Things I Love

Since it's the season of love, I want to share a few things that I love:

1) Haircuts. Is there anything that makes you feel instantly prettier than getting your haircut? Ladies, you KNOW what I'm talking about! Throw in an eyebrow wax and - POOF - your entire outlook on life is changed. And all it took was $40 or so and about 30 minutes.

2) Yosick's Chocolates. My mom got me some of their chocolates for Valentine's Day and they are DELICIOUS! Their shop is in German Village. I've never been there, but my mom raves about it. According to their webpage, they also have pastries. Yum! I need to check it out.

Puzzling Situation

My mother has a new obsession. Puzzles. Here's how it went down: Her BFF, Ann, is totally into puzzles. And apparently on some trip together, my mom caught a wicked bad case of the puzzle bug. The past couple times we've been to Target together, she always makes us look at the puzzles. (Side note: That's our thing. When we get together we always find an excuse to go to Target. Even if one of us has already been there that day.) And one Saturday afternoon, my parents showed up at work to buy puzzles. "Your dad's buying me TWO puzzles", she exclaimed excitedly. I guess there could be worse things that your mother could be into, right? There's no end to her madness. And when she's on a roll, she does this little dance and sings this song... ("I'm so good at puzzles...I'm so good at puzzles....") It's beginning to scare me a little. Even my dad thinks she's gone crazy. He was talking to Ann's (remember, she's the BFF) husband last night on the phone and he told him that Cheryl was a master puzzler now.

"I mean, it's after 9pm and she's up there doing puzzles!"
Curt Hilton

Clearly my father is just as perplexed about this strange behavior as I am. I suggested she take a break from puzzling, and she insisted that she could quit any time she wanted. Cheryl, the first step is admitting you have a problem.

Two Things

1. I heard on the radio today that Taylor Swift is writting an autobiography. Seriously? Now I love T-Swizzle. I have her CDs...I'm a fan. But isn't she like 16? What could she possibly write about? Of course, she has dated one of the Jonas brothers and Taylor Lautner....and she has won a Grammy.... So, maybe she has a little to write about. But maybe she should wait a while. I'm just sayin'.

2. Don't go out unless you have to. I just told my mother that I thought that Erie did a much better job of cleaning the streets in the winter. I think I mentioned that I actually missed Erie a little because of it. (Shocking, I know!) And she said, "Ummm...I think not!" Then she reminded me of the time that she drove her little red Toyota Matrix with the racing stripes to Erie and feared for her life. Maybe she's right.... I probably just don't remember how horrible it is in that oh-so-chilly corner of Pennsylvania. But here's my point - be careful out there! I personally wouldn't go out if I didn't have to. I had a lady tell me that she didn't send her kid to school today (he goes to Columbus). She said, "I don't want my baby out in this". But you're out shopping for toys? I don't get it....

Super Bowl Alternatives

I am so excited for the big game today! And, no, I'm not talking a bout the Super Bowl. I have no interest whatsoever in that! Well, to be honest, I am a little bit intrigued to see the Taco Bell commercial w/ Charles Barkley in it....but that's about it. I am talking about the matchup this afternoon between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals. Now, I'm sure you're wondering, "Why is this game such a big deal"? Let me tell you. It's a big deal because Sidney Crosby (shown above with my real favorite Penguin, Evgeni Malkin) and Alexander Ovechkin (who plays for the Capitals) are probably what most people consider to be the #1 and #2 players in the NHL. Sidney Crosby, for those of you who don't know is a hockey wonder. He's just a baby - only 21 - but he is good. So freakin' good it's scary! Until this week, he was the #1 scorer in the NHL. Yep, that's right, he was de-throned by Ovechkin. It's always a big deal when they're together, on or off of the ice.






So Sid's at 37 goals and Alex is at 39. Now, I'm not a big fan of Ovechkin, but the guy is good. And this afternoon's game will be one heck of a good one. The Capitals beat the Pens the last time they played, so I'm sure my guys will be out for blood today. Game's on at noon....and I think it's even on one of the major channels (I believe NBC). Anyways, check it out. You won't be disappointed. And, in case you can't get enough of Sidney Crosby after watching him today, you'll be happy to know that you will be able to see him at the Winter Olympics. Team Canada, of course.



And, in case neither Hockey nor Football float your boat, "The Sound of Music" is on TV tonight. 7pm. Possibly the best. movie. ever. That's what I'll be watching tonight!

Nerd Season

"I don't see much of your father these days. It's Nerd Season, you know"

-Cheryl Hilton

Of course, my mom is referring to Tax Season. My dad loves doing taxes. Loves it. The year after he retired he took an income tax class. I asked, "Oh, are you going to start doing taxes professionally?" And he replied, "Nope! I just always wanted to learn more about taxes". Seriously? Wow. And, because I'm now back in Ohio, he's doing my taxes again. He does my sister's taxes, my grandma's taxes, my uncle's taxes, my mother's, etc..... And he loves it. He practically met me at the door this morning. Barely even acknowledging his first born child, he snatched my W-2 out of my hands. He looked like a little kid on Christmas morning. I took special pains this morning to ensure I had everything he needed. (You know....the mortgage interest statement and the like.) My mom said, "You know, now he's going to fret about whether or not he has the right papers". As if on cue, my dad said, "Well, I think I have everything I need, but I'm not sure".

He has a super weird obsession with using a tax program AND figuring them out by hand. It's like he's in a man vs. computer race. But if anyone could find a flaw in the Tax Cut program, it would be Curt Hilton. Very strange. He also fills out the tax forms in pencil as well as printing them up on the computer. He also honks at the poor unfortunate souls that stand outside of Liberty Tax dressed up like the Statue of Liberty. You know the ones I'm talking about.... It's like with every honk he's saying, "Hey! I dig doing taxes too"!

Best. Grilled Cheese. Ever!!

I dropped by my parents' house today. Conveniently, it is lunchtime. My mom just made me a Parmesan crusted toasted cheese sandwich. It was delicious! I think it had at least 3 different cheeses and ciabatta bread. So, so good! Seriously. Probably the best grilled cheese ever. If not THE best, definitely in the top 3. And you all know how serious I am when it comes to matters involving cheese. I would've taken a picture of it, but that would have required me putting it down long enough to take a picture of it, which wasn't happening. I'm going to have to do something to work off all of the calories I just took in. Does Wii Bowling count as exercise??

But this grilled cheese got me thinking how lucky I am to have the parents that I have. And not just because they cook for me. It's been a long time since I've lived within 30-40 minutes of my parents. They do so much for me.....like watch Mollie when I go out of town, help me paint, insulate me garage, etc.... They've even stopped by work to bring me dinner during the crazy holiday season! How sweet is that? And my parents are still pretty cool. Well, Cheryl is cool....Curt is mostly because of Cheryl's influence.... But look at them in this picture.... Aren't they adorable? You would never know that they are card-carrying members of the AARP. (By the way, did you know that seniors get a discount at Andersen's on the first Tuesday of the month? If you need something, I'm sure Curtie will let you come along with him and use his discount!) Sometimes I feel like I see them a little too often....but then I think of how long I wasn't able to see them whenever I felt like it. And of how many birthdays, Christmas celebrations and other holidays that I missed And then I don't feel bad anymore. So, Cheryl, here's to you and your kick-ass grilled cheese! You're the best mom ever. I wonder what's for dinner.....

Weekend Review

I spent this past weekend in North Carolina with my bff and her family. What a great time. Lori already beat me to it and blogged about our adventures (see the link to her blog on the right), but I wanted to post this pic of me and the girls. Aren't they the cutest girls ever? We took the girls to the NC Museum of Natural History on Monday, which was free. And it's a good thing it's free because their attention span wasn't all that great! But that's okay...because it was free! Plus Lori and I felt that we were doing something educational for the kids. After the museum we had pizza at Mellow Mushroom in downtown Raleigh. Seriously, the best pizza ever. Ever. I also had enough time to go out for an adults-only dinner with Paul and Lori on Saturday night. Emma and Lily weren't very happy about that, telling Lori, "You always hog all the time with Auntie. It's not fair!" But Lily and Emma got their special time with Auntie. Separate time, of course, because they can't be expected to share special time with Auntie! And by special time, I mean shopping. And sometimes coffee (for me...hot chocolate for them....). All in all, it was a great weekend. Too short, though! I miss them already and can't wait to see them again!