Jibber-Jabber

I was out of town this past weekend. I went to see my awesome and gorgeous friend from High School, Georgeanna (hi Geo!). She lives in PA, but was visiting the Canton-Akron area so I took the opportunity for a visit. We had a great time as usual. I can just be "me" around her, y'know? A great girlfriend who "knew me when." I got to meet her partner, Becky and actually stayed with Becky's family there. They were a riot and now I feel like part of the family too! On the way home I stopped at this massive outlet mall and got a few fun things. The best being loaded caramel apples from The Rocky Moutain Chocolate Factory. YUM! God, I talk about food a LOT!

We've had four weekends in a row of one or both of us being out of town! Needless to say we're looking forward to the long weekend ahead. Thanksgiving day I'll be doing my 4th annual shift in the kitchen at a free community Thanksgiving dinner. We don't get together with family till Sat., so I'm happy to have something to do on Thurs.

I'm on the fence as to whether I'm going shopping on BLACK FRIDAY or not. I'm not inspired for major Christmas shopping yet. I've been picking up a few things here and there. Probably won't remember where I hid them so they'll become birthday presents instead!

I can't remember if I posted about my Mema's rings going missing at the nursing home. Anyhow, a few days after she got there we noticed her rings were going missing one by one! Of course (unfortunately) our first thought was that someone was stealing them. Before I left Charlotte we did find her diamond in her bedsheets. That's the ring the family presented to me before I left. It's gorgeous and I'm thrilled and honored to have it. So in the days that followed they found her wedding band AND her glass stone ring she wore on her right hand. Apparently she's been pretty fidgety with her rings and must have taken them off at some point. Very much a relief that they are found and I'm slightly embarrassed that I was thinking one of the caring staff had stolen from her!

Meghan is in Columbus today looking at rental houses for next school year. She's planning to transfer to for a vet tech. program there. She's planning to live w/ some friends from here who are already at school in Columbus.

Foster-kitty went to his new home Sun. night. Turns out it's A&M's former principle from their old elementary school! They've had two cats in the past 30-some years. One lived 14 years, one lived 19 years! So I think he's in good hands! It was bittersweet. He was so lovable! But I'm relieved. I didn't want to deal with the kitten-scratch on the furniture and the litter box issues, etc. One fat cat is enough for our household!

I guess that's the update from here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

Stop! Don't go anywhere! It's good, I promise!

My sweet Amy is a vegetarian. She's home on break so we're trying to collect some good recipes to try. I actually made this about a year ago and it was a big hit then. I could go veggie if it wasn't for cheeseburgers!

Anyhow, I found the recipe here.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons sea salt (or regular table salt, for cryin' out loud)
1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (We used two sweet potatoes)
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 28-can diced tomatoes
4 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or 6 cups freshly cooked) (We only used two cans. Four seemed excessive.)
1 jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves, washed and dried (Please use fresh cilantro! It rocks!)

1. Warm the oil in a large pan over medium heat and add the onion, red pepper, garlic, and salt. Saute until soft, about 4 minutes.
2. Add the sweet potato and lime zest, and cook 10 to 15 minutes more, continuing to stir occasionally.
3. Add the tomatoes, black beans, jalapeno, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and cocoa, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Serve over brown rice, if desired, with lime wedges and cilantro, or with corn bread, biscuits, or taco chips alongside.
Serves 6.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've made two batches of these since Friday! They're apparently that good. Here's the recipe from recipezaar.com that I tweaked a bit:


Ingredients
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon (I used about 4 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon and nutmeg)
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups granulated sugar (I used half brown sugar, half white sugar)
1 cup vegetable oil (next time I may try to split the oil with applesauce)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
12 ounces chocolate chips
Directions
1 Preheat oven to 350°F.
2 Grease a cookie sheet.
3 Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; set aside.
4 Beat sugar, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla together.
5 Add pumpkin and the dry ingredients alternately to the mixture.
6 Fold in chocolate chips.
7 Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet.
8 Bake 10 minutes or until edges are set. Mine never got done in 10 min. They took at least 12-13. You don't want them real brown - just "done."

The first time I made them I made half the recipe. Last night I made the whole dang thing. It's a LOT of cookies but they're great for sharing!

Our Little Paratrooper

Sweet & Sour Chicken Over Rice

Since I bought an industrial-size bag of chicken breasts this week at Sam's Club I was searching for something to make with it. I came up with this from Tammy's Recipes. What a great site for just plain 'ol "real food."

I LOVE sweet and sour anything at Chinese restaurants. I know - don't give me the spiel on how it's the worst thing for you! Moderation, people! And we have NO good Chinese restaurants in the vicinity so my moderation equals once a year!


Description:
Breaded fried chicken strips seasoned with ginger, garlic, and onion, in a reddish sweet and sour sauce served over rice
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced into bite-sized pieces
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
3 Tablespoons ketchup
1 cup of rice, cooked according to package instructions
Instructions:
1. In a medium-sized container with a tight-fitting lid, mix flour, ginger, pepper, garlic salt, onion powder, and seasoned salt. Add chicken pieces, put lid on, and shake to coat.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Drop in floured chicken, and fry until chicken in browned and fully cooked. Drain on paper towels.
3. In large saucepan, whisk sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, water, soy sauce, and ketchup. Heat until mixture boils, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. When mixture is thickened, add chicken pieces and toss to coat.
4. Serve chicken and sauce over hot rice.

I made this 100% to the recipe and it was GOOD! A little messy, but that's to be expected with frying anything. I prefer store-bought sweet & sour but this was tasty. Just needed that unknown something to perk it up. I served the sauce on the side. Eli liked the sauce but Sophie didn't care for it. Ate hers plain. Doug and I ate ours all mixed up with the rice, sauce and some steamed broccoli. YUM

Baked Ziti

I was feeling uninspired to plan supper Wed. night. I knew I had some cooked ground beef in the freezer (great in a pinch) so I searched ground beef recipes online. This is what I came up with at about.com.

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 green bell pepper (I omitted so as not to gross out my children)
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. dried leaf basil, crumbled
1/2 tsp. dried leaf oregano, crumbled
1/2 tsp. garlic powder or one small clove of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
8 oz. ziti or elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
2 cups (80z.) shredded mozzarella, divided

Saute ground beef, onion, and green pepper in a lg. skillet until onion is tender and beef is lightly browned. Drain off excess fat; add tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir well; stir in noodles and one cup of the cheese; transfer to a 2 1/2 quart casserole. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 350° for 25-30 min. or till hot and bubbly. Serves 6

I started w/ pre-cooked hamburger so I just put it in a pan and added the seasonings and went from there. I also didn't have enough mozz. cheese so I mixed w/ cheddar. It was good, but if I make again I'll zip it up with a few more spices and add regular spagh sauce and more of it. Wasn't sauce enough for my taste.

Cute Kitty Fix

Vicky Needs To Go!

If you watch The Biggest Loser, you know of whom I speak! Gahhh! We absolutely love this show! It's so inspiring to see their hard work and the results they achieve. It's about so much more than just the change in their appearances though - we all know that. I only want to lose about 10 lbs. and these people are doing that in one or two weeks!

I wish they had a show "The Ten Pound Club." With Bob as the personal trainer of course!

Edited to add: I just googled Biggest Loser Vicky and WOW. Apparently I'm not the only one who can't stand her!

Nice Surprise

I got a call from Mike last night and he said, "I have someone here who would like to speak to you." It was Mema! We had a great conversation and she was very much "there." What a gift considering we thought we were going to lose her for sure Friday night! She's getting some special time with family (wish I could be there), which is a gift as well. I know it's unrealistic to hope she'll get better. But she's still with us and we have to appreciate that! She doesn't seem to be uncomfortable or in pain. I told her I'd come see her in a few weeks and I really have to stand by that promise so we'll see what happens!

I remember telling D and the kids a while back that I would be a mess when I lose Mema. Sort of like a warning to them. And now that the time seems near I really feel okay about it. Don't get me wrong, I'll be a mess. But all the while knowing it's okay. This is reality. I'm 44 years old and how blessed am I to have had a grandmother this long? I hope I get the chance to go see her again in a few weeks, and not for her funeral but I will accept whatever happens.

Broccoli with a Crunchy Crumb Topping

Another recipe from the Williams & Sonoma website. Usually when I serve broccoli at our house it's covered with a thick cheese sauce to disguise the flavor for my family! I personally like broccoli, but who doesn't enjoy a little something to put on top of it? Like a stick of butter and some bread? And a recipe that dirties three different pans? Yes!

I served this last night along with the leftovers of the Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic. I also baked sweet potatoes and made up the sauce that the Acorn Squash calls for (brown sugar, butter and maple syrup) but I cooked it on the stove and served it over the sweet potatoes. Yum and great reviews from the In-Laws and hubby.

Ingredients:
3 large bunches broccoli (about 10 stalks)
Salt, to taste, plus 1/2 tsp.
14 Tbs. (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter
2 Tbs. finely chopped orange zest
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 cups fresh white bread crumbs
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions:
Cut off the broccoli stems and reserve for another use. Separate the heads into florets. Bring a large pot three-fourths full of water to a boil over high heat. Salt the water and add the broccoli. Cook, stirring once or twice, until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain the broccoli and transfer to a bowl of ice water. When cool, drain again and pat dry. In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, melt 8 Tbs. of the butter. Add the orange zest and garlic and cook, stirring once or twice, until the butter begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the bread crumbs and stir to moisten. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the crumbs are crisp and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1/4 tsp. of the salt and a generous grinding of pepper. Remove from the heat and keep warm. Meanwhile, in another large fry pan over medium heat, melt the remaining 6 Tbs. butter. Add the broccoli, cover the pan and cook, tossing and stirring occasionally, until heated through and glazed with butter, about 5 minutes. Season with the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt and a generous grinding of pepper and toss again. Spoon the broccoli into a warmed wide serving bowl. Spoon the bread crumbs evenly over the broccoli and serve immediately. Serves 8 to 10. Make-Ahead Tip: The broccoli can be prepared through the step of placing it in ice water up to 1 day ahead. Drain, pat dry, cover and refrigerate. Return the broccoli to room temperature before proceeding. The bread crumbs can be prepared several hours in advance and then reheated just before serving.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Thanksgiving, by Michael McLaughlin (Simon & Schuster, 2001).

Chicken with 40 Garlic Cloves

Yes, 40! This is another recipe by way of Smitten Kitchen. I say, "by way of" because I was reading through the comments on her recipe and came across another similar recipe that I decided to use. It's from the Williams & Sonoma website. Now I've found yet another website chock-full of recipes that I'll never get around to trying. It's funny (not funny-funny, but you know what I mean) when I make something for company that get a lot of kudos they want to know how did I come up with this recipe, like I'm so creative and brilliant in the kitchen! The INTERNET, people! It's a gold-mine of recipes! I can honestly say I've never come up with an independently created recipe in my kitchen. I may "tweak," but I don't create!

With Doug and friends out of town for the Illinois/Ohio State game (Go Bucks!) the ladies and I got together last night for a meal and chatting and a movie (Baby Mama - cute). My contribution was the Chicken with 40 Garlic Cloves and PW's Baked Acorn Squash. The squash was SIMPLE and absolutely delicious. Truly. You have to try it. I got the squash at Kroger for $.49 each. Can't beat that bargain!

The Chicken:

Ingredients:
2 chickens, each 4 lb., cut into 8 serving pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
40 garlic cloves, peeled
1 Tbs. minced fresh rosemary
1 Tbs. minced fresh thyme
Zest of 2 lemons
1/4 cup white wine
3/4 cup chicken stock
3 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 400°F. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a wide Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Working in batches, brown the chicken, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Add the garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the chicken, rosemary, thyme and lemon zest and stir to combine. Cover the pan, transfer to the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Baste the chicken with the accumulated juices. Continue roasting, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a platter; leave the garlic in the pan. Cover the chicken loosely with aluminum foil. Set the pan over medium heat and mash the garlic with the back of a spoon. Add the wine and cook for 3 minutes. Add the stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the butter a few pieces at a time. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the sauce to a sauceboat. Serve the chicken immediately and pass the sauce alongside. Serves 8.

Yes, my kitchen was a mess (again) after this creation (and I didn't clean it up till this morning), but my oh my, it was worth it! And the bonus is my friends eat like birds so there are plenty of leftovers for tonight! You may be intimidated by peeling that much garlic. It wasn't bad at all - just mash it on the cutting board a bit with the wide part of a knife and the skin peels right off. I heard that some stores sell pre-peeled garlic too so you could go that route. Also, I bought already cut-up chicken so that saved time and the gross-out factor of cutting up a chicken.

Our hostess made a Dutch Apple Torte that I should probably get the recipe for. Yum!

It's therapeutic getting together with girlfriends. They were very sweet asking about my Mema and then shared great stories of their memories with their own grandparents.

Today's agenda is officially whatever. I love days like that!

Full of Surprises

I got a call from Ruby last night letting me know that Mema "wasn't doing well." She said my cousin, Sherri was at the nursing home and Mike was on his way. I tracked down Sherri's number and I asked, "how real is this?" She said, "it's very real." I tend to see through rose-colored glasses much of the time, wanting to avoid anything that might hurt so I needed to ask her point-blank.

She said when she got there Mema was so swollen and just didn't look right. She did her nails and chatted with her, then let the staff know her fears. She said the came in with a crash cart even though Mema has a DNR. They said they didn't have the DNR there so Jerry was able to talk to the Dr. on the phone and get a verbal DNR. Jerry and Kathy were two hours away in the Mts. but they made their way back and I guess most of the family stayed through the night.

I was at a loss after talking with Sherri. It's so frustrating at times like this to be 10 hours away by car. She promised to call me no matter what time it was. Doug is in Illinois for the Ohio State game today. Sophie had two friends over for a sleepover so I had to put on my happy mommy face. We watched Kit Kittredge, American Girl movie. VERY GOOD MOVIE

I got a text msg. at 1:47AM saying, "Stable for now." I was able to go back to sleep (I was happy we had the foster-kitty again for the weekend. He kept me company.)

Ruby called this morning and said, "well, Mema is talking and drinking orange juice!" I literally laughed out loud. She said Mema woke up and said, "last night was a nightmare! Why are all these people here? Was there a death in the family?" What can you do but laugh? Ruby said this doesn't mean there's really been any changes, but it's a great time for family to talk to her and spend some quality time. When I called last night, Sherri put me on speaker phone so I could talk to Mema. She was not responsive but it meant a lot to me. I have her ring that they gave me last weekend and it means SO MUCH at this time to have a part of her here with me.

So we wait. It's such an odd time. You don't WANT your loved one to pass on, but you also don't want them to suffer. So I sit here and pray and wait for the phone and try to have a normal day. Life does go on!

Chicken Pot. Chicken Pot. Chicken Pot Pie.

I subscribe to a blog called Smitten Kitchen, so I get periodic emails with tantalizing new recipes. Chicken Pot Pie, of course isn't a new recipe, but it sounded so good on a gloomy fall day! The recipe is via Ina Garten, the "Barefoot Contessa."

I'm just going to link to the recipe because the Smitten Kitchen author has fun, witty asides and gorgeous pictures!

Okay, so my take on the recipe: VERY TASTY! And time consuming and messy! But that's probably just me. I didn't completely read through the recipe before starting. It requires a food processor and almost four sticks of butter. Cold, unsalted butter. Which, amazingly, I did have on hand! The carrots require blanching. I wasn't completely sure what blanching was but I think it's just boiling, so I did that. It also has peas. Four out of six people in this house (when everyone's home) HATE peas! And after you have the whole thing assembled, it has to cook for AN HOUR! As I served my creation, I admonished, "anyone who doesn't like this can make their own dinner!" S had PB&J. Doug is so sweet about my cooking. He really hates peas, but tolerates frozen ones in a recipe. He makes a big show about, "I'm eating it, yum!" LOL He did go back for seconds and politely pushed most of the peas to the side. In my opinion, it was delicious comfort food. But it was quite a production in the kitchen and took about two hours from start to finish! I also practically smoked the family out of the house b/c of the pies spilling over and turning to ash in the oven. I had to run the clean cycle of my oven after and that stunk up the whole place. So I don't see myself making this again for quite a long time. It's a conundrum of a loving wife and mother who loves to cook for her family but is tired of hearing, "ick! what's thissss? can I have ravioli?" It's like, "screw it, open a can, pull something out of the freezer, why do I bother????"

But I'll do it again next week!

Oliver-Frank is the latest in a string of cute things Meghan has brought home from the vet clinic. We keep them long enough for the entertainment value and then they have found homes or gone back to the clinic. This one is a definite cutie and will make a great pet. If our cat-of-the-house, Ginny would tolerate another kitty in the house I'd be VERRRY tempted to adopt Oliver-Frank!

Oatmeal Cake (my birthday cake)

1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 c. quick cooking oats
1/2 c. shortening
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

Pour boiling water over oats. Let stand while mixing other ingredients. Cream shortening and sugars. Add eggs. Add this to mixed oats. Sift flour, soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix well. Bake in 8x10 (I'd never heard of this size, so we use our 9x13) at 350° for 30-40 min.

Frosting:
6 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
4 tsp. cream
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 c. coconut
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Place in double boiler. Boil until thick and watch closely. Spread over cake.

Go Robin! It's Your BIRFday!

Happy birthday to me... The big Four-Four. So far it feels like any other day! Except I will be guilt-free if I dont' accomplish much today b/c I can claim, "but it's my birthday!" Doug made my cake last night - I'll post the recipe later. He wants to cook but we have parent-teacher conferences so I think we're just going to go out somewhere quick and easy. Dad called me before I was even awake this morning to wish me a good day so that was nice!

So I'm settled back in at home after my weekend in NC. I'm so glad I made the decision to go down and see Mema for myself. It was such a great visit with her and other family. Even though I know she's fading fast, she had these great moments of clarity and humor that were worth it all! Mike has promised to keep me updated on any developments. I'm at the ready to go back at any moment. We got a couple good shots with Mema:

Amy and I were blessed to meet Meredith's family while we were down there. Meredith is my half-sister that I didn't know until about a year ago! I always knew she existed, but had never met her. She's awesome. She's the mother of five, including the last three who are a year apart (the twins are the youngest)! She's a full-time nursing student and making it all work somehow, knowing it will all be worth it in the long run. This is Amy with Meredith's kids. I know it's not the best picture but I think it's funny because we MADE them sit there to get their picture taken and you can tell they weren't thrilled about it (except smiley-birthday-girl (11), Megan).

Ruby had a little birthday dinner for myself and my BIL, Bob while we were down there. Even during the chaos of Mema being sick, she made us feel special! Here's Amy with Bonnie's kids after dinner:

I brought home a bounty of only-in-the-south items: Duke's Mayo, Cheerwine, NC BBQ, and Biltmore Estate wines. A bonus was I found Yuengling (sp?) beer at Harris-Teeter. It's made in PA, and I've not found it anywhere around here, so I bought two 12 packs! The icing on the proverbial cake was a Warm Krispy Kreme Donut the morning of our departure. O. M. G. You can literally eat those things with a spoon (but why would you?). I feel so blessed to have my roots in the south - for so many reasons, but especially the food!

2nd weekend away

I'm posting from Charlotte, NC, where some of my family lives. My grandma ("Mema"), who is 91 and a half years old, has been in the hospital. I found out on Sunday and it just kept tugging at me that I should come down to see her. D was VERY understanding and it worked out that his parents could help w/ S&E while I'm gone and he works. Amy and I drove down yesterday. She met me in Chillicothe, so it worked out well. Such a gorgeous drive. And we had the BEST conversations for hours! She feels very strongly about what she feels very strongly about (I'm sure that makes sense) but sometimes I just keep my mouth shut, knowing in a few years she will figure out so much more. I'm amazed by her intelligence and her thirst for more knowledge.

So Mema (but it's pronounced "Memaw") was transferred from the hospital to a nursing home yesterday so we went straight there to see her. She's very sleepy and very fraile but in good spirits when she was awake. She ate a good supper and is able to ask for what she needs. Mike told the staff, "when she says something hurts, believe her, because she does NOT complain!" The staff we met seems very caring and patient and the facility is nice. I know she misses Merrywood, where she's lived for almost 10 years. She is at home there. She's confused about where she is and why she's there. It will be good to see extended family over this weekend. I'm not sure what Mema's prognosis is, but from seeing her, I know she doesn't have long. She and I are kindred spirits. We've got the same taste, a similar sense of humor. She's been a constant for me in my nearly 44 years. I'm at peace with losing her but I won't know my true reaction until I have to deal with it for real! When I say she's been a constant for me what I mean is through multiple moves, divorces (in a couple generations), all that - I could go to Mema's and feel like a little girl again, all safe and warm. (Okay, I have to stop because I'm going to cry for real.) She treated my kids like angels, asking ahead what kind of cereal EACH of them preferred, and making sure she had it on hand. Always having fresh tomatoes and canteloupe because that's what I liked and she knew it. And all this time she was indulging everyone around her? She wouldn't take any credit for doing anything special. I don't think I ever heard her admit that anything she cooked actually tasted good, or anything she wore was actually attractive. She was always trim and healthy but always denying herself this or that goody b/c she was getting fat!

I don't mean to be speaking of Mema as if she's already gone. I just sort of got on a roll of sharing memories! I can't wait to go see her again today!

Picture Overload

Coor Brewing Co. in Golden, CO

The natural ampitheatre at Red Rocks. Amazing!

Our lunch at Red Rocks

Left: Red Rocks Below: Giant Metal Bear (art) peering into the Convention Center in Denver

These are (two of) my gorgeous girls! (yes, Amy I stole this off your Facebook page!)

Denver Report

We had a fab time in Denver! The weather was spectacular. In fact, Sat. we thought we should've packed shorts!

We left home Fri and flew out of Indy (2 hour drive). Had a straight flight on Frontier. No problems at all. Got our rental car - which ended up being a behemoth Suburban with GPS. It was nice having the GPS in a totally strange city for us. I can see that being on D's Christmas list this year!

We stayed at the Hyatt in downtown Denver. It was a bustling place. Very nice and top-of-the-line service! We had a gorgeous view of the Rocky Mountains from our 19th floor room.

We called our friends to meet up for dinner (the customer who turned in to a friend and her hubby). We ate downtown at Earl's. It was a cool atmosphere, and being Halloween, it was even more "interesting." Lots of fun costumes so people-watching was extra entertaining. By this time we were pretty pooped so we just went back to our room.

Sat. a.m. D had to attend the breakfast his co. sponsored. He wanted me to go but I didn't think it was appropriate for the sales guy's wife to tag along to a business function. I did 30 min. on the sweet elliptical at the hotel gym, then got $10 worth of breakfast consisting of a blueberry scone, apple and coffee! YIKES. But at least it was tasty! After D got back we walked around the convention center and looked at every. single. one. of. the. booths. It was a National Middle School Assn. convention. Not much there kept my interest!

Finally around 11 AM we were on our own. We drove out to Red Rocks Ampitheatre. Breathtaking. That is the best word to describe it. We had a lovely lunch outside surrounded by these wonders of nature. It would be a dream to see a concert there. We even got adventurous and took a little hike on a trail there. Found some quartz stones for the kids along the trail. As we were hiking we passed a nice couple and D commented to them that if he lived there he can't imagine ever getting tired of the beauty of the rocks. They said, "we do live here and we don't get tired of it!" They asked where we were from and then asked, "oh, do you have a vacation home here?" How fun would it have been to answer "yes" to that question! Anyhow, they said they just bought a house in Dayton. They had no idea what area of Dayton. They bought it sight unseen for an investment property. I was thinking how far removed their world is from ours! But nice people!

From Red Rocks (where I swear we got evil stares for our gas-hog Suburban) we ventured to Golden, CO to tour the Coors Brewing Co. Golden is a relatively small town (about 18,000). Very quaint with a historic downtown. The tour is fun and at the end you get to taste-test some 8 oz. beers! FREE!! Also in Golden we toured a historic old hotel which is now a museum. Very cool to read about the history there.

From Golden, we went back to Denver (only a few min. on the highway) to the hotel and asked at the consierge desk about places to go eat. We ended up at The Samba Room. Very funky, jivy place! Good food but $$$$! I had authentic Sangria (meaning they actually make it there instead of pouring it out of a bottle) and Spanish Paella. It was good, but not as good as I remember in Spain! D had a mojito (yum) and some dish with shrimp and lobster and rice and coconut. It was GOOD! We each only had one drink due to the $7.50 price! I have to say we had the absolute BEST service I've ever had in a restaurant. When we got up to go to the restroom the waiter rushed over to refold our napkins! He was very kissy-butt, but nice. I don't actually like over-the-top butt kissing! Just be real. But I guess some people like that. They like to be made to feel they're better than the people serving them. I've been the server! But not the one who refolds napkins!

After supper we were both so stinking tired again (mile high air?) so we called it a night! Oh, but we did stop for ice cream on the walk back to the hotel. While there we noticed they served breakfast so that's where we went Sun. morning. Sam's 3 The breakfast was so delicious! I mean, how can someone make eggs/bacon/toast/hash browns taste extra special? It was very very good! The atmosphere was fun on a Sun. morning. Lots of hungover people in a diner.

So this was the end of our trip. We picked up the kids at gma and gpa's, then Eli and I rushed off to see my friend, Lori Triplett perform close by here. We were 30 min. late so only saw half her show. That was disappointing but we couldn't get back from Indy any sooner. Lori is working on her 2nd CD and did the show as a fundraiser. I worked with her a few years ago before she moved to Nashville to finish college and try to do more of her music. She writes all her own music and they all have a Christian message but not in-your-face bible thumper. Please visit the link above and listen to her beautiful voice. She is more than a beautiful voice. She's a beautiful person with important things to do in this world.

So now we are back home to reality. Just fine with me!

TGIED

Thank God It's Election Day

Then I can start watching TV and listening to the radio again.