Hubby's New Toy

For those of you who know my husband...he NEVER likes to spend money on himself. No matter how hard he works, how much he does for me, and how much he does for everyone else...he NEVER rewards himself.

Until now....


Yes, that is our new TV. For those of you who would like to know all the specific specs...you're gonna have to talk to Jason. All I know is that it is:

37 inches
HD
clearer picture

Beyond that, I won't be of any help to you at all. Details on electronics are like baseball stats: guys have an ability to know and remember them, but I am just lost.

Jason...you deserve this TV! I'm glad you finally got it!!! I bet the next golf match will look amazing on it.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

I have always been a fan of baseball games. Maybe not the game as much as the whole experience of going to a game. The fans cheering...hotdogs...peanuts...and enjoying an afternoon or evening outside.

Growing up outside of Cincinnati, we went to several Reds games at Riverfront Stadium (I don't care who you are...it will ALWAYS be called Riverfront Stadium!) They had this wonderful program where if you got straight A's in school, you'd get a a set of 4 free tickets. My sisters and I were always good students, so we'd each have our own set of tickets. Dad would cash them in for us and we'd go to 3 separate games during the summer. I have such great memories of those games!!

Now that I'm living close to B'more, we've gone to our fair share of games at Camden Yards. That is just an amazing stadium!!! It is aesthetically pleasing...and where else can you get crab cakes and BBQ ribs at a baseball game? They have $8 nights on Tuesday, so we can pile all the friends in a car and head up for a pretty cheap evening at the ballpark.

This year was my FIRST OPENING DAY ever. It was a cold, dreary, and rainy day, but we didn't care...it was Opening Day...the O's were tied for 1st!!!! We followed the Orioles tradition and started out at Pickles before the game....


and then headed inside to our seats which were located...well you can tell!!!!

The O's ended up losing, but we didn't care. It was Opening Day!!! And I knew that my adventures at Camden Yards wouldn't end way up at the top of the stadium...

A week later, I participated in the Orioles Advocates 5K run. This run started outside of Camden Yards, ran down through the Inner Harbor, Federal Hill, and ended up on the OUTFIELD!!! It was so invigorating at the end of a race to come through the player's entrance and right into the outfield. I had never actually been on a real baseball field before...and it's a memory I won't forget! Not to mention I did get yelled at for stepping on the field by accident..oops!

















Little did I know that my adventures at Camden Yards were not over....


A little over a week later, Jason got some tickets from a contact through work that put us in the FRONT ROW beside the visitor's dugout!!


















Yes - we were that close! I just had to lean forward a bit to snap this picture!! It was an amazing evening. Not only were the seats incredible, but the O's played an amazing game. They went into an extra inning with the White Sox, and I was horse from yelling and screaming for so long. What an experience!!!




















I can now say that I have been up at the top of Camden Yards...I have been on Camden's Yard in the outfield (sorry security guard!)...and I have sat in some of the best seats in Camden Yards. I love this baseball park! I love this team!!! We'll be going back to the Yard for several more games this season (in fact, Jason just called and said he's heading back to the front row this month for the Yankee game with some people from work!). Whether we're in the front row or not...as long as the hotdogs, peanuts, and now pistachios (thanks Sean!) are there, I'll be there!!

And it's an added bonus to see this guy play...

Markakis!!!!

Whirlwind Week in Indy

As promised, I have pictures to share from my wonderful week in Indianapolis! My main purpose for going out there was for this:

Benjamin Andrew Hannan - Nephew #5

Benjamin was born right before Thanksgiving and this was my first opportunity to meet him. He's gone through a lot during his first two months, and it was so hard for me to not just hop on a flight right away to be with him and my sister!! Now that he's home, he is making such progress and I wanted to smoosh him all week long. How can you resist a baby who meets you at the airport sporting his Terrapin pride? I won't bore you with all the details of the week, but it chockabock full of smiles, giggles, snuggles, and naps with this one.

"What is this crazy lady doing to my foot?"

Sound asleep....

I love the expression on his face...and the outfit is just too cute!

"Okay lady, you look a lot like my mom, but you're not, and I'm HUNGRY! I'll just suck on my hand for now, but I want my Mom!!!"

He gave BIG smiles the whole time I was there. However, he reserves
the biggest ones for his big brother.

Speaking of his brother, my 4-year old nephew, Noah, is just wonderful with his baby brother. He's always ready to come running with a burp cloth and to find the pacifier that's been missing for 2 days. He dotes on his brother with lots of hugs and kisses all the time. He also likes to...

give piggy-back rides!!!

On one of the days, I was giving Noah a bath while my sister was finishing feeding Benjamin. During that time, Benjamin proceeded to "erp" up a lot of what he had eaten all over himself. So, my sister being the quick thinking mom stripped him down to his diaper and gave him an impromptu bath with his brother. Noah loved it!

I did manage to get a little knitting time in while I was there. I've been working on Benjamin's blanket for about a month now, but it's no where near finished. Some might say it takes away the surprise of the gift to show it to the recipient before it's done, but I couldn't resist. I'm having so much fun with the Renee Baby Blanket that VeryPink designed that I had to bring it with me to show my sister. If you haven't seen this pattern, check it out. There is a great story behind it which makes it even more special!! I'm using Tess' Super Socks and Baby hand-dyed yarn. This is my first experience with hand-dyed yarn, so I was a bit surprised and concerned when the dye starting to come off on my fingers, but after some quick emails to Tess and my fellow knitters, I relaxed. I'm going to have to do some washing to set the color before I block the whole thing. But I think he'll like it...what do you think?

"Aunt Bri - it may only be 1/3 done, but I love it!"

The other highlights of the week included eating lots of yummy food while watching the Giants roll over the Packers. Here you can see Noah all set for the game...

I have always been amazed by my older sister, but this week in Indy just made me admire her even more. She has 2 children that she gives all of her time to, and what little is left over she gives to her husband, and she still manages to maintain her sanity. I was so exhausted at the end of each day and I would just look over at Ann and she looked like she could continue to go for hours more! She is an amazing mom!!! Not to mention, one hell of a sister! How many moms do you know that can do this:

Playing Guitar Hero while feeding your child

That week just makes me want to work that much harder to get done with school and move closer. I miss playing CandyLand and Tractor Tipping (see the Cars movie) with Noah. I miss waking up and having a nice breakfast of Cheerios and milk, just me and Noah. I really miss the snuggles, giggles, and smiles from Benjamin. But most of all...I miss my sister!

It's Here!

After a wonderful week with my sister in Indy, I came home to THIS:

Hello...welcome home from your trip!

I will make all of your stress melt away...jump on!

This is what my husband and I gave to each other for Christmas 2007, Anniversary 2008, and Birthdays 2008. I am going to finish unpacking and hop on!

I promise that I will have pictures of my fun in Indy very soon...two cute nephews that I gushed on for 6 days!

Mildred's Cousins

For my cold feet...and the soft spot in my heart!

Edit: Thanks to my mom for coming up with the perfect names...Louise & Roberta

From Our Family to Yours...

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and are looking forward to a Happy 2008!

Our annual "self" portrait courtesy of Jason's photography skills

We lost our space in the living room for a tree, so we put up these Charlie Brown Christmas trees to highlight our favorite ornaments.

Lucy really wants to help get the wood for the fire...

but in the meantime she'll settle for a leaf that she brought in from the deck. Further proof she is a dog at heart

Don't mess with my presents!

Don't mess with my wrapping paper either!

We had a lovely holiday that started on Christmas Eve with the 2nd annual Charlie Brown Dinner. We invited several of Jason's co-workers and our neighbors who didn't have other plans on the evening. We enjoyed an amazing plethora of food and goodies and wine. It's so nice to have friends to share the holidays with when we can't be near our friends...we're so lucky! On Christmas Day, Jason and I just took it easy with a long walk in the sunny afternoon and watched the newest Santa Clause movie and our annual viewing of "Love Actually".

Contrary to what this blog may show, I have been knitting. The problem is that I can't show pictures of it because they're all gifts to give to family and friends who view this blog. The second problem is that since the sun has been so rare in its appearance around here that I haven't gotten any good pictures lately either. For the meantime, I"ll appease you with this...

a lovely cake of delicious yarn that I'm using for something extra special!

Let the Holidays Begin

Yesterday was just another day....

in New York City!!

I have the most wonderful friends in the world! Cassie asked me if I wanted to take a day trip up to NYC to see the Christmas sites of the city and enjoy a show by the Rockettes! Having never been to NYC before, how could I refuse. So, on Saturday morning we woke up bright and early...well it wasn't quite bright yet, but it was early...and headed up to the city. We took a short drive up to Trenton and then hopped on a NJ train into the city.

Our first stop was...

Radio City Music Hall to see the Rockettes! I wish I could have taken pictures of the show because words just cannot describe it. The Rockettes were quite possibly the most talented performers I have ever seen. Such precision, grace, and beauty all wrapped up into an incredible performance! If you EVER have the chance to see them, pay the money. It would be worth every dime to enjoy the most famous Christmas show ever! For now, though, you can check out their site and see some clips! A BIG thanks goes out to Cassie's parents for the tickets!

Cassie's face after the show says it all!

Myself flanked by the Shular Sisters! You may not be able to tell, but we were very cold.

What is a trip to NYC without a stop at...


Rockefeller Plaza! The pictures don't show how beautiful the tree really is. I believe that this was the first year that they added blue lights to the tree. Now, I am very opposed to the majority of displays that I have seen with blue lights. But they really added an amazing dimension to the tree. I will say that I was surprised at how small the skating rink is. I believe that my parent's house would fit inside of it with just a little room to spare. We had no desire to spend the time waiting in line to skate, so off we were to hit several more brief stops. I didn't take many other pictures, but we did hit Saks and Grand Central Station on our way to lunch. I did capture a great picture of...


the Chrysler Building! I was amazed at how much it really does shine amongst all the buildings in the city. After a wonderful lunch at El Rio Grande off Park Avenue (Another BIG thanks to the Holzberg's for lunch) , Cassie and I made a quick stop to...


Time Square. We walked around the block, checked out a few Starbucks where the lines were WAY too long, and then headed back to Penn Station to catch a train home. It was an amazing first trip to NYC and I left with a few impressions:

1) The air in the city REALLY smells like roasted chestnuts

2) You have to be willing to push your way through a bunch of people when no one is moving

3) I can walk dozens of blocks in heeled boots and live to talk about it

4) Incoming trains are posted at the LAST minute meaning that everyone bolts for the same skinny escalator down to the tracks at the same time. You better book it!

5) I can run through a train station in heeled boots and live to talk about it

6) New Jersey is an ugly state

7) I need another trip to NYC to capture the rest of the Christmas spirit that it has to offer! Check back after the 14th as Jason and I head up with some friends to do just that.

In the meantime...enjoy the holiday spirit that is all around!