Cruisin' weekend

I forgot to mention that Aaron and I went to see Transformers 2 on Thursday. That Mr. Duhamel is still sizzlin' hot!


I'm still sick so I'm relaxing over the weekend while Aaron goes in to do some overtime at work. Not only am I queasy but my body aches all over! I wonder if I'm overdoing myself with aerobics? Maybe two times a week is my limit...

Flower power 09-06-27 All things white and silver

Log... June 27, 2009

In the Circle garden, I have Lamb's Ear and silver mound Artemisia.

In the Sidewalk garden, my Wildflowers are tall and impressive.


My Yucca are pretty impressive too, growing about 6 feet tall in both my Circle and Calann gardens.

My beloved Fern has a touch of silver in it. It's located in my University garden.
Oops, that's not a white plant, that's a white Keala in the Colgate garden.

Curry and Rocknrolla

Since I was sick on Monday I skipped bootcamp on Tuesday. I did endure Zumba on Wednesday and kickboxing tonight. One more Zumba class to go!

Reverse planks for the abs and upper body strengthening...

Double crunches with one leg on the floor at an angle, and on the stability ball! More abs and core strenthening. Tough!

Michael and I took a break from cooking stir-fry and made chili on Wednesday. Tonight we made Curry chicken with mushrooms and steamed asparagus. And Aaron was home to join us!

I got sick!

Today started off alright with the sun peaking out instead of the rainstorm the weather channel predicted. I had a chance to lay in the sun and do a bit of shopping. On my way home I was so hungry for dinner (at 9 p.m.) I went to BK and got me a chicken sandwich combo with a strawberry milkshake. Ono! I've been able to eat more dairy since taking Lactaid and it has helped me with the upset stomach -- until tonight! I don't know if it's because I don't eat as much junk food anymore, or I ate too much too fast, or if the milkshake was too much for me, or if the Lactaid didn't work because I puked my heart out! I never felt so terrible since the time I dry heaved in college!

Now I know some of you are wondering if perhaps I am hapai... I'm sorry to say that the test said otherwise. But now I'm frightened to eat dairy again!

Wacked out weekend

Keala, Aaron and Ikaika going on their walk on Father's Day 2009

We got a bit of rain this weekend, making me want to hibernate again. Aaron and my plans to drive south to Medina got canceled was a bust on Friday, and Aaron couldn't test drive his dream mountain bike made by Ellsworth. I was worried to drive in a possible hail storm so I was relieved to hear the event got canceled. Aaron wasn't happy.

But on Saturday he went on a 23-mile bike ride at the Rocky River Trails with Tina. Mike, Costa and I met them at Melt Bar for a very late dinner.

Aaron's working tonight so we didn't make any plans for Father's Day. I actually hung out with the dogs, relaxing in the sun in the backyard and doing some gardening. I'm actually starting to look healthier with a bit of color!

Flower power 09-06-20 All things orange and yellow

Log... June 20, 2009

In the Circle garden I have Spurge or Euphorbia.

In the Sidewalk garden, my Daylilies have finally bloomed.


In the Colgate garden, the Creeping Jenny shines next to the Thyme.

In the Park garden, I have a surprise bulb that sprouted after a couple of winters.

I guess I have no gold or orange in my gardens!

Kickboxing and mango smoothies

I want to congratulate my mother-in-law Cookie for sticking it out and joining Michael and I at aerobics class today. I'm so proud of her! She actually likes the studio and the kickboxing class! I think it's a Thursday date for us three musketeers! Now if I can get Aaron to join us at the gym.

Hey! I went to three aerobics classes in a row this week! All parts of my body are hurting, including my finger tips! Can I do 4 days in a row? We'll see next week! Maybe my sister-in-law Becky will join us next week for Wednesday Zumba...

The smoothie of the day -- frozen peaches, frozen bananas and mango nectar -- Interesting!

I loved the chicken stir-fry Michael whipped up -- mushrooms, squash, onions and spinach with a sesame soy garlic ginger sauce. The best one yet! Another night of good company and conversation!

Orange and ginger stir-fry

After getting our butts kicked in boot camp today, Michael and I whipped up a chicken veggie stir-fry with an orange and ginger sauce. Ono!

The master chef hard at work!

I decided to be goofy and took pictures doing some of the exercises we did in class. Look at my straight form and determination!

Kick up!

Doing some Pilates while Ikaika cheered on...

GIRLIE UPDATE: Bradley vs. Alessandro

Aaron, Michael and I went to see The Hangover over the weekend. It was funny, until Aaron reminded me that I have the same "look" that the bitch in the movie gave her boyfriend. After all these years, you would think I wouldn't have to use that look anymore! I must say, Mr. Cooper melted me with his wicked eyes and naughty smile!

Today I watched a movie called Laurel Canyon that starred Mr. Bale. It happens to star another handsome male. Could it be Mr. Nivola's British accent that made me pause and ogle?

You pick! BC or AN...



Michael, AN is not a Brit! He's all-American! I'm picking dreamy eyes this time!

Bike rides and chick flicks

It was a nice, busy day for Aaron. He went biking with Tina at 8 a.m. and rode the 30-mile trail. I laid in the sun in the backyard with the dogs.


We went over to the Starkey's in Wellington in the late afternon. Aaron and Dave went mountain biking at Finley Park while Jen and I watched my favorite chick flick P.S. I Love You. (Our shopping plans were a bust since the malls close early on Sundays)


We finished out the evening barbecuing burgers and bratwursts! Aaron's happy getting all that riding time in, and I enjoyed the relaxing day!

Tomorrow I start my early 9:30 a.m. shift! Wish me luck that I make it to work on time...

Flower power 09-06-13 All things purple and pink

Log... June 13, 2009

Since most of the plants in my gardens have fully bloomed, I'll probably stop making my weekly reports. But here are some of the flowers I have. From my Park Garden, I have purple Salvia perennials, surrounded by a raspberry bush and strawberry patches...

A couple of Spirea bushes with pink blooms emerge from a carpet of Oregano...

And the Weigela is a cool maroon color, surrounded by more strawberry patches.

In my Colgate garden, I have hot pink Peony bushes, surrounded by a blackberry bush, yellow Creeping Jenny vines, a carpet of Thyme and Hosta bushes.

Pink Astillbe perennials live under my kitchen window in my Michigan Garden.

In my Calann Garden, my purple Clematis vines grow up the trellis...

A pink Hydrangea bush grows at our front door, surrounded by Cotoneaster and Yucca...

And a maroon Japanese Maple flanks our front windows.

In my East River Garden, I added two new plants... purple Speedwell plants (you can barely see them) and indigo flowered Columbine. They will liven up the green Lily of the Valley plants.

And in my Circle Garden, my Lupine plants pops up amongst the yellow Spurge bush.

GIRLIE UPDATE: Bounty Hunter filming

G started filming his next project in NY. He can't help being sexy all the time!

Zumba time

I finally went to a Zumba class. Tina met me at the Powerhouse Gym to try it too. It was fun! I felt like I was learning a few dance moves! There was a lot of jumping around so I'm hoping the high impact aerobics will help me slim down faster. One month more to tone up so I can enjoy the pool in Vegas.

And my instructor Melody added Zumba classes on Wednesdays too. I'm feelin' the pain baby! I better buy me more workout clothes!

Aaron and I started doing crunches at home. I show him the new moves from class and he tries to do them. I don't think he likes the ball too much.

Poor baby!

Ikaika has been sick so I took him to the vet today. He's been licking his upper lip constantly to the point where it's pink and raw. He looks like a huge frog sitting in the corner with his long tongue lopping away.

Anyway the vet suspects he may have heartburn and the acid reflux maybe leaving a bitter taste in his mouth, therefore the constant licking. He has been eating a lot of grass and drinking less water than usual. Poor baby has stomach problems like his mommy! (that's me!) I have to give him Pepcid AC to help the reflux. Let's hope it's that and nothing more serious!

Jumping jacks and jump rope...

...makes me want to pee! I must push on my bladder when I jump up and down. So I do low impact level -- kicking side to side instead of jumping. Michael and I have gone to class on Tuesday and Thursday, yah! We did dinner and a movie on Tuesday and took it easy on Thursday.

On Friday, Aaron and I took my student workers to eat Korean food in Cleveland's Chinatown. It's our second attempt to go to Seoul Hot Pot and was finally successful. We also walked across the street to Koko Bakery for dessert. Louis, Jane and Zoe all had fun!

On Saturday, Aaron did a 50-mile bike ride with Jen Starkey while I took my student workers shopping at Beachwood Place.

I had lunch with Louis, Jane and Zoe at Claddagh Irish Pub while Tenisha and Cherrell started their mad rush of shopping. We met up at the mall later.

How can people live without cell phones? I spent so much time tracking everyone down, I didn't have the time to properly shop. Of course, I had a phone and it ran out of juice right when I started making calls! What a waste of time!

Aaron went back to work today. I laid in the sun and read a few chapters of my book. Then went shopping for clothes and food, and did a little laundry before picking Aaron up at work.

No luck finding a nice dress for Vegas! Yes, it's time to get ready for my vacation...

What some rain and sun can do!

And here are my back gardens!

The Prospect Garden (Back yard, between the back gate and the back porch)

The Michigan Garden (Back yard below the kitchen window)

The Georgia Garden (Back yard below our bedroom window)

The Park Garden (Back yard fence along Mrs. Sansone's house)

The University Garden (Back yard, back fence)

The Colgate Garden (Back yard fence along Ken and Katherine's house)

Summer is here!

Look at how my front gardens have grown!

The Circle Garden (Front yard)

The East River Garden (To the left of the garage)

The Sidewalk Garden (To the right of the garage, from the driveway to the front door)

I didn't include the Abbe Garden because it basically looks the same. Oh gosh, I think I'm wrong about that! There's a Hydrangea bush and Rose of Sharon shrub that grows there! I better take some updated pictures for next time!