Kitty Baby

We have a new addition to our little family - his name is Momo. We got him from the Animal Rescue League in El Paso, they had rescued him from "death row" at animal control. He had two other siblings with him, and we were so happy to be able to bring him home! He is adorable and super sweet. He's already very affectionate and I'm sure he's excited to have room to run around. We didn't plan on getting a kitten, but he was so cute and I really wanted a Siamese cat so we just went for it.

Our first day went well. We started him in our bedroom and played for a while and then let him explore the rest of the house. He soon found his way into bookshelves and had to climb on everything. He's still a little scared of the kitchen because it makes scary noises. He also wasn't quite sure about me leaving the door open today because of all the noisy cars and kids outside.

Before bed the other night the three of us were cuddling on the couch and then Momo ran off somewhere. When we were ready to go to bed we couldn't find him anywhere. We looked under and in everything in every room and we couldn't hear his bell. How did we lose the cat already? But then, I heard a little muffled jingle of his bell, and this is where I found him...

A lump hanging off the side of the chair. I couldn't even see any of his body. He was aparently comfy in there though!

So he's good at sleeping inside blankets, but not so great at sleeping at night. His litter box is in our bedroom bathroom so he has to be in there with us, but I haven't gotten a whole lot of sleep these first two nights. It makes me feel like a new mom. The first night he fell asleep with us and slept for a few hours, then woke up and kept jumping up at my face, chewing on my hair, and trying to play. Last night was even worse, he wouldn't fall asleep and just wanted to play. I am not a deep sleeper so this will take some getting used to. Of course Will, the extremely deep sleeper, isn't even bothered because Momo just wants to climb on me. He must be a mama's kitty. Luckily he did sleep for a little bit last night, but I had to shut myself in the guest room this morning to get some sleep. Hopefully he learns that night time is when I need to sleep. Any advice on this topic? I also need him to stop chewing on my hair. He will sneak up behind me in my armchair and pull my hair out of my ponytail...

Eating with him around is also a challenge. He is like a puppy, but far more agile. He will try to get at my plate or bowl any way possible. I had to stand to eat my lunch today because he was getting so crazy. No people food for kitty!

While he can be a little much, I sure do love him already. It will be nice to not be so lonely if I'm at home all day, and he is already good at snuggling. He will just test my patience a little bit!

Fall Baking

I decided it was finally time for fall baking for a few reasons:
1) I picked up one of those impulse-buy recipe books by the grocery store checkout that was filled with delicious fall baking recipes,
2) The temperature in El Paso finally dropped into the 60's (but only for a few days), so I could use the oven without sweating, and
3) I got a KitchenAid mixer for our wedding and I wanted to play with it

So I decided to make a couple treats and document my ever-increasing housewife skills:

Apple-Spice-Oatmeal Cookies

These looked somewhat healthy and gave me the chance to use my mixer. It is SO much easier than using a hand mixer and trying to keep everything in the bowl. This recipe has chopped apples and walnuts in the cookies, so I chopped those up while the rest of the batter was mixing.

They turned out really chewy and soft. I tried making the glaze, but it didn't seem to come out right. When I poured it on the cookies it soaked in instead of actually glazing the cookies. Even after I thickened it and stuck it in the fridge...oh well it tasted good. Mom, I know I've made frosting with you before, I must need a refresher lesson.

Streusel Pumpkin Muffins

These looked delicious with the crunchy topping and almonds. I like pumpkin, but I don't love pumpkin so as long as it has crust, crunch, or cream cheese frosting it's usually ok in my book.

First was the pumpkin mixture which really was quite orange. It included buttermilk, which I had never bought before, and it smells not so great. And the only can of pumpkin I found at the commissary had like 3 cups of pumpkin in it, so it looks like I might be making more of these this weekend to use up the buttermilk and pumpkin. (I just wrote pumpkin a lot in this paragraph) I was wishing I had better muffin pans for this because mine are pretty old school.

Next came the topping which was made with gingersnaps and brown sugar - YUM. My food chopper was wonderful for crushing them. Sprinkle this on the muffins and pop them in the oven...

And when they come out, top them off with some sliced almonds, and then they look all tasty! Here is the recipe from Betty Crocker.

I was pretty proud of myself that they turned out so well. And my Pampered Chef products got some good use from 3 hours of measuring, mixing, baking and cooling :) Next on my list are the stoneware muffin pan and more stack-able cooling racks.

I also got ingredients for making wheat bread with the mixer, so that's on the agenda for next week!

In case the recipe links are not showing up in blue as a link, here they are again:
Cookies: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/apple-spice-oatmeal-cookies/925f2bbe-f80d-40eb-a5e8-7b190f9ce1a2#?st=7&term=apple-spice%20oatmeal%20cookies
Muffins: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/streusel-pumpkin-muffins/00c51458-842e-44ab-9c9e-914812cae2a0#?st=7&term=pumpkin%20muffins

Back to Reality

It feels weird that the wedding is over now. After waiting so long for it to happen it's a little surreal. I'm glad that the planning is over and so blessed that we had such a great wedding day. We had beautiful fall MN weather, and we took outdoor photos with some of the pretty leaves in the background. Our photographer is amazing and I can't wait to see her work! Here is her website page if you want to check it out. Hopefully she will have ours up soon. The whole day went so well and I loved my flowers from Petalum! Thanks to everyone who helped make our day special. I finally got to marry my prince charming.

I think these were Dan's photos

After our wonderful wedding and great honeymoon trip to Lake Tahoe, it definitely feels good to be home. I wish we could have brought the trees and lakes from Tahoe home with us though. We both loved it there. Will looked at me in the car one day while we were there and said, "I just feel like I belong here." Agreed. I would go back in a heartbeat. I recommend the Ridge Tahoe resort to anyone looking for a getaway. It sits high up on the ridge on the southeast side of the lake. We enjoyed hiking at nearby state parks, went on a lunch cruise on the lake, tried our luck at the casinos, wandered in the shops, and took a drive all the way around the lake on our last day. Oh, and got some relaxing massages and facials at the resort spa and enjoyed the hot tub in our building that overlooked the Carson Valley.

 The hot tub view

And now we're back in the desert. Sweating and trying not to get hit while driving, haha. I got stuck in a dust devil at the airshow yesterday, that was not fun. Dirt in my eyes, mouth, and frozen lemonade. Will is back to work, I am back to housewife duties and getting my Pampered Chef business going. Back to the grind, but now it feels like we really are married. Married for real, as my brothers would say. Ben said he didn't believe I was married because he wasn't there when it happened. It feels great to (still) be married.

Only in Dreams

My subconscious is out of control. I'm guessing it's the stress of wedding planning, etc. the past month or two that has been causing my active dreaming, because I have been having super weird dreams every night.

Weird Dream Example A: Will and a bunch of guys were making me go on a mission with them to a downtown dinner club to kill some bad guys. I did not want to go for obvious reasons, but I was also mad at him because he had kissed one of my friends. There was a lot of arguing about me going, but somehow they talked me into it. I have no idea why they needed me to go. So they loaded up their SUV and guns and we drove to the train station. At said train station, there were thousands of Twins fans waiting to take the train downtown so we had to wait in an auditorium for a ride on the train. While there, I ran into a friend from college who was pouring his heart out to me because he had just broken off his engagement. Then I woke up...

Weird Dream Example B: Just this morning I was dreaming that I was at the airport supposed to go somewhere for work, but I didn't know where until I got there. I looked at the flight board and realized I was going to Paris! I had a lunch meeting scheduled, but couldn't tell the person I was meeting that I wouldn't make it because I was going to Paris. So I get there, and I'm wearing a fanny pack that is full of only shampoo and conditioner bottles. That's all I had. I started wandering and then I ran into my dad and brothers. I went with them to their hotel and was trying to make a plan to show them around, but they were being slow and it was getting dark. I wanted to go to Notre Dame and go up the towers because I never did that when I lived there, but it closed at 6pm and my cell phone would not reset to the correct time so I had no idea what time it was. I was just leaving them behind in the hotel when I woke up :( I still didn't get to go up the towers of Notre Dame.

There are many many more dreams that I can't remember after waking up. And Will claims that I have been talking in my sleep. Hopefully after next week when the wedding is over, my crazy imagination will settle down and let me sleep in peace!

Culturally Speaking

Living in El Paso is basically like living in a different country. Sure, it's in Texas, but it's more like Mexico. Many people don't speak English, and the Mexican culture is dominant here in many aspects. There are some not so great things about living here, but it's also not all bad. We are happy here for the time being, but I'm glad knowing we won't be here forever. Here are some of my observations after living here for a few months. It is culturally very different from MN.

Style - Minneapolis is a fairly diverse place, and usually pretty up on current fashion. Hipsters roam the streets of uptown, professionals are dressed to the nines downtown, and college kids dress to impress all around town. Even children for the most part are well dressed. Well, in El Paso, half the people you see look like they got dressed in the dark. Maybe it's the lower standard of living or the culture, but seriously people, you could put a little work in. Then there's also the factor of the heat. Wearing as little clothing as possible is was gets you through the day. Short shorts, tank tops, and sun dresses all the way. I don't know how the soldiers work outside in their pants and long sleeves all the time. I'm excited for it to cool down a little so I can start wearing jeans, and sweatshirts, and boots, and OOH - getting too excited about fall clothes! MN change of season syndrome we'll call it.

Music - Minneapolis also has a pretty good music scene. I have gone to tons of concerts, seen bands play at bars, and experienced a variety of genres. Here there is one: Mariachi. No, not really, but almost. The radio stations here are terrible. There is no alternative, indie, or Cities97 type music to be found. Even the pop music they play is not so great. Concerts are few and far between, however I would like to attend an El Paso Symphony Orchestra concert at some point.

Independent film - I never realized that independent film was something that I would necessarily miss, but when a movie was coming out that I wanted to see and nowhere in El Paso was showing it I was a little sad. Luckily, one theater in town eventually got it. Unfortunately I can't rely on the Edina Landmark Theater to fill my independent film needs any longer.

Theater/art - El Paso has some museums and one nice theater, but overall it's lacking in the arts department. In Minneapolis it's like art and theater and music are just everywhere always. You don't have to look very hard for some sort of cultural entertainment. Here it's a little more difficult, but I was happy to see that they have a pretty good Broadway schedule lined up for the year. Now to convince myself it's ok to pay the $150-200 to see Wicked again...

Outdoors - Texas is hot. Really hot. Being outside in the summer is just not as appealing as it is in MN. There is also very few things to do outdoors here. There are no lakes, no rivers, no bike trails, no beaches, and very little grass. There are pools and tennis courts, but they are often crowded, or if you are the only one there it means that it's too hot and you shouldn't be there!

Driving - People complain about MN drivers not knowing how to merge...at least they know how to drive in general. Here, not so much. 40% of motorists here are uninsured, many don't have drivers licenses, and there are fatal accidents almost every single day. I avoid the main freeway through the city at all costs. If I do end up getting a job I'm scared that I will have to drive on it. It is scary. People speed like nobody's business, the on and off ramps are weird and get really backed up, and I have never seen so many cars on the side of the road at any given hour. Thankfully talking and texting on phones is illegal here, it takes enough concentration just to drive and not get hit. In the past week, I almost got side swiped and my husband almost got t-boned twice.

So those are some of the weird/bad things about living in El Paso. There are some good things too. I love the dry weather, it's so nice to get away from the suffocating humidity. My hair is better, my health is better, and things dry SO FAST. I also love living near the mountains. Seeing the sun hit the mountains as it rises, and the sunset over the mountains is just breathtaking. They are also good for hiking and rock climbing for my husband (when it's not blazing hot). And I have yet to see a rattlesnake so I'm happy about that.

Most of all, the best thing about living here is the people. I have met great people since I have been here and am lucky to have some really good friends. I've also gotten plugged into some good groups and activities. It's very different here culturally and weather-wise, but I'm glad to have the opportunity to experience living somewhere so different. I feel like living here is more of an adjustment than living in France was. But the experience is what you make it, so while some things are irritating/scary/boring, I'll try to make the best of my time here. The most important thing is that I'm with my husband finally and we are enjoying being married and making a life for ourselves!

State Fair Top 10

I was SO happy that while we were home in MN, we got to go to the MN State Fair. I think I have gone every year of my life (at least every year that we were in town). I was so sad thinking that I may not have gotten to go this year since I moved away. Hopefully I'll be able to continue to go as it is one of my favorite times of year.

Mostly, I love the fair because of the food. But here are my top 10 favorite things at the fair:

1) Cheese on a stick - This is my absolute favorite food at the fair. I ate two while I was there this year since I only got to go one day. It is a stick of cheese that is deep fried in a corn batter and served on a stick. I recently bought a cornbread pan specially for making stuffed cornbread muffins and am experimenting with how to make it taste like cheese on a stick.

 

2) Cheese curds - Yeah, yeah I love cheese. If you know me you know I have a ridiculous love for cheese. Cheese curds are a must at the fair, but no way I can eat a whole order on my own. WAY TOO MUCH GREASE.

3) Sweet Martha's Cookies and the unlimited milk stand - These are not just any ordinary cookies. There is nothing like getting an overflowing bucket or cone full of hot gooey cookies and heading to the milk stand to stuff your face full of chocolate chip goodness.

4) French fries - LOVE the french fries at the state fair. That's all I have to say about that.

5) Pronto Pups- Not your ordinary corn dog. I believe these are made with a wheat based batter instead of corn. I like that the booths say "Wiener dun in a bun."

6) New crazy foods (often on a stick) - This year the new food I tried was deep fried cookie dough on a stick. I wasn't sure how it would look, but it was 3 balls of fried dough. Super ooey gooey, hot cookie dough complete with powdered sugar making it near impossible to eat neatly. While we were eating this in the food building a couple from NY was sharing out table and the woman was majorly struggling with eating it off the stick...amateur. They thought we were nuts for putting everything on a stick.

7) Baby animals - The miracle of birth building is both adorable and disgusting. While I do not want to watch a live birth of a cow (especially multiple times, seeing it once was enough), I do enjoy seeing the babies that have already been born. Like these adorable little duckies.

8) Alpacas - There is a booth by the animal buildings that sells alpaca woolen goods, and usually has a couple cute alpacas hanging out there. I always want to buy the hats, but I don't. I also always want to buy an alpaca, but I can't...

9) People watching - The MN State Fair is a prime people watching location. If you sit anywhere for more than 5 minutes, you will watch seas of people wander by. Often these people have horrible outfits, hair, fanny-packs, etc. If I did more picture taking than I did eating, I would take more pictures of things that make me laugh.

10) Fine Arts Building - Most of the buildings at the fair are pretty boring, but I love the Fine Arts Building. There are a lot of talented artists in MN. There were too many staff members in there this year so I wasn't able to take a picture of the amazing mosaic that was there this year. But it inspired me to pick that hobby back up.

There you have it. My top ten. What's yours?

Weddings

My beautiful best friend (aka my wife) got married last weekend. It worked out that both my husband and I could be there together, and I am so glad we got to be a part of my friends' big day. Everything was perfect, including the weather, for their intimate outdoor ceremony and reception. My favorite part of the day was hearing them read each other their vows. I cried the whole time. Plus, one of my other best friends was officiating the ceremony. It was super emotional and beautiful. I am so happy for Mr. and Mrs. Jones!

While we were home my husband and I also did some planning for our renewal of vows ceremony and reception coming up in October. It still seemed like some far-off wedding fantasy until we actually sat down with the pastor and wedding planner at church and planned out the order or ceremony, music, and things like that. It finally feels real and I am getting really excited to finally wear my dress and pledge our love to each other in front of our family and friends. The first time around we were in a court house across the hall from a bunch of prisoners in orange jumpsuits with random legal assistant people as our witnesses. If we had known that would be our only "wedding" for the first year and a half of our marriage, we would have thought it out a little more and at least brought our own witnesses and have someone take photos.

So our turn is coming up in just a few short weeks now. Just keep your fingers crossed that we can get enough leave approved so that we can go on a honeymoon too!