Busy Bee

I'm stopping for a few minutes (and I said a few) to say that things have been super busy this week, and I haven't had a chance to update ye olde blog. I will have a huge update by the beginning of next week, if all goes well. I don't want to jinx myself, as I seem to have in the past. Keep me in your thoughts, people!

Texas Rangers Game

Last night Michael took me to the Texas Ranger game in Arlington. Of course we took the long way because of the traffic to Six Flags and the new Cowboys Stadium, but we got a close-up of both venues. Six Flags looked smaller than I remember.

Anyway, we arrived at the ballpark, parked and went in. We bought a corn dog, beer, a lemon chill, a taco salad, margaritas and bottled waters (to round everything out). We began watching the game, and I was becoming bored. I commented to Michael that the players needed to big-time spice it up to retain my attention, and then...the fifth inning happened. I witnessed my first grand slam (all bases loaded, and the batter hits a home run), and then an almost-grand slam - all in the same inning! Then we scored several more runs to win over Tampa Bay. It was a good game, and I'm glad I was there to watch the possible record-breaking that ensued. Ironically, that isn't the end of the story. The announcer said there would be fireworks 15 minutes after the game ended, so we decided to sick around. We were both finishing our treats when people started to stand up and begin grabbing in the air. A red flash came towards us, and Michael snatched it out of the air. It was a hat. A sweaty, red hat. We looked around, trying to piece together what had happened, and someone said it was Ian Kinsler's hat. I was shocked. We had the quote "hottest" Ranger's hat, according to two fans who were my age. It has the number 5 written on the inside of the hat's white lining. I looked it up - it's the exact size too. So, of course, I wanted to eBay it, but Michael snatched it out of my hands and said it's going to be an heirloom. Ha. Right, like anyone is going to remember Ian Kinsler 25 years from now. Unless he does something amazing. I whipped the hat into my purse because people were starting to close in on me. Anywho, we now have a Ranger's hat to keep for all eternity.

As I clutched onto my purse with the hat stuffed inside, ignoring verbalized ploys to buy the hat from others, I watched the fireworks. Blast after blast, the show went on for almost half an hour, sparkling and glittering. Maybe it was the greasy food or the funnel of frozen margarita mixed I'd had, but the fireworks were the best I've seen in a long time. It brings back memories of the parade and light show at Disney World (which is sad to me that my young memories automatically turn to Disney), and the gigantic fireworks that occurred after.
Anyway, eating terrible food, catching an actual player's hat and watching fireworks was a fantastic way to create a memory of attending a baseball game. Even if I didn't make it onto the Kiss-Cam.

Picture & Food Find-Caching

A few weekends ago, I mentioned going out with Kelly & Michelle. I wanted to post a photo for everyone - it was such a great night! The photo is from before we went out. (My ugly kitchen is in the background.)

Friday night Michael and I went on one of our Whole Foods Dates. This may seem odd to a few of you, but it's something of which we are able to get great enjoyment. We go with no purchase in mind (a dangerous concept to some), and just walk around looking at the different merchandise. We get something unfamiliar or unique (to us) every time. This time we purchased a Ram's Head Challah, two Rishi tea flavors (White Rose and a Lavender Oolong), and a White Beauty heirloom tomato.

Even though we live in the middle of the highest number of Jewish people in Dallas, we've never tried much of the Kosher food that infiltrates the markets. We picked up the Challah, and I have to say, it's delicious. It's made with a large number of eggs and a good amount of sugar, so it's a sweet and luxurious bread. The teas were VERY rich and a lot more intense than my usual teas, black and Earl Grey (http://www.rishi-tea.com/). Finally, the tomato. My sister brought some heirloom tomatoes for us to eat when she visited us for the Tech/UT game. I had never had an heirloom outside of the restaurant setting, so it was a very nice surprise. After trying the red and green varieties, I decided to try all of the rest: I found an Amish red and a White Beauty. The red was much the same as the other red variety I had tried, but the Beauty was buttery with an almost melty taste when you ate it. I made a lunch of tomatoes and bread. It was glorious.

Fall Foliage

It's beginning to be that time of year - when the weather gets colder, meals get bigger, and the leaves begin to change color. Below is an actual photo of the coastline of a New Hampshire river.
Gorgeous! I can't wait to go back again!
A short post today. I've got tons of things to do around the house, and not enough time to do it in!

Birthday Present

Michael and I purchased two things for the cats' birthday: a can of tuna and a bird feeder. We thought buying them toys would be just like any other holiday, so we went for something fun paired with something more lasting. Michael just hung the bird feeder this morning, and the cats cannot stop staring at it. No birds yet, though.

Game Day!

Tonight my parents and sister are coming to Dallas to watch the Texas Tech Vs. UT game, and we're going to grill out! I am excited! I'm making burgers (of course), avocado salad (more than just avocados, I assure you), fudge-Andes brownies, and fresh lemonade. My mom and dad are bringing all of the burger accoutrement, a key lime pie (!), and, of course booze. My sister is actually going to make it (we were unsure because it's her busy season), and I am excited to see her. And she is bringing more booze. Qas has a SUPER swollen ankle, so he is being a invalid at home. I better get to cooking, because it will be game time here in a few hours! Wreck 'Em Tech!

Rain & Scratches

I have enjoyed the rain from the past couple of days so much! It's been a nice way to usher in autumn. I'm thinking it won't be in the 90-degree range for the rest of the year.

Also, this weekend in the rain, I had a great time with a few of my favorite girls at The Porch and Old Monk. While out, I incurred a few scratches in my paint over one of my wheel wells. (Blame the rain?) I went to Boardwalk (my dealership I bought my car from) to get a quote on repairing the damage in case I was still covered in my warranty somehow, and it was pretty high. Does anyone know a body shop in town (Dallas, Richardson, Addison, Garland) that will do a great job without charging me an arm and a leg? Please comment if you do. I am going this morning to get a quote from a shop near my apartment (as in down the street).

I think I've written enough parenthetical sentences for today. Happy Wednesday!

Kansas - Who Knew?

Finally - a recap! Things have been really crazy around here lately, so I'll begin my recap now!

As you know, we were planning on camping out near Hot Springs, in the Ouachita National Forest. We called in advance (earlier that week) to reserve our campsite. Out of more than 1,000 camping sites, there wasn't ONE available for that weekend. So, we opened up the atlas and began a search. We decided on Eldorado lake in Kansas, just outside of Wichita. Neither one of us had been to Kansas before, except for driving through it to get to Colorado.

We camped out lakeside, made food in my grandparent's cast-iron skillets they gifted me, and hiked all over the place. On one of the trails, we found this tree that had fallen over - they believe in preserving nature by letting it remain the way it would naturally occur. For example, if lightening hits a tree and it falls, it remains where it as fallen. This policy is adopted by many other national parks, one of which is Muir Woods (a surreal place, really). Also, we made smooooores! My boy scout Husband made us a fire, and we cooked all weekend. The food was amazing! Let's take some time to discuss my love of smores. A good blazing fire, roasting, melting, and caramelizing the sugars in the fluffy, white sugary knob - pure harmony within a sandwich of chocolate and graham cracker. One, if not my very, favorite desserts.

Here is a view of the lake:It was great weather the whole weekend because it had rained the few days before we arrived. Mild during the day and chilly at night. Great camping weather for fire-cooked meals and cuddling under the stars!

I would recommend Kansas to all those that think it's just farmland and not much else. We spent some time in Uptown and Downtown Wichita, and it was a good time. We tasted wine on the square, ate beef shawarma in Uptown, and discovered Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers. It's clean, welcoming and homey. That's it's charm.

We're Back!

Unpacking this evening - after a great trip! I'll post about it later this evening or tomorrow!

Before I Go

I just got an email from my sister about the wonderful meal she made last night: boneless quail, wild mushroom risotto, and a Cabernet reduction. Does that not sound amazing? She sent this photo as well: Anniversary Camping will ensue in less than 36 hours! We're leaving bright and early Saturday morning, and won't return until Monday night. How fortunate to have an anniversary that falls around a holiday weekend! (And for it not being a holiday like St. Patrick's Day.) I'll be sure to take pictures, and I blog when we return!