Thanksgiving

Today I am thankful that I was able to cook a Thanksgiving meal for my husband, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law, and that it turned out quite tasty.

I am thankful that Rob decided to take the day off and no work on personal projects today.

I am thankful for the nap we got to take on the couch after the dishes were done.

I am thankful my husband lovingly did the dishes.

I am thankful that our rabbit is ok after his fall from Rob's arms last night.

I am happy I can put Christmas decorations up this week.

I am happy Rob and I are heading to visit cousins for the rest of the weekend.

I am happy because I am remembering not to stress too much.

I am happy that I am loved.

Triple Date Weekend

This weekend has been great for me and date night. Three dates in three days! Thank you to my super handsome and incredible husband.

Date #1: Friday night Rob and I went to Aubergine Cafe for wine and cheese. This was a great date, because it really started the weekend off right and I was able to get some stress relief and was ready to relax all day Saturday. The funny story here is Rob fell out of his chair while we were there. If you know me you probably know I really like to kiss Rob. And at the cafe I decided I needed a kiss, and Rob told me no, I was too far away, so I sat forward a little so that he could meet me halfway over the table. Rob gave in to my need for incessant kisses when we are out, and stood a little to kiss me over the table. However, when he sat up, the heavy winter coat on the back of his chair pulled the chair over. So after the kiss Rob went to sit down, only the chair was not there, and he ended up sitting in the space between the chair legs. So not a full fall, but the woman who saw him going down was worried. Then all I hear is my name yelled - KASEY! I laughed and blushed a little. But the kiss was totally worth it.

Date #2: Saturday night we grabbed a bite to eat at a diner then went to see Bolt in 3-D. Cute movie, the 3-D is really good. I was reminded however of why we usually wait a couple of weeks to go see kids movies. The crazy kids that are running around hopped up on coke and candy, and three of their best friends. I was impressed though at how well the rowdy boys in front of us in line behaved once the movie started. You should see this movie.

Date #3: Tonight after church we decided on sushi for dinner. We usually order and eat at home, but since we were already out decided to eat at the restaurant rather than getting our food to go. An impromptu date, but it counts doesn't it?

All in all a good weekend. And to top it off I even got around to cleaning the bathrooms and doing the dishes. So the apartment is clean too. Now if I can just get the the pile of papers toppling off my desk...maybe after three more dates.

Robot Part 2

So last weekend the shoot for the music video happened in our living room while I went shopping. Here are a couple of photos from the event. First is Josh performing, his song Test is for the video. Then there is a picture of the brothers hanging out in the robot together. Hopefully the video will be done in a few weeks. I'll post a link when it's done.

Memo on Me.

This is something I saw on Candace's blog. I like it because it's different than most of the "about me" posts I've seen. Just copy and paste the list and then bold or italicize the statements that are true for you. Did you know all these things about me?

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (from the beach)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

What about you?

PS - I might elaborate on some of these later.

Robot Set vs. Living Room

So last weekend while Rob and I were enjoying our weekend in DC, Rob's production partners of One Stuck Duck were using our living room to build the set for the upcoming shoot of thier music video. Rob's brother Josh is a musician, so OSD is making a video for his song, Test. This will be another Live Action / Animation short. See here for their other work. The video has giant robots in it, the robots will be animated the drivers will be Josh and Eric. So in order for them to have something to drive, I came home on Sunday night to find a messier version of this.


I say messier because Rob has spent the last few days adding elements - like the levers and lights - so that the pile that was on the carpet in front of the set is now nearly gone. It take up most of the room. We can't really sit on the couch. I can only see half of the screen that shows me tv. The table is next to the bathroom. The ottoman is against the wall on its side. The rabbit is totally freaked out because his running space is blocked. I'm not complaing really. But oh, will I be happy next week when this is dismantled and put away. What do you do with a giant robot cockpit you ask? Well return as much as possible. Use the wood to block the air conditioner holes that dont' have units yet, put the rest on the sidewalk, and hope for a really truly awesome music video that will win awards and make us famous beyond our wildest dreams. Ok, not really the last part, but come January, there should be a pretty awesome video.

Now if you notice I am sitting in the giant robot cockpit, because, well, if it is going to be in my living room I am going to play. Here are some photos Rob took of me driving the robot and singing my version of the song into the disco ball microphone. That part I might have to keep.

Tomorrow is the big shoot. I plan on being out of the apartment all day to keep my sanity. But when I return creative genius will have been at work. As my dad told me, it could be worse, Rob could be building a race car or montser truck in the garage.

3 Months of Wedded Bliss

I can't believe it's been three months already. But at the same time, all bundled up in my winter sweater August seems like a long time ago.

Weekend in DC

Rob and I headed to DC this weekend to hang out with our friends Kirstee and Tim. We got in Friday night, had dinner and went back to their apartment to rest up for Saturday. Saturday was all about watching the GAME. Indiana vs. Wisconsin of course. We went to Rhino Bar in Georgetown, which happens to be the Ohio State and Penn State alumni hang out. But is also much cooler than the Indiana alumni bar. We got a table our pitchers of beer and plate of food and settled in for the long haul. Which actually turned out to be a pretty exciting first half, then came the second half. As Wisconson started to pull further and further ahead, the Penn State game was about to start. So we toasted our loss gave up our table and headed out to see some history. And what was the Penn State game all about???

I've only been to DC a couple of times and have never seen all of the monuments. So we took a little self-guided walking tour. From Georgetown, we walked to the Lincoln Memorial where there is a great view of the Washington Monument as well. Then on to the Roosevelt Memorial, which is very cool. It is a winding path of waterfalls with lots of FDR's quotes engraved on the walls. After the Roosevelt memorial we headed down to the water (not sure what body of water it is) and walked around to the Jeffereson Memorial. Because of the open columns on all sides of the memorial and the sky was so blue, it looks like a painting when you approach. And inside the way the ceiling is constructed it looks like it goes up forever. Next trip we are visiting the White House.

More pictures to come...

Election News

Check out this link: Madison Courier

My Aunt is the new Judge in Jefferson County Indiana!

Congratulations Alison!

Fancy Dinner

Last night we busted out the China and had Sarah and Robert over for dinner. It's scary pulling all of the fancy dishes out of the cabinet. But oh, so worth it. I started the table with my new round Crate and Barrel place mats, and the white lace runner I bought in Brazil. I got this idea from the new Williams-Sonoma catalog, but C&B is so much more affordable for place mats. And when I went to C&B yesterday on the way home, the store redeemed itself (I've been a little disappointed the last few months) because in one of the bins they had $2 candlesticks. And oh, how I looked for those this summer for my wedding. So now I have them sitting safely in the china cabinet. Oh yeah, and we used the fancy linen napkins too.

For the rest of the table, the china was ready to go. Plates and bowls for soup. Desert plates and coffee cups counted and set aside for desert. For drinks, I pulled out the crystal wine goblets and our Mikasa drinking glasses (which I am saving for company until we break all of our current every day glasses). Silverware out and we are ready for food.

I also got a really cool decanter as a wedding gift so we used that for water (the wine went straight from bottle to glass). And then I found we have a dearth of serving ware. I have one platter that matches the china pattern, one white platter from college, and then I am stuck with mixing bowls. Not one serving bowl to be found!

On the menu:

Honey Pecan Pork Chops
Oven Grilled Asperagus
Mashed Potatoes (with real potatoes)
Buttered Bread

For Dessert:
Rob's apple Pie a la mode

My beautiful table:

"Haunted" Black Forrest Cake

My cousin Andrew got me this really awesome cookbook as a wedding gift. 100 Best Desserts. So for our Halloween party at work I made the Black Forrest Cake. It was delicious! Thanks Andrew.

Rob and Kasey Go to White Castle: The Twilight Zone

So every couple of months Rob or I will get a craving for some delicious White Castle Burgers. And lucky for us there is a White Castle near our apartment and also one a couple of blocks from our church, so we will grace the establishment with our presence. (If you have a strong aversion to eating at White Castle, please keep reading as it is not the point of this story. I like it because we used to get it when I visited my grandparents, and Rob likes it cause, well he's a guy.)

So this is the first time we've been to the one near church, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It is smaller than the Queens restaurant, but has seating. We go in and order. We get our food and sit down. The employees and clientele are somewhat questionable, but it's ok. We sat in a corner table. (Rob had the forethought to put my purse in the corner seat rather than the one open to the other tables, just in case.) Across the eating area from us is an alclove of sorts, there is one table, a wall of gumball machines, and the bathrooms. A well dressed woman, in a black suit is sitting at the table looking through some papers. She asked for a knife and extra plate, I can only assume that plastic knives are viewed as some sort of weapon as they were in a lidded plastic container behind the counter. Not to strange yet. But then she asks us if we were going to be at our table for a few minutes and if we would mind watching her things for a couple of minutes. I said sure and she walked out the door. I immediatley thought of this post from The Meanest Mom, a blog I came across in my new hobby reading blogs by people I don't actually know. My back is to the woman's table so I tell Rob to watch out for sketchiness as I am tell him about the post when I realize that the women did not go to the bathroom, but outside. So I ask Rob, "Where did she go?" His answer, "To get a pizza." So confused.

But sure enough the woman is walking back into White Castle with a pizza. I look at her thinking she went to get a pizza to take home to the family or something while comtempating why she didn't take her stuff with her, when she asks us if we would like some pizza. Now why anyone would ask this when we have clearly just begun eating our tray of delicious White Castle burgers is beyond me, so I roll my eyes and go back to eating. At some point in the next few minutes a guy asks if he can have a piece of pizza, I hear her say in about 10 minutes, so I turn and look and see her setting a square of paper with numbers on it in the pizza box. I turn back to Rob when he alerts me to the fact that she is taking pictures of the pizza. So wierd! He says she is taking pictures for evidence in her trial. I mean she is in a suit in White Castle. I am intrigued, I can't stop watching, but I have to turn carefully as staring is rude. She folds the box down, and it looks as though she is about to eat, when NO! she tacks the paper to the back of the pizza box top which is now propped against her White Castle cup, and takes more pictures. I guess the first set weren't good enough.

Now she sits down, pulls out the knife she asked for earlier and begins cutting the pizza. Fun stops right. NO! It gets even wierder! She cuts the pizza into eight pieces (we were watching closely once the strangeness got out of control) And turns every other one upside down. Then she continues cutting. Two cops come in. First she asks them if they want pizza (seriously - you don't come to White Castle if you really want pizza) then as they inquire she tells them they can't kick her out she isn't doing anything wrong. And goes back to cutting her pizza. Each piece is cut in half, and she moves them around like puzzle pieces, turning some upside down, and others not. THEN she proceeds to build some sort of sculpure. Rob asks me at this point if I've ever seen "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." I haven't but I guess there is a character who has to build the same shape over and over. This woman reminded Rob of that. I'm telling you it took great restraint to not pull out my camera and start snapping away.

I really wanted to ask her what she was doing. Hoping there was some very logical reason why a woman in a suit is taking pictures of and making a scuplture with a pizza in White Castle. But then I told myself I would be inviting a conversation that I'm not sure I want to have with a strange woman building a pizza scuplture in White Castle. Rob went to thow our trash away. The trash can right next to her as she is now takign pictures of the pizza sculpture, with the square paper with numbers on it now on the sculputre. It took all of Rob's restraint that he didn't ask her either. Instead we walked out of White Castle and cracked up laughing.

The strangest thing I've encountered in quite awhile. And living in New York, and the fact that Friday was Halloween, that is saying something. I really wish I knew what it was all about...