Pizza Party

Henry is a great little chef. He made us this delicious pepperoni, mushroom and olive pizza before we heading off to see Bruce Springsteen. It was a fabulous evening. We were able to walk to the Rose Garden from our house. Our seats were FANTASTIC... First row of the 100 level... Bruce was probably 50 feet away with no obstructions! The show was really great. They had huge screens that displayed the detail and sincerity of his face. He was passionate, fun and energetic. Most of the music was from their new album MAGIC, so I wasn't as familiar with many of the songs. He certainly played a fair share of classics. Here is the set list:
March 28, 2008
Portland, Oregon
The Rose Garden

Night { lyrics }
Radio Nowhere { lyrics }
Lonesome Day { lyrics }
Gypsy Biker { lyrics }
Magic { lyrics }
Reason To Believe { lyrics }
Candy's Room { lyrics }
Prove It All Night { lyrics }
She's The One { lyrics }
Livin' In The Future { lyrics }
The Promised Land { lyrics }
For You { lyrics }
Lost In The Flood { lyrics }
Devil's Arcade { lyrics }
The Rising { lyrics }
Last To Die { lyrics }
Long Walk Home { lyrics }
Badlands { lyrics }

Girls In Their Summer Clothes { lyrics }
Jungleland { lyrics }
Born To Run { lyrics }
Dancing In The Dark { lyrics }
American Land { lyrics }

A Jersey Girl's Dream!

Bruce Springsteen History Begins Here, originally uploaded by 94 Aug.

Yes... It is official. I am going to see BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN tomorrow night!!!
I remember when the state of NJ considering making BORN TO RUN the official state song. I remember getting my first Springsteen Album in 1980. I was 13 years old. I really wanted THE RIVER, but it was sold out and hard to come by, so I got BORN TO RUN instead.
In 1984 all hell broke loose with the release of BORN IN THE USA and my chances of seeing Springsteen in concert became impossible.
I've been waiting patiently... finally 28 years later my Bruce dream will be fulfilled.

THE MIDDLE PLACE by Kelly Corrigan

This video says it all...
I couldn't put this book down!

Sal's Famous Italian Kitchen

Tyler had a work event tonight, so Henry and I were on our own for dinner. Last night Henry insisted that he wanted spaghetti and meatballs. I didn't have any to offer. As you may recall, I make a traditional pot of "gravy" and meatballs only 2 or 3 times a year.

Usually, we go to Justa Pasta for our dinner dates, but meatballs aren't on the current menu. We decided to give Sal's Famous Italian Kitchen a try (they are a sister restaurant to Pizzicato).

It was perfect. It was kid-friendly (kid menu, crayons and coloring sheets). Henry had spaghetti and meatballs for $4.50 and I had fabulous chicken parmigiana with sauted spinach.

Where have I been?

You might have noticed that I have not been blogging much lately. 2008 had a rocky start in our home. I've been trying to get my mojo back.

Here are a few things we have been keeping busy with lately.

I hope to blog about them in greater detail over the coming weeks.

1. Dieting

Tyler and I are seriously trying to shed a few pounds. I was inspired by the book, FRENCH WOMEN DON'T GET FAT. I realized it was time to take a break from pasta and pizza (and those other yummy carbs that I love so much... cookies, scones, ice cream, bread, etc.). Our diet will continue through March or until I lose 8 pounds.

2. Planning a trip to France

As you may know, we are going to France for three weeks in June. I have been eagerly looking for the perfect apartment in Paris. I hope to share the details of our final itinerary soon.

3. Spending way too much money

KaBOOM... We have just been bombarded with large (VERY LARGE) expenses over the past month. We look forward to getting back to our financial diet. My blog budget has been blown out of the water!

4. Deciding what to do about the high risk lesion in my breast

To excise or not excise... that is the question. Most recently I have been given an opportunity to have a breast MRI and perhaps a PET/CT. I have been researching and trying to decide. decisions... decisions!

5. Working

My program, Every Family Reads, kicked off on March 1. Last week we hosted 10 performances of the play TOMAS & THE LIBRARY LADY for over 4,000 students, teachers and parents. I'm ready for a massage!

Other than that, it has just been the usual... some nice work-outs, some great walks, some new parenting techniques, cooking, shopping, cleaning, eating, sleeping, reading and dreaming.

Happy Birthday Tyler!

Cannon Beach, originally uploaded by thewelts.

My sweetie turned 36 today.
We celebrated with dinner at Ken's Artisan Pizza and banana cream pie at 3 Doors Down... YUM!!!
Tyler had the day off... He went on a 10 mile run, ate a sushi lunch, had a massage and then dinner with me.
Sounds like a pretty nice day!
Happy Birthday Sweetie

A weekend at our favorite beach house

Cannon Beach, originally uploaded by thewelts.

For the second year, we rented the most amazing beach house in Cannon Beach. This house is so cool and so much fun... a gourmet kitchen, a game table with lots of games, puzzles, and ping-pong in the garage, tons of books, movies and DVDs, a wonderful deck, backyard and fire pit, and the coolest kid's suite featuring 3 sets of bunk beds!
We spent our weekend feasting on halibut, scallops and radicchio lasagna. We drank MANY bottles of wine and consumed a fair share of cocktails. We even managed to take a 5 miles beach hike and bask in the sun!

Evidence of SPRING!

Spring 2008, originally uploaded by thewelts.

I love living in the Pacific Northwest...
Without fail, every February we get an unmistakeable taste of SPRING.
The days suddenly seem longer....
The sun reappears after two months of rain
Buds begin to emerge on the trees,
Daphne bushes spread a fabulous fragrance through the air,
Crocus and daffodils emerge from the ground and quickly bloom.
I love spring!

I'm behind on my posts... this should have been posted last week!