Ari and Amber 2-Day

Change has come.

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 07:37:00 +0000

So, it's 2:30 in the morning and I can't sleep. (Okay, that's a lie - I'm perfectly capable of sleeping; it's the little weiner dog who doesn't want to sleep, and will bark until I get up and sit with her).

Anyway, I just saw an infomercial for Barack Obama commemorative plates. Really? I know this was a "historic vote" (according to the commercial), but is the Obama market so hot that people want to pick up collectible plates? I can't imagine anyone (except for maybe Alex P. Keaton) who would want to decorate their home with presidential memorabilia.

Of course, maybe I'm wrong. And at an introductory price of only $19.99, maybe I should pick up a few for those Obama fans on my holiday list...

Looking ahead.

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 01:22:00 +0000

Thanksgiving is almost here, and not a moment too soon... I haven't had a day off work since the first week of September. Looking forward to spending a nice long weekend with hubby and the pumpkin.

We're spending family time together on Thanksgiving morning before driving down to NJ for dinner with my in-laws.

Of course, I will be spending Black Friday shopping with my mom - our annual tradition. We'll leave the house super-early and spend the day trying to wrap up most of our holiday shopping, then go out to lunch with hubby and the pumpkin, my dad, and my brother and his girlfriend.

This year, I am looking to pick up an outdoor playhouse for Baby H - he loves the one they have at school, and Toys R Us will have one on sale on Friday. Although I am a Black Friday veteran, I am still kind of intimidated by Toys R Us that day. They're on sale all weekend, though, so I guess I will wait until Friday afternoon and take my chances.

Saturday night, we are going to dinner at my brother and his girlfriend's house. And Sunday is family picture day - should be fun.

What are your Thanksgiving plans?

Hey, you never know.

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:10:00 +0000

I had my 24 week doctor's appointment this afternoon (of course, I have rescheduled so many appointments over the past few months, I am actually at 25 weeks, but that's a different story).

Anyway, the waiting room at my doctor's office was packed when we got there, so hubby took a seat while I went to check in. I hear a rather lively conversation about the NY Lottery's Thanksgiving turkey raffle, but don't think much about it.

So, I sit down next to hubby and realize right away what they are talking about, as I am sitting right next to the one and only Yolanda Vega! How crazy is that?!? She is practically a legend in New York!

I didn't really say much to her - she was talking to hubby for a bit - and before I knew it, I was getting called in to see the doctor (one of the benefits of being pregnant - first in line!). She got called in at about the same time as me, and wished me luck.

At this point, two things are running through my head. First, Yolanda Vega and I have the same gynocologist! How bizarre is that? Second, regardless of your level of celebrity, it must be difficult to be recognized by people everywhere you go. She definitely didn't mind talking to everyone in the waiting room, but I know that a doctor's office is the last place where I want to partake in casual conversation. Maybe I would think differently if I was as known (and loved) as her.

Now does this mean that if I have a daughter, I must name her "Yolanda"? Hmmm...

Deal of the week.

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:37:00 +0000

Starting today, all Old Navy outerwear is up to 50 percent off. I am a coat-aholic, so I couldn't resist picking up this cute little maternity number to keep me warm this winter (if the temperature ever drops below 60 - it has been warm this week!):

Plus, if you use an Old Navy credit card (or a Gap one, as I learned), you can save an extra 10 percent off your purchase with the coupon code: TEN4WINTER. And, Gap Silver cardholders always get free shipping with coupon code: SILVER. (Yes, I shop at the Gap so much they promoted me to silver status.)

For those of you who prefer to shop in store, I read on GottaDeal.com that hats and scarves (and maybe gloves too?) are going to be on sale tomorrow for $1 - in-store only. Probably a good time to stock up!

Oh Canada!

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:37:00 +0000

I was listening to Sirius Hits 1 this morning (similar to Z100, for those of you in NY), and all of the broadcasters were preaching about how the election is over and we need to come together as one country. Of course, one of these DJs is the same person who said yesterday that if McCain won, he was moving to Canada.

So... I guess that because his candidate won, we should all hold hands and sing "Kumbaya." That type of hypocrisy just pisses me off.

Regardless of who won this election, I am still proud to be an American. Just because my candidate didn't win, I'm not going to pick up my toys and go home (or move to a neighboring country).

"Moving to Canada" always seems to be the empty threat that these people tend to spew when faced with things not going their way. God, I just wish that these people would actually put their money where their mouth is and get the h*ll out of this country. Enjoy the balmy winters - a far cry from Hollywood...

I voted.

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:39:00 +0000

Not like it matters, at least in the presidential election - New York is definitely an Obama state, regardless of how I vote.

At least I feel like I can make a difference in the local elections. I am particularly excited for my choice in candidate for Congress - maybe he will actually have a chance... we could use a change around here.

On a positive note, at least we won't have to hear about this damn election 24/7. Thank God for that!

The Jersey shore... in November

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 07:46:00 +0000

So, it's 2:30 am and I can't sleep, so I am watching "True Life" on MTV.

The subject? "I Have a Summer Share 2."

I don't know how MTV managed to find a house full of the most stereotypical Jersey guys/girls on earth, but they did. All of the guys are wearing tight shirts with the sleeves cut off to show their tattoos, and all of the girls are wearing way too much makeup and have total Jersey hair. They go clubbing, get into fights with the other patrons, and hook up with random girls. Right now, Tommy (the tough but sensitive one - of course) is all stressed out about something so he is doing shots at some club in Seaside Heights. Ick.

What's even more scary is I think that I hung out with guys like this before. Double ick.

PS - We find out at the end that Tommy is really just looking for a wife. NOte to Tommy: getting wasted and hooking up with random girls at Temptations and Merge probably isn't the best way to go about it...

An unlikely pair

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:57:00 +0000

Today, I was reading the latest issue of "American Baby" (lame, I know), when I saw an ad for Similac formula, featuring Ty Pennington from Extreme Makeover.

From what I understand, Similac has remodeled its packaging from the traditional formula can to a rectangular package. According to the ad, it features a one-hand grip, a snazzy lid to hold the formula scoop and a wider opening to make it easier to scoop out formula.

Now, I am sure that the makers of Similac paid a small fortune to get Ty to endorse their product. And I know that he is a household name and, as a "design expert," would understand the motivation for a package redesign. But, I don't see the connection between Ty (a single man who knows nothing of the trials and tribulations associated with scooping formula) and the average mom who reads this publication and decides what formula to feed her child. Is Ty's face on a formula ad going to sway anyone to actually purchase the product? Maybe it will make people stop and take notice, but I think that could've been done just as successfully by just showing the new formula package (it really is quite different).

As a marketer, I am torn on the concept of celebrity endorsements. Sometimes, they work wonderfully (I am thinking of the Campbell's chunky soup ads or even the new VW ad with Brooke Shields), but I think that's often due to an emotional connection between the celebrity and the brand. The chunky soup brand is positioned as a hearty meal for real men; what better way to portray that than by showing tough, manly football players (who, deep down inside, need the wisdom and guidance of their mothers to be sure that they are eating right)?

In cases like this, though, I wonder if the budget allocated to the celebrity could be better spent. Perfect example - when I worked for a large real estate company, we used Ringo Starr as the "face" of our new training CDs and DVDs. The concept? The training materials served as "a little help from (your) friends" at the real estate company. A real stretch - I am convinced that the reason we went with the campaign was so our EVP of Marketing could meet Ringo (actually, we all met him, but that's a story for another day). Did the campaign work? Not sure, but we did find a ton of the training videos on eBay shortly after they were released.

PS - I never used formula with Baby H, so I am definitely not the right person to answer this, but I think that - for the most part - parents of children who are formula-fed tend to stick with the brand of formula that is given to them at the hospital, as long as they don't have any adverse reactions. I had a friend who worked at a hospital once tell me that there usually was no rhyme or reason for the formula brand given to the new mother - at her particular hospital, it was Similac for girls, Enfamil for boys.

Really?

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:51:00 +0000

Is November 1 now officially the start of the holiday season?

I was watching TV this morning, and saw a commercial for Bob's Trees ("millions of branches to serve you").

According to the commercial, you can now head over and select your Christmas tree. Of course, what I didn't realize is that you just tag your tree now, and then pick it up closer to the holidays (I saw the commercial at 6am, so I wasn't quite awake yet).

Now, I love Christmas, but I'm not ready to start thinking about picking out the perfect tree. Now picking out the perfect present... that's a different story...

Boo!

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:32:00 +0000

Happy Halloween from our little pumpkin!

So emotional.

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:23:00 +0000

Good Lord, I have been such a hormonal mess lately. I feel like everything has been driving me to tears - this week has been an awesome roller coaster of sad and frustrated. Good times.

Just a sampling of the many times I have burst into tears this week:

* When I dropped Baby H off at school on Tuesday, they were getting ready to eat breakfast. I helped him wash his hands, and then tried to get him to sit in his seat. No dice - he just straightens himself out and refuses to sit. It takes me and the teacher to finally get him to sit, and as I turn to leave, he is crying, "No, Mommy!" The logical side of my brain knows that he is a happy camper as soon as he starts eating his waffles. The hormonal side? Not so rational. Thankfully I was able to make it to the car before getting hysterical.

* Baby H and I were listening to the radio this morning and a song from The Lion King came on the radio. It brought me back to my junior year of high school - I was working at Kay-Bee Toys and The Lion King had just come out in theatres. That summer, they played the soundtrack, on repeat, at my work - every single day. I started to remember how much fun I had working at Kay-Bee, and how my brother also worked at Kay-Bee, and how lucky I am to be so close to my brother. Cue the waterworks.

* It's no secret that I have been super-stressed at work. Work is always busy, but this past month has been even busier than usual, and this pace is expected to last until after Thanksgiving (if not until the day I go out on maternity leave). I'm in my VP's office this afternoon, reviewing the status of some project, and she starts going on and on about how I have too much to do, how I need to delegate better, etc. For whatever reason, it really got under my skin. I'm sitting there, thinking, "Oh my God. I think that I am going to cry. Please, please don't cry. Please!" All of a sudden, my boss is like, "Are you going to cry?" Thankfully, I managed to pull myself together, but I actually had to wipe my eyes and I am sure that my face was all red and blotchy. I haven't cried at work in years - I seriously felt like such a loser.

I think that I need some ice cream...

Practice.

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 07:02:00 +0000

It is 3:00 in the morning and I am sitting on the couch, wide awake. Of course, I would rather be in bed, but the weiner dog decided that she didn't want to sleep anymore and was going to bark her head off until someone came downstairs to keep her company. Somehow, I ended up with the short end of the stick - I'm telling you, the dog is pure evil.

Oh well - I'll just consider it practice for when the new baby arrives. In other pregnancy-related news:

* This pregnancy has been so much different than the last. I have been extremely sick this time around, well past the first trimester. Just waiting to start feeling like my old self again - I haven't been sick since Monday, so I am considering this a victory of sorts.

* Of course, being so sick has really kept my weight gain down to a minimum. As of my 16-week appointment, I had only gained 2 pounds. Much better than the last time around - where I took the expression "eating for two" a little too far (as in "eating for two adult football players") - but I really don't look all that pregnant yet. In fact, the comment I get most when people hear through the grapevine that I'm expecting? "You don't look pregnant." Wow, thanks... I guess.

* My first (and likely only) ultrasound is on Monday. Hubby and I think that we are going to be surprised this time around and not find out the sex of the baby. Of course, that is always subject to change.

* We have been trying to tell Baby H that Mommy is expecting a baby. He doesn't really understand - he's only 19 months old - but he has been pointing to my tummy and saying "baby" so we are making progress.

And in non-pregnancy news:

* Work has been kicking my butt. The next two months are so incredibly busy, I am just looking forward for Thanksgiving to get here. Then I should have a (very brief) reprieve, until planning for our national sales conference begins.

* I was in Chicago for work last week and will be in Detroit later this month (bleh). Of course, Baby H's first field trip - to the pumpkin patch - falls during my time in Detroit, so I am going to miss it. Hubby has already volunteered to chaperone - lucky duck.

* One thing I won't miss? The Halloween parade at school. Baby H is going as a penguin this year - I already bought his costume from Gymboree - it is freaking cute.

* Baby H is doing great. He loves his new classroom at school - he moved up to Toddler 1 right after Labor Day. He is such a big boy now, it's so cute - he naps on a cot and washes his hands in the sink every morning when he gets into class (they are really big on stopping the spread of germs, which is nice). He is such an active little boy, and so chatty too - of course, his new favorite words are "mine" and "no."

* We were in NJ on Tuesday for the Jewish holidays. The highlight of the trip was stopping by their house to drop some stuff off - the boys had some time to play with each other before we had to leave, and Baby H had a blast! It was so cute.

* I am already thinking about Christmas shopping - can you believe it? I am really lookng forward to the holidays this year.

I still need to upload some photos from our trip to Long Island back in September, so expect to see some more recent pics soon. I am off to bed...

3+1...

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 01:37:00 +0000

If three is a magic number, then what is four?

Guess we have until March 7, 2009 to answer that question...

Baby H is going to be a big brother!

Facebook?

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 01:30:00 +0000

I have long thought that once you graduate from college - or at the very least, once you turn 30 - things like social networking sites no longer applied to you (minus work-related sites like LinkedIn, of course).

Sites like MySpace and Facebook are for college kids to share photos of their parties, not for moms and dads to share photos of their kids, right?

Obviously not. First, she tells me that I should consider joining Facebook. So, I pose it to my colleagues at work... half of them are on Facebook, half of them aren't (of course, they may be a little biased due to the nature of our business). And none of these people are still in college.

So... what do you think? Do I join Facebook? Are you on Facebook? Do you like it? Hate it? Pros and cons?

And let's face it - I hardly have time to blog these days, will I really have time to do this?

Looking forward to your opinions...

Drama!

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 02:03:00 +0000

So, I have been reading Ted Casablanca's "The Awful Truth" for years now - even longer than Perez Hilton.

One of Ted's best features is "Blind Vice Friday" where he gives us the scandalous details on (unnamed) celebrities. His most famous blind vice is Toothy Tile, a super-famous Hollywood actor that happens to be gay (and very kinky, according to Ted) who first showed up in his column 3+ years ago. For the longest time, I was positive that Toothy was Jake Gyllenthaal, for a number of reasons. But today, Ted's column came out with the following Q&A:

Dear Ted:
Please don't be like Toothy himself when asked a tough question. Just give a simple answer. A yes or no will do. No beating around the bush or skirting the issue. Is there a Baby Tile?
—Tom, Mt. Laurel

Dear Gay Shooter:
Yes.

What?!? Jake doesn't have a baby!! Does this mean that perhaps he is not Toothy Tile, that I have been misguided all of these years?

I am starting to think that TT is MM... Matthew McConaughey. I don't know - this is so confusing...

(By the way, I am on vacation, which gives me the right to ponder silly things like Toothy Tile's identity all evening long...)

Five questions...

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 02:06:00 +0000

Tagged by my friend Jennifer from work (who has a very cool knitting blog, BTW - if you are into knitting... or even if you're not... check it out!).

The Rules: Rules are posted at the beginning. At the end of the post, the player tags 5 people and posts their names. Then the player goes to each of the “named” people’s blogs and leaves a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. If you’ve been tagged, you do the same, letting the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer. They, in turn, answer the following questions. Here we go!

1. What was I doing 10 years ago? Ah, the summer before my senior year of college... one of the best summers of my life. Living on campus as a summer RA, taking a couple of classes, working at Breugger's Bagels, spending Saturdays going down the shore with Brandao... and likely spending way too much time frequenting The Palm Grill, Bennigans, and some of Morristown's other fine drinking establishments. I could go on, but I won't (some things are better left in the past).

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list today? Well, today is almost over, but the following items were on my to-do list (warning: these are rather boring): release official numbers for August to sales/executives, participate in weekly PR call, work on 2008 accomplishments for next week's review, complete a vacation request form (yay!), route latest white paper to SVP for review.

3. Snacks I enjoy: Ice cream, Hershey kisses, pretzels, pineapple, chocolate chip cookies

4. Places I’ve lived: California, New York, New Jersey

5. Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Pay off my mortgage and all of my other bills. Pay of my parents' mortgage, my brother's mortgage, my grandparents' mortgage. Spend more time with Baby H. Visit my friends more often. Go on vacation. Donate all of my clothes to charity and start from scratch.

Okay, so I too lazy to tag you on your blog, but I know the five people I want to complete this - Hubby, Brandao, MomofDom, Terri and Debby. (And Huxy, if you had a blog, I would tag you too!)

Thank you for being a friend...

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:23:00 +0000

Sad news... Estelle Getty passed away today.

The Golden Girls has always been one of my favorite shows - I remember watching The Golden Girls and Empty Nest in junior high when I used to babysit for the boy down the street. In college, my friends and I would talk about which Golden Girl best represented each of us (I would always get voted "Dorothy"). And when I was on maternity leave, I would watch the show every morning on Lifetime.

The Golden Girls wouldn't have been the same without Sophia. She always cracked me up: "Picture it, Sicily, 1922..."

Goodbye Sophia, we'll miss you.

This and that.

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:35:00 +0000

* I am absolutely exhausted from bootcamp this morning. We met at the local high school track and ran laps, did (tons) of pushups, bleacher work, walking lunges and shuffles - and followed it up with a couple hundred sit-ups/crunches. Someone is going to be sore tomorrow...

* Baby H is the cutest kid ever. He spent the afternoon at my mom's house today - when I picked him up, he was dancing around her living room. Then we went to the grocery store, where he said "hi" to pretty much every person he saw.

* So, Red Robin recently added a nutrition information calculator to its Web site. If you are watching your weight and want to eat at Red Robin, I highly recommend that you do not check out the site (sometimes, you are better off not knowing). My favorite grilled chicken sandwich (hold the guac AND the mayo) and fries? Over 1100 freaking calories! I decided not to eat there this weekend...

* Over the past week, we celebrated the birthdays of 4 of the 5 most important people in my life (Baby H's birthday is in February). So happy belated birthday to my hubby (7/11), my mom (7/15), my brother (7/16) and my dad (7/17). May this year be the best ever...

* We took Baby H to the Great Escape last weekend - his first amusement park trip. We weren't sure how he would like it, and my worst fears were realized when hubby and Baby H got off the first ride and Baby H was crying his eyes out (or so I thought). Turns out that the real reason he was crying is because the ride had ended. We ended up going on every single ride in the park that he could ride, even the little roller coaster. He is definitely our child - hubby and I are both huge roller coaster fans.

* Okay. now I am really tired. Going to watch some Jon & Kate Plus 8, then off to bed.

God Bless America...

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 18:30:00 +0000

And God bless 4th of July sales!

My mom and I went to the mall yesterday and scored some great deals. My favorites:

* A suit at NY&Co (needed one for work). Jacket was 70% off, pants were 50% off. Plus I had one of those $30 off a $75 puchase. Ended up with both pieces, plus two shirts (one dressy, one casual) for $55. I should really check my receipt to see how much I saved.

* Nine pairs of socks at Baby Gap for Baby H for $6.21 (their clearance is an extra 25% off this weekend). These are my favorite baby socks in the whole wide world.

* Osh Kosh B'Gosh summer separates for the baby (two pairs of shorts and two shortalls for next year) for $2.37/apiece at JC Penney.

Shopping makes me very happy. Shopping for sales? Even better!

Checking in.

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 02:19:00 +0000

Sorry that I have been MIA. I just haven't had too much to talk about. Between work, family and trying to squeeze in some "me time" before 6:30 AM or after 8:00 PM on occasion, I am spent.

Just a couple of comments:

* I have been thinking a lot about her and her lately. Debby and Laura - I am keeping Billy in my prayers, and wishing for a speedy and safe return home.

* Baby H is great. His vocabulary is continuing to expand, with "banana" and "thank you" being the latest additions. He loves playing outside, especially with his water table. And the kid has rhythm (unlike his mommy and daddy) - every time he hears music, he just has to dance. In addition to swaying from side to side, he has also added some hand movements, turns and a move that I like to call "the penguin" to his repertoire. Hubby and I have to get it on video.

* On the self-improvement front, I just finished a 6-week Bootcamp Challenge class. Although waking up at 5:00 AM to work out has been tough, the results were worth it. In addition to losing 7 pounds, I lost 3.5% body fat and 7 inches. I also improved my mile-run time from 11:03 to 8:42, and can now do 36 pushups at a stretch (up from a paltry 12 just six weeks ago). And... I finally fit into a pair of pre-pregnancy jeans! I already signed up for the next session - hopefully I will be able to get into all of my pre-pregnancy clothes then.

* Hubby and I celebrated our 9 year (!) anniversary of our first date over Memorial Day weekend. It's crazy to think that we have been together for almost a decade. He is not only the love of my life, but my best friend as well. (Thanks Terri and Darren!)

Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Mon, 12 May 2008 00:24:00 +0000

First of all, Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there. It's funny, this is my second "official" Mother's Day, but even before having Baby H, the pups always bought me a card and some flowers (thoughtful dogs, they are). So whether your "kids" are children, pets, or houseplants, hope that your day was happy.

I always thought that my first Mother's Day would be my best, but Baby H, hubby and the pups set out to prove me wrong. On Friday, I went to a Mother's Day party at H's school. It was very cute, and it was nice to chat with all of the moms that I usually only see in passing on a day-to-day basis. Baby H made me the cutest gift - it was his footprint in a frame, with a quote that said:

From his first words and his attempts to talk,
To his first steps and his attempts to walk,
You'll watch him grow and be his biggest fan,
Sharing each moment, like only a mother can.

On Saturday, we went to the Albany Tulip Festival. It was really, really crowded (I think that hubby stood in line to use the bathroom for 20 minutes), but we got to hear the Spin Doctors play, H got to see horses and sheep (his favorite!), and of course, there were the tulips:

Today was pretty low-key... which was perfect. We went to my mom's for breakfast, then hubby did all sorts of yardwork while I finished cleaning the house and ran errands with Baby H. Hubby grilled for dinner, and now we are just relaxing.

I am hoping to update our family site soon, so stay tuned!

A tough choice.

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 02:05:00 +0000

Parents are faced with countless decisions:

* Bottle-feeding or breast-feeding?
* Cloth diapering or disposables?
* Stay at home or daycare?
* Co-sleeping or crib?
* Vaccinate or wait?
* Bloods or crips?

Check this out. Good Lord - some people shouldn't be allowed to reproduce.

(P.S. My view? I will totally let Baby H choose his own gang when he is old enough... probably kindergarten. Although, I am leaning toward the Bloods in honor of my Nana and Papa's last name (Blood) - gotta represent...)

Speechless.

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:18:00 +0000

I'm at work today and I get a call from the hubby.

He asks, "Are you sitting down?" Then he proceeds to tell me that he received an IM from our friend Ryan...letting me know that my friend Corey passed away suddenly this afternoon.

Most, if not all, of my "real life" friends from NJ know Corey - or at least know of him. He was my fellow communications coordinator back when I started my career at C21. We were the same age, had the same career ambitions, and became fast friends.

In a time in my professional life where I lived and breathed my job, where 10+-hour days were not uncommon, my coworkers and I were a family of sorts. And Corey and I were very close. In the years that we worked together, we celebrated numerous milestones in our lives - engagements, weddings, kids (well, at least he did).

We frequently had lunch together - even when we no longer worked in the same building - and could spend hours gossiping and chatting about work. We could talk about anything - I remember one particularly long car ride to a business meeting in Boston where we spent hours playing "Would You Rather..." where you had to choose between two particularly undesirable situations (the thought of some of the scenarios that he made me choose between still makes me laugh).

And let's not forget the business meetings. We definitely worked hard, but we knew how to play hard too. On one particularly exciting trip to Chicago during MLB All-Star Week, we stayed up for two days straight, working an 18-hour day, following it up with a legendary night out in Chicago, then meeting our CEO at the crack of dawn for a satellite media tour, still buzzed.

Although he knew how to have a good time, he was very sensitive too. He loved his family - his wife, Yiisa, and his two little boys, more than anything. They were his whole world, and I can't even imagine how they are feeling right now - how she is going to have to live the rest of her life without her husband, how the kids will have to grow up without their dad.

I still can't believe this. It's never easy when someone close to you dies, but for someone so young, to pass away without warning - it's just not fair.

Please say a prayer for him and for his family, to give them strength.

Easter recap.

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:57:00 +0000

I have finally posted some photos from Easter on our other blog. Enjoy!

Spring is here.

noreply@blogger.com (Daisy) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 20:23:00 +0000

Supposedly.

We woke up to this today:

Enough with the snow already!