The Good. The Bad. And The Good.

The Good:

1.  I completed the race.  The Disney half marathon.  January 6, 2007.  My 12th wedding anniversary.

The Bad:

1.  I had no clue what I was doing.

2.  I was wearing more clothes than a man wearing sixteen jackets.  And that is the truth!

3.  It was 80 degrees.  And I was wearing more clothes than a woman wearing sixteen jackets.

4.  I had on TWO pairs of pants.  Not running tights.  Not shorts.  But PANTS.

5.  I was wearing a FANNY PACK!  Full of more nonsense than you would find at a flea market.

6.  Sometimes I would get tired of it hanging off of my front... so, I would spin it around to the back.

7.  It was my hump.  My hump.  My lovely lady lump.

8.  I didn't fuel properly.

9.  I drank WAY too much water before the race started.  I ended up in a port-a-potty around mile three.  It hurt my mojo.

10.  I didn't drink at all WHILE I was running....for fear of having to go to the bathroom again.  And I get nervous navigating water stations.  ( don't ask)

11.  I didn't train properly.

12.  I didn't work out at all for a couple of months prior.

13.  I didn't work out again for 3 1/2 years after the race.

14.  It took me 3 hours and 21 minutes to cross the finish line.

AND THE REST OF THE GOOD:

1.  I had an incredible time!

2.  It was a fantastic, rewarding experience.

3.  I tear up every time I think of my family cheering me on.

4.  I crossed the finish line - even if it took me 3 hours and 21 minutes.

5.  I have the AWESOME picture above to remind me of my experience.  heh. heh.

...............................................................................

Next week, at this time, I will be running in my second half marathon.  I am stronger.  I am healthier.  I am more prepared.  I am stoked! 

I definitely plan to fuel properly. I definitely plan to think positive.  I definitely plan to improve my time. 

And I definitely plan to have the most excellent adventure!

Especially because I will not be toting a fanny pack!  <== what the heck was I thinking!?

The Big Red Pot

The first day of Fall started off with RAIN.  And lots of it.

Kev said 300 inches to be exact.

Or maybe he said 3.

My ears were too water logged to hear properly.

I was drenched to my bones within one second of leaving my house.  That's what keeping your umbrella in the car will do to you.

And all that time I spent straightening my hair was a waste.  I was in complete afro mode within thirty minutes and the hair continued to grow throughout the day.

I didn't even have to say "hello" to anyone that came in to the store... because my hair did it for me.

It was pretty bad.

But the rain ended up being great for two reasons.

#1.  Because we definitely needed some rain!! 

#2.  Because I had soup on the menu in honor of Fall - and there is nothing better than soup to comfort a wet, frizzy-haired, person.

Except for maybe dry clothes and a hat.

My soup recipe came from The Pioneer Woman.  Italian Chicken Soup.

And, of course, it required me to use this...

It has been mocking me from it's permanent place on the stove all summer long.

And I finally had a reason to fill it to the brim with goodness.

The other thing that I made was bread.  We do not eat that much bread anymore... except for my Ezekiel toast and pizza dough... but it just seemed like the right thing to do.  So, I looked through the pantry and came up with Beer Bread.

I had made the bread a couple of years ago after getting the recipe from a friend's blog.  ( Hi Courtney!)  It was so easy to do and so good to eat.  But don't let the "beer" ingredient throw you off.. because it doesn't taste like beer at all.  In fact, I'm not sure exactly why it requires beer - but it does.  So, I do what I am told.

It turned out perfectly!  Fluffy and sweet.  Kev even said that he thought it could be a dessert bread.

Dessert bread.  I like the sound of that.

The soup was pretty good... just not enough "kick" for us.  Even though it required several jalapenos - of which I even left in the seeds.  But it was nothing that a little hot sauce couldn't fix.

The only problem is that it made A TON!! Like "feeding an army" ton.  Not to mention that I multi-tasked while making the soup... and made Kev an old school favorite- Mamwich.  I have to work a lot over the next couple of days..so I figured soup for dinners + Mamwiches for lunch = a happy Kev.

It's a good thing that soup freezes well. 

And a good thing that I have gotten over my fear of frozen foods.

At least when I'm in control of it.  :)

Blasts From The Past

Kev and I love to share stories of when we were kids.

Things we did.  Toys we played with.  What we daydreamed about.

I daydreamed about boys and clothes.

I know this because I wrote it down in a book that my Mom just gave me.

And because that is pretty much all I ever day dream about.

Oh.  And, of course, food.

Both of our parents have been cleaning out attics and storage units and closets and have been giving us some of our childhood possessions.

Meet Chewbacca.

He has officially become my new playmate.

Especially when the power goes out and there is nothing to do except to take pictures of Kev's toys wearing hats.

Out of the huge bag of toys and such... I became smitten with Chewey. 

I love(d) Star Wars - (hello!  I just went to a Sci Fi convention) ( well, it was really more of a tv/movie convention) (should I be embarrassed?)

Which means that I loved Chewbacca. 

But I never had this "doll".  Even though we grew up around the same time ( I'm TWO years younger!) and had similar toys.

Nor have I ever seen it.

It required a googling - which informed me that it was made in 1977, is missing a bandoleer, and is selling for $99.95 on ebay.

Score!

Except for how could I ever part with such a thing... not to mention that it is not mine to part with.

I just like to know what my house guests are worth.

For the record, I google anyone that comes to stay with me.

I'm a business woman.  It's what I do.

Chewey probably wishes he could have stayed packed up in a box forever.

Instead of being forced to attend my tea parties....

(Which I believe he secretly loves)

And posing amongst our rain forest...

Have I mentioned that our dining room has officially turned in to a green house?  Because it has.

Which fortunately happens to be a perfect home for a wookie.

The other fabulous thing that Mary gave us was this scrapbook.

She has been working on it for over a year.  It takes a long time to chronicle Kev's life.

Especially since there is so much cuteness...

I have spent so much time looking through this treasure!  It is like I'm savoring every page not wanting it to end.

The love she put in to it is amazing.  Stories, hidden notes, hundreds and hundreds of pictures... I'm telling you that every detail is covered.  And appreciated.

Except for some heinous pictures of me.  Like ones that are unrecognizable.  Like I don't even remember them being taken.  Like I wish they never were.

I hope they don't fall out of the book.

And then there are the pics that I love because they show how simple things used to be.

Like this makeshift high chair...

A wooden stool on a kitchen chair.

100% safe in 1971. 

Of course, Kev pointed out that it was just o.k for him because he was such a well behaved, calm child.

Some of us wouldn't haven't faired so well.  Cough.  Cough.  Bethany.  Cough.

In other news...

Today is the first day of FALL!!! You better believe we celebrated.  And I will tell you all about it... but right now I am watching my( majorly missed) television shows.  Because Fall brings the Fall tv line up.... and luckily it was just in time before I was sucked in to Summer Sci-Fi oblivion. 

Thank goodness for the scrapbook.  It got me through some pretty boring days.

Tanner Tot Casserole

Yes, I just named a casserole after my new nephew.

Yes, he should consider it quite an honor.

Yes, this casserole was pretty fantastic.

Just like he is!

 I mentioned yesterday when announcing Caroline's arrival that we had also had a dinner celebration in honor of Tanner's birth.

It involved tater tots because his nickname is "Tanner Tot".

But these weren't just any ole tots.  They were made of SWEET POTATOES! 

 Holy healthy (er) food!!

Proof that if you look hard enough ( even though they were easy to find) you can replace the majority of your unhealthy favorites with the good stuff.

Not only did I find these sweet puffs of yum.... but I also found a "re-make" of my favorite meal as a child.

It was on Mama Pea's blog: Peas and Thank You.

Mama Pea is a vegan and makes the most delicious meals you can think of.

So, I took a couple of her ideas and a couple of my ideas and merged them in to one.

My version was definitely not vegan ( I used grass fed beef) but it was a MUCH healthier version of the original.

I cooked the beef and then added the carrots, peas, onion, and celery.... along with some veggie broth.

 I let it all simmer in the pot for a little bit ( basically following Mama Pea's instructions) and then poured it in a 13 x 9 dish.





                                      

I covered the ingredients with the sweet potato puffs and baked on 375 for 45 minutes.

It was fantastic!!  I'm telling you those "puffs" were sent from heaven.  SO GOOD!

They would also be incredible just as a side to a sandwich... with a bit of ketchup.

Or if ketchup is a little too boring for you... you could eat them with this...

 And that is just what we did.  Actually we put the hot sauce on the casserole... but I am willing to dip just about anything in that stuff.

Anything!

And for the record... the meal would have been just as good.. if not better... without the meat.  It could be one big veggie pot pie.

Now if only Tanner could come to our next party.  Of course, that would mean that a miracle happened and Alaska moved closer to South Carolina.

So, until I either win the lottery... or Alaska floats around to the East coast... every time that I eat a tot I will have to celebrate him in his absence.

I'm sure when he grows up he will be thrilled to know I did this.

Either that or he will think his Aunt is a wack-a-doodle.

Caroline Ruth Has Arrived!

And it is about time!!

Even though I won the contest for choosing the correct date!  ( For the record, Kev did too)

We chose September 11th - 7 days past Caroline's due date... for no other reason than it is important to associate positive events with that day as well. 

And the fact that just about every other family member that we have has that same birthday.

My sister, Shannon.

My mother-in-law, Mary.

My nephew, Mason.

My sister Shannon's sister-in-law, Judy.

Bethany's boyfriend's mother, Beth.

And now Caroline Ruth.

Ok.  So, that is not necessarily "every other family member"... but it is close.  And more impactful if I say it that way.

Three cheers for exaggeration!!

And a TRILLION cheers for my sweet niece being born!!!

I am on a cloud of happiness and pride and excitement.   And that is a pretty fun cloud to be on.

First, Abigail.  Then Tanner.  Now Caroline.

A year of AWESOMESAUCE!

(Which translates to mean a year of so much love and so many blessings!)

Is it possible for this little girl to be any more precious?....

I would have posted sooner... but I have been patiently waiting for Laura to get her post up first.  I figured it was proper blog etiquette to let the blogger who has had the incredible experience be the one to announce the news.  But the post is up!  And it is a great one!

And for goodness sake.....my waterworks this year have gotten quite a workout.

Tears of joy, I tell you.  TEARS OF JOY!

Caroline Ruth Switzer

11lbs.  13ozs.

22 inches long.

And I get to meet her in person!  In less than a month.  I'm headed to Syracuse, NY.  The land of snow, ice, extreme cold, and the best BBQ place this side of the Mississippi.

And we will be fast friends.  I'm sure of it.  Because I already love this girl more than she will ever know!!

To celebrate her arrival... we made BBQ ribs with the DELISH sauce that I received from her baby shower.

(We also had a similar dinner party when Tanner was  born... which I will be posting the recipe for soon!!)

The ribs were amazing!  And the party was pretty fantastic... considering that just the two of us attended.  I even wore all white - apparently because I was determined to ruin my white shorts once and for all.. .because I did manage to drop an entire sauce coated rib down the front of me.  Stained my entire outfit.  And then I hit my head on the countertop when I was getting back up from picking it up off the floor.

It resulted in lots of laughter.  And was totally worth it!

And reminded me, once again, that I should NEVER EVER own a pair of white shorts.

But seriously, being an aunt is the best title/responsibility that I have ever been given!! (Even better than my beloved pageant title of "Miss All-You-Can-Eat Buffet")  And I truly appreciate my wonderful siblings for giving me the opportunity!

Congrats Dave and Laura on your new family!!!  And "Welcome To The World" sweet Caroline!

Pina Coladas, Pizzas, and Pumpkin

Yes, I just alliterated.  Again.

Which sounds very unlady-like.  But isn't.

I have this bizarre need to find three things in my story that all start with the same letter and then put them in the title.

And I usually end up spending WAY more time on it than is truly necessary. 

Titles are harder to come up with than you would think.

But today's was easy.  Because it involved food.  And me + food = soulmates.

My day started off with a workout.

A workout in the BEST WEATHER!

Great weather means that I spend more time outdoors.  And when you are outdoors the workouts are so much more fun.  You can get creative and change things up a bit.

I did my usual walking lunges.  But I would stop at the other side of the yard - then RUN back and do thirty jumping jacks before I started lunging again.

I did that three times.  And boy can I feel it now.

I also turned to the side and did walking squats.  While I was boxing the air.  It was extremely ungraceful and probably painful to watch.

At least that is the impression that I got from Kev when he said he saw me working out.

But I did it.  And sweated like a pole cat even though it was so chilly.

After my arm workout and a couple of leg presses (indoors), I enjoyed my breakfast of iced coffee with whey protein mixed in.

Some say "breakfast of champions".  Some say "breakfast of weirdos".

I just drank it up and got ready for the big lunch extravaganza.

Today we were celebrating.

Celebrating Mary's ( Kev's Mom) birthday.  She was out of town last weekend... so we invited her over for lunch.

And it was the perfect time to grill some pizzas ( our new favorite past time).

Specifically, one involving fig preserves.

We had been watching The Pioneer Woman's NEW Cooking show ( love it!!) and she had done a fig, proscuitto, and arugula pizza.

I passed out and died and then licked my lips until they were chapped.

(Ew.  That sounds gross!)

And decided I would HAVE to make it soon or I would not survive.

So, make it we did.  Along with three other pizzas......

A picture of all the ingredients we used.  Including a two paged to-do list of prep instructions.  It was very time consuming but totally worth it.

The main thing is to just be very organized.  Prep as much as you possibly can in advance.  And make sure you have married a Little Caesar's pizza making professional.

It truly helps in the long run.

Our stars of the show.....

Fig, Proscuitto, Arugula Pizza

Pepperoni with Peppers and Onions

Tomato + Basil

BBQ Chicken, Gouda, Carmelized Onions

OH.MY.GOODNESS.  Party in my mouth!

I had a slice of each.  And loved each one... however, the bbq ended up being my favorite!  We even used bbq sauce ( From Syracuse!) as the "sauce".  It was yum-tastic!

The fig preserves pizza was pretty great too.  It was a taste explosion but light.  Which means you can eat more of it if you feel it is necessary.

I always feel it is necessary to eat more.

Kev is truly the "grillin' machine".  He did an awesome job of pulling every thing together!

I'm already planning our next pizza cookout. 

It is for every day for the rest of my life.

And then there was dessert....

Praline Pumpkin Dessert.

Holy Yum!

It was Kev's idea for me to make a pumpkin dessert.  And as you know... I will never turn away pumpkin.  PLUS it just seemed like the right thing to do since the weather has changed and all.

It was super simple to make.  I served it with vanilla ice cream and cinnamon caramel (from Williams Sonoma!)

Do you think anyone will notice if I show up to work with a caramel mustache on my face?

Because I will probably be drinking the stuff from here on out.

A perfect end to a perfect day!

And now I'm just unpatiently waiting for my food to digest... so, I can go back for more.

I love days like this!





A Day Of Fall

Even though it is not really Fall.

I've been informed of that multiple times.

But a girl can dream, right?

I was told last night.... AS PREDICTED... that hot weather is right around the corner.

It is amazing how well you get to know a person when you have lived with them for one billion years.

I even shivered and whined that I was freezing last night and requested that my bed heater be turned on.

Kev promptly turned on the fan, pulled the comforter over his head, and probably rolled his eyes a time or five.

I'm dramatic.  What can I say?

I awoke to another crisp morning.  Another day of boots and scarves and sweaters.  Another day of complete insanity at work.... it seems that all women in the city are loving the weather and are scrambling to get their new wardrobe. 

I am not complaining!

My initial plan today was to head to the gym after work.  To run.  On a Saturday.  Like a lame-o.

But after a non-stop work day.  And a couple of hours to feel sorry for myself... ( my quads and buns are KILLING me after my lunge extravaganza yesterday!), I decided that it was probably best to head on home.

Because #1  I've learned the hard way that my body needs to rest.  Pushing myself too hard results in major soreness/ possible injury.  #2  I was too tired to run.  #3 Kev was already home from work and I wanted to be home with him.  #4  I didn't have the energy to change my clothes.

It happens.  And listening to your body is key on your performance.

At least that is what I like to tell myself.  :)

I also decided to pick up dinner.  We originally had plans tonight... but things didn't work out which resulted in nothing planned for us to eat.

It's a good thing, though.  Because I had been dying to try a place across the street but could never really come up with a good reason to try it.

Zoe's Kitchen.

 They specialize in FRESH, HEALTHY, ORGANIC food.

Good thing.  Because that is what I specialize in as well.  :)

I decided to order two of their specialities...

The steak roll ups.  Which is tri-tip steak with onions and mushrooms in a tortilla...

 With a side of Vegan potato salad.  No mayo.  Vinegar base.  Pretty darn good.

And Greek Salad...

 And Grilled Chicken Kebabs.  With rice.

 Obviously, that is a TON of food.  And for the record I did NOT order that much... but due to a miscommunication, I ended up with it.  So, we just decided to go with the flow... because goodness knows we can eat every bit of it in a couple of days.

It was pretty yummy.

The kebabs were the best part.  So flavorful!!  And the rice was a delicious side.  They also had a ton of  other yummy things on their menu... but I decided to save those for another time.

The crazy thing is that we usually don't eat dinner until about 8:30.  So, I thought I would get home.  Chill out.  Maybe do a couple of chores.

But, unbeknownst to me, Kev was out-of-his-mind starving.  So, he attacked every container the minute I walked in the door.

So much so that I was racing to get some pictures before he stuck his head back down in the aluminum tray for more food.

It was insane.  And  messy.  And even though I always eat in a hectic manner... I have NEVER seen Kev behave that way.

Apparently, I need to feed him better. 

The only good thing about eating at 6:30 is that I get a late night snack.

And I'm pretty sure that it will involve something with this ingredient...

Because it IS Fall, after all.  At least in my mind.  And that means that it is time to break out my stash of pumpkin.  That I have been hoarding since 2009. 

Happy Weekend Every one!  Hope it is amazing!