Wondering what they will be eating at the royal wedding

Okay I am getting pretty excited about the royal wedding tomorrow.  I think I am going to get up at 530 just to see them arrive at the abbey; of course I will probably be late for work tomorrow but I think it will be worth it.  I sure wish I was there for the meal, can you imagine what they will be serving?????  I can only imagine how tasty it will be, oh I can get excited just thinking about what they might be serving.  I will be reading the newspapers really closely tomorrow to find out the final menu and then search the net to try to recreate some of the dishes!!! Hope you will get a chance to see the wedding tomorrow and if you are late for work as well, well it will be worth it!!! Congratulations to both William and Kate!!!!

Packing and royal watching

So last night I packed like I was possessed. How did we collect this much stuff, so quickly, without me noticing?  Seriously I think while we are sleeping our stuff is multiplying like mushrooms under the moonlight, growing and talking about bringing their cousins and far flung relatives to party under our bed, in our closets, under the kitchen sink, in drawers where I should be storing clothes, okay, admittedly more clothes than I need and that could probably be better given to Goodwill than stored in my drawers, but seriously, you should see the pile of boxes growing!  And I only worked on the office last night; I am tackling the bedroom tonight.  That should be revealing.  I worked a bit on email addresses last night but to be honest I ended up slouched on the couch watching made up programs about “possible” meals for the royal wedding.  I can’t believe how much press coverage it is getting and how much of it is really just supposition or filler.  It is too early tomorrow morning for me to get up to watch it live but I do wish them well and will watch it in repeats and in the papers. But I have to admit, as glamourous as it looks from a distance, I am not sure I would ever choose it.  I can see why they want to retreat to their home in Wales away from the glare and just enjoy being a regular married couple.  As much as I love the spectacle, I am constantly reminded how lucky I am to have my guy and our little home and to be packing boxes for our new life in our new home and not confronted with the lack of privacy and choice they have.  Count your blessings.  Love is so fragile and to have the chance and really the freedom to let you love grow and flourish without all the pressures they face is a real joy in life.  

Working too hard

Just a quick note today.  It has been so busy today getting back in to the swing of things.  I feel so bad for my guy.  He spent yesterday tiling the floor in the new house and although it looks great, it just about killed him. He was in pain, and wow, what back pain. I soaked him in a hot tub, fluffed him and put him on the couch and then fed him easy pizza and nachos for crunch.  Poor guy was exhausted last night.  And tonight for me it is hours of packing up the house!  I only have done a few more entries from Texas on my distribution list; just can’t seem to find the time these days!  But a little bit every day will eventually make the job done!!!

Bronzed and back home

We are home from Mexico and wow, what a holiday!  I am not even sure where to begin.  It was an absolutely fantastic holiday.  So my company sent me and my guy away on the Achievement club, a reward vacation for high performers.  We went to Cabos San Lucas in Mexico and stayed at the Hilton resort on the beach.  What a place, so opulent, just beautiful and our room was to die for.  We had a sunken tub from which you could watch television, gorgeous beds and linens and amazing soaps and creams in the room that we stole every day.  We came home with a suitcase full of free product!  They really treated us well with banquets on the terraces overlooking the sea, and receptions by the infinity pools.  We spent time on the beach and body surfing in the waves.  We went into town and had a delicious meal at Morgan’s a great steak place where we sat in an open air courtyard with stars above and live music at our table.  We went on a breakfast cruise and saw the famous rock formations and arch, and got the chance to see sea lions playing in the water and a special surprise we followed a pod of humpback whales in the sea, laughing at the whale calf chasing its mother.  We had a great party on the beach to end the club with bbqs and buffets, bars, tequila bars, cigar rolling, live music and fireworks over the sea.  It was a great great time.

When we were done we went with two girlfriends over to the Barcelo resort to spend three more days before coming home.  It was equally beautiful and since it was half full we got upgraded to a suite with our own living room and flat screen tvs everywhere you looked.  We swam in the pools and on the beach, ate delicious Japanese food one night in one of the restaurants, went horse back riding on the beach and generally unwound and relaxed.  It was a great time.  We walked into town to a grocery store where I strolled the aisles, checking out the local specialties and came home with a bottle of orange vinegar which I have never tried and a couple of bottles of Rioja red wine.  We could not have asked for a better holiday, took way too many pictures, never enough siestas and both my guy and I unwound and relaxed and reconnected.  The house, the cookbook, the stresses of packing and renovations all receded and it was just us, on our own routine, choosing to do or do nothing whenever we wanted and all of it enjoyed with two great girlfriends for fun.  We have come home refreshed and ready to go.

And a good thing, since today, my guy is laying tiles in the front hallway of the house, we spent yesterday packing and traveling up to see my parents.  Easter dinner was cancelled since my father is still not up to it but they are back home after five days in the hospital.  I think it scared him some; he has never in his life been sick and certainly never in the hospital.  So we went up and had a good visit.  But now every evening is either packing or work at the house because we move next Thursday and the pressure is on to get it all done!  And I am still working on the website and press distribution list for the cookbook and I have to travel to Chicago for work next week for a couple of days.  Not sure we will be sleeping much; good thing we had all that beach time!!!  Glad to be back!

Off to Mexico, beach and sun for us

Well here it is early Saturday morning and I am up listening to the rain and the sounds of wet tires on pavement as the cars go past and my guy is still nestled snugly in bed.  This afternoon we are off to Mexico in Cabos San Lucas for the achievement club trip that I won at work!  And are we ever ready for the break!  Last night, my guy and a friend finished installing all the doors and cupboards in the new kitchen.  The stainless steel appliances are in place and suddenly you can see what the finished product is going to look like and I love it!  The hardwood floor goes so well with the kitchen.  We still have to install the shelves in the cupboards and the under cupboard lighting, gables, all the finishing things but it looks great already.  Even the breakfast bar/island we built looks great, although it is much bigger than I anticipated.  The counter guy came and measured, lots of swearing and cussing, but that looks good and I got to vacuum all the new carpet upstairs.  It is so spongey with the underpadding and a beautiful tan/caramel colour.  Looks amazing and makes the upstairs appear finished.  The house is starting to look nothing like it did when we bought it that's for sure!  But with all this work, we now need the break.

I also got a call after I had gone to bed from my brother to tell me that my father was admitted to the hospital in Indiannapolis last night where he and my mother are on holidays.  They are touring, having been to New Orleans and Dad had a flu before he left that it sounds like with all the touring he never got enough rest to recover.  They ran tests last night and everything came back fine, but they were keeping him overnight since he was suffering from dizziness.  Hopefully he will be discharged today since they were expected home tonight.  My brother spoke to both of them and he said they sounded fine, even if Dad sounded sick. My father has been active, very active his whole life and he pushes too hard and somehow he hasn't realized that he will be 68 in June; he has to learn to slow down a little.  It is who he is but I guess now he just needs to get home and sleep!  I will hear from my brother today before we leave so God willing there will be good news and no worries and they will be on their way home, Mom with a sick husband in tow.  Keep him in your prayers if you can.

Otherwise, still have to pack, tidy up the house and get some more credit for my cell phone.  I am never like this, I usually have everything planned and packed well before departure, but there has just been so much going on I haven't gotten to it.  So still some running around for me before we can start to relax.  And relax we will!  We need it, I just want to spend some time with my guy, when both of us are rested! LOL  Have a great week, keep Dad in your prayers if you can, happy cooking, and I will be back in a week, full of stories of too much food, too much sun and too many naps!!  Miss ya

New countertops ordered, carpet being installed

So yesterday was a very difficult day at work and I was relieved when it was over!  Last night we went and ordered our new countertops and I also selected a thick gauge stainless steel sink from Italy which is extra deep, very nice.  We then of course ran off to Home Depot and bought a new faucet and extras for the kitchen. Today they are installing new carpet, measuring for the countertop and my guy is laying tiles in the front hallway and powder room with a friend.  Last night I completed Louisiana and Colorado, onto Texas today.  But honestly more than anything, we are exhausted and really ready for our trip to Mexico to relax, unwind and reconnect.  We have been just wiped out and need a chance to get rested, nap and get refreshed for the spring.  We have a charity bike ride coming up early June we haven’t started training for, the condo isn’t’ packed at all for the move, and we still have to finish the renovations and I have to work on advertising in time for the launch in mid May.  This has been one action packed year so far!!

Mississippi and Alabama done, onto Arkansas

So today I finished Mississippi and Alabama.  Just doing this preparation work I am learning a great deal about the world, I am discovering places I never knew existed and now I know all their newspapers as well.  I actually find it quite interesting reading the front pages of their papers just to see what is important to them in their little corner of the world.  Somehow all our interests, worries and concerns are the same, kind of comforting really.  Tomorrow onto more states.  I also uploaded some changes to the interior of the cookbook at the publisher.  There were a few things I wanted to change so I made the appropriate changes and uploaded the new files, never talking to a soul.  Technology really is amazing.  And I treated myself to a little pre-vacation shopping for clothes before we leave on Saturday.  Everyone at work who is attending is getting pretty excited without talking about it too much in front of those not attending.  It is like an underground selective secret club that reduces us all to shouts of glee and uncontrollable giggles!  Now we just need a secret handshake!