A Blog about "The Bump"

It goes without saying that I am ecstatic about Barack Obama's decisive clinch of the final delegates needed to receive the Democratic nomination last evening. I found his speech to be moving and appropriate, specifically when he honored the achievements of Hillary Clinton, and when he spoke about being humbled by his own accomplishments and the challenge of what lies ahead.

There was a moment that stood out to me last night- the unexpected intimate gesture of a victorious fist bump between Michelle and Barack prior to him taking the podium. I found this moment to be extremely genuine and tender, only enhancing the likability of the potential First Couple.

Handy Hubby

If someone would have asked me 5+ years ago, "what are you looking for in a man," my answer would have been lengthy. However in that answer, I wouldn't have included the trait "handy."

After marrying Chad and completing several condo DIY projects, this trait is now pretty high on my list! Over the course of the past few weekends Chad has been building a set of custom fit flower boxes for our patio. He drew up the design, took note of the existing patio measurements, and built them out of deck wood so that look like they have always been attached to our deck. Here are a few photos of Chad working on this project.

Assembling the flower boxes:

Installing piece #1. "Look, no hands!"

Piece #2 ready to install:

Today, just as we wrap up the installation of the boxes, I started to plant the flowers. Once the plants begin to flourish, I will post some "after" pictures in a follow-up blogpost. Great work Chad, thanks for being my hunky, handy, hubby!

Doggie Treats

This is my darling niece Chloe caught spoiling their family dog, Baily with some potato chips. Kudos to Dani Jo for being quick with the camera and capturing this priceless moment!

Bit by the Travel Bug

Chad and I use TripAdvisor to find great lodging at reasonable prices when we travel. This is how we found Maria and Guiseppe's charming B&B in Sorrento, Italy and the Villa Ilias with the most amazing views in Santorini. We love reading the recent traveler reviews and peeking at their posted pictures of their stay. When we return, we post our own reviews of the places where we stayed.

Well, I was very pleased to find that TripAdvisor just added this great new (and highly addictive) feature which is a map of the world that helps you track all of the places where you have been. I had fun filling it out and dreaming about where to go next!

Sigh, so much of the world to see, so little time!

• View my profile


• Create your own travel map or travel blog


• Visit TripAdvisor.com

Google Bike to Work Day!

Today was Bike to Work Day at Google, and we couldn't have asked for a better spring morning to ride! Aside from needing to take some Claritin, my 40 minute ride from home to the office along the lake front path was very enjoyable. When all of the riders arrived at the Google office we took this group photo. After seeing the photo I decided 2 things- 1) I love events like today which remind me of Google's great spirit of community and 2) I will never wear horizontal stripes with skinny jeans and flat shoes again.

I hope that this morning is the start of many more bike-to-work days for me over the summer.