Why do I have all this free time in the first place? Well, it may help to know that the first 9-hour movie marathon started as an attempt (success!) to stay awake for the full 9 hours of a 9-hour international flight. The second movie marathon, which I am about to describe, was an attempt (fail!) to stay awake for the even longer return flight. I don't think I can remember all the different programs I tried. I do know that I at one point watched an episode of Say Yes to the Dress - Atlanta. Sad.

While on my trip, I described the outbound flight to another person including the stipulation that I wanted to watch things that Christopher and I would not watch together. She recommended that I watch The Ugly Truth on the way back. "But isn't Gerard Butler a jerk?" I asked. And I may have used a less polite, insulting common noun. "I don't know about that, but his character is that way through the entire movie, so it works." She replied. So, this was my first film on the trip. I give it a yawn and a single smirk. Gerard Butler isn't recognizable from his 300 breakout. (Was it a breakout? It was the first time I'd heard of him anyway.) And, I felt oddly distracted by his manner of speech. Katherine Heigl (sp?) was ok. She was a little less goofy than I would have liked. I feel like she's trying to fill Meg Ryan's shoes. But Meg Ryan does a much better job at playing neurotic romantics. So anyway, I gave it a smirk, because there is a scene where Katherine's character gets stuck in a tree, and that was humorous. It's a rom-com, so I'll let you fill in the plot, and you'll likely be right.

I briefly tried to re-watch When Harry Met Sally. This was a movie I thoroughly enjoyed between the ages of 16-18. In this case, it insisted on including Chinese subtitles and a black border bar on the top and bottom of the screen. I had little patience, so I turned it off.

After that, I moved to.... let's see, what was it? Oh yes, Vicky Christina Barcelona. I liked the music in this one. Penelope Cruz was in it, as was Javier Bardem. They both did great work. I really like Penelope Cruz; she played a very believable manic ex-wife. The plot revolved around two friends (Americans) who spent a summer in Spain. This one was more a drama than rom-com. In fact, it was all drama, no comedy. Scarlett Johanson (sp? - I have no idea how to spell these actors' names, and I don't care enough to look it up, even though I'm clearly on my laptop as I type) played a flirty open-minded girl looking for love. This was the same character she played in He's Just Not that into You, which I watched in my previous movie marathon. These being the only two things I've seen her in, I have to wonder if that's all she can do. Anyway, this was a pretty good drama, and I stayed awake. You have to be ok with voice-over narration, and the plot is very (VERY) simple. But Penelope Cruz's performance really did it for me. So I'd have to say I can recommend this one.

I thought, "Ok, you just made it through a drama. A drama, Lexie. Good girl. Let's try another." I enjoy a good self pep talk, don't you? So I clicked Larry Crowne without restraint. It has Julia Roberts in it, and I love her. Christopher and I definitely would not watch it together as he doesn't like her. My apologies, Julia, I've tried to convince him. Sadly, I didn't make it far enough into the movie for Julia's character to make an appearance. Larry Crown (Tom Hanks) is a middle-aged man who loses his job and decides to go back to school. I think I got through 20 minutes before turning it off and sleeping. It moved so slowly! So, if you're trying to stay awake, I don't recommend it.

And that's it. It was a very poor attempt on my part to stay awake. After waking, I moved to TV episodes. I figured I'd set smaller goals. That way, I could just stay awake for 50 minutes at a time, rather than pay attention for an entire movie. As I mentioned, this portion of the trip included episodes of reality TV not limited to Say Yes to the Dress. To be honest, I'm actually a fan of TLC, I think that some of their reality shows are fun. But I was just not in the mood for it, so it was almost a chore to get through the show.

After my layover, I slept for the full 3-hours of my final leg. Thankfully, on both legs, I was in a row of three with no one in the middle seat. Score!

Jet-lag and general apathy towards housework led me to spend the day following my trip on the couch, scrolling through Netflix. I started with 28 Days and remembered how much I like Sandra Bullock's hair. I ended my movie marathon with Girl, Interrupted (I know, drama!). I didn't realize how old his movie was, but the information on it said it won an award in 1999. Winona Ryder plays the main character with general issues coping with life. I thought the movie was good overall, but I wanted more of the time leaps that displayed Suzana's illness. That, and it didn't quite keep me fully awake. Luckily, Christopher called at some point in the middle and that woke me up so that when we were done talking I could finish the movie.

And there you have it. Hopefully now you can add or avoid a movie or two in your own Netflix queue. I don't have any more international flights in the very near future, so I can thankfully know that my rom-com watching days are over, for now.

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Ever have 9 hours with nothing to do and no where to go? I found myself in this situation Saturday. To pass the time and stay entertained, I had my own personal movie marathon. I chose four rom-coms, and settled in with low expectations.

The first movie I watched was The Backup Plan with Jennifer Lopez. I almost couldn't make it through the opening credits, they were so boring. I generally don't give these types of movies very much lee-way before I decide not to waste my time. However, after the first 15 minutes or so, it actually got a little funny. I think I even laughed out loud once. And by laughing out loud, I of course mean audibly chuckled. Let's not exaggerate. I remember the turning point was when I discovered that Jennifer Lopez's occupation was pet shop owner. And her two-legged dog was present throughout the movie. That dog was so adorable.

The plot revolved around a single woman who had in-vitro and met the man of her dreams on the very same day. I'd describe the rest, but I'm sure you can figure it out. There were no special twists, it pretty much was exactly as you expect it to be.

Since that movie wasn't a total disappointment, I started up the next one. Friends with Benefits with Justin Timberlake. My movie choices were a bit limited. I wanted to watch something that I wouldn't want to see with Christopher. And the two of us rarely watch romantic comedies. We like more of the satire or slap-stick comedy. Of course I didn't want to see an action movie, because we definitely watch those together. I don't watch horror at all. And I generally can't stand dramas, unless they are suspense thrillers. That left romantic comedies. In retrospect, I should have looked at the "World Cinema" category, because there may have been a good French film to watch. But, I didn't think of that at the time.

Anyway, this movie centered around a couple of friends. The plot, again, was predictable with no twists to speak of. I suspended reality as best I could. But, occasionally, Justin's poor acting made me think... gosh, why did they cast him for this again? They made pot-shots at romantic comedies in the movie itself. I suppose they were trying to be clever. But, it just seemed to make the movie feel less and less original as the minutes ticked by. The only good scenes were with Justin's family. His sister was played by Jenna Elfman, and she did a great job.

Second movie down, two more in the line-up. The third one was He's Just Not That Into You. I expected this one to be the funniest. After all, it had a superstar cast, and was shot a bit like a series of short stories. Alas, the descent into Boringsville just continued at lightening speed. This movie was set around a handful of characters, all at various stages of relationships. Each person had to work out their own relationship delusions and find their own path to happiness. I will say that the actors each did a good job of playing their role. I never once thought, oh man, if only so-and-so wasn't cast. Or, why did they choose so-and-so? Unfortunately, that was not enough to help this movie. Not even close. I think this was a book first. I'm guessing the book is better. At least, I hope it is for its sake.

Saving the worst for last, I managed to then sit through Confessions of a Shopaholic. I'm really not even sure why I tried. I guess I was already at the bottom of the barrel, so I figured I'd try to see what else I could scrape up while I was down there. Not funny at all. Terrible acting. And the writing was even worse. The chemistry between the lead actress and the lead actor was non-existent. Please save yourself an hour and a half and just trust me. It's not worth putting in your Netflix queue at number 62.

Still under my 9-hour wait, I just napped for the last hour or so, because my movie choices had only gotten worse and worse. I was not to be trusted to choose another at that point.

In good movie news, last weekend Christopher and I went to see Immortals, which we both liked. Lots of special effects, battles, and gory drama. If you're into that kind of thing, I recommend it.

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My birthday happened over a month ago now. And, if you read this blog, you were probably there for part of the day. Unless you're a cyberstalker. In which case, you wouldn't have been invited. Maybe next year. It was an amazing day all around. I decided to do a birthday crawl and invited my friends and family to stuff that I felt like doing all day long.

It started out with manis and pedis. Then lunch at the Salad Stop. After that, we hit up Starbucks and drove to the aquarium. There were too many people to be able to efficiently move through the aquarium as a group, but we tried! Then, there was a break for a little while until dinner, coffee, and cake at the Global Peace Factory.

We'be been very social lately. Much more social than normal, and that's a good thing because we are seeing our friends more than quarterly. We still like our homebody time. And last night we decided to watch Jonah Hex, which had been in our Netflix queue. We popped some popcorn and turned out the lights, movie-theater style.

The movie was much better than I anticipated. I knew absolutely nothing about the comic or the story, in general. But the action sequences were good, and the main characters were believable in their roles. I really liked the make-up on Jonah Hex, because he had a whole in his mouth where you could see his teeth, and I think whoever the makeup artists were did a really good job.

I also liked Megan Fox as the independent hooker. I don't know her from anything else as I have not seen Transformers. And, her character was one-dimensional. Nevertheless, she complimented the guy who played Jonah Hex well.

This past weekend, we both had an appt with the optometrist. I decided a while back that I wanted to switch back to contacts. I haven't worn contacts as my primary form of vision correction in many years. I've had back-up contacts that are an old prescription since 2004 (Yes, I know. You don't have to tell me about the dangers of keeping contacts around past their life span.). And, I wore them when going to places where I wanted to see, but couldn't wear glasses (like the pool). But I'm ready to switch back and wear contacts daily only using my glasses at the end of the day when my eyes are tired. Plus, my prescription didn't change at all since last year, so my glasses don't need any replacing. Anyway, the next time you see me, you'll see my whole face instead of my face with glasses. Get excited.

And speaking of birthdays, I had no idea how many people I know have fall birthdays! You'd think that it wouldn't be surprising since it was the same last year. But, it definitely feels like the majority of the people I know are having birthday-related celebrations. Hopefully they are enjoying their birthdays as much as I did mine!

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Sorry for the wait, we've been so busy with work during the week and with our social life on the weekend (surprising, I know!) that I left you hanging with more info on the Jerusalem trip. I'll try to make the rest brief and only hit some of the best highlights. Overall, the trip was well worth it, and we're both very glad to have had the opportunity for this passport stamp. The people, food, and sights are one-of-a-kind. I think I left off the last blog having just spent our first night/day in Jerusalem. From there, we did a lot of walking around the Old City, and we even went to the Dead Sea!

The Old City is amazing. The architectural influence of all the people who conquered, immigrated, worshiped etc is clear. One can't miss religious site for Christians is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This one building includes the altar where Jesus' body was prepared for burial, the site of the crucifixion, and the site of the tomb. I'm no archaeological historian, so I'm not going to argue the possibilities that these three things are not what they are said to be. I just accepted it. And, they are certainly treated with the respect and sanctity that one might imagine. Here is a view from over the heads of the people there to lay their hands and objects on the altar.

And moving through the church, you can see how closely these events all took place. According to the layout of the church, the hill on Calvary is about from the garage to the front door of a big house. Here, you can see the temple structure that now encompasses the location of the tomb. They have dug out the earth and when you go inside, you are able to touch the stone that would have lined the interior. It's located in one particular rotunda of the church, and tourists and pilgrims line up to go inside.


And this is only one holy site in the Old City of which there are many. Pretty much the entire square kilometer is a holy place. What's interesting, in addition, is people live and work there as well. So they could spend the majority of their life living in one square kilometer if they so chose.

As I mentioned, we also went to the Dead Sea! It was awesome! I wasn't 100% that day, so unfortunately, I didn't get to enjoy floating around in the salty water as long as our companions did. But when I wasn't floating around on the water, I was hanging out on the beach people watching.


The weather was surprising cool and overcast for that area and that time of year. So, although I drank a couple liters of water while we were there anyway, I probably didn't need to.

And the last highlight I'll impose upon you is the food! (well, and the markets) I don't think that every street vendor was awesome and served the cleanest freshest food. BUT, when you have capable locals telling you where to eat, you really can't go wrong. We loved so much about what we ate while we were there, not the least of which were the falafels, aerated dark chocolate, lattes, halva and whiskey ice cream! The market was filled with baked goods, spices, vegetables, etc. I'll leave you with a couple pretty good pics from the market (shouk).

This is paprika!


Here are some baked goods (no - they don't use butter at all...).


Dried fruit!

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No need to wait any longer friends and cyberstalkers. It's time to hear about the wonders of the Holy Land. We went overseas earlier this year, partially for work, partially for vacation.


Let's start with our flight over. It was a long one. We flew Air Cananda through Toronto. In the airport before our first flight, we met a random guy outside the ticketing area. He, like us, was waiting for the ticket counter to open. Apparently, there is such a thing as too early for your flight. We started up a conversation, and then went through security and ate Dunkin Donuts (or Einstein's, I forget) together. We swapped business cards, and generally had a pleasant wait until boarding. His stop was in Toronto, so he didn't get to experience the most exciting part of the flight.

From Toronto to Tel Aviv, we watched movies. The whole time. No sleeping for us. I do not remember everything we watched, but I do remember enjoying it. I was in the middle of the middle. But with Christopher on the aisle, it was easy enough to get up and walk around, etc. We would have liked to have had an uneventful flight, but over France we were told that we'd have to make an emergency stop at Heathrow. So, we were almost to Lyon when we had to turn around. This added about 5 hours to the already long flight. Luckily, it wasn't anything life threatening. The toilets on the plane stopped working - all of them. There is some rule about the length of flights and toilet breakage/use. So, we had no choice. I got the impression that the issue was the waste tanks were full. Pretty gross. So, we stopped and then got traveling once again. Given that and the overly chatty families to our right and front - the last part of the flight was the most exhausting.

After arriving, we were taken by taxi to our furnished rental apartment for our stay. the apartment was awesome. There was anything that we could need to settle in, including a stocked kitchen (pasta, some milk, instant coffee) and internet. Not to mention, the first level had a pool and workout area, which we used a couple times. The view out the living room window was very nice. A building next door, part of the garden area downstairs, and then out towards one of the city's parks.


The night we arrived was Independence Day Eve. There was a party in the streets, so we went out to see what was going on. It was a lively evening, generally a lot of merry making and drinking. The photo at the top of the post comes from that first night.

The next day was equally nice as the entire city was off from work and throwing barbeques. We went to a friends house for a party they were having and had some really great food. We also met very nice people. Sorry, no food pictures, but we did walk there rather than take a taxi or other method, so we were able to get some nice shots of the city between our apartments.

Here, you can see one of the city parks where families and friends had gathered to throw down their grills and picnic blankets.

Here is one of the highways as we were walking on the bridge over it.

It was kinda warm/hot that day, but I don't remember being overly sweaty or anything. And the walk took us about 45 minutes. So, I suppose the weather must have been a nice temperature. It was a really great first full day in the country.

As this has already become rather long, I think I'll break it up, and you'll have to wait a bit longer for some more info on the Dead Sea and the Old City.

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Well, nothing of super amazing note-worthiness has occurred as of late. At least nothing that the internet community at large really needs to hear. But, our run of good news and general well-being has continued; and I must say that's pretty awesome. That being said, I don't want to be gone from the blog for too long, or it's harder to start up again. So, I decided just to detail some of the usual happenings, family events, and work-related stuff that's gone on. If you like "a day-in-the-life-of" style bogging, then this one's for you.

We've been doing a lot of stuff lately with the youngsters of the family. I say a lot because almost every weekend, we've seen kids. That's not exactly normal for us; although we are close with our extended family and see them pretty often. A few weeks ago, we went to the water park with the nephews and our niece. All the kids were there with the exception of our newest, youngest nephew. We had a good time and went to CiCi's afterward for dinner with the whole family. It was definitely the best restaurant experience we've had so far with the kids. No child cried. None got upset, threw a tantrum, knocked over a glass, or anything else you might think of. Everyone was happy and hungry.... and full by the time we left.

Then a couple weeks ago (or maybe it was last week), we went to one of our nephew's 6th birthday party at Strikes (a bowling alley). He had two friends and two extended family members there to participate in the kid-fun. And of course, the adults were there as well bowling in the next lane and playing SkeeBall for tickets. Ok, so that last one was just Christopher and me. I really like SkeeBall, and the game itself is so much smaller than I remember it from when I was 7. ;) My future sister-in-law tore it up on the Wheel of Fortune game earning 400 tickets in one spin of the wheel. All tickets went back to the birthday boy who was able to get himself some cool loot at the game counter. We were also happy that our gift to the birthday boy was well-received. We got him a Captain America action figure. He's riding an ATV of some sort that has a gun that pops out from under the hood. And, of course, we had to buy the Captain America gift bag to put it in. Those ToysRUs people know what they are doing. Take a desperate and almost late aunt and uncle who've forgotten to get a gift bag, then put a rack of over-priced gift bags near the check-out counter, and you've got profits baby! But, we were happy to do it, and it did match really nicely. So, I can't complain too much about it.

Now, this weekend, we'll have a repeat b-day party for our nephew, but with the other grandparents. And this time it will be a cookout. I'm really glad that it's raining today! We grilled out last night because it was cloudy, and with the rain today, the weather tomorrow should be great for another cookout.

Also, between last post and now, Renn has had not one but two (TWO!) play dates with his surrogate little sister, Paisley, at the dog park. They are so super cute it's ridiculous. Jennifer and I both agree that they just seem to get along like litter mates. It's also funny because both of them are pretty mommy-centric and don't really venture too far away from wherever Jenn and I are standing. These last two times we were there, there was a Schnauzer who looked just like Renn! I asked its mom if it was a Schnoodle, but she said no. I'm not convinced because he and Renn look so much alike! I wanted them to be best friends and kill us with their cuteness, but alas, they weren't all that interested in each other.

Let's see, I went to a house warming at a friend's house. Their house is super-cute on the inside and really unique with a great shower. That sounds weird, I don't really know how to describe it, but their shower was my favorite feature. It had thick wood molding around the outside in the shape of an upside-down U. I also loved the flooring in the kitchen, which was a slate color. We also ate out a number of times staying pretty close to home and eating pretty cheaply. We've discovered a Chinese restaurant that we actually like and has really good food. We'd thought we found a place for Japan-like sushi, but it was a one-time experience. We went back a second time and it was a let-down.

Oh - I suppose that's all for now. It's just life as usual. :)

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The fountain of good news just keeps flowing. Three - count them - three friends/family members are getting married soon. One wedding is in December, one is in May, and one is TBD. Usually, I'm not a fan of weddings. It's ok, you can admit that you're not a fan either. We all know it. However, for these three, I'm actually very excited about them because of the brides and grooms.

If that weren't enough good news, another set of already-married friends bought a house and are having a house warming this coming weekend. I do not expect to know any of the guests there. And I'm not the world's best schmoozer, but it should be a good time nonetheless. Then, another set of married friends is having a baby in the fall, which will be here before we know it. They are very excited, naturally. Our 7th wedding anniversary is coming up in a few weeks, and my birthday is around the corner as well. Ok, it's kind of far away, but it's not too early to try to decide what I want to do for it.

I need all this good news in my life. I read the Wall Street Journal this morning with my coffee, and it was chalk full of bad news. Oslo; the budget talks break down; Borders bookstore closing; Syria not letting the US and French ambassadors leave the capital; and so on and so on.

It's so nice that my family and friends are safe and healthy. Plus, Renn has a play date in the morning with Paisley, and that'll always put a smile on my face.

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In pretty much every situation, the more puppies the merrier. We got a call asking us if we could puppy sit for a day. Renn's cousin Emma needed some tending so her owners could float the river. Emma is a non-pocket-sized Pocket Beagle. I'm not certain how many pounds she is, but she's bigger than Renn. I read that Pocket Beagles generally are supposed to only be between 7 and 15 pounds. Although Renn and Emma had never met, based on their dispositions, we were pretty sure it would work out. Emma came over around 8pm on Friday and was going to spend Friday night and Saturday with us.

Friday evening was pretty short, and the pups didn't play too much with each other. Emma spent most of the evening walking around smelling everything and then re-smelling it to see if it had changed since the last time she went by. She also enjoyed chewing on Renn's bone. Now, Renn is not too keen on sharing this particular bone. It's the one he carries around with him to each room and takes naps with. But, he was as patient as could be expected. When Emma would lose interest, he would calmly walk over and take the bone back. Luckily, Emma had brought some of her own bones over with her. She wasn't interested in them, but Renn was. So Renn got her treat-bone while Emma chewed on his.



One thing I'd forgotten about puppies (Emma is about 1yr old) is the whining. This should not have been surprising, her owners had warned us that she whines at night in her crate but responds to a stern "hush" or "no". Not to mention that Beagles, in particular, as well as some other breeds tend to get separation anxiety and enjoy being in a pack. Boy, did Emma remind me how puppies can whine! After a full night of whining in her crate (and not responding to hushes or nos), I knew what I had to do.

Walks! Renn and Emma went for about 7 or 8 walks on Saturday. Long walks in the morning, at lunch, and after dinner. Short ones in between. That'll wear a puppy out! They loved it, and so did I. I also loved the napping they did to re-energize for the next time I was going to take them out. Here they are enjoying some cuddle/nap time on the couch while I caught up on So You Think You Can Dance.



And, the walks definitely worked. Emma whined for about 2 minutes when it was time to go to bed. But then the whining completely stopped, and she just slept until her dad came to pick her up around midnight.

By the way, in that second photo if you're wondering if the couch is trying to eat me, you're right. It's one of those that you definitely sink into. Sunday, Renn was in recovery mode from all the walking and excitement that Emma brought. He was a napping-couch dog all day long.

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We've been pretty web-silent lately. I'm sure you've found yourselves with other things to do and not really missing our little blog too much. However, it is nice to read about my friends and their life-happenings. So I figured I'm past due to make it back to posting - just in case inquiring minds want to know. I've made large strides in chocolate eating as of late. I'm still not a big fan of milk chocolate or more traditional candy bars like snickers or twix. And, although I used to eat Butterfingers, I'm still pretty sure I'll never feel like having one of those again. But the list of chocolate treats that I do like continues to grow. I've made a "little" list.

Ben and Jerry's Low Fat Fro Yo Cherry Garcia
Dagoba Eclipse dark chocolate bar
Razzy's homemade fudge brownies
Godiva dark chocolate truffle
Israeli aerated dark chocolate bar
Private Selection tiramisu ice cream

At bat is the Lara Bar in Jocalat flavor. I'll let you know how that one turns out.

There are still many dessert options that I'd select over something chocolate; however, I'm very happy with my progress. Have I made you hungry? :)

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As a kid, I do not remember ever having any serious allergy issues of any kind. My parents learned when I was 2 (an age that I do not remember whatsoever) that I am allergic to cedar. Later, I learned that I was allergic to red ants (who isn't) after being stung a couple times. (Or is it bitten?) From that point on, I pretty much just stayed away from Christmas tree farms, cedar chests, and ant hills. Thankfully, I've never had to deal with a food allergy, nor have I had any major run ins with zombie cedar trees trying to attack me.

My life remained pretty allergy free until adulthood. I'm not really sure what it is about allergens that allows them to seemingly randomly wax and wane over time. I'm not mad at the trees. But, when you haven't had to deal with allergies most of your life and then you do, well that's no fun.

So, having moved back to Texas this last time, I've found that Spring is lets-line-the-pockets-of-the-Kleenex-corp time. It's also the time I get sick if it's going to happen. I got sick in Spring 2009, 2010, and I just recently go over being sick this year. My thinking is the pollens start doing their thing, my body starts acting up, and thus I am more susceptible to a cold or whatever. I have no medical degree, but that makes sense to me.

I decided to finally become knowledgeable about what I am and am not allergic to. I made an appointment and stayed off any OTC allergy medicine for about two weeks so I could get a clear panel of tests. The staff did a full verbal medical history of any time that I remember having an allergic reaction to anything. Lucky for me, that list is not all that long. But I can imagine they would really spend a lot of time with you if you had a long, broad history of allergies. Once that was over, they decided what kind of panel they were going to do. For me, it was 56 different allergens including a control positive and control negative test.

Man, I was not expecting it to be quite as painful as it was. I guess it's like a mini-tattoo since they need to break the skin with the allergen soaked needle in order for the test to work. The nurse told me how important it was that I stay still and not move, but when she was sticking little needles onto my ribcage it was very hard to comply.

I guess I did an ok job of remaining still, because she was able to read the results just fine. There was one super itchy one on my right shoulder blade. I asked her which one that was because it was driving me nuts. She said, "oh, that one's cedar." Figures.

Anyway, I am happy I did it. I think it's really important to be informed about yourself, your health especially. I was also a little surprised by the results as I found out that I have no indoor allergies whatsoever aside from one species of mold. Outdoor allergies, on the other hand, are a different story. Spring trees are my worst (no thanks to you, cedar), but I also have winter trees, plus one species of summer grass that is very common to this area.

I was prescribed some allergy meds and given two sets of instructions. One set is for off-season where I feel fine. The other set is for Spring and/or any time my allergies seem to be kicking into high gear. I do feel much better having gone and gotten this information. I also like the doctor and staff at their office, so if I need to go again, I'll definitely see them.

All in all, if you've never been to an allergist but suffer from allergies, I recommend going to see one. The information alone was worth the co-pay.

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You'll have to pardon my skipping a couple days of posting. I've been trying to keep you up to speed on our recent culinary delights. Our meals by the Locavore Chef didn't end with the Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas. Oh no, there was more to come. On Friday night, we had Tofu and Curry. Unfortunately, this photographer didn't get a good shot; and beyond that, I spent much of my weekend relaxing... not blogging. Then, Saturday we went out for dinner and had delicious Pho (think Vietnamese noodle soup if you're not familiar). Finally, tonight was the last of our personal-chef-prepared meals. We had Lentil and Black Bean Chili.


This was another moment where the warming of the food on the stove was olfactory bliss. This veg-ful, health-ful chili was seriously delicious. Plus, Melanie had prepared enough for three dinner servings worth. So, we thawed (previously frozen on the day Melanie made it), and warmed one dinner's worth. And we still have two more in the freezer for when the mood strikes. Yay!



Can you smell it? mmmmm. The beans and chunky veggies really made this a hearty chili. We added some shredded cheddar (as is our custom) and ate it with Saltine crackers (also our custom). I'm definitely looking forward to the next two times I'll be eating this in the future.

In other news, Christopher and I went to the mall this weekend. We both found a few things to bring home. I found a bathing suit. I've been searching for one for literally years. I have had the same one since ....let's see.... 2003. Wow, that's pretty sad. I won't mention the one that I bought in high school that I still wear for exercising in the pool. Ok, just mentioned it. So, yeah, I've been on the look out for a new bathing suit since 2004, pretty much. With the help of very friendly and knowledgeable sales women, I tried on about 4 or 5 different suits and chose one I really like! Woohoo!

What made buying the bathing suit even better was the bag! Check out this cute burlap reusable bag. It's really sturdy and could be used as a beach bag. I used it for some groceries at Whole Foods (a Kalamata olive loaf and organic baby carrots on sale 2 for $3!) earlier today.



I was off on a long-weekend, but have to go back to work tomorrow. Luckily, I had a really great weekend to help get me rested and well (almost all the way better now, still some coughing but much less sneezing).

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It's been a rough week at work. A few things are going on in management, it seems, that may not be popular. I have been under the weather, staying home from work on Wednesday, and not feeling like I am getting as many things done as I'd like. Home life, on the other hand has been fan-tas-tic (still sick, but at least Christopher has been taking care of me). If you haven't read the previous two posts. I invite you to do so; you may become a little spiteful of our good fortune. But that's ok, because I know the Locavore Chef, and I can get you her number.

Tonight's meal, just like Monday and Tuesday's, was written clearly on our notes posted on the fridge. Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas.



Man, doesn't that look mouth watering? All I had to do was warm it up in the oven. Melanie had made this dish using roasted dark meat chicken (which she seasoned and roasted), corn tortillas, beans, and green chili sauce (I wasn't there when she made it, not sure what's in it - but it's awesome). There's also some cheese going on, as you can see from the melted goodness on top.

To the right/above the enchiladas, is a big bowl of spinach salad with buttermilk chive dressing (homemade fresh by the one and only Locavore Chef). I added some chives to the bowl just for fun. Also, we have some leftover green onions in the fridge, and I hate to see a good green onion go to waste. This was supposed to be the arugula salad. But, if you read yesterday's post, you know that we accidentally already ate that one. oops!



Here's what it looks like on my plate. Yes, I agree, I might need a bigger plate. :) We added some lime juice over the enchiladas per Melanie's instructions. The first bite was heavenly. We both commented how we'd order this dish in a heartbeat were it on a restaurant menu. The whole cilantro-chicken-lime-corn-tortilla-little-slice-of-heaven-on-a-fork just really worked. Overall, I hesitate to call this dish "enchiladas," although that was Melanie's title, so I'll stay true to the chef. I'd call it closer to a casserole or lasagna based on the layers and that the tortillas were laid flat instead of rolled. It's definitely a modern take on the traditional enchilada, and it's an update that gets four thumbs up from the Watsons.

I'm excited, because there were leftovers. That means I get to have another taste tomorrow at lunch! Oh - and there was no coconut in this dinner whatsoever. Since we did have lime, I had the song stuck in my head.

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As you know, this week we are having the special treat of the Locavore Chef prepared meals. Yesterday was a delicious etoufee, and we had that again today for lunch - courtesy of our leftovers - over a large bed of spinach. Unfortunately, I am sick. Therefore, I feel that my congestion is probably making the meals seem ever so slightly less tasty than they really are. I hate being stopped up. Fortunately, the food so far is so full of flavor, that it's still very delicious to my ailing nose. Today's dinner menu included a surprise.

Melanie, aka the Locavore Chef, left us very clear instructions posted clearly on our fridge of what to eat and when (and how to heat it up, what to pair it with, etc). Did I mention they were clear? Tonight's dinner menu was supposed to include a spinach salad with chicken and walnuts dressed in a lemon vinaigrette.


That's not a picture of spinach. That's a picture of the salad as we prepared it, because we saw "salad" on our menu, and grabbed for the giant bowl of salad in the fridge instead of the box of spinach to use as the leafy green base. Sorry Melanie! I'm not sure how annoying it is to a chef to have her handiwork messed up; hopefully, not that annoying.

The way we ended up eating it, though, was awesome. It included an arugula and chive leafy base (prepared by Melanie), white meat chicken (roasted by Melanie), walnuts, home made croutons, and lemon vinaigrette (made by Melanie). We tossed the salad with all the fixin's first, and then Christopher made the croutons. So, the salad had a little bit of time to sit and rest. The salad was wonderful. Despite not really being as the chef intended...

To follow dinner, we had a sweet dessert - nectarine cobbler. I really don't think there is anything bad anyone could or would say about any cobbler of any kind. They are just sweet and warm and gooey and ...even better a la mode!


In my opinion, the photo does not really do it justice, I couldn't get a picture I really liked, but the ice cream was smooth and creamy and cool next to the cobbler. Just as nature (and the Locavore Chef) intended.
We might be becoming just a bit spoiled...

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We like food. We like local business. When these two things come together in delicious harmony, it doesn't take much for us to get behind it. Case in point, how many times do we have to tell you to go to the Global Peace Factory? Go there people! Where did I have my birthday lunch last year? That's right, another local eatery, The Salad Stop. This in mind, it was our pleasure to have The Locavore Chef prepare some meals in our home today.

The Locavore Chef is one Melanie Ester, personal chef. Her business is developed around providing custom meals with seasonal, sustainable ingredients (local and organic as much as possible). She was in our kitchen today cooking from before 11am until 2-something. When she was done, we had meals stocked in our fridge for 5 nights of dinners (plus leftovers and a dessert!). Not only that, but I came home on my lunch break, and Melanie prepared lunch as well.

Our first meal (lunch) was a delicious spinach salad with strawberries and walnuts. This was followed by a hot pasta dish with a tomato sauce including green bell peppers and onions. I have to say, it felt a bit like our apartment was a restaurant. Because, one, someone else was cooking. And, two, while we were finishing up our salad, Melanie walked over with our pasta bowls. It's odd to be served in your own home. But it was certainly relaxing!

Dinner was delicious. Melanie prepared etouffee and told us how to heat it up appropriately and add shrimp. It was hands down the best shrimp etouffee I've ever had. I say this not having sampled a million of them, but enough to know that the sauce must be hard to make. When I've ordered it in restaurants before, I'm generally disappointed at how oily everything tastes. This tasted fresh and flavorful. Plus, with Melanie's clear instruction, the shrimp was perfectly done.

If the plating doesn't look good, that's our fault. We spooned everything out and added the scallions/parsley. But, I think the plating isn't bad either for a couple of amateurs.


I'm very much looking forward to our Locavore Chef meal tomorrow. We'll be eating tonight's leftovers for lunch and customized meal #2 for dinner. Yumn!

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For the past couple of months, we've lived further away from Dallas proper than before (as you may know). This change has had some unexpected consequences. One of those consequences has been an increase in exposure to Texas wildlife. There are quite a few old trees, woody areas, and fields nearby. There's also a golf course, but that's neither here nor there. Renn has enjoyed squirrel chasing and bird watching very much.

Each morning, I walk Renn sometime between 5:30 and 6:00am. It is still dark at this time, and all the nocturnal creatures are going about their business.

Last week, maybe Tuesday, we were walking and Renn tugged on the leash to sniff the trash that was set out for pick up. He grabbed something. I saw it was a cookie (gross) and gave him a stern "No! Drop it!" He reluctantly complied. I could tell he was telepathically saying "But mom, it's still good!" I kept us walking forward.

The next day, I remembered to keep him on a short leash as we passed the same house with the same trash sitting out for pick up (pick up is on Wednesdays, so I'm not sure why they had it sitting out on Tuesday anyway). He started to pull towards the trash, and I thought surely an animal has already picked up whatever cookie mess what there yesterday. I told him no and then finally saw what he was pulling toward.

It was a raccoon! Not just any little 'ol cute raccoon. This raccoon was 1.25 times the size of Renn! And so close to him, I became concerned that the raccoon was going to get aggressive and try something. I've never seen a raccoon that big; clearly it's well fed.

I kept walking at the same pace forward and kept Renn close to me. The raccoon, disturbed from his 5:30am meal, starting circling behind us and off he went into the wooded area across the street. Crisis averted.

I'll add raccoon to the growing list of animals that Renn has met not including other dogs. So far, this list includes armadillo, gecko, bird, cat, raccoon, squirrel, chipmunk, frog, turtle and bunny.

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We do not usually celebrate Valentine's Day. Not because we are opposed. Simply because we're pretty good at showing our love the other 99.9% of the year; we don't really need to go out of our way just because Hallmark says so. Not to mention, I'm not much of a romantic. And only recently have I started liking chocolate (see post about my personal culinary evolution). However, we were out for a sit at a coffee shop one afternoon, and they were advertising a special for the following weekend - Valentine's weekend, so we thought, why not?

It exceeded our expectations on all accounts. The price was right, definitely not overrated. The food was amazing, and the time we spent there was quite enjoyable.

In total we had champagne, salads, a cheese tray, chicken alfredo flatbread, chocolate covered strawberries, carrot cake, and two coffees. I'd go into detail about each course, but why do that when I can just show you?

Hopped up on caffeine and sugar, we didn't sleep much that night. However, it was completely worth it. It made us realize that perhaps we could be down with the whole Valentine's thing.

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I've missed three days of work this week. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Unfortunately, we have just begun our brand new training class for our new hires (5), so they have been calling me each morning to check on the status of the schedule and try to make it in where possible. Tuesday and Wednesday, I didn't even try to get out. There was clearly too much ice on the road to make it out safely. Thursday I went, and the roads were icy in places but manageable overall. This morning, I gave it a good college effort.


Knowing that there was snow (I had to brush it off to be able to see through the windshield, I had already walked Renn, etc), I left even earlier than usual. I'm not fearful of driving on snow. There's plenty of traction, and I did it in Connecticut two winters in a row with no problem. I got out of my neighborhood easily (wondering how to drive in snow? Just repeat the mantra, "just keep moving - just keep moving - slowly -slowly - just keep moving." Do that, and you'll make it just fine.) I got to the highway just fine as well. Then I got on the highway and that is where I began to wonder about the wisdom in trying to make it to work.

The highways looked as though no road crews had been out at all during the week, which is just not true. I was driving, thankfully, over packed snow. However, under the snow was a sheet of ice. I know this because I drove home on it the day before. Driving down the highway might as well have been going through a school zone. Larger trucks regularly passed me on the left. That was ok with me, if I drove a heavier vehicle, I might have considered going a little faster too. As it was, my car was already bouncing along rather roughly over the unclean road at 20 miles an hour.

A mid-size truck (somewhere between a moving van and a semi) passed me on the left. For whatever reason, I couldn't see his tail lights. He was just a big dark spot on the left. Then he got ahead of me a little further, and started kicking up all the snow ahead. I couldn't see him, and I couldn't see two feet in front of me due to the artificial gale created in his wake. I kept going at my steady speed and just kept the wheel straight. After about 45 seconds (felt like longer), he got far enough ahead of me that I could see again and the snow/wake died back down.

That's about when I decided I probably shouldn't keep going. The condition of the road just seemed to be getting worse as I drove towards Lewisville to make my way to Plano. Without much other choice, I had to call my partner at work to let him know as well as my boss. I don't like to talk and drive under normal circumstances, but this was a bit harry. My boss sounded frustrated (not at me, but at the weather). Her shift doesn't start until a couple hours after mine, so I had to wake her up to tell her that I wasn't coming in. My partner sounded happy. He has two sons that he was going to be able to entertain at home. Then I called (I was annoyed by all the calling) my new hires and let them know training was postponed.

Finally, I got off the highway and turned around. To my surprise, going the other direction was even worse. It was a bit of a free for all. We had about 25 feet of highway with no discernible lanes, so I just made what seemed like the best path for myself. There were much fewer cars on the road going north than there were going south. I got back home at almost exactly 7am, when my shift starts. Right on time, wrong location.

I thought I'd get on blogspot and post about something other than the weather. Afterall, Facebook is blowing up with winter weather photos, complaints, and comments. But then I thought to myself, "I guess my one-hour round trip this morning is worthy enough for a quick read." Sorry if you're already tired of hearing about snow!

Here's yet another cute picture (he doesn't know any other kind) of Renn in snow. He loves it!

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Hahaha. Hahahaha. Seriously, I realize that this may be what one would consider "low" humor or idiotic. But, I can't help it. Since watching this skit (because I don't know what else to call it), I regularly sing this song to Christopher, Kim, and Nathan (a co-worker). Ok, well I have to amend that. I've never actually sung the song to Kim in person, but I sing it to her every time I poke her on FB from behind my laptop screen. Kim, if you didn't know that, now you do! It makes me smile, and the song is just so darn catchy.

So, some background (because Mom, I know you have no idea what I'm talking about yet! ;) ). College Humor is a comedy site that does skits and webisodes. Some of it is not Sunday school appropriate, so watch at your own risk. However, most of it is mild silly humor. You can compare them to SNL or Mad TV - ish. Christopher watches it more regularly than I do, but he's pretty good at making sure I don't miss any of the really funny stuff.

"Jake and Amir" is one of their regular sketches. Jake and Amir work together. Amir is a very annoying co-worker who constantly tries to act as though Jake is his best friend. Ok, so that's really all the background you need regarding College Humor.

Auto-Tune the News is another humor website. But, why am I explaining this to you? You (this time not talking to mom) already know and love T-Pain-style broadcasters and politicians. In fact, you actually get your news (sad) from BarelyPolitical.com.

So, the Poke Me song comes from the character Amir trying to get Jake to display his BFF-ness via FB poke. I know, I know - this is too much explanation for something you probably won't think is funny. But I've been laughing for months. So, just give it a shot.

Poke Me Video

Kim...Christopher... Accept the poke. That's it.

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What is it about moving that I enjoy so much? I know that all my friends and family come close to abhorring it. It's not the packing that I love so much, and definitely not the unpacking. But all the parts that surround those events make me happy.

Getting ready for a move. This part is fun because it usually involves apartment and/or house hunting. Even if you know where you are moving to, just looking is a good weekend activity to keep an eye on what's out there on the market. It is family time without spending any money (other than the gas it takes to get you to the various places). It's turning up the radio and singing along. And it's getting to take tours of places that you're curious about.

Then there is the packing. Some might describe this as a chore. I don't disagree, but it's not so bad if you make it fun. This time around, we popped in Christopher's newest CD, Sigh No More by Mumford and Sons and worked on getting everything in the appropriate pile to be donated, tossed, stored, or kept for use. Oh man, did we get some use out of that CD between Christmas day and moving day.

Next step is the moving. We are lucky to always have helping hands willing to spend a day moving stuff around in exchange for some pizza and good company. The physical activity is fun to me; so I would not call this part a chore. In fact, I offer my services as box lackey as often as I can to nomadic friends. No one seems to be as nomadic as we are. But maybe they just can't see the appeal. ;) By the way, our excellent planning and rock star friends had us moved in a matter of a few hours. We picked up the U-Haul at 10am and were completely done with cleaning before 3:30pm. We had the bed made in the new place by 6pm, and had the room laid out the way we wanted by the following evening.

Then comes the unpacking. I would have to say this is my least favorite part. Similarly, I've never minded doing the dishes and putting them in the washing machine. However, I've always hated putting the clean dishes away.

Overall, I'd have to say the best feeling is the consolidation and purging of stuff. I'm not a big "stuff" person, and I don't like to hang on to things. Just ask Christopher, things lay around too long and I'll likely take them to Goodwill or give them to a friend/neighbor. That doesn't mean I treat my stuff poorly or don't appreciate knick-knacks, antiques, and the like. I just like for the stuff I have to be useful in some way. If it's hanging on the wall making us happy, then it's useful. If it's sitting on the end table because there is no better place for it collecting dust, then it's not useful. If it's in the closet for 4 seasons having not been worn, it's not useful.

Overall, this move was a successful one. And I'm appreciative of the good music, good friends, and good planning that made it so.

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