Friday, November 6, 2009

Johnny D...

...makes me happy! Woke up to find his little fuzz ball body snuggling against the back of my legs. :)

Highlights from yesterday (click on links for more details):

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Rise and Shine!

Can you believe it? The week is more than half over :( Sadness. The good news is it looks like another beautiful day is in store for us...68 degrees and SUNNY! Perfect weather for a trek over the mountains to Sante Fe. Yes!

Woke up this morning wondering if there is a limit on the number of 'kindred spirits' that a person can and will encounter in their lifetime. The idiom 'kindred spirit' comes from the Anne of Green Gables series, at least that's where i first heard it, and refers to someone who feels and thinks the way you do. Aunt Barbara and Abby are definitely kindred spirits, it's so neat to watch them chat about all the things that they both like and like to do. From television shows to tea types, these two have lots and lots in common! I love listening to them relay stories and share ideas, it's such a joy and privilege to be on vacation with such cool people.

Yesterday I met someone very special. I think if we lived closer to one another we would be fast friends. Her name is Jeanette and she is wonderful! Everything everyone has said about her is true! We had lunch with her and Theron yesterday at this yummy restaurant up by the TRAM place. The views of the mountains and the valley were amazing! Getting to see Theron and Jeanette- even more amazing! They are so cute together :) There was talk of them moving to the great state of WISCONSIN someday- wouldn't that be awesome! Theron and Jack could get into all sorts of new trouble together!!!

From lunch we raced to pick up Emma from school (she has early release on Wed.). Emma is incredible! One-of-a-kind-wonderful. She and I are most definitely kindred spirits with a capital K and S! We love the same colors, we're talkative and dramatic, we both go for savories rather than sweets, we're adventurous, curious and both have lots and lots of ENERGY!!! Spent the afternoon with Emma, Abby and Grandma (Aunt Barbara) at the Bio Park and Aquarium. The Japanese garden was enchanting and the entire afternoon was fantastic! Trees here are in peak fall color. Glorious! Gorgeous! Great to be outside in short sleeves getting a sun tan in November!

Oh and I almost forgot, on the way over to the park we stopped at the mall and picked up an Alpha Romeo, a bee that goes backwards, a Christian Seellion(sp) gown, a dog that wags his tail, a pair of earrings and much more!!! Diamonds for life!

In the evening, despite a bit 'o traffic we made it to Jason and Tami's for dinner (fish tacos). Delicious! They've got a beautiful home and it was a delight to spend time learning about all about Big Bull and the others. On the way back to Barbara and Todd's, we stopped back at the Tram to see the city lights. Wow, ABQ is a lot bigger than I thought!

Before bed we played two games of euchre and yes, folks I am still undefeated! :) Not sure if Abby mentioned that earlier in any of her posts- but for the record I have not been on a losing team yet!

Have pictures to share but forgot the cord to the camera in Mokena or maybe it's back in Stoughton... will post as soon as I can! Have a great day!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Picture Time!

There has been so much going on today, but I only have a few minutes of laptop battery left and I'm currently "borrowing" WiFi from what I can only assume is a neighbor with an unsecured internet connection. So instead of updating you on today's events, I am going to post pictures from the begining of the trip!

VACATION TIME!

This one is the first photo of vacation taken just before we left for the airport!


This is our luggage. Yes, mine is bigger, but I could have taken 7 lbs more stuff! (Don't worry, I have at least that much coming back!)


Its ON! Southwest rocks with bags fly free and this nice man was taking my 43lb suitcase off the plane!


We've had a lot of tea since arriving in ABQ, but Barbara and Jennie are hard at work here making the first pot!


We did a little thrift store shopping. While Jennie found some awesome shoes and a great belt, the highlight of the trip has to be the leftover Halloween hats. Cuz, you know, pimpin aint easy!

TEA TIME!

As we were waiting for our afternoon tea to start, we found a gazebo outside and this is a great photo of Jennie.


Barbara and I


Jennie and I


The beautiful pink dishes in the Magdelen room at St James.


Our savory course, paired with English Breakfast Tea: Turkey salad in wonton cups, Proscuitto and asiago cheese wrapped asparagus, Baked figs with brie and balasmic vinegar, and Cucumber Orange Sandwiches.


One of our tea companion trays that included cream scones & fat rascals, served with clotted cream, lemon curd, and sour cherry jam. These were paired with a Pumpkin flavored black tea.


The dessert course, paired with Golden Delight green tea. Pumpkin Pot de Creme with chocolate spoons, Chocolate Raspberry Tarts, and Maple Walnut Crescents.


All of the ladies at tea: Tami, Jennie, Barbara and I

There are many more pictures, but both I and my laptop are out of battery for the night!

Rock on Shankopotomuses!

Happy Wednesday

Good morning all!

Vacation is definitely on! We are having a fantabulous time so far here in ABQ. Yesterday Barbara, Jennie, Tami and I we to the St James room for tea. We had a wonderful afternoon sipping on tea and munching on cucumber sandwiches and cream scones. Mary Jane, we were thinking about you during tea because we know how much you love St. James. We also did some shopping in Old Town and looked at some really interesting handmade jewelry.

Last night was a complete disaster when Jennie won every game of euchre we played and successfully made a loner hand! We did have to "phone a friend" midway thru to settle a dispute about some family history (thanks for proving me right, Dad!). But I think everyone had fun.

Today's plans include possibly meeting up with Theron and Jeanette for coffee, then this afternoon we are picking Emma up from school and heading over to the bio park to check out the zoo, aquarium, and some of the gardens.

We're hoping to get to a wifi spot so I can post some pics from my computer later today, so hopefully soon!

Rock on Shankopotomuses!

Monday, November 2, 2009

We've Arrived!

Hi to all you Shankopotomuses out there! Vacation has officially begun.

We had an excellent traveling day. Traffic was fantastic and no, I didn't need to take Southwest Highway! HA! Parking, luggage check-in, & security were all a breeze and we were in the terminal almost 2 hours early! The flight was very smooth and we even landed almost a half hour early!

After finding our luggage immediately after getting to the carousel, we got a beautiful tour of ABQ from Uncle Todd and Aunt Barbara. We stopped at the Flying Star for some tea and then came home to get settled.

We are now getting ready for dinner and then Jason and his family are coming over to celebrate Jacob's 4th birthday!

Hopefully pictures to come soon!

Rock on Shankopotomuses!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

9:41 pm and all is well. made it to Mokena without a hitch. Ab and I watched #4 throw 4 tds :-) love u Brett, love u Pack. speaking of packing, we're all packed and set to go. matching "soho niced to meet you" on our tips and toes... we're cousins, identical cousins. time for a great night sleep.

where are you now?
at work?

Sorry to hear that Shankipotimuses!

not us! not for a week! :)

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Weather Quiz

I'm going to give a 3 day forecasts for ABQ, Mokena, and Madison. Your job is to pick which forecast belongs to which city!

A)High today of 46. High temps tomorrow and Thursday at/near 60. Cloudy today and tonight, but sunny for the rest of the week.

B)High today of 61. High tomorrow of 46. Chance of rain & snow tomorrow and Thursday. Cloudy for the next 3 days.

C)High today in the mid 50s & cloudy. High tomorrow near 60 and 65 on Thursday. Sunny until Friday when there is a 50% chance of rain.

Ok. Pretty similar right? Match them up! Answers tommorrow :)

(Source: weather.com & The Weather Channel)