6.30.10

Dear Husband,

This week you had the patience to deal with the following:

1.  Me being on call: my pager going off at 3 am, my blackberry going off at 4am, me screaming bloody murder after I hung up with the coke guy.  Me screaming bloody murder after the nurse acted like a 4 yr old and said, “She called me bossy first” (almost as bad as the time a nurse told me she thought we had a ‘5 second rule for needles dropped on the floor’ after she dropped one and still used it).  Me screaming bloody murder when the lady is yelling for no reason because I have already fixed her problem and I should be the one yelling because she woke me up at 2am for NOTHING.  I never actually screamed bloody murder, but I was not exactly Happy Harriet.  Being on call is stressful.  Thank you for not leaving me because sometimes usually my job is a ridiculous circus freak show.

2.  Me having 2 migraines in one weekend.  Thank you for picking up my slack.

Your pops is retired as of today.  At his retirement reception, the things people said about him…I see them in you.  You are scary brilliant, too.  You have amazing ideas, too.  You are a family man, too.  You are a Jesus loving man, too.  You are a good man, Devin Michael.  His retirement also means you better get on your bike because you two have a 60 mile race 2 years from today and the stakes are high…and so are the temptations for me to take him up on his proposition.

Yesterday morning I woke up to what felt like a roundhouse kick to my throat.  When I opened my eyes and pushed a large, tree-like structure off of my trachea, I thought it was your arm, but it was indeed your leg and you did indeed roundhouse kick me in the throat.  In your sleep.

Let’s not do that again, Chuck Norris.

Wife

How I Inspired Charles Schulz.

My dad sent this to me yesterday in a mass family email

Everyone said Lucy reminded them of me…like, dead on.

[awkward pause]

[side eye]

I don’t know what they’re talking about.

How Do You Dress Your Weenie?

Spare me the Michael Scott comments.

We had our hotdog feast.

Fine, one Michael Scott comment would be funny here.

Anyway!!!

De to the [re]lish.

My picks: slaw dog, Chicago dog.

Slaw dog wins, bee tee dub.

While we ate these, I asked what Devin’s top 5 foods ever were.

He didn’t mention hot dogs, which was weird to me since we were eating them and I was obviously alluding to the fact that they were SO good and had to be in his list.

It’s whatever

Hot [turkey] dogs are in my top 5.

 

some home-made oven baked okra

and a Leinenkugel LeinenHUGEL Lemonade Beer Delight

The best summer meal

We keep our herbs in water..apparently right next to where I keep my LOFT rewards, stamps, and Bird by Bird.  They keep for MUCH longer in water after they’re picked.

Picked?  Cut?  Hunted and gathered?

Don’t be fooled; we did not grow these.  Our herbs hate apartment life.

Have you given to Charasia yet?  Last night at Metro, they told us how these girls get to be in this situation.  Long story short, they live in a small town with their poor family, the brothel owner comes and poses as someone who just wants to hire their daughter and give her a good job that will enable her to send money home.  For $2000, a man sells his daughter into slavery and she is stuck for life.  Then, she gets pregnant by strangers and the babies are left to sleep under the bed where she meets her customers, and the baby girls are often raped by the customers as well.

Charasia rescues the babies and raises them in a loving environment

The link for their Target registry is at the top right.  I would love to be the one to hand one of those little girls a backpack full of things she never dreamed she would own, but since I can’t, I’ll at least buy it for her.

An early morning email

Huz,

I want you to know that while brushing my teeth, the most ginormous cockroach crawled out of my sink drain.  I take that back- I’m not so sure it was a cockroach.  It was kind of jelly-looking.  Sick me out dot com.  Anyway, I did what any brave wife home alone would do.  I screamed, grabbed some toilet paper, poured water on him to keep him slippery so he couldn't crawl out of the drain (duh), decided it wasn’t enough toilet paper because like heck I was going to feel that thing crunch between my fingers, kept screaming (but more like ohhhhHHHHH!  not so much AHHHH!), got more toilet paper, and then I lost all courage and I sprayed him with bleach cleaner until he arched his back in pain (about 12 sprays- probably one of the freakiest things I’ve ever seen and I work in a dadgum hospital where they pop off dead toes with pliers.  Too much?) and ran back down the drain.  Then I sprayed bleach in the drain.  Then I closed the drains.
That'll show him.

Be proud of me because I would normally put a cup over the bug until you got home.

Oh my gosh why didn’t I just do that?

Wife

Make Meal Be Happy

We like us some Thai food.

More like love.

More like when we go to our favorite Thai place we just smile and stare at the waiter because we love him SO much just for working at a place that serves amazecakes food.  Also because we have the same waiter every time and when he brings the food to the table he acts like he has a big surprise for you.

Our spot is Nit Noi.  Their hot and sour soup reigns on the throne of all that is hot and sour.  Don’t argue, just go.

We rarely make our own Thai food because one time I tried when we first got married and I won’t tell you what Devin said it did to him.

Over a year later, we tried homemade Thai again (not the same recipe as mentioned above…it is forbidden).

Sweet. little. baby. Moses. in a basket.

Unbelievable. 

Cooking Light’s Mango Shrimp Rice Deliciousness Salad

Ingreeds:

1  tablespoon  minced fresh garlic

1  tablespoon  minced peeled fresh ginger

1  tablespoon  low-sodium soy sauce

4  teaspoons  curry powder

1/8  teaspoon  ground red pepper

1/8  teaspoon  ground cumin

1 1/2  pounds  medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 36 shrimp)

2  cups  water

2/3  cup  light coconut milk

1 1/4  cups  uncooked long-grain rice

3/4  cup  shredded carrot

2  cups  diced peeled mango (about 2 mangoes)

1 1/2  cups  diced red bell pepper

1/2  cup  sliced green onions

1  tablespoon  chopped fresh cilantro

1  tablespoon  chopped fresh parsley

2  tablespoons  fresh lime juice

1/2  teaspoon  salt

Cooking spray

Cilantro sprigs (optional)

Prep:

Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add shrimp; toss to coat. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Bring water and coconut milk to a boil in a medium saucepan; add rice. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Add carrot and next 7 ingredients (through salt); toss gently to combine.

Prepare grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.

Thread 3 shrimp onto each of 12 (6-inch) skewers. Place skewers on grill rack or grill pan coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until shrimp are done. Serve skewers over salad. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Nutrish!

Calories: 342 (11% from fat)

Fat: 4.1g (sat 1.8g,mono 0.5g,poly 1g)

Protein: 27.4g

Carbohydrate: 48.9g

Fiber: 2.9g

Cholesterol: 172mg

Iron: 5.3mg

Sodium: 478mg

Calcium: 95mg

6.23.10

Dear husband,

Why didn’t you go into personal running/cycling coaching?  It doesn’t bring home as much bread as engineering, but you are a stellar coach.  Then again, you’re a brilliant engineer too.  Thanks for making me give you control my running watch and helping me through my Fartlek.  I didn’t know I could do that.  On Saturday you surprised me with Crave breakfast cupcakes. 

I have never loved you more than that moment.

What am I forgetting?

Oh, the biggest thing this week

3 RIDE BY HIGH FIVES FOR CATTING UP IN THE TRACK RACING WORLD!!!

Let’s go to nationals, k?

Your biggest fan,

Wife

Mush brain Tuesday?

I’ve tried today and I cannot seem to compose a legit blog post.  Perhaps it’s the fact that my jaw feels like I got clocked in the middle of the night.  I think I slept funny, but odds are I did get clocked since I sleep with a man who turns into a Japanese circus performer in his sleep.

So…Monday continued.

Devin and I have a love triangle going on.  The other lady is a big ole chubby seedless watermelon.  It’s a dangerous affair because it seems as though when either of us are eating it, we slip into a trans and cannot do anything but eat the watermelon.  We’ve discussed it and we think we could eat 2 full watermelons in a day.  Maybe 3.  Needless to say, we love summer when the fruit is aplenty.and we go through them like crazy.

Anyone eat at Chipotle?  Did you know their Chipotle Chicken Salad with red salsa, cheese, and vinaigrette has 720 calories and 41.5 grams of fat?  Salad does not always = healthy/best choice.  Might as well go get a big mac.

And while we’re on that, a Rockstar energy drink has as much sugar as 6 donuts.  Just sayin.

Still looking for pregnant mamas or just moms in general for some questions!  There’s no age limit on your kids- I wasn’t clear on that yesterday.  If you are 87 and don’t mind answering, I would love that.  I just need to pick your brain.  If you could answer about 10 questions for me, mostly about being pregnant, just click the link on the left to email me.  Much appreesh.

LPM Bible study starts today if anyone is interested in doing some learning this summer.

As I mentioned yesterday, I am on call for work 24 hours a day for 7 days.  To answer one question I got, they get my phone number because it is posted on the wall of all 1000 hospital rooms.  Yeah. 

Anyway, in discussing the Coke call I got the other night and the way that man treated me with some friends, we started talking about how people treat their servers at a restaurant.  I know this couldn’t possibly describe any of my blog readers though.  Have you ever been at a fun little restaurant and you get the sweetest college-aged girl who is just the most precious thing alive as your server?  She has blonde hair and the cutest smile and a down home southern accent and you just have a draw to be her best friend?  Then you hear a woman at the table next to you drilling her with ridiculous questions, being blatantly rude to her, complaining about her to management, demanding more iced tea, being extremely picky about the food and the way it came out and it’s not 100% exactly…precisely…to the T the way she wanted it?  I see it a lot and it drives me batty.  What in that woman’s right mind makes her think she can treat someone like that?  I will never understand.  I waited tables in college, and let me say this: what you say to / about your servers will stick with them.  I had a man tell me I was white trash and would never amount to anything.  I forgot the lemon for his water.  If you are that woman I described…I just hope you’re not.

Do not be selfish; do not try to impress others.  Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.  Phil 2:3

Moving on to hot dogs.  2 days until Devin and I have hot dogs and no one has told me what to put on them.  I am saddened by this and afraid for the concoction Devin will make up if I don’t have some suggestions for him.

Le tour starts July 3rd.  So, you know what we’ll be doing for the next month.

This just opened a block from our place.  Thank you sweet Jesus.

The Houston Astros are at work today seeing patients.  I may have to go find them; I have a few words for them.

Mush Brain Monday

I’m coming off a high of a stellar weekend, and my brain is mush.

If you gave to the Voeltners a few months ago, here’s an update for you!  For one, the next Sunday when I saw them, they had raised all of their money.  $6,000!!  When I posted, they were FAR from that.  I am certain that it did not all come from this little blog, but if you gave them some money, THANK YOU!!  They left last Tuesday for Lebanon!

I'm on the hunt for some affordable Wicked tickets.  I’m (w)itching to go.

I am on call for work this week.  I work for a hospital.  On Friday night,  I got a call at one am from a patient demanding to have a Coke.  He was livid that he could not have one.  Livid that I would not drive up to the hospital to find one for him.  He called me all sorts of names and said I was making all kinds of Americans mad.  So there’s that.  Discuss.

Don’t forget to check out Charasia’s registry (link in the top right corner) to find something to give to those sweet girls.

Moving right along to hot dogs.  Devin and I have been craving them but we want to make them (fyi we use turkey dogs) with some crazy toppings.  Anyone have any favorite combos?  Favorite place to get a dog?

Speaking of food, we had amazecake cupcakes this weekend.  Nom to the nom.

I bought my first running skirt this weekend.  I think I love it, and I’m very excited to wear it tomorrow for the Tuesday pub run where my girl Allie will dominate the 3.1 miles.

If you are pregnant or have babies, please email me.  Please?  There’s a link at the top left corner.  I have some research questions for you. 

Get em some socks

MetroLIVE is back and we are LOVING it

This year they’re helping Charasia again.

Remember last year?

Charasia is an organization in India who helps little girls.

Not just any little girls- little girls that are super young (I’m talking 5, 6, 7…) who have been raped by the men who come to the brothels to visit their mothers in the red light district.  Some of these little girls “satisfy” 15 clients a day who have full blown AIDS.  When they aren’t “working”, they are laying in their mother’s room while she’s with a client.

It’s sickening, really.

Charasia works with the mothers of the children and convinces them to let their baby girls come live at Charasia.

Do you have a little girl?  Do you dare think about her when she was/is seven being in the situation these sweet girls are in?

At Charasia, they get shoes and food, baths and love, education and clothing, lifelong friends and Jesus.

Charasia depends on donations to provide for their little girls.

This year, MetroLIVE set up a Target registry for them.  You can go to it right

HERE

and have whatever you want to buy shipped to the organization.

It does not get easier.  Or cheaper.  The toothpaste they need is $.97

You have $.97.

Devin and I are thinking we’d like to go work with Charasia a little bit someday.  I am dying to hug on some of those munchkins.

Happy Friday everyone!

Bowbow badow bowbow badow buhbuh

Name that song, win a prize.

So the other night, I go to this concert with the pops, the brother, the herzbin… and her

We don’t look alike at all. Wait.

The 38 especial opened the party

and then, right when everyone was feelin’ good, there was this guy.

Bret Michaels. Rock of Love. Celebrity Apprentice. Poison. Subarachnoid Hemorrhage. He is known by all of these things.

And he loves him some Bret Michaels.

If the Woodlands Pavilion had let him, the man would have had made the entire audience wear his shirts all night.

Just like he did. 3 costume changes. 3 different t-shirts. All Bret Michaels.

Anyway, then these guys showed up

And that’s when I got just real friggin’ excited and started taking some breathtaking photographs

Being that it is a work of art, this photo is open for interpretation.

Free as a bird, man. I dig it.

In conclusion:

Every Rose Has It’s Thorn.

Skynyrd= Rose

Bret Michaels = Thorn.

6.16.10

Dear husband,

Pulled BBQ made by yours truly, a new beer, and a brother in town…a perfect Thursday evening for us, I’d say.  Thank you for hugging me for eternity when he left.  Foot fire, I’m crying again.  Imsoemotional.

A delightful Saturday of wakeboarding left you walking like a 96 yr old man with a broken hip.  For some reason when I picture said man, he is holding a trumpet.  Thus is how my brain works.  Anyway, you’ll get that back flip by the end of the summer.  Concussion free, I hope, but if not, I mean, we have to make sacrifices.

On Sunday mornings, when we are elated to be with Him, I love to stand back and watch you talk to people.  You seem to make a new friend each week.  A new development I think.  A light in you has come on…your love for people is growing.  I’d put money down that says God is getting you ready for something big.

As we moved to the pasta aisle at the HEBizzle and I was still gettin’ down to the cant-stand-still music they play, you said, “Come on, Mr. Cooper”. Really?  When you’re that funny, it completely shocks me.  Because I am the funny one.  Don’t take that the wrong way- It is just quite obvious that hanging with Zach this weekend (who is my blood…making him extremely funny) really upped the funniness in your hilarity meter.  He does that to everyone.

Next time we are 8th row at a Bret Michaels opener, I promise to dance like I have a metal rod up my spine and I just drank a bottle of moonshine.  I know you wished I was that girl.

You are the Skynyrd to my Lynyrd,

Wife

June 15, 1987. A day that changed my world…

It was the day my baby brother was born.

and thus began a beautiful friendship full of me putting him in strollers, carrying him by his head, chasing him down the street when he ran out the door naked, and treating him like my own baby.

I still treat him like he’s my own baby.

We have the same hair. We’re the only ones with that color. I love that.

He lives too far away now. I miss him terribly. Daily.

Thanks for being my best friend. And letting me steal your best friend helping me find my husband.

Oh heck, here come the tears.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Z-MAN!

A Saturday Morning

My fix.

8 mile run

Farmer's Market

      

Home by 8:30 am

Channeling my Inner Emma Pillsbury or Mr. Rogers

I counted this morning

I have 26 cardigans.  They are my staple.  I love them.  And pencil skirts.

But mostly cardigans.

I wear them 99% of work days.

If you ever need to get me something, and haven’t a clue, a cardigan is a safe bet.

These make my heart skip beats

(From left to right)

Anthropologie Whirl & Wind Cardigan, $88.00

Ann Taylor Loft Ruched Trim Cardigan, $59.50

Mossimo Pointelle Cardigan, $17.99

Merona Essential Cardigan, $19.99

Banana Republic City Cardi, $69.50

J. Crew Featherweight Pocket Cardigan, $39.99 (I have this.  Bought it yesterday; love how light it is for hot Houston summers)

Gap Pocket Cardigan, $34.99

J. Crew Fiore Cotton Cardigan, $69.99

Anthropologie Scribbled Bouquet Cardigan, $98.00

Wrap it up

A good motto in general

but I’m talking Lettuce Wraps

Onion (the more the better as far as I’m concerned.  Also, raw onion as a pre-run snack is possibly the worst idea ever.  I’d never admit that to the man that told me to stop eating them), pepper, water chestnuts, garlic, fresh ginger

Oyster, soy, srirachi sauces

sesame oil, white wine vinegar

As ushe, heat the oil, cook the onions first

 

add the garlic and ginger

add the chestnuts and pepps

add the meat- we used some ground beef (93/7 kthanks) we had in the freezer, pour in some vinegar, cook it up, mix your sauces and oil and some other special ingreeds you like (might I suggest peanut butter), pour the sauce in.  If it doesn’t get thick, add some corn starch

  

I got distracted.

 

Better than P.F. Changs.  I said it.

We did our own thing here, mostly due to the fact that I cannot successfully buy things for a certain recipe and we end up winging it.  For a step by step with more ingredients (and direction for that matter), go to the number one woman.

6.9.10

Dear Husband,

I love that you pray at my request when I am worried because our apartment gate is broken and some hoodlum could come bursting through our back door, trampling our garden (I have priorities) and forcing us to attack them with lamps or pillows because we have nothing else to defend ourselves with.  Anyone could easily just laugh at that.  Like me.  You are really getting good at making me feel safe and THEN laughing at me.  I like it.  Remember when you told me (over and over…and over) that I could do my first long run easy cheesy on Saturday morning?  You were right…as usual.  Duh.  Thanks for prepping my mental game.  I couldn’t do it without your pep talks.  This Friday, when I go to your race, I’ll be sure throw a stick in that Chachi’s spokes for forgetting all cycling etiquette and taking your 1st place last week.  NOBODY PUTS BABY IN THE CORNER! 

Foot clap,

Wife

Small Space Garden Update

Living in an apartment, with limited sun exposure and a random sprinkler schedule, has proved rough for our little garden

Once I moved the pepper plant up to the top shelf, it really took off

As always, we are growing onions in cans like crazy

Our Basil is doing really well

   

And my semi-illegal Lady of the Night plant is pretty much taking over.  I don't know what got into her- I have had her for 3 years and she is just now deciding to grow taller than me.  She has so many leaves.  Does anyone want any??  Put one big leaf in a jar of water until it makes roots, plant it, and she will be the easiest plant you own

Other than those, our garden is failing times a million.

There's always next year.  Maybe by then we'll be in a place with a plot for me to play in

Yes, I know...

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Happy Monday!

One of the ways we save money is...

We don't take our cars into a shop for every little thing.  We'd rather not pay installation / labor fees.  K thanks.

In fact, when we were dating, I had a fuse go out in my Volvo and I took it in.  A dadgum 32 cent fuse cost me $50 for labor.  When I told him, I think that's when he decided he would marry me just because he felt sorry for me and thought he could at least fix my car and save me some coins.

DC's headlight went out a couple days ago, so he changed it himself.  While I watched, I thought this was way too easy and I'm sure tons of people could do it if they knew how...so here we are

Every car will probably be a little bit different and require different bulbs.  There are tons of websites and forums to help you pick the right ones, and a lot of them have step by step instructions.  Or, you could go to an auto parts store that you trust and ask them what bulb you need.  If they can't tell you, go somewhere else.

The supplies:  Screwdriver, Simple Green (to clean your hands- we use this on everything), some gloves, a headlight...for your head...so you can see, 2 new bulbs (he just decided to replace them both)

The bulbs DC got were Sylvania Xtravision H7.  This chart on the back can basically help you decide how much you want to spend on a bulb.  The one on the far left is a standard bulb, the one on the far right is a high performance bulb.  They compare life, distance, intensity, and width of the beam.

Some cars have combined high and low beams, but DC's has separate ones.  He was changing the low beams this time.

Are you bored yet, ladies?

Like I said, your car may be different than DC's but most of them will have a clip behind the headlight where you can remove a plastic headlight panel like this

Move this metal clip over and remove the panel

Pull the wiring harness plug off, move the 2nd metal clip (I didn't get a great picture of this, but you're smart, you can handle it), and you'll see the bulb.  Remove the old bulb

See the gap in the coil?  No good.

Hold your horses.  These bulbs are made of pressurized quartz and if you get any grease on the bulb, they can explode.

Don't freak.

Just remove everything, then put your gloves on to do the new bulbs.

Screw in the new bulbs, and replace everything.  Badabing.  You just saved yourself $80 in labor costs and it only took you 15 minutes.