Ava Loves Her Dad

Joe always complains because he says Ava loves me more than she loves him. While I know she is a momma's girl, I also know that she absolutely adores her dad. And it's moments like this that prove my point:

The One Where I Dedicate an Entire Post to a TV

My parents drove up on Friday for our Christmas weekend, since we will be going to Joe's family for actual Christmas this year. And they brought with them the big-ass TV that Joe bought on Black Friday. Joe was a happy man.

We set it up as soon as Joe got off work Friday night.

It's a beautiful thing, isn't it? We don't have cable still, but we did set up the DVD player and watched The Hangover that night. It's a big TV, for sure, but it's not as obnoxiously big as I thought it would be in our tiny apartment.

AND I set up the Wii, so I can play Tennis and Bowling with a practically lifesize avatar. haha.

Definitely a worthwhile purchase, don't you think?

Date Night at the Outback

Joe has Mondays off, so if we decide to do something after I get off work, it's usually Monday so we don't have to worry about the dogs. (He stays home with the dogs all day as opposed to the dogs being home alone all day.)

So this previous Monday we decided to do date night. For a wedding shower gift, Joe's Uncle Larry gave us a gift card to Outback, one of Joe's favorite restaurants (he's a steak man). So we used that for an almost-free night out! It was great!

That's a happy man right there. And I love to see my man happy. :) I was impressed that the Outback now has a vegetarian option on the menu - their parmesan fettucini with seasonal vegetables. I used to have to order off menu.

Anyway, we had a great time. Thanks Uncle Larry!

Cupping

Joe hasn't been feeling that great (headaches, mostly) and he was mentioning that at work the other day. One of the therapists there who practices Chinese medicine recommended cupping. Apparently, they put these glass cups on your back, suck out all the air, and leave them there for a while. It's supposed to suck the toxins out of your body and make you feel better.

This is what happens, though:

That is Joe's back! When Joe showed me, I totally freaked out. It looks sooooo creepy and a little scary, like something is seriously wrong with him. But he assures me this is what it's supposed to look like.

The morning after, Joe woke up with an upset stomach. He thinks the cupping is releasing toxins, which is making him feel sick. But that is actually a good thing, because once he flushes the toxins, he'll be better.

Interesting, no?

Men at Play

While the girls were getting all dressed up for a photo shoot, the boys were heading to the golf course. Joe was able to golf with my family for the first time, and he said he had a great time (and 'didn't even make a fool out of himself' - his words!).

Pete, Brent, Joe, and Gary

Manly men doing manly things.

I love it when Joe gets to go golfing. Since we have been together, he really hasn't been able to hit the course as much as he would like (school, then finances got in the way). And he gets so incredibly happy when he gets to go - I can tell it's in his blood.

Hopefully these four will get to golf a lot more together now that we are back on the West Coast.

Labor Day Weekend in Canby

After Joe got off work on Saturday, we headed down to his hometown of Canby to visit family and friends (some we hadn't seen since we moved to the East Coast). I had been feeling pretty under the weather, but a weekend of rest and fun with family and friends definitely worked in my favor, as I'm feeling a lot better now. :)

From the home base of Joe's parents house, we were able to head out and see a lot of people. First, we visited with Joe's best man, Bryan, and our flower girl, Marleigh. I haven't seen Marleigh in two years, and it was so sweet because she was so excited to see us! She got a big smile on her face and said, "I'm so excited for your wedding!!" Too cute, right? She is going to be the best flower girl ever. :)

Bryan shared with us some big news as well, and we were able to meet his significant other, Aleina. it was just so nice to catch up.

Next we visited with Marleigh's mom, Kari, and her new baby boy, Zander. Well, new to us! He is a year old now, but we had never met him! He was just the most beautiful, happy, smiley boy and really loved his 'Uncle Joe'. He's walking around and just so sweet. We had seen Kari and her significant other, Scott, when we first moved back to Bellevue (they came up for a Red Sox game), and it was great to see them again.

Next we were off to see another good friend, Brad, and his nine-month-old baby girl, Peyton, another new addition that we hadn't met yet. Peyton is this sweet tiny little girl who took a bit to warm up to us, but made up for it with huge adorable smiles. And while Joe caught up with Brad, I had a great time chatting with Brad's wife, Erin, who is an awesome girl and who I think I'm going to be very good friends with. :)

Then it was off to Joe's sister and brother-in-law's house for a crab feed. They had just returned from the beach where they caught 66 crab. Joe was in absolute heaven. And Shane, Joe's brother-in-law, who is basically a carnivore and thinks I'm pretty weird for not eating meat, was so nice to BBQ up some awesome veggies that were to *die* for. We had such a great time eating and catching up, and drinking wine. Lots and lots of wine. Everyone else left and Joe and I stayed and hung out with Cindy and Shane and just had a blast.

I'm really mad at myself for not taking any pictures. The only picture I have from the whole weekend is one that Joe's niece took of Ava sitting on Shane's lap. Ava picked the biggest, gruffest guy to totally cuddle up with. I told Shane he must have great energy because Ava just doesn't do that. How cute is this?

This morning we spent some time with Joe's parents and then went out to lunch with Joe's friend Brenton, who is also in the wedding. Joe and Brenton traded chiropractic stories and we all had a great time. It's just so crazy that we haven't seen all these people for so long. Too long. It's nice to be back.

And now we are home and getting ready for the week. Only five weeks to go 'till the wedding. Things are about to get crazy!

More Photos From Joe's 40th

Joe's sister just sent me some more pictures from Joe's 40th birthday. Enjoy:











We had such a great time that weekend! And I love these new photos that show it. Thanks, Cindy!

Joe's Last Day at Work

Joe's final day at Grant Chiropractic was June 30th. He had a nice day of treating some of his favorite patients, and saying goodbye to all the friends he had made there. The staff gave him a little send-off, with some snacks and decorations.

He cleaned out his office and it looked so bare when he left!

This was a really great job for him, giving him all the experience and confidence he needed to take that next step. But now he's on to a new adventure at a new office. It really hit us both on his last day of work here that we are leaving. Our new journey awaits!

Joe's 40th: Day 5, New York City

Joe indulged me on Sunday morning and agreed to head back to Cafe Lalo for breakfast. He knew I was going to miss that place, and I was so excited to eat there one last time. :) We took a nice walk through the Upper West Side to get there.

Love the stoops and streets of NYC.

We then headed to Times Square to do a little shopping. You have to love traveling with the Stutzmans! They like to shop! Plus, it was super hot out, so heading into the little stores along the way was a nice way to get out of the heat for a bit.

Times Square

Joe buying water at the hot dog stand.

The girls checking out the street vendors.

Joe and me cooling off at Dean and Deluca.

In a cab. (Sam was a little worried about the local cab drivers. She kept telling us to keep our arms inside the cab at all times, since she thought we would get them ripped off by how close the cars zipped by one another.)

We then took the Staten Island Ferry out past the Statue of Liberty. Always a nice thing to do in the city. You get an excellent view of the statue for free!

When we got off the ferry, it was pretty much time to head home. So, we went back to our hotel, grabbed our bags, and headed to Grand Central.

It was definitely a busy, busy weekend, but I certainly had a great time, and I really think Joe and the girls did as well. We returned home from NYC around 9:00 p.m. Sunday night, and Cindy and Sam had the entire day on Monday to rest up while Joe and I were at work. They spent the day sleeping in and laying by the pool. I think it was a much needed break from the whirl-wind adventure I planned. haha.

I took them to the airport at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday. Thanks for coming, girls! We carried out the surprise and it was such a great week!

Joe's 40th: Day 4, New York City

We came home from Boston on Friday night, ate and slept, then headed out to New York City first thing Saturday morning. (Yes, I ran our guests completely ragged during their trip here!)

We took the train into the city around 8:55 a.m.

On the train, before being bored to tears. haha.

Once we got to the city, we had to do our usual routine. Breakfast at Cafe Lalo, then a stroll to Riverside Park. I love this routine and it makes me so sad that I won't be doing it again for a long time...

At my favorite place - Cafe Lalo. Have I mentioned that they have the BEST coffee??

Our Engagement Spot!

They put the sign back up!

I took them on the subway for the first time ever. I think the girls were kind of nervous, but they got used to it, and became like locals before long.

On the subway.

Heading underground to the subway, from our hotel.

We had dinner reservations at this great restaurant on the Upper West Side, to really celebrate Joe's birthday in style. It was a fabulous place and great food.

It was a great first night in the big city!

(Don't worry, only one more birthday post to go!)

Joe's 40th: Day 3, Hanging Out in Boston

After the tour of Fenway Park, we headed into downtown Boston to explore a bit before heading home. We stopped at Faneuil Hall and had lunch at Cheers.

How cute are these two??

For some reason we all thought this display was so cool. The outline is made out of baseballs.

We did some shopping and then decided to head back home. Of course, we ended up leaving Boston at 5:30 p.m. on a Friday, when everyone else was heading out after work for the weekend, so it was a looooong drive home. But we got home to two very happy dogs and collapsed into bed!

Joe's 40th: Day 2, Lunch in Boston

I have totally brainwashed Joe, because every time I let him pick a place to eat, he always seems to pick a Mongolian BBQ! Love it! So for his birthday lunch in Boston, we went to a place called Fire and Ice. I guess a few of his patients recommended it to him.

It was a really great place (but not as great as the Wok).

Samantha, Joe, and Cindy all decked out in Red Sox gear!

I totally stuck out in my new red Red Sox shirt. But we were all pumped for the big game!

I told the cook that we were here for Joe's birthday and he said he always took pictures with the birthday guests, so not to forget on the way out.

Next up, Fenway Paaahhhk.