So long, Farewell

Considering how absent I've been from my blog as of late, I thought this might be a good time to close this chapter and start a new one. Therefore, this will be my last post on The Adventure, however...

I'd hate to disappoint all my faithful readers, all six of you, so you can check out a new adventure that Josh and I are embarking upon here.

80/35

We went, we drank and I danced...a lot.

Josh's favorite, Man Man.

The Envy Corps know how to put on a good show.

Ben Harper-blame it on the 10 a.m. mimosas or the 2 p.m.-11 p.m. beers, but things got a bit fuzzy by the time he played. Yikes!

Oyster Shooter

The boys thought it would be a good idea to do an oyster shooter at one of the bars. The following is not a reenactment.

Before

After

Things I Love Thursday-Cake Doughnuts

I LOVE cake doughnuts! If you're ever in the Portland area, do try to stop at Voodoo Doughnuts. You won't be disappointed!

The couple that eats an inappropriate baked good together, stays together.

Gnomes...they do Exist

I had my doubts about the existence of gnomes but after finding ourselves at the Annex in Portland and sipping on this cocktail, those thoughts were put to rest.

Gnomin' on Gnomes Milk, (don't ask).

Missed the Tour, Found the Beer

Didn't make it to the Widmer Brewery Tour but managed to do just fine at the Rogue Pub.

Baseball Oregon Style

Baseball game at PGE Park=excuse to drink beer outside.

M.I.A.

I haven't blogged in three weeks! It's not that I've been busy, just lazy really. We went to Oregon a couple of weeks ago to visit Nick and Amy, so to make up for this lost time I'll be posting a pic a day from our vacation.

Making the best of things while trapped in Abilene, Texas. On the plus side, they ordered us pizza while we waited for weather to clear in Dallas (which it didn't), and for our plane to get fixed (which it didn't). Note to self: Avoid Dallas/Fort Worth when flying.

Things I Love Thursday-Good Things Come in small Packages

I LOVE my new business card holder. My old one was a hand me down from my former boss and wasn't really my style so I've been in the market for a new one for awhile now. The other holders I've had my eye on were going for around $20 to $30. Pricey, right? Luckily, the shopping gods have been smiling down on me recently so last week I found this new treasure for the low, low price of $4.50. It works great for work or play since it fits neatly into a small purse or clutch too. Thanks, Forever 21 accessories!

Babies Meeting Babies

On May 29, Annie and Andrew's baby met our baby for the very first time.

Suds, this is Ben.

Ben, this is Suds.

"I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Joe and Brooke Day

Joe and Brooke's nuptials was our big item on the agenda over the weekend and Josh's parents came down to help celebrate. Highlights include "healthy" margaritas at Dos Rios, DJ Seth Thomas rockin' the mic at the reception and devouring the spiciest pizza known to man on the corner of Court Ave. at 2 a.m.

Joe and Brooke during the cake cutting.

Great view from the terrace of the State Historical Building!

Josh, Paul and Joe out on the dance floor.

Things I Love Thursday-New Music

I LOVE discovering new music. Although I have to be honest and say that most of the music that I discover is mostly music that Josh has discovered first and either a) recommended to me or b) left lying around for me to get my greedy little paws on. And that my friends, is what marriage is all about.

Most recently, I've incorporated the Avett Brothers into my music library. They'll be in Des Moines in June, so excited to see them live!

I-Cubs game + Margaritas = Fun for Everyone

Annie had tickets to the I-Cubs game so we all headed out to Principal Park on Friday. Given the title of this post, you can gather that our Memorial Day weekend definitely started with a bang.

The boys

Look who enjoyed his very first I-Cubs game...JT Ruden!

Did you know that El Bait Shop has margaritas? We didn't either, it was definitely a pleasant discovery though.

Things I Love Thursday-I've got Shoes, they're Multiplying

I LOVE flats. It wasn't until this past winter that I really embraced the shoe that is the flat. Generally, I've opted for the pointy toe heel but after buying a pair at Kohl's for only $4, I am definitely a flat convert and enthusiast. I picked up these two pairs at DSW on clearance, not for $4, but I love them just the same.

Des Moines Honeymoon

Josh and I spent a lot of quality time together with just each other, no other friends, no other couples, over the weekend. So from now on, we will lovingly refer to this time as our "Des Moines Honeymoon".

Here are the differences between our real honeymoon and our Des Moines honeymoon:

Chicago-dining at the same restaurant as Lou Pinella, coach of the Cubs.
Des Moines-dining at Chick-Fil-A.

Chicago-taking in a Cubs playoff game with hundreds of other Cubs fans.
Des Moines-taking in Star Trek at Jordan Creek Theater and wading through the sea of tweens.

Chicago-shop 'til we drop on Michigan Ave.
Des Moines-shop 'til we drop in East Village.

Smash

Chicago-soaking up history at the Field Museum
Des Moines-soaking up pop, folksy music of Meiko at Peoples.

I can't decide which was my favorite honeymoon.

Holy Belated Gift, Batman!

We got married last September...


And this was a gift we received this week...


Did I mention how much I like weddings?

Things I Love Thursday-Library Books

A good read and it's free!

I LOVE library books. I forgot how much I liked them but fortunately I was in the neighborhood last week and ended up stopping by the West Des Moines one, thus rekindling my love. I was discouraged at first because they didn't have the books that I was looking for but luckily, I was able to get Jennifer on the phone and she had a few other suggestions for me. And now, I think I've been pulled out of my Twilight reverie and am officially ready to re-enter the world of Chick Lit.

Eat, Drink and be Merry

Bill and Jonna came to town over the weekend and we decided the best way to celebrate was to gorge ourselves on brisket and ribs from Flying Mango, beer from Front Row and El Bait Shop and wine from Sbrocco...and that was just Friday. Needless to say we hit up the Farmers Market on Saturday morning, (although I didn't get to enjoy my breakfast burrito as much as I would have liked because of the aforementioned beer and wine), and continued on to Carefree Patisserie, home of our wedding cupcakes. It truly was a delicious weekend.

Things I Love Thursday-Open Sesame

I LOVE sesame chicken. It's been my most favorite Chinese food dish ever since I discovered Chinese food. However, it wasn't until last year that I stumbled upon the BEST sesame chicken ever in the history of ever. It's crispy, has the perfect amount of breading, sesame seeds and sauce. In one word, delightful. And you can find it here...

For your convenience, here's a map to the sesame chicken that will forever change your life.

Home Video Fun

Things I Love Thursday-Nard Dog

I LOVE Andy Bernard. I jumped on "The Office" bandwagon last year and ever since then I've been in stitches. I think all the characters are pretty hilarious but Andy Bernard has definitely won me over. How can you resist that a capella singing Cornell grad?

Welcome to the World, James!

Today Josh and I received a text announcing the birth of Kelly and Tom's son, James Thomas! Once again, Josh admired from afar while the visitors passed around the littlest addition to the Ruden clan.

And then there were three (not counting Foxy).

He got a little squirmy when Jennifer and I did the handoff but we figured it out.

Jennifer and James, what a pair!

Absent

I've been very absent from my blog lately but with March for Babies in full swing and me acquiring some sort of flu bug, I just haven't had the chance to sit down and post. And now that I'm sitting down to post, I realize that I have nothing to post...so here's an old picture of Suds.

It looks like he has some sort of growth on his cheek, but no worries, it's just part of his bone that he likes to carry around.

Things I Love Thursday-Brits

I LOVE sassy British girl music. I've found that the heavier the accent, the sassier they get. I've also found that it's way more fun to sing really loud while doing a British accent.

Kate Nash-




Lily Allen-

Reunited and it Feels so Good

Our first potato since our fast came in the form of waffle fries from Bluff Lake.

Things I Love Thursday-POTATOES

Pic from here

I LOVE potatoes. Baked, fried, mashed, it's all delicious in my book. As part of our Lenten journey, Josh and I gave up potatoes of any kind. It may sound like a silly sacrifice, but my love affair with this little vegetable is borderline crazy so this was a logical choice for me.

Now, the 40 days are nearly up and I'm very excited to welcome back 'Tato' and his close relatives, fries and chips. I'm particularly excited about fries and have developed a plan of attack for places that I will visit in order to satiate my fry appetite. B-Bop's beware, I'm coming for you first!

The Cornflakes Song

Over the weekend, we saw him...

Dick Prall

He sings this...

Crazy People are Making it very Hard for me to be Nice

Josh and I endured what can only be described as an awkward and creepy encounter with another patron at Royal Mile whilst having dinner on Friday night. Here is a rundown of what transpired, told from my point of view:

(Man sits down next to me at bar, looks at me and does a double take)

1. Yes, I am Filipino. Thank you for noticing.
2. Oh, that is mildly interesting that you're familiar with Filipino women because you were stationed in Manila during the Vietnam War.
3. So you're saying Barack Obama isn't a military man, and that's the root of the problem, huh? FYI-I don't care to discuss politics...ever. So you should go ahead and be on your way.
4. Yes, I think you mentioned that you were a Vietnam Vet.
5. Now, I'm turning away from you, staring at my food and giving very non-committal responses. This is called non-verbal communication and in many social circles signals the end of this conversation. You should leave me and my husband alone to enjoy our fish and chips (sans chips).
6. That's right, you should listen to the bartender who just asked you to stop talking to us and leave.
7. Oh, wow. You're a Vietnam Vet! That is brand new information, buddy.
8. Yep, got it. You were in Vietnam.
9. The fact that you were in Vietnam years and years ago hasn't changed in the past two minutes. But again, thank you for clarifying and telling me for the umpteenth time.
10. Okay, that's enough talk about how hot Filipino women are and the elbowing gestures are too much for me--this is creepy. Maybe you should go back to talking about Vietnam.
11. It's official...I'm angry at you for these reasons: 1) I have been working very hard to not wear a bitchface to the bar and this is certainly making me take steps backward in my progress and 2) Because it is very clear that you will not be leaving me alone, I am forced to eat my dinner as fast as possible so as to make an escape. So fast that I don't even get to put malt vinegar on my fish! This is bad.
12. Good job, Joshie, getting the bill and paying ASAP.
13. Run, Josh, run! Let's get the hell out of here!

Crazy people are making it very hard for me to be nice.

Things I Love Thursday-Summer Treats

I LOVE popsicles. Josh took ill last week and asked me to buy him some popsicles. I came home from Hy-Vee that afternoon with a 20-count of assorted flavors and have since determined that this might be the single best purchase I've made in 2009 so far. I totally forgot how much I like these summer treats! It definitely reminds me of summer. And to think, I've been wasting all this time on ice cream, what a shame!

Crazy Dog Lady

Josh had a guys night out this weekend so I made dinner plans with Kelly. After a delicious and very filling dinner at On the Border, I went home to hunker down and enjoy a relaxing evening of TV and lounging with Suds. Of course, there isn't anything very exciting on TV on Saturday nights but I managed to stumble upon Animal Planet and lo and behold found an evening's worth of dog-inspired reality TV and documentaries. Suds and I were captivated.

Here we are watching Dogs 101. We learned about the Beagle, Newfoundland, Boxer, Bichon Frise and Dachshund. Suds wasn't very impressed.

Things I Love Thursday-Guilty as Charged

I LOVE guilty pleasures. They may make others cringe or laugh out loud but I can't help indulging myself! Here, in no particular order, are my top 5 Guilty Pleasures:

1. 90s and early 2000s pop music-NSync, Britney, Backstreet Boys, the cheesier the better. I nearly shed tears of joy when I hear a one hit wonder like Dream.
2. Vinegar-on anything and everything.
3. Reading the Twilight books a second time and then re-reading my favorite parts out of each individual book because I'm not ready to commit to another book yet.
4. Dancing to "Get Low" by Lil Jon as if I'm 18; I probably should've left the getting low on The Hill when I said farewell to UNI.
5. Forgoing any news program to watch reruns of just about any 90s sitcom. My morning schedule includes "Saved by the Bell" and "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and the noon hour features a viewing of "Home Improvement", (insert Tim Taylor grunt here).

On Vacation

Josh and I went on vacation...to Davenport. I find that heading east to visit the Thiessens is kind of relaxing and a great way to clear my head of stressful thoughts, (and fill my stomach with great food).

The big event on the itinerary? Jonna and Michelle's Birthday/Friendship Bash.

Going Green

I wish every day was St. Patty's Day. Perfect weather, plenty o' drinks and dancing to my heart's content.

Things I Love Thursday-Pretty Pictures

I LOVE pictures. I like taking them, hanging them up, looking at them and "enhancing" them. Jennifer introduced me to the photo editing site, Picnik when she decided to redo the header on her own blog. Naturally, I followed suit and for awhile my blog title looked like this...

Since then, I've really embraced Picnik and all it has to offer. I used it to create our wedding thank yous, my current blog header as well as some work related stuff. It's definitely a good tool for anyone looking to add that certain je ne sais quoi to their most beloved photo.

Oh, the Weather Outside is...Awesome!

We've had a real heat wave recently so Josh and I took advantage of the warm weather and took little Sudsy on his very first walk around Gray's Lake. We were a little apprehensive about how he would do with the large amount of strangers and strange dogs, however, his lovable but dopey attitude prevailed and he ended up not really noticing the dogs until they were past him. He did get some nose-to-nose action with a fellow Great Dane though and I think his heart was all a-twitter with finding a friend that looked like him. :)

Things I Love Thursday-Brunch

I LOVE brunch, more specifically, Granite City's brunch. Feasting on their all-you-can-eat smorgasboard of tasty breakfast and lunch foods is the best way to start a Sunday. I don't really dig on the lunch items but their thick cut bacon, hash browns and giant caramel rolls are more than enough reason for me to hand over my $16.99. Yum!

Our local Granite City.