The Pigeon and The Statue

You know signs that you see plastered all over the walls of Jimmy John's... yeah, you do, the ones that say things like "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem... We Deliver" and "Your Mom Wants You To Eat Jimmy Johns" Well today while I was picking up our dinner at 9:13 pm I saw the one that said,

Not Every Day Is Sunny
Sometimes You're The Statue
Sometimes You're The Pigeon

And I couldn't think of a more wonderful sign to be hanging in a place where I just walked my disheveled self into to pick up two sandwiches and a bag of chips at some god-awful, you should be in bed already, time of the night, knowing you're just going to go home and eat the sandwiches cross legged on the floor without a plate, crumble up the sandwich paper and just let it sit there.

Long story short, today I was the statue. From the very start of the day, when I couldn't drag myself out of bed to exercise before work, I was the statue... Now I hope I was a gorgeous statue with long flowing hair, but I have a feeling I wasn't. It was just one of those days when there aren't enough minutes in an hour and every time you get your list checked off there is another new list to be made. And I realized, the biggest problem with being the statue is that you're stuck, you're stone, and there is no way of getting out of the situation that you are in... you just got to ride it out.

So here I am, feeling like I'm covered in pigeon poop, ready for this day to be over. And soon it will be, and tomorrow will be a new day... I just hope tomorrow I'm the pigeon.

Labor Day... More Like Groundhog Day

For week's Jill and I have been counting down until Friday, August 31st, because that would be the day we both traveled home for the first time since May. The day finally came and we excitedly called each other in the morning and we just couldn't wait to get home. I finally arrived at 12:17 am, Momma Jill was barely awake on the couch, but everyone else was awake, and it was a glorious feeling to be at The Horstman House to celebrate The Labor Day Weekend. I mean... Groundhog Day.

It started Saturday morning, we woke up, started drinking coffee, Dillon wanted to watch "Finding Nemo" and have a waffle for breakfast with siri-up (This is the one word Dillon says incorrectly that we are not allowed to correct because Jill thinks it is too cute). He directs Grandpa exactly where to put the siri-up and then it must be cut up. So Grandpa cut up his waffle, very meticulously, with a fork, and says, "I don't know why your Grandma won't give us a knife." He finishes the waffle, we all speak whale along with Dori from Nemo and then he asks for another waffle. The routine with the siri-up begins again, the rest of us eat breakfast, and then Dillon asks if we can take a walk to see Buddy and Doser (the neighbor dogs, and the second one's real name is Dover, but again, it's too cute so we don't correct it). We get dressed go outside, Dillon picked a bouquet for Jill (I asked him why I never got flowers and he simply said, "You're not my mom") and we went about our day.

Now this would be a fine Saturday morning, and we sure did enjoy all being together, but then it happened again on Sunday. I was honestly feeling like Bill Murray.

Woke Up. Coffee. Nemo. Waffle #1. Siri-Up Instructions. Wondering Why Grandma Won't Give Them A Knife to Cut the Waffle. Speaking Whale. Waffle #2. Breakfast For Everyone Else. Wanting To Go See The Neighbor Dogs. Dressed. Go Outisde. Jill Get's Flowers.

And you can see where this is going. It happened again on Monday. Like clockwork.

Woke Up. Coffee. Nemo. Waffle #1. Siri-Up Instructions. Wondering Why Grandma Won't Give Them A Knife to Cut the Waffle. Speaking Whale. Waffle #2. Breakfast For Everyone Else. Wanting To Go See The Neighbor Dogs. Dressed. Go Outisde. Jill Get's Flowers.

Luckily for the sanity of all The Horstmans the afternoon played out a little bit differently each day. Still kind of Groundhog Day, each day revolved around family...aunt's, uncles, cousins, and friends... funny stories, cooking, drinking cocktails, eating really delicious food, watching it rain, and really bad-for-you late night snacks. And it was fabulous. I just keep thinking next time we are all home Baby Chloe will be along with us, and I'm sure with a new baby each day won't be the very exact same.

Watching Finding Nemo, I really forgot how cute of a movie it is.

I just love home cooked breakfasts and the delicious fried eggs sandwiches that are a fixture at The Horstman House

Flower bouqets for Jill. Two of the days she got really pretty wildflowers that were found across the street, but on Saturday... it was dandelions.

Dillon and Buddy, he really loves this dog.

There is nothing like going home, but I did miss Dan and it's nice to be back to our little house and our little lives... that aren't the exact same every day.

The Top Five...

On the eve of going to Trenchermen, which is a restaurant that was recently opened by our former chef at The Signature Room and his brother, I bring to you... "Dan and Tracy's Top Five Meals of the Summer."

Now I am so very excited about going to Chef Pat's new place tomorrow, I've been anxiously waiting since he told us the news that he'd be leaving to start this new adventure. I've never been to a restaurant where I knew the Chef before, unless you count Fernando at "Harry's" or Paul at "Paul's Bar." I'll have a full update this weekend, but for now we happily, and with our mouths watering look back on our favorite meals of the summer. In no particular order...

Shack Out Back Raw Bar, Hyannis, Cape Code

This was the most fabulous outdoor beach bar that served freshly shucked oysters, sushi, and lobster rolls, lobster tails, lobster salad, lobster anything. We spent the Fourth of July here and enjoyed every minute of our stay. Since we were there the majority of the afternoon and didn't want to give up our spot for the fireworks that we taking place that night we drank and ate our way through almost the entire menu. I made it my mission, while we were on the East Coast, to eat a crab cake a day, and this I did. At the Shack Out Back I had a crab cake sandwich that was as big as my head, with the largest chunks of crab I've ever seen. And Dan, Dan ate a $19.00 grilled cheese sandwich... filled with Lobster. I've never seen a happier guy in my life, and he wouldn't even give me a tiny little bite of his sandwich.

~Insert Honorable Mention Here... The Black Cat, owned and operated by the same people that own The Shack Out Back. We went here for our dinner the second night in Cape Code. I had lobster raviolli and Dan had a burger topped with friend oysters. It was very good, but the reason it made it to our honorable mention list was the entertainment. The owner of our bed and breakfast sent us there because Erica was singing that night. She was amazing. As our dinner was ending she broke out with "I Will Always Love You" and I was crying by the end of the song. Dan gave the lady a standing ovation, and every time I hear that song I now think of Erica and the glass of pinot grigio I was drinking and the carrot cake with the most delicious whipped cream cheese frosting Dan was enjoying~

Little Italy, Boston, MA and New York City, NY

I'm combining these two into one because they were both wonderful meals in great atmospheres with delicious wine and true Italian men as our servers. Little Italy, anywhere I believe, is a treat in itself, just to walk through. In New York, Dan and I could hardly decide which restaurant to go into for dinner, but we decided on one because the sign promised a 100 seat outdoor patio, and that patio delivered! You wouldn't even believe that you were in the middle of the city on this patio and the food... delicious. From the fresh bread to the red sauce that was almost silky it was all top notch. Dan enjoyed the Little Italy experience so much that he wanted to try Boston's. I have to say, I enjoyed Boston's better. Some friends that we made at The Shack Out Back suggested the place we go, it was off the beaten path, and I'm sure we wouldn't have found it, but the search was worth it. At this place they took us to the basement to dine. It was so dark down there and romantic. We ate at this tiny little table and drank red wine. There was so many fantastic looking things on the menu... I couldn't decide. So, believe it or not, I went with the safest thing on the meanu, Lasagna. It was the best decision I made the entire trip. It was so good, I almost cried, literally. I would pay for a plane ticket right now to Boston to eat this lasagna again. But wait, that's not the best part. Just down the street is this place called Mike's Pastry. This place is famous, it's a little pastry shop that churns of cannolis all day long. I don't like desserts, but these were definitely something to write home about. Any trip to Boston would not be complete without a trip to this little joint.

The Lobster Shanty, Wellfast, Cape Cod

I know, I know, you are probably getting tired of East Coast dining experiences, but I just loved this little place I made Dan pull into. I wanted to eat lunch here because of the yellow awnings on the joint. Little did I know about the treasures inside. Upon arrival I, of course, asked if we could sit outside. We were taken to the beautiful little yellow picnic table, which Dan quickly looked at and decided he wouldn't fit in it and we had to be moved to a different, bigger table, but I quickly noticed that the ground was covered in shells, just like one of my favorite places in South Carolina, Pepper's Porch. We checked out the menu and I couldn't believe my eyes, lobsters were $16.00 per pound. You have got to be kidding me. Dan quickly ordered a 1 1/2 pound lobster with all the fixins. I got the biggest bowl of clam chowder and the crab cake appetizer... with the hopes of half of the lobster tail. Did our little yellow awninged road side stop deliver? Absolutely, just like every quality road side lobster shanty should. The soup, delicious, the crab cake, perfectly cooked with a spicy aioli on the side, and the lobster, huge and intimidating since I can't say we typically eat whole lobsters, but the tail and the claws were well worth the struggle.

Ertle's Winery, Batesville, Indiana

We put this one on our list because it was so unbelieveably unexpected. I've been hearing about this place for quite some time, but never have gone. Finally, I asked Dan if we could go with his parents when we went to visit in the early summer. They gladly took us and it was such a trip. They had a great bottle of Cabernet and we were in luck, it was Friday evening so a buffet was in full force. I couldn't decide on one menu item because I wanted to try so many different things, so I went with the buffet. I couldn't believe the types of food I was seeing. There were delicious cold salads including a beet salad, tomato and mozzarella, and a seafood salad. There was a roast beef carving station, a made to order pasta station, and the chef was also making sesame seared tuna to order with seaweed salad on the side. There were crab legs, fried oysters (which to me, always taste like heaven), and many different kinds of fish. Oh, and the jambalaya, that may have been my favorite. I was so pleasently surprise with this place and can't wait to go back for a Sunday brunch in the near future. But just to add to the amazing experience, the location. It sure did take us a while to get there, but it was beautiful and quiet and walking through the grapes sure was nice.

Red Seven, West Lafayette, Indiana

We both totally agreed that this was one of our more enjoyable meals of the summer, not so much because of what we ate, but because of the company. Now I do have to say the cocktails were delicious and everyone really enjoyed their meals. We had these really yummy potato skins with spicy pulled pork piled on top... hello! But having Kaitlin and Adam meet us half-way between our homes was such an amazing treat. I so enjoyed seeing them both and all of our conversation. It's nice talking to another married couple that is our own age and experiencing some of the same things. These two are such fantastic friends and I wish we were closer so we could meet in the middle more often. Definitely a meal that I remember when I think about our summer.

!

Here's to many more fabulous meals and more top 5 countdowns to come, you know I love a good Top 5. Cheers

Our First Anniversary

Since I missed so much this summer, I thought I'd go back and recap on a few big events, and I can't think of a more exciting milestone that we shared this summer than our first anniversary.

Dan and I strategically planned our wedding date to be the week of the Fourth of July so that Dan would always have the week off from football and I would easily be able to take time off of work. So for our anniversary we planned the most fabulous east coast trip.

On July 3rd we woke up in New York, and I told Dan, "Happy Anniversary!" He quickly replied, you can't say that until 5:30 pm. So we went about our day. We had to most fabulous visit to Cental Park, relaxing and playing "Momma or Nanny" and "Dogwalker or Dog Owner." Believe it or not this can be quite the game in a place like Central Park. We found a food truck that we've been dying to try since we saw them on The Food Network for lunch, and rested our feet while taking in the beauty of The New York City Public Library. If I were Carrie Bradshaw, I would have wanted to get married there too. It's gorgeous. And at 5:30 pm, central time, we popped a bottle of champagne.

We spent the evening at this fabulous restaurant under the Brooklyn Bridge. We had fabulous wine and delicious meals of duck and scallops. One of our more interesting conversations while making a five year plan, and toasts to our first year of marriage.

And looking back on our year... It was quite the twelve months. We've had big adventures from our trip to Eurpoe to random day trips on Saturday afternoons. Dan loves to explore, and his love for this has rubbed off on me. We've endured great heartbreak and trying times, much sooner in our relationship than we thought it would ever come, but, we overcame. We've laughed, we've cried, we've laughed so hard we've cried when it comes to the silliest things. We've made great friends, which I'm sure we'll have our entire life, and we've dreamed of our future. We've had fights and each one of us has slept on the couch. But we've grown. We have celebrated so much, from every football victory to friend's weddings, and job promotions. It was a great first year.

A lot can change in a year, but we are still us, and if anything we've grown closer and our understanding for each other has become clearier.

The night of our first year anniversary, we toasted to 217 more years of marriage so that we would be as old as the restaurant we were having dinner, that sure is a long time. But I can't think of spending it with anyone else.

A few pictures from our adventures on July 3rd...

We definitely thought the white hydrangeas were fitting for our anniversary, I wanted to pick a bunch and carry around a bouquet the entire day.

Korilla's Korean BBQ. Best burrito I've ever had!

Spending the afternoon in the place that holds all the great love letters... The NYC Public Library

Back to Reality

This past Saturday, it started. Football Season is upon us. It came out of nowhere really, we've been enjoying our summer and keeping busy, it didn't really dawn on me that I needed to brush up on my defense cheers until I was showering on Saturday morning.

I should have seen the signs, Dan getting home later and later. The laundry being full of green and black shirts. Yellow note pad after yellow note pad laying around the house with x's and o's and lines going every which way so carefully drawn out. Stacks of dvd's lined up by the television with school names, dates, and final scores written on top. Oh, and my favorite part... Octoberfest being out on the shelves at the grocery.

It will honestly take me maybe another week of two to get back in the grove. I have to admit I was kind of a pest to Dan last night asking if I could schedule a time to hang out with him, he just looked at me. I could see he was up to his eyeballs in laying out his game plan, so I just walked away... secretly hoping he'd say "How about we meet up for dinner at 7:00 pm."

So since Dan's preoccupied with his reality of being a football coach, I've decided to get back to blogging. I'm back. I may be needing a little inspiration from my friends and family for ideas for the blog, they are all welcome if anyone has any ideas, but I'm excited. Welcome back to, "Today is My Favorite Day!"

Oh, how could I forget?... The Mustangs won their first game on Saturday, 27-12. We are looking forward to a great season!

Something about Home

*Disclaimer - I haven't blogged in almost a month because blogspot.com has switched how they do things and I just haven't figured it out. A few weeks ago I had a really nice post but couldn't figure out how to make the paragraphs seperated or how to add pictures and put them where I wanted them to be. But I miss blogging, so here is goes, I don't care how the format ends up, it's going to just all be laid out there.

So this weekend I spent the most fabulous weekend at home. I haven't seen Jill or Dillon since Christmas, so even though Dan and I have been planning on going home next weekend for about four months for a friend's wedding, I happily made the trip since it was the only time they could make it home too.

And did we ever enjoy... I finally made it home around 1:00 am on Saturday morning, and I didn't even care that Jill and Dillon were sleeping so soundly, I woke Jill up, made a bed for Dillon on the floor, and climbed into bed with Jill. That is just what we do.

We talked and laughed for about an hour before I said, "I need to get some sleep so I can spend all day with Dillon tomorrow," and off I went.

The rest of the weekend was packed full of wonderful moments and funny confessions and laughs... that I can't even begin to describe the weekend (and I can't even share any pictures of the weekend because my camera showed up in St. Leon completely broke).

And today, after the three days at home, and in the middle of a four hour drive home, I heard this song on the radio, and smiled.

Somethin Bout A Truck

"Something about a truck in a farmer's field
No trespass sign, and time to kill
Nobody's gonna get hurt, so what's the big deal
Something about a truck in a farmer's field

Something about beer sitting on ice
After a long hard day makes it taste just right
On that dropped tailgate on a summer night
Something about beer sitting on ice

Something about a girl in a red sundress
With an ice cold beer pressed against her lips
In that farmer's field, will make a boy a mess
Something about a girl in a red sundress

Something about a kiss that's gonna lead to more
On that dropped tailgate, back behind the corn
The most natural thing, you've ever felt before
Something about a kiss that's gonna lead to more

Something about a truck in a field
And a girl in a red sundress with an ice cold beer to
her lips
Begging for another kiss
Something about you and me and the birds and the bees
And Lord have mercy it's a beautiful thing
Ain't nothing about it luck, something about a truck

Something about a creek around 2 am
After a few of those beers you wanna dive on in
You don't need no clothes, just hang em on a limb
Something about a creek around 2 am

Something about a truck in a field
And a girl in a red sundress with an ice cold beer to
her lips
Begging for another kiss
Something about you and me and the birds and the bees
And Lord have mercy it's a beautiful thing
Ain't nothing about it luck, something about a truck
Ain't nothing about it luck, something about a truck"

So, a few years ago, I was that girl, I always wore the sundress... and red is my favorite color. And I still do wear the sundress, if my family can't tell by the five new dresses I bought on the shopping trip that was meant for a few tops and a new bra. (Neither of which were purchased).

And I sat on Tailgates, and I drank the ice cold beers, and I enjoyed my life in the small town.

There is just something about it, even when I go home now.

There's something about the crisp air and the shining stars
There's something about my Dad icing down beers for the entire day, so when you are ready for one they make your teeth hurt because they are so cold
There's something about the sale's tax that isn't 10.75%
There's something about shopping with your best friend
There's something about seeing Joey Votto hit a walk off grand slam... and dance around a kitchen with a glass of wine celebrating
There's something about eating outside
There's something about your Mom happily doing your laundry
There's something about your nephew sharing his blankie with you because you left yours at home
There's semething about having an entire wiffle ball field in your front yard
There's something about having a family that has it's specialties, so whenever you have a family gathering, everyone knows what to bring... and it's the best meal you've had in awhile.
There's something about a chocolate cake with caramel icing that's been pasted down from generations
There's something about a coffee maker that churns out pot after pot
There's something about a mechanic who can make omelets like any trained chef I've ever met... That's my Dad, if you were wondering
There's something about laughing until you think you are going to pee your pants... and it would be perfectly exceptable because you wouldn't be the only person.
There's something about being extremely excited about being invited over for a simple meal of spagetti and meatballs... because you know it's homemade and it's one of your favorite recipes that you are dying to learn.
There's something about taking naps, all cuddled up with your older sister and younger brother, thinking how lucky you are to be the dreaded "middle child"
There's something about a campfire
There's something about telling stories around that campfire
There's something about your dad telling you, "I changed your oil, and the filter, put the new tags on your license plate, and put five gallons of gas in your tank," and you asking him, "And how much do I owe you for these services?" And he tells you, "Free of charge."
There's something about watching day time television with your Mom because you decided you needed to take Monday off to spend more time with them

... and that something... Is Home.

I cannot trade that place for anything, I just have to know that I am so lucky to call it mine... My Home.

It's Over

I love blogging. I love coming to this place where I have a blank canvas and I can just type, get things off my chest, talk about my past, and dream about the future. A few months ago when I found the Photo of the Day challenge I was so excited because I really was lacking all inspiration to kept blogging, but now, after a good run at it, I'm burnt out.

Maybe it's because it's starting to get nicer outside and I want to be there instead of at a computer. Maybe it's because the busy season is upon us at work and when I get home I feel as if my brain is fried from the day... and if I have to look at the computer screen for just one more second I think I may go cross-eyed. And is it just me, or have the prompts been not very exciting for the month of April.

So the photo of the day is over. I hope to find something new and exciting to blog about, but for now, I'm just going to continue what I was doing in the past and show you why each new day is my favorite day.

And since I've been absent from this little corner of my world called my blog, here are some of my favorite things from the past week...

Enjoying a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs and fresh fruit outside of my building on Thursday when I realized I showed up an hour before I scheduled myself to be there. There is nothing like the city in the early morning.

Finishing "Bloom" it's a beautiful, beautiful book that just reiterates that life is a special gift and life is what we make it.

Taking a road trip to my dear friend's baby shower and catching up with Lilly, Lydia, and Mo. I can't wait for this baby to be here... the first baby of the Duhme girls!

Jill telling me that Dillon eats pop tarts for breakfast and when I jokingly asked "when are you going to upgrade him to toaster strudels?" she replied... "well I've been honestly thinking about getting him those." This is the skinniest girl I know, yet she ate two pop tarts and then eventually toaster strudels every single day before high school.

Dan and I thinking we were back in college on Friday. We thought it would be a good idea to drink beer after beer and then play beer pong at a bar. Who did we think we were? I'll never know. I'm just glad I had absolutely nothing to do on Saturday, because it wasn't getting done. I felt like garbage, but we had so much fun on Friday.

Seeing some pretty cool events at work this week and the view is definitely the most beautiful on spring evenings. I still find myself staring out the window every day.

Knowing that my parents are going to be here in two nights! This week can't go quick enough, I am so looking forward to this weekend.

And lastly, the crazy work schedule is working in my favor tomorrow. I get to sleep in, not going into the office until 11:00. Hooray!