Knowing" by Lauren Weisberger, better known for her "The Devil Wears Prada." (We actually had to get together Monday night for St. Patty's Day corned beef dinner and to finish the last 30 minutes or so of the book.)

If you loved "Devil," you'll like this book, too. Let's review the similarities: frumpy-but-smart-girl who turns successful-and-surprisingly-stylish, gorgeous bad boy flirtation, overly demanding job/boss, best girlfriend who gets impatient with main character's crazy new life, sweet boyfriend who is almost overlooked, copious amounts of references to designer clothing, dramatic quiting of aforementioned job ...

It was a perfect book to listen to on a girl's road trip. Jen & I laughed, gasped and cringed at all the same parts.

Wedding workshop weekend

I was too worn out last night to blog about my fun-filled weekend. So, here's my day-late report: Jen, Amanda & I shopped till we dropped. I bought clothes and a few things for my house, Jen found cute maternity tops for her ever-growing baby bump, and Amanda picked out bridesmaid dresses, centerpiece supplies and (we hope!) a few very cute flower girl dress options. (Sorry, but I promised the bride-to-be that I wouldn't post any of those photos. They're top secret!)













We had a couple of "What the?" moments while we were shopping. If you've ever doubted that Razorbacks are crazy-dedicated fans, take for example this display at a Christian bookstore we stopped at to browse. One of these things is not like the others:


When we popped into a baby store to look for maternity clothes for Jen, Amanda spotted an odd little product called the "Wee Block." One Internet description I found summed it up this way: "Designed to keep your baby's fountain of youth under control during diaper changes. Wee Block is a machine washable absorbent sponge to use while changing a baby boy's diaper." Okaaaaay ... We were all a bit disgusted by the set with the tux T-shirt and the "Wee Block" that said "Lil Ladies Man." Eew.


Volunteers with the local PetSmart were walking adoptable dogs in one of the shopping centers we visited. Jen & Amanda convinced me that Brian would not be thrilled if I brought home this adorable Beagle:


Amanda also played tour guide. We saw the Wal-Mart headquarters and the quaint little "Walton's Five & Dime" that started the international empire. We saw the construction site of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, about which Amanda has spent a ton of time researching, reporting and writing. And we saw the Arvest Ballpark, the new home of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals minor league baseball team, formerly known as the Wichita Wranglers.





How did we survive the busy weekend? Amanda cooked us a delicious breakfast both days ... and we ordered up grande coffee drinks while shopping both days. On Sunday, we arrived at the upscale Promenade outdoor shopping center an hour before shops opened. So we found a cozy corner in the nearest Starbucks and played Cranium Letter Line-Up, a new game we bought while there:

It's cruise director time

Nearly a year ago, Amanda & I made Cruise Director visors for Jen's cruise-themed bridal shower before she & Ryan departed on their destination wedding. Well, folks, the visor is back!

Tonight, Jen and I will head to Arkansas to spend a wedding workshop weekend with Amanda. We intend to figure out centerpieces, shop for bridesmaid dresses and watch a cheesy wedding movie or two while we're at it. Wish us luck! Bonvoyage!

Kitty photo shoot

After work, I stopped to pick up another one of my quilts from the professional quilter. When I brought it home and unfolded it to show Brian, Meowsers climbed right on. That's the stamp of approval in this household.

Gotta love DST

... Daylight Savings Time, that is. It meant that I could work a full day, run an errand on the way home and still have time to take a four-mile walk with Dakota, Lilly & Brian before dinner. (In this photo, Dakota is saying, "Put that dumb camera away! It's time for our walk!)

I think he's looking a bit more svelte already. Could it be that, in addition to a fun romp in the park, he's walked or run 10 miles since Sunday?







Now if we could just stop Meow Meow from sneaking Science Diet Large Breed Light kibble, we'll have a houseful of healthy pets. (Ten-pound kitties should never eat dog food made for 100-pound pups!)

Quilt paparazzi

At quilt guild tonight, we listened to a speaker who specializes in photographing quilts. So I couldn't resist posting a photo of this beauty that was on display:

The big kitty in the sky is a-smilin'

Much to the chagrin of my friend Denise, I don't have photographic evidence of my birthday party out, when an unnamed Mexican restaurant staff shoved fried ice cream in my face while I was wearing a sombrero. Maybe I'll be able to convince my friend Ann to keep those images under wraps.

Thanks to those of you who've wished me a happy birthday. My great day included brunch at Eaton Steakhouse (elegant and tasty), an afternoon at the Wichita Garden Show and a trip to the park with pups. Although I'd been complaining that Daylight Savings Time meant I only had 23 hours of birthday this year, Brian & I enjoyed the extra hour of sunshine while he grilled a steak kabob dinner.

I snapped this photo right at dusk. The Cheshire Cat grin is my favorite phase of the moon. A fitting smile to the end of a great day. Here's to hoping 29 suits me fabulously!

Why don't I do this more often?

Between coffee & donuts for breakfast and watching the KU game at home with Brian this afternoon, I treated myself to an hour-long Swedish massage. (I love birthday weekends!) I've not had a massage since July 2006 (I remember the date because I went to get some knots worked out of my shoulders after I was in a car accident.)

Mid-massage today, I got to wondering why I don't get massages more often. It's such a luxurious splurge, and the masseuse had hands of magic. (If you need a referral, let me know. I was very impressed.) Ahh.

Here's another massage-related musing: Don't overlook the wonders of vacation massages! I'm not sure a hometown massage, no matter how fabulous, could ever top the one I had while on vacation at Atlantis in the Bahamas. That spa was expensive (a shorter massage than I had today would cost twice as much) but amazing.

Cake & ice cream

Thanks to an item in today's newspaper, Brian and I were reminded that for the last six weeks, there's been a Baskin Robbins serving up 31 flavors only about a mile away from our house. After a dinner of homemade minestrone, we went to check it out. In honor of my 29th birthday on Sunday, I chose the Icing on the Cake ice cream flavor. And I'm very glad I ran three miles at the Y earlier tonight to help offset this treat.

Lilly, Dakota & Meow Meow all wanted a treat, too. This is how they always gather when Brian or I open our hallway closet, were we keep leashes, dog biscuits, Greenies, kitty snacks and other pet delights. They're always disappointed when we're simply retrieving a coat or scarf.


Dakota, who is still on his diet, had to work for his Greenie. I asked him to wave hello to all of the Life is Golden blog visitors: