Daydreaming

I am mentally planning a fabulous vacation for next year.  At this point, all I know is that I am going.  Mark can tag along if he wants, but I am definitely going.  I just don't know where.  Right now a relaxing, lazy vacation sounds heavenly, but come next August-November, I may be back to some what of a normal life and may feel like running all around some great city checking everything out.  

I can't decide where I (we) should go:  back to Paris (LOVE it there!), another beach resort (went to Aruba a few years back), a cruise (this time Northern Europe), or somewhere totally new?  

Help!!  What are your favourite vacation spots; relaxing or exploring.  Just keep in mind I am not a camping, run around in the jungle type person.  So a hike in the Amazon is probably not somewhere I want to go!

There are just too many places to randomly type into www.kayak.com to see how much airfare costs!  Throw some ideas out there for me of places I must go before I die, or go years and years without another vacation!

Over My Head?

Awhile back, Mark decided he wanted to get into watching Mad Men.  He had heard all the rave reviews and thought he should jump on the bandwagon.  I am the opposite.  If I don't like something on my own before the hype starts, I am not about to jump aboard.  That's why I have never picked up Harry Potter and never will.  I had no interest in it to begin with and now it's just crazy.  I'm just stubborn like that.

Anyway, so Mark started watching it, and since it's on about the time I am feeding the little one, I watch it with Mark.  Following last night's season finale (don't worry no spoilers here), I am stuck with the same feelings I had after the first few shows we watched;  I don't get it.  I get the story line/plot, but I just don't get the hype.  It's a fine show, if you like shows that depict alcoholism, rampant infidelity, chauvinism, poor parenting, etc., but there are plenty of other shows out there I enjoy more.  Perhaps I am more easily entertained and the more "intelligent", deep thought shows are beyond my grasp, but I am just not getting the hype.  Can someone explain why it gets all of the accolades it does?

I need to find a replacement for my TV obsession now that LOST is gone.  Not sure The Event will cut it.  At least L&O CI is coming back for a final 8 episodes with Goren and Eames.  I will have to live on that for now.

Anyone have any suggestions of shows that are can't miss?

A Day in the Life

It seems as we get older birthdays just don't seem as exciting as they did when we were little.  That's kind of sad, but I guess if we ran around telling strangers "it's my birthday today!" people might think we were a little off.

Well, yesterday was Mark's birthday and he never tells anyone.  So we decided that we would let people know instead!  Off to the balloon store we went!

We got a bunch of helium balloons, drove to the train station and tied some on his car.  When we got home we tied one more to the mailbox.  And of course we had the rest tied to the birthday chair.

He told us when he got off the train, everyone who walked by asked if it was his birthday and all wished him Happy Birthday!  Mission Accomplished.

I think, even though we're now "old", he had a good birthday.  Workers took him out to lunch, then he played hooky and went to a movie, came home, went out for steaks, back home for presents and cake.  I realized as I made the cake, that it was almost identical to the cake I made him last year, but I suppose when all you want is a yellow cake with chocolate frosting...they are bound to be similar! Then he capped the night off watching the Vikings lose...I guess you can't have everything.

Hope you had a great day!  We love you!

Help!

OK, this goes out to anyone who has ever cooked before.  I need some assistance.

Dinner time around here has been less than exciting ever since July.  With the exception of a week of meals being brought into us, of course.  Once on my own though...a completely different story.  

Last week, I even planned out an entire week's worth of dinners, AND bought the necessary ingredients!!

Sadly, none of those meals were ever made thanks to a certain cranky pants.  

So, I need some ideas for dinners that take 30 minutes MAX!  Some days 30 minutes of hands free time is pushing it.  Or some fabulous crock pot ideas that I can throw together in the morning and not touch again until dinner time.

I would be tickled pink if I could get a decent dinner made one night that wasn't bought at Costco (don't get me wrong, I love dinners bought at Costco, the orange chicken and Mongolian beef dinners are great!).  I would be even more tickled pink if I could get an hour of hands free happy time from this kid, but we are working on that!

Thanks for your help!