The Simplest Definition of Love

Kira and Koda loved having grandma and grandpa in town last week.  Kira literally used dad as a head rest any time he was sitting down.  After they left on Saturday (with dad unfortunately taking his legs with him on the plane), Kira was so sad, she had to resort to using inanimate objects to help hold her head up!

Poor little girl...she misses grandpa so much.  We all do!  Come and visit again soon grandma and grandpa!

...and a Partridge in a (Bradford) Pear Tree!

One of the things Jeff and I have been wanting to do for some time now is plant another tree in our back yard.  We wanted this one near our garden, to provide shade in the afternoon and keep the garden from overheating.  Jeff's dad is so good with plants; he used to own a family nursery in New Jersey, so needless to say, he is the one we go to when needing plant advice and suggestions.  He thought that we should plant a Bradford pear tree in the yard because they grow quickly and do not demand constant attention.  Plus, they produce really pretty white flowers in the spring and fall!  That was all that I needed to hear to sell me.

While they were here, we visited nurseries, trying to find a nice tree at a good price...easier said than done.  We finally found one worthy of our yard (and at a price we could afford) at Lowe's (go figure).  Then, we had the pleasure of bringing it home and putting it in the ground.

The tree is all staked up and ready to flourish in our yard.  I think it is going to be beautiful!  Can't wait to see how much it grows this summer.  Thanks, dad, for be willing to always lend a hand when it comes to gardening and plants!

Helping Grandma Clean Up

Jeff's mom was a cooking fool while she was in town...every day we came home to delicious smells coming from our kitchen- chicken pot pie, country fried steak, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken noodle soup, pork medallions, and the list could go on and on).  It was so nice not to have to cook and still eat yummy meals; however, I wasn't the only one who enjoyed grandma's cooking. 

Last Thursday, Jeff and I came home to beer can chicken on the grill.  Now, this was something that neither of us had tried before, but it turned out to be the most juicy scrumptous chicken ever.  But, I digress.  Anyway, as Jeff's mom was bringing in the chicken and getting ready to cut it, she accidentally spilled some on our kitchen floor!  Not to worry, especially with the Hoovers (aka Kira and Koda) around...they swooped right in and helped clean up the chicken without a problem!

And I didn't even have to clean the floor when they were done...thanks for saving the day and never being afraid to help out, Kira and Koda! :-)

An Afternoon on the Ski Lift in Park City

Where else can you ride the ski lift all the way up the mountain in the beginning of summer other than Park City?  While out and about with Jeff's parents (and after lunch at Heber's Sidetrack Cafe), we decided to tour the beautiful place...and what better way to see everything than on a ski lift!  We purchased tickets and headed over to the lift.  Being the Florida girl that I am, this was my first time on a ski lift, but man, was it fun!  And the views cannot be beaten.  Here is just a small sampling of the plethora of pictures we took while on the lift.

We even saw a couple of deer during our tour and Jeff just happened to get some really neat pictures of them!

We also saw a small fawn lying close to the path under a tree.  I tried to get pictures, but couldn't focus the camera fast enough while moving on the lift.  Drats, but we still have the memories!

We also took pictures of funny signs posted on the lift...call us silly, but some of these are hilarious!

After we got off the ski lift, we walked down Main Street and window shopped...all except for me, that is.  But I did find the two cutest pairs of boots in a little boutique (and better yet...they were on sale for 75% off).  They are gonna look amazing during winter and will definitely be packed for our trip to Ireland in a couple of months!  Anyway, here are some pictures from Park City Main Street.

We ended our Park City trip at Wasatch Brewery, having beers and drinks.  No beer for me, but I did manage (at Jeff's suggestion) to order an Acai sour, which just happened to be the most sour drink I have ever tasted in my life.  Needless to say, I was dehydrated the entire car ride back to the house!

Family, good food, alcohol and new boots...I can't think of a better way to spend the day!

A Quick Trip to Bridal Veil Falls

During Jeff's parents trip to Utah, we took them up through Provo Canyon, around to Heber and then through Park City.  On the way up Provo Canyon, we stopped for a quick walk to Bridal Veil Falls.  Every time we visit the falls, I am always amazed at how different they look- in the fall, the water is minimal, but in the spring and summer the falls are really cranking.  That was the case this time.  Jeff's parents loved the waterfall and the views...the people there were another story. 

Since the last time we were there (in October) a bridge had been built over the lower portion on the falls.  I guess that meant that people are supposed to come out and play in the falls like you would a beach.  Needless to say, there were kids everywhere, running around without supervision and parents setting up umbrellas and picnic lunches on the bridge.  It was pretty much mass chaos.  We only stayed long enough to get some good pictures...by that time we had tolerated about all that we could.  Very disappointing to see the falls turn in to such a kids beach; hopefully something can be done to turn it back into its natural setting.

Anyway, we did manage to get some gorgeous pictures of the falls and surrounding area.

What a good time.  Jeff's parents were so glad to get to see the falls, since they had heard so much about them from my parents.  But, that was just the start of our day...there was still a ton of fun to be had!

Utah Arts Festival

Another fun thing we did with Jeff's parents was visit the Utah Arts Festival.  We won 4 tickets with our silent auction items at Canine Casino Night, so we were really glad that the festival was the weekend his parents were in town.  We went on Friday afternoon, since they left on Saturday.  It was huge, with a ton of booths and cool stuff to look at.  Lots of neat art (which was way overpriced) and other crafty items...they even had a company tha twould make custom shoes to fit your feet!  We walked around and looked, but it was really hot (even in the shade) and we got grumpy quickly.  Still, I managed to get these shots of the festival!

I even managed to snag a gift for our nephew's second birthday in November...it is a square, handmade piggy bank with a jungle theme on it to match his room!  It is so cute.

After some lemonade and waters, we were ready to head home and get ready for our cook out with Mike and Tina later Friday night.

Roses are Red...

...and pink, and fuschia, and white and orange and purple!  And they are all mine.  Not only did I come home from Portland to new furniture, I also came home to a backyard full of gorgeous roses.  I can't believe these bushes...in the winter they look dead and I always wonder if they are gonna come back in the spring or if the winter was just too much for them.  They always surprise me and come back stronger than the previous year.

So this past weekend, I went out and started slipping roses for arrangements in my house...here are pictures of the first roses of 2010!

If these blooms are any indication of what the rest of the summer will hold, I am excited...fresh flower arrangements in my house for a couple of months to come!

Canine Casino Night 2010

Saturday night was our 4th annual Canine Casino Night.  Once again, the fundraiser was held at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City.  I guess Kira and Koda were anticipating a long night, since they both slept away the entire day.  But, as soon as they knew they were going somewhere, they got excited.  Here they both are with their seatbelts on ready for a night on the town...

Once we got to the hotel, it was mayhem as usual...dogs and people everywhere!  I am always amazed at the hospitality shown by the Radisson staff at this event...it has to be hard to watch over a 100 dogs march up to the ballrooms and not be able to stop it.  All the dogs were really well behaved, with the exception of Koda.  He just doesn't like bigger dogs (Kira excluded).  He is fine with smaller dogs, but a little testy around larger ones.  He did manage to scare a Doberman off (which could have eaten him for dinner)...for a 35 pound dog, he sure thinks he is 200 pounds (attitude included).

We got them both settled at a table and took in all the festivities...various casino games, a pet psychic, a bar with yummy drinks named after dogs (my favorite, the Ruff and Coke) and a Barking Parade of dogs that needed homes.  Here are some pictures we got of our two watching all the action.

They had a blast, especially Kira, who made friends with any and all dogs that passed by her.  She was quite the social butterfly...she even had people stopping us in the hallways to tell us that she looked like she was having a good time!

There were a ton of people this year, but a lot less dogs.  Still, everyone had a nice time.

We also got a family picture taken, which turned out so cute.  I couldn't believe that the photographer actually got both Kira and Koda actually LOOKING at the camera...it must have been devine intervention!  We also won some things at the silent auction, including tickets to the Deer Valley Music Festival and tickets to the Utah Arts Festival the weekend Jeff's parents are in town.  Plus, we also got some Celtic music CDs...I guess it is never too soon to start getting into the Irish spirit for our big trip in November!

Such a fun night spent with my favorite people in the entire world...and for such a good cause too.  I hope a ton of money was raised to help homeless pets from the event.

What is this strange stuff in my living room?...

...Oh yeah, it is called furniture!  Had been so long since I have had it that I had actually forgotten what it is like to have a fully furnished house again.  But, this is what I came home from Portland to...my new furniture.

They delivered (and ordered) the wrong rug, but I think the new one is growing on me, so we are keeping it.  I just didn't want to have to wait any longer for my room to come together...13 weeks is long enough!  Thanks, Jeff, for taking an afternoon off of work to await the delivery.  I was certainly very happy (and surprised) when I came home on Wednesday night!

Did I mention that I love new furniture?...well, I do! :-)

Mmm....Meatballs!

Jeff's mom makes the most amazing meatballs ever...they are literally "little drops of heaven in your mouth" (at least that is the phrase that I have used to describe them).  As many times as I have watched her make them, you would think I would have it down by now.  But I just can't seem to master the meatball recipe.  Which is why we have her make a bazillion of them every time they come to Utah, so we can vacuum seal them and have them all year long....which brings me to the point of this post.  I had gotten home so late on Wednesday night from Portland, that Thursday passed in a blur to me.  I just wanted to get through the day so that I could go home and start enjoying the weekend.  On the way home from work, Jeff and I were discussing what to have for dinner when he threw out spaghetti and meatballs...they would be quick and easy.  When we got home, he pulled some of the world famous meatballs out of the freezer and I started cooking. 

After we were done eating, there were a couple of meatballs left...in order to help the dogs eat their dinner (and eliminate the need to put leftovers away), we decided to cut up a meatball for each of the dogs.  Boy, do they really love grandmoms meatballs too.  These are the pictures we got of them both devouring their food!

Koda seemed to be a little protective of his meatball...didn't want Jeff getting too close to his dinner (his face totally cracks me up)!  So there you have it...proof of the best meatballs in the entire world!  Both people and dog approved.

Conferencing in Portland

On Saturday, I had to fly out to another conference in Portland for work.  I was so not looking forward to going for a couple of reasons- the first being that I had to fly out on Saturday and the second being that I felt like I had just gotten home from Florida and settled back in when I had to go again.  But, as always, Saturday rolled around and before I knew it, I was headed to the airport.  I hate saying goodbye to Jeff; I always get all teary eyed, which is strange considering our history...we lived apart for 7 of our 12 years together.  But I think that has made me all the more sad when I have to leave him and the dogs.  Anyway, enough sappiness.

When I arrived in Portland, the weather was a beautiful 70 degrees!  Not bad for the beginning of June.  I checked in to the hotel and walked around the city, taking some pictures.  Portland is a really gorgeous city, with the mountains in the distance and so much green everywhere.  They have had a lot of rain lately, so everything looked so green and lush outside.  Plus, they have a ton of parks, so there is never a scarcity of something to do.  Here are some pictures that I took on my travels...

The best views could be seen from my hotel balcony.  I was on the 14th floor of the Doubletree Hotel in the Lloyd District and the views were astonishing.  I could even see Mt Hood in the distance still covered with snow.  So pretty!

But the views were nothing compared to the food.  I ate so much good stuff while in Portland.  On Sunday night, everyone from UDOH met up at Toro Bravo, an award winning tapas restuarant.  It was a delicious new experience for me and I even tried some new things, like salted cod fritters.  They were so yummy.  I also went to a really eclectic little restuarant called Milo's City Cafe and had the most amazing dinner of Hungarian mushroom soup (it was to die for) and southwestern chicken stuffed ravioli.  That dinner was so good, I had to take pictures of it!

Needless to say, I felt fat by the time I got home.  But, it was totally worth it! :-)  I can always exercise next week.  Finally, here is a picture of me and the poster I presented at CSTE.  I had some interest on the study and overall it was received at the conference very well.

I also stopped by Broadway Books, a small family owned bookstore in the Rose Quarter.  I love bookstores and of course came home with some new books.  I also brought Jeff home some home brews from Portland.  After all, the city has the most breweries and pubs per square mile as any other city in the country...and you gotta love that!

Overall, I love Portland and it was nice to go back, this time in the summer.  I visited the city for the first time in November 2004 for the SETAC meeting held there.  It was nice to be able to visit when the temperatures were warmer this time.  I would highly suggest this city to anyone looking for a fun time in a really green city.  One suggestion, though...bring an umbrella...it rains there all the time!