Happy Halloween!

What better way to celebrate than with a big co-ed bachelor party for Cheesefries' best friend and soon-to-be groom in St Louis' Central West End?  We had rooms at the Chase and a gaggle of friends to drink and carouse with.  We saw a lot of Snookis, a lot more Chilean miners (even a "sexy" miner), and even a very slutty skunk. 

80s rockers

Joe Dirt and Chunk.

Wilson!

Double Dare.

Ruh roh.  There's no passing out in baseball!

Bud Light and Golden Wheat

Drink up!

Happy Halloween from Mr and Mrs Cheesefries!

Life is short.

It's been a week of unfortunate news and it has my head spinning a little.  Though I am not directly affected, it never feels good to hear about people you know divorcing, miscarrying, losing grandparents, or being laid off.  Most recently, the news spread that one of my pledge sisters lost her husband earlier this week.  He was diagnosed in February with stage 4 sarcoma, they were married in July, and he lost his fight with cancer Monday.  It absolutely breaks my heart.  I cannot imagine what she is going through, what the last few months have been like for her.

You plan a wedding, thinking that you'll have plenty of time to plan your lives.  But what if you don't?  What if "in sickness and in health" and "til death do us part" were waiting for you just around the corner? Like I said, heartbreaking.  We're too young to be widows.

Go hug your husbands, friends.

Love it or hate it?

We bought this for Tucker Bear. You see, our fluffernutter is a yapper. Surprise, surprise.  I cook dinner, he barks.  We eat food, he barks.  I stand in the vicinity of the fridge, he barks.  He wants out, he barks.  He sees leaves blow across the yard, he barks.  He wants in, he barks.  He wants us to play with his favorite toy (Captain Quackers the Duck), he barks.  And ohhhhhhhhh if the doorbell rings?  Even just on TV?  Berserk.  Can't wait to scare off trick-or-treators like we did last year.  He's little, but it resonates.  I'd read that using a dog whistle can help break the bark habit, so when we saw the "bark-activated" Bark Off at the store, we thought it was worth the ten bucks to try it.

So you flip the little switch and then whenever Barky McGee does his thing, it emits a dog-whistle noise that's supposed to shut the yap trap.  Except it doesn't just quiet him down, it absolutely terrifies him. The first time he barked near it, he jumped out of his skin and bolted into the other room.  Even when it isn't activated (or even on), he runs away from it. One sight of the Little White Box of Terror, and he skitters upstairs to hide under the dresser. Either the Bark Off is broken, or my dog is super sensitive.  It's quite possibly a little of both.  He's never been known for his bravery.

But he's not barking.  Success? Not a win I feel really good about.

I'd be worried, but Tucker is currently stuffing his face with Purina, so I think he's going to be okay.   Apparently I've trained him to eat his feelings.


Bad Bark Off! BAD!

Riding the Wave

After 30 days of work with the Firm's Wave system, I am back with an official review!

Well, I didn't hate it.  To be honest, I didn't love it either. 

I love The Firm.  I do well with circuit-training style workouts.  I totally buy into the idea that working upper and lower body at the same time burns calories and makes you a lean, mean machine.  I love bootcamps and Body Pump for the same reason, and I love the Firm's older work.  Maybe I am just too faithful to my Fanny Lifter, but I didn't feel like the Wave workouts were as intense or as challenging, and I am not exactly in peak shape right now.  I don't like that the longest workout was only 35 minutes - where are my 55 minute power sessions!  Don't get me wrong, they were good workouts with a nice number on the heart rate monitor when I was done, but they just weren't my favorite to do. 

Not gonna lie, I fell off the Wave more than once.  Some of the footwork felt really complicated and it took me several tries to get it.  There was more than one occasion when I just stopped and stared at the TV screen slack-jawed, completely lost.  But it got better ... eventually.  And boy howdy, quick pulse rocking on that balance board will have you feeling the entire outline of your quads.  It's the good hurt.

These are fun workouts, in the end.  The Wave is great for ab workouts and push-ups especially.  I like the aspect of balance moves.  Once I got the choreography down, I was able to get a lot more out of the workouts.  I went ahead and purchased another Wave dvd from the Firm Store, just to add some more variety. 

I would not recommend the Wave if you've never used Firm products before.  I think it's a great supplement to their other systems and DVDs, but as a stand-alone, I am a little disappointed.  I still love the Firm and practically everything that they do.  I am pleased to add these workouts to the rotation, but it wasn't the most exciting 30 days of exercise in my life.  I don't feel like I got the awesome results with this system that I have had with others.  I am roughly the same size and only a few pounds lighter.  There are other factors involved with that (*cough*cough* eating like crap *cough*cough*), so it's not the Firm's fault.  Did I really give the Wave my 110%?  Welllllllll, probably not, so I will grade it on a curve.  Excuse the pun.  Maybe in another month, under different diet circumstances, I would like it better.

If you like the other Firm products, I would recommend that you check this one out.  Like I said, I think it will be a fun addition to my other DVDs and regulalry scheduled cardio.  It falls right in the middle compared to my other workouts.

What new workout products or routines have you tried lately?

Tuesday Shoesday

Who doesn't love Loubies?

(via She Said Yes!)

For more shoesday love, step over to Landlocked Bride, Swatchbook Weddings, Simply & Forever, SWOONOVERIT, Meant to be Sent, Life in the Super Burbs, Slice of Lime Design, April Foster Events, Jan Schill, Bellwether Events and Weddings and Pretty Things!

Weekend in Photos

Just another fall weekend.

Geared up for Gameday.

ESPN and Google Reader at 9 am. So proud of our alma mater!

Homemade pumpkin lattes.

Wants out. Wants in. Wants out. Wants in. Wants treat.

Cheese fondue? Excellent idea, husband!

Quick trip to Trader Joe's.

Homemade pumpkin ice cream? Excellent idea, wife!

It's a big wine glass night.

Putting the "man" in mango habenero wings.

Fussy Panda kickball.

Charity walk.

Last of the thank yous.

Light reading in bed.

Nice little weekend. How was yours?

On the Weigh: Good to be Back

I have a drinking problem.

This week: -2.8

Total: -8.4

It was a good week.  Water was a major theme.

Lessons learned:

• If I don't eat fruits and veggies all day, I don't feel good.
• I am too old to get wasted anymore.
• Laziness is a good thing when it prevents you from snacking.
• Halloween candy is evil.
• Related: double chocolate Kit Kats are badass.
• I think working out in the morning is the only way I will be able to be consistent.

Happy weeked, friends!

I would kill a man to be back in college this week.

For serious.

In case you didn't know, I am a Mizzou alumni.  I love football and I love my Tigers.  And when I was a student, I loved Homecoming.  Pomping, campus decs, skit and dance, parade ... I totally got into it.  It was badass.  Afterall, Mizzou was the birthplace of the Homecoming tradition and the largest in the country.

Confession:  I watched the Fling finals streaming online tonight.  Skit was always my thing, and I was super excited to see that the Kappas made it to finals this year.  And it was good ... not that I'm biased.  But seriously, it was adorable.

So why am I feeling so nostalgic?  Well, when I was an undergrad, Mizzou Homecoming had everything except a nationally ranked football team. This year, we're #11 in the BCS standings, and we're playing #1 Oklahoma.  And College Gameday is coming to CoMo for HoCo for the first time ever. Per Twitter, they've already set up on the quad, and they are encouraging spectators to come early - they've got a 15,000+ person record from Nebraska to beat.

From what I can tell, a frenzy is brewing on Mizzou's campus.  Homecoming was always a really exciting few weeks, but I can only imagine what it's like this year.  I just love seeing my alma mater in the national spotlight, kicking ass and taking names.  Cheesefries and I have been waxing nostalgic all week, and we sooooo wish we could be there. 

I would pomp my ass off to be a part of it.

Plus, I super-miss tailgating.  It makes me so sad that Reactor Field and the Frat Pit are closed off to students now.  Memmmmmmmmorieeeeeees, whoa whoa whoa memmmmmmorieeeeees.

Me and the Mr tailgating for Mizzou-Nebraska '03 (best game ever!)... when he was just Cheesefries-as-a-friend.

Lindsay & Todd, August 2010

I can't believe I haven't posted this wedding yet, but I suppose it got a bit lost in the whirlwind that was the last three weeks til my own wedding.  Linds, I hope you understand.

I have known Lindsay since the early days of college and Kappa.  She has always been an energetic and enthusiastic girl who fancied herself a princess ('cause her Daddy told her so), so obviously we get along well.  After graduation she went to law school in Miami, where she met the man she would marry, Todd.  When I got engaged, she was one of the first people I told, and we had developed a habit of late-night g-chatting over all of the details of my wedding planning, and her anxious wait to plan hers (or what she was already planning, ha).  Todd (finally) popped the question with a GORGEOUS ring and a date was set for the whole shebang ...it was all happening in just a few months of engagement in early August, smack in the middle between my bmaid Kate's wedding, and mine.  We lovingly began to refer the end of our summer as the 2010 Kappa Wedding Triathalon.  It really doesn't get much better than planning weddings alongside two of your besties.

Lindsay has always been detailed and meticulous, she has always liked the finer things in life (again, we get along well).  Her wedding was no exception, and it was possibly one of the most beautiful weddings I've been to - and did I mention that she planned the entire thing just a few months?!?  It was also a great chance to see some fabulous friends that rarely get together in one place (including the photographer, Deb Gulbas, who is also a Mizzou Kappa.)

The ceremony, which took place at the stunning Fairmont Hotel in downtown DC, was incredibly emotionally charged.  Lindsay cried the whole walk down the aisle, joking later that she worried people would think it was an arranged marriage.

My favorite part of the entire day came just at the end of the ceremony.  The rabbi raised his hands to give a final blessing, and Little Lindsay, so caught up in the moment, gave him a high five.

So it was high fives all around, including when they were introduced at the reception.

Breaking the glass.

And married!!

And then onto the reception.  Awesome food, drinks a-flowing, and a packed dance floor.  You never would have known it was a Sunday wedding.

Not to mention good friends. 

(personal photo)

And group hugs. 

(personal photo)

(personal photo)

It was so prettttty.

Linds and I had long discussions about those chairs.  I was green with envy over them.  I just love love love chiavaris.

The dancing was awesome!

How gorg is Linds' mom?  For serious.

It would not be a party with Lindsay without an appearance of The Lindsay Dance, which is epic in it's awkwardness (and has been for 10 years).  It's her signature move and we all love it.

She gets it from her dad.

Dancing was paused briefly by a fantastic cake fight, which the new Mrs was less than pleased with (he got chocolate cake on that dress!), but she made the most of it.

And of course, we Kappas sang Sweetheart.

And the second leg of the 2010 Kappa Wedding Triathalon was in the books.

Congratulations, Todd and Lindsay! Love and loyalty!

(personal photo)