Admittedly it has been waaay too long since I have posted to our blog. And in case you were wondering, we didn't fall off the edge. Although, we may have peeked over it......
Life has a way of getting in the way of all the plans we make. Things out of our control take on lives of their own and continue to interrupt our ideas for the routines we would like to have. Here it is 6 months from our last post. So much to catch up on and the thought is overwhelming. I will start from here and not from there because it is so much. Along the way I may take a brief flashback to let you know where we have been.
I hope you are ready to read some of our quirkyness again, or at least keep up on the craziness of our family and how truly blessed we are to be living a life full of love and laughter.
Welcome to my newest blog post called “No Reiterations”. It will actually be a periodical blog about food. If it makes you think about one of my favorite TV shows… No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain… that’s exactly what I was going for. I also chose to use the term “reiterate” because it's defined as “to do again or repeatedly, to repeat excessively”. In short, the point of my blog is to try and inspire anyone who reads it… to stop eating the same foods day in and day out. I would simply encourage you to look for and try new things. Don’t misunderstand, I’m not asking you to stop going to your favorite places… or eating your favorite dishes… just try something new from time to time. You never know, you just might find some new favorites… _________________
Hot Dogs at Harry’s on Main Street in Westminster Maryland on 3/23/2009
Most people might argue that I’ve already broken my founding blog rule by trying Hot Dogs. After all, the premise of this is to inspire trying “new” foods. Well, all I can say is I’m not going quite that far with the idea. The actual intent of “No Reiterations” is to drop the hum drum staple foods most people eat day in and day out. Think about it… when you cook or go out to eat… I bet there are only about 10-20 different dishes you regularly eat. Our family is the same way. If we couldn’t get chicken tenders, grilled cheese sandwiches or cheese pizza at every restaurant in town, our kids would probably never eat. You’ve heard “variety is the spice of life”… I’m just making a habit of trying something new to me at least twice a week.
All that aside, I know you’re thinking… what’s so “new” about a Hot Dog. How can it be special, unique, or out of the ordinary? I can see your point. So let me tell you about these dogs. Harry’s on Main Street in Westminster Maryland is the home of genuine award winning Coney Island Hot Dogs… the same Coney that the Baltimore Ravens make it a point to stop and eat every year while in Training Camp at McDaniel College right here in Westminster. And they aren’t the typical wieners you probably have in the fridge right now. Comparing this to a typical Oscar Meyer… is like comparing a Rolls Royce to a Honda. Sure, they’re both cars… but beyond that they have nothing else in common.
The Coney Island Hot Dogs at Harry’s are what my friend Xac would call “so good it makes you want to slap your mama for never cooking them like this”. Harry’s Coney’s are made from Beef and Casing (a sausage). It’s put on a perfectly steamed bun… and topped with all meat chili, yellow mustard and chopped yellow onions. NEVER with ketchup.
From the picture I’ve included, you might see all those onions and think it’s going to be way too much. But these are mild enough; they add just the right flavor and texture. By the way, I consider it a bonus when the food actually resembles the menu picture :-). Personally, I never really enjoyed Hot Dogs per say… and I’m sure most adults are the same way. After all, that’s why we grill Brats and Burgers for ourselves… and get a pack of wieners for the kids. But believe me… if these are available… the kids wouldn’t get anywhere near them and your family pooch would be in heaven because you’d drop your backyard burger in a second for one of these. Bottom line… I imagine if I had a list of food genres, this would definitely be in my Hot Dog Top 5. This is certainly one of my new favorite places to go in Westminster… and I found it because I decided to have No Reiterations that day.
We are 10 days into our 40 days of water. So far I have come through some pretty obnoxious caffeine withdrawals....but it is worth it. I have approximated our beverage spending and we saved about $35.00 last week. No coffee, no fast food sodas, no sweet tea while running errands. And yes, not even a glass of wine on our night out.
Many people have asked us why we are doing this. Part of me wants to know that I can give up anything I set my mind to giving up....I don't know why I need to know that, I just do. Maybe it has to do with quiting smoking and starting running. Maybe it is the challenge in my life lately to live a life above and beyond and truly represent the God I say I serve. Really, it is us doing our little part to make someone elses life a little better. Isn't that what we are all called to do?
A few weeks ago I had the chance to go to Off The Blogs in Atlanta. It was truly an amazing experience. I have to say I didn't know what to expect when I went and many thanks to Farah for joining me in something she really had no interest in to start with.
It was a simple enough concept, get out from behind the computer and meet each other. For real, not the picture that is painted in the few words written about their lives in the weekly blog posts. I went with the hopes of grasping a better understanding of how they create community on their blogs, how to stimulate conversation and build relationships with their readers.
My first impression...WOW!! They had Aaron Keys lead a time of worship. Amazing. Absolutely Amazing. Not only the song choices but his knowledge and passion for the Psalms and God's word. Breathtaking. At one point he read through Isaiah 61, I could have stayed and listened to him read the entire book of Isaiah if he had wanted to.
The event was hosted by Pete Wilson. Carlos Whitaker, Anne Jackson and Jon Acuff each took a time to share a part of themselves. (I highly recommend you check out their blogs.) Here are some of the amazing things I learned:
Ground your Identity in Christ and not in the comments, the image or the words.
"Fine" is the Christian F word and we need to stop a culture of just being fine.
Be transparent. Everyone needs someone to say "me too". People struggle and need to know that they are not alone.
Be held Accountable. Place people in your life that will check up on you, love you and be completely honest with you.
Give the Gift of Second. Be willing to share your testimony, your story first. Give someone else the courage to tell their story once you have told yours.
Regardless of how any of us choose to respond to God's grace, it all has meaning. It all is a part of a bigger plan. Sometimes we do it imperfectly, sometimes we get it right and loose focus of our purpose. It is always used for His glory.
Ted and I have decided to take on this challenge. And yes, even I, the one that could single handedly support the coffee industry will be putting aside my love of a perfect beverage.
From March 1st to April 9th it will be water only. (I have to make one small confession though: because of the marathon training I will be purchasing those little packets of propel mixture for my water. This will be purely for my long runs and the day of the marathon. I need the extra carbs, sodium and calories those days)
We both feel that everyone deserves clean water. It is something we take purely for granted in our country. The opportunity for clean water and sanitation offers many people in Africa the chance to live healthy lives.
Yes... That is a whole crab... and I'm supposed to just throw the other slice of bread on top and dig in. It's a deep fried soft shell crab... and I was told it just crunches like a crispy french fry. In actuality... it tastes like a deep fried turd... then you have to deal with the gelatinous filled waxy coated plasmaticexo-skeletin texture.
I was able to choke down 3 bites. For some reason I thought it might get better... but it only intensified as I got deeper into the main body... which was just how God intended it to be on the ocean floor... full of guts and partially digested yet still rotting fish heads the little bastard was baited into the crab net with.
Andrew Zimmer's got nothing on this bizarre food!
I feel dirty... and my fingers smell like sea gull puke.
(I received this email from Ted last night. He is in Baltimore on business. I suppose you just have to try everything once.)
Do you ever wonder how your friendships start? Where is the line drawn between acquaintance to friend to good friend to family?
I think it must be moments. Little things that add up to something much bigger. I believe it becomes about vulnerability and honesty. It is about getting rid of the fear that someone may actually know you. And I mean, know. The good stuff and the bad stuff.
The more time you spend with people, the more pieces of the puzzle are put together. Before you know it, something beautiful has been created. Friendship.
This is a little something we put together with our friends the Farquaads. You know you gotta be good friends if you can sit around a table for 5 hours putting the itty-bitty pieces of a puzzle together. Don't forget to add great food and good music, it always helps set the mood.....
It has been almost 10 years since I was a professional hairdresser. It is hard to believe I have been a stay-at-home mom longer now then a working woman. I would have to say that my talents as a hairdresser don't get the workout that they use to. Luckily though my beautiful girls have been blessed with amazing hair. So, yesterday was time for trims and they are looking quite cute. I would love to show you how great they look but the giggles took hold and I couldn't get a decent pick, so here is a goofy one....
Today was my turn to go in and get a good cut. I am keeping it quite short for the convenience of running daily. I just can't handle the pony tail thing, it drives me nuts. Although, I don't really remember the last time my hair was long enough for a pony tail. I am sure they bug me though. After I got home from my haircut I had a little fun with the color. I am blessed not to be fighting with too many grey hairs but I still just can't handle the boring brown....so, here is my new do and I have to say I love having my hair done.....
I dunno what kind of music you enjoy. I like all kinds of music. Today during my blog meanderings I stumbled upon these few sites and found free music downloads. Most are unknown artists just trying to get there names out there and build up a fan base. I found a few artists that I like.
Okay, so first you wanna go to Indieheaven.com...check out the artists, see what you like. Then under the music section there is a little tab that says Redeem. Click there and it will ask for a code, most of them give you one right there, type it in and it will send you to volumMonster.com and waala...now click the download button.
One disclaimer, I think most of the music is Praise and Worship. I enjoy that kinda thing so it works for me....
I found this little nugget from Transparent Christian Magazine. They recommended Brad Reynolds. He is very good. He has 3 songs for download. I like the song In the Real World, go check it out......
I have always been a big fan of his movies but now I am a fan of his video game. Boom Blox
As a family we have never been huge video game people but last year we purchased our Wii. We have been loving it. It is a fun, active way to spend time together as family.
Over the holiday break we rented this little game at Madi's request. It totally ROCKS!! So, we bought it, of course. We have now spent endless hours improving our bomb throwing, jenga pulling, and baseball pitching. It is a great multi-player game, which is fun to play with friends. Creating more addiction in other households. Ask Ted (and our friends the Farquaads) just how many nights they have spent doing just "one more level" past 1 am.
If you are out and about, run into GameStop and grab your family a copy. You will love it.
I found a new blog today through one of the other blogs I read....(hehe)
I started my morning reading one of my new favorite blogs stuffchristianslike. I read the little snippet about a new book coming out and the author Anne Jackson. I had to hit the link to check it all out at flowerdust.net. Anne it seems is running a little giveaway to help promote her book, Mad Church Disease.
If you are interested in sharing your favorite scripture and why it means so much to you click here. You could potentially win a copy of the Logo’s Scholar’s Library. Best of luck.
I hope everyone had a great holiday. It was busy for us and mellow at the same time. We slacked a little on our Marathon training. We did about half of what we should have. But now it is a new year and time for a little focus.
I was terrified to see what I had done to myself during New Years (We had a big Seafood Feast at our house) so I didn't weigh in last week. I thought the discouragement would be a bad start to the new year. I did however work my butt off and got back in the routine of regular work outs.
I got on the scale today and WootWoot!! I am down 4lbs. Yeah!! Can you see me doing a happy dance? I got on the WiiFit tonight and it gave me a little triumphant trumpet sound because I have crossed the line from Overweight to Normal. Yep, there is something that calls me Normal. Although it can't truly judge my character it can make me pretty happy in knowing that I am at a normal weight for my age and height.
A huge kudos for Ted. He has been working really hard. He is down to 237, which is awesome. He has lost 30 lbs and has bought 3 new pairs of jeans. He is a total Hottie!!
The training is going well. A lot of time is being spent on the dreadmill because of rain and cold. Ted and I have 2 upcoming races that are part of our training. Next Sat (the 24th, I think) we are going to run a 10 mile race. Then, on Valentines Day, we are going to attempt a 1/2 Marathon (13.1 miles).
Sorry that I took a hiatus from the playlist and blogging. It was the holidays after all. But, don't fret, I am back on our regular routine and am more than happy to share my favorite songs with you.
This week is a great one for running on the Dreadmill and a favorite from my younger angry chick days.....The Cranberries: Salvation
Admittedly it has been waaay too long since I have posted to our blog. And in case you were wondering, we didn't fall off the edge. Although, we may have peeked over it......
