besties and babies

I am so glad that I was able to attend Ashli's baby shower! She has been one of my very best friends for ... (counts on fingers) ... twelve years now!

And Kayli (the bun) is due on Ashli's birthday. How sweet is that?

Note: My contribution to Kayli's wardrobe are two onesies from Threadless.

Utizzle

I had such a great time visiting Utah. I wish that I had taken more pictures (but isn't that always the case?). I've listed some of the highlights below.

[x] Lunch with Ashli, then perusing the mall (for old time's sake).
[x] Bunco and baby horses with my mom and her friends. (I won $10!)
[x] Red Butte Garden concert and picnic with mom and Krys.
[x] Boating on Pineview Reservoir and a campfire at the Sherman's cabin.
[x] Clubbing in Salt Lake City with Brittney and Toni.

cherry pickin'

On our last day in Minnesota, we picked cherries from the neighbor's tree.

for the love of God

Basilica Block Party at Saint Mary's in Minneapolis

Did I mention that weezer headlined the festival?

mini soda

I spent a few days in July in Minnesota, where my mom's family is from. We stayed with my Grandpa John and Grandma Lu. Their house is on one of the state's more than 10,000 lakes.

My mom took this photo from my grandparent's porch. It's breathtaking.

there's something about Scandanavia...

I hope everyone had a great long weekend celebrating the USA. Now for a look at two countries that are also pretty excellent: Finland and Iceland.

daily show

When I was planning our last visit to New York, I tried to get tickets to see The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The next available tickets were for more than a month later, so another trip was quickly planned.

There I am, saving our place in line.

The sign above the door to the studio, which reads "Abandon News, All Ye Who Enter Here."

Of course no photographs could be taken inside the studio, but you can watch the entire episode online, if you so desire. Here's a link to the episode in which Phil, Priya, and I were part of the audience: Monday, June 28. The guest was David Axelrod, President Obama's most senior adviser. Jon was critical of the Obama administration, but Axelrod came back with some great points about the steps the president has taken to get his campaign promises done.

After the taping, we planned to meet up with Cindy in Hell's Kitchen for noodles. While we were down there, we happened upon a fantastic cheese and wine bar. Such a great find! (Priya showed off her amazing German language skills when she ordered a German wine.) Cindy met up with us just in time to devour a slice of lemon meringue ice cream cake deliciousness. And it was so great to see Cindy and here about her first year in New York and medical school. That girl is seriously awesome!