*2010*

Devin rang in the New Year with mono.

I broke my tailbone in Aspen.  Wow this list is not started out so well.

Starting over.

2010!

We rang in the New Year with some new friends

Then we went to Aspen/Snowmass with them where I snowboarded for the first time!

I mean, that's pretty much the epitome of hard core.

Devin ran his first race ever and was hooked

We planted our first little garden

and I got my first road bike!

Trek steel frame awesomeness

 Something I wrote was published

We camped over Easter to celebrate our first anniversary

and Rhonda and I dominated the Warrior Dash

ruthless. also...flattering.

Devin killed it in track racing

I ran my first marathon relay

 I started writing letters to my husband

and we had a big fat fish fry at the lake house to celebrate our Independence

Then we signed up for the Houston Marathon

And blast.  We got in.

We kayaked the bayou

and hosted our first lake house party

Devin placed in, like, every event at the Track State Championship thing

We cooked and baked lots of delicious things we've never tried before

in fact, I fell in love with cooking.  It's my therapist.

and we hit up Greek Fest, the Jellie wedding, and I went to my first Cowboys game ever

We organized a huge camping trip with tons of friends

ran our first half marathon (ugh)

and I went to my first cookie exchange.

We found a million ways to give to the needy this Christmas

volunteered at Lifehouse Houston

and are thankful for an awesome year.

Cheers to 2011.  

May it bring many changes, 

growth, 

new places,

new people, 

new loves,

and many many memories.

Ok.  So.  Anything you're shootin' to do/change in 2011?  Let's hear em.

Bogie may or may not have been a common word used here.

The 4 boys in my life.  And their caddy.

And mom and me sitting on the patio watching them play in.

Reminds me of being a kid in Pagosa Springs.  

Hanging on Goggle's deck yelling at my dad and Bunky as they putt.

They loved that.  Not.

This is one of the ways we do Christmas.

Christmas came and went

And somehow these 2 were the only pictures I got.

 

Z making the bacon

and the man of the house waiting for him to drop some.

I hope your Christmas was so, so great.

Poblano Soup

At the Tacky Christmas Sweater Party we went to a few weeks ago, our host served a large spread of deliciousness along with some chili and some Poblano soup.  

Spicy + Soup = key to my heart.

So, I made it for dinner while we were at that oh so amazing cabin in the woods.

Here's the scoop...on the soup!  I'm so lame.

1 large onion
1 garlic clove
3-4 cans of chicken broth
1/2 a bundle of  cilantro
10 leaves ( or more) of chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup (or more) whipping cream (Devin and I went with half and half and it worked great)
1 1/2 pounds poblano chilies or hatch green chilies

Char chilies (if not bought roasted) over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all
sides. Enclose in paper bag. Let stand 10 minutes to steam. Peel, seed
and chop chilies.

Sauté until onion and garlic until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chilies and
sauté 1 minute. Add stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat to
medium-low; simmer until chilies are tender, about 10 minutes.
Mix in cilantro and mint. Working in batches, puree soup in
blender. Return soup to pot. Mix in 1/4 cup cream.
Add more cream if soup is very spicy.

This soup goes great with a grilled cheese!  And wine.  Of course.

Carrolling through the Woods

Everyone made it to the great state of Texas safely and we're ready to party.

We'll be busy baking cookies

last minute shopping

drinking hot Dr. Pepper

dancing to Charlie Brown's Christmas soundtrack

eating

drinking the nicest wine we've had all year

playing rummy royal

drinking mimosas

opening gifts

heading to Devin's parents' house

eating a steak and rutabaga dinner

and hanging with all 540 people in Devin's family at a post Christmas bash.

Merry Christmas!

Ze meatballs

When Chad and Shane came to ride bikes with the herzbin while we stayed at the Days', I played house and cooked up a hearty lunch.  And then I forgot to take pictures as I went and then the boys got home and I forgot to take pictures after they assembled their meals and this is all I got.   

So you just make meatballs...meat, bread crumbs, milk, spices, mix with hands, make balls.

That's what she said.

And then you saute some onion and garlic and brown the meatballs, then pour a full jar of sauce on top and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

Then put provolone cheese on a small roll (like sliders), add some meatballs, and voila.  I served it with a red onion/blue cheese/ bacon on Italian mix salad.

It's fairly light but I think you could make it even lighter (think wheat rolls, low fat cheese, and even ground turkey).

All 3 boys went for 2nds, so, I mean...

 

Check out her full recipe here.

Vino and Olive Oil

While we were out at the Days', we went over about 20 minutes to the Bernhardt Winery thanks to a fabulous recommendation by Mrs. Day herself. 

But not without stopping to call the neighbor horses to the fence.

 

Bernhardt Winery is a small little villa with a homey feel.  The owners will show you around and tell you about their kids and grandkids...and their wine.  

They have wines like Schrock, Valentine, and Aggie Blush.  You may whoop if you like, but not in my comments section.

I had a glass of the Cabernet, Dev had the Pinnelli

 

He was watching their dog Olive Oil look for lizards and run through the brush. 

Cheers!

Let me tell you about the nicest thing anyone on earth has ever done for us.

Our abode has had some stress in it the last few weeks.  Anyone who says having your families all in the same city would be easier for the holidays is a little off.  Our families are great about it, but it's still a task trying to split up our time.  Mix in some big decisions, some changes in life, a bunk running knee, the fact that Santa said no for the 21st year in a row to my request for a puppy, and some uncertainty and you have a girl who cries when she's watching A Muppet Christmas Carol because HOW COULD HE TREAT KERMIT THAT WAY?!?


We pray a lot.  We have a lot going on.  You do too, I know.

and He hears us.

THIS is how I know He hears us.

I have been wanting nothing more than some time alone and away with my man whether it was before Christmas or somewhere mixed in.  Originally we were shooting for New Years, but that wouldn't work now with a family wedding and other...touchy....events.  We toyed with the idea of Christmas morning by ourselves, Christmas Eve service at our church and then traveling up to our families.  Nothing seemed like it would work out- please refer back to the first paragraph.

Somewhere in the hubbub of Christmas shopping, I emailed a friend for some gift ideas.  Her man digs some of the same things my man does.

Do you know what she emailed back?

She offered us their place for the weekend while they were out of town.

Ironically, we had no plans.

Did I mention I have not seen her since 2002?  And I have never met her husband?

This is how I know God hears us.  He knows what we need.  He gives us what we need in ways we would never expect Him to.

I jumped at the opportunity and planned it all as a surprise for Devin.

And so I bring you a tour of Drew and Lauren's digs.

When we walked in, Devin said, "I don't know where we are, but I never want to go home".

Try to control your ooohs and ahhhhs.

 

 

And like a good wife of a cycling obsessed man, I knew he would be devastated to get to our surprise destination without a bike and friends to ride with.

So I called in some favors and 2 of his boyfriends came down just to take him on a bike ride.

Thank you to the moon, Haga boys.

And I spent the afternoon with this view from the hammock, cooking up some delicious lunch for the boys, and playing house.

 

It was our best weekend together ever.

All he could do was thank me for planning this and tell me how much he needed this and how he could not believe someone would open their home to us for the weekend like this.
Me either.  It was the nicest thing anyone has ever offered to me.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Days!

What will you do next year that you have been putting off for far too long?

 Good morning, Happy Monday, and Happy week of Christmas!

I'm doing a blog swap through 20 something bloggers today!

Charis is my pard-ner.  I checked out her blog- it's awesome!

So, Charis take it away.

And you can check me out on her blog here.

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While I'm not one to brag, 

I will say that I'm a master 

 (not exaggerating)

of procrastination.

Hard at work in the pre-dawn and yet my procrastination still wins!

Anti-climactic announcement there, I know.

In high school, I did the bare minimum to get by in all the honors classes. Now I know that's nothing to sneeze at (thanks to genetics and being raised in a family where reading and education were given top priority), but one I reached college and actually started to study for the first time (and thereby aced all my tests), I realized, with a decent amount of self-loathing, that had I actually, you know, studied in high school, I wouldn't have had to pay a red cent for college.


Ugh. Hindsight.

But back to the point. 

That is a single example of how my procrastinatory short-sightedness has cost me. (I don't procrastinate on making up new words, in case you were wondering.) Nowadays it costs me in other areas, such as career decisions and just personal awesomeness measures (which, if I actually DID the things I set out to, would be much, much higher). Good thing we were given this subject to write about for the blog swap - if not, I may have put off thinking about this for another year. 

So, here's my list of  

Things I'll Be Doing In 2011 (That I've Been Putting off for Far Too Long):

1. Learn to play a musical instrument (2 would be better). I gave my husband a guitar last Christmas that I intended to learn to play as well, and I inherited a keyboard from my sister in law too. Haven't touched the keyboard once, and the guitar has laid in my hands less that 10 times. Pas mal. Especially because I can feel that playing music, then writing music for fun, could be a passion of mine, once I freakin figure out how to do it.
2. Get publishing. I'm a sometimes-writer with a publication here and there, but I've hammered out two pages a day, nearly every day, since sometime in 2007 (need we count how many pages that is? Somewhere around 2,000) and have never read hardly any of them again, much less compiled them into a book. Now is it just me, or is that nothing short of ridiculous? So I say forget it, I'll start anew, with topics in mind, and I'll get to cranking out some books this year. These days, with self-publication being such an easy thing to do, there's really no excuse. Okay, so that's two.
3. Plant an edible garden. My husband and I are passionate environmentalists who one day plan to grow ALL of our own food, and who now live in a place that we chose largely because of the growing-friendly area outside. And yet no seeds have gone into the ground. We've lived there since July. Disgraceful. Luckily, the early new year is a great time to plant in SoCal, so this can be something that I do right away with nice benefits (it takes about a week for the lettuce and herbs I'll be planting first to sprout up). Instant gratification is always a plus for these things.
4.  Put my business hat on. When it comes to growing business and you work for yourself, ain't no one gonna do it but you. Because my career is a passion and also something that is a benefit to the world, again, there's no excuse not to get crackin. Especially when every day procrastinated is a day that someone out there doesn't get the help that I could give them.
5. Get outside more. As someone who's brain function is greatly enhanced by putting herself into natural settings AND who lives in a warm-weathered paradise, I have no good excuses for staying in the house as much as I do. Nuf said.

 So,

 That's my list and I'm stickin to it!

What are your resolutions? Have you thought of how to put them in place yet? I'm not quite to the action-taking stage yet, but luckily I still have 11 days left to do that. 

Good luck with your resolutions!

My name is Charis Brown Malloy and I'm a holistic health consultant, educator, writer, and childbirth advocate. I live in Santa Monica with my new husband. Should you feel so inclined, feel free to check out my site, blog, and twitter.

12.16.10

Dear Husband,

3 nights ago, you told me I laughed hysterically during my sleep.  I can only assume I had said something hilarious in nighttime land.  2 nights ago, I dreamed you were chasing 2 iguanas through our apartment.  One was orange and one had a tree frog riding on his back.  Last night, I dreamed we missed the expo for the marathon, forgot our bib numbers, forgot our chips, you left me, I got lost, and when I told you I JUST WANT TO FINISH you broke the news that they had already packed up the finish line.  When I ask you to interpret my dreams, you rethink my sanity.

Also, I saw this urgent message the other day.

Good news!  If we win, we will have $34,000,000 (which is $34 million) more than Mike the Situation.  

I know how much that bothers you.

NO WHAMMY NO WHAMMY!

Wife

And more Christmas partying

The best white elephant- a house full of newlyweds giving away their worst wedding gift.

 

Awful.  That is a statue of 2 hands- one putting a ring on the other.

We saw some pretty bad stuff.  

Frilly albums, bad picture frames, terrible candlesticks.  

It was pretty much bad.

Except Devin and I walked away with brand new Logitech computer speakers.

There was a couple from Denmark who got them as a gift and couldn't take them back with them.

The only thing better would have been if we walked away with the papers to that house.

Swoon. 

 

That was my game face to steal the speakers.  Don't mess.

And how could I have forgotten to post these pictures from Lights in the Heights!

This looks way too much like this

and then...

Somewhere to give

Remember the black fly in Alanis' Chardonnay?  I don't really think any of this is irony or coincidence, but Ms. Morissette's words seem to pop up in my head and scream out of my mouth a lot lately.

It's been interesting.  It seems like since I started the "Somewhere to give" thing on this here blog, I have been attacked in every way possible...

I have never been so stressed about my job and what will happen with it

My long time friends have lost interest in keeping in touch

I have never stressed so much about the year to come

And for the most part I want to say that God has helped me handle what comes my way, but Saturday it all sort of piled up.

And then I had a completely unattractive freak out melt down just like Kstan said I would.  And my unreal husband had multitudes of patience with me...like I can't even imagine being able to be so patient and kind to someone who is being a complete freako.

Saturday D and I headed out for our long run.  And my knee wouldn't have it.

Do you understand that I have been running a lot of mileage since May and I have never, NEVER, had knee problems?  I've had breathing, cramping, gastro, toe, blue hands, foot cramp, migraine problems from running, but never knee problems.

When your knees don't really work, it's sort of hard to run.  Newsflash.

We pushed it up a big hill, and that's when I thought it might give.

I only made it 5.25 miles.

I have 7 weeks until I have to run 26.2 miles.

So, perhaps you see where a freak out would come in?

In looking at my running coach's recommended sports medicine website, I think they get me.  "There is no greater frustration than to have the desire and fortitude to perform, but not be able to because of pain or an injury".

I am frustrated.
I am anxious.  Anxious that I have to take time off of running with only 7 weeks to finish training.
I am mad.  Mad that I ever tried to train for a marathon.

I'm just being honest.  I think I can do that on my own blog?

And so, in honor of my pity party, we will give to others.

You guys have been FANTASTIC!  I have gotten donations to Lifehouse, I have heard about you people sponsoring kiddos through Compassion and other organizations.  I am so happy.

And so if you haven't found something that melts your heart, maybe one of these is for you.

OneHope sells wine.  The wine you choose determines which charity the money will go to from childrens hospitals to breast cancer to autism.  I happen to know for. a. fact. that a lot of my readers are wine drinkers.

The Houston Food Bank (or your local food bank) will take the cans of food you bought and never used, they'll take your time as a volunteer, and they will feed millions of people in the city.  I think the letter we got from our food bank said $1.34 can feed a person a meal on Christmas.  Scrounge up some change and help end hunger!

For my active readers- we worry so much about the details of our shoes- stability, arch support, flexibility, weight.  But there are millions of people who go without shoes every day.  More like 12 million, which is how many pair of shoes Soles 4 Souls has given away since 2005.  They will take your new or gently used (read those shoes you bought to run in and hated them after 3 runs) and donate them to people who don't normally get to wear shoes.

Casa de Esperanza de los Niños—the House of Hope for Children—is a safe place for children in crisis due to abuse, neglect or the effects of HIV.  As most of you know, kids are expensive.  They have a lot of needs, and the House of Hope for Children can use all of our help.  You can find a list of things that they need here from car seats to diapers.

You rock.

And so then my husband wore a dickie.

This weekend we hit up Lights in the Heights and had a pre-event dinner at casa de Gibblet.

 

Los Gibblets.

It was a tacky Christmas sweater pre-event. 
My mom was offended when I called to see if I could borrow one of her sweaters. 
Everyone else had their moms clothes on but apparently my mom secretly hides her Christmas sweaters and pretends she doesn't have any has better taste.

 

Check. Out. The denim vest.

My St. Nick headband completed my outfit.

 

A quick trip to The Guild and this is what we came out with.  

We fashioned a women's turtleneck into a dickie for Devin.  

A dickie for Devin!  Sounds like a Christmas children's book!

And a blurry picture.  Good effort to whoever shot this. 

 better.

We piled into cars and headed to the heights for a stroll through the lights and some dancin' to the music.

 Loved this group!

And naturally, Elwood closes the show.