12 of 12

I am on book 12 of the year. I started it a long time ago at a way too busy of a time of year to really get into it. At the encouragement of my boss saying "It's the best book of 2010!" and sending me links to lists of the top books of 2010 to proove her point...I continue to push through.

I will finish this book by the 30th at noon. That is all the time I have this year.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

I can't wait for the 2011 list of books. I now have a KINDLE to help reach this annual goal!! Thanks Santa Lehman!

my phoenix bambino

She's not really mine - but isn't this picture cute? I love it!

Maybe AJ looks so cute because of her sassy outfit: jeggings + crystals on her sweatshirt!

Come back soon, Avery & Jen!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

9 feet of tree (well most of it anyways) + 1,100 lights + 74 ornaments + the best 60% tree out there!

Looking good! Just don't look behind it :) It had to fit into the corner somehow!

Pretty much my decor looks just like last year. But, I am okay with that. Holidays are about tradition after all.

A whirlwind week

As David and I are relaxing tonight - its hard to believe we are on the other side of the crazy week we had been talking about/preparing for since the beginning of November. So, please excuse the many many photos below. It was simply easier to upload all at once to share!

Our week o'fun started with a trek to B-Town on Sunday with Matt (Bo) and Sarah (MoMo). David and I ensured they had a yummy brunch at Village Deli and a drink at Nick's before the game. It was actually a great game vs. Evansville. Big crowd, energetic visiting fans and better seats once we snuck down during the 2nd half. (p.s. this is David's favorite quest - where can he find the best seats!)

da boys at Nick's



The sara(h)s at Nick's

Then, we actually passed on Tuesday night's IU game (for the sake of sanity) and had our next evening of fun on Wednesday. A loud and fun group of 10 of us went to ZING for dinner then off the to SNC concert. It was so fun!

David and I before the show

mom and dad (sorry about dad's eyes - it was one or the other with their pictures! ha!)

Ryan belting out the tunes

Then, came Thanksgiving on Thursday. I decided to get a farm-fresh turkey this year. David and I are trying to be better about how our environment impacts us, and how we impact the environment. So, that meant no butterball turkey for us. I found that Joe's Butcher Shop in Carmel had farm raised turkeys at a reasonable price. So, on Wednesday I picked up our 20 pound bird. Yes, 20 pounds. I brined him and could barely lift him off the counter with his own weigth and the water. We had more laughs when I realized that a heart and neck were still in the cavity for me to remove. ew and more ew. But, we laughed.

mr. turkey about to get brined.

apparently we need to get David his own apron :) The bird is about to be carved! David did a great job cooking, basting and carving the turkey!

Then, Friday was another IU Game! We did start the day with a nice brunch at patachou (hello guilty pleasure broken yolk sandwich!) and then meet up with mom & dad for dinner at Yogi's and the game. Another win for IU!

david and I at Yogi's

Saturday - Oaken Bucket Game! We tagged along with our friends - Kelly & JP, and Kelly's family, to Purdue for the Oaken Bucket game. This was our first time tailgating at PU and while we are not fans of the school/teams/stinky town, there was NO tailgate traffic, we pulled right in by their parking lot (where they had a pass) and got right out of town after the game. None of those things happen in Bloomington. We snagged 3 of their tickets and had a great time inside for the first half. We decided to go back to the tailgate for the 2nd half - so we missed the big interception > fieldgoal > win sequence.

4 out of every 5 girls say "the knit flowered headband is the best!' Apparently we need to get Sarah Mo one :)

David and JP

The boys. Kelly's entire family went to PU, except for her. And, now all 3 kids have married or are marrying IU grads. Makes Randy mad :) Here is david covering up Randy's PU jacket!

Jordan was there tailgating with the Huffmans! Even though it was only for a few minutes - it was so great to see her and chat! She was also surrounded by PU fans. I bet they hazed her the entire ride home on the Belle :)

awesome seats!

David and MoMo

Sara(h)s at the game

Then on Sunday I finally was able to meet Olivia! She is such a "Luoma" and so tiny and sweet. Compared to other 2010 babies I have cuddled, she is the most petite little thing. So sweet!

big hands + small baby = weird photo shot

We were also invited to enjoy the Colts game with one of David's vendors. So, we pulled up our bootstraps, found some energy (somehow) and went downtown for a short tailgate and the game. We did leave early (yikes! what a game!) so we were in bed around 12:30 a.m. Not too bad :)

David and I before the kickoff

So, there you go. A whirlwind week. Now, its back to reality - with lots to do, a house to decorate, books to read, work to finish, holiday events, etc. But, we are enjoying the couch - for tonight at least.

Weekend Fun

Last weekend was jam-packed as we bounced from the KCA Kickball Tourney to Ray & Kristin Coyne's wedding (so fun to say!)

The KCA Kickball Tourney raised more than $18,000 for the Megan S. Ott Foundation - WOW! We were so sad to leave, but it looked like everyone had so much fun! Our friends Sarah & Katie even played on a team, but sadly lost to our family's team of apparently amazing kickball players. who knew?

david is such a mean cousin!

good game, good game, good game

momo up to bat

inside the Blended Bombers dugout

and, here's Katie!

After only being able to watch one game, we rushed home to get ready for the big wedding! It was such a fun day, seeing friends from Kentucky, California & Texas! Congratulations to the lovebirds.

See the photos from the wedding here

Fall Leaves

Aren't the only thing changing around here!

Maybe it was a busy summer schedule for me? Or that David was pretty much gone all summer? Regardless, we have done just a few house projects in the past month...

• We painted {or hired someone to paint :)} the den, upstairs guest bath and our bathroom
• David painted the laundry room
• We had cabinets installed in the laundry room
• I planted {with some help from mommy and daddy-o} 40 tulip bulbs, 7 hosta, 4 iris plants
• Today we have 4 trees going in and a new mulched bed in the back
• ••David had to remind me - new exterior light fixtures and soon-to-be-installed new house numbers!

YAY for completing some projects. Maybe 2 years is the magical mark for us? We will have most of our projects done by our 2-year anniversary in the house.

Now, if only I could find a steal of a dining room table :) {that comment is for David when he reads this! ha!}

I have no pictures of these projects, but will try to get some of the landscaping once they are done.

handsome pants

just because

b-town or bust

on Saturday we enjoyed a little tailgating (and rain) in Bloomington. We also managed to sneak in a little birthday celebrating for Dad & David!

setting up camp. we were the envy of the tailgate crowd when the rain started, and we were dry little tailgaters thanks to our tents!

da glenns


happy birthday to david! Happy Birthday celebration & cake for Dad & David

a little lls tailgate love

shop for a cause

Shop For A Cause with Macy’s and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!

Follow this link http://in.lls2010.llsevent.org/shopforacause to purchase a $5 Shopping Pass to receive exclusive savings in every Macy’s store and online at macys.com on Saturday, October 16th, and LLS gets to keep 100% of the shopping pass proceeds. Macy's guests are entitled to exclusive 20% and 10% savings in most departments all day long, plus an additional 25% off a single purchase. Certain exclusions apply. Plus, you can enter to win a $500 Macy’s Gift Card.

A small $5 donation can save you lots of money at Macy's - and right before the holidays for your gift shopping needs!

Thank you for your support of LLS!

Saturday = family day

As many of you know - David has been gone for 2 months already this year. Since Autum started this week - he is convinced he officially missed summer. And, that's about right. We realized that he didn't play one round of golf this summer and I didn't go to the pool once. boo.

So, Saturday morning we spent some time outside together. weird.

First - lunch at Logan Street Marketplace in downtown Noblesville.

here is Harley - relaxing and people watching

Then, off to a few stores and a walk into Forest Park. David finished his ice tea and Harley ensured he didn't litter by carrying the bottle all the way into forest park until we found a trash can. **please note- we tried to find a recycling bin - are there none in downtown noblesville??? come on!

walking across the bridge to the park

harley & mommy

david and I enjoying the sunshine!

vitamix!!!

that became the catchphrase of our fun saturday night! To celebrate Grant's big bday, we had GGCs, drinks, yummy sweet potato fries, cake and zuke coffee cake (one of G's favs).

I only have the pictures from the game-time shenanigans...not the cute ones - sorry!

our first game - a complete bust. So we tried another question/answer game because apparently you can make a million creating some time of question/answer game - even if one just like it exists!

Cheers!

David and I love a Saturday night where we can load up our arms, walk over the to the Sterleys and know we are only a short walk home at the end of the night!

This begins Jenny's love for vitamix..."I'm so parched" :)

Thanks, Grant! For having a birthday and making the drink of the week!

btown fun

David and I spend Labor Day weekend Bloomington doing as many things as we possibly could! You would have thought we only go to btown once a year.

We were able to enjoy Hillbilly Haiku @ Upland on Friday night, then onto Irish Lion for Strongbow (duh!). Saturday started at BBC then to the farmers market. If you are ever in btown on a Saturday during farmers market season - GO! Its amazing! We snagged some goodies then jumped on our bikes. We biked around town for a few hours, stopped for a few photo opps, hopped off for a couple of hours to grab lunch and walk through the 4th Street Arts Festival and the finished up the ride. Wow-wee!

safety first!

Saturday night we went to Farm. This just in - I like bison burgers! I know its crazy since I have a weird aversion to most meats. But, the bison burger at Farm was featured in Food Network magazine so I had to eat it! Plus, it was covered in goat cheese. bonus

We also got in a stop at Grazie for a drink, another trip to BBC and the winery.

a.ma.zing weekend in btown, as always!

craft-tastic

I love some ME time and this weekend I got lots of it-yay! I spent some time today "crafting" after a long long long hiatus from anything creative.

I have had this for quite some time:

And I was thinking I would paint it...then Jenny came over and mentioned covering it with fabric-hello genious!

So, it went from plain cork, to a painted frame covered with fabric:

To complete with some added trim and a loop for hanging!

Ta da!!!