cuddly kitten

this guy really cracks me up.  he is like a magnet to a lap with a blanket on it.  of course, we don't mind at all.  we love cuddling with this kitten on the couch.  here are a few pictures that i snapped recently on my phone.

love, laurie

prepping for christmas (in dance class)

after feeling horrible for over a week with this stupid stomach flu, i finally started to feel more like myself yesterday.  thank goodness too, because yesterday evening was a long night at dance prepping for christmas.  even though our christmas show isn't until the middle of december, we are performing a few of our christmas routines this weekend at our town's christmas lighting ceremony.

one of our teachers snapped this picture on her phone last night while our juniors and seniors were doing plies warming up at the barre during ballet class before we worked on our christmas choreography.

love, laurie

something funny to brighten your week . . .

whether we like it or not, trump and pence will be moving into the white house before we know it.

ever since the election results were announced last week, the internet has been covered with hilarious memes between obama and biden and i have really been enjoying them.  here's a collection of 77 conversations between our current president and vice president.  enjoy!

also, for a good laugh, you have to check out
this spoof retirement video that president obama did, it's awesome!

have a great day!
love, laurie

thanksgiving table inspiration

it's hard to believe that thanksgiving is just over a week away.  this fall is flying by so fast.  since thanksgiving is right around the corner, here is some table inspiration if you are hosting . . .

> metallic gold pumpkins and gold glittered pine cones
> an assortment of colorful mini pumpkins as a table runner
> a fresh mini loaf of bread at each place setting
> hand drawn place settings
> simple white candles among fresh apples and eucalyptus

love, laurie

checking in

let's call this an end-of-the-week check in . . . are we all still here?  did we all survive this week?

- i'm not discussing the election, but wow it was exhausting.  truth be told, the only thing that got me through this election without going crazy was saturday night live's election skits.

- the nation has been in a weird mood since the election results came out, and i don't blame the nation one bit.  i think we're all still trying to figure out how to navigate the hand we've been dealt for the next four years.  regardless of our current feelings regarding the country/politics this week, let us not forget that today is veterans day.

- the stomach flu got me good this week.  i learned more about the stomach flu in the past few days than i ever cared to learn, and i'm tired of the "b.r.a.t." stomach-flu-approved diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast).  i am finally starting to feel a bit better (although the thoughts/sights/smells of most foods are still making me nauseous).  all i want is a pizza, but i know my stomach can't handle that just yet.  baby steps, laura ann . . . baby steps.

- i still have a large bowl full of apples sitting on my kitchen counter looking at me.  i think i have consumed more apples this fall than ever before.  i'm running out of creative things to do with the apples, send help!

- in the past 3 weeks, i have seen the chiropractor 3 times.  (prior to 3 weeks ago, the last time i saw a chiropractor was 2 decades ago.)  after a lot of back-and-forth, i think my misplaced left hip joint is finally back in place and my dislocated right rib cage is back where it is supposed to be.  thank goodness for small miracles.  dance sure is rough on your body!

- speaking of dance, we're in full christmas show mode.  i don't typically like to listen to christmas songs before december 1st, but i have to make an exception when it comes to rehearsing christmas routines for dance.

- most importantly, it's friday and we have very few plans for this weekend.  thank heavens, because the next few weekends are really packed.  

have a wonderful weekend!

love, laurie

pocono cupcake challenge

ryan and i absolutely love to bake and we really enjoy decorating our baked goods.  so on sunday, we headed down to the poconos to check out the 5th annual pocono cupcake challenge at the historic shawnee inn.

professional bakers, home bakers, and youth bakers from around the area volunteered to bake and donate cupcakes which were judged and awarded in different categories.  it was fun to check out all of the creations and it was for a good cause too since the event benefited the united way.

admission was free, but a $10 donation to the united way got you 4 cupcakes of your choice.  we walked around to view all of the displays and picked 4 cupcakes to bring home with us.  out of all of the displays, our favorite was the willy wonka display.  (i thought that those oompa loompa suspenders and hairdos on the cupcakes were so cute!)

on our way home, we stopped by my parents' house to share our cupcakes with them.  the 4 cupcakes we tried were: spumoni, pumpkin chai spice, vanilla filled with raspberry chipotle topped with white chocolate, and banana walnut topped with peanut butter and chocolate.  after our taste test, we all agreed that our favorite was the pumpkin chai spice cupcake.

love, laurie

cool cat

this stomach bug is really getting the best of me.  i woke up feeling absolutely horrible, so i'm home from work today with doctor leko.  today i give you a picture of this cool cat who likes to hang out in our refrigerator.  

love, laurie

paging doctor leko

out of nowhere, i got hit hard with some sort of stomach bug.  the past 36 hours have been no joke.  the only thing that has been getting me through has been this gorgeous little furry kitten doctor of mine.  he is the best medicine!

i sat down on the couch yesterday for a bit and wrapped myself under two blankets because i was freezing cold.  he jumped up on my lap and cuddled for awhile on top of the blankets before he went in between the two blankets to make a little tunnel for himself.

what a cutie!

love, laurie

celebrating dad's birthday!

over the weekend, we got together with my parents to celebrate my dad's birthday.  we had dinner together followed by cake and then we went to see a local show.  it was a nice evening spending time together and celebrating my papa!

happy birthday, papa!

love, laurie

happy birthday, papa!

happy birthday today to the world's greatest dad!

happy birthday, papa!

love, laurie

xoxo