Not again! Last summer, we were in the process of selling our other house and keeping it in tip-top shape while it was on the market… we had a lovely birch tree in the front yard that was almost completely skeletized by japanese beetles. I was aware of the impending “beetle invasion” and checked on that tree every day. Then one day, BAM! It was COVERED in beetles and they were HUNGRY.

Well, the same thing has happened to our new birch tree in our new front yard this week. Actually, both our front yard trees are being gobbled up. Aaarrrgghhh! Stupid beetles! Interestingly, they aren’t even touching the big mulberry trees in our back yard… and the berries really haven’t been an issue for us, thank goodness!

On an unrelated topic, have you tried these new Flat Earth crisps?? They are so delicious and so good for you, too! I probably buy about 2-3 bags a week. Check ‘em out in the organic/healthy food section of your grocery store. www.impossiblygood.com I love the Peach Mango Paradise, Tangy Tomato Ranch, and Apple Cinnamon Grove flavors the best… yum!

So the iPodding (is that a word?) is going well…I’ve been having fun rating songs and creating different playlists for my various moods. Way fun! Why didn’t we get iPods earlier?? (Oh yeah- Doug hated Apple…)

Molly is doing good… did I mention that she says “no” ALL THE TIME? It’s starting to get a little old, but this is what being 2 is all about, right? She does have her sweet & sassy moments, though. She loves it when Doug and I chase her around the house and try to scare her… she always runs into our closet and gets “trapped.” What a silly goose!

Enjoy this beatiful weekend,

~ Erin

I thought I had my husband all figured out, and then he pulls a complete 180. For as long as I’ve known Doug (about 12 years), he’s always despised Apple, Inc. I don’t know what caused his bitterness, but he would roll his eyes any time I suggested we look at an Apple computer or product. In college, I learned my graphic design skills on a Mac and I used a Mac at my first job, so I was fond of them. But I compromised and learned to use PC’s to keep peace in our house. (By the way, I love those “I’m a PC/I’m a Mac” commercials… genius!)

Then on Saturday, Doug announces he’d like to go shopping for an iPod. What?! I thought he was joking, but he was very serious. He had been using XM satellite radio for quite a while, and I think he was ready to try something new. So we headed to Best Buy and Doug said he would get me an iPod, too! Whoa!! (Doug got black, I got white.) So we’ve spent the better part of our weekend ripping songs from our dusty collection of CDs. It’s been fun listening to old songs that I haven’t heard since college. Doug even took his new iPod along with him while he mowed the lawn, and I think he really liked it!

This may be the start of “the Apple conversion”… those iPhones look pretty cool! I’ll keep ya posted!

~ Erin

I scored some arena football tickets, so Doug and I attended the Bloomington eXtreme game on Saturday night.  We weren’t quite sure what to expect, but we were both very impressed with how much fun we had!  The game was exciting and fast-paced, and there wasn’t a bad seat in the place.  Doug ordered the eXtreme nachos and was not disappointed:

We noticed that former Mayor Judy Markowitz was sitting directly in front of us.  She was largely responsible for bringing the coliseum to Bloomington.  I remember when the city council voted on the referendum to build the coliseum… it was a tie vote and Mayor Judy cast the tie-breaker. 

We had a fun time and will definitely be back! 

~ Erin