Sorority Centennial Reunion: Saturday

Saturday was a packed-full day in Ames, Iowa.

After a group of us hit Village Inn for breakfast, we attended the "90's decade" reunion at Mom Laverna's party room.

When I saw my parents on Sunday, my mom asked me what I wore. I was a bit perplexed why she wanted to know what I wore for the "casual" Saturday event. But she then explained she thought we were all going to wear clothes we wore in college in the 90's. Well, all of those clothes would have still fit us since all we wore XL clothes that went to our knees in college!

Here's our pledge class that was at the 90's decade reunion. Joyce, Amy, Steph, Andrea, Angie and me.

A whole bunch of 90's KD's!

After four hours of 'hangin in the 90's' we went to our old stomping grounds for a mid-afternoon lunch; except our old stomping grounds isn't there any longer. In the place of People's is Papa's Corner. It was clean, so not cool and cold!

Sorority Centennial Reunion: Friday

My Friday started with my riding partners Ann and Nate. I was lucky that they rode with me from KC to Winterset. I think Nate had fun riding in Aunt Beth's car. Can't you tell?

I picked up Steph from the DSM airport and we stopped to see Jacque, who unfortunately couldn't attend the festivities due to a wedding, but was in Des Moines. As an added benefit, it was also Samantha's 1st birthday that day!

Once we arrived in Ames and checked into the MU, we went to the KD reception at The Knoll (home of the ISU President and his family). We immediately saw so many people we hadn't seen in years and years and more years.

Mom Laverna and me.

After the reception, a group of us had dinner and drinks at Legends. It's on top off a hi-rise overlooking campus that was definitely not there when we were in school.

And to start the weekend off with some college flair, as were getting in the car to go home, a guy invited us to his kegger...five of 'em!

If we only knew how good we had it.

My 100th anniversary sorority reunion was like a blast from the past. Words cannot describe how much fun we had.

The whole weekend was like we were back in the day of when were were together at college. We talked, laughed, had fun (a lot of fun) and for the most part reverted back to our college mentality and maturity level! And besides the fact that our hair isn't as big, we thought we pretty much looked the same, too.

Although we talked about a lot of different "adult" subjects we didn't even know existed back in college, we spent a lot of time remembering stories and events from college. One of us would remember something, and that would trigger another funny story and on and on... There were multiple times I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes.

Although by the time we left the sorority house late Sunday morning, we were beyond exhausted (and perhaps a little hung over), it was so sad to say good bye.

That feeling I had of missing my sorority friends right after leaving college came right back after this weekend.

I'll post photos soon. Speaking of photos, they even had Jo-Photo there. Now that alone takes you back to college!

Greek!

Steve and I are getting ready to spend our third weekend in a row apart.

Because tomorrow morning I'm heading to Iowa for a girls' weekend with my sorority sisters in Ames!

Our sorority, Kappa Delta, is celebrating our centennial anniversary at Iowa State. And while we're not quite old enough to be the founding sisters, it's been over a decade since we graduated. So to the girls that we'll meet that are still in college, we'll pretty much be like we're old enough to be the founders in their eyes.

But Steve and I watch Greek on ABC Family, so I like to think I kind of know what it's like to be in college in this decade.

There are all sorts of events Friday through Sunday from a reception at The Knoll (home of the ISU president) Friday night, to decade reunions to cocktails and dinner at the MU on Saturday and a brunch on Sunday. Alumnae from the 1940's to the present sisters will all be there. It's going to be a pretty cool experience.

And, of course, the best part is that I'll be with my girlfriends. It's crazy to think it's been over 10-years since we lived in the house together and at Old Stanton. I'm the only one without a child(ren), so this will be a true girls' weekend in every sense!

New Digs

Andy (Steve's brother), Jamie and the boys moved into their new West Dez Monez abode last Saturday. Steve drove up to enjoy the festivities of helping them move.

We're very excited for them!

I've only seen it from the outside but have seen pictures of the inside. It's beautiful, and near Jordan Creek which is exciting in itself. And it's roomy enough for this family of five.

Although I will miss the experience of being awoken in the same room as Steve's dad while he's getting out of bed early in the morning, like I've done a couple of times in the basement of their old place. Now that's a memory...

My First Earth Day

We all know today is Earth Day. I was first involved in Earth Day when I did an internship at Des Moines' local landfill, Metro Waste Authority (MWA) in 1996-1997.

Trash isn't really my thing, but it was the coolest internship, and it was the reason I believe I got an actual marketing job in KC afterwards.

In a nutshell, I spent about 9-months hanging out at the landfill in Mitchellville, the recycling center on Euclid and at the Regional Collection Center for hazardous materials in Bondurant. Every month I'd hang out at the landfill for at least four hours driving around the landfill (I can vouch it's not a clean place, but it really doesn't smell as bad as it should) and interviewing workers for the newsletter. Once my car and me were even in a commercial at the recycling center.

The other side of this internship allowed me to sit in on meetings at the Capitol and at the City Council and do all sorts of marketing/PR/promotional activities around the residential recycling program (which was extremely new). One of my projects was participating in a group of city and state 'people' to plan Earth Day activities for Des Moines.

In 96-97, this wasn't a big deal like it is today. In fact, it was so lame I don't even remember what we ended up doing. I feel like we released balloons, but I'm sure we didn't since that's not friendly to the environment. I'm glad Earth Day is now bigger and better. And I have no doubt in my mind the 2008 MWA intern was much busier with this Earth Day than I was 11 years ago!

Cheers to Seven Years!

Seven years ago tonight on April 21, Steve and I met.

We've got the whole parallel lives, us living across the street from each other in college, me having a picture of only him that was taken four years before we met, him meeting my parents six months prior, him hanging up on his friend a week before we met when the friend called him telling him this girl needed to live with him, etc., etc., etc. which is pretty neat.

But the actual meeting was ultra romantic.

It was a Saturday night, and I was out with a group of girlfriends. We started the night at a now defunct gansta dance club downtown, hit Have A Nice Day Cafe (also now defunct)in Westport and rounded out the night at Granfalloon on the plaza (still going strong).

The Granfalloon was packed. We were standing by the bar, and I suddenly noticed this guy and his friend talking to some girls who I thought honestly looked a little on the trashy side with their choice of clothing, hair and make-up. (I like to say Steve was talking to whores when I met him, but I'm sure they were extremely nice girls with a different style than me.)

Even through the in-depth conversation Steve and Paul were having with these ladies, Steve and I happened to look at each other at the same time. I'm sure it wasn't exactly this way, but now it seems like magically we walked over to each other since we recognized each other from all of the above, and started talking. Within minutes, I realized this was the guy his life-long friend Geoff told me I needed to live with the previous week when I was in Iowa City.

We started talking about me looking at his place the next morning. I was very excited because I really did not want to be homeless. Plus he was from Storm Lake and already knew my parents and multiple friends so I knew he could be trusted.

Fast forward to Sunday morning. Steve cooked me buckwheat pancakes, I took in his "original" artwork of dogs with dead foxes in their mouths (which I must add now adorns our stairwell)and I introduced him to E television.

By the time I left his place, Steve said, "See you later." So I was thinking , "Great, I will not be his roommate nor will I see him again."

But that week Steve did find my number in the phone book and called me to ask me out (as in 'do you want to go to the bar with us in five minutes even though you worked out tonight and are packing'? I went.). Luckily during those few days, I found my "White Trashville" apartment that happened to be two blocks from Steve's place so I didn't need a place to live any longer.

I asked him yesterday what he would have done if my name wasn't in the phone book. His reply was, "We wouldn't be married". I know he was joking, but seriously we could have very easily lived the movie Sliding Doors.

Cheers to seven years!

Costumes

As a result of many ear infections and sleepless days and nights, on Friday morning our nephew, Nate, had tubes put in his ears.

Here he is at the hospital "in his first costume of the day" before the procedure.


You wouldn't know I took these photos on the same day. Here's Max from Where The Wild Things Are, and his cousin, Princess Erin, (who I believe is on her way to the Kentucky Derby)!

As you can tell, thankfully all went well with the tubes :)

Vino, Vino and More Vino Trip II (Day 4)

Monday came and it was sadly time to go back to reality. But on our way back to reality we walked around the University of California at Berkeley.


We found a French restaurant near campus for lunch. I even was wearing Fleur-de-lis earrings which I'm sure the staff noticed.


And back to KC we went.

When I got home I found out Steve had gone out with our sister-in-law, Ann, and her friends on Friday night. He bought the tiny, tiny sister-in-law of one of Ann's friends (who happens to work out where Ann and I do) enough drinks that she couldn't take care of her nieces the next day. Nice. And then he inadvertently had a $14 beer when he was out with my brother on Saturday night. Very thrifty if I say so myself. Ahh...I really do love my reality.

Vino, Vino and More Vino Trip II (Day 3)

Sunday was our day to do what all sane people do who visit the area. We went wine tasting.

Thanks to some superb driving skills from Michelle (She must really be skilled as I've mentioned this twice.), we made it over the mountain from Napa to Sonoma. You would think there would be a wider-road, less-windy route to get over the mountain, but evidently there is not.

By the time we arrived, we were in prime wine tasting mode! We started at Imagery Winery. Rod, our handy dandy wine server, provided us 15 wine tastings for free. In fact, we never have paid for a wine tasting on either of our trips. Having a friend in the industry is the way to go.

After about seven servings, this wine bottle said it all: Wines Gone Wild.




We then headed over to Kunde Estate Winery for a picnic and more wine tasting.


A lot of tasty things happen behind these doors.


At Chateau St. Jean Winery we had our family-looking portrait.


This is a dangerous sign.


At Mayo Family Winery we experienced the coolest thing. We drank wines that were served with food to compare and contrast tastes. The executive chef, was at our table most of the time telling us things we didn't understand (except for Michelle, of course).


For our second dinner of the night we went to the restaurant at the Napa CIA (Culinary Institute of America). The building itself was stunning. It looked like an old castle. On those plates, were food some of us had never heard of, let alone eaten before. But our parents would be proud, because we all tried everything (even if we didn't like it).


The bar for Sundays have forever been raised.

Vino, Vino and More Vino Trip II (Day 2)

On Saturday we slept in, and then headed down the coast.


We spent much of the afternoon in Sausalito which is a picture-perfect town across from the Golden Gate Bridge. We had lunch at The Spinnaker which was a little "blue hair", but had the coolest view of San Francisco.


And then we headed across the Golden Gate Bridge where I took some artistic shots by sticking my camera through the sun roof. I'd like to think these photos were more skill than luck, but probably not.


As we headed down the coast, Michelle somehow managed to balance my camera on top of a wobbly square Kleenex box on the edge of the car window. Now that's more skill than luck.


And then we came upon Gray Whale Cove. Oh my. It was breathtaking.

And then there was the guy who took our picture...

He told us it was a nude beach. And here he is. Ewwwww!


For dinner we went to Walnut Creek where Joe Short used to live! We enjoyed the patio of The San Franciscan.

Afterwards we walked around the corner to Havana for mojitos. And they did not disappoint!

Vino, Vino and More Vino Trip II (Day 1)

While Steve worked, finished our taxes and did lots of laundry (that I "get" to fold), I was having a blast with my girlfriends.

For the second year, Allison, Jen and I flew out for 3-1/2 days of sun (drinking wine), fun (drinking wine) and good times (drinking wine) with our close friend Michelle who lives in Napa Valley.

It was truly an unbelievably wonderful trip.

After waking up in KC at 2:30a (PST), we arrived in San Francisco late Friday morning and went directly into the city. Our plan was to spend the day walking around San Francisco.


We walked around Fisherman's Wharf and went to lunch at Pier 23 so we could sit outside on the water and eat seafood. We didn't know it, but when the weather is super nice, Pier 23 is the place for the party people. And the weather was extremely nice.

And who are we to go against the grain?
So we ate, had drinks, found some straw hats, rolled up our sleeves, got sunburned and enjoyed a day on the water meeting all sorts of new friends (Steve will shake his head after he hears about all of these people we met; especially about the Vegas trip we're taking with a couple from Phoenix - yes, riiiight..., the Canadian "The Bachelor" - uh, huh and the body shot girl).





No, my chest is not red in the least.

After eight hours of "happy hour" we hit a tasty sushi restaurant called Tokyo Go Go that one of our new friends recommended. It was a cool place. Late Friday night headed up to Napa Valley to Michelle's house. After being up a short 23 hours, it goes without saying that bed was definitely our best friend!

Diva Drinks

Neither Steve or I have ever in our lifetime had HBO, so there are quite a few "it shows" that we're clueless about.

But, even without HBO, I made sure I saw all of the Sex And The City episodes. Had I known they would someday be shown in excess on TBS I might not have tried so hard. But anyway...

I've always wanted to go on a Sex And The City Tour, but since they never filmed an episode on the "East 73rd Street" in KC, and since we haven't been to NYC in four years, the SATC Diva Happy Hour I went to tonight that included martinis named after each of the characters (see image for the list; I had The Charlotte), and the free lip gloss charms on the martinis that I got to keep was good enough for me.

From a retail marketing perspective, I believe it will be necessary for me attend this every week until the movie premieres.

No Chatterbox Here

The last eight days have been a doozy of a week health wise for the two of us. These things are not life-altering or permanent; just annoying. We are both fortunate to be healthy and have families who are healthy.

We both got food poisoning or the flu last weekend. We're not sure which one is was, but it was terrible. Enough said.

And then mid-week when the first tree started to bloom, I immediately was overtaken with choking, drainage, very little sleep (therefore for both of us)and a raspy voice that today has gone to hardly any voice at all. It doesn't matter that I take three allergy medicines 365 days a year.

Voice rest is definitely in the top three of the hardest things for me. And ironically I think it's also an event my husband cherishes.

When I was in college I developed nodules on my vocal chords from drainage, talking (a lot) and little sleep (in cold-air dorms) thanks to that wild and crazy university called Iowa State. In college my voice was either:
1) Raspy
2) Non-existent

I had surgery to remove the nodules and to fix a deviated septum the summer after I turned 21. I remember coming back to Ames a couple weeks after my surgery. I still wasn't allowed to talk, but my friend Joyce became my voice, and we didn't miss a single night out at the bar.

So now I'm on voice rest trying to save my voice before a very important girls' trip to Napa Valley on Friday. I proved in college one can drink without talking quite easily. But it's sure not as fun.

Honeymoon Rewind

Exactly a year ago yesterday around this time, Steve and I were arriving to the stunning resort that was our honeymoon. I immediately had a huge smile on my face that really never left.

About this exact same time, as Steve immediately consumed our entire daily allowance of cervezas in our room while staring at the ocean, Steve had this wide-eyed glazed look that clearly said "You mean, I'm trapped in this place for an entire week?".

I know this will be no surprise to anyone, but Steve's not exactly the type to RELAX on the beach.

Minus the initial conversation that first night when Steve told me in his low, serious voice that he didn't think he could make it six more days in this resort, we had so much fun together.

We woke up the next morning and both proceeded to have such a fabulous time that included A LOT of off-site excursions. People we talked to were actually amazed there were so many other things to do besides lay on the beach (which I found time to do plenty of; while Steve became a friend of the resort's gym and trails).

For us the best decision we made was waiting four months to go on our honeymoon. But of course we wait to do everything!

Our Honeymoon
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7

I am a 34-year old married woman (sans kids) but still...

I have no right going out on a "school night" whether or not alcohol is involved (which it was, but I did not partake in since I had been under the weather, I was driving and it was a school night).

Anyway, last night I hung out with probably a thousand people; most 8-11 years younger than me.

And it was a lot of fun.

My close friend Jen and I met up with some of my work friends for the INK Launch Party at the P&L District to watch DJ AM spin. I'm not up on "spinning", but I was excited to see Nicole Richie's ex-fiance. And it turns out that in addition to formerly being with Nicole, he's quite the spinner. That guy can mix songs like no other.


In case you can't tell, I'm wearing a pink shirt under my sweater.


Keri, me, Jen, Helena (she's a scholar visiting my company from the UK) and Ashley.


Ashley's husband, Justin, (on the right) helped launch the publication and this event. Last week he was telling us about these custom designed "DJ AM" Nike shoes. Well here they are. He also had some on his feet. Apparently DJ AM likes his sneakers.

When I got home apparently I kind of elbowed Steve while I was trying to charge my phone. And then I woke him up choking in the middle of the night which is sadly quasi-normal. On the phone this morning, Steve said, You can never go to bed later than me again." I completely agree.