friday fun #9

From Friday's Feast...

Appetizer
Who is the easiest person for you to talk to? Hmm... Probably my dad. A lot of people around me are not good listeners. Love 'em anyway!

Soup
If you could live in any ancient city during the height of the quality of its society and culture, which one would you choose? Tulsa! I would love to have lived here in the oil days and be married to a loaded oil barron.

Salad
What is the most exciting event you’ve ever witnessed? Oh gosh... That's a hard one. I seriously cannot think of anything.

Main Course
If you were a celebrity, what would you do for a publicity stunt? Show my crotch... Just kidding. I'd adopt lots and lots of kids.

Dessert
What do you consider the ideal age to have a first child? 25 to 30. Any younger than that and you don't have the patience or tolerance for babies.

lazybones

I haven't been very creative lately, so I've been neglecting my poor blog.

I have been reading a lot, I mean - when I start, I cannot stop. It's nice to go home, crack open some wine, settle on the couch with Mr. Pedro and read the night away. I've been using big words lately because my mind is expanding from all the literature I've processed. hehe

In the past six weeks I've read these books (and went on two trips!):
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides - very good book, kind of a hard read because it skips around but I really enjoyed it.
The Bitch in The House by Cathi Hanauer - It's a collaboration of stories by 26 different women about dating, sex, motherhood, and marriage. I'm totally buying it for my girlfriends for Christmas, it was great.
Flush, Sick Puppy, and Striptease by Carl Hiassen - he's a great writer, lots of humor.
I'm Not Julia Roberts by Laura Ruby - didn't know it was about stepmoms, didn't really care for it because I couldn't relate.
The Little House by Philippa Gregory - cute, surprising story which I really enjoyed.
Summer Sisters by Judy Blume - always a great author!

I'm also currently reading Sweet Ruin by Cathi Hanauer and Rant by Chuck Palahniuk and listening to the Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella podcast. Go me!!! Who needs TV and cable and movies when you can read a book!?!?!?!!?!

Anyone got more suggestions for me?

friday fun #8

Hi readers! I've been a total slacker but I've been trying to get caught up from missing so much at work from my vacations. Enjoy today's Friday Fun - I forgot to link back to it... Oops. Have a spectacular weekend!

1. Favorite pastry? Mmmm... I'd have to say cream cheese danishes or maple donuts. Those count right?

2. How do you like to waste time? Reading, I've become a total bookworm as of late.

3. How would you describe your complexion? Clear 3 weeks out of the month, then I get a monster growth.

4. What do you hang on to that you should really get rid of? Clothes that don't fit anymore. Like I'm really going to be a size 7 ever again...

5. What is the last thing that made you hurt? Leaving my darling Toddles at the airport last Saturday. I cried like a baby.

Montana dreams...

Hey all! We got back from Montana on Saturday. It was the most amazing trip I think either of us have ever been on. We did so many different things that were extraordinary - I'll never forget this experience! Who would have ever thought that I'd love fly fishing and that both of us would get to drive a H1 Hummer? We were so fortunate to have won this trip. I know I shouldn't, but I love Phillip Morris. They got me. : )

Here's a rundown of each day...

Day 1 - Arrival; Todd almost missed his connection to Bozeman from St. Louis, NWA at Minneapolis really sucks. We made it to our gate on time and hoped on the plane. When we got to the airport in Bozeman, there were all kinds of people from the ranch, greeting us, getting forms, etc. They fed us and put us on a bus about an hour out of Bozeman. We got to the ranch found our room quickly. Our bed was covered with presents and we had a really great room with a sitting area, claw foot tub, thunder jug toilet, and a comfy king sized bed. We had a beautiful front porch with two huge rocking chairs that overlooked the town.

We roamed around the town reminiscent of the Old West for awhile. They had happy hour and then were fed. We had BBQ ribs, chicken, mac & cheese, two different kinds of salad, and plenty of cocktails. My dear T was kind enough to de-bone the BBQ for me, what a guy! After dinner, we went to our room to freshen up and headed back tot the Saloon for drinks. We met fun people, I got a chair massage, and we kept drinking - of course we closed the Saloon down and headed to bed....

Day 2 - Got up super early! We had fly fishing scheduled early that morning so we grabbed a quick breakfast in the Saloon. The morning was so beautiful! We slapped our waders on and learned how to cast. I caught on immediately while Toddles was having some trouble. He ended up catching a cut-throat trout, while I only got a nibble. I'm in love with fly fishing...

We had some extra time between activities so Todd signed up for mountain biking and I went off for a scenic horse ride. It was beautiful but the nearby fires made everything a little smoky. We got back and had time for a quick nap and then I was scheduled for a massage. That was wonderful... I found the only room in town with an AC! After my massage it was time for off-roading in the hummers. They split us up so that there was no backseat driving! It was sooo much fun! We went down hills that you couldn't see the bottom of, had 3 wheels on the ground, and took it to a 30* angle. It was a blast! We got back to town that evening for more happy hour and entertainment from Cowboy Cal. We got a group picture with our cowboys hats on, looking pretty cool!

That night was more great food and drinks and meeting lots of fun people. This time we ate in the Livery and had prime rib with roasted red pepper sauce, grilled shrimp, pheasant with grain mustard, rice, veggies, and more great salad. The prime rib was awesome and I had been craving it since I heard it was for dinner. We got to play poker, have lots more drinks, and really enjoy the cool mountain evening. I had to coax Todd to bed early, we had another big day scheduled!

Day 3 - We were scheduled to do the Yellowstone day trip. We loaded up early, grabbed another great breakfast and boarded the bus for the trip 80 miles to Wyoming. The weather wasn't really on our side this day, it was a little chilly - but like they say about Oklahoma, just wait, it'll change. We explored Yellowstone Park, we saw travertine terraces made from hot springs, sinkholes, and some really beautiful mountains. It sprinkled on us all day and really started raining when we went to go rafting on the Yellowstone River. There was one good section that was rapids, the rest was pretty much like the Illinois River here in Oklahoma. It was freezing! Todd was a great captain for our raft and I think only one person fell out of the 5 different boats. The moment we got off the river the rain let up and the sun poured down. (Go figure) Todd saw 2 moose on the way home, I was snoozing...

We headed back to the ranch for more entertainment and food, this time at the pavillion on the lake. We tried rattlesnake and bison sausage, it was really tasty! For dinner we had NY strip and horseradish crusted salmon, more salad, and a squash medley. The desserts each night were tasty too! They led us all into the livery and had a little show for us, the staff did some line dances and other stuff. We signed up for a poker tournament that night, we didn't do so hot. Cowboy Cal tried to teach us how to rope, it was a little difficult for me... Big surprise! The drinks kept coming and everyone was having a blast, after being together for a few days we had made some really fun friends.

Day 4 - Time to go home. Everyone was really sad to get on the buses to head out. We boarded up at 10 a.m. Todd was supposed to be home by 9:00 that evening but had a rough flight and didn't make it til much later. I too had a horrible day of travel, I didn't arrive home until after 1 a.m. because of the rain in Minneapolis.

The pictures don't do it justice! I cannot wait to go back to MT, it was absolutely amazing!!!

hello hello

On my lunch break and wanted to jot a little note. Had a blast in Iowa at the races, got the shirt to prove it! I've never been so sweaty and dirty, it was fun and nasty all in one.

I think we set a wedding date - October 25, 2008!!!

This time tomorrow I will be en route to beautiful Montana...

I'll update with pics when I get back.

quickie...

I haven't been on much because I've been busting my hump getting all my work finished before my lil vacation.

I'm off to St. Louis today, Iowa tomorrow, and Montana on Wednesday - I should be able to pop in and update on Monday.

For now, I'll do a food survey I found on myspace, enjoy! Copy it and link back if you want!

FOOD SURVEY
1. What's your favorite kind of sandwich?
Turkey club with lots of honey mustard!

2. What do you put on your burger?
Mustard, pickles, onion, and bacon.

3. How do you like your steak cooked?
Medium

4. Ice cream: in a sugar cone, waffle cone, or a bowl?
I don't really eat ice cream but I'll take a teeny bit in a bowl.

5. Name your favorite fast food restaurant and what you usually order there:
Wendy's - spicy chicken sandwich, side caesar, and an iced tea.

6. You're at the salad bar. What do you put in your salad?
Lettuce, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, cheese, chopped egg, baby corn, sunflower seeds, and bacon bits, topped with ranch dressing.

7. What do you usually order at Starbucks?
I'm not a patron...

8. What do you usually order to drink with your dinner?
Iced Tea or water.

9. Do you have any BBQ grill skills?
Sure do - I can BBQ with the boys!

10. Dinner bread: biscuit, toast, roll, breadsticks or cornbread?
Cheesy bread should've been an option but I'll take toast.

11. Favorite breaksfast cereal:
Kashi Strawberry Fields

12. Favorite kind of chips:
Cheetos, Fritos Scoops, and Sunchips.

13. Potatoes: Mashed, baked, scalloped, french fries, or hash browns/home fries?
D. All of the above.

14. Favorite Chinese dish:
Egg Foo Young

15. Favorite Italian dish:
Canneloni or lasagna.

16. Favorite Mexican dish:
Cheese enchiladas topped with fried eggs and rice on the side.

17. Favorite Indian/Thai dish:
Indian - saag paneer; Thai - panang chicken or pad thai.

18. What do you put on your hot dog?
If I have to eat one, mustard and relish.

19. Chicken....white meat or dark meat?
Both please.

20. What's the best thing you can cook?
Enchiladas, lasagna, and breakfast.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

crazy week

After last week being a total blah, it ended more spectacular than I could have ever imagined. Toddles proposed on Friday. It was perfect, just us at home with music and candles and flowers, the whole works! So dreamy and unexpected!!! My baby wanted to catch me off guard and he did, I had no idea this was coming.

I haven't blogged all week because I cannot stop looking at wedding stuff. It is so overwhelming and we haven't even set a date yet! We will figure that out on our road trip next week since we'll have 4+ hours in the car. Hopefully we'll be able to agree on things, the first being who is moving. That has been the first question on everyone's minds. We'll figure it out, after 10 years - there's no rush.

I am skipping my Friday Fun this week. Let's look at my bling instead!

Mmmmhmmm... Isn't it wonderful? You can't even see half of the diamonds! There are diamonds on the band, diamonds on the side, freakin diamonds EVERYWHERE! My baby did so well!!!

I had no idea there was another level of happiness but I've certainly found it. I'm incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful man that wants to spend the rest of his life with me.

Have a great weekend!!!

weekend

GUESS WHAT????



WE'RE ENGAGED!!!

I've never been so happy!

sammiches

I love sandwiches and could eat them (almost) everyday.

Today's lunch:


That is 1/2 an avocado mixed with a touch of ranch, smeared on a toasted parmesan-oregano baguette, topped with pepper-jack cheese and smoked turkey. Yum! Oh, and carrots on the side even though I prefer chippies to put on my sammich.

I've been eating sammiches all my life and they continue to make my belly happy.

friday fun #7

Coming at you from Friday5...

Superlatives!

1. What are your nicest and ugliest articles of clothing? My nicest piece is the dress I wore to my brothers wedding and the ugliest piece are my running shoes from Jr. High .
   
2. What are your favorite and least-favorite things about the city/town you live in? My favorite thing about Tulsa is that it's pretty and clean, my least favorite thing is that there isn't a lot to do sometimes.
   
3. What were the longest and shortest durations of your romantic relationships? My current relationship is the longest (10+ years, give or take) and the shortest would probably be a few days.
   
4. Who are the oldest and youngest people in your family? My great-grandma is the oldest person in my family, she's 97. The youngest person is my nephew, he's 4.5 months old.
   
5. Who are your neatest and messiest friends? Hmm... The neatest friend would be Chris, she's a little OCD. The messiest award goes to Sean, he tries to keep it up but he's a boy.
   

girl power?

Okay, I'm all about being single and independent, blah blah blah... I realized last night that it can be completely frustrating to have to depend on a man to do certain things.

My fridge has been on the fritz for a couple of months now. It has been very temperamental and only works when it wants to but I haven't been able to afford a new one. (Have you looked at fridge prices?!?!?!?!) So, when we moved into our new office at work last year we left the old kitchen fridge in the empty space. Bossman said I could have the fridge and the white leather chair that was left behind so I finally got help to get the stuff.

F and S meet me at the old office to load it in his truck, no problem - it was pretty easy. They drive to my house, help me move the old yellow chair and the nasty fridge and bring the new stuff in the house and pretty much just leave. So I've got 2 refrigerators and 2 large chairs sitting in my teeny tiny kitchen/living room. I get everything situated, rearrange the furniture, clean the house, etc. I moved the yellow chair out the back door because it's too big to go through the other doors, and now I have new WT lawn furniture. Yeah.

The boys tell me, "oh, you'll be able to push the old fridge outside - it's on wheels." Not so much. I tried. I hurt myself. At this point, I've been cleaning, furiously, for 3 hours and I want this nasty damn thing out of my house so I can mop and be done and drink some wine. Nope. Not happening. And my back is throbbing at this point.

I walk outside, the neighbors aren't home. Shan's XH down the street sure won't help me. What am I supposed to do?

I go and sulk on the couch because I cannot move a freaking fridge by myself. I have to wait on a man to help me. That pretty much sucks.

So I call F back and ask him to stop by if he comes to town, which he did. Thank goodness. He moved the fridge outside and moved the chair to my garage so I wasn't totally white trash.

Frustrating.

sushi therapy

I was bored yesterday so I decided to go to the grocery store. I got inspired while I was there and decided to get stuff to make sushi, thought it would be therapeutic since I was kind of in the dumps. *Note to self, making sushi is NOT therapeutic - it actual makes you want to pull your hair out everytime the nori splits.

Left to right: tuna, mango, cream cheese, & avocado; spicy crab and green onion. Top to bottom: cucumber and mango, avocado, cream cheese, & pistachio; mango and cream cheese; and spicy crab cups.

It turned out pretty tasty. By the time I was finished I was full because I kept eating my mistakes, so I took it the guys to share with while we watched BB8 and Entourage. They scarfed it down really fast - that's always a compliment!

Other than that it was a pretty boring weekend for me... I tried to go antiquing and thrift shopping but didn't have a lot of luck on Saturday so I headed to the library for the first time in my adult life. It was a bit confusing, I completely forgot about the whole Dewey Decimal system, it took awhile to get reacquainted with that whole thing. I ended up reading a book, watching some of the Planet Earth series, and reading cookbooks on Sunday - it was nice to stay indoors parked on the couch.

Well, I'm off to reorganize my reading list - it was a total clusterf*&k trying to find stuff. Wouldn't it be nice if there was a library system like Netflix?

Oh, goodness! My co-worker just came in here and told me about this - how freaking sad!!!
http://kotv.com/news/topstory/?id=132090

friday fun #6

This one's from Friday Fiver. I had a hard time finding new ones today... Maybe it's too early.

1. Have you ever gone fishing? Yes, but it's been awhile.

2. Do you have an aquarium? No, but I would like to have one for my office.

3. Do you eat fish? I love to eat fish, except for salmon - it's yucky!

4. Have you ever seen Finding Nemo? Yes, more times than I would like to have.

5. What do you think of Sushi? I heart sushi, I could eat it every single day.

My hangover cure...

is definitely pot roast. Whenever I'm feeling slightly ill from consuming too many alcoholic beverages I crave pot roast, mashed taters, and lots of brown gravy.

Wonder where I can find some for lunch?

Hey guys! I am so excited, I’ve been getting blog hits like crazy... It’s fun to watch the counter go! I got my first comment too... Thanks Love & Lipgloss! You made a girl feel special and your blog is super cute! Woohoo!

My honey came home at a decent hour on Friday, that was nice! We went out for drinks with C&B, bar-hopped a little. We couldn’t believe how dead the bars were because of all the festivals going on - there was Rocklahoma, Reggaefest, some Jazz fest, two car shows, and something else keeping everyone busy. If we weren’t so concerned with drinking, maybe we could have been smart and went to one of them. We had some delicious Waffle House at 4 a.m. after some games of foosball and darts at B’s house. Woowee, that stuff hurts the belly in the morning but there is something magical about their coffee, I think it cures all hangovers.

Saturday was Toddles’ brother’s graduation party. I woke up after 3 ½ hours of sleep with some intense itching from last weekend's sunburn and had to go to the store for some anti-itchy meds. It was awful but I finally got some relief and crawled back in bed until we had to be at the party. The party was fun, it was all of his family minus one step-sister and her ridiculous fiancé, no love lost there (him, not her). We got to meet the other sister’s new boyfriend, he seemed nice enough. Everyone swam and ate and we got a big poker game going. Once again, I lost. T took 3rd place, which was nice because he got his buy-in back. His other SIL was hammered duckshit and kept us all in stitches the whole night. She must have drank a gallon of Crown. I bet she felt awful on Sunday morning. We stayed up late again, don’t think we got home until 3 a.m. or so, these long nights really kick my hiney and I feel drained on Mondays but I’m glad my sweetie and I get to spend it time together.

Sunday, Toddles had made plans for us to have lunch with B&C but neither of us were really in the mood to leave the house. We finally agreed to put our happy faces on and meet them at Fox & Hound for a bite. I’m not a huge fan of chain restaurants, but I love their Black Forrest sandwich. It’s a soft pretzel roll sliced in half, with turkey, bacon, swiss, lettuce, tomato, and honey mustard. I think it’s the pretzel and honey mustard that does it for me, so tasty! It gave me an idea to make mini-pretzels for my next ladies’ night, that’s going to be fun. After we ate, B&C talked us into coming over to play their new Wii. That little machine was pretty effin cool! I hadn’t seen one yet, who would’ve have though Nintendo would have come this far in the last 20 years. I still have my original Nintendo and games with the gun! Yes, nostalgic and dorky, all in one. Anyhow, we all took turns playing. That thing will wear you out! It was just as much fun watching as it was playing. B&C let us make our own Mii people and I told them we’ll have to get our own controllers so we can have Wii parties. I think they got it since C is pregnant and will be stuck in the house over the hot summer.

Oh, guess what?!?!?!!?!

It didn’t rain all freakin weekend! Hallelujah! It was hotter than hell but whatever. I’m such a nerd for being excited about the weather, but it’s because of T’s dad - he’s a meteorologist.

S&S went to Rocklahoma over the weekend. They wanted me to come but 80's hair bands just aren’t my cup of tea. I think they had fun. She finally got to meet her myspace boyfriend. Yeah, I know. Weird. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get some cool concert panties, S is normally good about getting me a pair at every concert he goes to. Oh, and they made a CD, it’s lovely - S&S singing “The Ballad of Jayne” by the LA Guns. I can’t wait to get a copy of that... haha

Well, think that’s about it... Happy Tuesday peeps!

P.S. - Does anyone want to loan me their Sawzall? There are some morons working downstairs and it feels like they are going to cut through the floor any minute now. I want to start making noise back!
: )

friday fun #5

This one comes from: http://www.friday5.org/

Anyway you want it...

• What’s a gross food you like anyway? Oysters! Those delectable, slimy, tasty little creatures!
  
• Who’s an unlikeable person you like anyway? My boss, most of the time.
  
• What’s an unpleasant task you enjoy performing anyway? Cleaning the kitchen, it's therapeutic for me.
  
• What’s a dumb song you enjoy anyway? Everybody Have Fun Tonight by Wang Chung, it's actually stuck in my head right now.
  
• What’s a lousy restaurant you frequent anyway? Hmm... There's a few - Applebee's, Friday's, you know - most of the chains.
  

mmmm... brownies

Thought I'd share this yummy little recipe I have made twice in the past week. I can't think of which website it came from right now.

Brownies Surprise Cupcakes
-1 box fudge brownies (yes, boxed stuff)
-2 eggs, 1 egg white
-oil and water (amounts on box)
-Snickers, Andes, or your favorite miniature candy bar.
-1 can chocolate frosting, optional

Preheat the oven according to the directions on the box, mine said 350*. Prepare your cupcake pans with liners and set aside. Make the brownie batter according to the box directions. Put a large spoonful of the brownie batter into each spot. Then place a miniature candy in each cupcake and put another spoonful of batter on top to cover the candy. The cupcake liners should be about halfway full. Cook in the oven about 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes clean when inserted (a little off-center because of the candy). Top with frosting if desired. ENJOY!

I made these for the 4th of July and last night for poker, everyone really liked them. Last night I did half Andes and half Snickers, the girls said the Andes ones tasted like Girl Scout cookies. Score one for Tara!

You know...

I enjoy playing poker and I enjoy my ladies group, but for goodness sake, I hate losing.

Last night we had the biggest group since we started and it was the biggest cluster f#$k ever. Oh. My. Gosh. I was trying to get drunk but it wasn't happening fast enough.

A lil shout-out to B&C, congrats on the baby girl. She will be one lucky girl!!! When do we get to paint the room blush?!?!!?!

Guess what?


Yepper, you guessed it! The wet stuff is back. My darling SIL just sent me this pic... If I could really find them, I would totally wear them as a fashion statement.



Annnnd.... I am officially diagnosing myself my sun poisoning. I looked it up and I have the same awful red spots associated with over exposure to the sun. No wonder my burn hasn't faded yet. D'oh! My face peeled but the rest of my body is still scathing red.

Ouchie!

Well... we finally got a break from the rain, I think we actually got three days without any of the wet stuff. The 4th was a nice mid-week break, although it messed up the rest of the week. It felt like a mixed up Saturday or something.

My honey was here on Thursday night. We stayed up late watching episodes of Rescue Me on DVD before I had to make myself go to sleep. I got off work early on Friday and we got our things together for the lake. We made it to C&C's parent's lake house in time for dinner and the sunset. I wasn’t too pumped about going because I didn’t know if we’d be able to swim since the water is up so high and I had heard the debris was pretty bad. We hung out with The Gang on the deck that night, drank beer, played games, and watched the boats go by. We all crashed out pretty early, T and I got the luxury of sleeping in C&C’s new travel trailer. It was really nice!

Saturday was a hot one! We got up early (for us anyway) that morning and hung out around the house. We played with the kiddos and once they went down for naps, the adults headed down for some swim time. The guys stayed in the water most of the time and us ladies caught some rays. I caught waaaaay too many rays and ended up burnt to a crisp. As the day went on, I kept getting more and more red until it was evident that I would be in a good amount of pain because of my negligence of sunscreen. I kept saying, “I want to get burned” but I forgot how much it hurts. I had the chills by the end of the night and ended up wrapped in towels as we sat around that evening. I had a hard time falling asleep because I wasn’t in the mood to get drunk and when I laid down, it felt like I had pins and needles all over my body. We thought that C might have a sunburn too but he woke up with a 103 fever and realized that he had picked up whatever his wife and kids had that week. (Needless to say, I took double my normal vitamin C this morning!)

We came home early Sunday and went to breakfast. After we stuffed ourselves we headed home for nap time. I think we slept for about 4 hours! I think we were both drained from the sun and fireworks that kept us up.

It was a nice weekend, I’m always glad to get out of town for a few days.

Oh! We found out that we’re going to Montana in August. Thank gawd for Marlboro - otherwise we wouldn’t get much of a vacation this year. That is going to be a great week!!! I get to fly to the Lou, drive to Knoxville, OH for a weekend of dirt track racing, drive back to the Lou, and fly home that Sunday. Then I get to work for 2 days and it’s vacation time again! I fly out Wednesday for the Marlboro ranch in Montana and stay for four days. I’m getting so excited! This is going to be a long 5 weeks. I hear that it’s one of the best vacations ever!

Hope everyone had a great weekend too, guess it’s time for me to go re-apply the lotion and aloe because my skin is getting tingly again.

hmm...

I thought my rating would at least be PG-13. Guess I need to kick my naughty up a notch! : )