Recent Favorites

Frozen Caramel (formerly I.C. Caramel) at Panera Bread....600 calories of deliciousness with a big, fat straw!

My new DROID!  I got the Droid Incredible, and it is INCREDIBLE!  It can do anything!  I'm in love.  Who ever thought I'd be in love with a phone??

Still not working...however I don't really love having no money.

Recent Favorites

Having someone else pack and move all our stuff = AWESOME!

Having our cars shipped to us in PA so we could fly instead of driving across the country = AWESOME!

Early fall weather - heavenly and cool, and I forget how green everything is in the East!

Fabulous in-laws who take care of us when we are homeless, and a mother-in-law who makes great food!

Not working.

Happy Labor Day everyone!  Mwah!

Recent Favorites

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.  There are fans.  "ahAAHHHaaaa!"

How much bigger the house looks when it's clean and uncluttered.

Cafe Rio pork salads - I'll miss you the most!

My new pot rack, and the space it freed up in the cupboard

Things Are Happening!

D.H. and I are moving back East!!!

(How's that for subtlety?)

My darling hubby was offered a job in southwestern Pennsylvania, he accepted (after much deliberation and sleepless nights), and now everything is in motion for us to move across the country.

It's all happening very fast, and I'm SO excited!  I will miss my family and friends, and Cafe Rio, and our cute little house....and that is about it.  :)  D.H. and I both work until the end of next week, and then we're packing up and taking off, so when everything goes smoothly we'll be in PA by Labor Day.  Whew! 


For those who are here, we will miss you!  And for those of you back East, we're coming home!!

Recent Favorites

Homemade dulce de leche ice cream sandwiches...divine.

Photo from SmittenKitchen.com

Zapp Brannigan and Kif

Putting in my notice at work!!  Yessss!


Happy Monday, everyone!  Mwah!

Recent Favorites

Some of the things that are making me happy lately:

Sweet, fresh peaches in cream.  Best. Breakfast. Ever.

Hilarious.  I've watched this 50 times, and it makes me laugh EVERY time.

These shoes, which are currently on their way to me.  :D

I heart Jewel.  In my eyes she can do no wrong, and this album is great - especially the deluxe edition, which has all 10 of the album songs in acoustic version as well.

I'm taking the plunge

So I've been fantasizing for ages about being a stay-at-home wifey and having my own cooking website for all the recipes and such I experiment with throughout the day.

Well, that's not going to happen.

So I'm going to try and mix some cooking in with my usual life stuff.  Plus it'll make me keep my blog updated more often!  Bonus for all you loyal readers!  (Or reader, singular.  Whatever the case may be.)

So my first cooking-related post is this:  Cappuccino Fudge Cheesecake.  Ever since I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen, I've been dying to try it out, and this past weekend, I did.  And it is just as amazing as you imagine it might be.

First of all, this recipe calls for 1 1/2 POUNDS of chocolate.  That's right, 24 ounces.  Three entire boxes of Baker's chocolate.  So right off you know it's awesome.

It also has two kinds of booze, half a package of Oreos, and three blocks of cream cheese.  AND it has 4 layers, including the crust, and at each stage of assembly I would taste and then swoon, prompting D.H. to tell me to "calm down, spaz."  Believe me, you won't be able to calm down.  Spaz.

Cappuccino Fudge Cheesecake

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Crust
1/2 package Oreo cookies
4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
7 tbsp hot melted butter

Ganache
1 1/2 cups heavy or whipping cream
20 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup Kahlua

Filling
3 8-oz packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 tbsp dark rum
2 tbsp instant espresso powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp molasses
3 large eggs

Topping
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Make Crust:
Pulse Oreos and chocolate in food processor until finely chopped.  Add brown sugar and nutmeg, pulse to combine, then add butter and pulse until everything pulls together.  Dump out into a 9-inch springform pan and press up sides then into bottom.  **AWESOME tip: stick your hand in a plastic bag to prevent everything from sticking to your fingers.**  Set crust aside.

Make Ganache:
Bring cream barely to a boil over medium-high heat.  Once it's boiling, turn off the heat and add the chopped up chocolate, and stir until smooth.  Add Kahlua and mix well.  Pour 2 cups of the ganache over the crust and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.  Save the remainder for decorating the top of the cake.

Make Filling
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In the bowl of a mixer, combine the cream cheese and sugar, and beat until smooth.  Add flour and beat again until smooth.  Combine the rum, espresso powder, vanilla, and molasses in a small bowl, stirring until the espresso powder dissolves, then add to the mixing bowl and mix until combined.  Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
Retrieve your crust/ganache creation from the freezer and pour the filling over the top.  Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet and slide carefully into oven.  The baking sheet is an especially good idea for people like me, who put the bottom of the springform pan in upside down, so it leaks everywhere.  Bake at 350 for an hour, or until the cake is browned on top and only the center jiggles a little when you shake the pan.  Mine took about 75 minutes.  (I would like to point out that my cake didn't crack.  At all.  And I don't even know how I did it.  I am the Cheesecake Queen.)  When done, remove cake from oven, but keep the temp at 350.  Let the cake cool (and deflate a bit) for about 15 minutes while you make the topping.

Make Topping
Whisk together the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.  Smooth over the top of the cake and bake until the topping is set, 10-15 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool on a metal rack in the fridge for about 3 hours
Use a small, sharp knife to release the cake from the sides of the pan, then (carefully) transfer the cake to a platter.  Use the left-over ganache to decorate the top of the cake as desired.  Or just leave it plain and eat the ganache with strawberries, as I was sorely tempted to do.  Instead I acted the love-struck schoolgirl that I am and decorated it like this:

Cool fully before digging in - at least 6 hours, even better overnight.

Depending on your tolerance for incredibly rich fare, this serves 8-30 people.  I cut mine into about 20 pieces, and those were PLENTY big.  After eating a 1-inch slice each, all the hubby and I could do was sit on the couch, moaning in delicious ecstasy.  

Because I'm Lazy...

I guess I'm never going to have the energy to actually post pictures from the wedding, and tell the whole story, you can go here, enter the password (it's "2010") and look at our photographer's photos of our wedding weekend.  She did an incredible job.  You can also go here and see our family and friends' pics from the weekend.

The only thing I can say is this: I want to go back and do it all over again.  And again, and again, and again, because it was the most fun I've ever had.  The resort was kick-ass, the food was amazing, the drinks were plentiful (I drank more mojitos than I care to even count!), and having our family and close friends there was the icing on the cake.  Or the lime in the tequila.

Speaking of tequila, I don't think I'll be having any for a long time - blame the wedding-night-after-party-at-the-tequila-bar.  Where Tonya may or may not have had 7 shots of tequila.  In a 2-hour time frame.  Then possibly ate her 3am room service club sandwich while laying with her head against the mattress.  And to top it off, she might have fallen asleep in the tub, waking who-knows-how-long later to cold water and pruny fingers.  But this is all hearsay.  It probably didn't happen.

Anyway...the cocktail party the night before the wedding was fantastic, with great food, a real, live donkey, and a mariachi band.  The wedding day was perfect (and hot! if you can't tell from the pictures of my fading hair and makeup), the ceremony was short and sweet, and the reception was great fun with good food and dancing and drinking.  Everyone had SUCH a wonderful time.

All our guests left by Sunday afternoon, and D.H. and I had a fabulous week together doing absolutely nothing.  Laying on the beach or by the pool.  Reading.  Napping.  Eating (so much eating!).  It was heavenly.  Absolutely the best time, EVER.

Dear Universe,

Hi!  It's Tonya.  Just checking in.  Things are going great for the most part, thanks for that.  But I need a new job asap.  One in which I can use both my management and my pharmacy educations, that has daytime hours and few-to-no weekend shifts.  I also need good benefits - FSA, 401k with a good company match, tuition reimbursement, at least 4 weeks of vacation, and professional organization membership reimbursement.  A company that respects and values employees would be great as well, since the absence of those qualities is what leads me to find a new job in the first place.  Thanks again for everything!

Love,
Tonya

My Sweet Grandpa

My Grandpa Ray passed away on Sunday evening. I already miss him like crazy, but I'm also glad he's no longer suffering the way he has over the past 5 months since his stroke.  Here's his obituary from the Vernal Express.  I love you, Grandpa!

Ray Hunting, having lived a very full and happy life, died peacefully at home on June 6, 2010. He was born Oct. 23, 1930 in Vernal, Utah to Earl and Phyillis Williams Hunting. He was the middle boy of seven brothers and one sister. He married Marilyn Price on Dec. 19, 1959.
He grew up living on Diamond Mountain in the summers in the timber with his family. He started skidding logs as a young boy and as he got big enough to handle an ax and saw, he cut timber. He learned the value of hard work at a young age, and that became his trademark throughout his life.
He served in the Korean War in the Automatic Weapons Battalion attached to the 3rd Infantry Division and drew combat pay for 18 months straight before coming home in 1953. He loved his country and was a true patriot. He would fight to defend what he thought was right whether on foreign soil or in his own back yard.
Ray was a working man with varied talents and interests and he loved the work he did. He traveled the Western states working in the oilfield as a derrick hand, then driving a truck. After the oilfield he was always self-employed.
For 25 years he had Hunting Carpet, selling and installing carpet, teaching his family the value of honest work and the family working together. He had Hunting Trucking, working trucks in the oilfield and heavy equipment, building dams and reservoirs on the mountain and other jobs around for those in need of his services.
During all this time he was pursuing his true love of raising fine quarter horses, and cattle ranching became his life. In today’s world, he was truly was one of the last old fashioned cowboys.
He was an active member of the Uintah Cattlemen’s Association; he served on Uintah County Farm Bureau board and was recognized as Uintah County Farm Bureau member of the year. He provided cattle and transportation for the Elks Calf Cutting Program, helping to make that a success.
He was a leader in the 4-H program, helping the youth with their livestock for the stock show. He had the honor of being chosen as the Legendary Cowboy for the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo.
For many years he has been instrumental in furthering the distribution of irrigation water to the farmers of the valley. He served on the board of directors of the Upper Canal and was on the board of directors of the Ashley Valley Reservoir Company. He was president of the Reservoir Company until he retired due to his poor health.
He was recognized by the Chamber of Commerce with the Golden Shovel Award for his years of dedicated service to the water issues and projects of the Uintah Basin.
Ray was a very generous man, sharing anything he has with anyone who asked. He was a quiet man in his service to others and to the community. He had a close relationship with his grandchildren, working with them on the ranch of supporting them in all their various activities.
His endless stories, his sense of humor, his quick wit and unique ways of expression made life an experience sometimes just to be around him. He had a wink that always touched my heart and made me glad.
Ray is survived by his wife, Marilyn; children, Pam (Skip) Clinch, Eric (Ann) Hunting, Rayma (Scott) McCarrel, Tamra (Shon) Massey, Tara (Mike) Reidhead; 19 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; brothers, Max (Lela), Oran (Doreen), Dell, Allen (Joan); and sister Minnie Shulthes.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, June 15, at 11 a.m. at the Glines 3rd Ward Chapel (475 West 100 South). Friends and family may call Monday from 6-8 p.m. at Blackburn Vernal Mortuary, and one hour prior to services at the chapel.
Burial will be in Maeser Cemetery under the direction of the Blackburn Vernal Mortuary, with military honors provided by Post 124 & 11, and the American Legion.

Timing.

There's never a good time for crappy things to happen, but why can't they happen at only moderately inconvenient times instead of terrible times??  D.H. and I came home to a busted water heater on Friday, with hot water leaking pouring out of the top of the water heater onto the concrete floor in the basement.  We called the plumber and he confirmed our suspicions - time for a new water heater.  Of course it would be the same weekend we have to pay off our wedding in Mexico.  Blah.

It's Finally Spring!!

Ah, the lovely weather, the greening of the great outdoors, the flowers and sunshine....and the allergies.  Gah!  But I'm still glad it's spring, finally!  I thought it would never get here for real.  Love it.

Here's a link to my wedding webpage and registries for those of you who are interested.  It's a little difficult because we already have everything we need, so our wishlist is more 'things we want.'

I took D.H. to Vegas for his birthday this year - the big three-oh!  I actually SURPRISED him with Vegas for his birthday, and then the actual trip was for both of us.  I'm SO proud of myself for actually pulling it off, too!  I can't keep secrets to save my life, and I kept this one for months!  So here's how it happened:

• September 2009 - I start planning, getting really excited and giddy, but with no one to tell!
• Early January 2010 - get reservations for flight and hotel (at the Wynn/Encore - nice, but pretty boring.  Would not recommend.)  Also reserve a rental car.  Travel dates 4/8-4/12.  
• 2 hours later - I tell D.H. I just bought his birthday present and I am so excited!  But I can't tell him what it is.  
• February 2010 - e.mail Mark, D.H.'s boss, to get the days off
• The next day - receive e.mail from Mark saying he made up a fake meeting for D.H. to 'go to' in Salt Lake City, to keep him from going down to the mine on the day we were to leave...now it is on for real!
• End of March 2010 - I have my boss Gayle make up a fake schedule for me to put on the fridge at home (where I always put it) so a certain someone won't get suspicious about all those days off
• April 7 2010 - T minus 1 day!  I pack the suitcases and get everything ready to go while D.H. is at work, and hide them under the bed.  I also print out boarding passes, itineraries, and tickets to shows, put them all in a folder and put a big ol' bow on it, and hide it next to my treadmill.
• April 8, 8:00am - D.H. sleeps in, and I take the keys and unlock the truck, then put the keys back in D.H.'s coat pocket, then I get ready and "go to work" at 9am.  I actually go to the flower shop around the corner and get a balloon (with dinosaurs on it, perfect for a new 30 year old) and some deeeee-licious candy from V-chocolates here in Salt Lake.  Then I come home and put the goodies and the big bow-ed folder on the front seat of his truck.  Now I sit in my car and wait...
• April 8, 9:45am - I watch D.H. walk out to his truck, so I get out of the car and I'm standing in front of the truck when he looks up at me from the folder with the MOST confused look on his face.  I walk around to him and tell him happy birthday, we're going to Vegas.
• April 8, 9:51am - D.H. is still incredibly confused.  I have to explain to him that we are going to Vegas today, this afternoon.  He says, "but I have to go to this meeting," and I say, "there is no meeting."  I'm afraid his brain will explode, he is just not grasping what is happening.  
• Meanwhile - I'm completely giddy that the whole thing worked and at D.H.'s reaction

I did finally get D.H. to come inside and explained everything to him, the whole process, and he called his boss to confirm - Mark was laughing the entire time he was on the phone - that he actually didn't have to go to work today.  It was pretty awesome.  And he was just shocked.  Which was also awesome, at least to me.  

We made it to Vegas and had a lovely time, we got a lot of sleep, we got some sun, and we got some amazing foods.  We also saw the Cirque du Soleil show le Reve at the Wynn, 30 Seconds to Mars at the Palms, and Frank Caliendo ("strategery") at the Monte Carlo.  I took D.H. to Fremont Street (thoroughly depressing, especially during the day), we shopped and laughed and had a lot of fun.  My finest hour.  Or long weekend, or whatever.  

And that's about all that's going on with me lately.  The wedding is in 17 days, and I'm getting SUPER excited!  Woo!

The Kneadery: Breadtacular Bakesplosions for Your Cakehole

This morning D.H. told me he thinks I should open a bakery (based solely on the fact that I baked a perfect loaf of Italian bread this weekend...). It was about 5am and I couldn't sleep, so we were chatting about me opening my own bakery, which led to discussions about bread plus meds (quaalude croissants, Prozac cupcakes,

and Viagra nut rolls, to name a few), which led to an hour long "name that bakery" game. Some of my favorites were Cake'n'Bake, Daily Kneads, and as the title of this post suggests, The Kneadery:... It may just be really early in the morning, but I'm a little smitten with the idea.

Things I've Done: Updated

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a Praying Mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris (Favorite City EVER!)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (Bread Making. I. Am. Amazing!)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (soon, my pet...Mexico in 7 weeks!!)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (I've eaten a LOT of them, though.)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (oops.)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial (my favorite!)
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London (nope, but we did see about everything else!)
77. Broken a bone (collarbone, ouchy)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (The Pharmacy School yearbook! All by myself!)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (groossssss)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (God, no.)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Visited Italy (can't wait!!)

So Lucky to be in Love

January 23, 2010 - today marks the day D.H. and I have been together for one whole year. It's crazy to me how much can change in such a relatively short period of time. I don't even have words to express how happy I am or how good life is right now. It is cliché, but I am SO lucky to be in love with my best friend. D.H. and I are perfectly matched, and I'm so lucky to have found him and have him be such a huge part of my life. He makes me laugh, he makes me feel special and beautiful and sexy, he makes me feel loved and taken care of, he supports me, he spoils me, and we have the most fun together no matter what we're doing. No matter how busy we get, how stressed we are, how many awful things happen outside our little home...we can weather all the storms because we have each other.

I know this is sappy, but I don't care! I'm in love, people! Hooray!

Happy anniversary, D.H., I love you with all my heart. MWAH! (and also, I can't believe I found this image. PERFECT!!!)

Meet the newest member of our family!

Everyone, say hello to Roomba! D.H. found a screaming deal on this little guy, so we decided to try him out. And boy, are we ever excited to have Roomba around!! We set him up in the living room today to see what he could do, and spent a good half an hour just watching him zoom around, cleaning everything in his path. We are such proud parents. Our lives will never be the same!

For your viewing pleasure

Here are some pictures of Kami and I and our yearly pilgrimage to Moses Lake, WA and The Gorge to see Dave Matthews Band. This year the opener was G. Love and Special Sauce, which was pretty freakin' awesome.

G. Love. And yes, I did buy some boy shorts that say "booty call" on the back.

Just us girls, being awesome.

A very large, very weak, $16 margarita

This is the bathroom at a little gas station we always stop at. Our names were still there from last year! Woo!

We also caught these little beauties dancing their hearts out. They did this for 45 minutes straight that we saw, and then the crowd filled in so we couldn't see them anymore...but I'd like to think they just kept going.

Well, who can blame you, you've gotta lock that down...

D.H. and I officially got engaged on Friday night. It was appropriate because we ended up going to Geppetto's that night, a pizza place we went to on our first date. We even sat at the same table. When we came home and were getting ready for bed he knelt down next to the bed and said, "I love you more than anything, and I want to be with you always...will you be my wife?" I cried and laughed and we kissed and it was wonderful, and I've never been so happy!

The ring is perfect, we actually picked it out together when we were in St. Louis a couple months ago. I love it almost as much as I love him. :)

We will be getting married in Mexico on May 7, 2010. I can't wait!!

I forgot about these...

I forgot these pictures were on my camera...thought I'd share.

Diana and me at her wedding. Yes, I've gotten chubby. ;)

Me and my honey. He's adorable.

Me, D, and Betharoonie

Also, I made this beautiful bruschetta tonight - with tomatoes, garlic, and basil from my garden!! All I had to buy was the bread. It was awesome. And delicious.

And in other news...I just saw a Simpson's episode that I've never seen before. I didn't think that would ever happen.

Adventures!

Adventure Number 1: Meet me in St. Louieeee!

The company D.H. works for flew the two of us to St Louis for a Cardinals game. They are headquartered in St Louis, and had rented a skybox and invited the out-o-towners to come visit. The trip started out rocky, but ended up being completely fantastic. When we got to the airport at 7:30, we waited in line to check in at the kiosk. Then we waited in line to check our bags, and by the time we got up there (29 minutes before our flight was scheduled to leave), we were told our bags couldn't be checked any less than 30 minutes before the flight, and we'd have to go "stand in that line over there." Yup, the 2-hour-long wait line. There was nothing he could do (except walk us over to one of the other computers and have them check our bags!! But naturally that would've been FAR too much to ask) so we waited in the loooong line and missed our flight, only to be told (by the same guy! Ugh!) That we should get to the airport 1 1/2 hours before our flight. "WE DID!" we kept saying, but they wouldn't listen. So they booked us on a flight for 5:00 that evening. We checked our bags right then (crossing our fingers they wouldn't lose them between now and then) and headed back to my house in Salt Lake, where we pretty much wasted the whole day. D.H. missed the dinner he was invited to, where he would've hob-nobbed with all the big wigs of his company. When we went back to the airport for the 5:00 flight, we had seats far apart from each other because they simply couldn't get us seats together on such short notice. Stupid Delta. I hate them.

Once we got to St Louis, we got our rental car (a Chrysler PT Cruiser!) and made our way to the hotel. We checked in, found the elevators, and located our room, I took two steps inside and stopped short and said, "is this a smoking room??" The bell-hop assured me there were no smoking rooms in the hotel, but someone had DEFINITELY been smoking in that room. I said no, no, no, so down the elevators we went, back to the front desk, and were assigned another room. I can't even tell you how excited we were about this - they put us in a two bedroom suite! It was incredible! It seemed larger than the first floor of my house. We had a huge bathroom with a jetted tub, an entire bedroom with two beds for us to jump on...we were in heaven, especially after our wretched day.

The rest of the trip passed fairly uneventfully; we went to the baseball game, we had drinks with Arch's executive secretary and some of her friends, we did a little shopping, saw the Gateway Arch, and had a lovely time.

Adventure Number 2: Diana and Nic's Wedding

We ventured to Tennessee for my girl Diana's wedding, which also ended up being really fun. I got to see Diana and some other friends from pharmacy school, it was CRAZY hot and humid - ugh - and we drank and danced and partied all weekend. It was particularly nice because the reception was in the hotel, so we didn't have to worry about stumbling home in the middle of the night. Diana was beautiful, and she and Nic seemed so happy. It was a wonderful time. D.H. and I did a little exploring and we found this great antiques store - well, more like a warehouse! It was huge! - and did some shopping. I'm so spoiled - D.H. bought me the most darling little antique pearl and diamond ring. :) Oh! And our rental car was a Chevy HHR. What is it with us and the crappy rental cars??

Adventure Number 3: Las Vegas, Baby!

Blink-182 is doing their reunion tour, so we got tickets to the Vegas show at the Hard Rock Casino. It was so fun! They played lots of old stuff that we remember from high school, and oh! the people watching! There aren't even enough words for how fun the people watching was. I love Vegas, and D.H. had only been there once before, so we did some exploring, some shopping, lots of eating, and we had a great room at the Trump International Hotel (even the bathrobes had "Trump" embroidered on them - it was ridiculous). We considered getting married, but decided we both wanted to live to see our next birthdays, and if we got married without our mothers that probably wouldn't happen. On our way home we stopped in St. George and had a little dinner with Crashley, it was SO nice to finally see her again!

Now the little adventurers are broke, so no more vacations until we go to Pittsburgh for Christmas, and I meet his WHOLE family....eesh!