Welcome Lucie Bella!

We have a new addition to the family! I would like to welcome Lucie Bella Haskell to our family.

Lucie was a stray kitty. We have tons of stray cats that come to our yard to eat and sleep (Kurt has a kitty house with AC and heat for the strays), but none of them ever come near us. Until Lucie. I was out one night after work and saw her near the front door. She did not run right away like the other strays did, so we called her. She did not come right away, but eventually sauntered over and kinda let us pet her. The next night, same thing. Before long, she was waiting for us at night, asking for canned food. She was also cuddling and demanding attention. Before long, Kurt brought her into the basement and she is now--after being checked at the vet, getting her shots, and getting fixed--living in the house. She is pretty nervous of the pugs and has been hanging out on the kitty condo in the living room, not really coming down, but, she is purring a lot and seems happy. Anyway, I think Lucie is a pretty smart kitty to adopt us! We are great feline parents. :). The only thing wrong with Lucie was that she was a little bit anemic, so she had meds for that. She was also realllllly skinny, almost bony, when she first came to the yard, but I have been working on fattening her up. The pic of Lucie above is when she was still outside and had not adopted us yet, but you can tell I already kinda liked her! :). we had just worked out and came home on the bikes to her waiting for us to get attention......

So, last Sunday was the Paul McCartney concert at Comerica Park. Loved seeing a concert at the baseball stadium outside. Only bad part was a tiny bit of rain right at the start, but other than that, perfect weather and night. The concert was awesome, and Paul sounds the same live as on the radio. He was awesome, and it's hard to believe he can put on a show like, at 69 years old! He was all over the stage and the show was almost 3 hours. We had great floor seats in Row 25 center.

Work week was crazy, as usual. We ran in a 4 Mile race on Friday after work in Southgate. I ended up placing, but the race was HARD. It was over 90 degrees out, even at 630 PM when the race started. I am not good with running in the heat like that, and I had to stop and walk a couple times becuz I felt like I was going to pass out. So, I was not expecting a medal, but I still got 3rd in my age group! I guess a lot of people had a hard time with the heat like I did. Kurt did really well too, and only came in about 1.5 minutes after me. We went and had dinner afterwards in Monroe, which was super yummy. I am getting better with eating out, making healthy choices. We really enjoy relaxing at dinners out, so I am trying to make good choices so I dont feel guilty about it. Saturday, I had lunch with friends, then Kurt met me and we drove to Birch Run for some outlet shopping. Kurt needed some new suits and has gone from wearing a 46L suit and 38/32 pants to a 40L suit and 33/32 pants. Crazy. We stopped at all my fav stores too, and I got a cute white suit coat and black skirt at BCBG (WAY marked down, I think the suit coat was originally $198 and I got it for $45), a dress, two shirts, and a tank at Ann Taylor, running shorts at Reebok, and a suit coat and skirt at Banana. There were a ton of good deals, as the stores are already getting fall stuff in and HELLO, its 95 degrees outside. We had dinner at a really good sushi place I found on Yelp while we were driving, where I had the house soup and a roll called a Firecracker Roll that was incredible. Great service and prices. wish the place was around my house or office! Today, we worked, did stuff around the house and grocery shopped. I got in a 12.25 mile bike ride this summer, which was really nice. The weather was just gorgeous, and I just randomnly picked roads to drive down, and saw some parts of Newport I don't think I have ever seen. Love the bike, although I can't wait for temps to cool down so I can run more outside again instead of on the treadmill. My attention span is really short on the treadmill.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

So, with the crazy hot weather this week (which I refuse to complain about because I would much rather have this than Michigan winters), I have been a little bit stir-crazy not being able to run outside. Since I am so not a morning person, I have no desire to get up early and run before work, and even later at night, it has been too hot (at least for me) to run outdoors. So, my workouts this week have been biking outdoors or working out in the basement gym. Boo. This morning though, I woke up at like 715 (without an alarm, go figure), so I decided to take advantage of that and go run. It was prob already like high 70s and super muggy, but I was determined. Ended up getting in just over 5 miles, which made me really happy. Followed it with an immediate shower since I was drenched in sweat, but that just means more calories were burned off, right? :). We ran a ton of errands today in Monroe and downriver, and then went on a bike ride today, when we proceeded to get drenched from a storm for about a mile of it, but whatevs! It was still fun.

My husband is an addict. To slushies. I think we have been to the ice cream place on bike rides like an average of three times a week. I think he has tried almost every flavor there. Tonight, he had a flavor called "Graveyard" where they mix several flavors together, which resulted, I guess, in a black cherry like taste.

We bought an inversion table last weekend and have been using it. I think it is actually really helping Kurt's back issue. He is upsidedown in it right now, haha. I have been using it too, and think it is helping with my issue with running and my one nerve in my back. My Mom has one and her and my stepDad love it, and my Mom was telling me she thought it would help Kurt's issues, and she was right! Thanks Mom!

This week was pretty busy and full. I had a ton of court. Had dinner with my lawyer friends on Wednesday night in wyandotte at Solero Cafe and Tequila Bar, which was fun. Got a massage on Tuesday night at Blu Water Spa, which was desperately needed. Then, got my hair done on Friday night at Daybreak Salon, which was WAY overdue as well. Ended up getting like three inches cut off, and instead of simply blonde highlights, got some strawberry blonde highlights mixed in. Really like it, although Kurt said he does not notice a difference at all, LOL. Today, we went to Blu Water for Kurt to get a massage, and I got a mani-pedi, which was also way overdue. I seriously have no time to get anything done and feel like I caught up on everything beauty-related this week alone. At least I am caught up for a while. :).

Tomorrow night, we are seeing Paul McCartney in concert at Comerica, and I can't wait. we have great floor seats, and I have been wanting to see him ever since I had tickets last time he was in town and sold them.

We are trying to figure out our Labor Day trip. I have mostly been looking at Central and South America, but may look at Canada and some american spots as well, since it's a pretty short trip. Nothing is really a front runner yet. And *someone* I know really needs to get on picking out destination for the Christmas trip, which is usually booked WAY before now.

Oh, made a new recipe tonight I have been wanting to try, Quinoa and Black beans. Turned out AWESOME. I used jarred cilantro (1/4 cup) instead of fresh, as I had no fresh, but other than that, followed the recipe exactly. anyway, super easy. I made mine with ahi tuna and Kurt's with tilapia. It would be good though, on it's own, with any fish or meat, or as a side with a mexican meal. Highly recommend.

Oh! One of my favorite high school friends, Becky, had her baby this week! Ended up being a c-section, as the baby was over 9 pounds, she was 12 days past due, and my friend is tiny (only 5'1), so I guess baby Nick was not going to come naturally. Sounds like everyone is recovering and doing well, and baby Nick looks super cute. cannot wait to meet him in real life. Guess I need another quick trip to San Diego? Would love to run on the beach again........

Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend. Oh, will be posting about an addition to our family soon! (and no, not a human baby addition). Stay tuned......

Wyandotte Run and Updates

This weekend, Kurt and I ran in the Wyandotte Portofino Art Fair 5K, Saturday at 800 AM in Wyandotte. It was a nice race and I was glad it was early, as it was already super hot at 800 AM! Kurt broke his personal record for time, and I placed second in my age group. Our friend, Paul, was there as well and got 2nd in his age group. So of course, we had to stay so I could get my cute medal. :).

Sunday, I had breakfast at Denny's with two of my school board friends. They had wanted to take me to a goodbye breakfast from the board. It was really nice. I totally cheated with eating and had some amazing pecan banana pancakes. I love pancakes with fruits or nuts baked in.......totally reminded me of the amazing pancakes I had in San Diego in April, at the place overlooking the Bay........worked the rest of the weekend on Saturday and Sunday, boo. Sunday night, we lost power from 730 PM to 106 AM, boo. Some kind of brown out in the area.

Kurt bought a bike rack for the back of the Jeep, so we can now take the bikes to the park and ride, which we have done one time now. It's nice, because of the no cars being there. When we ride around the house, there is some traffic, which I hate watching for. Anyway, we are up to riding about 6-10 miles at a time, and really, I think we could go much further, we just decide to go home at that point. I am so thinking I need to train for a tri. I can totally do the running and I think the biking, and the swimming would not take much for me to get since I pretty much grew up in the water. Something new to think about anyway. Maybe next summer. I have not signed us up for any 5Ks this weekend, and I am a little concerned about the heat and might not do one. We are signed up them a lot of other weekends, including our first 10K in August. That will be interesting. I also found this awesome American Lung Association stair climb, but don't know if anyone will do it with me or not. You climb up and down the 70 flights of stairs at the Renaissance Center in Detroit. Everyone I ask about it thinks I am insane though, LOL. I may *make* Kurt do it with me though. :).

Went to Old Navy this weekend to use a Groupon I had that was about to expire. I got an adorable dress, which is going to be worn a LOT. Also got a cute polka dot tank, a white tank, and a green tank on clearance for working out. I am kinda not happy with Old Navy lately, or maybe my tastes have just outgrown the store. Anytime I go in there, it is VERY limited the selection of what I would even try on. I also think a lot of the stuff just looks poorly made and see through. Stopped at TJ Maxx as well and found a great Calvin Klein bra and a New balance workout shirt.

My dream shoes are Pucci heels. I love the patterns and yea, hate the price. Finally found some for about 80% off and ordered them and of course, don't like them on, so back they go! Hopefully, I find some for that kinda deal in the future that I like on. Super cute shoe, but just did not look right on me. Boo.

Went to the Wyandotte art fair this past Thursday with my Aunt and my friend, Nancy. Ended up buying a really kewl ring, but I had to have it sized and they are mailing it to me. Can't wait to get it! We had dinner at a really cute little place after the fair in downtown Wyandotte that had a HUGE menu. Really great place to take people when everyone is in the mood for something different.

we have been slammed at work, and I so need to get some things done....I need a pedicure, badly. I also need to schedule a massage. And I am so far past due on my hair, but I at least have that scheduled for I think? this Friday. Maybe not doing a run this weekend will allow me to catch up on some of those things? I hope so.

Oh, almost forgot. We finally got word on the property we bid on in costa Rica. I guess the sellers were "offended" by our offer, but made a counter offer basically saying "pay our price". I found it funny because almost nodody has called on their property and only one person besides us has looked at it in over a YEAR. They should be glad they are even getting an offer. And I never understand when people are offended by an offer. If you don't like it, turn it down. Why would you be offended? It's not like we put in the offer and said they personally suck or something, and the offer was not bad anyway. I am not in a hurry to buy, so I will keep looking, and when their property is still on the market in a year, maybe they will negotiate more on the price. At least we are looking and getting out there. Kurt has also started looking in Panama and Ecuador. I guess Ecuador is the new "in" place that Americans are moving to, you can get ocean front property for about half what it is in Costa Rica. So, I guess we will see. We will need to go back there for sure and look around, since our Ecuador experience is solely Quito and the Galapagos.

Anyway, hope everyone had a great weekend. Stay cool in this weather! :).

Runs

So, have not posted in a while, have been super slammed and still am. Shocker.

Anyway, we have been in Costa Rica for the 4th. More on that later.......

Recent Races
We ran in two races prior to leaving that I have not posted about yet. One was in Taylor and raised money for a local food pantry in Taylor. Our friend, Paul, ran in it as well. It was a nice race through Heritage Park, which is right near our office. Had to be there really early though, so I don't think I even woke up until the race was about over, ;). I decided to start running races slightly differently this weekend. My prior method was starting off at my normal pace and pick up the speed later on. But, I realized that I was having to run pretty fast at the end with this way to beat my prior speeds. So I decided I was going to start off more quickly, and this really improved my times. Pushing myself at the start is more tiring throughout the race, but makes me run the entire race more quickly. Anyway, placed second in my age group in the Taylor race, and Kurt placed third! Our friend, Paul, placed first in his. All in all great race. the one the day before was called the Springswell 5K in Dearborn and was the first race ever for this one. Kinda not organized, very small amount of people, but it as run. They did not list where you came in rank on this one, but they did time it and tell you your time.


Ran in another race today in Taylor at Heritage Park. when I woke up this morning, I was kinda feeling tired, so I had no idea how I would do, plus we ran last night. Anyway, the race had a huge turnout and stiff competition. Kurt was sure he would not do well since he gained 5 pounds on vacay (which he has already lost, LOL), was tired, had been sick this week, etc., but he did really well! His time was close to his personal record, he got 28:33. I ran it in 26:02. I got 4th in my age group and Kurt got 6th in his. I think I could have done better if I was not feeling kinda tired, but I was heppy with my time anyway! :).

Costa Rica Trip
Costa Rice was amazing. As usual. Flights there were perfect, we left very early Friday morning. Got there, got our rental SUV and we were off to Jaco. We booked NOTHING prior to getting there in relation to rooms, tours, etc. and just decided to play it by ear. Got to Jaco and stopped to have lunch at my fav placed in the world to eat, Tacobar, which did not disappoint. Had our normal, ahi tuna tacos. After that, got a massage at Nazareth (walkd in, appointments gotten on the spot) and rented a room via my Expedia app on my iPhone at this placed called Club del Sol, which is actually condos hotel rooms. Anyway, our room was super nice and just outside of downtown Jaco. We had a full kitchen, living room, two bedrooms, laundry room, and the pool was right outside our door. Ended up staying there two nights. We ended up, which in Jaco, cheaking out a piece of property Kurt had been eyeing online. 30 acres, two houses (one regular and one caretaker), a barn. Anyway, loved the property and the ocean view, creek running through it, hiking trails. The caretaker house and barn were total crap, and the house was OK. Plus, we were confused as to "why" the people built the house where they did. If you go up further on the property, you have this amazing ocean view and a perfect spot for a house there. instead, they built the house at the bottom of the property, practically on top of the caretaker house. Weird. The house was also odd as well, the layout--but hey, we are in Costa Rica, they do things differently. The location of this property is pretty much perfect though--about 5 minutes out of downtown Jaco, in the middle of the jungle. so, we would get the jungle and animals, but be like minutes away from my fav city ever. we ended up putting a bid in on the property and we are waiting to hear back. I have a feeling they will not take it, but we will see. You never know. We basically bid not giving much value to the house since we would most likely build a new house higher up with the view, but the people who live there seem to value the house higher than the property (from their comments while we were there). Keep you posted on that, but I am not feeling that the bid will be accepted. Ate at an awesome sushi place that night called Koi. Service was perfect here, and the food and decor awesome. Really modern place.

We drove on day two to Manuel Antonio national park as well. We were there once prior, 5 years ago. We drove there and did two hikes around the park, and ended up seeing howler monkeys, capuchins, agouti, lots of birds. Great ocean views...........Had dinner at a place called i Love sushi that night that was new from last time we were in Jaco. Before we could order, they lost power (huge rainstorm). We still ordered and the food was great. Limited on what we could order due to no power, which was kinda annoying, but hey, it is what it is. I had tuna quesadillas and Kurt had a veggie and california roll with miso soup.

Decided to leave on day three and drive to Tamarindo. another area we were at before 5 years ago on our first trip to Costa Rica. more of an Americanized, uppity area, but we wanted to check it out again. Got there and had lunch, then checked in at the Hotel Diria, right in the centre of downtown Tamarindo. Nice hotel, except for the fact that two days in a row, the electronic part of door stopped working and it was kinda a pain to get it fixed. Ate lunch that day at a place called Copacabana and had hummus with pita bread as well as a tuna taco that was awesome. Breakfast buffet was awesome there as well and included in the room. We had a room literally right on the beach, ocean steps outside the door. Love that. Did some shopping in Tamarindo, had a massage, took a tour to Palo Verde National Park where we took a boat tour and saw lots of animals--iguana, lizard, holwer monkeys, crocodile. Love just sitting on the boat looking for stuff on the shore.......lunch for the tour was AWESOME. All costa Rican food. we had awesome fresh fish, black beans, corn tortillas, fried cheese, fresh guac and fresh veggies. Super yum. Had dinner at an awesome sushi place that night. Second night had dinner at another super good sushi place called Bamboo Club. I was so proud of Kurt there too becuz he ventured off his normal california roll and tried a tuna crunch teriyaki roll that was really good. had a massage in ion Tamarindo and checked into the cost of veneers for Kurt, they are about 1/10 the price of the US. Talk about mark-up in the country.

Fifth morning left there and headed back to Jaco for the night and the casino. Ended up not doing the casino and just relaxing. Looked at another piece of property which was beautiful, but I deemed too far away from jaco and overpriced. had dinner at my fav place again and then relaxed at the hotel for the night. next morning, left for the airport and home, BOOOO. Was proud of myself, got three runs in while there, two in Tamarindo and one in Jaco. It was HOT there, so I had to adjust my speed since I was not wanting to pass out. Went anywhere from 3-4 each time, and I was both proud of myself for running in the heat and not passing out and for working out while on vacay! Ate like crap, so I had to. I don't even want to know what I gained after seeing Kurt gained 5 pounds. Guess I will find out on Sunday when i weigh in.

Click here to see all pics from the trip.

This is totally off topic, but the Lauren Conrad dress I bought at Kohl's prior to leaving? totally great vacay dress for hot weather. Comfy, cool, and adorable.

Getting back on the eating right thing SUCKED once we got home, but I always feel better when I eat right. I made a new goal with eating to try to eat more "natural". I am going to buy fruit and veggies for the office and house and keep them stocked. when I am hungry for a snack, I want to only grab a banana, or a grapple, or carrots, vs my normal rice cake or granola bar. That is step one. I am not going to be anal about it (i.e. I am NOT giving up Skinny Cow or Smart Ones ice cream), but I am slowly going to add more natural stuff into my diet. I am not giving up lean Cuisines for lunch just yet, because they are so easy, but eventually I would like to bring other things i make at home for lunch. First night home I ran 4 miles, and Kurt and I ran 3 miles at the par last night,

Today, ran errands, worked, worked out, took the pugs on a couple walks, and took a short nap. Tomorrow, working all day again, BOOOO, and Oscar and Vito have a vet appointment in the morning. Hope everyone had a nice 4th!

Underwear Bomber Hearing 7-7-11

by Kurt Haskell

I haven't posted anything regarding the underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (Umar) in awhile. It is not due to a lack of interest on my part. There simply hasn't been much new going on with the story. That changed today. I expect this story to heat up once again as the October 4th trial date approaches.

As always, if anyone needs a background regarding this case and my throery on it, feel free to read this blog from Christmas Day 2009 forward. Please remember that this is my wife's blog and many posts regarding our lives are commingled between underwear bomber postings. This is not exclusively an underwear bomber blog.

I received notice of this hearing last week. It was set for 11:00 A.M. today. Unfortunately for me, I had a trial on one of my cases set for 9:00 A.M. today. I didn't have enough notice to move my trial. I was hoping my trial would settle or get adjourned to this afternoon. Judge Keith was an hour late today for my 9:00 A.M. trial and had several other cases to complete first. By 10:00 A.M., I didn't think there was any chance I would make it to Umar's hearing. At 10:30 A.M. Judge Keith called the two attorneys into his chambers to discuss the case to see if there was a settlement. There wasn't, so I asked him for a one hour adjournment and he granted it (from 10:45 to 11:45). I asked my client to watch my briefcase and I ran 4 blocks to the federal courthouse. Lori was already there. The hearing lasted 45 minutes of which I got to watch approximately 30 minutes of. See below:

This hearing was scheduled for two reasons: 1) The prosecution asked to "define" the role of stand-by attorney Chambers to determine what he can and can't do and 2) Stand-by attorney Chambers request to delay the October 4 trial date due to the prosecution giving him new evidence only one month ago.

The prosecution argued its motion first and asked for ridiculous requests such as Chambers not being able to sit by or talk to Umar while court was in progress. Judge Edmunds appeared to think most of the requests were ridiculous. A couple of the requests she indicated that she would decide after taking the issue under advisement (Judge talk for thinking it over) and would give her decision at another hearing in approximately two weeks. She took these issues under advisement as between Umar and Chambers: 1) Who will do jury selection, 2) Who will do the opening statement, 3) Who will do the closing statement, and 4) Who will question the witnesses. Interestingly enough, Umar told Judge Edmunds that he and Chambers will each question some of the witnesses. Judge Edmunds told Umar that would probably not be acceptable. I wonder if Judge Edmunds forces Umar to question all of his witnesses, if that will scare him into using Chambers as his regular attorney? I can only hope. Judge Edmunds once again tried to get Umar to use an attorney. Umar once again refused and indicated that he has been making progress on his studying to become his own attorney.

The more interesting part of the hearing today centered around Chambers request to adjourn the October 4, 2011, trial date. As part of his argument, Chambers indicated that the prosecution dumped the "Most significant evidence" of the entire case on his office in June after holding it for 18 months. Chambers then went on to describe such evidence as follows:

1) A copy of Umar's passport (Apparently it took 18 months to create it)

2) A disk containing a chemical analysis of the composition of the bomb

3) Airport security video and audio

4) Four disks of DNA analysis

5)A Witness statement from a Dutch, non-law enforcement citizen, government profiler, who talked to Umar during "the time in question"

For those of you following my theory on this case, you can see the obvious tie ins between the evidence that was withheld for 1 1/2 years and what it likely shows. I am, however, very puzzled as to item 5. I am not sure what the shows, who it is, when it was, or how it's relevant. Chambers then requested all other hidden evidence to which the prosectuion indicated it would turn over to Judge Edmunds for her review within two weeks. AS IF IT WAS O.K. TO HIDE MORE EVIDENCE!!!!! Apparently, the further hidden evidence is classified as SECRET (top secret?) and requires judicial review even before it's released to the defense. If I was representing Umar, I would be beyond livid over this conduct by the prosecution. What kind of evidence in this case could be so highly classified? I wonder if it has something to do with providing a "terrorist" an intentionally defective bomb and escorting him around security without a passport?

The hearing ended with Judge Edmunds denying Chambers request to delay the trial. Jury selection will start October 4, 2011.

*Note that some of the above information was provided by Lori as I had to return to my trial before this hearing concluded.

Weekend Recap--Happy Father's Day

**Before the race, at Kurt's Mom's house, photo courtesy of Scott Haskell.

Busy week!

Had a super fun time at the Pinconning Cheesetown Challenge yesterday. Kurt's hometown has had this race and festival for the past 28 years. There is a two mile race and a 5 mile race and you can run one or both races. The 2 mile is first, followed 30 minutes later by the 5 mile. Anyway, Kurt and I decided over Mother's Day weekend when we were visiting his Mom to run the 5 Mile. Drove up there Saturday afternoon and picked up our packets (which included a kewl shoe thing that tracked your time), and waited at his Mom's until race time. Headed out to the race and Scott (Kurt's bro visiting from FL) came as our cheering squad. Anyway, the race was nice. I did not like the parts through grass (which was prob about a mile total two different times), but the rest of it was nice. I was just hoping to finish in under 50 minutes. I always have a hard time at the start becuz I start out running slowly and see everyone speed by me, and I always want to run faster, but stop myself. No different in this race. Kurt and I ran together for about half a mile, then I started to inch ahead. I kept trying to pick out girls in the age group and pass them, LOL. Which is absurd since my age group is only 5 years (30-34) so like I could really pick people out. I started trying to really push myself at 3.5 miles, then more at 4. I know the people who start off really strong get tired at the end, and I am kinda the opposite (wanting to save energy until the end). Ended up finishing in 42:59. Was so super psyched, since I just wanted to come in under 50 minutes! :). Awesome time for me. Kurt finished under his goal as well. He finished in 46:56, and his goal was to finish under 49:08 (his fastest 5 mile time while training). Scott and I got to cheer Kurt on at the end and take his pic, haha. I wanted to see how we did vs everyone else so we went to the little awards thing, and I ended up placing first in my age group and getting a super kewl plaque!

Kurt got 6th in his age group. Went to dinner afterwards at Norm's with Kurt's Mom and Scott, then drove home. My muscles are really sore today, which is rare for me, but I think it was the pushing myself so hard. Love sore muscles....... Next race is next weekend, where we are running to raise money for a local food kitchen/pantry in Taylor, MI. I believe this is the race val, larry and dan are coming to, and our friend, Paul, is running in. can't wait! It's a 5K and a great cause.

Ran a bunch of errands today, and went and got my first, really late, pedi and mani of the summer at Art Nails in Monroe. They did a really great job, and I am feeling much better about my nails right now. They desperately needed some work. We bought a chest freezer today at Lowe's, which I am super excited about. My freezer is sooooooo overfilled, and I can never buy anything in bulk cuz I have no room. Started transferring some stuff to it tonight, but need to finish. It will be great to buy more than one of the foods I like to eat when they are on sale.

Made tofu for the first time tonight. i have been wanting to, but a little nervous. Did not do anything fancy for the first time, simply grilled it in soy sauce, chili pepper, and onion and served it over my spaghetti squash/marinara, with salmon and a bagel thin (for dinner). Speaking of spaghetti squash, I could not find it at ANY of the grocery storess while shopping. Ended up going out of my way to the fruit/veggie stand store, and they, thankfully, had it. I was about to throw a fit over not finding it anywhere! :).

**scott loves taking action shots, which means, when I ask him to take a pic, he takes like 10, and only one is the one I asked him to take in the first place (see top of page, LOL).

Kurt had a bunch of work done on the Jeep, and it is seriously looking brand new, even though we got it in 2002. We took it to a body shop to get the rust spots out of the body, and we replaced some of the chrome accessories. We also ordered new tires and rims, which should be here shortly. We ordered slightly different tires, hoping to make the ride better with the car. Rebecca said something to me the other day about needing to get a new vehicle to replace the Jeep, but Kurt and I are not typical americans. We run our cars into the ground. I do not buy a car unless i know I want it longterm. I have no interest in replacing cars every 2-5 years like a normal American and just becuz a car is from 2002 does not equate to needing a new car, at least in our book. Hate car payments, and love having everything paid off and I am keeping it that way (or alternatively, paying cash if I get another car in the future).

Pugs got baths and nail trims today at the groomer. I don't think we are going to take Vito in anymore. He apparently gets really stressed out while there, and I don't want to subject him to that anymore, so Kurt is going to just give him baths here and have the vet clip his nails. It's weird to me that Vito is the one who has issues with this, as he is the most social of our pets. They said Oscar is the first dog they have ever grommed that LIKED the dryers. No idea why. oscar is such an eccentric dog. LOL.

Booked our 4th of July flights to Costa Rica, can't wait! we were looking at Europe and other places as well, but flights there are SOOOO long, and I have been craving some jungle hiking. We can also look at property while we are there, if we want.

Happy Father's Day to my Dad, stepDad and Bumpa, and all other fathers and soon to be fathers out there, as well as all animal daddies (including my husband, who is an awesome parent to our pets). Thanks to my Dad for teaching me how to play cards, be athletic, and for giving me my sense of sarcasm--and for supporting me in all my crazy adventures in life. Thanks to my stepDad for being so amazing to my Mom, and for always being there for me and supporting me in everything I do, and always believing in me. And thanks to my Bumpa for being the rock of the family and an awesome Dad, grampa and husband. And thanks to my husband for doting on my babies, and for loving animals so much you want to devote your life to saving and caring for them. Thanks for picking spiders up and carrying them outside--one of the top reasons I love you is your love of animals.

Night all!

Happy Weekend

Had a super busy weekend after my dinner out Friday night meeting Megan, Chris and Nate!

Saturday morning, I ran in the 1st Cabrini High School 5K. This race was held during the Cabrini summer festival. Anyway, I talked Melanie and Todd into running, and Kory took Kurt's spot since Kurt was out of town visiting family. We all got there in time, and there was not a huge turnout. Most of the runners appeared to be high school track and cross country students, so we pretty much knew we were getting our asses kicked, haha. Anyway, it was Mel and kory's first 5K. The race was pretty organized, since it was new. The beginning and end of the race were on grass that needed to be cut, and I had a hard time with that compared to the part of it on the sidewalk and road. Anyway, my time ended up being 27:51. Todd came in shortly after me, then Kory, then Mel. It was a lot of fun. After that, i went home and did some stuff around the house, then headed to Farmington Hills to see my Mom and other family. She had come down from Manistee for a wedding shower on Sunday. Got there, and her, Carolyn and I went to a couple stores (Kohl's, Joann's, and Marshall's). I got a cute black belt at Kohl's. Had lunch made by Lisa next, and then headed out that night to the Tigers game. It was CRAZY downtown as there was a Taylor Swift concert and the Tigers game, right next to one another. Uncle Tim has priority parking in greektown, so he went to go in there. This next part is sad, but they would not let Carolyn (who is 15) or I in the parking garage as we did not have ID and you have to be 21. Yea........seriously. So, we got out with my Mom and waited for them to park. The game was awesome. Our seats were incredible, right behind visitors dugout. Tigers won, and we stayed to watch the aftergame fireworks. Headed home after that.

Today, slept in with Kurt since he did not get home until like 330 in the morning from wisconsin. We went to the park and ran 5.2 miles after that, great run. Perfect weather for it. After that, I went to work to try and organize my desk and ran to NY and Co to use a coupon I had ($40 off $100). Got some great stuff and deals. I needed a white tank for this one suit I have, which I found. Also got a cute shirt for work, another for casual and a casual dress and nicer dress for work (or not).

Have been relaxing at home since (after some grocery shopping). Tried to get Kurt to go for a bike ride with me, but he refused. meanie. I guess he's tired from being outside all day running with me this morning and doing yardwork the rest of the day. :).

Night!

Meeting in Toledo

So, I have had a long online relationship with Megan and her husband, Chris. They have also become friends with Kurt.....Megan and I met on a now defunct message board for 20 somethings, and have stayed friends, as we have a LOT in common. Megan is a professional successful woman, who loves sports (especially baseball), and has a great sense of humor and positive personality. Chris and Kurt harass one another about their teams (Chris loves the Twins, BOOOOOOOOO, haha). They have a little boy, Nate, who is freaking adorable. If you live in Iowa, you can check Megan out on TV, as she is a meteoroligist and all famous and stuff! :). Yes, I have famous important friends. haha.

Anyway.

They recently took a trip to New York and Toledo was their half way point to stop at a hotel, so I met up with them in Maumee tonight for dinner at PF Chang's. Kurt was supposed to come, but ended up going to Wisconsin to visit his family and his Dad who is in the hospital, so unfortunately, he could not make it. I got there and while we had planned on Granite City for dinner, the wait was longer than PF chang's so we headed over there. Dinner was super yummy and it was awesome chatting with Megan, Chris and Nate. Nate is the most well behaved little boy I have been around in forever! He loves baseball and is beyond adorable.

Can't wait for my next get together with them! :).

Kurt's 2nd 5K--Dexter Ann Arbor

Sooooo, last Sunday, we did Kurt's 2nd 5K of the year. It was in Dexter Ann Arbor, and supported a local hospital, children's hospital and another medical type charity for the blind. Anyway, parking was a PAIN. they suggested parking in a lot, but when we got there, it was full and street parking in Ann Arbor is IMPOSSIBLE. We ended up parking in a bank parking lot and hoping we did not get towed.........

Took a shuttle from downtown to a local school where the run started. There were 1793 people in the 5K (as well as more people in a 10K and a half marathon. I ran it in 26:42, which was my personal best, WHOOT, and Kurt ran it in 28:41, which was his personal best. I got 7th in my age group! The race was nice, until the end where we had to run up a big hill. Great workout, but I was about ready to throw up when I thought I was done, and then saw the hill........LOL.

Had dinner on Saturday night with our friends, Cliff and Lisa, whom we have not seen in forever. We ate at Fiamma in Plymouth, and it was super yummy. We took a walk through downtown Plymouth after dinner......Super nice night.

Weigh in on Sunday, and I was down another 1.4 pounds from two Sundays ago (since I did not weigh in while out of town). I was pleasantly suprised with this since we ate out Saturday night. :). Down a total of 66 pounds now. My running has been going really well, I have been running further and further with each run, and it is getting easier to go those further distances.

Anyway, I have been sooooo busy and need to get to bed. I will try and post about Puerto Rico soon! :).

World did NOT end

All this talk about the world ending just made me roll my eyes. Seriously. It's now 10:39 p.m. and we are all still here. :).

Ran in my 2nd 5K of the summer today! Kurt was supposed to go with me, but since he is sidelined with his ACL sprain and fractured tibia, I asked Becca to go with me, and she said yes! :). She met me at the house bright and early and we drove to Adrian, which is in the middle of nowhere. Literally. Plus, the GPS took us there on some weird backroad route, so it really felt like the middle of nowhere. Anyway, the drive gave us time to catch up, so it was not so bad. Got there and Adrian is SUCH a cute little town. Loved it. The run was at a little park. We got there wtih plenty of time to check in, pin on our numbers, and exchange our shirts for smaller sizes. I dont know why I can never figure out what size shirt to order. Anyway, then the race! It was beautiful out, and the run was nice. I kinda wished it would have been through the park, instead of through the streets of Adrian, but it was still a nice run since the town is so cute and nice. I got done in 28:09, which was great for me! :). I ended up getting third in my age division, which was awesome! I got a cute little medal, which is my first at a race. Bec ran it in like 32 something, and ended up with first in her age group! whoot! Runners also raised about $4500 for Special Olympics, so that was awesome as well. Overall, an awesome morning. Oh, we also got a goody bag with our t-shirt, a plastic water bottle, some pens, etc. Came back home, picked up Kurt and headed to work. Came home, ran another 5K (as I could just not stand being inside to workout). So, I basically ran a 10K, but during two different parts of the day, haha.

Had a kinda busy week this week, it just FLEW by. monday, had a board meeting which kept me out kinda late. Wednesday, had the monthly K-Fass meeting with the girls......Friday, had dinner with rebecca and Lauren at Cafe Sushi in Troy, then took a dress back to Banana Republic that was too big. Ended up walking around the mall some, I wanted to stop in The Limited to see what size I wear there, and also walked around Club Monaco and nordstrom's. Did not buy anything and remembered why I dont really like Somerset Mall. No sales really, and the people that shop there are just a little odd. I mean, seriously, who wears 5 inch heels or a suit to shop? people are Somerset, that's who. LOL.

Anyway, off to bed, exhausted after an uber-busy day.....

5K for Kurt

**please excuse my appearance. TOTALLY drenched, with layers of clothing on and NO make-up. But, excited that Kurt did his first 5K! Yay Kurt!

A few weeks ago, Kurt realized he CAN run further than he thought! :). Over the past few months, he has been running on the treadmill, but the most he has ever gone is 2 miles. he does run pretty fast, so I had no doubt he could run further if he paced himself. I kept trying to talk him into doing a 5K with me, but he was sure he could not run that far, and he also told me "running is not done for fun, it's done to maintain my weight". Anyway, I started running outside a few weeks ago, both near the house and at the local state park. One day, about two weeks ago, I talked Kurt into going to the park with me. the area I run at is gorgeous. It's a loop around this lagoon, with herons, swans, fish, lots of different other birds, and is just pretty in general. plus, I think running outside is just more interesting, fun and relaxing.

So, he decided to go with me one weekend. And, he ran the entire time! Which is a 5K! He was pretty impressed with himself, LOL. So, the next time I went, I took him a different way, which made his run 3.6 miles! he was now convinced he could go run a 5K race and I talked him into it. I actually talked him into a 5 mile race in Pinconning in June, so he is going to start training for that as well, but we may have a bump in the road, as he had an MRI on his knee this weekend. The results may mean surgery for him, so if that's the case, his running will be put on the back burner. BOOOOOOO.

Anyway, his first 5K was today! My first in a long time as well, even though I have been running at least that daily anyway. I picked one about 30 minutes from our house, at the Van Buren Park in Belleville. The race raised money for kids prescription glasses. Woke up to pouring rain. Michigan has just had shit for weather this year. Anyway, it continued raining, but we were not staying home. It's just water, right? yesterday, I ran at the park with it sprinkling and actually enjoyed it, but this was different as it was COLD and raining hard. We drove to the park and checked in, got our super kewl t-shirts and waited for the start. We started running together, but I ran ahead after about a tenth of a mile. I kinda thought we were going to be dead last as everyone at the start RACED off, and since I know myself, I know I have to pace myself. The trail was nice--some dirt road, some paved, up a couple hills, down a couple hills. The hills were pretty brutal, but I enjoyed them. hard on Kurt's knee though. As I was running, I started passing a lot of those people who were going crazy fast at the start, they were now walking. I guess they needed to pace themselves too? Anyway, got to the end and looked at my GPS and this "5K" was really a 2.5 mile race. When they said I ran it is 22.05 I knew it was not a 5K. However, they equates out to about an 8.5 mile, which I was psyched with. When I run on my own, I usually run a 10-11 minute mile, so this was my best running by far. Kurt ran in at 24:47. We were both drenched and freezing, so we grabbed some bananas and a diet coke and left. The hot shower I took felt amazing and I stayed in longer just to warm myself up.........But, he is ready to do another one, so I need to find another soon to go do. :). So glad to have him as a running partner. I have lots of friends who run, but they either live kinda far away, or run MUCH further than I do, i.e. marathons.

Had dinner out on Friday night with law school friends at Fishbones in Detroit. It was awesome to catch up with them. I had seafood gumbo which is like my fav soup ANYWHERE and sushi. Saturday night, we had dinner with our friends, Chris and Michelle, in Plymouth, at Compari's. Dinner was great, then we had drinks at Box Bar. The bar had the largest beer selection I have ever seen in my life. I tried a beer, per Michelle's suggestion, and it was amazing. Framboise Lambic (raspberry). and I dont really even like beer. Yum.

Anyway, after working all weekend on top of everything else, grocery shopping AND doing laundry, I am exhausted! Need to be off to bed, I think! :). Hope everyone else had a nice weekend.

Where To Start......

This not blogging for long periods has got to stop! I never remember what I wanted to post about as so much time has elapsed since my last post.

Wanted to take a second to rave about New Balance customer service. I always buy Asics, or at least have for like a really long time. I posted a few months back that I bought New Balance last time, as I liked the way they fit? What do I not like? How, after less than 2 months of wear, the tongue RIPPED out of one of the shoes. So, I decided to write customer service to complain, before heading to the store to buy some more Asics and swearing off NB forever. Anyway, I wrote my letter, and within 24 hours, they had written me back, telling me to send the shoes in for them to look at and probably replace. So I did, and then got an email that they are sending me a brand new pair! How awesome! So, I did not buy new Asics, I pulled out an old pair and am wearing those until my New Balance arrive in the mail. Whoot! Go New Balance customer service!

Had late Easter dinner at Auntie's this weekend with the Dziegeleski side of the family, i.e Grama, aunt marlene, carl, Aunt Karen, Dad, Kurt and I. Auntie made lasagna (both meat and meatless), as well as salad and some other veggies and apps. Super yummy. We also played a game (I am blanking on the name)......Oh wait, it was called "Word on the Street". Anyway, it was super fun and the girls won! (we played girls vs boys).

I ordered a new purse with a gift card and coupon and sale on Piperlime.com, and it arrived as is just as cute in person as it is on the site. Yay. Also got a new pair of shoes in the mail today I have been waiting on from ideel.com, and they fit perfect and are exactly what I have been looking for. I have been wanting cobalt blue heels badly to go with several work outfits I have and these are perfect.

I decided, on Friday, to start running outside instead of on the treadmill. I have a program on my iPhone that tracks running outdoors via GPS, and I have Pandora on my phone for music. So, Friday after work, I ran 5 miles! I was super proud of myself, as when I run on the treadmill, I usually only go like 2-4 miles before I get tired or bored and switch to a new workout. Outside is kewl though because there is more to see, and the music really keeps me moving. So, Saturday through today, I have run at least 5 miles on each day! It's crazy to me! And, when I weighed in on Sunday, I had lost another 3.8 pounds, which rocks! Brings my total to 62.4 pounds lost. Yay.

Last weekend, Kurty and I went to Birch Run to replenish his wardrobe. He is up to 29 pounds lost and none of his pants are fitting. He was wearing 36 or 38 waist pants and he is now down to 33 or 34, depending on the brand. So, we got him new jeans, new suits, some new shirts, dress pants, etc. I bought a few things, but nothing major. I fell in love with a suit coat at Banana Republic, but even the outlet price with coupon would have been $96 and that's more than I usually spend on an entire suit, so I will wait until it is marked down more before purchasing. I did get a new suit at Ann Taylor, new skirt there, new shirt......Also, Birch Run now has an Ann Taylor Loft outlet, so I got a skirt there, some capri pants for summer, and a couple shirts........I got some jeans at Calvin Klein, jeans and a jean skirt at Tommy Hilfiger........Great deals at Birch Run. Birch Run also just opened a Lacoste, for those Michagander friends of mine that shop there.

Anyway, I really need to post about our awesome San Diego trip, but I want to take a bath before bed as my muscles are sore and I am zonked. So, I will save that for another post. Hope everyone is doing well!

San Diego

SOOOOOO, we will be in La Jolla (near San Diego) for the weekend for a wedding. (Thank you Kory for staying at the house and dog/cat sitting).

Anyone have any suggestions on things we have to do, see, places we need to eat, shop?

Thanks! ;).

Scaling Down

When it rains, it pours! :). Our part-time secretary, Alana, put her two weeks' notice in on Friday. She was offered a full-time job at the probate court, where they pay for your school. We can't offer that benefit at our office, so she is leaving to try and keep her student loans down. We are not replacing her either, so we will be down to one associate, one paralegal and one secretary. Which is fine with us. We kinda want to streamline things and do not want to train anyone new. Training takes so long and requires so much time andd energy, and I just don't have time OR energy right now! :).

Had dinner Saturday at Mitchell's in Livonia with Cassie and Ken and Ken's son, Zyon. It was a fab dinner. We had a reservation, but still had to wait quite a bit of time. We did not complain at all, but they felt bad we had to wait and gave us three free appetizers and free drinks! Crazy! I had a martini (since it was free) and got buzzed off like HALF of it. I am truly pathetic. Had lobster for dinner and it was amazing, as usual. It is my fav meal there.

Got my hair done at Daybreak Saturday, and my brows waxed. It is crazy busy there on the weekends! Last time I went was during the week and it was a lot quieter. Anyway, love the hair! Got a couple inches cut off and new highlights. Stopped at target afterwards, just to browse, as I have not been to a target in like 6 months I think! This target had a ton of food, like an entire frozen food section, which I have never seen in a target before. Anyway, bought some hair stuff on clearance, bought a refill on two vitamins I needed (calcium and valerian root), and got some new clothes. Target had such great deals on clothes--guess I forgot since I rarely go there! I ended up buying a new pair of jeans (which Kurt loves on me, I wore them to dinner tonight), a pair of jean capri pants for summer, a pair of shorts, a skirt for work, and a cute t-shirt.

Skipping Work Makes me Happy and GO Tigers!

The weather was absolutely gorgeous out on Sunday.........Sunny, warm, surprising weather just makes me happy. I worked part of early afternoon, and by the time I went out to my car again, it was over 80 degrees outside. So, I put the top down on the Saab, turned the music up, and started driving to Kohls.......I needed to look for a dress to wear to the San Diego wedding I am going to pretty soon, and have nothing to wear. Ended up trying on a bunch of dresses and liking a lot of them, but bought this one with these cute sandals which I know I will wear again. Also bought a cute new shirt that can be work or casual, and a pair of shorts for San Diego since I have NONE that fit right now. Also got some new nylons, and a pair of swim trunks for Kurty. Oh, and I finally found a bathing suit top that I like on! Problem is I still don't have the bikini bottom, but that will be easier to find. I am pickier about tops. Plus, I had a 20% off coupon, so I saved a bunch of money on all this stuff as well.

Came home and Kurt had cleaned out the entire garage and was cleaning the cars as well. He had packaged up all the pop cans, which we got back and cashed in for over $45! Crazy! I guess I drink a lot of diet pop, LOL. We ran into town as well to buy a new doorknob (one of ours was needing to be replaced).....I think really we just wanted to drive around with the top down, hehe.

We had an office outing yesterday afternoon to the Tigers game against texas. The weather could not have been more perfect for baseball. Clear skies, around 62 degrees, sunny, really a perfect MI Spring day. I wore jeans and a 3-quarter length sleeve shirt and was not too hot, not too cold. Plus, the Tigers won with a walk off homerun by Inge and that's super fun to be part of as well. I got some great pics, which I need to upload and play around with. We had amazing seats in the third row behind visitors dugout. I went and walked around the Tigers store as well, and OMG, the prices in there are insanely high. I really liked this one retro Tigers hoodie. $100. That is insane. I know the stuff is cheaper on the Tigers website, so I will have to look there or eBay. I dont even spend $100 on suits for work, a hoodie should not cost that much.

Yesterday was Holly's last day at the Firm. She took a job as a clerk for one of the Judge's we are in front of all the time and starts today. We are not planning on hiring anyone else. We are going to stick with three attorneys. I hate the whole hiring and training process, and I do not have the energy to do it again right now. I would rather do more hearings and put more hours in than hire/train again right now. Plus, our crazy busy season just ended, so having three attys should more than cover the work I think.

So, off to an appointment at the Monroe office. I got ready way to early today not realizing I had an appointment there until Kurt told me when I woke up, so I have been sitting here reading blogs and updating my own! :).

Oh, I got two dresses in the mail yesterday from Hautelook.com (a fav site of mine) by Ellen Tracy. I had never heard of the line before, but the stuff is really high quality and adorable and cheap since it was off the discount site. I am wearing one of the dresses today (with a suit coat over it). I would post a pic except Kurt is not here..........

Underwear Bomber, His State of Mind and the Complicity of the Detroit Free Press in the Cover Up

by Kurt Haskell

Earlier this week Lori and I attended the pretrial conference for the Underwear Bomber (Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab). This was the second hearing we attended and we plan on attending all other future hearings if our schedule allows. The hearing was pretty uneventful. One point of note to indicate Umar's state of mind was made during the hearing. Judge Edmunds asked him if he had any current concerns. His response had nothing to do with him being sentenced to life in prison, evidence, his need for an attorney, etc. His response was that he wasn't being given commissaries that he wanted in prison and also that the prison would not let him have a certain magazine subscription. Does this sound like someone in the right frame of mind to defend himself in a trial of this magnitude?

Secondly, and more importantly, was something that I discovered about the Detroit Free Press. As most of you know, the Free Press is the main newspaper here in Detroit. Before the hearing this week, I went on the Free Press website to check something about the Underwear Bomber case. What I discovered was pretty astounding. The two main articles that support my theory of the real events of this case have been erased from the Free Press website. I have written previously blog posts about each article. The first one can be found here:

http://haskellfamily.blogspot.com/2010/12/prosecutors-trying-to-block-use-of.html

and the second one can be found here:

http://haskellfamily.blogspot.com/2011/01/underwear-bombers-standby-attorney.html

Anyone following this blog knows that my theory on this case is that an agent of the U.S. Government escorted Umar through security without a passport and provided him with an intentionally defective bomb in order to stage a fake terrorist attack on the flight that I was on (Please read previous blog posts for more information and evidence that supports my conclusion). The first erased article talks about how the prosecution requested a hearing to block Umar's stand-by attorney Anthony Chambers from obtaining evidence in the case. I have to ask, why would the prosecution do this? Isn't this an open and shut case with nearly 300 eyewitnesses? Obviously, this article clearly supports my conclusion that the U.S. Government is hiding the real story and the evidence must support this conclusion.

The second erased article talks about how stand-by attorney Anthony Chambers stated that the U.S. Government's own explosives experts indicate that the bomb was defective and could not have blown up. Again, this is another article that has mysteriously been erased by the Free Press. Why would the U.S. Government not want this story out there? Obviously, it would be hard for anyone to believe that Umar went through all the trouble to go to Yemen and have a bomb sewn in his underwear, travel back to Nigeria, then Amsterdam, then Detroit, only to have the bomb have no chance of detonating. It is much easier to believe that the U.S. Government supplied Umar with a fake bomb as it did(admittedly) with the Portland Christmas Tree Bomber and the Wrigley field Bomber.

Strangely enough, all other mundane articles about the Underwear Bomber going back to 2009 remain on the Free Press website. This is not a case of the Free Press erasing old articles. This is a case where the Free Press hand picked explosive articles that go against the official story in an attempt to hide the truth from the American public.

This is not the first problem that I've had with the Free Press. I have done numerous interviews with it only to have the articles, or any mention of anything I stated, not get reported. As a matter of fact, at the hearing in late January 2011, I did a 15 minute interview with a Free Press reported. Despite the fact that her article appeared in the Free Press the next day, she did not mentioned me or her interview with me in any way.

For anyone that believes we have a free press in this country please provide me with a reasonable explanation of what has occurred here with the Detroit Free Press. It certainly appears to me that we have blatant censorship by one of the largest newspapers in the U.S. Sadly, it also appears, that the media is nothing but a 4th branch of the U.S. Government. The sole purpose of the media is obviously to get paid to spew propaganda to the unfortunate U.S. citizens that have yet to awaken.

Only Took Him 2 Months to Listen.....

I was so excited yesterday when Kurt finally decided to listen to me and buy proper running shoes! When he started working out again, I wanted to buy him. He refused and said his Adidas, which are like fashion tennies, were fine. Yea, not so much. His arches have been bothering him and his knees. Which have been issues in the past, but I am sure are made worse by running in bad shoes. He is running an average of 2 miles per day, 5 days per week. Anyway, we went to my fav place for shoes, Total Runner, in Southgate. They measured his foot, looked at the arch, etc., and had him try on about 5 pairs of shoes, including Asics, Saucony, Brooks and New Balance. He ended up liking a pair of Asics best, the Gel Evolution 6. Hooray! Purchase made. Then, since he was apparently on a shopping shoe roll (which is weird cuz Kurt never steps foot in most stores, LOL), he decided he wanted some more supportive dress shoes for work. So, we stopped at Shoe Carnival in Taylor. They had a deal, buy one pair, get one half off. He could only find one pair. I told him it's pretty much against the Lori Rules of Shopping to not take advantage of that offer, so I found a pair of heels to buy in a color I don't already own. This is sad, since I already purchased a pair of heels online today with ShoeDazzle.

I told Kurt I am going to need another shoe shelving unit built, LOL. Or maybe I should just stop buying shoes........At least I get a lot of use out of all of them with the job I have. I finally found a tailor to help me out. Found them on Craigslist of all places, but they are a legit store in Trenton called Jan's Sewing and Alterations. Took in 6 skirts and a pair of pants and they had be try them all on, pinned them, etc. and will have them back to me shortly. Super nice people. I took all the stuff in that was kinda in between stuff (stuff I have bought since I started losing weight). I was not even going to try taking in stuff from before this weight loss journey began, and will be donating most of it to charity. I kinda picked and chose what would be altered to, as if it was a skirt from Kohl's I paid $8 for, I might as well just head back to Kohl's and buy another one in the right size if I like the skirt that much. I mostly took in skirts that go with suit coats, for the nicer brands, like Tahari, Nine West, etc. I have so much crap to donate to charity now. The woman there suggested I take the stuff into a consignment shop, but, I think the charity deduction would be better for our taxes. I may list a couple things on eBay though.....

Updates

*******Took the pic above this week for my Mom. She is doing some kind of thing for my Grampa and wanted me to take this pic. I think my finger looks freakishly long in the pic. odd. I still think my name should be above Kurt's, but, since we go in order of when you joined the firm, Kurt was technically a lawyer before me. Ha.

Work hard, play hard.....seems to be our mantra. :). Had a pretty busy weekend, but worked some "fun" in there as well. Friday night, we had tickets to see Sarah Silverman at The Fillmore. I was wondering where The Fillmore was, and then I realized that it is actually the new name of the State Theatre. Never knew the name changed, I guess I don't go out again! :). Anyway, we left work a half hour early so we could go home and work out, eat dinner, and change for the show. Drove to Detroit, got there in record time so we got a drink and Kurt got popcorn and we waited for the show to start. She had two opening acts and then her act. Show was great, and it was nice to get out on a Friday night. Saturday, we worked a few hours, then I ran into town to return a shirt at TJ Maxx that I grabbed the wrong size off the rack of. Of course, the shirt was no longer there, so I just had to return it. Boo. While there, I found a really cute Calvin Klein black sweater shrug, and another black shirt to wear over tanks and stuff. Also, totally scored on the beauty rack, they had a TON of Philosophy body washes for like half off retail, so I stocked up on those. Will take a while to use, but worth it to stock up since I usually pay regular price at sephora or on the philosophy website. I started using lemon angel food cake this morning and it smells heavenly. Stopped at Ciolino's in Monroe and bought some fruits and veggies. I was craving cantaloupe, so i bought one and cut it up. Super yummy. Stopped at the mall cuz I had a coupon for Elder Beerman. Found nothing there, but decided to stop in Maurices and found a ton of stuff there I liked (see below). I also found a great dress on clearance, but cant find a pic. I am going to wear it with a black suit coat to work, but I could also wear it with my cobalt blue or black shrug.

Saturday night, we went to a charity fundraiser for a local Catholic elementary school. One of the clerks at court invited us, as she was helping run it and her kids go there. Anyway, we had a really nice time. The dress was casual, so I had no clue what to wear. I ended up wearing black dress pants, a new black and white striped short sleeve shirt I bought and my new CK sweater shrug, with red heels and cute jewelry. Was glad I did not wear jeans, as most people were dressed similar to me. There was a buffet, a silent auction, and a live auction. They also had music and dancing later on, but we left before that started as we were both kinda tired. Great night out though. Made a great new recipe tonight. Click here to see how to make the fabulous Chipotle Bean Burritoes (found in Food Network magazine). I slightly modified Kurt's and added mild pepper rings. I also used low fat sour cream. For mine, I used a wheat tortilla and no sour cream or cheese. Anyway, these were a hit in our household! I made mine with ahi tuna and spaghetti squash, Kurt had his with miso soup. Weird combos, I know, but we are weird with what we eat. I made Kurt two, and me one, and we had lots of leftovers for another night as I made the entire recipe instead of halving it. One of my favorite attorneys is now a Referee at the Friend of the Court where I practice all the time. I stopped in to see her on the bench this week, wearing her robe, looking all powerful and important! :). Talked her into a pic and stayed and talked for a while. Holly and I went to a Welcome Judge Hubbard party this week. Was actually pretty fun. They had a spread of food in the courtroom, decorations, etc. and we got to talk to a lot of the Judges/referees/local attys/court staff, etc. Had a nice time and Judge Mccarthy did us a favor and took a pic of us standing behind the bench. We can never take pics during court, so it was kinda fun to get the pic! :). Statrted cleaning out my closet and it's kinda embarassing how many pairs of pants i have to get rid of. I will prob donate to Good Will, unless I can figure out another good use. I also have several suits coats, and some shirts. Ugh. I mean, I am glad I lost the weight, but replenishing a huge wardrobe kinda sucks financially. I will just keep clearance and outlet shopping. Lost another 1.6 pounds this week, so still not sure if I am done losing or not. Kurt lost another 3.6 pounds and is getting really close to his goal weight. He is now thinking he may need to lose 10 more pounds than his goal weight to get his "6 pack" though, so we will see. I will be happy when he is eating meals again every night and not eating only protein shakes, yogurt and fruit/veggies. I actually LIKE cooking dinner.

Anyway, this is getting long.........Hope everyone had a nice week and an even better weekend.