Our House, in the Middle of Our Street

I've had a couple requests for more photos of the house, so here you go! Rather than attempting to caption them all, I'll just provide a brief rundown here in the order they're presented: front porch, living room (you can see the dogs in their favorite sleeping spot), bathroom, bedroom, Tomkin's office, dining room, attic (half is the "guest room"--wanna come visit?--and half is storage), dining room again, kitchen, my library and office in the basement (yes, the office still needs a lot of organizing), and the laundry room (for comparison about how the whole basement looked just a few months ago). I suppose I should have also taken pictures of the house's exterior, but that would have required me to put on shoes and a coat. Another time, perhaps....

Sunday Brunch, Shopping, and Strolling

Sunday morning, Tomkin and I met my dad and Sandy for brunch at nearby Cafe Latte before they headed off to see (and hear, I suppose) the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. It's so nice living closer to them now, so we can get together like that! Tomkin and I did a little Christmas shopping on Grand Avenue--I'm not quite in panic mode yet...but close. We'll be getting together with Dad & Sandy & the boys on the 16th to exchange gifts, and I leave on the 18th for Texas, so I better get my shopping done soon!

Later on Sunday, Tomkin and I took the dogs for a walk around Como Lake. It was a gorgeous day out, and the dogs were very well-behaved (Tomkin has almost completely gotten them to stop barking at other dogs). There were hundreds of geese on the water and flying overhead, which I thought was really cool, and we got to watch the sunset. It was a nice, relaxing way to end a really fun (and busy) weekend.

The Neighborhood "Talent" Show

Saturday evening, Tomkin and I went back to Pizza Luce, this time with his friends Syd and Dave. Then we all headed over to the Scooby-Doo Mansion for Luke and AC's annual neighborhood talent show. It was quite an event! Zombie Robert Goulet served as the host, the winning team (Adam & Cheryl) did a mimed magic act, and other "talent" included Tomkin & Adam showing the proper way to give a man hug, Jim telling a truly disgusting poop-related story from childhood, Syd & Dave popping straws, AC reading poetry, and two different people performing bodily contortion acts. It was highly entertaining! We also enjoyed drinking from the "shot" machine, and I got to meet Tomkin's friend JimDog. A fun and fascinating evening all-around. This year I just watched the show and took pictures of the performers. Perhaps next year I'll actually get up on stage. Any suggestions for "talents" I could share?

Superstar!

Saturday afternoon, Tomkin and I watched Carrie's episode of "What Not to Wear." It was awesome! We both thought she looked really pretty on camera and came off as being confident and sassy, even in her multi-colored muu-muu. If you missed the show the first time around, they're sure to replay it again sometime soon. And if you live in Chicago, watch out for that sassy, well-dressed lady strutting around Lincoln Square!

Saturday in the Park and at Pizza Luce

Saturday morning, Tomkin's sister, Jenny, and her girlfriend, Allison (both in town from NYC for the weekend) came over, and we all went to the dog park. We enjoyed a nice long walk, and Scout and Chloe had fun exploring, sniffing, and playing with other dogs. We even saw another Ridgeback! The dogs were exhausted afterward, which is always the primary goal. Tomkin, Jenny, Allison, and I dropped off the pooches at home and headed to Pizza Luce for a fabulous lunch.

Who Likes Pie?

Last Friday, Tomkin and I and a few of the other neighbors brought our leftover desserts to Lucas and Shawn's house for a "leftover pie" party. I love that idea! We chowed down on all kinds of goodies and had a great time hanging out with a fun group of neighbors.

A Lot to Be Thankful For

Yesterday Tomkin and I hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our house. It was so much fun! And surprisingly stress-free. We made a ham (well, I should say Tomkin put the ham in the oven), and Tomkin made two apple pies, green beans, and some traditional Thanksgiving guacamole (as one of the appetizers). We had just enough room at the table to seat ten people who didn't mind sitting close together. Our guests were Tomkin's parents, Tom and Nancy, his sister, Jenny, and her girlfriend, Allison, plus my dad, stepmom Sandy, and brothers Phillip and Alex. Everyone is so laid-back and friendly, I knew they'd all get along swimmingly. Phillip and Alex spent much of the day watching football downstairs. We all enjoyed an incredible meal, which included a fruit salad, lettuce salad, wild rice salad (sorry, Kerri--no pear & mayo salad), and scalloped potatoes provided by our families. We had coffee and dessert (three kinds of pie!), and Tomkin demonstrated his dog-training skills. Scout and Chloe were happy to finally be let out of their crates so they could scrounge for food and get lots of attention. Of course we also took a number of family photos--everyone was very patient and accommodating. The day was a huge success; Tomkin and I both felt very loved and thankful.

Who? What? Where?

Monday night, Tomkin and I went to Becca & Omar's for dinner. Becca made some incredible Pakistani food (freakin' delicious!!), and then we played a game called "Who? What? Where?" It was a drawing game, which is usually not my forte...and this was no exception. But it was still really fun. Each person selects three cards per round--one names a "who" (such as "the loch ness monster"), another a "what" (such as "turning into a werewolf"), and the last a "where" (such as "in New York City"). Then you have to draw a picture of all of those things, and the other players try to guess what you were attempting to draw. And then hilarity ensues! Not to mention great confusion. After the game, we all strolled down memory lane by looking at some photos from the year that Becca and Cat and I lived together in Chicago. The laughter! The fun! The parties! The hair! It was a really fun evening--always a pleasure to hang out with Becca & Omar. (I'm so glad we're in the same city again!)