This Boy and This Girl

Would we have liked each other way back when? Both of us have always said we might not have liked each other if we had met 4-5 years sooner. Granted - he is four and a half years older meaning that I was in 8th grade when he was a senior.I was a nerd and a goody-two shoes and the secretary or treasurer in about 4 different clubs. Welles was popular and voted Most Mischievous.... What do you think? Also--you may notice in the photo caption below. He went through a phase where he spelled his name Wells. I don't know why. His business cards today also read Wells; his driver's license reads Welles.



Who's Who - Most Mischievous
Spanish Club
FBLA
Football
Wrestling














A-B Honor Roll
Concert Choir
Glee Club
Soccer
Latin Club
Latin Honor Society
National Honor Society
Students for Environmental Action

Missy - are you stuck?

I came home from work today, and something was different. Usually Missy Lou comes to the basement door to greet me. Today, however, she was wimpering in the living room. This is what I walked in to find.

I don't know if you can tell from the picture or not, but Welles had tried to make a barrier with the cushions to keep her from climbing on the couch. Smarty pants Missy thought it was the perfect place for an afternoon nap. For some reason, she couldn't get out!

Chicago

The cold windy day today reminded me of our recent trip to Chicago, and made me thankful that we live in Alabama. It was 12 degrees here this morning with a wind chill of 4! In Chicago right now, it is -16 degrees, and the high is only supposed to reach 7!

On to our trip... Luckily, we didn't experience the cold weather. We visisted Chicago in August (the week between semesters) and Meghan, Matt, Jason and Kat met us there for a Chicago Cubs game. Of couse, we had done our food research, and had some excellent meals! We ate mexican at Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill. Then we went to Navy Pier where we rode the Ferris Wheel and ate a funnel cake. We entered 6 duckies in the annual Rubber Ducky Derby benefiting the Special Olympics on the Chicago River. Although we didn't win, it was cool to know that we sponsored six of over 30,000 duckys.

A great restaurant that was recommended by our Sunday School Teacher and a co-worker was Rosebud on Rush. Welles and I agree that it was the best Italian meal we have ever had! We also had deep dish pizza at Giordano's--incredible!

Going to Wrigley Field was so fun! They played St. Louis, and even though the Cubs did not win, it was neat to see Zambrano pitch--he even hit a homerun! Wrigley is such a cool stadium!

If you know me at all, you know that I love firetrucks and firefighters. In Chicago, you can take a tour on a 1960's Mack Firetruck! Meghan, Matt, Welles and I all spent 2 hours touring the city on this cool truck. We heard all about the Great Fire of Chicago, allegedly started by Mrs. O'Leary's cow. We also drove past many of the firestations in the city. We took the tour on our last day, and it was really a great way to end a whirlwind weekend trip.

How about some comfort food?

YUM! Welles and I often watch the Food Network on Saturday mornings, and get ideas about a big weekend meal. Recently we watched Tyler's Ultimate, and tried out the following recipe (minus the broccoli florets.) Not that we don't love broccoli, but the recipe seemed so perfect until he put broccoli into the potato. We tried it out, and this really is an incredible baked potato! Bon appetite!

TYLER's ULTIMATE STUFFED POTATO
Ingredients:
4 medium-sized Idaho potatoes
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
About 2 cups, plus more for topping, shredded sharp white Cheddar
2 heads broccoli, florets, blanched in salty water
1/2 pound bacon, medium dice, cooked until crisp
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Begin by baking the potatoes, as this will take the longest. Place potatoes onto a baking sheet. Pierce with a fork, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Place into preheated oven and bake for about 1 hour.

While they are baking prepare the stuffing. Make a mornay sauce by combining the butter and flour over medium heat and then whisking in the milk. Fold in about 2 cups cheese and stir until melted. Once melted, remove from heat and fold in the cooked broccoli florets, crispy bacon bits, chopped chives and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

When the potatoes are done make a cut across the top and squeeze it from the bottom so a small pouch opens up and the bottom is squared off. Spoon the filling over the top of the potato, sprinkle with cheese, season with pepper, to taste, and then pop in the oven for 2 more minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

My favorite shopping sites

I hate to admit this, but I am a shop-a-holic...an online shop-a-holic to be specific. Below are some websites I visit frequently.

www.slickdeals.net - I have saved more money here. There are groupies that scout certain websites daily and provide the best deals along with coupon codes for free shipping or a percentage off the price of purchase. I LOVE, LOVE,LOVE this site! I have purchased a multi-function printer at $220 below original purchase price, bought a new winter coat that was originally $159 for $23 SHIPPED, 12 sets of 5 piece everyday Mikasa flatware for $60 shipped, and I could go on and on.

Speaking of coupon codes--if you are about to complete an online purchase, visit these two sites to see if there is a code that will save you some Moo-la!
http://www.wizardofcoupons.com/stores/coupons_by_store.asp
http://www.couponcabin.com/coupons/index.htm

www.amazon.com My very favorite online super-store is amazon.com. I have used the amazon.com business example in two of my class presentations for my MBA thus far, so I feel particularly connected with the company (I also made A's on each of those projects). I love how amazon.com posts reviews of products, and even if I am not purchasing from amazon.com I will look up product reviews. The company offers 2 day shipping at no charge (for Prime members) and has WONDERFUL customer service. CEO Jeff Bezos has a few mantras, "We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It's our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better." AND "That’s why Amazon.com ‘mantra’ has been ‘that we were going to obsess over our customers and not our competitors…the primary reason behind our growth and our ability to cope with that growth is our focus on customer experience." What a great way to do business!

If I think of any others, I will be sure to let you know!

Lemon Chicken Soup

I have been trying to replicate one of my favorite soups (Taziki's). Here is my version. This is a great recipe for a cold day or when someone you love has a cold:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup white rice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 shake of red pepper flakes
1 Tb dried parsley

Boil 4 chicken breasts in 8 cups of water until cooked through. Remove the chicken breasts and chop; filter the remaining broth into a large bowl (you want to remove the stringy things that remain when boiling the chicken). Return the broth to the pot and add 2 cups of store-bought chicken broth. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper and rice and cook about 8 minutes over medium heat. Add the cubed chicken, parsley and red pepper flakes and cook for 3-5 minutes (go easy on the flakes--they can really spice it up).

Miami and Key West

Meghan planned a memorial service for Bob in February 2007. We arrived in Miami on a Thursday afternoon, and stayed with Meghan's friend Art (a former Miami Vice cop). Art took some of our group to the Annual Miami Boat Show where we got to ride on a multi-million dollar fast boat. It was amazing to see the city at night--the Miami skyline was beautiful!

We woke up Friday morning to the news that Britney Spears had shaved her head the night before! We drove to Key West, and because of a wreck, the trip that would normally take 3 hours took about 7. Key West is a beautiful place, and there is so much to do! Meghan planned a scavenger hunt called "Best of the Bars." It was a great opportunity to learn the layout of the city, and we learned some interesting history as well.

The following day, we had brunch at Alice's. It was rainy, but the weather quickly cleared up. We toured Hemingway's home and an art exhibit at the Key West Museum.

Taken from Hemingway's wrap-around second story porch

The art exhibit featured replicas of famous paintings. See below for a picture of Meghan in "Van Gogh's Bedroom."

That evening, Meghan planned a sunset cruise, and everyone shared memories of Bob. There were probably about 25 family members and friends that traveled to Key West for the memorial. We look forward to going back someday!

The group that traveled to Key West

Sunset Picture - Taken while we were "at sea" the evening of the Memorial for Bob