Sunday, September 28, 2008

What a weekend!

The Allens are all having such exciting weekends! Ron & Judy are off exploring Hawaii, including enjoying a helicopter ride on Kauai. Sam is watching the Formula 1 Race in Singapore. And we indulged in a once in a lifetime meal with friends at the Mansion on Turtle Creek.

As a treat for work well done, work sent us off to have dinner last night at a place of our choosing. So we choose the 6 course chef's tasting menu (which was really closer to a 9 course meal) at the Mansion. Nicole and Stan joined us for what was certainly an event we'll never forget! The experience was beyond anything I could have ever imagined - even some of the fanciest restaurants I'd had the chance to dine at in NYC didn't come close. I broke all of the rules on things I "won't eat" and even tried foie gras and oysters. Now I'm not saying that I'll eat them again, but I'm glad I tried them once. We had matched wines with every course but I'm such a light weight that I just ended up with a row of glasses across the table since I couldn't keep up. One of my favorites was "Divine Drippings", a sweet sake that they paired with our oysters.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Friday, September 26, 2008

Baby Hottinger coming soon...


Yesterday Nicole and I threw a work shower for Janelle. It was so much fun! The Michigan baby stuff was totally adorable too. Baby Cavin isn't too far behind!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Belize

We're going to Christmas for Belize! I'm so excited. We're spending a week in Belize with Dana's family and then heading to Mexico for Sara's wedding. I can't wait!!!

Germans, Fighting Knights and 10K Races


Dana is in Chicago this weekend for a guys weekend. He's having a blast and been doing so many things that I can't even summarize them here. He'll have to add them later! Highlights are probably seeing the Cubs play at Wrigley on a beautiful day, catching up with a lot of friends he doesn't get to see often, and eating a lot of good food.

This weekend I was busy! Saturday I ran the 10K Tour des Fleurs race at White Rock lake with my friend Ryan (from my church group). I absolutely loved it! I am NOT a runner... yet I ran the whole way (or jogged at least) and I loved every second of it. I'm hooked! Now I'm looking for a 15K or half marathon perhaps for later this year.

My dad got stuck here again on his way to Chile (American seems to always have plane issues when he is flying through Dallas). The upside was that we had a really nice afternoon together and enjoyed lunch on the patio at Taco Diner.

After that I went to the Octoberfest with the Cavins and Boyles. There's nothing like good German beer, sausage and streudel to gain back the calories you burn off in a 10K. The weather has been BEAUTIFUL here though, so it was just fantastic to walk around outside.

Finally I went to Medieval Times for dinner in honor of Erol and Will's birthdays. Although the event is probably targeted to 14 year olds, I was excited because I've always wanted to go. The show was pretty cool! More high-tech than I had imagined. My (blue) knight didn't win, but he still performed well. The food was absolutely horrible, so I was glad I had indulged at the Octoberfest festival.

The sermon at church today was awesome as usual. I feel so blessed to have found Watermark. It was all about money, and how materialism in Dallas is such a problem. "Generosity is the antidote to Materialism" was the big takeaway, and I couldn't agree more. The message was basically about the importance of volunteering with and giving to those less fortunate instead of focusing on ourselves.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Hurricane Ike hits Texas


Hurricane Ike hit Texas this weekend. While overall we were extremely lucky (especially compared to folks in Houston), we did have a pool party that was rained out. No worries! We just hung out and enjoyed Christine's favorite treats (Chick-Fil-A nuggets and Cookie Dough ice cream cake... yes, we're really that fancy). Dana made the most amazing drinks - Pineapple Mojitos! So yummy.

We had invited over our friends with kids for a birthday celebration (it's a 6 week event apparently) since we knew they wouldn't be able to join us at trapeze lessons in Austin in October. With all of the kids, the party felt a bit like a 1 year old birthday party (rather than a 32 yr old party) but we loved it. That's just what life is like these days!



Monday night we went to an awesome Cowboys football game with Erol and Danielle. The game was so close and our seats were on the 50 yard line, so we had a lot of fun.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Perfect end of summer weather


This weekend we are taking it easy and enjoying the PERFECT end-of-summer weather we are having. It's been in the 80s and totally gorgeous.

Friday night we had dinner with Michael & Janelle at Gordon-Biersch brewery. I can't believe they only have 9 more weeks left until Baby Hottinger arrives. Saturday night we went to the Rangers game with Ryan & Stephanie. The Rangers killed the Red Sox and we had a terrific time just enjoying being outside.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Happy Anniversary Ron & Judy

Dana's parents celebrate their 40th anniversary today. They inspire us in so many ways! Hope they're having a wonderful celebration.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Christine turns 32


Christine celebrated a low-key, happy birthday this weekend. One of her sorority sisters, Sara, visited for the weekend with her fiance, James. Aren't they cute? We're really looking forward to their wedding this Jan. in Mexico.

We enjoyed some amazing food, relaxed in the pool, played a lot of Taboo and Cranium, visited a sculpture garden and built some shelves for our living room. (They're architects, so we can't let their talents not be fully utilized when they visit)