Livin' and Lovin' in the ROC city

Open Letters Friday

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Dear Gas:

Hey, thanks! From where I’m sitting $3.79/gallon sure beats the $4.16/gallon I paid two weeks ago. :-) Keep up the good work.

Sincerely, Lara.

Dear Construction Season:

Bllllluuuuuggghhhh!!!!!!

Sincerely, Lara.

Dear Nordstrom Rack:

Please go out of business. Or at least start carrying more hideous merchandise. You are too tempting to me although you top my self-prescribed list of places I am not allowed to enter until we A) make more money and B) live in a less expensive house to rent. Although I beg of you to offer a bit of adorable and affordable honeymoon gear for the husband and I, I also wish you would not exist. It’s a complicated world we live in.

Sincerely, Lara.

Dear Anderson Township Public Swimming Pool:

Where the hell are you!?

Sincerely, Lara.

Dear Mama Spider:

Today I noticed that you are missing from the little spot where you and your nest reside on the inner hinge of our storm door. I’ve grown accustomed to your presence and to looking up at least four times a day to see if you are still there every single time I enter and exit. And you have been for at least two weeks….until today. Where did you go? This may sound quite contradictory considering I have an intense fear of your species, but I’ve grown rather fond of you and your little nook because at least I know exactly where you are. Please come back so I can continue to live in peace knowing exactly where you are and exactly where you are not (read: my bed).

Sincerely, Lara.

Dear Printers:

What. Gives. Do you not like us anymore? We’ve lost two of you in the past two weeks. Sure the office is hotter than blazes because we’re too cheap to turn on the a.c., but is crapping out on us the only way to work this through? We regularly maintenance you with fresh ink, we give you a safe home, we don’t overwork you, and when you do malfunction I’ve learned to harness my anger and not beat you senseless until you work again. I thought we had an agreement – and just because we had five of you doesn’t mean you all weren’t very special to us in your own way. In conclusion, please stop dropping like flies because printerless is a very inconvenient thing to be.

Sincerely, Lara.

P.S. You may be wondering why on earth a two-person family needs five printers. An excellent question. I had a printer and Ted had a printer and then we got married and we had two printers – it’s all very Brady Bunch of us. That’s pretty normal, right? Well, Ted also does a lot of high quality photo printing for theatre-related jobs, so while he was in grad school at MSU, in came the large-format photo printer for his company TOR Ventures. And when BoarsHead Theatre closed and the city was going to tear down the building, a perfectly functional ink jet desk printer and an extra large-scale plotter for printing light plots were left orphaned. Enter printers 4 and 5. Would you turn down a free plotter? No, I didn’t think so. So, we still have the plotter and the photo printer and my printer/copier/scanner, but I’d say the loss of two printers in two weeks is a little mysterious.

Anyway, Happy Friday! Today is living proof that it doesn’t rain in Cincinnati all the time. Just most of the time. Today is a lovely, hot, sunny day. In fact, I have a batch of peach tea brewing on the front porch right now. With any luck it will be tasty and spider-free when I go to retrieve it, just how I like it.

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Cheeseburgers are Paradise

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There are, in my humble estimation, only three cheeseburgers out there worth the calories. I don’t eat them often, but every once every few months I get an insatiable craving for a fat, messy, flavorful cheeseburger. And if I’m going to pack on the pounds to eat a cheeseburger, I’m going to splurge and eat a cheeseburger. A huge, oozy, cheeseburger stuffed with ketchup, mustard, a smidge of mayo, pickles, onions, lettuce, and tomato. My top picks?

1. Culver’s Double Butter Cheeseburger. Okay, now you can say this is just a fast food chain, but Culver’s makes the most amazing cheeseburgers out there. They are my absolute favorite and so worth every single calorie – of which there are many I’m certain. They’re made of Wisconsin meat and cheese and they’re sloppy and drippy and greasy and cheesy and the patties aren’t perfectly round and the pickles are crisp. It is totally perfect. If you haven’t tried one, you have no idea what you’re missing. Get thee to a Culver’s immediately. The crinkle fries and milkshakes aren’t terrible either. In fact, you pretty much cannot top this meal.

2. Kopp’s. This joint only has three locations that I know of – all of which are in Milwaukee. Every time we find ourselves in Milwaukee, this is a must stop place. Like, it makes the to-do list. Their cheeseburgers are huge – really short but wide and stuffed with the toppings of your choice. The messier the better! I literally dream of this place when I know we’re headed to Milwaukee. Yes, it’s that good.

3. Five Guys. This one’s a recent discovery. A chain, yes, but its not really all that noticeable. When a Culver’s and/or a Kopp’s are unavailable or a really freaking long way away, this is a worthy replacement. Obviously I’m into messy burgers with tons of flavor – of which this has both. Good stuff! And it’s even better stuff since it’s the only one of the three that we actually have in Cincinnati.

Well, now that you’ve read more than you’ve ever wanted to read about cheeseburgers (sorry vegetarians!), I have to tell you that tonight was one of those nights. A night I was absolutely desperately craving a cheeseburger. Specifically, a Culver’s cheeseburger…with crinkle cut fries. Not exactly on my healthy eating for life plan by any means, but yesterday was an exception. My dumb people tolerance quota for the day had been breached by noon, there was a long after-work work meeting had me reeling and starving with no time to make a proper meal at home if we had any hopes of eating before 9:30 p.m. It just felt like a great night to splurge. So we did. We got back in the car and drove 25 miles south to our nearest Culver’s in Florence, KY. You don’t need to point out that we drove for nearly an hour, in the rain, and wasted about $15 in gas for a cheeseburger – we already know how ridiculous that is.

You know you're in Kentucky when..., and yes, that does say "Florence y'all!" I told you we had to drive a ways to get there - to the South, apparently.
Oh, Culvers! I was so happy to see you!!
This, my friends, is a cheeseburger. You can't even see all the greatness inside, but already you can tell that it's amazing. And it was. Straight off the grill, hot, fresh, and even more magnificent once the cheese melted! I may be biased, but the pickle on top is a really nice touch, don't you think?
Piping hot and crinkly!
This little one agrees. There were two of them hanging out in the parking lot. If I were a goose looking for handouts, I'd be at Culver's too. You think Culver's will sponsor my blog? Talk about publicity.

Happy Thursday! I bet I know what you’re eating with that beer tomorrow night after work… ;-)

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Let Me Count the Ways

Around here we’re pretty big falmons (falmons = fans of salmon). Once a month or so I stock up on dirt cheap Manager’s Special salmon (read: salmon fillets with a “use by tomorrow” date) and freeze it. We eat salmon once or twice a week, often for about $1.50 per person (which in salmon world is pretty flopping awesome – haha, get it?). We love salmon, but eating it the same way every time could get old after a while. Recently I tried a new salmon recipe and it was really tasty. So, for you fellow falmons out there, I’d like to share a few of my favorite (and fairly healthy for the most part!) salmon jazzer-uppers with you. You could probably substitute in another similar fish of your choice if you wish. You can thank me later. I’m not crafty enough to think up these creations all on my lonesome. So I’ll give credit where credit is due – to the blog Annie’s Eats (which always features incredible looking recipes – you really should check it out!) and our good friends over at AllRecipes.com. I’ve obviously tweaked them all a touch, but they’re still quite tasty and worth a try if you like fish. If not, you may be bored for the next 10 minutes. In which case, tune in in a day or two for a non-seafood related topic of discussion.

  • Maple Salmon – stir together 1/4 cup of sugar-free maple syrup, 1 teaspoon of lite soy sauce, 2 cloves of fresh minced garlic, a sprinkle of ground black pepper, and a blob of ginger paste (I told you I use ginger like a madwoman). Pour the marinade over a fillet of salmon, wrap salmon and marinade in tinfoil and set in the fridge for 30 minutes. Transfer to a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes (depending on the thickness of your salmon). Great with green beans and rice.
  • Firecracker Salmon – mix a bit of vegetable oil or peanut oil, lite soy sauce, balsalmic vinegar, green onions, brown sugar, fresh minced garlic, ginger paste (you can’t escape!), sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and salt to taste into a marinade. Marinade and refrigerate overnight and cook on the grill or in the oven. I’d serve this with a bowl of black beans, fresh corn on the cob and a few avocado slices.
  • Lemon Dill Salmon – sprinkle raw salmon with garlic salt, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and fresh dill a more traditional salmon. Since this is so simple, I would think nearly any side would work well – mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, mixed veggies, etc.
  • Strawberry Salmon – in a bowl combine fresh diced strawberries, some green onion and parsley, a dash of red wine vinegar, a bit of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, a bit of honey, and salt and pepper to taste. Use to top cooked salmon after cooking and before serving. This would be awesome with a fresh spinach salad topped with some fruit and nuts and a side of grilled asparagus.
  • Candied Salmon – mix a bit of brown sugar with a little oil and a dab of Dijon mustard. Spread over salmon along with some chopped candied pecans and cook in the oven – or on a cedar plank if you have one. Mmm. A set of cedar planks is most definitely on my to-acquire list! Candied salmon is always a good compliment to lemon wild rice pilaf and carrots, peas or broccoli.
  • Tropical Salmon – top salmon with thin slices of brie cheese and small pieces of fresh mango before cooking. Great served with brown rice and a veggie like broccoli!
  • Crusted Salmon – combine panko bread crumbs, fresh parsley, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and black pepper, and a touch of olive oil. Mix in a bowl until evenly coated. Brush each raw salmon fillet with a bit of mustard and salt and pepper to give the bread crumbs something to stick to. Press panko mixture onto each fillet and cook each fillet in vegetable oil, panko side down, in a skillet on the stove for a few minutes to brown. Finish baking in oven.
  • Creamy Dill Salmon – mix lite sour cream, low fat mayo, some finely chopped onion, lemon juice, a touch of horseradish (if you dare), dill weed, garlic salt, and salt and pepper to season. You can sprinkle pre-cooked salmon with some fresh squeezed lemon and garlic salt, then top with creamy dill sauce and bake.
  • Phyllo Wrapped Salmon – brush phyllo dough with melted butter and layer together to create a thicker crust. Top seasoned salmon with some goat cheese and wrap with phyllo dough. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set, then bake.
  • Salmon Burgers – for this one you combine freshly diced red pepper, panko bread crumbs, fresh minced garlic, skinned and chopped salmon fillets, one beaten egg white, a bit of lite soy sauce, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a little salt. Use a bit of vegetable oil to grill the mixture above into salmon patties. Combine garlic, low fat mayo, cilantro, a dash of cayenne pepper and lemon juice to make a cilantro mayo sauce. Add a bun, lettuce, onion, and tomato to complete. I’d serve with baked sweet potato fries with a light honey lime dip!
So, now that you’ve been sufficiently schooled in the multitude of ways to prepare salmon (and you’re probably good and hungry), I hope you have an inspired dinner tonight. In fact, I think I’ll be making some salmon tonight as well. A well deserved break from the chaos of honeymoon planning!! It’s been crazy lately but we’ve gotten a lot of stuff booked and a lot accomplished. I’ll be back with more updates lated :-)
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We’ve Got a Golden Ticket!

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Guess what’s officially booked?

A HONEYMOON.

That’s right. A honeymoon/Ted’s birthday/Lara’s birthday vacation extravaganza.

Is there a better way to spend your belated yet much-anticipated honeymoon than far far away from work and on a rad vacation during your joint birthday week? No. No, there is not.

In other seemingly less exciting news given the current circumstances, I made my first Pad Thai dish for dinner tonight…although I did do it the weenie way because I used a pre-made sauce instead of making my own. But the rest of it was made from scratch and it was absolutely delicious. Those will be some tasty leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Come visit and I’ll make it for you :-)

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A Cold One

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Because Duke Energy gets such a kick out of charging a near fortune for basic heating and cooling needs, we tend to leave our unit set to “off.” Lately, this means that when we arrive home after work the main level of the house is between 78 and 80 degrees while upstairs is nearing 90. We retreat to the basement where it is in the 60s or low 70s. Using the stove and oven to cook dinner heats the kitchen to a muggy 85+ degrees. The last thing we want to do is sit down to a hot meal. Since one can only handle so many varieties of salads and sub sandwiches a week, and I don’t specialize in gourmet chilled soups (um, yet), I’ve been at a loss for cold dishes worthy of a suppertime meal. I have a few new cold recipes up my sleeve that I’ve bookmarked, and hopefully some are keepers. But there is one cool recipe that Ted and I both really like. I make a mean chicken salad and it is so good! There’s one special ingredient that I think really makes this recipe stand out.

In my chicken salad I toss random and totally unmeasured amounts of freshly cooked chopped chicken, cut up red or green grapes, thinly sliced celery and onion, fresh parsley from my herb garden, some dried cherries or dried cranberries, a small amount of low fat mayonnaise, some lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to flavor, and – for that special touch – a hearty teaspoonful of ground ginger (the thick paste in a little glass jar found in the produce aisle). I serve the chicken salad cold, spooned atop a bed of fresh romaine lettuce leaves and sometimes sprinkled with almonds slivers. Use the lettuce leaves as a wrap – works great! If you want to jazz it up or really turn it into a feast, serve with a croissant and fresh red apple slices.

It seems really simple, and it is. You have to try it and don’t you dare leave out the ginger!! I’m convinced that’s what makes it so yummy. It’s so unexpected and refreshing that I actively seek out recipes that call for ginger.

Enjoy! :-)

P.S. – How perfectly ironic. Thank you to the genius who put two and two together. This. is. beautiful.

Oh, I’m sorry, did you want a closer look at those monstrosities?

Now those, my friends, are two ugly hats. Am I right or am I right?

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The Benefits of Losing Your Mind

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Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself.

I’m a tidy, detail-oriented person – almost to a fault, but my great organizational lapse of 2011 takes the cake. Yesterday HR called to inform me that I had an outstanding paycheck from March that hadn’t been cashed yet.

Um, what? I apparently forgot to cash an entire paycheck you say? Oh, look at that. I sure did. There it is, all signed and ready to go, but somehow left un-cashed in my “old pay stubs” file. Yeah, no wonder our March finances seemed so tight and it felt like we had no money that month. How the actual cashing of this paycheck so we could…you know…eat, pay bills, and live got past me, I have no idea.

But what a pleasant surprise it is to get paid twice this week and suddenly have money to contribute to our budget that we definitely weren’t expecting. It’s like finding a neglected and forlorn twenty in your back pocket from three weeks ago, but 20 times better. A welcome treat indeed!

Maybe I should lose my mind more often.

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Ants, Truffles and Letters – The Makings of Summer

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Our first conversation this morning went something like this:

“Hey dude, there’s these little black bugs all over the bathroom…”

” (crunch, crunch goes the Cinnamon Toast Crunch) Like, ants?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. They’re tiny little black bugs. I guess they could be ants. But they’re everywhere.”

” (looking) Oh hey, look at that. Yup, those are ants.”

“But they weren’t here last night before we went to bed. It’s like they literally appeared overnight.”

“They did.”

“Ummmm?”

“We turned on the a.c. for the first time last night. They’re like me. They like the cold.”

“Huh.”

Spraying the walls, baseboards, windows and cabinets in the entire house for ants, it’s how everyone likes to spend their Wednesday morning before work. Am I right? We expect them to make a hasty and non-returning exit from our residence by this afternoon. I reopened my bathroom cabinet about 30 minutes later to find a pile of a dozen or so dead ants at the base of my Listerine bottle. Tasty.

On a slightly less critter-infested note, I was awarded Employee of the Month yesterday. Likely for being the least offensive person in April. A real shock, I know. Most enticing is the fact that this honor comes with a prize of the “treat of your choice,” for which I chose Oreo truffles (recipe here).

Your drooling is justified.

These are more than easy enough to make on my own, but if someone else wants to do it for me, so be it. Award happily accepted. These balls of magnificence are truly awesome. I suggest you make and devour them immediately. Girl’s night anyone?

Also, have you seen today’s Google image? A tribute to dancer and choreographer Martha Graham, mother of modern/contemporary dance, on the celebration of her 117th birthday. I always get a little giddy to see artsy achievements properly boasted and celebrated in our society. I danced in Orchesis, a modern dance company, for three years at Texas State University. I instantly recognized this morning’s fun animation as that of dance and was pleased.

To keep you updated, same old same old. More working for both of us – jobs, road cases, job hunting, arts ed. work – more honeymoon research. More anticipating the arrival of summer and all the fun things that will happen. In keeping with my recently-started tradition, I’d like to enlighten you with some open letters to the public. My favorites!

Dear Cincinnati Drivers:

A red light, especially one that has been red for several seconds already, means STOP. To the two fools I witnessed zooming through an already red light on Beechmont Avenue this morning at about 8:57…what were you thinking? I stopped. You should have too. Furthermore, FAIL. Learn to drive without endangering the rest of civilization or get off the road.

P.S. A chihuahua is not an appropriate driver’s side window accessory.

Sincerely,

Lara

Dear Cincinnati Weather Gods,

Let’s talk about this humidity for a minute, shall we? See, Texas is hot. Ohio is humid. It may only be in the upper 70s or low 80s, but the humidity makes everything sticky, my skin shiny, my hair unruly and my husband grouchy. Please tone it down a bit. This is just one of those things nobody warns you about when you move to a new place. On a positive note, thanks for not snowing!

Sincerely,

Lara

Dear Modcloth, Lulu’s, 6PM, GoJane, ShopRuche, Dillards, Macy’s and Nordstrom Rack,

So many adorable dresses, so little money!! Please send me free dresses.

Sincerely,

Lara

Dear Ross stores,

I appreciate your cute dresses too. But mostly I appreciate the fact that you are cheap and therefore I could probably afford a few new frocks for our honeymoon vacay. Why are you not in Ohio again? Please franchise to Cincinnati. See you in Texas!

Sincerely,

Lara

Dear Blackberry crop,

You are fantastic this year. I eat about a bag of you for lunch daily. Keep up the good work. In fact, if you stay this delicious I’ll award you a Berry of the Month certificate and the obligatory Oreo Truffle prize as well. I think that’s fair incentive. I mean, worked for me.

P.S. I love you!

Sincerely,

Lara

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Looking Ahead

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Did you watch the Kentucky Derby? We did. All that money, hype, and lengthy preparations for a little over two minutes of race time. Impressive, isn’t it? A few months back we were actually considering shelling out the fairly minimal entrance fee for the standing-room-only section at the Derby grounds where you don’t actually see the race live (though TV’s are positioned throughout) but you do get to stand and line the pathway that the horses and their jockeys take as they parade toward the starting line. Unfortunately work intervened with that plan, but there’s always next year. We’d love to go to the derby next year just to experience the excitement of an event of that caliber. I was rooting for the female jockey and her horse “Pants on Fire.” We should take a moment to discuss the names of these horses. Who names them and WHY? Pants on Fire, Mucho Macho Man, Animal Kingdom…those poor horses. At least they look fantastic! So muscular and such shiny coats! Oh, and the hats! Did you see some of the hats at this shindig? With the close timing proximity of the Royal Wedding to the Kentucky Derby this is without a doubt ludicrous hat season. Major works of art, to say the least. My glamorous floppy-brimmed black sun hat that I’m planning to don on our honeymoon (because, let’s be honest, where else is it an appropriate accessory?) absolutely pales in comparison to the other creations out there. Good stuff, my friends!
 
Meanwhile, Ted (with a little bit of my help) has been putting together his workshop in our garage. He got a road-case building gig for a band from Wisconsin that he’s working on right now and last year he built a bunch of them for MSU’s theatre department as well. He makes fantastic road-cases! Really top quality, great looking, excellently fitting, sturdy cases to securely transport and protect tools, cables, lighting and audio equipment, etc. It would be a neat side business for his company TOR Ventures, in addition to his lighting designs and light rentals. He enjoys the work and it would turn a respectable profit if he can get his name out there. But even with the plethora of tools Ted already owns, it takes some heavy-duty machinery to construct these things. Enter the new chop saw with extending stand, bench drill press, and tool cabinet that have recently made their way into our home. Good investments indeed! Ted’s finally on his way to a fully functioning shop of sorts, which is something he’s wanted for a very long time. I occasionally miss a lot of the set-constructing work I used to do as an intern at BoarsHead – drilling, sawing, bolting, painting – so having the tools around is kind of fun for me too. Last night I helped Ted make a wooden table top for his new drill press and at nights I’ll probably help him with other stuff too. I’ll try to remember to post a picture of Ted’s new in-the-works shop.
 
We had a cold snap last week, but with the weather finally starting to clear up and the surprising absence of rain lately (I may be jinxing myself here), we’re finally getting to enjoy the great outdoors. Our lawn in still growing by the minute, so most of that great outdoors time is spent mowing, but we went for a short bike ride yesterday evening (Ted’s reminding me how to properly use bike gears on a hilly terrain because I was like, 10, and on flat ground the last time I used bike gears) and there’s hope of bonfires, cookouts on the grill, and bike riding and rollerblading in our future as well – probably in June once the CCM students are out for the summer and we both have some free nights and weekends again.
 
But we do have some really exciting things to look forward to this summer! For Memorial Day weekend at the end of May my sister and her family will be visiting us in Cincinnati. Four days after that I’ll be heading to San Antonio for the first weekend in June to see my family and friends. Ted’s sister and her family are slated to spend the 4th of July weekend with us in Cincy, then there’s a hopeful quick weekend trip to Lansing sometime in July (if we can get away!), our fabulous honeymoon at the end of August, and our 1-year anniversary weekend in Door County that will likely take place in September instead of October because of the CCM production schedule. Christmas will be in Texas, New Year’s Eve in Wisconsin and the jury is out on Thanksgiving, again depending on how much time we can get off for Thanksgiving. All perfectly excellent things to look forward to! And a lot of fun planning coming our way.
 
What are you looking forward to in the coming months?

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All Kinds of Leaving

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There’s going to be a lot of leaving going on in our lives. Most of it is the happy kind. Some of it isn’t. Like the leaving behind of my fingertip in the door frame of our front door yesterday morning.

Because the general preference is to end on a happy note, I’ll start with the sad kind of leaving first. Yesterday our dear cat Abby had to be put to sleep. She was a gorgeous calico we found at the shelter one day several years ago. She was an adult female with a limp on one of her hind legs – not the most popular combination for a cat adoption, which is partly why we wanted her – and she was the prettiest, sweetest girl with the loudest motor purr ever – we just couldn’t leave her there. She had to have a home; she deserved a great home. When we adopted her, they told us they thought she was only about 4 years old and didn’t know where her limp came from, but yesterday our vet said he thought she was closer to 16 years old. She had her share of medical problems later in life, but she really was the most loving cat out there. Despite her bum leg, she’d scurry up the chair or onto the bed and be in your lap in a second. She’d spend hours there completely content, nudging to be continually pet and cuddled until she fell asleep. She also loved to be brushed – grooming day could not come soon enough and she enjoyed every minute of it. She adored human food and would eat nearly anything she could beg off your plate….and beg she did. Often. Every meal. In her younger days if you didn’t tuck the chairs in she’d be up on the kitchen table instantaneously, whisker-deep in chicken, eggs, salmon, pudding, vegetables, rice, fruit, milk, martinis – whatever she discovered up there was fair game. And heaven help you if she found out you had ice cream. That was game over for your solo dining experience. She loved my dad and followed him around the house every chance she got. She was terrified of baths and despised them whenever we had to scrub her in warm, soapy water. One day she was so scared of her bath that she actually peed on me. Her health has been deteriorating for the past few years and along with shots every few months to keep her in control of herself and pain free, she had a couple of strokes. This really was probably the best thing for her since she was suffering so much, but she was such a loving little girl that losing her has hit hard. She and Sancho were especially close, always cuddling up together on her pillow, so I think Sancho will have a hard time of it too, wondering where his buddy went. But I take comfort that she’s up in kitty heaven, hanging out with her other favorite pal Rufus. Much love to our Abby.


In much happier news, we have a few kinds of nice leaving coming along soon! I finally quit complaining, got off my ass and put in for a new passport under my new last name. To fill you in on all things terribly unimportant, I am wearing the same shirt in both my passport photo and Ohio driver’s license photo. How’s that for expert planning? But do you know what this really means? Sure I’m thrilled to have finally accomplished something that has been looming on my to-do list since November 8, but really, this was step 1 for booking our honeymoon! It’s not officially booked as we still have yet to receive the official production schedule for CCM’s 2011-2012 season so we choose a non show-date. I’ve been doing a ton of research lately and it seems that for the past two days the research has finally been instrumental in helping us to reach a decision. We have it narrowed down to a time frame in which we know we’ll be going (based on the results of the production schedule), we’re 99% positive that we’re sticking with the location we’ve selected, and tonight we made a final decision between the last two major factors we were debating over. But boy does it feel nice to have made some progress! We’re almost there and leaving for this vacation is definitely something to look forward to! Want a hint?

Those are your only two hints. Can you guess where we’re going?

Perhaps the most exciting news this week is that, as of today, I am officially booked on a flight home to my beloved Lone Star State and the great San Antonio! I’ll be deep in the heart of Texas (clap clap!) from Friday, June 3 – Monday, June 6! I am so excited to be going home for a weekend to see my parents, play with Sancho, hang out with my friends, and down some delicious eats!

You know what this means? I’m in town for two and a half days only…I’m taking reservations for time to spend with my nearest and dearest! If you have some free time that weekend and want to see me after a 9-month absence, let me know because I sure as heck want to see you! I won’t be home again until Christmas, so I hope your schedules are clear that weekend! So, let’s plan something :-)

P.S. – And is it just me or is The Big Bang Theory getting funnier every episode?

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Whining and Dining

The Dining:

I went on a cooking spree yesterday. Apparently I was feeling ambitious. I unintentionally spent 3.5 hours making my own salsa, Mexican rice, guacamole and taquitos. I also bought the makings for killer mint mojitos to wash it all down, but my energy and time limit on patience waned. That must mean that Friday night I’m in for a tasty treat.

Salsa ingredients
Delicious salsa
Mexican rice ingredients
Restaurant-style homemade Mexican rice. Enough to feed a party of 12, unfortunately. Dinner party at my place?
Taquito ingredients (minus the freshly cooked shredded chicken, which is not pictured because I'm a big dummy)
Yummy taquitos

Everything was really delicious, but in the future I’d probably skip out on the rice. Who knew rice could be so time consuming? I have enough leftover rice and salsa for another 4 meals and a freezer aching to be filled, and the taquitos are easy to make, so next time we’re in the mood for Mexican cuisine my effort should be significantly less substantial. Starting today I am working the next 9 days straight without a day off (welcome to Ted’s world) and I’m being a big old baby about it. So this is the last of the extravagant meals for few weeks. I’ll be sticking to delightful yet simple fare, like baked salmon with strawberry salsa and drizzled asparagus for the time being until my life calms down a little.

In other news I’ve been up to the same old same old. Still job hunting like a beast. Still agonizing over a honeymoon itinerary and making decisions.

Now onto the whining:

I’m terrible at making decisions. But when you’re spending a hefty chunk of hard-earned and well-saved money on something, you want it to be awesome, am I right? Especially when it comes to something special like a honeymoon. We want relaxation, luxury, adventure, time together, and lots of fun. Now, I know we can’t have it all, and I know that you can’t really plan for the perfect vacation because no matter where you choose to splurge, you could have an incredible time or a crummy time – that’s just the way the dice fall. But I’m of the sound resolve that with enough research and planning, it doesn’t hurt to be as prepared as possible now so we can just sit back, relax and enjoy later. So I research, then doubt, then research some more, then double back, then discover something new, then find us caught between multiple options without an obvious winner and a budget that I am quickly learning feels pretty inadequate for what we have in mind…and no end in sight. I wish there was a clear “best choice” and, oh yeah, another $1,000 would help tremendously. I’m thinking I should just turn this over to Ted and say “surprise me!” He’s smart, decisive, and has a nose for good fun. I’m clearly too analytical and indecisive for an undertaking this extreme.

In the meanwhile, all is well. Hope things are happy in your little corner of the globe. If you’re feeling up to a little adventure, drop by and visit….we’ve got a guest room and leftovers!

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