BINGO- Final Event!!

We have our final event coming up THIS Saturday!
Besides being catered with yummy BBQ dinner, we have our best prizes yet!! Everyone is welcome and bring all your friends and family to help raise money for leukemia and lymphoma society!!
See you there!!

That was then, this is now.

I was looking through a few photos on my work computer and came across a cute picture of Ecko cuddling Griffin when we first got her!
Griff was too young to leave her mom and quickly adopted Ecko as her mom.
Griffin (Yes, we have a girl cat with a boy name).
Ecko is so kind and patient with that darn cat.
Griffin started sucking on Eckos lip when she was just barely new to our house and a year later she still does EVERY day!!
We did not pose either of these pictures. The other day, I was downstairs doing laundry when I came up and found Eckos arm around Griff while she was sucking her lip.
Russ says, "Get a room"
I say, "awwww"

Love my animals!

Then                                                                           Now

Chi-Town!

Did you know that Chicago has a nickname of Chi-Town? (pronounced..Shy-town)
I didnt, I picked up a shirt at the Nike outlet and said, "Chee town!". I got laughed at.
Its also called the Windy City, and that it was!!
I got back last week from a little trip to Chee-Town for work. I also got to do a few little touristy things as it was my first time there!
Super bummed I missed the dying of the river green for St Pattys day though!

I flew in on a Monday and got to stay in a fancy little place down town.
When I walked into my room, my computer in my room even welcomed me!
Because of traffic, it took forever to get to our hotel so I was HUNGRY!
Because of the wind and the snow, we hopped in a cab to go to the famous deep dish pizza at Giordanos!
I had to hold my breath for 2 blocks we went (We hadnt realized it was so close to our hotel) because the taxi driver was smoking IN the car while we were moving. Does anyone else think this is rude? Baby has already been directly introduced to second hand smoke. aweome.
We made it!

They told me to be aware that its heavy pizza and like 2 inches thick and I could probably only finish one piece.

Challenge accepted...2 pieces and a salad!

I walked around downtown with my coworker.

Never again will I wear heels while pregnant and walking block after block in Chicago. Lesson learned.

We went to a few shops, and walked along the river.

While You Were Sleeping is one of my favorite movies of all time.

So the whole time I was in Chicago, naturally I was thinking of Lucy, Jack, Peter...and every time a limo drove by I was like..."Oprah?"

My feet had had it at this point so we went back to the hotel.

I only wish I wasnt 12 lbs heavier and with a coworker or I would have totally swam in our hotel pool.

It was built in like the 20's and they kept all the old architecture of it. Its beautiful!

I only wish this picture taken with my phone did the ceiling and detailing justice.

The next day we had to work, but we quickly toured a few more places before heading out of the city.

I of course wanted to see the bean.

Such a cool day with the clouds I Instagrammed the crap out of this one :)

Heel clicker in the bean and didnt spill one drop of my steamed milk.

We then went to the Willis Tower-formally known as the Sears Tower.

Supposedly its the tallest building in the America now that the Twin Towers are gone. Im too lazy to look that fact up, but once I as at the top, I believed it.

Standing on the plexy glass looking down a million feet! So much scarier than I thought it would be. Especially if you look up and see the clouds moving, it makes it feel like you are falling.

We were almost to the agency when we passed Portillos, which is supposedly famous for their hotdogs and beef sandwhiches. I really wanted to a hot dog from a street vendor but we had to leave the city before lunch time. I wanted to pull a While You Were Sleeping and walk up to the vendor and say, "The Usual". and then walk away all mad picking off the onions. But Portillos was a close enough. 

I asked for the real Chicago dog. I am a very plain hot dog eater. Ketchup, mustard- thats it.

But I felt like I had to get the full experience while I was there. So I ate it...didnt love it, but I can say i ate it. Tomatoes just did not fill in the taste of my missing ketchup.

I did love my side dish though.

We had a very successful work trip while we were there.

It was a lot of stress for me planning and always a relief when it goes well.

This wasnt the guy I traveled with the whole time, he flew in later for the day of the event and that was it. But we did fly out together. We also had a 6 hr delay at the airport due to mechanical problems. Why do you they tell you there are mechanical problems? It doesnt make me super excited to board the plane while they are waiting for a "part" for their mechanical problems.

We got there at 6:45 am and waited all day. By 10:00 am we went to Chilis for chips and salsa. We were all getting a little antsy and frustrated with Delta so I thought I would lighten the mood with a little Butter and Jam Jengo! It was fun, and didnt work at all, but we at least tried and laughed about it.

I got home after a few days away from Russ and he said, "Well...you are still pregnant".

I dont know what that means. But yes I am still pregnant...22 weeks!

PINK

I have a friend that lives in Dallas, Texas.
She invited me to come to town and see PINK in concert.
I thought it would be a really fun girls weekend. My friend Em from Seattle was supposed to fly in and go with us too, but airline tickets got too pricey and she wasnt able to make it.
The concert tickets were really expensive, and I am not a huge concert goer or huge Pink fan, but I was excited to have a girls weekend.
Russ went out camping and hiking with his friend on what his other friends like to call "Broke Back Mountain". Funny to me.
I flew into town and Jamie and her little son picked me up from the airport and we went shopping. Then we took her son home and her husband watched him while we went downtown, had dinner and went to the concert.
I was a little apprehensive going in...spending a fortune for a ticket, and going to a concert for someone Im just not that in...but holy cow. Pink was AMAZING!!!!!
Seriously, I would pay to see her again, and if you are ever somewhere she is performing or if she ever comes to town, I would highly recommend it. A little on the punk side and a few little crude things here and there, but wow can that woman sing!
I kind of forgot how many of her songs I love too.
toward the end of her concert, she did a lot of aerial tricks and one of them was going across the whole audience. It was awesome.
I didnt get hardly any pictures of my trip or the concert, but I did try and get her flying across the audience:

 

And holy cow does this woman have an amazing body. It made me want to work my butt off after I have this baby.

 

I tried to pull off the ombre with my hair for a few months and it just didnt feel like me. Between gaining weight (more than I should) and different colored hair, I just didnt feel like myself. I think this may be the last picture of darker hair. Thank goodness.

 

My favorite song of the concert and maybe my favorite song right now :

 

So good.

 

On a complete other note..the next morning after the concert, my friend Jamie made these yummy pumpkin muffins that Ive since made that were so simple and seriously delicious.

She just got a box of spice cake, and a small can of pumpkin and thats it!

Mix the heck out of it and put in muffin tins.

They were so yummy! And really cant get easier than that. When you start stirring, you might think you are supposed to add something else, but just keep stirring and it all mixes together.

 

Are you ache'n for some Panda?

Only 5 more weeks and our campaign is over!
So with that...only 5 more weeks of me posting all about LLS :)

For those of you in the Salt Lake Valley....
Print this flyer today  only and come eat yummy Panda Express!!
20% of your purchase will be donated to Leukemia Lymphoma Society!
Riverton Location Only...see you there! 12:00 pm-9:00 pm