Saturday, December 18, 2010

not much, you?

Dave and I are NPR junkies. So when we learned that there's an NPR show that tapes regularly in Madison, we were excited to go to a live recording! The Madison show is Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know and it's syndicated nationally. No, it's not the same as Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. That one tapes in Chicago and would be fun to go to. This one is a little less well known, but still pretty good.

They record Saturday mornings at 9:30 at the Monona Terrace. We went down early to enjoy free coffee and doughnuts and also to roam the farmer's market which has moved indoors for the winter.

The taping was fun, although I wasn't always good at clapping when the "applause" sign lit up - Dave had to elbow me several times and give me a look!

Here's the set!
Untitled Apologies for the terrible pictures. Iphones prefer natural light!

catch up

I've been slacking on the blog posts. I guess my excuse is too much travel for work. The big update is that it's definitely winter and we've learned new definitions for the word "cold". It's amazing how quickly the body adjusts! (A good winter coat and boots don't hurt either.)

Check out the parking lot at the mall:
Untitled That snow's not going anywhere for a while!

And here's Lake Monona:
wintry lake monona
Not totally frozen, but almost there!

Monday, December 6, 2010

mean santa

Saturday night, Erin, Jen, Dave and I were walking down State Street, which is the main drag for "social activity" in Madison and at UW. We kept passing people dressed up in crazy holiday clothes, including lots of Santas. Then we heard lots of yelling. We turned the corner and came across this:
Santa snowball fight on State Street
A snowball fight of Santas! To get this shot I was almost run over by a Santa on a bicycle. Then the snowball fight turned our direction! We ran, but I was hit! In the ankle! Luckily I had Dave to pull me to safety!

Sunday, December 5, 2010

weekend of madison fun

Next up in our "parade of visitors"? Erin! And Jen again!
Jen and Erin, Memorial Union Terrace, UW-MadisonErin was dead set on coming here once it got cold. I tried to talk her out of it, but after 100 + days over 90 degrees in NC, she claimed she was ready for some cold weather. Not only did Erin get a dose of cold this weekend in Madison, but she was here for our first real snowfall!
from our bedroom window


The snow didn't slow us down at all. Jen came up from Chicago and we spent Saturday Christmas shopping 'til we dropped.

In addition to our first snow, we had a number of eating firsts this weekend as well. I'm glad Erin and Jen were here so I could try out some new places!

We imbibed some pre-dinner drinks at a brand new restaurant downtown called Nostrano. We will need to go back for a special occasion dinner sometime! I loved the atmosphere, especially the scene from the bar out to the snowy street outside. I snapped a not-great picture. And added a snowman to cover up the trash can. But you get the gist.


the bar at Nostrano


Then, for dinner, we went to Chautara, a Nepalese/Himalayan restaurant I had been dying to try but could not convince a certain someone to go with me. Since we had visitors, he had to oblige! Plus, Erin and Jen are always up for an adventure, so I knew they wouldn't mind trying out brand new food at a place we had never been. Of course, the food was delicious!

This morning, before the ladies were heading home, we tried a new-to-us breakfast place on the eastside called Lazy Jane's Cafe. Yum, yum, yum, love, love, love! We loved it! Delicious scones, great cozy atmosphere, and delicious eats. It didn't hurt that it was a gorgeous sunny and cold day - blue sky, clean snow, sunshine, and good friends. A lovely Sunday brunch! If you are reading this and planning to come visit us, we will probably take you here!
running man, Lazy Jane's Cafe, Madison my new favorite breakfast spot in Madison!




Jen, it was great to see you again so soon! Erin, come back soon so we can explore more of the eastside together!

Erin and me, Memorial Union, UW-Madison

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

advent

Look what our moms made for us!


It's an advent calendar! We get to open one little pouch every day from today until Christmas!


My mom came up with the idea and supplied the bags, Dave's mom decorated them, and both moms stuffed them full of goodies!

We cheated and opened #1 and #2 last night since I am out of town for a work trip. 1 was a little kit to make a beaded Christmas tree ornament.

Here's midway through putting it together...


...and here's the finished product!

Thanks, Moms! We feel loved and it's fun to get a little gift every day!