Dinner at Chifa

My Kappa sisters who live in the Philadelphia region have made it a point to try to get together each month for dinner in the city. This month we went to Chifa - a restaurant with a unique hybrid of peruvian & cantonese cuisine. The food was fantastically flavorful & we enjoyed the small plates that we ordered. We missed Jamie who was in LA, but we would recommend & go again. If you want something a bit different but enjoyable. Check it out at www.chifarestaurant.com.

Decade Birthday Party

This year, my cousin Maureen turned 40, my cousin Michael turned 50, and my cousin Ron turned 60 - so in Weiland tradition & fun, they threw them their second decade party. It was a huge celebration with family & friends. And the perfect ending to a fun filled weekend home. See pictures below.My Weiland girl cousins: Kathy, Nancy, Maureen, Dona, and ChrissyJoining in the fun with an Iron City in hand - Me with Kathy, Chrissy, Dona, and my momAvunc George & DadCousin Justin with David & BrianGeorgiann, Lucy, and Aunt GraceCousin Heather roasting a marshmellow at the fire pit

Jessa's Baby Shower

Jessa is my first cousin. She is one year younger than me and while we lived about 3 hours away from each other most of our lives, we were always close. We would pick up right where we left off each time we would get together. No expectations, no rules, just true friendship. We share tons of the same memories that are filled with fun & laughter.

Jessa is a very accomplished woman - in highschool she was homecoming queen, she went to States in three sports (track, cross country, and swimming) all in one year, she got her law degree, she is beautiful, and she is happily married in Pittsburgh...and that is just to name a few.

I always felt a sense of pride in Jessa for all she accomplished, but I also felt like her big sister in my heart. Kind of like wanting to protect, show her the ropes, or just make sure everything turns out okay. Which is why I almost had tears in my eyes (good tears) watching her open up all her gifts at her shower for her baby girl to be. I am just so proud of her and wish her the very best. She will be an incredible mom! Love you Hess!

Pictured above are Front: Jessa & Me, Back: Aunt Marilyn, Grandma, Mom, Ellen, and a good friend of the family - Sam.

Spring?

It was the official weekend of Spring and while it looks nice - it was quite chilly outside. But Brian, my dad, and Val took advantage of the crisp cool air and went on our 11,000 step walk (translates to about 5 miles) around South Park. It was intense and all of us felt it that day - including Val who limped around the house the rest of the day. She is all better now though.

Home Sweet Home - Jessie & Craig

Brian and I squeezed a Jessie/Craig visit into our busy weekend. Jessie & Craig just moved into what Brian & I call an "adult home." It is really nice and suits them very well. Once they have everything in place, Jessie will allow me to take more pictures.

Birthday Dinner - Part 2

Just as I asked Brian to make me a cake for my birthday present, when my mom asked me what I wanted, I asked her to make her special manicotti. Making her manicotti requires a lot of hard work. My mom cooked the entire day - handmade crepes with stuffed ricotta, homemade AMAZING meatballs & pork, homemade sauce, asparagus, salad, and peach crisp for dessert. It was phenomenal and I want the entire world to know what a delicious meal it was and how much I appreciated all her hard work to make the dinner so special.

Pictured below is my mom & her dear friend Pat (who we call Aunt Pat). At my special dinner were my parents, my Godfather Uncle Rick, Aunt Pat & Uncle Fred, Grandma, Brian, David, Ellen, Alana & Gavin. It was very special.

Gavin Showcase

As promised for Luke, we promise that Gavin will also get good coverage on the blog. Not too much to say just yet other than sleep, cry, eat, poop, and pee. I will say I think he is giving the middle finger to his Aunt Julie in the top middle picture though. Hmmm.

We Want Jimbo

Alana goes to Gymboree to sing & play and one of the songs they sing is "We Want Jimbo." As you will see and hear, Aunt Julie didn't catch on to the correct way to sing the song. At the very end, you may not be able to understand, but Alana wanted strawberries. Gosh I love her.

Sweet Alana

It had been since Christmas since we saw my family. And while I speak to my parents almost every day on my drive home and call my brother ever so often, nothing is as special as getting to visit with them. As you can expect, one of our favorite topics of conversation is about Alana. I'm always hearing about new things she is doing, how she won't take a nap, what she is reading or saying or singing these days, and what a little peanut she is.

I was telling Brian before we left for Pittsburgh that it kind of felt like the feeling you get before Christmas day. I'm talking about the feeling in your stomach that you had as a child that is filled with excitement for all the presents you will be magically getting once you wake up. I felt just like that to see my sweet Goddaughter Alana.

Even when I look at these pictures it just warms my heart. She is a doll and I miss her already.

Birthday Dinner - Part 1

We celebrated my birthday tonight at our house. We made brisket, mashed potatoes, and roasted vegetables - and went through 3 bottles of wine. A super nice time with Bob, Mary, Ava, Luke, Pat, & Mr. Kenney. Next week we will be in Pittsburgh to celebrate again. Can't wait to see everyone.

My Birthday Gift

When Brian asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I said, "Make me a cake...from scratch." This meant no boxes or easy way out. I wanted blood sweat and tears with my cake. And that is all I wanted.

So Brian of course looked on line, wondering what to make. Asking every other day if he could just buy a box - and every time I just kept saying, "no." Eventually he stumbled on a cake called - Chocolate Blackout Cake. It consisted of chocolate cake, homemade pudding and crumbled chocolate cookies.

Below are pictures from the event. I did help him along the way. It is more fun when we cook together, so I guess that could be part of the gift. Now, before you get to the last picture, let me just say that the pudding did not get hard like it was supposed to. We ended up putting it on the cake anyway, but as you can see it ran off the cake, onto the cake plate, and then onto the pan that we had to put down to catch all the droppings. Brian was not a happy camper, but we ate it today and it was amazing. So moist and delicious. So while it looks like a disaster, it was the best present ever.

Flyers 4, Rangers 1

As an extension of my birthday week, Brian and I went to the Flyers game on Saturday to celebrate. We had lots of beers, cheesesteaks, and fries...such a fun event. It was an awesome game. Looking forward to the playoffs.

Alana & Gavin

Ellen posted some pictures of my sweet Alana and Gavin. We are heading in to the Burgh next week so we will get to meet Gavin and take some pictures ourselves. Can't wait to see them. We love them so much.

Snow vs. 70 degrees

Early this week, the East was hit by a pretty big snow storm. We had about 6-8 inches of snow. I do love a good snow storm, especially when you can't leave your house. While Brian headed to work, I actually worked from home - not willing to risk my life to do the same thing I can do in the comfort of my own home. So that was Monday.

Now picture Saturday (no picture attached), but it was over 70 degrees. The above picture - snow completely melted. Brian, Val & I spent the day outside, walking and doing yard work. It was beautiful. We even caught ourselves saying, "Gosh it's hot out here." Ahhhh, the taste of springtime is oh so nice. Looking forward to more days like this so we can do more and you can read more.

Cool & Silly

Bob, Mary, Ava & Luke came over after visiting with Mr. Kenney. Luke was all about being his cool self - sunglasses and all. Ava was all about being silly. She had a boo boo on her leg so as soon as she walked in the door, she took off her pants - she then showed off what has been coined as Ava's "silly dance." See below.

Tough Life