Balloon Fiesta!

October, 2011

Doug and I headed to Albuquerque and spent the weekend with Lisa and Brian. We woke up ver-ry early and headed out to the Fiesta. Put this one on your bucket list. Those balloons are something to see!

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Very fun!

In a matter of an hour or two, it was all over. The skies were filled with balloons!

Jack was a real trooper. But that early morning wake-up call finally caught up with him.

Isn't he sweet?

And I saved my absolute favorite picture for last. Isn't she just the sweetest, most beautiful angel you've ever seen? She was so-o good!

By sheer coincidence, Linda was in town for a nearby retreat. After Mass at the Basilica in Santa Fe, Brian and Lisa took us all out to one of the nicest restaurants ev-ah! Coyote Cafe (don't let the name fool you) was all class. Brian treated us to foods that went beyond the norm - smoking cocktails (literally), grilled lamb, honeycomb and cheese (fab!), basil and mint sorbet (flavor explosion!) fig ice cream (who knew?)--pure heaven, let me tell you. HEAVEN!

Thank you, Lisa and Brian, for a memorable evening!

And a few more . . .

Here's a few pics of Lisa and Brian's incredible house--and their fabulous kitchen.

The refrigerator . . .

Though this pic doesn't do the 'family room' justice, it flows right from the kitchen. Easy to see why this area is their favorite. It was ours, too.

Courtyard shot.

If you could only see how big the backyard is!

This is from Lisa's kitchen window - the balloons have launched!



The mountains, from their driveway.

Doug giving Tiger a few pointers . . . at Madame Tousseau's in Las Vegas.

We took a day trip to the Grand Canyon. It truly is an amazing place. Here we are on the Skywalk, which is only 4 years old. It's a glass platform 4000 feet above the bottom of the canyon.


This one makes my tummy flutter all over again.

Breathtaking.

Doug and I climbed this little mountain. The altitude had us old fogies huffing and puffing, but we made it. The Hualapai Indians want to keep the canyon as natural as possible. There's no guardrails anywhere. Boggles my mind that no tourist has ever tumbled over the edge.

Family Fun in Okoboji!

Monday morning breakfast on the deck.

Linda and I traded the camera for another breakfast shot.

Tony sleeping in on our first morning at Okoboji.


Monday morning was cloudy and a little rainy, so we gathered together to play a friendly game of Pictionary. As usual, Steve was very competitive.

Gina drawing her best so that the Girls Team would win.

We didn't. We lost by one point.

We pushed tables together to have supper on the deck.

It was a very lo-ong table.

The sunsets were gorgeous!

I have this one as my desktop computer wallpaper.

Isn't he just the cutest?

Jimmy and Linda on our deck enjoying morning coffee--my favorite time of the day!

On the ski boat - Christopher, Mary, Stephanie, Allie and Michael.

Kim and Steve--don't they look like they're having fun?!?

Christopher getting ready to take Seth out for a spin on the jet skis.

Doug on the dock waiting for a turn on the jet skis. Linda and Barb are soaking in the sun behind him.

Christopher, Kim, Steve and Tony!

Our fancy rigging to keep Jack out of the sun while Mommy and Daddy were out on the jet skis.

Our last morning - Steve and Linda fixing breakfast with leftover meatballs, brats, sausage and eggs. Believe it or not, it was all tasty!

Suzanne's Shower

Can you believe Suzanne and Zach's wedding is a mere 2 months away? To us womenfolk, that means one thing: WEDDING SHOWER!

As always, it was so much fun to plan--attending to the little details, planning the menu, shopping for gifts, all of it is such a wonderful part of the process. Kim, Barb, and Pam were the ringleaders, and Pam's house was, once again, the perfect place to have it.

But the *real* fun was the big day! Thanks so much to Ann Marie for taking all these wonderful, beautiful photos so we can share the fun with the ladies who couldn't make it.

Speaking of photos, we all really enjoyed seeing Suzanne and Zach's engagement photos. Great location, beautiful couple!

Doesn't she look so happy?



I just love this photo of Connie.



What a pile of loot! All those purple-and-white boxes were from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. We put our heads together and were able to get Suz and Zach most of their pretty place settings.



Here's a great shot of some of Suz's guests chatting when she was opening her gifts. The woman second-to-right, next to Barb, is Suzanne's old roommate, Christine. We were so happy to have her!

The three amigos loved eating the cake balls Kim made (l. to r., Elizabeth Eby, Meredith, Henry). Kim, ingeniously, put them on sticks--perfect for the kiddos.

The Ebys are always so, so wonderful about coming to our celebrations. It just wouldn't be the same without them. We enjoy their company so much!

And we were thrilled to see the newest Eby addition--Payton Eby! Meredith was in love! Little Payton was an absolute angel. I don't think we heard one peep from her the entire time.


Cute little Elizabeth was just one of the girls.

Pam made these adorable tissue rosettes with Suzanne's wedding colors. (Pam said, by the way, that she had similar rosettes at her own wedding shower. I love that what is old* is new again.

*Not *too* old, though.)

And what could be better than tulips on a beautiful spring morning?

I don't know, but Gerbera daisies are pretty festive, too! Pam was bound and determined to have them as centerpieces, and they turned out beautifully. They were the doorprizes, too--Grandma Astuto, Debbie Eby, and Christine all got to take one home (lucky ladies!).


Ever the gourmande, Kim made these spectacular cupcakes, again featuring Suzanne's wedding colors via kiwi and blueberries (I heard a rumor the idea came from Lisa! Good one, Lis.).

And the famous cakeballs that everyone *raved* about. They were absolutely delicious, and it was so fun to see what flavors she came up with. I liked the chocolate ones best. Well, maybe the vanilla ones. And the strawberry ones, too, they were sure fantastic....

Grandma's lime punch was a hit, especially with Henry, who begged Stephanie to let him have more (thanks again, Steph, for putting up with that!).

Can you believe how pretty Barb's breakfast martinis were? And so light and refreshing, too.



Of course, no Astuto wedding shower would be complete without a mimosa (or two!).

Here's another adorable photo of Elizabeth. She's just so cute, and such a good girl. She's going to make a great big sister.

And speaking of older siblings, here are Henry and Kate "rubbing noses like the Eskimoses." Henry was the odd man out, but he loved being doted on by his aunts, cousins, and Grandmas. ("I have two Grandmas!" he proudly told Aunt Amy when Grandma Astuto came over.)

Mary Hilton wore the prettiest coral silk shirt. I loved the rhinestone buttons. She looked so grown up.


Here's Amy, looking cool and hip as usual.

And our requisite mother-daughter shots, which are always so fun.

Godmother-to-the-bride Kim and Steph.

Barb and Miss Mary.


Anna and new mama Maria.


And of course, Uncle Hank, who was an integral part of the shower. ;) We all so much enjoy seeing him when he comes with Aunt Min.

Best buddies Meredith and Elizabeth. They're about 10 months apart (I think). Isn't Mere *so* tall?


Henry, lounging around. It's tough being a little guy in a sea of women!

Aunt Min, looking beautiful as usual. It is so special for everyone, every time we see her.

And Pam, looking cool and collected. Her house is such a great place to have a wedding shower.

Miss Payton. Doesn't she look like Maria?! We thought she was all Eby.

Who can resist baby tootsies? So tiny!

Thanks again to Ann for all the wonderful photos. They were such a nice way to document and remember Suzanne's day. I'm sure everyone is excited to get together again soon--but this time, in Minneapolis!!