Thursday, June 17, 2010

We're Ready

So now that Trevor and I spent last night organizing cabinets, lime awaying faucets, vacumming under couch cushions and all those other fantastic chores that you put off until company comes, we are ready for his family to arrive. His mom, brother, aunt and pup are driving in from Vermont this evening. His aunt is actually from Toronto and is only staying a week while his brother and mom are staying for about 3 weeks. Wow! This is either going to be a fun or really long visit. Maybe both!

I am excited though for Trevor to spend a lot of time with his brother because PJ misses him. And it will be nice to get to know my potential future in-laws even more. So here are the recipes I know and love that I plan to cook while they are here and to hopefully impress his mom :)

Tuna noodle casserole (my specialty and personal favorite)
Ginger chicken stir fry
Beef stew and vegetables w/ rolls
Meet loaf and mashed potatoes
Lemon Chicken with rice
Spaghetti and salad
Lemon Bars
Potatoe salad with something summery like barbeque chicken and corn(potatoe salad is the star in this meal)
...and this pork tenderloin recipe I have and I am forgetting the name of it right now.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Chicago Weekend

It is almost noon on Monday and I am sipping my second cup of coffee. I usually never drink two cups in one day but I can't seem to wake up. I feel like I could lay my head down on my desk and fall fast asleep until 4pm rolls around. I am the only one in the office today and it is quiet. Hmmm....maybe I could take a nap. Haha, I could never do it.

I had a wonderful weekend in Chicago with family. We did a lot in 2.5 days and that is probably why I'm sleepy. We drove out to Chicago Thursday after a short day at work and arrived around 10:30pm. We made good time! Friday morning we went out for breakfast at Moon Dance Cafe with my Aunt Maureen and then Trevor and I hit a few spots in LaGrange, IL. We visited my Grandma and Mom's old house where I spent many summer vacations. Then we went to My Grandpa's Store which is a little candy store that I used to walk to. And lastly we went to Hot Rags which is a hippie/indie type store that has all sorts of fun things. I was happy it was still there.

After reminiscing we met up with my cousin Lindsay and went shopping and we ate at Portillo's. Mmmmm, yummy. Trevor had his first Italian Beef ever and I had a chili cheese dog and a chocolate cake shake. We also drove around looking at some pretty amazing houses and even drove through the surprisingly beautiful campus of Hamburger College for future McDonald's executives I guess. Then it was back to my Aunt Beth's house to see my Grandma, cousin Lisa, her husband Matt, and her two precious little boys, Logan and Meyer. So cute!! We ate pizza and had a water gun fight. I don't know who had more fun, Logan or Trevor...lol. We also got to witness Meyer walking (not for the first time but close to it).

Afterward, we drove to the city to stay at my cousin Lindsay's apartment. We went to a bar called Hop Leaf and then called it a night. Lindsay's apartment is too cute by the way. Saturday was another early day. We met with my cousin Laura and went on a Seadog speedboat ride for some thrills and to get a tour of Chicago from Lake Michigan. Then we walked to the Hancock Center and went up to the 95th floor to have a drink in The Signature Room. Too bad it was really cloudy and we could barely see out the window. Then it was back to Lindsay's apartment to drink some more and play games until it was time for the Andersonville Street Fest. We had some good food and listened to some tunes before calling it a night. Fun day!

Sunday was our last day. Lisa was running the half marathon early and she did an awesome job by the way making a new PR for herself! We met up with her and more family afterward and ate at Moon Dance Cafe again before hitting the road back to Lincoln. We had a wonderful time and thanks to all my Chicago family for bringing us in and showing us around!

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Back to it!

Wow, it's been a long time since I updated and I have a reason. I started this blog to write about my training for the half marathon I was planning to run with my cousin in Chicago. Well, much to my disappointment, I had to stop training due to shin splints in both legs (worse on my right). Before that I was having issues with the ankle I twisted a couple years ago and my knee. Needless to say, upping mileage was not agreeing with me in time to be ready for the half marathon :( So I have avoided this blog since the purpose of it is gone. But I have suddenly become motivated to write again so I am going to take full advantage.

Today is Sunday and it's a sun shiny beautiful day! Here in a little while, my boyfriend and I are going to bike to the library which is about 4+ miles away. I just finished reading Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah recommended to me by the 75 year old retired minister at my office. He may be 75 but this guy has so much energy and is completely entertaining and cracks me up! Too bad he only visits every once in a while. The book was not too bad....a bit boring at first but livened up to a page turner by the end. This book also had a hard act to follow. The Help by Kathryn Stockett was recommended by my Aunt Beth and it was one of the best books that I have read. That's not too much to say for me personally because I haven't read that many books in my life but I am getting into it now. After my Aunt heard how much I enjoyed the book, she recommended Snowflower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. So I will be picking that up at the library today along with Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Julia Roberts is set to star in Eat, Pray, Love and she is one of my favorite actors. Did I mention I love books that are also made into movies? The Help is being filmed as we speak I believe and I can't wait until it comes out!

So now I must slather myself in some sunblock and get ready for the bike ride. I am not that big a fan of bike riding because it is uncomfortable for the butt bones. But every once in a while i will go out on a ride with my boyfriend because he enjoys it. Plus I must get a lot of use out of the $400 bike he bought me when I moved to Nebraska! The last time I had a bike was in my early teen years and I don't remember it being uncomfortable then. Bike riding is a great workout for the legs too, but my legs are so sore today. Trevor's co worker let him borrow the Insanity Fit Test CD. I don't know if anyone has seen the Insanity infomercial but it's basically a workout for the insane. We did the fit test cd yesterday and boy are my legs sore! I think I will stick to my regular working out which I will discuss some other time. Ok, time to ride!