sick lil sydney.

We were back at the vet this morning to review Syd's lab results with Dr. Bracken. Sadly, our little lady has Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia. Huh? Basically, her body is attacking her own red blood cells and she's really anemic right now (which explains why she's pale, has no energy or appetite).

She started steroid treatments today and we'll be back at the vet tomorrow at 8:30a.m. for more lab work to see if her red blood cells and platelets are increasing or decreasing - and we'll go from there. We're hopeful the steroid treatments and antibiotics will do the trick. She actually ate a few bites of food today - a big improvement from the past couple of days. Think good thoughts for her...

attack of the killer bees.

This morning, Danny called a bee exterminator to deal with a hive at our rental house. The bee guy said they were the most aggressive honey bees he'd seen. Well, we agree. The swarm attacked and stung Danny, our neighbor and then me - each multiple times. It was quite the scene! Running around, swatting at the bees, one got caught in Danny's shirt, I got stung in the forehead and then went to leave but there was a bee in my car. Just when I thought I was in the clear I heard the bzzzz again and realized I had a bee in my hair! Ahhh! Danny's still trapped in the rental house waiting for the swarm to die! And no, there are no photos of this ordeal. Oh boy - never a dull moment.

I don't know if it was intentional but I had to laugh... as I was fleeing the scene Danny told me to "bee careful" driving home.

I'm now home safe and sound with my Benadryl listening to the rain and thunder with the pigs...

sydney's home away from home.

We were back at the vet this morning with Miss Sydney. She's super lethargic, won't eat, has the shakes, is pale and weak. Dr. Bracken did some more blood work on the little lady and saw that her iron count is low but he's thinking there's something else going on. We call at 9a.m. tomorrow to get the results. We want our spunky lil girl back!

Syd moped, Danny messed around with doctor's tools and I watched.

{mom, i keep losing weight but my ears aren't shrinking.}

{forget it. i'm too weak to care. i'm taking a nap.}

{is this a good angle for the thermometer, dr. b?}

{danny! stop touching the doctor's stuff.}

{more blood work? another shaved arm? i just can't take it anymore.}

stormy night.

A monsoon rolled in on my way home from work tonight. At that point, I decided to skip the treadmill and hit the couch with dish #35 from Thai Lahana - our yummy neighborhood Thai place. I'm catching up on Teen Mom (guilty pleasure), making headbands and editing our vacation photos. Hunter's got his eye on my plate hoping for some scraps and Syd is cuddled up as close as she can get. Its nice to be back home with them since Miss Sydney still isn't feeling well (we're back to the vet tomorrow to get to the bottom of this).

A nice, unexpected, relaxing stormy night... Just wish D was home.

{the dish i constantly crave ... #35 medium spicy}

{what our family calls "maximum closeness" - we're all about it}

get your groupon.

Want a $50 restaurant gift card for $25? Want four tickets to the zoo for the price of two? Well, get your Groupon.

What's Groupon? Groupon is a fantastic "deal of the day" in cities throughout the country. How it works: there's a deal of the day and if at least 100 people opt-in to buy that promotion, then the deal becomes active and everyone gets it. You can see how many people have bought the deal and how much time you have left to purchase it. Still confused? Watch this quick overview.

Check it out - it's free. Sign-up for your city and the "deal of the day" will be e-mailed to you. In addition to great deals, I find it's an easy way to learn about restaurants & activities in your city. 

back to reality.

We got back to Phoenix late last night and I'm going through my typical post-vacation blues. I always get them. Always. But, they're extra bad after vacations with my girlfriends. I spend so much time looking forward to the trip and then it's over in a heartbeat and feels like such a tease... like a sample of froyo when you can't have a whole cup. May satisfy your craving but leaves you wanting more. I dream of the day when we all live near each other again. Thank goodness we have a girl's trip on the horizon!

All in all, our vacay was an absolute blast. It was a whirlwind trip through NYC and then a fun few days in DC with Jenny and Matt. The details and lots of photos coming soon... promise.

Tonight, we're heading south towards Tucson to pick-up the kids. Apparently, Miss Sydney has been super mopey, won't play or cuddle and isn't eating - this isn't like our spunky little girl at all. Hopefully she'll be better when she's back home with mom and dad (and then it will be Hunter's turn to mope - he looooves his Tucson vacations).

baby fig.

A baby milestone this weekend... Dyllan Grace is six months old! Its still crazy to think about the day she decided to join the world - 9 weeks early. 

I'm so excited that her parents have decided to officially re-launch the BabyFigNewton blog! Hooray, another blog to add to the list. Jenny and I have been swooning over the Baby Fig's six month photos this morning - absolutely adorable.

Off to Georgetown and the Lincoln Memorial...  

greetings from the nation's capital.

We took the train from NYC to DC this morning and are having a blast already. We kicked off the day with some lunch and cocktails before our segway tour of all DC's sights and it was hilarious and HOT - very hot and sweaty. Here's a little video and a couple photos from today (please note Danny's patriot outfit for his first day in our capital).

Matt just got home from work and we're off to drinks at Church Key - a bar with more than 60+ beers on tap (Danny may never leave) and then dinner in Jenny & Matt's adorable neighborhood. 

More updates and photos to come soon...

the tings in two cities.

...We're off to NYC and Washington DC!

Both D and I love NYC. Its undeniably one of the best cities in the world and we can't wait. It's a short trip but we've both been a few times (well actually Danny lived and worked in NYC the summer of 2002) so some of the pressure is off to be uber tourists (although we're still hoping to cram as much in as possible). Ahhh... we're both so excited for this trip.

On Saturday, we're taking the train from NYC to DC to visit some of our fave people, Jenny & Matt who recently moved from NYC (sadly, Wilbur's delivery was pushed back so we're not getting to meet him). It's Danny's first time to DC so Jenny's booked us a segway tour to see all the sights and Matt (who's quite the chef) is grilling for us on Sunday. It's all going to be hot and fantastic.

And, I'm very proud that I've packed a carry on! Gold star for me.

modern date.

After much deliberation last Friday, we ended up doing date night at Modern Steak. In Arizona, Sam Fox is a restaurant God. He's know for fab concepts with cool vibes and Modern Steak is one of his latest. I'd been, but Danny hadn't so we decided to give it a whirl and ended up having a fantastic three-hour dinner.

Randomly, the server recognized us because he used to work at Sportsmans, a local specialty wine & beer store that Danny frequents. He kicked off our night with some champagne and moved us to a roomy booth in the middle of the restaurant. From there, we took his recommendations and he split a variety of things ... artichoke gratin and roasted red pepper hummus to start, specialty mac & cheese next, followed by a build-your-own baked potato bar at your table, and then filets (medium rare plus) with caramelized onions. We washed the meal down with martinis for me and rye old fashioneds for D. Yum. Yum. Yum.

I'm obsessed with the decor, love the cocktails, service is spot on and the food is rich and delicious. I wish the restaurant was a little smaller and more intimate (and not attached to a mall), but overall I highly recommend you splurge and give this place a try.

Tip :: the sides are big enough to split and make great starters or appetizers if you simply want to do a night of cocktails & apps.

{excuse the phone quality pics. our camera didn't make it to date night}

{the ladies room. i could just move in here}

today's $10 tickets & ticketmaster tuesdays.

Quick! For three days only, Live Nation is offering $10 tickets to events and concerts nationwide. The promotion kicked off today and they'll add new events each day. Check here for the list of events and your chance to score $10 tix.

In case you don't see anything you love, did you know that every Tuesday, you can get 2-for-1 tickets from Ticketmaster? Yup. It's select shows, but each week they add new events so keep checking back and use the code TUESDAY during checkout.

On a side note, there's been a lot of discussion lately about the high price of concert tickets and the ridiculous fees that turn at $10 ticket into a $25 ticket. Both Ticketmaster and Live Nation have been running promos to increase concert sales. For example, in June Live Nation eliminated all service fees for amphitheater shows. If you're big into events and shows, be sure to sign-up for both company's newsletters to get alerts on deals and upcoming tours in your city.

Additionally, seating charts are now much more interactive and you can see exactly how many seats are left (in each price range), where the empty seats are, etc. before you buy.

Hopefully you'll score some cheap thrills! Good Luck.

thought of the day.

Saw this while having some wine at Postino recently (are you starting to catch on that we go here a lot?). We liked it, so I snapped a photo. Pretty simple and to the point. Happy Tuesday!

fish tacos.

At one point in my life, I think I claimed that Rubio’s was one of my favorite restaurants. Since then, my taste has evolved but my love for fish tacos has stayed the same. 

One of our friends, Mrs. Kimberly Haun, recently passed along this super easy fish taco recipe and we loved it! It's light, fresh and perfect for a quick and tasty summer meal. Thanks, Kim & Jason. Jas - we hope you had a fabulous birthday weekend! Xx

Oh! And be sure to browse Kim's beautiful photography here!

Quick & Easy Fish Tacos

Ingredients:

Tilapia fillets

Shredded cabbage

Shredded cheese

Spicy/Jalapeno Ranch dressing (yes, this is real)

Tomatoes

Lettuce

Whole wheat, soft tortillas

Taco Seasoning in the packet

Lime

Directions:

--Rub taco seasoning on tilapia fillets.
--Throw seasoned fillets into a skillet.
--Rub dressing onto the soft taco shell, add all ingredients, squeeze lime juice onto them and as Kim said... Wal-a! Fish Taco's!

For our side, we threw a can of fat-free refried beans + a can of fire roasted green chilies onto the stove and stirred – yum.

P.S. Don’t judge me, but I still loooove to splurge (sometimes) on a Nachos Grande with Chicken and a Fish Taco Especiale from the Rubios. Luckily, my husband usually doesn’t object.

wilkommen zuhause!

...That's "Welcome Home" in German.

We made a last minute decision to spend the weekend in Tucson with Danny's parents. They just returned from a three week European cruise with friends that took them from Holland throughout Germany and ended in Vienna. They had an absolute blast and their stories and photos have us majorly craving a Euro trip.

It was a quick visitbut really nice being in Tucson. It was much cooler than Phoenix (only 102 vs 114) plus we had a pool to enjoy - Hunter's fave part. My favorite part was Saturday's classic stormy monsoon with loud thunder, lots of lightning and hot desert rain. The best. Oh, and anyone who went to UA will agree that Tucson is home to some of the best food ever. We did Beyond Bread for lunch and authentic Mexican and margaritas for dinner. I tried to get Penguins (fro yo) on our way out of town but the University Ave. location is closed. Sad. 

The Bockting's is like our own private southwestern getaway. Love it.

 {beyond bread :: bart's bag with honey mustard}

oh friday, how i love thee.

Fridays are great. It's easier to get going in the morning. The mood and energy around the office is usually a bit perkier. Lunchtime talk turns from work to weekend plans and its a guaranteed date night in our household. Yup, every Friday night is date night for The Tings. I absolutely love it.

Danny was working in California this week, so I'm extra excited for tonight. And, because he hates talking on the phone I pretty much have a whole week's worth of stuff to chat to him about! I bet he can't wait. We hope you have a fantastic weekend.

Photos from last weekend's Kings of Leon concert.

  {Angela, Alicia & Me}

{Taking a dance break. Apparently something was funny}

{dancing in the hot summer rain}

{the king's crew in the 105+ heat}

road to recovery.

Hooray! Baby Tank's lab work is back and she's cancer free! We had a feeling it'd be good news since ever since her surgery she's been back to her spunky self but its nice to confirm that. She's in the cone until her stitches come out (Monday or Tuesday) and then hopefully life will be back to normal around The Bockting household.

Danny was in California for work all week so I was playing "single mom" and it wasn't easy. Between keeping up with all the medicine in the morning and evening, having to let Syd in and out to do her business (since she can't fit through her door), taking her cone on and off to eat, keeping them separated... etc. etc. etc. I seriously considered calling Dr. B to get a cone for Hunter too to keep his tongue from a distance of Syd's suture. I think I yelled "Hunter no!" about 600 times. Ugh. (All you moms out there... you rule.)

D got home late last night and got to see Syd and le cone in action for the first time. Ha!

{lil girl milking it during The Hills series finale. she was bored too}

hot mamas.

Fact :: I'm obsessed with Forever21. It's true. Why? Its cute. Its trendy. Its affordable. And, if you shop it right, it doesn't look cheap and can last for years. Swear. Oh, and did I mention adorable summer sandals for $7.80? Can't be that.

Anyoo, during some recent online shopping I saw that The Faux (what we like to call it) has officially launched a maternity line! How perfect is that...  stylish clothes that are totally inexpensive so you won't feel guilty donating after 9-months (or when you're done making babies). So, although I won't be needing Love21 Maternity for a while, I thought I'd pass along for all you hot mamas to check out! Looks like there's lots more coming soon.

FYI Girls, A Tip :: The store credit only return policy (ugh) doesn't apply to online purchases. You can return via mail or in-store for your money back. And, free shipping for online orders over $75.

happy birthday, carlye!

Happy Birthday, Ciznarlye! I wish I could be in Dallas today to celebrate with you! Ugh, I hate being so far but I know you're in good hands and Jeremy will spoil you all day long. In your honor, I'll eat green olives and lots of beans today.

Car, I've been looking through old photos (I seriously pulled out the shoeboxes of printed pics) and can't stop smiling. There are thousands of memories and it just hit me how much we've laughed and explored together - I love it! Arizona, all over California, Washington, Texas, Chicago, New York, Florida, Mexico and more! Wow, just look at these photos - enough said. Hope you have a very happy birthday! Miss you tons. Can't wait to see you in August! xo

{in santa barbara, california for my bachelorette party}

{two peas in a pod wine tasting in santa barbara}

{the mann's & the bockting's in naples, florida}

{celebrating with the glowing bachelorette in chicago 2009}

{late night dance party in new york city 2006}

{70's date dash in 2004 - they'd be our husbands one day. weird.}

{killer raver dance moves. spring break 2005 :: acapulco, mexico}

{karaoke "cheeseburger in paradise" at trident, tucson 2003}

{the night carlye painted acapulco teal ... with her eyeshadow}

{one of our FAVORITE nights together, 2003}

{one and only Goon Room. um, look at that enormous flat iron}

{getting off the bus in beautiful rosarito, mexico. yuck. march 2003}