Exciting first day back to work

These are pictures from the lake behind the building I work in.  Focus on that little dot in the lake in this first picture.  The second picture is a closer shot.

Can't make out what that is in the water?  It's a car. 
The last picture is of two of my co-workers checking it.  We joked with them all morning saying these are the two guys that ran the car into the lake.  (I can assure you, they were not.)

Here's the story from KMOV.com: 

Two men safe after car crashes into water in Earth City

(KMOV) -- A car crashed into the water near the Earth City Expressway and Lakefront Drive.
This happened just before 7 a.m. Monday in Earth City.
Authorities said two men in a Honda approached slow moving traffic. The driver swerved off the road and into the pond.  Both men were able to get out the car safely.

What a way to start off a morning.

By the way, if you're prone to road rage, be sure you know what's around you before you try to swerve around slower drivers, you never know when you may end up in a lake.

Miss You Grandma

As promised,

Grandma -- the musician

Enjoying a St. Louis Cardinals Game with my Mom

Stopping by for a visit

Celebrating her 79th birthday

Visiting with the Grand kids

My Grandma came to this country from Bermuda in the late 1940s and raised a family while learning American culture and tradition.  Always one to love and care for her children and grand-children, there was never a day that went by that she wasn't excited to see us.  She loved going anywhere and experiencing all life had to offer -- from going to sporting events to para-sailing on a cruise last year to random road trips, she inspired us all to try new things.  She was a caring and giving lady and until her last day never complained about not feeling well or life being unfair.  After all of the treatment and hospitalization she struggled through, she still smiled and told us she was ok, even when we knew she just didn't want us to worry about her.  She was a true matriarch and the glue that kept us together.

Relaxing in our hotel room in Hawaii

Spoiling the Grand kids

Showing me a few things in the kitchen

Grandma, you will be truly missed, but your spirit will remain within me.  You taught me so much over the years and I hope I can someday pass on all of your knowledge and wisdom.  But for now, I'll just keep my promise to you.  Love you always!

Bring on 2011!

As a way to relax and enjoy a bit of downtime, my Mom and I spent a good part of the afternoon shopping.  Nothing says Happy 2011!!  like 6 new pairs of shoes, a new purse and some fun costume jewelry and that's just what I bought for myself.  Mom had a really successful shopping trip also.  Guess this is why we don't shop together all that often

I'm hoping the new stuff brings on the positive energy for the New Year.  If not, we'll at least I'll look fashionable while trying to take on the world. 

Hope you have a happy and prosperous New Year.  And be careful if you're going out to celebrate tonight.

One More Angel

I'm suffering from pure exhaustion from the last two days and while my brain is not thinking clearly at the moment, I just wanted to post this pic.  It's from my Grandma's birthday back on November 3rd.  It's one of the last pictures I have of just her and I.  Today at 3:06 pm, she lost her battle with cancer. 

I know she is looking down over me and everyone else and will continue to protect us as she's done over the last 79 years of her life.  It has been a horribly painful 48 hours.  Once I gain back some composure, I will dedicate another longer post to her.  Until then, I will just continue to remind myself that she is at peace.

Naughty or nice?!?!

I guess I was really good this year....

What's really funny is that out of all of these things on my wish list, I had only really asked for the knives and spice rack.  But, I have such an amazing family, that they all knew how excited and grateful I would be for the other gifts. 

I had been scoping out Kitchenaid Stand Mixers online for nearly a month but thought it was something too extraordinary for me and my cooking and baking abilities.  My mom, on the other hand, thought it would be fun to surprise me with such a gift.  I was definitely surprised and very thankful for her generosity.  I plan on baking many desserts and whipping up plenty of dinners to show off.

My dad gave me the Cuisinart Food Processor and thought that I could use it along with my spice rack to create my culinary masterpieces.  (Very good thinking Dad!)

Perhaps the craziest thing has to do with part of the gift I received from Broccoli.  While I was out at Bed, Bath and Beyond last Wednesday night picking up a few last minute gifts for my Mom, I happened to see a chef's jacket on sale.  I contemplated buying it for a few minutes, but figured I would wait until after Christmas to come back and pick it up.  There was no real reason I waited to buy it besides the fact that I just didn't want to carry more stuff upstairs to my apartment that evening. 
For the last few weeks, anytime I was stressing out or putting too much pressure on myself, Broccoli would joke with me about what I was getting for Christmas and without letting on to what I was getting would put me back into a better mood.
Thursday night, Broccoli and I exchanged our gifts and with mine was this awesome chef's jacket.  I was completely shocked and elated.  I told him the story about the night before and I think that relieved any uncertainty he had about whether or not I would like it.  (By the way, I love it!)

The entire weekend was fabulous.  I'm so glad I was able to spend 3 days with extremely exceptional people.   Today, I'm sitting at home playing with my new toys.  Who says Christmas is just for the kids!

Hope you had a fantastic Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!

From my family,

to yours...

We wish you peace, love and happiness this holiday season.

May you have a blessed Christmas wherever you may be.

3 Days...

...3 Christmases.
While I may not have any Christmas decorations out or a Christmas tree up, I have shopped or made all of my Christmas presents and even wrapped them and ultimately, I'm ready for what's next.

Tonight is Christmas with my main squeeze.  Since we both have family functions on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we're celebrating our Christmas a tad early.  I'm making a semi-fancy dinner (only because I'm using wine in my roast beef entree) and we're going to exchange our gifts.  We aimed for the hand-made, thought-provoking aspect this year.  Hopefully he'll find my gift to be a clever one.  :)  He hasn't given me any clues as to what he put together for me but I do know he's searched high and low for materials.  I'm sure it will be perfect.

Christmas Eve, I'm heading to spend the evening with my Mom's side of the family.  A bit of good news came Tuesday night as my Grandma was released from the hospital.  While she is still struggling, it is comforting to know that she will be spending the holiday at home with her family.

That leaves Christmas Day and as long as the weather cooperates, my Bro and I will be driving out to my Dad's and spending the afternoon with him, my aunt and uncle and cousins.  We're playing it by ear until the system comes through the region but we're all hoping that its nothing major and that our plans hold up.  Otherwise, we'll move our celebration around to combat the snow.

It will be a fun-filled weekend for sure and the best part is that its not all lumped into one day.  I wish holidays worked this well every year.

Very grateful

Yes, I'm gonna gloat a bit.  Right now, I'm sitting here enjoying a wonderful lunch prepared by the most awesome Broccoli.  Realizing that I've pretty much run myself ragged this week, he was nice enough to drop by a delicious, home-made meal while I'm trying to wrap Christmas presents and clean up some loose ends here at home.

This has been one of the hardest weeks I've ever faced.  My Grandma went back into the hospital after getting extremely sick from this last bout of chemo late Sunday night.  Luckily, I was able to work obscure hours in order to be able to spend time with her and help out as necessary.  My Bro came to spend the first part of the week with me so that he could also visit my Grandma and was met with an apartment with less than plentiful resources.  My plan was to grocery shop last Sunday when we had snow and I decided not to venture out since I knew the stores would be nuts.   Being the clever guy that he is, he was able to piece together a few meals from my cabinets when he was hungry and we were able to enjoy a great dinner with my Grandma and Mom at the hospital on Tuesday night.

To top it off, it was the busiest week of the year at work for me with preparing for our Christmas party, handling our employee appreciation for 5+ year employees (this is our first major milestone as a company since we were only formed in late 2004), completing the retro increases we were promised and then explaining the calculation to every employee that called for clarification and then dealing with other miscellaneous issues that popped up.  I was completely exhausted when I finally was able to make my way home at night.
In the back of my mind, I was also bothered the fact that I hadn't really started Christmas shopping and knew that this weekend was probably going to fill up fast with other priorities, so by Thursday, I was in full freak out/overload mode.  Somehow, Broccoli pulled me out of it and got my head straight so that I could "schedule" and plan for nearly everything that needed to get done.
Amazingly enough, I was able to run around like crazy yesterday and not only finish my Christmas shopping but also my Mom's (she's been at the hospital pretty much non-stop since Sunday night), re-stock my pantry and fridge and then spend the rest of the evening with my Grandma.  It didn't take long for me to fall asleep when I finally decided to go to bed.

Through all of this, I'm realizing how very grateful I am for the little things.  The idea that someone (or a few someones) is thinking about me and trying to lighten my load and ease my mind a bit is amazing.  In spite of how busy others are, it's nice to know that I have surrounded myself with people that do look out for me and are willing to do what they can to help out.  While the circumstances stink, this Christmas season is a special one.

Who called for snow?

All week, the meteorologists had been saying that the snow was gonna bypass us completely and we'd only be dealing with extremely cold temperatures.  Not sure what it would look like here if they had actually forecasted snow --

This is what I woke up this morning.  Perfect for a day when I'm supposed to be finishing up my Christmas shopping.  Most people would say, "oh that isn't too bad."  Yeah, here in STL, when it rains, we're in for great fun on the interstates, when it snows, you just better plan to stay put for most of the day.  It also doesn't help that the wind is blowing 20-45 mph.  Brrrrrrrrr!  I'm definitely not ready for winter.

Guess it's the perfect day to stay in and work on my homemade Christmas gifts.

Doesn't get much better than this

 
Nothing says Merry Christmas like an acoustic Shinedown show and tonight I'm headed out to see them perform live.  WOOO HOOO!!!  I've warned Broccoli that he just may have to save me from my heart exploding from all of the excitement tonight.  I believe he's prepared for just about anything with me.

To make this early Christmas gift to myself even better --
I have tomorrow off from work!
DOUBLE BONUS!!!

Photos of the Day

These pictures sum up my Thanksgiving.

It was a hard day, given the fact that my grandma was stuck in the hospital when we were able to get the rest of the family together for the first time in 23 years, but my brother and I were able to pull through and realize what was important.  Given the circumstances and knowing that Grandma would want us to enjoy our day, we decided to be silly and have some fun.  It sure gave her a much needed laugh too when we visited the hospital this evening.  I would call this a pretty awesome day and a semi-successful celebration.

Happy Thanksgiving!

“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” – Albert Schweitzer

May your day be spent sharing laughs and love with those who mean the most to you.

7 Day Forecast

Can someone tell me what's wrong with this picture?

This is our 7 day forecast for this week.

Umm yeah, from 70 degrees to 39 degrees highs in 5 days???  That's St. Louis for ya.
I start with a light jacket for today and end with my winter coat and probably still freeze my tush off on Friday. 

The Next Iron Chef

Tonight it is on -- after 7 competitions and a double elimination last week, the final 2 chefs compete!!
Who will become the newest Iron Chef? 

Chef Marco "Where's the Parchment Paper?" Canora or Chef Marc "the Forge" Forgione?

It will be an exciting battle in Kitchen Stadium for sure and you can bet I'll be tuned in. 
Also, I'm waiting to see what Canora will whine about this week.  I joked about the parchment paper incident all day on Monday -- even when everyone else looked at me like I had 3 heads.

My Best Friend

I went to the wedding of the son of one of my co-workers last night and this was their wedding song.
My Best Friend by Tim McGraw

I never had no one that I could count on
I've been let down so many times
I was tired of hurtin', so tired of searchin'
'Til you walked into my life

It was a feelin'
I'd never known
And for the first time
I didn't feel alone

You're more than a lover
There could never be another
To make me feel the way you do
Oh, we just get closer
I fall in love all over
Every time I look at you

I don't know where I'd be
Without you here with me
Life with you makes perfect sense
You're my best friend
You're my best friend, oh yeah

You stand by me and you believe in me
Like nobody ever has
When my world goes crazy, you're right there to save me
You make me see how much I have

And I still tremble
When we touch
And oh, the look in your eyes
When we make love

You're more than a lover
There could never be another
To make me feel the way you do
Oh, we just get closer
I fall in love all over
Every time I look at you

And I don't know where I'd be
Without you here with me
Life with you makes perfect sense
You're my best friend
You're my best friend

You're more than a lover
There could never be another
To make me feel the way you do
Oh, we just get closer
I fall in love all over
Every time I look at you

And I don't know where I'd be
Without you here with me
Life with you makes perfect sense
You're my best friend
You're my best friend, oh yeah
You're my best friend
You're my best friend

I don't think I had heard this song before the reception last night, but I'm in love with it now and I can't get it out of my head.  Feel free to check out the CMT Invitation Only performance here: My Best Friend/Something Like That

As for the reception, it was a lot of fun and I'm so glad that in spite of everything going on right now, I was able to attend   We danced and sang and I even won a lunch bet after coaxing BP to the dance floor.

After all was said and done and I drove home, I realized how very lucky to have found my best friend.

Cure for a bad week?

I stopped into the mall on my way home from work tonight and visited 2 stores in my limited amount of free time -- Vitamin World and a shoe store.  If a boost of serotonin and new black boots, purchased on sale!, don't fix my week, there is no hope for a good weekend.

Quote of the Day

Tonight, as I was sitting at the stoplight at my exit, the radio station I was tuned into starts playing Kanye West's Stronger.  Not a huge Kanye fan but there was one line in the song  that totally summed up my off of the wall day --
Now th-that don't kill me, can only make me stronger 

The rest of the song, not the least bit relate able, but that one line had me pumped for the last 2 minutes of my ride home. 

Hopefully tomorrow is a better day, across the board.  It's Wednesday so that means there is at least one good thing to look forward to -- my weekly lunch date (ham & cheese paninis and home-made oven fries).  Let's hope the rest of the day is somewhat drama-free and smooth as well.

Just one of the guys...

Wish me luck -- I'm playing poker with the guys from work tonight. 

MO invited the regulars over for a poker party and ironically I'm the only girl from work that both knows how to play poker and the only girl that they are willing to put up with while playing cards; so, I became the only girl invited to the guys' poker night.  Nice....

However, just to prove that I am still a girl, I did offer to make snacks for the night as well.

Vember 13th

My sweet, precious Nicole is no longer the toddler holding my hands and dancing while listening to Hanson's MMMBop, or the first grader sitting in my bedroom pretending to do college homework with highlighters and ledger paper or the 10 year old that thought it was so cool to have a girls only weekend at her older cousin's place and have ice cream sundaes as a midnight snack because there were no parents around.
No, today my little Nicole is 14 years old and much smarter, more confident and much more social and outgoing than I could have imagined being at that age.  She's an honors student, a talented dancer and a great friend to those who have the pleasure of crossing paths with her and she continues to make all of us proud.

While Nicole may no longer call her birthday Vember 13th, today is a very special day.

 Happy Birthday Girlie!  Hope you have a fabulous fun-filled day!!

A little bit of luck & a lot of talent

 
Congrats to Jonathan Duhamel, this year's WSOP Main Event Champion.  He won a whopping $8,94 million Monday night after beating John Racener.  Of course Racener can't complain with his second place prize of $5.55 million either.  Heck, if it were me, I would mind finishing in 747th place and nearly doubling my buy-in., but I'm no professional.  In fact, right now my main goal is to not finish dead last in the poker nights with my friends. 
You can be sure that I'll be watching the action from the final table when ESPN televises it in the next few minutes -- maybe I can pick up a few pointers for our next poker night.

Oh and if you're following hockey this week, did you catch that the St. Louis Blues are on top of the Power Rankings for the 2nd week in a row?  

That's right, the Blue Note continues to dominate and have won 7 in a row following a big win on Sunday in New York.  Goaltending has definitely been key for the success so far this season and both Halak & Conklin have pulled their weight.  It's great to see the team succeeding.  Let's make it 8 in a row tomorrow night in Columbus boys!!

Bieber Fever hits the 'Lou

St. Louis is all a buzz tonight as this guy has come to town --

My teen cousins Nicole and Emily are there with my aunt, decked out in home-made Bieber Fever t-shirts and screaming their heads off like I did when the Backstreet Boys came to town 13-14 years ago.  Incidentally tonight there is a live Q&A online with New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys which has been dubbed a Once In A Lifetime event.  Somehow I'm ok with missing it.....sorry NKOTB and BSB.

A wish for a very special lady

Happy Birthday Grandma!!  

May your day be an enjoyable one!!

I've committed to making dinner for the family for this special occasion and in honor of my Grandma and the inspiration she has given me with cooking, I'm going to try to recreate her amazing roast beef recipe.  I know it won't be exactly like hers, but a decent duplication would suit me.  But, even if my dinner fails, just getting to spend the time together is well worth it and in my book, that's success.

Just doing my civic duty

No matter what your political views are,

Today is a big day across the country and in order to make sure your voice is heard, you have to make an effort.  There are many important issues and races on the ballot here and I intend voting for what I think is best for the greater good of my community and hopefully the country.

Plus, one of the best things about today --
It's the last day for seeing and hearing all of the mud-slinging ads!  That's definitely a breath of fresh air!!

From my neck of the woods...

to yours...
 

Beautifully Stated

I was going through my work email today and trying to clean out some of the older items I've saved over the years and I came across this poem.  It's author is Timothy Harrington II and it describes some of the experiences and emotions I've faced in the last few days.

Beautifully Stated...
As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will.  You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time.  
You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken.  
You'll fight with your best friend.  
You'll blame a new love for things an old one did.  
You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. 
So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. 
Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.

I feel like I've had to take a step back and re-evaluate decisions I've made and situations I've put myself in.  Through this reflective phase, I've been working to be able to let some things go and start over.  But most of all, through the happenings of this week, I've learned that I'm stronger than I ever thought I could be.  Sure, life is a roller coaster filled with many obstacles, but I control my happiness.

M-I-Z & more

It's been a great sports weekend in this part of the Midwest.

Some of the headlines include --
Missouri Upends BCS-leading Oklahoma
The Tigers Upset No. 3 Sooners 36-27 and even Coach Pinkel agreed, “It’s huge, it’s gigantic, it’s a long time coming. I’m just real proud of our team.”

M - I - Z!!

Actual pic from a friend & Mizzou alumni of the field storm

Blues Celebrate Sweep Success
The Blues swept the last two Stanley Cup champions at Scottrade Center this weekend,
winning 4-2 against the Blackhawks on Friday night and completing the exacta Saturday night with a 1-0 overtime victory over the Penguins.

I've been critical of our goal tending in the past, but this guy (Halak) is definitely earning my respect!

Danica Patrick Ready For Gateway Debut
Unfortunately she finished 22nd in the race, but good news for Brad Keselowski, he finished what he couldn't get done three months ago, winning Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series 5-Hour Energy 250 at Gateway International Raceway.

The positive vibes started on Friday night and the weekend has continued to be an exciting one.  The week ahead already appears to be jam-packed.  That fact alone is enough of a reason for me to enjoy the rest of my Sunday.

(By the way, I'm ignoring the loss that my beloved Rams just suffered to the Bucs in the last few seconds of the game.)

Perfect Start to the Weekend

On Wednesday, I got an email that peaked my interest. 
It was for one of our local radio station's annual holiday concert events.  In the past, I've gone to The Point's Ho Ho Show and seen Alien Ant Farm, Puddle of Mudd and even Bush -- all great bands.  This year, the radio station decided to put on 4 shows. 

The first being....

That's right, the boys from Shinedown are coming back to St. Louis!!!

Tickets for the show went on sale today at 5 pm. 
I was aiming to be home in time to order tickets as soon as possible since the venue is a fairly small one, holding only 1,000-2,000 people, and I knew tickets wouldn't last that long.  Well, I got outside, started talking to a few co-workers and ended up not pulling out of the parking lot until 4:59 and that definitely didn't leave enough time to get home so I promptly pulled back in, parked and ran upstairs to log back onto my computer.


I BOUGHT MY TICKETS!!!  I'm so excited!! 
Not only do I get to see my favorite band, but they are performing an acoustic show.  Awesome!!!

After a seriously busy and nearly catastrophic (ok, maybe not in the sense of the entire world, but for my purposes it could have been) week at work, I didn't mind sticking around a few minutes longer. 
Now, let the weekend begin!!!!

Checkin' In

Finally, a day to just say, "Ah, I think I'm gonna take it easy."

It's been go-go-go here for quite some time and today, I decided to just spend the day at home enjoying the peace and quiet and awesome fall weather.
Even though there isn't much on the agenda for Sunday, here are some high points from the weekend --
* 2 date nights with Broccoli after I dealt with a highly stressful week.  Cooking dinner together Friday night was not only a lot of fun as we compared cooking notes from Alton Brown but it also provided some much needed comic relief.
* Working at my side Accounting gig yesterday and finally getting all pending items cleaned up.  DH and I have been trying to accomplish this since I went back to work for him in April.  It's a huge relief for me that his books are up to date and that we'll actually be ready for the end of the year when it rolls around in 10 weeks time.
* Rams winning their 3rd game of the season by beating the San Diego Chargers 20-17 today!!  Woo hoo!!!
This actually might help me in my football picks for the week considering I was the only one to have faith in my guys.  Also, I love Steven Jackson's comment after the blood bath they took last Sunday in Detroit -- 
"Sometimes you need a butt-whippin' to let you know where you really are."
Yes, Steven, I totally know what you mean, happens for me in the corporate world on a regular basis too.
* Jamie McMurray scoring another victory at Charlotte last night.  (Ironically, I missed the race and ultimately his win.)  But, it made me smile to see this when I checked the results earlier today --

Yet, I'm still wondering why the heck the guy who won the two biggest races of the year and has continued to prove himself with decent finishes all season isn't in the Chase???
(NASCAR officials, if you are reading this post and some of my previous comments on the topic, please fix the points system for next season.)
* Finding out that one of my favorite Food Network personalities has a new book coming out in less than a month.  YES!!!  Claire Robinson is releasing 5 Ingredient Fix based on her show and I'm thinking this cookbook presents the perfect opportunity for a personal challenge.  Haven't totally come up with a plan of action yet, but there are a few things milling around in my head.  :)
* Topping off my weekend is the fact that both The Next Iron Chef and Iron Chef America have new episodes premiering tonight.  And since I've made this a day of rest (well, besides the two hours at the gym this morning), you will find me on the couch absorbing all I can about great chefs and interesting cooking techniques.

10 cubed

Happy 10/10/10!! 
Besides it being a cool date, it's also a special day here.

Happy Birthday Dad!!!!  

Thank you for all of your wisdom and for always looking out for both mine and Ryan's best interests when we had other ideas in mind.  And sorry for the few gray hairs we've left you with, but I know I can speak for both of us and tell you that we are grateful for all of your support and encouragement as we've grown up. 
Enjoy your day!!!

Another Rams Victory

From stlouisrams.com --

Total Team Effort Yields Rams' Second Straight Win

It’s called a winning streak and don’t look now but the St. Louis Rams are officially in the midst of one.
With an emphatic 20-3 win on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome, the Rams claimed a victory for the second week in a row. And they did it in total team fashion much like they did last week against Washington.

The win was even bigger for me as me and my long-time friend from Seattle have been ribbing each other for the past two weeks.  He's been to town for previous showdowns between the Rams and Seahawks and couldn't make it in for this one, but I was sure to provide text updates of the score throughout the game.  His response at half-time, "we're a 2nd half team."  Yeah, don't think so bud.  It was with great pleasure that I sent him the final score Rams 20 - SuckyHawks 3. 

Don't worry, I'm sure he'll get me back with future sporting events.

The Time Has Come!

Season 3 of The Next Iron Chef starts tonight and we're pumped!! 

Broccoli and I can't wait to see what's in store for these 10 contestants and we're excited to find out who joins the likes of Season 1 winner Chef Michael Symon and Season 2 winner Chef Jose Garces along with Iron Chefs Morimoto, Flay and Cat Cora.
I've read the chef bios and seen some of the previews and haven't determined a favorite as of yet.  I'm sure that will come shortly.  Usually within an episode or two I've picked my winner and root for them throughout the competition...we'll just have to see who reigns supreme (in my eyes).

In the words of the Chairman of Iron Chef America,
"So now America, with an open heart and an empty stomach, I say unto you in the words of my uncle, Allez cuisine!'"

Let the battle begin!!

Less than 100%

I still don't feel all that great but thank goodness I have a weekend to recover a bit.  I ended up feeling so yucky the last few days that I came home early from work on both Thursday and Friday, which is something I NEVER do, no matter how awful I feel.  But, I finally decided to give up my fight and just take care of myself before it got any worse.  Plus I can't let this linger either, especially with all of the stuff coming up in the next two weeks.
I think the combination of the weather going from highs in the 80-90s to highs in the 50-60s in a matter of days had something to do with it along with the fact that everyone else has been passing stuff around at work for the last month.
It's times like this that I wish I worked in my own little bubble or at least had the option of working from home when I felt it necessary.

Because my head is not fully with it at the moment, I've decided to just throw out other random facts from this week --
- Dairy Queen emailed me their Blizzard of the Month Flavor -

Looked delicious, so I went to check out the nutrition facts for this yummy treat -- umm, yeah, not ordering one of these ever again!  The mini (which I could eat like 5 of those) has 14 grams of fat (10 grams saturated) and 370 calories.  The calories alone would equal a meal for me and I'm sure I'd still want dinner after this treat.

- Speaking of pumpkin, my dad picked up two cans of pure pumpkin for me to cook and bake with this fall and I'm very excited at the possibility of using it.  Who knows, I might try to make my own healthier Pumpkin Pie Blizzard with some of it!  Pumpkin was hard to come by last year due to a bad harvest, so he made sure as soon as it was shelved at his store he grabbed a few.  Thanks Dad!

- On the Dad front, I called him Thursday night just to check in and see how his week was coming along.  We chatted about our normal weekly events and then started talking about football and how well the Rams played against the Redskins.  My dad tells me that on my lunch hours, I should go visit Rams Park, which is conveniently located across the street from our office.  I asked him why and his response was -- "Sam Bradford is worth about $50 million right now and your cute, you could nab him in a second." 
I just laughed.  Don't want to break it to my dad that I don't think Sam Bradford would go for it nor would Broccoli be to thrilled that I'm trying to nab a quarterback at lunch time.  LOL

- I went to dinner with some of my girlfriends the other night and we reminisced about our dear friend Sherri and our lake trips.  Tomorrow is the two year anniversary of losing her to breast cancer.  It's still hard to believe that she's not here enjoying life.  With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I urge you or for my male readers, urge all of the important women in your life to be aware of the importance of early breast cancer detection.

I believe that's all the randomness for now.  Hope you're having a great weekend!

Dinner of Champions

And the verdict is in....
My Sunday dinner featuring potato soup, while not perfect (we decided it needed chives or chili powder), was absolutely delicious!  I paired it with an Italian panini and was thoroughly pleased with my first attempt at this hearty soup.

Broccoli and I were also able to watch this guy put up his first win as a St. Louis Ram while enjoying our yummy meal!

Congrats Sam Bradford and the rest of the St. Louis Rams!
You pulled off an exciting win against one of the best in Donovan McNabb and the Washington Redskins.  And for me, there is not much that beats a Sunday afternoon at home watching pro football and when your home team puts up a big win, it's that much sweeter.  Overall, the weekend was pretty great.

I headed back into work with a fairly clear mind and felt I had a decent grip on what my week had to offer even with month-end falling on Thursday.  Yesterday was a good day.  It was busy but I was able to get all of Monday tasks accomplished, help out with some AP data entry and leave 5 minutes early because I had to run home and grab my tennis shoes so that I could go to the gym.

Today, I woke up not feeling 100%.  Not totally sick, but my head was pounding and my stomach was in knots for some unknown reason.  I made it through my day even when I convinced myself I was going to take a half day because there still was quite a bit I needed to take care of today and leaving early would just push me that much farther behind for month-end.
I've decided to take it easy tonight and watch the marathon before the BIG FINALE for one of my favorite shows on Food Network --

That's right -- tonight, four Chopped Champions compete for $50,000!!  I can't wait for Ted Allen to say, "Chef Madison, you are the Chopped Champion." 

It's almost as nice as hearing Chef Lindsay.  (Yeah, I'm dreaming a bit.)

Happy Fall Ya'll!

It's gone from 90 degrees on the first full day of fall (Thursday) to a whopping 54 degrees today.  That's St. Louis for ya.  I'm definitely not ready for fall or winter!  The one good thing though is that the cool down has got me in the mood to start cooking soups and stews and other hearty dishes.  I made a pot of chili in mid-August and it just wasn't the same.
So tonight I promised Broccoli one of his favorites for dinner -- potato soup.  I hope I can live up to his expectations because this is one of his signature dishes.  I've never made it before and I can't even say that I've tried it, but you know me, I'm always up for a challenge.  I'm trying to put a healthy spin on it as well so we'll just have to see if my little experiment works. *fingers crossed*

Speaking of dinner, I was on my own last night and usually when that happens, I stick with leftovers or a bowl of cereal.  However, last night, I decided why not try out something I've been meaning to test anyway -- a homemade low-fat tuna cake.  I would have to say it turned out fairly good.  I probably could have added a bit more spice to it (the hot sauce and jalapenos just didn't cut it), but other than that, I wouldn't mind making it again.  I paired it with steamed broccoli and cherry tomatoes.  Overall, a fulfilling dinner and it was extremely colorful on the plate.

The weekend has been an enjoyable one.  It's always easier for me to justify staying in and getting some things done at home when the weather is cool and crisp and I've done my fair share of that the past two days.  Now I'm ready to watch the Rams take on the Redskins and catch the end of the race at Dover.

Stuck in my head

Actually listened to a song from Paramore on the radio yesterday evening while I was driving home from the gym.  Now, I've heard this song numerous times before and I've even caught the video on VH1, but I never really paid attention to the words until I listened closely to them yesterday and now I can't get it out of my head.  It's seems so true and relate-able.  If you haven't heard it before or if you're curious about the band, I encourage you to check it out.
I'm posting the lyrics just because they seem so powerful to me, especially after the last few days I've experienced.

The Only Exception by Paramore

When I was younger
I saw my daddy cry
And curse at the wind
He broke his own heart
And I watched
As he tried to reassemble it

And my momma swore that
She would never let herself forget
And that was the day that I promised
I'd never sing of love
If it does not exist

But darling,
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception

Maybe I know, somewhere
Deep in my soul
That love never lasts
And we've got to find other ways
To make it alone
Keep a straight face

And I've always lived like this
Keeping a comfortable, distance
And up until now
I had sworn to myself that I'm
Content with loneliness

Because none of it was ever worth the risk

Well, You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception

I've got a tight grip on reality
But I can't
Let go of what's in front of me here
I know you're leaving
In the morning, when you wake up
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream

Ohh---

You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception

And I'm on my way to believing
Oh, And I'm on my way to believing

Busy day

I definitely didn't take it easy today, which might cost me when I head back to work tomorrow, but I'll take my chances and hope to goodness that I can at least manage to tread water for another 5 days.

Cooking has definitely been a therapy for me today.

Wanna see what I've been up to?
I wrote and posted a few of my recipes to contests online --

Seafood Creole

Sauteed Chicken with Creamy Garlic Sauce

Peaches and Cream Smoothie

Made a healthy and yummy meal for my Monday lunch date from my sauteed chicken recipe --

Sauteed chicken with creamy garlic sauce, smashed potatoes and green beans

Planned and prepared my lunches for the week -- 

Monday: Parmesan zucchini and a fruit medley

Tuesday: Sauteed chicken and roasted veggies

Wednesday: Veggie pizza and a tomato salad

Thursday: Sauteed chicken and steamed broccoli

Friday: Fruit and yogurt parfait and veggies with southwest dip

This is all in between catching the NASCAR Sprint Cup race (still bothered that McMurray didn't make it into the Chase), watching the Rams fall short and lose to the Raiders and tuning in to numerous cooking shows for further inspiration, surfing the web for further recipe research and dinner ideas and trying to absorb a few chapters out of the book I started reading yesterday.

Hope you had a relaxing weekend!

Raining on Sunday

Around 9 pm last night, it started raining and it stormed through the night.  It's not too often that we get an all night storm with thunder and lightning but when we do, most people in St. Louis freak out about it.  So when I headed for the gym around 6:30 this morning, I figured I'd be the only insane chick in there.  Would you believe there were 20 or so people in there that early?!?  Usually on weekend mornings, you're lucky enough to see maybe 5 of the "regulars" working out that early, myself included.
 I guess I'm not the only one who had enough of the storms and tried to put their early morning to good use...

*By the way, did you catch the title of this post?  It's a classic Keith Urban song.  And no, I'm not planning on hiding under the covers all afternoon.  :)