Reunited and it Feels so Good

There's someone you need to meet. Two someones, actually.

Ella. Our sweet and crazy pup. Lots of energy (although these pictures would suggest otherwise) and a tail too long for her own good.


And Penny. Our cat, who I am utterly obsessed with... She is a daily reminder that I am in serious risk of turning into a crazy old cat lady someday.


I sure do love these two animals. And I'm able to love them even more because Joey does all the difficult things, like shoving the pills down Penny's throat that one time she had worms and taking Ella outside after the sun has gone down (I'm scared of the dark and the criminals who surely lurk there). What a guy.

With all the traveling we've been doing during the month of July, our animals were living at Camp Grandma for three weeks. We are so blessed to live near Joey's parents, who have a large yard with lots of tennis balls for Ella, a private basement suite to meet all Penny's antisocial needs, and are so generous to take these furballs in whenever we head out of town.

This week, we were finally reunited with Ella and Penny, and I had one of those moments of pure contentment.

In bed. With my favorite pillow.
Cuddling my two fur babies.
Remote in hand, watching HGTV.
Dear husband nearby, ready to capture it all on film. (or iPhone. Whatever.)

Joey and I always laugh because Ella hands-down prefers Joey. Not that she dislikes me... But imagine that cliche movie scene, with Ella seated halfway between me and Joey... both of us desperately calling her name to prove who is her true owner... Yeah, no question about it, Ella would be in Joey's arms in two seconds.

But on this first night with our whole little family back together, I was lucky enough to have both critters seek me out for a cuddle. I just knew that deep down inside, they love their momma. Even if she's never the one who changes the litter box.

The Roc.

Rochester, New York. Home of Kodak, Wegmans, and Lake Ontario.

And of delicious meals at lakefront restaurants because the parents are treating. (Thanks, mom and dad!)

Our weekend trip to visit my family was fun and relaxing, but now its back to Atlanta and back to reality. I've got 15 days of summer break left. I'm gonna make 'em count.

National Lampoon's Marathon Training

So we're training for the Chicago Marathon. Training officially started four weeks ago and has been keeping us pretty busy since then.

Yesterday, we did our weekly distance run - 20 miles. On the bright side, Joey and I took a trip back to upstate New York to visit my family for the weekend, which meant we got to run with my dad, who is also running Chicago with us faster than us. A trip home also meant that we were able to run along the very flat Erie Canal Towpath instead of over Atlanta's hills. (This is a very good thing. I'm pretty sure if the route included traversing any hills, I would be in the hospital right now.) On the not so bright side... we had to run 20 miles. And it was a really tough one for me.

The distance was only part of the ridiculousness of this run. Before setting out, we had to pack all the necessities... change of clothes, several towels, two CamelBaks, toilet paper (don't ask.), six bottles of water, plenty of Gatorade, Clif Shot Bloks, and snacks. Overkill? Maybe a little. But a lot can happen in 20 miles. Gotta be prepared. Hence, the five bags of supplies that took us an hour to pack.

We're basically members of the Griswold family.


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Except I didn't get a trip to Walley World out of the deal.

P.S. I'm linking up with Carissa at lowercase letters for Miscellany Monday. Check it out!

 

"This Pineapple Tastes like Garlic" and Other Adventures in The Mitten State

My lack of posting over the past few days is due to the fact that I was busy graduating. But don't worry... you won't miss a minute. I'll use my new obsession with Instagram to tell you the tales of my trip through photos...

I started the trip out right by scoring some sweet leg room on the flight to Detroit. I was a little depressed because no seat in front of me meant no TV for my viewing pleasure! Sad face. But, I was willing to make the sacrifice because, hey, more leg room! Girl's gotta have priorities. Then as our plane pulled into the gate in Detroit, Joey discovered that I did in fact have my very own TV... it was just tucked below the seat on a swinging arm. Oops. But all was good, because I got tons of Sudoku done during the flight.

After arriving in Detroit, I visited my favorite fountain. Every time I'm in the airport, I take a few hundred pictures of this fountain because it reminds me of traveling and traveling makes me happy. You may recognize it from Up in the Air, starring the dapper George Clooney.Unfortunately George Clooney opted not to make an appearance while I was snapping away. Maybe next time.

We arrived to a very stormy Michigan. Like, out-of-my-nightmares stormy, where I'm surrounded by tornadoes on three sides and my survival depends on how fast my little legs can carry me. (I really do have that recurring nightmare.) There weren't actually any tornadoes in Michigan that day, but I as we drove to East Lansing, I was 100% convinced that a cloud that was hanging a little too close to the ground was going to transform into a swirling mass and devour our car, so I did urge my dad to drive faster several times. Better safe than sorry, I always say.

Next, I graduated and officially finished my Masters program. No big deal. Then I did other graduate things, such as sitting on a regal throne of knowledge (Actually it was just an awkwardly-shaped chair found in the lobby of our hotel. I just thought the chair looked worthy of the flowing sleeves on my wizard-like gown.), and waiting in line to have my picture taken with our beloved Spartan statue. You haven't experienced real pressure until you are struggling to squeeze in just one more photo while ten graduates impatiently glare at you from beneath their tasseled caps.

When we checked into our hotel in South Lansing (Turns out all the hotels close to campus book up quickly on graduation weekend. Weird, right?), the lady at the front desk so kindly offered us complimentary breakfast and dinner vouchers, since we were "first time guests". What an honor! We headed to the restaurant to cash them in. After we ordered, our waitress warned us, "I'm not sure how long it will be... Our chef prepares the meals in the order they're placed." We glanced over our shoulders to see that we were the only people in the restaurant and replied with a hesitant, "...Ookaaaay..." About 40 minutes later, the dish you see above was served to us. It's cranberry chicken, even though it looks like a human heart. This photo cannot even begin to capture the limpness of the green beans, the toughness of the chicken skin, or the sliminess of the cheesy potatoes.

Slightly Extremely skeptical after our first experience in the restaurant, we decided to give breakfast a try anyway. "It's really hard to mess up breakfast," Joey reasoned. And it was free. How could we say no? Well, I ordered a fruit plate and immediately muttered, "This pineapple tastes like garlic." Sure enough, the entire fruit plate had a distinct garlic flavor. It was then that we knew there was no hope. With that, we were off to bigger and better things.

Ready for some decent food, we visited my favorite East Lansing restaurants. First, Menna's, home of the delicacy known as "The Dub". (Tired of trying to explain a Dub to all my new friends who have not been lucky enough to enjoy this culinary delight, I asked the kind young man behind the counter how he describes a Dub. "An American burrito". Oh, of course. Why didn't I think of that? It's spelled out right there on their website.) Then, Harper's, where one can experience the "Half Off Wednesdays" that sustained me through my broke college years. Next up, The Peanut Barrel, where I sipped on a Long Island Iced Tea while Joey taught me that the beverage does not in fact contain any iced tea whatsoever. Rather, it is made up of five different liquors, a hint of lemon, and a splash of coke. That explains why I always felt the need to cut myself off after just one. Finally, we went to the MSU Dairy Store, where my mom and I debated if Michigan State or Penn State's ice cream was better, but let's be serious... We all know Peachy Paterno ain't got nothin' on Dantonio's Double Fudge Fake.

All in all, it was a great visit back to my Alma Mater. I savored every minute, because I'm not sure when I'll be back to enjoy it again. Then again, after watching all the Doctoral students sport their hoods and other fancy regalia at the graduation ceremony, the first thing I said to Joey and my parents was, "I'm totally getting my PhD..." So, who knows what the future holds...

Super Blessed. Fo' Realz.

I had the most amazing weekend. Truly, 100%, absolutely wonderful. Of course, everyone will be hearing all about this visit to Michigan State for graduation (whether they want to or not), but before I get to that, all I keep thinking about is how blessed I am. I loved every minute of this quick trip back to my old stompin' grounds - the food, the graduation ceremony (well, except for the long, boring parts.), walking around campus - Everything! But the weekend wouldn't have meant anything without the incredible people in my life who shared it with me.

My hubby, who sacrificed one of his few precious vacation days to travel to Michigan and listen to my non-stop reminiscing about "the good ol' days". (No, I'm not 84 years old. I just act like it sometimes.) My caring parents who planned everything - rented the car, booked the hotel, even started a dang Facebook group to coordinate details - and drove 9 1/2 hours to watch me walk across the stage for a grand total of 5 seconds. (Yes, I counted.) My best friend's mom, who scheduled time into her weekend to meet my family for lunch. After all, the next best thing to my best friend is her oh-so-sweet momma! My in-laws, who not only cared for "the critters" while we were gone, but then took me out for a delicious graduation dinner when I got back to Atlanta. Great dinner company and no need to shop or cook - Amen!  And of course, all my dear friends who sent messages and texts of encouragement and congratulations - you all made me feel just so so special! Not to be totally boring going on and on about this, but I'm just so happy and filled with love. Anyhoo, thanks for letting me go all Buddy the Elf on you guys...



And stay tuned for more about my adventures in The Mitten!

Mangos and Other Miscellany

I've been feeling sentimental today, and I just realized why. Mangos. Or mangoes, if you prefer. (Don't worry, I consulted Google and either spelling is acceptable.) They are on sale at both Publix and Kroger this week, which means two things - they must be in season somewhere, and I stocked up.

Some background information - My dad is from Mexico City. He moved to the U.S. to attend grad school at Penn State, where he met my mom, got married, and settled in to a new life filled with gringos and snow. Oh, and two adorable children, of course. Growing up, this meant many trips to Mexico to visit my dad's family. Being a notoriously picky eater as a child, I spent many of these visits to the motherland sustaining myself on only mangos and a delicious salted beef called cecina. (The story has a happy ending. I later came to my senses and now joyfully indulge in all food. All of it.)

Never heard of cecina? Understandable. It is most likely illegal to sell in the United States since preparing it involves laying the thinly sliced and heavily salted meat out in the sun for hours. If you want to learn more - and who wouldn't - check out the webpage I published about cecina for a project in college. That's right. A webpage about beef. You're welcome.

Anyway, since mangos were pretty much the only thing I would eat, my grandparents were kind enough to prepare them for me often. One of my favorite childhood memories is eating breakfast with my grandfather (who my brother and I called "Guty") in the backyard of their home in Cocoyoc, my bare feet tapping on the red tiles of the patio, sweet mango juice dripping down my arms, while we sat peacefully and listened to the crows of the rooster in a neighboring yard.

I have many wonderful memories of summers spent in Mexico with my family - not all of them involving mangos - but the fact is, after all these years, the taste and smell of a mango takes me right back to those times.

In the spirit of this mango love, I decided to share a recipe we made tonight from the bounty I purchased yesterday.

Mango Glazed Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 4 center cut pork rib chops
• 2 mangos
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 tablespoons Cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Cut, then puree mangos
2. Mix mango puree, honey, lime juice, cayenne pepper and salt
3. Pour half of mixture over pork chops and marinate for at least 30 minutes
4. Sear pork chops for 1 minute on each side over high heat
5. Grill at medium high heat for 5 to 7 minutes on each side
6. Top with remaining glaze

Serves 4

In honor of the true randomness of these thoughts tonight, I am linking up with Carissa at Lowercase Letters. Yes, this is my first link up. Yes, I am quite excited about it.

 

Alright y'all... Have a happy Monday. And go eat some mangos.