South Bend in the Prime Time!!

The famous show "Kitchen Nightmares" aired tonight..featuring a local resturaunt called "J Willy's"....it is in South Bend, just right down from the University of Notre Dame...you can watch it on

www.watchkitchennightmares.com


We actually went to eat there a few weeks ago..food was good...you could definitely tell a famous chef had been in to redecorate...low lights, candles, fancy tablecloths, but they still kept the football memorabilia!! haha

Bruce & I last Halloween!

This was our costumes last year...I was a flapper and Bruce was Angus Young from the band AC/DC...we will miss being @ Jason's for the big Halloween party!

Blast from the Past!

Still innocent and sweet after all these years! *winks*

Going to the Big City for my Birthday!

Well I am very excited about this weekend...of course it's Halloween..but that's not the only reason! The scary holiday always means my birthday is around the corner...we are dressing up "50's style" in the office Friday...I will post some pics..should be very funny...and Saturday my friend Amanda and I are going to Chicago for my birthday!! We are taking the train again into town and spend the day Christmas shopping...we are going to the American Girl store, as well as Gucci, Coach, Bloomingdales,the Bubba Gump Resturaunt, Navy Pier, and many more..Bruce has to work this weekend :( but he is taking Monday off (my birthday) to take me out...I am so excited...this is the first year that I have really got a head start on my Christmas shopping...haha...mainly b/c I won't be able to bring all my gifts on my plane trip! But as you all know ...I luvvvv some Chicago...so I am very happy to go back..before it's gets too cold !

My first Bridal Show!

 
Today was my first Bridal Show as a vendor instead of a potential customer! It was the Michiana Wedding Expo and was held at the Hilton Garden Inn which is across from the Notre Dame campus. We had a great time and also got alot of good contacts. We were across from "Arlene's wedding cakes" so we had a great view! Her grandson kept bringing us samples to try...not a good thing for 2 diabetics! Teresa is also a diabetic so we had to watch the sweets...but there was plenty of food to choose from...it was kind of weird to be on the other side of the booths...but I really enjoyed it and I look forward to doing more of them...hopefully the next time we won't have a wedding the day before..just too much for one weekend!

Supporting Bama up in Indiana!

 
Yesterday Teresa and I shot a wedding in Buchanan, Michigan..which is about 30 minutes away..since it was the
3rd Saturday in October...I was desperately hoping to get through early so I could watch Bama beat TN..well of
course that didn't happen...haha...the DJ decided to play the "YMCA", and a million other songs before the
garter and bouquet tosses...luckily I got home about halfway through the 3rd quarter...I met Bruce, Billy, Don and
Bob at our local karaoke hangout...and they were all sporting Bama shirts! I was sooo excited to see that!
We watched the end of the game there..along with Notre Dame (they beat Washington)..and it was so much fun!
It was a great week for football...UA won, ND won and AU lost! (sorry I had to!!)

Fun in the Park!

 

I love watching the kids play in the leaves!!

Christmas Portraits have Begun!

 

I shot these this afternoon....Mindy and I work together...this is her family..and they did a great job!

 

 

My Football Pumpkin!

 

I decided to paint a pumpkin...it has been YEARS I'm sure...so I paid
tribute to our favorite teams!

 

 

 

 

Photog Buzz!

Seems like the fast approaching holiday season will be a very busy one! I have my first Christmas Portraits on Thursday! I will be shooting at the Buchanan Fire Dept in Buchanan, Michigan..it is about 30 minutes away and it will be family portraits for a coworker of mine and her family. Her husband is a fireman there...so we will shoot some in the firetruck and then head to a nearby park....I will be shooting a wedding on Saturday with Teresa and we also have a bridal show on Sunday!!I will be shooting several other times as well for coworkers... So it is a very busy time...but so fun..here is the link to the full album from Sunday!


http://picasaweb.google.com/Linzkwalsh/CulpFamilyPortraits

Can we say Adorable??

 


Sydney, Noah and Cameron!

 

 

The Culp Family Portraits!

 




Today was a GREAT day for some outdoor pictures! I shot Kelly and her family at
the Farmhouse, where the bridal portraits were a few weeks ago. We had so much
fun and got some really great pics!

The Chef's Special!

Bruce had to work this weekend...he works every other weekend...he was late getting home because they had a big catering event to prep for...anyhow..he has been given his own "dish" for the weekends...a "Chef's Special".. he was sooo excited when he got home! yesterday his "special" was red beans & rice w/ cajun sausage...his head chef said it was great and that he looks forward to seeing more of his creations! Of course I always tell him what a great chef he is..but it always means alot coming from your peers..way to go hun~

Happy Birthday Kathy!

 


Yesterday was my mother-in-law's birthday...here is a pic of her and Bruce, Tonya and Bob!

Dr. Ansaarie is the BEST!

Our newest cardiologist, Dr. Ansaarie, joined on about 2 months ago. It was so funny because the first time most of us girls met him...he stopped by the office...wearing a polo, blue jeans, and wearing a ball cap...not your typical MD attire of course...I knew then that he was different..he takes so much time with his patients..he even draws him/her a diagram of basic heart function and anatomy! Not to mention that he is as nice to the staff as the patients he treats...our other docs are good, don't get me wrong, but he is just something else..he had a dinner/seminar for us last night at a new resturaunt in town..he spoke about a case study that the New England Journal of Medicine did a few years back..and afterwards he talked with us about how to make things better in our dept, having a housewarming
party at his new house, and even taking us to Chicago for a office party!!!Everyone
was talking today about how he cheered all of us up...it was just so nice to feel
appreciated ...he even hugged us as we left...definitely a breath of fresh air in
our office!

Getting healthier....

Well Dr. Gardine's nurse, Becky, called to let me know the latest lab results..my thyroid is not working like it should so Dr. decided to double my dosage..I can tell a difference already..it's kind of funny because I told Bruce up until my first visit up here that I thought my thyroid was "acting up"...I just felt really tired all the time...like I did a year ago when I was first diagnosed with it...so it's ironic that I was somewhat right...I know the next few months are going to be very hard in terms of dieting...halloween candy...turkey and dressing...ughghgh...I have made alot of drastic changes though because my goal is
to come off the Metformin by January!!!

New Slideshow!

Time of my Life!

The show was so great! I felt like I was seeing it being made!
The actors were so talented...many of them were
even ballerinas! They didn't leave out a single scene from
the movie and the backdrops were amazing...it was the best
play by far in my book! And in the last scene when Johnny
comes to the last dance...he walked in from the back of the
theatre... and every woman in there started cheering !!!

It was just the coolest thing ever...I am so thankful to Kay for
making it all happen..I had mentioned that I really wanted
to go...and I am so glad we were able to...I went to Chicago
all day..and saw a totally different side of the city...just goes
to show me how big it really is...the Radio City
Rockettes are coming in December..so hopefully I can go
back..I hear it is absolutely beautiful during the holidays!

Fun in the Windy City

I know this is a crappy picture..but if you look behind the girls...it's
the actor Jeff Daniels...he was in Dumb and Dumber and other movies..
he was in another production in Chicago...he was sitting behind us at dinner
after the show!

Me after the show...it was GREAT!!!!

There it is...the Cadillac Palace!!!!

Garrett's Popcorn...one of Oprah's favorite things!

Sheila, me and Shelly

Sheila, Kay, and Shelly by the bridge!

Check out the name of the boat, Dad!

This bridge over the Chicago river opened up to let the yatchts in for the

winter!

Our 2 1/2 hour train ride stops at Randolph Street...this is the view when we came out

of the train station!

Our trip to Chicago on Saturday was soooo much fun! Kay and Shelly picked

me up super early (6:15) and we made our way to the South Bend airport

which is where our train also was , the South Shore Line.

The best movie ever..now on Broadway!

Saturday is the big day!!! Kay, her daughters Sheila & Shelly , and me are all going to Chicago to see Dirty Dancing! It will be in Chicago, then to Boston, then to New York for Broadway. This is and always will be my FAVORITE movie of all time...maybe because the girl next door got Patrick Swayze haha...and I have always loved to dance..anyhow, we are taking the South Shore Train from South Bend..years ago that was the only way to Chicago..and so no one will be stuck driving in that crazy traffic...we will take the first train in and the last train out...it will be about 2 1/2 hour train ride...we will do a little shopping as well...since I had a hard time getting Bruce to really shop on my first trip...this girl's trip will be a blast! I told Mom I kept thinking I should call and tell GooGoo...she loved the movie too..and would always let me watch it when I went to her house as a little girl...I will definitely be thinking of her this weekend...and how she loved my vintage t shirt..I found it at Target a year or so ago...it has the profile of Johnny and Baby on the front and on the back it says "Nobody puts Baby in the corner" hahah...it was a famous line in the movie and has always given me motivation to not get left behind...and fight for what I want in life!!!

Compliments to the Chef!

Bruce was asked to make a cake for a suprise birthday party. This was a German Chocolate cake with the
coconut icing, a layer of chocolate icing, with fondant cover. Even the flowers edible! He did a great job,
even if it did take all night to do! He tinted some pink icing for me and I decorated. He wanted to try the
finished product, but they said there wasn't a piece left!