Year In Pictures:Week 4

21:365 Chicago

On Friday John and I walked downtown from Mary-Claire's apartment. The coolest part was seeing the bean. John tried to eat it.

22:365 Wine and Couches

On Saturday night Mary-Claire and I left John at the apartment and got some wine at the wine store by her house. We were able to enjoy some wine in the fancy wine room with couches. It was a wonderful time.

23:365 Goose Island

We went on a brewery tour at Goose Island. The brewer was drunk. Mary-Claire and I entertained ourselves.

24:365 Coffee

Every night before I go to bed I get my coffee ready for the morning. At the moment coffee is a real treat - I have Fair Trade Organic Chocolate Almond Toffee coffee from Cup of Joe in Cedar Falls.

25:365 Blurry Delicious

This picture does not do my dinner justice. Sauteed vegetables in a spicy peanut sauce over brown rice. Hearty and warm.

26:365 Time Suck

Yesterday I got sucked into watching Andy Rooney on YouTube for longer than I care to admit.

27:365 Last Run

Tonight I ran in my summer running visor for what is probably the last time for several months. It's getting colder and darker after work, I don't need the wicking and sun shielding properties as much. I have my winter hat ready to wear, but I hope I get to use the visor a few more times.

Year In Pictures:Week 2

7:365 Tacos

Friday night was a bonus taco night at the Cumming Tap. John and I biked out for dinner. It was a great way to start the weekend.

8:365 Burning Bush

The burning bush in my front yard is just starting to turn. It is so beautiful in the fall.

9:365 Fall

On Sunday John, Emily, Jeff and I went to the Farm Crawl south of Knoxville. It was a beautiful day and I took a lot of pictures.

10:365 Guilty Pleasure

On Monday I finally made it to the grocery store. I was in a rush and hungry when I got there. I could not pass up one of my favorite cereals.

11:365 Late Night

On Tuesday I didn't get home until 8:30. I'm glad my Tuesday night class is now over so I can have a little bit more time at home.

12:365 Friends

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Once a month I get together for dinner with friends from my old gym. We met through a running group. When I signed up to train for my first 5k I had no idea I was going to make three of the best friends I've ever had.

13:365 No Touchy

I was able to meet my Mom and Aunt Kathy for lunch on Thursday. After lunch we headed to Java Joe's for coffee. They humored me and posed for a photo. Kathy and Mom are always good sports about posing for photos.

Lawnmower Party

Last weekend we headed home to Cedar Falls to celebrate Crusher's 8th birthday. My parent's have been having a birthday party for the lawnmower for over 30 years. This year over 100 people came to the party. That means that the lawnmower is technically more popular than me, and I'm OK with that.

John prepared for the party by reading a little of The Girl Who Played with Fire. Both he and my mom really liked The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I haven't read it yet, as I am waiting for Kathleen's verdict first.

Justin and Amy were at the party this year. It's always fun to see them. Justin does the best impersonation of his Dad.

At the end of the party everyone moves to the screened in porch. It was a little chilly this year, so we actually needed blankets after the sun went down.

Neither Kathleen nor I took many pictures. If John hadn't picked up my camera I would only have two shots from the entire weekend. Hopefully Mary-Claire remembered to take photos.

Hand and Foot

Last night John, Deirdre, Kathy and I played Hand and Foot. I kicked butt. Kathy wasn't happy and tore up the score sheet. Deirdre acted fast and saved it from being torn into more pieces.

Happy Birthday Kathleen

Today was a busy day. I picked up Conor and Ellie at 9 and we headed to Baby Boomers for pancakes. There was a half hour wait for food, so we placed our order and went for a walk. Luckily there is a lot to check out in the East Village.

We had perfect timing. We got back to the counter as our pancakes arrived. We each ordered one. They are pretty big pancakes. We couldn't finish them.

After breakfast we got to work on baking a birthday cake for Kathleen. While it baked Ellie created some art and Conor played video games with Stimmel.

Ellie helped me frost and decorate the cake. She's a natural. She's better at piping words than I am.

I think it turned out great. I'm sure she will love it.

I had a great time with Conor and Ellie today. I'm looking forward to cooking with them again soon.

And now I will take a nap.

Claire and Gjergji

I missed the McCarty family reunion this year because I was in Cedar Falls for Sturgis Falls. Luckily Claire and Gjergji were in town before the reunion so I was able to catch up with them.

Gjergji is a beer fan, so we took him to El Bait Shop which has 105 beers on tap. The beers were good, but the company was even better.

John and I are going to head to Williamsburg later this year to visit C & Gj. Gjergji has promised lots of wineries and breweries. Claire has promised a yarn store. I'm excited for both.