The Cat Hat to End All Cat Hats

Or at least the cats hope it is! Poor Sofia couldn't even hold her own head up because those braids were so heavy! Pretty hysterical!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Internet, wish my Dad a happy birthday. He totally does not check this Web site (he's not computer literate), so hopefully my brother or stepmom will show him.
Hope you have a good one, Dad!

Safari Simon

He's not as big of a fan of this little giraffe getup as he is of the sailor suit or elephant hat, but he's still pretty cute!

Eating In!

Me with my handiwork!

We have been making a concerted effort to eat out less and cook at home more. Not only does it save lots of money, but it's also way healthier. The only problem is, food from home just doesn't taste as good as food from restaurants. Today we went to Whole Foods (a.k.a. Whole Paycheck, seriously) and got the ingredients for pizza and berry cobbler, along with some other things to make this week. Our efforts at being gourmets paid off -- everything was delicious! And we have leftovers for tomorrow. Now we just have lots of dishes to do.

Suburban Adventure!

Because it was hot out today (and as a result I refused to go outside), John and I ventured out to Northbrook to check out the mall there and see where we could spend our hard-earned money on things we don't really need. My wallet will definitely be glad when summer is over and I can stand to partake in activities that are outdoors and don't involve spending money. Anyway, I've never been up to the North Shore, and it's an entirely new world up there! Lots of grass and trees and wide open spaces. After our shopping adventure, we headed to this super-cute restaurant in Highland Park called Lincolnshire Gourmet. It was very good -- very non-suburban. When we think of suburbs, the first restaurant that comes to mind is Cheesecake Factory, so this place was a nice treat. They had a gorgeous patio area with couches and outdoor firepits. Very fun! We will have to go back before summer is over!

Happy Belated Birthday, Big Dave

John's brother, David, turned the big 2-5 on Thursday, and we totally goofed on posting bday wishes for him in a timely manner. Welcome to your mid-to-late 20s, Dave -- enjoy them because they go quickly! Hope to see you soon!

Half-Marathoners!

About to cross the finish line...

They made it!

My Mom and her longtime friend, Luanne, were in town this weekend for the Chicago Distance Classic half marathon. They are seasoned race-walkers (see post below), and they finished all 13.1 miles in two hours and 43 minutes! That's quite an accomplishment, since some of the racers don't even run that fast. This is their third half marathon this year, and I think that they have at least one more to go. Their fit lifestyle has inspired me to get back in to running -- in fact, I went and bought new running shoes this afternoon and am planning on getting up bright and early tomorrow morning to get started on my new program. Maybe I can start racing, too. I'm still working on getting John to join me in the fun!

Blake in the Wall Street Journal

More family in the paper, this time the Wall Street Journal! Go Blake! What a stud. Too bad my subscription just ran out, I'll have to pick up a copy! Click the pic for the article.

Pattie & Kirby in the Paper!

Congrats on Pattie and Kirby making it on the front page of the sports section of the Tulsa World! Click the pic for the article.