Recap of our Chicago - Madison - Milwaukee Trip

Here's a quick recap and some of pictures.

Keith and I left Raleigh around 8 am Friday morning and landed in Chicago around 11 am where we were greeted by Anna and Jimmy. We headed to the hotel to drop off the car and bags and that's where our adventures began. We ate lunch at Ed Debevic's then headed down The Magnificent Mile (said in my best Oprah voice) to the Hancock Building where we had drinks and took in the skyline. We then headed to Navy Pier then back to the hotel for Happy Hour. After Happy Hour, we went to Zanie's Comedy Club.

Now for Saturday... We played in the Bean and went to the Planetarium. After the Planetarium, Keith wanted a Chicago -style hotdog so we ate lunch at Portillo's before we made our way to Madison.

Now for Sunday... we took in all things Madison like the University of Wisconsin - Madison, the Capital, The Old Fashioned, and Cave of the Mounds.

Now for Monday... we headed to Milwaukee so Keith and I could fly back home. Before the flight, we toured the Miller Brewery and had lunch at Mader's. The tour was great, but here's my thoughts on beer...ugh.

November 16, 2008... Note to Self: I'm no spring chicken anymore. 3 miles is tough.

The Tail of Bruno

On Wednesday morning, right before I left for work, Bruno and I had an adventure. Every morning, Bruno waits for me at the back door. On the back door, we have a shade. On this particualar morning, the shade was up so the pull string for the shade was hanging to the floor (like how most shades work).

Bruno sees me coming towards the door and he begins to wag his tail ,which in return causes him to hit the string. The string goes flying and in a split second, the cord has wrapped around Bruno's tail. Bruno then starts to panic. He's yelping, I'm screaming (trying to figure out the best approach to set Bruno free) and I'm trying to push him back to the door so the string isn't as tight. I finally manage to get him calmed down and he's sitting right beside to the door. I tell him to stay so I can run into the kitchen to grab some scissors.

Bruno sees me take off, he goes back into his state of panic and he's flopping around like a fish out of water. Finally, the string breaks and Bruno is set free.

So that's the tale of Bruno's tail, and here's a picture of Bruno and his new bed. I felt sorry for him and caved when I saw this.



November 15, 2008... Note to Self: Beware of shades, strings and Bruno's tail.

Week 6 Completed!

Today, I finished Week 6, Day 3 with a 25 mintue run with no walking. It was hard, but I finished. Only three more weeks to go of C25K, and I should be at 30 mintues with no walking (or 3 miles). The Jingle Bell Run is about a month and a half away and we're all getting pumped.

October 23, 2008... Note to self: Eating NC State ice cream, a cheeseburger, and a ham bisciut at the State Fair does not make for a happy tummy.... ugh. And I still have maple cotton candy and a caramel apple waiting. This is why I run.

Week 5 Completed!

Yesterday, I completed my first 20 minute run with no walking. Although I ran quite slow, I did manage to run the entire time. YAY ME! I'll start Week 6 on Sunday and my third workout will be a 25 minute run. Only Week 6, 7 and 8 left.

Not much else to post. Work has been keeping me pretty busy. We had two events this week and we have three events on this coming Monday alone. Then it's downhill until after the holidays.

October 17, 2008... Note to Self: Benadryl is my friend.

Short and Sweet, but Very Important

It’s one month until my birthday (and two months from the Jingle Bell Run).

October 6, 2008… Note to self: Make birthday wish list.

Second House Mini-Project

So after three years of wanting to paint this chest, I finally did. I didn't take a before picture, but I found this one so you can kind of get the idea.

Here's the after.

Crockpot Taco Soup

Here's what you'll need:

1 lb of lean ground beef (cooked before going into the crockpot)

2 cans of kidney beans (1 can light, 1 can dark)

1 can of black beans

1 large can of diced tomatoes (or two normal sized cans)

1 can of Rotel tomatoes

1 can of corn

1 package ranch dressing mix

1 package taco seasoning

Here's how to make:

Rinse and drain the beans, drain the corn then dump everything into the crockpot. Let it cook on low all day and enjoy! Garnish with cheese, sour cream, tostitos, etc.