Roasts, Races and Bases

So there I am, minding my own business and BAM! A lifeless cow comes swinging in my general direction. There's blood on the floor and a man is getting ready to cut off the steer's leg. Further down, there is another cow with a contraption hooked to it. This device pulls the skin off of the cow in one swift motion. The next cow is getting ready to have its head and insides removed, and the last of the group is getting ready to be pulled in two. The night before these four animals were being graded by myself and the other conference attendees. They were much alive. Welcome to the Beef Summit. That was three weeks ago to the day. Since the trip to Stillwater, I have gone to Asheville, Hendersonville, and Charlotte, North Carolina. I shopped, hiked, ate, drank, and cheered for the Red Sox. I even attended a NASCAR race while I was in the area.

The Bank of America 500 was amazing. We made it into the infield before the race for driver introductions then we watched the race from a suite, a suite with wait service. It was nice. (Said in the voice of Borat.)

Without further ado, here are some photos of the trip:

Meg and I at the Poplar Lodge.


Phil and I at the Poplar Lodge.


Me at the beginning of the hike down to the base of the DuPont National State Park Falls (some of them at least).


The falls from afar.


The base of the falls.


With Kasey Kahne at the Klub Picnic.


With Kasey in the infield of Lowes Motor Speedway.


The group with David Gilliland before the race.



No, there aren't any photos of the Summit for me to display. Sorry to disappoint, but the one photo I do have isn't very appealing. I wouldn't want to turn any of my readers into vegetarians. ;)

Until next time ... GO SOX!

Give me a J, give me an O, give me a B

Here it is folks. September’s Blog. I know it’s sad that I’ve gone down to a blog a month, but let me tell you that this one is well worth the wait. As most of you know I have been working at a local non-profit as a volunteer coordinator. Although that job is for a noble cause, a few weeks ago I was asked to join the marketing team of an internationally known business. I accepted. From this point on I will be learning about all things related to food. This could mean one of two things: my blog entries increase due to the new journey I will embark on, or they could stay the same with monthly highlights. I’m not sure which. I suppose it will be a surprise for all of us.

With that said, let’s look at September’s highlight’s:
Errr, perhaps I should say “highlight”. In any event, this month brought about many changes, the new job, a new hair cut, and a new dining room. When we moved into our little house it was full of periwinkle colored walls. That is all about to change. We started working on the dining room, that had a two-toned periwinkle look on the walls and the ceiling. To update this room, Phil and I chose a bold color that would stand out and add a little “umph” to our home. This look took a single coat of primer, three coats of the new color “Old Burgundy”, and three coats of “Caribbean Walk” on the ceiling and the molding. I could have found at least 30 better things to do with two consecutive weekends, but it was worth the effort.

Before


After


To come:
The first week of October will be an interesting one. Mid-week I will be attending the Oklahoma Beef Summit (for work) where I will fabricate a carcass. That’s right a carcass. For those of you who are not aware of the terminology: fabricate roughly means butcher. I may or may not become a vegetarian after this week. Wish me luck!

Long overdue

After a long break I am back ... for now. I'm not sure how long this next stint of blogging will last for, but in my defense I've been terribly busy. In any event, this will be my last post as a 27 year old. At least I'm pretty sure it will be. Let me tell you, 27 has been a long and bumpy ride. Here's to hoping for smooth sailing 28. ;)

Update: last week we went to see The Format in Tulsa at a little event called DFest. The "D" is short for Diversity. Anywho it was a blasty-blast. Steel Train and Limbeck opened the show and let me tell you, although they were good, they couldn't get off the stage fast enough. Oh, and a guy (I presume was filling in as back-up for Limbeck) looked just like my little brother. Well, my little brother with a fro. I had a spot right next to the stage (slightly behind the speaker as to keep my hearing for another 28 years) and this kid was doing his thing right in front of me. The whole time I was thinking "Andrew?" Yes, I would be surprised if my brother ended up in Tulsa and didn't call me first.

So, The Format. Nate, Sam, Mike, Izard, and Don were spot on as usual. And Nate is right, Toco really is the best Merch guy ever. I sat there going through shirts that were way too big for me and he gave me great instructions on how to shrink one to fit my petiteness. I already had one Format shirt, but it's signed by Nate and I don't like to wear it too much for fear that washing will somehow ruin the signature. The highlight of the evening was meeting Nate for the second time. He is so good to his fans ... even at 2 a.m.

Tulsa is really a beautiful city. Our hotel was a little far from "stuff" but it was by far the best hotel in Tulsa ... well, except all of the performers were staying there and we heard an impromptu 4 a.m. concert down the hall. The best restaurants are located close to the Utica Square area and most are within walking distance to various shops and galleries. For anyone planning on a trip to Tulsa, Kilkenny's is an amazing Irish Pub. They have all of the standard Irish favorites and an atmosphere that makes you feel like you are in Dublin. The Guinness concoctions are out of this world. We also dined at Flemings Steakhouse. The steaks were delish and the wine flights offer a variety of palate pleasing flavors. Everything at Flemings is a la carte, so be prepared to spend at least $100 per couple. Let me reiterate though: It's worth it!

Until next time.
-L

Ready. Set. Hold on.

We're here! We're here! We finally made it.

After a long 9 hour drive from San Antonio and a long wait for our belongings, we are moved in ... well, for the most part. We still have one room without a whole lot in it. The good news with that is we can buy new furniture to suit our needs. The bad news is that we have to buy new furniture. Such is life. For now the living room is the computer room. A very large computer room ... especially since we currently only need room for our laptops.

Speaking of computers, our movers decided to play a few rounds of kickball with our iMac and then leave it in an unairconditioned storage facility for 4 months. Now the hard drive is toast. Literally. So I have lost about 90% of my contact information and other miscellaneous files. In other words, if you are reading this blog and I know you, I probably need to get your contact information sent over via e-mail. So please, bring on the e-mails. I promise to back-up this time.

We have also purchased a new puppy since the move here. She is a pure bred Golden Retriever (just like our Zoe) and a pain in the ass. We named her Zima since we have a thing for "Z" names. This, however, may have been a mistake since Zoe finds it necessary to come when we call Zima. The poor puppy will never know which name is really hers.

Without further ado, here are some photos of the new puppy and of my mom's and Izzy's trip here last week.
Enjoy.

Zima gives Zoe a little friendly competition


Zima LOVES the camera


Family Photo in front of the new house


The puppies and I in front of the new house


Mom, Izzy, and I at the Elephant Bar


My mom and I. Say Cheese!


Mom, Izzy, and I in the back yard


Izzy and I goofing around


Philly and I cooking up something good for Mom and Izzy


Fin!

No Phone.

Just a quick note ~

The move is on and I'm not exactly sure when we will be back in business as far as the internet goes. Wish us luck!

~ Laura

Where have all the comments gone?

Here we are again ... another slump in the blogging ritual of me. To be honest my readers do have a part to play in my lack of blogging. Hello??? Where have all my commentators gone? Perhaps you're confused with the latest changes. Allow me to break it down for you:

Speak to me = Comment.
Word = One person has commented. Read it and leave your own comment.
They have spoken = multiple people have commented. Read them and leave your own.

Any questions?

Wednesdays News:
• We officially closed on our new home.
• Moving shall commence soon. More details to come.
• I've been doing the Self Challenge for 2.25 months. I've stopped logging all of my progress and such on the web site and I don't think I've lost any weight. It irritates the crap out of me. Plus, I'm super hungry with all of the extra cardio and reduction in calories. Also, the diet is not made for people who are picky eaters. Sorry, but I only eat certain veggies, fruits, etc. I can't get into an all fruit breakfast or having salads everyday for lunch. I've varied my personal menus according to their specifications, but I've run out of ideas. I'm going to stick with the Challenge until the 3 months are up, but I plan on stepping it up a notch and adding in my own exercises.
• Tonight's episode of "Lost" was interesting/annoying. Okay, maybe it's more on the annoying side. But I can't stop watching! Who else is thinking they are in the Bermuda Triangle? Why does Locke want to be with the Others and why has Jack turned into such an (insert choice noun here)?

Okay, the last tid bit wasn't really "news" but neither is Britney's recent boob flash and that ended up on the tube.

To end this little blurb I have a question of etiquette:
When two couples go out to dinner and decide they would like to get together again, who's responsible for making it happen? The couple who initiated the first dining experience or the other couple? Discuss.

Talk to me.

Here it is, just another lazy day in April. For this installment of my life, I thought I would share my recipe for a delightful chicken salad and also, share a photo of my new dining room table (sans chairs). I know. It is terribly exciting.

Laura’s Colossal Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS
4 slices thin cut chicken breast
½ cup diced onion
⅓ cup sliced almonds
2 tsp each of: salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, cilantro, and natures seasoning
1 ½ tbsp of Hellmans Mayo
½ - 1 cup of fat free plain yogurt (will vary depending on your preferred consistency)
2 tsp of spicy brown mustard
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)


DIRECTIONS
Coat the bottom of a large pan with EVOO. Put half of seasonings (omitting the natures seasoning) on the chicken. Put chicken in the pan (seasoned side down) and add the other half of the seasonings (again, omitting the natures seasoning) on the exposed side of the chicken. Turn the burner on to medium-high. Cook both sides of the chicken until golden brown (about 5 minutes on each side) with a nice white center (test by cutting into your thickest cut of meat).

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and place in a medium-mixing bowl. Add your wet ingredients (mayo, mustard, and yogurt) and mix thoroughly. Then add the onion, almonds, and natures seasoning. Cover and let refrigerate for 1 hour (or more) before serving.



I like to have my chicken salad over a bed of lettuce and with a little fresh grated parmesan. Yum!

I've been asked to post a picture of my lovely new dining room set. Unfortunately, it is all packed away so I have to post a picture from the web. It doesn't matter. It's still a great set and it sits 6-8 people (depending on whether the extension is in place or not). Without further ado, here it is:



Have a Happy Thursday! And please, if you comment leave a name!

Goodbye Kurt

Yesterday famed and inspired author Kurt Vonnegut died. Today we say goodbye and hope that this will bring a new generation of young readers who will absorb Mr. Vonnegut's words of wisdom and social parody. If you haven't yet, go out and buy a copy of "Slaughterhouse-Five". You won't regret it.

Seriously.

Whomever decided that joy is the feeling toward homeownership never actually went through the process of purchasing a house. This has been a hair-pulling fiasco. I don't know how so many military couples cope through the various moves and homes they go through during a 10-20 year contract term. Phil and I have only been at this for (almost) 6 years and it never seems to get any easier. This, however, is the first time we have purchased a home. For the last 5 years he and I have been happy home renters, but lately we felt as though we were missing a step in our relationship. Some people think that step is a baby (sorry, it's not going to happen any time soon). We felt that the particular step we were missing was that of home ownership. Here we are. We have finally advanced to the next level and that is: more taxes. Ahhh. Such is life.

On other fronts, the Self Challenge has been, well, challenging. Phil, Zoe, and I have been running/walking 3 times a week for at least 45 minutes. I have shin splints and excruciating leg pain. I keep hoping that this will get easier, but it seems as though it just gets harder to gain the stamina I need to keep up with the three days of cardio and three days of weight training. I can't imagine what I'm going to feel like once I start working 40 hours a week.

For those of you keeping up, I am currently knee deep in the ellusive job search. (Here on to be referred to as "Job Hunt 07" or "JH 07".) In any event, the hunt is going to say the least. I hope that after the relocation is over with I will be able to give advice to others about finding a job in a different state. Until then if anyone else has some hints please let me know.

My last topic of the day is about furniture. Phil and I have more space than furniture in our new home. Even though we aren't moving for a month, we felt the need to check out our furniture options here in Texas because it would give us time to debate on the perfect dining room table, living room furniture, etc. Our journey led us to Cost Plus World Market (worldmarket.com). For those of you who have been to WM you know how easy it is to get lost in the sea of unique paintings, aromatic candles, and divine wine collections. In short, we spent a good couple of hours (over a period of 3 days) perusing the store. They have some wonderful items on sale, including their furniture. Some pieces are 45% off of the original cost (this applies to the dining room sets). In any event, we purchased a lovely 7 piece dining room set in antique black. By the way, if you want a good workout, buy a dining room set and then move it upstairs with your husband. To air on the side of safety, make sure there are no sharp instruments or animals nearby. And don't wear flip flops. Falling upstairs can happen and it hurts.

What came first?

Today I thought I would talk about my least favorite meal of the day, but the most important one: Breakfast. Don't get me wrong I love breakfast, however, I cannot stand the massive amounts of tempting foods presented before me every morning. From bagels to french toast I love it all. Unfortunately, I do not have a private trainer who will be there to snatch the extra cream cheese out of my hand and then immediately put me on a treadmill for intense training, so I have to maintain a healthy morning regimen. With the new workout (which includes weight training) I find it necessary to include protein into all of my meals. Plain eggs can be boring at times and not very filling, so I came up with my own recipe to spice up my morning ritual.

I call this one:
The Perfect Omelette (although perfection is in the eyes, or tummy, of the beholder)

Main Ingredients:
2 large eggs
4-6 dashes of hot sauce (I prefer Cholula)
1/2 tsp skim milk
1-2 tbls of crumbled feta cheese
2 tsp natures seasoning
1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Pam (or cooking spray of your choice)

Extras:
2 tbls sauteed onion (white)
sauteed mushrooms (to your liking)
1 tbls sauteed green pepper

*Note: I usually only add in the onion. These are not the only extras that can be added into this meal, they are however, some of the healthiest ones.

Directions:
1. Saute your extras in the EVOO (you may want to add more EVOO to the veggies depending on the quantity)


2. Put eggs, hot sauce, milk, & seasoning in a bowl and beat until mixed thoroughly


3. Add your extras to the bowl and beat into the mixture

4. Spray Pam into a 10" pan making sure to coat the bottom

5. Add mixture to pan and set the burner to medium heat

6. Once the eggs start to solidify add desired amount of feta cheese


7. Fold egg mixture over to one side to create your omlette making sure to cook through (no one wants a case of salmonella, especially not first thing in the morning)


8. Enjoy!

There's no place like ...

HOME! After a very hectic and long weekend Phil and I found a house we love. The house went under contract yesterday and we plan on closing April 30. This is all very exciting, frustrating, and scary.

The drive to Oklahoma was what some would call comical and others would call a nightmare. The 8 hour drive turned into a 13 hour drive after being stuck in traffic for 1.) A semi that broke down in the middle of the interstate 2). A woman who was hit by a car on the interstate 3.) Fort Worth rush hour 4.) Road contstruction and finally 5.) A major car accident that required a helicopter to land on the interstate. So when we finally arrived at the base hotel (at 11:30 p.m.) we were exhasted. Little did we know there was a 6th surprise for us: when we walked into our room we noticed it was a bit warm. The thermostat was not working so Phil went to the front office to ask about getting a different room. To his (and my) dismay, the desk clerk (who was a very nice older woman) said, "Oh, dear there is no air conditioning in these old buildings." Yah.

The day of house hunting was a bit long and boring. Once we were done looking at homes we nulled over the 3 we found to be most suitable. One was brand new (still under construction) but in a horrible neighborhood. The other was in an okay neighborhood, but needed lots of extra work for the price. The one we finally went with is a classic 57 year old home. Everything is traditional from the hardwood floors to the brick exterior. As soon as I walked into this home I was in love. It's charm is only one of it's many qualities although it is the most important one. Simply put, this is more than a house it's a home.

We quickly put down a bid and went out to dinner. Right before dinner we were told that the first bid was rejected and we quickly countered. They, however, were not so quick to get back to us so Phil and I called it a night with some cocktails at a local hotspot we used to visit during pilot training. We went back to our room early to get some rest before our big drive back to Texas. We got our 7th surprise at 4 a.m. when the train came. It sounded as though it was coming into our room ... and neither of us could get right back to bed. Let's put it this way, if I am about to get hit by a train in the future I will know how loud it can get before I need to jump out of the way.

The drive home started off a little rough. Things started looking up when we heard back that the sellers had a counter offer. We haggled over the phone for a while and agreed on a price before we even got to Oklahoma City. We were (are) both ecstatic. Unfortunately it didn't make the drive go by any faster.

To conclude this very long blog, I'm posting photos of our new digs. (Note: the stuff inside obviously isn't ours.) Enjoy!

Front of the House

Living Room

Family Room

Kitchen

Breakfast Nook

Master Bedroom

Guest Bedroom

Guest Bath

Dining Room

Florida Room / Sunroom

Backyard

Sleepy in San Antonio

Well, it's nice to see I have some readers! If anything, at least I have a reader ... even if it is a relative. ;) Things are slow here in the great state of Texas. My mother and sister-in-law just left and we are getting back to our normal routine (whatever that is). In any event, here are a few photos from last weekend with the in-laws. Enjoy!

Phil, Meg and I at the Alamo.



Meg and I at the back of the Alamo



Phil and I sitting in a wishing well at the Natural Bridge Caverns



Me inside the cavern. No my eyes normally aren't that wide. That's what a bright flash in a very dark cave will do to you.



Meg, Donna and I inside the cavern.



The Natural Bridge.



The next two photos are great cavern shots. It was unbelievable in there!




Phil sifting for gold.



Phil with the bag of dirt.



Other news:
Phil and I will be traveling to Oklahoma next weekend to do some serious house hunting. We'll see if any of the houses we've been looking at online are worth purchasing or if we'll end up renters once again. Wish us luck!!!

Chicken and such

It has almost been three weeks since I started my new hobbies. I have still gotten nowhere with the knitting. I have a feeling that I will be struggling with that for a while. In any event, I am into my third week of the Self Challenge (which is still going on and can be signed up for on Self.com). I've actually been doing a good job keeping up with the challenge as a whole and the only real complication is the menu design. So far I haven't made a single item they suggest. Instead I make my own menu. Perhaps this is cheating just a little bit, but I've stayed within the alloted caloric intake and I've cut out all items made with enriched wheat. Phil and I have even been making our own treats and desserts so we know exactly what is in the food we eat.

To answer a question posed to me in one of my comments ... errr, actually my only comment on this blog ... I usually stick with using thin filets of chicken breast. The only seasoning I use before the cooking process begins (usually) is ground sea salt and ground peppercorn. Some of my recipes call for other seasonings, but I have been trying to stay away from adding too much extra salt, just one quick pinch of sea salt over each piece of chicken is as far as I go.

Here's a good quick Asian Recipe that I use when cooking either chicken or beef strips. The recipe listed here is what I use for chicken. I normally have other/different additives for the steak.

Laura's Quick Teriyaki
Chicken:
4-6 pieces of chicken sliced thin, then cut into strips
1 tsp ground sea salt (or table salt)
1 tsp ground black peppercorn (or black pepper)
1/4 cup white onion (chopped)
1 clove garlic (minced)
2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (which I refer to as EVOO)
Fresh Red Pepper (sliced)
Steamed brocolli (optional)


Sauce:
1/2 cup low sodium teriyaki (Aloha brand is the best, but others are fine)
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tsp crushed red pepper (more if you like it spicy)
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp corn starch

Cooking Directions:
Sprinkle chicken with the salt and pepper. Put EVOO in deep cold skillet making sure to coat bottom of pan. Add your chicken strips. Cook on Med-High for roughly 10 minutes or until a light brown (making sure to cook all sides of the chicken). I tend to add my onion, garlic, and sliced red pepper towards the end of the ten minutes, before I add my sauce. While your chicken is cooking, mix up the ingredients for your sauce. I find it's best to start with your water and corn starch (to allow the starch to dissolve). Once the chicken is a golden brown add the sauce mixure and the brocolli. Reduce heat to Med-Low and cook for another 5 minutes.

I usually serve this with a brown rice, but Phil isn't a fan of brown rice so I'll divvy it up between that, white rice, and a healthier version of fried rice we came up with after a visit to Benihana's.

Woo!

I'll finish up this post by updating on my favorite hobby: reading for fun! So far I've made a huge dent on Tim Dorsey's work. I've been reading it in chronological order (which is painful, because the story line doesn't follow as such, but Mr. Dorsey requests that it be read that way ... I'm sure I'll figure out why one day) and I am finally up to Stingray Shuffle. I bought that and Cadillac Beach today in the hopes that I might make it through both by the end of next weekend. Serge is my new all time favorite character (although Carl Hiaasen's Mick Stranahan is a close second). Dorsey sells his stuff on his web site and one day I will finally give in and get my Serge's Florida Experience shirt. In any event, Hiaasen's and Dorsey's books are perfect for the person who wants to learn their Florida history, but doesn't want to be bothered by the boring books. Personally, I can't wait to get my hands on "The Tropic of Cracker: The Florida History and Cultural Series" and "Seasons of Real Florida".

All my ex's

Well, not all of them. Errr, actually none of them live in Texas, but I do for now. I have been here for 2 month and I have to tell you, I'm not all that impressed . . . at least not with the food. It appears that fast food is the life blood of the community here. Those of my fellow Floridians and Californians know that health food is as prevalent in those states as the McDonald's are, but that can not be said of Texas; at least not San Antonio. Needless to say, most of my lunches are made at home and it is getting to be a bit boring. I miss Fresh Choice and Plutos! At this point I would give anything to find a local Ruby Tuesdays just for their salad bar.

Now that I am 2 months into my "vacation" I can honestly say that I have become quite addicted to watching television once again. It appears as though the average housewife either has too much time on her hands or has way more to accomplish than I do during the average work week. Either way, I am about to go out of my mind. Luckily we only have 2 months left here, then off to a place where I can officially get back to the grind of life (AKA work). Which leads me to our new goal: finding a home we love and in the area we want to live in . . . which is difficult in a small town in the heart of Oklahoma. Ah, ladies and gentlemen; let the games begin!