Olive & Ivy

It was girl's night Friday night. Brooke, Britton, Kate and Kristy all had babies over the summer. So, when Brooke suggested going out it sounded like heaven to all the moms. I begged Nick to come meet us at Olive & Ivy . There is definitely plenty of laughter when he is around. Plus, I was no longer the only single, childless person. It was definitely a good night with plenty of good food and friends.

Walking Scout

As soon as Scout sees his harness or the leash he is absolutely out of control excited. He runs around in circles, barks and jumps. There has never been a happier dog. He loves his harness so much that he practically jumps in it before we can properly put it on him. It's a sight to see. Shortly after Andrew finished his time with the Air Force he came home to Phoenix. Being the avid outdoors man and taking advantage of the great weather, he started taking Scout running. Andrew became Scouts most favorite person in no time. Now Scout wants to go for a walk every day. I am certain that no matter how many times I take him for a walk, I will never be his favorite person. Darn.

History and a Book

A few days prior to Election Day I was in Borders browsing the books as I waited to meet a friend. I review the titles in the same fashion every time. I start with the new hard cover releases. If nothing catches my eye I move on to the newly released paperbacks, then to the buy 2 get 3 books, and then to the shelved books starting in literature and working my way throughout the store until something catches my eye. I rarely leave Borders without a book.
On this particular trip I did not even make it to the new paperback releases. The yellow jacket with a picture of Abraham Lincoln and Union soldiers caught my eye. As a student of History I have grown to love the Civil War. It is, perhaps, my most favorite part of the past. As soon as I saw James McPherson authored the book I knew I would be taking this one home with me. McPherson is undoubtedly the foremost Civil War historian of our time. He has done countless research, written numerous books, and can actually write so the reader understands what is going on. Tried By War has been featured on NPR and reviewed by The New York Times.

So, as I sat there on Election Night watching Barack Obama become our President-elect, I could not help but think of another President from Illinois who laid the foundation for a man like Obama to be able to achieve what no other has done.

If you're interested in the Civil War, I suggest starting with McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom. It's the most comprehensive account of the Civil War in one book. The size is intimidating but it just might inspire you to read more about this period of History.

Teavana

So, I've found a new expensive guilty pleasure...tea. I gave up soda a little over two months ago and have become obsessed with teas. I have most recently converted to whole leaf teas. Whole leaf teas are fresh and do not come in little bags. Over the weekend I stumbled upon a new little store at the Biltmore called TEAVANA. I was in tea heaven. They have an entire wall filled with different types of teas: white, black, green, red, and herbal. Some of the combinations I could smell from across the store. I wouldn't say the tea is exactly cheap, but it's so flavorful that it's worth it, especially if you love tea.

Rachel's Vegas Birthday Bash (Part Deux)

Last weekend myself and ten other girls met in Las Vegas to celebrate Rachel's 28th birthday. The weekend had been planned for six months so its arrival was anxiously awaited. Last year only five of us made the trip. We more than doubled our rowdy number this year.Friday night we checked into the Venetian and barely made our dinner reservations at San Marcos. Luckily, we arrived five minutes before the kitchen closed and were still able to order dinner.Then we spent the night dancing at Tao. We had to work our way through he jungle of people and up to the VIP area. Seth MacFarlane (super-cute creator of the Family Guy and American Dad) hosted the night at Tao and even came to dance with us- happy birthday to Rachel.
Saturday we made our way down to the Bellagio for a late late breakfast next to the garden. I love the Bellagio, it's beautiful and has the most delicious restaurants.
Saturday night we dined at the recently opened Lavo at the Venetian. I don't think any of us knew exactly what to expect. I would describe it as a sort of Mediterranean tapas. It was pretty dang good. While the restaurant was fantastic, the night club, not so much. The age group 28 to 35 seemed to have disappeared from Vegas last weekend. But there was no end to the AMEX black-card carrying college senior that claimed Vegas was "....just what we do...." when we asked if they were there for a special occasion. Typical. We moved on the JET fairly quickly after Lavo. Supposedly, Justin Timberlake was supposed to be appearing at JET, but we only saw some Privilege stars.We had a fabulous 36 hours in Las Vegas. Happy Birthday Rachel!

Limoges

In August 2006, I traveled to France with my mother, grandmother, great aunt, and second cousin. After we spent an amazing week in Paris, we traveled to Toulouse in Southern France. When planning our trip, we decided to drive the 586 kilometers (roughly 364 miles- the distance from Phoenix to Los Angeles) from Paris to Toulouse. This was a serious road trip. We took two days to travel the route because there were so many places to see along the way. This included more cathedrals than I can count. As day one of our road trip came to a close we decided to spend the evening in Limoges, France. We found a quirky boutique hotel that defined "shabby chic". Limoges is famous for one thing- French porcelain. So after our night's rest in the shabby chic hotel and breakfast next to an original RCA phonograph with the signature RCA dog listening (above), we headed to the porcelain factories. It was at the Royal Limoges factory that I fell in love with French porcelain. My Aunt Kathy and I outside the Royal Limoges factory.Here I am pointing to the plate pattern I like. I now know what a china shop looks like. This picture doesn't accurately portray the factory. It was huge and there were so many beautiful patters to choose from. Finally, I made a purchase, larger than I would have liked at the time, but not nearly enough since I returned home. I returned home with a rather expensive tea cup and saucer and a few other pieces. I fell in love with the Gilda pattern. I have since learned I cannot purchase this pattern in the United States. Sigh. And so, I have a hobby that I do not believe a single one of my friends know about. I collect French porcelain. Not all of my pieces match, but that doesn't matter to me. Someday I hope to visit Limoges again and purchase the remainder of the Gilda set. But for right now I am loving the vintage dishes from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. I'm really having a great time browsing the antique shops for Limoges treasures. So, next time you see a vintage plate flip it over and admire where it came from.

Four Seasons- Not the Hotel

Sadly, I am not writing about a fabulous stay at the luxury resort. As the weather is changing all over the country from Summer to Fall, I got to thinking about the things I miss out on living in Arizona. Granted I get a sunny sixty degree day in January but there are definitely things I miss about living in Utah. Next to Winter, Fall is my most favorite season. The air changes, the temperature drops, and leaves change. Perhaps it's more the excitement that Winter is coming that I love it so much. I'm so ready for ski season that I check out the Alta website weekly. Here are a few of the most recent pictures of Little Cottonwood Canyon. This is why I miss Utah.
Yup, I took all the pictures from the Alta site for the last three weeks, but they are the prettiest! It's snowing in Utah, Colorado, and Montana within the next week! Needless to say I am very excited because those are all the places I am skiing this winter. Now, if it will only cool off in Phoenix!

Birthdays

I'm not a huge fan of birthdays. Well, actually, I'm just not a fan of celebrating my birthday. I don't mind helping others celebrate their own. But I do love birthday cake. Thanks to my family for supplying the dinner and cake!It wasn't called "Sara's Birthday Dinner" but that's probably because everyone knew I wouldn't show up! Sarah was in town so we made reservations for Asia de Cuba at the Mondrian. The decor was interesting, especially the giant rooster painted on the white walls. Everything was white, table, chairs, and all the sculptures. Congo music played loudly throughout the restaurant and bar. I expected Chiquita Banana to come out and dance for us. The food was not so amazing that it merited the large bill we received. It was decent but I don't think I will be going back.

Maroon 5/Counting Crows

Lindsey, Shannon, Amanda, and I hit the Counting Crows/Maroon 5 concert at the beginning of September. I love the Counting Crows and really enjoy their quirky lyrics. Sadly, their portion of the show was not nearly as entertaining as previous concerts I've seen. I was disappointed when it was all over. And amazingly Maroon 5 was good. They put on a good show. We also discovered sitting in family section of the lawn provided us really good seats without the rowdy crowd.

Monsoon Season

A severe monsoon storm rolled through downtown Phoenix last Thursday evening. The wind reached 110 miles per hour and we received almost 2 inches of rain. This was the craziest storm I have seen. The temperature dropped about twenty degrees and the sky lit up with strobe light-like lightening. My dog was definitely freaked out. The next day traffic was nightmare. My typical drive to work is only ten minutes. Friday, it took me about twenty-five minutes to go about a mile. I actually didn't even make it to the office. Our building has lost power, the glass was broken and all the trees were blown down. Central Phoenix looked like a disaster area. There were hundred year old trees uprooted. It was quite the scene. Here's a picture of a tree down in my neighborhood.