I Mustache You A Question

Are you guys ok if I take a small bloggy break? I know my blog has radically rocked your internet world and all, so I want to make sure it's ok if I don't update for a couple of days.
I'm about to be donzo with work THIS FRIDAY!!!! Which is all of every bit of amazing and what not, but it also involves turning in my work computer- MY BABY!!! NO!!
So J is currently looking for a new Mac friend for me as a retirement gift! But things in my internet world might be off for a week or so. Blogging on an ipad is not as cool as it sounds- does it sound cool? I didn't think so . . .
But I'll be back in no time, and I'm sure with a MASSIVE post (I know, the excitement is unbearable) because this Saturday we are going to Seattle! It's a late Christmas present for J, and we will be there for 4 days exploring breweries and eating lots o' food.
So we will see each other soon! And here's to summer and all her promises!

Wait, Rest, Rejoice: What Are You Waiting For?

I'm not one who is given to epiphany. I don't have the mental stamina to tackle a philosophical problem and try to solve it by research, meditation, and discussion.
But in the past few weeks, as I become more and more aware of how drastically my life is about to change when I am no longer a teacher, there are 3 words that keep coming to mind:


Wait   Rest   Rejoice

The image I have is of a doctor's office waiting room (probably because I've spent so much time in these areas as of late).
When seated, you are forced to wait. When you are still and wait, you can relax. And when you can relax, it becomes easier to focus on thoughts of thankfulness and joy.

 Please notice the use of the word "can." Just because we find ourselves in situations of waiting, does not mean it automatically leads to resting and rejoicing. It is a mental exercise, and most certainly a difficult one.

For instance, back to my medical image, many times when we wait in a doctor's office, it can be a time of apprehension, anger, and/or pure panic.
But in my own little life, I find that when I FORCE  myself to use that time of waiting to rest, I can reach a state of thankfulness. And if I can do it, dear reader, you most certainly can.

All 3 of these words have become "heavy ones" to me, as in each word is a symbol for a goal, a state of mind and heart that I want to reach. Also, out of all possible words, these verbs are the ones my character struggles most with actually doing . . .

So let's start with WAIT . . .


Here's my waiting list right now:

1. I'm waiting for next Tuesday when I meet with my Doctor again to discuss my recovery and fertility options. This is part of the bigger wait of . . .
2. When will James and I add on to our family? How much longer will we wait for that? We are pretty happy right now as things are, but what if we wait too long? Will we miss our window?
3. I'm waiting to see what happens when I'm no longer working. How will my life change? Will it be mostly good, or will I regret it?
4. I'm waiting to turn 30, a new decade, the decades of adults, older and wiser, putting childish things away, colonoscopies. Am I ready for that? How does one get older gracefully? How does one get older thankfully?

Here's the beauty in waiting:

1. It can refine you. It can become time to focus on what I do have, good and bad, and then I have the time to change, add, take away, as needed. It is time to prepare and make sure I am ready for the desire/s I am waiting for.
2. It can humble you. If I am waiting for something, it means it is out of my power to get it. I am then reminded of my tiny, finite state, and this is good, freeing, and comforting. It can be lovely to not be in control.
3. It can refocus you. I can't have something right away? Ok, then maybe I should look at what I do have. Am I appreciating and nourishing what is already good and beautiful in my life?
4. It can excite you. I think we can all agree that receiving something/someone that we've had to WAIT for, is much more gratifying than the wishes that are granted right away.

 When I appreciate the wait, and I don't always, or even most of the time, I find myself . . . satisfied, content . . . dare I say "happy"? And I feel this way without actually getting what I wanted.

And when we wait, it gives us time to contemplate all the desires that have come to fruition in the past. All the good time and good people that make the struggle worthwhile.

Here are some pictures of wonderful moments and people just from this past year (2011-2012) who remind me of the loveliness that comes from the waiting:

Not too shabby, eh? So what do you think of during the waiting time? Try thinking of the good stuff- I promise it will make you feel better!

And even if we don't get what we want in the end, we can cling to the words of the sage philosophers, The Rolling Stones, when Mick reminds us . . .

So tell me, since I'm new to this patience thing, what are your ways to wait? How do you make it a good time instead of a waste of time?

Current Playlist

I get bored very easily. It is a character flaw. I think it is also what makes me a great 9th grade teacher. I have the attention span of a 14 year old ADHD boy. I'm sure friends think I'm rude when I interrupt mid-sentence or start fiddling with something- but I really am listening! I just can't slow this brain down! But I'm trying to work on it- I'll be 30(!) in December, and it's time I learned to F-O-C-U-S . . . after I stop teaching. Lately, all my resolutions have been pushed back til after school ends. I'm sure that will work out great.
But one of the many downsides to a short attention span involves music. I can only hear a song 2, maybe 3 times before I am sick of it. But like a dog or small child, I get really excited about, if the song goes away for awhile and then reappears! Yay! Brand new song!


I run at Memorial Park a couple of times a week, and it takes me about 9-10 songs to make it around the 3 mile loop (maybe "shuffle" would be a better verb than "run"), and if I plan to finish the loop, my music better keep me interested. Bad, boring, slow, music is my exercise kryptonite, and if my playlist is not up to standards, odds are I won't make it a mile before crumpling into a ball and wailing until some kindly joggers carry me back to my air conditioned car. This actually hasn't happened yet, but never say never.

 And that was a lot of writing to get down to sharing this: Here's my current exercise playlist in case you are
a.) interested
b.) need some music inspiration or
c.) killing time during a work meeting and have already read the blog about your 2nd cousin's fourth kid who recently learned how to eat solid foods.

MUZEEK

1. Princess of China- Coldplay and Rihanna

2. Kyoto- Skrillex

3. Where Have You Been- Rihanna

4. Some Nights- Fun.

5. Where Do You Go- No Mercy

6. Lights- Ellie Goulding

7. Glad You Came- The Wanted

8. I Wanna Dance With Somebody- Whitney Houston

9. Brokenhearted- Karmin

10. How Can We Be Lovers - Michael Bolton (this song is the only that stands the test of time. It's always on my running playlist and never fails to inspire. It's also great for karaoke! However, the drunker and sloppier, the better.)

 Sooo, since I will be over these songs (except for Michael's) by this Friday, send me some of your favorite high-energy numbers! Me wants them!

And now for your viewing pleasure, a photo collection of Michael Bolton during his 90's heydays at the peak of his mullety best . . .

And you are very welcome!

That's a Spiiicy Meatball! Pinterest Style

Sunday night J and I went to the grocery and drank beer and also bought a few food items (might as well, right?). J is out of town most of the week at a work conference, so I asked what he would like for his last meal before a week of 4 star hotel buffet breakfasts and Morton's Steakhouse Dinners- that poor fellow!
But in keeping with my resolution to make some of the bajillion recipes on my Pinterest board, I asked him to pick something from my recipe board that he wanted. It took him all of 5 seconds to zero in on Cup Of Jo's Best Meatballs You'll Ever Have.

Fast forward to last night and our meatball experience. First of all, and most important for me, these were very easy to make! The chopping and hand-mixing of ground meat would probably be the hardest parts, and I used my Cuisinart chopper and had no aversion to mixing the meat with my hands, so it was pretty painless.
Once you roll the meatballs, you can drop them directly into the spaghetti sauce for 30 minutes or so and that's it!

For the spaghetti sauce, I used our favorite, the Napa Valley Bistro "Arrabbiata" flavor. It's spicy and tasty- me love lots.

The sauce is great on it's own, but since I had some leftover onions, garlic, and sage from the meatballs, I sauteed the LO's in some olive oil before adding the spaghetti sauce.

I was worried that the meatballs would fall apart when I dropped them into the sauce, but it worked out just fine. I used a cooking spoon to place them in the bubbling sauce and then used the same spoon to ladle the sauce over them. I set the timer for 30 minutes and then drank wine and watched Real Housewives of . . . does it even matter at this point?

I boiled some pasta and sauteed some leftover spinach I had from last week and then topped it with meatballs and sauce. I meant to take a "pretty" picture, but in my excitement, I forgot, so this is the best I got. But if that turns you off, here's another professional Cup Of Jo picture to assure you how delicious this meal really is:

Even if mine didn't look this good, they tasted amazing! They were sweet and just a bit spicy and not overcooked at all, and the meat flavor only improved the sauce!

I think this picture speaks for itself- he was a fan. He also ate 7 of the 10 meatballs and then collapsed in a meaty, saucy coma- that's how I like the last night to go whenever he's about to leave town. Odds are he won't eat again until Thursday. Sorry Morton's!

So make 'em. They're easy and scrumptious! Here's the link to the recipe one more time:

A Cup Of Jo: The Best Meatballs You'll Ever Have

I Did Make A Few Changes:

* I halved the recipe and still ended up freezing about half the meat mixture.
*I left out the parsley- just forgot about it, but they were perfect without it, so I don't think I'd add it next time.
*I left out the veal- once again, they were great without it.
*Used regular Paprika, not Smoked
*My meat was a little too soft when I added the milk and eggs, so I stuck it in the freezer for 5 minutes before forming the meatballs.

Happy cooking! Cheers!

Pictures from the Weekend

Friday

Friday we met Matt, Mel, Elizabeth, and M&M's friends Sara and Matt for dinner at The Grove before heading over to Verizon Theater for the Snow Patrol concert. Here are some pictures of the night!

The food at The Grove is nothing too special, but their views of lovely Discovery Green are fantastic! And its walking distance from our place- bonus!

Besides that one "Chasing Cars" hit they had a few years ago, Snow Patrol was an unknown entity to me. But I gotta say the concert was laidback, the lead singer was witty, and the music was fun and mellow. I've got to get us to more concerts- they make me feel young again!

Saturday

Around lunchtime we headed out to Cypress to "help" Jonathan and Magen move into their gorgeous new house! I use the term "help" ironically, because there wasn't so much helping going on as there was day drinking and playing with the babies. But James did manage to help Jonathan put together the dining room table. It was also a great opportunity for me to take lots and lots of pictures of Luke's scrumptiously chunky bebe legs!

Look at these 3 strapping fellows working hard! That's going to be one sturdy table when they are done with it!

Luke looks like he has some serious doubts about his Uncle J's craftsmanship skills. Every project needs a good overseer!

These pictures just kill me. This little baby turning into a little man- be still my heart! Before long he will be able to walk, then run away from all my squeezes and kisses. Magen and I were talking about how it's much harder to watch Luke grow up than Audrey.
Maybe because Audrey was the first, but it's been such a joy to watch her grow. Her changes are fascinating- such a miracle! And I'm always thrilled to see her newest accomplishment.
But it's different with Luke- he's our chubby, cuddly, sweet-natured little man. I just want him to stay that way forever!

Also, I love love love love love watching J with these two. He has a such a patient, light-hearted, funny way with them! And they love him back (not that you can tell from Luke's face)! He and Audrey have a special bond. I didn't get any pictures of it, but while waiting for our table at dinner, James spent the entire 30+ minutes playing with Audrey in the outdoor, hot, children's jungle gym. It was a treasure to watch!

Sunday

Sunday was a lazy day involving church, a movie matinee (girls, The Avengers is not terrible- you can make it through!) and then some patio drinking at Flying Saucer with Elizabeth and James's friend from work, Chris Pratt.

This weekend was just what we needed after our crazy one in the Hill Country. It was great to sleep in late, hang out on the couch with family, eat and drink with friends, and to feel rested and ready for the week by Sunday night. And it's certainly going to be a busy week, so here's hoping we are charged up enough to make it through . . .

Oh, and did I mention that this is my LAST MONDAY WORKDAY EVER?! yep, that does not feel terrible.