i'm famous!

sort of.

i waited on some food bloggers about a month or so ago, and they recently made a post about their dinner. my name is mentioned only once :( but at least it's mentioned!

the mile high eater is the name of the blog. you should check it out. they live in denver and seem to post mostly about restaurants around there. but they have also eaten all over and have some interesting takes on restaurants that i've only ever dreamed about eating at. maybe someday *sigh*

pre-thanksgiving thanksgiving

my brother in law (the crazy man with the turkey) and his friends cooked an awesome pre-thanksgiving dinner- in the style of thanksgiving dinner- last night for us and about 10 other people. it was totally nostalgic for me, reminding me of the days when i had no family in chattanooga and would therefore spend my "orphan" holidays with friends. although the "chattanooga holidays sans family" are no longer a reality, there is still something quite appealing to me about reliving those days.

ben was quite fetching in his manly apron, and helped gabe make the cranberry sauce. i undertook the very important job of offering my verbal support to the cooks while sipping some very "special" mulled cider. even cooks need a cheerleader.

INHABIT : December, 6 2008 : 9pm-3am

INHABIT, the highlight of MAINx24, is coming up in a few weeks, and i'm completely jazzed about it. i've heard all kinds of rumors about ice-themed bars, live reindeer, and cirque du soleil style rope dancers hanging from the ceilings of contrapasso. it's the brain child of COPTIX, who have pulled a slew of other local businesses plus some pretty cool national brands into the sponsorship for this event.

tickets are $20 and can be purchased here. proceeds will be donated to benefit the first Habitat for Humanity house in chattanooga which is located in the southside and will be given to a family from the sudan. hence the name of the party, "INHABIT."

when: saturday, december 6th, 9pm - december 7th, 3 am
location: loose cannon studios + contrapasso
presented by: coptix

the boy is home!

IMG_0149, originally uploaded by thebany.

we got up at 5am this morning to head to fort campbell for michael's welcome home. it was wonderful. they actually let us out onto the tarmac to watch the soldiers deplane. we waved flags while caden chewed on them. it was followed by a brief ceremony before the soldiers were released.

i definitely cried a lot, but was soooo happy. i am so thankful to have been able to be there, especially to watch emily & he reunite.

the photo is of michael and caden. if you click on it it'll take you to the rest of the photos in my flickr account.

and for my next trick..

yep, his papa couldn't come home any sooner! this child is about to start sprinting!

the pictures are a bit fuzzy since i took them on my fancy new toy and am getting used to the built in camera. but you get the gist: caden is probably not going to be crawling for very long.

oh, and get a look of that wink in the 3rd photo. he was trying to charm me to get the iphone from me. which he did. and he promptly shoved it into his mouth and started chewing.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIKO!!!!

ok, so i'm pretty sure this is the exact same picture i posted last year from our birthday party, but i thought it wouldn't hurt to post it again.

anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIKO!!

kiko turns 30 today. wow! we've known each other for over ten years now, shared so many memories, cried together & yelled at each other. but we are the better for it. she truly is my sister, and i love her so much! i can't wait to celebrate her birthday this weekend with all our friends around.

spoil her today, vincent!!

i felt i had to make another post, since the last one implied that my husband, ben weaver, is all about torturing me on my birthday. he may be a little bit about that. but he is also the sweetest and most thoughtful man alive. this picture i ripped from kiko's flickr account, since i was so busy having fun at my birthday dinner, i didn't bother to take any pictures of my own. we joined our friends on saturday night to celebrate. it was such a fun & an amazingly delicious dinner at easy bistro.

then monday, we went to my very favorite restaurant, which also happens to my place of employ, for what has become my top five dinners of all time at st. john's and with my wonderful husband. and, last but not least, i got an iPhone for my birthday!!! it is my very favorite new toy! i don't really know how to work it yet, but i have downloaded some REALLY fun games, which i plan on wasting much time playing. i have been dropping 'hints' for months to ben that i wanted one. [by hints i mean, "um, you know what you should get me for my birthday? an iPhone." or, "hey, an iPhone for my birthday would be nice." and, "if i got an iPhone for my birthday, i would be sooooo happy."]

birthday torture

so i am currently at home staring at this in front of me. my husband is not here, so i cannot open these presents yet. it is incredibly maddening.
no really, maddening..

election 2008

yes, for shame, this is my first vote in a presidential election. ben & i are at coptix's office with about 70 other people watching the final countdown, the west coast polls closing in less than a minute. pizza, beer & many laptops (95% of them macbooks, surprise, surprise) abound.

wow. barack obama 284, john mccain 146. no matter how you feel about those numbers, this has been the longest election and it is finally over. frankly, i'm relieved. i admit the tenor of this campaign fight has worn me out. maybe i'm a wimp. but honestly, i just want my brother home.