Party in KC.

Craig, Luka, Zoe and I were in Kansas City this past weekend for a couple of big celebrations. First, I was up there helping the KC office of Sullivan Higdon & Sink throw a party to celebrate its 10th anniversary. It's a tough job, but someone has to be responsible for making sure there's plenty of alcohol, food and games for colleagues, clients and vendors. After that party, we moved on to the second celebration of the weekend -- the kick-off to November birthdays. Mom has a b-day (do I dare reveal what age?) on Nov. 5 and Craig creeps a little more into his 30s on the 13th. The six of us (mom, dad, erin, scott, craig and I) had dinner at Cafe Trios in the midtown area and then went to the plaza for a movie. While the food was yummy, the restaurant's Halloween decorations were inspiring. They sure put the three, lonely pumpkins on our front porch to shame.

Cheers.

Carrie

On the road again.

Today I got the green light to start running again. This comes after about three months of being restricted to a bike or one of those eliptical things at the Y. Intially, I was diagnosed with a stress fracture and was told to wear, what lovingly became known as, "the boot." Things seemed to get better, but some pain still remains. So today I went in to get a second opinion and another round of X-rays. Luckily this time it was concluded that it is more of an issue of how my foot pronates rather than an actual stress fracture. The downside is that there isn't a whole lot I can do about the pain other than take some aspirin and maybe get some orthopedics (not sure how cool I would look running in a pair of pair of beige Hush Puppies, but I'm sure it would make me run faster). So here I am, with no excuse not to run the Houston Half Marathon, however I do still plan on blaming this for my inability to keep up with Curt and Cheryl—who I'm pretty sure are now honorary citizens of Kenya. I just hope I can get all of this injury stuff out of the way rather than have it happen again the week before the run like it did when Carrie and I ran the Chicago Marathon, that just plain sucked.

Here's what my ankle looked like one week after that sprain and 26.2 miles before the finish line (the worst part was under the brace).


Yeah, I'm tough, just don't ask me to give a vile of blood, I'll wilt like a daisy (make that a pansy).

And sew on, and sew on ...

I gave my mother the second best thing to a grandchild for Christmas last year -- I asked her for a sewing machine. My memories of sewing go back to grade school when she made me my very own "designer" E.T. costume for Halloween. I still remember the plush alien hand with the red felt finger tip that sat on top of my real hand by just an elastic band. You better believe I phoned home with that on! When I got older, I took a sewing class at the local extension office and learned how to make a mini skirt (and matching hair scrunchy!). I could not WAIT to wear that to the dance at that year's summer camp. After I had a handful of classes under my belt, mom and I started working on projects together. One of the first I can remember was one of those quilted, boxy purses that every girl in junior high had. I'm pretty sure the fad was over by the time we got it done. And since then, I've added many a home-made costume and bridesmaid dress to my closet, thanks to mom's machine.

So last year, with the growing need for sewing buttons on, finding a hobby and looking for a creative outlet, I started hearing the sewing machine call my name, which led me to calling mom and telling her I'd put "sewing machine" on my Christmas wish list. My wish was granted.

In the last 10 months, I've taken a sewing class to freshen up on my skills and I've experimented with a couple projects. I had no idea how much I had forgotten. But there was one thing I had remembered, and it's still so true today: the seam ripper is my friend. I've been working on a small project, and last night I swear I spent more time ripping out seams than sewing. It was completely frustrating, but it was also rewarding to figure out my mistake and correct it (three tries later). All by myself. Watch out Martha.

Sew long.
Carrie

On the air.

Here's a peek at my most recent project at work. Enjoy.

Craig

Luckily, Carrie was born with an incredible amount of patience.

Whether I was making her get up before sunrise or turning a three-hour hike into a five-hour hike, Carrie took my endless attempt to become the next Ansel Adams like a real trooper. Here are a few of the shots that probably would have pushed any normal woman to ditch me in a kind of "trial separation."


Colter Bay Marina, Grand Tetons


Yellowstone River at sunrise, Yellowstone


Carrie, Grand Tetons


Lamar Valley, Yellowstone


Bridge over String Lake, Grand Tetons

Ahh, Jellystone

We never did pack a picnic basket or see a bear named Yogi (or a bear at all for that matter), but we really enjoyed our recent trip to Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole. Each day was a new adventure -- new wildlife to see, new hikes to try, more geysers to admire, and another mountain to climb. The pictures speak for themselves.

- Carrie

Why?

To prove that the Internet truly is a huge waste of everyone's time, Carrie, Zoe, Luka and I have decided to periodically post what's going on in each of our lives for mass consumption (mass in this case meaning those of you in our immediate family who feel obilgated to read this). So check in from time to time if you're struggling to find a way to kill that last five minutes of the work day, have run out of your perscription sleeping pills or if, for some God-foresaken reason, are actually interested in what we are doing.

Thanks, and enjoy.

Craig