Fall Festival @ Annunciation

So right down the street from us is a huge Catholic Church and over the weekend, they had their Annual Fall Festival. Mr. Wonderful and I decided to check it out so next year when the baby girl is running around, we know where to take her to have some fun. It was quite the operation. They had tons of food. I tried a Goop Dog for the first time. They raffled off a Hybrid car. There were funnel cakes which we avoided somehow. Phew! We watched a little football in their sports bar tent...What a great idea! Their craft area was ok. The main action was the kids area and the food.

Baby girl loved just people watching and being outside. It was a beautiful day so I'm glad Mr. Wonderful went even though he was recovering from his trip to Gainesville where the Gators beat LS WHO? Hahaha...

I love, love, love the fall even in Florida!

Worst thing that happened over the weekend...The Dolphins lost by one point. My brother forgot to tell Mr. Wonderful that they were going to lose AND baby girl didn't wear her cheerleading outfit. I think it would've helped 'em. Next week!

GO GATORS! (for Mr. Wonderful and Chaz)

Mr. Wonderful visited old stomping grounds with his friend Chaz.

Thankfully the Gators won! GooooOOoOOoOooooo Gators!!

Smid's Visit!

NEW BABY ALERT! Welcome little Liam!!!

So adorable and he had some pretty hair too.

B O W L I N G ! ! !

the scene of the crime

my official team cup that i made for myself. i know...i got skills!

my shoes...trying not to think about how

many feet have been in these before mine...FOCUS!

the birthday cake for our co-workers. one actually showed up but i'm always glad to celebrate a birthday and love when the cake is all themed up like the one above. :-) total cheese, i am.

action-packed fun going on!

Bowling with the Boys -- Ok. So above are some pics from Friday's Bowling Outing at work. The immediate above is my bowling team -- JA & RC are great guys but stinky bowlers or maybe it was just me and my lack of skills. There were four teams total and we came in 4th place so needless to say, we didn't win gas cards or anything. Maybe next time. I did, however, gain a knee injury which is absolutely ridiculous since it's freakin' BOWLING!

Happy Anniversary Mr. Wonderful!

2004 - walking into our wedding reception as mr. and mrs.

2008 - an anniversary cake we received in the mail from the lay's

Thank you to my Auntie Mila & Uncle Bob for sending us a very yummy cake...It was almost too pretty to eat. To my mommy glow who wrote us a beautiful card. AND to my Mr. Wonderful, who surprised me this morning with a card right when I woke up and then in the car...I love you and all that we have become together. I am so thankful to have you by my side every day. Here's to us!!

Yiasson y'all!

Greek Fest Orlando with the kids!

GO DOLPHINS GO!

Baby girl and I surprised Mr. Wonderful today with her new Dolphins Cheerleader outfit.

I think it was what pushed them to another win yesterday. Go Dolphins Go!

HHN 2008 - scared of that...

So we checked out Halloween Horror Nights this year. Heather, Best Brother, Mr. Wonderful, Gordon and Chris had a good time. The scare houses weren't too bad...The chainsaw guy on the street and the Maplecroft section was the scariest in my opinion. Glad I was there so they could enjoy the evening making fun of how scared I am of strange characters jumping out at me.

Somebody's not happy!

Cool People I met at BlogOrlando3!! Thank you JOSH!!!

Met Erik before but hadn't gotten the latest on what he's been up to in the world.

If you have a chance, check out www.whiteafrican.com and be sure to click on the tab USHAHIDI.

Really good stuff that will challenge you to think big today!

Been wanting to meet and finally did today, a part of the Southwest Airlines Blog team.
Enjoyed her presentation and have really enjoyed visiting the Nuts About Southwest Blog that just underwent a redesign. Check out where all the cool kids in the airline industry blog!

Visiting my dear friend...

Always good to see my friend Mickey Mouse.

He's just so awesome!

Rolling With the Sushi (oh yes I did)

Have I mentioned lately how much I love sushi? It's true. Now, I'm not going to marry it or anything but I miss it when it's gone and I look forward to when we can meet again. Was trying to remember the first time I discovered that I had a special place in my heart for the rice wrapped fish...Probably the summer of 1998 in St. Augustine. I had like-liked sushi before this time but it was then that I fell in love. From there, I've taken the sushi love to the next level by recruiting non-sushi people who usually say they don't like it because they know absolutely nothing about it. Oh and without my love for sushi, I may not of ever invited Mr. Wonderful to lunch that first time. Guess what we had? SUSHI! See...It was meant to be.

Hue with B.

Had a nice lunch today with B. at Hue downtown. She had never been to Lake Eola before which is always strange to me since I have pictures of me in a Members Only jacket in front of this fountain back when the jackets were just starting to fade as a fashion trend.

All is good in the life of B. She stays busy and is still traveling back and forth to Minnesota to check in with her current employer. Not sure how she does it but she does...

Oh yea, her boyfriend's picture is currently framed and on the wall at ID which makes me laugh now every time I walk in the door of my favorite Chinese restaurant.

C-SPAN BUS going the distance! Love it!!

Hanging out with my cousin!

Hanging out with my cousin on Sunday morning.

Good times, good times.

Plus one...

Our nephew visited us this weekend and it was quite an adventure with Baby Girl and TJ. We took a walk together on Saturday night around the neighborhood. TJ picked up sticks along the way and really loves dirt. He's such a boy! And no matter how many times you tell little boys to stay on the sidewalk, they still want to venture onto the grass and especially onto hills that have big holes in them. Fun!

Baby Girl enjoyed the jaunt in the Baby Bjorn. She absolutely loves being outside so she had a good time.

It was nice to see how independent toddlers are since right now, in the current baby phase, we are doing so much for her. It's easy to forget that they'll be getting older and doing more for themselves...Even at two, like my nephew, they just have their own way of going about things.

Go Gators!

GATOR Girl comes over with her little man to say hello to my little baby girl. GG and I have known each other for almost 30 years. We were childhood bestfriends. Seems so long ago now and today, we've got our own little ones running around. Gator's girls' mom came over too. So good to see them both.

Mmmm...Lunch.

:-)

That's funny and there are more funny pics like this at Laugh It Out.

Welcome to Crazy-ville!

really? i mean, seriously? what is going on here?

okay, so this morning on the radio there was someone sharing the latest on the casey anthony case. she's out of jail again. fbi is now in california interviewing the padilla guy. and, there are still the crazy protesters but to add to it all, now there are protesters protesting the protesters. wow.

i've not been paying attention to this case too closely but every once in awhile a piece of information will jump out at me like "protesters protesting the protesters."

just out of curiousity, i googled "casey anthony case" and over 6.5 million results showed up, that's double the resultsof googling Mother Teresa (3.25 million).

4 mos. baby!

Here she is...4 months later. :-)

Rock Star Mom's Baby Girl loses her first tooth

We were there at Rock Star Mom & Dad's House when little S.

lost her first baby tooth. It was quite the event!

Baby Girl was a bit traumatized since she doesn't even have teeth yet.

I so understand this...Anyone else?

ATL suggestions

Thanks to BeFrie, we compiled the following list for a friend of mine that may be helpful to you as well if you're traveling to ATL:

1. ENJOY THE TRAFFIC! There's been some construction but my friend said they'll probably break for the weekend which will help.

2. STONE MOUNTAIN (especially the SKY HIKE - My Best friend
recommended it.)
http://stonemountainpark.com/
What is Stone Mountain Park?
Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Stone Mountain Park is a green oasis where families and friends can enjoy the outdoors together. Listed in Frommer's 500 Places to Visit with Your Kids Before They Grow Up and cited by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as one of "35 Natural Wonders in Georgia You Must See Before You Die," Stone Mountain Park is located just 16 miles east of downtown Atlanta. The five square mile park is Georgia's most visited attraction. Home to the world's largest piece of exposed granite, Stone Mountain Park offers a variety of attractions, entertainment and recreation.

3. AQUARIUM - Will be super busy but you'll love it.

4. COKE MUSEUM - You're already doing this and you'll enjoy it.

5. RU SANS (SUSHI) - Good stuff and fun (very loud) atmosphere. Lots of different kinds of sushi. Pretend it's your mother-in-law's birthday. They do a big deal over the microphone. So fun! 1529 Piedmont Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30324-5000, Phone: (404) 875-7042

6. SURIN'S THAI BOWL - Love the Coconut Soup here. Be
sure to get it. The panang sauce is like a dessert.
(404) 892-7789 - Virginia-Highland, 1044 Greenwood Ave NE, Atlanta, GA
30306 (this is one of my favorite areas in ATL. There's shopping and an Irish pub called Murphy's. Also, you can paint pottery too in a cool pottery shop. The pottery place allows food, wine, whatever while you paint.

7. The Flying Biscuit - several locations. Southern cuisine meets vegetables. Sounds strange but highly recommended.

8. The Chocolate Bar - My friend has not been to this yet but she's heard good things about it and it looks like you would too.

9. Atlantic Station - for Shopping. There's also the FORUM -- http://www.forumdevgroup.com/peachtenant.html. Nice malls are Lenox (http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=207) and Phipps
(http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=210) and some awesome outlets at Discovery Mills -- http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=1241.

10. Atlanta Braves game...Not sure if they're playing but there's nothing more ATL than when the Braves play.

A good web site to check out prior to your trip --http://www.mapatlanta.com/atlanta_eat.html.

She swims!

Mr. Wonderful took the baby girl in the pool this weekend and she loved it.
Love the little swim diapers and her teeny-tiny bathing suit. I am so excited about watching her play in the pool. She really seems to enjoy the water.

Keep doing this...

So, I keep putting together these little emails for people who are going to places that I love so I thought for fun I should keep them somewhere sturdy (like this blog) for future purposes and anyone who may be interested:


St. Augustine Restaurants For Jeff:

1 – The Columbia right on St. George Street is a favorite place for a group of people. It’s loud too so kids, even toddlers, can hang and not be a bother to fellow diners. Most upscale out of the bunch but feel free to show up here in shorts since this place is very “touristy”.
2 – The Bunnery – good place to take families and right on St. George Street downtown. If you’re looking for a quick bite…Very casual.
3 – Conch House – Check out the web site and make sure you try and get a hut if you do end up going. The atmosphere is fun and “beachy”. They have a little alligator exhibit too. Outdoor seating is a must here! Right on the intercoastal.
4 – Oasis – this is the burger place you may be looking for and “dive” kind of hang out. It is “world famous” and on A1A if you’re planning to do the beach thing at all.

New PUBLIX Alert!

Am totally loving the new Publix conveniently located in Downtown Orlando, two buildings down from my office. The other day Andres, Super Mom Shah and I all went to check it out. Ran into Fio there too who claimed not to know me since I was taking pictures with the friendly employees. (C'mon Fio! They're wearing green for goodness sakes and you know me and green clothes.) Super Mom Shah did her grocery shopping while Andres and I just looked around in awe of all that's available to us and only a short walk away. So glad you're here PUBLIX!! I'll be seeing you lots. :-)

The Baby Girl Goes to a Birthday Party, #2

sitting with daddy wonderful at the bday party

sitting with diva's daddy and diva at the birthday party

me and the baby girl...she's still not sure about the camera or maybe it was the heat.

diva's little pooh cake. so cute!

Jami and little baby girl.

Above are pics of baby girl attending her second birthday party ever in the history of baby girl...She enjoyed the activity and checking things out. Can't say that she was big enough to splish and splash with all the other girls and boys but soon enough...soon enough. Mr. Wonderful held her most of the party (no surprise at all) and then there were a few of her friends who said hi and walked around with her for a little bit. It was a lot of fun and very kid/baby friendly. The cake was really "pooh-tastic" too!! Overall, she had a good time and enjoyed the fresh air, sunshine and celebrating little miss diva.

Happy Birthday to Diva and Fio!

Fun in the park with Birthday Diva!

Lunch at FUJI with Fio. Good food, good people.

Decorating it up!

Oh how I love to decorate Fio's office for her birthday! Thanks Jami for helping with the banner and balloon placement. We enjoyed sprucing up the space with all kinds of girly stuff and birthday goods to welcome Fio into work for the big day. And now on to planning for next year...Hmmmm...

the Victorious VooDoo!

no, i didn't play. start back next week. the VP were gracious enough to include me in the photo. they played a great game. really super proud of my girlie ginger for being named game MVP! way to go!!

cry baby baby

every so often, when things get calm and all the toys have been played with and about an hour or so since the last ounce or two of milk was served, we'll hear a little sound out of our baby girl. it's her way of letting the world know, enough is enough. on our big day off, we found the baby girl at this point and at the moment you think, OH NO! but then you get past it when her sweet little head hits the crib and then something really, really special happens...SILENCE. love this little one and i love that she loves her sleep.