The Best Stuff on Earth

No...it's not Snapple. It's BLUE BELL ICE CREAM!

That's right. I'm making a very bold statement...and I do know that those in the South would agree with me, as they have had the glory in experiencing this divine frozen creation. For those unfortunate enough to live in the North, where Blue Bell is not currently available, I shall explain...

Blue Bell Ice Cream is made in Brenham, Texas, which is outside of Houston. It is made with the best ingredients, and the best only...thus making the ice cream the best. It has a rich flavor without being extremely heavy in your stomach. It's just amazing!

Anyway, I recently came into possession of such amazing-ness this week (and by came in possession, I mean I ordered the stuff) and the electricity in the air when it was delivered was palpable. I had it delivered to work so ensure I could track its delivery and the reactions were great:

1) Those who knew Blue Bell were beyond excited

2) Those who knew it was coming, but hadn't tried it were excited

3) Those who were surprised by its arrival and hadn't tried it were excited

So...in conclusion, people were excited.

I took it home to get it into the freezer...and it fits so perfectly, like it was destined to be there. It is such a pretty picture, don't you think?

As a bonus, when you order ice cream to be delivered, do you know what they have to do in order to ensure that it remains frozen? DRY ICE! And one of the greatest things to do with dry ice....activate it!

I spent a great amount of time playing with the dry ice, as, well, why not?!

So now, the only issue is waiting, as those damn four containers (well, three, because the Banana Split was not my choice, nor do I wish to eat it) are tempting and I can't dig in until Sunday (aka tomorrow).

I've made it this far, what's one more day...right?

Things That Irk Me

There are many things that I find frustrating...

1) Winter rains
2) Predictable plot lines in movies
3) Losing board games (or any kind of game, for that matter)

...just to name a few.

But one of the most annoying, frustrating and disheartening things...is not being trusted, not being believed.

I am the first one to admit that I am probably one of the clumsiest people on the planet. I can manage to twist my ankle, bang my knee, bump my head and get a paper cut all at the same time. In the last calendar year, I have been to the ER twice, and the doctor/walk-in clinic quite a bit, all for a varying array of things.

I recently suffered a fall, one that resulted in a severe sprained ankle. The worst thing about it was not the fall itself, though it did hurt like hell. It wasn't the fact that I had to be on restrictive duty at work, though that was annoying as hell. It was the fact that some people actually believed that I did it on purpose.

If you think that you can throw yourself down a flight of stairs without question, then yes, you could do something like this on purpose. If you think you can do this while someone you care about is watching and not feel any guilt, than yes, you could do something like this on purpose. If you like the feeling of pain, then yes, you could do something like this on purpose.

I'm actually very apprehensive about stairs at the moment because of what happened, even though I just missed one step. I had my best friend with me and the last thing I want is for him to see me get hurt because he goes into over-protective/panic mode and as endearing as that is, I still don't want him to worry. And I can't stand the idea of pain, much less being in it.

So, yes...I MUST have done this on purpose.

If you were there, then you can judge me. If you were there, then you would have seen the massive amount of tears that streaked down my face. If you were there, you would have seen how I tried to continue on with what I was doing, despite the amount of pain I was in. If you were there, you would have seen the swelling that occurred.

But only one of you was there, and he is the only one who can judge.

I hate the loss of Independence. Its annoying...and being told that you have to restrict yourself is one of the worst things to someone like me. Sure, its nice not having to do some of the things I do, but only if its by choice, not by regulation. And if you think that it was all wine and roses, that not having to do all of my job was the most magnificent and relaxing thing, think again. I had to do a lot of things that aren't a part of my job description because I was trying to help where I could, and that was at a desk. It wasn't just sitting there and doing nothing...

It is amazing though, to see who shows concern and who doesn't care; to see who actually asks about your well-being and who can't be bothered by it. And its amazing to see who could actually think that you would do something like this on purpose.

For those of you like that, I hope one day you are in my position and you see how it feels to have something happen to you against your wishes and watch as the people you thought cared about you, judge you and show very little compassion.

What goes around, comes around...just remember that.


Thank you for allowing my venting session.

Not So Good Friday...for the Birds

So...this past Friday was Good Friday and I took the day off from work. But this blog entry isn't about religion...its about birds.

I woke up Friday morning and started my usual routine of working out. After I was finished, I sat on the couch to drink the rest of my water and relax a little when something caught my eye out on the porch.

Now before I get into this, let me explain something. We have birds and squirrels around our porch because we have a bird feeder hanging off the balcony above us. This being said, it is never unusual to see the occasional critter.

Let me also say this: my bike hangs upside down under the balcony as well and it has only been there for about two weeks.

So, when something caught my eye on the porch, I was prepared to see a bird at the feeder. Nope. The bird had flown in and landed on the bike.

And that's when I saw it....the nest. I couldn't believe it! It had literally appeared overnight, or at least it had to me. I was super impressed as I had really never seen such a perfect nest that close.


The unfortunate thing was that...I needed to be able to access my bike...and that nest wasn't going to make it happen. So, I enlisted the help of Andy to help pull the bike down and move the nest.

We had to make sure that 1) the birds weren't in the nest when we chose to move it and 2) that there weren't any eggs (otherwise, no moving the nest).

Luckily, we had no issues...and were able to move the next to a nearby tree.


Now I'm keeping a closer eye on my bike :-)

Rhode Island Road Trip

Get it...road and Rhode trip...haha!

Well, on with the blog...seeing as I haven't done this in almost a month! Ugh! Anyway...

So, I don't think of myself as a 'girlie-girl' and I think most people would agree. What I think most people don't know is that I actually don't mind being a 'girlie-girl' from time to time.

No, I don't think I have the energy, desire or necessary maintenance and upkeep to be one all of the time...but there are days when I wish I could be more so and enjoy being one.

I've always been a tom boy, the one playing sports or rough-housing with my guy friends. Don't get me wrong, I had plenty of girl friends, but they were all into skirts, makeup and the cute boys. I hung out with the cute boys they stared at and they were my buddies.

This story has a point...and here it is.

Girls have accessories galore. Jewelry, bags, purses, scarves, shoes, hats, etc. I have my fare share of jewelry (collected over the years from gifts mainly). I have shoes (but most are sneakers and flip flops). I have scarves (bc I am kind of obsessed with the colors and textures...probably closest thing to 'girlie' that I have). Yes, hats (but they are baseball or winter...). Lastly, I have bags (but they are mostly totes and like two purses that are black and boring).

So...when my mom came to visit and asked to take a road trip to Rhode Island, I wondered why. She wanted to go to a store in Newport. What kind of store you ask? A purse and bag store! No joke! I was like 'OK, why not' because I had never been to Newport.

We had a nice drive out there, though a certain someone forgot to tell me that there were two HUGE bridges that I would have to drive over...and I hate driving over bridges....twice!! Anyway, those bridges aside, it was a beautiful day to be strolling along the harbor in Newport.

We weren't going very far around the town, looking specifically for a store front with the name Brahmin.

The colors in the windows got me and the old weathered exterior was amazing. We walked in and the smell of leather hit my nose. It was awesome. Then those colors from outside came at me full force inside. It was like standing in a rainbow.

My mom told me what she was looking for...and how she wanted to be able to see the bags in person before she bought one (i.e....didn't want to order something online without holding it). We spent a great deal of time in the store. Other customers would come and go, but we stayed the same. I never got bored...because I was sucked into the experience.

My mom finally began to narrow down her choices and we picked out a beautiful bag. The funny thing for me was that I became hooked on this one bag myself. A beautiful green hobo bag made from Melbourne Alligator) yes...I'm not a huge fur person...but I do like the gator! ;-) My mom was willing to get me a wallet, which I chose in the same green, because she said I should save the bag for like my birthday or Christmas (these things are pricey).

So...my mom, with her new bag in tow, and I proceeded out into the chilled ocean air (and comparing the lack of oceany smell to the supreme oceany smell of NJ...haha). We walked around a bit and enjoyed a little lunch before heading to car and starting the drive back home.

Fast forward about 3 weeks later...and a wonderful surprise from my mom...

Come on....tell me that's not a pretty sight?! I've been such a girl, carrying that bag everywhere, ever since! ;-)

This Little Piggy and the "M" Word

----WARNING: THIS BLOG CONTAINS A PHOTO WITH BLOOD------

Well, those who remember I blogged earlier this year about a series of challenges that I was going to be accomplishing. Welcome to Challenge #1 and how it went horribly wrong!! ;-) Challenge Duplicate Recipe: Chick-Fil-A Sandwich and Waffle Fries . Andy and I had gone out the night before to pick up all of the supplies. Once everything was assembled, it was time to get cooking! First thing was first...take the chicken breasts and make cutlets and then flatten them. Then, marinate them like Chick-Fil-A does...in pickle juice!! (PS...if you do this, don't leave them in longer than 20-30 minutes as the acid in the juice will begin to cook the chicken).

I then shifted to making the breading stations, with a pan for wet and a pan for dry ingredients. Delicious!!

After I began the waffle fries everything turned south. I assembled my mandolin (a very sharp kitchen device used for slicing). I was working and then...BAM!

I got about half way through the potato and I cut my pinkie finger. Well, not actually cut...

I basically cut a chunk out of the pad of my pinkie and after the initial shock...it hurt like a b*#$%. After searching for first aid items (and discovering that we really don't have any) and finding that we couldn't stop the bleeding, we got in the car and headed to the ER.

An hour later, we were out of the hospital with a bandaged finger (no stitches...since there wasn't anything to stitch together :-/) and in search of a First Aid Kit...and dinner.

I still got my chicken sandwich...though it wasn't from Chick-Fil-A like I promised. But, we will be trying this again...with a little extra attention paid to that damn mandolin!!

And Then There Were Sixteen...

At the end of Day 6 of the NCAA Tournament, we reached the Sweet 16. Oh yes, it's been a nail-biter of a tourney, that's for sure. Of course there have been the few blow outs, but most of the games are being decided in the final seconds with a difference of a few points! The upsets have been many and the tension high. Ah March Madness, how we love thee!


I readjusted the office brackets this morning and the teams just keep disappearing. We are down to the top 16 teams, out of the original 68. That seems so crazy that were are down so much in such a short time. It seems like yesterday when this all began and it was really almost a full week ago.


I'm still in second place but it will all come down to these last games. I did, unfortunately, lose a final four (damn you Florida State taking out Notre Dame!!) but the rest are still there, as are my final two! I tell you...just crazy!!!


Take a look...





More to come...the Elite Eight, Final Four and the NCAA Tournament Champions (plus the Office Champion...there's a Nerf Basketball Hoop on the line people!!)

Visiting with Friends

It's always wonderful when friends come to visit. This weekend was about Fomby! It was so amazing to get to hang out with her, get to tell her a little more about what I do, hear more about her and her husband, compare the similarities in our lives, etc.

When she got here, we got a great lunch and really got the chance to catch up. We then headed home so she could meet the roomie and we relaxed a bit more before heading back into downtown to see the show at work. She really enjoyed it!!

Once we got home, I set up her bed and we watched some Food Network (bad idea when we hadn't eaten dinner) and then went to sleep.

Today was an adventure as well. We began with breakfast with both my girls. Once Robyn headed into work, I introduced Fomby to the wonders of Eddie Izzard! Then it was all about the road-trip...

You all know that I'm not shy about taking a road trip to grab food. I do it when I head out to Massachusetts for Qdoba. That craving hits you and you just want to go. I'll even end up doing that with Andy for some Chick-fil-a. Can't help it. This trip was no different.

We headed down to Fairfield, CT to try Pinkberry, a tart frozen yogurt place and to take in the town. A little over an hour later, we were in southern CT standing in line to get the tasty treat!

The options at this place were numerous and looked fantastic. The flavors varied from original to chocolate, from pomegranate to mango, from coconut to lychee. And then the toppings...savory and sweet, chocolate and fruity. Yum!

I ended up with the original flavor with a bunch of fruit (blueberries, strawberries, kiwi and mango). Delicious!

We then headed out for a walk around the little main street area in search of warm drinks (enter Starbucks) and began our walk back, taking in some history along the way.

Of course Fomby ended up finding a handsome gentleman and hitting on him...though I did think he was a little stiff.

(ps...that's a bronze of Mark Twain reading Huck Finn)

Lastly, we headed into an awesome candy shop that I have to admit I walked out with two small bags of goodies!

It was so amazing to have Fomby with me, even for such a short amount of time. I've missed her! We had great conversations about out pasts and even our futures! Hopefully we can catch up again much sooner!