Superbowl is this weekend. Travis and I have hosted a big party on Superbowl Sunday for the past few years. Complete with tons of food, drinks, multiple superbowl pots, the works. It is normally a really fun day… but it is also a lot of work!
The next day, I honestly can’t remember who was playing the game, let alone who won or any of the commercials. Travis and I are often too busy refilling dip and chip dishes, taking out the trash, making sure there is ice in the bucket, being sure everyone has a chair and is comfortable, etc.
Plus, a certain little girl’s birthday is also in February so it turned into a lot of partying (and money spending!) in a short amount of time right after the holidays. We also have some post-Hurricane Ike repairs that still needed to be done. So, we decided to forego the big party this year.
Which has now made me kind of sad. It doesn’t feel like Superbowl weekend at all. I normally have a grocery list a mile long and all kinds of yummy food planned for our friends and family. We would obviously have the old standards like queso, guacamole, veggie tray, pizza, etc, but we would also have treats that I normally don’t get to make or indulge in.
Like the little weenies in BBQ sauce… and chicken wings… and bean dip with fritos… and Vanessa’s mexi-corn dip… hot pizza dip… and all kinds of sweets!
I figured we needed to at least do a little bit of celebratory eating, even it is just us this year. I asked Travis what he wanted as far as munchies go, and he voted for queso and beer. (Typical – he ALWAYS wants queso and beer when watching sports.) I want something that we don’t make all the time so my choices will likely be layered dip and jalapeno poppers. I’ve actually found Weight-Watchers recipes for both so I’ll hopefully be at least a little ‘good’ – if I don’t end up just eating the whole bowl!
What are your favorite Superbowl treats?
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This weekend we had a very special guest visit Texas for the first time – Parker! Joey is doing some out of town training, and Loni decided to bring Parker for a visit. She didn’t tell Veronica she was coming though. Check out the squealing reaction over here!
(While you are visiting their site, you may as well enjoy the pictures of Parker's first snow. Check out the ingenuity they used in getting a three-month-old to do a snow angel! Hilarious!)
We enjoyed a fish dinner with the Cherry clan over at Mike and Veronica’s on Friday night, and Parker got to come over to our house to play on Saturday while his mom went shopping.
We had a lot of fun, but I have forgotten what hard work it is having a baby depend on you for everything! I guess ‘hard’ is a bad descriptor for it because he was really good. ‘Devoted’ would be a better word. Parker really likes to have your total attention! Carissa can do her own thing a lot of the time now, but poor Parker is just stuck on the blanket. Can’t blame the kid, but I really wanted to fold up some laundry before company came over!
Carissa was a big helper though. She would bring me his diapers and wipes when needed, she explained to Parker the differences between Thomas and Percy, and she let him watch some Baby Einstein on ‘her’ big TV. (Which is a REALLY BIG DEAL as she generally insists that the TV be tuned on something for her when it is on.)
She didn’t really like the whole whispering when the baby is sleeping bit though: “Momma, I don’t want to whisper right now. Parker can just go into the bedroom for nap time. I want to play with my toys now."
I think she was also a little confused because she kept referring to Parker as ‘Baby Colton’. (Colton is her cousin from the Campbell side – Hunter’s little brother.) I’m assuming it is because Colton is the only other baby she has really been around. It is funny how those little minds think!
It was really great getting to see Loni and getting to know little Parker, not to mention having some good family time with the Cherry’s and Wood’s.
I’ll have to get Travis to add some photos later. I am still internet-stupid apparently and can’t get it to work.
Side story… A funny thing happened on the way to the forum. Natalie had a friend pick her up from our house after dinner on Saturday. It was John Thomas – Travis’s good friend Dave’s younger brother. When John saw Travis in the living room, he was like ‘I knew I had been in this house before!’ Totally random.
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Random thoughts day again! Sorry, I am lazy and don’t feel like writing anything into a cohesive post.
1. Wow! How much do I love Yo-Yo Ma! His face and body movement while he plays the cello is just so full of joy. ‘Air & Miracles’ by John Williams was a fabulous arrangement. Love love loved it! Google it if you didn't see it. Now.
2. And another Wow! How much bigger can that bow on Aretha Franklin’s head be?!
3. The Obama girls are just too cute. They will be surely beauties when they grow up. Sasha holds herself with such confidence and poise at 10! I love how she had her little camera going. And, Malia is just too precious for words, trying so hard not to wiggle around in the cold!
4. Hmmm… I wonder how long it will take for Microsoft to add ‘Obama’ into its dictionary so I don’t get the red squiggle anymore?
5. I wish they would have shown a little more of the audible crowd reaction. Especially during the Our Father. I would have been cool to hear 2 million people saying it together.
6. Since all the media seems to be hyped up about it, I’ll put in my two cents on Michelle Obama’s dress. It was beautiful, I loved the yellow! I’m also glad that she and the President didn’t go all matchy-matchy like they have in the past. She seems to be such a, I don’t know, balanced woman and mother. It will be interesting to see what her involvement in the administration will be. I personally see her having some type of unofficial role as she definitely appears to be the type of woman to let her opinions be heard – right on honey! But ‘mom’ to her little girls will always be number one.
7. The lady’s reaction in Pasadena, CA when she saw herself on CNN was funny! It was the same reaction you see on the jumbotron at the Astros game. Made me smile.
8. I’m kind of glad that the oath was a little flubbed. I'm sure everyone wished for the absolute perfect day, but the flub makes the event seem a little more human, not just a big staged production. (Yes, I know it was Chief Justice Roberts that prompted it.)
9. The speech was good, not as good as I expected it to be, but good all the same. I like the part about setting aside childish things and stale political arguments, working together, etc. What I really like is that Obama isn’t just words… He has already been working the past several weeks since the election. And, with dignity and grace and respect to the outgoing President.
10. I am proud everyday to be an American, but am especially proud today. I am proud that it is completely normal to me to see a peaceful transition to a new president, and that I can’t even fathom what others go through around the world when a new regime takes power.
I am also proud that segregation seems completely preposterous and alien to me when it was alive and well in this country fifty-some-odd years ago. To me, that shows that we have come a very long way as a country in a short amount of time.
I really don’t personally care that Obama is black. I know it is an important moment in history of course, but he said something along the lines of ‘there is no Latino-America, there is no African-America, there is no Indian-America, there is the UNITED STATES of America’. I completely agree. Can we please keep that kind of unity in mind rather than continuing to only single out the color of his skin?
11. You know, I got really sick of the whole ‘Yes, we can’ slogan. Probably because it was used by a bunch of entertainers promoting their politics when they should instead be, oh I don’t know, writing songs or making me laugh in a movie or something.
But… hang on to your computer chairs… I kind of like it now for the inspiration it spurred in others. Am I drinking the Obama kool-aid? Maybe a little bit personally… The jury is still out politically, but I like how he has conducted himself the past few weeks and isn’t letting Pelosi push him around. Veto!
12.Barack Obama is a smart, well-rounded man who seems to listen carefully and weighs others opinions. I truly hope that he will be a first-rate President to lead our country through the next four years, maybe eight – whatever they may bring. If anything, he makes people get interested in what is going on, and that is a good thing.
Good luck President Obama! You weren’t my number one candidate, but you are now my President. I truly do wish the very best for your presidency and the country. No matter what any pundits might say: You inspire people to better themselves, you encourage people to help others, you have the ability to move people to tears with your words, and you give people hope of better times to come. You truly have the potential for greatness.
13. One more thing that we should not forget… Thank you President Bush for your service to the country.
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I was playing around on facebook this weekend and decided to try and find one of my old roommates from college – Kelly Whitted. She and I were in each others weddings and were close friends, but lost touch over the past few years. Well, I didn’t find her on facebook but tried Google.
And, came across this website.
To say that I was in shock is a complete understatement. I was expecting to find her at a dance studio or through her dad’s business, just through something ordinary.
But to find her writing on a blog-site devoted to supporting people with critical illnesses? No way.
To read that she found a six centimeter lump in her breast, went through the tests, a diagnosis of stage 3 cancer, rounds of chemo, the subsequent sicknesses you get from that, find out that your insurance was cancelled a week before a double mastectomy, and… the story continues.
To go through this pain and stress at any age is absolutely terrible, but at 29?
Kelly is a very strong-willed, positive person. I know that she will overcome this. In reading her journal, she seems to have a very upbeat attitude and has a great nucleus of support from her family and friends. She has an amazing faith that God is using her and this experience for the greater good.
And, if you read through some of her posts, you will see the many lives she has touched through this time. Kelly has never been scared to talk to people, and I’m sure the other patients at the treatment facility are always glad to see her smile and talk with her.
I figure the more people rooting for her the better, so all of you reading this are tasked to please add Kelly Whitted to your thoughts and prayers.
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I have recently developed a palate for hot tea. Granted, I still love my cup (or two or three) of creamy coffee in the morning, but tea is really creeping in on my coffee intake.
Over my birthday, when I was pampered at the amazing spa at the La Berge, they had a ‘relaxation lounge’ where you wait to be called for your treatments. Since my massage was the first appointment of the day, I didn’t have to wait long at all, but in turn didn’t get to enjoy the many offerings in the lounge.
The relaxation lounge had the typical lemon water, magazines, fruit basket, etc. But… They also had a big tray filled with pretty little tea bags and a hot water spout for you to enjoy.
After my massage and shower, I wasn’t really in the mood for hot tea. But, the bags looked so yummy and colorful that I snagged a handful. (Believe me – I had paid PLENTY for them.)
I brought them up to work and forgot about them in a desk drawer. One cold day, realizing that I had had more than enough coffee, I dug out one of those ignored bags and gave it a whirl.
Oh my goodness… It was the most delicious hot drink I have ever had!
I quickly ran out of my stash (darn those shallow spa robe pockets!), and put the tea on my grocery list. But, this brand is absolutely no where to be found. I even tried Whole Foods, Starbucks, and World Market to no avail.
I went ahead and tried some other brands, thinking that the fancier brands would basically be all the same (I just needed a little tea upgrade over Lipton, right?). Nope. Tazo, YogiTea, Celestial Seasonings, and Bigelow do not stack up to this.
Luckily, Amazon had them so they where put on my Christmas Wish List. I now have a huge box of Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea Bags and a beautiful vintage-looking tin of Harney & Sons Winter White Earl Grey. (The tin of Earl Grey is actually filled with tea SACHETS rather than bags. They are little cloth bags and are oh so fancy and cute!)
Travis even found me a neat tea-brewing cup in china town. It is a typical blue and white porcelain mug, but it has a removable strainer for your tea plus a lid so your drink stays warm while you steep it!
I'm sure any proper Englishman would faint over how I am brewing my tea, but I am enjoying it just fine.
I’d love to find a local store that sells the Harney & Sons brand so if you ever happen to come across one, let me know! I'd love some more flavors to shake it up some!
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