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Snow Day turned Golf Day

It was chilly, but I did it. My first full 18 holes. I usually always peter out around hole 12 or 13, but I knew I had to stick it out since we were being treated to this golf day by my company. It helped A LOT that it was scramble style, so you just played off of whoever's ball was best. It didn't matter that I was no good, and it went by fast! Actually, I had some powerful drives that impressed Dylan and my boss, Rory. That is, until Dylan decided to record me on video. The ball hardly left the ground and then went right into a giant flock of geese, causing a huge migration. We were all pretty entertained. See footage below (and listen closely to sound..."Are you filming me?" "No.")

Anyway, it was fun to play McCormick Ranch because we got married there. I've never played it (because I've only played a small handful of courses), but Dylan had. He is such a good golfer...I remember how impressed my dad was the first time they played, and then Rory could barely believe it when he hit the ball about 250 yards out of the sand trap. He asked me, "What are you feeding that guy?" We think Dylan probably won the Longest Drive Award, but we didn't stick around to find out. I think the tourney was a huge success for Temple Kol Ami. Thanks DBD for your sponsorship!

Can you believe it was snowing the same morning?

I would love to live in one of these houses on the water. It reminds me of Ft. Lauderdale.

Here we are at the DBD sponsored hole, #3. We didn't do very well at this one.

Another side note- Dylan and I met my parents at The Good Egg before the tournament. Dylan got a breakfast sandwich, and when he took a bite, the egg exploded (an eggsplosion?) all over his white shirt and pants. It seriously looked like enough yolk to be a dozen eggs, but it was only two. Nobody really knows what happened, but he was COVERED in egg yolk. One glass of club soda and 15 minutes in the bathroom later, his white shirt was white again and his pants were relatively clean. It was more amazing than funny. I never knew biting into an over-easy egg could go so wrong. Good thing Dylan is a good sport!

And now, it's back to the grind for both D and me. Dylan was able to barely slide on a very full 6am  flight this morning on his one chance to get to work on time. Very stressful, but we're both relieved he made it. I have a mid-week work break to look forward to when I get titanium screws implanted into my jaw. You know you have a dysfunctional relationship with working when you actually look forward to having a random Wednesday off, even if it is to get dental surgery. Supposedly the pain isn't too bad, so I am hoping to make the most of my extra day this week! I think I would actually love working if I could get just one (maybe two?) extra days off every week. I will update you on Wednesday, and I will warn you now: I am probably going to post a picture of myself with two missing teeth. I will have a "flipper" retainer thing with two teeth to wear to work on Thursday so I don't have to run around like a freak. I will go to the regular dentist after work on Thursday to get some temporary crowns put in till my permanent "teeth" are ready, which is probably four months from now. So much fun!

Internet geniuses

The Onion and Gizmodo are both so cool on their own, but when their worlds collide it is totally awesome. As a former pig owner, I found this video to be hilarious. It's worth a look.

PIG IN BOOTS

...and then there was SNOW

I received a courtesy text at 5am from my brother this morning alerting me to the fact that we were covered in snow. So of course I popped out of bed and tried to take pictures while it was pitch black outside. The snow was still falling at that point, so the pictures came out sort of cool when I used my huge flash. Then, I got up again just before 7 so I could get some shots with the sun up but before the snow melted. I've never seen so much snow in the desert before!

OMG Ramona is FAMOUS!!

I make a daily routine of reading azcentral.com, especially the Scottsdale page. I was browsing "Scottsdale's cutest pets" and thought I'd submit Ramona's photo because she's basically a super model. I think they take every submission, but I'm still a proud mom.

Go to this link and then click on Scottsdale's Cutest Pets on the left, and the very first picture is her!

Dylan said, "How is that possible? Ramona's not even cute." What a thing for a dad to say...

Click here for a direct link to RAMONA the beauty queen

Family Picture FAIL

Here are my many failed attempts at a photography project themed around matching shoes. Gray Vans- he in slip-ons and I in boat shoes, is more than enough reason to take a picture of the lower half of our bodies and our ankle-biting dogs. These animals are so difficult...if only they would just do better at sitting on command. I hope to do something fun and creative with one or two of these shots, but for now here's the whole bunch!

Dylan, you're such a good sport!

What's on tap for tonight you ask? Not Dos Equis...we're still drinking those out of the bottle. But other than that we have a neighborhood BBQ planned at the Palmers' house and just laying low. Tomorrow my boss, Rory, is taking his wife and Dylan and I on a big golf tournament at McCormick Ranch...to benefit a Jewish Temple. Sweet! Whatever, can't say no to a free round of golf and dinner. Unless it rains, of course. I'm just glad to be done with my Saturday work schedule! It's not like it was indentured servitude or anything but a major damper on life for sure.

Robbed Again

I have to work tomorrow, a Saturday, again. Grrrrrrrrrrr. Usually I'm my most happy and content on Friday nights, and though these two Dos Equis Amber with a lime have left me feeling quite chill, I still do not feel the total fulfillment and relief that typically comes with a Friday night. Oh well, I can suffer through two weeks of no Lu Day for the better good, I suppose. And since I treat myself to lavish gifts (did someone say new camera lens?) in exchange for my hard work, I guess it's a win/win situation.

So I thought I'd do a quick re-cap of the week by posting pictures I've received via email, all from people with the last name Palmer.

First, me and Hudson when he was super tiny. I can't even remember when he was that small! Thanks for the photo, Krissy!

 

A more recent picture of Hudson on the toy that Dylan and I got him for Christmas. Max sent this to me today. He loves doggies. Have you ever seen a cuter boy?

And lastly, a new bobcat friend that I did not have the pleasure of meeting. Max sent me this email while I was at work, and I just had to show my co-workers, all of whom were very impressed. Though I did not bear witness to the feral cat sighting, my husband did and it occurred just across the street from my own home, so I deem it blogworthy.

Thank goodness both houses are getting fences in the foreseeable future!

Other highlights from the week? A successful happy hour at Bobby's (they really do have great HH specials, though the atmosphere is a little fancy for my taste), writing class as usual, and a dizzy spell that lasted from Thursday night till Friday noon, but I think I'm fully recovered. Some crappy flu/fever thing has been going around the pharmacy, so I had everyone scared there for a little while. Happy Friday to you, even if I don't feel so happy!

Blog2Book

I had my blog from 2010 printed into a hardcover book, and it just came in the mail. I am so pleased with the results! I was a little skeptical because it was just a little too easy to make and it cost a fair chunk of change, but I really recommend it if you've ever thought about putting your blog on paper! And with that, I am taking off on a jog. I always complain about not being home enough during daylight hours to jog as much as I'd like, and the sun is definitely not getting any higher in the sky, so I need to take advantage of this rare moment, and I need to do it NOW. More to come later!

Sometimes it Rains in the Desert

We have been blessed with a beautiful, warm winter (except for those couple cold snaps that killed everyone's plants), so I didn't mind the rainy weekend. Especially because, as I mentioned before, it was only a one-day weekend for me anyways. But, if you start counting at 2pm yesterday, it was actually a pretty good one! I didn't do a single thing or see a single soul, which meant I could give full attention to all of my solo activities. Introvert much?

I stopped at Safeway on my way home yesterday and then whipped up a delicious homemade pasta salad that I can bring for lunch all week. I fit in a quick workout, lots of reading, and watched the movie "You Again" on Saturday night. Pretty cute. Today I began working on my paper that's due on Wednesday night, went for a jog, and got some big ideas for my entryway decorating and then made some online purchases. Dylan got home from San Francisco pretty early, and we hung out with Max for a bit and stayed around here. Yep, that's right. I haven't left the house (besides to jog and go across the street) since yesterday at around 3:30 pm. We didn't even fit in a trip to the park because by the time the weather let up, we didn't have enough time to make it worth it since it'll be getting dark soon. Oh well!

A few major accomplishments this weekend are, 1) Learning to thread my sewing machine and sewing a little pleat in a dress that used to fit like a paper bag but now looks much more flattering. Thanks to several YouTube tutorials, I can now thread the machine like a pro...four months later, and 2) I cleaned off my desk! I am too lazy to do anything with my mail but throw it on my desk. I filed away about four pay stubs...that means it's been about eight weeks since I paid any attention to the paperwork on my desk. What a fresh feeling it is to see that thing cleared off, and 3) I actually sat still for two 25-minute online Photoshop tutorial videos. So enlightening! My tech-nerdy husband steered me toward Lifehacker and it's so cool. Maybe I'll be able to master Photoshop well enough to enter a photo on Gizmodo's Photo Challenge.

And now we are approaching Sunday evening, the gloomiest time of the week. The gloominess is especially pronounced because much of the workforce has a holiday tomorrow, and for some reason I never seem to fall in the lucky group when it comes to paid holidays. Oh well, at least it means we will probably be filling prescriptions at a more manageable pace than the hurricane speed that is typical for a Monday.

I have a fun-filled busy week coming up, so I'm glad I got lots of alone time this weekend! A meeting of the minds at Sauce tomorrow night followed by a cousin/aunt happy hour at Bobby's for Aunt Fran's birthday on Tuesday, and then Wednesday is class. That just leaves Thursday to fit in a work-out and do Lu Things.

And because I'm lacking in visuals (since I haven't done anything picture-worthy in a while), here are some pictures from tinkering around with my camera in the rain. Well, the camera wasn't in the rain, but you get it.

Our thrice-repaired roof held out well all weekend with no leaks! Hooray!

My road becomes a river when it rains, but ol' Val takes it like a champ.

Happy as a Clam

Weekend mornings are the best because I love being lazy until a certain hour that I deem appropriate. My favorite activities during lazy time include reading, blogging, watching a movie, and shopping online. Since I can't sleep in past 6:30, and I think that 8am is an appropriate time to get up without feeling like I've wasted my day, that gives me a full hour and a half to do as a I please! Dylan is always still asleep during this time, and the dogs continue to rest lazily in our bed. Lu time galore!

On this particular morning, I am reading Matched, but I also had some other fun books arrive yesterday that I will be flipping through, like Lauren Conrad's Style book. Here I am snug as a bug in a rug and happy as a clam with one of my furry friends.

Though I don't look particularly pretty (in fact ugly is the word I would use), I'm comfortable, and I'm also happy because I found a website to download Photo Booth after deleting it from my computer a while back (stupid!). Now I must go, I have lots of deals to explore online!

A Review From Lu

First off, my blog has been sorely lacking in restaurant/happy hour reviews, probably because I haven't visited many new restaurants or happy hours lately. I think I've been busy? Maybe? I dunno what the deal is. But anyways, last weekend was pretty low key, so we had several meals out. I told you about our famous loves, Sushi Brokers and The Good Egg, but we also had the pleasure of dining at Juan Jaime's on Thompson Peak and Hayden for the first time. Dylan and I met Shawn and Elaine there for some tacos and margaritas. The price, quality of food and margs, and service all deserve three thumbs up. And being relatively close to home, you can be sure we'll be visiting there again some time soon, assuming Dylan and I can manage to be in the same place at the same time some time soon. We also visited the newly re-opened Reata Pass, an old local favorite where I consumed that last beer that put me over the edge. Welcome back, RP!

My second review rates Barnes and Noble vs. Amazon. B&N gets a huge [insert fart noise] compared to Amazon. I took advantage of some Groupon or Living Social thing and bought a gift card to B&N. I was pleasantly surprised that they had free shipping for orders over $24, but that is where the pleasantries ended. I placed my order over a week ago and still have nothing to show. Upon tracking my package, I discovered that they use the horrendous DHL to USPS system which takes for freakin' ever. I think I'll stick to my free two-day shipping with Amazon Prime and have the convenience of ordering anything under the sun, thank you very much.

I've Been Robbed of Lu Day

The weekend is almost upon us, and it generally finds me as one Happy Lu. This one is an exception, however, as I'm being robbed of everything cool about the weekend. I have to work, and Dylan won't be here. How did I come to such an ill fate? I'll tell you, and it's really not as bad as it sounds.

Dylan is going to a friend's wedding in San Francisco. I don't get many days off, and I don't know the friend very well (plus San Francisco in February sounds frigid), so I'm not going. It so happens that assistance is needed on the job front this Saturday, so I figured I'm all alone, why not? Plus, it's supposed to be cold and rainy on Saturday, and I hope that it is. I'm sorry if you have outdoor weekend plans, but I will feel much better if the weather sucks. So, not the most ideal way to spend Lu Day, but when I get my paycheck with all that OT, I'm sure I won't be complaining anymore.

You may think I'm silly for mourning one lost weekend (and actually I work next Saturday, too, so the second half of February is all bummer for me), but 90% of my happiness and fulfillment comes from those 2.3 days each week (I count Friday night as the weekend). My life is great, and I know it, but let's be honest- sleeping alone in a big, empty house and getting up every morning to do something you don't really like doing is not anybody's idea of a good time. Don't get me wrong, there are great things about the weekdays, including occasional dinners with friends or family, my writing class, jogging outside on the days I get home before the sun sets, walking my doggies, my favorite TV shows and books, etc. etc. etc. But still, the weekend is SO MUCH BETTER.

Good thing I have about 49 weekends each year that I don't work, and usually my husband is here with me. I'll just focus on the positive I guess. (Haha, that's crap. No I won't, I will sulk and pout till March).

Public Library

I headed to the Mustang Library this morning because I needed some past issues of Phoenix Magazine for a project for class. Going to the library always reminds me of being a child and begging my mom to take me there to rent stacks and stacks of books. I would also browse the used bookstore inside the library and bring home several treasures at the fair price of 10-25 cents a pop. What a weird kid I was. But that's besides the point.

The library was HOPPIN'. Every terminal, every desk, every everything was occupied. Mind you, it was 10:30 am on a Tuesday. I had to be in and out in 30 minutes so I could get to work, and I was so jealous of all of these people and their leisurely lives. I wondered what they were all doing. Researching their life's passion, gathering information to write an article, or simply browsing the newest releases in fiction perhaps? What a great life! So, I got to work and had to tell everyone about these lucky people who live life on their own terms. Without skipping a beat, the response to me by my co-worker was, "Those people are unemployed. Looking for a J-O-B is what they're doing." Oh...duhhhhhhh. I guess the grass ISN'T always greener...

Happy Birthday, Arizona!

And Happy Valentine's Day to you! I'm about to officially begin the work week, but thought I'd fit in a quick blog before I give all my precious time away to somebody else in exchange for money.

Dylan and I had the best weekend. We spent a lot of time at home and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Our Valentine's Day was yesterday since the ol' J-O-B is totally disrupting the real V-Day for both of us. We kicked it off by enjoying an outdoor breakfast at The Good Egg, Dylan's favorite. Then we went on a bike ride with Max and Hudson and a Rhino ride out in the desert. I made a yummy dinner, and then we enjoyed an episode of Royal Pains (half an episode for me...).

Cous cous delight

Prosciutto-wrapped apples

Stuffed shells

Dylan snuck this teeny tiny rosebush into our cart at Wal-Mart and gave it to me during our Valentine's dinner.

Sneaking in a geocache on our Rhino ride.

Dylan enjoyed a relaxing 3:30 am alarm this morning to catch the kickoff flight to Dallas, and I went to the skin doctor. We know how to party...well, at least we know how to party a day early when the real holiday comes at an inconvenient time. He did, however, leave me the sweetest card in my car which put a big smile on my face on the way to the doctor. I am so lucky to have such a spectacular guy. I love you, Dylan!

Natural Disasters

My dogs look ridiculous right now. Their hair is so overgrown, but it's too cold still, so I won't take them to the groomers to get buzzed.


Joe-hawk

How could you not love a sweet face like this?

Dog that can't keep his pee in check.
Licking head while watching Tosh.0.

In other news, check out this sweet mat that father Miller got us for Valentine's!

On Tap for this Weekend

I'm not so sure what our weekend will end up like, but that's my favorite way to kick-off the best two days of the week. I know the weather is supposed to be great, so I hope to spend ample time on my anti-gravity lounger reading Matched and my textbook for class. Our only definite plan is having the fence guy coming over this morning at 11. Yes, we are finally getting fenced in! When most people buy a house, the fence is part of the package, but not out here in the deep 85262. Take it from me, never take your fence for granted. It helps to keep out the wildlife, allows you the freedom to let your dogs run around and provides the necessary privacy to swim naked. I don't have a pool and skinny dipping is not my thing, but still. This opens up a whole new world for me, and I am thrilled. Some time after the fence we will be putting in landscaping, and then our house should be almost normal!

Soon I will be getting out of bed and fitting in a work-out to help my bloated body recover from yesterday's sodium overload. Chinese food for lunch (beef and broccoli...yum!) followed by sushi (soaked in soy sauce) for dinner gave me sausage fingers and made it difficult to take off my rings last night. Alex and Amy joined us at Sushi Brokers after work, and we exposed Jess and Kevin to its awesomeness, too. The eight hours that Jess and I sat next to each other at work just wasn't quite enough for us, so we threw dinner plans into the mix and had so much fun! Dylan and Kevin had the great idea to try quail eggs and convinced the rest of us to get in on it. It was just a very salty shot, but I guess I'm glad I can say I tried it. Some Friday night pharmacist fun (Dylan and Kevin were outnumbered 4 to 2). You can't beat it.

Dylan and I are hoping to fit in some sort of pseudo-Valentine's Day celebration since we'll both be working on Monday. I'm thinking a home cooked meal, but haven't come up with a menu. Any suggestions? While I'm soliciting suggestions from my readers, I would also like input on a couple of assignments for class. One is a personality profile and the other is one of my big stories that can be about ANYTHING for any magazine or newspaper. If you know of an interesting person I can interview or an idea for a story (any idea will do), let me know. I have some things in mind, but I like to hear what others think as well.

What do you think?

The photography teacher last week was critiquing pictures that people brought into share. We were learning about white balance, so I was excited to bring in this picture where my white balance is way off. I love this one of Hudson destroying his cake (I have about 200 of them starting with the cake perfectly intact all the way to the baby being covered in cake). It definitely needed to be straightened and warmed, but he also thought the outlet on the wall was distracting and said I should crop the photo, including cutting off his right foot. I like it cropped, but I miss the foot I think. Hudson's just so stinkin' cute, I guess it doesn't really matter.

BEFORE

AFTER

Superbowl/Birthday/Fish Fry Party

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Dylan, happy birthday from Lu!

And finally, to wrap up the weekend, we had our yearly birthday/Super Bowl party. The fish fry was a success all because of our Minnesota friends. Thanks guys! We got home about an hour and a half before our guests were scheduled to arrive, and I had done very little to prepare. I whipped together some cupcakes and tried to straighten things up a bit, but in the end it didn't really matter. Everyone brought so much delicious food and drinks, and fun was had by all.

It was kind of a low key party, except for the bachelor boys who stayed up all night playing games that involve money, cards, and beer. When I woke up at 6 on Monday to go to work, the three boys had been at our house for three nights, plus two other people I hardly know were sleeping in random places in my house. The place was a mess, and it smelled awful. This is why I only allow the bachelor boys to stay at the house twice a year: once for the Super Bowl and once for the Draft Party. That is two times more per year than any other married couple hosts them, so I don't feel bad for anybody. Don't get me wrong, I had a blast, but I'm glad to be back to normal and have my house semi-clean.

Check out these awesome cookies that Cosmo's mom made for him to bring to the party.

Fish fry set-up

That's hot!

Walleye Bill doing his thang

I dare you to touch that boiling oil

Luna visiting the pups.

Funfetti and red velvet cupcakes for the birthday boy. Happy 2-9 Dylan!

Left-Right-Center?

Lu Day at The Open

Traditionally, Saturday is known as "Lu Day" around our house because we do what Lu wants. This Lu Day rocked. It was Saturday at The Open and the weather finally began to warm up. Michael finished up two holes in the morning and didn't tee off again till 4pm, which left plenty of time for Dylan, Ted, Bill, Cosmo, and I to consume lots and lots of beer and make several cheers to Lu's Day. I'll cheers to that! 

We got to The TPC early enough to get in at 16 without a wait. It filled up less than an hour after we got there, and the line to get in was over two hours long. What a perfect day to not follow Michael. Waste Management attempted a "green out," but I think Dylan, Cos, Cat, Ricky Fowler, and I were the only ones wearing green. I was happy to do my part to help the environment, though. 

So, we settled into our seats and the boys determined the rules for betting on which caddy would be the first to touch the green. Did you know they did that at 16? I didn't. It was my first time hanging out there, and wow was it rowdy. The best place for people-watching for sure. All the early 20-something's were dressed as a group. Either all in "golf theme," i.e. boat shoes, Polo button-downs, plaid, argyle, etc, or all the girls wearing skinny jeans and flats, or all the girls wearing short skirts and boots. I'm sure I was just as big an idiot at that age, but it was still fun to laugh at them. I haven't seen that many boat shoes or boys dressed in "coral" (meaning pink) since I lived in Charleston. 

The other highlights of my morning at 16 were: 1) I witnessed the hole-in-one by Jarrod Lyle that made the crowd go nuts, and 2) some dumb girl was already barfing on the grand stands at 11am. It was gross, but gave me good material for making fun of the young, drunk people.

After 16, I said hi to my parents, ate lunch, and then met up with a bunch of our friends at Hole 19 on the Water, or whatever it was called. We also snuck into the MidFirst tent at Corporate Village to have some free late afternoon appetizers and cocktails (thanks Chris and Erika!). Then, it was time to follow Michael, and by this time we had a huge group, and everyone had had way too much to drink. We continued our party all throughout the front nine, which was entirely inappropriate and probably very obnoxious for the other people following the group. I'm sure I was the one being made fun of by other people at that point. We were, however, very respectful when the volunteers held up the "Quiet" signs while a golfer was hitting.

The view at 16. I had to be very sneaky...the security people in the purple coats were reprimanding camera and cell phone users left and right.

Cosmo and Dylan

This Hole by the Water place was also a great spot to people watch. It was open to the public, and all the party people that couldn't make it into 16 and didn't have VIP passes came here.

Michael and his caddy, Putty. Putty is a kiwi. 

Michael made the cut! I'm sure our overly loud support is what got him there.

Cos made a new friend on the bus. No more clubhouse parking for us.

Four days at The Open, and I had a great time every day. I remember the days when I would get hooked up with a Greenskeeper pass and enjoy food and cocktails all day, never watching a second of golf. I thought that was fun, but this was way better. I think this was one of the best weekends I've spent in Scottsdale in probably at least a year. I'll be missing you till next year, Waste Management Phoenix Open!