Respecting the Institution of Marriage

David Letterman.
Gov. Mark Sanford from South Carolina.
John Edwards.
Gov. Eliot Spitzer from NY
Gov. David Patterson from NY
ESPN's Steve Phillips.

What is it with men in positions of authority thinking they can get away with affairs? It is disgusting to me that the aforementioned men have no respect for the institution of marriage. Most recently, I feel like there has been a rash of men in the public eye who have admitted to having affairs. I realize that it's not just an issue of men committing these acts -- that women participate too -- but it is incomprehensible to me that the men in positions of authority don't have the common decency to control themselves to protect their wives, their children, the companies/constituents that they represent. I feel incredibly lucky that I grew up in a home with parents who worked hard to maintain a solid marriage (and they just celebrated their 45th anniversary June 13 - yay!). My message to America: be true to your spouse and remember your vows!!! The world would be a much better place. I'm going to go hug my husband now, and thank him for being the best hubby ever :)

(PS - SB says that I shouldn't be an angry blogger about all this....but this topic really gets me all riled up! He says I should return to reporting on "puppy dogs and ice cream" -- so I will....once I can shake all this nonsense from my system :)

Daisy Disaster

Daisy will be 3 years old in January....and I've heard that labs only start to calm down a bit when they hit 5 years old. As is, she gets extraordinary amounts of exercise (runs 3-5 miles 4-5 times a week, she does tons of ball-throwing and retrieving (she's even trained our neighbors to throw the ball for her too)) -- but she is still so hyper! Yesterday we were in our front yard, and our neighbors came out with their extremely well-behaved, adorable golden retriever, Champ. Let's just say that Champ totally lives up to his name - he obeys, he is sweet, and he isn't mischievous like Miss Daisy. So there we are, throwing balls to Champ and Daisy, when all of a sudden Daisy takes off and runs into the neighbors' garage. Apparently she smelled the dog food they keep in there, managed to open up the bag, and just seconds later when I ran to get her - I found her with her face and front paws inside the bag, scarfing everything she could possibly fit in her mouth. Ugh! What a stinker! I spanked her and told her no! (and then was second-guessing if I should have spanked her in sight of the neighbors....what would they think, etc.....yikes - how will I react when I have kids, etc. etc.) She sure can be a handful - but I just love this cuddly pup to pieces!!!!

(as a puppy)(in March)

Fave Flats

I started wearing flats when I worked in DC. Trust me, it isn't worth walking from home to the metro to work, and everywhere in between in stilettos (that's not to say I didn't pack them to wear while at work...just not for the long treks). Thankfully my new interest in flats coincided with them becoming a big trend!! Even now that we've moved, I still like wearing them - especially since I'm working from home and things are a bit more casual :) I'm especially into the styles with lots of adornments - bows, pearls, ruffles galore! I'm sooo tempted to buy a pair of Revas, but I just can't justify the price when there are lots of other (cheaper) cute options out there. Here are some faves (all from nordstrom.com):

Crafty Pumpkins

On Sunday I purchased two pumpkins, a few thumb-tacks (I chose the "black leather" finish....75 tacks were about $3.50 total), and.....voila! I created these beauties:
I do have to give credit where credit is due -- I found the idea on Pink Cupcake's blog. Since SB and I won't actually be around to cut into the pumpkins and light them up as jack-o-lanterns, I think that this still shows the spirit of the season. Daisy was more interested in eating the stems than posing for the camera :)

First Tennis Match in STL

Yesterday marked the start of the USTA season in St. Louis for my new team. The 4.5 women's teams here have a "pre-season" that lasts from October till January - and allows us to play with 5.0 players. I was nervous going into our first match because I haven't been playing much since the move....probably a total of 3 times in 3 months (ugh!). So I was even more uneasy when they slotted me to play 1 doubles......but things went pretty well. My on-again off-again serve was on (yay)...and the only thing that didn't feel great was my return of serve. I played on the deuce side of the court (which isn't necessarily where I feel most comfortable) b/c I played with the team captain and she only plays the ad side. It was a great, close match (point-wise) - but we won 6-2, 6-2. Unfortunately our team didn't get the W, but I was happy with how things went!

Must read. Like now.

Yesterday was the perfect day to curl up under a really cozy throw and just read. It's cold here, and SB and I both have colds. I started the day on like page 400 of American Wife: A Novel.... it's such a page-turner that it was just calling my name to finish it. I highly recommend this book. It's purely fiction, but it's based (quite closely) on Laura Bush's life -- from high school to post-White House. The kicker for me is that it's based in Wisconsin - in Riley, Madison, Milwaukee and Door County (and then on to Washington DC, of course). I now feel the need to do a little research to see if certain parts really occurred in Laura Bush's life (ie: unfortunate accident, and the Chicago incident with Gladys Wycomb).
The main character, Alice Lindgren - grew up in Riley, and then moved to Madison to attend the University of Wisconsin. She stayed in Madison, and became an elementary school teacher, and later the school's librarian. The episodes in my hometown were so true to the city that I feel like Curtis Sittenfeld, the amazing author, clearly did her research to get to know Madison during that timeframe. The book follows her through various episodes of her love life, her friendships, and her family's trials and tribulations. It was during her Madison elementary school years that Alice met Charlie Blackwell, the son of the state's governor, and a very politically-active family. Charlie Blackwell (aka: Dubya) changed Alice's world as she knew it. They had a very passionate relationship, and Alice came to know the ins and outs of the state's most powerful family. The ending left a little to be desired, but everything up till DC was awesome. In short.....it's a "must read." Like now.


PS - do you guys use the site GoodReads? It's a site that allows friends to share their book reviews with each other, and keeps track of what you read and how much you like it. It's nice to be able to look at what I've read over the last 3 years (since I started using it), and see what I liked and what I didn't b/c it's so easy to forget!! Check it out.

Date night!

SB and I will be heading out tonight for the Blues vs. Thrashers hockey game. It's the opening night for the Blues at home -- which always ups the "cool factor" a bit. Now that neither of us works in the NHL anymore, this will actually be the first hockey game that we've been able to watch together in the stands!! The last game we watched together was the Thrashers' playoff game (in 2006, I think) - from the press box, but we were technically working, so that doesn't totally count. It is raining cats and dogs right now here, but I'm excited for tonight!!

Weekend Recap

The weekend absolutely FLEW by! We started it off with a fun run together.

Then SB and I went here:...to meet up with an old friend/colleague who now represents an amazing artist (he had a booth at the festival to show a few pieces of art). We also sampled a little of this:Then we watched UGA's game....(not a good outcome):Then we met up with the old friend again for an amazing dinner at Flemings. It was a full day!! On Sunday we lounged around, watched the Rams (ouch...they're 0-4), and then ran some errands. Nothing too exciting, but it was a great weekend :)

I give up.

I started reading Wicked a few weeks ago because I'd only heard amazing, fantastic, unbelievable reviews about the book. PLUS, the Broadway show is coming to St. Louis next summer (I'm already planning on going), and I figured that reading the book would make the show that much better. So, fast-forward to today....and I'm like 200 pages in, and I hate it. I'm not into it at all. I don't think I've ever given up on a book before. Usually I just trudge through it even if I hate it, just to say I've read it. Well, yesterday in the waiting room of our local automotive service center (getting the ol' oil changed, and feeling like a big dope because I don't know anything about cars or maintenance or even the kind of oil that my car uses), I decided that if it couldn't even entertain me in that circumstance, well it just had no hope. It's back on my shelf, and I'll be happy to give it to anyone interested in testing it out.

So, with that book out of the picture, I've now read every book in the house. What's a girl to do then?? Head to the library!!!! That's right - forget Barnes & Noble and Target, I'm now a proud new owner of a library card. I'm so excited. I haven't had a library card since high school...it's about time, eh?? This is what I picked up:

I'll keep you posted on these when I'm done. I'm already 50 pages into The American Wife, and I really like it.

Falling for Stripes...

Ruffles are an obvious trend this Fall. Head out to the mall, and you'll see them a million times over in just about every store. Another trend you'll notice is STRIPES! Here are a few of my faves:

(Vineyard Vines)
(Gap)