Monday, August 30, 2010

will you marry me?

It was two years ago today that Danny got on bended knee and asked me that very question.

We were in San Francisco for my birthday weekend and while many people (including myself) had a sneaking suspicion that it would be the weekend, I absolutely didn't expect to be on a bike on the side of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was the best surprise ever. We celebrated in Sausalito that day and spent the following days wine tasting in Napa.

After I said yes, we laughed and cried and sat in shock for a bit. And then Danny told me he promised Bill (my dad) that he'd get the first call. Here's a little video Danny captured of the moment.


Our engagement story has been told (over & over again).  So for fun, here's what you may not know (and what I never want to forget)...

I kept a close eye on Danny while he packed for the trip. When he said, "let's just check our bags" I was convinced it was just a birthday trip. Danny would never check a ring. I texted Colby from the airport to tell her "it's for sure not happening."

I watched D like a hawk as he went through airport security. He didn't flinch. Danny later told me that the security guy gave him a wink when he saw what was in his bag.

My cell phone fried from all the calls and texts. Looking back, it was such a blessing to have it explode & die. We had no distractions.

My ring size was huge! Danny had no idea what size I wore so he had a gum wrapper ready to-go just in case.

We stopped by a jeweler in Sausilido for a real sizer. It tore my finger to shreds so we threw it away and went back to the tape and foil.

The morning after our engagement we got in a huge fight. I was absolutely starving & Danny couldn't make his mind up on a restaurant and was driving around San Fran aimlessly but acting like he knew where he was going. Eventually, I told him to just pull over at the first place he saw. We had a very anti-romantic and silent meal at McDonalds. Then, everything was better.

I'm a planner. I wrote our wedding guest list during the drive from San Francisco to Napa Valley. It drove Danny crazy.

I left my beloved silk sleep mask (the first gift Danny ever gave me) at our Napa B & B, freaked out and had the owner mail it back to me.

Danny was super nervous to call my dad. Jared had to give him a pep talk and told Danny not to call him again until he'd asked Bill.

Before calling my dad for permission, Danny typed out what he was going to say. It's the cutest word document ever. He actually wrote out, "Hi Bill. How are you?...."

My dad said he knew exactly what was coming when he heard Danny's shaky voice on the other end of the phone. But instead of making it easy on him, my dad just played dumb, sat quiet and let Danny squirm his way through the whole speech.




















i hope i never ever forget the feeling of that weekend. it was the best.
i love you, d.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

ladies brunching.

This weekend, I had the chance to catch up with my girlfriend Stephanie and her adorable little one, Kelsey. I brought the sangria and she provided the brunch and baby - it was great. I still can't believe some of my girlfriends are mom's - like, for real moms. Each time I see Steph with Kels it sinks in a little bit more, but I still find myself starring and saying, "I can't believe she's yours" at which Steph replies, "yeah, we're not babysitting right now." 

Steph is a wonderful mom and I admire how she's fully embraced this new chapter. She may be a mom, but in my mind she'll always be Stephanie Rothery - the hilarious girl at happy hour who I rely on for the best advice... which one day will be babies and parenting.

I'm so excited that Steph decided to join the blogosphere to chronicle this new chapter in her life... check out Life As I Know It.  

{could she be more adorable? Kelsey at almost 7 months old}

{aunt teri! enough with the flashing camera!}

{summertime brunch. sangria for us - smashed peas for her.}

{look, i can stand}

{teaching kelsey it stick out her tongue. she actually kinda did it}

{mommy and daughter}

{playtime}

{logan going crazy to get some attention}

{watch out, i'm a crawler on the move!}

{look at those big blue eyes and tiny little teeth!}


jalapenos & popcorn.

Yup, that's right. We loooove jalapenos on our popcorn (thanks Angela)! We said the same thing you're thinking right now - ew, gross. But don't knock it until you try it... it's delicious. 

Last night we enjoyed our usual #1 theater combo, popcorn, jalapenos & an ice cold cherry coke, while we watched The Switch. Clearly my pick, but we both thought it was really cute. Disclaimer: this is my favorite genre and there isn't a romantic comedy I've met that I didn't love (but seriously, it was good). 

Have you seen Eat Pray Love, yet? Worth seeing?


{do yourself a favor and give it a try next time you're at the theater}

Check out this movie poster! Not only a blonde frenchie... the cone? the arm wrap? We were cracking up - it's our lil Syd!

An evening stormed rolled in and out which made for a beautiful sky from the theater. That's Camelback Mountain in the distance.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

double digits & a breeze? we'll take it.

In Phoenix, a summer day with a double digit temperature and a breeze is to die for. So when the temperature read 90 this morning, Danny and I decided to grab our bikes and ride over to La Grande Orange (our neighborhood market and eatery) for some iced coffee and the Commuter Breakfast Sandwich. Yum. It's really nice being home this weekend and having nothing on the agenda. 













Friday, August 27, 2010

just another night.

When I started this blog, one of my goals was to capture our everyday life. To take photos around the house when we're not all dressed up or doing anything special. Just us. Just our daily life.

Well, this was last night. Hunter provided the entertainment by playing with his imaginary friend, Hank. Hunter "met" Hank when he was a lonely only child and since Sydney hasn't been able to play lately, we've noticed Hank's been around a lot. Huntie being a nerd...


I love when Danny makes dinner. Last night, he threw together some chicken & veggie fajitas that we enjoyed in our usual spot... the couch + coffee table. We eat, we chat and we watch. Last night's shows were a recorded Tosh.0* and the new Project Runway. Perfect.

*Thank you Quinnster for introducing us to the amazing Tosh.0. It's like The Soup but all YouTube videos and Daniel Tosh is hilarious. Comedy Central on Wednesdays. Watch it. 






Thursday, August 26, 2010

yelp.

Do you Yelp? If you don’t, you should. Yelp is a fabulous & free online review source for just about anything. Looking for a $-$$ Mexican restaurant for a date night in Phoenix? Need a wedding make-up artist in San Diego (how I found mine)? Want a wine bar downtown? Yelp reviews will provide you with real and honest overviews and photos based on a 1-5 Star consumer rating. We use it all the time both at home and on vacation. When you only have a couple nights in a new city, it's great to know you're going to the best spots.

Hint: Look out for the "Tips" section in the review... this is where you'll get info like "it's valet only so bring cash, lunch not served until 2pm, live music on Tuesday nights, etc."

We love Yelp. And we see it as a give-take relationship. I know there are some of you out there who turn to Yelp but don’t post your own reviews – tisk tisk. It’s easy (once you get the hang of it), it’s free & it’s fun. Plus, the iPhone app let's you add photos and tips on the go.  

Quite the Yelper, Danny has established his own Trifecta Rating System and takes the average of his ratings of the Food, Service & Ambiance... See his reviews here. Or my photos & reviews here.

Happy Yelping!
-- Danny & Teri
Yelp Elite Members '10*
*we're pretty fancy (nerdy), we were nominated to headquarters as "Elite" yelpers.


Wednesday, August 25, 2010

california dreamin.

It's really hot in Phoenix this week. Like, miserably hot. These are not numbers you ever want to see on your car's thermostat - yuck.

Between all of our recent traveling, dealing with Sydney and this gross heat, I've been finding it really hard to get motivated and get my rear off the couch and to the gym. But no excuses - we need to get back into a healthy routine. Starting tonight, right? ;)

Can you blame me? Regardless of how accurate - we get it. It's hot.