Let's Go Lakers!

The Lakers beat the Suns tonight to move on to the NBA Finals. Up next, the dreaded Celtics. Our house (and family for that matter!) is full of Laker-lovers. Tyler was quite excited about the win! Gooooo Lakers!

Mommy & Daddy's Getaway

Last Thursday, Scott and I went down to Missoula to see Serena Ryder and the Barenaked Ladies in concert at the Wilma Theater. Serena played at the Northern last year so we were able to get tickets from her agent. It was an amazing show! The venue is an old movie theater, and it is very intimate. We just walked up to the front and ended up about 4 rows from the stage (does anybody else think that Ed Robertson, lead singer, looks like Jordan?). It was a lot of fun, and while we were in Missoula we were able to spend time with our old friends Luke and Tara Laslovich. Scott and Luke were roommates back in Santa Clara in 1999. We hadn't seen them for about 5 years, so it was great to catch up. They have 2 beautiful daughters, the youngest was born 1 day before Tyler! We all went out after the concert and were able to meet up with Leeann and Bert. They both graduated from law school on Saturday, so we had a little celebrating to do! Congratulations to the both of them! We were in search of food before we headed home on Friday and came across some sad news: The Pickle Barrel in Missoula is gone... very sad indeed. I guess a road trip to Bozeman is in order to get the best cheesesteak in the West!

Springtime Fun

The past week has been beautiful here. Tyler has had many trips to the park, and last week we happened upon a group of his friends playing there too! We also just fenced in the backyard, so have been spending a lot of time out there. Both Tyler and Kirby love the freedom of running around, and we don't have to worry that they are going to get into trouble. We are looking forward to many more sunny days and playtime!

Tyler and Annemarie on the playstructure
And in the tunnel

Mmm... ribs... delish!

The new fence, and a view of Glacier Park

Mother's Day

I had such a wonderful Mother's Day with my husband and son. I got to sleep in and woke up to a latte, croissants, mimosas, and a beautiful vase of tulips. Tyler took a 3 hour nap so I was able to watch a movie and read a book. So nice!
We had dinner at Al & Helen Jane's house with Doug, Christine, and Joey. As usual, dinner was so fantastic. Helen Jane made a Julia Child tart for dessert and it was amazing (I'll be making it at work this week!)
Both my mom and Scott's mom were traveling for Mother's Day, and we missed them. Two weeks without his Nanas... Tyler is going crazy!
We hope all the mommies out there had a great Mother's Day!

Darn Spring Weather!

We have had the strangest spring here in Northwest Montana. From snow to sun, sleet to hail, these past 2 weeks have been from one end of the weather spectrum to the other. The good news is that the grass is nice and green, but it's too wet to go out and play in it!

Playing outside on April 21st... what a lovely day! The first shorts day of the year!

What the?..... We woke up to 2 new inches of snow on May 5th. Thankfully it melted by the afternoon.

We are putting up a fence next week that will completely enclose the backyard. This will be so nice for both Tyler and Kirby. We are looking forward to warmer days so we can get a swingset or toys out there and enjoy spring!

Chicago Food

I must say that while in Chicago, we ate quite well. Everything from an unbelievable multi-course dinner downtown to White Castle was included in our tour. Here is a rundown of some of the tastiness...

Thursday:

delicious cheeses, breads, and wines Chez Eleanore

a yummy flatbread at In Fine Spirits

mini cheeseburgers at White Castle

Friday:

tasty breakfast burritos Chez Eleanore

deep dish Chicago style pizza at Gino's East

the best latte I've ever had at Intelligentsia Coffee

amazing sushi at Tank

Saturday:

my favorite french toast (with ham, gruyere, and maple mustard syrup) at Southport Grocery

yummy vanilla cupcakes too...

Martinis with killer blue cheese stuffed olives at the top of the John Hancock building

The Best Dinner Ever at Graham Elliot (pictures and descriptions to follow)

Sunday:

croque madame at Bistro Campagne

Yes, I did gain at least 5 pounds in 4 days!

Here are some pictures of us at Graham Elliot. If you are ever in Chicago and wanting a dining experience, you should go. He takes ordinary menu items and interprets them into the most fantastic bites you have ever had!

We met the Chef Graham Elliot Bowles as we entered the restaurant! Apparently we made quite an impression because he sent over complimentary appetizers and dessert wine.

The roast chicken was so good...

As was the truffled popcorn they brought us!

The food is so good you want to dance!

Spring pea soup with a mint marshmallow... sounds bizarre, but it was like eating fresh peas with a spoon. As the marshmallow melted, the soup took on a new flavor and consistency

Wagyu beef with arugula salad, cippolini onions, and a really good sauce. Amazing!

Besides the food shown, we enjoyed "foie-llipops"- coins of foie gras on a lollipop stick with orange pop rocks stuck on the edges. They made your mouth sing! The richness of the foie gras combined with exploding orange pop rocks.... how do they think of these things?

Also a whitefish sashimi with passionfruit sorbet and radishes, a tasty seared scallop appetizer, a new take on caesar salad with a brioche twinkie stuffed with marscapone cheese, an asparagus-goat cheese terrine, the best salmon ever, and 4 different desserts. As I said, this was such an incredible experience. Thank you, Graham Elliot!

Chicago 2010!

I had my first getaway from Tyler this past weekend. Kelly, Sarah, and I met Eleanore in Chicago for 4 days of eating, drinking, and hanging out. It was so wonderful to be with my friends in such a cool city. Eleanore was the best hostess with lots of goodies for us to eat and drink, and showed us such a great time. I only had a tiny meltdown via Skype on Saturday, but other than that, I was fine being away from my little monkey... plus I knew he was in good hands with his Nanas and Daddy! I have made up for being away from him for 4 days by giving him 1 million kisses since I got home on Sunday night. Thank you to the girls for mommy's getaway! Let's start planning Escape 2011!