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September 17, 2006
Roland Visits Atlanta
After almost fifteen years, my friend from Austria, Roland, was flying through Atlanta, and we met up for dinner with JB and Shawn at Chops / Lobster Bar. It was so great to see him and to compare ourselves to a few old pictures from a trip to Disney years ago. I hope that he calls next time he passes through.
September 17, 2006
Shawn Is the Champion!
Our week of vacation was otherwise uneventful. I spent five days of it in bed with a cold, which I had brought back from Germany, and Shawn prepared for and worried about the two-day club championship at Bradshaw Farm. And guess what? He won in the Men's B-flight! I am so proud of him!
August 6, 2006
Mom Visits Atlanta
Fueled by Kit Kats and bananas, Mom drove the entire way from South Florida to Atlanta and arrived on Thursday as expected. She promptly entered the gym and gave the Ab Lounge a try. GRRR!
On Friday, Shawn, Mom and I drove out to Pike's to look at all of the Georgia flora and consider what we liked for the backyard. We all agreed on the tiny green Georgia figs, but I have pics of lots of other plants to consider. Here are Shawn and Mom in the sweltering heat.
For dinner on Friday, we went to Pano and Paul's. This restaurant is an Atlanta landmark located unassumingly in a strip mall, but once inside, you will be dazzled by the plush interior. Mom and I both ordered the fixed menu with delicious pork. It is hard to explain how very tender this pork was in a thick, rich dark sauce. Yummy! Shawn had a veal chop, which he described as "excellent". We finished with a round of delicious desserts. I had the cheese plate, and as you can see from the pic, Mom had a giant peach melba and Shawn had a molten lava cake. We all agreed that Pano and Paul's was a great restaurant and are looking forward to going there again.
On Saturday, Mom and I checked out the Morningside farmers market. Of course, we could not leave without some goodies - chocolate-covered hazelnuts, a small watermelon, lots of heirloom tomatoes, and some strange peppers. After the farmer's market, Mom and I continued touring the local nurseries. In fact, we went to Hastings and saw a lot of interesting plants including herbs. I cut my hand on the lemongrass; I did not realize how razor sharp the blades were. Hastings had some nice exhibits that were planted, so we could see what some of the plants look like in a landscape. We both liked the phlox and the rosemary.
When we got home, Mom climbed straight to the top of the Great Wall of DRE* (a.k.a. my new Mercedes). I was really disappointed that the patio was not finished before she came to visit, but Mom was a champ and seemed to almost enjoy the obvious excitement of the project - even the giant pile of dirt blocking my driveway!
Another great thing about Mom's visit is that she finally got to meet Tokaji as his mischievous self (in other words, without the cone). When we went to the nursery, Mom came back and opened the door to her room, and poor Tokaji was sitting there looking sorry. He must have run into her room when we all were not looking, and since he is not allowed in there, Mom closed the door and we left. Somehow I doubt that Tokaji learned his lesson, but it was still pretty funny!
The weather did not hold out for the remainder of the day. Mom, Shawn, and I went to the hibachi at Nakato for dinner. It was fun! Or maybe that was the sake! ;)
Mom left in the late morning on Sunday after having the traditional Georgia crepes and Dutch babies at the Original Pancake House. We stopped at a new health food store afterwards and looked at all the crazy things for sale. However, Mom decided to leave for North Carolina. We wanted her to stay longer. Her visits are never long enough!
On Friday, Shawn, Mom and I drove out to Pike's to look at all of the Georgia flora and consider what we liked for the backyard. We all agreed on the tiny green Georgia figs, but I have pics of lots of other plants to consider. Here are Shawn and Mom in the sweltering heat.
For dinner on Friday, we went to Pano and Paul's. This restaurant is an Atlanta landmark located unassumingly in a strip mall, but once inside, you will be dazzled by the plush interior. Mom and I both ordered the fixed menu with delicious pork. It is hard to explain how very tender this pork was in a thick, rich dark sauce. Yummy! Shawn had a veal chop, which he described as "excellent". We finished with a round of delicious desserts. I had the cheese plate, and as you can see from the pic, Mom had a giant peach melba and Shawn had a molten lava cake. We all agreed that Pano and Paul's was a great restaurant and are looking forward to going there again.
On Saturday, Mom and I checked out the Morningside farmers market. Of course, we could not leave without some goodies - chocolate-covered hazelnuts, a small watermelon, lots of heirloom tomatoes, and some strange peppers. After the farmer's market, Mom and I continued touring the local nurseries. In fact, we went to Hastings and saw a lot of interesting plants including herbs. I cut my hand on the lemongrass; I did not realize how razor sharp the blades were. Hastings had some nice exhibits that were planted, so we could see what some of the plants look like in a landscape. We both liked the phlox and the rosemary.
When we got home, Mom climbed straight to the top of the Great Wall of DRE* (a.k.a. my new Mercedes). I was really disappointed that the patio was not finished before she came to visit, but Mom was a champ and seemed to almost enjoy the obvious excitement of the project - even the giant pile of dirt blocking my driveway!
Another great thing about Mom's visit is that she finally got to meet Tokaji as his mischievous self (in other words, without the cone). When we went to the nursery, Mom came back and opened the door to her room, and poor Tokaji was sitting there looking sorry. He must have run into her room when we all were not looking, and since he is not allowed in there, Mom closed the door and we left. Somehow I doubt that Tokaji learned his lesson, but it was still pretty funny!
The weather did not hold out for the remainder of the day. Mom, Shawn, and I went to the hibachi at Nakato for dinner. It was fun! Or maybe that was the sake! ;)
Mom left in the late morning on Sunday after having the traditional Georgia crepes and Dutch babies at the Original Pancake House. We stopped at a new health food store afterwards and looked at all the crazy things for sale. However, Mom decided to leave for North Carolina. We wanted her to stay longer. Her visits are never long enough!
July 29, 2006
France
Insert...
April 9, 2006
Happy Birthday JB!
On Saturday, April 1, Mona organized a wonderful party at Taurus Restaurant to celebrate JB's birthday! (April Fool's Day...hmmm?) The food was really good, but the company was GREAT!
January 1, 2006
Happy New Year 2006!
Mona, Tara, JB, and Alan joined Shawn and I at the house to eat, drink, exchange Christmas presents, and ring in the new year 2006. We started with the delicious 1996 Dom Perignon that my parents gave me for Christmas. Alongside the bubbly, we enjoyed three rich cheeses, macrona almonds, fig jam, truffle fois gras, and French bread. Then, we made a decadent dinner of salad, lobster tails and claws, filet mignon, broiled grapefruit, yellow rice, and black beans. I made an exquisite chocolate hazelnut torte for dessert, and then we exchanged our Christmas presents. Mona quizzed us for a while from her game "Would You Rather?" as we waited for the ball to drop in New York City. As soon as it did, we were all anxious to return to our beds. I guess we are getting old, and it was a wonderful evening!
December 24, 2005
Happy Holidays!
December 13, 2005
Kristy Turns 30!
Literally just after touching down in Atlanta from our wonderful trip to Napa, I headed to Avra Greek Tavern to celebrate Kristy's 30th birthday with the girls! It was a lot of fun and a lot of wine considering that I was already pickled from Napa and that it was a Tuesday night. I really enjoyed the variety of tapas that we shared. My favorite was the cheese flaming with ouzo!
November 27, 2005
Thanksgiving in Des Moines
This year, Shawn and I celebrated Thanksgiving in Des Moines with Shawn's family. Admittedly, I missed being with my family a lot (although Mom was in Austria with Oma), but Shawn's family really treated me like one of them. We were spoiled with lots of turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, and all of the other necessary Thanksgiving trimmings. However, there is an amazing difference between my family's and Shawn's family's Thanksgiving celebrations: seven desserts to choose from! Yummy!
While we were in Des Moines, we also visited Shawn's grandfather in the nursing home. He admired our rental car and really enjoyed having all of us there to visit him. Afterwards, we went to the Festival of Trees.
Finally, we learned something fascinatingly strange right before we were leaving. Did you know there are bonobos in captivity in Des Moines? Next time...
While we were in Des Moines, we also visited Shawn's grandfather in the nursing home. He admired our rental car and really enjoyed having all of us there to visit him. Afterwards, we went to the Festival of Trees.
Finally, we learned something fascinatingly strange right before we were leaving. Did you know there are bonobos in captivity in Des Moines? Next time...
September 12, 2005
Diet Soda Showdown and Vodka Showdown
Mona, JB, Tara, and Allan joined Shawn and I for dinner and two showdowns on September 3rd. Mona accepted the first challenge and tried to identify her favorite from Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, Coke Zero, Pepsi One, Diet Coke with Splenda, Caffeine Free Diet Coke, and Caffeine Free Pepsi. I was really amazed at how good she was at identifying the caffeine free ones and the "normal" Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi. Then, we sat down and had a simple beef bourguignonne with parsley potatoes. Thank goodness we saved room for dessert! Mona made a delicious carrot cake with cream cheese icing, Shawn's favorite! (The entire thing was gone by the end of the next day! It was so good!) After we were stuffed, it was time for the vodka showdown. JB accepted and tried to identify his favorite from Ketel One, Vox, Grey Goose, Absolut, Smirnoff, Mr. Boston, and water. Unfortunately, the pencil, which I used to mark the cups, bled and the numbers were no longer legible by the second tasting. Oh well! It was fun anyway! :)
August 11, 2005
JB Loves Publix Again
In his own words, JB shared the good news with the rest of us: "At last they are selling the mini-keg, slightly less mini than the regular ones ..." As you can see from the pic, Publix is back in our good graces! ;P
June 5, 2005
Mona and JB's Seaside Wedding
May 28, 2005
Leann and Kent's All-American Wedding
May 8, 2005
Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy!
Andrew's weekly fishing report... "Here are a couple pictures from fishing yesterday. I think the bass might be from the day before. Found a new spot on the Turnpike - no fishing allowed - been there four times and have not been stopped. I've had sheriffs, state troopers, DOT, etc. drive by and luckily no one has complained. I've pulled about five, five pound bass out of the lake, and yesterday I caught two grass carp (I've never caught one before) which I would guess are around 25-30 pounds."
Amazing stuff, Andrew! Thanks! The grass carp are neat!
Amazing stuff, Andrew! Thanks! The grass carp are neat!
May 2, 2005
JB's Last Stand in the Sand
JB's bachelor party in Vegas this past weekend was AWESOME!!! Click here to see all of the incredible pics of us with machine guns, indy cars, partying, and much more! Vegas will never be the same! Smile!!!
Comments
Don't forget to put up the pics from when we all went to church;)
A few people have asked me where I had the tickets and the t-shirts printed. For t-shirt printing, I think Custom Ink does and did a GREAT job even with our small quantity. They are at www.customink.com. Their interface is really cool for designing the shirts. For printing tickets (even in small numbers), I used https://www.storesonline.com/site/790667/page/45029. They came out great, were inexpensive and fun.
April 22, 2005
Mona and JB's Bed and Bath Bridal Fiesta
On the evening of April 22, I flew in from Dallas just in time to join the posse at Kristi and Matt's house for a bridal shower celebrating Mona and JB. The theme was a bed and bath fiesta! It was hosted by Kristi, Matt, Amy, Baron, Liz and Tom. I especially enjoyed the pineapple salsa, pita chips, and the wine. (Liz promised to give me the recipe for her yummy pineapple salsa.) Mona and JB received a lot of towels including a towel cake from Shawn and me and a gorgeous set of robes from Allan and Tara. The hostesses used all of the bows from the gifts and a paper plate to make a "bouquet" that Mona will use at her rehearsal! How fun is that! :)
Click here to see all of the photos I took at the bed and bath bridal fiesta (as well as Mona's bridal shower at our house).
Click here to see all of the photos I took at the bed and bath bridal fiesta (as well as Mona's bridal shower at our house).
April 16, 2005
Preview of the Cake Cutting
On Saturday, April 16th, Mona and JB invited Shawn and I over for delicious beef rendang and an exceptional chocolate cake! As you can see in the photo below, JB and Mona took the opportunity to practice their cake cutting before the wedding. JB has to work on the look just a little bit. ;)
April 9, 2005
The Family Reels 'Em In!
My family is such an amazing group of fishermen! Check out these pics from the weekend. In the first one, Andrew is showing off the beautiful grouper he caught, and in the second one, my family poses in front of their magnificent catch and the charter boat.
April 6, 2005
Happy Birthday JB!
Mona organized a wonderful dinner for us at Two Urban Licks to celebrate JB's birthday. The usual suspects were there (JB, Mona, Allan, Tara, Baron, Amy, Jim, Michelle, Travis, David and me) as well as one new face, Barbara. Le Ann, who is also a birthday girl, arrived later with Kent. The food was excellent! I especially enjoyed the ribs. JB received lots kinds of presents: all Ketel One! Lucky man! And double lucky to have beautiful Mona by his side! He also had his cake and drank it, too! Check out the pics!
Unfortunately, JB had a go-live to tend to, but a group of us went to Hand in Hand in the Highlands after dinner anyway. David unveiled his new t-shirt, which we all thought was a good laugh.
Unfortunately, JB had a go-live to tend to, but a group of us went to Hand in Hand in the Highlands after dinner anyway. David unveiled his new t-shirt, which we all thought was a good laugh.
Comments
Please don't spoil our JB too much !
March 28, 2005
Stock the Bar Party for Le Ann and Kent
Hatch and his wife hosted a wonderful stock the bar party for Le Ann and Kent! The lemon curd tarts were yummy as was everything else on their exquisite spread! JB brought two friends from the Netherlands, too.
March 9, 2005
Dave and Buster's
JB and Mona were kind enough to let us tag along on Saturday night for a visit to Dave and Buster's. The occassion? Travis, Madison and Lonzi were visiting! Although the place was packed, we had a great time! JB and Travis played a virtual game against one another. Mona watched after the children most of the time. She did, however, get a chance to show Lonzi how to ride a snowmobile and shot some hoops with Madison. Shawn and Travis took their shooting seriously, but a pink gun? I think JB is right! ;P
Comments
Be vewy vewy qwiet, I'm hunting wabbits! That's my "smokin' mo'fo's" look. Blue steel!
March 9, 2005
Amazing Fishing Report from Saturday, February 26th
Again, I will let Andrew retell it in his own words, but these pics are really incredible!
"We did our bon voyage and happy birthday, launched the boat, grabbed the rods, tackle, beer, ice, radio, coolers, life jackets, camera, gaff, scrubber, bucket, bait, etc. etc. and went out for an afternoon of fishing with Kim and Jason. It was a perfecly calm highly overcast afternoon. Right away Kim spotted a huge shark - I would guess 10-12 ft. No idea what type but damn did it have some HUGE fins. Fished on out to the shipping lanes, the gulf stream had some HUGE swells - found a huge amount of birds - hundreds of 'em everywhere!! Figured we were about to catch a ton of fish!!! Went through the birds for 1/2 hr. and NADA. Didn't even see what the birds were onto???? Another mystery. Started to head in and then ran into hundreds of porpoise everywhere!!!! We drove around with the porpoise for about an hour, they were sweeeeeet ;) It was the wildest thing listening to them all blowing. Another funny thing was that they sure did smell fishy!! Got some great photos and some cool video on the camera. I'll have to burn you a CD to watch the movies. We were unsuccessful ctaching any fish to this point - no wonder - all of those porpoise there - but all aboard seemed happier with this than the fishing. Headed in for the day, did two quick drifts for a kingfish on the reef, had a few misses, and landed one spanish mackeral. Got in the inlet with the sun almost setting - good thing all my lights aren't working !!! I spotted two sea hares in Boca Lake - did a few turns around them until Jason managed to grab one. It ejected all kinds of purple ink in defense - kept it outside of the boat though :) In all it was more of a nature day than a fishing day, but it was great!"
"We did our bon voyage and happy birthday, launched the boat, grabbed the rods, tackle, beer, ice, radio, coolers, life jackets, camera, gaff, scrubber, bucket, bait, etc. etc. and went out for an afternoon of fishing with Kim and Jason. It was a perfecly calm highly overcast afternoon. Right away Kim spotted a huge shark - I would guess 10-12 ft. No idea what type but damn did it have some HUGE fins. Fished on out to the shipping lanes, the gulf stream had some HUGE swells - found a huge amount of birds - hundreds of 'em everywhere!! Figured we were about to catch a ton of fish!!! Went through the birds for 1/2 hr. and NADA. Didn't even see what the birds were onto???? Another mystery. Started to head in and then ran into hundreds of porpoise everywhere!!!! We drove around with the porpoise for about an hour, they were sweeeeeet ;) It was the wildest thing listening to them all blowing. Another funny thing was that they sure did smell fishy!! Got some great photos and some cool video on the camera. I'll have to burn you a CD to watch the movies. We were unsuccessful ctaching any fish to this point - no wonder - all of those porpoise there - but all aboard seemed happier with this than the fishing. Headed in for the day, did two quick drifts for a kingfish on the reef, had a few misses, and landed one spanish mackeral. Got in the inlet with the sun almost setting - good thing all my lights aren't working !!! I spotted two sea hares in Boca Lake - did a few turns around them until Jason managed to grab one. It ejected all kinds of purple ink in defense - kept it outside of the boat though :) In all it was more of a nature day than a fishing day, but it was great!"
March 9, 2005
Fishing Report from Sunday, February 20th
I really enjoy Andrew's reports of the fishing in South Florida, so I thought I would share two more reports. In this first one, he caught a whopper! ;P Here is what Andrew himself had to say about the day: "I went out on Saturday flats fishing in Key Biscayne, went for tarpon in the morning- they were rolling all over the place - hooked into one - lost it. Then went for permit - none to be found. Then went for bonefish, saw a few dozen - spooked most all of them. Didn't catch sqaut all day, saw a ton of sharks and rays though. One dude flew into the boat and hit my back - I didn't notice though. Here's the pics."
February 21, 2005
Weekend in Orlando
Shawn and I flew into Orlando, Florida late Wednesday night. I attended a conference during the day on Thursday and Friday, and Shawn spent his time on those days playing golf on two different Disney courses. We did, however, try to make the most of our evenings. Thursday evening, we went to Epcot Center, which was directly behind the Swan hotel where we were staying. Epcot was a mad house! I suppose with President's Day weekend that everyone had decided to bring the kids to Disney. The most irksome thing was the queues at all of the food venues. We were waiting at the Germany pavilion and at the Mexico pavilion just to be told that no one without a prior reservation would be seated. We finally ended up at a hot dog and hamburger joint in Future Land and hurried to ride the World of Communication and the Maelstrom in Norway before the fireworks. The Illuminations display was lovely, but we left afterwards despite the fact that a few select rides would be open to Disney Resort guests until midnight. Here are a couple of pics: one of me with a troll in Norway and one of Shawn playing with the Oakley sunglasses that I was given as a gift at the conference.
On Friday night, we celebrated Valentine's Day at the Black Swan restaurant at the Hyatt Grand Cypress Villas. The service was impeccable and so was the food! For appetizers, I had the beef carpaccio with a Burmese BBQ sauce and pineapples, and Shawn had coconut tempura shrimp stuffed with crab meat. We split the French onion soup, which was made with veal stock and served in the onion itself. The chef checked on us after every course, and we could only offer our praises for his work! For the main course, I had a filet mignon with risotto, and Shawn had a veal chop with goat cheese infused risotto. Check out the pics below! Shawn and I enjoyed a chocolate soufflé and a Grand Marnier soufflé for dessert followed by a complimentary dessert wine courtesy of the sommelier. Everything was impeccable! I would highly recommend the Back Swan. They even sent us home with truffles and a rose for me! It was a wonderful way to celebrate our fourth Valentine's Day together.
Shawn and I spent Saturday at Disney's Animal Kingdom. It was Shawn's first visit to the park and my second visit. We both really enjoyed the "It's Tough to Be a Bug" movie as well as the Kilamanjaro Safaris and the Kali River Rapids. We were exhausted Saturday night, so we simply enjoyed pizza in our room! :)
On Friday night, we celebrated Valentine's Day at the Black Swan restaurant at the Hyatt Grand Cypress Villas. The service was impeccable and so was the food! For appetizers, I had the beef carpaccio with a Burmese BBQ sauce and pineapples, and Shawn had coconut tempura shrimp stuffed with crab meat. We split the French onion soup, which was made with veal stock and served in the onion itself. The chef checked on us after every course, and we could only offer our praises for his work! For the main course, I had a filet mignon with risotto, and Shawn had a veal chop with goat cheese infused risotto. Check out the pics below! Shawn and I enjoyed a chocolate soufflé and a Grand Marnier soufflé for dessert followed by a complimentary dessert wine courtesy of the sommelier. Everything was impeccable! I would highly recommend the Back Swan. They even sent us home with truffles and a rose for me! It was a wonderful way to celebrate our fourth Valentine's Day together.
Shawn and I spent Saturday at Disney's Animal Kingdom. It was Shawn's first visit to the park and my second visit. We both really enjoyed the "It's Tough to Be a Bug" movie as well as the Kilamanjaro Safaris and the Kali River Rapids. We were exhausted Saturday night, so we simply enjoyed pizza in our room! :)
February 6, 2005
Happy Birthday to Me!
Although turning 32 is not one of the milestone birthdays, Shawn organized a wonderful party for me! We met at One Midtown Kitchen at 5:30 PM for a round of cocktails. Matt, Kristy and Maddux even came out to have a drink with us even though they could not stay for dinner. The fourteen of us were seated shortly after 6 PM at a table on the deck overlooking Piedmont park. At each setting was a beautiful menu with my name on it!
The actual food was even more impressive than the menu, and we had such a great time eating, laughing, and catching up. I was so flattered, and I did not want the evening to end - although the bottomless wine seemed not to - but finally, it was time to go home.
At home, I smothered my dear present from Shawn; you can clearly see how much Minus liked it...or did not like it! ;P Shawn also had to share a sip of water from his cup with Minus! It was definitely time for us to go to bed! What a wonderful day! :)
The actual food was even more impressive than the menu, and we had such a great time eating, laughing, and catching up. I was so flattered, and I did not want the evening to end - although the bottomless wine seemed not to - but finally, it was time to go home.
At home, I smothered my dear present from Shawn; you can clearly see how much Minus liked it...or did not like it! ;P Shawn also had to share a sip of water from his cup with Minus! It was definitely time for us to go to bed! What a wonderful day! :)
Comments
What a wonderful time we had sharing in your Birthday Celebration! Thank for inviting us.
Es hat mich gefreut dein Geburtstag mit zu feiern...hoffe dass du keinen Kater gehabt hasst... Tschuess - D.
January 24, 2005
Pittsburgh
It feels like it has been a cold forever since I last sat down to add a few lines and post a few pictures to my blog. I have, in fact, been very busy. I am now on a new project outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is a five-day week, and flights are limited and late. The weather is terribly cold there, the hotel choices are limited, and the food is unremarkable. On the bright side, the population are huge football fans! They literally had Steelers potlucks for lunch and wore gold and black to work! :)
This past weekend, Phaedra - another who came straight from Pittsburgh - attended a course in town and stayed with us! It was so nice to see her again - although I spent most of the weekend in bed, nursing my cold. We had originally planned to have everyone over for fondue, but people were already booked for Saturday, so I though we would go to 2 Urban Licks. Of course, that was booked as well, so Shawn made a reservation at One Midtown Kitchen. I felt so bad in the morning that he did not think that it was a good idea to go out and about, so we just got Raja to go! It was delicious! Phaedra brought her famous carrot cake and Milky Way cake! Yummy! After JB and David left, Shawn beat Phaedra and I at "Scene It?", a DVD board game. It was fun though. I realized that Phaedra and I are terrible cheats and that cats don't smile. ;P
This past weekend, Phaedra - another who came straight from Pittsburgh - attended a course in town and stayed with us! It was so nice to see her again - although I spent most of the weekend in bed, nursing my cold. We had originally planned to have everyone over for fondue, but people were already booked for Saturday, so I though we would go to 2 Urban Licks. Of course, that was booked as well, so Shawn made a reservation at One Midtown Kitchen. I felt so bad in the morning that he did not think that it was a good idea to go out and about, so we just got Raja to go! It was delicious! Phaedra brought her famous carrot cake and Milky Way cake! Yummy! After JB and David left, Shawn beat Phaedra and I at "Scene It?", a DVD board game. It was fun though. I realized that Phaedra and I are terrible cheats and that cats don't smile. ;P
January 10, 2005
Cranium for Boobs
On Saturday, JB and Mona invited Leann and her fiancee Kent as well as Shawn and I to dinner to meet her cousin and her husband. The company and the food, especially the filet mignon and the salad, was spectacular! Afterwards, we played Cranium. It was really fun! I especially liked the ones that you had to act out or draw. Right before we left (Shawn had an early tee time with Jim), Mona found the bra that Baron gave her at Dutch XXXmas. Aren't these the cutest boobs you have ever seen? ;P
Comments
Cranium was great fun. You neglected to mention that we showed them the door playing it;!
January 3, 2005
Happy New Year!
Baron and Amy started the year off right by organizing a wonderful New Year's Eve party! We started with a multi-course dinner for fourteen people at Atmosphere, a cute restaurant near Ansley with delicious French food. Reservations were for seven o'clock, and we barely finished by eleven fifteen! I had duck consomme with foie gras ravioli, scallops (which I gave to Shawn), beef Wellington, brie with layers of black truffles and finally a delicious chocolate custard with raspberries.
We left the restaurant and headed nearby to Baron and Amy's house, where they had more food and champagne! Baron entertained us with his new home organ, and Tom V and his parents stopped by as well as some of Baron and Amy's neighbors. It was really great!
We left the restaurant and headed nearby to Baron and Amy's house, where they had more food and champagne! Baron entertained us with his new home organ, and Tom V and his parents stopped by as well as some of Baron and Amy's neighbors. It was really great!
December 25, 2004
Merry Christmas!
I am one of the luckiest kids alive because our family likes to celebrate both days of Christmas! On Christmas Eve, we start the festivities with the traditional photograph of the family. This year, it was Billy, me, Andrew, Kim, Dad, Paul, Mom and Shawn (from left to right). It was a very special Christmas because it was Andrew and Kim's first Christmas as husband and wife. In addition, it had been many years since Billy had joined us for the festivities. [Hudson and Boo were at Andrew and Kim's house.]
After the photograph, we enjoy appetizers of fish spread, shrimp, and stone crab claws until it was time to sit at the table. Mom always cooks a huge and fancy dinner, and this year was no exception! She made ham AND turkey plus all of the fixings - cranberry jelly, mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, asparagus, cheddar broccoli tart, gravy, salads with goat cheese! Delicious! We could barely make our way back to the Florida room to begin an epic four hours of opening presents! I thought we were toning it down this year!?! I was completely spoiled with a ton of lovely things! Santa even brought Dad the lump of coal that he had been wishing for! ;) I almost forgot to mention that dessert involves the most heavenly cookies on Earth - moon cookies and nut cookies! :)
On Christmas morning, we usually sleep in because the marathon continues at the Marriott for brunch with the entire group! This year it was Mom, Billy, Dad, Andrew, Jeremy, Patti, Shannon, Betty, John, Paul, Kim, Shawn and I (from left to right)! We ate lavishly! I know that I was at the carving station for more roast beef four times! :) They also had wonderful blackberries! Yummy! We returned to Mom and Dad's house, each ready to burst, and exchanged even more gifts! It really was extravagant!
I hope that everyone else had as wonderful and special a holiday as we did! Merry Christmas!
After the photograph, we enjoy appetizers of fish spread, shrimp, and stone crab claws until it was time to sit at the table. Mom always cooks a huge and fancy dinner, and this year was no exception! She made ham AND turkey plus all of the fixings - cranberry jelly, mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, asparagus, cheddar broccoli tart, gravy, salads with goat cheese! Delicious! We could barely make our way back to the Florida room to begin an epic four hours of opening presents! I thought we were toning it down this year!?! I was completely spoiled with a ton of lovely things! Santa even brought Dad the lump of coal that he had been wishing for! ;) I almost forgot to mention that dessert involves the most heavenly cookies on Earth - moon cookies and nut cookies! :)
On Christmas morning, we usually sleep in because the marathon continues at the Marriott for brunch with the entire group! This year it was Mom, Billy, Dad, Andrew, Jeremy, Patti, Shannon, Betty, John, Paul, Kim, Shawn and I (from left to right)! We ate lavishly! I know that I was at the carving station for more roast beef four times! :) They also had wonderful blackberries! Yummy! We returned to Mom and Dad's house, each ready to burst, and exchanged even more gifts! It really was extravagant!
I hope that everyone else had as wonderful and special a holiday as we did! Merry Christmas!
October 25, 2004
Andrew and Daniel Fight Fish and Bad Weather
My nephew, Daniel, headed down South to visit everyone before he leaves for Afghanistan. He and Andrew went fishing on Saturday morning. They had a couple of cut-offs and only caught one kingfish and one cobia all day - or at least until the cold rain chased them back to the docks. Check out the black clouds in the picture on the right!
Comments
Had a great time. Daniel's new orders are for Egypt now! Sounds better to me than Afghanistan!
Hello. I was searching google images for kingfish and this photo came up. It looks very similar to where I live. Is this Naples, FL?
October 25, 2004
Doris - Famous at Empire
Actually, I have a lot of good-looking, fun relatives in Austria! Here is a picture from the website of Empire nightclub in Austria. Thursdays, the club offers free drinks from 9 PM to 11 PM! This picture was taken on Thursday, October 14th, 2004. On the left is my younger cousin, Doris, with three of her friends from school - Alex, Silvia and Christl. Doris is studying to be a nurse! :)
October 25, 2004
Congratulations to Claudia and Stefan!
My cousin, Claudia, just married her boyfriend, Stefan, in a small ceremony in Austria in the middle of October of this year. I wish them both a lifetime of fun, happiness, good health and success! (Knowing Claudia, the fun is, of course, a given!) Congratulations to the happy couple!
Comments
hi dre*....thanks for posting the pictures and for the nice wishes.....yeah! fun ist guaranteed!!! but first of all - i have to get the little "alien" out of my belly ;-) the doctor said - and he showed us that it is a little boy!!!! his name will be Leon. I tell you.... hope you are fine - you look very happy with Shawn...I think he´s a very nice guy....B. claudia
October 19, 2004
Andrew Brings the Fish up from the Deep!
Andrew enjoyed a great day fishing on Saturday on his boat! A cold front had come in, which helped out the fishing. He caught three kingfish, three grouper, one cero mackerel, one tilefish, one trumpet fish, three Bermuda chubs, one small little tunny, and plenty of bait! He also saw the president's helicopter twice, a huge school of porpoise, and three turtles! When I hear about that and see the pictures, it really makes me miss the ocean.
October 4, 2004
Shannon and Kevin's Fabulous Vegas Wedding
This weekend, Shawn and I had a reason to celebrate! My good friend, Shannon, and her boyfriend, Kevin, got married in Las Vegas! There were actually eighteen of us there - including the bride and groom. The ceremony took place at the extravagant Bellagio on a balcony in front of the fountain. Everything went perfectly. Click here to see all of the gorgeous pictures of this great occasion! :)
Comments
What a great place to have a wedding reception! =) Looks like a lot of fun, and as usual, you look gorgeous, Dre.
September 28, 2004
Shawn's Mom's Visit to Atlanta
This past weekend, Shawn's Mom, Marlene, came to visit us in Atlanta. We had a great time! We started out on Friday morning with homemade gorilla bread (recipe to follow). It was sticky and wonderful! From there, we headed to the Zoo Atlanta. The pandas were particularly active and interesting as were the gorillas and orangutans. The worst animals were the swarms of elementary kids screaming, jumping, and darting around the park. Afterwards, we found a nice picnic table under a tree, where we had a small picnic of turkey and ham salad sandwiches, mozzarrella and tomato salad, melon and proscuitto, chocolate chip cookies, and bottled water. The weather was perfect, and the picnic revived us for a quick trip to Your Dekalb Farmers' Market. We bought meat, fruit and bread. That evening, JB, Mona, Allan, and Tara joined us at the house for dinner. Since the fall weather was so wonderful, we ate on the new table on the deck for the first time! There was baked brie, bruschetta, corn-on-the-cob, green salad with homemade dressings, steaks, chicken, spinach vegetable pie, and key lime pie! We ate until we were very full and hung out on the deck until late in the night! :)
On Saturday, Marlene, Shawn, and I went to the Spa Sydell in Midtown. We each had a massage, a facial, a manicure and pedicure. It was really nice to get so spoiled! Afterwards, we picked up a small lunch from Eatzi's, where Marlene could not resist the Cajun chicken sandwich. We ate lunch at home, took a nap, and got ready for Dante's Down the Hatch! JB and Mona joined us, and we had cheese and oil fondue at the restaurant. All of the food was lovely, but the company was even better! :)
Sunday came too quickly! We made a small dent in all of the leftovers for brunch, and then Shawn had to take Marlene to the airport. I had to get ready for my flight to Philadelphia, but I could not help but wonder why the time had to go so fast!
On Saturday, Marlene, Shawn, and I went to the Spa Sydell in Midtown. We each had a massage, a facial, a manicure and pedicure. It was really nice to get so spoiled! Afterwards, we picked up a small lunch from Eatzi's, where Marlene could not resist the Cajun chicken sandwich. We ate lunch at home, took a nap, and got ready for Dante's Down the Hatch! JB and Mona joined us, and we had cheese and oil fondue at the restaurant. All of the food was lovely, but the company was even better! :)
Sunday came too quickly! We made a small dent in all of the leftovers for brunch, and then Shawn had to take Marlene to the airport. I had to get ready for my flight to Philadelphia, but I could not help but wonder why the time had to go so fast!
September 20, 2004
Kim Neuroth's Graduation in Des Moines
Shawn and I were in Des Moines, Iowa this weekend to celebrate his sister Kim Neuroth's graduation from AIB College of Business. We had a great time! We arrived on Saturday morning and checked into the hotel in downtown Des Moines. (The city reminded me a lot of Peoria.) Then, Shawn gave me a deluxe tour of the city including the capitol, his grade school, his high school, the supermarket where he used to work, and the quicky mart where he used to hang out. After the tour, we went to Kim's house in Carlisle, where I met the rest of Shawn's family. They were really nice and very welcoming. We enjoyed a lovely and abundant lunch complete with cake and coffee! The party lasted until about 8 PM, when Shawn, his sister, her family and I went to dinner. Afterwards, Shawn and I were so tired, we did not even open the complimentary champagne provided by the hotel! The next morning, the same group met for breakfast at the International House of Pancakes! Shawn and I returned to the hotel after breakfast to change for the graduation ceremony. The ceremony was held in the gymnasium of the university. There were almost 250 graduates plus family and friends in attendance. We had great seats on the first row of bleachers, from where we could see Kim clearly. Kim was a double major in Business Administration and Information Technology. She graduated with high honors. We met outside after the ceremony for a couple of pictures, but then Shawn and I had to leave for the airport. It was a quick but fun trip, and we were both glad we could be there to congratulate Kim, who had worked very hard for this wonderful achievement!
August 23, 2004
Mom and Dad Visit
No matter how old I get, Mom and Dad always come to visit and check on me! After weeks of preparing the house for the white glove inspection, they arrived around noon on Friday, and we had a great time just visiting until Shawn got home from work. We had an early dinner together at the Petit Auberge. The French Onion Soup was exceptional! I also had Wiener Schnitzel. Yummy! :)
On Saturday, Shawn and I made breakfast, and then we all went to the Dekalb County Farmer's Market. We bought some beautiful New York Strip steaks and some shrimp. Mom and Dad had brought 100 pounds of grouper and yellow tail snapper with them, so they donated a portion to dinner that evening. JB and Mona, David, and Jim and Michelle joined us. We were a crowd, but everyone enjoyed themslves, the food, and the wine! Dad even stayed up late to visit with everyone. Michelle had to watch out for Mom's kung fu and knife throwing, but as soon as we got Mom out of the kitchen, everything was OK again. ;P
On Sunday, we took it easy. Shawn played golf with Jim, and Mom, Dad and I slept late and eventually went to Ray's on the River for brunch. They had a very large selection. I filled up on roast beef, bacon and chocolate cake! Mom and Dad went for the more traditional eggs, coffee, and ice cream for dessert. We watched some of the Olympics in the afternoon and had an early dinner at Edo's.
The weekend was over too quickly though, and Mom and Dad left this morning for North Carolina and Tennessee. I am looking forward to their next visit already! We always have a lot of fun! :)
On Saturday, Shawn and I made breakfast, and then we all went to the Dekalb County Farmer's Market. We bought some beautiful New York Strip steaks and some shrimp. Mom and Dad had brought 100 pounds of grouper and yellow tail snapper with them, so they donated a portion to dinner that evening. JB and Mona, David, and Jim and Michelle joined us. We were a crowd, but everyone enjoyed themslves, the food, and the wine! Dad even stayed up late to visit with everyone. Michelle had to watch out for Mom's kung fu and knife throwing, but as soon as we got Mom out of the kitchen, everything was OK again. ;P
On Sunday, we took it easy. Shawn played golf with Jim, and Mom, Dad and I slept late and eventually went to Ray's on the River for brunch. They had a very large selection. I filled up on roast beef, bacon and chocolate cake! Mom and Dad went for the more traditional eggs, coffee, and ice cream for dessert. We watched some of the Olympics in the afternoon and had an early dinner at Edo's.
The weekend was over too quickly though, and Mom and Dad left this morning for North Carolina and Tennessee. I am looking forward to their next visit already! We always have a lot of fun! :)
July 19, 2004
Oma's 90th Birthday
Oma's 90th birthday in Linz, Austria this weekend was truly a reunion of family and friends from the entire world! Paul drove from England on Tuesday. Mom and Dad flew in on Wednesday. Andrew and Kim arrived on Thursday much to Oma's surprise and delight. It has been over ten years since Andrew had returned to Austria, and this was Kim's first trip. I arrived on Friday just in time to go out to dinner with everyone. I bet you cannot guess what I had? Wiener Schnitzel, of course! My cousin, Doris, took us on a pub crawl on Friday night. We went to an Irish pub and to a salsa club. It was so much fun! :)
Mom and Dad hosted a party for Oma on Saturday at a lovely locale with delicious traditional food and attentive service. Oma's friends came, and family and friends drove from Vienna and Munich. Mom had decorated the tables with pretty Gerber daisies, and she made a pin for each of the guests that had a photo of Oma at 28 years old. I had Wiener Schnitzel. Yummy! It was a lunch party, but it went until almost 7 PM! And why not? You only get to celebrate your 90th birthday once! Oma loved the party and really enjoyed her gifts. (She received enough flowers to open her own garden shop.)
Instead of going to bed after the marathon party, Andrew, Kim, Paul, and I went to dinner with Gretl and Max. They are so much fun! Andrew even tried a schnapps, which he did not like. We drank a lot at the table (6 shots of schnapps, 3 glasses of champagne, 16 mugs of beer, and 18 glasses of wine!), because it was raining, and we could not walk around the old city. We ended up returning to the hotel and hanging around the hotel bar, where the stories got even better as we continued imbibing. We even ran into Mom and Dad, who had come downstairs for a snack! The night (and the weekend) were over too quickly. I am now in Heidelberg, Germany at work, but I cannot stop thinking about what a GREAT weekend that was.
Mom and Dad hosted a party for Oma on Saturday at a lovely locale with delicious traditional food and attentive service. Oma's friends came, and family and friends drove from Vienna and Munich. Mom had decorated the tables with pretty Gerber daisies, and she made a pin for each of the guests that had a photo of Oma at 28 years old. I had Wiener Schnitzel. Yummy! It was a lunch party, but it went until almost 7 PM! And why not? You only get to celebrate your 90th birthday once! Oma loved the party and really enjoyed her gifts. (She received enough flowers to open her own garden shop.)
Instead of going to bed after the marathon party, Andrew, Kim, Paul, and I went to dinner with Gretl and Max. They are so much fun! Andrew even tried a schnapps, which he did not like. We drank a lot at the table (6 shots of schnapps, 3 glasses of champagne, 16 mugs of beer, and 18 glasses of wine!), because it was raining, and we could not walk around the old city. We ended up returning to the hotel and hanging around the hotel bar, where the stories got even better as we continued imbibing. We even ran into Mom and Dad, who had come downstairs for a snack! The night (and the weekend) were over too quickly. I am now in Heidelberg, Germany at work, but I cannot stop thinking about what a GREAT weekend that was.
Comments
A Great Time Was Had By All !!!
June 29, 2004
Mahi Mahi
My brother Andrew could not walk by a puddle without dropping a fishing line in it, and as luck would have it, he is an excellent fisherman! Here is a great picture of Andrew with a mahi mahi from Saturday's catch! He is aboard his own boat (name still yet to be determined).
Comments
Wow! What a fish!!! You go girl..
June 29, 2004
Giant Mangoes!
My Mom and Dad are the best parents in the entire world! I am not just saying that because I know that they will read today's blog entry (Mom might even print it for Dad), but also because of the joy they bring to everything they do. Yesterday, I talked to my Mom at length, and she explained how the newly-planted mango tree had finally borne fruit - giant mangoes, in fact! She promised to send photos, and here they are. As you can see, one mango weighs two pounds!
June 18, 2004
Sarah, My Garage, and Strange Happenings at the Waffle House
After just finishing four years in the Army, my niece, Sarah, drove by herself from Florida with a huge truck to pick some furniture from Shawn and me. I honestly only remember seeing her last when she was a baby. It was like meeting a new person. She is pretty, intelligent, polite, funny, well-spoken, and all grown up! We moved the heavy furniture ourselves in the 101 degree heat! Interestingly enough, we found some keys neatly hung on the inside frame of the chest of drawers, a compass, a couple of tabs for elastic bandages and a couple of plastic caps when we removed the drawers. Treasure! :) With all that moving, we earned a nice dinner at one of my all-time favorite Italian restaurants, Pricci. She had a Caesar salad and tortelli stuffed with spinach in a buttery walnut sauce. I had beef carpaccio and gnocchi with pulled beef and onions. We split a delicious bottle of valpolicella and enjoyed a delightful conversation. I felt like I knew her better by the time we finished our meal and headed to my favorite Irish pub, Fado. We had a couple of beers as she had to fight to keep the men away, especially one rugby player with holes in his shirt and his boxers peeking out from underneath his shorts. All the conversation made time zoom by, but I just had to show her some more of Buckhead, so she could perhaps be tempted to come back to Atlanta. We stopped in Mako's, Cafe Tu Tu Tango, Frequency, Havana Club, Tongue & Groove, The Living Room, Uranus, Chaos,... [I can almost hear my mother and her mother groaning as they read this! Don't worry! We were just looking, and everyone let us in free.] Finally, it was midnight, and I was going to turn into a pumpkin! 
The next morning, I was sad that Sarah could not stay longer (and that we had to get up so early). We had a quick breakfast at the Waffle House, and I am still baffled by what happened then. I went to pay, and the waitress told me that the man, who had been sitting a couple of stools away from us at the counter, had paid our $9.31 breakfast and left the waitress a $5.00 tip! As we walked outside, I saw him driving away and mouthed the words "Thank you". He nonchalantly waved and nodded his head. I have been thinking about the incident all day. He must have very good karma! But still, I had to give Sarah a quick hug in the parking lot, and she was on her way. I hope she enjoys her "new" furniture as I know Shawn and I are going enjoy our reclaimed garage! :)
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Wanna make something of it?
Thanks guys, you're awesome friends!
The girls were thrilled to see pictures of Winston on your site. Their nail polish is still there!!!!! So, apart from the flower wreaths, they looked exactly as on the big day when they went to school on Monday, wearing THE dresses.
We'll let you have our photo's via JB. But let us have your e-mail so we can stay in touch.
love, Saskia