LIFE IS GOOD on the lake :)

After three straight days of swimming, boating, grilling, family, friends and fun I feel like I just got back from a week long vacation. :)  Here are a few pics from our weekend on the lake...

Abby and I after her first official lake swim.  She finally graduated from playing in the shallow end to full out swimming.  Little did she know that a few days later she would fall off the boat and have to be fished out by Jack.

Murphy putting his webbed toes to good use...

Soaking up some sun...

Mom

Dad

Jack's mom

Aylsworth Updates

Where do I start?  There is only one way to summarize our life lately, "The only thing constant is change."  Luckily we have been embracing this said change as a new adventure!

Here are a few pics and notes to give you a taste of what we have been up to as of late...

*I have been working at headquarters for three weeks now in Brand Management (marketing)

*I have gone through three bosses in this time.  Long story short... I came to the team in the middle of a reorg.  Despite this, I love my job and my team!  

*I went down to AR for a few days two weeks ago for a going away party at work, a Girls On The Run fundraiser and a going away party with friends.  Thank you Susan, Eric, Shannon & Jenna for giving us an amazing send off!

*Jack moved up to MI (and Abby too)!

*Jack is looking for a job in MI and has his first interview next week.  Give us a shout if you know of any jobs that would be a good match for Jack.

*We are enjoying the cottage on the lake and Ryan, Spencer and Mike came over last week to put the dock in.  We should be able to begin using the boat this week!

*Abby & Murphy have been living the good life, swimming and going for walks everyday.

*We have been taking advantage of being close to family and friends in MI!

More updates & pictures to come...

Ciao Bella!

We are having an amazing time in Italy. So far we have been to Venice, Florence and Cinque Terre. Tomorrow we are hiking 8 miles from Montorosso to Riomaggiore! Here are a few random pics from our adventures...

Operation Homeward Bound Update

I have great news... Jack got a job.  He is going to be able to stay with J&J and work from home in MI.  We are so excited!  Everything seems to be falling into place, now if only we could find a place to live.  :)

Jack was out of town last weekend visiting our friends Ryan and Ryann.  So... I got busy improving the curb appeal of our house.  My friends Chandra and Adam volunteered to help me tackle some landscaping.  Thank you guys!

Here is our handy work...

Wordless Wednesday (... or Monday) :)

A few pics from the past 2 weeks...

Friends at the Wine Cellar :)

Aspen, Sydney & Ally (right before they went to our house for a Hannah Montana dance party)

Skiing in Colorado

Homeward Bound!

The rumors are true, we are moving to Michigan!  

We are so excited about our new adventure, but so sad to leave our friends in Arkansas.  We have lived and worked in AR for four years and have grown to love the area and the people.  I will miss dinners with our neighbors, walks with friends at the Bentonville trails, softball games, dog parties, nights on dickson and countless other memories with friends.    

I will be taking a job in Brand Management at headquarters in Battle Creek, MI, starting at the end of April.  Between the move and our Europe trip we are busy, busy, busy.  First thing is first, we are working on getting our house on the market.

That is about all I know for now.  I will keep you updated through our move.

In the meantime wanna buy a house?  :)

Keep praying for Ally!   She is starting chemo tomorrow.  Thank you for all your prayers.

Prayers for Ally

Most of you know that Jack and I LOVE our neighbors.  We all stick together and look out for each other.  A bonfire and s'mores night with the neighbors on our back deck is commonplace in the summer.  We are so lucky to have the Brown's and Courtney's as our friends.  

Late last week sweet, smiley Ally was rushed down to Little Rock children's hospital.  She was diagnosed with Kidney Cancer (Wilms Tumor) and had surgery Monday to remove her left kidney and part of her colon.  It looks like she is going to have 18-24 weeks of chemotherapy ahead of her to beat the cancer.

Please pray for her and her family.  Ally also has a newborn baby brother and two other siblings so mommy and daddy have their hands full and need your prayers too.  Ally is always smiling, she is daddy's little girl and she is one of the most compassionate and caring 5 year olds I have ever met.

Jack and I are going to visit Ally and her family this weekend. 

Please pray, pray pray for our little Ally!

Visit Ally's Website

Valentine's Day Weekend: A Few Highlights

Jack sent me to the spa on Valentine's Day for a relaxing massage (major brownie points).  Then that evening in honor of our first date of making homemade pizza together we decide to cook to the tunes of Sinatra.  We broke out the cookbook my mom gave me from my fav restaurant, The Common Grille in Chelsea, MI.  We made Chicken & Sun-Dried Tomato Cannelloni.  I made the fresh pasta and Jack made the sauce (from scratch).  After three hours of chopping, baking and drinking wine, it turned out better than we expected!

This morning we went to a birthday brunch for a friend of ours in Fayetteville.  When we got home the dogs we riled up and ready to play.  Jack tied a sock to Murphy's collar and well... watch what happened...

Murphy: The Gentle Giant

Most of you know I was blessed to get the greatest in-laws in the world.  Anyhow, Paula, my MIL loved the videos of Abby in the snow but was disappointed that Murphy didn't get his 15 minutes of fame.  So, here by popular demand is Murphy, wonder dog. 

Murphy is the greatest dog ever!  He is so cuddly and cute.  Murphy lives to please everyone around him.  He likes going for long walks on the beach (or anywhere for that matter), going to the dog park, chewing on bones and above all SWIMMING (he is a lab after all)!  Murphy was a rescue and a blessing to our family.  He is great with all the kids in our neighborhood and he loves playing with other dogs (even itsy bitsy ones).  He is a gentle giant.

Here is Murphy & Sienna (our neighbor's dog) hanging out at our Super Bowl party.

Cheers For FIVE Years!

Jack was out of town all last week so as a result we decided to have a lazy, anti-social weekend together.  It was great.  Friday night we went out for drinks after work and then spent the night in.  Saturday we did a whole lot of nothing all day.  I decided I should make reservations for Jack and I at a place I have been meaning to take Jack for sometime now, Table Mesa.  Right after I hung up the phone I realized that Jack and I have been dating for exactly five years (married for 1.5 of that)!  Thus our motto for the night... "Cheers for five years."

It was great (and yummy).  We went to locally owned, Table Mesa on the square in downtown Bentonville.  It was quite romantic and nostalgic as we reflected on our four years in Arkansas.  Wow, time flies.  We started with dates stuffed with gorgonzola and wrapped in bacon (healthy I know).  I would go back for that alone.  Then I had an awesome salad and Jack had a curry chicken burrito.  Since this was a night of celebration we ordered chocolate ancho chili cupcakes and coffee.  What a way to end the meal.  

After dinner we strolled around the square a few times.  "Cheers for five years."  :)

Bentonville Square:

Walton 5 and 10 (Walmart Museum) on the square:

Ice Party '09 continued...

Today is day two being stuck in the house.  No work, our e-mail was even down for most of the day.  Needless to say it turned out to be a very unproductive day, but a great day at that.  I had breakfast with my hubby, played outside with the dogs and got great news about my job.  ;)  So what did we do to celebrate?  Played more board games with the neighbors (with a little vino).  I know, we are wild and crazy.  But hey, I'm not driving anywhere on a sheet of ice.

Here are a few pics from our Ice Party...

Murphy & the crazy ice.

Abby going crazy, trying to eat all the ice in sight.  Careful... you might get a brain freeze :P 

Celebrating the good news on the way to Britten & Scott's.

Overall, it turned out to be a great day!

Arkansas - A winter wonderland?

I had been sick for four days straight. I'm talking not leaving the house, not getting out of bed, misserable sick. Finally last night I was feeling well enough to go back to work. Well... then we were hit with a huge ice storm. This morning we awoke to all of NWA covered in a good inch of ice. Needless to say we did NOT go to work and I was stuck in the house for another day.

The silver lining... I got to work from home by the warm, cozy fireplace and eavesdrop on Jack while he was on conference calls. The best part... watching Abby and Murphy try to make sense of the winter wonderland in our backyard.

We ended the day with a round of boardgames with the neighbors (I lost). :)

Abby walking on the ice (excuse my sick voice)...

NYE / Jack's B-Day Bash!!!

We kicked off the night with dinner & drinks at our house.  I spent three days cooking Jack's B-Day dinner.  

The Menu...

Crostinis with Olive Tappenade, Bruschetta and Hummus 

Marinated Italian Zucchini, Summer Squash & Yellow Peppers

Grilled Chicken with Basil Dressing

Homemade Spaghetti & Meatballs, did I mention I made the pasta from scratch too (Jack's Grandma's recipe) 

Raspberry Tiramisu 

Italian Citrus Champagne Punch

Then we hopped in a limo & headed down to Dickson Street for the Boom Kinetic concert. What a fun night!

New parents, Eric and Susan joined us for dinner with adorable baby Nick.

X-MAS continued...

X-MAS Continued...

Home brewed "Brady Irish Red", made in memory of my Grandpa Brady  (Brewmaster = cousin Ron)

Me & Grandma Ginny

Romano x-mas