JUST THE TWO OF US

Happy Anniversary Us! We are celebrating #3 in Calgary and Banff. The way I see it, if you can look at your husband after three years {that's 1095 days} and still smile at all his stupid little jokes, you've made it. If I'm going to tire of something it's bound to happen in less than 1095 days!!
I love you Nate. You are the best decision I ever made and very much worth the long wait.

ROCKIN' HARVEST PARTY

I read an article in Real Simple this weekend that offered an interesting party idea. Have your friends bring their own tomatoes and everyone hangs out in the kitchen and makes pasta sauce to take home with them. This, of course, would only work if your friends liked to talk a lot and everyone enjoys everyone else's company. Done. And done.
Nate and I have quite a few tomatoes from this year's harvest and we anticipate swimming in even more in just a few weeks. In addition to the tomatoes, we have jalapeños growing in abundance. In order to use our harvest wisely, we talked about hosting a rockin' harvest party where our neighbors/friends bring their own tomatoes/peaches/mangos and we'll make yummy fresh salsa that everyone can take home. And to provide additional entertainment, we'll plug in Rock Band and let the brave ones entertain us.

SMOTHERED IN SYRUP WITHOUT THE MESS

Two working people with busy schedules that don't yet have kids...not really the recipe for elaborate breakfasts. Unless you consider cereal or yogurt elaborate. Nate and I have actually tried to eat indulgent breakfasts on the weekends; It's a way to spend time together and get a good start to a labor intensive day {read yard work and house cleaning}.
I love this gadget from freshfinds.com. Dispense your syrup or honey without the drippy mess.

I'M BACK; WITH STREP

It's just my luck to get strep right before a big presentation and travels to Chicago and Calgary/Banff. I'm pretty good at "sucking it up";I guess I'll continue to fine-tune that personal skill even more.
Nate just left for Calgary this morning. We will rendezvous August 27 {blessed third anniversary} for some Canadian fun. But for now, I can certainly appreciate this sick bed diagram from Flickr. If only I had the luxury of recuperating in the comfort of my own bed and not a conference room at work.




















{image from Basic Framwork}

THIS PENNY HAS LOST ITS LUSTER

I go by Penny at work. Most people have nicknames at the office; I'm Penny. Unfortunately this penny has lost its luster. I'm pretty tired and haven't really had any time to do necessary things like clean my house or exercise my body. I should take some advice from my namesake and trust in God. That will likely be the only way I get through my funk.
I'm going to be taking some time off. I have a lot of travel planned and really don't have anything creative or exciting to blog about anyway. Unless you want to read a post about how a bratty little 2 year old sat in the seat behind me on the airplane; screaming and kicking my seatback for three straight hours...I didn't think so.

CELEBRATING #3 IN BANFF

Nate is doing some work in Calgary and will be there for our third anniversary. So rather than feel picked on for not being together to celebrate, we've decided to make a trip of it. I'll be flying to Calgary on our anniversary and will be spending several days between Calgary and Banff. If you've been to either destination I'd love to her recommendations for things to see and do.
So far, we're planning to catch a hockey game in Calgary and we're definitely riding the gondola in Banff. Ideas?

WHILE THE CAT'S AWAY

Nate is flying to Texas tomorrow night {I know what you are thinking, "How do they do it?" My answer: we don't!!}
While Nate is away my tendency is to come home from work and fall asleep watching late-night olympic coverage; tomorrow night will be spent a bit differently. As the sun is setting over the Salt Lake City skyline I'll be sitting in the new Red Butte Garden amphitheater while Jeff Tweedy, again, reminds me why Wilco is my favorite bit of rock and roll.
If you are sitting there thinking, "hey, Wilco at Red Butte sounds like a great way to spend an evening," your urge to try for a ticket is futile. The show has been sold out for months.

BOOK LOVAH

Jenna had a fun idea on her blog so I'm going to steal it. Participants welcome; the more the merrier!

1. Pick up that book sitting next to you.
2. Turn to page 123.
3. Find the fifth complete sentence.
4. Include the sentence and the book title in the comments section.

I'll start.

"She was twelve years old, lying still like this, waiting, shivering in the narrow bunk with polished mahogany sides." -On Chesil Beach, Ian McEwan

DEAR KYM

Dear Kym,
I think these little stuffed toys from Dwell Baby are a great deviation from the collection of stuffed animals we won at the county fair and kept in our bedrooms until we were 17. Don't you?

CONFESSIONS OF MY DANGEROUS MIND

I watch Tori and Dean, Home Sweet Hollywood {The Soup calls it Tori and Dean, Who the Hell Cares}.
Click here to see before and after pics of their new home.
Click here to see their music video {Nate and I will do this someday, but the song will be better}.

ENTRYWAY BENCH

Time to vote for A)the conservative Caitlin Bench in antique white with natural linen cushion, or B) the bright Norrell Bench in orange ultra suede with polished nickel frame.

A.

























B.

OPRAH SAYS

I've been so busy for weeks. Maybe months. Just like exercise, blogging has been one of the first things to drop off the list of must-dos. I was flying home from Denver yesterday and I kept getting distracted at the Hudson News shop by the cover of Oprah's Magazine. It said in big purple letters across the top, "Too busy to live?" And I thought, "Oh Yes!"
I read the article and found some solace knowing I'm not alone. There are enough people feeling this way to warrant a magazine article about it. The statement that seemed to ring true and cause me to think was this: "No matter how much or how little we're doing, we're always just doing what we're doing, simply living this one moment of our lives. Business is a state of mind, not a fact."
So I'm going to start a short list of things that would be nice to do. And I'm going to do them. If business is just a state of mind then I'm determined to change my state. And I'm going to remain nice while I do it.
1. exercise every morning before work to create some peace of mind and consistency at the beginning of each day.
2. take advantage of harvest time and eat plenty of local fruits and vegetables.
3. do a short detox to flush the layers of caffeine out of my system. Drink water.
4. plan a relaxing and fun trip to Banff for our anniversary.
5. spend 2 hours in a spa and get a facial and a massage.

SEPHORA, I LOVE YOU

What to do on a rainy afternoon in Chicago? Hit one of Sephora's brick and mortar shops. The shop at Water Tower Place is smaller than the typical warehouse of everything-girl but it could be the size of my closet and I'd still spend an hour there. Here are the things I got while Nate sat in the hallway on a sofa reading digg.

Mascara: Firebird by Fresh. This mascara gives you the perfect all-natural feathery lash.




























Mascara: Bad Gal by Benefit. Since I'd never sample mascara I'm still waiting to try this one. The "try me" tube did have a fabulous brush and the mascara is less creamy than Fresh.



















Eyeliner: Makeup Forever Aqua Eyes in matte black. I wore it today and no smudging or flaking. It actually stayed in place. I didn't leave work looking like I needed a nap.


















Eyeliner: Stila Liquid eyeliner for the cat eye look. This one seemed to stay put on the back of my had so I'm hoping it will do the same on my lid.


















Face Highlighter: Benefit That Gal. Since the 90s I've been on a hunt for something that would transform my complexion into that of Ashley Judd. You know how it just glows? Well, this might do the trick. Now if I was just fresh faced and wrinkle free.

DEAR KYM

Cariboo makes the prettiest little bassinets. One of these would look perfect tucked in a corner of your bedroom for those necessary midnight feedings.

$100 LAPTOP

MIT Media Lab has developed a laptop that will be sold exclusively to governments in developing countries for $100 and then given to school children. I love the sleek design. And the concept of providing such a low cost machine to the developing world is spectacular in and of itself.

PARISIAN SELF-TAXI

It was July 2007 when Paris debuted the new metered self-service bicycle transit system called Velib. Whether you're Parisian or other you can pick up and drop off any of 10,000 gray bikes throughout the city at 750 locations. I love this bike and the idea of a bicycle transit system. One more cool idea that will never make its way to Utah.


















{photo from Wallpaper.com}

LOLLA LAND

What does 75,000 people all mashed into Chicago's Grant Park look like? This.























Nate and I hung out with Tim and Brandi and had a great time listening to the likes of The Kills {VV is Nate's current obsession and crush (sorry Amy Adams)}, Duffy, Cat Power, The Raconteurs, Radiohead, Wilco, Love and Rockets, Iron and Wine, Okkerville River, The Black Keys, Gnarls Barkley, Rage Against the Machine and NIN. Those last two will definitely secure me in anger management classes through the end of the year.
Highlights of the trip? Hanging out with Tim and Brandi, twighlight with Radiohead and Wilco and the Chicago skyline, nightly stops at Walgreens on Michigan Ave for drinks and snacks after the show, the architecture river/lake tour {Wendella tours}, how perfectly we slept in the hotel room {Marriott on Ontario, just off the Magnificent Mile}, Pandera Bread for breakfast every morning before the show, Nate reenacting Ferris Buhler at the top of Sears Tower, the tornado that tore through Illinois as our plane was preparing for take-off, our emergency "de-plane" and warnings to stay away from the windows in the airport. I guess 80 mph wind can be hazardous.
Here are some photos of the weekend.