Now Returning to our Regularly Scheduled Life

It's Monday after a holiday weekend and it's hard to return to places like work and the groomer. Can you sense the excitement?! (Note - Matt is not choking him. Just directing him towards the camera. Did I mention he is STUBBORN?)

After a great Thanksgiving with our families, we headed down to Tuscaloosa. (see the distinction: familes that love us, raised us and consistently support us day in and day out vs. the college we attended. While I LOVE the University, there IS a difference people).

It was frigid. Nothing a little cheese dip and a bloody mary couldnt cure.

Kudos to the man who had the foresight to buy some Wal-Mart gloves and sell them around to tailgates to people who while getting dressed said, "It's not THAT cold".

Pledge sisters! I think we see eachother more during football season than any other time of the year. Hands down.

We played a great game. Just not a whole game. Losing by a point was heartbreaking, but we were all still proud of our Tide! You can't win a national championship every year. I'll take every other year.

The weather here has jumped from cold to hot to back again. We took advantage of a recent cold night to make some baked potato soup. It was divine - virtually mashed potatoes in a bowl. I doubled the recipe so we would have leftovers. What's the point of doing all that work if you don't get a couple nights off in return?

Baked Potato Soup

3 bacon strips, diced
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
2 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup half-and-half cream
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Minced fresh parsley

In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Set bacon aside. Saute onion and garlic in the drippings until tender. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper; mix well. Gradually add broth. Bring to boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, cream and hot pepper sauce; heat through but do not boil. Garnish with bacon, cheese and parsley.


Of course I made some tweaks. I think I used 7 potatoes to double, because they weren't "large". We also used turkey bacon instead of pork, and used reduced fat sour cream in place of the half and half. This was an easy recipe to change up according to your preferences. I might use some milk next time as well to make it a little creamier. The hot sauce really made this recipe - we sprinkled extra on top with some grated extra sharp cheddar.

I ate the leftovers last night while seeing what this was all about.

I love reality TV. I love bad reality TV. But this was really horrendous TV. I'm not sure if it was even reality as much as Slater cheeses it up. And he calls his baby mama by her last name BECAUSE HE DIDNT THINK HER FIRST NAME WAS EXOTIC ENOUGH. Team Zack Morris all the way.

Nothing In Life Is Free

Let me tell you a story about the first time Namath Clark Grizzwald Wolfe Searson came to our new apartment. He sniffed around, checked the place out, then promptly lifted a leg up on our new Pottery Barn duvet. Matt caught him just in the nick of time, but it sent us straight to google where I typed in every variation of "how to stop territorial peeing" I could think of.

We came across a training program called "Nothing in Life is Free", or as Matt says, "NILIF". Long story short, Namath has been 'working' for everything he gets. Wants petted? Has to sit. Wants to go out the door? Has to sit. Food? Sit. Toy? Sit. And the bedroom is totally off limits.

If nothing else, this is the most stubborn dog you'll ever meet. He is not eager to please - unless its pleasing himself. All that said, he's catching on, and we can tell a big difference in his behavior. He is also considerably less anxious and restless.

But, one good turn deserves another. He has discovered the wooden back massager and he'll sit for that in a heartbeat.

And don't you try and take it away.


We are so thankful for Grizz and the laughter he brings to our home!

Lessons from a Morning Run

This morning, I got a good reminder from T.I. on my morning run.

'Errbody right here

What you need to do is be thankful for the life you got, know what I'm saying?

Stop looking at what you ain't got and start being thankful for what you do got

Good point, buddy.

With it being Thanksgiving week, what better time to do just that? All joking aside, this is something I've been trying to work on the past few months. There will always -every single day-be someone to compare yourself to that has more things, better things, a bigger house, a nicer car. If I focus soley on those things, it really cultivates an attitude of discontentment and ungratefulness.

Our run this morning took us by a few important landmarks in my life. I think God wanted to drive the point home with me. Chance? I think not.

We ran past my work. People there can drive me crazy. Things don't always go my way. A lot of days, I'd rather just be in bed. Yet, I was reminded how grateful I am for my job. There are so many wonderful people there that I get to spend my days with. I'm encouraged to branch out in my career. And let's face it, Public Relations is the whip cream of the economy, yet in the midst of the economic crisis, I never once feared losing my job. What a huge blessing for me, and now for our little family as we start our lives together.

We ran through the park. I love seeing the sun rise over the skyline in the morning and being able to enjoy God's creation before starting a busy day of work.

We passed the bread factory, which was pretty tortorous (excuse my bunk spelling). I read something a long time ago that has stuck with me. How neat that God gives us food to enjoy? Something we need to live we also get to take pleasure in preparing, serving and sharing with our friends and family? Tonight we will be enjoying some baked potato soup. Recipe to follow.

Then, there's this guy. So grateful to have him as my running partner. I really love that we have a hobby that we can enjoy together. It's been beneficial to our relationship and our health and thinking about how far we've come in each area makes me so grateful. I could drone on about the similarities in running and life, but I think you can make those comparisons yourself. I love that this is something we share.

Life is pretty good right now, so its easy to be thankful. My hope is that as we go through the hard seasons too, we will have learned to always be looking for the blessings in our lives. More often than not, you don't have to look very hard.

Happy Thanksgiving friends!!

The Board, New Name and a Wedding

Holla. Let's catch up. I'm all over the map with this post, but here goes.

Married life is pretty great. I had to take a picture before I erased to use this board for its real purpose - the weekly menu. My sister in law has done this for nearly 10 years, and Matt thinks its great. She apologized when I told her, so we'll see how I feel about it in a decade.

We are loving relaxing around the apartment. Namath is spending less time going back and forth and more time with my pink slippers. Sidenote - these are LL Bean. I had to have them after seeing my roommates last year, and dare I say, they are one of my favorite Christmas gifts. Ever.

Last week was a short week for me. Nothing like using a vacation day to go to social security, the DMV and the courthouse. I went prepared with books, coffee and my finest sweat pants. I was there ten minutes. Painless! I think it means its meant to be. Plus, it gave me the afternoon free to get back in the grocery game. I spent $90 and saved $111 at Publix. Our pantry, fridge and freezer are getting pretty well stocked. Good thing, since I have that menu board and all.

Friday, the twins came in town for our pledge sisters wedding. We met them out after the rehearsal dinner for some drinks and dancing. Not sure why it looks like I have a combover in this pic. Fantastic.

We've gotten to see the twins 3 times this fall. So fun! Hopefully the celebration theme will continue when we reunite at the Iron Bowl Friday.

We ran into Matt's friend from work. Fellow Rachel Zoe fan. I die.

Saturday night was the wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and we loved the pastor's message. Sometimes, you will be so in love with your spouse you can barely stand it- and that is wonderful, but easy. But a lot of times, your love will be an action when you don't feel like it. Forgiving when you don't feel like it, listening when you don't feel like it. That's hard, but that's real love. It seems as though more weddings we have gone to have preached these messages, and I love the reality it presents and the reminder it gives me. So refreshing.

Speaking of the twins, we love their whole family, and were so excited to spend time with them at the reception. How cute is this picture?!

Cute Erin and her short blonde bob. One of the funniest and caring people you'll meet. I wish she still lived in Birmingham!

Momma Smith! T-one week until the big gender reveal. My calendar is marked!

Pledge sisters. Loved these bridesmaids dresses.

We spent Sunday relaxing and recovering from a late night. Namath didn't even want to show his face. Can you find him?

Happy Monday!

The Other Side of the Fence

Post 87 degree temps in the Bahamas, we came home to some chilly weather down South. Neither of us had the foresight to pack jeans or long sleeves, so it was a little bit of a walk of shame through the airport wearing shorts, flip flops and a t-shirt while everyone had on their cute scarves and suede boots.

We got the memo real quick, and changed into more appropriate attire to do some runner watching the next morning at this year's Vulcan Run. The route ran right in front of our apartment. How's that for convenience?

Coffee and gloves. Not as good as swimsuit and pina coloda no matter how you shake it.

Since I don't run with the 6 minute mile crowd, its not too often do we get to see the frontrunners, neck in neck for first place.

Don't think Matt didnt encourage runners by number. As in, "That a'way 1774!" "You get it 3!" The Mayor was working his district.

Run as you might, I think first place is taken buddy.

We got to see some friends along the way. It made me wish we had trained for 6.2. With all the free time in the weeks before. I better channel that energy to Mercedes.

They did so great! It was fun to get to cheer everyone on. It's always so fun to have crowd support when you're running, so we were glad to get to be on the other side of the race. But just this time. I miss racing too much to sit on the sidelines for long.

What's Cookin'?

Like most newlyweds, I've now turned my attention to the kitchen. Time to start using all those fabulous wedding gifts and cook delicious dinners every night. Right? Someone once told me, "Don't start something you can't finish". Read: why my sister-in-law still makes my brothers lunch every day.

All that being said, one of the things I admire about my mother in law is her ability to cook, even the simplest things, so well. She loves cooking for her family, and practice makes perfect. So I've set off trying my hand at some new dishes.

First stop: Pumpkin muffins.

I love all things pumpkin. Cakes. Coffee. Coffee creamer. I found a recipe from Gourmet magazine (do not be alarmed by the title - it was really easy) and got to work.

I think this cinnamon sugar mixture was the icing on the cake - literally.

RECIPE FOR PUMPKIN MUFFINS

From Gourmet November 2006

Makes 1 dozen

Start to finish: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 can pumpkin

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 tsp pumpkin-pie spice (a combo of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and allspice)

1.25 cups plus 1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

Equipment: 12 foil or paper muffin liners; a muffin pan with 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups

DIRECTIONS:

Put oven rack in middle positiona and preheat oven to 350F. Put liners in muffin cups.
Whisk together flour and baking powder in a small bowl.

Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin-pie spice, 1.25 cups sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined.

Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another bowl.

Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about 3/4 full), then spinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Bake until puffed and golden brown and a wodden pick or skewer inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

They were pretty dang good, if I do say so myself. Next time, I think I'll add in some chocolate chips. Watch out! In unrelated news, Mercedes training starts asap.

I think the delicious fall themed breakfast got Matt in the spirit, so he made this concotion for game time Saturday night.

Rum Apple Cider.
Combine apple cider with spiced rum. Mix.

Fall is in tough competition with Summer for my favorite season.

Over the Moon

Ok, so I'm skipping the whole wedding day post. At least until I get some pictures back. A post is always better with pictures - and only the best for the Shuffle readers.

We stayed at our new place the night of the wedding, and it was a great decision. Our flight didn't leave until 3:30, so we got to sleep in, make a Wal-Mart run to assemble a cruise medicine kit, drink mimosas and pack at our leisure. It was such a great morning - we were finally married and headed on vacation. Blissful.

We got to the airport and through security just in time to have a cold beer. An $8 cold beer. Don't judge. It was vacation.

We spent Sunday night in Orlando and got up bright and early Monday morning to head towards the cruise ship.

Me - excited.

Pulling up to the cruise ship!

Wish someone would have told us about the 45 minute emergency drill before we ordered drinks.

My sweet husband. Who got extremely blonde on this trip. For free.

Quite a few of my favorite things in one picture. Can you name them all?

And we're off!

Some friends from Matt's work had some nice cruise gear sent to the room.


Gin Martini - you were too much for this girl.

On the ferry ride to Paradise Island, Bahamas.

After spending the morning shopping (Micheal Kors Jet Set...where are you?!?), we found the public beach near the Atlantis. This was our favorite day, by far. There were locals making pina coladas in freshly carved coconuts. They got my host with the most award.

Aren't they precious? And empty, I might add.

A picture for the twins. I do believe this is "What are you wearing?" - OPI.

We made it back to the cruise ship in time for sunset with a drink.

The Searsons at the honeymoon reception. Cheesy, but I don't turn down free cake.

Playing a little song trivia. Matt, the human jukebox as his dad has lovingly named him, almost secured a victory for our team.

That was about all she wrote. At the risk of being cheesy, I was just as excited to return home and begin our lives together. We are loving every minute of being married, and we sure were glad to get home to this guy.