Daniel and Elizabeth

New Home

2009-12-06T09:03:00.000-08:00

We have decided to copy Thomas and Gina and move our blog to Wordpress.....it's so much easier!
You'll find our new blog here

www.danielandelizabeth.wordpress.com

Christmas Decor

2009-11-30T16:15:00.000-08:00

Today while Elizabeth had the day off, she turned the apartment into Christmas mode!

Making Cards

2009-11-30T12:24:00.001-08:00

What's a visit with Thomas, Gina, and Erika without some arts and crafts? This past weekend Elizabeth got to hang out with the gang and watch them make holiday cards. Clara also got in on the action.

Gina and Erika have quite an impressive collection of card-making supplies.

The card-making master at work...

"An Afternoon at the Circus"

2009-11-22T14:53:00.001-08:00

This afternoon Monica put on an awesome Circus-themed piano recital! Everybody did a great job with their pieces!!!

This was Elizabeth's pathetic attempt to make 'Lion Sugar Cookies'

Daniel's little piano student Harley played a piece Daniel wrote for her to play entitled "tightrope." She did a really good job!

The finale was a piece for eight hands-included was Clara! Clara also played a violin piece and her own circus piece! Way to go Clara!!!

Thanks Megan!!!

2009-11-16T17:49:00.001-08:00

Today I got a gift in the mail from Megan-a bunch of pictures she took during our wedding! Thanks Megan! I'm so glad I have these!

CAVALIERS vs JAZZ

2009-11-15T05:13:00.001-08:00

Now official Ohioans, we decided to show some Ohio pride and go to a Cleveland Cavaliers game. Last night after work, we jumped in the car and made the 2 hour drive up to Cleveland ....they just happened to be playing the Utah Jazz!!!!

We made it just in time, had amazing seats, and had a perfect view of Lebron James! Yay!

Even Michael Symon and Bobby Flay showed up for the big night

Unfortunately Shaq didn't play...Elizabeth was very disappointed. (he's the one in the dark suit)

There was A LOT of OSU cheering throughout the entire game!

Even though the Jazz were behind pretty much the entire game, the last 5 minutes proved to be quite exciting as you can see....

Things Daniel Likes....

2009-11-10T20:13:00.000-08:00

Frosting....
Daniel had the day off today....Elizabeth walked in on him doing this

Our BR Wishlist

2009-11-04T10:52:00.000-08:00

Spurred by the UNBELIEVABLE new stuff for holiday at Banana Republic, we decided to each go through our closet and make a pile of clothes we never wear, that are still in good condition. We are hoping to find a place that we can sell these items-in exchange we hope to take our earnings to BR and get some new goods!

A Wedding & Some Birthday Boys

2009-10-25T18:45:00.001-07:00

This weekend we visited Indiana for Daniel and Jessica's wedding. Fall was in full swing and the drive was beautiful.

And of course what's a wedding without the Pappas musicians! Thomas and Daniel looked great in their brown groomsmen suits

Daniel and Jessica's wedding was beautiful, yet somehow this is the only picture we took

After the wedding we went to the Varners' and gave the boys their belated birthday gifts. We think they liked them...

Tonight we celebrated another birthday-Happy 3 Nicholas!
Nicholas received several fun gifts...including 3 monster trucks

The Monster Truck birthday cake

Daniel's New Baby

2009-10-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Daniel found himself greatly disappointed to find that all of his USB ports on his computer were no longer working. After taking it to 'The Laptop Guy' (Daniel does not have his own personal laptop guy-this is just the name of the place he took it to) he was told that we would have to spend a lofty $500 to replace the motherboard...

In an effort to SAVE MONEY, Daniel decided to cover the cost of the motherboard and his need for "better stuff" by "investing" in a NEW laptop for just over DOUBLE the cost of a motherboard....
anyone looking to buy a computer without working USB ports????????

It's OFFICIAL!

2009-09-29T17:00:00.001-07:00

Today Elizabeth got a special gift in the mail! Her official degree! Yay! That's right folks, Elizabeth is officially a college graduate!

Tea Party

2009-09-27T16:00:00.001-07:00

Today we attended Clara's 6th birthday party! It was a fancy English Tea Party! We had such a fun time playing games and making hats and bracelets! Happy Birthday Clara!

Daniel was the Butler....he did a great job!

It's the WEEKEND!

2009-09-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

While Daniel was at work on Friday, Elizabeth had a big project to tackle....OUR CLOSET! It required taking every article of clothing out of big black garbage bags, ironing, hanging, and organizing them all. Anyway it took pretty much all day. She discovered that Daniel has about
2 1/2 times more clothes than she does...

Since our last PANINI PARTY was such a hit/success, we decided to have another one the very next day....this night it was QUESADILLAS

Friday night we went through a bunch of old VHS tapes Daniel had unpacked...We found some old recordings of Daniels Good Old Days at GRACE....He was mortified by what he saw...

Daniel's Senior Recital 2003

And his orchestration class 2001 (notice that this picture and the following were the same class, same semester, two different hair styles/colors)

We also took a trip to World Market and found a great deal on a dining room table....all we need now is some guests to use it...

Today we met up with Christopher, Kristie, Daniel, and Jessica at the Outlets. Afterwards we used our pizza stone to make a walnut pizza

UPDATES

2009-09-24T19:37:00.001-07:00

Here is Daniel's new OFFICE (hopefully where he will be completing his dissertation...) The second bedroom has transformed into a nice, relaxing, organized space to get his work done. The opposite wall will soon become Elizabeth's office area.

...and here is our 'kitchen expansion.' Due to the very limited counter space, we found this kitchen cart which also gives us plenty more cabinet space.

PS...Elizabeth got a job!!!

Young Couples Panini Party

2009-09-22T16:39:00.001-07:00

For those of you that have been making fun of our panini maker (you know who you are) now is the time to be jealous. Tonight we had Turkey Apple Brie Paninis for dinner!

Ingredients: Apples, Brie, Turkey, walnut oil, lemon juice, thyme, and whole wheat bread.

They were delicious! We can't wait to make more paninis!

Welcome to the Pappas Residence

2009-09-21T17:36:00.001-07:00

Welcome to our new apartment!!!!

Living Room Before...

Our Living Room Now!

Kitchen before....

Kitchen NOW!!!

In this tiny little kitchen we were even able to find a place for our Thomas Photography

Our kitchen is pretty small, with very little cabinet space. As a solution, we found this awesome shelf to use as a pantry/storage system!

Laundry room before...

...And Laundry room NOW

Bathroom before...

Bathroom AFTER!

Bedroom before

Our bedroom NOW!

Hopefully in a few days we will have the dining room area and the office ready to see!

Daniel the Professional

2009-09-21T06:20:00.000-07:00

Today was Daniel's first day at his new JOB! Doesn't he look GREAT? Elizabeth is going to miss him all day and can't wait until he comes home! Congrats Daniel!

Apartment Pictures Coming Soon.....

Ode to Chai

2009-09-01T10:09:00.001-07:00

This one's for you Helen!!!

Indianapolis GP

2009-09-01T08:58:00.001-07:00

This past weekend Elizabeth's dad was in Indianapolis for the big GP race. We decided to drive down to check it out. Elizabeth's dad was their to promote the Miller Motor Sports Park Yamaha Racing School offered at the track in Utah.

We had a fun time walking around to all the different tents, and of course watching some of the racing...

"Ducati Island"

Try on some pretty nifty DUCATI JACKETS

This was driven by Danica Patrick!

Daniel enjoying his indy dog.

Our New Life in OHIO!

2009-08-14T17:59:00.000-07:00

We've been having so much fun with Helen and Zach here! Daniel and Zach have been getting a lot of basketball in....

Zach had a GRRREAT time!

Zach having some more fun.....

Thanks to all of the generous gift cards we received for our wedding, we were able to put money towards a new TV!

Tonight we had a romantic date night....Mojito anyone?????

Honeymooning in CHICAGO!

2009-08-06T12:13:00.000-07:00

After an amazing wedding, and months and months of hard work leading up to it, it was finally time for a honeymoon. So, we headed to Chicago, and had a few days of fun and relaxation.

Our hotel just happened to be right across the street from the Greek Consulate! Yay!

We got all the "honeymooner's perks" including free breakfast every morning, and free Champagne and a cheese platter sent to our room!

For our first night in Chicago we decided to go all out! We dined at Capital Grill, and had the most amazing steaks!

Daniel's Fillet Mignon

Potatoes

Elizabeth's Rib-Eye covered in 12 year-aged Balsamic

Our first stop on the streets of Chicago was Millennium Park, where we saw "the Beam," The Art Institute, and some pretty awesome water fountains.

We had read that this was the place to get Chicago's BEST deep dish pizza!

On our last day in Chicago we went to the Museum of Contemporary Art...very cool!

We Loved Chicago!!!!!!

Playing with the Kiddos

2009-07-25T06:12:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we got to take Clara and Nicholas to Clara's golf lesson. While Clara was having fun playing golf, Daniel and Nicholas had fun playing ball, running around, and tackling. Here are some pictures of our fun day!

Where's Waldo....or Daniel's Half Yellow Tooth?

2009-07-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Dr. Bernsdorf Daniel was given a second chance at living a normal life. Not only did he bestow upon Daniel the gift of a bridge to fill in the missing tooth, but surprised us with an early wedding gift by correcting a mistake made many moons ago by some German dentist with a sick sense of humor (HMMM What to do with this yellow putty???). Too bad the little red skateboard story will never quite have the same ring to it. Turns out we now have to have at least two kids seeing as we already owe Dr. Bernsdorf our first born (and now our second). GO AHEAD, ENLARGE THE PICTURE!!!

Goodbye SLC

2009-07-20T13:55:00.001-07:00

We were so happy that Erika CHOSE US to visit right before me moved to Columbus! We had so much fun!

2 weeks later, it was time to pack up all of our belongings, and transport it and ourselves to Columbus, Ohio! Here's what was left of Daniel's apartment...

Hard to believe that ALL of Daniel's clothes once occupied this tiny closet

Since we couldn't quite fit everything in the Civic, we found a moving company which dropped off a trailer that we packed with all of our stuff. They picked it up, drove it to Columbus, and delivered it to Grammy's TODAY!!!

Finally, after an all-nighter of serious packing, the trailer was locked, loaded, and ready for pick-up

Because Elizabeth's car is without a CD player AND tape player, we were lucky to be given battery operated, portable speakers....don't know what we would have done without that

Goodbye Outlets!

Thanks to our trailer, we were able to keep the car clutter-free, with hardly any cargo in it at all....the wedding dress however got the entire back seat to itself!

Unfortunately, Elizabeth's car is a stick shift...and Daniel is still learning how to operate it....After Daniel attempted to drive for an hour, Elizabeth decided it was probably best if he was permanent co-pilot.

Hey....is that our truck....with all our stuff?

After ten long hours, we decided to spend the night in Oogallala, Nebraska...and eat at a local favorite

Day 2

We discovered Nebraska really is quite dull, with nothing much to see...except maybe these cool clouds

We saw these wind-turbine farms everywhere in Wyoming....the watermark would be Daniel's foot.

Yay! Finally something a little more interesting to look at!

This one's for you Steve

It was so late Sunday night when we crossed into Indiana that we almost missed the sign

Our new city!!!

Finally, we arrived at Grammy's in one piece....and yes, that is the car that got us here...and it still drives!!!!!

Daniel gets a REWARD

2009-06-14T19:03:00.001-07:00

Since Daniel has been working very hard the past several weeks applying for jobs, Elizabeth decided Daniel needed a reward. Today he was rewarded with the much talked about (by Daniel) Wii Motion Plus and a new Wii game...

While Daniel spent the rest of the afternoon
playing 'Grand Slam Tennis,' Elizabeth got a chance to finally get to work
on addressing the multitude of wedding invitations.

Toyland Toyland...

2009-06-07T09:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Daniel got a new phone. He has been eagerly following the development of the phone ever since it was announced in January. For the last few days he has spent quite a few hours on different forums getting exited about his soon to be new phone. As the day grew nearer it became apparent on the web that the sprint stores might sell out of their first shipment in the first few hours soooo Daniel got up nice and early and arrived at the store 30minutes before it opened....and still barely got there in time as he was No.20 in line and the store only had 26 phones. They had candy, balloons and water bottles for everyone, it was like a little geek party for phone connoisseurs. Of course Thomas who lives in Greensboro didn't have to stand in line and got his phone a few minutes before Daniel did. One person at Daniel's store stood in line since 4am... needless to say Daniel is very pleased with his upgrade.

Makeover and B-Day

2009-05-28T19:08:00.000-07:00

We decided to make over the bathroom...here are the after pictures (look below for the before shots)

Daniel made a very special dinner for Elizabeth's Birthday

Here are the before shots....what a difference

Country Cookin

2009-05-26T19:40:00.001-07:00

Daniel made a great lunch from the things he could find in Baba's fridge. Spicy crusted chicken on a bed of white rice with pan seared corn accented by freshly cracked pepper and sea salt.

Wedding Sponsor BR

2009-05-25T16:11:00.001-07:00

Daniel and Elizabeth went wedding suit shopping today and supprisingly enough we found the perfect suit at the Banana Republic Outlet....actually that's the only place we looked....Daniel got the suit for free as he was immediately signed as the new face of Banana. (just kidding ....about the free suit part)

Wii Want to Get Fit

2009-05-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

Today Daniel decided to trade three of his Wii games for the new Wii Active (basically a new version of Wii Fit). Daniel got a good workout today!

It's fun! We highly recommend it!

The Newest Member of The Family...

2009-05-17T17:30:00.000-07:00

So today while Elizabeth was working on her computer (well the old used computer Daniel gave her) it overheated and shut down for the LAST TIME. In a matter of minutes we headed down to Office Depot and found some great deals on some HP's.

After several hours of using Daniel's computer knowledge and wisdom, we settled on the HP Pavilion dv4-1220us.

Room Makeover

2009-05-13T09:59:00.001-07:00

So just two days ago we decided to give Daniel's apartment a makeover....At first it was just going to be a new paint job to cover the ugly wood paneling.....but we soon learned that overhauling a room was too much fun, and it ended up being a lot more than just paint...Enjoy our before and after pictures!!!

Ahh.....after a fresh coat of paint....already looking a million percent better!

Daniel, refurbishing some old furniture....what a pro

a makeshift saw

The old tiled floors were covered with two 5x8 area rugs we found for $19.99 each at the grocery store up the street!

Close-up shots...

More close up shots...

The old tweed plaid couch doesn't even look half bad in the new room! (well, it still looks bad, but it will do). The coffee table use to have a few structural problems-so we decided to cut the legs down a few inches, making a nice little seating area coffee table.

The nice new panels were a great deal at pottery barn, and they work nicely against our new wall color and really lighten up the room!

Daniel's new work space!!!!

This old desk Daniel was using used to be a piece of junk...with a little paint, and new hardware it's just like new!

Here's Baba, admiring in awe with the new space...of course she loved it and was incredibly impressed

We added a lot of new frames on sale at Pottery Barn, and finished them off with some of Daniel's famous close-up shots.

This old console table used to be an old varnished mess....Daniel sprayed it with Espresso furniture paint, and we replaced the knobs for under $1 dollar each.

We replaced the old wood front doors with fresh white paint, and the old rusty gold doorknobs with new brushed nickle ones.

And here's the hallway...notice the nice new white trim, new white switch plates, and the grommet panel for added privacy, or entrance to Daniel's apartment.

Next project-the bathroom!!!!!!

High Roller Baby !!

2009-05-09T22:09:00.000-07:00

Chillin at the pool one last time

for dinner we decided to eat some fancy Japanese food

nice place for a birthday party

strange art....Elizabeth couldn't identify the artist....so much for her degree

good looking food

Elizabeth is an expert with the chop stix

The Strip

2009-05-09T14:26:00.001-07:00

We decided to save a little money and ... well you know where this is going

He went to Jarred...I mean Tiffany

We took a little tour of the world while in Vegas

Erika's favorite store

Guess which one is a pink gorilla suit?

What happens in Vegas...Daniel got a tattoo that says No 1 Favorite Child

Speaking of favorite child....looks like mimi is selling mango's in Vegas

here are some pictures of construction going on downtown...I guess gambling is recession proof.

Daniel loves his birthday present ....he misses his oldsmobile though

They are real !!

The MGM Lion

Not a Zoo (thomas) but still...

Daniel bet a few dollars on Utah to win the NBA playoffs...(Elizabeth didn't have the heart to share the bad news)

Da Da Dah Di Da

New York, New York

Brooklyn Bridge at New York New York

Looks like someone was thirsty

nest time we come we're staying here....in the penthouse suite

We were naughty...and did a little shopping

why wont this key unlock the car???

The Sphinx at the Luxor...just like the real deal!

Viva Las Vegas

2009-05-09T07:33:00.000-07:00

For Daniel's birthday, Elizabeth promised him a trip to Las Vegas....so this weekend we packed up the car and headed south.

After a beautiful eight hour road trip, we checked into the Red Rock Casino Resort Spa, did a little shopping on the strip, relaxed at the luxurious pool, and later explored the casino nightlife....very interesting....

Lounging at the pool

Daniel had his first encounter with the One Armed Bandit.....The Bandit took Daniel's dollar and left him heartbroken. Looks like we won't be serving Fillet Mignon at the wedding anymore.

The Lobby

The cool ceiling lights in the hallways

Daniel is auditioning for the next America's Next Top Male Model
(p.s. the nice Blazer Daniel's wearing is thanks to H&M)

Way Better Than Mario Karts

2009-04-18T19:36:00.001-07:00

Today, as part of Elizabeth's B-day gift to Daniel, we headed to the Larry Miller race track for a little go-kart racing and to check out all the cool things going on at the big race track. Here we are putting our helmets and neck braces...

After racing the karts we got to go into the garage to see where they make some of the karts...

Inside was a shop to buy all your racing gear

Anyone recognize the sponsor of this car?????

Next we stopped by the racing school and saw all the cars and machines the students use...

While in the racing school, we got a chance to test out the racing simulators. Daniel and John had way too much fun with it, especially since neither one of them was very good at it.

After the simulator we headed to the museum! Here are just a few of the awesome cars we saw.

Here's a little video so you can see how fast we are

Birthday Part II

2009-04-17T20:15:00.001-07:00

This is my gift from Baba...it's the money I could be saving with Geico (very clever)

Elizabeth made (bought) me a cake for my birthday!!

We were going to take pictures of our delicious Bombay House dinner but it didn't survive long enough for pictures :)

I can see clearly now 27 is gone

2009-04-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

Here is Daniel with his new glasses (thanks Thomas), channeling Grampy.

Daniel is finally making the big bucks. This is his first royalty check (thanks again Thomas for playing the piece that got Daniel paid, now if only he would play it more often...)

What's New With Us

2009-04-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

just check Thomas and Gina's Blog for an update on our life!!
http://thomasandgina.blogspot.com/

Hawaii Up Close

2009-03-23T23:25:00.000-07:00

I call this "tropicale on spoon"

I call this "hula pie almost in mouth"

I call this "raw...raw...sugar"

I call this "indigenous crab"

I call this "fly in coconut syrup"

I call this "this little soy spout"

I call this "print of genius"

I call this "catsup is whatsup"

I call this "the other side of velcro"

I call this "hello on soy sauce"

I call this "Jack in a cup"

I call this "michael bubblee"

I call this "salt'n peppa"

I call this "coffee on spoon"

I call this "the giver of salt"

I call this "access to creamer"

I call this "broken marble"

I call this "marble on table"

I call this "handle on mug"

Day 5: Napali Coast and Hula

2009-03-22T01:38:00.001-07:00

Today we woke up really early to catch a catamaran tour of the Napali Coast. Once on board we were served breakfast, taken on a three hour coastal tour of Napali, saw tons of whales and dolphins, snorkeled and were served a delicious lunch. It was amazing and the pictures don't even do it justice!

These are the mountains where King Kong and Jurassic Park were filmed

Apparently several Baywatch Hawaii scenes and one Mary J. Blige music video were filmed in this arch

It was fun talking and getting to know some of the people on board, including our tour guides who knew everything there is to know about Kauai.

...And the coolest part of the whole trip so far! Seeing TONS and TONS of dolphins and whales swimming just a few feet from our boat!

After cruising the glorious Napali coastline, and snapping shots of dozens of whales and dolphins, it was time for SNORKELING!

It was the perfect day for snorkeling! the sun was shining, the water was clear, and there were tons of fish to observe! We loved it!!!

after snorkeling lunch was served for us on deck. We had sandwiches, pesto pasta salad, fresh pineapple, and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. Delicious!

Here's Elizabeth, completely sea sick on the rocky/bumpy ride back to the dock. It was touch and go for a while, but luckily she made it back on dry ground safe and sound

after the boat adventure we went to the Hyatt to watch a Hula show and sipped fruity drinks

Day 4: More Boogie Boarding,Farmer's Market, Coffee Plantation, Sunset

2009-03-22T00:08:00.001-07:00

ALOHA! Today was a relaxing day of sun, coffee, and good food!

Daniel and Stayner

Daniel catching a big one!

Just another scene from Baywatch

Today we even stopped by a farmers market where we saw an assortment of fruits, vegetables, etc.

McCall holding a $24.50 "Jack Fruit"

Elizabeth's new favorite drink....

A small little pit stop we made

This afternoon we headed to the famous Kauai Coffee Plantation for samples and a small tour of the plantation itself. It was beautiful and right on the ocean...and OF COURSE the coffee was amazing!

Coffee Plantation

Enjoying an assortment of free coffee samples!

Later that night we packed a picnic and had a nice, relaxing dinner by the beach-just in time to watch a beautiful sunset.

Day 3: More BEACH

2009-03-20T11:35:00.001-07:00

Today was another fun day! After some morning showers, the sun came out and we spent the entire day at the beach!

LUCKILY, there's a basketball court not too far from where we are staying, so the boys went out for a good game of basketball!

We saw tons of whales and dolphins from the shore!

Jack and Daniel playing in the waves

Stayner and McCall

These two could not get enough of the slide

Dinner was delicious! Tonight we barbecued steak, pineapple, onions, and peppers on our nearby bbq

Another fun day on the island!

day 2 : CONTINUED

2009-03-19T11:08:00.001-07:00

Baby seal taking a nap

Boogie Boarding

Jack trying to pull off a gangsta move

After a long fun day in the sun, we all completed a 500 piece puzzle

Day 2...SuN sUn SuN

2009-03-18T23:33:00.000-07:00

Because of the 4 hour time difference, we all woke up around 5 a.m. ready to start the day. Daniel, Elizabeth, and her dad went on a nice 4.25 mile run along the beach, and then we all headed to Costco to stock up on snacks and food for the week. By 11 a.m. we were ready to hit the beach...here are just a few shots, more to come...

Daniel's heaven on earth

This afternoon after a long day at the beach (more beach pictures coming soon...) we headed to a secret rope-swing spot/cliff diving spot.

The line to jump

Daniel, debating on whether to jump or not...

McCall jumping off the rope swing

Tonight when we stopped at a near by market we found the ugliest duck in the world hanging out in the parking lot

DAY 1

2009-03-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

check out this awesome picture Daniel took!

exploring the plantation

Stayner and McCall

this is about twenty steps from our back patio

these trees are everywhere

our cottage on the beach

Daniel hanging out on our balcony

inside our living room

the little beach by the restaurant

The 'dudes'

For dinner we enjoyed mahi mahi, tuna, bbq pork and clam chowder at Brenneke's Beach Broiler

HAWAII...here we come!

2009-03-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

In just about 24 hours we will be relaxing here!!!Hawaii!!!
we can't wait!!!!!!!

Daniel makes a website

2009-03-07T17:51:00.000-08:00

For all of you INTERWEB users feel free to check out Daniel's newest project and pass on the great news.

His new website is at www.danielpappas.com

While you're there don't miss the link in his bio to get your copy of the Pappas Family Recorder Quartet CD.

Jazz Game vs. Atlanta

2009-02-24T08:18:00.000-08:00

We spotted Elizabeth's roommate Megan dancing at the game !!!

Randoms

2009-02-23T14:46:00.000-08:00

Fuer Pzycho (Der Zaecho)

2009-02-23T08:41:00.000-08:00

Daniel wanted to try the new camera's video function at the gym. He hopes this will get Zach back to practicing for the big showdown this summer.

Our New Camera

2009-02-22T18:32:00.000-08:00

Today Daniel found some great deals in the morning paper. One of which was an awesome deal on a new digital camera. So this afternoon we went to Office Depot and bought the PowerShot SD790 IS Digital Elph. We love it so much at brunch today we got a little carried away...

Daniel loved his Arugula Salad

Jazz vs Hornets

2009-02-22T18:26:00.000-08:00

Welcome Home 3/4's Dr. D.

2009-01-25T09:33:00.001-08:00

In preparation for Daniel's arrival back in SLC, Baba and Elizabeth had something special for him as soon as he rolled in the drive-way.

Elizabeth had made the banners before she left for Greensboro....but it was all Baba with the balloons, streamers, and all the signs stuck in the grass...Way to Go Baba!!

Congrats Daniel!!!!

El Marachi!!!!

2009-01-25T09:08:00.000-08:00

For our last night in Greensboro, Daniel, Elizabeth, Thomas, and Gina went to their favorite restaurant...

These guys are the best of the best

Since passing his exams, Daniel has an uncontrollable bounce when he hears music that's not too modern.

Missed Opportunity

2009-01-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

Daniel was thinking about selling his luxury automobile, so he took it to his mechanic (yes with a car like this one must have an own mechanic) (well actually the mechanic towed it to his shop) and had it fixed up into showroom condition.
His verdict was that it will run for at least another 100,000 miles. So Daniel is keeping the car!!!
(however he is willing to start negotiations with Erika for a family discounted price of 2,500)

For those of you that know Daniel's car best you will notice that it is no longer missing a right blinker and magically there is no visible rust (emphasis on visible).
Daniel loves this car and is happy that he can hold on to it.

Prof. Pappas in Action

2009-01-22T09:30:00.000-08:00

During our lovely visit to Greensboro, Gina asked Daniel to be the guest speaker in her music appreciation class. Of course Daniel jumped on board, eager to talk about his music and crack a few jokes.

Here is the stylish professor in action

Daniel looked especially professorial in his nice dress shirt and sweater vest combo

Daniel definitely kept the students awake with his clever music jokes

...And Ms. Pezzoli

To make this day even more enjoyable for Daniel, one student even asked him where he got his nice pinstripe pants....I bet we can all guess where.

Daniel Update

2009-01-06T21:49:00.000-08:00

To all our trusty blog followers, I just thought I would update you on my current level of sanity. It's the night of the second day of testing and I have completed a true masterpiece to turn in tomorrow morning. Tomorrow morning is the Minor area history/theory exam and I sure hope it's about Haydn and 18th century form... if not I will have to relate it back to that somehow :)

I'll write more tomorrow about how it went... well gotta get back to studying.

Sanity level = semi-crazy

Christmas #2

2009-01-05T13:31:00.000-08:00

After we celebrated christmas we celebrated round 2 with Elizabeth's family...here are a few pictures (what Daniel is holding is his favorite gift...ShamWow!)

Daniel sporting his latest look...Oden jersey paired with Banana Republic jacket...very fashion forward

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T23:36:00.001-08:00

Thanks to all the snow on the ground we had the perfect setting for our very first Christmas eve together.

Our third batch of Greek Bread is looking much better (however it still doesn't qualify as anything other than flat bread)

We decided to mix some of Daniel's Germany traditions with some of his sister Monica's such as the very important Grape Pop.

While Elizabeth was at work (I wonder who's the bread winner in this family:), Daniel prepared the table and the feast.

Our festive outfits (provided by the good people at Banana Republic).

On her way to work Elizabeth picked up another essential Holiday item the Ueber-aschungs Eier.

Mmmmm....from the greek Mmmmopolis.

No explanation needed for Olives and Feta.

Here is the Feast in its entirety. Unfortunately the stores were all out of both corn and lamb, but thanks to the many Christmases at Monica's house Daniel knew of a few good alternatives (green been casserole and a honey ham).

The Grinch carving the roast beast.

Christmas isn't Christmas without some bubbly, and by bubbly we mean coke products.

Daniel making use of his many degrees.

Cheers....hey we forgot to cheer with our Ueberaschungs Ei glasses...maybe at new year:)

Elizabeth opening her gift from Daniel's Parents.....many thanks, she loves it and has already started reading it.

Daniel finally made use of his stocking made especially for him by Elizabeth's grandmother....BABA!!!

Daniel was excited to receive something other than socks and underwear this year (he also has already started on his new book from the Pappas Family)....He received the ultimate "workout" package from Elizabeth, water bottle, workout pants, and even a personal trainer to work out with when he returns from his exams (he's wondering if he is supposed to take a hint or not).

Elizabeth's obsession with cleaning her diamond ring was becoming a distraction on every shopping trip anywhere near a jewelry store, so Daniel decided to take matters into his own hands and gifted her with her own personal Jewelry Jet Steam Cleaner. We've tried it and it works 'brilliantly' despite the infomercial sounding name.

Baba decided to try out her new gift as well. It is a book stand that also holds a candle and a wine glass for those nice long hot baths.

Daniel was a little befuddled by this gift from Baba (perhaps he was wondering where she went to get such a lifelike statue made).

A Visit From St. Nikolaus!

2008-12-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

As you can see, St. Nikolaus was accompanied by his trusty sidekick Knecht Hubrecht, who left Daniel a little gift....Elizabeth thought if she left out a big boot she would get more treats....and even Baba participated in the festivities!

Unfortunately St. Nikolaus came a day late...i guess his usual route doesn't include Utah. Nevertheless, he made a special trip out here just for Daniel.

Fondue Party

2008-12-07T19:15:00.001-08:00

Friday night Elizabeth and her roommates hosted their annual Christmas Fondue party. The food was delicious and there was also a very big turnout!

another tree picture

And of course no party is complete without the Hot Chocolate Pot!

A few good Mormon folk

Just a Reminder

2008-12-03T09:27:00.000-08:00

Daniel just thought it would be nice to remind Zach to keep practicing for the big match in August. Here are some motivational videos for him.

9 1/2 for 10 from the NBA 3 point line.

and 6 for 6

Christmas is Upon Us...

2008-11-30T19:34:00.001-08:00

Tonight we had a delicious dinner at Elizabeth's apartment and decorated for Christmas...

We had Beef Burgandy and a pear dessert

Elizabeth, Daniel, and Becca

After about an hour of untangling the lights, Megan finally got to string the tree

Our ornament centerpiece

"Vixen"

Daniel helped us put the tree topper on

Who needs a mantle when they have Daniel around?

Our homemade wreath

And of course the 'anorexic reindeer'

This year we're trying something new...window globes

Our beautiful tree!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-28T19:30:00.001-08:00

Wednesday night we decided to make the famous Greek Bread for our Thanksgiving hosts.

Here's Daniel kneading the dough...

Unfortunately, our bread ended up looking more like Greek Flat Bread...but for our first crack at it we thought we did pretty well...it even tasted like the real stuff!

The spread...

BYU...our new favorite getaway

2008-11-28T19:26:00.001-08:00

Last week we went down to Provo, Utah to check out some books for Daniel's studying...To his delight they have a very impressive and extensive music library

After exploring the library, we caught up with two of Elizabeth's close friends for dinner at California Pizza Kitchen

Daniel Goes To The Opera...sort of

2008-11-09T09:04:00.000-08:00

Since the Met was performing John Adam's new opera Dr. Atomic, Daniel decided it might be fun to see it (actually he heard that all of his professors were going and thought it might come up in his comps...and so begrudgingly he went). Unfortunately Elizabeth had to work (fortunately for her) so Daniel was forced to endure the 3 1/2 hour opera alone (with every elderly person in Utah).
Daniel wanted to look extra nice for his big Met debut

He even shaved his 70's mustache he's been dawning

A visit to the powder room.

Luscious Lashes

A spritz of perfume

And a last minute precaution anytime Daniel goes to a new music event.

Who knew the Met looked so much like a movie theater and apparently they were performing an array of new operas that day.

Overall the experience was quite worth it even though most of the other patrons probably could not tell when the tuning ended and the opera began. Gotta love new music!