Be mine...

I think I have a super woman complex, but I guess if it pushes me to do big things that's okay, right? I've been contemplating triathlons as of late and I really want to do one. It scares me a little, but like I said, super woman complex. Plus I have this awesome friend (who, by the way, I'm pretty sure really is super woman) who is training for her first ever marathon and whenever I'm around her I can't helped but be inspired to think bigger than I have in the past. However, if I am really to train for (and finish) a triathlon, I think I'm gonna need one of these babies. I know I can't have one right now, but one day.....

Can be found here, just in case anyone was feeling like sending some expensive love my way:)

Taco Dog

If only I had an extra 500 dollars sitting around somewhere. I would totally buy this for my parent's dog, Taco.

She is such a happy soul. Back in her younger years (when hip dysplasia didn't make it constantly painful for her to move about) she would be so happy to see anyone from the fam that she'd wag her tail so hard her whole behind moved to and fro... I liked to call it "wagging her butt." Fetching was her passion, and still would be if she weren't in pain. She was my running buddy in high school, but can't even really go for a walk nowadays:(

There's a dog in our neighborhood that has one of these fantastic devices and I see him walking quite often on my way to work. Oh how I want to get one for Taco. Anyone have a few extra benjamin's sittin around that you don't want? Taco would give you lots of slobbery kisses, I'm sure:)

Deep Thoughts by Christy

Ever notice how it's so hard to break a bad habit, yet so easy to break a good one? It goes the same for starting habits as well. Bad habits: easy to start (too easy!) Good habits: so hard!

I was just thinking about that this week as I am trying to implement a few new good habits into my life. Just something to think about!

p.s. do you like the new blog design? I'm diggin' it :)

My goose is cooked!

Over the holidays I read "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens and absolutely loved it. It really helped me to feel the Christmas spirit and made me feel all cozy inside:) Ever since I read the section about the Cratchitt's Christmas dinner, I've wanted to cook a goose. I mean, if Bob Crachitt's family had goose, then I should probably have some, right? Right! Anyway, I wanted to wait until after the holidays to try it so I wouldn't feel stressed about it having to be perfect. You know, since I've never even cooked a turkey, let alone a goose.

I searched high and low and finally found a place that has goose and yesterday I did it! I even went all out, we had a full on Thansgiving style dinner and it was fantastic! Aside from the goose, we had candied yam casserole (oh so yummy! shout out to my fabulous sis-in-law Nicole for supplying the recipe), home-made honey wheat rolls with honey butter (mmm mmm mmm, they were fan-freaking-tastic!), crispy, seasoned potato wedges with a cheesy, sour creamy dipping sauce, and a scrumptious salad including (but not limited to) feta, candied almonds, blackberries and romaine lettuce. We did not forget to have some Martinelli's with our yummy dinner, and we topped it of with a tasty cheesecake made by my friend Danielle (who joined us for dinner with her bf). Here's a pic of the spread



Now, about that goose... wow, what a task! Mostly everything that I found about goose warned about it being greasy if not prepared correctly, so I took every necessary precaution. I think I did too good of a job rendering the fat, because it actually ended up being kinda dry :( Although, I do think I may have cooked it a bit too long. I found a few recipes with a few discrepancies about what temp to cook the goose to, and I cooked it to the higher temp, I'm thinking it would have been better to cook it to the lower one. Anyway, I actually liked the flavor, it tastes a lot like chicken, but has a texture more like beef... very interesting. Here's an up close pic of the final product:



It took about a half hour to prepare the goose for cooking and I roasted it for around 2 1/2 hours. The process was pretty intense though. You don't just put the goose in the oven and then forget it. Every 30 min it needed something done to it. It was a fun experience and I am excited to try making other fancy dishes. Would I cook/have goose again? I think I would! But, probably only in the fall when you can find fresh goose at a reasonable price (this one was expensive! and it was frozen!).

The End. :)

Stinkin' Father Time

I have 5 grays hairs. Frick.



Did I mention that I'm only 24? 5 grays people!

p.s. I'm canceling my birthday this year. I refuse to turn 25.

Remembering

There really are no words to describe how I felt that day. Except maybe insecure. That feeling of "what will happen next?" I remember playing the messages on the answering machine and hearing my brother Jay's voice. He was calling to check in, to connect with us on such a horrible day, he couldn't help but cry. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't. I was numb. Every time I turned on the tv it was worse. Another building collapsed, the death toll higher. We lived in America, things like this weren't supposed to happen, but it did. I went to the park and climbed a tree and then just sat, for a long time. The sky was clear in California that day, not much different than today. It stung to think of New York with it's smoke and dust filled skies. Let's all remember today, remember what our country has been through and is still going through. Remember those who died, and remember those who lost loved ones. Remember our soldiers, who have fought and who have died. Remember the soldiers who are still there. Remember our blessings, our family and friends and our homes and safety. Whatever you do today, whether you're at work or home or school or play, remember. At the very least, remember.

The Spice of Life

Oh, spontaneity, how great it is! This morning I put an ad on craigslist that said the following:

Wanted: 3 tickets for Wicked tonight 8/8

I am looking to get tickets to wicked for the 7:30 showing tonight, orchestra. I'm not desperate, if I don't go tonight I will get them for another day. If you have some that you are trying to get off your hands then let's talk. I'm willing to pay a fair price, but would like a deal (who doesn't?). Email or call me if you have some and we can talk price depending on where the seats are.

I posted this around noon and didn't tell James. When I checked my email later (around 4:00) and found no new mail I figured we wouldn't be going, no biggie. So we headed to the park with Moose.

At 5:45 we got in our car to go home, discussing what we should do for the rest of the night. Maybe we could go see a movie? Which one? Hmmmm....

I looked at phone to see that I had a voicemail from some guy who worked for stubtopia with seats he would sell for $55 below face value and he would meet us there. So I said to James, "well, we could go see Wicked at 7:30 ;)" (yes, I just used an emoticon inside of quotation, grammar police just try to stop me!)

He was a little surprised, but we both wanted Austin to see it before it left San Diego (James and I have both seen it twice already), so he said yes and off we went! We had to go home and change into nice clothes super quick, but we got there with plenty of time to spare. It was an awesome night and I am so glad I was able to share something that I love with someone that I love!