Poke-A-Nose

What do you get when you gather 11 adults, 4 dogs, and a baby in the mountains for a weekend?

Our annual trip to the Poconos, that's what.

Day 1 in the Poconos proved to be a bit... rainy. And it felt somewhat familiar.

When we first woke up, it was still decent outside, so we took advantage and spent some time walking around. Trevor and Kara had to take a ride to a nearby town for some errands, but Hunter stayed back with us. I strapped him to the front of me in his carrier and about five minutes later, he was snoozing.

Before he and Kara left, Trevor and I posed for a pic with the baby.

A bunch of us on the dock... Tyler, Susan, my mom, me, and Marie.

Marie and Tyler even got out on the paddle boat for a little bit.

Miller experimented with "swimming."

We relaxed in the screened-in gazebo down by the pond. This was after Hunter had passed out. Look at little Tess... she was really good with the baby. Normally, she gets really jealous when I'm holding him and is constantly bugging me, and while she did have a few of those moments today, she was mostly well behaved.

Speaking of Tessa... she was nervous about walking out onto the dock, but that wasn't enough to keep her from doing it altogether. Instead, she walked really slowly, and with a funny stance--all of her legs wide apart, as if she were making sure to steady herself. It was hilarious.

In the afternoon, it really started to rain, so we all took cover and spent the rest of the day hanging out under the covered porch up at the house.

Hunter kicked back with his grandma (look at how big he's getting--good lord!).

We watched it pour.

A bundled up baby took another nap.

And the dogs were cuddled...

...and passed out.

In the early evening, we all retreated to our respective rooms for a while. Everyone relaxed a bit and showered before meeting back up at the main house for dinner. The guys enjoyed beers while us girls had some wine and cheese.

While dinner was cooking, I took the opportunity to take a few snapshots of Hunter while he was in a really alert/playful mood. His big, wide eyes... love it!

We enjoyed a group dinner (all 11 of us!) of flank steak, and a salad made entirely of vegetables directly out of Susan's garden.

After dinner, the fun (see: drinking) continued, as we all sat out on the porch and talked for hours.

Meanwhile, Miller slept on a dirty boot...

...Hunter's toy got stolen by a big bear...

...and Tessa gave up on waiting for Michael and I, and found a place to relax on her own. This was a chair with a pile of folded up blankets on it in the dining room. I have to emphasize that she RARELY does this. Typically, we have to be sitting down for her to relax. Not only that, but her favorite place to relax is with us--lying on our laps, in between our legs, etc. So the fact that she sought out a place to make herself comfortable means she was really, really tired. :) I guess all of that off-the-leash time and fresh air exhausted her!

Weather is supposed to be much better tomorrow...

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Pit Stop

Every year, when we make this trip down to Pennsylvania, we stop at right about the halfway point to get frosties. We also stretch our legs, let the dogs out to the bathroom, etc.

Well, now that they have vanilla frosties, Tessa gets to indulge a little bit, too.

Conveniently, the small frosty cup is the perfect size... FOR HER ENTIRE FACE.

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Life is a Highway

We are on our way to our annual Poconos trip! 1 hour down, three to go. Tessa's happy, though. Can't wait for a relaxing weekend in the mountains...

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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Operation Baking Gals, Round 11

OK, folks... sign-up for Round 11 of Operation Baking Gals has begun.

Once again, we are baking for a wonderful soldier who could use a little pick-me-up from home. To see his story and to sign up for Team Heather Drive, visit www.bakinggals.com. You have to register with the site (it's free, and there's no spam) in order to view the teams and sign up to bake.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions.

Shipping starts next week, so please sign up and get baking as soon as possible!

Thanks for everything you do.

(Don't know what Baking Gals is? Read these posts.)

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Get your popcorn ready

OK, so obviously, my "Mystery Man" was Terrell Owens.

As all of the news media and posters and hoopla around town continue to remind me: He's heeeeeere. Training camp has started and he has officially begun his time as a Buffalo Bill.

Quite some time ago, someone left a comment on one of my blog posts asking what I thought about T.O. becoming a Buffalo Bill. At the time, I planned on posting about it at some point, so I didn't answer the question. And then time got away from me and now that football season is upon us, I realized I still needed to address this!

If you've been reading here for a while, you'll know I'm passionate about my football.

I ruffled feathers when I criticized Brett Favre for playing the retirement/comeback game (AND HE'S STILL DOING IT, ohmygodseriouslyjustretirealready).

I inadvertently started an all-out war when I had the audacity to joke about Tom Brady's season-ending knee injury (and look at that, he's coming back this season. All healed and whole. What do you know... my evil voodoo didn't work. Damn).

So anyway, it probably won't come as a surprise to you that I remember the day I found out Terrell Owens was to be a Buffalo Bill in the same way I remember the day the O.J. Simpson verdict was handed down. In other words, I remember it VERY well. Let's back up, shall we?

It was March 6th. Michael, Cristina, and I were driving the 2.5 hours home after meeting our 4-day-old nephew for the first time. We were cruising along when Michael got a text message from the Buffalo Bills.

Michael is signed up to receive text updates from the team. During the season, these texts include news about injuries, game scores and stats, etc. The text messages are far less frequent in the off-season.

Anyway, the message was pretty vague. It said something to the effect of, "The Buffalo Bills have scheduled a press conference for 6 p.m. at 1 Bills Drive." I'm going to be honest--we sort of started to freak out. We frantically began to speculate about what the news could be.

1. This was sudden.
2. It was the off-season.
3. It was a Saturday. Knowing what I know from working in marketing, it's sort of rare to announce big news on weekends. Especially at 6:00 p.m.! Typically, if it can wait until Monday, it waits until Monday.

We knew that this story had to be big. Which, at that moment, meant one of two things to us: we convinced ourselves that Ralph Wilson (the owner) had died, or that the team was officially moving to Toronto (a topic of major speculation the last few years).

I began to search the radio for a station that might be broadcasting sports news, or even better, the actual press conference. Given that we were outside of Buffalo's radio range, however, I found nothing. Plus, we still had some time before 6:00 p.m. Meanwhile, Michael had texted and left voicemails with a few friends and fellow fans to see if anyone had any idea what this announcement could be about.

Imagine our surprise when Michael got another text message, this time from his friend, Dave. It said, quite simply, "T.O. was in Buffalo today."

The reaction from the three of us in the car changed from minute to minute.

Shock. Disbelief. Nervous laughter. Ohhhh, how we laughed.

Seriously, we told ourselves (and each other). No. That couldn't be it. There's no way the Bills would ever sign T.O. There's no way T.O. would ever agree to play for the Bills. It has to be something else. But... what if it's true?

And then it was true.

My first reaction was, "What the hell are they thinking?! This guy is a CANCER. He has somehow managed to destroy every team he's been on."

But Michael was behind the decision from the very beginning. We were still all in shock about it, but the more and more we talked about it, the more it made sense.

You see, we have nothing to lose. There is virtually NO. WAY. that Terrell Owens can make the Bills any worse than they already are. We haven't made the playoffs in TEN YEARS, for crying out loud.

There is nothing to destroy.

We don't know if he'll make us better. But he could. Our best receiver, Lee Evans, constantly struggles with being double covered, as all defenses know he is a frequent target. Having Owens on the other side takes some attention away from Evans. Hopefully they'll make for quite a dynamic receiving duo. Also, I don't know if you've seen Owens lately, but he is in STELLAR shape. He is a tremendous athlete, despite being 36 years old (pretty old for the NFL). Strictly speaking about his work on the field, we can't complain about his addition to the team roster.

Here's what we do know: No matter what happens, it'll certainly be entertaining. And that's more than we can say for the past many, many seasons.

And quite frankly, I find his antics hilarious. I've been laughing at him for years.

While with the 49ers... who can forget his touchdown celebrations? Stealing the cheerleader's pom-poms? Taking the Sharpie out of his shoe? I'm one of the people who wishes the NFL wouldn't fine for this stuff. I love it.

With the Eagles... getting into a fight with Andy Reid, refusing to show up at practice, and then making a huge media spectacle out of working out/doing sit-ups in his driveway? You just have to give the guy some credit, because this shit is genius.

And my favorite of all time... the Ray Lewis dance. LOVED. IT. How can you not find this funny, knowing that he took the time to study it, practice it, and then expertly executed it right in front of Ray Lewis's face? And COME ON, it's RAY LEWIS. He murders people!



Yes, we have been watching his reality show. I follow T.O. on Twitter. I read and watch all of his news coverage.

This guy is the best thing to happen to Buffalo in YEARS. I'm loving him, and loving that he's a Bill. And I'll tell you, I'm not the only one. In general, Bills fans are pumped. I'm well aware that my opinion could quickly change, but I suppose we'll see. He only has a one-year contract, so honestly, I'm not all that worried.

At the end of the day, I'm just looking forward to seeing what he does. The anticipation is killing me.

Get your popcorn ready.

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Mystery Man

OK, so who can tell me who this guy is? :)

Hint: Look at the logo on his hat.

I was within 5 feet of him this weekend (I took this photo), but didn't get to actually meet him. I was bummed. But not bad though, right?

At least some of you have to know who he is...

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My Three Nephews

At Cristina's graduation party yesterday, we had both of our families in the same place for the first time since Logan and Hunter were born. Michael and I had talked prior to the party about how we wanted to get a photo with all three of our nephews.

And we made it happen! In one of the moments when there wasn't any crying, sleeping, or eating, we stole them all away to go get some pics.

Aren't they cute?? Love these little guys.

(Disclaimer: Any injury to the eyes caused by the sight of white, pasty legs is not the responsibility of the blog owner.)

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Family Photo Shoot

Today was Cristina's graduation party.

After seeing Hunter's newborn photos that I took a couple of months ago, my sister-in-law, Melissa, asked if I'd take family photos for her. Unfortunately, this is the first time we've really had the opportunity! It's been a busy summer.

We decided to attempt the photos prior to the start of the party, since it was already at a nice park. Thankfully, the weather cooperated, Brendan was a ham, and Logan didn't cry. A success, I'd say!

This one's my favorite, I think.

Melissa mentioned how she wished we could get a couple photos of just the boys. I asked if we could try to have Brendan hold Logan in the grass. So funny! It didn't work out as well as expected, because Brendan didn't know enough to sit up strong and support him. He kept leaning back, which caused Logan to slip down, and eventually, the baby had enough and got cranky. The challenges of working with two under 2! :) I did manage to get this one good shot, so it wasn't a total loss. I just wish Brendan had been looking at me instead of over to the side!

At the end, Michael and Cristina jumped in for a few shots. Super cute!

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Graduation Cake

I spent the majority of my evenings this week working on a graduation cake for my sister-in-law, Cristina. She graduated from high school last month, and her party is tomorrow. Because of the number of people invited to the celebration, she needed a pretty gigantic cake--a full sheet cake. I had never made a cake that big, but happily accepted the challenge.

(Pardon the white square--behind it is Cristina's school logo. For her privacy, I didn't want to broadcast the name of her school. So you'll just have to imagine what a kickass job I did recreating the logo. HA!)

The cake turned out well, but not without a few obstacles along the way. The biggest issue occurred on Wednesday night when I tried to transfer one of the cakes and the entire thing crumbled apart. I had to throw it out and start all over. NOT A GOOD NIGHT, I assure you.

Anyway, it all worked out in the end. I made the cake out of two 11 x 15" cakes, one chocolate, one vanilla. I iced them together with vanilla buttercream. I decorated today, also with vanilla buttercream. I used my alphabet cookie cutters to outline the letters in the icing, then filled them in.

Look at my little cap and diploma! I was so proud. The bottom part of the cap was just black buttercream with black sugar crystals sprinkled on top. For the mortar board part of the cap, I traced the pattern on wax paper using melted chocolate, filled it in, sprinkled it liberally with black sugar crystals while it was still wet, then let it dry. Then I squeezed a blob of black icing on the cake and placed the chocolate mortar board on top of it to give it a 3-D look. I got this idea on Cake Central, and it turned out super cute!

The tassel, diploma, and ribbon were all made of marshmallow fondant. I had never worked with it before, so that required a bit of practice time, too.

Congratulations, Cristina!

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Shredding

I've finally hopped on the bandwagon.

That's right, folks. I'm talking about the 30 Day Shred.

I intended to buy this DVD sometime back in June, but then all of a sudden, it was July. Whoops. And then July was half over, and I realized that I had been out of my twice-weekly aerobics classes for more than a month already. Um, whoops again.

I don't want to have to start all over with my endurance when I get back into the aerobics classes in the fall, so I needed to do something. I just typically hate going to the gym on weekdays, and the weekends have been super busy, so I thought perhaps Jillian Michaels was the answer. I love her on The Biggest Loser (I would sooo pick her over Bob), so if anyone could kick my ass through my TV screen, I figured it'd be her.

I've never really been a "fitness DVD" type of person, so when I kept reading about how great a workout this is, I was skeptical. Only 25 minutes? And it's a full workout? Really?

But then I saw another person singing its praises. And another. And another. And so on. You get the picture.

So I caved. I bought it.

I started it Monday, so as of now, I've successfully completed three days of the 30 Day Shred. I am on Day 4 (to be completed later today, even though I'm beyond exhausted and would like to just take a nap).

It's working out pretty well so far. It's short enough so that I can actually talk myself into doing it daily, yet it's tough enough to make me feel like I've really done something. Couple the hard work with my 80-degree house and I'm sweating like crazy by the end of it.

Admittedly, I tend to breeze right through the cardio portions. And honestly, I'd be worried if I didn't. I'm accustomed to having my ass kicked for a full hour by my aerobics instructor. You wouldn't know it from looking at her, but my petite little Marcie packs a mean punch. (She even pulled "a Jillian" on us once and yelled, "You can faint, puke, or DIE--but you can't QUIT!" Um, yeah. She's scary.)

On the other hand, I find that most of the strength portions, even where I'm at--Level 1--are quite challenging. Some moves are easier than others. The forward lunges, coupled with bicep curls? Not bad. Again, I'm thanking Marcie and her 1,000 lunges and/or squats per class for that one. But the side lunges with the arm raises? Holy @*$%. Those hurt.

On Tuesday (the morning after Day 1), I was really feeling it in the crooks of my arms. On Wednesday, I still felt it in my arms, but felt a bit sore in my abs and legs, too. Today? I'm feeling pretty damn good, actually. Progress?

I think that for this first 30 days, I'm going to follow the "schedule," and stick with Level 1 for 10 days, then move to Level 2 for 10 days before moving to Level 3 for the final 10 days.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Any fellow "shredders" among my readers? I know you're out there; you can't hide. After all, everyone's doing it, right?

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Favorite Things

No, not Oprah's. Mine.

In other words, I've been tagged by Gaynor at Our Day by Design.

The "rules" for this tag are:
1. Mention and link back to the person who tagged you.
2. List 6 little things that make you happy.
3. Tag 6 other bloggers and let them know they're "it".

The funny thing about this is that I actually have a long list of little things that make me happy. I'm pretty sure this list has more than 100 items. I jotted it down over the course of a few days back during my junior year of high school. It's tucked into an old journal somewhere, and it's fun to go back and look at it. I haven't looked at it in years, though. Now I have to remember to find it. :)

Anyway, on to some of the "little things in life" that make me happy.

1. A comfy puppy.

Nothing will put a smile on my face faster than seeing Tessa all cuddled up and snoozing somewhere. Doesn't matter if it's curled up on the couch, inside of a blanket, on a pillow, nuzzled up next to me, or in between the two of us in bed. On her back, on her side, her little body rolled into a ball--whatever. It's cute as hell, and I love it.

2. A full gas tank.

It's just one of those things. I love getting into my car and seeing the gas meter read "full." Don't exactly know why, but it just makes me feel good. Perhaps it's the idea of the possibilities--I could go so many places on that one tank of gas! This is one thing that I am absolutely certain was on my "things that make me happy" list from 10 years ago. I've always loved a full gas tank.


3. Dessert.

I have to have something sweet after every meal (except breakfast). It can be as little as a piece of candy, or obviously, something more substantial. But I have to have it. No meal is complete without it. I'm definitely my mother's daughter, and I will be the first to admit that I have a wicked sweet tooth.


4. Depositing money into our savings account.

I love watching that balance rise. Love. it. In fact, I actually enjoy paying bills after every paycheck, because I like to get everything paid off, and then see how much we have left to "play" with. And by "play," I mean "transfer into savings." It just feels so good to save!


5. Sunny days.

My mood is automatically better if it's sunny out. Weather plays a huge part in establishing how I feel every day. It could be colder than Antarctica outside, but if it's sunny, the day is 100x better than if it's cloudy. I just absolutely love the sunshine.


6. Flip flops.

My "shoe" of choice. If I didn't live in the frozen tundra for six months out of the year, I'd be wearing flip flops all year long. I generally don't even like to wear shoes, so a flip flop is a fantastic compromise between barefoot and shoes. And they won't get me kicked out of places on the grounds of "no shoes, no shirt, no service."

So there you have it. A little glimpse into my crazy mind and some of its simple pleasures.

To tag people, I've gone back through my last six posts and randomly picked a comment from each one. Whoever left the comment has been tagged (assuming they have a blog).

Therefore, I tag:
1. Katie at My Life or Something Like It
2. Dana at Sweeping Through Life
3. Heidi at Our NEWlywed LIFE!
4. Jen at Meet The Robinsons
5. Samantha at The Long Haul
6. Gia at A Life in Progress

Have fun, ladies!

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Peach Sorbet

If Heaven exists, I'd like to believe that a bowl of this stuff will be waiting for me when I get there.

I'm not even kidding.

About a week ago, I was driving around in my car in 80+ degree heat, and I was thinking about sorbets. (Yes, it's a hard life I live, driving around thinking about sweet treats!) I was trying to decide what flavor I wanted to make next.

Suddenly, it hit me--peaches. And at that moment, I wanted peach sorbet so badly that I almost drove straight to the store to pick up some peaches. But I held off, and waited until I had some time to poke around on the internet to find a proven peach sorbet recipe.

Well, this is it. The peach sorbet recipe. Sure, I haven't tried any others, but I'll tell you what--I don't want to. This is my most favorite frozen treat I have had in a loooong time. When I finished my bowl tonight, all I wanted was more.

Thankfully, I do have some willpower.

The thing is... technically, it's not even peach season here yet. We'll start to have nice local peaches at the end of August/early September. What does that mean? Well, it means that we'll have many more opportunities to make peach sorbet.

Hallelujah.

Peach Sorbet
(Source: Annie's Eats)

Ingredients:
- 4 cups chopped fresh peaches
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Chill mixture in refrigerator for at least two hours.

2. Once chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.

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Baby Girl Shower Favors

My cousin is expecting a baby girl in September. Today, her sisters and mom threw her a baby shower. A few weeks ago, my aunt called and asked if I could help her with the favors. We talked it through and agreed I would make something edible. And I had just the thing in mind.

I ended up making two different flavors of cupcake bites. I've made these before--you've even seen them on my blog. I made them around Thankgiving, and then again at Christmas.

Each favor consisted of two of the cupcake bites, arranged in a truffle box, and tied with two different ribbons. I wanted to use the sparkly "It's a Girl" ribbon I found at Michael's, but I also wanted to incorporate the style of the shower and of the baby's nursery--pink and brown. So I found a way to use both.

I had to make up 50 of these boxes, so more than 100 cupcake bites! Needless to say, it was a bit time consuming. Totally worth it, though, as everyone enjoyed them and I received a ton of compliments.

Here are the two different flavors of cupcake bites, nestled in the box. (I just realized that I didn't take any photos of them outside of the boxes, which is a shame since they are so damn cute on their own. Oh well.) The one on the left, with the dark pink M&M, was made of strawberry cake with vanilla frosting. The one on the right, with the light pink M&M and sprinkled with non pareils, was made of chocolate cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting.

Delicious.

And congratulations to my cousin. I can't wait to meet her little girl.

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Blog Birthday

Today is my blog's first birthday. That's right; Heather Drive has been around for a full year now!

A year ago, I was uncertain of my blogging future. After the wedding, I knew I'd have to retire Road to the Aisle and just wasn't quite sure what I'd become. But you all stuck with me, I "found myself," and I even picked up some new readers along the way. So, thank you.

Happy Birthday to Heather Drive... and here's to many more.

Oh! Just so you all don't think I'm completely insane... I did not make a cake for my blog's birthday. I swear.

It just so happened that I had to make two cakes today in order to make some cupcake bite favors for my cousin's baby shower on Saturday (I'll show them to you in a day or two). So before I crumpled the cake into tiny little crumbs, I thought it'd be funny to "celebrate" the blog's birthday with a photo.

And so there you have it. Back to your regularly scheduled blogging. :)

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Banana Sorbet

I never really had much interest in buying an ice cream maker. But you see, I have a number of food blogs in my Google Reader, and all of these delicious-looking ice cream and sorbet recipes kept popping up. Every time, I'd look at the pictures and think...

Mmmmmmm.

And so with some gift cards and coupons, we hit Bed Bath and Beyond at the end of May/beginning of June and purchased the ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer.

Now, with very little effort, we can create homemade, tasty treats like this:

That's right--banana sorbet. The other day, I was on the hunt for a peach sorbet recipe for this weekend. Michael's having his wisdom teeth out on Friday morning, and I wanted to prepare to make him some surgery-friendly sweet treats.

I started at Annie's blog, since she has so many ice cream/sorbet recipes. I did find a peach sorbet recipe, but while there, I found a good-looking banana one, too! I had a couple of overly ripe bananas I wanted to use up, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

This sorbet is tasty. The banana flavor is very prominent, which is nice. In fact, it almost tastes like you're eating a really good banana, right out of the peel. Except, I don't even like bananas because I don't like their consistency! HA! But this completely solves my consistency issues, and I enjoyed it very much.

Banana Sorbet
(Source: The Perfect Scoop, as seen on Annie's Eats)

Ingredients:
- 4 medium-sized ripe bananas, peeled
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions:
1. Cut the bananas into chunks and puree them in a blender or food processor with the water, sugar and lime juice until smooth.

2. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

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Look who's smiling

Stopped over to see Nephew #3 this evening. He let me capture his new trick on camera. Little stinker is totally starting to smile.

Love, love, LOVE this little one.

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Wanted: A Deployed Soldier

I've sat out the last few rounds of Operation Baking Gals, simply because I didn't have anybody to sponsor. For a while there, I had a list built up, but through subsequent rounds, we reached the end of it. And then I got busy, and I had to let it slide for a while.

However, Round 11 (which also happens to be the 1st anniversary round for Operation Baking Gals!) is upon us. Baking Gals organizer Lyndsay is trying to drum up participation in celebration of the anniversary, so I would like to help out. But I am in need of at least one soldier, and I hope you can help out.

Does anyone out there have anybody overseas right now that we could bake for?

If so, please e-mail me as soon as possible at roadtotheaisle@gmail.com. You must have (or be able to get quickly) a current military address for the soldier so that we can make sure the packages will get to him or her.

Also, if you are submitting someone, please provide a short bio about your soldier, including the following information:

• Name
• Military address
  
• Relationship to you
• Branch of the military
• Where is he/she deployed to?
  
• How long has he/she been deployed? When is he/she scheduled to come home?
  
• Family information (Married? Kids?)
• Hometown/state
• Favorite baked goods or store-bought items
  
• Really anything else that you feel like sharing about this person so that we can get to know him/her

Right now, I'm just trying to get this all set up. I will post sign up information as soon as I have it, and baking/shipping will happen at the beginning of August.

Stay tuned!

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The Finish Line

Yesterday morning, I processed my last car payment. My car is officially paid off!

I had been waiting for that moment for five long years and it felt so satisfying to know that it was finally the last time! Obviously, there will always be gas to buy and maintenance/repairs to pay for, but knowing that the monthly payment is gone feels so good.

My husband needs a new car in the not-so-distant future, but it's great that we'll only have one car payment, not two. I plan on driving my newly-paid-off car for several more years now.

As with most celebrations, we thought it was only appropriate to enjoy a bottle of champagne. Cheers!

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Splitting Hairs

My hair.

'Tis long.

Very long.

I have a hair appointment on August 5, and I'm considering doing something drastic. Not Demi-Moore-in-GI-Jane drastic, but drastic nonetheless.

The problem is that sometimes, I really love my hair this long. There are generally a few hours toward the end of each day, when it's just the right amount of dirty, and before I get sick of feeling it on my neck and tie it up, that I really love my hair.

But I hate it when I'm washing it.
I hate it when I'm drying it.
I hate it when it's freshly washed.
I hate it when I tuck it behind my ears (makes it look long and stringy).
I hate it when I'm working out, and it keeps falling out of my hair tie because it is so heavy.

As you can see, I spend a lot of time hating it. So I think I want to change it. I thought--maybe I'll donate it. But I looked up the requirements and they want too much hair (at least 8"), and I'm not willing to go that short. And then I realize I'm afraid to cut it anyway.

But then, there's part of me that just wants to make a change. Then there's the issue of, well, if I make the change, what kind of change should I make? I like low-maintenance hair. All I do to my hair currently is wash it, dry it, brush it out. I don't even own a flat or curling iron. Also, I have an issue where I often think the shape of my face makes it look fat, so I have a fear of a haircut that doesn't go with my face. (I know I sound crazy. Just go with it.)

The last time I really cut my hair was in Summer 2006. It was still shoulder-length (like touching my collar bone), but it was short for me. I liked it, but since then, I've grown it out, cut it a little, grown it out, trimmed it, grown it out, cut a few more inches, and grown it out again. *yawn* Bor-ing.

I have four weeks to work up the courage, or four weeks to talk myself out of it, depending on which way I'm leaning at any given moment.

What's a girl to do?

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Be The Match

I've asked you to bleed. I've asked you to bake.

Now, I'm asking you to swab a few cells off the inside of your cheek.

I know, I know. I ask a lot, don't I?

And no, I'm not suggesting you put yourselves on some sort of are-you-my-father-DNA-testing episode of Maury. I wouldn't do that to you.

I'm talking about the Be The Match Registry (formerly known as the National Marrow Donor Program). I'm talking about putting yourself on the registry, in order to potentially donate your bone marrow someday. I'm talking about possibly saving someone's life.


I'm actually a bit late with this request. Back in June, Be The Match ran a Marrowthon to try to drum up 46,000 new people on the registry. During that time, all fees to join the registry were waived.

But, GOOD NEWS!

It looks like the fees are still being waived. This means you can join the marrow registry for FREE. It doesn't cost you a penny. Sign up on the website, and the kit will be mailed to you. It's super simple: You take a few swabs of the inside of your cheek, pack it up, and mail it back (you don't even have to pay postage). And then you're done.

At least for now.

You see, it's possible that there is someone out there, right now, that needs a bone marrow transplant. Maybe they've been waiting for it for a while. Because maybe they don't have a match. And it's possible that one of you, my dear friends, holds the key to their treatment.

It's possible that you'll register, and soon after, be called. Or maybe 10 years down the road. Or maybe never. But at least you'd know that you put yourself out there, just in case.

Just in case someone needed it. Just because you could.

Personally, I have been on the registry for (I think) more than 3 years now. I, too, signed up at a time when they were running a campaign during which the fees were waived (I believe it was a Mother's Day promotion). Normally, I believe they charge something like $50-60 to register, which is a huge shame, since that deters so many people. The problem is that in order to process someone and put them on the registry, it costs Be The Match $100 to do so. As you can imagine, that adds up quickly. Fortunately, people make monetary donations to Be The Match to offset some of those costs for you and me.

I sometimes wonder what I will do if I get called. Sometimes I fear that I'll be too afraid to actually go through with it. But then I think about how if the recipient was me, or my family member, or my friend... I would want someone to do it for me.

And so I have to believe that I would do it for them.

Remember Jenny? I've pointed you to her blog before, because her daughter was the reason I started donating blood. After her baby girl was diagnosed with leukemia, she, her husband, and other family members got tested as potential marrow donors for their own daughter. They weren't matches, but as a result, they were put on the registry. (Their daughter ended up receiving a cord blood transplant from a non-related donor, and for some reason, I want to say it may have come all the way from Italy!)

Anyway, almost two years after Allie passed away, Jenny's husband, Andrew, received a call that he was a bone marrow match for a young boy. Of course, given what they went through themselves, Andrew went through the harvesting surgery and donated. Isn't that just so amazing? You can read Jenny's blog posts about it here (scroll down and read post from July 13, and she mentions it a few times in prior posts, too).

That is just one of many, many stories. You can read others at the Be The Match blog. If you have any other questions about the Registry, the website is very informative.

If you're thinking about doing this, I hope you do it soon! I'm not sure how much longer they'll be waiving the fee.

And if you join, thank you.

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A Thousand Words

Yesterday, my internet buddy, LJK-C, posted a link to a photo collection by the Boston Globe that chronicles President Obama's first 167 days in office. Beautiful, poignant photos that I pored over, drinking in every detail--in one image, I even noticed my favorite campaign photo framed on the President's desk. *LOVE*

When I look through these photos, I feel so much pride.

But this post isn't about that. Well, it's not about my pride.

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

It's about his.

(I'm referring to the little guy.)

I first saw this photo a few months back, on some random news site or blog, shortly after it was taken. I saw it again while watching NBC's "Inside the Obama White House" special with Brian Williams.

While perusing this photo collection, I came across it for a third time. And I'll tell you... its power isn't lost on me. Every time I see this photo, I am deeply affected by it.

If you don't know the story behind the image... This little boy is the son of a White House staff member. He was at the White House for a visit, and had the chance to meet the President of the United States. As he stood, looking at Obama, he asked the one thing he really wanted to know.

He had recently had his hair cut, and he wanted to know if the President's hair felt like his own. And President Obama, in a way that I think truly demonstrates his character, bent over to let the little guy feel it for himself.

Pardon me while I go grab a tissue.

When I look at this photo, and I read the story, it's about so much more than the haircut.

That little boy--a black little boy--was likely sizing himself up against the President. And for the first time ever in our country's history, he was able to conclude: He looks like me. The color of his skin, and even the texture of his hair.

When I think about how that 4-year-old boy represents thousands and thousands of children who can now draw the same comparisons--it touches my heart.

For Obama, bending over and letting the boy feel the top of his head was a simple gesture. For the little boy, it was so much more than that. As a small child, he may not fully understand, but I think that some day, he will.

And seriously, now... what a beautiful moment to have caught on film.

That's right; I love it so much, I wanted you to see it twice. ;)

Oh, and can I just say... to be the Obama White House photographer? DREAM JOB. You know, if I had the talent.

Which I don't.

Instead, I'll live vicariously through Mr. Souza's photographs...

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Summer Salad

We haven't really had the chance to get back into "the groove" of eating normally since being back from vacation. We've had a lot going on, and I'm afraid to admit that for me, the scale is reflecting that by showing a couple additional pounds. Coming from someone who hates to see the scale budge in the upward direction, even just a little bit, I'm not a happy camper. :(

The other issue is just that it's summer. I find that it's more difficult to meal plan when you have to consider whether a meal is too heavy for the warm weather.

And so I find myself on a quest to get some light and healthy meals into our weekly rotation for summer.

This summer salad is something that I threw together for us on a whim the night after we got back from vacation. Then, yesterday, after our 4th of July indulgences, it was a perfect way to start the road to recovery from a weekend of eating.

The mixture of fruit, vegetables, and protein, all drizzled with a good balsamic dressing makes for a wonderfully light, but filling, meal. The other pro is that it is so easy--especially if you have some leftover grilled chicken already in the fridge.

Summer Salad

Ingredients:
- leafy salad greens (my favorite is romaine, but a "spring salad" mix or baby spinach would work well for this, too)
- 1 apple, cubed
- 6 to 8 strawberries, sliced
- 1/4 small onion, sliced
- grilled chicken pieces, sliced
- 1 tbsp. bacon bits
- shredded cheddar cheese
- balsamic vinaigrette dressing, for drizzling (we buy Ken's Light Balsamic Vinaigrette, which is fantastic!)

Directions:
1. On a plate, arrange a bed of leafy salad greens. Top with apple cubes, sliced strawberries, onions, and grilled chicken pieces.

2. Sprinkle bacon bits, and a little shredded cheddar cheese.

3. Drizzle entire salad with a good balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Enjoy!

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Independence Day

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, we spent our 4th of July holiday at Tyler and Marie's house for their engagement party. They got engaged last year on 4th of July, so they decided to have a party to celebrate this year. (They won't get married until October 2010, so they have a ways to go still.)

Just wanted to share a few photos from our holiday...

Marie's uncle roasted a pig for the party. They got a TON of pulled pork out of it. I think Tyler and Marie will probably be eating pork for a year.

Hunter in red, white, and blue! He even had little navy blue sandals on. Too cute for words.

My grandma spent some time snuggling her only great-grandson (she has four--going on five--great-granddaughters, though!).

Kara, Cristina, and me. (And Hunter. But he was snoozing!)

The party was larger during the day--lots of family and friends. Over time, people trickled out, and after dark, the real fun began. A little too much fun, at least for me. I sort of let loose and drank more than I usually do. Let's just say I'm paying for it today. I'm not going to lie; I'm hurting! We had a blast, though...

Marie and all of her bridesmaids

Tyler and all of his groomsmen

The entire bridal party

My brothers and me. I was super excited that we represented red, white, AND blue with our t-shirts. What can I say, at that point in time, I was easily amused...

Trevor and Kara

Our little bonfire. It was COLD!

Cristina and me. We were beer pong partners for the evening. Looking back, I'm sooo glad we lost after two games. HA!

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekends. I'm not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow!

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