Fun with Family

I thought I'd share a few pictures from the past two weekends. Two weeks ago, Ken was in WI for Army-related matters, so I was left home alone. I was slightly nervous about being alone in the new town and new apt, but all turned out well. I was able to get some much-needed work done on my diss and other projects and even enjoyed some downtime watching some of my beloved Northern Exposure DVDs.

Matt & Lisa came up that weekend as well and we made our way to a wine tasting in Naperville where M & L enjoyed sampling many wines. As their DD, I found my way around the many vendor booths and sampled a few Starbucks pumpkin lattes, honey-roasted peanuts, pepper steak samples, and even an ultra dark chocolate candy bar. Needless to say, I enjoyed myself just fine, with or without the wine itself. The weather was beautiful and it felt just like fall. After the wine tasting, we ate at a wonderful Cajun restuarant in downtown Naperville, something we could only try because Ken was in WI. (We knew he wouldn't have liked it.) Here is a picture of Matt & Lisa enjoying one of their wines (perhaps a little too much!)

Just last weekend Ken and I were on the road once again, this time together, as we traveled to Cedar Rapids for one of his Army conferences. I stayed with him Thursday night and then I headed up to Waterloo for some family time with Mom, my sister Melissa, and my niece Audra. I was able to take care of a few around-the-house projects for Mom, do some shoe shopping to get ready for Ken's Military Dining Out in Oct., and buy some shoes to match my new interview suit. Audra and I had fun playing together outside on Friday and Saturday. Here's a picture of her swinging with her "Tiger." She wanted him to swing with her, so I did my best to make that happen. Note that the loop is not around Tiger's neck, but under his front paws instead. The picture is a little misleading.

Though we love being with family and traveling, we are both looking forward to staying home next weekend and relaxing.