White Water Rafting Pictures Finally!

I finally have the pictures of the white water rafting trip we took before John left.  In Boat 1 we have John, Dad, Mike, Meredith and Little John.  Boat 2 (which was the best one if you remember) was guided by Capi-tan GZ, who didn't really guide much actually and was eventually fired by his experienced crew.  His olympic row team included Mary, Jason, Mom, and of course the gold medalist --------> ME!  

Please note Dad's facial expressions.

Thanksgiving pictures to be posted shortly!

Coconut Cake and Beer!

Okay...so obviously it has been a really busy week being it is Thanksgiving and all.  Last weekend I got to spend the weekend with two of my friends because one of them got engaged. We always have a fun time together.  Then I got to return home, on a SATURDAY!  Note...not Sunday night.  Garrett and I got to go to Whole Foods and pick up some steaks and some coconut for me to make my highly anticipated coconut cake.  :-)  The steaks were great...the coconut...the wrong kind, so Garrett had to take it back and get a refund.  I have already been made fun of for returning a coconut.  On Sunday, I got to wake up to breakfast and coffee.  I know..  And then we took Hank to the dog park.  He had so much fun!  He was great!  Then Garrett and I got to finish out the weekend by going to a movie which we haven't done in forever.  We went and saw Twilight with all the other teeny boppers in America.  haha...they ewweed and ahhhhed the whole time.  Another exciting thing we found is that Whole Foods carries Cold Mountain Winter Ale that Highlands Brewery makes.  You used to only be able to get that in the mountains.  I have only had it once.  Apparently they hadn't even gotten it in the mountains!  It was so delicious and we were so eager to get some again!  They only had 12 for the whole year and we got three (pictured below.)  We were very excited.  I even got another friend hooked to it and she had to go get some! 

 So tonight is the night before the Thanksgiving holiday and our family's stew, which is my favorite day of the year!  All are welcome!  I had a lot of cooking to do tonight.  I successfully made my first coconut cake and crispy cheesy spinach dip.  They both look and smell delicious. I am quite proud.  I know I will be Dad's favorite this weekend!  :-)  I cracked the coconut myself!  :-)

What else is going on...  Mike got a pet turtle named Simon.  He rescued him during  a storm. He was supposed to go to Petco to get some stuff for him, but I haven't talked to him since, so I'm not sure how that is going.  Since John has left for Afghanistan, I haven't been able to speak to him as much as I would like due to the fact that I am at work when he is able to get on and in the mornings, I know he is talking to his family.  The good thing is everyone in the family now has a camera for their computer so we skype each other erratically.  It is so much fun.  I skyped Mike when he had just woken up and his voice was still all scratchy...haha...he isn't as easy to make laugh when he has just woken up.  Dad tries skyping people all the time and gets mad if you aren't at home to answer his skype.  He has apparently skyped Mary at 5:45 in the morning. Now she can really have her peaceful quiet time in the morning before anyone else gets up all thanks to technology.  We are having a great time with it though!  I hope to catch John some this week since I will be available at my computer during the times when he is on.  

Tomorrow I head to the farm and am so excited!  I can't wait for Thanksgiving dinner, Monopoly, Bloody Mary's, Cold Mountain Winter Ale, Brunswick stew, friends, family, bonfires, and horses!  These are all the things that make up this wonderful holiday....oh and last but not least...Christmas music and Christmas decorations!!!!!  I love it!  I have been listening to Christmas music every day at work!  I'm not tired of it yet and I guarantee I won't be when they stop playing it!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!  Be safe!!

My coconut Cake:

My Cold Mountain Winter Ale...Yummmm:

IT'S SNOWING!!!!!!!

As you can see, it started snowing while we were at work! We just had to go out and see it in the flesh!

I hope we get a good snow this year! Don't you? Sorry if you didn't see any, but I am glad that that is finally not me, maybe I'm not a snow jinx...or maybe I am, maybe that is all I will get to see! Atleast I saw a little, but I do ask, can we please have a great big snow this year that we can get out of work for and go sledding?? PLEASE!!!????!!!!!

It would be greatly appreciated!

Weekend Festivities

I'm not sure why the picture of Garrett and Tatum is sideways, but I don't know how to change it.  Anyway (notice the singular form), it has been a wonderful weekend.  Garrett and I spent the weekend at the farm.  The weather was pretty bad all weekend so the girls were cooped up in the house, but that was okay because we played Monopoly and had Bloody Mary's.  A traditon.  Haha!!  I didn't get my camera until Saturday night, so these are the only pictures I took. Victoria is just so cute with her hat.  Her eyes are just so clear and blue!  She is such a happy baby!  You should just see when she wakes up and is grinning at you!  The cutest thing ever!   Garrett was supposed to get up first thing Sunday morning and come home, but Brandy's little girl Tatum got in his lap as you can see.  To explain, Tatum has a few grown men wrapped around her little finger!  They are all like butter when she comes around!  She's just so sweet! So needless to say when Tatum wanted to watch TV with Garrett and fell asleep, there was no way he was going to bother her!  I don't think he left until after noon!  Saturday morning I got to talk with John on Skype.  We got to talk for a few minutes and then got disconnected.  Then I skyped with Meredith and the boys and Mom and Dad.  They were over at John and Meredith's. I think I am going to turn that into a verb, "I am skyping right now..please do not disturb!" Haha!  :-)  I'm glad we get to see John over the computer.  

Sunday we went up to the cabin.  Jason sure has the place looking good with what he has cleared out.  I am so ready for the stew.  That is my favorite day of the year!  

Well, it is Sunday night and I am watching the Wizard of Oz and going to sleep!  Another Monday has arrived!  Goodnight everyone!  See you soon!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

MITCH

JASON

THERE ARE A FEW PEOPLE THAT NEED A SHOUT OUT!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MITCH!!! HIS BIRTHDAY WAS NOVEMBER 8TH! HE IS 37! I THINK....


TODAY, NOVEMBER 1OTH, IS THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORP BIRTHDAY! THEY ARE A WHOPPING 233 YEARS OLD!!! SEMPER FI!


TOMORROW, NOVEMBER 11TH IS VETERANS DAY AND JASON'S BIRTHDAY! HE NEVER HAD TO GO TO SCHOOL ON HIS BIRTHDAY! I'M GUESSING HE IS STILL GOING TO GO TO WORK TOMORROW!!!


SO, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO EVERYONE!!!

Change?

Funny bumper sticker:

THE CUBANS WANTED CHANGE IN 1959.
LOOK HOW FAR THAT GOT THEM!

A laugh...well, Maybe..

I have been corrected...as usual when it comes to politics. It is not historical to have a woman run for VP...it would have been historical had she won! This has been fixed on the previous post!
:-) As we all know now...she didn't.....
It is 10:00 Wednesday morning, November 5th, 2008. Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States of America.

A Day To Remember

A lot of people are very excited today. Today is election day. Today is a day to remember. This election will go down in history as the first black man runs for president and for the first time a woman could be our vice president. The people of this nation are completely divided. Some key issues to blame for the division of our people are the economy, the war in Iraq, healthcare, the environment, and terrorism. Ironically, the day we decide as a nation who our next leader is, which could completely change the face of the war, is the day my family has to watch my brother leave to serve his tour of duty for the war in Afghanistan. It was a dreary day as was the mood. We all love him and will miss him everyday. His trip starts in New Orleans first, then to Portugal and Greece, until finally he will settle in Qatar. Your family says good luck, safe travels, Semper Fi. We love you.

Happy Halloween!!

If you know me, you know I'm not a fan of things that scare you! I'm almost 25 years old and have never slept upstairs in the cabin on my parent's farm by myself.  I'm not a fan of Garrett and other friends telling me they are at the store when really they are planning on doing something to scare me while I am by myself!  When I have a bad dream, 95% of the time dinosaurs are trying to kill me! Weird, I know, but they are scary when you are dreaming about them!  Anyways, those are things that I am not a fan of...this does exclude roller coasters and things of that nature..well..almost...I don't like rides that fall straight down or falling in general. However; there are 13 straight days a year where I can watch a good scary movie every night on TV!  Of course, these are the 13 days leading to HALLOWEEN!  

<-----SCARY!!!  & GROSS.. What are you going to be for Halloween?

This is the one time of year when I don't mind being scared..so long as the scary stuff stays in the TV! I don't like it enough to willingly go to haunted houses in the middle of nowhere and chance being stuck in my own Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequel or walk to the slave graves on our farm at night!  So..you would think the night before Halloween there would be a good movie on that would make you think twice about whether all the windows and doors are locked while you are unsuccessfully trying to go to sleep!  But guess what...the reliable TV guide has assured me that no such movie will be on tonight! I mean come on...it's the night before Halloween!!  

So, since it seems I'm not going to get my scare tonight, I figured I would post some videos on here that are pretty hilarious!  One video is of a guy singing and dancing to a song.  His facial expressions are hilarious!  The other video is one my brother John showed me and is just catchy!  He loves this video.  This video is done by a helicopter pilot that is making fun of jet pilots.  Being that my brother John is a helicopter pilot in the military, I think this video shows us common people the "feud" between helicopter pilots and the jet pilots! Knowing some of John's crazy stories of things he has done in the military..I can totally see him and his friends coming up with something like this!

So, enjoy.  If I can't torture myself by making myself scared, I'll have a few laughs!  Hope you do the same!

Numa Numa Guy:


Jet Pilot Video:

Late Mandatory Family Fun Day

Sorry, this is a week late....but Hank decided to chew up my power cord. Anyways...we went to the State Fair last Friday. It was fantastic. We had shirts made! Haha...I know we are cheezy! We ate all day! I think I alone, had three ham biscuits! They were great. Towards the end of the day, Victoria was arrested by a state trooper!

We went to a Party!

Well, It has been busy busy since last weekend!!!1. Scarlett and Mason flew in Friday-Garrett and I picked them up at the airport and went back to my place. We had a great supper and enjoyed being able to hang out. Mason is s

o smart! Not to mention tall & handsome! :-)2. Saturday, we headed to K-Vegas to get ready for John's going away party. We tried to make it to the football games that morning, but couldn't. Mason was getting over a cold. But...Mike caught a pass and got the touchdown!!! Way to go Mike!!!!It was a great party! All of our family and friends were there! We had the party catered, and the food was delicious! Great barbecue. You will notice...we are a barbecue family!!! There were red, white 

and blue balloons everywhere and a BIG American flag and a BIG Marine Corp flag. It was decorated appropriately! That night we had a bonfire at their house. That was the first time John had gotten to use the fire pit that he had built! Needs some vents though! :-) J/K...

3. Sunday we celebrated Scarlett's birthday, which was on Monday. We had steaks and chicken on the grill! Yummmy. I won a game of HORSE against Mary and Dad...which actually Mary didn't know how to play..dork...haha.
4. Tuesday...a really busy day!!! I woke up to an email from Mitch saying that he had been working on his Mustang and it had fallen on him. He separated his collarbone from his shoulder and is actually having surgery right now as I type this. Luckily..he was working at the back of the car and was able to wriggle himself free. He could have easily been killed! So, I'm guessing Mitch won't be able to fly in tomorrow to go with us to the State Fair on Friday! :-(

Garrett bought a new car yesterday! He is very excited! What a nice car too! 2005 Honda Accord...black, his favorite color! He hasn't been able to sleep!

Scarlett, Mason, Mary, Shawn, Victoria, and I met for dinner in Hillsborough and had a nice dinner, except for the rude people sitting behind us...but anyways, who cares about them.

So...that is what has been going on since the weekend. It has been especially busy since Scarlett and Mason are here! Told ya October was crazy!!!!! I know these posts are long...but dang..there is a lot to keep up with!

State Fair!!!!

I'm so excited...this Friday our family goes to the fair! We have gone every year! We eat all day basically!

Food I have to eat at the State Fair:

Corn on the cob covered in real butter!

Country ham biscuit!

French fries and vinegar!

Mount Olive pickle!

Pizza!

Chocolate milk from the NCSU ag. stand!

Dinner Time!

Okay, so a co-worker gave me a delicious sounding recipe yesterday, so I decided to make it last night. It was madness, just like always!

I was going along cutting up my spices...sauteing my food...heating up the skillet in the oven, etc. I took the skillet out of the oven and then proceeded to grab it with my hand. I mean, right out of the oven! Needless to say I have huge blisters on my hand today! Anyways, the meal was delicious and Garrett was very grateful! He loved it! Since my hand was burning and soaking in ice, Garrett poured me some wine, told me to sit down, told me to change the tv channel with my right while he cleaned up everything!

Scarlett and Mason will be flying in from Texas in a few hours, so I've got some Cuban pork in the crock pot for tonight! Of course...I also will be having rice and snap peas...of course, but I did get some broccoli for Garrett and Mason! I can't wait to go to the airport!!!

Here is the recipe if you want to try it:

Tenderloin Steaks with Gorgonzola and Herbs and Roasted Garlic and Grape Tomato Pasta with Basil and Arugula

Ingredients

1/2 lb penne pasta

1 pint grape tomatoes

3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

Olive Oil

Salt + Pepper

1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola

Parsley (small handful), chopped

6 Sage Leaves, finely chopped

1 green onion, chopped

2 beef tenderloins, about 1-inch thick

1 cup baby spinach

10 basil leaves, pulled apart into pieces

1/2 cup grated parm. regianno cheese

3/4 cup reserved pasta water

Preparation
1. Set oven to 425 degrees.

2. Boil water and cook pasta 2 minutes shy of being al dente (pasta will cook more later)

3. Meanwhile, put tomatoes and garlic in oven for 20 minutes.

4. Salt and pepper both sides of beef.

5. Combine Gorgonzola, parsley, sage and green onion in a small bowl and set aside.

6. When tomatoes/garlic are about 4 minutes from being done, heat an oven-proof skillet on
high heat. Sear the beef for 90 seconds on each side. Keep beef in pan and put Gorgonzola mixture on top.

7. Take tomatoes out of oven, turn oven off, and transfer pan of beef to the oven for 4 minutes.

8. Put the roasted garlic in a bowl large enough for the pasta and mash to make a paste. Add the reserved pasta water and the tomatoes and mash until a sauce forms. Add the pasta, spinach, basil, and cheese and let sit for a few minutes.

9. Serve!

Oktober Craziness Begins!

Okay, so everyone who knows my family knows that we always have something going on! October for some reason is always one of the busiest months!

What is today...the 8th? Well we have already managed to spend one weekend in the Nantahala Park in the mountains white water rafting! It was fabulous! There was 14 of us in an 8 person cabin. Yes, that would be me who made the cabin reservation, me who took us to a restaurant Saturday night where we got either burnt or cold steak, and me who took us to a restaurant on Sunday that was closed after driving for an hour and a half! I am no longer in charge of these things!!!

Anways..Saturday was perfect! There wasn't a cloud in the sky. It started out around 40 degrees that day, but ended up around a perfect 75. We started the day out eating breakfast overlooking the river. Beautiful. We had to rent two rafts to carry us all down river. Our raft was the best, even though Jason couldn't sit still and jumped from raft to raft. We would high five with our paddles after a good rapid...Yes..we are dorks, but we have fun! The other raft envied us...I could tell. My raft crew include Mary, Jason, Me, Garrett, and Mom. Garrett was the raft guide for PART of the time. CAPI-TAN GZ! During his time..we always seemed to go down the rapids backwards...huh..Coincidence? He was fired eventually. That was the first time my nephews had been rafting (they were in the other raft with their mom and dad and my dad.) They had a blast!!! About halfway down the river..when you we were all getting a little chilly and hungry...the aroma of Italian food hit us! There was a tiny old cabin on the side of the river. We stopped and ate pizza and boiled peanuts by a fire! It was great! We made it down the river in about three hours, I think. You finish rafting with the biggest rapid at the end. So much fun..and Mary almost fell out, but I caught her. I wish I wouldn't have so we could have laughed. Sorry, it was an instinct to reach for her! There are funny pictures of the last rapid that I will get from Mary and post! After changing into dry clothes, Garrett and I went and enjoyed a nice cold beer and watched other families come off of the last rapid of the river. I got to get my Sweet Water Blue...a beer I haven't been able to get since college! I savored it and later got myself a 6 pack!!! Which I am still savoring! Hehe!

We finished off our trip with a wonderful lunch at the Asheville Farmer's Market Moose Cafe! Our table overlooked the mountains and the Biltmore Estate. Wow! The food was so delicious! They gave you biscuits with molasses, which I haven't had since I was little. Then we all got fried chicken and meatloaf and dumplings...YUMMY! After that meal...we all got into our cars and I fell asleep immediately while Garrett drove me home! Even with all the craziness..it was great!

Stay tuned for more craziness...Scarlett and Mason fly in from Texas in two days!!!