Elizabeth & Brendan

I find it interesting that on this Friday (June 18), we were cleared to close on the house while one year ago on that Friday (June 19) I was told I have cancer (which I then met up with Kristen and JB and said “I have cancer.  So let’s get drunk.”  And thanks guys for taking the commend seriously and getting drunk.  The night ended in a dive bar with the entire bar singing along to Baby Got Back.)

To celebrate just how far we have come, Brendan and I cashed in a christmas gift and went to erbaluce for dinner.  (We both wanted what we got last time but branched out.  I got the steak and Brendan got the poached lobster)  And in talking, we both never thought that 1 year later we would have a dog, be buying a house and Brendan at a new job.  And while I am still technically “in treatment” and still finishing up the reconstruction, we are doing tremendously well.

And we have to thank you for all your support, cupcakes, well wishes, food, babysitting, prayers, etc.  We couldn’t have made it to this point without you.  And I am serious.

While in Iceland, we got word that my grandmother was not doing well. Being the considerate lady that she was, she pushed through the days while we were away on vacation. However, last Friday she finally decided she was done. She was 93 and lived a long, full life.

She will be missed.

Sorry for being gone – life got in the way of blogging.  I will pick up where we left off.

At the Jersey shower (there will be mention of a Rhode Island shower later on so let’s keep them straight), we ventured down into the basement which would have made Brendan drool.  Lego sets (perfectly constructed), ping pong and then the awesome air hockey.  Air hockey is one of the best games EVER!  I had to play.  Debbie was near by so she became my challenger.  After a few minutes of intense play, I was up a few goals to Debbie’s zero.  But we continued on.  Then Debbie was thinking of quitting and I was thinking I had actually hurt myself playing, so I switched from right to left hand and Debbie played.  Then I got sloppy and scored THREE goals on myself.  Debbie was getting back into the game.  All of a sudden it was tied 9-9 (10 wins it all) and Debbie hit the perfect shot in.  I found myself screaming in disbelief while Debbie fell to her knees in elation and laughter. I then thought I hurt myself again from laughing so hard.

Good game Debbie, good game.  Next time, I will win.

So when we last left, I was drinking under $100 red wine and catching up with Erica. We talked so long we got hungry and ordered food at 2am. One of the things I miss about New York – any food at any hour.  (I ended up with a burger and a milkshake and couldn’t have been happier.  Nick’s – good milkshake.)

Because of the talking and eating into the wee hours of the night, Erica and I were running late the next morning. We (not surprisingly) had not even bought a gift for the shower because we had plenty of time. Well we had about an hour and a half to get to the stores and get back. And we had to go to the bookstore to get a book for Baby Chase’s library. We probably spent about an hour in the bookstore, reading books, looking at books, discussing books. So this left us little time to get the real gift (which knowing Emily and us – seems just about right). So we ran but while paying got called by Debbie (BFD to those in the know). Sheepishly we called her back to say we are running late. However, in the end, she got there while we finished getting ready and we got out of there pretty much on time.

The drive to New Jersey was fine and contained a lot of laughter for things most of you wouldn’t get and some that should not be printed. But the lesson learned is that you cannot fill out cards while in the car because your handwriting will be jumpy.

At the pink-inspired shower (Baby Chase is presumed to be of the female persuasion), we learned what is soft and hard and that baby girl clothes are just the cutest.  Emily pregnant is also the cutest.  I had a good time imagining her at a Central Park event with the walkie talkie and baby bump.  Sometimes I find humor in weird places – it gets me through the day. 

We unfortunately had to leave Emily, Lowell and their families and head back to the city for some music.  Debbie, Erica, Lauren and myself headed to City Winery for the Rhett Miller show (show great, wine great, hummus not so great).  And then we decided to keep the party going and went to, I think, The Other Room or The Room or some type of room.  I don’t know – it was dark.  All in all, it was great to see Emily, Erica, Debbie, Lauren, and everyone else – my stomach hurt from laughing so hard.

I may be heading to Frankfurt, Germany in the near future. And by Frankfurt, I mean the airport. I am working on a conference for physicians at the Frankfort Sheraton which is adjacent to the airport. I would fly in, work and fly out and all I will see is the airport. Oh and this is over Brendan’s birthday. Last year I had to be in Switzerland for his birthday and this year I will be in Frankfurt. And before the “poor Brendan” comments start, he gets good gifts and is well fed. He will be fine.

Pancakes
Flowers
Movie
Fondue
Ice cream
Awesome

OK, well, not really. I have been doing some genealogical research and found out some interesting things. Namely, my great-grandmother (father’s side) was born in India during the British Occupation. At first I thought it was a transcription error (India instead of Ireland) but India kept popping up. I also found the family on a UK census and all the children were born in India.

Also, Brendan’s great-grandfather was tried for desertion from the Civil War but was absolved of the crime. He was just sick or something. We think he left the hospital and didn’t continue to fight.

That is our plan for 2010.  And give back actively rather than the passive giving we normally do.  We started to feel the need to do something while watching the Biggest Loser.  There is always a bit about the Pound for Pound challenege where if you lose a ound, they donate a pound of food to a local food bank.  This of course was usually followed by a commercial highlighting that 1 in 8 Americans go hungry.  Media worked.  It got us feeling guilty and interested in helping.  Because even after the trials and tribulations of 2009, Brendan and I are doing well compared to the average American. 

For the past year, we have been donating through Kiva.org.  It is a micro-finance site that allows for direct person-to-person lending.  (And since it is non-profit, you don’t make money on the loans, it is charity people.)  According to the website, “Microfinance is the supply of loans, savings, and other basic financial services to the poor.  As the financial services of microfinance usually involve small amounts of money – small loans, small savings etc. – the term “microfinance” helps to differentiate these services from those which formal banks provide.”

We found out about Kiva through a gift.  Jody and Katie gave us a Kiva gift certificate for our wedding and we have taken that giift and helped out four people (in Kenya, Ghana, Peru, and Tajikistan).   The premise being tht you take the money and as you get repaid, you loan it right abck out.  The one thing I wish is that they would post stories after the loan is repaid so you can check in and see how these people are doing.   

Which leads us to wanting to help out more in our own backyard and we plan to work with BostonCares, Somerville Homeless Coalition or some other organization. We have the applications, just need to feel them out and send them in.

“It is every man’s obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it.”
Albert Einstein

Although, we need to replace the bottom of Eli’s crate since he broke it while he was left alone (we went to Jersey to visit with the whole C. clan and Eli had to stay at home for about 7 hours).  But I would take a broken tray to jumping out the window any day.  Overall Eli was great – he went to the bathroom on the leash like a champ.  He found his spot down on Shore Road and became quite predictable.  He did growl and bark a lot more but he was around more people this time. Eli was not into the wrapping paper and it may be because he was anxious in a new place. Prior to us leaving, Eli was all over the wrapping of gifts so it was odd.

He did great again with Grandma but was a bit terrorized by the kids.  Even grandma said, “Shhh – you are scaring the dog.”  And while the kids were scaring the dog, Grandma could have just said “Shhh” as she has enough political capital to get people to quiet down without adding the dog in there.  She is tough like that.

Eli got to sleep in bed with us as a treat and did not try to continue the trend at home.

When we got home, we gave Eli his stocking.  Here he is checking it out.

Happy birthday to Patricia, Aunt Betty and Aunt Stephanie.

Finally updating the blog. Please note that this entry is being written while under the influence of percocet.

So B and I took a trip to Atlanta and Athens for some good food, family and football. The usual stuff. We had to leave Eli which was tough but this way he was less likely to jump out a window. Laura stayed with him Thursday through Sunday and then he went to Day Care Sunday – Monday.

So Thursday we flew around a tropical storm and made it safely to Atlanta. But there was some panic since I didn’t do my due diligence in planning and wasn’t sure if the plan was for Kristen to pick us up at the airport. Luckily she was on the ball. So we ended up at her apartment (so cute!) and then headed out for a night cap and buffalo wings (which I have been craving ever since). I was excited to try out some local beers since the last time I was in Atlanta and tried to order one, I was sitting on the wrong floor. I guess the floor I was on only served Belgium beer. Don’t get me wrong, I love what the Belgiums do with their beer but I do like to try local flavors. So anyway I had the Sweet Water beer and liked it.

Friday we were lazy and took our time getting up. But we went to eat at “The Flying Biscuit“. On the way over we saw this interesting street light that made us feel like Big Brother was watching us.

I wanted to try to the Flying Biscuit because they were voted best biscuit in Georgia – Kristen disagreed. As did I. It was not as fluffy and buttery as an award winning biscuit should be. It just wasn’t. Also, I didn’t see it fly. But my eggs were good, enjoyed the grits and I think B enjoyed his food. Flying Biscuit: Good Food, Ok Biscuit.

We then decided to take in some sights. So we drove to the King Center. But then after several attempts to park, we kept driving by. Next time. Next time.

That night we drove over to the Sweetwater Brewery. They open the brewery for a few hours and for $8 you get a bunch of drink tickets and a PINT GLASS! (Anyone who has been to my home knows of my penchant for pint glasses).

While inside, they also give free tours of the brewery which was fun.  It made me feel like we were in the opening to “Laverne and Shirley”.  Below you can see Brendan and Kristen on the tour.  Brendan listens intensely and Kristen drinks.

It was fun to get to try all the beers and it is a great place to people watch.  And dog watch – another reason to love Sweetwater, they are dog-friendly.  We saw one dog leap straight up into the arms of its owner and another that may have been a small horse.

After this we headed into downtown to go to the famous “Taco Mac“.  Famous because Kristen wore a cool shirt from them when in Boston.  But the one we went to this night, has an AMAZINGLY selection of beers on tap.  They also have basically a wall of taps.  It was beautiful.  I especially like taps of microbrews because they get creative.  Plus, it is hard to find bars in Boston with broad selections of beers.  We believe it is because Boston is not the friendliest towards outsiders (non-New Englanders) and this especially pertains to goods (not just people).  It is hard for small breweries to enter the Boston market (maybe at the Sunset Cantina).  So this was a big change for us.  I stuck to Sweetwater beer this night.

(For those not in the know, the picture above is Eli’s favorite cousin Kristen and her boy of the hour Jonathan)

So after that we retired so we could rest up for game day!!!!!!  Saturday morning we got up, got ready, got the BBQ from J.R.’s, and also some good breakfast.  While J.R.s was a runner up in the biscuit contest, I found them to be better than the Flying Biscuit.  So with food, booze, tickets, and the gang, we headed out to Athens, Georgia aka the Classic City.  Once we got close to the school, you could feel the energy and see the mobs of people tailgating or just walking around.  The most interesting fact is that a good portion of people tailgating will not be going to the game – they are just there to tailgate.

We drop B and JB off with the food while we go park.  Kristen and I walk through the campus and it is a beautiful campus with some great architecture.  It is also HUGE.  We walked by the stadium and that is huge.  It seats 92,746 and is the seventh-largest stadium in the NCAA.  It is also the largest stadium I have ever been to.  And then we walk towards a main tailgating area and all I can say is “Holy Black and Red, Batman!”  No spot is not filled with something black and red, and the set ups are just amazing.  We are talking generators, TVs, direct TV dishes, and tons of food and beer. We bought Terrapin Beer which is brewed in Athens and I declared Terrapin to be better than Sweetwater.

So we got ourselves a beer and watched the Tech game until it was decided they won.  JB and Cabe smoked celebratory cigars (a cigar girl came around selling Nat Sherman cigars with commemorative UGA vs Auburn labels – awesome) and I think JB started making his travel plans to the ACC Championship game.  B and I walked around a bit.  We tried to ring the chapel bell but stopped when we saw the handmade sign that read “This is our VICTORY bell.  If you ring it before the game I will kill you.”  I don’t take death threats lightly so we just walked on.

Let’s pause to discuss the game.  Apparently UGA/Auburn is the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.  All I can say is that the game and atmosphere is crazy.  While the tailgating is huge and overwhelming at times, I was really taken back by the game itself.

1. Basically, the crowd is huge.
2. Unlike BC, everyone is in their seats well before kick-off
3. Everyone sits in their actual seats
4. People sing the national anthem
5. No one leaves their seats
6. The crowd gets loud and crazy when UGA is losing
7. They do ring the bell when they win.

It was a great game and UGA won.  We also got to see Uga VII in his little air-conditioned dog house.  And sadly, this was to be his last home game as he passed away a few days later.

After the game we went out a bit in Athens and that was very overwhelming.  We overheard some Auburn fans who were taking the loss hard, very hard.  Basically this is the worst thing that has ever happened to him and nothing can compare to it.

Sunday morning came around which was Anniversary Day!!!  We went out to breakfast and I had amazing Eggs Benedict and coffee.  I love getting breakfast out.  We took a nice drive back Atlanta said our good byes to JB and then napped.  That night we headed over to Tim and Wendy’s to see them and the boys.  We had some coffee and Wendy bought us CUPCAKES!  How did she know?  I had a carrot cupcake that was almost too pretty to eat.  But I ate it anyway.  Seriously, I didn’t know that Whole Foods had such tasty and pretty cupcakes. It was great to see them.

After that we just headed back to downtown and went to bed only to leave early the next morning.

And that was our trip to Georgia.