Happy Birthday To Me

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes! Sam and Nic, my co-workers, gave me a great gift of the "four food groups" - chocolate, root beer, terra chips and whiskey. Do they know me or what? PLUS a Steelers balloon!! Right on. I also got an adorable bouquet - but I don't know from who!! Someone please own up!

Another Chinese toy recalled

Aloha!

Brian got a very good birthday present this year - tickets to see Jimmy Buffett in Waikiki! We had such a great time. The highlights:

Thursday night: The concert was a blast. We got a lot of compliments on our headwear:



Friday: Our favorite activity is snorkeling. We took the bus to Hanuama Bay, where we got some great snorkeling in. My favorite sight was a big, fat, heaving sea cucumber.



Saturday: We took a catamaran (the Kai Ole' Ole') from the Ko'Olina resort about an hour out, where we snorkeled again. The high point by far was seeing a giant turtle. The water was ultra blue and the fish were beautiful - it has to be what heaven is like. Then on the way back a school of dolphins raced our boat. Some jumped out of the water and spun - they are such hams.



Sunday: I was terrified but agreed to take a surfing lesson. Well now I am obsessed! I can't wait to do it again! It was so much fun and we had the best instructors. Ron, on the right, is exactly how you'd imagine a surf instructor should be. On my Amazon wish list: a wetsuit!



Sunday night: We had a late night flight so we were able to have a great dinner Sunday before we left. We dined at Alan Wong's, which was named in the paper that same day as Hawaii's best restaurant (for the 7th year in a row)! Brian was intrigued by the cauliflower because it was purple (you can also spot an orange piece on the plate).



Happy birthday to us!

Team Perez

Ilse and I met the Queen of All Media last night!

China

I spent a week in China and it was amazing. The highlights:
- Went to the silk market - three times! Got "Louis Vuitton" watches, a "Custo" dress, "Puma" shoes, two adorable but flimsy "Anya Hindmarch" bags, some actually real jade and silk, and tons of pearls... Here's a pic of the first day of purchases. By day 3 the entire bed was covered!



- Climbed the Great Wall. Jeez! I never realized how steep that thing was. I don't know any of the people in the first pic, but look how steep these stairs are!!





- The food at the hotel was excellent, and I also ate at one great restaurant. But on the street, there were some terrifying treats. Like these steamed scorpions - some of which were STILL WRITHING. They also had crickets and starfish. Yikes.



- Have you ever heard of the Empress Dowager CiXi? Well I hadn't but after a visit to her Summer Palace, I got curious and read about her (okay, googled). She was quite an intriguing character. Here I am at her palace, sorry the quality isn't grand.



- I tried Tai Chi. As you probably know, I am highly uncoordinated, so I'm not quite a master yet. I even got this ultra easy move wrong (compare my hand position to the masters')!! But it was a lot of fun.

Brian's "Sneak-Up Surprise" Party

Brian turned 30, FINALLY. I felt like a dirty old lady for so long, dating a guy in his 20s. (But seriously, the first person to call me "cougar" gets their head chopped off.)

Anyway I wanted to surprise him but he doesn't like the typical surprise party. So I had people just show up at our home, as if they just happened to be in the neighborhood. After a few "drop-ins" he suddenly had a party on his hands. Yeah!! We borrowed a Wii and a PlayStation (for Guitar Hero) and had a fantastic time.

People REALLY get into the Wii action!

Wedding in Colorado

My cousin Valerie got married in Colorado and we had a great time.

I am posting this photo of Brian and me not because it's a really fabulous shot of either of us, nor is the scenery all that interesting. I just want to shout about my dress - my $26 dress - my $26, bought-in-five-minutes, ran-into-Ross-Dress-for-Less-and-ran-back-out dress! Not too bad for a panic purchase huh??



I also like this pic where we're showing off our shoes - clockwise from left is Aunt Dee, Berni, mom and me.

Pittsburgh leads nation in female NFL fans - USATODAY.com

Click the link to read the whole article - it's great! "Pittsburgh has more than twice the number of female pro football fans than the average market." I love the Steelers like family. Did you know they've sold out every home game since 1972?!


By Alan Robinson, AP Sports Writer PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have known for years their fan base included countless women - that was evidenced by all the pink official team jerseys they sell and the hundreds who attend their female training camp each summer. Yes, more than 300 women spend money each year to go through a simulated day of Steelers training camp, replete with blocking and running drills and a trip to the training table. The club also sponsors a Football Knowledge for Women classroom-type course. Now the Steelers have proof that, when it comes to building a female fan base, Pittsburgh does it better than any other NFL market. According to a Scarborough Sports Marketing survey of 220,354 residents in 75 United States markets conducted last year, Pittsburgh has, by far, the largest base of NFL fans who are women."

July

A few late reports. We had a great July 4 party.




I had a criminally good time in Nashville at Katie's bachelorette party.

I know it's wrong but I can't stop laughing

glumbert - News anchors can't stop laughing at falling model

Whirlwind in Europe

Monday, 10 am: receive call directing me to work in Europe for the week
Monday, 12 noon: book flights and hotels
Monday, 6 pm: board non-stop to London
Tuesday, 1 pm: land in London
Tuesday, 5-10 pm: focus groups in London
Wednesday morning: spend ONE hour touring London (Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace)
Wednesday, 3 pm: land in Paris
Wednesday, 5-10 pm: focus groups in Paris
Wedneday midnight: visit Arc de Triomphe
Thursday 8 am: visit Eiffel Tower
Thursday, 4 pm: land in Berlin
Thurday, 5-10 pm: focus groups in Berlin
Friday morning: tour Berlin (Checkpoint Charlie, Jewish Museum, KADEWE!)
Friday, 8 pm: land in Paris for overnight layover
Friday 11 pm: walk the Champs Elysees
Saturday 8 am: board non-stop to LAX

WHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pics:
- self portrait at Tour Eiffel
- under the Eiffel
- incredible artwork at Jewish museum - "Falling Leaves" - meant to represent human suffering and innocent victims of war (foremost Holocaust victims but all people everywhere), but also the hope of a better future
- Checkpoint Charlie, one of my favorite historical spots
- beautiful pasta for sale at the Ka De We - best department store anywhere

We're moving to Springfield

Not sure which state though!

A happy Sunday at our home

The Loop

We recommend this show, the Loop. It's too freakin funny. Of course, we are TV junkies so this is just one of many. If you don't feel like laughing, try my other favorite, Intervention.

I LOVE my brother's art

Please check it out. Some of it is hilarious, some of it is disturbing, all of it is wildly creative!

Back from ANOTHER Vacation

Yep, we are inching closer to our goal to become full-time vacationers.

The week of Memorial Day, we went to "OBX", which is what cool people call the Outer Banks (North Carolina). Here are some pics.



Brian went fishing in the ocean! A fishing license was only $10 but I knew I'd get bored within 45 seconds, so I didn't get one.



Aren't crabs strange? This guy was either eating, or humping, another (dead) crab right under it.



While I was stalking the crabs, Brian managed to catch something. We told everyone it was a manta ray but they informed us it was a "skate". Whatever. I wouldn't eat it either way. It's creepy because it has human eyes. Brian threw him back in.



Obligatory couple-looking-happy-on-a-giant-anchor shot.



I got the chance to catch up with my cousin and her new baby. Aren't we all adorable? I guess one of us is the adorablest.

Dellagoodpinarich

Trust me, I don't think everyone is sitting around in anxious desperation, waiting for the new Dellagoodpinarich post.

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Now just for the heck of it, here's me as an M&M:

Flowers From Katie

To congratulate me on the Activision win! Ain't she the sweetest???

We WON!!

After 7 months of busting ass, we got the news today: we won the Activision account! I could not be more thrilled! I really did almost cry but realized how stupid I'd look so I held back. I did drink a well-deserved glass of Veuve Cliquot!

jjd

Brian is the KING of misheard lyrics

Exhibit A: Crazy Train
Correct: millions of people living as foes
Brian's version: millions of people have lived here before

Exhibit B: Rodeo or Mexico
Correct: Does anybody know the Spanish word for wife?
Brian's version: Does anybody know the Spanish word for why?

And I give you the grand exhibit of all: Go Your Own Way
Correct: You can go your own way, you can call it another lonely day
Brian's version: You can go your own way, you can call it thunder - but don't you dare!

Now I am single, because Brian says if I post this on the internet he will break up with me. So please send me many boxes of chocolates so I can ease the pain of loneliness and heartbreak.

Jennifer

Back from vacation...

...and hating it! It took 15 minutes for all the effects of that relaxation to wear off.

I have JURY DUTY this week. Does anyone enjoy this? I spend all day every day trying not to judge people - and then the frickin city of Los Angeles forces me to!

jjd

The best dessert of my life thus far

Tonight we dined at Elements in the Sanctuary resort and spa. The reviews on Yelp.com were glowing, and they had availability on Open Table, so we gave it a try.

Dinner was good. Very good, I guess. I had honey glazed five spice pork tenderloin. Brian had the usual, filet.

But dessert. Oh, my goodness. This might be one of the top two desserts I have ever had! It was called Chocolate Peanut Butter Decadence. It was a peanut butter mousse, frozen then unfrozen, surrounded by a chocolate shell and and and... I just can't explain it. I literally had to stop myself from licking the plate.

And the waiter said I can get the recipe from elementsrestaurant.com!!


By the way...
...this is where we got the world's most spectacular cookie, and that nostalgic brownie with the fudgy icing.





Check out the cake designs - they are incredible!

More Vacation Splurges

Today was a great vacation day. We tried getting some sun by the pool but it was pretty cold and windy. We managed to get one lap around the lazy river but by the end, I was shuddering.

I skipped lunch (breakfast was a non-issue, as we've been sleeping VERY late every day). Late afternoon, we hit the malls. I got some great things.
- At Nordstrom, a swingy red sleeveless top. Very "Laugh In"
- At some ridiculously priced boutique in Scottsdale, black leggings! Yeeks! But they will look good with the swingy red top and black flats. These leggings are on display in the photo of me, along with the red top from Nordstroms!
- At Retail Laboratory, a store we love, an Orla Kiely top. So great. And not on sale. Oops.



Then we went to La Grande Orange for dinner. We'd heard about this place and even visited once but the pizza parlor wasn't open yet, so we left. So tonight we got our pizza. Holy God it was delicious. Then dessert was a banana chocolate cupcake. A $2.50 tiny cupcake. And worth every penny. The chocolate topping tasted exactly like that awesome, fudgy, buttery frosting your mom would let you eat with a spoon right out of the cardboard carton, but only on really special occasions.

Jennifer

My PhD Dissertation on Desserts

Tonight I was awarded an honorary PhD, that is a "Permanent Heartburn Disorder" from Scottsdale University. As you may be able to infer, there was some serious eating, followed immediately by eater's remorse, and I am sure that indegestion is waiting in the near future. It was all worth it though, as I discovered something that I never knew.

Dessert is great, but always is fighting an uphill battle to satisfy us.

Not only is it great, but it has the hardest job of any course. Already satisfied from lunch, we scarfed a salad that took three times as long to make, twice as long to serve and for that? It was greatly appreciated, as it temporarily curbed my hunger until the main course, which was a pizza, the low man on the gourmet totem pole. Unlike most pizzas, this particular pie came recommended from 99.999% of Scottsdalians, except the one guy who has lived for years, heard everyone loves it, but has not tried it yet. Shame befall him and his entire family. It truly was spectacular, as they made their own cheese, and it was both fresh and delicious.

Before the thought of dessert crossed my mind, I called it quits after eating 1/2 of the pizza, only to force feed myself another half-slice. Then I ate the first round of dessert, a spectacular passionfruit-raspberry tart. It was then that I realized my taste buds kept saying eat more, but the rest of my body was fighting back and telling me to stop. Shortly following the realization of this newfound feeling, I started in on round two of desserts, and it was so wonderful. It was then that I realized how hard dessert has it. You are already full, you feel guilty for eating such bad food, and you are tired (that familiar food coma feeling). Yet dessert still tastes so good. So is the indegestion and heart burn worth it, I do not know if it always is, but if you are dining at La Grande Orange, it will be.

Cheers,
Goody

Vacationing in Arizon

I didn't ask him but I think it's fair to say Brian and I have a common goal, and that is to become professional vacationers.

We are on our first vacation of the year. There are quite a few more coming up, but this one was hard earned and well-deserved (of course I am biased).

I'll let Brian describe his notable food experiences on this vacation, but here's how it's gone so far.
- Saturday morning in the airport: Brian went to McDonald's, I bought two bags of Jelly Bellys
- Saturday lunch: Grilled Expedition. Looked like it was going to be pretty bland, as it was in a cookie cutter strip mall, but turned out to be great. I had tenderloin tips and peanut slaw.
- Saturday dinner: We drove over to the Hotel Valley Ho, which was much "deader" than I'd expected. Dinner was at Zuzu's, which is adorable and trendy now but looks like it could have been a Howard Johnson's coffee shop in a past life. I had good but unremarkable penne and chicken. Dessert ruled - espresso shake and butterscotch bread pudding.
- Sunday lunch: Nachos poolside! And frozen drinks.
- Sunday dinner: We went to Ippei Japanese Bistro, thinking it was a trendy, high end eatery but turned out to be another strip mall anchor! This place is full of big box stores and shiny new malls. But anyway the food was not all that authentic but really, really good. I had two skewers and kobe fried rice.
- Sunday snack: I spotted a Buffalo Wild Wings, which I know as BW3 (that's what it was called wayyyyy back in my college days). I played trivia while Brian ate wings. Then we went to Albertson's and stocked up on salty things to eat at the pool tomorrow.

Now it's almost 11 pm but there is no sleep in sight. We took advantage of our lack of responsibilities and slept on the squishy, wonderful pillows until noon!

Many, many, many thanks to Brian's parents for donating this great timeshare to us for a few days!

Jennifer

Welcome To Our Blog

Brian and I have decided to start a joint blog! Perhaps it will be dull as dirt but let's give it a shot.

I was bloggin when bloggin wasn't cool,

Jennifer