Zooming Zamboni 201/365

We had fresh avacado and egg for breakfast and got in a little more laundry before heading out for the day. We picked up Ethan and went into the city for the Checkers game. We had to get there early because Ethan was riding the Zamboni before the game! We got to go down behind the scenes before the game. We watched the teams warming up on the ice with our faces pressed to the glass. Ethan even got to meet the coach during warmups. Then it was off to get ready for the Zamboni ride. Ethan climbed right up and I grabbed a picture of him and Tyler right before he headed onto the ice. They put his picture on the jumbo screen during his ride and he said it wasn't even that cold while they were out there.

Ethan also got to hang out in an NBA hoop and we grabbed a picture of him in front of Michael Jordan's locker. And to think...this was ALL before the game even started!

It was a low scoring game that ended in a tie. We had to leave to take Ethan home before the shootout but our friend Patrick let us know that the Checkers won! We dropped Ethan off at 5 and luckily made it home right before the skies opened up. We napped while the rain fell and woke up to finish watching basketball. We had leftovers for dinner and relaxed before another work week. It was an action packed weekend but we had a great time trying some new things and watching Ethan enjoy the Zamboni ride. :)

Ready to Roar 200/365

We woke up Saturday morning and got our busy day started. Tyler headed out to take care of the first yard mow of spring. I know he's enjoyed the winter off, but our yard was definitely ready for it's warm weather haircut! While he took care of that, I threw in some laundry and got ready to take Tess to the vet...her most dreaded of car trips. Poor thing, she gets in the car and loves the short drive with her ears blowing in the wind. But as soon as we pull into the parking lot and the windows go up, she starts to cry and puts on the break. This huge creature who usually jumps over top of us to get out of the car first, just stands in the back seat hoping I will turn around and drive us back home. The vet was quick and easy, even if Tess didn't think so as she stood for the entire visit with her nose to the exit door in the exam room. She got vaccinated and was an unhappy statue for her annual checkup. She's lost about 6 pounds since her last visit and they are pleased that her waist is taking shape again. About 5 more pounds and we will be at grown Lab perfection! FINALLY we got to leave and head back home to the parent that is growing more and more to be her favorite...the one that doesn't sit on the floor and tell her it's going to be okay while the vet checks under her tail.

Next, we were off to the Drag Strip. What a cool experience! For the first time in NHRA history, each heat was 4 cars wide. This made for some precise timing with the race teams and some exciting finishes for the fans. We wore earmuffs as the cars flew down the track and rattled the entire building. I jumped out of my seat when the first hood flew off one of the cars and 3 of the 4 cars caught fire. We watched the crew take apart and put back together one of the funny cars while we grabbed some lunch. It was a REALLY cool experience and we enjoyed the afternoon outside!

We went to the grocery store on our way home from the track in preparation for our Fry-Fest! I bought Tyler a fryer for Hannukah and we have yet to use it. So, we decided to go ALL OUT! With a little help from my uncle and our good friend Carrie, we bought everything we needed to make potato chips, fried pickles, fried shrimp and fried oysters. What a great time we had slicing and marinating, flouring and frying. Everything really did turn out great! We loved the sweet potato chips, pickles and oysters especially and can't wait to fry up a storm this summer!

Something New 199/365

We were both VERY happy to see the end of our work week on Friday. With Tyler's weekend away at the race and my summit for work, we had both had extra long work weeks! We had plans to throw a flank steak on the grill, open a great bottle of wine, and work on planning the details of our anniversary trip. And that is exactly what we did! Our trip is sneaking up on us, so it's time to nail down some details. We worked on making a list of things we want to do and see...but really we can't wait to just be there! Before we headed to bed I grabbed this shot of our tickets for the next day. Tyler has been to an NHRA event before but this would be my first and I was surprisingly looking forward to it!

Absence of Light 198/365

On Thursday after work I was headed back to my photography class and Tyler went home to hang with Tess. We learned about "finding your light" this week and I couldn't believe how helpful the 3 hour session was! I continue to love every week and am loving being a sponge...trying to soak up as much knowledge as possible. We practiced with diffused window lighting indoors until dusk settled in. We learned how to find light and use it to enhance our subject. While we were focusing on the presence of light...it's always nice to learn the contrast as well. I just love this profile silhouette!

Beautiful Buds 197/365

I could not wait to get home from work on Wednesday because it was completely GORGEOUS outside! Tyler headed to the gym and I went home to sit outside and read...something, anything! I just wanted to be outside. I ended up enjoying conversation with my neighbors and snapping pictures until Tyler came home. I loved the pictures I captured from the tree in our front yard and had a tough time choosing my favorite. I, for one, can not wait until most days are like Wednesday...please stick around this time, Spring!

Oh My Onion 196/365

Just when I thought that my Monday evening with Tyler could not have been more perfect, Tuesday rolled around and the smiles just continued. Tyler was planning to head to the gym and I was in charge of a MUCH NEEDED trip to the grocery store. I emailed Tyler the list to see if he had any additions and he responded back suggesting we go to the Japanese steak house for dinner. This is definitely not something we do often but for the past couple of weeks, I have been CRAVING it! I happily agreed and responded to his email with several exclamation points and smiley faces. So Tyler went home to let Tess out, I ran to the grocery store, and then we were off to dinner. It was just us and another couple at our table but we had a great time and a fun chef. He even let me know when it would be best to capture the volcano onion in all it's glory!

Luckiest Girl 195/365

Monday was the second day of my Summit at work and I could NOT WAIT to get home afterwards because Tyler would be back! He tied everything up in Asheville Monday morning and then headed back to Charlotte. I was so happy to see him that I didn't even notice the gift bag that he had sitting on our bed for me. Tyler travels for work quite a bit and I never expect gifts, so this was a definite surprise! He went shopping in the Spa at the Grove Park Inn where he was staying and I ended up with awesome goodies! In addition to the oil, lotion and salt in the picture below, I also got the warmest socks and a massage DVD. My husband home AND a great gift all in the same day...could I be any luckier?! We ordered in pizza and enjoyed an afternoon that magically managed to feel like a Sunday. :)