May 2013
13 posts
san fran vacay hey hey: I
My dreamboat husbo and I live quite a blessed life. We get to travel quite a bit and the bulk of our travel is because we are doing what we love: performing. The thing is, we do not often travel together. And, let’s face it, when you do travel for work - even when work is mostly fun - your time and itinerary are not often your own. This year marks some changes in the Hanson/Ryder...
blossoms + lincoln park dogs
I had a Snuggler with me last night. A ninety pound, four-legged Snuggler. He tends to stay at the foot of the bed but he takes up the entire bottom half of the bed. I had him snuggle with me last night because Tim was gone and … and today I had to drop Trond off at Playful Pets. We woke up and I scooped up his breakfast, then seven mornings and seven evenings worth of food for him for...
spring stroll
Chicago is absolutely gorgeous today! Danged near perfect, if you ask me. I think it is safe to say that Spring is going to stay here. I wasn’t sure if it forgot about us there for a while but it is here. To stay. Today is beautiful proof. The hund and I took a very long lovely stroll this morning. Just look at all of the bright beauty that was practically on every corner of our...
WatchEnjoy this very dear, small sampling of Banjo Night. This makes Everything All Better!
becki jo banjo
On this night, exactly two weeks ago, I celebrated my birthday and had one of The Most Endearing Experiences I have ever had the pleasure of enjoying. For years, I have passed by the ‘Monday Night Banjo Night’ sign at the Lincoln Restaurant on Lincoln, near Damen and Irving Park. For years, I have wanted to see what in the world Banjo Night was. For my birthday this year, I decided...
rhode island
I was in Rhode Island on Wednesday and Thursday. Rhode Island is one of the four states I had not been to - until this week! Now I only have three remaining! (Alaska, New Mexico and Delaware are the three left; I am not 100% sure if I have been to Delaware or not so I am counting it as a ‘no’.) And while I try to not write too much about ‘work’, I have to mention this particular gig. It was...
April 2013
23 posts
birthday hund
Tim and I have returned from Minneapolis and Trond has returned from Playful Pets. The beginning of this week is starting off nicely with a visit from Josh and Allyn (Tim’s bro and his wife) so it is still quite busy around here. It is the last day of April, the last day of our Birthday Month. I have more to tell about my birthday which I shall do soon but I figure it will be quicker to...
WatchThe hund is a fortunate birthday boy who received a lot of nice gifts. This is a meowing card that he received from our friend and neighbor, Barbara - and her dogs, Gracie and Lucky, and cats, Sid and Adina. Enjoy the Captain reacting to this card. Takk, Barbara and Co!
birthday day
Monday, April 22nd, was Earth Day. Monday, April 22nd, was my birthday. I had many reasons to celebrate. My day started off in a lovely fashion; my sister, Katie, and brother-in-law, John, calling to sing “Happy Birthday” to me on their way to work, a lovely text message from my lovely neighbor, Barbara, saying she left a birthday package for us on our back steps -
and a sweet,...
WatchI am very thankful to spend my birthday outside on this warm, sunny day with my dreamboat husband and dingus hund. Watch him go! Thanks for all the well wishes- I am one blessed girl.
frown/smile
Once again, complete and total relaxation is embodied and personified (or hund-ified, as it were) on the big couch.
He is %100 out for the count, man. He is so peacefully asleep, yet viciously passed out at the same time. Look at those big white teeth! Is he frowning or smiling? Give it a good look.
Because a few minutes later, he woke himself up. He had to hoist himself over and...
surpise
A few weeks ago, my dreamboat husband asked me if I had anything going on Friday evening, April 19th. At that moment, I had nothing going on the evening of April 19th. He told me to reserve it for him. So I did. He had an early birthday surprise in store for me. Yesterday afternoon we both came home from rehearsals and meetings. I asked him if I had to worry about making dinner before we...
shake
From day one with us, the hund has been trained that before he receives his food or a treat, he has to sit. (I read somewhere that having a dog sit in order to get food is like training the dog to say “Please.” or {“Behage.” if you are Norwegian.}) Sitting is a fairly simple command to teach dogs at any age. It was super easy for Trond to catch onto, even as a tiny...
chicago river
April showers are in full effect these past few days in the Chicagoland area, especially yesterday, last night and today. If you’ve watched any news at all lately, I am sure you are aware that the Midwest is getting crazy precipitation - I am just thankful that we’re getting rain and not snow like some other states are. Wednesday afternoon, my dreamboat husband Tim went out to shovel...
comfort dogs
For those of you who have been to a marathon or even more amazingly run a marathon (congratulations to you for accomplishing that!), you know what I mean when I say to people, “If you want to feel better about Humanity, go to a marathon.“ To see thousands of people accomplish this gargantuan goal: months of training, pain, obstacles, discipline and dedication coming to a lovely head...
whack-a-doo weather
The weather is bein’ real whack-a-doo lately. Can I just say that? Real whack-a-doo weather lately. Spring is keeping everyone on their toes. This morning, I walked the hund while wearing a sweatshirt and jacket (I was wearing the sweatshirt and jacket, not Trond - just to be clear.) And the morning was clear! We were greeted by a blue sky with sunny sidewalks. We even made a few new...
bella
I got off the phone a little while ago with my Dad. He had some sad news to share with me. Bella, Trond’s mom, rather suddenly passed away a few days ago. My Dad wasn’t quite sure how to tell me, as he was very saddened by this news, as well. Dad had actually spent more time with Bella than I had. He and Bella would play fetch for hours at a time. Bella was a Field Competitor and...
lime + coconut crumble bars
It has been a while since I’ve shared a recipe with you and that is sad. So today, I’ll make you happy with these scrumptious things my sister, Katie, made for me this fall! She kindly shared the recipe. I’ve made them twice now and really dig ‘em. I brought these to Erica’s birthday party the other night. They seemed to go over well. I had fun making them...
fettere
Today my Mamba sent me this picture of their sweet Black Lab, Nisse. Mamba texted, “If dogs had cousins, Nisse would be Trond’s. :)”
Yes, Little Miss Nisse and Captain Trond Kildahl certainly have the same thing at the forefront of their hund brains: Food. Food. Food. Feed Me. I could Eat. When is Dinner? More Food. TREATS! Food. Hunger. Food. Nisse is a little more...
E N R G
Today is a day to be thankful for because today is my best friend’s birthday. Now, I could keep an entire blog solely about my best friend, Erica. Heck, let’s face it, most cool things reported on in my blog are because Erica told me about it, took me with her or was along for whatever adventure that was had. Without divulging too much, or getting too sappy or writing too epic a...
nemesis
Remember on Sunday afternoon when it was warm outside? We, in fact, had a few windows open to welcome in the fresh Spring breeze. I decided to take the first few steps of a fun spring project. Because the hund is such a grown gentleman, there is no longer a need for us to keep his huset up in our bedroom. He has not been in it for months now and because this huge structure takes up so much...
the more you know...
Spring is FINALLY in the air and burstin’ out tha grount in Chicago! FINALLY!!!
The hund stopped to appreciate the new blooms (Don’t worry: I didn’t let him step on them. Poor little things, they got enough going against them, they don’t need an additional 90lbs steppin’ on ‘em. ) for he does love the Spring, as well…
Yesterday was a gorgeous day...
hundrance
Last Saturday morning, it was Tim’s turn to take Trond for the morning walk. I got up and did a few things but then decided to return to the bed to catch up on my magazine reading. I subscribe to ‘Real Simple’ and the April issue had been patiently waiting for me to read it but I just couldn’t get to it until last Saturday. I got back under the covers and put my little...
sleeping hundy
The hund is pretty zonked out, conked out today. He spent a long day at Playful Pet’s yesterday so today, after our morning walk, he didn’t even zoom into the kitchen for his post-walk refreshing drink of water, he just clunked down on the dining room floor, about three feet from the front door, and stayed there for a good twenty minutes. I took a shower. I came out of the bathroom...
important things
We are currently in my favorite month of the year. YEAH!!! Monday was a lovely way to bring in my favorite month of the year. While Tim and his colleague were using the front half of our apartment to film something, Trond and I walked to the bank. It is always nice to have a deposit to make at the bank, rather than a withdrawal, right? In order to not disrupt recording, Trond and I came in...
we welcome glad Easter...
The husbo, hund and I woke up earlier than we normally do on Sunday mornings yesterday because it was Easter. Tim and I sang in the Easter Choir at church, which meant we had to be there for both the early and late services including an extra rehearsal before the early service so we indulged a bit and had this for an early morning breakfast:
(Enjoy this other happy sign of Easter and Spring at...
March 2013
19 posts
sunset
Last night, Maundy Thursday, Tim had to go south on the train and I had to north on the train; therefore, we walked to the train together but had to wait for our trains on opposite sides of the platform. Thanks to Daylight Savings, there is still light at 6:45 in the evening while one waits for a train. Yes, these are only two different pictures but I want to show you both versions of each so...
swing o' things
Getting back into the swing of things after a week of Family Fun is always an interesting transition, especially when you do not have a ‘typical swing of things’ to return to. As y’all know - there is not a lot of ‘typical’ in this household. One thing that will never be typical in this house is what Tim saw while grocery shopping earlier this week. That fool...
chi-rish pizza pie
Tim and I had a jam packed week. Last night, we decided to order a pizza. He ordered from his phone (thanks, Technology) while still on the train coming home. Half an hour later, the doorbell rings, I make sure Trond is secured in our bedroom so he does not devour the delivered dinner Tim and I were so looking forward to. I notice the box is a large. “Did you order a large pizza,...
el papa
A New Pope. Now, I am as Protestant as they come. I am so very thankful for Martin Luther and the Reformation - with all of this international and constant coverage of the Pope these past few weeks I cannot imagine what it was like before the Reformation, and the Catholic Church ruled the world. Yikes. Anyhow - while I am no Catholic, I am a person with a television so, of course, I have seen...
blessings in disguise
About this time of year, four years ago, Tim and I were apartment hunting. Together. We were engaged, my lease was about to be up, we were about to be married and we were looking for our first apartment together. Our first home together. It was exciting. It was also a bit nerve wracking. We looked at a lot of places around various neighborhoods. Saw a lot of crap-holes, smelled a lot of...
dusk dogs
Last evening, Trond made a bee-line straight up Barbara’s steps to her front porch. Normally, he’ll sniff around the yard a bit, or wait for me to bring a ball out to play, tail wagging wildly but yesterday, he went right up to her front door. And waited…
and waited…
…and waited. We must have just missed her coming home from work because he knew she had...
night moves
More snow fell upon the city of Chicago yesterday, leaving about five or six inches on the ground last evening. After work, Barbara let her hounds out to join my hund in an epic evening snow yard romp! The puppy pals had not seen each other in a week and even though Lucky and Gracie had spent five days at Playful Pets (Barbara had been out of town), Lucky and Trond could not get enough of the...
