Herbie the Love Bug

This is Brad.

This is a 1994 Nissan Altima.
Back in its prime, I imagine that the Altima often took streets by storm.
This is Brad's 1994 Altima, sitting in our driveway, now crippled and stripped of its' license plates and registration. If it didn't have tires, it would be up on blocks.

Brad bought this little gem of a vehicle back in 2001 after his previous car (a Jetta...who knew?) was totaled. The Altima drove many, many miles with Brad. It checks in at 160,000 miles.

Once upon a time, it even had four hubcaps.

Over the years, the Altima had its' share of troubles. First, hubcaps started falling off. One by one, they all found new roadside homes in various corners of the northeastern United States. We can't really be sure where. Back when the first one escaped, we do know that we drove around in Norwalk trying to find it. And, amazingly, we did.




Later, more serious issues started occurring. I remember a trip to Target to buy rust inhibitor in a spray can. Rust was creeping its way up the side of the car. It's a hazard of New England winters, where they use salt to melt snowy streets. There were some coils underneath the car that cracked and had to be replaced. There was muffler replacement #1. It was followed in subsequent years by muffler replacement #2 and then muffler replacement #3. There were new brakes. There were a lot of coordinated trips to the mechanic to keep the Altima running strong.




All along, we knew that one day repairing this bad boy was just going to have to stop happening.
We wanted that day to come after Brad had graduated and we returned to dual-income household status. The way we justified repairs, if they cost less than what we'd be paying annually for a car payment, then keeping the car was worth it. Our favorite kind of cars are the kind that don't have car payments, you see. With both cars long ago paid off, the pops of $400 and $700 repairs were painful, but in the grand scheme of things, not really so bad when considering a car payment could be running anywhere from $2000-$6000 a year depending on how fancy we wanted to be.




So when Brad called me one day three weeks ago and said: "Looks like we have a decision to make," and I knew there had been another trip to the shop that day, I knew it was time. We had to suck it up. We had to return to the land of the car payment. Seven days later, we picked Max up and brought him home. It's been eight years since I've had a new car, and I adore this one, even though it's not totally new (it has 20,000 miles on it).




As we've bounced around the idea of a new car the past couple of years, the one thing we've kept coming back to is wanting to have a sporty car that's fun to drive before we start having kids...and we got it!! The best part is, it's sporty AND big enough to roll around with a baby Mac or two when they make their way into our family, so we won't have to get rid of it when those days come (years away, people, years away).




The one thing that cracks me up is that it actually has a tape player. Really? It's a 2006. Pretty sure they don't still bust out the cassette tapes in the local record shops.

Brad was sweet enough to offer to keep driving my old Jetta and let me zip around in the new car to my heart's content. I love driving it. It has a heated steering wheel. I didn't even know a feature like that existed. I'm still trying to figure out how to synch up the Bluetooth system with my phone, but hopefully I'll master that soon.

We have someone coming to look at the trusty old Altima tomorrow and hoping to score a few bucks for the thing. Maybe that will cover the mechanic's bill from the 2 days the Jetta spent in the shop this week...ahhhh, fun times NEVER end!

He liked it so he went and put a ring on it.

One year ago, Mr. B made me a very happy girl. Well, I was already a happy girl but he added diamonds. Since we've never really determined an anniversary date in the nearly five years of togetherness since we could never really determine whether that date should commemorate the first time we kissed, the first time we went to brunch together, the first "date" we had or when I finally accepted that he did, in fact, want to make me his girly-friend and stopped being stubborn.

So, when March 8 became a defining date in our lives last year, I insisted that for all years to come, the engage-iversary should be celebrated. So it finally came around this weekend. B coordinated the efforts. We were going to head back to Vermont and re-create our e-weekend, but given that we're in turbulent economic times, we have a wedding going on this year and we bought a car this week...that plan was scaled back. One of the things we always wish we could do is to go out for dinner and drinks at all the places in the "big city" (ummm, Hartford) that always look so cute (Brad does not refer to restaurants as cute, but I do), but we struggle with the safety factor of driving 20 minutes home after having drinks so usually this plan is ix-nayed.

For this weekend we decided we'd stay at a hotel nearby and actually get to do a little responsible tour of the bars & restaurants in the area without worrying about getting home...Brad decided on New Haven (about an hour away, where Yale is). So we packed up the car and zipped on down.

I surprised Brad with a bottle of our favorite wine - which we first drank the night we got engaged, then enjoyed the next afternoon at our hotel with cheese, crackers & fruit, and haven't been able to find ever since!! I ordered it in through a distributor and had hidden it in my office since January :-) Well, it and nearly a case of its friends. We toasted and ate Girl Scout cookies. Brilliant combo.

After this, we ventured out to the wild streets of New Haven in search of restaurant #1. We wandered into an adorable place called Zinc, right across from the New Haven Green. L.O.V.E. this place. I happily snacked on wasabi peas for about 45 minutes and drank a delicious cocktail called Evolution, which tasted like a mojito or a caphirina - it had blood orange vodka, simple syrup & muddled basil. SO good.
Next we strolled around the corner to this adorable little dim sum place called Chow. We ordered the BEST edamame EVER. It was all snazzied up with something spicy. We will begin sharing the self-portraits now, none of which are terribly flattering...please excuse. Since Brad has the longer arm (thank goodness), he usually gets stuck taking these and you can just read the joy in his face for being assigned the task. Next stop: Irish pub. These are B's favorites. This was a super Irish-y dark wood type of establishment, and we decided it was the perfect place to check in on little brother Brad...so we rang him up and had a nice long chat with him. Or it might have been ten minutes, I can't be sure.

So. You know how it's said that you'll marry someone just like your dad? Well. While Brad is his own little special person, over the years I've seen certain characteristics of Ted peek through. And I love my dad, so this is mostly all fine. If there is one thing Ted has always been teased about, it is his note-taking & filing system. It stemmed from the way he takes notes on his patients, which are each on their own 3" x 5" index cards and tucked away in his shirt pocket. As he made to-do lists, those too were outlined on these cards and also tucked away in the same pocket. You can imagine my delight when, as we sat down at dinner, my Bradley pulled this list of bars to hit up on an index card. From his shirt pocket.

Around this same time, Brad went mute. Mmmm, okay, this didn't happen, but he started signing to me across the table. Most un-Brad-like.

That's right. He signed "I" "HEART" "YOU". Not real sign language, but a heartfelt attempt.

Every time I look at this I think of a different caption to put for what Brad's face is saying.
I will repeat none of them.

After dinner, we sashayed (we didn't really sashay) over to this swanky spot called 116 Crown down the street. The pic doesn't do it justice. The ceiling was painted to look sort of like a stormy sky and in real life (not a picture from the internet) there are these big arrangements placed around the bar that reach up to the ceiling. And the bar is marble and lit from underneath, which is why it looks like it glows. There are also these cocoon-like pods for people to sit in to eat. Chic.

Then we ventured over here, to Firehouse 12. Unlike this pic, the place was paaacked and just as small as it looks. We opted not to stay. But it was cute too.

By this time (ummm, 10:30, maybe?) I was tired. And my feet hurt. So back to the hotel we went. I was asleep in 1.5 seconds.

The next morning, we were still tired. It shows. I attribute it to Daylight Savings Time beginning.But, we perked right up when we found this place - Bella's. I am obsessed with this place. Seriously. The BEST BRUNCH EVER. I want to eat there every day of my life.

THANKS FOR AN AWESOME FIRST ENGAGE-IVERSARY HONEY!!

May we have many, many more :-)

In honor of the new mama's and papa's

Brad and I are pleased to introduce our future children. Since we are in no hurry to actually create these offspring just yet, we thought we'd bring the virtual munchkins to you to pass the time.

As I predicted, they look just like their father...or not.

And clearly they're not all that into the smiling thing.

This one is just a little "bonus" child I couldn't resist when I saw he came with a duck outfit. They really deliver them with all the bells and whistles these days, don't they? Maybe it was his way of confirming that he belongs to me, too.

Should we stay or should we go now??

Where do you think we'll wind up after Brad is officially a DPT? It's been the topic of much conversation around our (pathetically de-valued) house lately and we're far from a decision! Where on earth will we wind up? Will we be staying in Vernon (if the market has anything to say about it, you can count on it!!)?? Will we pack up in search of new adventure??

Maybe you can sway us???

Whaddaya think? Votes over there to the right...

I'll be hoooome for Christmas...

5:44am Eastern (2:44am Pacific): BlackBerry alarm goes off. See email from Mom saying: "The weather is not getting any better. Just looked at the long range forecast and it is snow/ice/freezing temps for the next week." Brilliant. Things are starting off well.


5:46am Eastern (2:36am Pacific): Feel glands in my neck. Size of large marbles. Difficulty swallowing. Nose functioning similar to a running faucet. Head stuffed with cotton balls.


6:38am Eastern (3:38am Pacific): Finally manage to zip rolling duffel bag up. Small tear in rolling duffel near zipper. Hoping it does not expand and spill contents somewhere between Connecticut and Oregon. Inside rolling duffel is a smaller rolling suitcase in case of disaster (and/or more stuff to bring back) on the return trip.


6:50am Eastern (3:50am Pacific): In the car. Brad is late for work due to my lateness getting out of the house (sorry honey).


7:33am Eastern (4:33am Pacific): Luggage checked, things moving along nicely.


8:04am Eastern (5:04am Pacific): Eating delicious breakfast burrito. 2/3 of the way through, realize breakfast burrito is dripping down my sweatshirt, on my jacket, and ultimately on my purse. Fortunately I was given seven napkins, so manage to clean things up decently.


8:54am Eastern (5:54am Pacific): Dribbles on my sweatshirt still visible. Looking classy. Flight delayed until 10am.

10:51am Eastern (7:51am Pacific): Flight departs for Chicago. Seat in last row of plane ensures full visibility to lavatory activities.

11:34am Eastern (8:34am Pacific): Elderly man moves toward lavatory. Elderly woman follows.

11:48am Eastern (8:48am Pacific): Elderly man and elderly woman depart lavatory area. Certain that mile-high club has been joined with pharmaceutical assistance.

12:31pm Central (10:31am Pacific): Flight lands at O'Hare. Text message upon powering up phone indicates that, inexplicably, the flight scheduled for departure at 12:15pm did, in fact, depart on time. Clearly, I was not aboard.

12:39pm Central (10:38am Pacific): Make way to rebooking kiosk. Rebooked on flight departing Chicago at 3:36pm. Flight destined for SEATTLE. Then a two hour layover and THEN a flight to Portland. Nooooooooope!

12:43pm Central (10:43am Pacific): Realizing the flight I just got off of was continuing on to Seattle, return to gate and ask agent if there are any seats on this flight (which people are presently boarding). Middle seats, she says. SOLD.

1:12pm Central (11:12am Pacific): Back on original plane. Seated comfortably in middle seat. Now nine Kleenex in. Nose continuing to stream consistently. Several sneezes per hour.

11:54am Pacific: Onboard movie begins. Ghost Town. Mildly amusing to me. The Funniest Movie Ever to my aisle seatmate, who laughs out loud and claps at the parts he finds most hilarious. There are many.

12:38pm Pacific: Asleep with mouth open.

12:47pm Pacific: Awaken to claps to my left.

3:44pm Pacific: Flight lands in Seattle. Make way to gate for next departing Portland flight. Nourishment since 5:04am breakfast burrito: one $6 snack box. Inquire as to availability on 5:03pm departure. Am told there is availability but my ability to take advantage will hinge on whether my luggage can be retrieved. Am asked to wait in the area for them to call me back up.

4:15pm Pacific: Still waiting in the area. Another flight from same gate is cancelled, so rebooking those passengers consumes gate agents' attention.

4:37pm Pacific: Still waiting in the area. No plane present for 5:03pm departure.

4:47pm Pacific: Decide it's time to check in on availability. Still no plane. Ravenously rip into oatmeal bar Brad put in my bag upon realization there would be no quick trip to get additional food. Upon reaching counter, confirm that I was forgotten. Quick check of computer indicates my checked bag is not in Seattle. Location unknown. No matter, the kind agent puts me on the flight.

5:07pm Pacific: Plane arrives at gate.

5:17pm Pacific: Am on-board plane #3 of the day. Concerned when flight attendant asks passengers to move to different locations on the plane to balance weight. Pilot indicates need to wait for de-icer due to ice buildup on the propellers. That's right, propellers and weather worthy of ice. And I'm flying in it.

5:54pm Pacific: Still on the ground. Watching minutes tick by and realizing hopes of making my 6:45pm shuttle are growing more distant as the minutes pass. 35 minute flight. Next shuttle: 8:00pm Pacific/11pm Eastern.

6:41pm Pacific: Finally land in Portland. Call shuttle service to ask if the driver can wait for me a few minutes. Am told driver must leave at 6:50pm sharp. Initiate sprint across airport tarmack, up a flight of stairs, and down one entire terminal of the airport. Feel like death is upon me due to parched throat and dribbling nose. No time to stop to fill out delayed/missing bag paperwork. Must. Make. Shuttle.

6:49pm Pacific: See shuttle shining in the distance like a beacon in the night. Scamper on board, feeling sweat running down my back. Cannot believe I made it.

8:18pm Pacific: Arrive at Red Lion Hotel in Salem and see little brother Brad waiting patiently for me. Delighted.

8:42pm Pacific (11:42pm Eastern): Finally walk through the door of mom's new house. 18 hours since alarm went off, and 6 cities, 4 airports and 1 burrito later...

Home for Christmas :-)

J'adore.

I love books on CD. They are my newly renewed Favorite Thing. For a while I was into them and checked them out from the library, then had my assistant Brad upload them onto my iPod so I could listen to them wherever my travels took me. I sort of got away from that but last week when I had a seven-hour drive ahead of me, one of my colleagues granted me the blessed gift of a book on CD that she just so happened to have in her car. While I'm never a fan of a seven-hour solo roadtrip in a rental car, this book on CD made that trip INFINITELY better. I'm already on the last disc after my 3.5 hours in the car today - I'm DYING to know what happens.

Possibly the Best Thing Ever for this week. My assistant should begin preparing himself for a new onslaught of library CDs for upload.

James & Missy tie the knot!

One of the highlights of our summer was a quick trip to Lake Tahoe for the wedding of one of Brad's good friends from high school, James. He and his new wife Missy live in San Francisco and decided to have their wedding close to home at an absolutely stunning venue high above the lake. We flew down to Sacramento from Portland, where we had spent a whirlwind week with my family...more pics from that trip to come! We met two more of the high school guys, DJ & Brian (who are also two of Brad's groomsmen), at the airport and off we went in our luxury full-size rental car with Brad at the wheel!
Along the way, we stopped for pizza in Folsom...not exactly a coincidence! One of my great friends from college, Melissa McCaughey, now lives in Folsom with her husband Ryan. Unfortunately they were out of town for the weekend so we didn't get to spend any time with them, but we did get to take a quick tour of their cute town and have some great pizza...here's proof that we really were there, MoMo!! Check out that Folsom sign in the background!

Finally...TAHOE!!

When we got to the ever-classy Days Inn, we ran in to check in but then realized we needed something from the car. When Brad got back to the car he realized his wallet was missing...oh geeze. Exactly what we needed to start the weekend. The guys went on an all-out search of the car and turned up NOTHING.

Then the lady behind the registration desk comes outside with Brad's wallet in hand. It's always fun when you set those things down somewhere and then walk away -- brings a little excitement to the day.

We finally made it to the rehearsal dinner, which was at a great outdoor restaurant right next to the lake -- such a great time reconnecting with Brad's old buddies. James asked Brad, DJ & Brian to be ushers at the wedding and they were pros :)

Brad & James

Before the wedding, Brad and I were out for a (VERY) short run -- the altitude is a killer -- and randomly Brad wanted to stop at a McDonald's we passed for a bathroom break. He's never done that when we're out running, but nevertheless, this was the time. I thought maybe it would be cooler inside McDonalds, but when I realized that this was actually NOT the case, I turned around and went back outside to wait. As I opened the door, I saw a familiar face...and one not affiliated with the wedding. Melissa McCaughey's MOM was walking in the door!! Jan and Bill are two of my favorite parent friends EVER and they were in town from Anaheim in Orange County. I hadn't seen them since Melissa's wedding last summer and was SO excited to get to catch up with them for a little while. How random is THAT??

To get to the site of the wedding, we took a ski tram up to the peak of one of the mountains surrounding the lake - the view was absolutely breathtaking:

We had the opportunity to meet Missy last Thanksgiving weekend at their engagement party in Old Lyme, where the guys grew up. Missy is one of those people who just lights up a room and makes you feel like you've been friends forever - I've loved the times we've been able to spend together and am so happy to have been able to share their amazing day with them!

The cocktail hour & dancing were held on the patio with this view...

As the night went on...ohhhh, boy. James, DJ, Brian & Brad

James took a break from the dancing to make sure Brad was fed:

And we're back to the dance floor. Watch out for these moves in August '09:

Congratulations James & Missy -- we love you guys!!