It's been a busy year... Part II

Two weeks after the Las Vegas trip, Josh and I went on vacation with Dean and Glenda (my in-laws) to DisneyWorld. Josh and I had figured that we should go to DisneyWorld now, before we have children, because it will likely be the last time we'll go for ourselves. We really enjoyed the vacation and realized that October is definitely the best time of the year to go to DisneyWorld - less crowds, better weather.

The first day we went to Epcot, where we went on the Test Track ride (twice) and Mission: Space. The Epcot International Food and Wine Festival was held during our stay, so I was able to buy a cookbook with dishes from all over the world.







The next day we went to the Magic Kingdom and we were able to ride the classic rides like Dumbo and the Tea Cups. We also went through the Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. I even temporarily gave into my husband and rode two rollercoasters: Space Mountain and Splash Mountain.







That night we went to Downtown Disney where we ate at the Rainforest Cafe and then shopped.



On the third day of the vacation, we first went to Animal Kingdom. Since the Everest rollercoaster was not running, the only stop at Animal Kingdom was the safari.





After the Animal Safari, we decided to spend the rest of the day at Blizzard Beach, one of the two DisneyWorld water parks. I had not intended to go swimming during my October vacation, but was really glad that I packed my swimsuit. Since I have a huge fear of heights, while Josh and Dean went on the way-too-tall-and-steep "Summit Plummet" slide, Glenda and I lounged, floating through the circular river pool. We then all went on some of the fun, yet not-so-steep rides.

We ate at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. Glenda ordered the conch fritters. Josh and I had never eaten them before, but they were very good. I had the crab cake sandwich for dinner, which was great. Josh had the Volcano Nachos (unsurprisingly, like the name, the nachos were huge). The night ended with watching fireworks from right outside of the Magic Kingdom.





The final day of our vacation was spent at the MGM Studios. I once again faced my fear of heights, as I went on both the Tower of Terror and the Aerosmith Rockin' Rollercoaster. I thought that the Tower of Terror was a one-way drop, so I was definitely surprised when it went up-and-down-and-up.... After that, we rode the Aerosmith rollercoaster. I was definitely scared, but it was over quickly - and now I can say that I rode every rollercoaster that Josh did (only because Everest wasn't working in the Animal Kingdom). A visit to MGM Studios would not be complete without the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, so Josh, Dean and I watched that right before we all left for the airport.

It's been a busy year... Part I

This past year was pretty crazy for Josh and I. Last December, my grandfather passed away, Josh had law school finals (the whole month before finals is just not fun) and we found out the condo we were renting had sold (it was on the market, so it was not a total shock).

We ended up finishing our move into storage and to my parents' home during a rainy, chilly Christmas Eve. Our house was still being built, and wouldn't be ready until February. We had a good Christmas. A few weeks later, I was able to track down a Wii shipment at a Target. I woke Josh up and we drove to SuperTarget - only to be the oldest Wii customers by about 10 years. We set it up that day, and had a lot of fun playing it with my family.

A few weeks later, in January, Josh and I went to check on the status of the house. On the way back, we went to Petsmart to get Sadie some toys. We came out with Perry, since it was dog adoption day and I couldn't let him go.



It took Sadie a while to get accustomed to Perry, but they were used to each other by the time that we moved to our house in mid-February. It also helped that Perry grew in size - he could not only stand up to Sadie, but he was finally trained to do his business outside (a great change). When we first brought Perry home, Sadie would frequently stand over him. A few months later, Sadie was running under Perry.

I had carried over some vacation, which enabled me to take the week of Josh's spring break off in March. This helped us get settled in the house. Immediately following the vacation, I went on my first overseas trip. During my business trip, I was able to view the Dutch countryside, Antwerp and Brussels. In Antwerp, I was able to sight-see for a couple of hours. While walking through the city, I saw the Cathedral of our Lady and the Town Hall. I had never been anywhere like Antwerp before - the cobblestone streets and different types of buildings were incredible to see.








A week later, I traveled to Santa Barbara for business. I did not venture far from the hotel (I was there for less than 48 hours, and most of those hours were spent working or sleeping). I did, however, get a great view of the Pacific from the hotel.





April was a much quieter month. I was able to participate as a witness in a fake trial for Josh, which was a lot of fun. In May, my sister Alicia and Josh's sister Bethany both graduated, which meant we spent a weekend in College Station. Since it was time for Josh's Corps of Cadets fish (freshman when he was a senior) to get their senior boots, Josh also was able to catch up with a lot of his buddies. It was right around that time that we started dog training with Sadie and Perry. Having two dogs can be great - but it makes training much harder. As soon as one dog messes up, the other one is back to square one.

In June and July, Josh and I joined a gym and started cooking more (and eating healthier foods). He also started his summer job at the City of Houston as an intern . There he was able to try several jury trials - and he won all of them! June 4 was our second anniversary. This year, we spent our anniversary at dog training. One day we will actually celebrate our wedding anniversary!

In August, Josh went back to school to start his third (and final) year of law school. I got accepted to graduate school for a master's degree in education - a day after school started. Since my co-worker resigned, I ended up traveling more than expected, and will now not be going to grad school - after much thought and prayer, I thought it was better to spend more time with my family... especially with my workload getting much, much higher (still hasn't gone down - but I do like being busy).

In September, the work travel ramped up. I was doing training at regional meetings, and the first was in Kuala Lumpur. I got the necessary vaccinations, packed and headed over on a long flight. Including layover time, it took over 30 hours. Even if you're able to fly business class, flying overseas is just not fun - I often get off the plane feeling more disgusting than I do outside in Houston in the middle of the summer.

In Kuala Lumpur, I was staying at a hotel overlooking the Petronas Tower and the KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Centre). We even were able to eat at a place in one of the towers and could walk in the corridor connecting the two towers (which is normally closed off).



It was incredible to just be in Kuala Lumpur. I never had thought that I would be able to go to Asia - especially for a business trip! The sights were amazing, but the best part of the trip was meeting all of my co-workers. It's one thing to NetMeeting with, e-mail and call people, and its a completely different thing to see them face-to-face.

One day was set aside for team building, and it was a lot of fun. We first visited a pewter museum and factory - the Royal Selangor Visitor Centre. After the tour, we were able to experience the "School of Hard Knocks" - where you can mold your own pewter plate.



After that, we went to a batik store, where they handpaint all of the batik. Following that, our group went to the Batu Caves, which were incredible to visit.







A week after I returned to the U.S., I went to a seminar and meeting in Las Vegas. Josh was able to accompany me for the first two days. The first night we ate dinner at the Bellagio Buffet (a wide range of food, including some great cream of asparagus soup), then we walked from the Bellagio, where we stayed, to the end of the strip!



The next day, Josh ended up winning over $400 playing craps - and he only started with $60! We actually came out ahead in Las Vegas. That night we had a cocktail hour in the Bellagio, followed by dinner at Michael Mina, a great seafood restaurant in the Bellagio. I had the Dover Sole (my favorite type of fish), while Josh had the Kobe Beef. Unfortunately, he got sick that night and only had a bite or two of his dinner, which meant many of our dollars went down the drain - paying for a barely eaten meal!



By the next night, Josh was feeling better. We were both glad he was, as it was his last night there and we were having dinner at Picasso restaurant, which was incredible. While everyone in our group got a similar menu, the food was amazing. There are several original Picasso works of art in the restaurant, and the table at which we were seated had a prime window view of the Bellagio fountains. Our favorite part was the Pan Seared U-10 Day Boat Scallop with Potato Mousseline and Jus de Veau.



Following the great dinner, we went outside to watch the Bellagio fountains move to "Singin' in the Rain." Soon after, Josh had to leave for the airport. The rest of the trip, I mainly spent time working, but did have a lot of fun.

Texas Winter

This weekend, we experienced "sweater weather" - Texas winter time. Overall the weekend has been very enjoyable.... even though we battled our fair share of traffic and crowds going Christmas shopping.

This morning Sadie fought with the evil vacuum cleaner.


Josh and I took Sadie and Perry to the East End Park, where there are trails that go by lakes and through a meadow. They had a lot of fun.



Josh also got some good photos.



Josh and I then found a great, well-priced seafood restaurant nearby where he could get all-you-can-eat catfish (and one plate really was more than he could eat). We got home, and for the first time, put Christmas lights on outside. There's not much out there now, but we'll get some outdoor decorations during the after Christmas sales.

I also finally baked - Cream Cheese-Swirled Brownies from Cooking Light. Josh really likes cream cheese-anything, so they were well-received.



Josh and I finally made the Christmas Pasta dish... it is not something we will make frequently - maybe a once-per-winter meal. As always, we made some small changes. I added cinnamon and we used rotini instead, since we could purchase a whole wheat version.



I'm thankful for... Sundays

A Sunday well-spent brings a week of content.
- A Proverb

Hound Heroes

Today was the first real weekend day Josh and I were able to spend real time with each other - which meant a lot of errands and Potbelly sandwiches for lunch!

Last night was a "pseudo date night" for us. Our laundry washer and dryer both seem to be broken now, so we spent our Friday night at a laundromat... something which we had never done together. I realized that some of the worst TV shows are shown on Friday night. Since we had seven loads of laundry, we were at the laundromat for quite some time... and didn't feel like putting everything away once we did get home.

That laziness made for some interesting playtime with our dogs today. Sadie, the 2-year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi, discovered my old laundry bag from college, as it was out for the first time in years.



Because of her very quick attachment to the bag, she ended up playing with it quite a bit. A few hours later, Super Sadie appeared! Her mission? To protect the laundry bag from thieves, of course!



Not to be outdone, Perry, our 1 year old Golden Retriever / German Shepherd mix, had an alterego of his own. Perry stood up and become Perry the Courageous. His mission was to ensure attention was given to household canines at all times!




I'm thankful for... being able to spend time with my husband!

There's no need to fear, Underdog is here.

When criminals in this world appear,
And break the laws that they should fear,
And frighten all who see or hear,
The cry goes up both far and near for
Underdog,
Underdog,
Underdog,
Underdog.

Speed of lightning, roar of thunder,
Fighting all who rob or plunder
Underdog, Underdog.

When in this world the headlines read
Of those who's hearts are filled with greed
And rob and steal from those in need.
To right this wrong with blinding speed goes
Underdog,
Underdog,
Underdog,
Underdog.

Speed of lightning, roar of thunder,
Fighting all who rob or plunder
Underdog, Underdog.

- Theme from Underdog -

It's game time!

This week I took my last business trip of the year. I had the opportunity to go to a Washington Wizards game. Sadly until I got the meeting invitation, I had no idea that the Washington Wizards were a team, much less one in the NBA!

The trip was fun, but it is good to be back. Josh finishes his finals tonight, so this weekend we'll get to decorate our yard and house with Christmas lights. I'll finally also make the Rachael Ray recipe for Christmas Pasta for Josh - a year after we planned on making it. It requires four types of meat - a rather hearty meal not intended for summer. This past weekend, we actually could find ground veal at Central Market. This next week will be the first time in a long time to try and just cook at home, so we'll see how we do!

I'm thankful for... Josh's finals almost being over!

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.
- Albert Einstein

Let's get this party started!

This weekend has been interesting. Normally Josh and I are homebodies, so we don't venture out much unless it involves eating out or buying food. This weekend we both had holiday parties - an annual recognition dinner at work for me - and a law school class party for him.

The food was great at both. At the dinner, we ate at Jasper's in the Woodlands and I now need to add mascarpone polenta and homemade butterfinger to my list of recipes to try.

I go on another business trip tomorrow. The day after I return, Josh will be done with finals. We then plan on cooking more. We've realized we both enjoy cooking a lot more when we do it together. On Thursday we ended up cooking our favorite meal -
adapted from a Giada de Laurentiis recipe - Fusilli with Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes. Over time, we've changed it a bit - we always use fresh mozzarella and whole wheat penne. We swap the sausage for lean ground turkey, use canned artichokes and replace the fresh herbs with dried italian seasoning. That way, we almost always have all the ingredients in our kitchen. The last time I picked up sun-dried tomatoes from HEB, they only had them julienned, not whole. It actually makes a big difference in the taste, so I know need to be sure I find whole sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil.

Now that the sun sets earlier, I don't get home until after dark. That means that we cannot take the dogs to the Kingwood Dog Park unless there is a day on the weekend where the ground won't be soaking wet and muddy (We've already given the dogs two baths this week, so this weekend the drier ground was a strict requirement.). Here are the dogs in my CR-V after another visit to the dog park. No matter how much time I spend with them, the dog park is what really calms them down.

Now that Josh and I are settled in the house, we're finding it hard to think of things we'd like for Christmas. After visiting the very swanky (not to mention HUGE - three apartments rolled into one) Galleria-area condo of his law school professor, we agreed that it is finally time to start painting the house. We will likely start with the bedroom - and I'm thinking about using the color scheme associated with Martha Stewart Colors paint MS234 - Cake Stand Blue. This means that we'll move all of our Texas A&M wall hangings to the main area (the walls are looking a bit bare - they could stand to be utilized a bit more) and we get to replace the bedding. I'm particularly excited about the bedding replacement. Since our dogs do run and jump on the bed (which we do allow), it just means that the bedding does wear more quickly than under other circumstances.

I'm thankful for... Christmas time - and a renewed perspective

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose.
Dr. Seuss

Recipe Regulating & Crafting

In 2006 I subscribed to 5 magazines. While it was nice to receive the different issues at different times, it did amount to a lot of paper... and a lot of unused recipes. I checked this weekend - I still have not used half of my cookbooks, so the Tuesday night Sonic burger special will have to stop so I can actually change this. Since I'm a strangely picky eater, last Thursday I started going through all of my old Martha Stewart, Every Day with Rachael Ray, EveryDay Food and "Airport" magazines. While it was not the most exciting or ergonomic-friendly activity, the tried or "to try" recipes now fit in two small binders, and are (almost completely) organized by type. I am clearly easily entertained, but this exercise has made me realize that I really don't use the magazines as effectively, and that for whatever reason, most of the magazines do not capture my interest as much as their earlier content did.

Before:


After:


Once I finish organizing all the recipes, I may finally continue working on my knitting project from August, a baby blanket. The types of knitting techniques are somewhat new, particularly picking up stitches. It requires twelve different blocks, which I will knit together and surround with a blue border. I've been stuck on number six since August.



It is somewhat odd that I now tend to organize between business trips. I leave next Monday for another trip (this time domestic). Between two earlier trips, I organized every single closet in our house. It's amazing how much two 24 year olds can accumulate over time. This current recipe clean-out will likely be the last organizational activity for a while. Luckily, it has not only resulted in a more organized, consolidated "recipe center" in the breakfast nook, it has also provided me with a fairly lengthy reading list of food-related books. A few months ago, I read "Heat" by Bill Buford, which was about his experience going from an at-home cook (in spare time) to a prep cook in one of Mario Batali's kitchen and even to Italy. Now I'm in them middle of by "A Cook's Tour" Anthony Bourdain, which gives an interesting perspective on food and culture around the world.

Here is the list of books that I captured during my recent "clean-out", which may be interesting to any foodies. Some are cookbooks, which I tend to enjoy just browsing through (explaining the current 50% cookbook utilization):

• Mission: Cook! My Life, My Recipes and Making the Impossible Easy by Robert Irvine
• The Grits (Girls Raised in the South) Guide to Life by Plume
• Chas Addams Half-Baked Cookbook by Chas Addams
• The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless and Foolishly Simple Entertaining by Erika Lenkert
• Sauces by James Peterson
• On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee
• La Cocina de Mama by Penelope Casas
• River Road Recipes by the Junior League of Baton Rouge
• Lost Recipes by Marion Cunningham
• Once Upon a Tart by Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau with Carolyn Carreno
• Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid
• The Foods of the Greek Isalnsa by Aglaia Kremezi
• Spooning by Darri Stephens and Megan Desales
• Love, Life and Linguine by Melissa Jacobs
• Cooking for Mr. Right by Susan Volland
• Nirmala’s Kitchen by Nirmala Narine
• French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano
• The Farms in Provence by M.F.K. Fisher
• The United States of Arugula by David Kamp
• How I Learned to Cook (A Collection of Stories from Chefs)
• Red, White and Drunk All Over by Natalie MacLean
• Healthy Living from the Inside Out by Mariel Hemingway
• Stealing Buddha’s Dinner by Bich Minh Nguyen
• The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn
• The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food by Judith Jones
• Café Indiana by Joanne Raetz Stuttgen
• The Berghoff Family Cookbook by Jan and Catlyn Berghoff
• At Oma’s Table by Doris Schechter
• The Basics by Filip Verheyden
• Beard on Food: The Best Recipes and Kitchen Wisdom from the Dean of American Cooking by James Beard
• Elizabeth Falkner’s Demolition Desserts: Recipes from Citizen Cake by Elizabeth Falkner
• The Country Cooking of France by Anne Willan
• My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals by Melanie Dunea
• Geoffrey Zakarian’s Town / Country: 150 Recipes for Life Around the Table by Geoffrey Zakarian
• A Year in the World: Journeys of a Passionate Traveler by Frances Mayes
• The Healthy Jewish Cookbook by Michael van Straten
• Saucepans and the Single Girl: Bachelor-bait Recipes and Dazzling Ideas for Entertaining by Jinx Morgan and Judy Perry

I'm thankful for... actually finding organizing to be enjoyable... it can make work more interesting and help prevent boredom in a very stir-crazy person!

Peter Walsh’s F.A.S.T. Plan for Clutter

Fix a time to de-clutter
Anything not used for 12 months — if it hasn’t been used in a year, get rid of it
Someone else’s stuff — if it doesn’t belong to you, it has to go
Trash — unusable items and garbage definitely should be tossed

(Source: Peter Walsh article on quickandsimple.com)