Birthday Party #1

This weekend we traveled to St Louis for Thanksgiving. Augustine did great on the ride both ways. He is getting to be a little traveler. His new Brit.ax seat is awesome and I know he is safe. He still does not like to be strapped down. But I know that is the safest way to travel for little ones.

We shared Turkey Day at Grandpa Steffen's nursing home. The staff made a wonderful meal and the whole family was able to enjoy. I brought pies from the Culinary Arts students. Then we visited the Hagy's at their place. They are still in separate rooms and will be moving Grandma sometime this week to Grandpa's room. My dad did smoke a few turkey breast. And on Friday, we did a small traditional meal complete with White.Castle stuffing. (oh so yummy!)

Augustine took a 2 1/2 hour nap on Friday afternoon. When he woke up he was a walker. I'll be posting a video soon.

Saturday, we took his photos at my sister's condo and some great family shots. Em is editing them and I'll be able to make up our Christmas card after Augustine's Omaha party this upcoming weekend.

Saturday night was Augustine's St Louis party. We had a great time and I do plan on posting photos sometime this week. In the mean time, you'll have to settle for Erin's blog. He wasn't a fan of his cake. I don't think he knew what to do with it. But he'll get another shot at it on Sunday in Omaha.

On to a busy week. Have a great Cyber Monday!

Ya for Grey's!

I guess how I should make a comment on how the show was last night.

I'm so excited for Grey's Anatomy to be back this season! Oh how I love my guilty pleasure of Mer, Der and the rest of the Seattle Grace Hospital. I really loved the speech Chief gave at the end. And the Army doctor - Cristina wants him!!! The bar has been raised! I can't wait to see how the season unfolds this year.

After I watch Grey's, I read the Writer's Blog on ABC. I completes my Grey's obsession to learn what is really going on with the show. Shonda and the other writers give some much more to the show by reading this blog.

On a unrelated note but kind of related, this March I'll be going to Seattle for a conference. Now I know the show isn't taped in Seattle. But isn't that cool?!? Ok, dork moment over.

I left my heart in San Francisco...

Well not really. Andy stayed in Omaha. I on the other hand, travelled to San Francisco this past weekend for a conference. So I really "left my heart" in Omaha. I guess that's why I'm back in the cold Mid-West.

Anyway, about my trip to San Francisco: it was a lot of fun! This was the second time I went to the First-Year Experience Conference. Last year it was in Dallas, Texas. This was my first time presenting at a national conference. I held a poster session on the learning community I work with at IWCC. It went really well. Plus I learned about other programs and professional development is key in the ever changing world of education.

While I was in SF, I was able to meet up with my college friend Mary Beth. MB now lives in Frenso and is an union organizator. Since this was my 5th trip to SF (first time as an adult), I wanted to do my favorites and something I've never done before. We went to jail: Alcatraz! Yes, I went to jail and it was totally voluntary. As a kid, my sister and I wanted to travel across the bay to the now- National Park. However, my mother wasn't ever too excited to visit. Now as well-traveled adult, I must go. MB and I had a great time exploring the island of Alcatraz. The best part about our island adventure was the lecture on Al Capone - the most famous inmate at Alcatra. Did you know Capone had a stamp on today's culture? Yes, it's true! Capone helped lobby for milk to require a "sell-by" date. Next time you drink milk, think of the most famous US gangster.

Another stop on our SF adventure was Ghirardelli's. You can now get their Ghirardelli's chocolate all over the country. However the BEST part about Ghirardelli's is the yummy ice cream! The most memoriable part about Ghirardelli's is the size of the ice cream. MB and I were in a time crunch so we got it to go. Don't worry, I went back before I left town.

Now back to the real world! Enjoy the weather!