Valentine's Day

We had a nice Valentine's dinner at Eddie Merlot's, a steak restaurant in Columbus.















Mom and Dad Young sent us a delicious goody basket filled with cookies, brownies, and muffins.

Beautiful red roses from Chris! They smell as good as they look.

Mother Nature Cripples Columbus!!

This has been a very interesting February. Columbus, a city that normally gets one large snowfall a year, is in a state of shock with the snowfall totals we've been getting. We have had so much snow, in fact, that the schools have closed early one day, and been closed all together for three days over the last two weeks.

Chris and I laugh over how little snow it takes to send this city into a state of panic; people are clearing out the shelves at grocery stores, schools and businesses are closing, people are crashing into their mailboxes, etc. Growing up in cities that see snowfalls like this on a fairly regular basis provides us with a lot of insight on how Columbus is NOT prepared for the white stuff.








Our backyard after the first dumping of snow during the second week of February.








Nestle and Hershey love playing in the tundra that is our backyard. Now, it is so deep, though, that they don't like sinking into it. It's funny to watch them try to hop through the snow.












A view of the snow-covered roads. It took four days before a plow came through our neighborhood!

Holidays 2009

Christmas morning started with coffee, juice, and Cinnabon rolls

The girls loved their stuffed toys!

I loved my ballroom dancing lessons!

A chocolate lab calendar all the way from Canada!

Family dinner at the infamous Chicken Manor

Minutes before the "Dance of the Decades" began. The "Dance of the Decades" was a gift that the three Young sisters gave to our dad. Included in the dance was dancing from the 20s/30s, 50s, 70s, 80s, & 90s.

This was during the 20s/30s era.

Jen visited us in Columbus before leaving for Madison. We spent the evening at the Columbus Zoo where there were over a million LED lights on display.

New Years Eve at Due Amici 2009. We had calamari (Chris's suggestion), a shrimp pasta (me), and steak and Lobster (Chris). It was delicious and the atmosphere was very cool.

Back home on New Years Eve, trying to perfect the self-portrait.

Gobble, Gobble!

Chris and I spent Thanksgiving in Akron. As always, we ate too much but had a great time catching up with the Young and Kline families.

The dogs loved all of the attention and treats!

The family, getting ready to eat

Once we got back from Akron, Chris's mom stopped by for a quick visit on her way to Florida. We had a nice dinner before going to see "In the Heights."

Fall Foilage

Chris, Nestle, Hershey, and I went on a fall drive last Sunday. The leaves were out in full force! After driving around Granville and checking out Denison University's fall colors, we headed over to Dawes Arboretum. The park was filled with color and provided a very nice auto tour. The best thing? The whole park is dog-friendly, meaning our ladies could roam around with us!

Show Me the Money!

My gift to Chris for our 6 year anniversary was an overnight stay at Belterra Resort and Casino in Belterra, Indiana. Included in the gift was his first gambling pot. After checking in, we took a tour of the resort and walked around the casino to get an idea of where we would be spending (and hopefully winning!) money on this trip. After having a nice dinner, we watched the OSU vs. USC game in the room (we're still not talking about the loss) and then spent the next few hours down in the casino. Chris is an excellent Blackjack player and he did very well that first night. I do not like the pressure of having other people's money dependent on what I decide to do with my hand, so I headed to the video blackjack....and lost.

After waking up, we headed to the breakfast buffet and then back to the casino. Chris did not do as well on day two but still came out on top for the trip. I, again, lost money. There is just something about gambling that really doesn't like me. I think it may be because I am one of the most unlucky people in the world!

Andrew was nice enough to watch the dogs while we were away....so thanks, Andrew!

View of Casino from Hotel Hallway:

Here is Chris in the room: Through the lobby, headed to the casino:

Wicked in The Big Apple!

Chris surprised me with a trip to Manhattan and tickets to Wicked the musical for our six-year anniversary gift. I have been wanting to see Wicked since I read the book two summers ago so I was thrilled to learn that it was finally happening!

We stayed just two blocks off of the heart of Times Square at The President Hotel. There was a lot of construction going on but the rooms were decently sized and very comfy--perfect for a weekend trip to the city that never sleeps.

We bartered for some great knock-off purses, had dinner in Little Italy, navigated the subway system, and hung out in Times Square on our first night. After some shopping at H&M, Kenneth Cole, Banana Republic, and many others on Saturday, it was time to see the show!

Wicked was AMAZING!! If you get the chance to see it when it tours the country, go!!! You will not be disappointed. The stage was great, the actors were incredible, and the evening was all around perfect. A late dinner on "restaurant row" topped off the wonderful night.On Sunday, we made our way to the Top of the Rock and got some great views of the city. Although it was a little pricey just for a great view, it was worth it. You really get a good perspective on just how HUGE the city is from up there.

Andrew helped us out and watched our dogs for us while we were away so we definitely want to say "thank you" for his willingness to give up Labor Day weekend.