One Small Step Away From A Seeing Eye Dog

Today included an overdue trip to the eye doc.

I was going for 'Geek Chic'

I think I got what I was looking for....

The Little Engine that Could

Isaiah Salvatore Castillo

born

July 26th, 2010

4lbs 5oz 17 inches

Good news LB:

A. The hard part is over.

B. You will no doubt be the cutest decked out Gap kid known to man.

(Plus your parents are ridiculously good looking AND hilarious, you've got this in the bag!)

C. Hopefully your Grandma will call you 'Lil Bean' in the 'HI MOOOSE' voice.

D. Only 18 short years until you too can take the 'Boy's Trip' to Vegas.

(By then, you and Luke may be wheeling all the other boys around though..)

E. (And this is the best one)

You and your Mom are officially Great Grandpa Sal's 'Favorites'

(something I have been vying for, for 29 long years.

Look out for your $25 dollars Savings Bond in the mail...lucky kid)

Welcome to the World! We knew you could do it buddy!!!

NYC

This weekend, the hubs and I went to NYC for his bestie's birthday.

We surprised him for a little Benihana action.

The hubs is obsessed with Benihana's and it has become a tradition every time we go to NYC.

(Strat, Me, and the hubs)

We stayed at the Tribeca Grand and were upgraded to a suite. In New York terms, this means a room larger than a closet.

Not a bad view

and Champagne on arrival. This impressed me more than the upgrade. Does that mean I'm a lush?

The party was on this rooftop

where I posed for a picture

But it was really hot, as the hubs captured in this candid.

Luckily, when the sun started to go down, we got a nice breeze.

But we still had to venture inside for some a/c.

Until the sun went all the way down.

Shortly after this photo was taken, we exited the party to go on the hunt for chicken cutlet sandwiches...

Which I don't think are on the 'Italy Diet'. Come to think of it, champagne isn't either.

Woopsie.

Boo for late night cravings, yay for Strat's birthday!

Boston

I'm heading to Beantown today

even if it is for work,

it will be nice to have a change of scenery.

Happy Wednesday!

Motivation

Yesterday, I received this picture in my inbox.

(picture via kristen's own italia pics)

One of my besties, Kristen, decided to help me with some motivation for the 'Italy Diet'.

This is Rome's version of Caprese. A ball of mozzarella the size of my head, and a couple tomatoes the size of my small toe thrown in for good measure. Almost as if the veggies are a garnish, like parsley.

I think I'm gonna love it there.

The Italy Diet

No sugar + No white starches +No processed food +No alcohol = No fun

But the hubs and I have been on our 'italy diet' it since Monday

Only 21 days to go (did i say 'only'? , i meant shoot me in the face until then)

But it will all be worth it, once I get to stuff my face with this

Lord help me, it can't come soon enough.

Can We Talk?

Could this child BE any cuter?

funny business

when my sister and i were growing up, my mom always told us never to marry a man who won't dance with you.

believe it or not this thought was always in the back of my mind when i was dating someone who wouldn't dance. don't get me wrong, the hubs is no marky mark but if i'm in the mood to dance he will cut a rug with me.

if i can extend on that advice for my own future daughter ( i already have her name picked out) since you know, i have been married almost a whole two years and know everything, it would be to marry someone who you think is hilarious, and hopefully they will think you are too.

last night the hubs took me to a hole in the wall in burlington, about 30 minutes away, called the landing zone. it was a dive, we sat at the bar, had horrible service and average food (don't tell the hubs this, he loves it). on the way home we stopped for ice cream at a place called the gnome where when we pulled up the girl serving us just came out of the porta potty (my sister would die).

( i'm super excited for the 'landing zone')

can i tell you we had the the best time? all we did was laugh the whole time like a couple of school kids. when you can laugh your tail off with one person in the middle of nowhere in a place with license plates and posters of labradors all over the walls, served over paper place mats that have 'mountain talk' explain words like 'a fixin' and 'hankerin' to you while you drink beer and eat fried craw fish and would rather be there with him than at any fancy restaurant with all your friends, i think you've found your guy. come to think of it, any relationship i can think of that is a happy one, my parents and sister's come to mind, both partners are pretty hilarious. i think i'm on to something.

Ode to Louey

(Louey is currently at 'Camp Karen' until the hubs and i get back from Italy, because I am THAT GIRL who can't bear to put her dog child in a kennel.)

I miss your bad breath in the morning when I wake up and you yawn in my face.

I miss feeling you get ready to jump off the bed in the middle of the night so I have to spring up to take you outside.

I miss kicking over your water bowl in the bathroom because I am not paying attention.

I miss you coming to my mind everytime we make plans because I will feel guilty about leaving you alone too long.

I miss you bark demanding for some of our food while we are eating dinner.

I miss your happy dance when I walk in the door.

I miss having to wake you up every time I have to get up because you are sleeping on my lap.

I miss you loving on your dad one minute and growling at him the next.

I miss you putting a smile on my face everday.

I don't miss you taking off after other dogs in the neighborhood so I have to go chasing after you in my bathrobe... but we can pretend that doesn't happen while you are away.

Oh, Hi

sorry i have been away, but i have been here



in this spot



staring at this



surely, you can understand.