Date Night at Medieval Times

I always give Rob grief about all of the events he goes to after work, especially since he gets home so late on multiple days throughout the week. I was finally able to join him at a recent event hosted by Medieval Times - marking my first visit to this castle plopped in the middle of Lyndhurst.

Although not using utensils took some getting used, it was a pretty cool experience. The horses were my favorite part; they were absolutely magnicifent and performed quite a show. I would have taken pictures of them but due to confidentiality agreements I couldn't use my cell phone. Luckily, the girl sitting next to me really didn't care and was able to snap this shot.

I don't think I'll rush down to one of his work events again but at least this one was entertaining.

Our Leaf Peeping Adventure

I'm not a huge outdoors person but was looking for something to do with Rob where we could be outside and enjoy the foliage. He wasn't crazy about the idea of hiking at the Delaware Water Gap but after some pleading - and threatening that if I went by myself I'd get eaten by a bear - he decided to come along. You can tell in the pictures he wasn't crazy about it, but funny enough by the end he mentioned going the following weekend and bringing Buster to another pet friendly trail (unfortunately, N.J. is supposed to get 6-10 inches of snow this weekend, so we probably won't go).

 The views were beautiful!



There were tons of little streams running down the mountain. I was waiting to see a little deer drinking from the water - like they depict in movies - but didn't come across any.

Stopping along the way for a photo. Doesn't he look SO excited? haha

Rob trudging up the mountain. Wasn't he such a good husband for protecting me from the bears? ;)

We hiked up this side of rocks and then decided to turn around since it would be getting dark soon. It's much scarier trying to get down the mountain, especially with lots of slippery leaves.



Way to go, Joe!

So my little brother is a freshman in high school and decided to join his school's football team. I'm so proud of him and was excited to finally catch one of his games last week. Check it out!



My Chubby Wubby

Buster has several nicknames, one of which is Chubby Wubby. I'm not exactly sure how he got it, but I'm guessing it came about when he's fluffy he looks a little chubby.

Either way, we had to take our little Chubby Wubby to the vet on Saturday for his annual exam and shots and found out he lives up to his nickname. My poor little guy gained three pounds this year! And considering he was on the slightly heavier side last year, that's not good. The vet said that based on his body proportions that's the equivalent of us gaining 50 pounds. Ouch!

So effective immediately, Buster is getting barely one treat per day, absolutely no people food, and is getting in more walks per day even if it kills us in the process. I don't think he likes his health kick so much, but considering what a hard time I'm having with him turning 7 and being about midway through his life expectancy, I'm going to do whatever it takes to get my little buddy back in shape.

Close to Perfection

Every once in a while you have a weekend that manages to be near perfect and this past weekend was just one of those for me - without even planning for it.

It kicked off on Friday night when my niece slept over. Despite my exhaustion at the end of a long week, we had a pretty entertaining bathtime for her and then Buster got a bath, too. We also managed to play beauty parlor - curlers and all, made a homemade pizza, she tried on almost every pair of shoes in my closet and we watched a Disney movie. I know every kid is special, but my niece continues to surprise me with what comes out of her mouth at only four years old. A perfect example was during our walk when she noticed the landscapers put new plants in this one area. Not only did she notice the minor addition of new plants, but she said "These new plants look beautiful. Fullerton does nice work." I kid you not.

The next morning we enjoyed some cartoons and studied the American Girl doll catalog before going to see Sesame Street Live with Rob's family. It was pretty cute how she wanted me to drive in the car with her and she had to sit next to me at the show. The one downside: I could have lived without the fact that I was up at 6:30 am and the show was in full force by 10am.

For lunch we went to It's Greek to Me, a restaurant Rob and I really enjoy. Then we did a little shopping, which included Rob finally getting his snowboard, and then went to catch my cousin's ice hockey game. We followed that up with a romantic, delicious dinner with just the two of us at the Melting Pot and then went to hang at a friend's house for a few hours before coming home to pass out after an extremely long day.

Since Saturday was so busy I was up early on Sunday to get my errands done, but in the middle of all of that I got a text from my one brother, who wanted to come by to say hi with my sister, and another text from my other brother who said he was able to get some designer dresses - and specialty cupcakes - for me and our cousins from his company. Everyone ended up coming by throughout the day, but when Dominick came with the dresses we had a little fashion show and some quality time to catch up. I topped off Sunday Funday with two of my favorite TV shows and a walk with Buster to a festival going on by our house, where everyone commented on what an adorable dog he is :)

All in all, shopping, good food, romantic dinner with my hubby, family time with both sides, new clothes and other people seeing how special my doggie is. I definitely can't complain about this past weekend!

Bubbles!

My niece loves to come over for playdates and on her recent visit she wanted to blow bubbles, among her many requests. We started off with her blowing the bubbles but she seemed to be getting more of the mixture on the floor rather than actual bubbles in the air. To save the bubbles, and my carpet, I made it a fun game for me to blow them and for her to pop the bubbles before they hit the ground. It turns out she wasn't the only one who had a great time with this game. Buster did too! Although it was so cute to see them run around and jump in the air to pop the bubbles, this was definitely a first for our playful pooch.

In addition to bubble time, Buster enjoyed sharing in our snack time and had fun giving us kisses as we did some yoga moves. It's times like that which make me so confident that he'll be great whenever we have kids.

My Love/Hate Relationship with Costco

Anyone who knows Rob knows he's a huge fan of Costco. It's actually embarrassing when you go around our house and look at how much stuff is from this warehouse superstore.

While I admit it has it's good points, which include great items at reasonable prices; always good about taking things back if you have a problem with them; the food is consistently fresh; and the fact that you can seriously eat a meal out of the samples they serve, there are a few things I really don't like about that store.

One of my main qualms is the way shoppers play bumper carts. I'm not sure if it's because they are in such a rush or they're afraid these "fabulous deals" will fly off the shelves, but most people have no consideration for you or your cart. A great example happened today when one woman hooked her cart on to mine and started taking it with her because she was in such a mad dash to get down the aisle. Bumper carts is even worse when it's the last few days for the coupons, and that's when I refuse to even step foot in the store.

Another issue is the check out line. It's absolutely crazy how long you can wait in line. They should really consider an express check-out like the supermarket. It would definitely save time for people who just go in for a few items.

I guess it's our own fault, but it's absolutely crazy how you can go in for one or two items and end up with a whole cart full of stuff you really didn't need. Considering it's just the two of us, it's comical how we end up buying so much in bulk... like the 40 pounds of bread flour to go with the bread maker which Rob "just had to have" because it was from his favorite store.

Oh, Costco.What would I do without you?