Archive for October, 2008

A couple of months ago, we bought Jabberwocky a brand new toy from Target. I named him Duncan, I’m not entirely sure why, but he looked like a Duncan.

Jabber's brand new stuffed friend, Duncan the lobster

Now Duncan was a fairly sturdy little lobster. His legs were made of hard knotted ropes that were strung through his body. I was dubious at first as to how long Duncan would last in the temperamental world of a gnawing puppy dog. But boy howdy, did our dog love that lobster.

Everywhere Jabber went, Duncan was sure to follow.

Jabber would fight for Duncan’s honor.

Nobody gets their hands on Duncan! No one!

Jabber would suffer all sorts of hardships for Duncan.

Jabber didn't even mind being a footrest, so long as she had her Duncan. (Notice Duncan's head is now missing)

However, one day, love’s fickle nature caught up to the perfect lobster-dog relationship. Jabber tore Duncan, her patient friend, to pieces. I came home from work to find bits of lobster all over the house.

All that is left of Duncan, the lovely lobster.

Jabber has not quite recovered from Duncan’s passing (into the trash can). So, when I found a certain puppy costume at Target, I knew I had found the perfect tribute to Duncan.

Meet Hines, the lobster dog! (Duncan and Hines...get it? I know, I'm a genius)

Look at those deliciously plump lobster claws!

Come on, you have to admit it made you chuckle just a little. I dressed her up just before Andy came home from work on Friday. I promised her a nice bone to chew on if she waited patiently at the door for Andy. I also told her that Andy would most likely rescue her from the lobster outfit when he returned. So, she actually sat quietly at the garage door waiting. The peals of laughter that erupted when Andy got home was well worth the $7 I paid for the ridiculous costume. With that said, Hines the lobster dog wishes everyone a safe and happy Halloween this week!

Doesn't she look absolutely thrilled? I bet she LOVES Halloween!

I’ve discovered that though I love my four day weekends, I do spend a lot of the time running errands and doing chores. Most of the day Friday was spent cleaning the house from top to bottom in preparation for Mom and Dad Trommer’s arrival. I do love our house when it’s nice and clean. It’s generally not that messy, but a freshly vacuumed carpet and shiny mirrors does make me happy. The Trommer Parents made it to Keller safely and in good time. Jabber was thrilled that there was someone else to devote their time to scratching her tummy. She’s such a mooch!

Early Saturday morning, we drug ourselves out of our warm comfy beds to drive across town to the Dallas Museum of Art. Why? Well, because King Tutankhamen‘s exhibit was in town! Words of advice, if you’re going to go, make sure you purchase tickets in advance for an early time slot. I applied my Smithsonian Museum logic to the situation, where the earlier you go, the more manageable the hoards of tourists will be. Thank goodness I was right. When we arrived, there were a few families ahead of us. However, for the most part we walked right into the exhibit.

Andy, Dad and Mom Trommer waiting in a relatively short line to see King Tutankhamen's worldly possessions.

We weren’t allowed to take any photos inside. So, you really should visit the museum yourself. The exhibit will be in Dallas until May 2009. I learned a lot about the 18th Dynasty of Egyptian history (1333 to 1324 BC). Most of the displays have very informative plaques and signs to help viewers understand the historical importance of each piece. Just the detail and the incredible workmanship on every single item is amazing. We spent about 1.5 hours inside wandering around. The end of the exhibit spits you out right into an interestingly placed King Tut gift shop, where you can buy anything from a King Tut tissue box holder (the tissues are pulled out of his mouth) to Zahi Hawass‘s expedition hat (he’s the professor on every single History channel Egypt special) to a genuine King Tut baseball. Lovely!

When we exited to the rest of the museum, we saw that the line for the King Tut exhibit was enormously long! They had the cattle guard like devices that theme parks use, and people were out the door! Thank goodness we got there early! Since the rest of the museum was open, we took a quick look at several other displays. After all, tickets to the King Tut portion also include seeing the other permenant displays.

Dad Trommer and me lounging on futuristic cardboard chairs. Art that you can relax on? That's my kind of art!

Soon enough, Andy’s tummy started growling and we set out in search of some lunch. We stopped at Village Burger Bar in Uptown Dallas. Yum! I had a tasty Southwest Turkey Burger, it was nice and spicy. Plus, their sweet potato fries are particularly delicious. After a relaxing meal, we headed back to the house. Andy and Dad Trommer watched a rousing game of KU football. I think they lost? I’m not entirely sure, I wasn’t really paying much attention. I love KU, but let’s face it, football is less than entertaining to me.

In the evening, Courtney and Griffin drove down to join us for dinner. I found a intriguing recipe for a shrimp boil in my Real Simple magazine that I’ve been dying to try. So, we did a surf and turf theme for the night. We grilled up some steaks, baked potatoes, and of course the shrimp boil. I bought some terrific frozen ciabatta rolls from Central Market, which were baked to perfection. All of this was followed by a Costco bought apple pie, a la mode of course. Everything turned out better than I had anticipated, so yay!

All of us gathered around the table for a land and sea meal.

After dinner, the weather was beautiful, so we alternated sitting outside and talking with staying inside listening to music. Turner, Griffin and Courtney’s puppy, was invited over to play with Jabber. They had a very good time wrestling. It was quite amusing to us human folk.

Jabberwocky Versus Turner

I’m working on getting the video uploaded correctly. However, it’s confounding me for the moment, so in case it doesn’t work, a picture will have to do. **Update: I think the link should take you to the video, I’m still working on how to get the video actually on my site…suggestions?**

Jabberwocky with her best friend and cousin, Turner

Mom and Dad Trommer left for home yesterday afternoon. It was a pleasant visit with lots of fond new memories. It’s always nice to have visitors, it makes for a nice break in routine.

Mom Trommer with her two boys and two devilish dogs. Look at the fangs on Jabber, goodness!

The next time we’ll all be together will be Thanksgiving! This year is going by so fast, can you believe it’s almost time for the holidays? Andy and I are trying to figure out clever Halloween costumes, but are having some problems with the execution. We’ll see what we can come up with. Here’s the link for all the photos we’ve taken this fall.

The weekend started as most our weekends do, a hard day of work on Friday followed by a nice relaxing evening out with our friends. I should have known last Friday was different. I spent most of the day at work sneezing continuously. I attributed all that nose tingling unpleasantness to me rummaging around dusty storage warehouses. Little did I know, this was just a forewarning.

Thrilled that we survived our first week back to our jobs, Andy and I headed out to meet up with our friends. For those of you that don’t live in this area, this weekend was the big annual Texas versus Oklahoma football game. (FYI: Texas won) Personally, I could not care less. However, we were promised an interesting party scene. Since I like some good entertainment, we made the trek into Dallas.

We were not disappointed. There were full sized buses and parades of cars from both Austin and Norman all hunting for a coveted parking spot. One of the cheaper bars had lines that wrapped around the block! We sensibly chose The Barley House, which was across the street from said cheap bar. It had a nice outdoor patio, no lines, a wide selection of draft beers (which made Andy very happy), a decent band in the back, and still allowed us to be able to watch the madness that was unfolding. The weather was beautiful, making the whole being outside thing (not something I usually like) rather enjoyable. It was nice to sit back, relax, and enjoy the night. As a bonus, we have discovered that sitting outside means our clothing will not smell like smoke when we get home.

Donald, Ethan, Brandon, and Andy enjoying a variety of beers

Brandon, me, and Ethan looking all see through...perhaps we're bar angels!

During all these festivities, I was a little sniffly. This doesn”t really bother me, I’m usually sniffling throughout the year. I blame Texas and its abundant supply of allergens. By the way, I was completely sober and a responsible party goer. It was my night to ensure Andy and myself made it home to a happy happy Jabber dog.

It still amazes me that our very presence can make Jabber so happy.

I woke up Saturday morning and my sinuses were throbbing. It was the kind of sinus pain where your entire face hurts. This really bums me out because we had a lot planned for this weekend. Andy was going to take me to the Alliance Air Show! I have never been to one before and was eagerly waiting in anticipation. We were going to work on the front yard together, a chore that has been too long neglected. We needed groceries, the house is begging to be vacuumed, and to top it off, I had been invited to a girl’s night out hosted by my boss’s girlfriend.

So, I took some Tylenol Allergy and Sinus and tried to go about business as normal. We went to Fry’s for some necessary computer parts, and to the Toyota dealership for an oil change. It was during the hour long oil change that I realized that I really wasn’t doing so great. With every breath, it felt like my head was on fire. When we got home, I went straight to sleep. Andy had plans to go out with a co-worker to the UNT football game. (insert an appropriate joke regarding UNT’s useless football team here) In a few hours, I managed to drag myself out of bed, pop a couple more sinus pills and walked to the girl’s night party. Yes, walk. My boss lives on the street next to ours. It’s a little bizarre, but he’s a cool guy, and we haven’t had any issues so far.

My co-worker Con, a co-worker’s wife Nancy, the boss’s girlfriend Erika, and about 10 other girls were all there eating, drinking, and chatting. I was not at all feeling up to giggling my way through the night. However, to be polite, I nibbled some crackers and shared some stories. To be fair, I’m sure I would have had a terrific time if my head didn’t feel like it was about to explode. The girls were all so nice and they seemed like a fun bunch. However, when the board game playing began, I had to escape. My poor nose had been rubbed raw from continuously blowing it all day. So, I sniffled my way home.

Jenny, Con, and Nancy enjoying some nibbling delights

More girls enjoying their girl's night out. No I'm not in the photos. Me not feeling well means I'm also not feeling photogenic.

Today has been an entire day of me lying around being a bum. I am pretty annoyed at myself and my sinuses. I hate that there is a million and one chores to finish, and I haven’t the energy nor pain tolerance to get them done. Andy is diligently working on yard, and I can hear the jet planes flying in the distance reminding me of the air show I’m missing. Jabber is being a good puppy and hasn’t left my side. I do seem to be doing a good job of anchoring the couch down though. I think the part I hate the worst is losing all my sense of smell and taste. It makes for a miserably bland existance. Here’s to hoping my sinuses behave and allow me to go back to my normal pace very soon.

Our second wedding anniversary, and may there be many more to come.

Andy and I getting ready for a fancy dinner.

Jabber and I being goofy for the camera

Enjoying a fantastic celebratory dinner at Cool River in Las Colinas

Click here for all the photos from fall 2008 (minus DC trip, plus more Jabber = awesome!)

I woke up on Saturday (10/03/08) feeling a little forlorn. I loved our trip to DC and wouldn’t have changed a single second of it. It’s always so sad when a long planned vacation comes to an end, especially when you have to leave so many friends behind. Then again, it’s nice to go home. I missed my bed, and more so, I missed my Jabber dog. (who is currently completely sprawled out on her sofa fast asleep…bum dog!)

Andy, Robbie, Jessica, and I took a walk along the Georgetown harbor/Potomac River before lunch. Much like the days before, Saturday was a beautiful autumn day. The sun was shining, the river sparkling, and the trees swaying from a slight breeze in the air. I miss fall, it’s my favorite time of the year. Sadly, it happens to be Texas’s shortest season. It tends to go from crazy humid and hot to slightly annoyingly chilly. Oh well, I suppose I can at least be thankful it doesn’t ever get truly cold.

We stopped for lunch at Nick’s Riverside Grille. The food was decent, though hardly the BEST that they claimed from their menu. Before we went our separate ways, we did get a few good pictures together that will have to last until we are able to meet up again.

Andy, Robbie, and Jessica in front of our hotel in Georgetown/Foggy Bottom

This time Andy, me, and Jessica in front of the hotel. Thank goodness it's not a horrible backdrop! Though now that I think of it, why didn't we turn around and get the Circle in the background?

From there, we took the Metro all the way to the green line’s end at Greenbelt. Then we took a bus from the Metro stop to the Baltimore airport. We absolutely loved traveling on the Metro in DC. If you’re thinking about renting a car in the city, don’t bother. The Metro gets you everywhere you want to go faster and more efficiently. Parking alone in the city is a nightmare! For our 6 day trip, we bought a 7 day short trip pass. It costs $26.40, gives you unlimited travel during non-rush hour traffic, and deducts fares from your total price during rush hour. Yay for mass transportation!

When we arrived in DFW, first things first, we went and picked up Jabberwocky from her Aunt Courtney and Uncle Griffin’s apartment. It was evident that she had an absolute blast playing with her Cousin Turner, and hadn’t really missed us at all. Double bum dog! After dinner and some minor relaxing, we headed downtown to meet up with the group. They had just finished watching Dustin Diamond‘s free stand up comedy show. Blech! I had absolutely NO interest in watching this crass and bitter man perform. However, when we got there after the show, he was still hanging around. Why not get a picture? Sadly, it turned out a little blurry and you can see through my head…but it’s good enough for a photo of Screech. **Shudder**

Ethan, Screech, Donald, me, and Andy at Hyena's Comedy Club.

It’s feels good to be home, but the thought of going back to work tomorrow…not so good. But what can you do? I have to help make more money for the next fabulous trip!! The complete set of DC pictures can be found here.

Our last full day in DC, sigh… Friday (10/03/08) was supposed to be a day where we could do all the things we missed throughout the week. Strangely enough, there wasn’t all that much left to accomplish. Again, I take credit for planning such a fantastic agenda throughout the week. After randomly wandering around the Mall being annoyed by various tourists, we decided to get lunch. If anything, this trip has taught us that both of us get pretty cranky if our blood sugar dips too low.

Now, I am not ashamed to say that I am an avid watcher of the Travel Channel. One of my favorite hosts is Samantha Brown. She recently visited DC and suggested going to Ben’s Chili Bowl for a fantastic meal. So, we ventured down to U Street and sat at the counter enjoying a delicious half smoke (it’s a grilled sausage/hot dog like item covered in chili), cheesy fries, and a chocolate milkshake. Yum!

After lunch, we hopped back on the Metro and headed for Arlington National Cemetery. I have been there before, but have never actually been inside, if that makes any sense. Last time, my family and I just took a photo out front with the Iwo Jima Memorial. This time, we headed inside to pay our respects.

The thousands upon thousands of little white tomb markers makes for an impressive, but extremely somber mood.

Of course, we had to stop and think of our 35th president, John F Kennedy. He and several of his family members are buried in the cemetery.

And the Eternal Flame continues to burn...

We ended our visit by watching the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. (by the way, the website for the Unknown Soldier that I linked above really needs to think about changing to another URL. I was shocked to read “Tomb O Fun” but I think it’s supposed to be “Tomb Of Un”. Might want to ponder a change people!) I’m going to let Andy post the video he took, in an effort to coax him into posting a little of the DC trip from his point of view. We’ll see how well that works…

In memory of all those that died protecting us and our freedom.

After this depressing, but completely necessary trip to Arlington we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We are lucky enough that our friends like us. People from all around the area trouped into the city to enjoy a meal together, a very special occasion. Robbie and Jessica came in from Richmond, Scott drove from Baltimore, and Shernuk actually set aside time from his hectic schedule. We had a wonderful time eating, drinking, and sharing stories at Gordon Biersch in downtown DC. The food was excellent and company couldn’t be beat!

Some of our BVNW gang enjoying a night in DC.

Afterwards, we took a nice walk around the Mall. I suggested this partially because we have never seen the sights at night and partially because I needed to walk off dinner. The food was so tasty, I couldn’t help myself! We finally got a picture of the White House that we wanted, one without any crazy protesters!

To think, some of the most important decisions in the world happens in there!

Eventually, people started heading for home. Jessica and Robbie stayed in our hotel with us for the night. This means, of course, that we stayed up late talking. It’s so very rare that we get to see these friends, that we tend to be a little greedy with our time when we finally meet up with them. Another late night, another missed blog that wasn’t rectified until now. Sorry! (link for DC photos, in case you have missed the previous ones)

Okay, so I did a pretty good with the posting up till Thursday (10/02/08). Sorry about that! Our activities just got too time consuming, and blogging fell by the wayside. Thank goodness I have a day off to catch up/do massive amounts of laundry. Get ready, this one’s going to be a long post.

We got up a little later than usual on Thursday, probably because we’re too gosh darn lazy and all that DC walking around has just tuckered us out. First thing we wanted to do was head for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. I actually had no idea such a building existed, this was an Andy idea. Even though we didn’t see a show, this was probably one of my favorite places we visited. After working in theater for so long, this was a destination that Andy had to see.

The John F. Kennedy Center of Performing Arts is a spectacularly unique building.

We had a nice lunch on the rooftop terrace cafe. The view is amazing from the terrace. If you’re short on time and want to see all the sights, I say just go to the Kennedy Center! You can see all the major sites! Plus, while we were munching on our lunches, we saw the Presidential Helicopter fly right past our window. Fun!

Andy and me on the rooftop terrace of the Kennedy Center.

After lunch, we got a guided tour of the facilities. Everything is beautifully done and with its own history. Many different countries wanted to show their appreciation for our deceased president, JFK, and presented his memorial center with elaborate gifts. If you have the time, you can even take a virtual tour here. However, I must point out that seeing the building on your computer screen simply doesn’t do it justice.

For instance, the front entryway crystal chandeliers were given by Sweden.

The 58 feet high mirrors that line the front entryway are a present from Belgium.

The Swedish chandeliers and the giant Belgium mirrors make for quite an entrance.

The massive organ at the back of the Concert Hall stage was donated by the Filene Foundation of Boston.

The Concert Hall at the Kennedy Center, one of its four main stages

The Israeli Room (of course donated by Israel) is one of the Center’s many gathering/conference rooms. It can be used for special member only events or meetings. The ceiling is a giant mural showing several old testament scenes where music is important. (as shown through the reflective mirror on the table, makes for one awesome tablecloth replacement, don’t you think?)

Andy really liked this indirect shot of the Israeli Room ceiling mural.

On the far wall is a walnut wood panel depicting Psalm 150.

Several old testament instruments are also depicted with their Hebrew transliterations.

The Presidential Suite at the Concert Hall. If he chooses to see a show, he gets a little resting area behind his box seats.

Doesn't it look comfy? It has a full bar and kitchenette, as well as its own bathroom.

The absolutely gorgeous crystal chandelier in the Opera Hall is a gift from Austria.

This is probably my very favorite of all the gifts that we saw. But thank goodness I don't have to dust or change the light bulbs on this guy!

And of course, JFK’s bust is in the entryway greeting all those that support the arts.

This was done by American sculptor, Robert Berks and weighs 3000 pounds!

From the Kennedy Center, we walked along the Potomac River until we reached the Tidal Basin. This began our tour of some of the most famous landmarks in America. Thank goodness the weather was amazing! I think I probably would have cried if we had to do this in the rain.

The Lincoln Memorial

FYI: do you know the difference between memorial and monument? Supposedly a monument is for someone that knows something is being built in their honor, and a memorial is built after one’s death.

Me in front of the Lincoln Memorial's famous side profile.

It's Abe Lincoln himself! Penny anyone?

Korean War Memorial

We actually just stumbled upon this memorial, but we're glad we got to see it.

The memorial pool at the Korean War Memorial had a sleeping duck in it! It was napping in 2 inches of water, how strange and uncomfortable!

My favorite memorial to date, the FDR Memorial. It’s a beautiful site that is spread out amongst trees and running water.

Andy likes this quote, several of which are carved into the memorial throughout the property

Me and Fala

One of the many reasons why I respect FDR, he loved his dog, Murray the Outlaw of Falahill (aka Fala), so much that a statue of the pup is also included in the memorial. Gotta love a man that loves his dog.

The Jefferson Memorial

Another recognizable building that can be seen from afar, the Jefferson Memorial.

It's Thomas Jefferson!

The World War II Memorial, which is another of my favorites. It’s absolutely beautiful and so peaceful. It wasn’t until later that I found out there is quite a bit of controversy regarding this memorial. Turns out, when deciding upon a location, they used an already existing pool and fountain. In addition, there was protests that this memorial would interrupt what was an unbroken view of the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. No matter, I think it’s fantastic!

I could have sat there for hours on a beautiful day like it was on Thursday.

Andy and I in our SECOND picture together for the day in front of the WWII Memorial, will wonders ever cease?

The Vietnam War Memorial

It absolutely astonishes me how many names are carved here and how many soldiers were lost in this war.

Another of my favorites, Albert Einstein. He was a little trickier to find. He’s located behind the National Academy of Sciences Museum. I would have been interested in visiting this museum, if it were free like all the Smithsonian Museums. Plus, we were just out of time at this point.

Me and Einstein, I'm always in awe of what he accomplished and wonder what else he might have had in that big brain of his.

After all that walking, I was pretty tired. So, we hopped on the metro and took the red line all the way down to Shady Grove. Our friends from high school (I know, I know….we have a lot of friends from high school that have made it to the DC area), Erin and Kevin were waiting for us. We had a nice dinner at Bugaboo Creek Steak House. Surprisingly enough, the food was excellent for a restaurant with a talking moose on the wall. I haven’t seen either Erin or Kevin since high school graduation, so it was nice getting to catch up with them.

Andy, me, Erin, and Kevin enjoying a nice rustic dinner.

We then realized that the vice-presidential debates were on television (did you see the SNL version? It’s hilarious!). So, we hurried back to their very nice home and plopped ourselves on the couch for a good fight. Sadly, no train wreck was available for our entertainment that night. I will not go so far as to say Governor Palin did well. Avoiding any confrontational questions is not a sign of a good candidate. Did she manage to get through the debate without crying? Why yes, I’ll give her that much. However, I didn’t learn anything about her point of view on any of the important topics. This is a woman that has a shot at being president? Yikes!

After the debate, we hopped back on the metro to our hotel. We didn’t get back until well after midnight, which is why I didn’t get to post. I warned you that this was going to be long, but mostly because of all the photos I wanted to share. If you can believe it, we have more that I haven’t posted here. But they are in our photo gallery, which you can access here!