Saturday, November 7th, Autumn had her little baby girl, Annie. I’m so excited that she is here and I can’t wait to meet her. I think she’s going to love her Aunt Brinny and they’ll be the best of friends. Welcome to the world, Annie.
good stuff
Archived Posts from this Category
November 6, 2009
Erica sent me a link to the New York Times and a slideshow of what is certainly my dream home.
Look at it. The owner built it entirely out of trees. This room is made of whole trees and I think it’s perfect for me. Thanks for finding my dream home, Erica.
September 19, 2009
Don’t be concerned, but Maren and I are out of the country-in Canada! If there is some sort of emergency where America might need a Genow sister, we will be sadly unable to help.
What sort of emergency could there be where we might be needed? Well, perhaps some sort of chemical spill that we could soak up with our hair, thus saving the day!
Sorry for you all that you will be in danger from chemical spills until we return to the homeland on Monday.
We are going to Montreal for Jeff’s game on Sunday and for Maren’s birthday today.
Happy Birthday, Maren Stefanie Genow:
(okay, this does appear to be a photo of my birthday, but I couldn’t find one of a young Maren birthday, so this will have to do. On a side note, why did I have an Oscar the Grouch cake? Was this a commentary by Mom on my young attitude? If so, I am officially offended. And how cute is Maren’s little girl dress and my fantastic kiddie mullet? And, as always, we have the best little girl smiles ever!)
September 18, 2009
Yesterday morning, your friend and mine, Mindy Briggs (Dennison) had her baby, Ruth Ann Dennison, 8lbs, 2oz. Both mom and baby are doing well. I can’t believe that Mindy is a mom now. It’s so strange to think about.
A big giant happy congratulations to Mindy and Dan on new baby Ruth!
September 8, 2009
Over the weekend, Meghan and I were in Yachats, Oregon for Sean and Erica’s wedding. First, not how beautiful it was there. These photos were taken from the spot where they got married. Could there be a better place to get married? I’m not so sure.
As this was a costume wedding, Meghan and I dressed up as Erica and Sean to celebrate their Greatest of Unions.
We were not the only people to come up with this idea as Erica’s sister, Vanessa and her husband also came as the bride and groom.
Sean and Erica, as expected, rocked their costumes as they came to their wedding as Caution and Daring which is a perfect illustration of their personalities.
This was by far the best wedding I have ever been to. It was what a wedding should be-a perfect reflection of the couple getting married. It wasn’t the same cookie cutter wedding that every person has. It was special and unique and really fun-just like Sean and Erica. It was also great that it was so small as it gave all of us there a chance to really get to know one another after so many years of hearing about eachother.
Thanks to Sean and Erica for bringing me to the Pacific Ocean for the first time and for giving us all the chance to get to know the many great people in your lives. It was so great to see you both again. Happy trails on the resumption of your road trip.
August 21, 2009
As most of you know, fall is my favorite season in New York. I always tell people to visit in the fall and no one ever does. Except Kyle who listens to his wiser big sister. Anyway, now that summer is winding down, I can almost taste the greatness that is fall looming in the not to far distance. Things I love about fall in NYC:
1. The perfect weather. It’s just right for a jean jacket and a cute scarf. And we all seem to look our best in the fall. You don’t have to see anyones ass or thong but then again, there aren’t so many layers that we all look like snowmen. Also, its not quite cool enough for everyone to wear their Uggs which I hate and too warm for flip flops which can be killers-especially if you step on a rock and toenails get lost in the bargain.
2. I can straighten my hair! Technically, this is weather related as the absence of the suffocating humidity makes this possible, but I’m so excited about it that I wanted it to have it’s own number.
3. You can wear a lot more earth tones and even match your friends.
4. Central park is absolutely at its best this time of year.
5. You get to carve pumpkins and drink cider.
6. The NYC Marathon-Brianne’s favorite day to be in the city is in the fall!
7. And I’ve saved the best for last-Football Season Starts!
I do realize that most of these things, other than Central Park and the Marathon happen in all places, but what can you do? New York has a special magic in the fall and since none of you have been here at this time, you can’t contradict me!
July 30, 2009
Saturday night a few weeks back, after we saw Up, we decided to go over to Bourbon street on 46th to have a few drinks and dinner at 6:30 before heading back to our house around 8:30 for some Wii bowling. Keep in mind that this was our plan. Be home by 9:00.
Now I will tell you about what actually happened. Or, what I can remember.
There were no open tables, so we had to sit at the bar. (We have decided in retrospect that this was our downfall).
We met the bartenders, Adam, Brian and Keith and proceeded to challenge them to make up shots for us-which they did with gusto. (Adam is with Maren and made us the shot called a handsome randy.
Brian who is wearing some of our 3D glasses, made us The Brian which tasted like candy-again, part of the problem) Oh, and in a Twilight Zone moment, Adam’s girlfriend came in later that night and who was she but a girl Zak had gone to college with for a year! How strange is that?
Maren spent some time hanging with some guys at the worlds lamest bachelor party while Zak and I talked to his friend Dewey who also happened to be there for another event.
It’s at this point, round about midnight that we lost most of our memory.
Jeff tells us that we called around one to tell him we were leaving, but the time stamp on our photos shows that we were still at the bar at 3:30 am.
It’s also around this time that we have photos of Maren behind the bar…
…and of Maren dancing.
Maren and I vaguely remember being in a taxi and have a fuzzy memory of the cab driver helping us to our door. Also, the next morning there seemed to be just enough cash missing from my wallet to have paid a cab driver.
The next thing I remember is waking up without any clothes on. Hmm…Then walking out to the living room to see vomit on the rug and thinking, “Oh, Maren threw up”. Then I walked into the bathroom and saw my vomit covered clothes on the floor and realized it must have been me. For those of you who know me, this is very strange. I don’t drink and then throw up. Unless it’s hair spray, but that’s a story for another day! How did this happen? I’m still trying to puzzle that one out and it’s been two weeks! (of note, I seem to have worn the 3D glasses from our afternoon viewing of UP for most of the night. awesome, no?)
The next morning, Maren’s ribs felt really hurt and so we went through the pictures to see what had happened. This happened: we’re still not sure if she fell or jumped or if one of us pushed her. She may have landed here after she danced on the bar, but nobody remembers.
We’ve decided our problems began when we decided to do shots and we can count at least 9 that we remember doing, so one can only guess at what the actual number is. Also, at the end of the night Maren and I were drinking hurricanes like they were kool-aid at a really fast pace. This may be what led to the vomiting. Among other things. The best part is that when Meghan came home from work in the morning and saw the vomit, she too thought Maren had done it. And when Maren woke up and saw it, she too assumed it was her. Sorry to Maren for the false vomit accusation. Although I do like that everybody involved (me included) thought there was no way I could have done it!
The moral of the story is, when going to eat dinner and have a drink or two, do not stay for 9 hours and eat dinner and have a drink or twenty. Our tip to you. Although the parts that we can remember we really really fun.
As a P.S. to this post that must make our dad so very proud, I’d like to wish him a happy 52nd birthday.
Also, in reference to the no hair cutting in the year 2009 complaint post of a few days ago-look at how out of control my hair was this day. It was so bad that I had to hold it back with a bandana for fear it might eat my face. If I ever die in my sleep, please have the coroner look for hair in my nasal passages as I’m sure I’ll have been accidentally suffocated by the wool blanket that my hair has become this summer! (By the way, wouldn’t that make an awesome horror movie?)
July 1, 2009
Dear readers: Guess who Everyone hung out with last night? As you can tell from the subject box, it’s someone from 9t grade, but not just any someone, it’s our 9th grade World History teacher, Kim Pennington. (That’s right, Amber, we got to hang with KP!)
This is one of our favorite teachers of all time. She was one of those great ones who doesn’t stand and talk at you but gets you involved. Instead of talking about Joan of Arc, we did a mock trial. Instead of talking about the slave trade, she tied us together and made us lay on the floor of a dark room to feel what it was like to travel that way by boat to be sold into slavery. We loved her and her class. Of note, it is also her class that Amber and I credit with the start of our friendship. We knew and sort of liked eachother before then but it wasn’t until a marker cap incident in Penningtons class that we really became friends ourselves. And look where that’s gotten us.
Needless to say, when KP emailed me that she’d be in the city for a conference, we jumped at the chance to see her. We met Zak at Taboon because he had to work and we spent 4 hours there and closed the place down with our fun times before we headed to Times Square where KP had never been. We had such a great time catching up with this great person from our past and for as much as we’ve all changed since Zak and I were in 9th grade, it was like no time had passed and it wasn’t weird or filled with long pauses and I’m so glad we got to see her again. She rocks!
June 29, 2009
Since Maren is here, Everyone has been spending a lot of time together, just like in the good ole days of our youth. It’s been so great for us all to be together for long periods of time and to know that we can see eachother any time we want. More than once during the last few weeks since Maren’s arrival, the phrase “I missed Everyone” has been uttered.
Our first everyone activity was the week Maren was here to interview for her job.
We went to Bourbon Street for happy hour and aligator burgers (yum!) and then went to help Zak get a new chair for his apartment. Below is the very strange chair that we got rid of that looks like it’s comfortable (it isn’t) and looks like it lays down for sleeping (it does not).
The day Maren moved here, Zak came over so Everyone could spend their first official day of living in the City together. First we looked at Maren’s new room (our loft).
Then we did some drinking, ate a chinese feast and played some cards. Good Everyone times.
This weekend for Everyone Day, we took a stroll from our apartment to the park and wandered around in it’s Saturday glory. 
Maren and Zak had never been to this part of the park which is the part that shows up in all movies.
Then we took another stroll over to FAO Schwartz the toystore because Zak and Maren had never been.
We spent a long time in here for people who didn’t have kids and weren’t planning to buy anything.
We had to go up the escalator twice to capture Maren with these Lego Harry Potter characters.
Oh, and to enable her to put on her witch’s hat. That was important.
After our toystore fun, we walked to Grand Central station because Maren had never been there and it’s a sight to behold.
We went to the Transit Museum Gallery there and learned a lot about the Subway and got souvenirs. I got a pair of subway map socks. Maren got a subway map mug and Zak got subway playing cards.
After this afternoon of great fun, we went to an outdoor mexican restaurant with $3 margaritas (yeah!) and then took the long walk home where we played Wii bowling, peanuts, drank wine and wathed the pilot episode of Alias. It was a long day of fun for Everyone.
Alas, due to scheduling conflicts, there will be no Everyone Day this week. I know what you’re thinking and you’re right-the worst has happened. If we survive until next week I’ll be sure to tell you what we do then.
June 23, 2009
Please find below the post from the first day of this year. You need to read it to refresh your memory for the progress report I am going to give you below it.
January 1, 2009 at 9:30 am (general info) · Edit
Happy New Year to all of my loyal blog readers and to those of you who google searched your way here!
As is customary, I have made a New Years Resolution (just one) and will share it with you now:
To make 2009 Awesome!
I have made this a resolution because, to put it mildly, 2008 sucked. Hard. I shall list a few of the reasons:
A. Identity theft struck again
B. I got the flu, thought I was better, went back to work and then got the flu part two. Nice.
C. Had some problems with some people that I don’t want to get into in the blog but suffice it to say, they were not good times, took many months to resolve and still aren’t all the way fixed.
D. Michigan had the worst football season in it’s history.
E. Our favorite broadway shows closed. Rent, The Color Purple, Title of Show and The Drowsy Chaperone.
F. And I stepped on a rock, sliced my second toe on my left foot so badly that I lost the toe nail and it’s still only 3/4 of the way grown back.
These are just some of the reasons for Making 2009 Awesome!
Now, dear reader, you may be thinking that this is a little vague and may be easier to accomplish if it were a bit more specific. To which I happily reply: flashback with me if you will to…
My 19th birthday. Year 18 had not been so stellar for some reason and so when I blew out my birthday candles at The Briggs house that fine St. Patrick’s day, I actually made a birthday wish/plan to make 19 The Best Year Ever! And it was. 19 kicked ass! For serious. And so you see, a simple and vague wish/plan worked before and I have every confidence that it will work once again.
So, here’s wishing all of us, but me specifically, a much better 2009 than crappy, poopy, sucky 2008!!
Okay, so that was how I started this new year, planning to make it great by sheer force of will. And at the halfway point of the year, I thought I’d update you on how that’s been going.
I must say that my resolution has certainly come to fruition thus far. 2009 has been astronomically better than 2008. In fact, they shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same sentence. Allow me to list the updates on the above complaints:
A. fingers crossed-i have yet to have any identity theft problems and i have my credit report checked everyday and my credit score is finally back in the good range after getting all that stuff that was not mine taken off!!!
B. No flu for me this year-swine or otherwise-I’m not due to get sick again for another 3 years. I do so love that I only get sick every 4 years. It’s so nice to know when it’s coming!
C. Mostly fixed the vague social problems I alluded to above and things are night and day better.
D. I cannot update us on Michigan football, but I’m feeling much more positive about a much better season with quarterbacks and players who can work withing the new system.
E. Alas, our favorite broadway shows did not reopen, but we’ve seen a few since then and are headed back full force soon.
F. As for my toe nail, just last week I realized that what I though was new toe nail was actually old toe nail. So, off it went and what was underneath but the cutest little baby toe-nail that got her very first coating of nail polish. Welcome to the world, new toe nail.
So, that’s the update on the things that made 2008 crappy. Now for the things that have made 2009 great:
1. as if you even had to think about it-Europe. I know you still haven’t heard all about it and there is no way to sufficiently blog about how wonderful it was and you’ll probably never see all 1500 pictures, but take my word for it that it was life and perspective changing in the very best of ways.
2. i have already been to oklahoma twice, which marks the first time i have done that since i lived there in 2005. and i got to see Robyn get married which was great!
3. my great friends, Mindy and Autumn are both pregnant and i could not be more excited. for once i was excited to hear about pregnancies! and how much greater will the year get when their new babies are here in september and november respectively?!
4. speaking of autumn, she and her husband are visiting in august and i can’t wait to see her pregnant-and see her in general!
5. speaking of seeing people pregnant-i got to see mindy in all her baby glory last month at kyle’s graduation party. and it’s so good to see mindy so happy.
6. i got to see inaugurated, a president that i had voted for. for once in my three voting attempts, my guy won! and inauguration day was so great in times square surrounded by strangers cheering on our presideng. great day!
7. i started my masters in psychology and am loving what i am learning.
8. maren is living here!
see, already a million times better and shaping up to be an overall fantastic year and we’re only half way through.
i think this is a testament to the strength of mind. i willed myself a good year, was determined that it would be so and it has been.
preview of upcoming awesome things:
september-going to oregon to see erica get married. going to canada to see jeff play a game
november-thanksgiving at my house as is the custom and possibly a vegas trip.
december-maybe a third trip to oklahoma for christmas but really just to see my friends new babies.
