Check it Out

Just dropping by to share a link- my new friend Meagan posted a review of a dinner we shared at The Green Elephant- an awesome vegetarian restaurant. Check it out!

Getting Medieval

The Louisiana Renaissance Festival on Sunday was a lot of fun! We at roasted turkey legs, scotch eggs, and Shepard's pie. We saw a skeleton puppet named Ded Bob do stand up, a wench show, a falconry show, a joust (which seemed to have taken a great deal of it's inspiration from WWE, and a juggling duel that involved the losing juggler rolling across a stage covered in mouse traps. The funniest thing about the festival was that there are apparently people (who own VERY elaborate costumes) who go to fair after fair, year after year. We definitely heard how Ded Bob was better when he was a strolling attraction who started out at the Texas Ren Fest, and met a guy who had seen the wench show "hundreds of times." I didn't wear a costume (just my sweet new old man hat), but my darling fiance wore a kilt, and my friends Sarah and Jon dressed up like a king and queen. I took lots of pictures, of course. Here are a few of my favorites.

Everyone watching the falconry show

Queen Sarah speaks softly but carries a big...hammer

King Jon would like to Axe you a question. :P

Scotland Forever!

My darling fiance's costume earned him lots of compliments!

Newsies, Merlin, and Braveheart?

Braveheart with Queen Sarah and King Jon (and Merlin)

Jousting!

Goody Two Shoes

In the past two days, I've voted, gotten my flu shot, had my oil changed, worked out, and and eaten plenty of veggies. I've been so responsible! Bleh! :)
As far as my recovery from the half marathon, it couldn't have been better. I swam on Sunday like I planned, then spent the afternoon walking around the quarter and tailgating for the Saints game. I though I had probably over done it in terms of being on my feet so I took another Epsom Salt bath and I had almost no pain on Monday, which would normally be my worst day in terms of soreness.
Sunday was a lot of fun. I got to see my friends from college, Belmont and Brittany, who I haven't seen in a couple of years. I also sold my costume for the day (a pair of cat ears that were really cute, but at least 4 years old) to a random lady at Pat O' Brian's for $20 (which was way more than I paid for them!) The coolest thing was that my friend Jon won the costume contest at Pat O's and got $100!
He was teen wolf!

Jazz Half Marathon Recap

I ran the Jazz Half Marathon this morning and it was a great race. I finished in 2 hours and 4 minutes, which is longer than my first half marathon, but not by much. The key differences were that this race was very slow and crowded for the first few miles and we stopped and took some pictures along the way. It made for a fun, no pressure race, which was nice. The course stared by the Convention Center, wound it's way through the central business district, then went up St. Charles Ave., around Audubon Park, and back to the Convention Center, so for the most part, it was pretty scenic. I ran with my friends Jen and Margee, which was great. They're both really good runners and keeping up with them helps me push myself to go faster. And they dressed up in 80's attire as well, which was really fun.
I'm trying to apply myself to my recovery this time b/c I had a very poor recovery last year. It was really cold, I had to ride for 45 minutes in the car to get back to my parents' house, and they didn't really grasp the concept of resting one's legs and kept asking me to get up and go do stuff until I finally gave up and went home to New Orleans so I could get some rest. I remember being sore for like a week. This time, I want to be able to run again by next weekend.
After the race and after party, I went home, showered, and took a two hour nap. I woke up feeling like a new person (I find napping really helps me heal) so I got up, ate some lunch, and went to the grocery store. Despite the benefits of napping, I do get really stiff if I sit around too much after my nap. After my grocery run, I chilled out for a little while, snacked on chips and salsa, then did some chores. Next I did a 10 minute Yoga for Runners video that left my legs feeling much looser. I started this post, then saved it and went to get Mexican food with my friends. Now that I'm home, I'm going to watch a movie and soak in Epsom Salts.
As of right now, I'm feeling pretty good- slightly stiff and sore, but I've felt worse after some long training runs. I'm not going to end up sitting on the couch with bags of frozen veggies on my knees at any rate.
My plan for tomorrow is to continue with my active recovery by swimming a few easy laps at the gym, then going to a Saint's tailgate. Who Dat!
I'll leave you with some pictures taken by Jen, one of my fellow 80's girl runners. (Other bloggers who I saw today were Grace, Lindsey, and Keith. It was Lindsey and Keith's first half, so congrats to them!)

Before the start of the race- it was dark!

In front of a spooky house on St. Charles Ave.

Jesus of the Porta-Potties

Post Race Party
Eating Kung Pao Chicken and rocking some truly awful bangs

Halloween Treats

Two posts in one day! My goodness!
I wanted to post a quick and easy Halloween goody that I made for my friend Sarah's Halloween party on Friday. I made "ghosts" buy piping vanilla frosting out of a plastic bag (just snip off a corner and don't seal the top unless you want to pop your bag) onto store bought 2-bite brownies (I'm obsessed with these things) and adding mini-chocolate chip eyes. So if you need something quick to bring to a Halloween get together- give this a try!
And now, as a bonus, our costumes. I was a ninja and my darling fiance was a retired General McChrystal, now endorsed by Bud Light Lime. (It's an inside joke but I love his costume, especially since I sewed the better part of the outside of a case onto that thing!) Enjoy!

Ottolenghi

My friend Kristi gave me the Ottolenghi Cookbook for my birthday and I promised to let her know how the recipes were. I decided the best way to do so would be to blog about it!
I wanted to make my darling fiance a fancy dinner and this seemed like the perfect excuse. After pouring through the cookbook several times, I decided to make two of the side dishes and serve them alongside roast chicken (b/c for some reason, side dishes and apps are always more appealing to me than entrees).
I decided to make roasted golden beets (the recipe called for mixed golden and red beets, but there were only golden ones at the store) and caramelized endives with Serrano Ham (I used prosciutto instead though though).
I made these dishes over the course of two nights. On the first night, I peeled and roasted the beets in foil and caramelized the endive halves in sugar and butter. The next evening, I assembled the roasted beet salad (using the herb mix from Whole Foods, along with sunflower seeds, and the recipe's maple dressing) then topped the endives with cream, cheese, thyme, breadcrumbs, and ham and baked them for 20 minutes.

Golden Beets Look Cool

Especially When You Peel Them

Halved EndivesCaramelizing Away- I Can't Even Describe How Great This Smelled

Ready to be Topped and BakedCompleted Salad with Beets, Sunflower Seeds, Baby Greens and Herbs

Endives Out of the Oven

Dinner is Served!

A few notes:
1) I washed the skillet after Pancaked stepped in it prior to cooking my endives. :)
2) The lighting in my kitchen is lousy, I cook at night, and my camera is old, so please excuse my picture quality.
3) The recipes I picked out were easy to follow and resulted in an excellent meal. My only issue with the cookbook is that all of the units are Britsh- so Celcius, ml, and grams. I did conversions for the stuff that seemed important but I was a little too lazy to figure out how many grams of salad I should have used and just winged it on things like that. Everything turned out fine, but if you are nit-picky converting everything could prove to be time consuming.

Overall I loved these recipes and I'm excited to cook more things out of this book. (I have my eye on mushrooms with barley and preserved lemons for this week.) Thanks for the awesome present, Kristi!

Birthday Recap Part I: Karaoke

This weekend has been very nice. I haven't really done much at all since I've been recuperating from a cold. I'm feeling 100% better, but I still don't have any energy in the evenings. Last night I went to dinner with my house guests, then went home and was in bed by 10, while they went out and painted the town.
I got up bright and early and met Grace for a run- which was a lot of fun. I don't normally have company on my long runs, but I found that the 8 miles really flew by this time. So thanks for the company, Grace! After that I went to the Farmer's Market, took a 2 hour nap (I'm such a granny), spent some time with my house guests on the levee, and got groceries. Now I'm just relaxing and looking forward to another quiet night in.
Tomorrow I'm going to Gulfport to visit my parents. I've requested BBQ chicken for lunch specifically so I will have an excuse to make another batch of cilantro lime slaw. I actually made some for dinner tonight as well and had it with sauteed shrimp, salsa, and corn tortillas. Drool.
I know I've promised y'all a post about my birthday trip, and I think the best thing to do is to split my post into a few parts. First, I have to blog about Karaoke.
Last Friday, 7 of my girlfriends met me at Little Tokyo Uptown, where I had reserved a small Karaoke room. My friend Steph had the genius idea to bring costumes, so we shut the door, closed all the blinds, and spent the next 3 hours making absolute fools of ourselves. It was wonderful. We sang at the top of our lungs, danced around, jumped on the couches, and totally let loose. It reminded me of nothing so much as going to slumber parties when I was 14. It was excellent girly fun and I totally want to do it again. My one caveat is this: no matter how tempted you are, it is inadvisable to head-bang during Bohemian Rhapsody. My neck hurt for the next two days!
Of course we took a lot of really funny pictures and I can't resist sharing a few!

Why yes, that is a chicken hat.

It's not a birthday party until at least one of your friends ends up looking like a Muppet.
Party on,Garth. Party on, Wayne.
Have you ever done Karaoke? If so, what's your favorite song? I like to sing Jose Cuervo by Shelly West. :)

And stay tuned for Part II of my birthday recap!

Slaw

I'm grilling with my friends Jon, Sarah, and Steph tonight and was charged with bringing a salad. I decided to try out NOJuju's Cilantro Lime Slaw. It is so good! The only changes I made were to buy a bag of pre-cut cabbage (because I am lazy) and to add a generous squirt of Sriracha (hot sauce).
So everyone, seriously, try out this recipe. I love how fresh tasting and crunchy it is. Plus, it's both delicious and healthy!

The Great Outdoors

This weekend was pretty full! On Friday night, we went out to a birthday dinner for our friend Jon at Gautreau's. I went to dinner at Gautreau's for my birthday almost a year ago, and I was pretty happy to go back because the food is amazing. This time I had the bay scallops appetizer, the wild mushroom pirogi's, and the chocolate terrine for dessert. Bliss!
On Saturday we went canoeing on the Okatoma River in Seminary, Ms. Seminary is about half an hour north of Hattiesburg, Ms- where I went to college. It's always nice to drive near Southern Miss, if only b/c I have an excuse to yell "Southern Mississippi To The Top!" and annoy everyone else in the vehicle. :) Canoeing was actually a lot more strenuous that I thought it would be, and I was somewhat concerned that it would screw up my energy levels for the race I ran today. Fortunately, I slept like a rock last night and woke up with plenty of energy.
Today's race was the Spillway Classic. It's a 5K trail run in Norco, La- which is about half an hour away from New Orleans. I really love this race! The first mile is actually pretty miserable b/c you run on top of the levee and it is flat and hot, but then you run down the levee, through a giant mud puddle (more on that later), and then follow a winding path through the woods that requires you to jump over roots and logs, and duck under branches and fallen trees. The water hazard varies in size, but this year it was a 2.5- so not all that hazardous, but big enough that the mud was unavoidable. The mud is fun, but my favorite part is by far the woods. I think it's because you get to dart around and jump over things- it's just a lot of fun, and more interesting than running in a straight line on a flat surface. During the run, I found myself wishing that I could do a 10K of just trails.
I was also really pleased with my time this year. You can't come close to a PR because the once you are in the woods, there is no room to pass people, and going through the mud is also really slow- but I beat my time from last year by a full minute! I also got a medal that doubles as a bottle opener, which I plan to put to good use. :)
I've spent the rest of the day being pretty low key. I took a nap and went to the grocery store, then watched a movie and made spaghetti with shrimp and clams.

What is your favorite outdoorsy activity? Mine are running, day hiking, and skiing.

Swamp Monster

My trip to the Atchafalaya Basin this weekend was wonderful! The swamp is incredibly scenic and peaceful, and it was so nice to get away. Our houseboat was really charming and we all spent most of our time on the porch, enjoying the unexpectedly wonderful weather. The weather channel predicted a weekend full of rain but it was perfectly sunny the entire time we were on the water, and it was much cooler on the water than on land. The highlight of the trip for me was our "pet" alligator, Gucci, who ate anything we threw at him, including the corks off our fishing lines. I also really enjoyed the hammock that my darling fiance brought and hung across the porch. The only complaint I have about our trip is that I think I fed every mosquito west of the Mississippi, despite wearing lots of bug spray! Mainly, I think I will let our pictures from the trip speak for themselves. I hope y'all like them!

Houseboat

This weekend, along with my darling fiance and four of or good friends, I will be spending two nights on a houseboat in the Atchafalaya Basin Swamp. I am looking forward to reading, relaxing, and hopefully catching some fish!
As for reading, I just finished A Reliable Wife (for bookclub) and am in the middle of the Elegance of the Hedgehog. Up next is Orphan's Tale- In the Night Garden. Other recent reads have been Skinny Legs and All, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and The Russian Dreambook of Color and Flight. Last month's bookclub book was also terrific- In Other Rooms Other Wonders. I also traded in a bunch of my old book at a used bookstore this weekend, and have a ridiculous amount of store credit now, so I'm sure I'll be picking up some more books soon.
Any personal favorites y'all think I should keep an eye out for?

Brevity

Sorry for the silence, dear readers. I'm actually working on a post about packing for a work trip, so expect something servicey (and lengthy) with pictures (albeit ones taken with my lousy blackberry camera) soon.
So for now I'm quickly going to post about the nice time I had on Monday evening. I got to see my good friend Kathleen, who was in town for a conference. I was lovely to catch up. I don't get to see my friends from high school as often as I would like, so it's always a treat when they come down to New Orleans!
We had an excellent meal at Dragos, which, by the way, still offers their famous chargrilled oysters. I'm so happy that their oyster beds have thus far been spared!
Before dinner, Kathleen was kind enough to accompany me on another fruitless search for a reception dress. This BCBG dress looked so amazing online, but is only flattering on a stick person in real life.
I'm not even kidding when I tell you that the skirt is secretly sticking out about 6 inches on either side of her hips. (Also, does anyone else notice the weird lighting angle and that her shadow only has 1 leg? Photoshoperiffic!)
It's a pity because the fabric was amazing- a slightly metallic ecru with a waffle texture. I also really loved the black ribbon at the waist- I think it was such a sophisticated touch. *Sigh*
This dress, on the other hand, was adorable in white, but more along the lines of something I would wear to someone else's reception (though not in white, obviously).
I also re-tried on the White House Black Market dress I had my eye on. It's now on sale for $80, but I swear it gets more shear every time I try it on. So the search continues!

Shenanigans

I had a really enjoyable Memorial Day Weekend. When I got home on Friday, my darling fiance surprised me with tulips, prosecco, and key lime cupcakes. (This made for an *interesting* 5K race later that evening at Greekfest, but I couldn't resist!) Actually it wasn't too bad because I ran with my friend Steph, who generally doesn't race, so I had a good reason to take it easy and just enjoy the run. Afterward, I pigged out on (free) beer, fried calamari with feta, and a gyro.
My darling fiance also brought home a watermelon on Friday, which he proceeded to fill with vodka. On Saturday, we went to Steph's and had a pool party. The watermelon needs further improvement- parts of it were completely bereft of vodka, and parts were eye-wateringly soaked. Eating it was a total guessing game! After the pool party we returned to my house for pizza and movies.
On Sunday, there was a toga contest at Greekfest (and everyone wearing a toga got in free!) Six of us (3 muses thought the weather was too rainy) dressed up like muses (complete with New Orleans street tile name tags) and won the contest! I also ate half a pound of lamb and a baklava sundae. Yum!
Today was spent getting groceries, tidying the house, and grilling fish. Of course now that my long weekend is over I'm actually feeling really exhausted. I'm sure it's nothing that few days of eating healthier food, going to the gym, and getting enough sleep won't fix. But I think all in all I had a little too much fun. :)

A lot to catch up on

Sorry I haven't written in so long! I've been a busy busy girl!
On the vegetables front, I have to say that I have completely fallen off of the 5 a day wagon. I had good intentions but at the end of the day, I just don't like snacking on raw veggies in the afternoon, and weekend spontaneity and rigid resolutions don't mix. So let's just file this under "reasons Shelly can never be a vegetarian" and not speak of it again.
As for fitness, I tried two new things last week. On Tuesday I took a spinning class and since there weren't that many people at the Pilates studio on Wed. (due to St. Patrick's Day, I'm sure), our class got to do a half mat/half reformer machine class. Both spinning and Pilates reformers were intense. I actually ended up having a good bit of pain in my left hip (from the reformer, I think) so I think I will be skipping Pilates this week. I'm doing well with my running and feel 100% prepared for the Crescent City Classic because I ran 6 miles last weekend. This weekend I ran 4 and walked an additional 1.5 on Friday with my running buddy Margee, then ran 5 and walked an additional mile with my friend Gretchen on Sunday. I am really proud of Gretchen because I talked her into signing up for the classic and she did great during our run yesterday!
Socially, I have been out and about more often than not. Last weekend I went to the St. Patrick's Day Parade and my friend Sarah R's birthday party on Saturday and to a bridal show at Ralph's on the Park on Sunday. The bridal show was very nice and, unsurprisingly, my favorite vendor was the man giving out samples of Champagne. I got to try Dom Perignon, Veuve Clicquot Rose, and Ruinart, which is really really good!
On Monday, my wedding dress came in, so I used my lunch hour to go pick it up. So exciting!! (And I'll get to wear it in just under 13 months- wee!) I also went to my friend Sarah T's house for an early St. Patrick's Day potluck dinner full of green food. (I brought sprite and lime sherbet floats for dessert.)
On Thursday, I attended a cocktails and canapes event at the Bourbon House.
On Friday, we went to the Hi Ho Lounge and saw both Debauche the Russian Mafia Band, and Slow Burn Burlesque. I'd never seen a burlesque show before, but I really enjoyed it.
On Saturdaym my darling fiance and I went to the local French/English bilingual school's Fete Francaise and then to a fundraiser for the Southern Rep Theater that featured music from Kermit Ruffins and Trombone Shorty, lots of really good food (including a whole roast pig filled with jambalaya) and a silent auction. I bid on and won a necklace from Symmetry Jewelers (the same jewelers who made my engagement ring). It's really pretty- a crescent moon and stars formed into a silver circle.
On Sunday, I ran with Gretchen, then tried to go to Hancock Fabrics with my friend Sarah L, but the store was closed due to a parade in Metairie. So we got ice cream instead. After that I volunteered at the Poydras Home (I called bingo- it was so much fun!), then got our groceries for the week. We ended the weekend by grilling salmon, chicken sausage, bbq chicken (the latter two meats are for us to eat this week), a halved artichoke, and roasted garlic bread. It was a great dinner!
Tonight I have bookclub and tomorrow I have a board meeting for my Theta Alum club.
And I am officially tired from just typing all this!!
BUT I still have some really great stuff to talk about- I just think I'll put it in a separate post because this one is getting long!
Check back soon!

Playing Catch Up

I'm briefly diverting my attention away from the million things I have to do, to write a recap post before I forget everything I wanted to write about.
First, Pancake! I got a call back from the vet saying he tested positive for Toxoplasmosis which could explain why he had the seizure. They want to put him on a month of antibiotics to knock out the infection. We still have some questions: Cats get it from eating dead prey- and he hasn't been outside since Nov., but he tested positive for IgM antibodies which is indicative of a recent infection (versus IgG which is indicative of an older infection) so we're not sure how long ago he would have gotten it. But overall, I hope that this is the problem- because I would love to give him a course of antibiotics and then have him be seizure free! Overall though he is doing well and hasn't had any seizures since we brought him back from the vet, so that's good news!
Second, Mardi Gras! Mardi Gras was a ton of fun this year. We went to the Arthurian's ball on Friday night, which is always a great time. On Saturday, we hung out at the Endymion parade with our friends, and on Sunday we went to the Bacchus Ball and had a great time. I'll do a more detailed Mardi Gras post with some cute pictures soon, I promise!
Up next, Work! Tuesday (Mardi Gras day) was a vacation day for my office- and yet somehow I spent it flying to Houston for work. Boo! I thought that meant that I could take Monday off completely to recover from the Bacchus Ball (we rolled in around 3 or 3:30, as I recall) but I had to work about 4 hours on Monday to prep for my work trip. Fortunately, my boss let me work from home. I wish I could wear PJ's to work every day! Anyway, I worked a 10 hour day on Tuesday and a 12 hour day yesterday (which included 10 hours spent in a meeting- ugh!) . I thought yesterday was going to be a 15 hour day, but I managed to catch an earlier flight (which involved running to the gate- who needs dignity?) and got home around 7:30. I was exhausted, but a 12 hour day is so much better than a 15 hour day!
Which bring me to, sickness! I think I am getting sick again. Last night I had a low grade fever and a horrible sore throat and this morning I'm coughing and stuffy. I think I'm having a relapse of the cold that I just got over, so hopefully my immune system will kick into gear and get rid of it quickly this time.
Because I miss running!! I think it has literally been a month since I've run. Having managed to get two (or more) colds in the past two months has really put a damper on my exercise. And whenever I'm well, it has either been cold, raining, or both. Fortunately, my running buddy got in touch with me this week. She's been out of town for med school this month and is eager to get back into our workout schedule. So hopefully I will be feeling better and we can get back into our routine next week! I will give myself credit though because I have actually been going to the gym as much as possible. When I'm feeling pretty good, I've been doing a workout inspired by Angela at Oh She Glows. I crank the treadmill up to an incline of 15% and walk at 4 km/hr for half an hour. (I usually follow that up with some abs work and 20 pushups.) When I'm not feeling so well, I just hop on the elliptical and watch TV. But I've been making it to the gym 2-4 times a week, with the exception of one week when my cold was particularly chesty, so I'm pretty proud of myself for maintaining my good habits! I also rode my bike for the first time in literally a year on Sunday. I needed to get to my friend Sarah's house but couldn't drive there because of parades. I biked there and back home, for a total of 6 miles. I enjoyed the ride, but I definitely remember why I don't ride my bike very often- it bruises my rear! :( I guess it's something you get used to over time, but I hate that about biking! (And yet somehow running induced foot blisters don't bother me....)
Finally, I want to say that I got a shout out on another blog. I tried Smitten Kitchen's Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onions (and so should everyone because it is easy and amazing!) and suggested that Heather at Heather Eat's Almond Butter should try it, and when she did, she mentioned me in her post. So, thanks, Heather! :) I'm glad you loved the sauce!
Okay I think that's all I planned to talk about for now. I hope everyone is having a good week!

The Morning After

Our Christmas party last night was lots of fun! Of course, I'm totally ignoring the fact that every glass in the house needs to be washed in favor of blogging.
I was very pleased with the food I made this year. I did a couple of things differently than I had planned- namely, I made hazelnut bark instead of chocolate chip cookies, and the stuffed peppadews (which I accidentally called pequillo's in the last post) didn't use up all of the goat cheese and chive filling, so I used the rest of the filling as a dip. I got a lot of good feedback about all of the food- I'd say that the Rotel dip was the biggest hit, I could have doubled the recipe and probably wouldn't have any left-overs. Everyone loved the bacon wrapped water chestnuts too. The fruit pizza and baked brie were also popular items. I was grateful for the pickled veggies, especially as the evening wore on- it was nice to reach for a piece of pickled okra instead of something unhealthy when I got snacky later in the evening.
My friend Stephanie brought some cookies she calls shorts (I think they are something like this recipe), and my friend Julianne brought fresh satsuma slices that she'd dipped halfway into dark chocolate. They were both excellent!
Our drink menu was great this year too. We had poinsetta cocktails, gluehwein (cook over low heat 2 bottles of red wine, 2 cups of sugar, the juice of one orange, the orange itself, 3 cinnamon sticks and 10 cloves for about an hour- being careful not to boil the wine), brandy milk punch, peppermint patty shots, and brandied port (brandy, port, and a twist of lemon).
I am sitting on the couch blogging while wearing the snuggie that my brother gave me for Christmas. I've certainly mocked snuggies in the past,but there is something to be said for being able to drink my coffee without having to adjust my blanket. Also, Homer is obsessed with the snuggie. He slept in my lap for 2 entire hours the other night because I was wearing the snuggie and watching a movie.
In other news, the shower in my bathroom has decided to stop working. I usually have amazing water pressure (and copious amounts of hot water), but the water just stopped coming out of the shower head in the middle of my shower yesterday. This has happened to me before at a previous apartment (although that apartment had only a shower head and no faucet, so I occasionally had to bathe using a pot full of hot water, which reminded me of Miss Honey in Matilda...this time I just crouched under the faucet and cursed loudly while trying to rinse my hair) and I think that the problem is that there are solids clogging up the line (a few rusty chunks came out of the faucet yesterday and today, which supports my supposition). Of course, I'm hoping that it will clear itself up in a couple of days (my old place often did) because if we call the landlords now, they probably won't be able to send someone over until we are out of town. Given that there are two cats in my house who have to be kept apart (we're not ready for Pancake to meet Homer until he no longer limps), we'd rather not have strangers in the house opening doors while we're gone. So worst comes to worst I'll have to use my darling fiance's shower for a couple of days. His water pressure is actually pretty lousy, but it's certainly better than nothing. Just now the pipes in my bathroom were making a horrible noise, so maybe the water will start up again soon.....this is the price of living in a charming old house!
My darling fiance and I opened our Christmas presents to each other on Thursday night so we would have more seating for our Christmas party. (The tree is sitting in our bay window, which serves as a bench when we entertain.) He gave me fuzzy socks, a new running shirt that is both long sleeved and reflective, another pair of Lululemon yoga pants, and a Wii and Wii fit kit! I've been wanting a Wii for years, so I am really excited to finally have one! I'm planning to play with the Wii fit this afternoon (which is a good incentive to get my house cleaning done).
As for now I think I will finish my coffee and read through my google reader before I get up and clean. It's nice to relax. Aside from two days of work this coming week, my holiday stress is pretty much behind me. I do have to pack and I have both a long run and a brunch for my book club at Dante's Kitchen to look forward to tomorrow. I leave for Switzerland on Wednesday!
Happy Holidays!!

Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! I'm at my parent's house, and am about to go to bed so I can get up early-ish and go shopping with my mom. It is definitely in my best interest to not spend very much money tomorrow (a fact that failed to prevent me from going to Old Navy after Thanksgiving dinner...) but I would like a heavy black button down or zip front sweater with no hood or large collar. The one I currently have is a) old, and b) has a flap collar that makes it uncomfortable to wear under a coat. Mom wants new towels. Exciting, I know. We're not getting up especially early, but we're hoping to get out to the stores by mid-morning.
I just want to stop for a moment and reflect upon how blessed I have been this year. This may actually have been my best year thus far!
I am so thankful for my wonderful fiance, family, future in-laws, friends, and pets. I am thankful for my good health and for my athletic achievements this year. I am thankful for my new car and for being able to keep the job I love during a tough economic time. And I am thankful to live in a city that I love. I am also thankful for all the good things that have happened to my friends this year as well. It's been wonderful to see my friends achieve their goals, get married, and expand their families. It's been a wonderful year and I hope that we all have many more years that are just as good!

Restaurants I Love in Houston

I have to travel to Houston for work this week. I dislike the long hours I work when I travel for business, but I do enjoy having an excuse to eat out. Some of my favorite places near the office are Sushi Jin, Nit Noi, and Bistro Provence. I will also probably get room service for dinner one night of the trip. Getting room service always makes me feel pampered. The other upside of staying in a hotel is that I will have access to cable. I don't have TV at home (by choice), and it's a nice novelty when I get to watch it.
It kind of stinks that I have to travel for work though because I am going to miss my darling fiance (new bloggy nickname, ahoy!). He's actually leaving town to go to NYC with his Mom for the weekend (lucky boy!) just as I get back in town.
Because of this, we actually exchanged anniversary presents this past weekend (our 3 year anniversary is technically on Halloween) and he got me a Wine Maker! My cabernet-shiraz blend is currently fermenting away in the corner of my kitchen- and I am eager to see how it turns out. It's definitely a good gift for the wine loving chemist in your life. :)
Other notable events this weekend were my friend Sarah's Halloween Party on Friday (very fun), the Houston Ballet on Saturday (very good, except for the last Twyla Tharp piece that featured costumes that were distractingly ugly.), and The Race for the Cure on Sunday (I ran with Steph- it was her first race and she did great).
I also used Pumpkin in several new recipes this weekend. First, I made pumpkin dip, which I served in a hollowed out pie pumpkin at Sarah's party. Dippers were apple slices, cinnamon graham crackers, and caramel/vanilla marshmallows. The biggest change I made to this recipe was to dramatically increase the amount of cinnamon called for (I think tripled it at least).
When I woke up the next morning, I made Pumpkin Spice Whole Wheat Pancakes by adding cinnamon (I have no idea how much, let's just say several good shakes) and about 1/4 a can of pumpkin to a half portion of this recipe (to make 4-6 medium sized pancakes)- then thinning the batter to the standard pancake batter consistency with a little water.
Finally, on Sunday, I used the remained 1/4 cup of pumpkin in an easy pulled chicken crock pot dish. I sliced 2 chicken breasts, then added 1/4 can of pumpkin, 1 can of black beans, 1 cup of chopped onion, a few generous shakes of tabasco sauce, and about 2 cups of salsa to my crock pot. I cooked the chicken on high for 3.5 hours, then took the meat out of the pot, shredded it, and stirred it up in the sauce. I expected this to taste very southwestern, but it actually just made a nice brown gravy with beans and chicken in it. I served it on tortillas with cheese and plain greek yogurt, but I think that my darling fiance will be eating the leftovers with bread during the week (in part because we are almost out of tortillas). The best thing about this recipe is that it made a ton of food. So far we each had 2 tortillas worth last night, and I had another for lunch today. I'd say there are at least 3 or 4 servings left. I think you could also add diced tomatoes and chicken broth and make a decent tortilla soup with the shredded chicken. I'll definitely be making this again!

Double Trouble

Congratulations to my friend (and former roomate) Emily- this weekend she gave birth to TWIN BOYS!!! Benjamin Edward and Colton Allen were born on Oct. 23.

Sweetest Day

Wow.
When I woke up yesterday morning, I thought the biggest news of the day was that I was going to darken my hair color. I went to work, then left at noon to go the the salon. While I was at the salon, a car crashed through the window in the front of the salon! I was in the middle of having my hair colored at the time, so I'm pretty amazed that it came out alright. :) The lady who crashed her car ended up being my colorist's next door neighbor who actually had an appointment with my colorist! She had a cast on her right foot and apparently hit the gas instead of the break as she was trying to park. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
After my hair appointment, I was apparently a little distracted, because I accidentally locked my keys in the car when I got home, along with my purse and phone! I ended up making friends with my new downstairs neighbor because I had to wait until 5:30 for Benjy to get home. (Yes, I am departing from my usual pet name for my sweetie, for reasons that will become apparent....)
After that, we had some cheese and crackers (I'd locked my snack in the car too) and got ready to go to the Sazerac Bar in the Roosevelt Hotel. When we left, I called my friend Anne, who was going to be at the bar, and said "You won't believe the crazy stories I have to tell you about today!" Little did I know!
Benjy had been saying all week that he was really excited to go see the hotel because it is a historic New Orleans hotel that has just been reopened. (Benjy is really into New Orleans history and culture.) Apparently Huey P. Long, a noteworthy New Orleans politician, spent a lot of time there in the 20's and Benjy told me that they had restored his old suite on the 10th floor and marked it with a plaque with an "H" on it. We were supposed to meet everyone at 7, but we got there about 10 minutes early, and so Benjy said "Let's go see if we can find his room!" We went up to the tenth floor and Benjy led me down the hall saying "You're supposed to go left, then right, and the room is at the end of the hall." I was gamely walking down the hall thinking it was cute how much he loves New Orleans history. Well, we got to the end of the hall and I was looking around for the plaque, and feeling kind of confused because I didn't see one. Benjy took out a room key and said "I lied!"

He opened the door into a beautiful suite with rose petals scattered on the floor and a table with roses in a vase and a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket...He sat me down and then got down on one knee and proposed!!!!! I'm engaged!!!! I was so surprised and happy! (I cried, of course.) :)

The set up

When Benjy proposed, he gave me a beautiful round diamond that belonged to his mother. Today, we went to Symmetry Jewelers and I chose a design for my ring. It is so beautiful!! Symmetry Jewelers is known for their hand crafted rings, especially those designed by Tom Mathis. Each ring is individually manufactured in their shop, and all of their designs were gorgeous. It was really hard to decide which one to get, but I am so happy with the one I chose! My ring will be ready on November 20th! I can't wait to wear it!

Of course, all my friends were in on the surprise, and after I called all my family and Benjy's family and out of town friends, we joined them in the Sazerac bar. I was talking to my friends when all of the sudden, Mom and Dad walked into the bar!! I was so surprised that I started crying again!

Calling everyone!!

Benjy had also gotten a chocolate and raspberry cake from Sucre that said "Happily Ever After" so we all went upstairs and had cake and champagne. My parents called it a night after that because they had to drive back to the coast, but the rest of us ate at the Sazerac Bar restaurant then hung out in the bar for a while after that.

After we went to bed, I couldn't sleep very well because I was too excited and happy. I kept waking up and thinking about everything that happened! I think I got about 4 hours of sleep, total. So I am pretty tired today. :) This morning we ordered room service and sat around enjoying the suite- it was lovely.

The view from our room this morning

After breakfast, we went home, walked the dogs, and went to pick out my ring.

I keep feeling like I should pinch myself because everything was so wonderful and I just can't believe it's real. It was the best day ever. :)

My wonderful fiance