The Graytest Days

The Freshman Fifteen

2010-06-17T22:15:00.000-05:00

So back in the day, I had always heard going into college to watch out for the freshman fifteen. I mean its easy to do. Lots of fast food, lots of beer, less exercise, less sleep, etc. And although I didn't gain the freshman fifteen right away, my weight did fluctuate in college. I also heard back in the day that after
30, 40, etc that it gets harder to lose weight. HAHAHAHAHA, back then I didn't believe it. BUT what people DID NOT tell me about was the newlywed fifteen. Or maybe its just me???? Between hurting my foot and not being able to run, picking up some old bad habits, not eating right and well, basically the exact opposite of being healthy it shouldn't be a surprise to me that I have gained some weight. It just happens so fast. Why is it that it takes you so long and so much dedication to lose the weight and it seems to come back in lightening speed? I know I only have myself to blame and this isn't a pity party but man does it SUCK. I dread going into the closet before work everyday bc it takes me that much longer to pick something out to strategically minimalize the muffin top. Or there's the other half of the closet that just doesn't fit anymore. I still haven't convinced myself to buy a size up yet (DENIAL) so like I said, I have to be creative about the clothing choices. With my 1 year anniversary coming up I have been looking at pictures from this time last year and its a little depressing that I haven't kept up with the workouts and the meal plan. The wedding was such a big motivator to stay fit but I know I am just gonna have to dig down deep and motivate myself to do it. Maybe Jillian Michaels can magically move in to my spare bedroom????????

My sister is having......

2010-06-13T22:10:00.001-05:00

A BOY!!!!!! I'm so excited to be expecting my newest nephew. And sooner than we thought. At my sister's appt she was measuring early so the moved her due date up from Oct 29th to Oct 5th. Wow-wee. They will measure her again at her appt next month and adjust the date again if necessary. I can't believe she is already half way through her pregnancy now. She is looking and feeling great and baby Bowman looks really good in there!!! Now time to start finishing up the baby shower plans and start shopping for BLUE!!!

Lookin' good baby T, your auntie can't wait to spoil you!!!

The 'rents!

2010-06-12T21:53:00.004-05:00

My parents did a little tour of Texas a couple of weeks ago. First stop was Austin to visit my sister and bro in law. Since Brooke and Dave moved down here in Nov my parents hadn't had the chance to see their house and since my sister is saving up every last minute of her vacation time for when her little one gets here, then it made sense for my parents to come visit the Lone Star state. So they spent their first few days in Austin then made the trek up to Dallas to visit us. I hadn't seen my parents since January so I was def in need of some family time. Last time my parents came was about 3 years ago and since it was their first time to visit us we dragged them around the whole city trying to fit everything in in a few days. This time was much more relaxed. We just planned everything around eating, HA. It was so nice just visiting and taking them to some of my fave places to eat around town. My mom really wanted to go to Corner Bakery to see the infamous place where I won $5,000. And we had to take them to Pazzo's Pizza for the best wedge salad known to man. And of course we couldn't NOT take them to Red Lobster since we take all of our visitors there now (hello employee discount). I was sad to see them leave esp since I won't see them again til August but it was fun while it lasted.

Mom and I at Sneaky Pete's

The crew at Saltgrass Steakhouse

Let's Make A Deal

2010-04-22T21:01:00.008-05:00

April has been a pretty fun month so far. The weather is getting warmer which is always nice, Easter dinner was a success, ducks came to visit us, we got our pool pump fixed on the pool, FINALLY, so the pool is looking crystal clear compared to the junk that had accumulated over the winter, my sister had her first sonogram so we got to see her little one for the first time, the Deal's came to visit, my friends Sarah and JP found out they were having a baby Girl (bring on the pink), the Chiefs got the first Monday night game at home for the 2010 schedule. And we still have more to look forward to since we are going to see Chelsea Handler this weekend. Whew its been a fun month!!!! And here's some pics to go with it!

Cricket in her Easter dress

Our visitors

We had a great time when the Deal's came down to visit. It was definitely a fun time, the weather cooperated and it was a perfect mix of touristy stuff, going out, and just enjoying the company. They were here the 8th-11th. On Thursday we went to eat at Red Lobster, a new must when people come to visit, gotta support the company! Then Friday Ryan had to work so I took Ryan Deal and Beth to the Sixth Floor Museum and Dealey Plaza to see the JFK stuff.

Beth and I at Dealey Plaza

Later that night we went to downtown Grapevine to see a Stevie Ray Vaughn tribute band. Even though I wasn't familiar with the music it was still a good time and the boys really liked it since they're in to guitars and all that stuff.

At Tolberts for the show

Saturday we went to Ft. Worth to try out Cooper's Pit BBQ, its not quite KC BBQ but its pretty good. Then we walked around the stockyards a little bit and checked out some of the little shops. There were more people there then I have ever seen. I guess since the weather was so nice a lot of people had the same idea we did!!!

We had such a good time with the Deal's it was sad to see them leave on Sunday but I'm sure they wanted to get back home and to see their lil man, Rogan. But it was a blast while it lasted.

Overall we have had quite a few visitors this year and I.LOVE.IT. And it forces me to clean the house more often :) So far we've had my sister and BIL from Austin, our friends Nathan and Michelle from Minnesota, the Deal's from KC, and in May my parents are coming down for a few days, then my best friend Brooke is coming in June so its a lot to look forward too as well. I can't wait.

Luck O The Irish!

2010-03-24T16:00:00.001-05:00

I have always been a big St. Patty's day fan, especially since I have to have some kind of Irish heritage with my maiden name. They celebrate it a little differently here in Dallas though, not as traditional in my opinion. In KC, the parade is always on actual St. Patrick's Day, rain or shine. It was fun to ask off of work for the event, months in advance and then get a group of friends to go to the parade. Drink away and then head on over to McCoy's in Westport. Even if it was FREEZING cold, which happens a lot of times in March in KC or unseasonably warm as can happen sometimes too, my Irish celebraters and I would get up early, go eat breakfast and then settle in to enjoy a long day of Irish drunkeness. KC really does have one of the top 10 parades around so its worth it!!!
But down here the Texans do it a little different. The party is on the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day. The parade starts around Mockingbird station area and is a couple hours long. Then everyone heads down to the block party on Greenville Ave. This year we lucked out and got gorgeous weather. Ryan was even sporting a slight sunburn after it all! And to top it all off my sister, Brooke and her husband Dave came up from Austin to enjoy the festivities with us. We got dressed up in our green garb and had a great time!!!
But that's not all we did while they were here. Since the weather was so nice we headed down to the Ft. Worth Stockyards on Sunday to walk around and eat some Pit Smoked BBQ at Cooper's (also not as good as KC, but still yummy). It was a fun weekend and I'm glad we got to spend some time w/ my sister and BIL since they are going to be really busy, really soon. They are expecting their first baby, due Oct 29th and we are all so excited.

St. Patty's Day 2005

St. Patty's Day 2006

St. Patty's Day 2007

St. Patty's Day 2008

St. Patty's Day 2008

St. Patty's Day 2010

Brooke and Dave

Me and Brooke

The Oscars

2010-03-19T20:12:00.011-05:00

So after all that hype of going to see all the Oscar nominated movies, I kind of slacked on following up. So better late than never. I started out the night watching the red carpet on E!. Here are a few of my likes and dislikes from the red carpet.

First off, the dresses I liked!

What a beautiful pale pink dress. Great with her skin tone and gorgeous details!

While I'm not a fan of Kristen or Twilight, I loved this dress and thought it was a great choice and a really beautiful, Oscar worthy gown!

Usually I would think a dress like this would be TOO much, but I loved the color and the texture. Pretty, pretty, pretty!

I think Cameron looks like a total classic beauty in this dress. I love the flowiness of it and the beading.

This isn't the most gorgeous Oscar dress by any means but I thought it was a great choice for her and a very flattering cut!

Love the color and I am definitely a fan of ruching!

Now the ones I didn't like as much!

Too much, the beading, the coloring, the ruffles, just too much!

I think we all agree on this one, not a fan of the color and not a fan of the bewbies!

The color just washes her out!

Don't care for the print and don't think its flattering at all.

She's so young and hip and cute and this dress doesn't say any of that to me. It says 70's and boring.

After the Red Carpet and the Oscars started I liked Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin together. Classic funny guys. I am sad to say that I did not win the bet that Ryan and I set. He picked more winners than I did. But sometimes its hard to know who will win Best Sound Editing to Best Sound Mixing, am I right? But it was fun to give us something to cheer for in the more obscure categories. Overall the Cinderalla story was The Hurt Locker with Kathryn Bigelow winning best director and the movie winning best picture, meh. I had high hopes for the movie Precious which I would have liked to see win Best Picture. The Hurt Locker just didn't resonate with me that much, and while I get the importance of the first female best director, this film didn't move me or make me think or bring me to tears or any of the things I like to get out of a Best Picture. So better luck to me next year!!!

More movie reviews!

2010-03-07T13:41:00.003-06:00

We saw the last 2 movies we had left on our list for the Best Picture noms.

An Education
I really liked this movie but that being said I think it is more of a chick flick. It's about a teenage girl (Carey Mulligan)in London during the 60's trying to decide between her continuing education or settling down with a man almost twice her age (Peter Saarsgard). At first she sets her sights on attending Oxford but once her new, experienced, fun, exciting, cultured boyfriend comes on the scene and asks her to marry him she gives up her Oxford dream and decides to be a wife. She believes she is getting more of an education by having all these new found experiences with him, travelling, going to jazz clubs and museums, etc. She soon finds out that her boyfriend is not what she thought, in more ways than one, and she is forced to end the relationship with him. Since she had not taken her final exams at prep school, her Oxford dream is also shattered. She is left feeling hopeless, no future husband and now no schooling option either, until she reunites with her previous professor to get back on track to Oxford.

My grade: A-, this was a good movie, with some interesting twists. I liked it more than Ryan, probably bc it dealt more with women's emotional issues.

The Blind Side
Based on a true story about the well to do, white Tuohy family that takes in a near homeless high school aged African American boy, Michael Oher. After seeing Michael alone at school and walking around town in cold temps in only shorts and a T-shirt, Leigh Ann Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) makes the decision to welcome him into their family home. Mr. and Mrs. Tuohy and their 2 kids take to Michael and help him believe in himself, believe in school and believe in football. Ultimately he becomes an All-American and gets drafted into the NFL. But Michael wasn't the only one who benefits from the deal, the Tuohy's feel just as blessed to have him as part of the family too.

My grade: C+, I think we saw this movie too long after it came out. I had already heard so much about it for months but I am honestly SHOCKED that this film was nominated. In my opinion it is one step above a Lifetime channel movie. The acting wasn't that great, the movie was too long, and I didn't leave feeling inspired.

Finally, it is Oscar night. I am excited to see who wins and Ryan and I have a friendly wager going on to see who gets the most right. Fingers crossed for me!!!!

Oscar nominated movie reviews!

2010-02-26T20:52:00.001-06:00

We're in our last push to see the Oscar nominated movies. We only have 2 to go til March 7th, we're only lacking The Blind Side and An Education.

In the last two weeks we saw:

The Hurt Locker
It doesn't have a ton of star power but its still a good film. It follows a unit of elite soldiers that have one of the toughest jobs in Iraq. They are in charge of disarming bombs and it is intense. The three main characters all have different, even clashing personalities when it comes to their personal lives and their professional lives. It is a good insight at the intense sacrifice and stresses our soldiers go through.
My grade: B, it was a good movie but I don't expect it to take home the statue. And I'm glad we saw the movie on video, I don't know if I would have paid full price to see it in the theater.

A Serious Man
Oh a Coen Brother movie. They always seem to snake their way in to the Oscars. Sometimes I have no idea why? When my husband went to rent this movie the Blockbuster employee told him the movie did not get good reviews and she told him that someone had even left a note in the movie when it was returned that it was "the worst movie ever seen". So we definitely did not have high hopes or expectations for the movie but we sat down to watch it anyway. I definitely felt the way I do with most Coen brother movies-good acting, good cinematography, but NO PLOT and this one was no different. But at the end, Ryan and I weren't left feeling like it was the worst movie ever, maybe it was because our expectations were so low. But it was easy to watch and I liked the general story. It follows a Jewish family in the 60's going through divorce, death, family struggles, work struggles and the son going through his coming of age bar mitzvah. During the commentary the Coen brothers did reflect that they got some of the stories from their own youth so that helped make a little more sense.
My grade: B+, but again we could be biased bc we were not expecting anything from this movie. I hope it doesn't win but I would have put it in the top 5 nominations.

Up in the Air
This movie definitely has the star power with George Clooney as the lead actor. Clooney works for a third party company that is in charge of laying people off. He is quite the loner and lives to travel for work until he is partnered up with a young, new, female colleague. The new colleague shows him how its ok to have other people in your life, especially your family. I think this movie was pretty predictable but still hit a chord probably bc of how many people have been on the other side of George Clooney's character in this economy.
My grade: B-, to me the movie is just a run of the mill movie with a predictable plot line and not even a really exciting one at that.

Snowmageddon-Dallas style

2010-02-25T20:38:00.006-06:00

February has been a crazy weather month all around the country. Sure Dallas isn't getting 40 inches dumped on them every other day like the East Coast but we did have a record amount of snow on Feb 11th. It hit 12.5 inches of snow fall in one day. We even had a small blanket of snow this past Tuesday too. Ok, El Nino we're all tired of this weather. I can't wait for Spring. I felt especially bad bc the weekend of the big Feb 11th snow storm we were expecting friends in town from Minnesota for the NBA All-Star weekend. They were hoping to come down wearing t-shirts and flip flops, but when they got here the first thing they said was "it looks just like Minnesota!" Its amazing they got here in the first place, over 500 flights were cancelled that day including theirs. They just happened to call the airlines later that evening and get another flight. So Nathan and Michelle made it down and we had a lot of fun hanging out, even the weather couldn't get us down!!!

Look at all that snow!!!

Ryan and Dirk at the NBA All-Star Expo

Michelle, Nathan, me, and Ryan at the Twisted Root for lunch

The Grassy Knoll

Oscar nominations!

2010-02-08T18:00:00.001-06:00

I've mentioned in a few movie review posts that Ryan and I try to see all the Best Picture nominations each year. The nominations just came out last week and Ryan and I are already half way there to seeing all the Best Picture nominations. They have 10 nominations this year instead of 5 so it's a little more of a challenge but I hope we can get them all in before March 7th.

Best Picture Noms:
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges
George Clooney
Colin Firth
Morgan Freeman
Jeremy Renner

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock
Helen Mirren
Carey Mulligan
Gabourey Sidibe
Meryl Streep

We've seen: Avatar, District 9, Inglourios Basterds, Precious, and Up. I have heard really good things about the other 5 on the list so I am looking forward to seeing them. My personal vote for Best Picture based on the 5 I've seen so far is Precious. Fabulous acting and such a different, emotional, truthful, hopeful story that I hope it is rewarded for all of those characteristics.

31 complete with Drag Queens!

2010-02-07T13:10:00.009-06:00

I turned the big 3-1 on January 23rd. I know this post is a little dated now but it's taken me almost this long to recover. Back in November, Southwest Airlines had a ticket sale and I thought I would take advantage of it by taking a trip to good ole KC. Ryan wasn't able to come since he doesn't have a lot of vacation days this year with his new job. I flew in on Friday the 22nd after work. On Saturday I went to one of my fave KC restaurants, La Bodega with my parents. I have cravings for this place when we are in Dallas. Even though Ryan and I have tried out a few tapas places here in town NONE of them compare to La Bodega, its the BEST!!!!

Then for the nighttime festivities I thought what better way to celebrate my birthday than with the girls and with guys dressed like girls, right? I planned a girls night out to Flo's Cabaret. Flo did not disappoint and I had a great group of ladies with me, even my mom and mother in law joined the crowd. We had such a good time and I haven't had that much fun in awhile.

Sunday I celebrated w/ my Dad, StepMom, Stepbrother and Grandma for lunch.

On Monday my mom and I headed up north to visit my grandpa in his assisted living home. It was really important for me to see him since I don't get a chance to visit him as much as I'd like and I'm not sure how much longer it will be before he is able to remember the visits that I do make.

Tuesday I had to head back to Dallas. I had such a great trip and got to spend really good time with my friends and family, which I am so thankful for. It's times like that that I really miss being in KC. I don't get really homesick a lot but it's so hard to leave KC sometimes. I am really blessed with great family and friends and I know we will always remain close no matter where I'm at.

Mom and I at the airport!

There's no better way to say it--I WON FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!!

2010-01-27T20:33:00.004-06:00

I still can hardly believe it!!!! Let me give you the background. There is a restaurant that I frequent here in town, the Corner Bakery. I love this place. They have the best turkey sandwich I've ever eaten, the Uptown Turkey sandwich, and I am quite familiar with turkey sandwiches. They also have the best Baked Potato soup, so good that I order it even in the 100+ degree Texas heat in the summer. And did I mention their Chopped Salad, cuz I love it too. I usually go eat at the restaurant at least once a week, sometimes 2 or 3 times in a week. Well, every time you get your receipt they have a survey to fill out with a chance to win $5000 in their quarterly drawing. Week after week I would fill out the survey. I got quite good at in fact, it wasn't hard, I mean I already love their food so the survey was just a few minutes of my time. I kept thinking, the $5000 giveaway is a numbers game and I frequent the restaurant so much and religiously fill out the survey that I was bound to win sometime, but c'mon, who knows anyone that really wins those things anyway-right?
Well this Monday it happened to me. The sweepstakes company called me Monday night. As soon as the voice on the other end said Corner Bakery, I knew I had won the $5000 and I went crazy, screaming and jumping, FINALLY it happened to ME. So I just have to verify that I am a legal US resident, over 18 and don't work at Corner Bakery and I will get a nice ole bump to my pocketbook in around 2 weeks. It was the icing on the cake, following a great birthday weekend in Kansas City, be looking for all those details in my next post.

I am so sick of diapers!!!

2010-01-11T18:21:00.005-06:00

Why would I be sick of diapers you ask? My poor furbaby Cricket has a bladder stone issue. She first started having bladder stone problems in September 2008. Back then we went ahead and had surgery to remove the stone. We kept her on special, prescription Science Diet food since then in hopes of keeping her pH balances in check. But early this December I noticed Cricket squatting a lot to go potty, the tell tale sign of her bladder issues. So we went to the vet and x-rayed her and he said her bladder was filled with little stones. Well, just great, Cricket always seems to conveniently get these stones when we are headed on a trip to KC. Last time it was over Labor Day and Ryan's birthday, this year she was gonna be in KC for two weeks over Christmas. Instead of putting her in the crate for 23 hours a day we decided to put her in doggie diapers. It was a great idea, she could be out with the family and she could squat as much as she needed too. The stones put pressure on her and make her feel like she has to go ALL.THE.TIME. This time the vet said we could feed her a different type of prescription food to dissolve her stones but it could take up to MONTHS. Let me tell you, having a dog on specialty foods and diapers is not cheap. We pay $30 for 12 days of food and $20 for 4 days worth of diapers. I know its no fun for her either and I'm sure its painful, even though you wouldn't know it since she is still her crazy, hyper self. But it makes me think, if its this much work for my furbaby, I don't think I'm ready to head to mommyville anytime soon, lol!!!! It's crazy the things you'll do for your pets, gawd I love her!!!

Cricket sporting her doggie diaper!!!

My New Year's resolutions!

2010-01-01T14:01:00.002-06:00

Is it a bad thing to have too many??? I know I could just get by with one but I have plenty of lofty ideas for 2010. I hope I can stick with them!

-Become more organized! (I have been watching the show Hoarders and it has enlightened me to get this house way more organized. On top of that we are not blessed with basements here in TX so by getting organized I can use the storage space we do have more wisely)

-Go to church more often! (This one shouldn't be that tough since its sad to say that our church days are pretty much non existent but I would like to start going at least once a month)

-Run a marathon! (This is actually the one I am most apprehensive about. I am nervous about my foot and the training involved in running a marathon. But I never believed I would be able to run a 20k even so I just have to keep positive)

-Pay off debt! (I have this one pesky credit card that I just can't seem to get rid of. I need to make a few better decisions in my spending to get that measly thing knocked out)

I think these are definitely accomplishable but that's easy to say on day 1 :)

2009 in review!

2009-12-31T20:35:00.029-06:00

2009 has been a great year for us and I can only hope the momentum keeps going right on in to 2010. Since I am here all alone in NYE, my lovely husband is still in KC and I had to come back to Dallas earlier in the week to go back to work. Oh the joys of him being laid off :) I guess I'll hit it with up a recap of this past year. It has flown by!!!

January-I celebrated my 30th birthday with a group of friends down here in Dallas. We went out to eat at Fireside Pies to enjoy one of my fave food groups, pizza. Then Ryan and I headed over to Shreveport for a little get away and some gambling.

February-Ryan and I celebrated Valentine's Day by fulfilling one of Ryan's lifelong dreams of going to Medieval Times. Down, down, down, red knight going down-anyone?
Then I headed to KC at the end of the month for a wonderful bridal shower my MOH, Brooke hosted for me. She picked a china theme, to go with my china registry items and planned a great luncheon at Bo Ling's in KC.

March-We celebrated St. Patrick's Day (I have to honor my distant Irish heritage) and I also headed to KC at the end of the month to attend my good friend Sarah's bridal shower.

April-You might start seeing a theme here with all the wedding activities. The first part of April, my now MIL and SIL hosted a kitchen theme bridal shower for me in KC and then at the end of the month my lovely bridesmaids all came down to Dallas for a bachelorette party girls weekend!

May-Ryan and I headed up to KC to be in JP and Sarah's wedding. It was such a gorgeous day for a gorgeous couple and I'm so glad we could be a part of their day. Later in the month our friends down in Dallas hosted a couples shower for Ryan and I.

June-The highlight of the year, I married my wonderful husband. We had an awesome wedding day shared with friends and family and I still can't believe the day has come and gone, it was fantastic!

July-We started off the month with a visit from our good friend Melik for the Fourth of July, then mid month we headed off to tropical Ocho Rios, Jamaica for our honeymoon!

August-Was a month to rest after all the wedding activities. The highlights include enjoying Dallas restaurant week at the famous Del Frisco's steakhouse and seeing Dennis Miller perform live.

September-We celebrated Ryan's 30th birthday in KC with a camping trip at Smithville Lake. A few weeks later I ran my longest race at the time, the Tour des Fleurs 20k.

October-Ryan continued his quest for his new job and flew to Orlando to interview, man were we stressed out!! I hurt my foot while running and started nursing it during the month. We celebrated Halloween at home so Ryan could enjoy scaring kids on the front porch!

November-We found out Ryan landed his new job and went out to eat to celebrate! I prepared a traditional Thanksgiving meal for Ryan and I here in Dallas.

December-I participated in my first half marathon, still nursing my foot so it was a jog/walk version, but I finished!!! Ryan officially got laid off (good thing he already had the new job lined up) and we travelled to KC for Christmas! I'll have to add some Christmas pics later since Ryan still has the camera in KC as we speak.

I never thought I would be saying this BUT.....

2009-12-20T10:00:00.001-06:00

We are so happy that Ryan got laid off on Friday!!!! These last few months have been a complete whirlwind of emotions. We knew with Ryan's current job that he would be laid off in the near future=stress #1. He started casually looking for jobs and was able to get a lead on a great opportunity. After months of phone interviews, travelling interviews, assessment tests, etc he GOT a new job=excitement #1. We were elated and felt extremely blessed, especially considering the economy we are in. But now came another kink, when to start the new job=stress #2. He was hearing rumors that another round of layoffs was coming at his current job and he decided to stick it out. Now I knew that the worst case scenario would be that he had the new job which was pretty.darn.great anyway. But if he could wait and get the timing right to get laid off at his current job and then start the new job well that would be pretty.darn.awesome. Well, he timed it right-I should have never doubted him=excitement #2. So he got laid off on Friday, will get a decent severance and then be on the books at his new job Dec 28th=excitement #3.

I know in these hard times it is such a roller coaster for a lot of people. We were so, so, so fortunate that Ryan was able to make all the pieces work and I feel so lucky and proud of him!!!!

Movie review

2009-12-19T17:57:00.002-06:00

Last weekend Ryan and I went to see the movie Invictus-remember we're still on our hunt to make sure we see all the Oscar nominated films. Even though the real nominees won't be announced until Feb its still nice to go see some buzz worthy ones now. The movie is directed by Clint Eastwood which gets a lot of press in itself but top actors Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon don't hurt either. I am on the fence with Clint Eastwood as a director, I loved Million Dollar Baby but didn't buy into the hype of Gran Torino. This movie is about Nelson Mandela's first term of Presidency over South Africa and how he plans to bring the country and races together through Rugby. The problem is the country's team is laughable and not even in the World Cup running. But he implores the help of the team captain (played by Damon) to rally the team in playing for a higher cause.

My grade: B
Even though it is based on a true story, I didn't get the emotional or inspiring feeling from the actors. I felt the movie was predictable and too long. If it does get the Oscar nomination I wouldn't bet on it winning.

(Non)Running Update

2009-12-12T21:35:00.002-06:00

I am officially off of "running" rest. So what better way to celebrate than doing a half marathon, right?!?!?!?!?!? Two weeks ago my podiatrist put me on running hiatus, I was allowed to workout on the elliptical machine, the bike, or walk. So I got on the treadmill and walked and walked and walked. I walked for hours, up to 8 and 10 miles of walking which is 2.5 hours on a treadmill for me, so completely boring. But while I was complaining about all that walking, one of my co-workers mentioned I could walk the Dallas White Rock half marathon. I thought about it for a little bit, I was a little unsure on whether I wanted to be that type of participant. Nothing against walkers but I like runs to be for.....well, runners. But since I already paid $75 to register for this race I decided I wanted to get my money's worth. So here goes, tomorrow I will be up at 5am on my way to WALK a half marathon.

Signs of Christmas!

2009-12-02T18:37:00.007-06:00

It's hard for me to believe how fast this year has flown by! This year has been such a fun, exciting, and rewarding year. December is always a magical time of year and this week hasn't started off any different. Ryan got all the Christmas stuff out of the attic and I put it all up (well he put up the outside lights) this weekend. I added some red accents to the tree this year and thought it really made a difference!

Also, to really kick off that Christmas feeling it SNOWED here today! Since I moved here 3 1/2 years ago it has snowed maybe a handful of times and never this early so it was exciting when we woke up to this:

Of course it didn't stick and turned to rain a few hours later but it was still fun while it lasted!

So, the next thing you know I'll have to start writing out my Christmas cards or something.....yeah, I better get started on that!

Movie reviews

2009-11-29T18:17:00.004-06:00

Ryan and I enjoy going to see movies. We don't really have a certain genre that we watch more than others. Sometimes we go see big blockbusters, sometimes its Indie films, sometimes its cult classics, etc. Last year we made an effort to see all the movies that were nominated for Best Picture and most of the movies that starred the Best Actor/Best Actress nods. So now we are planning to do the same this year. It might be a little more of a stretch though since they have upped the number of Best Picture nominees from 5 to 10 films for 2010.

Last weekend we saw the movie Precious. It has gotten a lot of buzz about Oscar worthiness and I believe it will win. Even Ryan leaned over and whispered "this will win Best Picture" half way through the movie. It is produced by Oprah and Tyler Perry and based on the novel Push by Sapphire. This movie is emotional and definitely for adults only. It highlights the life of a young African-American teenager girl named Precious. There is a lot of abuse, profanity, heartbreak and desperation but just when it seems so emotionally heavy the theme switches to humor and even hope. Thank goodness because without those breaks it would have been too much to deal with. We both thought it was a great movie and I would recommend it, just make sure you are in the right frame of mind!

This weekend we saw the movie Pirate Radio. I don't think this one will make the cut for the 2010 Oscars but it was still a fun, funny and light-hearted film. It tells the story of 1960s British DJs who were unable to play rock n roll due to the governments restrictions. So they set to the seas to play rock n roll 24 hours a day aboard a boat where they aren't regulated. I was a little afraid it was going to be more political but it was more based on the sex, drugs, and rock n roll of the 60's and was much funnier than I thought it would be. Its probably not a must see but I would still recommend it, either at the theater or waiting til the DVD.

Next up I want to see the Pixar movie Up and Clint Eastwood's Invictus which are both buzz worthy Oscar contenders.

Thankful

2009-11-26T18:22:00.011-06:00

Ryan and I had a pretty good Thanksgiving. Even though it was just the two of us, I still cooked the standard Thanksgiving dinner. Our menu was:
Starter:
Cheeseball with crackers

Main Course:
Cider Apple Glazed Turkey

Sides:
Mashed Potatoes and gravy
Green rice
Glazed carrots
Stuffing
Rolls

Dessert:
Fall Harvest bars
Pumpkin roll
Grape cream

This is my 3rd time cooking a turkey with a full Thanksgiving meal so it doesn't make me that nervous anymore. Ryan has been watching some cooking shows on TV lately so we watched some of the holiday ones to get some ideas. After watching Sandra Lee on the Food Network I decided to do a brine for the first time. I chose her Apple Cider Brine and it was really good. The turkey was very moist and the flavor was great. It was not too overpowering with apple cider flavor either. We let the turkey soak in the brine overnight for about 12 hours and then cooked it around 2.5 hours for a 12 lb turkey. YUM!!! I can't wait to have some leftovers too!
Before

After

Thanksgiving is such a great holiday. I love that the basis is spending time w/ family, friends, and FOOD!!!! Sounds perfect to me! Even though we were not able to spend this holiday with our family and friends we still have so much to be thankful for. This year alone has been such a blessing, its gonna be hard to name just a few but hear goes.....

-my family. Especially my mom who is so patient, kind, nurturing, and loving.
-my husband. He is my one constant and my true best friend. Since all we have is each other down here in TX, we really have to rely on each other and we find a way to make it work and still love each other too.
-health. I can only pray that we are blessed with healthy, long lives.
-my friends. I have some of the best friends EVER. Even my best friend whom I have had for over 20 years so you know we must like each other! I live in different states than a lot of them and we still maintain strong friendships. It is so nice having wonderful, supportive, fun, beautiful girlfriends!
-my furbaby Cricket. She is not the best behaved but she is so darn cute and she makes me smile all the time.
-my in-laws. I have been blessed with the best in-laws anyone could ask for. They truly love me and always have our best interest at heart.
-our jobs. It has been pretty shaky with this economy and our fields were hit really hard but thankfully we both kept our jobs and Ryan has even been blessed with a new job opportunity.
-being married. I got to have a wonderful, dreamy wedding day in June and am so glad I could share the day with family and friends.

The Grays on Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Therapy...

2009-11-18T19:19:00.002-06:00

Physical therapy that is. I went to the physical therapist for the first time today since my foot incident. I got an ultrasound and my cuboid "manipulated" so hopefully it will get me back on track sooner. The physical therapist agreed with my podiatrist that I could keep running as long as I quit if it started to hurt. The only problem with that so far is that when I run my foot starts to hurt dang it! But I am gonna give it a try again tomorrow. The last time I ran was on Saturday and I was feeling major discomfort just 3 miles in to the run. My goal is to try the 3 miles tomorrow and not push it for speed but just an easy 3 miles. Hopefully the results will be better this time around. I see the physical therapist again on Friday so here goes nothing!

I swear this is not a food blog!

2009-11-17T20:59:00.003-06:00

But, I tried a new recipe tonight that I wanted to share. I have been doing much more cooking lately. I don't know if it's because I'm a married woman now, or because I'm getting "older", or because I wanted to have a better diet instead of eating out all the time but cooking has kind of grown on me. I now have a dinner spreadsheet that I set out menus for weeks in advance and I try at least one new recipe a week. It keeps things interesting and I really have learned a lot from it and I dare say, I have gotten pretty decent at it (in a low level difficulty way-I mean I am not making roux's or using double broilers or anything yet) but I'm working on it.
Since it finally got below 70 degrees this week in Dallas, I thought a good soup recipe would hit the spot. I am a soup person year round so I'll be adding this recipe to my regular rotation.

Poblano Chicken Chowder
courtesy of Paula Deen

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 large onions, chopped
5 stalks celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/8 cup minced garlic
2 to 3 small poblano peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 Tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
3 quarts chicken broth (96 oz)
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, minced
3 cups diced (large pieces) grilled chicken
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1 cup heavy cream

Directions
Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, poblano peppers, salt, white pepper, cumin and thyme. Saute for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften. Stir in the chicken bouillon. Add the chicken broth and cilantro, and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. Stir in the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until the chowder is thick and the chicken is heated through. Shortly before the chowder is done, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the flour and stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes to cook the flour. Do not allow the mixture to brown! Ladle 1 cup of the hot liquid from the stockpot into the skillet, whisking constantly.

When the first cup of liquid is incorporated, add another 2 cups of liquid, 1 at a time. Pour the mixture in the skillet into the stockpot, whisking to blend. Cook, stirring frequently for 3-5 minutes longer, or until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the hot sauce, then the cream, and serve.

****Next time I will use less chicken broth, probably 2 1/2 quarts.
****My chowder did not really get thick before adding the flour mixture but after the flour mixture was added it thickened up to a good consistency.

Celebrate!

2009-11-15T10:44:00.003-06:00

This past week marked a new milestone in our life. Ryan has accepted a job offer with Darden restaurants. I feel so blessed and lucky in this economy that he was able to come across such a great opportunity! He is set to start Jan 4th and shouldn't be between jobs for long, if any time. So now that all the waiting, nervousness, traveling, and interviewing is done, I wanted to celebrate!!!
Darden is a big restaurant chain which I am sure everyone has had some experience with. They own Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Longhorn, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, Smokey Bones, and...........one of my fave restaurants THE CAPITAL GRILLE!!!! Ryan and I used to frequent the one in Kansas City and thank goodness they also have one here in Dallas too. So when all of his 8 interviews were going on, I told Ryan that if he got the job we were going to celebrate with a dinner at the Capital Grille and he agreed.

We had a great time last night and the food was delish as always. One of my favorite things to eat when I go to splurge at nice restaurants is lobster bisque. I absolutely love it and the Capital Grille has one of the best recipes. They even bring a side of sherry to your table in case you need to cut down on the richness, YUMMO!!!!! I am now having withdrawals today :)

Here's a pic of us from after dinner:

And since I can't have fancy dinners out all the time, I have found a lobster bisque recipe to make at home that is really good and of course I will share it with you all now!

1 medium onion chopped fine
1/2 c butter
3/4 c all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 (11 oz) can frozen lobster meat (or fresh lobster meat can also be used.* I like to use a little more since I like a lot of lobster in my bisque.)
3/4 c sherry (do not use cooking sherry)
3 cups light cream
2 Tablespoons tomato paste for color

1. Saute onions in butter until onions are clear, 2-3 minutes
2. Stir in flour with a whisk and stil well until smooth. Add chicken broth and pepper; cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add lobster meat and cook 20 minutes, or until done, on medium-low heat.
4. Blend in sherry, cream and tomato paste.

*If using fresh lobster, reduce cook time to about 5 minutes or until done.

Hmmmmm, now I am craving it all over again!

Dislocated Cuboid

2009-11-13T16:18:00.003-06:00

I went to the podiatrist yesterday for my foot pain and she said I had a dislocated cuboid bone. Ever heard of it? Me neither, but here's a pic to show you.

She also gave me a prescription for an anti-inflammatory and wanted me to do some physical therapy to get the bone back in to place and feeling better. I thought the appointment went really well overall. There were some positives too--

1)I can still run but need to stop if my foot starts hurting
2)She verified that I am in good running shoes for my feet/stride
3)She said I should be fine to train for the marathon

I am supposed to go back in two weeks for a follow-up with the podiatrist and I hope everything will be on the up and up by then!!!! When I was scheduling the appointment for the 2 week follow up I noticed that date was Thanksgiving. I can't believe its less than 2 weeks away now. This year is flying by!!!

On another note, today I had lunch with my good friend Janet and her daughter Avianna. It was nice to have today off work, which I guess is the only benefit for working on a Saturday, you get another comp day off during the week. It was really good to see her and her baby but it also made me realize how much I miss having my girlfriends closer to me. Ryan and I really like Dallas but its hard living away from "home" sometimes. I wouldn't necessarily say that I get homesick but just nostalgic for my friends and family. Thank goodness Christmas will be here soon and I will make the trip to good ole KC to see everyone!!! I can't wait!

Thank you!

2009-11-11T09:30:00.001-06:00

Thank you to all the Veterans. Today is the day set aside to honor you but you bring honor to our country everyday. Thank you for your sacrifice, your courage, and your desire to fight for our causes and freedoms!

Special thanks and love to my personal veterans:

Michael Milligan
Wayne Milligan
Jean Packard-Milligan
Lee Smith
Russell Privett

and to my brother in law, David Bowman who is currently active in the Army.

Bump in the Road

2009-11-10T21:18:00.003-06:00

ALREADY! Well I was supposed to start my marathon training today but I am sad to say I am having to postpone it for now. I hurt my foot the last week in October and thought I did everything I could to get back in the routine. I rested it, soaked it in lithium chloride, iced it and elevated it. By the next Thursday my foot was feeling better so I tested it out on the treadmill, I did a 2 mile walk and a mile jog and I felt fine. So Saturday I headed out with the Dallas Athletes group and ran 6.25 miles. But I could tell about half way through the run that my foot was uncomfortable. So the rest of the weekend I iced it and took it easy and now I have an appointment with the podiatrist this Thursday. Hopefully the doctor will be able to find a quick fix for it so I can get back to my training!

If I can re-start the training by the beginning of December then I will still train for the Cowtown Marathon on Feb 27th. If it doesn't work out that way and I need to take a longer break then I will try to train for the Big D Marathon on April 11th instead.

Pumpkin doodles!

2009-11-03T20:12:00.003-06:00

I saw this recipe and thought I would try it for my Halloween food day at work. I sent a batch with Ryan to work too and they were a hit. Maybe a little too much, I think I ate 10 in one day! Oh well, I guess the holiday baking is coming out in full effect! I thought I would share the recipe, YUMM-O!

8oz unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

3 cups and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat softened butter on medium speed. Add sugar and canned pumpkin. Beat until fluffy. Add cream of tartar, salt and baking soda. Mix well. Add vanilla extract and egg, beat until well mixed. Add flour in two increments until just incorporated. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

To create coating mix 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, and 1 tsp cinnamon. Remove half of dough from refrigerator and roll into 1 1/2 inch balls. Roll balls in the coating, covering all sides. Place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake 12-14 minutes. Allow cookies to cool, then transfer to cooling rack. Repeat process with other half of mixture.

****I put the coating mixture in a baggie to so it wouldn't be so messy to clean up later.

Halloween and running update!

2009-11-02T21:27:00.010-06:00

What a combo!!!!! Well, I had a good start this week with my running training. The weather has been pretty good. This fall has been so rainy that its hit and miss sometimes.

-Sunday-8 miles on my own
-Monday-rest day
-Tuesday-It was a little rainy when I woke up so I skipped the morning track work out and ran 5.5 miles on my own after work
-Wednesday-rest day
-Thursday-H+H+H=not fun, Hills, Heat and Humidity. It was 74 degrees that morning and humid as all get out but I managed to run 5.5 of hills w/ the DA crew
However, after doing a little skipping routine to the water station, I came down on my foot wrong and am now suffering for it. I hope that it can calm down soon since I am supposed to start my marathon training a week from today. Little prayers for the footsie please.
-Friday-rest day
-Saturday-I thought I would try and loosen up my foot and ran 7 miles. NOT GOOD. I came back home and realized I could barely walk after that. Sooooooo, now I am RICEing it.
***Total miles for the week=26 miles. It took me a whole week to run a marathon distance. I will be doing it all in one day in February. WOW!

So on to another scary subject: Halloween!

We had a great Halloween on Saturday! Ryan started some chilli in the morning so by the afternoon it was perfect! It completely reminded me of fall!!!! We carved our pumpkins and then got ready for the trick or treaters. We had about 30ish kids and that was a good amount. Enough to have some candy left over for us which I am fine with! Ryan loves to get all into Halloween and put out scary music w/ strobe lights and this year he even set up a little decoy and then dressed up as a skeleton himself to scare the kids as they came to the door! We had 2 criers but they were easily persuaded when Ryan showed them he was a real, live person too. That's good, I would hate to be responsible for any kids nightmares for years to come!!!! We ended trick or treating around 8:30 and then Ryan and I changed and went and saw the movie "Paranormal Activity". It had some pretty creepy parts and was perfect for Halloween!!!!

Flapper!

Me and Cricket

Ryan waiting to scare the kids

The decoy

Our pumpkins

Ryan's costume!

It was a great weekend. Sunday we even went out to Coal Vines in Southlake and sat out on their patio. They have some of the BEST pizza! And for the weekends they have a partnership with Three Dog Bakery that you can bring your pet when you sit out on the patio for lunch. Cricket was very well behaved and the weather was perfect. Not sure if we will have too many more weekends like that so maybe we can do it again next Spring!

Howdy Ya'll!

2009-10-29T20:56:00.008-05:00

Well its official, my sister is now a Texan too. Her husband David is set to be stationed at Ft. Hood shortly and she was able to transfer with her company so she made the 11 hour drive down here. I know my mom is really sad to have both her little girls 100's of miles away but there are pros to it too. It will be nice to have family closer to us and Austin is a GREAT town to live in (and to visit). I am really happy for them and can't wait for them to get settled once David arrives in about a month or so!!!!

Here's the happy couple while David was still in boot camp!

Today was also our Halloween party at work. Our office is pretty good at setting up activities and celebrating holidays. There was a costume contest, a pumpkin carving contest and they even taught the Thriller dance in the office fitness center! They had great prizes too: ipods, cameras and even a Wii for the first place winner. I didn't win but it was fun participating and the top winner did come from our team so that was fun too! I was a 20's flapper girl (that's me, black wig and all and the winner was Fred Flinstone next to me!)

I hope everyone has some great Halloween plans. It's pretty fun that it falls on a Saturday this year and the weather here should be perfect too, in the low 70's. I am just excited to have a weekend off to enjoy!

Happy birthday Lana!

2009-10-27T07:59:00.003-05:00

Today is my MIL's birthday! I hope she has a wonderful day. I truly am blessed bc she is the best MIL anyone could ask for!

New and intro!

2009-10-26T19:18:00.000-05:00

I'm a newbie to the blog world! I like to read other people's blogs and thought I might as well join in on the fun! I don't have any major intentions for the blog for now but I did think it would be fun to track my running process as I train for my very first marathon in February and I will probably add some things in between here and there! So for now I will start off of some pics to show you more about me and the things I like to do!

Chiefs vs Houston
Tour des Fleurs 20k, Sept 2009
My bridal party getting ready, June 2009
Bachelorette weekend, April 2009
The Gray's, Christmas 2008
Cricket and I
Honeymoon, Sandals Ocho Rios, Jamaica
My family