Swim, Bike, Run....Relish!

This weekend I had the whole weekend off, and Jason was out of town at a music festival in Manchester, TN...it's called Bonnaroo...this is his third time going to it.  Jason LOVES music and couldn't resist seeing the Dave Matthews Band, Jay-Z, Steve Martin, Conan O'Brien, The Zac Brown Band, and Stevie Wonder...LIVE!  I must say I was a little jealous he was going, but as you will see below, I spent my weekend with family....it can't get better than that :)

The weekend started out with me driving to down to Ames to hang out with my brother-in-law, Adam's, girlfriend, Bridget!  We went to Goodwill, Wheatsfield, and hit up some shops on main street.  We had a little bowl of gelato in Stam's on main which was excellent!  We both had the Tiramisu and loved it!  Adam had to work in the morning, but he met us there and we headed back to Bridget's apartment.  Bridget and I made a quick pit stop at Wal-Mart and got a very special phone call!  Turns out she had put her name in a drawing at the Fareway near her apt to win a bike...and she WON!  She had been thinking of buying one for a long time and this was a wonderful suprise for her!  It is also pretty awesome because it is a Michelob Ultra bike!!  Yep!  That's right!  It is pretty cool!  Congrats Bridget!!

Here are a few pics I snapped while at her apartment...the one on the left is her garden!  Isn't it just darling?  I think so :)  She had to put a fence around it because they have a large rabbit population that likes to snack on her basil...Adam said he would take care of the rabbits with a sling shot next time!  Now Adam!?  Ha!  Bridget found the potted hanging plant on the right by the dumpster and found out the owner didn't want it anymore, so she got it and I must say it is thriving!  The bottom left is Adam and Bridget...they are just SO DARN CUTE!  On the bottom right are some flowers she planted, and the yellow blossoms were so pretty!

For supper we had turkey burgers, and Bridget had a veggie burger...if you haven't tried these go out and buy some NOW! They are great!  Our chef, Adam, also whipped up a quick stir fry of onions, one hot pepper, green beans, and sesame seeds...it was a spicy dish!  My eyes watered the whole time these were cooking and I wasn't even near them!  Does this happen to you or am I just weird?

We had a small issue with some RELISH....Adam thought it needed to be shook up, and the cap happened to just slip off...relish was EVERYWHERE!  Ha!  It was quite entertaining actually and ended up on all four walls, and Bridget also took a hit!  Haha!  We cleaned it up and got to chowing down!

Here is a great picture of the swimming area of the HyVee Triathalon that my father-in-law participated in.  He swam 1/4 mile, hopped on his bike for 13.1 miles, and then ran a 5K(3.1 something miles:)  This was supposed to be a full tri, but with the weather, they changed it to a sprint tri.  Dick did a great job!!  It started to pour down right when he started running...were talking thunder and lightning! 

Here is is taking his bike in to the transition area, and below is him starting to run...he is the one on the right!  Go Dick!!

During the pouring down rain, we chose to take cover under a tent...from left...Cici, Andy, Me, Holly, Bridget, Kathy, and Titus...we got lots and lots of samples of delicious food, and other various samples from the vendors in the expo! 

Here is Bridget and I with our samples...the vendors were literally throwing stuff at us towards the end because then they didn't have to lug it back...it was AWESOME!!

Here is a great pic on my mother and father in law!  Congrats on the finish, Dick!

We left and headed back to Bridget's apt to dry off and get warm.  Titus and Cici had fun running around in her apt!  The picture on the right is of a bird statue that Bridget found on one of her Goodwill trips...we started calling her car the birdmobile! 

What a wonderful weekend to have, minus the rain, with family!  Thanks for the fun guys!

Jalapeno pepper laundry room :P

Jason and I got an itch to paint the laundry room, and this is how it turned out!  We were both really pleased with the color.  It is Jalapeno Pepper, which is a Benjamin Moore color unfortunatly, but none of our Sherwin-Williams colors were cutting it for me...plus a couple months ago we had matched this color for a lady at the store and my boss and I really liked it so this was the perftect chance to try it out.

The color had the retro kind of feel and it really made the previously painted white woodwork pop!  It is just a really fresh and fun color, and I paired it with brown curtains which tones it down, and makes it all work together.

Here is some of the pictures I hung up after the walls were finished.  I got both of these two cool patterns at the RC on Main here is the LINKto their website.  They just opened up this shop on the same block as Sherwin-Williams, and have a scrapbookers dream store!  It is chuck full of paper, buttons, fun markers, kits, tons of stuff!  I just bought some cheap frames from the dollar store and cut the paper down to size.  They look really modern and retro at the same time...just like Jason and I!

Here are some plants in our laundry room...bonsai on

the bottom and a clover variety on the top.

I also snapped some pictures of the flowers I planted for the summer.  Here is where they are planted.  It was all my idea :)

This one is just gorgeous!  Don't flowers just make you happy?  They sure do for me!

Goats are weird...

As many of you know I grew up on a farm just north of Nashua, and going back to hang out with my 4 brothers and one little sister is something I love to do on my down time.  Here are some things us "farmkids" do for fun...or just stuff we did when I was home!

My dad stacks round bales of cornstalks and we would use them as a jungle gym...I was always too scared to climb up to the top bales.

Yes, this may seem odd, but having round bales also come in handy for a trampoline guard!  I think they make it even more fun than it is!  And here is my brother Jacob, doing a toe touch...no big deal!  Ha!  If I can't get Greta to be a cheerleader, Jacob is my next choice :)

Here is the beagle Freckles along with Greta and Jacob...Freckles used to nip at Jason's ankles, hehehe...I always thought it was funny!

This is only a fraction of the chickens my mom has.  If I remember right, she had 125 of these little guys...that's a lot of nuggets right there!!

Gobble gobble!!!  I always used to worry tukeys would chase me....is that weird?

Beef...it's what's for dinner....

The country is so peaceful...sky and flat land for miles...I love Iowa!

GOATS ARE WEIRD!  If you know me, you may or may not be aware that I grew up drinking goat's milk.  I can eat it on cereal, but not by the glassful...tooo darn goaty :)

Why `ello!  This girl wanted to eat me!

So I hope this post has changed or enlightened the way you think of farm life...it's in my blood and the farm will always be my home!

Go Huskies!!

I was offered the N-P Assistant Cheerleading coach position today and I took it! I was a cheerleader all through high school and LOVED it! I did a little volunteer coaching at Charles City right after I graduated and liked that, so I know this will be a great thing for me to do! I will be busy, that is for sure, but I can't wait!
Cheerleading brought out the best of me and kept me out and away from trouble too...=) I can't wait to be a mentor for the girls and help them to achieve all the goals they have set for this year!

Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl-->Delish:)

This is one of my most absolute favorite meals inspired by Iowa Girl Eats.  It is from the restaurant Chipotle, and it is AMAZING!  At Chipotle, they wrap up all the ingredients in a giant flour tortilla, but since this is a little more easier to eat, this is how I have been making it.  We had this for supper tonight and it leaves me feeling full and happy :)  I LOVE IT!  So I thought I would share how it's made...if you want the exact recipe just click on the link above.

Make as much brown rice as you need..I did 4 serving so we could have some for lunches tommorow.

Make your Pico de Gallo, dice up tomatoes, cilantro, one garlic clove, throw in a splash of lime juice ( I only had lemon juice and it still tasted good.), and as much of a red onion that you desire...I am not a huge fan of onions, so I put in very little. 

We used 4 chicken breasts and seasoned them with chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, and onion powder.  I also used a little salt and pepper.  Put them in a pan on the stove and cook until finished.

So this picture has a bad shadow, but this is what you do with the rice after it is cooked.  You put in a handful of chopped chilantro and a splash of lime or lemon juice.  I also put in salt and pepper.  When they are finished cooking, chop into cubes for easy eating.

Here is my Pico...it was perfect!!

Here are all of the ingredients in a row, ready to be assembled!

Start with a scoopful or two of rice...

Put in chicken and a handful of cheese if desired...

Put on some black beans...I warmed these up in the microwave.

Finish it off with the Pico de Gallo, and there you have it, an delicious meal you will never forget!!

Make this tonight!! You will not be dissapointed!!!

Upper Iowa University Alum

I'M DONE!  I graduated from Upper Iowa University on May 8th, 2010 with a Bachelor in Science Degree in Human Services with a Minor in Psychology!  And I graduated Summa Cum Laude! Who would have known!?

It was a beautiful day for a graduation and my family was in attendance to celebrate with me. 

We found this cool peacock on the building to take pictures by...they turned out really good!

Where's Waldo?   Haha!  Can you find me in here??

I am so happy to be finished...maybe in a few years I will get the itch to go back for my Master's, but right now I am just loving life! 

Shortly after this happened, Jason decided he wanted to go back and finish getting his 2 year degree.  He applied at NIACC and will be attending starting in the fall of this year for Criminal Justice.  I am very excited for him to finish!

3rd Annual Fish Boil

Jason and I had a fabulous weekend!  We went to East Peru, IA to a Fish Boil!  My cousin Sabrina and her husband Travis have done this for three years now and we always have a great time.  East Peru is a very small town south of Des Moines about 45 minutes.  I took lots of pictures of the step by step process of a fish boil.

2 five gallon pails of potatoes go into a 40 gallon pot with 16 gallons of water.

Their are 2 tubs of salt added to each batch, Travis did two batches.

Add a pail of onions to the mix...

And let that baby BOIL!  You can't see it but their is a colander inside of this pot that has the potatoes and onions in it so they can easily drain it.

Fish is added last to the pot in a smaller colander since it cooks fast.

Here is the FISH BOILER, Travis Tuttle!  Thanks for the good eats Travis :)

This year they had hush puppies and they were a hit!  Chewy and soft, creamed corn and jalapenos were in this batch and they were delish!

About 5 minutes before the boil over was supposed to happen we a had a downpour, and it cooled the fire a  bit so it took a little longer for the first batch.  I think I can speak for everyone and say that it was totally fine that it poured...the humidty was nearly unbearable right before the rain.  This little guy found a giant burdoch leaf use as an umbrella!

And here is the boil over! 

Kerosene was thrown on the fire and it makes the water bubble over the top, yay!  Time to eat!

Here is my plate...lots of fish, potatoes, no onions (not a fan), watermelon, brownies, hush puppie, potato salad, deviled egg, mac an cheese, and pickle roll!  Oh and a Bud Light Golden Wheat!  I really like this beer, it reminds me of Blue Moon which is my favorite!  This was a great meal!

Here is my aunt and uncle Nancy and Robert.  They made the trek from North Washington, IA and this was their first fish boil!

My parents showed up and we let them watch the second boil over and eat some fish, Mom ate a hot dog since she is allergic to fish and then we took them down to the Horny Room!  Haha!  You should have seen my mother's face when I told her we were going!  Sabrina's father in law goes out in the woods and finds antlers that the bucks have shed...my dad was in absolute AWE. 

We helped clean up in the morning and then headed out.  Made a quick pit stop at Wal-Mart and Jordan Creek before hitting the road towards home.  Blue skies and clouds were a great end to an awesome weekend!