It's Friday and Cake Pops!

 Happy Friday all!  I made cake pops last night to bring into work for Preservation week today.  Unfortunately, I made them while under the influence of too much wine and a horrible headache (that I am still nursing), so the creation of them wasn't nearly as enjoyable as I hoped.  FYI the purple ones are chocolate and the white are strawberry.

 

  

And that's all I got for you!  Forgive me while I shove a giant cup of very strong coffee down my throat, in the hopes that this headache will go away.

The Warm Fuzzies

In less than a month Antoine and I will be celebrating our anniversary.  We'll have been together for three full years (and a wonderful three years it has been).  We like to celebrate our anniversaries with a trip.  For the first anniversary, being the crazy (in love) people that we are we went to Jamaica.  Sandals resorts were having massive sales at the time and so we pounced!  It was magical, relaxing and lazy...the perfect first anniversary.  Last year we decided to scale it back a little and went to Louisville for the weekend.  Our trip to Louisville was also my first time camping.  I loved it!  It was relaxing and inexpensive.  So, this year we decided to do it again.

Originally we were thinking about going to Hocking Hills, since it's close and we really enjoyed our family trip there last year.  But then, all of a sudden last week I got this sudden urge to go to the beach.  Now, I'm definitely not what you'd call a "beach fanatic" but I enjoy having my feet in the sand and perusing for shells and beach glass among the surf.  Unfortunately, Ohio is a little too far away from Florida or the Carolinas for a weekend trip.  Plus, this time around we're taking Cheese camping with us so we want to keep the time we spend in the car to a minimum.  So, Michigan popped into my head.  I've never been there.  And you always see those commercials on tv advertising their beaches and whatnot.  "Michigan is the shit...please come and visit us, NOW!" [or something like that]  After a quick pitch to Antoine it was decided...we're going to Michigan, the South Haven/St. Joseph area to be specific.  Not only will this be our first official time taking Cheese camping (he's camped at my parents with us...but that doesn't count), but it'll be his first time experiencing a beach!  A basset hound at the beach...that's bound to be fun!  I foresee much sand caked onto his ears and lake drinking! And much picture taking by yours truly! 

A Big Tease

 I love Spring.  It's probably my second favorite season, after Fall of course.  Everything comes alive.  After months of dormancy and cold you get this taste of color and life.  The sun starts to shine, little green, leafy things start to pop up everywhere and all of a sudden you're whole mood changes.  I love this about Spring.  But the thing I don't love, the thing that drives me bananas about Spring in Ohio is that one minute it's beautiful, green and 70 degrees and then next it's gray, soggy and back down to 45 degrees.  Spring is a big fat tease and it's driving me nuts.  Last week was gorgeous (well, most of it at least).  After months of snow and freezing temperatures, it's like you become a Spring junkie.  It just takes one good taste of Spring and you're hooked; you're ready to steal $40 out of your mom's purse just to bribe the weather man to say it's going to be sunny and a high of 70.  Oh Ohio, why do you have to play with my mind?  I'm ready for bike rides with Antoine and gardening and grilling in the back yard.  Cheese is itching to go to the dog park, to run and play, but it's under water because it won't stop raining. 

Oh well, I guess I just need to be patient.  But the sad thing is, once it stops raining I know that it's only a matter of time until that evil Cincinnati summer is right around the corner.  If you live in Cincy, you know what I'm talking about.  Sticky 90 degree weather that feels like 150 degrees.  Sunburn.  Sweat.  More sunburn.  Bees.  Ugh, Summer.  Sometimes you're nice and fun, other times I think you're trying to kill me!  Please stay away as long as you possibly can.  And Spring, please stop raining...at least for a couple more days so we can do some fun stuff outside!  Thank you.

 From our garden.

 Tulips from our flower box.

 Also, in the flower box.

 Gui in the window.

 Spring Grove Cemetery.

 A walk around Xavier/Norwood.

 Cheese on our walk around XU.

Cheese trying to be a cat and look out the window.

Happy Friday all.  I hope you have a lovely weekend, despite all the rain we're supposed to get.  I'm bound to have a lovely weekend and week, considering I recently found out that Antoine won't be flying off to Chicago this coming week!  He gets to work from home all week and I can't wait! 

They Grow Up So Fast

In less than a month Cheese will be one year old.  That means we've had him for about 10 months now.  Sometimes it doesn't feel like we've had him that long because we are still so enamored of him (can't you tell by my constant mention of him?).  But then other times he feels like such an important and major part of our family unit that I can't imagine a time when we didn't have him in our lives.  He's definitely growing into his Basset Hound-ness.  He grows lazier and lazier by the day.  Yet he still has moments of being a complete puppy.  We love him more and more each day, probably more than a person should love an animal, but oh well.  He's like our four legged baby.

At 3 months old.

At 11 months.

The Dancing Tongue

 and the portly fuzz-ball of a cat.  Or a portrait of Guillermo (alternate title).