Happy Thanksgiving!

We are off to New Mexico tomorrow to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. We haven't been home for Thanksgiving since 2004!! Our first Thanksgiving in MD, Tony's family flew out. It was my first Thanksgiving to cook - and I cringe to think about it!! It was edible and everyone was so sweet about it - but lets just say my cooking skills have definetly gotten better over the years. I remember how great it was to get to be with family after a year of being so very lonely on the East Coast.
The next year was our first Thanksgiving in our row in in Baltimore and Jenni and Rob flew out to be with us. Such a good memory! Then the next year it was just the two of us and our new puppy Kirby. Last year we had just moved into our house and had limited time off - so I cooked for the two of us. We are definetly looking forward to being with my family this year.
On another note - today is me and Tony's, prepare yourself, 8 year anniversary!! It sounds like a long time! I can't believe how quickly the past 8 years have gone by. So many sweet memories and so many changes. We went out to dinner on Saturday night to celebrate, so tonight it is spegetti and a movie.
One really great memory I like to think about every anniversary is getting to see my great grandma on my wedding day. She was in the hospital and couldn't make it to our wedding, but after the ceremony Tony and I drove up there in our wedding duds and went to see her. I remember she could barely talk but she was so happy to see us - and I kept thinking to myself - I'm the luckiest person in the world to be able to have my great grandmother on my wedding day. One of the best days of my life.

Books, Books, more books.....

One thing I try not to neglect even when my schedule seems filled up is reading. Even though I don't get to read as much as I would like while I'm in school - I was still able to squeeze some books in. I read Outliers last week - I HIGHLY recommend this book. It was very very interesting. I just love books that make you think about things in a new way - a way you haven't thought of before but which make sense. It reminded me of Freakenomics - another great read. Outliers was a quick read too - once I picked it up I couldn't put it down.
Now today I started Going Rouge. I pre-ordered the book for super cheap - because as most of you know - I love Sarah Palin. She has a lot of qualities that I really admire in a person. I could write an entire post on the reasons I like her - but maybe I'll save that for another time.
Reading is at the top of my list of things to do while I'm on break from school - along with a slew of other crafts. Amy came up the other weekend (woo-hoo) and taught me how to sew. I've wanted to learn for a while, but lately the urge to make things has been in high gear. I think it's because I've been so overwhelmed with work and school - I just want to do projects that would relax me. So I've learned how to embroider and I'm going to look for a sewing machine on Black Friday so I can start doing that. My list of what I want to do on break is huge and I know I won't have time to get to it all - but here's to trying! I really hope I don't give up on this like I have so many other things. I'm always gung ho at the beginning then it fizzes out as I realize it's more work than I had originally thought....ahhhh, the best of intensions.

Catching up with old friends in Maryland

I had to go back to Maryland somewhat unexpectedly for work at the end of October. I only had about a weeks notice. And even though it was completely hectic trying to fit in a year's worth of meetings into 3 days I still got to hang out with my friends in the evenings. It was great! I really really wish Tony could have gone back with me -but it was just too late of notice and plane tickets were outrageous. Maybe next time we'll have more of a heads up.
I went out to eat with Nathan, Jesse, Rob and Cherie on Wednesday night. Then Thursday night I drove up to Jen' and Adam's house and got to meet their precious baby! He's almost a year old and I'd never seen him before! Talk about baby fever kicking into high gear. And I got to see my friends Heather and Gary and their little girl Brooke - it's crazy to say little girl because it just seems like yesterday that Heather was pregnant....time goes by so quickly! And she is beautiful and so sweet! My friend Jack also came over for pizza that night - and it was just good to visit with everyone and try to catch up. It was nice as well to get to sit around and remember Bob and the good times we'd had at work.
On Friday night Cherie had a party at her house. Good food, good friends, good times. We all just started up where we had left off, like nothing had changed. It was definetly somewhat bitter sweet though - to think about all the friends and good times we had in Maryland and the fact that we haven't been able to recreate that here. It feels like we are still in adjustment mode. Friday night too I got to go over to Jason and Renata's new house and play with Evan - who is just awesome!! He is so funny and easy going. It's so cool  to see such personality bundled up into a little package. I'm so thankful that I got to meet up with almost everyone and hopefully it won't be so long in between getting together again.

Take a breath...

I finished my finals yesterday. Another quarter down. 10 classes left.....there is a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. I'm exhausted. I have off this next week - then I'm taking a week long intensive class the following week. Then I'll have off again until the first week of January. Good news though - I got accepted to the 20/20 program at work! So I'm going to be able to work part time while going to school full time! This will definetly help me to finish sooner. I am nervous about taking such a full work load on as far as classes go - but I've done ok so far, so hopefully it won't be too overwhelming! It will be nice to be able to focus so much more time towards school though.
This past quarter wasn't the hardest - it was still a lot of work though -especially towards the end, which is why I haven't posted much lately. I'll try to catch up and make some posts tonight though!

Bad Blogger

I haven't posted in what feels like so long. Life has just been busy!

I got to go home to New Mexico last weekend! It was wonderful! The drive kind of got to me on the way back to Colorado though. I was just tired of driving I guess. It was my mom's 51st B-day on Friday so I went down to celebrate. I had a great time visiting with everyone. I hadn't seen my sister since July! The weather was great and it is once again, a beautiful NM fall.

Next week I'm going to MD for meetings. I'm pretty excited to get to see my friends! I just wish that Tony could go with me. I know how much he wants to visit again and catch up with everyone. He hasn't been back since we moved and I haven't been there since last December. I'm only going to be there a few days but hopefully I'll have enough time to squeeze in seeing everyone.

The weekend after that Tony is flying out to Minnesota to go deer hunting with his dad and brothers. He's really excited about that! Hopefully he gets one!! Yum! If he does get one we'll probably end up driving back up there at New Year's to pick up the meat.

I'm really hoping that Amy comes up the weekend Tony is out of town so we can have a girls weekend. I have lots of plans for us so I hope she can make it! We are going to try and learn to embroider and make some Christmas gifts.

It looks like it's going to be pretty busy for us from here until the New Year - but it's good to be busy.

Finding your OM

The other day my friend sent me an email at work and he was telling me how he's at a place in his life that is definetly good - but how he wants something different. He thought things would be different. He and his wife really want to move closer to family, but are struggling to figure out HOW to make that happen. How do you walk away from a really good job, a house you can't sell, instead of waiting and seeing how things go maybe next year? Patience is such a virtue and one of the hardest things to have. They are homesick. He thought things would be different and he feels like his wheels are just spinning as he's biding his time. I've been there. We've all been there. It's so easy to forget about the present because you are busy trying to plan your future. How much do we miss by doing that?
It got me thinking about how you picture your future at different points in your life and then it seems to turn out so different than you had imagined. A lot has to do with fate - but I think a lot has to do with you and what you create for your future. I would like to think that you can do anything.....maybe that is my age still talking. But to a certain extent you can create your own course. Not to say you won't fail, but the worse thing would be having never tried. It's easy to say - I want to do this and I think it would make me happy - but the following through is so hard. You may have to give up your good job to go back to school with the hope of finding a more fulfilling career. You are rolling the dice - but honestly - how often does someone get a degree or training and then say - well, that extra time and money and new education wasn't worth it? At least you tried - you went for it. And the potential pay off is so  much more than struggling in the mean time. I struggle with this because I'm such a worrier! I will worry about the smallest details until I make myself sick.
As I was laying in bed the other night thinking about this - an image, maybe a dream but I wasn't fully asleep yet, came to my mind that filled me with calmness. This image is quite a few years down the road, but it's peaceful and I can't stop thinking about it. Tony and I were at his Aunt Edie's cabin on the lake (Minn), a place we have been numerous times before. Tony's dad spent summers there and Tony got to go there when he was young too. It's been in the family for a long time. It's a beautiful little bungaloo and you can walk right down to the pier. In the image Tony was down at the pier with our two little boys and they were fishing. I could hear them giggling and squealing. I was up on the porch working on research for school and beside me was a bassenet with a beautiful baby girl sleeping in it. The breeze was nice and soft and it was a beautiful summer day. My cup runneth over.
Now whether or not this will ever happen is up in the air. But it's a very real possibility. Anyways, I've been thinking about it all week and it has made me smile each time. Maybe that is my happy place - the place I should close my eyes and go to when things get stressful - or when I forget about the really important things in life. My mantra.
What's yours?

WOO HOO TWINS!!

They did it in the 12th inning! What a game - it was beautiful!!!

I Want That

Isn't she a beaut?

I went to another class at Williams Sonoma this morning - Espresso, Cappaccino, and Coffee. It was great! This little number was one of the demos - it's new to the store. You pour milk in the glass part, fill the bottom part with water. There is a place for the grounds that sets right inside the bottom part. Then from the bottom up the water is forced through the grounds and into the milk. This is all done on your stovetop! Then after it is done brewing there is a wisk inside this contraption that mixes it all together!

Oh- WS is also selling some pumpkin latte mix to put inside of your morning drink, or to drizzle on ice cream. Mmmmm....i love the fall!

Irony

Lelaina: Can you define "irony"?


Troy Dyer: It's when the actual meaning is the complete opposite from the literal meaning
 
 
I LOVE Reality Bites....love it - it's definetly in my top 5. If you haven't seen it rush out and get it. It could just be my reminising about the 90's - but if you have fond memories of that era I think you will like it too.
 
I was thinking of irony because of something funny that happened in class on Tuesday. Maybe it's one of those things that is only funny to me. Let me give a little back story - since moving out here I have heard quite a few times "I'm granola" "We're crunchy" "I'm a total hippie" All of these attributes should be apparent without having to advertise. If you are these things then they will be obvious by the way you live. And I've seen plenty of hippies between here and NM. So when I hear these things I usually roll my eyes.
So on Tuesday there was a girl sitting next to me in class and I heard the guy in back of her asking her if she was drinking another hippie drink and she replied that yes, it was, because you know she's a hippie. She said this in all seriousness. As she was holding her Louis Viton (sp?) purse.
Can you define irony?
Wait - can you define judgemental?

Cooking Class

Last Sunday I went to cooking class at Williams Sonoma. They have free classes almost every Sunday morning. This past Sunday was French Techniques: Braising & Sauteing. It was packed! There were probably 40 people in there. It was ok - maybe not quite what I thought it was going to be, but I was still really glad that I went. I mean, any time spent at Williams Sonoma is a good time! Some of the other women there were kind of pushy though - so I guess that was the turn off part. You know there is always that one person who feels the need to talk the ENTIRE time?
A few things I learned (which you guys might already know - but that was new to me!):
Shallots have more of a garlicly flavor which makes them perfect for sauteing.
Always rub your meats and veggies dry before putting them in the pan. This will prevent any steaming.
Make sure the pan is super hot and turn down after you start sauteing the meat.
Above all - Don't crowd your food!!

Next class - in October it's espresso and coffee.

Happy Cooking!

Sept. 12 - first snowfall

That's right - it snowed on us yesterday in the mountains. Tony and I went hiking yesterday to St. Mary's Glacier. It was 39 degrees and flakes were coming down on us as we drove up to the trailhead.
I would rate the hike as moderately difficult. It was only about 1 mile up, but it was rocky the whole way. It was beautiful up at the glacier though! The lake below it was like glass. There were people snowboarding and skiing down the glacier, so that was fun to see. We're going to look into camping up there. When we got back home it was only 48 in Denver!! It was so nice to have cool weather - much needed.

Beef Stroganoff

Yesterday was a day for a warm comfort dinner - so I made stroganoff. This was the first time I have ever made it. It was very easy and made quite a bit!
Braise the meat in a bit of EVOO. After browning on all the sides I took it out of the pot and sauted my onions and mushrooms. Then I added about a cup and 1/2 of red wine and put the meat back in in. Add 1 can cream of mushroom soup with a bit of water and about 1/2 cup of cream. I added frozen peas as well, but that is optional. Salt and pepper. Let simmer for about 30 minutes. I cooked my no yolk noodles for only 5 minutes - added to the meat and cooked for another 10 minutes of so.

How do you like them apples?

I made an amazing apple pie tonight. I picked the apples from my tree - cored and peeled them, made my crust and viola! Sooo good!
This was the first time I made my own crust. My grandma would be so proud. It definitely wasn't the prettiest - but that's not what matters this go around. I followed the recipe for the pie filling some what - except I boiled the thinly sliced apples in a small amount of water with a cinnamon stick for about 10-15 minutes. Then I drained them, added 2 Cups of Sugar, some cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg, then poured it in pie crust, and cooked it at 350 for 35 minutes.
Tony said it looked better than a Betty pie, what a complement!

On another note I am thinking of starting an additional blog. Dedicated to my LOVE of food, both eating and cooking. Yes, I did just see Julie and Julia (HIGHLY recommend it), so maybe that is where some of the inspiration comes from. I guess I just saw so much of myself in that movie. It made me cry a few times during the movie because it hit home so hard. But I have ALWAYS loved to cook and try new things - so I might give it a shot. See, I say this now while I'm on my school break, so I might have to put it off, but I'm throwing it out there all the same. It's a way for me to be creative, document it and share it.

Fish Tacos....so good!

I've been craving fish tacos all week, and I thought instead of going to my fav restaurant I figured I would cut costs and just make some at home. They are so good! Definitely my favorite (I have probably mentioned this in the past). I made the coleslaw according to this recipe, but I cut the sugar to 1 cup, and it was still to much - I like my with more tang.
The salsa is homemade and the fish taco seasons is from simply organic. I used cod because I like the fish to be a bit thicker and not flaky.
Bon Appetit!

A man named Bob

My first boss when I started working for the government was Bob. He was the first person I got to meet from my new office - he came and ate lunch with me on my second day of induction. He was very kind and gave me, a nervous and overwhelmed girl, a warm feeling that I was going to be ok. He was very specific about his last name and the pronunciation of it. He gave me all his contact info and when he left I felt a little bit better about this huge decision I had just made.
Over the course of working with him for almost 3 years I witnessed how kind he was to everyone. EVERYONE! He never spoke harshly, was always understanding, and most importantly to me - he was a man of God. He truly was a witness - the kind I feel that all Christians are called to be. He wasn't evangelical in the sense that he walked around proselytizing, he did it by his actions and his words.
Last night Bob passed away. Suddenly. This morning when I got to work I found out. And my heart wretched to be with my friends, with my old colleagues. The people who had helped me to grow and develop when I felt so lost. They all know the Bob that I know, his quirky sense of humor and miscellaneous accidents that we always laughed at and said "oh Bob". I can hear it now, I can close my eyes and I'm there. But I'm not there, I'm thousands of miles away. We talked on the phone and it really helped for me to not feel so alone in my grieving.
Bob left behind 2 children, one still young, and a wife. He also left behind many friends and admirers. Most of all though, he left behind a legacy. A legacy of kindness and diligence. He loved what he did and he did it well. He did it with a smile and with a kind word for everybody.
Maybe if we all just had a little more of Bob in us, the world would be a better place. My world is a better place for having known him.
This probably doesn't make any sense except to those who were there, for that I'm sorry if this excludes people. But I was trying to think today of times that were so funny with Bob, and the one I keep going back to was the day we all ate lunch together and Bob was telling his story of his brother's dog and Irene asked him if he wore a mustache because he had been attacked. I hope my friends can find a smile when they read this - and they know that I love them, and I wish I was there to hug each one of them, and go through this together.

Mmmm...salsa

I've been trying a few different salsa recipes - but this one is the best so far (the Authentic Mexican one). I roast the Hatch Green Chiles, but I don't roast the Anaheim. I also roast the tomatoes to peel them instead of sticking them in boiling water. I also didn't add the cilantro. Tony doesn't particularly like it - so we think it's great without it.
Oh, and have you seen the new tostitos with a hint of jalepeno? Awesome!

Can you hear my sigh of relief? Can you?

I am done. I just finished my finance final. It's as good as it's going to get. Ahhh, I am so relieved....and so ready for our vacation!!!!

Gardening, one of the good things about suberbia

We have had such a great time gardening this year. It was one of the things we were looking forward to the most in having our own home with a yard! We are growing (some of it is already through for the year) sweet corn, bell peppers, green onions, purple onions, lima beans, black eye peas, pumpkins, jalapenos, basil, rosemary, tons of tomatoes, arugula, romaine lettuce, and strawberries.
We have enjoyed it so much - and the veggies have all been awesome. We have only had a few red tomatoes but the plants are dripping with green ones. And we tried a couple of the corn - they were tasty but the kernels were super small. The squash have been really good too and we've had so many we've been able to share with our neighbor. If all the tomatoes turn at once I'm going to attempt to can some of them and make my own marinara sauce. That should be interesting.
We also have an apple tree in the back yard. Poor thing - it's limbs look like they are going to break it is so heavy with apples. And this is after 2 hail storms! The apples are not quite ready but I think they will be after we get back from Minnesota. With those I think I'll blanch and freeze most of them but I'm also going to attempt applesause. Well, that's my intention....but we all know how well my intentions usually turn out. :( I'll probably run out of time and try to give most of them away!
Tomorrow I'm going to plant a fall crop - beans and cabbage. I'm not sure how early it is going to freeze here, but I'm sure I'll get a least a bit from this planting.

BWCA here we come!

Tony and I have been wanting to go canoeing/portaging for a few years now. We kept saying we were going to go and FINALLY we are going! We got our reservation back in April and it looks like it's going to be a pretty good spot. We are entering on Monday morning and exiting on Wednesday night. I'm really needing this break...from work...from school. 3 days of doing nothing but paddling around, taking pictures, taking naps, fishing, mainly just enjoying the company of Tony and nature.
We are driving up to Minnesota since we need to take so much stuff and we are taking Kirby. Tony's folks are going to watch him for us while we are up in the Boundary Waters. This will be so much better than trying to kennel him, plus he gets to play with his best friend Champ!
We still need to get a few things, but for the most part we have been preparing for this for a couple of years. For the past Christmas's we have gotten a tent and sleeping bags, and other really nice camping items.
We have been to the Boundary Waters before with Tony's parents, Will and Dan. This was probably 5 years ago though. We rented a cabin and although it had bats and spiders, we definitely weren't roughing it. But it was amazing and beautiful - we still laugh about some of the things that happened. GREAT memories!
On top of it all we get to be in Minnesota with family and friends. It's been 2 years since we've been there for a summer visit. Will and Andrea are having a engagement party so we'll get to spend some time in the Cities as well. It's a long drive (about 17 hours) but we'll drive through the night and it really isn't that bad!
Hopefully we'll have some really great pics to share!
Here's some pics from a couple of years ago -
Tony and I up on the land
Tony and Waylon
Me and Danny at their Aunts cabin

Dr. Ouch! Why I NOW hate the dentist

Let me start by saying that I have NEVER minded going to the dentist. In fact, I usually like it. I like getting my teeth cleaned and when I have a tooth ache I look forward to going because I know that when I leave I am going to feel better. We went for a few years without dental insurance and it sucked. My whole life I have had dental work done, so then when we finally got insurance I went and had to have a root canal and a crown and a few fillings. It wasn't that bad. That was 2005 when I had that done. I actually only had a temp crown put on that I wore for a couple of years. Then I saved up my money and got a real crown. A back story: I had all 4 wisdom teeth taken out when I was 18. With only novicane. And really through it all - it wasn't too bad. Afterwards I probably had to take an ibuprophen - but otherwise it was never bad.
And now I know why people hate going to the dentist.
We found a new dentist recently. He said that one of my molars was cracked and I needed a crown on that tooth. Now I didn't 100% believe him, but I thought, he's a medical professional, and if he says it's cracked it probably is. So I saved up my money for a couple of months and went and got a crown. And now I completely regret it. I should have gone with my gut feeling that said "don't trust this guy". First of all, after they drilled my tooth down to a nub and put on the temporary I was in enormous pain! I thought the side of my head was going to blow up - I was extremely swollen and had so much pressure. Then for the entire week afterwards I was constantly taken advil. My tooth and my entire mouth hurt so bad. I've never had a lasting pain like that from getting dental work. Finally the second week the pain let up but then I had to go in to get my permanent crown. I told them how bad it had been but the tech and the dentist just brushed it off. Then he only gave me enough novicane for about 15 minutes - because that is all that it should have taken. Then 40 minutes later he came to get started on my tooth!!! When he pulled the temporary off the tech shot air on it and I almost came unglued! It felt like an open nerve had been touched. Tears just burst out of me and I couldn't get ahold of myself. He rushed through the rest of it to get it done but it was still bad. I was so angry when I left there I couldn't even speak to the doctor.
It just sucks to pay so much money and to expect so much from a professional then to be so let down. It shouldn't be this hard to find an honest doctor.