YEAH!! Jesse's coming to Colorado!!

I'm so excited, I just found out this week that me and Tony's great friend Jesse is coming out for a visit!!! I'm so excited for her to come out West and see where we live! She's coming at the end of April and Tony and I are already planning what to do/see. I always want to shove as much as possible into the visits that people make. I'm afraid it drives most people nuts, but really, I just don't want people to be disappointed or bored. And our time together always seems so short. The weather should be really nice so it will be perfect for driving up to the mountains. OR if we are feeling adventurous maybe some WHITE WATER RAFTING???
Ahh, so much to do and see!! Can't wait!!

La Petite Normandy

This is my favorite new place in Parker. It is a tiny French pastry and bread shop. It's quaint and tucked away in a shopping center not far from where we live. Every time I have gone it it has been the same 2 people behind the counter, a mother and her son. Their pastry's are so beautiful! Everything that I have had from there has been terrific. It makes me want to learn French and travel to the country where these shops are everywhere. It kind of reminds me of the little candy stores in Italy.
They have a sign on their door that they offer French lessons, so as soon as I'm through with school I think I'm going to try and take some lessons.

Green Beans Recipe

This recipe is super easy and really good! I found it in a vegetarian cook book and thought I would share:

1 1/4 pds. fresh green beans (you can also add wax beans to this)
salt
1/3 C. grated Parmigiano
1 1/2 T. cream cheese softened
1 1/2 t. Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 t. pepper
3 T. olive oil
1 T. white wine vinegar
1 T. water

cook beans until crisp-tender, approx. 5-7 minutes
drain and transfer

Blend parm, cream cheese, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender until combine.
Bring oil, vinegar, and water to a boil. Add hot mixture into blender at a low speed. Blend until thick and creamy.
Toss and Serve.

Bon Appetit!

Super Freakonomics - a Review

This book was a page turner, just as the last one, Freakonomics, was. I love how it makes you think about things in a new way and provides so much information on new ideas and the progressive steps people are taking. The research done for the book is abundent. If you are looking for a quick read and for something that will really open your eyes - I recommend this one.
One of the parts that I liked the most was about buying local. There has been a huge kick in recent years to buy your food from local farms and ranches. And while the authors were not advocating to stop this practice, they did write about how sometimes this is not always lessening your carbon footprint, because it often takes more energy to grow food/meat on a small scale than it does in producing on a large scale, despite the saved energy in transportation. I also liked the part about how people have really good intentions, like buying a Prius, yet go to the grocery store and buy meat, when cows are doing much more damage to the earth than driving a regular non-hybrid car.
I found this interesting because it is something we have been discussing all quarter in my sustainability class. Your footprint can be so big due to things you don't even think about, like eating meat and dairy. One of the big problems there is the water usage in raising beef and dairy cattle. We had to take a few quizes (online) to determine how much of an impact we as individuals were having on the earth - and I was blown away by my results. I feel that Tony and I really try to be conservative when it comes to energy. We have a modest size home, we keep the heat pretty low (never above 63), take short showers and believe if it's yellow let it mellow (TMI?), yet I had a pretty high score on both quizes. Oh, and we don't eat meat every day and when we do, lately, it's been only elk meat. I think that was probably one of the flaws of the quiz, they only asked if you eat meat and didn't discern between the types of meat.
Well, I digress, but if you like thinking about economics in a whole new way - check this book at (at your local library - save a tree!).

Will he or won't he

The Sports world is a-buzz with talk about Mauer. That's Joe Mauer I'm talking about, the best catcher in the MLB, who plays for the Twins. You know, the one I obsess about....the one I have been 10 feet from when they played the O's and got completely out of my mind nervous and crazy. My number 1 on the laminated list (similar to Ross's list on Friends).
Oh, Joe. What's going to happen? He's free agent after this season, and everyone is eager to see what the Twins do. There is no way that they are going to be able to pay what the Yankees (boo) or Boston can pay, but they are going to be able to pay more with the opening of the new stadium. The Twins are a farm club team without a big payroll. They develop superstars and then release them. They have never paid top dollar (look at Johan Santana and Tori Hunter), in this era. Back in the Kirby Puckett era people were in it for more than the money, players were more faithful to "their team". Twins are excellent at identifying talent, building that talent, then not being competitive with pay.
The Twins' owner needs to step up. Start showing the money. The Twins NEED to sign Joe. Joe is on track to bat .400 this season.
I hope that Joe is in it for more than the money. He is a long term career player. And Minnesota LOVES him. He's a home town boy done good.
Joe's friends and family say that he wants to stay in the twin cities. But the Twins are going to have to offer he a fair amount. They cannot count on his faithfulness to outweigh a paycheck.
Joe is one of the best players in the league, there is no arguing that. The question now is whether he is going to be in it for the game or in it for the money. Sometimes I seriously wonder whether there is a difference, and I hope that Joe can prove me wrong.
Come on Joe - come on Twins -   don't make us wait all season in anticipation. Baseball needs a resurgance of players that are in it to play, the Twins need Joe, Minnesota needs Joe, and Joe will have to decide if he needs them.
Man I love baseball.

Things I L-O-V-E

Inspired by Jesse, here I go. This list is not complete or prioritized, I'm just writing as I go. The people in my life that I love so much know it, so if I have forgotten someone or something, I do apologize, it was not intentional. My brain is only working at about 40% this morning, so you'll have to  be forgiving.

Tony, my parents, my lovely talented sita, my in-laws, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles. The roof over my head, Kirby, brunch, salsa and chips, journaling, Jesse, Robin, Craig, Renata, Cherie, Jen, Heather, and Irene. Jenni and Rob. Jesse's blog. Health Insurance. White Russians, Bloody Mary's, love letters, really good dreams, irony, the public library, Italy, the Cistene Chapel, Morano glass, a really good cup of coffee, iced cokes, sappy commercials, when someone else washes my hair, Baltimore City, the Rocky Mountains, playing the piano (on a tuned piano), Sofjan Stevens, Philly, Gettysburg, my sweet neighbors (Mandy and Michael), Grace and Josh, people who truly love being parents, babies, Sonic, La Posta, the smell of roasting green chiles, canoeing, camping, hiking, snow shoeing, journaling. Cookbooks, My So Called Life, Wings, books that make me think outside the box. The way Kirby smells after he's been sleeping, road trips, yoga, making lists, planning meals, the fall, gardening, canning, rollercoasters, Lake Superior, a New Mexico sunset, Andrew Wyeth, Portland, Maine, karma, empathetic people, that point in your run where you forget that you are running, the finish line, Aunt Edie's cabin, my Nannie's cooking, my mom's cooking. Giving the peace at church, singing loud, languages, houseplants that I don't kill, adult league kickball, baseball games, Joe Mauer, the light at the end of the tunnel, Nora Zeal Hurston, cooking, baking, sledding. Really good sermons, Assisi. The Opera. Muscials. NPR. Mornings. National Parks.

So there it is, I'll probably think of things throughout the day that I didn't put on here, but I'll leave it as it is. What are some things you love?

The book by Julia

So I finished "My Life in France" by Julia Child. And it was wonderful, of course. I wouldn't expect anything less. This is Julia Child. And yes, I am like milions of other people, after watching Julie and Julia I decided that I had to know more about Ms. Child. This book was sweet and really documented her and Paul's life together. She seemed really honest in the book. I loved that most of it was just talking about food though! She is so intense, and you could really feel that throughout the book. But one thing you can say for her, she was passionate. I have this quote taped to my monitor at work, so that way I have to say it to myself everyday.
"Find something you are passionate about, and keep tremendously interested in it" - Julia Child

It helps me everyday to remember that although I am not doing something I am PASSIONATE about from 9-5, I can do what I'm passionate about in my own time, and eventually, perhaps my passion can be my career too....you know, after school. :) 

Love Day

In honor of the commercialized day to celebrate love, I thought I would post a picture of Tony and I on our wedding day.

We got married on a chilly November afternoon at my home church in Roswell. It was a medium sized ceremony and my family's good friend officiated. I felt like a princess. Looking back on it I wouldn't change a thing. The entire planning was low stress because our family pitched in so much. We didn't want anything extravagent. We just had a simple reception that went by like whirl wind. My cousin made the cakes for us, my aunt and grandma made the punch and mints. The church was filled with people we loved. Some of our family couldn't make it, and that was sad. After the ceremony and reception we went to the hospital to visit my great grandma, I'm so glad that we did that, it was hard to not have her there.
It's funny to look back at the pictures. We look so young (of course we were)! My grandma made the comment later that it looked like two kids playing wedding. It's funny to see pictures of the kids too, they were just babies.
Happy Valentine's Day!

What a week!

This past week was probably one of if not the most stressfull of my school career yet. I had 2 mid-terms, and 2 papers due, and 2 presentations. I knew something was going to suffer and it happened to be my accounting mid-term. I got stuck on one problem and then completely lost track of time....the last 15 problems on the test were crammed into about 15 minutes. Ughh! I knew I had done badly when I walked out. I'm trying not to get too down about it and just focus on doing well these last 4 weeks. Only 4 weeks, I can do it. I just have to keep saying that to myself over and over.
Still decompressing today, but I have to get started on some homework and presentations. However, tonight I do plan on cooking something special, so if it turns out good I'll post about it later.