Let's Catch Up!

Wow... it has been ages. Let's see if I can't get you up to speed. Not very long after my last post I got into a car boo-boo. The claim is still pending but the gist is that I T-boned a girl as she attempted to turn left across my lane of travel :( No one was hurt. Donald (my car) was totaled.
He had a bumper when I dropped him at the shop. I had just paid him off too - hadn't even been a month. I know, I know, even the insurance lady said that was the kiss of death for Donald. Sigh So, I went car shopping. Eron was so patient and I still came back in tears... No one should be surprised - let us not forget the tears that were shed over the purchase of Donald. Ugh. Seriously, big thanks to Dad and Jackie for helping me with that!

So, after my tearful escapade Eron kindly reminded me that his buddy, Ross, had a perfectly good car in yard that he's spent time fixing up. A 1990 Volvo 740 Turbo. I was skeptical... It would be a downgrade but then he began tick off the selling points:
- Cruise control -- didn't have this on the sunfire
- Power Windows -- didn't have this either
- Sunroof
- Power locks -- kinda
- New tires
- Tune up w/ oil change
- Coolant flush
- Mechanic services for the lifetime of the car
- Cup holders -- 740's typically don't have cup holders
- Blue
And this is how I came to purchase my baby:

Her official name: Grålmarke (Bruiser)

I have a bruise on the back of my thigh from sliding in and out over the seat belt. But... she's awesome. She needs a little bit of love and I'm still trying to figure out all her quirks but she gets me from point A to point B. There is a list of things that I'd like to do to get her back in better shape but all of that will take a little bit of time and money.

Okay, enough about my car... I turned 28 somewhere in the middle of the car debacle. Got an amazingly thoughtful and cool gift from Eron - enter shameless plug - you can check it out here at my other blog while you follow my lame attempts at training for a 10k. I will get there! I just need to be a little smarter about it :)

Chloe is giving me a little heartache. She exhibiting "self mutilating" behavior and nomming the tip of her tail. Baffling the vet in the process - not that she's never seen a cat exhibit this kind of behavior its just that Chloe seems to be doing this in a half hearted attempt - not drawing blood just irritating the skin but only a little. She's my little weirdo. The vet mentioned that some times cats just hate their tails and have to snip it off until the cat is satisfied - super.

Seriously, my life is pretty boring these days. Until next time :)

Movement!

Yeah, yeah, yeah... it's been awhile. Hi!

Nothing spectacular going on. Work. Home. Gym (yea!). Food. Softball. Sleep. My Mummy came to visit a couple weeks back and had a great time shopping, and shopping and just hanging out :) I did acquire a couple new pieces of art - early birthday presents!! First up is this:

Mom and I were both drawn to it and it had to be mine :) It hangs in my living room by my tv. It took a bit but we finally decided that hanging it vertically and a bit askew was best.

Next came this lovely lady:

She's green and awesome. I wonder what her story is...

She'll hang in my bedroom eventually but I still need some hardware.

Hmm... Not much going on these days. I've been a severe slacker at the gym - even the staff have noticed my slackertude and vocalized. I'm not sure how I feel about that... So I'm trying to fix that :) I also had it in my mind that I wanted to run a 10k. Why? Because I've already done 5Ks and half marathons seem just out of reach at the moment. So, a 10k it is. I still haven't picked a date and my actual train has been side tracked by some untimely shin splints... but I'm determined to get there. One thing for sure, I'll be running outside (weather be damned) because treadmills will steal your soul. I'm serious.

Anywho... I'm done for the evening and too bed pretty soon. Night, night kiddies.

<3 Natural Looking Got Is

I know, I know... way over due and I don't have pictures yet. Hey, I've been busy. Let me begin:

Best. Weekend. Ever. Granted it was a long weekend and that seemed to help a bit, but everything else about the weekend didn't hurt either. I left Raleigh Thursday afternoon - my flight was at 1pm but I'm one of those freakish people who HAS to be at the airport 2 hours before my flight so this will immediately throw me into a reverse calculation frenzy! Flight is at 1, therefore I must be at the airport by 11, but I have to to stop at the drug store to pick up a couple last minute things and I'm parking at the Park and Ride and have to take the shuttle in... so I have to leave my apartment by 10, right? Right. Wake at 8, putter, shower, caffeinate, throw last minute things in my bag (that I won't need) and I'm out the door at 9:45. Why? Because I'm a psycho.

The shuttle was no problem, check-in and security, a breeze. I'm at the gate and reading by 11:05 and that includes a stop at a kiosk to browse jewelry and a dip into a shop to buy hair clips (4 for $4 - yikes). Sigh. Read, eat lunch, 2 trips to the loo ('cause apparently I'm 6), a gate change (all 50 yards) and I'm safe on the plane sitting in a row all to myself and so content. 2 hours later I'm on the ground and my new adventure begins. I have to traverse the Boston Mass Transit to get to the hotel... grab the #22 shuttle to the blue line to the Bowdoin stop and then a small walk along the brick sidewalks with rolling luggage to the hotel - where Eron is. He beat me there by about 30 minutes. Starving, we grab a quick bite and a beer at the tapas bar in the hotel and decide what to do about a real dinner and where we can catch at least some of the Red Sox game. We head to a local bar - why not get a little local color? but the bar turned the Sox game to the Pat's game so we went back to the hotel and watched from the comfort of our room.

After a rather uncomfortable night (I had a not so fun stomach bug), we rose with the late chickens headed to Dunkin Donuts for some coffee and breakfast (Egg White Turkey Sausage Flatbread = yummy). From there we got slightly lost heading to the Science Museum... where we wandered, played, tried to avoid as many children as humanly possible and washed our hands several times :) We headed back to the hotel and changed for the game and then headed to for a late lunch and to wander the Boston Common and nearby public gardens. By this point I had HUGE blisters from my super cute new shoes but I had to trudge on... We had to be at Fenway 2 hours before the game. Duh! The game was a bit of a bust - but fun - our neighbors in the stands were entertaining, including the (somewhat) annoying Yankee fans behind us. We had a small detour on the T on the way back to the hotel but we made it back safe and sound.

Saturday we were up less early and walked to Mike's Pastry which came recommended by randoms on the interwebs and a friend who who insisted we go daily and eat cannoli. We didn't go daily (thankfully) but the cannoli were AMAZING! As was everything else we tried. Afterward we headed to Fenway - again, two hours early. Eron had his camera this time and went off to get some pictures of batting practice. I stayed in our seat and got in some quality people watching. Eron's mom and brother joined us a wee bit later and we settled in to watch the Sox win!

Sunday was the day of "Best I Ever..." Starting with breakfast -at Upstairs on the Square in Cambridge, where Eron had the best eggs benedict he's ever had and I had the best french toast... Mmmm.... Then, I purchase the best $4 pair of flip-flops at CVS. Seriously, my feet and legs would have ganged up on me if I had stayed in heels all day! We took the T to the Art museum which was amazing. We spent all afternoon wandering and had our fill of Picasso, Renoir, Monet, Manet, Whistler, van Gogh, Cézanne... okay, I can't list them all. The museum was followed by the best sushi we've ever had. It might have been that because we were in a new place that we were forced to order new and different rolls, or that the fish really was fresher (more fresh?) then what we're used to... either way, delicious.

Monday (I swear, I'm almost finished with this novel) was short. Breakfast (read: cannoli) and coffee at Mike'e Pastries and a walk down to Quency Market, Fanueil Hall, the aquariam and then back to the hotel to pick up our bags and head to the airport (2 hours early... duh!). Thankfully our flight back to RDU was uneventful, although late, we made it back in time to grab dinner and celebratory beers with the softball team (they won without us) at Sunset.

That's it... all I got... I'm back in the real world and planning my escape back to Boston. I'd LOVE to live there one day. Meh, only time will tell.

When All Else Fails

Bah, it's been a crummy week. My friends, Jonel and Julie, were involved in a horrific accident over the weekend. Julie, who always had a smile on her face when I saw her, died Saturday night - I didn't know her all that well, but well enough to know that she leaves behind a tremendous void. Jonel remains hospitalized in critical condition with severe head trauma and in an induced coma - always a trooper, I have all the faith in the world that she'll pull through. Please keep them and their families in your thoughts and prayers.

Julie & Jonel

Friends have set up a fund to help with Jonel's medical bills - The Jonel Fund through Suntrust Mortgage. If you can find it in your heart to help- please do, if not - no worries. Thoughts, prayers, and good vibes are readily accepted. I just wanted to get it out there.

Remember, when all else fails - CARE BEAR!




Update: Jonel's family made a very difficult decision today to take their girl off support. My heart breaks for their loss. Crap...

You can also make a donation in Jonel's name to The Beacon House - the hospitality house where Jonel's family stayed.

I Want to Laugh Too

What a great weekend! Starting on Thursday actually with some Shiki sushi and Harry Potter 6. Awesomeness. I took Friday morning off to enjoy some coffee on my couch and a little sanity :) Friday night was another kind of sanity with a girls night in... and then out...

Saturday was a little low key with 3 separate trips to a grocery store. Kroger for some ingredients for the gazpacho - made with the tomatoes and cucumbers from our garden. Yummy! While that was resting we made a run to Costco for some other essentials for the grilling adventure we were going to have later - fresh ground hamburgers!! The third and final trip was to Harris Teeter for the required lamb shoulder.

Glamor shots of the tomatoes before


All chopped and ready to be pureed


Finished product - MMM gazpacho

Chuck, sirloin and lamb


Freshly ground goodness


Almost ready!!


Perfection! Cheddar, burger, little guac, little mayo. Heaven on a bun!

I spent Sunday cleaning and doing laundry. I made a quick trip to the gym and then on to Home Goods where I finally found chairs for my kitchen table that I was willing to pay for. To Paint or not to paint? Paint. Silver like the ones that failed so miserably? Or multiple colors - pink, orange, green and yellow. Keep in mind that my table is blue.

I also found a Chinese guardian lion/Fu lion/ Fu dog who I really, really want and think he'd make a great addition to my apartment but I couldn't rationalize spending $80 on him :( I'll keep checking back and maybe find him on clearance. Or I'll just wait and get a totally awesome pair. I need more space.

We've booked our flights and the hotel for Boston!! I'm so excited... Just one month to go. I will be counting down and researching where to go and what to eat. So far we have at least one Red Sox game (Saturday), the Museum of Fine Art is having a Monet, Renoir, Whistler exhibit: "Mad on Color", Eron wants to visit the Science Museum and I think we'll be visiting Upstairs on the Square for Sunday brunch. I'm a planner... we've been over this.

I have no idea what's on the agenda for this week. Let's just hope it goes fast!!

I Take It Back...

Geoff who? Lame-o Larry seriously kicked my tail tonight. I plan on dropping the prefix to his name and will simply refer to him as Larry. He commands that respect.

Aside from the fact that I likely won't be walking tomorrow, I had a great workout! I really needed to sweat out a super grumpy, cranky, snarky day. One of the things that I think that I'm really going to like about Larry is that he pushes me harder then I would ever push myself and won't let me get away with doing anything half way - in fact doing it half way will only earn me more. But, since I've run through the routine I'll know level of intensity that I should be at when I do the routine on my own.

Seriously, not walking tomorrow. I'll hobble to the kitchen for a cookie now... Night-night!

It's Not Going to Help

I have 20 some odd bug bites on my ankles from this weekend. From Thursday night actually, and they have been the bane of my existence all weekend. Seriously. Not your ordinary mosquito bites - chiggers or ants... I have red welts all over my feet. So painful, annoying and generally itchy that I actually lost sleep. Every time I moved, the sheets rubbed a bug bite which set off a firestorm. Putting socks and shoes on on Sunday = worst idea ever! But, don't mind me... I'll be fine...

The weekend was pretty low key. Pizza, beer, burgers, couch time and a movie but not necessarily all at the same time. We fired up the big grill. Isn't it... erm... nice? Okay, so... yeah... it stands up, keeps the charcoal from hitting the deck and cooks things. What more could you ask for? Maybe a new handle or a thermometer... maybe a shelf to put a plate... I dunno... just a couple of ideas :)

In other news... I don't have any! Hehe I'm passing time by researching places to go, places to see, places to eat in Boston. Have we discussed that I'm a planner? We're not heading to Boston for... I dunno... a month and a half! Geez I'll likely compile a list of a million things to do, see, eat and then only hit a quarter of them. What would you do in Boston? Where would you go? What would you eat?

I Want to Catch Strawberries

I met with my new trainer tonight. Not nearly as entertaining as my last, but that doesn't really matter since he's still going to kick my tail. Larry. Boooriiing. I have a feeling that arms are going to hurt tomorrow... though I did tell him I wanted to focus on my arms and core so I get what I deserve.

In other news my beautiful God daughter is being baptized this weekend! Babies and I tend to have a tumultuous relationships... I want to hold them but all they want to do is squirm and cry. But the moment that little Lilly was put in my arms I was a goner! Head over tin cup for that little girl. I didn't want to put her down or pass her to anyone. I even laughed a little when she cried. Why? Cause I knew that I'd be able to pass her back to her parents! HAHA

look at those lips and gorgeous eyes!

So adorable!

They're Just Gym People

I am totally off my game. Completely and utterly off my game. This week would have marked the end of an 8 week routine at the gym. I say would have because I didn't actually finish, and that makes me sad. My gym, Peak Fitness, has been in the news lately and is in the process of filing for bankruptcy, closing some of its locations and selling others. My gym is under new management. The trainers are staying. Nope, they're going over to the other location. Oh wait, no, nope, they're staying. Just kidding, they're leaving. No, really, they're leaving. Yeah... that was my day today on the phone (5 times) with customer service trying to figure out where what was going on. Acquisitions and bankruptcy are fun! Yea!

But, what does this have to do with being able to finish my 8 week routine? Well, because my gym wasn't forthcoming with any details my trainer quit. Taking the equipment I use with him. Because it belongs to him and if he kept it in the gym the bank might take it... because, well, that's what happens when the gym you work for is $100k behind in their rent. Seriously?

Well, with a few hiccups here and there I managed to to hit the gym 3 days a week and I'm very proud of myself. I have been a gym's best customer several times - joined, went for a month or two, and then quit, but still paid the membership for an entire year! I kid you not, at times the actual thought of going to the gym would turn my stomach. This time around I've been a pretty solid gym member since, let's be realistic here, February (I joined in November).

My original goal when I joined the gym was weight loss, because I was tired of my jeans being as uncomfortably tight as they were getting, but I knew that straight weight loss wouldn't make me happy. I wanted total body fitness. How many pounds have I lost? Four (4). How many inches have I lost? I dunno. But my jeans are fitting better. The pair of jeans I bought a size too small? I'm wearing them. Not today, but last week and the week before, maybe tomorrow.

What have I gained? Killer legs, if I must say so myself (and I do) - I haven't seen my legs look this good since high school. Arm muscles - never had those before. My (very rare) runs feel better, smoother (if that makes any sense). I have a little more self respect and a smidgen more confidence (can you tell?). I have even noticed that I get (slightly) less stressed at work and I'm trying harder not to bring work stress home with me. But don't get me wrong, I'm still certifiable some days. Hey, the gym isn't a cure-all.

And tomorrow I will fall and break my ankle. Why? Cause I'm proud and Pride is one of the seven deadly sins. Yep... It'll happen.

Off to bed early... way too tired this week. Hope the week is treating you better. Night, night kiddies.

I Need a One Liner

Another perfect weekend for the books. Starting with a nice quiet date night with Eron on Friday. I was entirely too drained to actually want to go out to dinner though I'm not entirely sure how that worked - someone else do the cooking, serving and cleaning while I kick back with a glass of wine? Nah... lets cook in! We settled on a nice salad from our garden, baked potatoes, and bacon wrapped filets. Not too shabby. Eron and I stumbled on a yummy bottle of wine, Penny Farthing Cabernet Sauvignon - the very last in the store (so we were told). When I read the card describing it as German chocolate cake with a raspberry glaze finish I knew I didn't have to read any further. We wrapped the evening up with the new Terminator flick.

After a yummy breakfast we filled Saturday with a trip to the kitchen supply store, a run to the farmers market, some weeding in the garden and some much needed softball practice. Oh yeah, and my dad and Jackie came to town! They joined us for some post-practice grub and beers at Sunset before they turned in for the evening. Eron, on the other hand, decided it was too early to turn in and he wanted strawberry shortcake with the strawberries we picked up earlier. So we did. But not your run of the mill strawberry shortcake... oh no... strawberry short cake a la Alton Brown. Duh! To die for! So, later when I lament that even after a pretty solid gym regime I haven't lost any weight... we'll know who to blame. Me. Did I mention homemade whipped cream? *sigh*

Sunday was a bit more low key. Laundry and a smidgen of cleaning before heading to dinner with dad and Jackie at Banditos. Mmm... Mexican.

This should be a fun week. Playoffs today and hopefully Wednesday. Eron's mom flies into town tomorrow for a few days before she heads to Bonnaroo. Friday we're heading to Charlotte for NIN. Saturday we head to Maryland where I'll get to meet my neice and Sunday is my grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary celebration were Eron will meet the majority of my extended family! Good times! Later kiddies.

III'm Dumb

This is what my door looked like all last night. Awesome. Yeah, my door was locked but that doesn't mean much if my keys are hanging in the lock. It's a shame that I don't have my very nice neighbor living across the way to knock on my door and let me know I had left my keys hanging in the lock... sigh.

Liz is THIS Kind of Girlfriend

I thought this was a fun sequence of pictures from the garden. The first picture is from April 12th and the last was taken today (June 3rd).

The top row is peppers and cucumbers - cucumbers are taking OFF but the peppers have seen better days. Below those are more peppers, spinach, and lettuce - we've made a couple salads with the lettuce and spinach, one involving a homemade bacon vinaigrette. What good is growing your own veggies if you can't totally ruin their healthfulness in a bacon dressing? HAHA! So, below those are the beans, peas and carrots - not much going on there except some wicked growth. Well, I did see a tiny pea pod yesterday. Finally, the tomatoes are along the wall - one plant has about 5 tomatoes but none are ripe... yet.

Before and after - homegrown greens and cucumbers.

I'm about ready for this week to be over with. I'm looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend, starting with a laid back date night with my guy, then a trip to the kitchen supply store and farmers market and hopefully some yummy home cooked/grilled food. Mmmm... can't wait.

Monday is the beginning of our softball playoffs. Go Strikes!
Later kiddies. I hope the rest of your week treats you well!

Fish Tacos

Let's start off with my niece... Isn't she so adorable?

HAHA! I'm sure she's yawning but I see a smidgen of personality peeking through!

So the night that Maria went into labor, Eron was making his first attempt at home rolled sushi. Tania and Landon joined us for this delicious adventure in raw fish and I thank Landon for the pictures... For starters we have the crab and cream cheese rangoons followed by Eron's first attempt. I don't care what it looked like. It was yummy.

On the Second roll attempt of the evening Eron nailed it. Okay so it doesn't look like what you'd get at a sushi restaurant, but that didn't change the taste! If you're tempted to do this yourself I highly recommend getting on the good side of your fish monger. If they're good they won't steer you wrong.

The garden is taking off... we ran across some organic tomato plants at the farmers market - they're in the ground and taking off. Not that I eat tomatoes but they may make a tasty salsa! Cucumbers are in, top right, three kinds of peppers are in, beside the cucumbers and left center. Though you can't see it in this picture, the spinach is coming in, but the lettuce and carrots are still MIA. Beans are MIA too but our pea plants are taking off and will actually go in the ground soon.

The herbs have been kicked out of the garden scheme but will land in either flower boxes or pots somewhere away from the doggies.

Not much else going on in my world... I'm keeping busy with softball, the gym, a couple amazing Hurricanes' games, an office move... Tomorrow I get to work from home because, well, we're moving offices and I don't have a desk to go to... Tomorrow should be interesting since my e-mail broke this afternoon and the help desk hasn't fixed it yet... we'll see. Hope you all have a great weekend. And happy Mother's day to all you mother's out there!!

Liliana Mae Salmon

She's here!! Liliana Mae Salmon arrived at 2:14 pm on April 29, 2009. A full 19 inches and 7 lbs. of pure cuteness. I think she looks like Nick but the pout she has in this picture is all Maria!

I know there will be a million pictures of her but here are my favorites of the first batch...

Liliana and her beautiful Mommy. I love that pout!! I know she'll have her daddy wrapped around her finger in no time!


Hehe. What a cutie holding her daddy's finger!!


HAHAHA! I can't help it... I laugh each time I see this one. I think because it reminds me of Nick.I love her already and I can't wait to hold her!

Love to the proud Mom and Pop and lovely little Liliana!