The Heusens

I really do live an odd life. The other day I was entering my department. A guy working in the library approached me and asked me if I could do him a "favor".

I'm always wary of "favors" so I put on a scowl and said "What."

This is what he says:

"I'm filming a movie trying to encourage students to come into the library because it's fun. So could you, um, sit down at a table in library while I film you pretending to study? And then, while you're doing that, I'm going to dump 1,400 ping pong balls over your head."

Me: "Huh? Why is that fun?"

He seemed really enthusiastic. He was all, "It's going to be this awesome, viral, spontaneous video!" I'm pretty sure he also just learned the word viral and was all excited to use it in a sentence.

Me: "Um, sure."

So I followed him into the library, sat down in a chair while a woman filmed me, and then let this man take a giant box of 1,400 ping pong balls and dump them over my head.

This whole exchange took maybe 4 minutes.

Then I was like, "bye." And I left those suckers to pick up all those balls.

Posted by Ashlyn at 9:14 PM | Permalink | Comments

Saya is turning 1 in just a week! I can hardly believe it. I'm madly organizing two parties: one for our new friends here in Bloomington, and a blowout in L.A. on August 8th (those of you who live in L.A. and its surrounds should be receiving an invitation soon)!

The theme for Saya's party in L.A. is "Elevated Picnic." We will attempt to execute a modern, retro, chic picnic party at my parents' new house in Redondo Beach.

I was inspired by this image, featuring Martha Stewart's paper flower pom poms:


I just love the summery colors and festive, big blooms. Dahlias are my favorite flowers, and these big beauties really resemble the dahlias in full bloom at the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park.

I'd love to make a bunch of these flowers and intersperse them with big white hanging lanterns.

I'm also planning to display the food and desserts on about 15 of Maryn's new glass cake stands.

I would really heart any recommendations or ideas you have for decor, menus, drinks, etc.!

P.S. I just sent out the best-ever electronic invitations for our casual Bloomington celebration using Paperless Post. What a great find! See Design Mom's post about them here. I'm really happy with the product. The invitations are infinitely more elegant than Evite.

They have a few kinks to work out (some of the colors and options don't display correctly on the invitation), but it's a great service.

Posted by Ashlyn at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments

We are now entering the countdown to Maryn and Brian's wedding. Today, we booked our flights to L.A. and made our hotel reservations. And...my matron of honor gown (yes, I am now a matron, not a maid) and Saya's flower girl dress finally arrived. Let the alterations begin!

Here are some of the highlights of the wedding preparation we've experienced so far:

In May, Saya and I flew to L.A. and helped partake in Maryn and Brian's menu tasting at Vertical Wine Bistro.

It was exceptional. Check out their All Day Long Pulled Pork, served with grilled polenta tartine, triple creme brie, and prunes:


We also sampled a lovely array of other desserts, entrees, and appetizers. But the pulled pork was the runaway favorite.

The tasting was interrupted by a crazy choking/coughing episode because my mom inhaled food down the wrong pipe. You can read Maryn's account of the tasting and my mom's hacking incident here on Le Cupcakerie.

Saya and I flew back to L.A. in mid-June to participate in Maryn's bridal shower/bachelorette extravaganza. Now this was a crazy event. Rather than just one event, there was a MENU of events. Following an elegant bridal shower luncheon at Pasadena's famed Raymond Restaurant, we embarked on a two-day bachelorette adventure.

First: Manicures, pedicures, and champagne at Dashing Diva salon.

Second: Lingerie party and inappropriate game-playing at Maryn's apartment.

Third: Thai dinner at Saladang Song.

Fourth: Evening out at Magnolia Lounge (despite the fact we were kicked out of the lounge two years ago on my birthday because Maryn handed out cupcakes to everyone in the bar, which "destroyed the evening's dessert revenue" and caused the owner to leave a crazy message on my voicemail saying that I have "no class" and that my friends and I "would never be welcome again at Magnolia.") I wish I could post some pictures of the evening, which was so fun, and so inappropriate, but I could not find a single picture that does not incriminate the classy ladies who took part in this event.

Fifth: Morning-after amazing breakfast at La Grande Orange. I was SO excited to find out that my FAVORITE restaurant owners from the time I lived in Phoenix (owners of La Grande Orange, Chelsea's Kitchen, and Postino's) took their best menu items and migrated them to Pasadena. Yum.

Homemade steak tacos at 10 a.m.? Can I get a hell yes?!

You can read Maryn's post (and see pictures of the events) here on Le Cupcakerie.
And you can read Clarice's version of events (and see more pictures) here on My Heart Beets.

P.S. I'm happy to report that I was able to escape folding the 1,000 origami cranes that my mom undertook per Japanese custom. Whew! Folding them for my first wedding was hard enough!

Posted by Ashlyn at 1:37 PM | Permalink | Comments

Before we moved, I had a conversation with some guy who told me that Columbus is the cutest town in all of Indiana.

I was like, clearly this guy is an idiot. Columbus is in Ohio!
Also, I was scared. What if Columbus IS the cutest town in Indiana, but it's in Ohio?!

It turns out that there actually is a Columbus, Indiana. There is also a St. Louis, Indiana. And a Nashville, Indiana. And Nashville is really, really cute!

Nashville is only a 20 minute drive from our house, accessed by a lovely forested road.


It's a charming historic town with lots of local art, a cute little theater, a few restaurants, and lots and lots of homemade ice cream, chocolates and sweets.


Last Friday, we spent a lovely evening wandering the shops, buying wooden toys, and perusing the many (and I mean many) candy stores.

It's almost too quaint. Like, look at the local hot dog stand:


This place was a fun little discovery. We'll definitely be back for their famous marionette shows for children. We're also looking forward to visiting in fall, when the fall colors transform everything.

Posted by Ashlyn at 12:58 PM | Permalink | Comments

Besides the haze of sickness, grant-writing, and work-work-work that has been our lives in the last month, our little family has managed brief forays into Exploring Indiana. It is, in many ways, a lesson in cultural anthropology.

For example, I try not to judge when I notice that the local "Vietnamese" restaurant only serves Thai food, Chinese dumplings, and California rolls.

Instead, I try to focus on the positive aspects of down-home, Midwestern living at its finest. Like the local small town 4th of July parade (which went on as planned, despite the summer thunderstorming).

Bagpipes! How cute!


And does it get any more adorable than a covered wagon? I think not.


Oh! What's this? Why is the crowd erupting in cheers and clapping?


Oh. It's because he's carrying a sign saying "ABORTION KILLS CHILDREN."
Umm.
Buzzkill.

We also checked out our neighborhood block party. I was charmed. I haven't lived on the type of block that would have a neighborhood block party, so I felt excited about experiencing a little slice of Midwestern neighborly lovin'.

This is who attended:
1. Old White People
2. A few young-ish white people
3. Us.

I brought these awesome crostini with fresh juicy peaches, balsamic reduction glaze and blue cheese. The Old White People did not gobble them up. Or even feign that they were interested in the food. The crostini went uneaten. I think it's because they're afraid of blue cheese.

And, honestly...how could my crostini compete with the green bean casserole?
Or the "Oriental slaw" brought by one couple?
Or the disgusting taco salad, made with greasy ground beef and pre-shredded cheese dumped together into a bowl?

Yes, people. These dishes are "home-run hits" at neighborhood block parties in the Midwest.

I comforted myself by thinking that their palates just aren't sophisticated enough to appreciate food like mine.

At least Saya enjoyed the strawberry shortcake.


By the end of the meal, she'd covered my jeans in crumbs, and covered herself from head to toe. Time for a hose-down.

Posted by Ashlyn at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments

We took this video a few weeks ago. Saya is walking!



She's plateaued in the last few weeks, so she's pretty much at the same stage now as she was when we shot the video. And she will only walk on grass or carpet, where she knows she won't hurt herself!

The other news is that we finally managed to wean Saya. The last straw was flying home from L.A. when Saya was really sick. In an effort to keep her quiet and comforted on the plane, I basically let her nurse for about 5 hours straight.

It was sooo painful. It felt like someone hooked up a Hoover to my nipples. And I was so sore. That was it. It was the last time. We had a little transition time where Kris took over her nighttime sleeping routine, so she could dissociate nursing with sleeping. And so far...it's working! If she sees my boobs now, it's not like she's zeroing in on them like a laser. She just regards them, and moves on. Kris, on the other hand...not so much.

In some ways, I feel sad giving up breastfeeding. I feel like it was the one fail-safe way to comfort her, and I really miss the feeling that I could just instantly provide that source of comfort and relaxation. I really miss the lazy times we spent together, with her looking up at me and twirling my hair, and me staring down at my little angel.

On the other hand, I won't miss waking up a bajillion times per night, or her recent lovely habit of constantly scratching and pinching my neck while nursing. And I won't miss her reliance on my boobs to solve everything. We're moving onto a new phase where she'll have to learn some coping skillz of her own.

It's taken a year, but I feel like my body is now finally starting to become my own again.

Saya will turn 1 on July 24th. I can't believe my little one is growing up so fast! Now that we're at the end of the year, it feels like it just flew right by.

Posted by Ashlyn at 2:13 PM | Permalink | Comments